#everything bar Legends is new on my Wednesday
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I've mentioned it before but I've been playing a lot of Dance Dance Revolution lately. I started going to the local arcade to play once or twice a week in early May, and I've already noticed some pretty substantial improvement! I figure I'll start keeping track of notable progress here.
A brief recap of what I can recall of the last few months:
May: I had heard about the local DDR crew from one or two friends and finally gave in and checked it out. I did not do very well at all that first outing (my shoes weren't particularly good for it, I wasn't dressed for it either, and my accuracy was /wildly/ off on the arcade machines. I got a B full combo on one song with mostly Greats/Goods). But I met some of the lads and had fun and got myself an E-Amuse card, which I always thought would be harder to obtain.
After that, I immediately went to the store, bought myself some better dancing shoes and the largest water bottle I could find at Target. And at that point, I really had to keep going, sunk cost and everything.
Summer: It took a few sessions, but I adjusted myself to the arcade machine timing and started hitting a lot more accurately. Keeping to 8s and 9s. I'd alternate between going on half price Wednesdays, and Thursday evenings when my wife was at her Japanese classes.
Fall: Went to the big local tournament at a Round1 two hours away. Didn't compete, but I met some new people and still had a good time. I feel like the start of fall was when the group started going to Round1 more in general (there's one just about an hour west) because R1 locations got the A3 upgrade and D&Bs, did not, for reasons that would take too long to get into here.
Winter: Being a dedicated rhythm gamer, on one of the rhythm games designed to get you real sweaty, is truly awful when it's cold out. This is largely because arcades are not designed to be workout facilities. You gotta go in there in warm clothes, get changed in the arcade bathroom, go do your sets, and then leave a sweaty mess and drive all the way home to shower. The first instant when you walk outside into the cold air is a truly rejuvenating sensation, which is cancelled out by the next five minutes of perspiration frozen all over while you wait for the car to warm up. And it hasn't even been a particularly intense winter thus far.
Current Status: I've cleared five (5) songs at a 13 difficulty. No. 13 (Expert), Burnin' Heat 3-Option Mix (Expert), Xenon (Expert), Leading Cyber (Expert), and today I cleared Legend of MAXX (Difficult). None of these were particularly inspiring clears (that last one, I flubbed the whole last jump sequence, and just barely skirted through), but it's still leagues better than I was performing just a few months ago.
I also have five (5) charts I've cleared on AAA difficulty. Bloody Tears IIDX (Difficult, 6), Dazzlin' Darlin' Remix (Difficult, 8), Sparkle Dreams (Basic, 8, Sightread), Sterling Silver (Difficult, 10), and Zephyranthes (Basic, 7, Sightread). Those last two I just did for the first time today! And I got my best clear on Dazzlin' Darlin' yet (996k, only two greats).
Present Goals: The hope is to go to Japan at some point later this year. By that time, I want to get to a point where I can play at an arcade abroad and feel semi-competent about it. The plan is to get myself to a point where I can at least AA clear: Bitter Chocolate Striker (Expert, 14), Possession (Difficult, 14), and Eon Break (Difficult, 13, but at present, this song is only available on LIFE4, which adds a degree of challenge).
The Path Forward: My footwork has definitely improved substantially, when I started out I'd get awful pain in the arches of my feet, but I haven't really gotten that in a while. I don't think I want to go no-bar, but I might rely on the bar a little too much.
I think the most important improvement I can make at this stage is to work on my breathing. Once I really start going, I really run ragged. I used to be able to breathe properly while I exercised, I just have to relearn how to while I dance.
The other big one is definitely developing the ability to read faster stepcharts. Anything above 400, maybe 450 BPM is too much for me at present. Here I think the best way forward is to slowly amp up the modifier on songs I'm already familiar with. I'll need to be able to read at least 750 for the goals I have set.
That's the full recap so far! My next arcade trip is this coming Wednesday, but I probably won't post an update every time I go, just when I pull off something particularly noteworthy.
...also, writing this up was a great excuse to hang out on the couch for an hour and not move, because wow, I am so exhausted after that last session. My only regret is that I really want to get up and get a snack, but my legs are jelly and there's a cat snoozing next to me.
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Bearing the Forty Foot, Seeing Glasnevin Cemetery, and Food!
Hey readers! I’m Aidan McKiernan, and I’m studying abroad in Ireland with the Big 10 STEM and Irish Studies program with UCD. Week 3 is just wrapping up now, and it’s been another fun one. I’m getting a bit homesick these days and missing some people back home, but there’s a ton of fun times and cool people to meet here, so it’s hard to feel down for long. The coolest things we did this week were taking a trip to the Forty Foot, a swimming area on the east coast of Ireland, and a trip to Glasnevin cemetery, a surprisingly impressive site. Of course I haven’t slowed my ungodly ice cream consumption rates, and I tried a few new notable places as well.
Starting off last Sunday evening, I visited La Caverna, an Italian restaurant, with a group of friends. We had quite a group, so we split up into two tables. My group had to wait a bit to be seated, so we decided to try McDonalds in Ireland. The food options are pretty similar to what we have in the States, but they had a curry-flavored dipping sauce for the nuggets which I wasn’t familiar with and was pretty good. I also picked up a strawberry and cream frappe, which was quite good. After that we got our seats back at the restaurant, and I ordered a traditional carbonara.
Carbonara from La Caverna- it was super!
We got a new physics lecturer this week who happened to be better than our previous one. Also, our labs this week were much more manageable than the past ones. In my other class, we had a brilliant new lecturer on Irish history, who was very entertaining. There is a 1500 word essay I’m writing on Irish emigration that is due this coming Wednesday, but finishing that shouldn’t be a big deal.
On Wednesday we took a trip to Dún Laoghaire for a dip in the Forty Foot and to try Teddy’s ice cream, rumored to be some of the best. Despite its name, the Forty Foot is really just an eight foot jump into about 20 foot deep water. Though I was misled about the height, the coldness and saltiness of the water definitely went beyond expectations! I was shivering for the next few hours, but it was definitely worth taking the plunge.
Me, trying to soak up some sun and totally not posing dramatically. (photo by Nate)
After drying off and a short walk, we grabbed ice cream from the famous Teddy’s ice cream. Personally, I had to double up, so I got a classic cone and a Ferrero crunch. The ice cream certainly lived up to expectations, even if I was left shivering and on a sugar rush.
Me, amazed by my sweet ice cream picks- loved them both. (photo by Noah)
Saturday saw a trip to the Glasnevin cemetery, one of the biggest cemeteries in Europe. A stunning 1.6 million people are buried here, including many Irish legends like Michael Collins. By the way, that's more people than the entire population of Dublin! The headstones and scenery here was very pretty, a pleasant distraction from the morbidity.
A small fraction of the innumerable, ornate headstones we viewed.
Before our guided tour I stopped into the SI Café for a quick breakfast croissant (and an ice cream cone!).
A nice hot ham and cheese croissant from the café, much needed for the cloudy, windy, sub-60°F weather.
After the tour, our bus was a bit late, so a few of us took a quick walk to a bar called Gravediggers for the so-called best pint of Guinness you can get. …it wasn’t great.
Later that day I went to town with a couple friends for dinner. We got rejected from a couple places for wearing sweatpants, but we eventually found a really nice restaurant where I got a hearty beef stew.
Dinner at Quays Irish Restaurant with Daniel, Chase, Carson, Me, and Justin (left to right) (photo by Justin)
And finally, this Sunday has been pretty relaxed. I’ve just been catching up on sleep and doing some classwork. So that’s just about everything for this week, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading. Join me next week for another post!
Aidan McKiernan
Computer Science
University of Michigan
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Omg i loved your list!!! It must've been a handful bc it was very thorough, diversified (in genres, year published/updated type of writing and even authors). And you said you were deep into the avalance tag in ao3, so you must've had a lot of work with these. You even included SMAUS!!! I totally forget about them, but they are super fun to read and the ones you selected are really good indeed! Kudos to you!!! Your whole list is AWESOME! And very entertaining tbh bc i was here waiting to see what fic you'd recommend lmaoo did not disappoint, let me tell you! T A S T E hahaha
But wait... You read You Are My Miracle in one go???? How far was it when you read it?? And YEAH once in a while we are hit with a 10k+ chapter and i LOVE IT! Hahahaha idek when i started, but maaan the slow burn kills me!!!! Good fic good fic.
And the HSAU MY BELOVED!!! that's the one you mentioned chapter 27 right? lol A Classic™️ can't express how in love i still am with this fic. It's long, and the slow burn seems even longer bc YOU JUST WANT THEM TO KISS 😭 (and its so worth it when the do!!!). And I loved even more the other fic with Jordan (it's Impossible to not like her!!) but mostly bc when I joined the fandom the HSAU was wrapping up and when i first read it it was already finished. And to follow a fic since the fists chapters, waiting for a new update... I just love it! And the whole story is INCREDIBLE!!! One of my top faves for sure.
The SQ au is also one of my faves, even though ive never shipped sq. And you are right, Lucy knows what she's doing lmao one of the firsts i read for avalance and its amazing amazing amazing!!
There's another one that's one of my favs and I belive it's the very first avalance fic I read (bc i was familiar with the author's works from another fandom): I See My Future in Your Eyes by lizardwriter. Another really great HSAU!! (Also Stuck With You is totally worth the read!!)
Anyways, loved your list and the way you organized it. So fun to be on this journey with you even though i just sat back waiting for your posts and sometimes forgetting to read them 🙈 hahaha
❤️ The Word doc I organised it in is 9 pages and almost 4,500 words. Would not have survived if I didn't edit in there. Just for general reading I filter AO3 into different length fics, and then sort by kudos, so I've probably read the description of most of the fics in the tag over the years. The list was from my own 109 pages of history, not the tag, so I was choosing things I've read. It wasn't a conscious thought to have such a range, really it was looking at my history, and what did I enjoy.
I love the concept of SMAU, and they really get lost to history. Unless you find them by accident, which I did for the first plinys one, there's a high chance you don't know they were a thing. I was following a bunch in early 2019 (that was longer ago than I thought), but plinys was the only one who I saw complete their's, and I know how to find them again, as I also do not have twitter.
The process was worth it if you enjoyed it. Also making my life easier; re-read Better than Ice Cream last night, and was so easy to find.
You're My Miracle was a couple of weeks worth of reading, I think. I keep some of my AO3 update emails (for my Favourites as it makes me happy), and the first one I have for that fic is Chapter 28. I was up-to-date by then. That was published August 1st 2019, which is now also a long time ago.
you make me smile (please stay for a while) was one hit. As I wrote, I read the first chapter when it was published, and the prequel one-shot, back in 2018. Got so irrationally mad about Laurel, and stopped. Not long after I went back to only really reading Supercorp fics. I read the whole thing Feb/March last year. And yes, that is the Chapter 27 I mentioned. For me, I love them both so, so much but this is the way that we love (like it's forever) pips HSAU for me. The scene that had me crying at work was when Amaya and Sara were talking about how the legends fell apart after Sara left; that was my school friends after I moved away for uni. I was the only one to move away straight after school, and I was only 2 hours away. I thought all my friends were catching up without me, but they weren't. There's some guilt in that, feeling like you're the reason why people weren't seeing each other, which I hadn't identified, even after they called me 'the glue' of our group at my 21st, until I read that scene.
Ohh, I'll give that a try! Thanks. I've seen it before, but haven't given it a chance. Stuck With You is grey-ed out, so I guess I've read it at some stage. There's always going to be gems that you didn't see when they were new, and don't know to dig for. That's what I'm hoping I've done for people with my lists.
Organising things is a favourite past-time of mine. The amount of time I've spent on my bookshelves, both books and Pops!, is probably more than I should, but I'm very proud of them. If only there was an easy way to get hard copies of fics to display...
You've been my partner in feels for this, and for that I'm very thankful. :)
#the only downside is that I'm now super behind in shows#three episodes behind on Stargirl#and there's new Supergirl and What if? today too#everything bar Legends is new on my Wednesday#and behind on my year long Taylor Swift lyric calender#each day I choose a lyric that somehow relates to the day#either the lyrics themselves or tone or listened to it#and write that into the 2021 TS calendar I got for Christmas#it is calendar so first one is wrong#I've got the last week of August to fill in#you got a shout out on the day when we were discussing Girl at Home
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bhah ch7 can’t stop won’t stop
lmao Dani being like ‘we should wait to discuss kids til after we’re married’ yes doesn’t seem like a giant thing u should make sure u agree on before u make a major commitment at all
Dani is so in love with Jamie sdjkhdfkjg driving to her house on instinct and just like...gazing at her in her old t-shirt and sweats like you’ve finally seen the light girl just kiss her already
god I can’t believe I have 2 more chapters of them as adults just being the absolute perfect match for each other to get through before they finally kiss in ch 11 (i’m maninfesting it no one say anything) I am literally going to scream. Dani will like... feel a little off and it’s all “i need to go to Jamie’s house and also tell Jamie everything and she will make me tea and let me be myself without all the expectations and I will feel better” I AM VERY HAPPY SHE CAN BE THAT FOR YOU BUT ALSO CAN YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE MS CLAYTON (actually I think she kind of does but she must extract herself from her real life first I guess)
oh no the new chapter is almost here I still have so much to read
forget ‘there was only one bed’ this is now a ‘there was only one tent’ stan blog only
thirsty Dani truly is the funniest I am so sorry ur suffering is so entertaining. Dani: literally whacks her finger with a mallet bc horny for Jamie. Me: uncontrollable chortling
the idea of Dani wrangling 8 year olds that are probably just about as tall as her is too funny. tiny legend
aww the lil background Hannah and Owen moments. cute
Dani in a big ol’ straw hat pls that’s so cute
this Jackie and Jamie situation..... GIVE US THE DEETS
hmmmmnnnnnngggg Jamie just straight down on her knees in front of Dani to tie her shoe lace I will absolutely let u have this gay panic Dani u don’t deserve to be made fun of right now
Jamie “I have a story” absolutely NOT
Viola, emerging from the lake in this no ghosts childhood friends story: surprise bitch
these two drunk idiots are literally teenagers dsjkhdfkgjh just get in ur tent
Dani, drunk in a tiny tent w the love of her life: hope this doesn’t awaken anything in me
when we finally get a Jamie on her knees redemption moment-
Dani, drunk in a tiny tent w the love of her life currently taking her clothing off: oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck (y’all really wanted to torture her this chapt huh?)
“dawn was a saffron colored suggestion peeking through a pinhole gap in the tent’s zipper” god that’s a pretty sentence can i pls borrow some talent
Jamie and Dani w kids is sooooo cute they have such a nice balance between them
just thinking about if teenage Jamie desperately in love w her bestie could see things now Dani being all into her w all her lingering looks etc how the fuckin turn tables
“Dani kept a firm grip on her sanity” lol
oh my god they’re both drenched in the tent w the soft lamplight and only their own bodyheat to keep warm whatever will they do
oh wait they also have the heat of their burning attraction to each other they’ll be toasty as anything
hhhhngggg abs
that’s like 4 mentions of Jamie on her knees aklhfdkjgkdjh enough
lads is it gay to imagine running ur fingertips over the scar on your friends back before pressing ur lips to it or...?
Jamie taking the time to teach Dani car things aww
lol not the smutty book
eddie honking at her gets so under my skin like my dude... my guy... stop
Dani thinking so hard about rain damp Jamie and how much she wanted to jump her while she’s in the car w her boyf and MIL. girl
imagine if we had to sit through a dani and eddie wedding before she finally managed to call this off how cursed
ayoooo Carson’s show I cannot wait. omg we get it this chapter too gbless this really is the Dani suffering hours
Jamie just so casually like.... not even flirting w Dani it’s all just kinda observations but every other thing she says makes Dani stop breathing skdhfdkfjh this is so good
Dani has like... a lack of object permanence but with Jamie feelings ok
pleeease the Dani Carson road trip that’s so cute I can just imagine what fun they would have had
uuughhh i wanna go to a sweaty bar n listen to loud music again
also would like a Jamie to press their hand to my lower back n make me lose my mind in a sweaty bar to loud music
this lil jamie dani carson trio is my faaaave
“Girls must be all over you.” and Jamie choking on her drink dsfkjsdhkf oh Dani u beautiful naive angel. god that’s so funny
Robin instantly going for Jamie... same bro
Carson’s lil found family band pls my heart is so full
Carson calling them his sisters n Jamie freezing up bby when are u going to accept these people care abt u and love u like family
Robin is so brazenly just like ‘ur hot’. a voice of the people i love her
Dani being lowkey jealous as IF Ms Taylor has eyes for anyone else babe
Carson knoooowwwwws. When do we get the Carson O’Mara biopic please I want his takes on everything I know they’re excellent
oh my god Jamie knowing Dani’s fave kind of pizza pls I love that so much (I can’t remember if it’s been mentioned in the past few chapters but I remember her being mad that Eddie didn’t in CH1? i love this lil detail) (also I literally just ate vegge pizza I feel so immersed in this experience)
dfkgjhdfkjgh Jamie licking her finger and Dani completely combusting this is so entertaining
fuck n then it gets all soft and about how they’ve been in love their whole lives this is emotional whiplash
Jamie constantly in protector mode but in this really quiet comforting way is so sweet I love her so much
god I just feel so bad for Dani that this kind of insane electricity she has with Jamie has probably never been a thing in her relationship w Ed bby u deserve someone that makes u feel like this
awww Carsons bf
Dani’s soul leaving her body when she sees them kissing oh no
Jamie giving Dani her jacket pleeease I am dying here... the romance of it all
and shariing cigarettes and intense looks these two really are somethin else
lmao even Robin is picking up on their vibes you two could level a building with the amount of tension between u
Dani’s moment of Realisation abt Carson n Jamie just being like... well yeah
lmao Dani subtly trying to figure out if Jamie is gettin’ it sdkgdfhkjgh
when these do two finally get together both of them are gonna be like... taken out by all of this. Dani has only ever known Eddie who just does not get her (and the fact that she is a lesbian so she’s never had real feelings for him in that way) and it seems like Jamie has only ever had surface level relationships with people who never really got her either (while also being in love w her best friend who she never thought would love her back). there’s no way this is wont eventually make at least one person cry a bunch (probably me) with how right all of it is
god Dani is so horny for Jamie sdflkdfjgkfdj preemptive RIP for Ms Taylor when Dani finally does get to live out all these daydreams on her I just know someones gonna end up pulling somethin
Does Dani like.... get that she will never love Edmund that way like is she fully aware of the fact she loves him but she’s not in love with him and all these feelings for Jamie aren’t just because it’s Jamie but because she’s not straight??? have we gone on that journey yet
aw Ed waited up for her
the book the book the book
dsfkdhfgkj oh Dani
“Jamie on her knees, looking up at her” listen-
girl u are so fucked
SIX. SIX MENTIONS OF JAMIE ON HER KNEES pls
THE DREAM
who could this possibly be about hmmmm Dani
christ
THE MEASURES SHE TAKES TO DEAL WITH THE DREAM lordt
“baffled but excited” i think is how I almost always picture eddie lol
dang get it girl take control
aw dani u poor confused little duck. i just wanna give her a hug
Dani dressed as Dorothy is awfuly cute
heh Jamie as a wolf i love her fursona
lmao toto
of course Jamie is well aquainted with the bleachers. cheeky. oh no not the art room. Dani dying inside and then imagining herself there with Jamie girl has got it baaaad u poor lil repressed gayby
Dani is... so thirsty... goddamn
lmao Jamie blatantly checking her out are u trying to kill her she already wants to rip ur clothes off
“To the third floor art room?” dfksdhfgkjdfhgjdhf imagine if this was it they just banged it out in the art room right now n got things sorted
god they go from horny to soft so quick i love the ways they care about each other
Jamie saying the scarecrow costume is fitting for Eddie PLEASE
ooh the infamous hickey
What Dani deseves: snuggles. What Dani recieves: struggles
the MEMES. god bless the memes
this was an excellent companion for my Wednesday hopefully I can churn through the rest of em before we are blessed w ch11 amen
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DramaVers presents to you its latest k-dramas coming to you this fall
Hotel Blue Moon produced by @namluve
seokjin x reader | crack, angst, smut | based on hotel del luna
arogant, selfish and vain were a few of the words seokjin���s staff would describe him as. a hotel owner that only cared about himself and money. when he goes on a quest to find a new hotel maneger, he becomes capitvated by one particular girl who can’t seem to stand him. could she be the key to save his soul?
trailer | watch here
Chasing Clouds produced by @chillingtae
Namjoon x Reader | Romance, Smut, Angst, Fluff, Action, Humor | Based on the Kdrama Descendants of the Sun
When a cocky soldier and a stubborn doctor are thrown together in the middle of a disaster, all hell is sure to break loose. Especially since you are each other’s polar opposites. As a doctor, you spend endless hours in the operating room fighting death. You took an oath to save lives, even lives you don’t think should be given a second chance; while he took an oath to protect his country and it’s people by following the commands given to him. He fights to save lives, but you argue that is only accomplished through the death of others. Is the freedom he’s fighting for worth it, even if it means killing people? Is it possible to fall in love with someone who disagrees with your core values? And will he be able to stay away to keep you safe, even though he’s convinced you’re the one?
trailer | watch here
Beautiful Confession produced by @btsracket
Jungkook x Reader | Smut and Fluff, Fake Dating, Childhood Friends To Lovers | In appreciation of the Kdrama Wednesday 3:30pm
You’re on top with a perfect job and the company’s heir as your boyfriend until everything crashes down, leaving you locked out of your apartment with only your childhood friend, Jungkook, to turn to. Jungkook’s plan to help get you back on track follows the formula from a TV show he remembers you liking, but he never watched the end where they admit they've fallen in love.
trailer | watch here
Resurrection produced by @nightowls388
Seokjin x OC | Horror, Thriller, Drama, Action, maybe Romance | Based on Kingdom
Everyone thought it a myth...legend even, buried away as time moved on. Centuries of secrets and lies for the better of the country. No one knew what to expect. Two brothers. One's quest for power may lead to destruction. The other, a scientist teaming with a head strong detective and her partner to right the wrongs made. Will they be successful or fail?
trailer | watch here
A Treatise On Trysts produced by @xotoosweet
Taehyung x Reader | Fluff, Smut, Romance, Humor, Strangers to Lovers | based on My Secret Romance
First, to clarify: you don't do one night stands. Not that you judge anyone who participates in casual adult fun, but it's not for you - not when you're so awkward it's nearly guaranteed that any date like situation you partake in results in physical harm to the other. Besides, the one time you did hook-up with someone....well, you try not to remember. That was nearly three years ago, and you have more important things to focus on. Like your new job as the personal chef to some corporate jerk who doesn't know how to take care himself, and hasn't forgotten who stole his heart (along with his clothes!)
trailer | watch here
Moonlight Remains the Same produced by @kimlinebiased
Jungkook x Yoongi | Enemies to Lovers, Smut, Angst, Fluff | Based on 2012 Kdrama To the Beautiful You
Jungkook spent his entire life forced to be someone he wasn’t. Enrolling in an all male college where nobody knows his old pronouns, he finally has a chance to be the guy he’s always been inside. Jungkook only has two goals his first year: excelling academically and keeping his past private. But his plans get a little tougher when he ends up rooming with Yoongi, a basketball star with a rotten attitude and a superiority complex. Can Jungkook keep the turmoil in his world (and his heart) to a minimum as he learns there might be more to Yoongi than meets the eye? Or will it all come crashing down around him?
trailer | watch here
Across the Universe produced by @mintseesaw
Jungkook x reader | fluff, angst, and smut | based on W: Two Worlds
With a great career, an ideal boyfriend and a seemingly perfect life, no one would think you’re actually struggling with your hospital residency all the while trying to save your relationship with Namjoon. Taehyung, your best friend, has been out of reached for weeks now and the last thing you want is to be pulled accidentally into a fictional universe of a webtoon where you come face-to-face with its main character, Jeon Jungkook, who happens to recognize you as his childhood sweetheart. While you try to find a way to get back to the real world, Jungkook intends to keep you by his side.
trailer | watch here
XX produced by @randomkoalablog
JB x Reader x Yoongi | Ex-Friends to Friends; Friends to Lovers, Co-workers to Lovers; Angst; Fluff; Smut??? | based on the kdrama XX
When you work your whole life to reach your dreams of owning a bar you hope that having that dream ripped from under you without notice isn't a part of life's plan. And you definitely don't imagine that it comes with suddenly being business partners with your ex-best friend. But life doesn't work in the way we want it. At the end of the day you try to focus on the things that make life better, until the two men in your life who hold your heart (something you didn't think possible) meet and hit if off so well that you're sure your life is moments from collapsing completely.
trailer | watch here
To Have a Home produced by @kitsutaes
Yoongi x Reader | romance, fluff, angst, strangers to lovers, fake marriage | Based on Because This Is My First Life
Finding a home isn’t easy, you know that well. So when an opportunity comes your way, you take it with no hesitation. But, what you didn’t know was that your new roommate would soon be asking for your hand in marriage.
trailer | watch here
Goblin: First Snow produced by @wynniewright
Namjoon x Reader | angst, fluff, smut, goblin au | Based off the K-Drama Goblin
There was something slightly off about Y/N's past that she couldn't quite pin down. Past memories resurface though she has no recollection of them, each new moment causing a rift in the reality that she knew. Her life was a puzzle and she was forced to pick up the pieces and figure out how they fit. After all, who was Kim Shin and how could she forget about her own husband?
trailer | watch here
9 First Kisses produced by @namluve
reader x nct | fluff | based on 7 First Kisses
Daydreaming about prince charming saving you from your boring work was nothing new. A mysterious old lady leaving behind 9 cards as she get's her coffe was however and that was the start of it all. The start of how you meet 9 handsome men, each one fullfilling a dream of yours. But only for a day.
trailer | watch here
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La Sombra y Su Sol
Summary: This is a concept I’m playing with. I’m a HUGE Pedro Pascal fan and I love his character Javier Pena from Narcos. I thought it would be fun to play with the idea of a female led cartel that Pena has to investigate and ultimately takedown. This is my FIRST attempt at any kind of creative writing so constructive criticism is welcomed! I hope you at least enjoy the read!
Word Count: Little over 2,500 (whoops)
Warnings: Soft drug reference, language, sexual reference...
Worlds Apart
7:16PM: Peña
It was a long fucking day. After an even longer fucking week. Being promoted to the lead DEA Agent on this new case was the last thing he wanted. Javier Peña had not recovered from the last time he led a major case, and he had a feeling that this was one going to come with strings. Strings he was not willing to be manipulated by again. This week only confirmed his suspicions. He needed to figure out a way out of this before things got too carried away again. He finished his last cigarette as he pondered a way out of this when he heard a knock at his door.
“Hey boss, Dan and I are going down the street for a drink. You in?” Peña looked up from his distracted gaze to see Fiestl hanging by the door looking beat. Luckily, Peña was able to assemble his team. He instantly brought on the two guys that helped him bring down the Cali Cartel. Dan Van Ness and Chris Fiestl were good guys. Guys he could trust. Trust was hard to come by in this business. Before he could politely turn down the invitation, Fiestl argued his case.
“You know you need something after this week. We all do.” He shared and Peña couldn’t lie to him. Despite feeling exhausted he knew he would not be able to sleep. Too much to work through. Too many doubts that would surely keep him up.
“Sure. I’ll meet you guys there. Need to finish up a couple of things here.” He replied and Chris exited the doorway walking down the hall. Peña waited until he was all the way down the hall. He sat back taking another cigarette from his suit pocket and lighting it taking a deep inhale. He leaned back in his chair exhaling. He needed to sit there a little bit longer before putting on a brave face for those guys. He couldn’t let them see that he was already contemplating leaving them high and dry for their own good.
8:20PM: Sombra
I had been sitting in my car for about 10 minutes before I decided to walk in and wait for him. I would be lying if I wasn’t excited about tonight. I rarely put myself in such risky situations. It was a life saving practice for the leader of the fastest growing cartel anyone had ever seen. The greatest gift to my success was the anonymity I had so carefully created for myself. Although, I understood that this recklessness was putting so many things in jeopardy I had to meet him in person. It was almost like a predator stalking his prey. I needed to understand what I was up against to succeed where others hadn’t. DEA legend Agent Javier Peña was a formidable opponent. One I had not had in some time and it sounded like the perfect opportunity to have a little fun.
You see, I have always been a survivor. Growing up in an orphanage and jumping from foster home to foster home, it was all I knew. It might have felt lonely at first, but just as they say you get used to anything if you give it enough time. By the time I met Emilio, I had settled on the idea that company was for a purpose. For advancing something in your life otherwise it wasn’t worth the compromise. He was my safety. Being attached to a drug lord came with risks, but I wasn’t afraid of taking risks because I know that you have to take risks to achieve greatness. I admit I was still naïve. I was after all only 22 years old when this 38 year old drug lord swept me off my feet. He was charming, but mostly he was powerful and I saw potential in this power. Little did I know just how much that power would shape my future over the course of almost a decade.
My intel informed me that Peña and his men frequented this bar. His team of two other male DEA Agents Daniel Van Ness and Chris Fiestl, were his small but effective team. I waited down the street having a hunch I would get an opportunity to see what I was up against. I saw Ness and Fiestl walk in shortly after I parked. They looked exhausted, and I smiled as I felt that this might be the perfect time to gather my own intel. I sat back a bit longer waiting to see if Peña joined them. As I waited I recalled the file I read on Peña . DEA’s Golden Boy for some time. He was integral to the take down of Pablo Escobar and later led a tactical team that took down the Cali Cartel. Digging a little further, Peña compromised a lot of his so-called “integrity” by working with Los Pepes. This resulted in an innumerable amount of deaths. It was a massacre and based on his involvement in that, he must have not left Columbia the same man. He later led a team with Fiestl and Ness to take down the Cali Cartel. It is my understanding that things also got messy there. However, in each he was successful in breaking an empire enough that a shift in power was forced to take place. This left a struggle for power for some time. Emilio was a small player but biding his time. Until, it became my time.
I glanced at the door and saw Peña walking into the bar. He paused to smoke a cigarette before entering the bar. Interesting. My curiosity got the best of me. I quickly called Julio, my right hand and head of security, and informed him that I would not be needing him for the rest of the evening. He paused but he knew better than to question me.
“Claro, señora.” He responded and I know he hated this but I felt like this was going to be a lot easier than I originally thought. Plus, I knew how to take care of myself if need be. It was time to test how effective my other intel was. I quickly primped myself in the mirror before exiting my car and headed towards the bar. I got butterflies as I got closer. The hunt begins.
8:33PM: Peña
Javi entered the bar and immediately saw Ness and Fiestl at their normal table. They were in the middle of laughing when he pulled up a chair.
“Guys, what did I miss?” Javi asked as he took a seat and waved at the bartender to bring him his usual.
“How did you survive Wednesday’s debriefing?” Ness asked.
“It was brutal. Wasn’t it, Javi?” Fiestl asked. Javi let out a sigh as a double whiskey neat was placed in front of him.
“I tried to imagine I wasn’t there. That I was anywhere else really but there.” Javi responded. Javi had decided it was all a waste of time. A lot of nothing but you would swear that the intel they had was a godsend. It was all bullshit. It had zero backing and also was missing so many aspects of this case. So many things didn’t line up. So many names from unreliable sources. But he was instructed to chase down every lead he was given, and that already was suspicious.
“Well, all I know is that we are getting fucked already.” Ness said half amused, half genuinely frustrated. They all nodded in agreement and drank. Javi saw Ness and Fiestl look up at something behind him.
“Speaking of getting fucked.” Ness said and Fiestl nearly spit out his beer. Javi glanced subtly behind his shoulder to see a woman walk into the bar. Not just a woman. A gorgeous being that made Javi understand Ness’s reaction.
“Fuck.” Javi muttered quietly under his breath.
Javi had never seen her in here before. He would remember seeing her before tonight. She was dressed in a figuring hugging dress that perfectly accentuated her curves. Her curves mirrored an hourglass. However she almost seemed to be trying to hide those curves with an oversized black jacket that clearly did not belong to her. She wore thigh high boots and had long dark curly hair that made Javi yearn to pull on while he did awful things to her. She seemed irritated though. She made her way directly to the bar and sat alone ordering some kind of drink. Javi thought she seemed out of place, but he also saw an opportunity for a fun distraction. As he imagined himself approaching her, he could hear Ness and Fiestl negotiating who would approach her first. Without saying a word to them, Javi stood up and began walking over to the bar. Fiestl and Ness fell silent realizing that Javi wasn’t one to wait his turn.
Javi approached the bar and stood a couple of seats down from the woman. She was downing the last of her drink and waving to the bartender requesting another.
“Rough day, huh?” Javi said more out loud than directly to her. She turned to him and Javi got a good look at her. Her dark chestnut hair made her big light brown eyes really stand out. Her piercing gaze took him off guard. It was like she could see right through everything. Her lips pressed into a small smile. Those soft pink plump lips. Javi imagined how it would feel to have those lips wrapped around his cock.
“You could say that.” She responded before reaching for her next drink. He could tell she wasn’t seeking company but she also didn’t seem to push him away. He took a chance and moved in a little closer. She glanced at him, but did not object. Javi took this as an indifferent invitation.
“I’m told I’m a good listener.” Javi said, sitting right next to her. She looked at him again. Her eyes trying to read him and looking for something, but Javi remained cool under her gaze.
“Well, I usually don’t air my dirty laundry to strangers.” She said. Javi could tell she was fishing for some reassurance.
“That’s a good rule. I’m Javier Peña .” Javi extended his hand out to shake hers. She shook his hand using a firm but polite grip.
“Sofia. Nice to meet you Mr. Peña.” She replied. They both held on to each other’s hands for a second longer than necessary but that didn’t seem to bother either one of them.
“So will your pals be joining us?” Sofia asked as she nodded in the direction to Ness and Fiestl who were caught staring at them from their table. Javi shook his head amused but slightly embarrassed at their gawking display.
“Oh, those guys? Yeah, I’ve never seen them before in my life.” Javi coyly replied and Sofia smiled in return. Javi asked the bartender for another round and took a sip of his new drink.
“ So, about that rough day?” Javi asked before taking another sip. He turned to see Sofia once again staring but this time he could see she was processing. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind looking back at him through her soft brown eyes. He opted to remain silent but didn’t break eye contact allowing her to make her assessment. Javi was curious to see exactly what she saw.
“Well, Mr. Peña ,” Sofia started and Javi corrected her.
“Javi, please.” he politely insisted.
“Right.” Sofia started again and continued.
“Well Javi, I got stood up tonight.” Sofia answered more annoyed than embarrassed. Javi couldn't fathom who in his right mind would do such a thing to this captivating woman.
“Bullshit.” Javi spurted out before taking another sip of his drink. Sofia laughed, almost spitting up her drink and Javi couldn't help but smile and feel even more drawn to her.
“Bullshit? You think I’m lying?” Sofia playfully retorted.
“Excuse the vulgar language, but you’re full of shit. Was this guy blind or something?” Javi asked, attempting to make his argument.
“Well, it was a blind date. A mutual friend thought we would hit it off.” Sofia finished the last of her drink before signaling for another round. Javi waved at the bartender and gestured to put her next drink on his tab.
“Oh, that's not necessary. I don’t really need a pity drink.” Sofia tried to object to Javi’s offer, but he stopped her.
“Not a pity drink, carino. Just trying to buy a beautiful woman a drink she rightfully needs.” Javi explained and Sofia nodded both granting permission and thanking him. The bartender served a fresh round and Sofia took a sip before providing context.
“Yeah, I mean she meant well, and he sounded decent, but a girl can only wait so long alone at a table clearly meant for two for before sacrificing too much of her dignity.” Sofia took another small sip and turned to Javi.
“Well, in that case, I say this is a celebratory drink.” Javi raised his glass and nodded encouraging her to do the same. Sofia raised her glass. They met eyes and stayed locked in for a few seconds before Sofia interrupted.
“And, what are we celebrating, Javi?” Sofia asked but sipped from her glass nonetheless. Javi also took a small sip before responding.
“Someone’s massive mistake brought you here and now here I am, sitting easily with the most beautiful woman in this place. And now I get to enjoy your wonderful company.” Javi gave her his devilish grin and she held his gaze. It became too unnerving and he reached for his drink.
“I’m not sure you will feel very lucky later.” Sofia responded. Javi quickly replied.
“I’ll take my chances. Something tells me I won’t regret it.” Javi gave a sly grin and Sofia smiled.
“I respect your forwardness and the slight arrogant undertone.” Sofia replied.
“But I need more than a smug smile and air of confidence to be convinced, Mr. Peña .” Sofia countered before taking the last sip of her drink. Javi couldn’t help but feel like he had met his match. Someone complex enough to distract his mind while provoking his dark desires. Javi finished his drink before making his offer.
“Well I’m sure given the opportunity, I can be very convincing.” He smiled and sat back in his seat, awaiting the wheels in her head to start turning. Sure enough, he saw them again. Her contemplation. She was conflicted, and he felt like it was enough for her to be convinced. She rose from her seat and leaned in to whisper into his ear.
“Outside. Five minutes. Then we will see how convincing you can be.” Sofia gently rubbed her cheek against Javi before turning and walking towards the restroom. Javi watched her walk away left stunned by how this night progressed. He gestured for the check and closed out both their tabs. Whatever came next, he was ready. He quickly signed the check and made his way to the front door. He turned briefly to look back at Ness and Fiestl who were already watching him walk away. Javi shrugged and gave them a nod. Better luck next time.
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Kalopsia Project [Bakugo Katsuki x Reader – Tokyo Ghoul AU]
Summary:
New chapter every Wednesday!
When a not-so-perfect date almost costs you your life, you’re unexpectedly rescued by a certain ash blond ghoul, and thrown into a new life at a small cafe by the name of Yuuei, where you’re surrounded by those you’ve always thought to be your enemies. As you find out ghouls aren’t quite what they’re made out to be though, your life is further thrown into chaos by a mysterious project nobody seems to understand, yet has unwillingly been dragged into.
Never in your life would you have thought the person you would come to find most comfort in, would be the kind that hunted humans. Yet you’ve learned to love the irony of it all…
***
You don’t need any prior knowledge of Tokyo Ghoul to understand this story!
The cover art is made by me!
Enjoy!
Kalopsia Project Masterpost
***
Glossary:
Ghouls – a humanoid species only able to feed on the flesh of humans and other ghouls. If ghouls attempt to eat normal food, they will be struck by a powerful urge to vomit. They are, however, able to drink coffee, as well as regular drinking water.
CCG – Commission of Counter Ghoul, usually abbreviated as CCG, serves as a criminal investigative body in cases connected to ghouls. The ghouls commonly call the ghoul investigators Doves. Ghoul investigators carry out the actual investigations and capture suspects. They are often assigned to carry out investigations in one of Tokyo's wards.
Kagune – a ghoul's predatory organ, functioning as their weapon and claws. When released, a ghoul's physique is strengthened, they are more resilient, and their mobility heightens. Although a ghoul's healing ability is high, the healing of wounds tends to be delayed if the wounds are inflicted by a kagune.
(excerpts taken from the Tokyo Ghoul Wiki)
***
Chapter 1 – Best Date Ever
Just another faceless person among the crowd of hundreds upon thousands of others. That’s all she was. And all I ever thought she would be.
I first noticed her existence in our last year of high-school. We were set to graduate in just about a month. Oh, how ready I was to get out of this miserable place already.
Up until then, it had been a normal day like any other. Boring, dull. It was all getting repetitive and blurring together.
Then, a teacher called her over. It must have been something important. She ran to him and listened. I watched as her face paled, then her eyes widened. She looked terrified. Soon after, she was gone.
She didn’t appear on the next day. Or the day after. A week, and then a month had gone by – she was nowhere to be found. Even as the school year came to an end, there was no trace of her.
Not that I cared.
But they talked. Every break, for a few days after. You couldn’t not hear it, even if you wanted to.
“Hey, she still hasn’t come back yet...”
“Yeah, but can you blame her? Such a tragedy. No one deserves that.”
“Huh? You know what happened?”
“Don’t you? It’s been all over the news, not to mention all the rumors going around at school. Both her parents were ghoul investigators. That night, they were attacked and brutally murdered. They say their corpses were barely recognizable...”
“Huh? I thought ghouls ate people?”
“Usually they do. But they speculate they must have been attacked as revenge.”
“Gosh, this is horrible… Poor soul...”
Well, duh. I wouldn’t want to eat someone who hunts my own kind either. Those ghoul investigators were always a pain in the ass. Good riddance, if you were to ask me.
I myself didn’t usually go hunting people for fun. It was already hard enough just finding some to feed on. But I would be lying if I said I was against killing those goddamn doves.
Come graduation, and everything was swiftly forgotten. That girl finally faded from my mind. She shouldn’t have ever been there in the first place, but at least things were finally as they always should have been.
A few uneventful months later, it was time to go back to school. All those humans going about their merry way and buzzing around were damn annoying. But anything was better than being suspicious for not going to school at all.
Though university wasn’t exactly complete freedom, I liked to believe it would be better than high-school. The bar was set pretty low, after all.
And then, on the first day, I was surprised.
Not because I didn’t expect it. In fact, I couldn’t have ever expected it after I had, as I already mentioned, wiped any traces of her existence from my memory.
But even so, here she was.
Different place, different time, different people. And yet she had finally appeared, for the first time in months.
And what’s more – she was smiling. It wasn’t the kind of carefree smile she always wore from what I vaguely managed to recall of her. It was a heavy smile. It hid a lot. But did I care enough to find out what? Not really.
She seemed to fit in at once. All the other girls swarmed her, and thus began the usual scene of eager introductions, annoying giggles, stupid small talk. So mundane.
“Hey, hey – what do you all think about ghouls?”
Ah, how I loved that question. In fact, I loved it so much that if I were a binge-eater or even just some boring serial killer, those who asked it, would be first on my hit-list. Good thing I wasn’t one. Yet. I couldn’t help but wonder how those girls would react if they ever found out just how many ghouls hid right beneath their noses.
Usually I would try to tune those conversations out. And usually, I would fail miserably, listening in anyway.
One girl laughed and said she didn’t believe in them, claiming they were just some urban legends. Well, she’ll probably get eaten one day, though I didn’t have it in me to pity her. Just about everybody else said ghouls were some mindless murderers and monsters to be feared. And this right here was why I hated whiny teenage girls.
There was however, one reply that stood out.
“Hmm, I don’t know about that. Perhaps not all of them are that bad? Say for example, if you were to pick one person to represent all of humanity, you probably wouldn’t pick a serial killer now, would you? So what if it’s the same with ghouls? Those binge-eater ghouls we always hear about – what if they’re just the minority that makes themselves known? Perhaps there are many more that live quietly with us, in peace.”
And then they all laughed at her. I, on the other hand, was a little too fixated on the brief moment I could swear her eyes darted toward me. I must have been imagining it though. I was probably getting paranoid – this was the daughter of two ghoul investigators, you know? Of course I would be worried she would catch onto me sooner or later.
I still didn’t really care much about her. But I had to admit – my respect for her grew, if only barely. Few were anywhere near as open-minded as she was. Then again, that also made her a naive dumbass – too hopeful and trusting for her own good.
Shortly after, she kind of faded into the background once again. Sure, she wasn’t faceless to me anymore. But that was it.
It has been a few months since then. Yet again, those couple of months were as uneventful as they came. Nonetheless, she is still here. I am still here. And so is everybody else.
What a funny pair we were. A ghoul and the daughter of a pair of ghoul investigators, brutally murdered a year ago.
Now that I think about it, I don’t recall us having ever actually spoken. Nothing past a quick ‘Hey, you got a spare pencil?’ or ‘Did you catch what the teacher said just now?’ at least.
That’s why it was funny. How our fates were meant to intertwine.
It was, to put it simply, quite ironic.
But it’s an irony I’ve learned to love.
***
You couldn’t help but stare. You knew it was rude, you didn’t need anyone telling you so. But there was this feeling that, try as you might, you just couldn’t shake off.
After all, who the hell transferred universities like that!? What was this guy even thinking?
As the teacher blabbered on about yet another topic you’d have to prepare for all by yourself at home anyway, you couldn’t help but let your eyes wander to the blond who had taken a seat nearby.
His hair was soft, parted down the side and not too long – all in all, it was a hairstyle sported by quite the number of guys you knew. So perhaps it was its more uncommon color that threw you off – the blonds weren’t all that many around here, after all. You briefly thought about Bakugo, glancing to the side to find him mindlessly playing with a pencil, twirling it between his fingers. He was so focused too. You snickered to yourself.
Thoughts going back to the transfer student though, you also noted his light blue eyes, deep yet lost and distraught. Almost like he was there but simultaneously wasn’t. His face was soft and his mouth hadn’t formed anything less than a smile ever since he had first walked in. Though it seemed to be a smile that didn’t quite reach those distant eyes of his.
But you had to admit – he was very attractive.
Naturally, you weren’t the only one to make that observation. Once the class had ended, he was immediately surrounded by a handful of curious boys and a whole legion of desperate girls. Even still, he had been all too kind to them, never turning down a question and fitting in like he had been there from the start.
You listened in and got all the answers you were looking for.
“Why? Well, you see, it was my parents’ choice. We happen to live quite close to those recent ghoul attacks in the Second Ward. In fact, they happened right around the corner of the university I go to. When the old man learned of this, he demanded that I change schools.”
Ghouls.
Legend has it, if a conversation continued long enough, the topic was bound to come up eventually. You knew all too well.
Binge-eaters had always been the scariest to you. After all, if a ghoul could survive for an entire month by feeding on a single human, then why were there those who murdered just for fun?
You didn’t need such dark thoughts now though. So you shook your head and continued on with your day instead.
Soon enough that day had turned into two, then three, until finally an entire week had gone by. And with the passing of time, the shock that had accompanied the new student who had briefly shaken up your mundane existence faded too. To you, he was now just another classmate.
That’s why, when he approached you one day, you were left speechless.
“A… a date!?” you exclaimed, face flushing a dark red.
“Yes! You’re so kind and beautiful, [L/N]-san – I’d love to get a chance to go out with you!” he smiled, complimenting you like few had before.
“Ah, I’m so sorry, this is just a little sudden, haha...” His expression fell, a look of sudden guilt replacing his cheerful grin.
“Oh no, did I put you on the spot just now? God, I am so sorry, please forgive me. Don’t worry – I wouldn’t mind if you reject. It’s just a simple proposal!” Monoma reassured. But you thought. And thought. Never before had you been asked out on a date by someone as nice and attractive. Surely, it couldn’t hurt. If anything, you needed something so spice up your days.
“Oh, actually – it’s… it’s okay, Monoma-kun! I accept! Or, um, what I mean is, I wouldn’t mind going out on a date with you!” You smiled back, though your cheeks were growing warmer by the minute. Monoma all but jumped in excitement, grin returning.
“This is amazing! Thank you so much, [L/N]-san! Oh, oh – can I call you [L/N]-chan instead?”
“S-sure!” you managed to squeak out.
“Hmm, is today after classes okay? About 7PM? I know it gets dark early but I’ll be waiting for you at the station in the Second Ward and can even take you home if you need me to? So no reason to worry, yeah?”
“Yes, that sounds great!”
And that’s the story of how you somehow scored yourself a date with one of the most charismatic and well-liked people you had ever met. You would have been lying if you said you weren’t looking forward to it. Perhaps this was going to be your faithful encounter, the one to finally turn the gears of your life.
If only you knew what it was that awaited you that night.
The pair of crimson eyes trained on your unsuspecting frame certainly did.
***
After yet another quick glance at your watch, you moved to fix up your knee-length skirt one last time, as the oncoming train stopped before you. At exactly 18.32 you climbed onto it, your heartbeat easily going through the roof at just the thought of those next few hours. Though you weren’t sure what to expect yet, you couldn’t wait to meet up with Monoma.
Upon noticing how packed the train looked, you exhaled in relief that you had opted for a pair of flats instead of those new heels you’d been eyeing up. You weren’t sure if you would even find a place to sit, after all.
Your eyes scanned around, and to your surprise you noticed a single empty seat, the one beside it occupied by someone clad in mostly black, a hint of red peeking out from beneath his dark hoodie. It was his hair that stood out to you, however. After all, the spiky blond locks you had happened upon were quite familiar to you.
“Hey, Bakugo-kun. Fancy running into you here!” you smiled as you approached him, motioning to the empty seat beside him. He shuffled closer to the window to give you some more space. With a gracious nod, you sat down beside him, and proceeded to pull out your phone and give Bakugo his peace – he never looked to be in a talkative mood. You wondered if it was his naturally hostile expression that made others weary of taking the seat.
Yet your mind kept wandering in circles, all of which lead back to him.
“So… Where are you heading to…?” you asked, only now realizing this might have been the first time you had ever had a proper conversation with him, despite having known him for years. He glanced at you, then turned to look out the window once again.
“Second ward. Got some family shit to attend.” Your eyes widened, lips curling up into a smile.
“Ah, what a coincidence! That’s where I’m going too! Surely you wouldn’t mind the company until then?”
“Yeah, whatever. Though I have to wonder what a girl like you’s doing, going to a dangerous ward like that anyway,” he muttered, unbeknownst to you already knowing the answer. You pouted.
“Hey now, I’m not a child, you know? My parents taught me a thing or two about taking care of myself. Plus, I won’t be alone!” You could have very well imagined it, but you could swear his gaze, still aimed at the passing scenery in the window, had hardened into a glare.
“Yeah...”
***
That half an hour had flown by like barely half a minute, as you found yourself enjoying Bakugo’s company, despite having to lead the conversation yourself most of the time. He didn’t seem to mind too much though.
When your stop came around, you both made haste to the exit, quickly stepping aside to let the remaining passengers get off as well. Watching the train depart once more, you turned to Bakugo, hands intertwined behind your back, as you smiled at him.
“Thank you for letting me chat with you like this! I had a blast! See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Now go,” he grumbled, eyes focused somewhere behind you, lingering there even after you turned around to find your date waving to you from afar. You said one last goodbye to Bakugo and ran over to the other boy.
“Sorry for being late, Monoma-kun. Hope you didn’t have to wait long!” you greeted as you waved the blond hello. He laughed.
“Are you kidding me? It’s only been a minute or two, [L/N]-chan, no need to apologize.” You nervously laughed with him. “May I add, it was definitely worth it – you look even more gorgeous than usual, there was no need to outdo yourself like that!” You blushed. Ah, how you wished it was socially acceptable to just hide your face behind your hands right there and then.
“Aw, thank you! But you look great as well – I had to match!” You weren’t very good at this whole dating thing. Nor the conversation thing for that matter. But you’d be damned if you didn’t at least try.
“You’re flattering me. Shall we go, my lady?” And suddenly, the heat had risen to your cheeks.
“Only if you drop the ‘my lady’ part...” you muttered, mentally smacking yourself when your voice quivered.
“If you insist. But that’s no fun...” Monoma faked a pout, but smiled again and set off. You let him walk a little ways ahead of you, choosing to take in the unfamiliar area instead. You had the whole evening ahead of you to spend time together, after all.
“Oh, that reminds me – what was that guy doing here with you?” Monoma suddenly stopped, turning towards you with eyes that, at a first glance, appeared to be full of curiosity. Though the longer you looked at them, the more this sinking feeling in your stomach grew. The kind of feeling that was desperately trying to scream at you that there was something else they hid a little further past the curiosity.
“You mean Bakugo-kun? We just happened to run into each other on the train. He said he had some family business in the area or something,” you mumbled, noticing Monoma had slowed his pace down and was now walking beside you again. “Ah, I completely forgot!”
You jumped, scrambling to find your phone. Monoma watched you in bewilderment as you dug through the tissues, keys, even a few random pens you carried for reasons you may never know, hand finally reaching for the smartphone buried at the bottom of your small purse. With a satisfied smile, you quickly typed up a short message to Bakugo.
‘Forgot to wish you a good time with your family!^^’
And – send. There we go! Can’t believe it slipped my mind…
“...ding ground, that bastard,” was the first thing you heard from Monoma once you finally put your phone away. You cocked your head in confusion.
“What was that again?” you asked, a little blush spreading to your cheeks when you realized you hadn’t been paying attention to the boy who’d been so kind as to propose a date to you. Then again, the way he had spoken as if to himself, perhaps you weren’t meant to hear it.
“Huh? Ah – hanging around! You know, would you mind hanging around a little before we go somewhere for dinner?” he asked, that sweet smile of his you were quickly getting used to returning to his face. The change was perhaps a bit too sudden but you chose to brush it off.
“Sounds good to me. I’m not that hungry yet anyway.”
“Oh, good for you. I’m kinda starving though,” Monoma muttered. His words however, left you with an odd sense of dread. You didn’t quite know why. Perhaps you were just too paranoid for your own good. After all, a dark street late at night was sure to give a young girl some strange thoughts, no?
You chose to instead put your trust in Monoma. Everyone had their quirks. He had done nothing to make you suspicious of him, after all. You were just imagining things that weren’t there.
…
God, how you hoped you were just imagining them.
As the two of you shared a quiet and peaceful walk (as peaceful as your raging thoughts would let it to be anyway), you took to looking at the streets around you. Anything was better than contemplating whether the silence you were engulfed in was a comfortable one or not.
It was getting late and the second ward was, admittedly, a dangerous one. Not only was it overflowing with ghouls and investigators left and right, it was also home to the frequent attacks of a binge-eater in the recent weeks.
Which is why there was no way you were going there alone. Fortunately for you, all the victims seemed to have been by themselves when they had been attacked, not to mention the lack of witnesses. Whoever this ghoul was, they were into the easy targets. But with a partner beside you and a slew of people walking nearby, you felt at ease.
…
Huh? You could swear there really were people walking all around you just a few minutes ago… This was the main street – it should have been busy, even late at night.
It… it was the main street, right? Had you taken an odd turn without realizing it? Monoma seemed pretty confident as he lead the way though.
Something seemed odd.
You were on the verge of freaking out. One look around you only made things worse. This street, these buildings – why did they look so familiar?
But you had never been to the second ward before. Where had you seen them? In person? Unlikely. Perhaps on the TV then? Or online?
Could it have been the news?
You let out a quiet gasp.
…
‘Hanging around’
‘...ding ground, that bastard.’
…
‘...ding ground.’
…
Following the gasp, an icy shiver ran down your spine, as your heartbeat faltered for a second, only to then come back faster than ever. The sound echoed loudly in your ears.
Hanging around? No – that was most certainly not what he had said.
Feeding ground.
“Feeding ground...” you breathed out. Your walking came to a sharp halt, the realization seeming to root you in place.
And despite your voice hovering barely above a whisper, your words were heard. Loud and clear. Because Monoma stopped too, though he didn’t turn to face you quite yet.
“The streets are empty… It’s so quiet… Because this- because this is your feeding ground...” Every new word you let slip was just another mistake to push you to your early grave. Then again, if your assumption was correct, your ‘date’ had long dug that grave and was about to bury you in it himself.
Only then did Monoma turn to face you. You couldn’t see his eyes, which remained covered by his hair, but his shoulders clearly shook a few times. And then he laughed.
And laughed, and laughed, and laughed.
It was the kind of laugh you’d hear in a cheesy horror movie or a cheaply made scary game.
Never in your life had you imagined it could be for real.
“Ahahaha, I got myself a smart girl, didn’t I!?” he exclaimed, finally straightening up to face you. And this time, you could clearly make out his eyes, even in the darkening streets.
Tonight, they were nothing like the calm blue hues you had admired a mere week ago. They were now black, a pair of small red irises staring back at you. You were terrified.
A reddish blur whizzed past you, making you snap back to reality.
Figuring out his intentions had been the easy part. Now was the real beginning of a night you likely wouldn’t even survive.
So, you ran.
Putting one leg in front of the other, pushing your body ever forward – that was all that occupied your mind. You didn’t look back, in fear of what awaited you. Though you knew what it was very well – a ghoul’s kagune. Protruding from their back and acting like their strongest weapon against humans, the kagune was used to hunt their prey, murder it mercilessly, and tear it to pieces.
Now you most certainly didn’t want to look back.
If only things ever went your way.
A sharp pain stabbed right through your shoulder. So sharp in fact, you couldn’t hold the scream that tore its way out of your throat, echoing across the nearby dark alleyways, in sync with the sound of numerous droplets of blood splattering onto the ground.
It hurt.
Goddammit, it hurt so, so badly.
You wanted to cry, shout, scream more, yet your voice seemed to be lost already.
You were too afraid to look, but you were certain that it was his kagune that had pierced through your body like it was just some measly piece of paper. And suddenly that kagune yanked you backwards, as your back was roughly slammed against a wall and you slumped to the ground, quietly sobbing from the ever-increasing pain.
Your vision was becoming blurrier by the minute, yet you could still make out the person- no, the creature leisurely approaching you. His face was just a moving blob of color, until he crouched before you, eyeing you with a twisted smile. You could finally place why that same smile had previously seemed so odd to you, though you were too late. Beside his foot you noticed the purse you had been carrying, now discarded on the ground, all your belongings scattered about in an ugly mess.
Monoma had just opened his mouth to speak, but his attempt went ignored, as you reached for the small blue ballpoint pen just beside your outstretched hand, the clear barrel blurring in and out of sight.
He stood and watched you with a simple curiosity. The kind of curiosity a child felt as it laughed at the small insect it was holding captive, knowing it wouldn’t find an escape, but meet a painful end instead. Your futile attempts must have been so humorous to him, he felt the need to mock them out loud too.
“What do you think you’re doing, doll? You think a pen’s gonna help ya? Unless you want to stab yourself with it?” He let out a dark chuckle. “Sorry, but I don’t intend to give you the satisfaction.”
He made no attempt to stop you though. Had he not just put you on the verge of death, you might have even thanked him for his carelessness. Pen grasped in your trembling hand, your eyes, though with much difficulty, shifted to the kagune beside you. Only now did you notice how his seemed to look like two long tentacles, colored a dark shade of blood red.
“Oh? You plan to stab my kagune?” he laughed. “Go ahead, try it.”
But you knew better. Dead or not, your parents were ghoul investigators. And they had taught you well.
Kagune couldn’t be pierced just like that. Not with a knife, not even with a bullet, let alone a pen.
Stabbing it was out of the question.
Instead, you positioned the pen sideways, thrusting it as hard as your weakening body would allow. Monoma realized his mistake a second too late.
After all, even a ghoul was weak against a surface wound.
As the pain connected and lodged itself into the kagune at an unnatural and unpleasant angle, Monoma cried out in a mix of pain and fury. The part of it that had been holding you captive also disappeared, leaving a bunch of fresh blood to pour from the now widely-open wound on your shoulder.
Your sense were weakening and fast. But in this moment, all you had to do was survive.
You took to running yet again.
He did not chase after you this time, at least not at first.
You knew he was playing some kind of twisted game. He could easily catch you the moment he so wished. Instead, he wanted to give you a glimpse of hope, a taste of salvation, only to drag you back down and crush all of it to pieces with you.
Now the question was – who was to become the winner of this little game?
***
“I saw how you looked at her just now and I’m warning you – you had your chance, and you wasted it. She’s my prey now so you better stay out of the way, you got that?”
“I don’t give a fuck what you plan to do with her. At least I’m not that stupid – she’s the child of two CCG investigators. Ain’t exactly the best ‘prey’ you could wish for.”
“What are you talking about – she’s perfect. Aren’t I doing all my fellow ghouls a favor? She’d just become another dove the moment she steps foot into the real world anyway. I’ll just make sure to get rid of her before it comes to that.”
“Tch. I told you – I don’t care. You can do whatever the hell you want...”
***
Bakugo thought back to the exchange he’d had with the girl’s ‘date’ (though he knew better) just earlier that day, shortly after he’d invited her to go out with him.
He’d known the new guy was a ghoul the moment he’d walked in – that bastard had reeked of death and corpses, at least to his keen senses. He despised how he had clicked in with everybody else right off the bat too.
Frankly, he had no family business in the second ward. Or any business here for that matter. He’d been going to the fourth ward, where his home and a certain cafe he was stuck working at were.
Yet when [F/N] had sat next to him and cheerfully initiated a small conversation, as unexpected as it may have been, he’d suddenly blurted out the place which he had heard to be her meet-up spot with that wretched ghoul.
He had zero intention of stopping whatever was about to go down.
So then… why was he hesitating to leave!?
He had asked himself that many times already, but his eyes had remained glued to the single text message he had received.
‘Forgot to wish you a good time with your family!^^’
Not long after, the first scream had sounded. He had grit his teeth through it, finally finding the resolve to walk away. Far, far away.
Because a ghoul was not supposed to have compassion for some human, dammit.
Following the momentary sound of ragged breathing and a pair of frantic and uneven footsteps, a body collided with his back from just around the corner, sending him stumbling a few steps forward.
Though he easily kept his balance, something fell to the ground behind him. He turned to see the bleeding girl at his feet, only to stare at her collapsed frame in shock.
While he was at a loss for what to do, [F/N] let out a few painful coughs, clutching at the wound on her shoulder, and continuing to crawl ahead instead. It was a pitiful sight.
Just when he’d begun to wonder if she’d even noticed him at all, she raised her head and as her eyes that were overflowing with tears streaming down her scuffed cheeks met his, her face suddenly flooded with relief.
But that relief was then immediately washed away, replaced with a look of pure horror.
Huh? Why was she scared of him now?
Wait, scratch that. Why was she even still alive!?
“You...” her voice trembled. “I-I know...” She made a move to lift herself up, yet fell back to the ground, her ragged breaths more frequent now. Not knowing where to go, she slowly crawled back, as far away from him as she could, before she leaned her back against the wall, leaving a red stain right behind her shoulder. Her watery eyes looked wide from fear at the sight of the blond towering above her.
“You’re a ghoul too!! I know, I’ve known for- for a long time!” For someone losing blood as quickly as she was, she was shouting and crying out at him like it was no big deal. “How you always seem to drink coffee, how you never eat during the breaks, how you twitch whenever someone mentions ghouls – all of it!!” Her voice cracked. Then she went quiet and looked down, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
“I thought… I thought you were good…! You- you’re part of his plan too, aren’t you!?” Her crying seemed to choke her words. She then remained silent again, curling onto herself.
Had she… given up already? Had she realized she stood no chance with two monsters on her trail?
Bakugo grit his teeth. She was right in front of him. She knew what he was.
And she was helpless, blaming him. So why not kill her right here and just put an end to all this – to both of their misery…?
Would that annoying voice at the back of his head finally shut up for good then!?
…
Before he could come to a conclusion (or rather, talk himself out of the conclusion he had already reached a while ago but sternly refused to accept), a new pair of footsteps, this time accompanied by infuriating laughter, approached. Soon, a fellow ghoul came into view, and his eyes, while scanning around for the girl he was pursuing, locked onto Bakugo instead.
Oh, how he hated this.
He hated himself for ever considering it.
And he hated himself for actually doing it.
Bakugo growled.
“Be fucking grateful, [F/N]. You’ll get to live another day.”
***
Your world was still a blurry mess, though it was much worse than it had been earlier. Your eyes refused to adjust to the black spots clouding your vision.
By this point, you were more than ready to meet your end. You just wanted the pain gone.
Was it going to be Monoma? Or perhaps Bakugo?
Whoever it was, you regretted to be done in by one of those monsters. You didn’t want to give them that pleasure.
Then again, you only had yourself to blame. The signs had been there all along. Even knowing what Bakugo was, you still let yourself believe he might be different. And even not knowing what Monoma was, you were too blind and trusting to foresee what was to come.
A pair of feet moved in front of you, blocking your view of Monoma. Or the blurry shape you assumed was him anyway. You noticed a kagune you hadn’t seen before, most likely Bakugo’s. In that moment, you closed your eyes.
Muffled words were exchanged, whether spoken to you or between the two, you didn’t know. In that moment, you were only praying your end would be swift.
…
And yet, the pain… it never came.
You weren’t sure how much time had passed, but you were still very much alive. At this rate, the blood loss might end up being the thing that does you in.
Despite not knowing what was happening, the sounds of clashing, fighting, movement were coming from seemingly every direction. Or were your senses too distracted to pinpoint them?
You shut your eyes tight. Perhaps it was better this way. You wouldn’t mind drifting off to sleep in peace.
But that peace was interrupted when a hand touched your uninjured shoulder. Though the touch was warm and light, you flinched.
“Hey, pipe down. You’re safe.” The low voice brought you so much comfort. But wasn’t this the same voice that had sent you in another wave of panic earlier? The rest of the noises had stopped, leaving only the unpleasant ringing in your ear. You decided to be hopeful and slowly forced one of your eyes open. Upon finding a pair of tired red eyes and a head of spiky ash blond hair hunched over you, your mind flooded with questions.
Why were you still alive? Why hadn’t he killed you? What was he doing?
Was he… helping you…?
You tried to speak, but your voice was nowhere to be found.
Bakugo sighed and grabbed the arm on your uninjured side, gently pulling you up, as your quivering body was left to lean against his sturdy frame. Only then did you notice the blood splatters and twitching chunks of what appeared to be Monoma’s kagune scattered about everywhere. Your attacker himself however, was nowhere in sight.
“He… ran away…?” you somehow croaked out, much to Bakugo’s surprise, though he quickly composed himself and nodded.
“Yeah. Bastard was quick. Couldn’t catch him,” he said, as he slipped off the sweater he’d been wearing on top of his black t-shirt, and tied it carefully around your wounded shoulder, earning a couple of groans from your barely conscious self. “Though I doubt he’d ever have the guts to come near you again. Or return here at all, for that matter.” You relaxed against him. Not that you really had much of a choice in that regard, as your body was quickly shutting off its functions one by one.
“I’m… such an idiot...”
“You may be an idiot. But you’re alive now, which is all that really matters.”
“Mhm. Thank you, Bakugo-kun...”
The words caught in his throat and he paused. You were light-headed and the pain must have been getting to you. No way you were going to say something as ridiculous otherwise.
“Hey, I’m gonna bring you somewhere where they’ll fix you up in no time,” he muttered, noticing your drooping eyelids.
“Hospital…?” He shook his head. Then again, you probably didn’t see that.
“Not quite. It’s a nice lil’ cafe called Yuuei. You might’ve heard of it.”
“Is that so...” Your words were dragged out and slurred together. The shock, the pain, the blood loss – it all was taking its effect at once.
“Right. So I’ll see you again when you wake up,” he said, lifting you up on his back.
“Alright...” You managed a weak smile. “That sounds good...”
Those were your last words before your eyes shut tight again, breath slowing down.
Right now, Bakugo only hoped he could get to Yuuei before your time was up. He wasn’t planning on letting you slip away this easily. Not yet.
It was kind of ironic. A ghoul and a human. The hunted and the daughter of the hunters.
The monster and the prey.
But it was an irony he didn’t yet know he would grow to love.
For your journey had only just begun.
***
[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION]
Protocol K78152112
Subject #6
Real Name: Hikiishi Kenji
Background: Family slaughtered by ghouls
Results: Body mutations; loss of cognitive functions; undeveloped k*****.
Subject did not react well to procedure; cause undetermined.
(scribbled in pen) Well maybe don’t mess up the doses next time, you good-for-nothing assistants!!
***
Author’s Note: I am incredibly excited to finally share this with y’all! To those of you who’ve been here since “Explosive Touch” - hi, and welcome back! And to those who are just joining me – I hope you’ll enjoy this story!! This all started off as a little scenario I daydreamed about a year ago, and lo and behold – it’s now a full-fledged multi-chapter story!
If you’ve read “Irony” already (the oneshot which was essentially my prototype for this first chapter), I’ve got you covered – Chapter 2 is already up so please check that out if you’re looking for some new content! I’ll try not to get too wordy this early on, but I’ve put a lot of thought and care into this story so I hope you’ll love it as much as I do!!
And psst, a quick heads-up – if anything seems either oddly specific or a bit too random, it might just be important to the plot in some way? Feel free to speculate – I’d love to see what you make of my little hints and foreshadowing! Onto the next chapter~
(Thank you for your patience and interest @chims-kookies @creativedogs - here it finally is!!)
#bakugou x reader#bnha x reader#bakugou katsuki x reader#katsuki bakugou x reader#bnha tokyo ghoul au
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Tagged by @corylion :) Will happily tag @thenorsiest @sporkandpringles @theamazingdearheart and @funky-little-vulcan but literally anyone do it please these are just some peeps off the top of my head <3
This is a fun goofy long post soooo.... enjoy!
1. What is the color of your hairbrush?
I have... three.. but my main one is zebra print
Oh, high school days and my obsession with it
2. A food you never eat?
Animal flesh
...
Though that implies i eat human flesh, i more meant I’m a vegetarian who eats dairy and eggs, just not meat haha
3. Are you typically too warm or too cold?
Literally depends on the season. Winter? Always too cold. Summer? Always too hot. I have a very fickle internal temperature.
4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
Eating eggs and watching a Darkkmane video with my dog and SO
5. What is your favorite candy bar?
OOOOOOHHHH toss-up between Kit-Kat’s and Reese’s Cups
I’m a chocolate deviant
6. Have you ever been to a professional sporting event?
Yes. And I spent all of it in my dad’s business box watching Flash Gordon
7. What was the last thing you said out loud?
“Next time we go to the store, if I get a white onion, you better know I hold grudges and you’ll be eating that taco” (-_- don’t ask)
8. What is your favorite ice cream?
Moose Tracks (but I adore ice cream so all of it’s amazing)
9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Good old H20
10. Do you like your wallet?
It’s this phone case wallet that’s teal and covered in bicycles. I love it and have had it for like 8 years so I’d say it’s pretty badass
11. What was the last thing you ate?
I just put a peanut into my mouth before typing this sooo.... that
12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?
I don’t really buy clothes all that often. Most all of my clothes are from high school/college or a oh so daring shopping spree I went on last summer just to update some of my worst wardrobe peices (and buy overalls. Overalls are the best)
13. The last sporting event you watched?
A League of Legends Clash tournament....?
14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
Either plain butter or Red Velvet
15. Who was the last person you sent a text message to?
To the SO. I was being tired and annoyed so when I was trying to sleep and he walked out of the room and left the light on I just texted him “Light??” and then he kindly turned it off.
16. Ever go camping?
YES! I never did as a kid but my SO and I love the great outdoors. Our best vacation together was going cross country and camping at a bunch of different landmarks. Now we live in a house in the forest and it’s like we live in a cabin and I love it <3
17. Do you take vitamins?
Yep! Multivitamin every morning.
18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
The only church services I’ve been to are funerals and that one time when I was struggling emotionally and tried to join my friend’s church.
But then they joked about homosexuality being the work of the devil soooo I dipped
19. Do you have a tan?
Absolutely not. I’m actually sun sensitive and have to wear hats in the summer to keep my head safe. I am a pale bitch for life
20. Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza?
HMMMMM hard call. Probably Chinese Food. Family pizza night every week is really awesome and i love it, but Chinese Food is delicious. (And fried sweet and sour tofu can take all my money)
21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
Noooooo! I don’t even drink soda. But I do have a metal, reusable straw for my giant water container :)
22. What color socks do you usually wear?
Blue? All my socks are patterned, multi-colored ones so it’s never the same. Today I’m wearing ones with penguins on them, and the penguins have scuba gear on.
23. Ever drive above the speed limit?
My first time ever driving I went way over the speed limit.
24. What terrifies you?
Driving.
Also the state of our world and how hard it is to be a creative in it, especially when that’s what I want to do with my life, but hey. I’m not dead i guess
25. Look to your left what do you see?
My other monitor, my computer glasses, my phone, a face mask, head phones, writing gloves, water, and 2 dark chocolate pretzels.
26. What chore do you hate?
Dog yard clean-up (obvious reasons)
27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent?
Ummm... they’re from Australia I guess?
28. What is your favorite soda?
I cannot drink soda for my health, but when I take the time to de-carbonate it, root bear, easy
29. Do you go into a fast food place or just hit the drive through?
Neither really. I cook almost everything. But I guess the very rare times I do, we always go in
30. Who was the last person you talked to?
My dog (SO before that)
31. Favorite cut of beef?
None. Veggie gal :)
32. Last song you listened to?
The Weight of Us- Sanders Boehlke
33. Last book you read?
The Testaments- Margaret Atwood
34. Favorite day of the week?
Wednesdays are normally pretty nice, but Saturday is also great
35. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
Yeah but I don’t wanna
36. How do you like your coffee?
Hmmm when it’s tea or hot chocolate instead
37. Favorite pair of shoes?
My blue converse
38. At what time do you usually go to bed?
11-ish
39. At what time do you normally get up?
7:30
40. What do you prefer - sunrises or sunsets?
Sunset. Nights are my favorite
41. How many blankets are on your bed?
Oh my... my SO and I do not share blankets, and our dog has his own. Right now it’s summer so only 4, but in winter we have upwards of 7-8.
42. Describe your kitchen plates?
We have these navy blue, tan, and gray plates that I absolutely love. They remind me of midnight waves crashing onto a beach. Obviously they are just straight lines across the plate, not actual waves, but they are awesome I love them
43. Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage?
Nooooo not on my health plan
44. Do you play cards?
Yes! We have several decks, but my favorite are the zombie cards
45. What color is your car?
No car. No color. But SO’s car is red
46. Can you change a tire?
Nope
47. What is your favorite province?
UHHHH I assume this isn’t US because we don’t have provinces, but I’ll translate it to states. Just objectively, Michigan because I live here. But i also really adore Washington.
48. Favorite job you ever had?
Probably writing tutor or Communcations aide. I liked doing a wide breadth of writing stuff in my job, and I also enjoyed helping people.
49. How did you get your biggest scar?
Embarrassing. I was on blood thinners because I had a clotting disorder, so I scraped my arm against a door and even though it wasn’t that deep, it bled for hours. I have an inch scar there now.
50. What did you do today that made someone happy?
Made my SO watch a funny video in bed, offered eggs to an internet friend, and gave my sweet doggo a peanut :)
#long post#answers#my answers#share#tag#50 questions#Takes a minute#Meant to be editing#whoops#fun questions
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The Demon's Lair - Part 2
Rating: Overall E, this chapter T
Main Pairing: Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch (Warning they aren't monogamous for much of the story)
Side Pairings: Roman Reigns/Jon Moxley/Renee Young, Finn Balor/Violet Balor(OC), Baron Corbin/Randy Orton/Ember Moon, Sasha Banks/Bayley/Xavier Woods, The Miz/Maryse
Summary: Fire? Meet Gasoline.
Taglist - @askauradonprep @rxllynch @neversatisfiedgirl @superrezzy00 @axelwolf8109 @swifteforeverandalways @hitory--chan @riottbliss @viperslunatic
Seth gingerly pulled his black dress shirt over the welts on his back as Violet knelt in front of him petting his face and hair "Feel better, precious one?"
Seth nodded in reply still a little spaced out from the endorphins. Finn entered the room again face clean from the paint that had given his handsome features their demonic appearance.
"So her name is Rebecca?"' he finally spoke
" Yes, she's a little younger than you. I've known her since she was a little girl. We came to America together but she moved down south when she met her former girlfriend, it was right before I met you actually. You just missed each other." Finn explained, "She's going to run the main bar since Jordan decided to return to school full time."
"I think I saw her. Orange-red hair, dressed in yellow and black leather?" Seth says as Finn helped him to his feet
"That would be Rebecca. Miss Rebecca or Miss Becky to you." Violet told him. "That shirt is much too tight to button over your back."
Seth nodded at the unspoken command "I'll keep it open"
Becky Lynch had not expected to like working at Finn's club after everything Charlotte had put her though because of her hatred of Becky's kinks, but her The Lair was like nothing she'd ever seen during her years as part of the scene. The members of the Lair acted more like a family than any other club she'd ever been a part of. It was surprising how all of them acted around one another despite many of the members' celebrity status, It had been a crazy moment, her when first night working the bar when Mike Mizanin and his wife Maryse just walked up and casually spoke to her, to her surprise the couple were very down to earth and just as funny as they were on their sitcom Miz and Mrs, though she'd wanted to slap Finn for not telling her he had the rich and famous frequenting his club. So far in her month behind the bar, she'd met several MMA fighters, a defensive lineman for the Giants, and she was currently talking to Ember Moon, a New York Times bestselling author. It was all so surreal. The only member of the club Finn ever mentioned was Seth Rollins. Becky had heard a lot about the millionaire CEO in her month at the club. Apparently, he was something of a legend around the Lair. He'd helped Finn get the club off the ground and Finn had introduced the man to the lifestyle. She knew he was at the club tonight but all she'd seen was long dark hair and a fancy suit as he headed into Finn's private domain.
The door to Finn's dungeon finally opened and Finn stepped followed by Violet who was holding on the arm of the man from before now looking much less agitated, fancy black shirt left unbuttoned to reveal a toned chest dotted with scrapes and bruises, and an impressive 6 pack.
Ember whistled from a bar stool off to the side of her "Seeing Sethie's chest is always a treat"
"What CEO looks like that?" Becky wondered aloud " and he's all banged up"
"One who served in the Army for the better part of a decade, including 3 tours of Afghanistan" Ember explained "Seth sometimes takes mercenary missions if they require his specific skill set. He's been gone on one for the last month"
"Wait, wasn't this guy born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth?" Becky looked at the other woman surprised
"Mama Trish….that's Seth's mom, by the way. Well, she may have raised a spoiled brat but he's also got a hero complex a mile wide after what went down with his Dad. Nasty business that was, Seth went into the military right after he graduated High School. Roman and Moxie, Miss Renee's boys? They followed him in. The four of them went to the same ritzy private schools, known each other since they were all little kids. One of my boyfriends was a few years above them. The silver spoon thing is funny though since Seth's middle name is Sterling"
"Hey! Are you mocking my name?" The man in question says in a raspy voice as he walks up to them.
"Your Mama named you Sterling, she cast that die for you already," Ember says hugging Seth after casting a glance at her Dom and getting a nod in answer.
"Sup, Emmy," Seth said taking a seat at the bar.
"Seth, Miss Rebecca. Becky, the Lair's chief pain in the ass." Finn introduced the pair to each other.
Seth rolled his eyes at Finn before smiling at Becky "Pleased to finally meet you Miss Rebecca" he said politely "Seth Rollins" he introduced himself properly
Becky's brain actually stuttered for a second. This man was too damn gorgeous for her own well being, after a moment she internally shook her thoughts back into place and reminded herself she was NOT looking for a new Sub, especially not a buff, tanned millionaire one.
"Be a good Kitten." Violet leaned in and kissed Seth softly "If you can find someone to play with tonight has fun! If not you are welcome to come home with us as always, my darling"
"Yes, Miss Violet. I'm taking the day off tomorrow. Moxie and Ro changed the security codes on the facility and all my work-related computer systems for 24 hours. They locked me out"
"I told them to, Mo Chroi" Finn tells him. "You need a day for yourself. Go to the gym, tend to your plants but you are not allowed near your headquarters until Wednesday understand?"
Seth bowed gracefully "Yes, My Liege"
Finn and Violet swept off to their personal VIP Booth, while Seth settled into his normal spot at the bar to chat with Ember as Becky looked on, laughing at something the tiny African American woman was telling him.
"What do you think my Queen?" Finn asks his wife
"I think they might be exactly what the other needs. Becky already thinks he's cute, I can tell" Violet replied
Are you okay?" Ember asked Seth seriously after joking around for a few more minutes. "You hardly take on solo missions anymore."
"Favor to one of Mom's country club buddies. Her friend's daughter got snatched while the girl was on a trip with her Dad. Tracked her over there, got her back relatively unharmed" Seth explained succinctly. One of Ember's Doms worked for Seth and had known him for most of his life, Sso she knew more about what he actually did for a living then most of his friends at the club.
"I'm glad. Now imma ask again cause you just tried to derail me. Are YOU okay?" Ember said grabbing the bigger man's shoulders gently and making him look her in the eye.
Becky watched as Seth ducked his head and then rolled his eyes at his friend "I'm better. Majesties worked me over a bit."
"Emmy." A deep midwestern accented voice said as Randy Orton walked back up to the bar. "Time to go. Baron's flight gets here in 2 hours"
"Yes Sir" Ember said lightly, accepting her boyfriend's hand and getting down off the barstool.
"Won't be in till Wednesday Viper, Royal decree." Seth told the older man
"Good. Tired of having to call the Doc in because your stubborn ass don't know when to go the fuck home. See you then, Boss" Randy replied before he and Ember headed out of the Lair, leaving Becky and Seth staring at each other
"Would you like a drink?" Becky asks him "Finn tells me this fancy-ass coffee set up is your doing?"
"I don't really drink, spent too many years trying to find death at the bottom of a whiskey bottle." Seth tells her bluntly "So yeah the fancy-ass coffee set up is for me."
"I'm assuming Finn told you to behave with me? He warned me about you while you were gone" Becky said easily despite being internally taken aback by the lighting fast change in attitude
She watched as Seth visibly took a deep breath "I apologize, Miss Rebecca, Miss Becky?" He said questioningly continuing when the redhead nodded "I apologize for my behavior Miss Becky, I wasn't prepared for Ember to ask about my last job and it was a…..rough one."
"Your forgiven, míshásamh," She said with a small smile that got bigger when Seth tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy "Six years being Finn's friend and sometimes boyfriend has taught me quite a bit of Irish but I don't know that word"
"Maybe, if you're a good boy, I'll tell you," Becky said with a smirk "Now if you want something fancier then a regular coffee, you're gonna have to come back here and make it yourself"
Seth grinned and nimbly leaped over the bar landing to the left of her, letting out a low cackle when she didn't budge "I can do that"
#Shai Writes#The Demon's Lair#Seth Rollins#Becky Lynch#Finn Balor#Rollynch#Ballins#Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins#Seth Rollins/Finn Balor#Seth Rollins/Finn Balor/OFC
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hellboy or venom for the headcanon meme?
Hey listen I haven’t really been up to writing the longer John Constantine/Hellboy fic I’ve been meaning to write, on account of how my brain doesn’t like me at the moment, but I still care a lot about that pairing, so some of it showed up here. For this headcanon meme!
(Note: this got long because I LOVE MY BEST BOY, so things are under the cut.)
HeadcanonHellboy is right-handed--he’s one of those people who’s so intensely right-handed that even years of practice doesn’t do much for his manual dexterity on the left. This is, to put it lightly, A Problem, seeing as his dominant hand is also virtually useless for daily tasks. His handwriting is awful, inevitably smudged and crooked, even worse than Abe’s and Abe has webbed fingers. When Hellboy was a kid, just learning to write his own reports, they were completely illegible. He’s had decades to improve, but at the end of the day, he’s just not left-handed. All the hours of practice he’s put in on the shooting range don’t change the fact that handguns just aren’t designed for his right hand, and his left hand just isn’t sure enough to guarantee his aim. This is why he likes guns that do enough damage to mostly absolve him of needing to hit a target. The Samaritan doesn’t give a good goddamn about his aim--as long as he’s sort of close to center mass, the caliber will take care of the rest.
HeartcanonHellboy, when he was a kid growing up on an army base at double-speed, inhaled urban legends and modern myths like they were pancakes. Everything from the Jersey Devil to UFO’s was interesting to him, and more than a few of the soldiers who kept an eye on him--a trouble-oriented creature even when he was two years old and too short to reach the upper cabinets--shamelessly exploited this in order to keep him in line. Sure, Hellboy was a perpetual motion machine from day one, but a good story about some unexplained shit would keep him enthralled for as long as you could make it last.
His favorite story is one that he gets from a secretary, of all people, a young woman who thinks he’s just the cutest and who writes home to tell her auntie about her boss’ curious (and totally human, don’t even worry about it Auntie Etta) son. When Hellboy’s been told to take care of himself while everyone else is at a meeting, he drifts into her office and Janet Candy has him help her with her filing while she tells him stories about her auntie’s boss, and her auntie’s best friend, and a city in Germany called Veld.
Hellboy’s seventeen and already something of a legend himself when he finally meets his favorite story, a goddess walking who comes across the BPRD’s latest mission by accident and helps them polish off a wayward drake with the kind of crisp efficiency that only comes from a lot of practice. Hellboy takes a moment to thank God, Jesus, and anyone else who might be listening that no one has ever once noticed him blushing when she clasps his forearm and calls him a gifted warrior.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Hellboy mutters gruffly, because he’s a polite guy when he puts his mind to it.
“Just Diana is fine,” the goddess says, the Saint of the Trenches, the Wonder Woman of Veld, and she smiles at him.
GutcanonThe army base where Hellboy grows up did not have a full-time chaplain prior to his arrival. However, he and the professor are accompanied by fully two dozen soldiers equipped with identical rosaries and a brand new respect for higher powers, so the administration holds up for under a week before they go looking for a candidate.
They end up with a Jesuit priest who was recommended to them as the most unflappable soul in the business, a thirty-something convert fresh out of seminary and looking for his first parish, an ex-soldier himself. Father Laurence signs enough NDA’s to fill Lake Erie, packs his bags, and ships out to Fuck You Nowhere with the expectation that he’s going to live on an army base and never actually have anything to do because it’s not like soldiers are known for being die-hards about going to Mass. At least he’ll be able to catch up on his reading.
On his very first day, while he’s still unpacking his office, Laurence gets a nervous knock on the door and opens it to find an orderly file of soldiers looking to attend confession and check up on when, exactly, he’s planning to hold his first service.
“Sun...day?” he says warily. “But I could hold a Wednesday night Mass if you’d like.”
“Would you mind, Father? Only, most of us haven’t been in a long time,” the lead soldier says awkwardly--apparently the elected spokesman. “So we were kind of hoping to get started soon. Some of the boys are looking to be catechized, too.”
“Well,” Laurence says, feeling blank with shock. “Come on, then, my son, let’s go schedule confessional times.”
He just about thinks he’s gotten a handle on the most bizarrely devout army base in the world when a year-old demon with a stone hand as big as his torso wanders into his office and asks, in a tone of serious concern, “Do you think I have a soul, Father?”
Laurence blinks at him for a moment, considers the situation, and gestures to the couch. “Do you think you have a soul, my son?”
Laurence doesn’t know it at the time, but he’s just made a friend for life.
JunkcanonHellboy meets John Constantine in Atlanta, when Constantine is twenty-five and fueled by an interestingly volatile cocktail of rage, recklessness, and actual concern for human life. Their first meeting ends with Constantine dumping holy water over Hellboy’s head and Hellboy immediately deciding that he likes this guy very much. Over the course of the next week, while they hunt themselves some necromancers, Hellboy teases his new friend, calls him Johnny and laughs when Constantine threatens to shoot him, drags him kicking and screaming into conversations and poker games and, one time, an underworld nightclub where a seven-foot demon isn’t the strangest thing at the bar. On the one hand, don’t get him wrong, John Constantine is gorgeous in a pale-scruffy-and-consumptive sort of way, but also, any of Hellboy’s team could have warned the kid that, once Hellboy decides he’s going to make a friend, very little short of murder will stop him.
On the last day, before they go home, Constantine sighs and gives up and grabs Hellboy’s coat in both hands to drag him down into a kiss.
“If you make a single Devil Went Down to Georgia joke, I’ll kick your ass out so fast it’ll make your head spin,” Constantine threatens against Hellboy’s mouth.
“Sure thing, Johnny,” Hellboy says, transparently delighted, and pins Constantine against the wall of the motel room. Turns out that there are advantages to fucking a seven-foot demon with superhuman strength and several decades of experience. Constantine would die before he admitted it, though.
SpleencanonI’m actually not sure I’m sufficiently familiar with the Hellboy comics to have any real resentment? Regardless, don’t have any major complaints, so instead:
High fantasy AU where King Bruttenholm the Wise is known for ruling a kingdom that serves as a safe haven for magic users and creatures that might be hunted to death in other lands. He used to ride out with his knights to keep his lands safe when he was crown prince, until they hunted down a circle of demon-worshipers, which ended with the crown prince gaining a limp for life and a new son. Instead of being tapped as the heir to the throne (Hellboy does not particularly want to be king, thank you, his father’s work seems like The Worst), Hellboy becomes responsible for defending the kingdom--from magical threats and witchhunters alike.
Enter Constantine, who personally claims to be a dabbler and a sword for hire, and who everyone who’s anyone knows is the finest witchhunter and exorcist in seven kingdoms.
Things are...tense.
#hellboy#john constantine#wonder woman#diana prince#hellboy x constantine#headcanon meme#ask meme#i still care A WHOLE BUNCH about that ship and i really do intend to write...i mean basically that junkcanon as a whole fic#ft. constantine dumping holy water on hellboy and hellboy immediately going 'we're gonna be friends'#and constantine having no choice but to agree because hellboy's goodwill is like a bazooka: hard to avoid and even harder to stop#it might take him a minute to warm up to you but once he does that's it it's over he's your friend now#there's nothing you can do about it#also i am so married to that thing about the priest it's absolutely ridiculous#i'm Extremely Serious about it#everything about it#and i'm kinda weirdly charmed by the idea of that high fantasy au now that i've mentioned it?#like#hellboy's the captain of the king's guard or something and he wears armor and shit#aaaaaaand he arrests constantine probably#queue deeper than the sea of stars#Anonymous#asked and answered
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Few TV shows have arrived as confidently as Schitt’s Creek did when it premiered four years ago; after all, the pilot took under two minutes to introduce its four main characters in instantly striking ways. We open in a palatial estate, where members of the filthy rich Rose family are reacting to news they’ve been defrauded by their business manager and left with nothing. Well, except the titular town, which Rose patriarch Johnny bought for his son as a joke birthday present years before. Immediately, there’s Moira (standout Catherina O’Hara), wailing to her husband about how she’s been “stripped of every morsel of pleasure I earned in this life.” In reply, her husband Johnny (Eugene Levy) complains about the shady business manager that landed his family in this mess. Nearby, their daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy) alights from a stately staircase while desperately trying to get the boyfriend she’s on the phone with to step out of the club he’s in and listen to her problems. And by the door, her brother David boldly berates a government official, calling him a “sick person” that “wants to get paid to destroy another person’s life.”
Dan Levy, who plays David and co-created the show alongside his father and co-star Eugene, is far less confrontational than his character, but no less animated. When I meet him in January for a late lunch at a sparsely populated restaurant in Rockefeller Center, the 35-year-old is upbeat and personable, despite the packed schedule he’d been navigating for the previous few days while doing press for the show’s fifth season.
The entire process is somewhat new to the actor, since Schitt’s Creek kept a relatively low profile in its earlier seasons. But as the show’s popularity has grown — with critics now hailing it as “the funniest show on TV right now,” a “gem of a sitcom,” and an “amiable and deliriously funny series” — so has Levy’s. After serving as the official showrunner for four seasons, he’s become a celebrity in his own right. Yet in midtown, as he makes his way through a grilled chicken caesar salad and a Diet Coke, Levy doesn’t appear to exhibit any of those expected pretenses; he’s quite laid-back and surprisingly gregarious, eager to talk about the little show he made which blossomed into something much bigger than he could have ever imagined.
Before Schitt’s Creek, Levy says he spent some time “figuring it out.” Growing up as the son of a comedy legend, it was nearly a given that he would do theater in high school. But when he graduated and actually tried to pursue acting as a career, Levy was held back by the nervousness he routinely felt at auditions. “As you can imagine, that was quite awkward for me as an actor,” he jokes. Instead, he landed at MTV Canada, where he cut his teeth recapping The Hills on the popular The After Show. That experience, he says, was where the idea for Schitt’s Creek was planted. “I was fascinated by these people who were raised around so much wealth,” he tells me. “And I wanted to know what it would be like if someone like that were to lose everything.”
He eventually took that inkling of an idea to his dad, and together, they fleshed it out into the show it is today. In the earliest stages, Levy recalls looking at “sexy and stylish” series like Sex and the City for inspiration, which ultimately lead to his decision to build each character around a distinct style that mirrors their personality type. Artsy David would be into neutral tones and architectural Rick Owens; business-minded Johnny would always wear classic tailored suits; histrionic former soap star Moira would have a flair for the dramatic silhouettes of McQueen; and boho-chic Alexis would be ready to jet off to Coachella at a moment’s notice.
To this day, Dan still takes the lead on much of the show’s wardrobe. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of his job, he tells me, and it’s a good excuse to indulge his shameless shopping addiction. He sources most of the garments seen on the show online, perusing for new duds on designer resale apps like The RealReal and Grailed, but it’s clear that his sartorial eye is just as keen in person. Upon arriving to the restaurant, the first thing Dan does is compliment my sunglasses, which were sitting on the corner of the table. “Congratulations on those boots,” he told me as we left, pointing down at my footwear. The only apparent downside to his side gig as a personal shopper is that it can be difficult to stop himself from getting too out of control. “I just keep buying for future seasons,” he jokes. “If the show ends, I’m just going to have all these random Alexander McQueen pieces in my room! I’ll have to call up some of my friends and ask if they want to come buy some.”
Hopefully, we’ll never reach that point — at least not for a while, now that the show is finally getting the respect it deserves. Days before our lunch, Levy and his fellow cast members had experienced their first A-List red carpet event when they attended the Critics’ Choice Awards, where they were nominated for Best Comedy Series. “It’s so crazy to think that this little show was there amongst all these real celebrities,” he says, emphasizing the word real in a way that lets you know he still doesn’t understand just how famous he actually is — or does a good job pretending not to, at least. The performer says he was most excited to meet Jodie Comer, but in retrospect, he wonders if he maybe went overboard when he approached the Killing Eve actress to “fan out” and enthusiastically tell her how much he loved her.
Schitt’s Creek didn’t win that night. But it’s not difficult to imagine the show becoming a serious awards contender in the future, especially now that it’s established a real audience. Levy and the entire team are rooting particularly hard for Catherine O’Hara, whose indelible, no-holds-barred performance as Moira has rightfully inspired a few internet campaigns to get The Television Academy’s attention.
Yet it’s probably Levy himself who has galvanized the most fervent response from audiences. His character is one of the only pansexual men on TV today, and in the show’s currently-airing fifth season, his same-sex relationship with newly-out Patrick (Noah Reid) is one of the biggest ongoing plot points. As a gay man, he says it was always important to him to bring positive queer representation to his show — which is ironically why he had David sleep with a woman (sardonic motel owner Stevie) before he ever got with a man. “I did want to play with people’s expectations a bit,” he admits. “David is flamboyant and I knew people would assume he was gay, so I wanted to subvert that and show that you can’t always judge a book by its cover.”
Nevertheless, Levy is now fully invested in exploring the much-beloved relationship between David and Patrick, which he’s made a deliberate effort to ensure is not met with any homophobia in the titular small town. It’s what he would’ve done anyway, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s seen firsthand just how much their relationship means to the fans at home watching. When I ask about the response he’s received from the queer community, it’s the first time during our meal that he seems to get really emotional. “I got a letter recently that made me cry,” he begins, tearing up ever so slightly. “This woman wrote to me and told me that her son had just come out. She didn’t have a problem with it, but she was scared about what other people would think. She told me that my show made her feel a little more comfortable.”
It’s surprising how novel it seems to create a show where homophobia is just... not allowed to exist, but it’s comforting to see how normal it actually looks in practice. Just people being themselves without judgment: It’s all part of this world that Dan Levy was inspired to create after watching too many reruns of The Hills. Back then, he set out to create a show that uncovered what would happen when the self-obsessed wealthy wake up to find themselves penniless. If the series’ first five seasons have offered us any sort of answer, it’s that they will learn and grow, facing truths about themselves and their privilege that will only benefit them in the long run. They will form stronger bonds with themselves and with each other. Hell, they might even find true life-fulfilling happiness.
That is, as long as they find their way to Schitt’s Creek.
Schitt’s Creek airs Wednesdays at 10:00pm on Pop.
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Hi, everybody!
It’s good to be back after a week away post-Gen Con. So I’m going to tell you a little bit of what went on there, from my point-of-view, of course, but I’m also going to intersperse some quotes from some of our Onyx Path folks who were there helping us.
Of course, the first big thing we announced there was that we’re publishing Chicago By Night for Vampire 5th Edition!
We actually did feel kinda bad that we couldn’t tell you about it sooner, in that we do try and keep our inner workings pretty transparent for all of you. This was one of those times where the nature of working with White Wolf on this made it impossible to reveal it until the con. Their efforts and emphasis had to be on getting V5 out as promised, so we put our efforts towards getting V5 Chicago By Night written.
And as you see it mysteriously appear already in Redlines in the Progress Report below, you’ll realize we’ve been rolling on this for a while. Right now, we expect to have the text ready for editing in time to have a Kickstarter for it in October.
Kind of a fitting month, actually.
One of that Kickstarter’s goals will be to get this traditionally printed and into stores, where it can join V5 on the shelves. So, that’s a cool thing for us to try out with a WoD book, and we’re looking forward to how that will work out.
“It’s so refreshing to interact with fans in person and hear about all the games that excite you! Every one of our games got some love in conversations I had with you folks, and that was awesome to see. Thanks especially to all those Changeling: The Lost fans who came to chat with me. :)” – Meghan Fitzgerald
Like I mentioned in a previous blog, our booth was across the aisle from White Wolf‘s this year, and they, of course, were selling Vampire 5th Edition like fanged and bloody hotcakes. Or maybe just “bloodcakes”.
Besides V5 Chicago By Night, they announced several other projects from other licensing partners, including V5 Makeup, which was a huge hit with some of the folks I talked with. Others, who seemed to have missed WW‘s whole “we’re going to license all sorts of things for all sorts of fans” stated intentions, felt like this “cheapened” V5.
Back in the day at WW, we licensed out VtM zippos and license plates. Action figures. Just sayin’.
Scion: Hero illustration by Michele Giorgi
The gang at the WW booth were also fantastic at directing the throng buying V5 over to our booth where Mighty Matt McElroy had arranged that entire side of our booth with our 20th Anniversary WoD books on display. That worked really well, and further illustrated how the current team from WW are both gracious and fun to be next to for many, many, hours!
“I really enjoyed talking to fans about Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Fetch Quest, and Dystopia Rising: Evolution! I love watching people have fun around a table, and this year I got to see that directly, which is always wonderful. I just wish I had more time to talk to everyone and do everything!” – Eddy Webb
Our demo tables in the booth were really well attended, particularly on Saturday, and we were really glad to be able to walk folks through different games. I think this is even more important with games like Fetch Quest which is very much a card game, or They Came From Beneath the Sea! which adds a bunch of fun extras to the base Storypath System in order to create an “enhanced” TTRPG experience. It really helps to play through them a bit.
We’re used to getting gasps and excitement with a lot of our demos, it’s great to hear that both of these two games also had demo players laughing, as well.
PtC Tormented illustration by Tilen Javornik
We shared our booth with our friends from Eschaton Media, the Dystopia Rising creators, and not only were they great booth-mates who really helped make booth tear-down a breeze, but we were able to trade some fantastic ideas about rewards and stretch goals for our Dystopia Rising: Evolution RPG Kickstarter coming up next week. We think fans of our RPGs and fans of their previous DR projects like the LARP are going to find this Kickstarter pretty interesting!
We were also able to talk about the challenges of running a “franchise” business model for their LARPs, which is similar to licensing each venue out (as opposed to the “fan club” method used by old WW), and how they continue to evolve that system.
Since I am always trying to find ways for Onyx Path to evolve and improve, it is really good to be able to compare notes with folks who are also able to clearly look at how they did things in the past and actively try and improve on them. Maybe more on that at a later time.
“It’s always wonderful to interact directly with our fans and customers. I found myself answering a whole load of questions about They Came From Beneath The Sea! and V5: Chicago By Night, but also being able to just chat away about all our other games and roleplayer experiences is a joy. I had the chance to run several games, including They Came From, Pugmire, and Wraith 20 at the booth, and even Werewolf: The Forsaken in the hotel bar! In all, I had a fantastic, busy convention.” – Matthew Dawkins
We also announced our latest license, Legend Lore, based on the comic book world of “The Realm” and “Legend Lore” from Caliber Comics. The system is going to be D&D 5e based, and we’re sorry if an early press release said something different, but there is one key aspect of Legend Lore that we think will make it a very unique game.
The primary setting plot point is that the protagonists are people from our world transported to the fantasy world of Legend Lore. Now this is a pretty common trope in the fantasy fiction genre, but less so for TTRPGs. And pretty much the basis for that translation that I’ve seen in other games was to look at things like your Strength stat and ask how many weights you can bench press, or your real world IQ translated between 3 and 18.
We’re not doing it that way. More on how we are doing it as the book begins to be previewed. We’re also keenly aware of not minimizing anyone’s real-world challenges and disabilities. More on that too, in the months to come.
“As always, fans are why we do this Con, whether it was meeting fans of our stuff for the first time, making new ones out of interested folks, or seeing old friends after yet another year.” – Neall Raemonn Price
Our “What’s Up With Onyx Path?” panels went really well (although I had to miss most of the second one on Saturday), with some really excellent Q&A after the big points announcements. That was where we could delve deeper into the specific projects folks in the audience wanted to hear about. Both the “Freelancing for Onyx Path” panel and the “Developer Bootcamp” were super well attended and folks seemed really engaged.
Dixie, Matthew, and Eddy recorded both the “What’s Up With Onyx Path?” panels and edited them together into a semi-coherent whole that went up on the Onyx Pathcast last Friday. As always, you can hear them on PodBean or your favorite podcast venue.
They had to edit them, though. Even though we didn’t have whole swathes of the recording drowned out by trains like in previous years, we still had some outside noise break through, and I’m sure I talked away from the mic plenty of times!
“It’s always such an amazing feeling to get to interact with new and old fans, as well as my peers in the gaming industry I don’t get to see often. I love how excited everyone was! Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth to chat or say hello.” – Dixie Cochran
Like every year, there’s never enough time to talk with everyone on a business level – nevermind all the friends and members of our community who want to chat and catch up. Like last year in particular, I think you’ll be seeing some amazing results from a bunch of the meetings and chats I did have as the year progresses. But there’s not a lot of details I can share.
In general, I talked with several translation partners about pretty much all of our game lines, sat down to hear a bunch of pitches for new games or licenses, discussed our upcoming art needs with several of the illustrators in attendance there. I had a very quick but very focused meeting with Jaunty James Bell, our Kickstarter Concierge in order to be sure that he was still loving his job. He is.
I counseled way too many creators with Imposter Syndrome, a different depressed artist, and let an old and dear friend know that I was going to be a grandparent like she has been for a few years already. “Any tips?”
I was sitting in the Indy airport finishing my last blazing shrimp cocktail and wondering how that thing we had planned for for so long could have gone by so fast. It is just so packed with sights and conversations and games and late nights and early mornings.
It’s Gen Con, baby!
Monarchies of Mau art by Pat McEvoy
Here’s a handy link list from Impish Ian Watson, who set up the blog last week. Thanks, Ian, and also to Matthew Dawkins who wrote the texty part.
Onyx Path’s 2018-2019 Publishing and Storypath Brochures are now available
Onyx Path is publishing Chicago by Night for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition
Onyx Path is publishing a Legendlore RPG in partnership with Caliber Comics
Onyx Path and Pugsteady are collaborating with iThrive Games and the Bodhana Group to create the Critical Strengths Engine, a ruleset based not on physical strength, but emotional resilience, motivation, understanding, and communication. The first published adventures will be written by Eddy and will be officially licensed Pugmire products.
Check them out and see the proof of our motto:
Many Worlds, One Path!
BLURBS!
KICKSTARTER:
Dystopia Rising: Evolution art by Mark Kelly
Our next Kickstarter will be for Dystopia Rising: Evolution starting on Wednesday the 22nd at 2pm EDT.
ELECTRONIC GAMING:
As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking!
Here are the links for the Apple and Android versions:
http://theappstore.site/app/1296692067/onyx-dice
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onyxpathpublishing.onyxdice&hl=en
Three different screenshots, above.
ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:
You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).
If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue you bought it from. Reviews really, really help us with getting folks interested in our amazing fiction!
Our selection includes these fiction books:
Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II (Kindle, Nook)
Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox (Kindle, Nook)
Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile (Kindle, Nook)
Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree (Kindle, Nook)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds (Kindle, Nook)
Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)
Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)
Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)
Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)
Scarred Lands: Death in the Walled Warren (Kindle, Nook)
V20 Dark Ages: Cainite Conspiracies (Kindle, Nook)
Chronicles of Darkness: Strangeness in the Proportion (Kindle, Nook)
Vampire: The Requiem: Silent Knife (Kindle, Nook)
Mummy: The Curse: Dawn of Heresies (Kindle, Nook)
OUR SALES PARTNERS:
We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there!
https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/
Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://theonyxpath.com/press-release-onyx-path-limited-editions-now-available-through-indie-press-revolution/
And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296
SPECIAL W20 and M20 SALE! Huge savings on our Deluxe printing overruns until 8/31!
https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Deals-and-Specials/
DRIVETHRURPG.COM:
This Wednesday, we will release a series of Wraith: The Oblivion Journals on RedBubble!
CONVENTIONS!
From Fast Eddy Webb, we have these:
Eddy will be speaking at Broadleaf Writers Conference (September 22-23) in Decatur, GA. He’ll be there to talk about writing for interactive fiction, and hanging out with other writers who have far more illustrious careers. http://broadleafwriters.com/3rd-annual-broadleaf-writers-conference/3rd-annual-broadleaf-writers-conference-speakers/
Eddy will also be a featured guest at Save Against Fear (October 12-14) in Harrisburg, PA. He’ll be running some Pugmire games, be available for autographs, and will sometimes accept free drinks. http://www.thebodhanagroup.org/about-the-convention
If you are going and want to meet up, let us know!
And now, the new project status updates!
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM FAST EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)
Tales of Excellent Cats (Monarchies of Mau)
Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)
City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)
Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)
Redlines
Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)
CofD Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)
Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)
V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)
Second Draft
WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
Aeon Aexpansion (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)
C20 Players’ Guide (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
In Media Res (Trinity Continuum: Core)
Changeling: The Lost 2nd Jumpstart (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)
Wr20 Book of Oblivion (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)
Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Adventures for Curious Cats (Monarchies of Mau)
Development
Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
Fetch Quest (Pugmire)
CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)
Dystopia Rising: Evolution (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)
Night Horrors: Shunned by the Moon (Werewolf: The Forsaken 2nd Edition)
Manuscript Approval:
Editing:
They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!)
Dog and Cat Ready Made Characters (Monarchies of Mau) (With Eddy)
Post-Editing Development:
Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)
Guide to the Night (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
Dystopia Rising: Evolution – KS finals rolling in.
VtR: Guide to the Night
M20: Gods and Monsters
Geist 2e
The Realm
Trinity Continuum (Aeon and Core)
Ex3 Monthly Stuff
Ex3 Dragon Blooded
Marketing Stuff
In Layout
Scarred Lands Trilogy Novels – Converting to PDF and PoD.
PTC: Night Horrors: The Tormented
Fetch Quest
Cav cards
Proofing
Scion Hero
At Press
Changeling: The Lost 2e – incorporating errata and getting it ready for indexing.
Monarchies of Mau – Press proofs signed off… now printing.
Scion Origin – Out gathering errata.
Cavaliers of Mars – Printing.
Wraith 20th – Prepping the Deluxe files.
Monarchies of Mau Screen – Printing.
Cavaliers of Mars Screen – Printing.
Wraith 20 Screen – Printing.
Scion Dice – At fulfillment shipper.
TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: And we’re back! A bunch of us got some down time after/during Gen Con, and we’re feeling gooood.
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THE KID (x)
“My name is Kevin. I was born in South London. It was March 93, a Wednesday, and I decided to kill myself.”
The Kid begins with a voice-over of Kevin Lewis (Rupert Friend), as he is dumped out of the back of a van. Kevin is badly beaten about the face, and makes his way into (what was his childhood room) in an old, abandoned house. He drinks from a bottle of alcohol and proceeds to empty numerous pill bottles into his mouth.
The movie flashbacks to 1980 when Kevin is a small boy in his room, drawing on the wall. He sits on his lumpy mattress that is on the bare floor. He lives in a filthy house with his equally filthy parents (Gloria and Dennis), as well as multiple siblings. (Kevin’s mother is brilliantly portrayed by Natascha McElhone, an absolute beauty transformed into an ugly, bitter, and hateful woman.)
The picture painted of Kevin’s childhood is far from pretty. He is kept locked in his room, drawing on his wall, when he is not being beaten by his parents, dragged to the bar by his alcoholic father, or bullied at school. One particular beating Kevin suffers at the hands of his mother elicits the attention of a school nurse, who alerts social services.
Kevin is removed and put into foster care, where his difficulties as an abused child make a proper home placement a real challenge. Kevin’s social worker contacts David (Bernard Hill), a man who runs a children’s home of sorts. David reviews Kevin’s file and offers some insight.
David: “I don’t think Kevin is behaving badly because he’s out of control. I just don’t think anyone’s bothered to tell him how to behave in any other way...This young man has known nothing but hate and violence.”
Kevin flourishes under the care of the staff and learns to control and better express his anger in a healthy manner. The staff throw Kevin a surprise birthday party, and he is genuinely happy. However, the happiness is short-lived. Kevin receives a new social worker who concludes that Kevin should return home. Kevin is crushed and runs away, but David quickly finds him. The scene of the children waving goodbye as Kevin is driven away from the only people who have shown him true love made me want to cry. Of course, nothing changes once Kevin returns home. The abuse continues.
The movie skips to 1985 when Kevin is a teenager attending school. The bullying continues, but Kevin befriends a teacher, Mr. Smith (Ioan Gruffudd), who eventually learns of Kevin’s abuse. Once again, social services is notified. However, it takes one more brutal beating that sends Kevin to the hospital for social services to remove Kevin from his nightmarish parents for good. Unfortunately, this also separates him from his siblings, with whom he shares a sad goodbye.
Kevin is placed into another foster home with Alan (a local sports legend) and Margaret, where he receives a warm welcome and is treated kindly. His foster parents provide Kevin with a whole new life and new interests, which include the stock market. It all seems idyllic, but Alan’s dubious dealings with criminal elements cast a foreboding shadow on Kevin.
(This is when Rupert’s appearance as adult Kevin continues through the rest of the film.) Kevin becomes very driven to prove himself as a success, a winner, and he also starts to show promise in the boxing ring. It draws the attention of his foster father’s shady business associate, Terry, who offers to help him with a job. Alan also offers to help Kevin with funding when Kevin expresses his desire to start his own business. Unfortunately, Alan dies before he can do this. Kevin is heartbroken and vulnerable, and you can smell the vultures circling him. Adding to Kevin’s grief over losing his foster father, Margaret tells Kevin she will sell the family home and its contents, to move closer to her other children.
Kevin offers to buy the house, still thinking he will receive some money from his foster father’s estate. He obtains a mortgage through Terry and Terry’s shady accountant. Kevin moves into the house and feels happy, even hopeful. He goes out to a nightclub with his new friends, and that’s when Kevin sees a woman, Jackie, who catches his eye. He smiles so sweetly and innocently at her from the bar. It’s really quite cute. However, poor Kevin accidentally spills drinks on his new friends and panics. During his panic, he fantasizes about approaching Jackie and kissing her, and then runs out of the club.
Soon enough, Kevin’s life takes a turn for the worse as his job mopping floors does not provide him enough money to pay the mortgage, and it becomes clear he will receive no money from Alan’s estate. Kevin drinks heavily and is woken up one morning by the doorbell. He is served with a repossession order.
Kevin starts making money with Terry boosting cars, but it’s not enough money for the mortgage. Terry brings Kevin to an illegal fight match and wants him to fight. Kevin is apprehensive at first, but fights anyway. It’s not the type of fighting Kevin is used to, so he takes some low blows at first. However, Kevin gets the upper hand and wins. Terry gives Kevin money for the fight, but Kevin just looks bewildered.
The money from the illegal fighting gives Kevin some of the money he needs for a second chance to keep his home. It’s a nice reprieve, but doesn’t last. Terry offers Kevin a business opportunity to run a bar, with just a bit of a catch - Kevin has to buy liquor from Terry and pay for the lease. Terry’s accountant will oversee the account and billing for Kevin, of course. It’s terrible to see how Kevin wants so desperately to be successful, to be somebody, and Terry and his crew continue to take further advantage of his trusting nature.
But of course Kevin doesn’t realize the scam just yet. He’s just happy to feel like he is worth something. He dons sharp black suit and meets Terry at his nightclub to sign papers for his new bar. There he spots Jackie, and he finally gets a chance to introduce himself.
Kevin opens his new bar, and he has a lot of customers, including Terry and his men. It’s clear they are going to milk Kevin for everything they can get, demanding liquor on the house and taking money from the business. Meanwhile, Kevin strikes up a relationship with Jackie, sharing how important success is to him.
He sidesteps questions about his family. It’s clear he is still damaged by his past, despite how happy he thinks he is being an entrepreneur. As the relationship progresses, they are intimate. Kevin is somewhat hesitant and awkward during their lovemaking, and you are once again reminded just how childlike and vulnerable he is.
Before long, Terry confronts Kevin about the debt he owes to him and suggests he closes down the bar. Terry pushes Kevin into more illegal fights. Kevin has such a lost and empty look in his eyes when he fights. He resigns himself to a fate he feels he cannot change. He drinks and continues drawing on his bedroom wall. His relationship with Jackie suffers. She tells Kevin he never shows her affection or tells her he loves her. Rupert’s acting here just wrenches your heart out of your chest. He depicts Kevin’s struggle to express his feelings to Jackie in such an intense manner. You can feel his frustration.
Heartbroken, Kevin drinks with Terry and his shady bunch. Terry tells him he is closing the bar, which again crushes Kevin’s hopes and dreams. As Kevin begs Terry to keep the bar open, he learns Terry bet against him at his last fight and lost money.
Kevin’s life continues its downhill slide. He receives a call from one of his siblings that their mother is now beating her grandchildren. Kevin confronts his mother and orders her to stop.
Kevin: “You’re not going to touch them kids again, do you hear me? Or you’re going to have me to deal with.”
Gloria: “Is that supposed to scare me, is it? I’ve heard about you getting knocked about for a living. It’s all you’re good for. It’s all you was ever good for. And if you can hold your own, it’s me you’ve got me to thank for that, isn’t it?”
As Kevin leaves, his mother continues yelling at him, spewing her cruelty with her words instead of her fists now.
Gloria: “You’re not my fucking son!”
Kevin: “I never fucking was!”
(Can I just say again how amazing Natascha McElhone is in this role? She and Rupert lend a great intensity to their roles in this scene.) Kevin returns home to see the house is repossessed. His meager possessions are placed outside on the driveway. Kevin is distraught and cries, sitting with the few things he has left in the world.
At this point, Kevin has a breakthrough of sorts. He burns his belongings in a trash can. With this action, it’s as if he kills the person he once was and becomes someone else. And this is where we see a Quinn-like attitude and presence come over Kevin. He meets with an old friend and requests his help to sell Kevin’s car. Kevin gives him a list of people to contact after his next fight, and then he will go “where no one else can find me.”
Before Kevin begins the fight, he drinks from some small bottle. Kevin saunters towards his opponent, and Terry warns him that he better win the fight. Kevin taunts his opponent and allows himself to be beaten to a pulp. As he receives the final beating of his life, he experiences flashbacks of both his parents beating him. After the fight, Kevin is thrown in the back of a van and later tossed out onto the road. This is where the movie originally began.
While Kevin tries to kill himself with booze and pills, his friend distributes money in envelopes to his siblings. In Kevin’s drug-fueled stupor, he sees his life flashing before him: good times, his attempts at success, being swindled, fighting for Terry, and so on. Kevin suddenly awakens, and he is transformed again. He packs up and leaves, going to his bar to retrieve documents that he then takes to a different accountant.
Kevin meets up with his friend, who gives him the money from the sale of his car. Kevin’s friend implores him to be careful, but Kevin just smiles that sweet smile…and then he buys a gun! As Kevin’s plan unfolds, I immediately thought of Quinn. You see, just like Kevin the teenager finally fought back against bullies in school, Kevin the adult fights back against the bullies who used him to run a business they left bankrupt and made more money off of him at the expense of his poor, beaten soul. It’s time to settle the score.
Kevin rolls up on Terry and his crew at their nightclub before it is open for business. As Kevin enters the office, he immediately punches one of Terry’s goons while the accountant watches, and then calmly pulls his gun on Terry.
Terry: “Don’t be stupid, son.”
Kevin: “I’ve been stupid for far too long. You’ve played me like a fucking fool.”
Terry: “What are you going on about?”
Kevin: “You fucked me. You knew I was desperate, and you played me for a fool.”
His demeanor is quite chilling, and again reminds me of Quinn as he sits down and throws a document at Terry to sign. Kevin lays out his demands for what he is owed, making clear he knows exactly what they did and how they took advantage of him.
Kevin: “I’ve got nothing left to lose I’ll put a bullet in you and then one in me.”
Kevin cocks the gun and brings it to his head with another chilling smile, before he points the gun back at Terry, losing the smile and giving the hard Quinn stare. (GREAT SCENE!) Everyone can see Kevin means business.
After the accountant gives Kevin the money and Terry signs the document, Kevin sits down on Terry’s desk and leans towards him.
Kevin: “When I walk out that door, you and me are finished. You can carry on acting like…(Sorry I couldn’t decipher, and the DVD did not have English subtitles!) I don’t mind. I won’t tell anyone. But if you ever come near me again, I’m going to kill you. That make sense?” (Kevin delivers yet another frightening smile before departing.)
As Kevin is leaving, the goon moves to stop him. Kevin gives him the Quinn business and puts him in his place quite efficiently.
Kevin: “You…talk too much. And you’re fucking rude.”
Kevin returns to his friend and gives him the signed document. Next, he turns his attention to Jackie while she is in a work meeting. Kevin professes his love for her in front of everyone.
Kevin: “I just love you. That’s all that matters. There’s a million things that I should have said to you, a long time ago. A few thousand of them were written in this.” Kevin hands his journal over to Jackie.
Kevin: “You make me feel not ashamed anymore.”
In the final scenes, Kevin and Jackie live in the home he bought from his foster family. They celebrate Kevin’s new book that he wrote for Jackie from his journal. Kevin visits the people from his past, like Mr. Smith and his father. The movie ends as Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife and two children in his backyard, followed by actual footage of a Kevin Lewis interview.
“But life isn’t about the past. It’s about the future.”
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Write about a character getting off at the wrong bus stop.
Sorry this took so long, nonny! My friend called and then this… also became much longer than flashfiction should be. I hope you enjoy it? Send me a prompt!
“Yes mom, I’ll be home soon, no I won’t forget to pick-up the milk. Bye mom!” Laura hung up on her mother as she got off the bus, tossing her phone into her bag and running a hand through her hair. That was the third time her mother has called her that day to remind her to pick up the milk. As if she’d forget! She was a perfectly competent adult human woman and did not need to be reminded three times. She shook her head as if shaking off her frustration at her mother and began to make her way down the street. But the further she walked the stranger things became. It still looked like her street, same pieces of grass growing through the cracks of the pavement, the same trees waving their limbs at her from above, the same ugly, heroine den of a corner shop with its peeling yellow paint and rusted sign reading One Stop. But there was something off about the grass and the trees and the shop. Like someone had drawn and then copy and pasted an image of what these things were supposed to look like but didn’t quite understand what they were. But the building was still there and the grass still green and Laura was going to get that milk, dammit, even if it meant dealing with creepy feelings. With a new sense of vigour Laura stomped her way over to the store, careful to look both ways before crossing the street, and pushed open the filthy, glass door. The neon Open sign flashed and sparked and the door made the usual ding but she paid it no mind. She whistled as she walked through the store, looking at the snacks and pocketing a candy bar while at it. This place was practically a crack den in the back, they could afford to lose a candy bar or two. Her whistle turned into a hum as she reached the fridge, scanning the contents for the milk. As she looked, she thought back to how strange everything the atmosphere outside was and then it finally hit her.
She was the only person on the street.At this realisation she whirled around, looking around the shop. School ended not too long ago so the shop should have been filled with kids stealing snacks and distracting Barry, the owner. But the shop was empty, the only sound coming from the zoom of the refrigerators and her breathing. Laura was acutely aware of her breathing.
This, coupled with the weird feelings from outside could only mean one thing.
She got off at the wrong stop.
Laura groaned, a lot like a child close to throwing a tantrum, before pulling out the candy bar in her pocket and ripping it open. She bit into it, ferociously, swearing all the while and berating herself. You couldn’t pay attention, could you?
You HAD to be looking at that cute girl before your mom called, didn’t you? Dammit, you know to count the bus stops.You didn’t thank the driver. That last one caused a weight to sink in the pit of her stomach, as if the candy she had eaten clumped together and nestled, deep within her gut, before becoming lead with spines. It burrowed deeper, as the full force of that last thought settled within her. She felt fear scurry up her throat like a mouse.The rumoured EverField BusStop was a local legend in Reins, the town where Laura grew up. It appeared between 1pm and 5pm, before coming again at 2am to 4am. No one in the town knew where it came from or why it existed, just that it was an extra stop between Faircross Avenue and Bellington Lane on a Monday and Wednesday, but would be different on the other days of the week. The stop was rumoured to take on whatever place you were thinking of at the time – for Laura, it was Faircross Avenue – but the place would be devoid of people and no one else would get on or get off. It would be only you and whatever street you were thinking of, and whatever lived on that street. Because no one knew what happened to those people who got off at the wrong stop. Only few returned, either mute or suicidal, all killing themselves within three days of entering back into the real world. While the town never spoke of EverField, there was one rule that had to be followed, no matter what: thank the bus driver. Granted, this was common courtesy, but there was speculation that the bus driver was the only one who could bring you back. But there was something else: the buses in Reins didn’t have normal drivers, or at least, no one ever saw their faces. You never heard of children saying they want to become a bus driver, nor did you hear anyone talking about a relative, a parent, or a loved one in the profession. The bus drivers didn’t exist. They’re only purpose was to drop people off at their destination. Did the same bus drivers have the same busses? Did they have names? No one knew. You just scanned in your bus card or tossed in standard the bus fair into the coin container, and that was it. You thanked the driver as you got off, because that was just how it was in Reins. Because people didn’t want to think about what would happen if you didn’t.Except Laura had to think about it, because she didn’t thank the bus driver. So what did that mean? Did it mean anything at all? For all she knew, it was just rumours and horror stories to keep children from getting off at the wrong stop and to be polite. Whose to say any of this was real? Except she knew. Deep-down she knew this was real and she was in EverField and she didn’t thank the bus driver and now – now what? Was she stuck here? Was the bus driver going to emerge later and suck out her eyeballs? Or would that bus never come back this way?That gave her an idea. She checked the time on her phone, but she couldn’t read it. The numbers on her screen had turned into strange squiggles and symbols, nothing like normal numbers at all. Well, that was okay! She’d just wait at the bus stop until another bus came by! That would work, right? Another bus had to come back at some point, right? She didn’t dwell on it, having already made the decision. Taking a few more candy bars, chocolate, and chips, before stuffing them in her bag, she made her way over to the bus stop. Except it was gone. The bus stop, was nowhere in sight. Laura searched, peering down the street to see if maybe, the bus stop was lower down. She kept walking, but when it still didn’t appear she picked up the pace to a brisk walk, then to a jog, then to an outright run. It had to be somewhere, it had to. It had to, it had to, it had to. But no matter how far she ran, there was still no bus stop. Finally, she collapsed onto her knees, panting, long hair sticking to her sweaty face. Well, if there was no bus stop, then she would go back to the shop. She could sit there and wait it out and figure out what to do. With a deep breath she stood, legs unsteady, and turned around, only to be met with an endless expanse of concrete, the sun beating heavily down, making it look more white than grey. And as she began to walk she noticed the same grass, as if copy-pasted into the same place every few feet. And the same trees. And the same cracks in the side walk. In the distance, she saw a bus come towards her and she cried out in joy, running towards it, arms stretched like the bus was an oasis and she was a dying man. But as it neared it vanished into smoke right before her and she swore she could hear a cackle and a whisper, like a tendril of curling smoke;
‘You should have thanked me.’
#by Zarnoczay#prompt#I have no explanation#I really hope someone enjoy this!#Anonymous#horror#I was listening to horror music while writing this#so it probably isn't scary#and the ending is probably just funny#buy#but*
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39 Days to Go
San Francisco, CA
Monday, December 14, 2009
11:30 a.m. PDT
When “The Lion” John Grant had woken up this morning—just like he’d done every previous morning since making his tape—he’d immediately logged into his computer and checked his e-mail. He’d created a new e-mail account for wrestling business only, kept separate from the e-mail address where friends keep in touch with him, professors send him assignments, and various corporations hawk the miracles of their penis-enlargement pills and easy ways to make $100,000 for working four hours a week.
The last few days, he’d received nothing, but he’d expected that. He’d only approved the final cut of his introduction tape on Wednesday, after all; and video editor Harry Jaffee had done the rest—making seventeen copies of the master disc and overnighting them via FedEx to the organizations John had specified. John certainly hadn’t anticipated that any of them would get back to him on the same day they received his video.
But today when he’d logged in, he’d gotten a reply from one of the administrators of the World Wrestling Alliance, saying not only that they’d received his video, but that they were offering him a pre-show tryout match on their January 22 edition of WWA: Underground, live from The Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Taking a look at the WWA’s schedule, since he knew the company was relaunching on the 15th, he replied with an e-mail saying that not only would he be there in the best shape of his life, but with the company’s permission he’d be happy to sit backstage during the Hammerstein Ballroom show on the 15th as well, to meet some of his future co-workers, build relationships, and learn what he could from them.
Barring that, he didn’t mention in the e-mail, he’d simply buy a ticket to the inaugural event himself and sit in the crowd. He didn’t even need to sit in the front row and announce his presence or anything. He may be trying out for the company, and he may be the son of a wrestling legend, but he didn’t feel any desire to call undue attention to himself on a show in which he wasn’t even wrestling. He wanted the crowd’s focus to be where it should be: on the performers inside the ring.
As for John, at this moment he was exercising on the ringside mat in the Inferno Wrestling Academy, jumping rope, dressed in white workout clothes. The unusually cold weather San Francisco was experiencing had not let up from two days ago, but John had jogged two miles here from home just like he had every day for the past month. And when it was time for class, he usually arrived there via public transit; he really only used his car for other, out-of-the-way activities like going out on dates, participating in wrestling events, and that sort of thing.
After spending half an hour jumping rope, John works on the treadmill for an hour, and then lifts weights, completing his workout by getting some time in with a kickboxing bag while trainer Joe Ernest holds it for him. By the time he’d done that for twenty minutes, the Academy was bustling with activity, from camera crews setting up to record guys cutting promos, to guys working on the various exercise equipment, to other people merely standing around and chatting.
“Hey, John,” says a familiar voice from behind him, and John turns around with a start, having been so focused on what he was doing that he hadn’t even realized how many people were in here. Let alone that his uncle, “The Tiger” Brian Grant, had arrived.
“Uncle Brian,” John says, clasping his hand and sharing a manly one-armed hug with him. At 5’10”, Brian was a head shorter than his 6’3” nephew, who in turn was overshadowed (both physically and in terms of reputation) by his 6’9” father Steve, the “Blue Inferno”, who’d won more championships than John had ever [i]heard[/i] of. But John didn’t have nearly the brute strength that his father had had during his wrestling career, which was one of many reasons that the 18-year-old had emulated his uncle Brian’s style far more than Steve’s. Brian had practically no brute force whatsoever in his approach to wrestling; he was very much a high-flying light-heavyweight, through and through.
As John greets his uncle, he notices that Brian was accompanied by someone else. And how could he [i]not[/i] notice it? The man in question, standing easily seven feet tall and weighing, by a conservative estimate, 285 pounds, was a bald, black, wall of muscle, clearly a current or former bodybuilder. And he’s looking at John with the cool, yet intense confidence of someone who believed in his ability to beat the living hell out of anyone he came across. John wouldn’t doubt that in a moment.
“John,” Brian says by way of introduction, “this gentleman here is Jamal Richards.”
“Jamal,” John says in acknowledgement, extending his hand for a handshake. After a brief moment, Jamal accepts the handshake. Firm grip; no surprise there.
“He’s 32 years old, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, a four-year All-American linebacker at Florida State University and member of their 1999 National Championship team as a senior; and he played three years in the NFL as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He graduated from the Inferno Wrestling Academy in ‘05, and competes in the heavyweight division of the National Wrestling Organization of Japan, where he currently holds their Television Championship.
“I brought him here today as your opponent.”
John looks at Jamal, his expression becoming more and more incredulous as Brian runs down the resumé of this impressive specimen. Finally, John says, “You can’t be serious.” And immediately he curses himself for saying that; he knew Brian would jump all over him for that.
If anything, John’s reaction made Jamal look even more smug than he already was. And Brian did, indeed, take John to task for saying that.
“I’ve been accused of a number of things, John, but I’m pretty sure ‘being a comedian’ isn’t one of them. You’ve sparred with myself, your father, Nick, Barry, and Antonio long enough. You’re starting to get used to it. But now you’ve been accepted by the World Wrestling Alliance; you’re gonna face all kinds of different opponents. You think Steve didn’t face guys of all shapes and sizes on his way to five NEW World Heavyweight Championships?”
“Unless you want to prove that your graduating this Academy was a joke, and your father went easy on you,” Jamal adds.
[i]That[/i] did it. “Hey, I’ll take on [i]any[/i]body, [i]any[/i]time,” John says, staring up at Jamal as his face begins to match the intensity of his much larger, far more accomplished opponent.
“Sounds good to me,” Brian says. “As it so happens, I’m wearing my referee hat today, so Jamal, get stretched up, and let’s get this show on the road.”
“I’m ready right now,” Jamal replies, glaring down at John. Brian simply shrugs, and John adjusts his wristbands, preparing himself for the fight of his life.
“Oh, and by the way—just so I can see what both of you are [i]really[/i] made of—this match will be a no-disqualifications match,” Brian adds. “So this is no time to be lacking confidence, John.”
Gazing once more at the chiseled physique of his opponent, who seemed to be smiling even wider than when John had first expressed his doubts, the young man simply says, “You’ve got [i]that[/i] right.”
[b]Twenty minutes later…[/b]
If someone had spoken to John twenty-five minutes ago, he wouldn’t have believed that person when told that twenty-five minutes later, he’d actually be in a position to win this match. In fact, the first seven minutes of the match had gone extremely badly for John, as he’d taken power move after power move from Jamal, everything from a three powerbombs to a spinebuster to a gorilla press sidewalk slam.
But when Jamal had made the mistake of going to the outside to grab a metal folding chair and lifting John to his feet with the intention of whipping him off the ropes and hitting a drop toe-hold onto the chair, John had flown back off the ropes with a flying forearm, taking Jamal down to his back. Quickly grabbing the chair, John had waited until Jamal got to his feet, and then practically fused the chair into the former Navy SEAL’s skull, not even bothering to fold the chair back up before doing so. The satisfying sound of metal striking bone had sent an “OOOOOH!” throughout all of those watching at the Academy.
The match had gone much better for John after that. Focusing his attacks on the right knee of the larger man, beating him down with punches, kicks and chair shots, he’d been able to keep Jamal from putting too much weight on it for the rest of the contest. Throw in a figure-four leglock, an STF, and even—thanks to a sudden burst of strength—a Fisherman suplex—and Jamal’s knee was pretty thoroughly savaged.
Just a moment ago, John had hit a Russian legsweep, bringing Jamal down again, in the center of the ring. Now he stood perched up on the top turnbuckle, where—showing his respect to a legend of yore by flashing the “I Love You” sign—he jumps off and connects with a Superfly Splash. He didn’t get quite the same elevation on it as he had in his recent match against Antonio Mason, but when Brian’s hand went down for the three-count, and Jamal wasn’t able to kick out, “The Lion” John Grant had won the contest.
A great cheer came up from the assembled wrestlers and technicians as Brian raises John’s hand in victory, and a chant of “JOHNNY! JOHNNY! JOHNNY!” started—which John noticed had actually been started by fellow ’09 Academy graduate Barry Andrews. When they’d started out in the Academy together, the 25-year-old former hockey player had called John “Spoon Boy” after the alleged silver spoon John had been born with in his mouth, but just like with Violet, as they’d persevered together, they’d become close friends.
Well…
Barry wasn’t exactly as close a friend to John as Violet was.
Speaking of his girlfriend, John didn’t see her in the crowd today, much to his disappointment. At least he knew that the match, just like the one with Antonio, had been thoroughly and professionally taped by the Academy’s camera crew.
As Jamal lifts himself to his feet, politely shrugging off John’s offer of assistance, he can see the grudging admiration in the eyes of his defeated opponent. After a moment, Jamal offers his hand, and John cautiously takes it.
“Great match,” Jamal says, and John nods in agreement. “Game for a rematch sometime?”
“You bet,” John replies, and the two of them share a manly hug.
[b]Ten minutes later…[/b]
John stood ringside with the Academy’s resident interviewer, Alex Yost, who’d been one of the many people in attendance during the impromptu match. Actually, he’d shown up right as the contest was about to get underway, which had made John wonder if Alex had some kind of sixth sense for these sorts of things. He wasn’t dressed in his usual suit, however—he wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans.
“John Grant, a word with you, please. Going into this match fellow former Academy graduate Jamal Richards, you were most definitely the underdog. Given no preparation time beforehand, how did you triumph today against the current Television Champion of the National Wrestling Organization of Japan?”
Shaking his head slightly in disbelief, John says, “Well, to be honest with you, Alex—early on, I thought I was pretty thoroughly screwed. Richards clearly had me very well-scouted, and it seemed I couldn’t do anything right for the first seven, eight minutes of the match. But he got a little cocky going for that chair; he couldn’t leave well enough alone, and that was pretty obviously the turning point of the match.”
“We just got word today that you have earned a tryout match in the World Wrestling Alliance for their second WWA: Underground show on January 22. On the pre-show, you’ll take on Kid Cool and Willy Murdoch in a triangle match. Do you have anything to say to your upcoming opponents?”
“Yeah, I do,” John says, giving a half-smile before continuing. “This is my one and only try-out match for the WWA, and I intend to make the most out of it. Kid Cool, Willy Murdoch, I’ve got 39 days until it’s time to step into a WWA ring, and start making a name for myself as one of the hottest up-and-coming young superstars in the business. And if you think I’m going to spend those 39 days relaxing at the beach and playing video games, you obviously don’t know who you’re dealing with.
“I’m gonna train hard, I’m gonna study videotape, and I’m gonna battle the best that the Academy can throw at me. I will continue developing my style, learning what works and improving upon—or discarding—what doesn’t work. And when the time comes for me to step through that curtain, you’d better understand that I’ve got nothing to lose by going all-out and bringing the fight right to you. It may be a match on the pre-show, but I’m gonna treat it like a pay-per-view main event, and I’ll be out there to put on one hell of a show for the fans, and to come away with a resounding victory that’ll make the WWA establishment come tripping over themselves to sign me.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, Alex, I’ve got more work to do. The match’ll be here before you know it.”
As John walks off-camera, Alex says, “Of course. ‘The Lion’ John Grant, everyone. He made a statement tonight with his outstanding match and victory over Jamal Richards; and in 39 days he’ll compete in a three-way match for a chance to earn a WWA contract.”
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Short
Miami in December. A fun time. Maya was hosting a private Christmas party for her company. Love Towns. She wanted fun. That’s what she got. She begged me to come. Support her. Get away from freezing home.
So I did. First flight out of YYZ.
Toying with my hair. Tilting my head. My eyes moving constantly on my outfit. Sticking with it in the end. Naughty and nice.
An intimate dinner with my cousins. Crystal, Taylor, Bria and Maya. Laughs, wine, full course meals. A classy pregame for tonight’s festivities.
Maya’s night. Her team was amazing. A tight knit team that meshed together like family. The location was great. A mansion. Strobe lights set to the mood. A pool in the backyard with mermaids. String lights above your head. A fairytale dream come to life. A garden haven like that scene from Peter Pan.
A few celebrities were here. A few good bloggers. Nothing unusual. A female DJ to set the mood perfectly. A videographer moved gracefully. Capturing the right moments.
Lost in my own world. Dancing carelessly. Taking photos. Networking. Drinking. Living freely.
Maya made her toast for the night. Gratitude and thankful. Overwhelmed with emotions but happiness summed it up. More to come. A better future for sure.
Walking to the open bar. Spotting a familiar face in the sea of familiar friends. My heart sank...just a little. Turning to a different bar. Erasing what I saw. Trying to become invisible. I didn’t need to see him. Our time ended. It was almost too perfect to be true. Who am I kidding? I gave up on him. His idea of love wasn’t mature. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t what I needed.
The Boy didn’t take that well. He wrote a few words about me. Words he didn’t feel comfortable texting right away. Wondering where have I been? Recalling conversations of young infatuation; he used to be on my mind constantly. What a time.
Distracting myself again. Remembering where I was and why I was here. A sense of calm came back. Unbothered. Leaving back to hotel with Bria.
A morning workout like usual. Brunch outside with umbrellas and robes. Bottomless mimosas and twerking. A good time that anyone would want to join. A trip to Wynwood Art District. Photos of course to emphasize on our art. Art Basel activities wrapped up early. A yacht party to end the night.
Once was luck. Twice was supposed to be.
Brown eyes piercing into each other. Complete thoughts were blocked by me. He couldn’t read me. He couldn’t express himself how he wanted. He felt like there was more to tell. Another part of him was over and done with me. Ha, I found that hard to believe.
We were across the room. Smiling with the same effort. I never made it to his side nor did he make it to mine. No words were said. I drank my white wine.
My fun came to an end. Work called me. Facing the bitter cold was terrible. It was still home. I couldn’t trade it. Maybe New York if I had to move. Atlanta was also an option. I met someone out there. A beautiful man who wanted to offer the world; the world I dreamed of. I declined for Aubrey. He had more value at the time. I guess I saw happiness in him that he couldn’t put into motion.
Sitting at work preoccupied. Looking through important flies. Classic music playing lowly. The office phone rang. Making immediate eye contact with Jennifer.
“You have a call from Drake. Would you like to take it or should I tell him you’re busy?”
“I’ll take it.” A confident wink. I knew silence wouldn’t last long. “Thanks Jen.”
In seconds, the call transferred. “What can I do for you, Mr. Graham?”
“I didn’t expect you to answer.”
A careless shrug. “You’re not disappointed, are you? I can always let you leave a message.”
“Dinner tonight at Fring’s.”
My eyebrows raised. “Why?”
“You know the answer.”
“Do you know the context of the question?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions instead of saying yes.”
“This isn’t a date.” I had to clarify nothing.
“We could make this a thing.” I could read his smirk.
“It was a thing….that ended. I have plans.” Plans with myself. Plans of self care. Face masks, glass of wine, work on the side.
“Whenever you don’t have plans, you should reschedule with me.”
“I’ll keep you in mind.” Ending the conversation there. I won’t let him get carried away.
Self care Wednesday night. I owe it to myself. No one bothered me. Peace and clarity in my mind. I waited for the weekend. Demanding what I could. He accepted the offer.
I stood with a glass of red wine. Staring at the CN Tower lit brightly from his glass windows. Another rental for his liking. Perfection was his thing.
“Why?” I turned to him. Staring up slightly at his tall stature. His eyes were tired. I hit that right on the nose.
A soft smile. “You’re here because you want to be here.”
“Why did you want to see me?”
“For the same reason, I’ve always wanted to see you.” He missed me. He couldn’t get through to me through texting or calling. The atmosphere would be different.
“Well, I’m doing fine.” My eyes went back to the view. I tried to reassure him. “What made you worry?”
“I didn’t like our ending. It wasn’t an end. It just fizzed out….and it shouldn’t have.”
My eyebrow raised. “Why not? You were not going to put in the necessary effort. I wasn’t trying to be the heat of the moment or another phase. Phases are cycles and I can’t do that with someone I love.”
His cocky grin made me roll my eyes. “Why didn’t you say that?”
“You never reciprocated like you meant it. What do you want?” The side of my face rested against the glass.
“Can you wait on me?” Something about his words were sad. I stared up at him.
“Do you even want me?” An annoying sigh left his lips. “Seriously. Asking me that is pointless at this point. You can have whatever you want whenever you’re ready. So why put me here? If you want sex then say that. I’m not going to keep this up with you….especially when you know what you want.”
“You can’t handle this life.”
My eyes rolled. I placed my glass on a table. Walking by him to leave. He grabbed him before I could leave the room. Picking me up into his arms. Kissing with love. Taking me to his bed. All at the same time.
I stopped him. “If I can’t handle this life, then I won’t be here. I’m not gonna fall in love with you.”
Removing myself from him. Realizing that this has to be the last time. I can’t come at his every call. I have to leave him alone. I was doing so well.
His thumb brushed against my cheek. I realized I was crying. I pushed his thumb away. I hated him. I hated that he wasn’t ready. I hated that he wasn’t ready for me. I wanted to be there for him. That was the honest truth. That was the twisted false sense of reality,
“Zhuri….” He was confused as well. “Talk to me.”
“I can’t.” Shaking my head. “I can’t just be here waiting for you. I can’t. I can’t just wait anymore. I’m sorry if that’s selfish. I’m just tired. I can’t give you what we’ve always wanted. There’s nothing romantic about this...whatever this is.”
“Is this the end? Are you really over and done with me? Is this what you want?” His tone was relaxed. He wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t his first rodeo. I knew this.
“It’s over. We can be cordial somewhere down the road if that’s what is meant for us. I’m done with you. I’m done waiting for you. Trust me, I don’t want to be but I can’t continue to sacrifice when you’ve never offered to sacrifice anything. I’ll always love you and I won’t ever stop but I can’t be in love with you anymore.”
All of strength was used. A weight lifted off of my shoulders. I held in that thought very tightly. It hurt more than I imagined.
He let me go. I let him go.
Years later, we bump into each other. Two different people with two different lives. I presume he was happy. He met this girl from Toronto. They were in love happily. He stopped doing music. He was strictly business man. One of the greatest the city has ever seen.
As for me, I was married to a pediatrician. He is my best friend. He has made me so happy. We travel whenever we can. We moved into a house last month. We have a beautiful baby girl together. Emery Sade Parker. She’s my everything.
Yet, we stood glancing at each other from across the room. It was Maya’s baby shower. She was expecting baby number two with Lou. She was glowing with joy for many reasons.
We haven’t seen each other in years. He was mad at me last time I recalled. Rather, mad and hurt simultaneously because he wasn’t invited to my wedding. He didn’t find out about it until months after the wedding that I was with someone. Inviting him wasn’t the best for either of us. It would just be a reminder that it could’ve been us and I’m happy now.
Hugging him tightly was nostalgic. Inhaling his scent that was his. The hug lasted longer than I expected. It couldn’t be misinterpreted to mean anything else.
A quiet smile between us like giddy kids. “You look amazing.” His charm still present.
“Somehow your beard has aged better than you.” A cheesy comment to make him laugh.
“I’m trying age like your pops. He’s a legend.” Our eyes fell on my parents. A goal.
“You’re getting there.” A soft smile. I wanted to walk away. His girlfriend was approaching.
“Maya told me, you had a baby girl.” I kept my life extremely private...from Aubrey. I knew my family still brought me up to him. Pictures were the way to my life.
“Yeah. Emery.” I missed her and her dad. She had a cold and couldn’t fly out to L.A. Aryan wouldn’t allow the traveling risk.
“Hey, you must be Zhuri.” A beautiful black woman stood across from me. Her hand extended.
“Yeah, and you are….Ivy. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Shaking hands. “I’m gonna go get these games started.”
One last look at Aubrey. He was happy but I could feel his longing to talk to me. It hurt him and he hurt me. We were going to move away from this. It was best for both of us.
He was never going to leave my life. He was apart of my family’s life. I was fine with that. I wasn’t shaky or hesitant about Aryan knowing about him. We coexist...as two different people with two different lives.
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