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imaginepirates · 4 years

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New York

Another modern au, but this time, the whole crew shows up.....and they show up in New York, a hub of modern technology and culture. Aided by your friend, you help them acclimate to life in modern times. As if that wasn’t enough, the crew tries to set you up with James, who is, admittedly, one of your fictional crushes. For @shadowsingeraxolotl

@emdrabbles @tesserphantom @paljonkaikenlaista @viper-official @wordsinwinters @groovyfluxie

~3350 words

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New York was a hub of activity, people flitting about from place to place in the early evening light. The diversity between people was staggering; hipsters walked on their way between stores, the well-dressed made their way to music halls and theaters, tourists took pictures of everything in sight, and tired-looking students drank their weight in coffee at each Starbucks.

You, however, were just going home. You’d spent the day on Manhattan’s waterfront, and you looked forward to coming back to tour the middle of the city later. You lived in Brooklyn, and spent some of your free time exploring the various sections of NYC. No matter how long a person lived in New York City, there was always more to see.

You passed a small group of people who looked to be dressed in costumes. They looked like they’d come straight out of a history book. Each of them were staring up and around at the surrounding skyscrapers with wide eyes, and you wondered if it was part of the act. One noticed your curiosity and beckoned you over.

“Could you tell us where we are, love?” He asked. Dreadlocks hung to his shoulders, and he had on a costume like a pirate. In fact, he quite looked like Johnny Depp, and you wondered if there was a production of Pirates of the Caribbean going on nearby.

Wouldn’t have missed that for the world, you thought. How did I not see any advertising? “Why, you’re in New York.” You played along, though you felt a bit shy around the strangers.

“New York?” Another man sputtered. He stood just behind you, and you turned to see a man in naval uniform.

You smiled to yourself. The stricken expression on the man’s face was quite convincing. A good actor, I bet. Then you looked him over again, and you were sure all the color drained from your face, because he was the spitting image of James Norrington. Did I eat something, or am I just dreaming?

“Wonderful.” This came from a girl standing next to you, and you turned to see a girl who looked exactly like Elizabeth Swann. She was staring with wonder up at all the big buildings, eyes shining.

And Elizabeth would like it, too. There was another, and you knew before looking that it was going to be Will Turner. He looked awkward, looking around with clear anxiety in his eyes.

You swallowed. “You must be lost.” You could feel your own anxiety skyrocketing. This is insane. I’m insane. This can’t be real. Instead of saying any of that, though, you said, “Do you need a place to stay?”

“That would be wonderful, love.” As calm as he was trying to sound, there was some tension in Jack’s voice. You couldn’t blame him.

“We can get an Uber. Or two. Or….” It might just be best if I called a friend. No driver could take five people in the small cars Uber drivers usually had, and they certainly wouldn’t fit in a taxi. “I’ll just call a friend.”

It felt odd, standing there, in the middle of the street, with a bunch of strangers dressed in eighteenth century garb, waiting for your friend to show up. They had a van, and you could count on it to fit everyone.

You had to wait a long time. Traffic in Manhattan was something else; the crush of cabs, busses, and cars made driving through the area a nightmare. You tried quietly convincing your new companions not to stare at things. The statement went both ways. You wanted to gape at the little group, but you knew it was rude. Still, they literally came right out of a story. I think that warrants for staring a little.

In your peripheral vision, you could just see Norrington’s coat sleeve. Norrington. A man that you’d had a crush on since you’d first watched the series. You could feel yourself fidgeting in embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to retreat to the safety of home. Then it struck you: I’m going to have all these people in my house. The one place where I can retreat from people. You sighed. This’ll resolve itself. It has to. Right?

Finally, your friend arrived. They pulled up to the curb, the window to the driver’s side rolling down. “You owe me, fam.” Your friend called out. “What was so import—oh.” They stared at the little gathering.

You ushered the group into the van, instructing them on how to properly use seatbelts. You hopped in the passenger’s seat, looking over to your friend with what you knew were dazed eyes. “Yeah,” you said. “I owe you.”

There was a collective gasp as the van drove off. You could hear dull thuds from where the characters had thrown out their hands. Elizabeth, at least, was smiling. You could see her in the rearview mirror, her face pressed up against the van’s tinted windows, fingers splayed against the glass. Clearly, she was enraptured. James, on the other hand, had drained of color. You felt badly for him. This definitely wasn’t what he’d signed up for upon entering the Navy.

You pulled into the parking lot of your apartment, ushering everyone inside. The less people saw of your visitors, the better. You had them gather in your small living room while you pulled your friend aside into the bathroom.

“I just found them on the street,” you explained. “And you can see them too, which means I’m not insane.”

“Yeah….Still not sure what we should do with them. Should we turn them in to the police or something?”

Somehow, the thought didn’t seem right. “The police will probably try to put them in a psych ward.”

“You might be right on that one.” Your friend sighed. “I don’t know where you plan to keep them. This isn’t the roomiest of places.”

“It’ll have to do.” You shrugged. “And thanks. For helping me out. For going along with all this.”

They smiled. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

You stepped back out into the living room to see four expectant faces staring back at you. You had to explain a lot to them, and the task was daunting. You didn’t even know where to start. “I’m guessing that you’re all a little confused,” you began.

“That’s an understatement, mate.” Jack picked his way across the room, looking at your furniture, electronics, and decorations. He poked and prodded at a few things, making the ridiculous facial expressions he was famous for.

“As I told you earlier,” you continued, “you’re in New York City.”

“This certainly isn’t how I remember the Colonies.” Norrington looked around the small room, a frown in place.

“And I’ve seen some strange things, love, but this can’t be New York,” Jack added.

“Well….you also happen to be….” Even the thought of it sounded ridiculous. Welcome to the twenty-first century! Here are three hundred years worth of war, politics, culture, and technology to catch up on! “You’re also a couple hundred years in the future.” You watched worriedly for their response, but all you got were four sets of eyes.

“A couple?” Norrington was white as a sheet.

“Three, I think.”

“Three.”

You all stared at each other, including your friend, who looked around the room with concern. It was at this moment that Will flipped the lightswitch, causing everything to go dark. There were exclamations from the four pirates. Pirates. Probably shouldn’t bring that up. For all I know, Jack is still the only true pirate here, and the rest hadn’t fallen in yet before they got here. Suddenly, Will flipped the switch again, and your eyes had to adjust back to the light. The panic subsided—for the moment.

“Electricity,” you explained. “We don’t use candles anymore.”

“Convenient.” This came from Will, who was squinting at a lightbulb.

“Yeah. Might not want to stare at that, though.” Will nodded at your suggestion, but kept glancing back at it as if it would suddenly change.

At some point, Norrington must have regained his composure, despite the slight pinch he gave the bridge of his nose. You expected that it was a common gesture for him, what with his line of work. “You must be overwhelmed, having us here. You’ve been very kind to take us in. If you can think of anything you might need help with, we’d be happy to help you.” He gave a sharp look to each of his companions and an awkward smile to you.

You nodded, indeed feeling quite overwhelmed. The realization that you’d have to keep them in your apartment and feed them did nothing to help. You eventually figured out sleeping arrangements, though you felt badly about the lack of space. Elizabeth would share your bed with you, and the boys would take the living room. Your friend left to find suitable clothes for everyone, and you thanked them profusely.

You woke up early the next morning, full of stress. You padded softly through the living room into the kitchen, trying not to wake anybody, looking for food to make everyone. James stirred as you passed him. He was laying on the couch, though it was too small for him, and his feet were dangling over the edge. He shifted, yawning a little and stretching out. He’d doffed his wig and hat, leaving his hair to poke out at all angles. You found it adorable. He looked up at you with tired eyes, and you looked back with what you knew was equally messy hair.

“Morning,” you whispered.

“Good morning.” He gave you a small, soft smile and stood up from the couch. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Do you know how to make crepes?”

“Unfortunately not.” He looked a little awkward, but it was clear he wanted to help.

“You can help me fill them.” You gave him what you hoped was a reassuring smile, and he followed you into the kitchen.

It was strange, to have company in a kitchen that usually only held you. It was nice, too. James was a welcome presence, spreading jams, peanut butter, and nutella across the crepes you made. You gave him some ham to add to them, too, in case someone preferred a savory option. Crepes could, in your opinion, get overly sweet.

You caught a smile on James’ face. “This reminds me of times gone by,” he admitted. “When I was a child in England. I used to watch the women in the kitchens preparing food. They’d give me small tasks to do, sometimes. It was,” you watched him search for the right word, “nice. It still is.” He looked over at you, a little blush tinting his cheeks. You felt yourself blushing right back, though you couldn’t say the feeling was unpleasant.

Breakfast was eaten with gusto, and though you’d feared it might be awkwardly silent, the group had a never-ending string of questions. Elizabeth voiced her desire to explore, and you figured it couldn’t hurt to take them back to Manhattan. The world had seen stranger things than supposedly enraptured tourists.

Your friend stopped by with clothes and volunteered to go with you so they could drive you in their van. You were more than thankful for it. You let the group change, smiling to see modern styles on them. Elizabeth was a sight in particular, wearing a lovely little floral dress. The boys looked at her with varying degrees of embarrassment. They weren’t used to seeing ankles, much less knees.

You changed into your own clothes. You almost found yourself looking forward to playing tour-guide. I planned on going back to Manhattan anyway, so why not with some others? You knew it would tire you out a little, but you were growing more and more excited to properly get to know the group. They were some of your favorite characters, after all. This is like a child’s Disneyland dream come true.

The first place you stopped was, of course, Times Square. You wanted the group to see the extent of today’s technology, the overwhelming lights blaring at you from a thousand different screens. There would be a crush of people, as usual, and the towering buildings always made you feel small. You could only wonder at how your group would feel, so new to all these sights and sounds, and so far from home.

Your friend found a parking spot a couple blocks away, and you all slid out of the car onto the concrete. You noticed how Will immediately took Elizabeth’s hand, and how even Jack walked alongside your friend.

“That leaves you with our host, Commodore,” Jack called, clearly amused.

You could see that James was embarrassed, but he offered you his arm all the same. “Shall we?”

Equally embarrassed, you accepted. The two of you strolled arm in arm behind your friend as they led the group into the square. James stopped when you entered, looking up at the ads plastered across screens and billboards, and at the skyscrapers encased in glass. You found the wonder on his face to be enchanting.

“Technology really has progressed,” he managed to stutter. “More than you could ever know.” You looked out at the bright screens promoting movies, musicals, and all different sorts of companies. We changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.

The rest of the group had stopped as well, staring with the same awe and reverence as James.

“I’d been to New York, once,” said James. “We had to stop in for supplies on the Dauntless. It was large then, but now…. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so small.” Color dotted his cheeks.

Ah. He’s a man used to being comfortable in any situation, to being in control. You smiled to yourself. Though maybe not social situations. “It’s nothing like the past,” you agreed. “Though not everywhere is like this. Just big cities.”

“Is London like this?” Elizabeth asked excitedly.

“Very. But all the older architecture has been kept around, so there’s a massive difference in styles.”

“Speaking of styles, we have a cathedral here from the nineteenth century. It might be cool to check that out.”

The group agreed. It was a neat spot, surrounded by skyscrapers, strictly contrasting the modern styles. As you walked back to the car, you passed a group of teenagers. One girl looked up at you and James, smiling. “You’re a cute couple,” she said as she passed by.

You and James both blushed, and you opened your mouths to protest that you were not, in fact, a couple, but she was gone before you could get a word out. Too embarrassed to look each other in the eye, you stared at the ground. When you looked up again, you could see the smirking faces of the rest of the group, your friend among them. Even Will was giving you a little smile.

When you got to the car, Jack hopped in the passenger’s seat as your friend drove. That left you to squish in next to James, and you could tell by the look on Jack’s face that he’d meant for it to happen. Your friend turned the radio on, saving you from having to make awkward conversation. James was pressed right next to you, his thigh and arm against yours, and you fiddled with the bottoms of your sleeves to keep your mind preoccupied. Not that it works. James, too, was using a similar tactic, though you could tell he was acutely aware of your proximity.

Finally, you found a place to park near the cathedral, and you slipped out of the car, thankful to be out of an awkward situation, but missing the warmth of James’ body against yours.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral looked short compared to its neighboring buildings, though you still had to crane your neck up to see the top of the spires. It was heavily decorated in the Neo-Gothic style, and you were sure that most of your group had seen the like before. The Gothic style had been around for centuries, and though the Neo-Gothic style had some of its own features, the two were very much alike.

You toured the cathedral in pairs, walking silently through the echoing nave. “I’ve never been much one for religion,” whispered Jack, “but these churches do command a certain respect.”

That was true enough. Even to the nonbeliever, a cathedral demanded respect and reverence. The air in them was different, somehow, heavier. Every sound was magnified. Every careless footfall echoed throughout the chambers like a rockslide might echo in a canyon.

“It reminds me of England,” James said. “My family used to go to Canterbury for Christmas. The cathedral there was much like this one. Bigger, perhaps, but similar.” He stared with sad eyes up at the arches and stained glass. “It seems so long ago, now.”

You gave his hand a squeeze. “We’ll find a way to get you home.” The words sounded unconvincing, even to your own ears, but James smiled appreciatively all the same.

Your third and final stop of the day was the Statue of Liberty. One of the most iconic pieces in America, you figured the group had to see it. You explained that it was a symbol of liberty and freedom while in the car.

“Freedom?” James asked.

You knew you had to break it to them sometime, and you supposed that now was the best time to do so. “From Britain. We’re not colonies anymore.” Your friend parked the car in a space where you could see the statue from across the water.

“What happened?”

“We had a revolution. Britain was taxing us unfairly, so we decided to start our own country.”

“Avoiding taxes?” Jack grinned, joining the conversation. “Sounds like something a pirate might do, love.”

“It was more complicated than that.” Still, you couldn’t suppress a smile. “It was taxation without representation.”

“If you say so, mate.”

“The world must be very different,” said James. “New borders, new countries. And Britain has probably lost many of its colonies, by now.” He looked sad, worried, even.

“Yes, it has. But it’s still a strong country with a good economy, and is looked to as a world leader. The world may change, but the powers remain, taking power in new ways.”

He nodded. “They always are.”

You returned home afterwards and talked to your friend about what you should make for dinner. They smiled at you. “You should get Norrington to help you. The two of you are adorable, and I think he likes you.” They leaned in. “Besides, I know you’ve had a crush on him ever since you watched those movies.” Your friend winked, leaving you alone to blush as they went on to talk to the group.

When you got to the kitchen, you saw that Jack, Elizabeth, and Will had had much the same idea for James. He stood there, awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. “Today was lovely.” He looked at you bashfully, and you couldn’t help giving him a small smile back.

“Thank you. I….” You didn’t really have words, so you trailed off into awkward silence, grabbing the ingredients for dinner.

James helped, getting things out of the fridge for you, though he stared at it like it was from an alien planet. To him, it is.

He passed the food to you, but his hand lingered on yours, and you felt yourself blush. You set the food down, turning back to him. Gently, he took your hand in his, raising it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but clearly couldn’t think of anything.

You stepped forward, a little uncertainly, and kissed him on the cheek. He went red, and so did you. You stepped back, returning to your cooking. He watched, helping where he could, and you settled into a comfortable silence, goofy smiles across your faces.

Living with this group has its upsides, I suppose. James, I think, accounts for ten of them.

#potc #pirate #pirates #pirates of the caribbean #James norrington #norrinton #commodore norrington #modern au #au #fanfic #potc fanfic #x reader #self insert #potc x reader #drabble #drabbles #request #requests #writings

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x0401x · 5 years

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Yuukei Roadshow Reports and Highlights

Compilation of info found on Twitter and Privatter. Many thanks to ayara-resara for indicating them all!

Translations Index || Next Show >>

@taro4oto2:

Me: Jin-san, in your mind, what kind of adult will Kisaragi Shintarou become in the future...? Jin: Ah~! Kisaragi Shintarou, huh; he is who he is~. I’m thinking of writing songs concerning him from now on too. I’m currently 28, and if I think about him at around this age... I guess he’d probably be a teacher or something like it.

@BlueD01:

“Jin-san, what do you think Momo-chan will be in the future?” Jin-san: Let’s see... *thinks a little* An actress, I guess. “‘An actress’?” *thought process stops* Jin-san: She might also go... overseas. (Memory is faint here.) “Ooh.” Jin-san: I want to write these stories about the future next time. (At last.) “Thank you very much!”

@920ms:

My hands were shaking during Jin-san’s autograph session. Hella.

Although it was a commemorative autograph section for the release of MekaRelo, I’d wanted to tell him no matter what that I get strength from listening to Otsukimi Recital when I have to lighten up... So, I told him this, but I accidentally ended up babbling that Hibiya and Momo’s interactions were the most interesting to me and that I liked them a lot. And then Jin-san said, “I like them too! What will happen to them from now on?? I’m really curious!” as if to dig into it.

Of course I knew that he liked Hibiya and Momo’s combo, but the “What will happen to them from now on?” has been echoing in my brain the entire time... I had a bunch of other things to say, like, “The songs of Momo’s friends are also the best” and, “I’d been listening to Mekakucity Days/Records/Reload a~~ll the time coming the way here”, but my attention was drawn too hard by Jin’s words, so I couldn’t do it...

@BrainBurnShout:

Started with an explosive crossfade.

The host was the woman in charge of KADOKAWA’s Mekakucity Talkers (she’s a beauty).

Jin entered the stage slurping the Shissou Word-themed drink like, “I’d wanted to eat the pancakes but they sold out before I got to it.”

He had his first impression of VOCALOID with “Melt”.

The origin of his conceptualization of “stories told through music” stemmed from Kinniku Shoujo Tai and The Who.

He had planned on the narrative even before Jinzou Enemy, and while gathering up the pattern usage of “a story that ~ the eyes”, the first one he came up with was the one that “locks the eyes”.

One sentence of the initial concept that remained in his PC was: “Medusa does not come out of her house.” (original text)

KagePro is a “curse from his 19-year-old self” because his period of training was long.

He struggles with the consistency of the plot, like, “This and that don’t connect!” and, “That’s my old self~”.

During the innitialization of his PC, he interpreted the “name registration” wrong and accidentally named his PC “Frederica”.

*PC falls down the stairs during moving* Jin: FREDERICAAAAAA!!!!!

He had the ending of the story decided from the beginning.

Due to this, he couldn’t introduce new characters even though he’d always wanted to.

He’s been writing the sequel while thinking that if it turns out impossible to publish, then so be it.

Host: Are you going to make them reincarnate in a parallel world? Jin: That would be a spin-off... like, “Kagerou Quest” or something.

What hides beneath Ayano’s gentleness was something he’d come up with since the initial stages. (He didn’t mention it on Twitter or the like, though.)

[In regards of a question about “becoming an adult”] Jin: Until joining (Edword) Records, I had been in the position of Big Bro, but now I’m a full-fledged Uncle.

Since he’s an adult, he has to pay taxes. He’s been somehow making ends meet with the money that everyone bought the CD with.

[In regards of a question by an Asahiner from the audience about My Funny Weekend] The cheerful verses like the one that goes, “move forward” were said by Hiyori.

The Asahiner who had been waiting all this time for a Hiyori song is overcome with emotion.

The reason why there wasn’t a Hiyori song from the start is that, “If I had included her, everyone’s worries would have been relatively...”

Jin-san: Hiyori-sama.

He has the image of the adult Mekakushi-dan.

It seems Kido will be a caretaker in an orphanage.

When he talked about that image to Sidu-san, the MV’s adult!Kido was suddenly brought up. Jin: Did you turn her into an adult already? Sidu: Should I not have done that?

Hibiya will be an archeologist, and since the Medusa is said to have her roots abroad, he might do a research on that.

Even in Jin-san’s own mind, there are many interpretations: “So and so will get married”, “No, it’ll be so and so”. “The one Shintarou will marry is Haruka!” *audience acclaims*

Jin-san will write the interpretation of the winner of his peerless inner fight.

Haruka is main heroine.

Rather than saying that the albums go from 1st and 2nd to the 3rd, it’s more like the 1st and 2nd are an omnimbus and the 3rd is a backside.

What he depicted with Imaginary Reload was the strength of Mary, who isn’t there just to be protected.

The top was reached by drawing out the 274BPM Konoha~

Remind Blue has parts of Summer Time Record that he hadn’t been able to write about.

It was supposed to be Shintarou’s song, but the lyrics turned out as something that applies to everyone. (Seto has his own Remind Blue and it might be that Kano thinks the same things.)

As a result of Jin-san’s definition of friends, which is “we think alike even without saying anything”, it ended up becoming a song about the whole Mekakushi-dan.

From Jin-san’s childhood experiences, fireworks = summer’s end (an element also used in the novels).

Therefore, the English version of “Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni” is “Fireworks in the Summer End”.

@ndfakvnico:

Shissou Word “She’s bad with words, and I’m the same as her, so I made that into a song.”

Additional Memory A song about regret. Jin-san’s grandfather passed away, and for a while upon coming to Tokyo, he hadn’t been able to see him at all. After the funeral, Jin-san found a file with cutouts of himself from magazines that his grandfather had kindly gathered up. He regretted not having been able to convey anything to him.

Lost Day Hour A song about friends. There was a time during middle school in which he found himself unable to go to school. “If you don’t go once, you become less and less able to.” Back then, he encountered wonderful music. A-kun (provisory nickname), who told him that he also liked said music, came around and the two of them formed a band together. Jin became able to attend high school. He didn’t know what a friend was until then, but he thought, “I guess he’s my friend”.

Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni A song with the image of summertime fireworks. “Tokachi District holds the second largest fireworks festival of the country. I wonder what being second place is like. Just what are they fighting on this? (laughs)” It’s like the scenery of Gin no Saji; a place with that kind of feeling to it.

Remind Blue “Summer is hot and I don’t like it, but it has its charm. I wonder if I was properly able to make that end of summer into a song.”

As always, he drank a lot of water. Actually, in addition to the four bottles that were put there, he also brought a lot of water with him.

As he talked about each song, he would play them with his accoustic guitar.

“Such an honestly pretty library. So many books. It’s my first time singing in a place like this, so I’d been wondering if I wouldn’t get chased out if someone like me suddenly showed up and started singing. (laugh)”

By the way, he was indeed wearing a jersey... lol.

He was super cool when he was singing, but during the time of exiting the stage, he made his way out unsteadily while bowing, so he gave off a feeling of ordinary Nii-chan and it was heartwarming.

He’s good at singing. (my childish reaction)

His manner of speech was extremely gentle, and though I really enjoy the excitement of live concerts and the like, that calm atmosphere and his kind way of performing and talking had me going, “Aah, this totally goes well with Jin-san. It totally goes super well with him. Play-and-talk live concerts are the best...”

There were 100 people with regular tickets, lots of others were standing behind them, the costumers of the nearby Starbucks were all looking too, and many people also stood watching in rows at the second floor’s corridors.

The venue was a Jin World.

I’d been reflecting on the meaning of him doing a library live, and I think it’s something amazing. At the end of it, a staff member asked something by requesting people to raise their hands, and turns out that there were mostly middle and high scholars attending. It felt like there were also grade scholars and college students. Is there any other rock musician who would open an event at a middle school or a public library? Well, there might be, but that’s still incredible...

We were told that we couldn’t enter the venue unless we had a regular ticket, that it was okay to enter because it was a public space, that we couldn’t get autographs, that we actually could get them even without the ticket, and, hum, get your information... together... (tiny voice)

He talked a lot more about the songs, but it’s not coming to me... aah.

In one sentence, it was awesome.

@kugamiryou

The moderator this time was the editor of Mekakucity Talkers, and her hairstyle was kind of similar to Azami-san’s.The song order of the rendition was “Shissou Word”, “Additional Memory”, “Lost Day Hour”, “My Funny Weekend” and “Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni”... but! Guess what: Jin-san said, “I wanna play them after all” and additionally performed the first part of “Imaginary Reload” and all of “Remind Blue”!! Jin-san’s hopping as he played was cute.

The general course of events was that a teaser movie soon played, then the host came on-stage and called Jin-san over, Jin-san showed up slurping a Shissou Word drink, choked while drinking it, and then performed Shissou Word. After that, it was announced that there would be a lottery and some of the prizes were Jin-san’s personal belongings.

The first corner was “Jin-san Talks About Kagerou Project”. It was a talk about why he started making KagePro. With the trigger being that the band he had in high school broke up, he decided to make stuff on his own, and he started creating a story first from the fact that “There are many depictions of ‘eyes that do ￮￮’, huh!” or something of the sort.

“Locking eyes” ➡ “Medusa” ➡ “This is it!!” ➡ “A Medusa who doesn’t want to lock eyes with anyone won’t come out of her house!” - with this trend, it seems the first thing he planned out was Kuusou Forest.

Apparently, the stories of the novel and manga progressed with him deciding their ending first, and he indeed wants to write the next novel. If he ends up unable to publish it, he’ll write it like, “whatever” and turn it into a book anyway, and he talked about writing something like “Kagerou Quest”, lol.

After he finished performing Additional Memory, he stated that he “couldn’t mention it on Twitter”, but he had wanted to say that “Ayano isn’t just a gentle girl”. From then on, we had a questions-and-answers corner.

Q.: What was the moment in which you thought, “I’ve become an adult”? A.: That’s a theme I want to write about in the next novel. I thought, “I’ve turned into an adult, huh” when I was making Lost Day Hour and suddenly felt like calling my friends. Also, when I started paying taxes.

From someone who’s been an Asahiner for 7 years: I want to know the reason why you made My Funny Weekend. A.: I’d wanted to use Hiyori, but I couldn’t until now. Hiyori is strong, so if I’d used her before, she would make everyone else’s worries dim. It feels like Hiyori made me write the parts that go, “being greedier is just fine”. I’m not the one who came up with them.

From a person who used to stan Shintarou and started stanning Ayano after Additional Memory: Please tell us the reason why you gave Ayano that moment in AddiMemo. A.: It’s the one song in MekaRelo in which someone is dying alone. Sorry for going, “I’m sorry” right after singing, “It’ll surely be an even better day!”. This is actually a story that I wished I had included in the manga.

Q.: I would like to know about the Mekakushi-dan of the early stages. A.: There are parts of the way the loops work that I haven’t written yet. There’s a possibility that, epending on the loop, the characters of the first Mekakushi-dan might show up (like the female Konoha).

Q.: Will you write the story of the characters turning into adults? A.: I’ve already thought out what kind of jobs each will have and who will be married to who. There are many stories in the minds of everyone, but I want to write something like, “This kind of future also exists”. For example, Kido taking over the orphanage and Hibiya becoming an archeologist to investigate the Medusa abroad. But whenever I try to make so and so get married, another side of me cuts it off like, “Wait a minute... the one who will marry Shintarou is Haruka, right?”, so whoever wins this unique armed struggle tournament inside my brain will be the one to write.

~About MekaRelo~

He had wanted to make songs regarding what he couldn’t write in the novel.

Imaginary Reload: it’s about the girl who had been waiting to be rescued in Kuusou Forest going off to fight on her own will, and doesn’t just wait to be saved. It’s 274 BPM, so it’s the fastest song?

Shissou Word: it’s based on the fear that Jin-san experienced when he was a child from continuously being asked, “Why can’t you do such a normal thing?” and from wondering, “What is ‘normal’ even?”

My Funny Weekend: it’s the song that feels the most final episode-like to him.

Additional Memory: a song that he thought he “had to write”. It’s the saddest one.

Lost Day Hour: the song that had him thinking, “I have to make this” back when he was writing volume 6.

Remind Blue: a song that made him think, “This is the last summer song”. It’s a song packed with the things he didn’t manage to write about in SumReco. It has the image of Shintarou, but there are parts about Haruka, about Seto and about Kano, so it’s kind of a song with no definite protagonist. Makes one think about not forgetting summer.

Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni: since the fireworks festival that he once watched in his hometown is his image of the end of summer, so he had wanted to make a story that ended with people watching fireworks, but he was indecisive, because “the last battle happens in the basement of a school, what do I do~” (said originally with a northern accent). He didn’t want to let summer end, but if it didn’t end, it would be weird and unpleasant.

After this talk, Jin-san was about to play My Funny Weekend, but realized that the Shissou Word drink he was having had disappeared without him noticing and was like, “Where’s my Never-Lost Word!?”. He drank water instead, sulking.

“I might make a mistake, sorry!” ➡ *makes a mistake during the hook* ➡ “There were no mistakes, right!?”

Then, we had the big lottery. Sadly, although I had a number in hands, I wasn’t able to get Medusa, the amplifier that Jin-san used when making Imaginary Reload. Sad.

And so, we had the last song, Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni. Jin-san played while saying, “I wanna do collaboration drinks again~”

Everyone frantically lined up to pay their checks and buy goods, but then Jin-san suddenly came back, said, “I wanna do this after all!” and played Imaginary Reload and Remind Blue while drenched in sweat. “Why is it that I’m sweating so much even though I’m playing while seated?”

And then it really was the end... however, people quickly queued to get autographs as if racing to board the last train. While stiffly shuddering, I also got autographs on my CDs and MekaTalk, then handed a letter to him.

I was happy to get a “Ah! It’s a folded paper crane!” reaction from him, but I was nervous for real, so I turned into the typical figure of a useless otaku. When he was signing, I told him, “I won’t be able to go to tomorrow’s autograph session, so I’m happy to be getting it now.” and he replied, “I’ll hold lots of other events after this one! So when the time comes, please! Do attend them!!”

I’ll go.

@Hiroyannn168

I arrived at the venue a bit too early, and when I was waiting for the opening, the staff people and Jin-san passed by me like it was nothing...! He was giving off a civilian-like aura. He boarded the elevator crammed with staff members as if having fun, and when the door was closing, he waved a little at us.

During Jin-san’s play-and-talk live, there was a questions corner and Jin-san discussed about the compositions. He had always wanted to try creating collaboration drinks based off the songs, so it seems he talked it over with the personnel like, “Shissou Word is this kind of song” and, “This color will do~” and, “Could you make this thing float? Is it impossible?” in order to have them made. The band BACKHORN, which Jin-san likes, had been doing these kinds of collaboration drinks, so he had wanted to try his hand at it no matter what.

There were also two types of pancakes that had the image of song compositions, RED and BLUE, and just when Jin-san thought of eating them too, he was told by someone from the staff, “There are only five left” and went, “Incredible” www... They were mad popular, so there was a lot of people eating them.

When Jin-san entered the stage, he brought with him a Shissou Word-themed glass and was drinking it like, “Yummy”.

He’d said on Twitter that he wanted to do something like explaining about the compositions of the songs, so he tweeted about it just a little, but he hadn’t been able to tweet at all after that, apparently because he had been practicing for the live and doing all sorts of things in the meantime. It seems that, since Jin-san was late to tweet about it, he decided to do it properly if he had the chance to tweet later. Is what he said. That he wanted to “explain a little about the song compositions tonight~”.

First track was Shissou Word. At the applause that rose naturally from the audience, Jin-san bashfully said, “thank you” in-between the lyrics. The motif behind Shissou Word was Jin-san’s experience with being asked, “Why can’t you do normal things?” Even though normal things are easy to do for other people, they’re difficult for him... that’s what the song says.

He looked happy when he asked a girl sitting at the far right of the first row, “What are you drinking?” It seems that this person was having the Additional Memory drink (it was red).

Second track was Additional Memory. The song goes like, “Ayano has a so-called gentle girl image, but she also bears these kinds of feelings”. I sensed that listening to the hook with Jin-san’s live voice made it resonate even more sharply in my heart. A shout of her emotions... is what it felt like, I guess?

Jin-san also said something along the lines of, “It’s great being able to expand my range of expression by not just using VOCALOIDs but singing with my own voice too~”.

It seems Jin-san spent a period in truancy during his childhood, and what gave him energy back then was music and books. At any rate, by the looks of it, that had been a truancy amongst truancies.

He’d wanted to form a band in high school, but the bassist quit, so he quickly became spineless about it. It appears that when he was like, “What do I do?”, a senpai of his recommended VOCALOID to him. He came to admire songs with high levels of story settings, similar to the ones from Kinniku Shoujo Tai, and started wanting to create something like an album that would turn into a story – that was the beginning of KagePro.

He said, “It’s interesting that there are lots of phrases about things you can do with your eyes.” Like, “Averting one’s eyes is Hikikomori-ish, concealing one’s eyes means that kind of stuff.” (“That kind of stuff”, you say!? This is just the kind of specific term I wanted~)

It seems that the plot of back then is still in his computer. “The Medusa is a shut-in”, and things like that.

Jin-san is still burdened with the curse from when he was 19 years old www

He also talked about how his computer fell from the second floor when he was moving www and about he wound up naming it Frederica www

Q&A corner. It was a corner where he received questions from people that he’d randomly point at after they raised their hands. The contents of all questions were amazing...

Someone who’d been an Asahiner for over 7 years said something along the lines of being really happy that there was a song about Hiyori-chan, and Jin-san commented that Hiyori-chan is a character with an extremely firm notion of self, so he had wanted to release it sooner but it seems he hadn’t been able to. That’s because, back when the Mekakushi-dan members were still fretting and saying stuff like “oh, my dirty”, if Hiyori-chan had been there with her “Move forward! There’s no mistake that tomorrow will be a much more wonderful day~”, she would cut them off with a single stroke.

It seems she’ll have a lot of screen time from now on. And it looks like rather than Jin-san writing the part of the lyrics that goes “being greedy is just fine”, it felt more like Hiyori-chan was “making him write it”. Hiyori-chan is awesome.

Someone asked Jin-san, “At what time do you think you became an adult?” and he answered that, in the past, he would think of himself as an Onii-chan when looking at children, but now he thinks he’s an Oji-san. That he was paying taxes, laying out a path and keeping it clean www. He said he “ended up becoming an adult when creating Lost Day Hour”; he could see his friends everyday when he was a child, but it seems there’s no such thing after growing up, and he’d find himself thinking, “I wanna give my friends a call”.

Imaginary Reload is 274BPM, and apparently that’s the most in all songs he’s made so far. Incredible. By the way, the maximum for BPM is 300.

It seems Jin-san also likes Remind Blue. Even though he had said, “I’ll make this one and then I won’t write songs about summer anymore!”, he made Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni right after that www. His 28th summer song...

Questioner: Even though I’d never budged from Shintarou until now, I ended up coming to like Ayano-chan the most after listening to Additional Memory. Jin-san: It seems a derby happened there. Is this a horse race or what www

Additional Memory is a bit of an unique song even for MekaRelo. He said, “I’m sorry... for bringing about a song that falls down with a hard thud immediately after saying that ‘tomorrow will be an even more wonderful day~’ with My Funny Weekend.” Like, “She dies all by herself...” He also said that what he was going to discuss from that point on were spoilers.

Shintarou’s snake is... The snakes exchange the abilities for lives... Then, lives are their,,,...???

He was like, “Please don’t spread this on Twitter and the like~”.

Remind Blue. This song was supposed to be Shintarou-san’s, but the figures of everyone overlapped in it, and it feels like each of them is being nostalgic in their own spot. The lyrics go, “together with the me of yesterday”, so Kano-kun and Seto-kun were also in it... is what Jin-san said. The way of talking is masculine. So it felt like it turned into everyone’s Remind Blue. Jin-san did say that, to him, friends are people who think the same.

Jin-san had Saiyuki-san draw the manga extra from MekaRelo A, and it seems it went like this: “Is it all right this way?” “It is.” “Is Kido-san okay like that?” “She’s exactly like that.” “The Kido-san that Saiyuki-san draws is really cool!” Jin-san said with great admiration.

Speaking of which, it seems that there’s already a conception of the Mekakushi-dan as adults in Jin-san’s mind and he’s decided things such as, “This person will be like that” and “Their occupation will be this”.

Kido-san will run an orphanage; taking over the will of that orphanage is very much like her. Hibiya-kun will be an archeologist. There are legends about Medusa all over the world, so he’ll be researching that.

He talked about how an adult Kido-san appeared in the MV of Shissou Word after he commissioned it to Sidu-san... something like that. It looks like he’s thinking along the lines of... “this person and this person will get married” as well. But Jin-san also said, “Shintarou’s wife will be Haruka-san (laughs)”. Apparently, these Jin-san’s are on a peerless inner fight inside him, and the Jin-san who wins will have his scenario come to life.

Haruka-san is KagePro’s main heroine www

Jin-san asked the audience, “Do you want to see the children of the Mekakushi-dan?” (I do.) “I wanna write novels,” he said. He was like, “I wanna introduce new characters!”

A parallel universe (one of those that are trendy nowadays?) called “Kagerou Quest” might happen www

Alternatively, it might be set in outer space, and it’ll be like a Martian version of the Mekakushi-dan fighting? Something along those lines? (Martian Mekaushi-dan!?!?)

There was a break of about 10 minutes. In that meantime, we lined up for the sale of goods, ate pancakes, etc...

The latter half of the live started.

My Funny Weeked. Jin-san seems to think that this one is the most last episode-like song. He said something like, “It’s my first time playing it live, so if I make any mistakes, pretend you didn’t notice~” and began playing. There was clapping from the audience seats as if to cheer on him, and he stopped playing right before the hook for an instant, but soon resumed it. After he finished singing, he asked, “See, there were no mistakes, right~?” (lol)

During the play-and-talk part, Jin-san drank water because he was out of options, since he had left the Shissou Word drink that he was having at the beginning somewhere, but he heard someone say from the seats, “The Never-Lost Word has been lost” and replied with, “You say some clever things www”.

Jin-san mentioned that he “was bad at conversing”, but I enjoyed his talk.

Big lotery. I ordered food and drinks and received an application coupon with the second item. The prizes were a set of guitar picks, a set of can badges, a volume of Mekakucity Talkers, a poster of MekaRelo (with Jin-san’s signature), a set of ticket holders and cards that came with the novels as appendix, which Jin-san claimed to have turned his house upside-down in order to bring over, and Jin-san’s own CDs (of Mekakucity~) and guitar effector (he apparently recorded Imaginary Reload with it, and its name is Medusa too). To the people who were sorted, congratulations~!

It seems Jin-san has only told about a part of KagePro until now, and he hasn’t yet talked about the extent of the loops.

When he was a child, he used to think, “I don’t want the new semester to start. It’d be good if summer didn’t end.” but an endless summer is somewhat disturbing, just like the two people living together in the last volume... of the novel.

Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni. It seems the last chapter of KagePro closed with fireworks. That’s because, in the past, when Jin-san lived in Hokkaidou, there was a huge fireworks festival, and he thought back then, “Summer is over, huh”. He was like, “But how will I bring up fireworks when the story led up to the school’s underground, a place that has nothing to do with it!?” (lol)

ENCORE!!!

From a wing of the stage, Jin-san got his face out and peeked through (?) from within the curtains with a glance. He’s kinda cute despite being an adult man...

It seems he was being considerate towards us and saying, “It’s late into the night and there are people here who have to go home...” He then played Imaginary Reload (but just the short version of it). And in the end, he was like, “I do want to do it after all!” He sang Remind Blue.

He bid his goodbyes with waving hands~!

Jin-san, you’ve granted me really fun and good memories tonight. You’re indeed by yourself when you’re making music and writing novels... you’ve also gone through hard times. Tonight was super enjoyable, and even though it was a play-and-talk live, you up and said that you were sweating bullets www

“Please let me perform live again,” he said to us.

It was a tremendously fun night. Good job, and thank you very much.

#kagerou project #kagepro #mekakucity actors #mekakucity reload #kagerou daze #jin #shizen no teki p #sidu #lost day hour #additional memory #remind blue #shissou word #imaginary reload #my funny weekend #wasurete shimatta natsu no owari ni #fireworks in the summer end #my translation

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elleberquist6 · 6 years

Text

Play Upon Me Like This Piano - chapter thirty

Summary: In many ways, Phil’s life is perfect: he loves his life in London, he has a wonderful brother and parents, and he has a great job as a radio DJ for BBC Radio One. There’s only one thing missing in his life… A rumor reaches an executive at the BBC about a talented local piano player named Daniel. The executive decides that Daniel would be the perfect guest on Phil’s radio show, so she sends Phil to speak with the evasive and mysterious piano player.

When they finally meet, Phil starts to think that he has found the person who will make his life complete. Unfortunately, Dan has a secret that will make getting close to him difficult.

Rating: Mature

Word Count:2008

Warnings: Smut

—

Siren fact: A temple in Fukuoka, Japan, is said to house the remains of a mermaid that washed ashore in 1222. Its bones were preserved at the behest of a priest who believed the creature had come from the legendary palace of a dragon god at the bottom of the ocean. For nearly 800 years the bones have been displayed, and water used to soak the bones was said to prevent diseases. Only a few of the bones remain, and since they have not been scientifically tested, their true nature remains unknown.

Mermaids may be ancient, but they are still with us in many forms; their images can be found all around us in films, books, Disney movies, at Starbucks — and maybe even in the ocean waves if we look close enough. [https://www.livescience.com/39882-mermaid.html/]

Dan swallowed heavily. To stall, he asked, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Kath narrowed her eyes, looking like she knew he heard her the first time. “I asked you how you got on the boat.”

“Oh...” Dan glanced at Phil. Unfortunately, he looked like he was just as clueless about an answer, so Dan just turned back to Kath. “Um, I swam.”

Kath shook her head. “No, that’s impossible. You couldn’t have…”

There was a gasp, and they all turn to see Cornelia in the front seat, where she had turned around to watch them. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide as stared at Dan. Slowly, she said, “You, um, jumped. Right off the pier. I saw you.” Her eyes flicked to the cab driver and she bit her lip before she could say more.

“We’ll talk at the hotel,” Kath said with a sigh. She rubbed her eyes, seeming completely exhausted for a moment, but then her eyes snapped open and her gaze flicked between her sons as she reassured herself that they really were here, both safe.

Dan suddenly felt the need to do the same thing, and he moved his hand across the seat until he found Phil’s fingers resting there and he gave them a squeeze. Phil’s hand twitched in surprise, but then he linked fingers with Dan and smiled. Dan just stared at him as his heart squeezed in his chest at the sight of him. They had made it back to land. Phil was safe. So, nothing else mattered.

Once they were at the hotel, Dan attempted to walk through the pins and needles sensation that was going up and down his legs with each step. Phil put a hand on his back and asked him if he was okay. It was only a few steps from the cab to their room, so Dan just nodded and tried to walk the short distance.

Dan managed to make it to the bed in the room and he sat heavily on the end of it, but a couple tears escaped his eyes. He swiped them from his cheeks, but Kath’s hawkish gaze didn’t overlook it. She stared at the tiny pearls that had gathered on the pad of Dan’s thumb and asked, “What are you?”

Dan swallowed heavily and rubbed his hands on the blue blanket he was still wearing to dry them, as if getting rid of the evidence that he wasn’t human would help at this point. He didn’t know what to say to her. He hadn’t even told Phil yet what he really was, and it seemed like Phil deserved the truth first. So, Dan didn’t say a word.

“He’s like a mermaid or something,” Martyn said. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, where he was sitting at a chair in the kitchen area. He frowned when his mum looked at him like he had lost his mind. “What? It’s true.”

Cornelia, who was sitting in the chair beside him, nodded and took a steadying breath. “I suppose that would make some sense.” She looked at Dan and her eyes shimmered. “When you jumped off the pier and into the ocean, I thought you had drowned. I didn’t see you resurface and the sea was so… I didn’t see how you could have survived. And now you’re here? You actually swam to that boat in the middle of the ocean during the storm? That shouldn’t have been physically possible… So, I believe you if you say that something extraordinary happened last night.”

Dan opened his mouth, once more unsure what to say in response. He wanted so badly to just have this conversation with Phil.

“Oh!” Cornelia chirped suddenly, and it seemed like she wasn’t waiting for a response. She got up to grab a bag that was resting near the front door. She brought it to Dan and gave it to him with a smile. “Your clothes from the pier and your shoes that you spilled tea on. Dan, I’m really glad you’re okay. You were saying ‘I can’t’ and then you jumped off the pier… I thought you’d drowned yourself and that I was too late to stop you. You have no idea how happy I am to see that you’re safe.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he took the bag from her, peeking inside to see his phone and wallet resting on top of his jacket. When he glanced up from the bag, he saw Phil staring at him, but his blue gaze was so intense that it burned and Dan had to look away. He busied himself placing the bag at his feet.

Cornelia returned to the chair beside Martyn, and Kath started pacing in the center of the room. As she did, Kath kept looking at Dan, seeming like she couldn’t figure him out and that this fact infuriated her. Finally, Kath stopped pacing and demanded, “So, you’re claiming to be some kind of magical creature? A mermaid did you say?”

“Martyn said that, not me.” Dan muttered.

Kath snorted.

“Oh, sorry, my bad.” Martyn interjected. “Back on the boat he said he was something like a merman, not mermaid. I got that wrong.”

Kath’s eyes flicked before their faces before settling on Dan’s. Then she demanded, “Prove it.”

Dan bit his lip as he thought. “Um, I could show you my hands.” All the eyes in the room flicked to his hands, which were resting on the blanket draped across his lap. His hands looked normal right now, though his fingers shook slightly with the thought of what he was about to do. In a small voice, he said, “I need a bowl of water though.”

Cornelia found a clear cereal bowl in the cupboard, which she filled with cool water. She brought it over and sat on the bed beside Dan, resting the bowl on her knees as everyone watched Dan, curious about what was going to happen next. The only one who didn’t look eager was Phil – probably since Dan had already told him what happened when his hands got wet – and Phil was just watching Dan’s face and frowning in concern.

Dan wasn’t sure what Phil was noting in his expression, though his hands were now visibly shaking. Kath had stopped pacing and was now standing a foot away as she waited expectantly for him to do something demonstrating what he was, and she looked like she was getting impatient. As he tried to stop the shaking in his hands, he felt compelled to explain, “I’m sorry, this is something I’ve never done before. Not in front of people. And I’ve never explained what I am to someone. I’ve spent my life hiding the truth, so this is… this feels difficult. It’s just going to take me a moment to find the courage to do this.”

Kath nodded, relaxing her posture, and some of the pressure of this moment lifted. She said, “Would it help if you talked first? You could tell us what the water is going to do.”

Dan took a calming breath before raising his left hand. “So, this looks normal right now, but something happens to my skin when I submerge my hands and feet in water. The skin gets webbing. That’s what I was going to show you.” Then because the pressure of all these eyes was getting to be too much, Dan thought ‘Fuck it’ and just lower his hand into the bowl of water Cornelia was holding. Instantly, the webbing appeared between his fingers, and he raised his dripping hand for the room to see. He flexed his fingers for them to see it clearly and then raised his dry right hand for comparison. He was unmistakably inhuman.

Kath looked pale. Cornelia’s eyes were wide. Even Martyn, who had seen this before, was gaping at him. But Phil was just glancing curiously at Dan’s hand in an almost distracted way; he seemed more interested in gauging his family’s reaction to Dan. Dan swallowed heavily at a thought – it was almost like Phil had accepted Dan already, and now he was looking to see if his family had, too. Kath came closer to look at Dan’s hands, but she stopped just out of his reach, as if she was worried that he would grab her. She shook her head and whispered, “This isn’t possible. I… I don’t understand. What are you? Are you human? And what do you want with my son. Why were you on that boat?”

Dan just swallowed and shook his head. He didn’t know how to handle this situation – this was the moment he’d feared: that one day he would reveal what he was to people and they would bombard him with questions and stare at him in suspicion. Dan couldn’t handle this moment and he felt himself shutting down. His throat was so tight that he didn’t even bother attempting to answer. He kept shaking his head as he dropped his gaze to the beige carpet on the floor.

“Mum, that’s enough.” There was a shuffle across the carpet as Phil came closer. When Dan glanced up he saw Phil’s arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed. Dan flinched until he saw the look Phil was aiming was at Kath, not himself. Phil said to her, “That’s enough, no more questions.”

She protested, “But I have to know—”

“You don’t,” Phil gently cut her off. “Dan is my boyfriend. That’s all you need to know right now. Dan doesn’t have to tell you anything. You and I can talk about this later, but right now isn’t the time. Mum, I would appreciate it if you would leave for now.”

As Kath stared at him in stunned silence, Cornelia got up from the bed. She put the bowl of water on the kitchen table and Martyn also got up. Martyn took Cornelia by the hand and he said to the room, “I’m going to head out, too. She and I have some things to say to each other, so…”

Kath turned to watch them leave and sighed when they left the door open for her to leave next. She turned back to Phil with a small smile. “Okay. I’ll go. It’s just… you know I love you, right?”

“I know.” Phil smiled, stepped forward, and pulled her into a tight hug. After embracing for a moment, he walked her to the door. “Love you, too, Mum,” Phil said as he closed the door. As he turned back to Dan, the smile was still tugging at his lips. It was a different smile than he had given his mum: one of amusement, endless patience, and fondness. The smile he gave Dan was a bit more mysterious – his eyes blazed with an emotion that Dan couldn’t pin a name on, which made him nervous. He had thought that he would have Phil figured out by now.

Dan swallowed past the lump in his throat and asked, “What is it?”

Now Phil looked a bit nervous, too. He said, “Um, I think there are a few things we have to talk about.”

Dan snorted in amusement. “That’s an understatement.”

#phandom #phanfiction #phanfic #dan and phil #dan x phil #siren #merman #mermaid

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werezmastarbucks · 6 years

Text

Flame for one [16]

Word count: ~3900

Warnings: trauma, injury; language. Matt Murdock. a lot of summarizing talk, cracking painful truths, and so on. BUT a lot of relief Civil War wise. Tony’s parents and such

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part Nine Part 10 Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

So you ran back. You felt alive. Bitterly, unpleasantly, feeling everything. That your feet were wet; that the ground below you was trembling with the heavy blows of explosions that were unfolding inside the lab. That your face hurt of cold; that your knees ached, and head howled once again – now, with fear. You had to stop them.

You tried to reach the thirteenth to go right to the central lab, but half of the ceiling in the corridor connecting the thirteenth and fourteenth was in crumbles. Once inside, you felt how fragile was the whole construction now: they were basically tearing the place in shreds; well, not they, Tony rather. It felt like you were trapped. You followed the sounds of the fight: the familiar thin buzz of Iron Man’s repulsors, and clinging of the shield being thrown. You were very close, when a monstrous blow came: it closed up your ears for a moment, and then, with a roaring of the crashing walls, the roof started to come down. You tried to yell to reach them, but you couldn’t even hear yourself. You ran forwards, seeing only dust and falling fragments of stone around; the greenish blue once, now all grey, was surrounding you, putting you into the tomb, and there was for once nowhere to run. Through the wall!

But there were no walls anymore. The place was a mess, with approximately no space to turn around. You were trapped! You didn’t know which part of the lab you were in. You jumped off the huge wall crumble instinctively, and then tried to crawl over it once it was down; as soon as you reached the top of it, something landed on your back, pinning you between the rocks. The sounds of the fight were becoming fainter, you found you couldn’t move, your lower part of the body seemingly have detached, and went away to hell.

You couldn’t believe you’d die here. So many times it could happen before; you had gotten shot here; you had your uterus removed by means of kicks; you had broken ribs; you’ve been smashed against walls and slept on the floor face down; you’ve been choked nearly to death; you were an ugly and dirty freak, half dead; how the hell did you manage to go on for twenty five more years, you wondered. And, before you die, they didn’t even let you to set the fucker who’d hurt your friends, on fire. For the last time. That is just fucking great, you thought, that was so great, to be among them. To know them all.

Darkness was a bliss. It was comfortable. You were not thinking about anything because your brain was off. Something – or somebody danced in the distance. It was like watching a single illuminated figure in the sea of black – mesmerizing, revealing, and disturbing at the same time. Nobody likes when strangers come into their heads and go dancing around. It was, perhaps, a ballet girl in a puffed skirt and with long thin legs. She was beautiful. It was a beautiful yet unnecessary illusion, which was fading away as the light was penetrating your hidden darkness. Somebody was digging you out.

“I see her!” a voice came. First, it was distant also, like a faint cry through the raging see. Now you see ma, bastard, you thought, well done, you found me. Give yourself a star. They won’t let you die in peace, for fuck’s sake. And, not stopping there, they keep in screaming.

“Get the vehicle! Get the vehicle! She’s under the concrete debris!”

“She alive?”

“I don’t know man!”

Their steps were like rocking stones on your head. You tried to open your eyes to see the intruders of your safe tomb, and when the light burnt your face, you lost it.

“Watch out! Shi-”

Apparently, you managed to form a shield of heat around you as you blacked out. It kept you safe and kept the crumbles at you, so that you were fixated inside your tomb. And once you were disturbed, it exploded to clear your way out. BAM! The rocks flew again. Other people were running towards you.

“Shit! Are you okay?”

“She blew us off!”

“Mister Stark!”

“She alive?”

“What the hell happened?”

To the chorus of new panic shrieks, you fell back into the darkness.

“Away, I’d rather sail away, like a swan that’s here and gone”.

“What are you saying?”

“It’s Simon and Garfunkel. She’s delirious”, Tony said in his ever professional preoccupied tone. You couldn’t feel half of your body; your throat was sore. But you heard his voice being preoccupied and busy, and you felt good. The tone itself told you that everything was fine. Tony was alive! And the second voice, which didn’t recognized Simon and Garfunkel’s song, because he’s been oh so busy his whole life being a good student and then a good catholic with no other preferences – it was Matt Murdock at your side.

You felt the world go small and cozy. It was warm. And the light stroking your face wasn’t irritating, or sudden, or harsh this time. It was tender. Before you managed to open your eyes, you knew that you were back in New York, and for three seconds, you didn’t even remember where you were before.

“Is this that bad?”

“Yes. You know I don’t like birds”, you blurted, your tongue dancing inside your swollen mouth.

“She’s talking nonsense”.

“You’re lucky Wilson isn’t here”.

You lifted your head from the pillow and focused your eyes on Matt. He was sitting by your bed, which stood in the middle of the room, which was one of Tony’s medical lab. Call him all bad names, but the man knows how to make any place feel like home. Any at all. Maybe it was his sole presence that always made things easier. There was something craving to explode inside your chest that you knew was crying for him. You were just genially happy to see them both.

“She’s on pethidine and several other painkillers names of which you probably won’t recognize or memorize”.

“Why?”

“Don’t look at me like- I mean, don’t talk to me like I’m killing a wild giraffe here. You tell your boyfriend”, Tony conducted with some kind of a long glistening needle in his hand.

“My body burns all painkilling medicines that are injected in my veins, apart from pethidine, fenta-nyl, and several other painkillers names of which you probably WON’T RECOGNIZE OR MEMORIIIZE!” you waved your hand, exhausted, and collapsed back on your pillow.

Matt was keeping his head low, listening to your talk and all other sounds of Tony’s lab. He’d never been to the tower before, as far as you knew. Nobody but you here knew he was the Daredevil. As far as you knew. Keeping one’s identity secret is a game which slips out of control very fast.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly. Although he didn’t seem very happy, or fresh (does he ever), you could tell he wasn’t angry or distressed.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me”, you whispered, feeling playful and knowing at the same time it was because of the medicine.

“Uhm. I’m fine”.

“I am no swan you know”.

“I am aware of that”.

“Not yet”.

“I thought you didn’t like birds”.

“I fucking hate them. I like Starbucks”.

“She might need more sleep”, Tony reported. He was circling around your bed, looking so busy, as if he’s been building something again. Only, you knew it was a medical lab, not engineering, therefore, he’s been just making fuss.

“If you keep flying around like a bee, I’ll throw up”, you warned him. He didn’t hear. You were still whispering.

“Stark. You’re making her sick”.

Tony stopped and gave you an offended look of wide eyes. Only now did you notice a big purple black eye on his face. Also, his chin was kinda injured and had joyful yellow colour of a forming swell. Suddenly your funny moving world fell down.

“Where are they?” you asked. His false indignation disappeared, and there came real frown.

“I have no idea”.

You swallowed hard, remembering things preceeding your getting in bed with half your body absent (figuratively saying. Right?!). The jet, the beautiful mountains, pale light, and the lab. You felt drops of sweat immediately coming down your neck and shoulders as you recalled being there recently. It was as if you finally fell into the hole in the ground you’d been fearing to fall into. Like a black cloud you felt above your head finally crashing on you. You tried to get out of the bed, your both legs practically roared with piercing pain together. Matt grabbed your shoulder, maybe, too fast, and Tony froze, puzzled and suspecting, for a mere moment. Matt didn’t notice that.

“Don’t move”, he warned.

“Where’d they go? Are they alive?” you looked at Stark pleading.

“Alive”. His pissed, angry face returned. He looked hurt, and you felt guilty because you were asking him questions.

“I’m sorry Tony”.

He nodded impatiently waging his glistening needle he was holding.

“I really am”.

Matt was quiet, sensing that you touched upon something he was not included in.

“Whatever. They’re gone. Both of them. And you’ll stay in this bed as long as it requires. Your both legs are broken”.

“And what then?”

He looked surprised.

“What then?” he repeated, “then you can get up”.

Couple of minutes later you did throw up as you’d promised. Not because of Tony, but because of the huge amount of painkillers your body wasn’t able to burn.

It turned out you somehow spent a week in bed in the middle of the medical lab. At first, you couldn’t figure why Tony put you here, of all places. Well, it was true that it was good enough to stay here, but you’d rather put yourself in your apartment one storey below, on the living floor, where the Avengers’ apartments were. You had your own too. It was great, and you stayed there whenever they needed you close.

Then you realized Tony didn’t leave the lab so he could keep an eye on you while he was working. He said that Rhodes was coming around soon and he’d need his legs. You asked why the hell did he leave his legs at the tower, and then Tony realized that you weren’t there when Vision shot him down; on having learnt that he left Rhodey paralyzed below waist, you crawled out of your bed and rushed down the tower in search of the android. You managed to crawl towards the doors of the lab and then gave up. You were weeping on the floor as Tony kneeled before you, trying to lift you and not hurt you at the same time. You couldn’t run and you couldn’t even reach Vision to kick his ass; you couldn’t believe Iron Warrior was no more. Iron Warrior was no more. Only now did all the horrible consequences of your conflict occur to you. It wasn’t fucking jokes.

“Haven’t seen you crying for quite some time”, he admitted, seating himself next to your bed and sipping his coffee. You got your own too, and was bitterly glad with it. It seemed almost absurd that you could still enjoy things this world offered. Warm coffee. Matt Murdock’s voice. Tony’s condescending look. You could only guess if he’s been so forgiving and ever patient with you because he loved you or because he’s been broken down by what happened in the lab and simply had nobody else to talk to.

“Yes, I’m doing a good job here”.

“This is not good at all. I didn’t mean it as a compliment”.

“Well, it’s a free country, so I take it as an encouragement. I haven’t seen you crying at all”.

“It’s because I never do”, he said, his eyes shining cunningly. Coffee, you could say, had the same delightful effect on everyone.

“I can’t believe it’s turned out this way. What do we have now?”

“What do we have?” Tony repeated, “we have half of the team imprisoned. Rhodey paralyzed. Romanoff is now on the run for helping you little worms in Leipzig. And, of course, end of good relationship with the people of America. And everybody else”.

“Agh”, you sniffed disgusted, “the most important part”.

“Yes, it’s important. Have you ever thought of why people are afraid of you?”

“Because I spit fire”.

“Because you treat them like shit”.

“I ain’t got full bags of love and nice for everyone on this damned planet you know”.

“You ain’t got any respect for them either. Just like integrity. These words mean nothing to you”.

“Now, this is a lie”.

“You only love those whom you consider a hero, or a martyr, a strong symbol so to say”, Stark waved his hand with the cup in. “You don’t give a damn about mortals”.

“And you do”.

“I wouldn’t have gone for the Accords in the first place if I didn’t”.

You were silent for some time. It felt like he seated himself so comfortable here, and brought the coffee, to lecture you. You could take it for once. He could do anything at all now, you’d take it. You opened your mouth to say that you still thought the Accords offensive, and stupid, and utterly senseless, but felt a sting of wisdom. What did it matter? Tony knew it all very well.

“How much time has it been?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning back on his chair.

“How much time have I been unconscious?”

“About four days”.

“Good. So you can talk about it. Have you talked about it with somebody?”

He pursed his lips and you saw that hurt look again. God, this man had eyes that were far too expressive. They shone like two burning pieces of coil, and radiated hatred, anger, despair and danger, alongside with happiness, gratitude and playfulness, and triumph, radiated it so powerfully you could feel it on your face. He blinked several times as If trying to decide whether to start this conversation with you.

“Did you know?” he asked quietly.

Okay. He now studies the territory, because it’s all about sides with Tony Stark. If you did know, you’re going to be his enemy forever. Luckily, you had no idea it was the Winter Soldier who’d assassinated Mary and Howard Stark.

“No. I’m sorry. Does it matter?”

“You ask Rogers”.

“You know I can’t reach him”.

“Can’t you? There was something demonic between you three. You knew Barnes?”

It was your turn to purse your lips. This was not the subject you wanted to touch upon first.

“I didn’t know Barnes”.

It was true.

“You gotta understand that the recording means nothing, right?” you swayed on your side, gripping the pillow with weak fingers and looking at him closely. “I know your anger, I know exactly how you feel, but you’re a sensible man, Tony. You know Bucky has got nothing to do with it”.

“It’s not Barnes who pissed me off”. It was visible that it took him a lot of strength not to shout.

“Yes, I didn’t know Steve knew, but I can understand why he didn’t tell you”.

“You know”, Tony jerked his leg and leaned forward to you, “that’s what always gets me about you. Suddenly so understanding. You understand this, understand that. You don’t want to burn, or smack anybody with a heavy book on the face, when it comes to your heroes. You are two-faced, Y/N. Admit it. He killed my parents in cold blood. Do you want me to send him flowers and my condolences that he’s been brainwashed?”

You opened your mouth to reply, and saw it was senseless. You fell back on your pillow and stared at the high ceiling. You always liked the light in Tony’s dwelling. He liked it when it was bright everywhere, clear to see everything. You wondered if it was fear or just an issue. You liked the light dim. Because, when you were in the twilight, people couldn’t see your face in details. You didn’t like it when people looked straight at your face, at all. You felt exposed.

“It’s all going to pass, isn’t it”, you sniffed, “that’s what bothers me. Whatever happens to us, it always passes, and we are forced to go on, even if by our own minds. You’re going to fume about your parents for some time, you’re going to go through all the loss grief, and feel guilty and abandoned all over again, but the day will come, when you’ll be able to go on. That’s what pisses me off. You’re a sensible man. One day you’re going to shake Barnes’ hand and say, that wasn’t your fault, folk. You are a good guy, and I am sorry all this happened to you. And he’ll be like”, you felt your face getting hot with frustration, “yeah, and I’m sorry that I had part in what I did. Even though I never wanted this, I still feel kinda guilty, ya kno. And you’ll be like-”

“Y/N”.

You realized your voice was shaking with rage. You clutched the sheet in the fist. Tony was looking at you, concerned.

“That is shit. All this. Bullshit”, you summarized.

“Would you prefer to be in pain forever?”

“I am. I am always in pain. But it isn’t about me”.

“You’re making it about you and I would like to listen. I reckon you got a story behind this”.

You tried to penetrate his brain to find if he’s being serious, if he can be trusted. Knowing Stark, he could rush to find Bucky at this very moment to skin him, once you tell him everything. And, oh, you wanted to do this right now. In fact, you felt a burning need to share this with Tony. To show him that he is not the only one having problems with identifying Bucky. Not the only one whose heart is at war with the brains. Not the only one who has to go through the despicable times again and again.

“The Winter Soldier managed to damage all of us it seems”, you presumed. Tony nodded. You thought, if it will take his mind off his parents for now, let it be so. You nodded at him back, instinctively, as if you were entrusting him your life and were about to jump off the building.

“He was working with me for some time. We were at that lab. It was called the USSR Siberian Preparation and Defense Laboratory. His project was initially developed there. He’s been practically made there. It was his home”, you cleared your throat and kept your eyes on the high ceiling, “they also had a lot of other experiments going on there, but it was more like a prison, really. They never treated their experimentals like people. We were all subjects and tools for them. And the Soldier was the best one. He was the first, like Lucifer. The most ruthless of them all, and also flawless. Because them so-called scientists just, you know, poked the sky trying to make others like him, and I’ve seen them, I’ve seen them fight. I fought some of them, even. They were not even close to Bucky. I mean, the Soldier was made out of Barnes, who’d been just a regular athlete and a sniper, right. Those guys were assassins before they got into the lab. Maybe it’s because he never wanted that and never agreed on that. Maybe it’s because with him, it was more like a rape act” you bit your dry lip, pondering, “anyway, they weren’t as furious and menacing as him. Dumb plastic bullets. He’s been the Satan there, and he was my personal executioner. Because they wanted a weapon, and I was never good enough, so, for some time, he’s been beating the shit out of me, and they were watching if it would lead to something”.

“Did it?”

“Yes, sure. He once got so angry with me, he came into my cell and started beating me”, you swallowed the painful lump in your throat and let go of the sheet, recalling that night. “He’s been beating me with his metal arm, again and again, I thought he’d destroy me completely. He just beat, and beat, and beat, until my uterus was on the floor. He broke my ribs, and, sort of, torn one lung open”.

You tried to feel phantom pain in your stomach, but couldn’t. It was empty. There was nothing to feel. Suddenly, you felt very tired, your eyelids went heavy, and you blinked slowly, hoping that you’d manage to fall asleep before you open your eyes. You turned your head to Tony. Surely, he knew a significant part of you was absent. He’d put you through tests when you met, and he found you had an exceptional ability. He saw you didn’t have it. He just didn’t know where it went.

“And then, couple of years later, a good person helped me to recover, and I don’t feel anything at all about it. I moved on. And I feel broken because of it. You know? Do you understand? It’s like… I’ve been wasted. There’s no glory. Just distasteful recovery”.

Tony nodded slowly. His eyes shone. He was a remarkable man. Somebody else wouldn’t take it like he did. Another person would turn away, or weep, or lose his shit. Tony looked straight at you, and his eyes shone, like his excellent mind was radiating right through the eyeballs.

“I see your point”, he said.

“Isn’t it frustrating?”

“That we have to overcome disasters?”

“That life goes on”.

“Think of it from another side. It goes on for Barnes too, so very soon I’ll shake his hand, as you said”, he assumed in a voice which said ‘I’ll never even go near him without a large caliber gun’, “It is true. He’s going to probably go through a trial and win; if he knows better than to run away forever. He’ll get his life back. Probably even couple of his old habits. Gonna hang out with Rogers like they did in forties. Maybe, that’s the sacrifice you have to make for people like him”.

“You mean, we either go on all together, or we all die?”

“Exactly”.

You scratched your forehead and tore off a crust from a cut. You hissed.

“Yeah, well. As you said. I am a slut for heroes. Gonna do everything for the sake of’em”.

He looked sorry for a second.

“Tony?”

“Yes”.

“Do you know what makes a hero?”

He shrugged.

“I have no idea”.

“But you are one of them”.

He cocked his head.

“You gotta know”.

“I’ve got far too much to regret to think about such things”.

“Maybe you should put away your regrets eventually”.

“Nah, they always end up on the back of my mind. Just like you”.

“What do you mean?” you grinned teary. Tony wiped the blood from your forehead.

“I mean, you fuck everything up and then find yourself in my place again. Adamant. You’re very annoying”.

“Do you regret having me around?”

He was rising above you like a Statue of Liberty. He smirked and looked away, crossing his arms on his chest. You knew what he’d say.

taglist: @moistpotatobear

@heytherepartner

@sebbytrash

@thewinterher0

@lbouvet

@areuforreal

@allofthesearetakendafuq

@thesalsafic

@rhaeneris

@capandbuck

#avengers x reader #civil war imagine #winter soldier #tony stark x reader #captain america imagine #bucky barnes imagine

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bubbleteajuseyo · 4 years

Text

Living My Best Atiny Life At Ateez's Global Fansign in NY | K-Music Mondays | Bubbleteajuseyo

안녕하세요 여러분! (*＾▽＾)／

How have you all been?

I want to say I'm sorry again for my past hiatuses and just not being consistent with uploading before (both videos and blog posts). I will for sure be more active on here (and eventually my channel, but that’s a discussion for another day).

And this post in particular, is long overdue and involves my weekend at KCon NY this past summer.

KCon NY this year was....STRESSFUL AF! Part of me deep down had a feeling everything wasn't going to go well.

Why?

Because leading up to it all, so much was happening. And by that, so much good news and amazing opportunities were coming my way that I felt like the universe was going to be like "LOL, life is going too well right now, lets see how we can mess it up a bit."

*Side note: I don't care, call me crazy all you want. However, realizing now that Mercury was in retrograde, it all makes sense why it seemed like such a chaotic mess the entire weekend.*

From early check-in to literally that Sunday night on my train ride home, nothing went how I had hoped/planned. And not going to lie, for all this stress, I might as well go to KCON LA next summer or KCON Japan.

And on top of that, I haven't been feeling well the past several weeks (mentally, emotionally, and physically) and it's just been an unpleasant roller coaster ride. So there's that.

KCON NY 2019

Like I said, so many good things were happening weeks prior. From finding out so much good news that week to just feeling so great about myself.

But it was literally the morning of early check in, everything just started to take a turn for the worst.

From missing my train to early check-in being a mess, trying to trade my hi touch with someone in the heat and pretty much wasting my time; my weekend was starting off chaotic.

Then the first day of KCON wasn't any better. It felt even more hot and disgustingly humid than the day before, which made me grateful the convention was inside this year. But walking from Penn Station to Javits was not a good time.

I got completely lost in Javits trying to find the line to wait to go into the convention once it opened up.

Then, I decided to be boo boo the fool and go to starbucks inside Javits to drink that dumb b*tch juice. And to my surprise the queue line wrapped around into a huge crowd of people trying to figure out where the line formed/ended.

WE LOVE THAT.

Oh, and to top it off, in the middle of all that mess and ending up being stuck in the queue line, it was 11:30AM and I had to be at the Kakao Friends booth to claim my giveaway ticket for the show that night by 12PM.

I was so stressed and about to have a breakdown in the middle of the line.

Luckily, Kakao Friends was very understanding while I was dm-ing them the entire time. And to my surprise, I actually made it to the booth with about 5 minutes to spare.

As soon as I got my ticket, I did some mini exploring of the convention and found the merch table. Before I knew it, it was time for my Ateez audience engagement.

At that moment I could not believe they were right in front of me and then I was reminded that the next day I had the global fansign event.

My friend even kept reminding me I was going to be sitting face-to-face with them the following day and part of me wanted to throw up. It was slowly sinking in, but not fully.

My friend and I actually left the fan engagement when they did hi-touch to see more of the convention. We came across a couple of Youtube creators along the way, attempted to win her a free ticket to the concert that night, and much more.

I will say, just like last year, I wish I did even more with the convention. Especially panels.

However, like last year, the schedule for KCON was just a lot.

There were some booths I was not able to attend and the line to get food was always way too long. I missed a few of the stages at the convention and some panels, which sort of sucked.

But, what can you do? It is what it is, I guess.

What was even more upsetting, just like last year, Kung Fu Tea ran out of boba in the middle of the convention. Truly devastating. 💔

Besides all of that it wasn't that bad. Still a sh*t show, but fun nonetheless. If I get the chance next year to go to KCON, I took notes again as to what I will do differently. Even then, I plan to experience KCON LA or Japan instead.

Now, if we fast forward to the concert, I am still shook.

I want to take the time to thank Kakao Friends again because if it wasn't for them, I would not have had the opportunity to attend the show. I will forever be grateful because I had such a good seat!

All of the performances did incredible, and of course, Ateez snatched my soul.

Their 'Sicko Mode' stage was *chef's kiss* remarkable. I do wish they did ‘Pirate King’ since I probably don't know if I will ever see that or their 'Pick It Up' performance live. Regardless they put on an amazing show.

*Side note: I know they did ‘Pick It Up’ and ‘Pirate King’ during Klub Kcon, but unfortunately I couldn’t attend that either. Big sad. ㅠㅠ*

I enjoyed the other performances like The Boyz, Iz*One, Nu'Est and TxT.

And let me say Iz*One is so pretty. I am still heartbroken that Everglow couldn't make it because I know their stage would have been incredible. However, Iz*One had a breathtaking stage and killed it.

With having time to fill, all of the artists did their best to fill in for Everglow's time slots and I couldn't be more proud. It was still a fun time and made up for the crappy events that happened during the day.

Now, let’s move on and discuss the following day and the best day.

Ateez Global Fansign in NY

Before going to the fansign, I had to run some errands basically at Javits Center before heading to the venue to line up. Such as giving my friend her tickets to the concert that night and selling my SF9 hi-touch since it was pretty much at the time of the fansign.

I took an Uber from Javits to the theatre because it was too hot to walk and I still don’t know how to take the subway in NY. Also, was trying to not get sweaty and gross in the subway, or while walking either.

Upon arrival, I have to say, I was anxious as hell walking up to the line to wait. I wouldn’t say I felt out of place, but I was scared to try and make other Atiny friends. Which, I had nothing to be concerned about because the Atiny I met that day were so welcoming and that in itself was just so comforting.

And right now I just want to take the time to give some shoutouts to my favorite Atiny.

I mentioned Whitnee and Deni I believe in a previous twitter thread or so, and they are literally sweet angels and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had the chance to meet them at the fansign. Whitnee was the first Atiny I spoke to as we waited in line for check-in, while Deni saved my life, so these two deserve the entire world and to live their best Atiny lives always and forever. So, a massive shout out to the two of them for being the first Atiny’s I encountered in real life. I adore you both and hope we can reunite soon!

And although I didn’t meet any of them at the fansign (which hoping to change all of that in the future), a massive shout out to the Hagtiny group chat. I love you hags with my whole heart and hope you live your best Atiny lives as well.

One more shout out to Aleah since I went up randomly to her and her friends and was like, “Anyone want a free Ateez album?” And since I had an extra one and we exchanged twitters, we literally have been friends since and met up again at the Mingi cafe event.

Oh, and thank you all for putting up with my soft hours on twitter and in text message.

There’s for sure more people on this shout out list, but I’m going to mention them in the another post. Otherwise, we may be here for a bit longer and I know you all want me to get back to discussing the fansign.

Now, where were we?

Oh, so after we all checked in and picked numbers, we found our seats. This is when emotions slowly creep up on you. As everyone gets settled and once they go over the rules and stuff for the event, suddenly the boys come out and pick their seating order.

Now, this is where it actually sinks in as they stand on stage in front of you in a small theatre. Then you remember that you will soon be sitting face to face with each member, one by one.

I drew number 98, so I was in the last row of the theatre and luckily it was elevated so I was able to still see everything. However, it was kind of a sucked. When you’re that far back waiting for your turn, your nerves just build up more and more.

So, not only were my nerves getting the best of me, my head was hurting, I was nauseous, and exhausted. But this was because I was also running off of little to no sleep, and didn’t eat all day. Therefore, I owe Deni my entire soul and one of my kidneys. She saved me by giving me a bite of the granola bar she was eating and water so I can take advil for my headache and to just have something in my stomach to hold me over. She also comforted me while we waited. Not only did Deni prevent me from dying, we actually spoke the entire time. Had like 800 trips to the bathroom and played games in the back row, such as: how many members can we get to ‘hit the woah’ with us.

I blew a kiss to Hongjoong then he blew one back and then mimicked me freaking out and losing my sh*t. And this was when there was one to two rows ahead before it became our turn.

So, being in the last row honestly wasn’t that much of a bummer. It was actually a lot of fun. So I’d rather be in the back for a fansign again.

Finally, the time comes. Our row gets called up. I’m lowkey worried I’ll collapse or something while going up and down the stairs. The staff checks our post-it questions and then we wait until it’s our turn to sit down.

Once it was my turn to sit down, I almost lost it. My biggest fear was them having San start the line. And what do you know, Wooyoung (he chose the seat order) did me dirty.

The order was: San, Wooyoung, Seonghwa, Yunho, Mingi, Hongjoong, Yeosang, Jongho.

Then again, regardless of the order, I would have died internally anyway. BUT, Choi San just-

Let me take another moment to express how Choi San literally ruins me and is at the top of my bias wrecking list. That smile. Oh my, that smile. That is what gets me everytime and for him to start the line and smiling the way he does, I was done.

So, I sat down with San and just when I thought I would lose it because of that smile...I actually felt comforted? Like the nerves started to die down a bit. Same goes for Wooyoung,which him and Jongho intimidated me at first.

I mean I’m still intimidated by Jongho, but I’ll talk about that another time. And as for Wooyoung, I have the biggest soft spot for him.

But as I moved from each member, the nerves just kept decreasing and it turned into pure comfort and happiness.

In this twitter thread I describe in detail my experience with each member, along with a clip I found from another Atiny’s video of me interacting with Mingi. I hope you all enjoy reading the thread.

Speaking of which, here is another shout out to JaNey because I was looking to see if anyone recorded the entire fansign and came across her channel to discover she basically did. And when I say I was so happy, I cried.

The one thing I really regret from the fansign, was not bringing my DSLR nor having the courage to ask someone to record me.

And now, here is a really soft and emotional moment. With those being on my list of things I wish I did and didn’t do, comes this one thought (or many thoughts).

I am super grateful for this experience. Beyond grateful, actually. I almost didn’t even try for this fansign because I honestly thought I would not have gotten in. I’m glad I took the chance.

However, the more I think about it, that may have been my only chance. Again, I’m super grateful for the opportunity, since I know there are some who still haven’t gotten to experience meeting them. But, when the chance comes and goes, you can’t help but think what if you never get to do it again? Then you really start to miss them. It’s a very complicated feeling to explain right now.

Maybe that’s me being a little selfish, but there is so much I wish I could have said or done, that I didn’t get to say or do.

That’s why it sort of hurts when I see some people I'm mutuals with getting attacked for attending multiple events like fansigns. Because if I could, I would do the same. And I also think they may feel the same way, not knowing when it will be their last time meeting them.

Therefore, I live vicariously through them. And I hope every Atiny gets to have that moment. I’m hoping that maybe I’ll get more chances in the future, but I could only be so lucky. So, I won’t get my hopes up too much. Like I said though, I’m super grateful that my first fansign experience in general was with Ateez.

I don’t even know where to begin with how happy these boys make me, it’s been a long time since a group has had me feeling like this. Maybe I’ll do a massive blog post explaining this.

Leave a reply to this blog post telling me how happy Ateez makes you.

Overall, my weekend for KCON was definitely one of the many highlights of my year. Despite coming across a lot of bumps in the road, I appreciate the fact that I was allowed to have such a remarkable and memorable time. The highlight, of course, being the fansign.

Not only did I get to meet the 8 boys who have had a huge impact on my life, but I have developed some heartwarming friendships since then.

Ateez & Atiny make one team. 💖

I want to thank you all for reading this blog post.

Also, please hit that follow button for my blog. Even drop some suggestions in my ask box for what you would like to see for K-Music Monday posts. Or even reply below to this post. I’d be truly grateful either way. *^^*

Thank you so much again for reading this post and if you haven’t already, make sure you join the #BOBASquad to receive exclusive newsletters regarding my channel, blog and my journey to finally move to Korea.

And make sure to subscribe and hit that notification bell to my channel for when I finally end another hiatus that I’ve been on. Because I’ve been on this rollercoaster when it comes to feeling confident enough to film and upload. There will definitely be a whole video to the blog post I’ll be uploading on here.

I want to add, if anyone wishes to donate and support this adventure I’m on to move to Korea for university, please check out my Ko-fi page.

All earnings will be going into my savings account for future projects I have planned for my blog/channel to be a full-time content creator, to save an go back to Korea in Summer 2020, and then officially move to Seoul by 2021.

This isn’t really about me, this is about how many people can I bring with me on this adventure to motivate to take the leap themselves.

I really hope you all enjoyed this post and thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

Until next time~

감사합니다!

나중에 봐요! 💕

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eirian-houpe · 4 years

Text

The Library Beneath the Clock Tower - Chapter 5

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle/Gaston (Once Upon a Time)

Additional Tags: Bookshop On the Corner, slightly AU, Cursed Storybrooke (Once Upon a Time), Alternate Universe - In Storybrooke | Cursed (Once Upon a Time), Eventual Smut

Summary: Storybrooke has no library, and neither does Belle, not since the library where she worked in Boston discovered her past as an inpatient at a mental hospital. Taking her future into her own hands, Belle travels to Storybrooke where her intention is to open up the town library, but all does not go according to her plan. Obstacles and false starts, and diversion along very wrong pathways interrupt her journey toward fulfilling her dream, as well as taking her rightful place and becoming a part of the Storybrooke community.

Read on AO3: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] ]Chapter 3] [Chapter 4]

Chapter 5 - Storybrook Calling

It had been a few weeks since ‘bookgate’ as both she and Ruby had taken to calling that moment of truth that both made and broke, and then remade their friendship, and still Belle had yet to find anything that even in the slightest of ways fulfilled her yearnings for all that she’d hoped for. She had attended several interviews, and endured as many ‘training’ seminars in modern library techniques in an attempt to make herself more desirable and appealing to potential employers. However, lurking in the back of her mind was the knowledge of her past, and even if other people weren’t taking much notice of it - for she was always honest on her applications - her confidence did, and in the worst of ways.

Then, late one morning, a foul day by all reckonings of the weather, as she was trying to dodge the rain on her way to meet Ruby for coffee, her phone rang. She ducked into the nearest store doorway so as not to get her phone waterlogged, and looked at the number. She didn’t recognise it at all.

Ordinarily, she would ignore any number she didn’t know, assuming that if it were important, the caller would leave a message, but something made her accept this one.

“Hello?” she said, her voice tentative.

“Hello. Is this Belle?”

“Yes,” she said cautiously. There was something about the man’s voice that she recognised, but she couldn’t quite place it. It was gruff, but also had a warm edge to it, and she knew she should know it.

“It’s Leroy… From Storybrooke? I don’t know if you--”

“Leroy!” Belle exclaimed, feeling so many different emotions at once that she wasn’t quite sure which to address first, so in the end she said, “I remember, yes of course. Is everything all right?”

“Well, see…” She could almost imagine Leroy running his hand up and down the back of his head as he spoke to her. The image made her smile in spite of the rain, and her dour mood to match. “...after you left, me and the boys got to thinking, and it seemed to us like you had your heart set opening up a library here, and this place needs a library, so we did a little digging.”

“Leroy,” Belle began, glancing at her watch, and realizing she was going to be late if she stayed in the doorway talking, Not wanting to be rude, she tried to find a way to end the call politely so she wouldn’t keep Ruby waiting. “You really didn’t have to do that just for me.”

“Hear me out, okay?” Leroy said, and Belle pursed her lips, having little choice but to head out in the rain and at least try to keep under the shop awnings.

“All right,” she said, “Go on.”

“I don’t know how much you had your heart set on it being a mobile library, but… it turns out that the actual library itself isn’t a municipal building after all.”

“It’s not?” Belle frowned in confusion, because one of the reasons that Mayor Mills had given her for not being able to open the library was because of the state of the building. Surely if it didn’t belong to the town, why would that be a bother to her?

“Surprised us too,” confessed Leroy.

“So, wha--” Belle began to ask, but Leroy wasn’t yet done with his explanation so, while Belle hurriedly side stepped to avoid getting suddenly soaked by a curtain of water streaming from the broken canopy of a baker’s shop, he continued.

“So we did a little more digging, and it took us a couple of weeks, but,” he said, and Belle pressed her phone to her ear a little more so that she could be sure to hear him as she neared the edge of the sidewalk, and saw Ruby waving to her from the Starbucks across the road. She tried to concentrate on Leroy’s words and on crossing safely both at the same time but it wasn’t easy so she lost some of the string of words coming from the gruff voice on her phone as she waited for a gap in the traffic, so that she could dash across and finally get out of the rain once and for all. She spied an opening in the steady stream of cars and started to half walk, half trot, finally able to tune back in to what Leroy was saying. “...got to the bottom of it, and with a little pushing the right buttons, and a few politely spoken words in the right ears, well… we pooled our cash together and... you got yourself a library, sister!”

Leroy’s words came crashing over her and stopped her in her tracks, just as if a heavy truck had driven at speed through a puddle and sprayed her with freezing water.

“Wait, what?!” she said, not quite believing what she’d just heard, and completely oblivious to the fact that she’d stopped walking right in the middle of the road, or that the rain was now coming down faster than ever, right on her exposed head.

“Yep,” Leroy said, his surprising happiness - as he’d always struck Belle as such a surly man - bubbling over even down the phone. “Deposit and first month’s rent is all paid up, and we figure once you’re in there, and get everything up and running, the mayor will have no choice but to pay your salary, given that it was the building costs she was objecting to.”

“Wait,” Belle said again, and at the sound of a car horn, far too close for comfort, raised an apologetic hand to the driver she was delaying and as soon as she could, hurried to the other side of the street asking, “You guys did this?”

“Of course we did,” Leroy said, “and we’d do it again, twice over, if we had to. We know you’re good for it.”

“Leroy, that’s…” Belle broke off with a joyful laugh, no longer caring about the rain or what people might think of her sudden outpouring a celebratory laughter. “That’s wonderful… oh, my God, I could kiss you!”

She could almost hear Leroy blush on the other end of the phone. “Just get yourself up here, Sister.” he told her. “You have a library to reopen.”

Belle quickly said her goodbyes, promising to head to Storybrooke as soon as she could and then slipped the phone into her pocket, still laughing half in merriment and half in disbelief. Reaching Ruby, she threw her arms around her friend and practically pulled her down to the ground, so fierce and sudden was her hug.

“Belle, what the fuck?!” Ruby said, pushing her away. “You’re soaking wet, and what’s with stopping in the middle of the street like that. You’ll go and get yourself killed and--”

“I did it!” she exclaimed, and then rapidly correcting herself, but speaking so quickly she doubted anyone would follow her anyway, added, “Well, technically they did it, but they did it for me, and they need me, and now I have somewhere to go, and a job and… and a library!”

“What are you talking about?” Ruby asked, frowning and almost pushing Belle inside the Starbucks and ahead of her to order coffee before she caught her death of cold.

“Leroy, and the other guys… in Storybrooke,” she said and as they waited their turn in line for the ordering counter, Belle explained to Ruby what was going on. They had their coffee and were moving to find a place to sit and drink by the time Belle finished her excited retelling of it all.

“So, you’re telling me,” Ruby said as she slipped into a seat opposite Belle, “that a bunch of strange guys in a place you’ve visited once paid for the lease of a library building… for you… and you don’t see anything wrong with this scenario?”

“Well, I’ll pay them back,” Belle said, with a frown, not at all sure what Ruby was getting at, “Of course, I will.”

“Fuck, Belle,” Ruby shook her head, and sighed out a breath. “You’re a total lunatic!”

“No,” Belle said firmly as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips, which for the first time in a long time were upturned in a smile. “I am a librarian.”