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xxx-cat-xxx · 5 years

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Spectacular

Since my last story reportedly made people cry, I tried hard to write something happy this time, namely domestic Tony/Pepper & Peter. It´s horribly fluffy, don't get used to it.

Thank you to @awesomesockes for all the ideas and to @whumphoarder for beta-reading.

“Tony, I need you to read this.” Pepper steps into the room, the tell-tale clicking of her heels accompanying her. She holds a manila folder out to Tony.

“Yeah, put it down over there, I'll look at it later,” the engineer replies, barely glancing up from the wires he's fiddling with under a magnifying glass. “And toss me the Advil bottle from the cupboard, will ya?”

“You´re burning through these way too fast,” Pepper observes while setting the nearly empty bottle on the table in front of him. “Exactly how light are these ‘light headaches’ you've been getting?”

Tony ignores her in favour of throwing down two painkillers in a fluid motion. He massages his closed eyes with his thumb and index finger, a scrunched look on his face, before blinking hard a few times and focusing back on the magnifying glass. None of this escapes Pepper's notice.

“I want you to look at that document for me,” she orders. “Now.”

“Can't I have one hour to work in peace? Put it on the table over there…”

“Don't have FRIDAY scan it and read it out loud. You pulled that trick on Peter yesterday, it won’t work with me.”

“He told you that?” Tony huffs. “Think I'm gonna have to fire him.”

“Technically, he's an intern of Stark Industries, which happens to be a company controlled by me, so decisions about his contract are under my jurisdiction. Now read that out to me.”

“Sometimes I feel like it was a mistake to promote you,” Tony grumbles. “You’re getting too used to being in power.”

He takes the sheet of paper from the folder and squints at it. Then he pushes it away at arm's length and squints even harder. “You know that I can’t read French, right?”

“It's English, Tony.” Pepper snatches the document out of his hand. “And you just proved my point. You have an appointment with the optician this afternoon.”

“That's ridiculous. I don't need reading glasses. I've got Friday, I've got you and the kid. I'm totally fine to work without prosthesis,” he argues. “Oh, fuck.”

One of the wires under his fingers has started to spark. He uses the sleeve of his already grease-stained sweatshirt to extinguish it.

“3:00 pm, Friday knows the address,” Pepper continues. “You should take a shower before you show yourself in public. Oh, and Peter will be accompanying you.”

“I- what? Pep, that's not fair!”

“I've got a meeting. And the boy has certain skills that he promised to use in order to ensure you won't sneak out of the shop. Thank me later.” Pepper gives him a sweet, deceptively innocent smile. She presses a kiss onto the clean side of his cheeks before turning around and walking off.

“You're an evil, evil woman, Miss Potts,” Tony mutters as he watches her leave.

“I look old. I'm not old, Pete.”

Peter only offers an exasperated sigh, biting back the very tempting ‘Yes, you are’ that's sitting on the tip of his tongue.

It's early evening. There's a heap of discarded frames the size of a small iceberg next to Tony. The third shop assistant attending to them this day is trying to mask her growing desperation while two others are snoring behind the counter.

“They look just like your sunglasses, Mr. Stark, and you never have a problem wearing them.”

Peter had been delighted when Pepper had called him for a “special mission” the other day, looking forward to spending time with Tony outside the workshop. But he probably should have guessed from the hint of guilt in Pepper's eyes that this was not going to be an easy mission.

“It's not the same. These aren’t sunglasses, and I know it. I can feel the difference.”

“That's sort of the point, isn't it?”

“Don't be a smartass, kid.” Tony's tired eyes narrow at Peter, which would be sort of threatening if it weren't for the bright purple spectacles currently balanced on his nose.

“I told you, I liked those simple black frames, but you said they were too ooooordinary,” Peter pronounces, stretching out the vowel as he breaks into a yawn.

“Hmm. Maybe I'll try those again,” Tony deliberates, then looks a little helplessly at the startling number of discarded models surrounding him. “Uhm, where did I put them?”

While the shop assistant jumps in to prevent Tony from further increasing the chaos, Peter gets up from the chair to stretch his legs. He tries on a pair of half-moon glasses and stands in front of the mirror.

“Those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it,“ he imitates in a deep voice, then pauses when something catches his eye.

“Oh wow, they still make these!” he blurts out, dropping the Dumbledore frames and striding over to the kids' section.

On a small, colourfully-painted rack, a number of superhero-themed glasses are displayed. There's a pair with small wings on each side that look like miniature versions of those mounted on Thor's helmet, one with stars all over the frame in Captain-America themed colours, and a red one with golden screws that remotely resembles the Iron Man armour. Below all of them, there's a pair of specs with the unmistakable pattern of a spider web crisscrossing the red and blue frame.

“They made Spider-Man glasses,” Peter whispers, completely awe-struck.

“I know I said I'm not old, but I'm definitely too old for those,” Tony remarks from behind his shoulder. Peter turns around. There's a sober-looking black framed pair sitting on his mentor's nose and a nearly identical one shoved up to his forehead. A third pair of glasses is dangling from his fingers.

“No, it's just-” Peter steps away from the shelf, suddenly a little embarrassed.

“It's just what? The stunning ability of capitalism to churn out endless variations of the very same product in order to convince customers they’re buying something different? The marketisation of people with special powers?”

“Not - not exactly.” Peter blinks, slightly confused.

“So?”

“I used to wear these when I was little,” Peter admits, pointing at the Iron Man frame. “Before the bite, my eyesight was so bad that I couldn't even make out my own toes when I was standing. I got my first glasses when I was three, and I guess it's easier to convince a kid to wear them when you can claim that they give him superpowers. At least that's what my aunt used to tell me.”

“Superpowered glasses? Well, that's....spectacular.” Tony raises his eyebrows in a mocking gesture, but his expression goes a little soft. “I guess my father could have learned something from your aunt's parenting skills.”

He turns away before Peter can think of something to say.

“Come here, kid,” Tony calls over his shoulder. “I’ve compiled a top ten, if you wanna give me a hand…”

A few days later, Dum-E and U get into an argument that ends with U setting a bunch of papers on fire in an attempt to offer an apology to Dum-E, who extinguishes the flames with loud chirps of joy. When Tony skims through the smoldering remains of the documents, the one Pepper gave him to read falls into his hands.

With a grimace, he pulls the newly-acquired reading glasses from the explosion-proof safe in which Peter has deposited them with admirable foresight.

In the middle of the paper, one sentence is written in tiny letters: “Proof that Pepper Potts always knows best.”

#fan fic #tony stark #peter parker #pepper potts #tooth-rotting fluff #reading glasses #old tony #I know this isn´t whump but Tony has a headache okay?#dum-e #U #a desperate unnamed shop-assistant #my number is -6 if anyone is interested #so at least i know what I´m talking about #writing the last line took more time than writing the whole damn fic #if you´ve read till here you´re probably bored

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inawickedlittletown · 5 years

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Walking The Wire (109/?)

Summary: Tony Stark always knew about Peter Parker. He didn’t know that Peter was going to get superpowers and become Spider-Man, but he always knew about Peter because Peter was his son.

This will span from pre-Iron Man up through the rest of the MCU (eventually including Infinity War) and will be for the most part canon compliant except where I’ve taken some liberties and interpreted canon a certain way.

Pairings: Pepper/Tony, Tony/Steve (endgame), Tony/Mary (past)

A/N: If you want me to tag you when I post new chapters let me know. This fic is also on AO3

I used Collider’s MCU timeline to stay canon and the title of this fic is an Imagine Dragons song that is just so fitting for Peter and Tony

@findmeinthestarss

Masterpost

Chapter One Hundred Eight

2018

Ben & Jerry’s came out with a whole bunch of new flavors that were Avengers inspired. Peter found out when Ned texted him and MJ about it in a group text. Later, when he got home from school, he found out that not only were there new flavors, but that Ben & Jerry had gone ahead and sent them at the tower a few pints of each of the new flavors.

“This is amazing,” Peter said when he peered into the freezer. “Did you know this was happening?”

“Despite your metabolism, I don’t expect that eating all of it at once would be wise,” his dad said. “And no, I didn’t.”

“How long do you think they’ve been working on this?” Sam asked. He was leaning against one of the counters and already digging into a pint box of the A Hunka-Hulka-Burning Fudge. “Don’t they take years creating flavors?”

“Not sure. Don’t care,” Tony said and reached into the freezer to pull out Cap-ilicious Triple Berry. “All I know is that apparently I’m not off dairy and that this is delicious.”

“I would have thought they’d do a more patriotic look to Cap’s ice cream,” Sam said.

Peter reached blindly for one of the containers so he wouldn’t have to make a choice and he saw his dad shrug as he took a bite of the Cap inspired ice cream. Peter had wound up with Stark Raving Hazelnuts which really was not all bad. It was certainly a nice thing to come home to. He took another bite and then took a picture of the ice cream to send to Ned.

“You know, I’m really glad we got a wedding planner,” Tony said as he looked through a few cake design options.

Steve who was in the middle of painting something laughed. “You mean, you’re glad Pepper got us a wedding planner even though this whole thing was supposed to be a small thing because Peter despite his excitement is still just a teenage boy that knows next to nothing about weddings.”

Tony shrugged. “Sure, what you said. But I’m still glad. Anyway, people like parties. And at this rate we just really have to make a few choices and then just show up. We can even leave early if you really want. What are you painting anyway?”

“The view,” Steve said and sure enough he was. Everything outside the window had been transferred to the canvas. It wasn’t exact -- more of an abstract, but that didn’t make it any less beautiful. Tony had never really understood art or even bothered to like it -- but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate everything that Steve created.

His art room had filled up with more and more art since Steve had finally focused on his hobby. He wasn’t obsessive, but he spent hours painting away or sketching. It kept him entertained and Tony was happy about it. He liked that Steve had something to do that was all his own. Tony also loved watching him do it -- the concentration that he put into his art was unlike anything else. In another lifetime, it was possible that Steve would have just become some artist that everyone admired.

Tony got up. “I’ll leave you to it. I have a bit of work to finish up in the lab.”

Steve nodded. Tony pressed a kiss to his temple and walked out of the room. He found Sam and Wanda watching some odd cartoon and then spotted Vision in the kitchen.

“Hey, Viz.”

Vision and Wanda spent a lot of time on their own on their floor but it wasn’t odd to find them up in the penthouse some days. What Tony found weird about it was that Vision seemed to be more and more human-like these days. He had started dressing like a regular person a long time ago but now he seemed to not mind changing his appearance to look human. It was a little strange.

“A letter arrived for you,” Vision said.

“That’s odd,” Tony said. “We usually don’t get any mail sent up here.”

“It is possible someone brought it up and left it in the kitchen for you to find,” Vision said.

“Right,” Tony said but it all still sounded a bit odd.

Vision didn’t respond and he picked up the bowl of popcorn and went to join Wanda and Sam in the living room. The letter was in a manila envelope and Tony figured he’d take it with him, but his mind was already turning to the new designs he’d been working on. Natasha was already out of her house arrest unlike the rest of them and she’d been cleared to rejoin The Avengers officially. It also meant that she was free to do whatever Fury wanted from her and Tony wanted to give her the best gear to do that with.

The heater in the Spider-Man suit was one of the best things ever. It meant that Peter could actually patrol without feeling the brisk cold air. It had snowed a few days earlier and there was gray and dark dirty snow on the edges of most streets. Peter also found that most rooftops were covered and useless to him. But he was still out and about for a few hours.

But it turned out that when it was cold out that there wasn’t a lot of crime to go after. Not a lot of people were out unless they needed to be. Peter did save a woman from slipping on ice.

“Anything going on, Karen? I’m kind of getting bored.”

“Not that I can tell,” Karen said.

“I should have just gone and trained with Steve. I guess it’s a good thing, right, that nothing is happening.”

“I believe so, Peter.”

He swung off of a fire escape and headed towards the tower. Maybe he’d just go and actually work on his homework. There was an essay due in a few days that he should get on top of. His junior year of high school had brought along a ton more work and college was a thing that everyone was starting to get worried about. Tony liked to mention MIT in passing all the time and then May brought it up in her own way too, always hinting at how Peter would need to give up Spider-Man for it and Peter just -- he didn’t want to think about that.

He got back to the tower to find Natasha was back from a mission and sitting in the living room with Sam, Steve, Wanda, and Vision.

“Hey, Peter,” Natasha said. She had a split lip and yet she still smiled at him.

“We left you food in the kitchen,” Steve said. “We also left food for Tony if you want to bring some to him.”

“Cool. Thanks. I will.”

Food turned out to be sub sandwiches so after getting back into his normal clothes, Peter just grabbed both and went to the workshop. He was expecting to find Tony working, but instead his dad was looking at paperwork.

“Hungry?” Peter asked.

His dad turned to look at him. “Oh, you’re home. I -- I must have lost track of time.”

“What are you working on?” Peter asked.

“Nothing. Nothing. Just something that got in the mail today got me a bit distracted.” He waved his hand and the display disappeared. “Anyway, food. How was school today? Patrol?”

“Same. Not much going on.”

Tony nodded. He was oddly distracted. It made Peter worry a little. His dad only tended to get weird when something was happening.

“Did I ever tell you that I can’t actually have kids,” Tony said after they’d sat in silence eating for a while.

“No,” Peter said, not sure where the conversation was going. “I mean, maybe. I kind of think I knew that already.”

Tony nodded. “I -- it was to do with the arc reactor. Anyway, there was a time when I didn’t think that I would ever meet you or that it would make a difference because you were growing so fast and I never needed my parents when I was your age -- well, I probably did but I didn’t really have them. I guess that’s what makes more sense.”

“What are you getting at?” Peter asked. He was so confused.

Tony sighed and he wiped his mouth with a napkin and then he got up and grabbed a few sheets of paper. “A while back I applied to adopt. Sort of on a whim. Sort of because I really wanted to be a dad since at the time I couldn’t really be yours. I thought I’d never get to meet you. It takes time to adopt and I had forgotten about it just because of everything that happened. Actually -- I don’t remember if I told Steve about it. Thing is, nothing came of it and then I met you.”

Peter remembered a conversation about his dad possibly wanting other kids and how much Peter just -- he didn’t know how to feel about it. He hadn’t really let himself think about any of it especially since Tony had said he wasn’t sure if anything might happen.

“But why are you -- what’s that paper?” Peter motioned to the papers that Tony was holding.

“They want to know if I’m still interested,” Tony said.

“Oh,” Peter said.

Tony let out a breath. “I don’t think this is the right time,” Tony said. “Not for any of us.”

“Oh,” Peter said again and it was as if he didn’t know how to say anything else. He just -- he didn’t know if his dad wanted his opinion or if he was just telling Peter about it to tell him. Peter was also quite sure that he didn’t know how to feel.

It was getting closer to the end of the school year when a school trip was announced and Peter was dismayed to hear that it was a tour of SI. MJ cackled and laughed for a solid minute once she found out and just wouldn’t let it go all throughout lunch and then later when they were walking out of Midtown. Ned on the other hand seemed as excited as everyone else. The trip wasn’t for another few weeks, but Peter was already dreading it. He just knew that it wasn’t going to go well. He had kept the fact that he was living at the tower a secret from everyone including Ned and Michelle for over a year and this was going to be thing that finally revealed that to them -- he could just feel it.

“Aha, so we finally get to find out that Penis Parker has been lying about that internship all this time,” Flash said when he walked past them.

Peter rolled his eyes.

“Or prove Flash wrong,” Ned said. “This is actually really awesome. Do you think any of the Avengers will show up?”

Peter shook his head. “It’s not a trip to the living floors. Just the labs and SI. They don’t usually go down there.”

“But wouldn’t it be awesome if Flash saw you talking to them and they ignored him.”

Peter settled him with a look. “That’s not going to happen, Ned.”

When he got back home, he almost hesitated to mention the whole thing. He was going to have to get May to sign the permission slip since she was still his guardian, but if Peter was going to go -- and he really couldn’t not without giving ammunition to Flash to make fun of him with -- he was going to have to make sure that he did appear to be an intern at SI. Peter couldn’t remember the last time he had gone down to those floors of the building. He assumed that the trip was going to be geared towards the R&D rooms. Maybe he could get Pepper to help him out with making his story seem legitimate.

He ran into Steve as he was getting out of the elevator.

“Hey, Peter,” Steve said. “Not patrolling today?”

“I might go out later,” Peter said and followed Steve to the kitchen where Sam was in the middle of taking cookies out of the oven.

“Well we were planning on a movie if you want to join,” Sam said.

“Yeah, I will,” Peter said. It offered for the perfect distraction. He would figure out what he was going to do about the trip later.

Chapter One Hundred Ten

#peter and tony #peter and tony fic #mcuwriting #mcu fic #iron dad #iron dad and spider son #stony #stony fic #marvel

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lifestylelaguna · 3 years

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Have a #FAMtasticHalloweenWithSM with these exciting treat

Head to SM City Fairview for a FAMtastic Halloween for you and your kids!For parents and their kids who have been too focused on work and online classes, Halloween is the perfect break to inject more fun and enjoy playful creativity during these times. And with the long weekend just around the corner, SM has FAMtastic surprises so you and your kids can get the thrill out of all the festivities whether at the mall or from your home.So, get your spook on as SM is ready to bring the fun with these exciting treats: 1. Fa-boo-lous Costumes. Part of the joy of Halloween is dressing up as your favorite personas and characters. Even in quarantine, you can still spark joy at home and play dress-up! The SM Store, Toy Kingdom, and SM Markets have a wide selection of FAMtastic Halloween costumes, perfect for your SuperKids to be whoever they want to be this October 31 weekend. Your kids can also join the #FAMtasticHalloweenWithSM Virtual Kiddie Costume Contest on SM’s SuperMoms Club Facebook Group (@SMSuperMomsClub) from October 24 to 31 for a chance to win awesome giveaways from Toy Kingdom! Enjoy a FAMtastic Halloween at SM City Consolacion with exciting treats and surprises! 2. Fun TikTok Challenge. Do you enjoy creating TikTok videos? You can take it to the next level by joining the #FAMtasticHalloweenWithSM TikTok Challenge! Simply record your fun Halloween-inspired dance video to your fave song while wearing your face mask. Show off your best dance moves and submit your entries from October 16 to 31 for a chance to win SM gift certificates. 3. Spooky Halloween Bites. Trick-or-treating may be a bit different this year, but you and your kids can still indulge in some delightful sweets this Halloween. Visit your go-to SM mall and check out Trick-or-Treat bites for your SuperKids, or pick up your orders at designated Curbside Pick-up points in select SM malls. Aside from the sugar rush, you can treat them to a special stay-home Halloween Family Feast through SM Food-To-Go. To access SM Food to Go, customers in Metro Manila may contact SM's Customer Care Hotline Number at (02) 8876-1111. Food lovers outside Metro Manila may contact any of the following numbers: (0917) 8876-1111, (0918) 8876-1111, or (0922) 8876-1111. There are also SM Personal Shoppers who can do that for you and will deliver straight to your door via SM’s delivery partners. Be sure to check on your preferred SM mall’s Facebook page for more info. You can also order via the SM Take Out and Delivery service through its fulfillment partners.Let your kids experience a fun Halloween with SM until October 31!4. #AweSMLearning Online Workshop. Do you miss the kiddie shows in the mall where your kids are entertained and can learn at the same time? Tune in to SM Supermalls Facebook page on October 31 at 11:00 AM and catch a virtual kiddie mall show featuring the most-requested #AweSMLearning Online Workshop – the Digital Painting Class with Teacher Chaye Mogg. The best part: it’s free! Now, that’s both AweSM and FAMtastic!For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow @smsupermalls on all social media platforms.

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sensationalscenarios · 7 years

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Sleeping Dogs: Chapter I

AU: Based on my SF9 as Mafia au found here

Chapter One TWs include: blood, death.

Word Count: 3.3k

A/N: Sleeping Dogs has officially begun. Any and all feedback is appreciated and I hope you guys enjoy!

+ admin L

Prologue | II

i. incipience

Situated in northern Gangnam-gu, right along the Han River lies a small section of warehouses; some old and abandoned, others moderately new and used only for storage purposes. In one such warehouse, with it’s worn concrete exterior blending into exposed brick, a lone man waits with his hands and feet bound and his mouth gagged. He observes his surroundings, and notes the layers of dried blood on the concrete floor, with some spots darker than others. Those were the most recent ones and it’s not long before he panics, realizing that he’s going to be contributing to the gruesome painting beneath him.

The row of lights above him do little to reveal anything, and he struggles to distinguish the shadows past the circle of light he sat in. It wasn’t long before the sounds of footsteps reached his ears, and he panicked even more, knowing what his fate would be. The first blow comes from behind, and it’s not one he expects as he tumbles forward, feeling something warm dripping down the back of his neck.

His vision is blurry and he blinks rapidly, trying to refocus as a pair of feet come into his view, the owner crouching down. The cool metal of a gun is pressed beneath his chin and lifts his head upwards, forcing him to look into the eyes of death itself: a Red Dragon.

“You’ve created quite the problem for us, Mr. Jung. Youngbin isn’t very pleased with your recent...activities.” The man said, pressing the gun harder against his skin as he removes the gag from Mr. Jung’s mouth.

“P-please...have mercy.” Mr. Jung whimpered.

“Mercy? Mercy was us granting you an additional two weeks to secure the goods we had paid for in full. Mercy was us letting you conduct business in one of our establishments. Not only did you fail to deliver but you had the audacity to lie to us about reporting to Seven Star, and you want us to show you mercy?”

“How-how did you-” Mr. Jung visibly paled at the mention of Seven Star. How could they have possibly found out that he sold the goods over to them for a higher price?

“Did you really take us for fools Mr. Jung?” Another voice spoke, one that sent chills down Mr. Jung’s spine.

The second man walked around and stood behind the first, and the way in which he looked down upon Mr. Jung made him feel as he were as insignificant as a speck of dust. There was no emotion in his eyes, no indication that the man would feel even the slightest bit of remorse in killing him.

“N-no of course no-”

“Shut up. He didn’t say you could talk.” The first man spat, striking Mr. Jung’s face with his hand.

“It’s quite alright Seokwoo. After all, letting someone have their last words is the proper thing to do isn’t it?”

Rowoon raised an eyebrow at this, feeling a small amount of pity for Mr. Jung at the moment. Youngbin only ever used his real name in front of people when it was a guarantee that they would not walk out alive. Sighing, Rowoon knew it would be his and Hwiyoung’s turn to dispose of the body and scrub away the blood (well as best as they could anyways), and while it took little effort to do so it was extremely tedious. The one good thing though, that Rowoon enjoys about this part is that he is able to freely address Youngbin by his name rather than ‘Boss’ or something of the like and watch as the color drains from the victim’s faces.

“Of course, Youngbin.” Rowoon gets up, and bows slightly to the elder as he steps back and watches.

Mr. Jung’s eyes widened as he spluttered, several pleas leaving his mouth in a desperate attempt to save his own life; pleas that fell upon deaf ears. Youngbin sighed, rubbing his temple as he did so. He could feel a headache coming on from Mr. Jung’s talking, and quite frankly it had been a rather long day with little good news. All Youngbin wanted was a hot shower and dinner with his brothers; his one true solace.

“Mr. Jung.” Youngbin spoke, cutting off the man’s ramblings. “My patience has been very thin today. Two weeks ago I had agreed to let my boys give you more time to work in our establishment to secure the goods, which I believe, we paid you well for. Under normal circumstances I might have considered giving you another day or two, had Rowoon here not reported to me that you were conducting business with Seven Star and informing them of our business deal. In my opinion that is just absolutely disrespectful, and I will not stand for it.”

Youngbin sighed once more. “Rowoon hand me my gun.”

“You got it.” Rowoon passed him the gun he had been holding, his lips curling into a small smile in anticipation of what would come next.

“Looks like I’m going to have to clean out my pistol tonight, unfortunately. Consider our contract terminated, Mr. Jung.” Without another word Youngbin fired, and watched as the blood dripped down from the center of Mr. Jung’s forehead as his body fell backwards. The back spatter from the shot covered Youngbin’s gun, with some of the blood landing on his chest and even his chin. Unfazed, Youngbin brought out a napkin from his pocket and wiped himself off as best as he could. “Rowoon would you mind-”

“You don’t even have to ask. Hwiyoung is on his way over now, just head home and we’ll meet you there.” Rowoon said.

“Thanks.” Youngbin smiled at the other, though there was a hint of sadness to it. “It’ll never get easier you know.”

It was Rowoon’s turn to sigh this time as he looked at the elder. “Youngbin we’ve had this talk a dozen times already. You don’t have to worry about us. We chose this life, we chose to fight with you and all these people we kill? They fucking deserve it for all the shit they’ve done. Even though Hwiyoung and Chani are young, they still understand. Just, go home and shower. I don’t want you smelling bad at dinner tonight.”

“Alright.” Youngbin knew it was pointless to try and argue further with Rowoon, or with any of the others for that matter. He simply patted the younger’s shoulder as he walked by, muttering a quick ‘thank you’ as he made his way outside.

The sun had long set, though it was still too early to see the stars Youngbin noted. Looking at his watch Youngbin was pleased to see that it was only eight o'clock, meaning this would be the earliest they’ve had dinner together in a while. It was difficult most times, to have everyone at the table as their jobs were quite unpredictable and the few times that they were able to eat all together were the most precious to Youngbin.

He hopped onto his motorcycle, a black and red Hyosung GT250R (it certainly wasn’t the best bike out there, but it was enough for him) and made his way home. Weaving through the streets and in between cars, Youngbin relishes in the feeling of the wind tugging on his jacket as the world passed by in a blur of lights. It wasn’t long before he arrived in front of two white buildings connected by an enclosed breezeway. Pulling up to the black gate surrounding the building, Youngbin rests one foot on the ground as he turns his earpiece on. “One-one-two-three.”

A click sounds as a section of the gate slides open. Youngbin makes his way through and moves toward the smaller building on the right just as the garage door on the side opens. He quickly parks his bike inside next to the four others. Hwiyoung must’ve taken the SUV for disposal with Rowoon tonight. Youngbin thinks as he scanned the room. The rest of the garage, which also functioned as their workshop, was empty. There was no one cleaning or making repairs to their equipment on the long table on the opposite side from where the bikes were, nor was there any sign of Inseong or Chani at the corner desk to the right of the table; even the computer monitors at the moment were on ‘Sleep’ mode. Looking upwards, Youngbin also notes how Dawon isn’t at his usual perch on the catwalk, where he would normally practice his aim. Even the practice dummies in the center of the garage were spared at the moment, their limbs all still in tact.

Walking towards a smaller desk situated between the table and Inseong’s computers, Youngbin places his bag on top and pulls out a few manila folders; files he would need to look at later, and plops them down on the desk. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he makes his way through the breezeway to the main building where they lived. Pulling open the door Youngbin was greeted by a scene that warmed his heart. Jaeyoon was in the kitchen on the far side preparing dinner while Rowoon gave him instructions over the phone; Taeyang, Chani, Dawon, and Zuho were sprawled out on top of one another in the living room, shouting as they played some video game, and Inseong was sitting on the couch behind them reading a book, though now and then he’d glance upwards at the tv to look at the score, a smile on his lips.

“Hey guys.”

“Hey Youngbin.” Inseong was the first to greet him as the others continued their game. “How’d it go?”

“Terminated his contract.” Youngbin shrugged. “If he can’t figure out who he wants to do business with then he might as well not do business at all.”

“Hm, I see.” Inseong closed his book. “I found out where our shipment of goods is. Turns out Mr. Jung hadn’t delivered to Seven Star yet so it’s still up for grabs.”

“We can deal with that later.” Youngbin said. He all but flops onto the couch next to Inseong, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “For now, let’s relax and wait for Rowoon and Hwiyoung to get back for dinner. What’s the score?”

“Chani and Taeyang have won four matches so far, Zuho and Dawon have won three.” Inseong answered. “I placed my bet on Chani and Taeyang.”

“Smart move.”

“You know, the lack of faith really hurts. I think my heart is broken now.” Dawon spoke up.

“At least your accuracy in real life makes up for how bad you are at this game.” Chani grinned as Dawon elbowed him.

“Watch it kid.” Dawon grinned back.

The next hour or so passed like this, with Hwiyoung joining the fun as soon as he and Rowoon got back. Rowoon on the other hand, went straight for the kitchen and he, along with Jaeyoon’s help were able to finish dinner, placing a large bowl of kimchi stew and a plate piled high with galbi on the table.

“Alright kiddos, time to eat!” Jaeyoon called out.

Cheers echo throughout the room, the video game long forgotten as everyone settles at the dinner table to eat. For a while everything is okay, everyone is laughing and joking, sharing stories of their misadventures so far this week, and it almost feels normal. They’re able to forget, at least for a little bit, about the people they’ve hurt or killed this week alone. In this moment, they’re no longer the Red Dragons, but just a group of boys forced to grow up too fast at too young of an age, but still enjoying their time together.

Youngbin feels content, he always does when all nine of them are together, and grabs the last piece of galbi on the plate while the others argue over who gets it, subtly placing it on Chani’s plate before setting his chopsticks down and leaning back in his chair. “In the time you guys were arguing, Chani here already grabbed the last piece.”

Whines and protests arise from the boys, but eventually smiles are on their lips and the laughter returns to the table once more, with Chani happily eating the galbi. Everyone already knew what would come next. They would all head into the workshop, preparing for the work that would keep them out late tonight. Dawon and Rowoon would be needed at their nightclub to oversee business, Zuho and Taeyang had a couple of clients to meet with, Jaeyoon and Hwiyoung had a supply run to make, and Inseong and Chani would remain at home with Youngbin to monitor everyone as well as go over the files on Youngbin’s desk. It was sure to be a long night, but a profitable one as well.

“Earpieces on at all times. Understood?” Youngbin called out, not looking up from his papers as the others readied themselves. A chorus of ‘Yessir’ and ‘Understood’ bounced back as they all left in their respective pairs. Inseong situated himself at his computers, switching out his earpiece for a different one that came with an attached microphone. Within a second he was busy typing, each screen coming to life before him. His eyes darted back and forth as he picked out the most optimal cameras through which he could observe the others.

“Okay, we’re good to go.” Inseong said, turning in his chair so that he was facing Youngbin. “Until something exciting happens, why don’t you tell me about those files?”

“Well, these two folders have everything on Mr. Jung, but I need you to make sure he’s not in the city’s system anymore. Jung Sunwoo can’t be considered missing if he never existed.” Youngbin handed the folders over to Inseong, who immediately typed in Jung Sunwoo’s name and began deleting every digital file he could find on the man.

“And the third folder?” He asked, eyes still on the monitor.

“Just a missing persons case Rowoon caught wind of at the Agency. It’s no one special but…”

“But a missing person on our turf spells out trouble for us one way or another.”

“Yeah.” Youngbin sighed, running a hand down his face as he does so. “Look into this one if you can once you’re done with that.”

“You got it.”

A soft ‘Ow’ from the work table causes the two eldest to glance over, amused smiles on their faces at the sight of Chani sucking on his thumb as he frowns at his contraption. The boy had taken to building things using odds and ends he’d pick up around the city whenever he tagged along on jobs. His ‘toys’ had proved to be useful on more than one occasion, aside from the onion bomb that was a little bit too potent in such a small room (the smell of onion powder didn’t wash off them for at least two or three days). The toy he was currently working on looked like a cross between a sniper rifle and a crossbow. How on earth Chani managed to get crossbow parts Youngbin will never know.

“What are you working on this time?” Youngbin asked.

“A sniper crossbow for Dawon. What he really wanted was custom bullets but that’s above my skillset. At least with this I can actually make different bolts for him to use. Knowing Dawon though, I’m only giving him bolts that shock and detonate like a flash grenade but on a much smaller scale. Inseong do you think it’s possible to put trackers on these suckers in case we get another surveillance job?” Chani asked as he rummaged around his toolbox for a pair of tweezers.

“Yeah I think I could make trackers small enough. Can you make sure they won’t get smashed to pieces on impact though? Dawon...well it’s Dawon we’re talking about.”

“I can try? No promises though.”

~~~

The next few hours passed by with very little to no problems. They’ve had successful nights before, so it wasn’t too surprising that Jaeyoon and Hwiyoung were able to bring back enough bandages, syringes, rubbing alcohol and other medical supplies to last them at least three months, Zuho and Taeyang had managed to secure the five million won they were owed, and nothing worth noting happened at the nightclub while Rowoon and Dawon were there. However as they all gathered in the workshop, none of them could fight off the sense of unease that clung onto them. It was all too calm, too peaceful, and in their business, good things never followed.

“Looks like you guys were right to feel off.” Inseong frowned. “I played back the video footage from all three locations you guys were at tonight and look at this.”

Inseong had paused each monitor, the time stamps nearly matching one another perfectly. In each frame, a figure in a long jacket with the hood covering their head could be seen. They were standing so far off though, that Inseong had initially disregarded their presence earlier, barely even realizing that they had been at each one. “I don’t know why I didn’t connect it. Someone was watching you guys tonight. This one was sitting at the cafe across from the building Zuho and Taeyang went in. He was chilling in one of the booths of the club. This guy was straight up sitting outside the hospital.”

“I thought it was just some college kid looking to get wasted.” Dawon muttered.

“We didn’t even pay attention to the cafe…” Taeyang stared at the screen.

“Inseong is there anything you can get from these guys? Can you see where they went after?” This was the last thing Youngbin needed. They didn’t look like undercover cops, which only worried him more because if it’s not the cops watching them then it had to be another gang. Another gang meant unnecessary trouble. “Could they be some of Seven Star’s guys?”

“Doubt it. They don’t look like anyone Seven Star would employ.” Inseong brought up several other cameras at different angles, though none of them showed a good enough view of where the hooded guys went. “I can’t really get anything at these angles.”

“Well if it’s not Seven Star then it’s probably some new gang trying to climb ranks in the Underground. Kids who think they can build their reputation by poking at us. Now that we know, we can keep an eye out for them. If any of you see them on your next job, feel free to toss them around a bit for some information.” Youngbin said.

“I guess it makes things a little more fun.” Dawon grinned, stretching his arms over his head. “Well I don’t know about you guys but I have a lovely date with my bed.”

“We should all get some sleep actually.” Jaeyoon said. “It’s nearly six a.m. I’m pretty sure the sun’s starting to come up.

Murmurs of agreement could be heard as everyone got ready to head back to the main house. Though, just as Hwiyoung had reached for the door, Youngbin’s phone rang. Everyone paused, staring at the device as if it had just caught fire.

“Isn’t that your personal phone Youngbin?” Rowoon asked.

“It is.” Youngbin grabbed the device, an unknown number displayed on the screen. “Inseong.”

“On it.” Inseong hurried back to his computer, quickly plugging in a long cord to his monitor. Youngbin handed his phone over as Inseong plugged it onto the other end of the cord. He brought up a recording program as well as a tracking one. “Try and keep the call going for thirty seconds, I might be able to trace it after.”

Youngbin nodded and silence filled the room as he answered the call. “Hello?”

“Have you seen the gift I left for you?”

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arplis · 4 years

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Arplis - News: Makeup Transformation to Maleficent in time with Hong Kong Disneyland’s Disney Halloween Time

Halloween is one of my favorite season as a makeup enthusiast. I can be as creative as I can be, well this year, let me bring you a transformation beyond the fearsome Disney Villain. I’ll be recreating Disney Villain Maleficent. All of the props from horns and clothes are DIY. Horns are made with aluminum foil formed into horns and I wrapped it with electrical tape to have that black leatherette look. For the make-up look here is a quick animation on what I did to my face, to achieve Maleficent look. Experience and get thrilled this Halloween Time with Disney's wickedest Villains at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Disney Halloween Time from September 12 to October 31 2019. An all-new musical shows “Let’s Get Wicked” and “Jack Skellington’s Villainous Gathering,” giving guests an unforgettable Halloween. Guests can also enjoy the “Journey to Halloween Town” trick-or-treat walkthrough experience and immerse themselves in classic scenes from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Have you seen Mickey and his beloved friends wearing their Halloween costumes? Now is a perfect time to visit Hong Kong Disney Land as Mickey and his friends sing, dance while distributing candies at Mickey's "Halloween Time Street Party". Vampirina will also be making her debut this Halloween, and she can’t wait to spook guests at The Annex! You can also meet your favorite Disney friends and Villains at the “Halloween Time Festival Gardens” in Fantasyland throughout the day, where Winnie the Pooh and his friends will appear in special Halloween costumes. At night, Maleficent, Hades, Captain Hook, Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Vil and Frollo will take over the gardens. Guests can also enjoy face painting and other activities at the Disney Trick-or-Treat booths. Halloween party will never be complete without some Halloween treats. Hong Kong Disney Land prepared over 40 mouth-watering Halloween treats. It is located at the Main Street Bakery, a Wizard Pumpkin Cups and Halloween Oreo Puddings, or even try magical beverages like the Mickey’s Scary Time or Magic Potion at the hotel restaurants. Fans of Jack Skellington can feast on Jack’s themed food and beverage items, including Jack’s Haunted Pizza at the World of Color Restaurant, and Dark & White Chocolate Mousse Cake with Passion Fruit Jelly at the Chart Room Cafe, or you can even try it for yourself and decorating with family and friends at the “Halloween Cookies DIY Workshop” at Chef Mickey! Your visit at Hong Kong Disney Land will never be complete without a take-home souvenir. Over 110 special Halloween-themed merchandise items will be available for guests to purchase during the Halloween season, including stylish headbands and Evil Queen T-shirts from the new Villain series. The Mickey and Friends collection includes a number of dress-up items such as blinking headbands, glow-in-the-dark T-shirts and of course, Minnie Halloween costumes that come with witch hats for kids! Also available are Halloween-themed plush toys and “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” collection items, as well as the Duffy & Friends, trick-or-treat bag and Cookie plush bag! Complete your Disney experience with a hotel stayAlong with the park, all three HKDL hotels will be decorated with Halloween themes! Guests and their families can join in the Halloween arts and crafts activities to create Disney Wacky Door Tags, Mickey Pumpkin Ornaments, Disney Villain’s Lights and more! To take the magic up another notch, guests can purchase a “Mickey and Minnie’s Halloween Party”-themed pack for HK$220, which includes four pairs of Halloween wicked eye masks and a Mickey Head Pumpkin Hamper to collect sweets throughout the day! Exclusive offers for Pinoy guestsPlan a memorable adventure at HKDL this Halloween by registering online as a MyDisney Fan for free and purchasing park tickets after signing into their MyDisney Account. Guests will receive a special edition Disney gift and multiple play, shop, and dining privileges for the date of their visit! For more details, please visit: www.hongkongdisneyland.com/mydisney-fans Guests can also purchase a limited-time Halloween “Villain’s VIP” Priority Pass to enjoy the wicked Halloween offerings at HKDL, including priority entrance to the “Let’s Get Wicked” musical show and “Journey to Halloween Town,” plus free redemption of one Halloween headband at a merchandise shop. For more discounts check information below: Offers Details Limited Time Room Offer (Until September 11, 2019) - Enjoy a magical stay in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Hotels starting from HK$1,299! - Offer lasts until September 11, 2019. Book online and enjoy free Attraction Priority Admission Pass and complimentary vouchers up to HK$380. - ww.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/limited-time-room-offer/ 1-day “Play and Dine” Ticket Offer (Until September 30, 2019) - Get a complimentary dinner with your 1-day park ticket purchase, with savings of up to HK$149. - www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/play-and-dine-ticket-offer-2019 “2-Day Fun” Special Package Offer (Until December 31, 2019) - Get a discounted 2-day ticket for HK$719 (just HK$80 more than a 1-day ticket) and receive a HK$30 merchandise voucher. - www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/2-day-fun-special-package-2019-2 Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel – Birthday Month Double Offer (Until January 10, 2020) Pinoy guests who book a hotel room via the Advance Purchase Offer below and who check-in during the month of their birthday can enjoy the following benefits: - Up to 15% off hotel guest rooms - Buy-2-get-1-free Corner Cafe Selection at Main Street Corner Cafe Hosted by Coca-Cola® - A complimentary selected Mickey or Minnie plush upon spending HK$500 at any Hotel Merchandise Store - www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/hotel-birthday-celebration-privilege-2019-intl Shadow Travel Special Offer (Until November 30, 2019) - Includes a roundtrip flight from Manila, two-night stay at a Hong Kong Disneyland hotel plus a 1-day park ticket -Starting from PHP23,888 per person (minimum four adults, subject to availability) - shadow888.com/campaign/hongkong-disney-hotels #MakeupTransformation #Beauty #HongKongDisneyland’sVillainousEnsemble #DisneyHalloweenTime #HongKongDisneyLand

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/makeup-transformation-to-maleficent-in-time-with-hong-kong-disneyland-s-disney-halloween-time

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birdscreeches · 7 years

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Mr. Monster Maker’s Menagerie || Aisha R.

The last monster left in the ruins of Mon Ocampo’s home was, ironically enough, not one he created himself.

It sat, silent, locked inside a wooden chest by his bedside. The chest was wrapped in chains held together with a thick, rusted padlock. Dusted over and almost forgotten, he used the chest as a table for a simple altar; a small crucifix, a barely opened prayer book, and a Santo Niño statue. He slept next to it, unafraid, because it was easy to forget that it was anything more than a table. The monster inside the chest was always so quiet and still. Never did it snarl or roar. Not once did it ram against the confines of its dark cage. It never even tried to give him nightmares.

All monsters, even those who did not intend it, gave humans nightmares.

In his hand, Mon held the key to the chest.

“The art of monstercraft is, by far, the most human artform of all.”

-Jean Dupérey, High Renaissance monstercrafter

Mon named his first monster Luna.

It had all begun with a fear.

He then had started to sketch. Erratic little lines dragged over the backs of his homework. After studying, he’d sharpen his pencil and he’d draw a monster. Big luminescent eyes. Claws. A tail that rattled. Fur as black as darkness. When he was satisfied with the design, he acquired the materials. He found two shards of a broken mirror and jagged pieces of what once was a porcelain plate. He filled a small candy box with pebbles and taped it shut. With his mother’s garden shears, he cut huge, uneven patches of shadow from under his bed (for it was the darkest place he could think of, then). He nicked pieces of wood from the carpenter next door.

In the garage, he began to put her together. He worked the wood into limbs that could move. Tied it all together with twine to become a skeleton. The pebble filled box was nailed to the tail. The porcelain pieces were glued as claws. The biggest challenge was covering the whole thing with shadow, for shadows were slippery and hard to work with. Mon had kept the dark expanse in place with safety pins while he sewed his monster shut with wobbly backstitches. His mother had told him it was the strongest type of stitch.

The final touch were the eyes. He set the mirror shards out on a full moon, and when the light hit, he quickly covered the shards so that the light may not escape.

When he unwrapped them the next day, they shone. He glued them on, and Luna was alive.

She was a slow and clunky little creature. Just about the size of an askal. Her limbs were hard to bend and hard to move, so she toddled into the walls of his home, into the legs of the furniture, sending vases crashing. Her tail rattled, but it was also heavy, so she rarely bothered shaking it. It dragged behind her instead, thunking and thumping. Her claws caused her to slip with sick screeches that sounded like nails against a chalkboard. Her eyes could not blink and glowed constantly. When the lights were off, one could not see her at all save for her jagged, misshapen, shining eyes.

Luna was a clumsy attempt at monstercraft; a child’s vision made by a child’s hands.

She was also the most beautiful thing Mon had ever seen.

He released her in the hallways of his school. Luna had ran off, well aware of the job she was created to do, and disappeared into where one couldn’t really see her. She went to the corner of one’s eye, always just a little bit out of sight. Filled with worry, dizzy from excitement, he went to bed that day wondering if Luna would succeed. If he would succeed.

Tossing and turning, sleep took him much like how a frustrated mother struck her child.

The next day, all of his classmates had professed their newfound fear of the dark.

“The lifespan of a monstercrafter is interesting. Half of us die before we turn twenty five, and half of us live to be so damn old! It’s either we drop like flies or we become the cryptkeeper, I swear.

Why? Why does this happen? Well, it’s because of the whole fear thing, yeah? We can’t really feel it anymore. The guys who don’t fear death end up dying doing something stupid like crossing the road. The guys who don’t fear life end up living for-fucking-ever.

Which type am I? Take a lucky guess, fellas. Do I look like a young guy to you? Christ.”

-Ralph Steele, comedian, contemporary monstercrafter

For years, a historical debate raged on about one thing in particular: the world’s first monster. It was an impossible endeavor. Imagine trying to find the world’s first painting, but this painting lived, died, and left no ruins for anybody to remember it by. Monsters of the past only ever lived through the accounts of humans, and everybody knew just how reliable those were. Researchers continued to speculate anyways because Mon assumed they had nothing better to do.

Something a bit easier to find was the world’s largest monster. The largest monster was built to swallow the moon. The ingenuity of its construction would have been monumental. Astronomical. Even now, modern monstercrafters could not fathom how it worked. Countries scrambled to take credit for it, but there was never enough evidence. There were accounts and legends strewn about all around the world about the moon-eater, but they were all only stories until they could be proven.

Mon always believed it the Philippines made it. The Bakunawa.

He could only imagine what a sight it was. The moment the last scale was hammered into place, the Bakunawa would’ve cracked its eyes open and taken to the sky. When it swallowed the moon, it must have been the second most terrifying thing the world had ever seen, preceded only by one thing.

The only thing scarier than a giant serpent devouring the moon was the fact that eclipses happened before its creation anyways.

“Monstercraft, while an incredible and respectable form of art, is also archaic. Outdated. We are past the days of having to fear lightning or predators because we have explained them through thoroughly. It may be sad, but the fact stands: humans no longer need monsters because we do not need fear.

Fear is irrelevant when, with knowledge, we create bravery.”

-excerpt from the introduction of The Death of Fear (2006) by Alexei Hudson, PhD.

Mon only ever created monsters of his own.

While he met many other crafters during his career, he only let himself admire the designs, suggest improvements where he could, and move on. He never accepted monsters as gifts, which was something that happened often after his brief rise to fame, and he never purchased any as well.

This, like many of the things in Mon’s life, changed. His rules were shaken from their foundation when the world progressed in ways Mon didn’t want it to.

In 2009, surrounded by his empty cages and empty aquariums, by his dusty corners and dimly lit workshop, by the barren desk out front and quiet garage out back, he made a call.

The name Mon Ocampo, while long forgotten by many, still had sway in certain circles. He made a call, arranged the delivery and shipping costs, and bought a monster.

He bought it from a Russian monstercrafter, a stoic, unassuming man from St. Petersburg who specialised in monsters that made one fear the forbidden fears, the type that, if manufactured on a large level, could decimate cities. These were the kinds of monsters that crafters spoke in hushed whispers about. Banned. Illegal. Terrifying.

It arrived long after he had sold his workshop in Santa Elena—the new owners were going to turn it into a Japanese surplus store—so it ended up on the doorstep of his home.

The monster was in a medium sized chest roughly the size of a table, covered in chains held together by a thick, rusted padlock.

Mon took the chest inside and wore the key to it around his neck.

"Monstercrafter Quentin ‘Mon’ Ocampo’s dead body salvaged from Marikina river”

-headline from ABS-CBN news (news.abs-cbn.com/), September 25, 2017

His business reached its height, its magnum opus in the 80s. It was then that his name became a known one.

When he started making monsters in his teens, classmates looking to rile him up called him Monster Boy, always uttered in a derisive sing-song. Eventually, it was shortened to Monster, because they were all only just children and children liked to rush even insults along, shedding the unnecessary words like heavy bags. Monster was then shortened to Mon, because he liked it better than his real name. He liked the idea of his identity completely defined by what he did.

He was Mon Ocampo, the Marikina Monster Man. The best monstercrafter in the monster capital of the Philippines. The best crafter in Manila. The sign that flapped above his door said Ocampo’s Professional Monstercraft. It was the name murmured by mothers wanting to teach their kids a lesson, exchanged by pranksters looking for a good scare.

Mon’s office was located in Santa Elena, near the palengke, right next to a boutique that sold second-hand clothes. A single floor lot with a receiving area in the front and a warehouse turned workshop out back. It was in the workshop where Mon put together his creations, and it was also there where he kept them in birdcages or old fishtanks until they could get picked up. Inside their little homes, the monsters shrieked, barked, howled, screamed, moaned, or groaned. They walked the length of their temporary prison, always pacing, uneasy, restless to get let out to do their job. They would constantly ram themselves against their walls, clanging the bars. Silence was nowhere to be found.

Kids in the neighborhood often dared others to sneak into the shop at night, but none of them ever actually did it. Mon never even bothered with locks. Nobody would enter, let alone rob, a warehouse full of monsters.

Before, he used to work alone; receiving commissions, toiling in the shop, arranging the pickup. When his business boomed, it simply wasn’t feasible, so he went and found anybody who could work under the cacophonous conditions of the menagerie. Mon found a secretary, Cora, who puzzled out all of the logistics of deadlines and materials and orders. She was the one who spoke to the customers so Mon could work in peace creating the products. Benny, the delivery man, was in charge of carting off the beasts to wherever they needed to go, all so that Mon wouldn’t have to waste his time on the road, and could instead use it on the next project.

The setup worked well. He went to the shop, worked, and then went home. His life became a continuous hum of another monster to make.

Of all the countless monsters he made then, he had, of course, much like a painter who made duplicates of his work, favorites.

There was Kidlat, a popular monster among mothers who didn’t want their kids playing out in a storm. Built like a spider, it crawled around walls and ceilings, waiting for its prey. With the flashbulb attached to its back, a bright light would flicker, and Kidlat would rapidly fall from its perch, creating a loud, incongruous boom.

Stranger was one Mon was quite proud of, as it was one of his more clever designs. Stranger was to create the fear of unknown men and women, so Mon had to model it after humans. He had cracked a full length mirror and propped it up in front of his office, people passing by every moment. Afterwards, like Michelangelo and his sculptures, he carved the ever changing reflections out.

He had made many revisions to his design of Luna. Sleeker, faster, more a wisp than anything else really. He once made a monster that was just an invisible mist that suffocated its victim. There was another that was just a claw that grabbed on ankles when the victim was on a high place.

Mon designed new monsters and innovated old ones. The work was fulfilling. The money was good. The monsters were incredible.

Then days passed.

“We aren’t fearless, oh no. At least not really. I assume that somewhere, in our brain, there is fear. Our only problem is that we can’t feel it. I mean, how could we? We spend day in and day out toiling, working, crafting beasts that create fear. Our understanding of the machinations of fear is so intimate, I guess you could say we’re desensitized. We know too much to feel fear with the childlike wonder needed to truly experience it.

This is a big problem for us, you know? As a crafter I know the importance of fear. We need it. We’ve always needed it. Monstercrafters are martyrs, like this. In the process of creating fear, we lose the capability to feel it.

I almost didn’t step out of the way of a car coming straight at me. Logically, I knew that I had to get out of the way, but the urgency wasn’t there.

I couldn’t feel afraid.”

-Vivien Tan, poet, painter, contemporary monstercrafter

The key caught, rust against rust. The padlock opened and the chains dropped.

Mon, with his time weary hand, marred by wrinkles and weak bones, lifted the lid of the chest. Slowly, the monster spilled out from its prison like smoke, or perhaps, like water. It spilled and spilled and spilled until he could not tell where the monster was and where it wasn’t.

Vaguely, there was a part of him nodding in admiration of the monster’s construction, but this pride was hidden behind a fog. He could not think. He looked at the monster, an easy feat, for now it was everywhere, the walls, the floor, the bed, and he did not know what to do. His heart an erratic drumbeat in his ears, he was overwhelmed. Overstimulated. Breathless.

Mon was afraid.

It was the most beautiful thing Mon had ever felt.

And it felt like drowning.

“This question is a favorite to ask monstercrafters, yes? Why we do what we do? Of course, this is the question of art and why we create it; because we think it matters, and sometimes, as artists, we are thinking this against the entire world.

Why monsters matter is something I need not regale to you all, since even children know why. Fear is important. Experts can rattle on and on about how we don’t need monsters anymore, but, at one point in their lives, they were afraid. They were human.

But, personally? I create monsters because I believe in the foremost principle of monstercraft. The reason why we began in the first place. It was not because we needed fear, for we did not know that yet, still primitive beings. But because we feared so much that we needed a face to look at. A reason.

We wanted to understand why things happened, and when no explanation came up, we made our own villains.

Without monsters, it becomes apparent that there is no reason, just chaos. Just things happening because they do. The most terrifying reality brought us to create monsters: the reality that things happen because this is the way things are.

Everybody believes monsters were created because fear is important, but at its core, it’s the opposite. We created them to give us reasons. A safe haven of explanation.

Monsters were created for the express purpose of helping humans sleep at night.”

-Quentin ‘Mon’ Ocampo, monstercrafter

#fiction #this story is my love letter to the natural magic i feel is present in marikina city #FINALLY i post a fiction piece #this was written months ago as an application requirement to become a comic writer for my org!!#so i concentrated a bunch on worldbuilding

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annvassadress · 5 years

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Play at Okada Manila Celebrates its 1st Anniversary!

PLAY at Okada Manila, a family-friendly, incredibly fun kiddie recreational area right in the heart of the metro’s grandest integrated resort and world-class entertainment destination, is celebrating its first anniversary with a month-long birthday party this February 2019!

This indoor fun area—the hub of “Purposeful Learning and Activities for the Young”— delivers educational entertainment for children aged 1-16 years old where thoughtful and joyful programs are available all year round. Young visitors can immerse themselves in a whole range of educational yet playful facilities in a safe environment. Apart from interacting with fellow children and engaging in social activities in the eight different neighborhoods, youngsters and even guardian visitors can enjoy a variety of hour-long learning sessions with certified teachers and trained, qualified coaches to enhance individual abilities and academics.

“Since opening last year, PLAY has established itself as a pioneer in offering holistic child development in a convenient leisure destination like Okada Manila,” said Director for Spa, Fitness & Recreation, Vikki Aquino. “We have been first in offering a full line of dedicated programs that combine fun, play, and learning for our young guests. PLAY is more than just an indoor playground—it’s where kids can unleash their imagination, develop life skills, and enjoy the journey toward unlocking their future potential.”

Your child can experience extraordinary playtime and boost their confidence at The Stage.

Among the unique programs offered by PLAY are Toddler the Explorer (motor skills development for children aged 1 to 3 years old), Hero Camp (group fitness activities for better health and well-being), Colors and Creations (arts and crafts for creativity and fine motor skills development), Hello, Good Looking (to enhance independence in hygiene, grooming, and social interactions for children aged 4 to 16 years old), and Stage Presence (stage workshops for guests aged 4 to 16 years old who are passionate about the performing arts).

Themed parties, educational tours, and other seasonal events also fill PLAY’s calendar. Each event is carefully planned and designed to deliver on PLAY’s mission of holistic child development.

“And as we celebrate our first anniversary, we are throwing a month-long celebration that will definitely delight both children and their parents!” added Aquino.

A PLAYful birthday party

On February 10, 2019, PLAY is throwing its very first birthday party when guests can expect a magical day full of joy and laughter. From 2 to 6PM, the whole PLAY crew will host games and activities where participants can take home special prizes.

Kids can dance their way to fitness in the Zumbastic Dance Contest, play a competitively fun game of Giant Tic Tac Toe, and unleash their inner artists at the crafting table with a Birthday Card Making activity. The PLAY Coaches will also gather everyone for an interactive storytelling session right at The Stage! And what’s a birthday party without a colorful photo wall for a fun memento, unbelievable performances by a street magician, and a face-painting station?

Don’t miss out on this incredible birthday bash and bring all the kids to PLAY!

Happy hearts day for the young ones

Okada Manila is celebrating Valentine’s Day in full romantic style this year—but this doesn’t mean that the kids should miss out on the fun! PLAY’s Kiddie Valentines will not only keep the kids out of your hair for the romantic date you’ve planned, but will also let the young ones enjoy this day of love in a unique, holistic way.

The PLAY Coaches will be hosting a Distortion Competition right at The Stage, guiding the kids through different poses designed to enhance onstage confidence. The Coaches will also take the kids through a Basic Theater Workshop, which will be followed by a short skit for the budding theater stars to apply what they learned.

Kids can also join a Languages of Love workshop, where they will be taught how to express their affections for their parents, siblings, and friends through different ways. And to cap this off, the Coaches will help the kids create special Valentine cards and origami flowers to gift to their loved ones!

Make February a month of joy, love, and learning for your kids at PLAY! Passes for PLAY’s 1st Birthday Celebration are available at PLAY. For more information on PLAY Access and Passes, visit www.okadamanila.com, like Okada Manila on Facebook, and follow @okadamanila on Twitter and Instagram.

#playokada #fitnessph #kidsph #kidslifestyle #lifestyle #okadamanila

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5hfanfiction · 7 years

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our broken white rose ⇾ camren

“Mommy? Why are you crying again?” Stuffing the photo in my hand under my pillow, I ran my hands over my face before looking over at the entryway of my bedroom.

Lana’s confused blue eyes gazed at me as she took a few hesitant steps into my room. “I’m not crying…” I paused. “My eyes are just sweating.”

The dirty blonde’s nose crinkled as she giggled to herself, walking further into my room and towards my bed. “Your eyes can’t sweat silly. Eye balls don’t sweat.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, swinging my legs off the bed and picking my daughter up. “Well, mine do. Maybe I’m just weird, eh?”

“Very weird mommy.”

We sat in silence, Lana’s hand playing with the chain on my necklace. I decided to ask some questions. I had to know the answer to these, especially with the possibility of Camila coming home. “Do you remember anything about Mamá?” I asked softly.

Lana’s hand stilled for a moment before she shrugged. “No. Only what you tell Lulu and me.”

I nodded slowly, trying to formulate my next sentence. “What if Mamá came home one day?”

Lana looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You said she was in the clouds with God and your abuela.”

“Yeah, but what if one day he decided to let her come home. How would you feel?”

“You can’t die and come back to life mommy. Only superheroes can do that,” Lana looked at me as if I were dumb, her head tilted to the side as her eyes squinted slightly.

“I know, but let’s pretend Mamá was a superhero and her superpower was coming back to life, how would you feel?”

Lana paused to think, her hand going back to toying with the necklace on my neck. She then sighed loudly. “I’d be sad. Because if she had superpowers that let her come back to life, why did she leave Lulu and me? Why did she never come back? She always made you cry at night Mommy. That’s why auntie DJ, Mani and Ally left too. If Mamá came back, I’d be mad at her for not coming home sooner.”

My heart throbbed in my chest, feeling the tears swell up in my eyes once again. “Maybe she had a good reason baby…”

Lana let go of my necklace, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder. “There’s never a good reason to leave your family. That’s what you said to auntie Lucy when she didn’t talk to her mommy for a long time.”

Swallowing harshly, I nodded as I placed a kiss on my daughters forehead. “I guess you’re right.”

***

“Maybe bringing Camila home isn’t such a good idea,” I mumbled. It didn’t surprise me when all four women stared at me with wide eyes and looks of confusion.

“What the hell Lauren? Not only is she your wife–”

“She stopped being my wife the minute she was pronounced dead Mani… I’ve been free to remarry all these years,” I paused. “I just don’t want to hurt the girls. They barely know her.”

Tori scoffed. “And thats a good enough reason to let her continue getting hurt by a crazy psychopath? All this time you’ve been calling her your wife, why are you suddenly claiming that she isn’t?” The room fell silent. “Let me ask you something Lauren. If your daughters one day grow up and find out that there was a chance they could possibly see their mother again and start a relationship with her but you didn’t allow it to happen, do you think they’d ever forgive you? Not many people have a second chance at getting their parent back. Don’t ruin this for them just because you’re scared.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not scared. They’re just too young to understand what’s going on.”

“No, they’d understand perfectly. You’re just too stupid to give them a shot,” Dinah spoke.

I glared at her, my anger rising in the pit of my stomach. “Says the one who left them high and dry after their mother passed away because “it was too hard”. You have no room to speak Hansen.“

Ally threw her head back, letting out an annoyed grown. "Right now isn’t the time to argue. Yes, we messed up by leaving you and the girls and if I had a chance to go back in time and take that back, I would. Because I left one of my best friends to be a single parent after the death of her wife and that’ll always be wrong on my side. But we’re here, right now. Aren’t we? We’ve all come together to get the one person who was the glue that held us all together at one point. Camila means something to all of us. And I know you’re scared of what may happen if you bring her back this far into the girls’ life, but we have to take that leap of faith. Because right now, Mila needs us more than anything.”

I could feel the tears coming again but held it together. I’ve been doing way too much crying these days. I had to control my shit. “Where were we?”

Ally shot me a small smile before walking over to the stack of files that were basically the size of her. “These are all of Camila and Lola’s whereabouts in the last three years. On the top half, is basically Lola going to and from places such as grocery shopping and occasional doctors appointments. But one photo caught our eye,” Ally shared a look with Tori before handing me a Manila folder with an enlarged photo. Opening the folder, my heart stopped.

Lola and Lucy were seen entering a clinic with Janelle trailing behind them.

In that very moment, my heart sunk to my feet.

***

My leg bounced up and down as anxiety shot up and down my veins. I felt as if the air in the aircraft was being sucked out by a gigantic vacuum. I tried to still my breathing as I held onto the two sleeping girls on each side of me.

I couldn’t believe we were actually doing this. I couldn’t believe that I was actually doing this. I keep thinking I’m in a dream where I’m just going to wake up, take the girls to school and call up my best friend and ask if she can babysit while I pull an all nighter at the studio with some arrogant client.

But no, I’m forty-five thousand fucking feet in the air with my parents, Camila’s parents, Tori, my former bandmates, their families, and my little girls who think we’re going to Santa’s Workshop. And on top of all that, we basically have all the legal authorities in all of america leading the way. My heart wouldn’t stop racing even if someone pulled it out of my chest.

Closing my eyes, I forced myself to take some deep breaths. I had to calm down. I couldn’t freak out. I knew this moment had to come the second I allowed myself to have hope again.

“Psst,” snapping out of my internal anxiety attack, I looked at the lounging chairs in front of me. Tori was waving me over silently.

I haven’t gotten the chance to have an actual sit down conversation with her since I accused her of pretty much fucking with my life. The more and more evidence we pieced together, the more I realized how much of a jackass I had been. But I couldn’t find it within myself to let my guard down and apologize.

My heartbeat sped up some more, if that were even humanly possible. I locked eyes for a few moments with the warm brown ones. Sighing softly to myself, I gently stood up, making sure that the girls didn’t wake up or worse, clash heads with one another. After situating them in a decent sleeping position, I slowly made my way over to Tori as she scooted over to make some room for me beside Dinah’s sleeping frame.

“Hey,” she smiled. I nodded in acknowledgement, feeling as my palms started to sweat. I had no idea why I was suddenly so nervous around her. Tori’s smile faded slightly before she turned to face me as best as she could. “How’re you holding up?”

I shrugged, picking at my chipped painted black nails. “Okay I guess. I mean, how well can someone "hold on” when they find out their previously dead wife is actually alive,“ I sighed, shaking my head. "Old harmonizers and Camilizers have been losing it all week. I feel like the only person who may have a harder time holding it together than myself is Sofi…” I trailed off as I looked over at the twenty-three year old who’d had her head buried between her folded up knees since we entered the jet.

Tori frowned, nodding. “I just find it so weird how I’ve known Karla all this time and couldn’t even figure this out sooner. She’s been away from her mom, dad and sister for over four years. Not to mention her kids and well… you,” Tori shook her head. “What kind of best friend am I?”

I scoffed. “I think you’re a pretty fucking awesome one. Despite our circumstances, I’m actually sorta, kinda glad Camila at least knew someone levelheaded over the last few years. I mean, without you, none of us would have known she was alive. And well… I just wanna say thanks for that.”

Tori smiled slightly at me before bowing her head down and tucking a strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear. “It’s no problem.”

We sat in small comfortable silence before I decided to ask a question. “Have you managed to get in contact with your mom yet?”

Tori sighed loudly, looking down at her phone as she shook her head. “No unfortunately. I don’t think I should be worried but I’m a little scared. I’ve been gone for a week and she hasn’t replied to any of my calls or messages. She decided to stay back to make sure Karla is okay…”

I hesitated before bringing my hand to rest on top of her own which was toying with her phone. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

Flashing me a dimple filled smile, Tori nodded. “Hopefully.”

The entire plane ride, Tori and I caught up. Somewhere in there I had found it within me to slip in a short but meaningful apology to which she fully accepted. That’s something I loved about Tori. Even though I’ve done her dirty and been an absolute bitch to her, she still found it somewhere in her heart to understand and forgive. Camila picked a good one… thank god.

***

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” I asked the petite woman for the millionth time. She sighed before looking down at my girls, making sure they were distracted.

“I understand we came all the way here to get her but… I don’t think I want to join the hunt leading up to actually getting her back. I don’t think I have anymore strength left in me for that,” her tired brown eyes looked at me then back around at our surroundings before she sighed. “Besides, maybe these girls can help me get my mind off of somethings.”

I nodded in understanding, smiling softly at her. “Alright. You have my number, give me a call if they become too much to handle, alright?” Her brown locks bounced slightly as she nodded.

I turned to walk away but stopped when she grabbed my hand. “Oh and Lauren?” Raising an eyebrow, I waited for her to speak. “Please find her. I… I really need her right now,” her voice cracked slightly at the end but she held herself together.

“I’ll do my best Sofia. I promise.”

When receiving another nod at her, I bent down to kiss my daughters heads before heading out of the hotel lobby and towards the parking lot. We had landed over an hour ago but everyone decided that it was best to go and situate ourselves before continuing the possibly day long hunt for Camila. Tori had told us that staying in a hotel the next city over would have been best, that way Lucy, Janelle, or Lola wouldn’t suspect too much if they were still around. It was really a small city after all.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Lucy was in on this. For years… she pretended to be my shoulder to cry on. She pretended to act like she too missed Camila. But it never once crossed her mind to tell me the truth. My heart truly ached as I thought about it. It disgusted me that once upon a time, I use to be in love with her. I use to view her as my rock, my full on support, my everything. Now… I don’t think I’d recognize her even if she stood right in front of me.

My eyes watered as I got closer and closer to where my friends, my family, their family, and pretty much everyone stood but I kept it together as best as I could. As of now, I had to be strong for everyone. They were all looking to be to swoop in and save the mother of my children.

I locked eyes with Sinu as I approached. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she’s done on the plane and leading up to this moment right now. If I had to choose in order by who was having it worse beside myself, Sinu and Sofi would be tied for number one. The mother and daughter duo had gone years thinking the oldest child was gone and never to return but now, everyone’s hope was hanging on a thin piece of string.

I sent a small comforting smile her way in which she returned. Alejandro stood supportively beside his wife, a large arm draped over her shoulder comfortingly.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” I asked, a small smile still lingering on my lips. Everyone sent a collective mumble of sure’s and not really’s but that was expected. This was a hard time for us all.

Before we started to head into our designated vehicles we had rented out, Tori’s phone went off. “It’s my mom! She may have some information.”

***

Tori watched as everyone stilled and looked towards her with hopeful eyes as she answered her phone. “Hello? Ma?”

“Well… I’m not anyone’s mother but I was gonna be at some point. What’s up Victoria?”

Tori’s face instantly fell at familiar cold voice. “Why do you have my moms phone Kristen?”

“Oh boo boo, drop the act Tori. You and I both know by now that you know my real name. I probably wouldn’t have your pathetic mothers phone if she had stayed in her fucking lane!” The harsh and bitterness that seeped through the phone scared Tori and was pretty sure that Normani and Ally who had been standing beside her could hear as Lola’s loud voice hissed through the small handheld device.

“Wh–”

“Hush hush sweetheart. "Ma’s” still talking. I know of your plan. Now, if I were some sort of dumb gullible bitch, I’d most likely be waiting to have my ass handcuffed and sent to jail–” Tori removed the phone from her ear as she set it on speaker, motioning for the swat team officer to come closer as she muted the line.

“Is there anyway we can get a location on her from this?”

“–but because I have a brain in this gorgeous head of mine, that won’t be happening. You see, everyone cares so much about getting Camila back home that no one thought to care if she really wanted to be saved? I mean, if she really did, she wouldn’t have drowned herself in our bathtub last night after I told her everything. I guess death sounded a lot better to her.”

Tori could almost feel the anger emanating from Lauren as the three beeps at the end of Lola’s ill-willed speech signaled the end of the phone call. Her heart thumped in her chest as everyone stayed silent for a moment before Dinah whispered brokenly, “This is all my fault.”

Another beat of silence passed before a teary-eyed Sinu glared up at the taller honey blonde haired woman. “You’re not wrong,” her voice shook with anger.

“Listen, I know everyone is upset but now isn’t the time to assign blame. Why don’t we stop making it about ourselves and more about Camila. For all we know, Lola may be lying to throw us off of her,” Dinah’s dad tried to reason. Sinu wasn’t having it though.

“That’s very easy for you to say, isn’t it? Has your daughter been missing from her children for the last four years?” She questioned, eyes squinting up at the large man who dared test her grief. “Has your daughter been missing from her wife and children? Has your daughter been held captive against her will for years while everyone thought she was dead?!” She yelled. When the man stood silence in shock at her sudden outburst, Sinu chuckled humorlessly before shifting her cold gaze toward Dinah, tilting her head to the side. The next words she said even burned Tori herself. “No. All she’s done was sit around, live a peaceful life, found herself someone who loves her and left my grandkids and their mother when they needed her most. It’s her fault that she met that crazy woman. It’s her fault that–”

“Hey!” Lauren yelled suddenly, voice cracking slightly as anger overwhelmed her. Tori flinched at the loud booming voice beside her as people at the hotel entrance turned to stare. Already having attention on them from the police cars surrounding their area, Lauren’s yelling wasn’t helping.

“I’m sick of this already and we just got here. Sinu,” Lauren said, turning towards the older woman. “Something you’re not getting is that everyone, here has been grieving. Everyone here cared and still cares for Camila. Quite frankly, you have no place to blame anyone. Because you haven’t even seen your own so-called grandkids in months and when you do, you hardly stay around. They barely recognized you. We’re here to find Camila. Not lash out unreasonably at someone who pretty much forced all of us into looking into this whole situation. So I suggest you chill the fuck down or stay here and get yourself together.”

***

My head was pounding as we drove past the unfamiliar streets, the police sirens from the squad cars escorting us upfront not helping the situation. After that argument in the hotel parking lot, everyone was on edge. We’ve barely spoken to each other, Sinu and Alejandro insisting on riding in separate cars away from everyone except for my parents.

Tori and I sat in one car alone as she typed away on her phone, trying to get in contact with someone to figure out her mothers whereabouts. Lola really had her shaken up. After figuring out that Lola somehow had her mothers phone, the safety of her mom truly concerned her.

“Are you okay?” I asked quietly after a few minutes of contemplating how I should ask that question in my head.

Tori glanced up at me from her phone before shutting the device off and shrugging. “I don’t know. No one knows where she is Lo…”

My heart skipped a beat in my chest at the nickname. It reminded me so much of Camila. When I sated silent, she spoke up quickly. “Sorry about the nickname… I was just trying something new. I guess you don’t like it.”

I shook my head, “Nah. It’s not that. Just something Camila use to call me.”

It fell silent for a moment before Tori nodded. “I’m sorry. I’ll come up with something new then,” she laughed it off awkwardly.

I wanted to tell her that she could call me whatever she wanted but some things would forever be only Camila’s. I could sense that she was disappointed that I didn’t try to tell her she could call me it anyway.

“So… are you ready to see her If we find her today?” She asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s gonna be different.”

“I bet. Do you think you guys will be able to jump back into what you were before or what?”

I never really thought about that so when the question left Tori’s lips, it really stumped me. I mean, getting Camila back is what I’ve always wanted, right? Getting my wife back is everything to me. Isn’t it? But would Camila and I be able to go back to being two in love parents? She barely knows the girls. They don’t even remember anything about her. She’s been gone for so long. What if the romantic fire that once burned between us is just gone… for good?

“I don’t know honestly,” I answered truthfully.

I could tell my reply shocked Tori. “What? Why? Shouldn’t that be like an automatic yes?”

I shrugged, as an old nervous habit came through when my hand instinctively went to the top of my head to run it through my hair. “She’s been gone for four years Tori. She doesn’t know the girls. She “died” when Lana was barely one and Luna was two. Luna remembers very little things about her but that’s mostly from what I’ve told her and Lana only knows what I tell and show her. She doesn’t even look at her as a motherly figure, just someone that was from the past.“

Tori’s lips curved down into a frown before she sighed. "Well hopefully you guys get that spark back fast.”

***

“Somebody call a bus!” The man shouted as two other helped him haul the limp naked woman out of the clawfoot bathtub.

Everything felt as though it was moving in slow motion for Lauren. She hardly recognized the woman with bruises scattering in various areas of her body. She hardly recognized the woman she once said “I do” with. She blocked out Sinu’s sobs. Alejandro’s nervous ranting. Dinah’s screams as officers pulled everyone out of the now crime scene. All she could focus on in that moment as Tori’s hand rested on the small of her back, guiding her out of the room was Camila’s face. It looked so… different.

The fact that she had just come face to face with her supposedly dead wife hadn’t hit her yet. She allowed herself to be guided out in silence, looking in Camila’s direction until all she was was a white wall.

Head facing straight, she stood in silence. Moments later, a city ambulance pulled up, three men rushing in with a gurney Camila would soon be brought out in. She felt numb. Insanely so.

It wasn’t until she saw Camila’s unconscious body being rushed by – her body strapped down in the gurney – minutes later that it all hit her like an eighteen wheeler. It wasn’t long before the tears came and she felt as though the air was leaving her body.

One minute she was having a decent conversation with Tori in the car, the next she arrives at the home Camila and Lola have been staying in, then finally she was walking in on her near dead wife. Traumatized would be too much of an understatement.

Not long after, the tears started to fall rapidly. The air in her lungs seemed to decrease with every breath she took, Tori having to reach over and hold her up as she felt her body slowly falling to the ground.

“Lauren, Lauren! Look at me,” Tori pleaded. “You need to breathe and calm down, alright? Right now Camila needs you. She really needs you.”

As Tori’s words echoed in her head, her breathing slowed as the tears stopped. She needs me.

“Go find your mom,” Lauren got out after a few moments.

“I’m not leaving you here a–”

“I’m fine. Camila needs me and your mom needs you,” she whispered.

Tori froze as Lauren’s bloodshot green eyes gazed into her dark brown ones before nodding slowly, removing her body from Lauren’s, trusting she could now hold herself up. “Call me if something else happens. Okay?”

Lauren found herself nodding blindly as Tori headed to the car they rode in, telling the driver something before hopping in the front side passengers seat.

Lauren found it in her to calm down enough to walk over to Sinu. Everyone else had entered the cars, getting ready to head to the hospital, following Camila’s ambulance but Sinu stood outside as she held onto the side of a brick wall. Her chest heaved up and down searching frantically for more air as her tears nearly blinded her.

When the older woman sensed Lauren’s presence, she instantly clung to her. “Please tell me she’s going to be alright.”

Lauren felt her own tears come as she wrapped her arms around the light haired woman. “We have to go,” was all she could muster up, her voice weak and tired.

***

“Karla has suffered an extreme submersion injury. There was a lot of water blocking oxygen from entering her body, meaning for quite a long period of time, her brain nor her heart was getting any much needed oxygen. Usually with submersion injuries or near drowning experiences, it takes roughly around 24 hours for the to fully shut down and… die. Karla was nearing that threshold dearly, our team speculates that she’s been under for around 17 hours. Her brain flow seems to be showing normal signs but with things like this when the person survives, brain damage can take anywhere between 48 hours and 72 hours to actually start formulating.

So while it may look normal and fine in there, it could be a complete jumbled up mess. The only way to really tell is for Karla to wake up. That way we’d be able to properly go about assessing whether or not her speech patterns are normal or of those in early stages of brain damage, whether or not her heart is working as strongly as it normally should and so forth.

Currently Karla is in what we like to call a barbiturate-induced coma or also known as, a medically-induced coma and her waking up solely depends on her progress within the next few hours. For someone her size to sustain such an injury, we’ll have to monitor her quite carefully.

Now about her pregnancy, the baby is too premature to be delivered right now with an emergency c-section. He won’t survive the night. We’ve checked his vitals and there is a heartbeat although it is awfully faint but the faster Karla recovers, the face he does as well. We’re hoping Karla’s state of unconsciousness does not affect anything going on with him but from what we can see, he’s healthy and fine for now.”

I hardly knew how to process anything the woman before us had just said. My brain felt like it was melting as I gawked at her. Nothing about this was pleasant to here. “Are we allowed to see her?” I found myself asking.

She smiled sadly at us, “Unfortunately only imitate family.”

I felt as my blood boiled and my eyes turn to slits as they narrowed at her. “I’m her wife.”

The woman’s eyes slightly widened before she looked down sheepishly. “Oh my, I’m so sorry. Then of course. You and any other immediate family such as parents, children, siblings and such. But that cannot be as of right now. Visiting hours begin at 6 AM to 12 PM then 6 PM to 12 AM. It’s only 3:47 AM right now.”

Sighing in frustration, I turned around and headed back over towards the waiting room chairs, everyone else following behind me. Dinah, Normani, and Ally have barely uttered a word since all of this. Sinu’s been crying, Ale has been trying to be strong for his wife but it was visible that the strength he held was soon going to come tumbling down, Dinah’s family had gone back to the hotel, my mom and dad as well, all having been tired and exhausted from today’s hunt. My siblings sat beside Sofi who had come down with my girls as soon as she heard what had happened. I could see it in her eyes that she was trying her best to keep it together.

Tori had found her mother. Turns out she was locked in the basement, nobody being able to hear her with everything going on with Camila. She had been checked out then released on her own recognizance hours later. Tori decided to go back to the hotel with her mother but promised to be back in the morning.

The hunt for Lola, Lucy, and Janelle was still ongoing, all three women having a warrant out for their arrest. Fans have been going crazy, many utterly outraged. Mostly at myself for “not realizing Lucy was a snake from the start.” The funny part is, Lucy wasn’t a snake from the start. I still wasn’t over the fact that she was somehow tied into this. My heart ached every time it crossed my mind. But I knew that no matter what her reasoning was, she was to be punished for this. Because she withheld the fact that Camila was alive all these years. She lied to my face for years at a time. Even trying to get me to believe that she was still dead when she was attempting to make me move on. Disgust coursed throughout my body at what she’s done.

As for Janelle, the reasoning for her association with Lola is still foreign to me. No wonder Tori found her sketchy…

My leg bounced up and down in restlessness as I sat beside my daughters who busied themselves on my iPad, playing a game. I still didn’t know how I’d tell them that Camila is alive and we’re here to see her when the time came. After what Lana said, I almost didn’t want to tell them.

My heart thumped in my chest over and over again, faster and faster each beat at the thought. Too many things have gone down today, this was probably the least of my concerns.

My eyes filled with tears for the hundredth time that day at the though of all the suffering Camila’s gone through. If only I knew sooner… when the doctors told me that there were several signs that aligned with either rough sex or sexual assault, my world stopped. I knew it wasn’t rough sex. That just… that wasn’t something Camila has ever been into. Just the thought of Lola forcing herself onto Camila made me sick to my stomach. And to think that she’d been going through all of this alone made me hate myself for even doubting this to start with.

Staring up at the ceiling, I blinked away the tears as best as I could. Tori’s words echoed through my head again. She really needs me.

***

“What are you running from Lola?! There’s nowhere to fucking run! Soon, we’re gonna need gas and it’s not like we can just walk into a gas station. Our faces are plastered on every fucking news station there is. Everyone in the country is looking for us. We just have to turn oursel–”

“If you don’t shut the fuck, I swear to you, I’ll kill you and dump you on the side of this fucking highway,” she hissed as her hand reached over to grab a fistful of my hair. Her hand grew shaky as she started swerving around the road, cars honking at us as they sped by. “Don’t you think I know that? I have a fucking plan Lucy. So shut the hell up and sit quietly.”

My mouth grew dry as I nodded slowly. Tears flooded my vision while I gazed down at my hands that rested in my lap, my mind thinking of the one person who drove me to act this way.

I’m sorry Lauren…

***

a/n: well… guess camila’s found. lmao.

this chapter was a little sloppy, i felt like i could’ve done better but i hope y'all liked it nonetheless. i have a habit of putting chapters up in the middle of the night and i have no fucking idea why aha.

but please let me know your thoughts, did you enjoy? answer end of the chapter questions and thanks so much for reading.

for my tumblr readers, thank you so much for reading as well. don’t forget to add this story on wattpad and follow me there as well @ wthbello for quicker updates, to answer end of the chapter questions and so on.

ily all

#UPDATE #series #non AU #AU #slash #trigger warning #camren #angst drama #family #romance fluff #submission #our broken white rose

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cheekymonkeysph · 1 month

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ynnipad · 6 years

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PASINAYA

February 3, 2018 - My second visit to the Cultural Center of the Philippines is probably the highlight of my February. The building was grand, held together with glamorous staircases, walls coated in soulful paintings, and corners enhanced with pieces of art. People swarm from one place to another to take a photo of the beautiful interior. For a moment, the scenario seemed like any other visit to the CCP—except, it was not.

A group of people in dance clothes—mostly tights—occupied the wide lobby in front of the main entrance. Hours later, it would be replaced with performers in National Costume rendering a beautiful traditional Folk dance. Upstairs, visitors lined outside a huge hall for a workshop on playing Kulintang. While on the other hall, a workshop on Basic Stop Motion Animation is ongoing. Booths of creatives from different fields of art flocked in the lobby beneath the staircase—the so-called “Arts Market.” Some endorsed their group’s art, while some caught people’s attention with their hand-woven accessories, and locally-published books on sale.

So much is happening all at the same time. It was the third of February 2018, and it marked the start of an open house festival that is Pasinaya 2018. Aside from granting passes in all of CCP’s art exhibits, the event also catered performances and workshop opportunities from different fields of art, such as, Dance, Music, Theater, Ballet, Film, Visual Arts, Literature, and Variety. Not bad for a 300 PHP VIP ticket. The catch is, activities of different fields might coincide. The pretty brochure, containing the timetable of activities, handed out to us during entrance turned out very handy.

Our first activity was centered on the recently approved national writing system of the Philippines: Baybayin. As it was entitled “Baybayin Henna Tattoo,” my expectation was simply that of a tattoo session, and nothing more. It turned out that there will be a brief lesson about Baybayin, as well—something I don’t look forward to, since I already studied Baybayin way back. I thought our first activity would be a bore. Luckily, our speaker was captivating. Other than the pens and papers, she used her body to dance to us each Baybayin character—yes, she incorporated the characters into a dance. It was a completely different approach from what I normally encounter of Baybayin.

I liked this activity a lot. We were so clueless, and so excited, back then. (Oh, but aren’t we all are?) How are we supposed to do art by pulling a string?

At first, it was a mess. The conductors of the workshop finally told us their little secret, and there we are, able to make anything but art. We got the hang of it eventually. What I loved about the practice was the element of surprise; I chose the colors, I positioned the string, I pulled the string, and yet, when I uncover the paper, what I see is beyond my expectations. I don’t know if it’s just my lack of imagination, though. Lol

Killing time before our next planned activity, we crashed into a room packed with elementary students. It was a symposium on Ethnic Instruments in the Philippines. I remember a randomly-picked student was asked to play an ethnic instrument, in front, with the supervision of the conductor. To our surprise, he played so well for a first-timer. He didn’t sound like a beginner at all.

These are from a piece called “Walking Still” by Rene Aquitania. My general feel of this exhibit is that of childhood, and going home.

Also, interesting medium, right?

Karilyo Shadowlab. We were so nervous, at first; we thought we are going to do some kind of acting workshop. Lollll. Actually, it was a play of shadows—just like what we do as kids when electricity’s out, and a small candle is the house’s only source of light.

Isn’t it fascinating how something so mundane in your life is a passion to somebody else’s? And as they talk to you about it, you suddenly begin to see how special that “mundane” thing is.

I’m always, always fascinated with old photos portraying life as it is.

This was my most favorite activity of all—A printmaking workshop. Relief, Intaglio, and Monotype were the three types of print-making that were introduced to us that day.

Relief printing works like stamping. The non-receding surfaces of the plate are also the surfaces that will be printed on the paper. Intaglio is the opposite. Recessed surfaces of the plate receive the ink and will, then, be printed to the paper. Unlike the aforementioned methods, Monotype printing applies the ink to the surface of the plate before making the design. Afterward, the plate will be pressed to the paper like usual.

A hands-on activity followed, and we have to choose one; we chose Intaglio. For Intaglio, a printing plate and a carving tool were provided to the participants; these will serve as the paper and pencil respectively. The deeper the carve in the plate, the stronger the color, and vice versa. After finishing out the designs, the teacher covered each of our plates with ink, and wiped the excess. Finally, for the final act, the plate was compressed on damp paper using a heavy roller. The print was successfully transferred, and we let them dry.

In this very technologically-advanced generation, processes as intricate as these are probably considered too time-consuming.

You can do it with one click anyway.

But I swear, experiencing the complexity of it all, process by process, step by step, flaws included, was worth the time. It makes the art so much easier to appreciate.

That was our final activity for the day.

Or so I thought.

At 4 pm, after attending Pasinaya, we went to Intramuros—Manila’s walled city. It was my first time, and it feels surreal. We were able to visit a lot of museums because, to our luck, it was a day of free access to the museums of Intramuros.

Casa Manila Museum

Jesuit Mission House. Freshly-painted walls that need second coating, dirty glass windows, and floors, and artwork nameplates with no matching artworks. Not at its best that day, but that was how it looked the first time that I saw the Jesuit Mission House. It was a newly-built museum, but since it’s free-access-to-all-museums-in-Intramuros day, visitors were allowed to take a peek. Despite its not being ready for the public, it instantly became my favorite museum. The pieces inside were thought-provoking, sentimental, and haunting.

I was low on battery, so I only have a few photos of the museum. This is a photo of one of the most powerful pieces that I’ve ever seen—a collection of helmets from soldiers. It is such a small and simple piece, yet it already tells so much.

See, all of them were worn out, some even had bullet holes, and some had their signatures and their brief declarations of faith. I wonder what happened to their owners. This is just one of the beautiful pieces inside the Mission House. I won’t talk much. See for yourself.

Morning of February 3rd, I checked my phone half asleep, on the verge of canceling my plans for the day (yet again)—so glad I didn’t. It turned out February 3, 2018 was going to be a nice day.

Side note: This is a very late post. I’m trying to improve my photography nowadays, and I just realized I don’t like--more of, hate--most of my shots here (but I’ll keep them anyway ‘cause I need visuals for this post)

--‘Till next time!

#pasinaya #events #ccp #pasinaya2018 #intramuros

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