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#you could say this trend... it's pretty dead........ just like............
spiritsonic · 21 days
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Remember Sakura Sonic? This is him now. Feel old yet?
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fruity-phrog · 10 months
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Okay, I saw someone say that Nimona, while being good representation, “didn’t take the big step forward in queer rep that everyone says it did”.
That is wrong. So wrong, my dude.
Yes, an explicit and open queer relationship in children’s cartoons is not new, per ce. Hell, just this year, two popular kids’ cartoons had the main character in an open, adorable, plot-based queer romance. But this is different for a few reasons.
Reason number one, it isn’t left in suspense. Yes, they had that split for three odd weeks, but they started the film as a couple. One of the very first scenes is them together as a couple, Ambrosius saying he loves Ballister, them holding hands, Ballister leaning on Ambrosius’ shoulder. Ambrosius says he loves Ballister three times during the film, and none of them are any more than halfway in. It’s very clear, from their very first interaction, that they are an established relationship, which isn’t something I’ve seen...at all in other animation.
Secondly, they are the plot. Ambrosius not believing Ballister, Ambrosius cutting off Ballister’s arm, Ballister trying to get the video to Ambrosius - this is what drives the plot. In any other children’s animation with queer relationships, the relationship is not the main focus. Even The Owl House, which is so amazing with its constant representation, would still make sense if Luz and Amity never happened. But Nimona’s plot wouldn’t make sense without Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship. It, quite simply, can’t be erased. It could work as a friendship, yes, but that’s the point. They could have just been two close friends that fell on opposite sides of a fight, but they weren’t. They were two lovers that fell on opposite sides of a fight. 
Thirdly, they aren’t sanitized for “family viewing”. An emerging trend in children’s animation is to only have mlm relationships as fathers to make them seem more “family friendly”. With the exception of Kipo, there really isn’t many tv shows or films that places light upon an mlm relationship. And if it does, it'll be a teen relationship because teenagers being queer tends to come across as less “dirty” and more “innocent”. But Goldenheart is none of these things. They are adults without the mollifying aspect of having a family. And on top of that, they fight. They wield swords and they get bloody and they shoot at things and get angry and yell. They aren’t “clean” and “innocent”.
As well as this, they are in a film. Films are far more accessible than tv shows. You have to watch twenty seven episodes before Lumity in toh is canon. Troy kisses Benson on the eleventh episode of Kipo. And there are two hundred and eighty three episodes of Adventure Time before Marceline and Bonnie kiss. But with a film, the queerness is much more forward - especially in Nimona, where it’s literally the second scene. Animated films hardly ever display queer relationships, but Nimona did.
Finally - they aren’t perfect. I don’t know about you, but three weeks of thinking your boyfriend/maybe ex is a murderer? Doesn’t sound like a healthy few weeks to me. I have only seen big relationship arguments portrayed in straight relationships in cartoons - think Star Vs The Forces Of Evil - whereas queer relationships either have the massive fight prior to being canonically gay - She Ra - or have conflict, not arguments, that are dealt with quickly - Dead End/The Owl House. But Goldenheart? Goldenheart suffers. Their relationship is pushed to such extreme boundaries as for them to be pretty much exes throughout most of the movie. And yet, they are clearly healthy, happy and very much in love at the end. 
TL;DR - Nimona is amazing with the queer representation, and it is a milestone for LGBTQ+ cartoons. Not only is the relationship romantic for the entire movie, the plot is driven by Ambrosius and Ballister’s sort-of-break-up. In short, they are treated the same way straight people are. They have flaws, they have massive arguments, they have plot importance, they have backstory. They are in love. And that’s what matters more than anything else. 
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gay-jesus-probably · 4 months
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I like the general fandom trend to just take the plot of Hyrule Warriors as a loose guideline at best and just use the whole concept as a good excuse to get blorbos to interact across timelines, BUT I'm very disappointed that everyone is missing the comedic potential of a very specific squad of characters:
Young Link (aka Mask), who walks out of the nightmare of Majora's Mask and immediately gets portal kidnapped into a temporal war, takes one look at the whole mess and decides that you could not fucking pay him to admit to being the resident expert on Time Shenanigans. He introduces himself with the title of Hero of Termina, and definitely doesn't have any other ones, that would be crazy. Hero of Time? Never heard of him.
Tetra, who is a kickass pirate captain with zero patience for people trying to shove her into the Designated Princess role, and realizes immediately that Oh Fuck, this Hyrule has a lot of Ideas about how the Hero and the Princess are supposed to properly play their parts, the second they realize she's technically a Zelda they're gonna shove her in a goddamn dress and damsel her again, that's not happening. So she's definitely just a really cool pirate captain, nothing else going on here at all, definitely not the heir of the Hylian royal family in her time, that'd be crazy.
Ravio, who is literally just a palette swapped Link, meaning that the second his hood comes off, things are gonna get Awkward. There's no way in hell he's dealing with all that Hero baggage, that's Link work, so that giant bunny hood/mask is practically superglued to his head, and he's not taking it off for love or money.
Spirit Tracks Zelda, who is just in the Phantom Armour the whole time, and passing herself off as just a friendly ghost posessing a suit of armour to help the Hero of Spirits. Of course she isn't Princess Zelda, that's ridiculous, if she were a Zelda then people would start getting really weird about her technically being dead, and boy does that ever sound like a whole Thing she doesn't want to deal with, so she can't possibly be Zelda, she's just a nice ghost knight. Also, her teenage grandma is here, and that's kinda weird, so it's easier to just not admit to being royalty and avoid that awkward conversation.
Finally there's Sheik, who is not the Princess Zelda of the era straight up abandoning her war torn country for months at a time so she can risk her life in extreme cosplay for no clear reason, but is instead the actual Sheik from Ocarina of Time, who just beat Ganondorf like a month ago and is still trying to process what the fuck to do now. Also, he's been pretending to be a boy since he was ten, and is realizing there's a pretty good chance that he isn't pretending anymore, so that's a whole other can of worms. But for the last seven years of his life, being Princess Zelda meant certain death, so he's not really inclined to introduce himself like when in a new and stressful situation (not to mention he might actually just not be a girl named Zelda anymore), so he automatically introduces himself as just Sheik the spooky ninja man, and fuck he's in too deep to back out now, looks like he's committing to the bit. If you think you sense the Triforce of Wisdom on him, no you don't.
Cue shenanigans as the five of them attempt to hide that they're all actually kind of A Big Deal. The group motto is "Nobody says shit", which is usually delivered as a frantic hiss whenever someone slips up. Just the reunion between Sheik and Mask alone would be absolutely buckwild given how they parted, and how they're both frantically pretending to Not be involved with each other. For added hilarity and/or drama, Sheik gives his semi-bullshit cover story of having just been a friend of the Hero of Time, then runs into said Hero of Time and they both have to desperately pretend not to know each other, because if anyone picks up on the mountain of baggage between them then Mask is busted, and he won't hesitate to drag Sheik down with him out of sheer spite. Not to mention the weird balance of Sheik being used to this Link being a teenager that's actually a small child, and now has to adjust to Link who is a small child that's actually a teenager.
Also, i really feel like we're all missing out on the comedy potential of Ganondorf recognizing Young Link on sight and the two of them immediately launching into a grudge match with some extremely personal and specific insults on both sides. Meanwhile literally everybody else is just standing there watching, trying to process the fact that out of every single person that's been pulled out of time, Ganondorf only has personal beef with a literal nine year old.
I just feel like we're all really sleeping on the potential for Shenanigans here. The whole thing is an absurd mess, why not have some fun with it?
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spitdrunken · 3 months
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i keep thinking about essentially being like. velvette's 'charity case' model and how your relationship develops from there.
notes: fem!reader, velvette calls you ugly LMAO, beyond that... no warnings, really. surprisingly the most healthy vee relationship ive written yet!
velvette's typical models all look similar, reminiscent of the modeling industry back when you were alive. tall, skinny and, more important than anything else, human-looking. most of them could pass for humans in a costume.
you… do not. you just didn't get quite that lucky with your demon form! really, you can say that the vast majority of people drew the short end of the stick, at least by the kind of standards that people like velvette set. maybe you're a bat, with a snout you've deemed as pig-like taking up most of your face. or a sheep, your single-slitted, dead eyes making even you uncomfortable. perhaps you're more formed after an object than what you would consider a person, or plant-like in nature! in any regards, due to the way lucifer chose to have you reborn you firmly do not fall within hell's beauty standards.
all of that means you were absolutely not expecting to be accepted when you went ahead and applied to a job with someone as famous and perfectionistic as velvette. it had started as a joke, really. you'd posted a purposefully horrible picture of yourself on vitter, with a stupid caption like; "do u think that :skull::heart: would kill me for submitting to open casting looking like this lmaooooo" (you have to use emojis to talk about the vees, as the socials owned by them are notorious for taking anything remotely negative down.)
and unexpectedly, your post randomly did some pretty big numbers, with people egging you on and some practically begging to tell you what kind of insults she would sling at your head. you saw some people copying your original as well.
so you're like! whatever!!! you don't think that you'd even get through the application process, much less velvette herself. nothing will end up happening, so, who cares? but then, somehow, despite everyone and their mom wanting to model for velvette, you get… through? and you even get an interview scheduled with velvette herself?
she takes one look at you as you walk in, and just goes: oh my god. this really is grim. and you're hardly seated, before she continues. look, i don't have the time for niceties, and introductions are entirely unnecessary. i'm sure you already know this, but you're not here because of your looks.
yeah. you figured that. …i guessed so. but i'm still sitting here. so, why?
instead of getting a real answer, you're shuffled off into a shoot, different outfits flashing on top of your body, faster than you blink, velvette's face settled into a scowl, till it suddenly lights up. it doesn't go… super well, you've never really done this and, if you had, velvette's attitude surely wouldn't help. you never really get clarity as to why you're being hired, when a contract is shoved in front of you.
(the reality of the situation is that velvette had seen you trending, not trending-trending, but still a noticable. she realised the demand for someone like you, a 'relatable' every-demon being thrust into this new world, and documenting it online. her company can claim they accept 'all kinds of demons', and some poor suckers will feel less excluded when looking at her fashion, buying it more quickly. win-win-win!)
she tells you to you're face that you're the ultimate challenge. if she can fix someone like you up to in a half-decent model, it just shows that she really is a fucking goddess. maybe you're not as pretty or as used to everything as the rest of the models, but that doesn't mean you don't put in any effort now that you're there. the other girls won't associate with you whatsoever, but you do listen in on their conversations, pretending to mess around on your phone, coming to know the kind of make-up velvette likes. you tirelessly browse online, mostly on vikvok and vitter, figuring out the current trends. and after a while, velvette takes a look at an outfit you picked, and actually says…
this is pretty decent. it won't look good on you, but i can use this. maybe, somewhere along the way, you become more of an assistant or outfit suggestor for velvette, only occasionally stopping in for shoots. velvette never accepted anyone in a similar position to you, even though vox tried her to get an assistant for ages, and she wouldn't have accepted you either if you'd obviously being vying for the position. but you weren't, and your position just kind of naturally developed that way.
your shtick as a 'charity case' has somewhat been abandoned, though velvette still dumps clothes in your arms sometimes and tells you to try them on. maybe you're one of the few people who gets her to laugh, and the only one who she freely bitches to about all of her models. (she does this to vox and valentino too, but it's not the same. they don't care as much, nor do they really know who she's talking about.) she lets you sort through some of the open casting applications and help pick out the theme for a shoot.
of course, absolutely everything you do has to go through velvette first, and she still criticizes you aplenty, but you can't help but feel she has grown… fond of you, in a sense? sometimes, you swear you see her wearing outfits you'd picked out for another model… and while she shittalks everything that moves, you just happened to listen in on her giving a model a tonguelashing for talking bad about you. either way, you've certainly come to like her a lot more. you're now even mutuals on vitter and vikvok! much to the delight of the tiny following you'd grown on there. she even posted a picture of the two of you on there! …that means you've really made it.
maybe at some point, when her company has hit a new milestone and, in a rare slip-up (or perhaps valentino gave her a super strong drink on purpose, thinking its funny) she gets pretty drunk. you end up sitting opposite of each other in a bar, with her having decided on the spot to put some make-up on you, leaning in close to check her work, fingers gliding slowly over your skin. a situation that feels entirely too intimate for this setting, not helped by the half-lidded look in your eyes. …i have changed my mind. she mumbles, slurring her words are little. you can look pretty, after all.
you sputter out a oh really, and you only realised that now?! in order to break the heaviness of the air, the unspoken tension that makes your heart skip a beat, and velvette laughs.
(maybe there's hope for the two of you yet.)
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haru-natsuka · 10 days
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First Night Interview (Heartslabyul and Scarabia Ver.)
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Question: How did you spend your first night with your wife?
Ace looked at the question in horrified.
Ace: WH-WHAT KIND OF A QUESTION IS THAT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU?!
Deuce: Bet you were just sleeping like a log. *
Deuce smirked at Ace as he folded his arms, literally mocking him. Irritated with Deuce remark, Ace did not back down.
Ace: HUH! EXCUSE ME! We diiddd it all night longggg! Tch! (I'd be dead if my wife knew about this) Bet you struggle to even hold your wife's hands.
Deuce: ME-ME?! Me... My wife and I... spend a heated night *blush furiously*. It's the first night of the wedding after all. It's bound to happen. *Super proud face*. How about Trey-senpai and Cater-senpai?
Trey: I don't think I can say much. My marriage happened during Christmas so both of us were busy with all the orders from the bakery. We just passed out late at night and wake up early tomorrow morning for another batch of orders.
Cater: That's sounds pretty tiring. Good, you have a supportive wife. You should buy her a cute gift as a reward.
Trey: I already did.
Cater: What did you give? Something branded? Expensive? Trending?
Trey: There is no need to buy when I can just provide the thing for my wife.
Cater: You must bake something and use your unique magic to impress her.
Trey: Something like that. Now, stop focusing the conversation on me, Cater. It's your turn. Don't avoid to answer.
Cater: Uhuu..Did I get caught? I also have nothing special to share. I only remember taking multiple pictures of my wife. She's too beautiful and photogenic for me to stop.
Deuce: Really senpai? But I don't notice you update anything in magicam that night.
Cater: Not everything should be posted, Deuce-chan. It's a memory that I want to keep for myself.
Deuce: Please drop the chan :(
Riddle, who was listening to the conversation could not hold himself back anymore
Riddle: All of you... I tried to ignore it but I couldn't anymore. DID YOU GUYS BREAK THE CURFEW?! This is an embarrassment for ex-students from Heartslabyul. A DISGRACE!
Everyone was shocked with the ex-dorm leader outburst.
Deuce: Riddle-senpai, do you still follow all the 180 rules?
Riddle: It's 810! How can you forget about the rules! This matter is not something to take lightly!
Cater: That's Riddle for you I guess.
Riddle: My wife is not like you rule breakers at all. She follows all the rules really well. It was right for me to rely on my mother in choosing my partner.
Ace: YOU IMPLY THE SAME RULES TO YOUR WIFE???!!!
Riddle: It's something to be expected alright. When the clock hit 10, we go sleep punctually. It has been 1 month of marriage and we always did that.
Trey: Did you really just sleep, Riddle?
Riddle: I don't see anything worth to do except that. Besides, I finished all my tasks early before bed.
Trey: Your wife don't say anything? Like giving you the cold shoulders.
Riddle: When I think about it... She did act differently the next day but I don't know why. I tried to ask but she always said she's busy or I need to figure it out by myself.
Ace: Congratulation on having the first couple fight
Riddle: Wh-what do you mean by that, Ace?
Cater: Just ignore him, Riddle. Let me help you solving the problems. I already share some links with you. You just need to watch and you will understand your wife better.
Riddle: Will it works? *About to click the link*
Cater: *Close Riddle's phone as fast as he can* Please remember to not watch it in public.
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Kalim: What are you guys doing? Can I join too?
Trey: I don't think you should involve yourself in the conversation Kalim. This will taint your innocence
Ace: We talking about everyone's first night. Please share with us your experience too, senpai
Trey: Ace! You-!
Kalim: Ohh about that! Of course, I spent the entire night with my beautiful wife. She teaches me a lot of ways to cuddle. We keep each other close not only that night but the entire next 2 days! And we-!
Jamil: KALIM! STOP TALKING! (Immediately cover his mouth and drag him away before he can describe the entire situation. Meanwhile, Riddle was busy taking notes inside his head. Cuddle all night doesn't sound so bad)
Cater: What about you, Jamil?
Jamil: I don't want to share anything but my wife admit I'm a husband material *Smug smile*
END
This is my first time focusing my writing on dialogue more instead of description. How was it? While doing this, I got some ideas to write one-shot for everyone of them in regards of their first night. Might be writing a new series huhuhuhu.
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malereadermaniac · 2 months
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Serial Cheater ~ Mako x Male Reader
This takes place somewhere along season 2 - Mako having just broken up with Korra and chatting to Asami again
You are a core member of team Avatar!
Short fic! Sorry lol
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Even though Mako is the kind of guy fan girls swoon over, most people would say that he's pretty down to earth
Your friends wouldn't describe Mako as flirty or as a serial romantic
But for the entire time you've known the muscular fire bender, some things have stuck out to you - most notably that he is, in fact, a flirt and a serial cheater (on accident)
Mako never actually means any harm to the girls he dates, but you have noticed a trend in his dating patterns of dating drop-dead gorgeous girls with a little overlap between them
It may just be the law of attraction - maybe Mako is just a magnet to romance and he can't help it
But it's most definitely a fact that if an opportunity is presented to the police officer, he takes it
And that is exactly what got the both of you into this situation
Mako and you were hanging out, Korra away somewhere on avatar business and everyone else at their respective jobs
The two of you were just chilling in Mako's apartment, having ordered take-out and drinking some new companies mass-produced rice-wine
As conversations drifted from one to the other, Mako started to vent about his highly active love-life
Being a good friend, you listened to the tall police officer - nodding along to assure him that you're listening to his ramble about his feelings for Korra and also for Asami
You of course throw in a joking comment or two at Mako's adulterous nature, but all in all you listen to his problems and offer your comfort
And your comforting and caring nature, mixed with the alcohol in Mako's system, was what resulted in your current situation
That being you on Mako's lap, making out with you handsome friend
Yes, you broke the kiss initially
Yes, you said you two shouldn't do this because of your close friendship with both of Mako's love interests
Yes, Mako begged for your warm, soft lips and for your comfort
And yes, you gave in...
Even though Mako was just yapping on about kissing Asami less than 24 hours ago, his chiseled face and warm brown eyes drew you in like an inescapable black hole
As the two of you made out, clothing started to make its way off of your body - the air in Mako's apartment becoming hotter and stuffier
But as your nude chest rubbed against the handsome man's pecs, a knock of the door forced you two apart
"Mako? Hey I wanna... talk about earlier!" you could hear your dear friend's voice shout
Asami was behind that door, and you most certainly didn't want her to walk in and see you and her not-so-boyfriend-boyfriend getting it on
You and Mako struggle to get off of one another and desperately reach for your clothes to cover up
You head to the bathroom to hide and dress back up as Mako let's Asami in to talk
You over-hear the two as you wait in your friends' tiny bathroom
Their conversation had ups and downs, but it definitely ended in an up
You peaked out of the crack between the door frame and the door, watching as Asami and Mako kissed goodbye
As the front door shut, you open the bathroom door and lean on the frame
"Sooo... looks like you really just can't help yourself" you say with a smirk to Mako
The tall man chuckles as he walks over to you
"Heh... yeah, I guess so"
"I don't think you deny being a playboy much longer, haha..." you joke
Mako holds you head up with his soft hand to make you look him in the eye - Mako's height being emphasised
"Shut up... and what if I am?" Mako half-lids his eyes as he focuses on your features
And while you know that it's a dick move on your part, breaking Asami's and even Korra's trust, you couldn't help but push your lips against Mako's
Your hands rest on Mako's strong chest, his tongue slipping past your lips as his masculine hands slip onto your waist
"That's what I'd do if your were... Hmhm~" you laugh after breaking from Mako's warm lips
The two of you laugh as the strong man picks you up, your legs wrapping around his waist and your arms around his neck
As Mako makes his way to his bed, all thoughts of guilt float out and away from your brain
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user2772636 · 2 months
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Douzième Fille
12th girl
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××《☆》××
Experimenting is bound to give you attention. Magazines are trending, and not just in the women's department. A one-eyed boy who has recently been caught with something vulgar has respect for women. How surprising.
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Joseph Descamps x Reader
Warnings: boys being boys (worse than b4), swearing, one-sided anger, reference to a movie (Hot Rod), love triangle again (new character??), fluff (finally?!?!?!)
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Chapter four: Flashy Magazines
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I flip through page by page the new magazine I bought. It was imported from america, and the second I heard of it, I ran to the nearest booth.
That was yesterday. Today is Monday morning. I woke up a little earlier to scroll through my said magazine and look for inspiration. I thought I'd do something different. A bit more bold.
Hair bumps and bangs. A style well worn by Priscilla Beaulieu, the speculated lover of Elvis Presley. The magazine was filled with her.
I grab my scissors, lifting my head to look into my bathroom mirror. I read the directions on the magazine, parting a small section at the middle of my hair, pulling it in front of my eyes.
I take a deep breath in. A click from the scissors is heard. Not half bad, I say to myself. I shag it a little, smiling to myself.
I continue to read the instructions to Priscilla's hair bump, deciding to make it just a small bump, curling the ends, then adding hair spray to keep it all intact. Once I was done , I added a pair of pearl earrings.
There's a new dress waiting for me in my closet. It was a present from my parents. A knee-length flowy dress with a boat neckline and a thin strap belt, all in the colour of watermelon red.
I put it on, patting down the skirt, and grab my kitten heels. I pray that I don't get caught. This is probably how Michèle felt on the first day of school.
I take one last look in the mirror. I looked older, like a proper lady. I straighten my back and smile strainedly. I breathe out slowly.
I grab my satchel and coat, then head out of my flat. Walking to school, eyes follow me. From my lovely neighbour to the men smoking cigarettes in the street. I don't mind them and continue to make my way to school.
Once I get there, I see Laubrac walking away from Michèle. I walk up to her and put on a smile.
"Michèle. How have you been?" I lean in to hug her.
"Wow, Y/N. You're stunning. You look like you were made to be in movies." Michèle laughs, and I laugh with her.
"Don't go that far." We smile at each other and make it through the gate. Once again, eyes are on me, younger this time.
We look towards the bathroom, seeing Felbec run towards it, then get rejected access through. A tall frame pushes him away, and I knew exactly who it was. I furrow my eyebrows.
A boy then comes running through the gate, shouting out how he has the money. I notice Annick as she suddenly walks away. When he makes it there, the school bell rings. I laugh, watching him move around disappointed.
××《☆》××
"Literary salons are almost always hosted by women. Madame de Sèvignè, Madame de Lafayette." Our teacher says as he leans on his table with his arms.
The lecture fades, and all I hear is the tapping of my heels on the hardwood floor.
"Dupin." Our teacher calls out. I turn around to take a look, but my eyes lock with one. I squint at Descamps, then shift my eyes to Dupin.
"As you won't stop talking, you seem well-versed on the subject. Can you share your thoughts on the salons with us?" Dupin stands, and I smile softly, seeing his embarassed state.
I turn my head back to the front, but a stare stays on me, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
I ignored it at first, and then it started to get annoying. So I turned, and I saw him, and he was smiling. He's smiling. Every time I look at him, either he looks dead inside (though, in my opinion, no dead person could look that pretty.), or he's smiling. And that's what he's doing. He's smiling.
How I wish I could wipe it off.
××《☆》××
My ears pound as I hear Ms. Giraud's voice. I might go deaf, but I keep my composure. The bell rings, and we're finally dismissed.
I hear rushed shuffling. Ms. Giraud calls out to the boy.
"Are you in a rush, Lamazière?" Ms. Giraud yells. I notice it's the same boy that ran to the bathroom with money in his hand.
He gets punished, and I laugh quietly. I grab my things, rushing up to the girls.
"Hey, I need to go to the bathroom. Continue walking without me." They nod, and we part ways.
After using the toilet, I look at myself in the mirror. I never expected that. How conscious I'd be of my looks, my movements, and my habits.
Maybe it comes with the fact I dressed up. But for what, I start to wonder. I don't know why I dressed up in the first place. I know I said for a change, but is that really all?
A flash of an eye comes to mind. I quickly shake it off. No way. Not him.
I clear my throat, then grab my things. I hastily walk out the bathroom, suddenly needing fresh air. As I make it to the hallway of the stairwell, footsteps slow down, and eyes follow me. I stop in my tracks.
I scanned through them, what face they were wearing while looking at me. I look down on myself. I still looked presentable, so what were they looking at?
I start to walk, my eyes following the faces of the boys. Each step I take down feels slower. One flight finished, and I stop glancing at them. My feet tap on the porcelain floor of the stairs as I keep my head down.
One flight left, a tall frame walks into the school. He turns to the stairs, and I stop. Descamps stares at me. I stare at him. He then looks up and sees plenty of eyes on me. I see his jaw clench.
He claps his hands. I flinch at the echo of it.
"Will you boys keep staring, or will I go shopping for a new eye with all of yours?" This gets them moving. The stairwell is noisy again.
I turn my head back to Descamps, and I glare. Hard. I walk towards him, and then I'm reminded of our height difference. I crane my neck upward.
"I could've handled myself, you know?" I squint my eyes, and all he does is stare. Why is he just staring? Can't we fight already? I feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment.
"Are you just gonna stare or are you gonna sa-"
"You're beautiful." I barely even heard it. But I did. Then I acted like I didn't.
"What?" I stutter out, flushed cheeks redder than before.
"You're miserable. You clearly needed my help." I scoff, the comforting warmth I felt quickly replaced with boiling anger.
"Just leave me alone, Descamps." I walk away, and into the courtyard.
Who does he think he is? Some knight in shining armour? He's more like a thief in the streets. But then no thief could be as annoying, as dreadful, as smiley as him. That stupid smile, and those stupid words, and his stupid face. Stupid, stupid face. Sometimes I just wanna grab it and-
I stop in my tracks. There's a line in front of the boys' bathroom. What would they be lining up for? I see a mop of blonde hair and framed eyes. Applebaum. He hasn't talked to me, hasn't said hi, and I always wonder if I'd done anything wrong.
But he's the past. I guess he just doesn't like me. It's too bad. I had high hopes for him. A whip of air pushes by me, and it's Descamps again. He's jogging towards the bathroom. He's collecting coins from them. Really, what's going on?
I look in front of me. Michèle and Simone are seated on the stairs. I sigh in relief. I sit beside them.
"I can't do this anymore. All the boys, they're dreadful. Why did I come here in the first place?" I groan. The girls watch me, amused.
"Because you moved here from Paris and-" I cut Simone off.
"Rhetorical." I mutter. She purses her lips shut.
Michèle clears her throat. "So, you think you'll get married?" I lift my head up.
"To who?" My eyes are wide open as well as my ears.
"Eugène. Simone's lover boy." I cover my mouth in shock.
"What? I thought you had a thing for-" Simone cuts me off this time.
"No. It's a little too soon for that." She answers Michèle's question. I mouth sorry. She nods.
"Aren't you worried he'll want to take things further?" Michèle asks Simone. I started to click the pieces together. I bite on my lip to hide my smile.
"I don't know." Simone smiles at the thought. "Can I have a bite? Thanks." She says as she grabs Michèle's apple and takes a bite from it.
"I hope I find a husband soon. So I can get out of my parents house." I nod at Michèle's statement.
"That's true. But hopefully, no one from here. I'd rather die." They laugh at my overreaction, but honestly, I might just die than marry anyone here.
Well, except for one, maybe. Who, I ask myself. Right. Who am I even talking about? My eyes drift to a one-eyed boy. No. Don't even think about it.
Descamps as a husband? I laugh to myself.
Sure, I can imagine him going to work, coming home, smoking a cigarette or two as he reads the news.
Lounging in the living room one lazy afternoon, shirt slightly unbuttoned and pants a bit loose. Eating breakfast with his family, cooking with his wife (who, for some reason, looks almost like me. Very weird.), kissing her shoulders as his arms wrap around her waist.
His scent, his soft lips, his large frame. Carrying his kids in his arms as he spins them around the backyard. Teaching his son how to catch, playing dolls with his daughter, taking a break on a bench, one arm on his thigh, and the other on me.
Me? I shake my head. No, not me. His wife. Certainly not me. I grimace at the thought. Why would I even?
I sigh deeply, frustratedly. These damn thoughts are infuriating, just like him.
"Happy New Year, Ms. Palladino." My trance gets cut off.
"You too, Sir." Simone responds. I clear my throat, composing myself.
Michèle calls out for her uncle and gets up. I wonder what she's going to do. I don't pay much mind as I scoot over to Simone.
"It's Jean Pierre, isn't it?" She flinches.
"What do you mean?" I roll my eyes at her response.
"You know what I mean. Eugène? It's definitely Jean Pierre." Her cheeks flush, and she drops her head.
"I'm happy for you, really." I smile as she lifts her head, hope in her eyes. My smile wavers a bit. "But how will you tell Michèle?"
Her eyes lose that hope, and she looks away.
"I don't know. He said we shouldn't because she'll never let us see each other again."
"But one day, you'll have to." I grab her hand and rub it gently. She sighs.
"I wish you luck." I whisper, then hug her. She hugs me back. Once we pull away, Michèle sits with us again.
"He didn't want to lend it to me. What does 'adult' mean." I raise my eyebrows and puff out my cheeks, clearly not wanting to answer her question.
Michèle looks around. "What's up with everyone today?"
"You only noticed now?" I chuckle.
"Come with me." Me and Simone get up, following Michèle. She walks and calls towards Pichon.
"What's going on in the bathroom?" Pichon pauses. Too long of a pause.
"Nothing." I squint at him. Obviously not nothing.
"Somethings been going on in there today."
"Not at all. Nothing's going on." Pichon tries to walk away, but I stop him with a palm to his chest.
"Really? Why did you react that way when you ran into Mr. Bellanger?" I start to talk.
"What do you mean?" This is getting annoying.
"Don't act dumb. We know you aren't." I snap at him. "Now, why was your face all red?"
"No. It's not red." I furrow my eyebrows, now really getting angry. I almost shove him before Michèle holds me back.
"Simone, is his face red?" I ask her.
"It's red. Very red." I look back at Pichon and raise my eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
"It's not. It's just my complexion." I try to lunge at him, but Michèle's hands are tight on me.
"So you're not gonna tell us?" Michèle calls out for him. I whip my arms off of Michèle's hold, and she's quick to let me go.
"Of course he won't." I glare at the back of his head.
The bell rings.
××《☆》××
Descamps' group walks into the class together. They're rushing a bit.
"And Applebaum?" One of them asks.
"He's gonna sprain something." Descamps answers. Sprain what? What are they doing in that bathroom anyway?
"He's gonna go deaf." Oh. A shiver runs down my spine as I gag. Gross.
I hear Michèle ask Simone something, probably about what the boys are talking about. I don't wanna tell her.
Ms. Couret walks in and greets us. We're granted to sit. The door opens.
"Didn't you hear the bell, Mr. Applebaum." I gag again seeing him. I should've known he was like everyone else. To believe I might've given him a chance. I grimace.
The boys whisper and laugh. There's a boiling in my stomach. Ms. Couret moves on to the topic.
"Do you know the Beatles?" This catches my attention. No one answers, until Pichon does.
"The British band?" Ms. Couret nods.
"Yes. Let's see if those names ring a bell." I shuffle on my seat, giving my full attention to the discussion.
I don't notice the boys passing around a magazine 'till it comes flying towards Michèle's table. I peek over, and in front of her lies a flashy magazine.
××《☆》××
"He said if we didn't give him a name, the class would get detention every Thursday." Pichon says as everyone huddles in to listen. I feel a warm frame over and behind me, but I ignore it, thinking it's just another classmate.
"Then we all get detention." Dupin states, as if it wasn't already obvious.
"The whole class." Pichon exclaims.
"Even the girls?" My brows furrow. What did we do to be blamed?
"Everybody." We all stop.
"That's not fair." Simone says, and I nod with her.
"Right. What did we do? It was you guys who were being perverts." I call out.
I get more frustrated when a chest bumps into me. It's the same frame I felt earlier. I turn around, and I'm met with Descamps.
"You. You were the ones selling the magazine and passing it around." I glare at him.
"You're disgusting. I don't want you near me." I turn again and bid a quick goodbye to the girls then head home.
"Pardine!" I hear Descamps call out. I roll my eyes and keep walking. Once we're in a quieter area, he grabs my arm and gently pushes me to a wall.
"Please. I swear I would never." I glare up at him.
"Then why were you passing it around?" I ask him, tilting my head up.
His pants fill my ears. It's worrying. I place a hand on his chest.
"Calm down." I state, the worry etched in my voice.
He relaxed under my touch, I felt it, the way his muscles stopped being tense. I kept my face hard.
"Now, explain." My voice comes out demanding.
"I needed some money. What better way to collect it quickly than when there's hundreds of prepubescent boys in one school?" I roll my eyes. I almost walk away before he cages me in the wall with his arms.
"Please. Just... listen. I needed money, okay? I wanted to save up for... for..." He stutters, and my brows crease more.
"For?" I raise my brows, expecting an answer.
"For... records. Yeah. For my mother." I squint at his answer.
"That still won't excuse the fact you're a pervert."
"No, I swear. I would never. I know you don't believe me, but I swear. I swear on my mothers life I would never. Not in school, not anywhere. I respect a woman way too much to do something like that."
"A woman? Who? Your mother?" My brain turns to different answers.
"Yes." He stuttering again. "Definitely, my mother." He pushes away from me, and I feel cold.
I hum. Then I look back up at him, eyes still squinted.
"I'll let it pass for now." I see his face fill with relief, and I almost laugh.
I walk away, but before I get too far, I hear him mutter.
"You look pretty." I turn around, shocked and confused.
"What did you say?"
"I said you look shitty. Goodbye, Pardine!" He calls out as he walks away in a rush. I scoff, then turn back around to walk home.
××《☆》××
I pet George, lounging on my bed, thinking of going out to run some errands. I get up and head to the kitchen.
Stuck to the fridge, I read my mother's shopping list. I get rid of the magnet and stick the note into my coat pocket. I glance at George, then the door, then George again.
I sigh. I pick him up, head to my door, and lock it. We go down the stairs. I place him in my bicycle basket. I make sure he's tucked in well, then ride to the farmers market.
Once I'm there, I glance at the shopping list again. Some vegetables, fruit, flour, etc. I walk past each stall, buying what's needed. Just then, a boy, somewhere my age, walks towards me.
"Hi." He seems confident. "I'm Callum. What's your name?"
I look at him up and down, and then the hand he reaches out for a hand shake. He's tall, but not too tall. Maybe five feet and ten inches. He has long, wavy brown hair, neatly brushed behind his ears. He has deep doe eyes and a smile on his face. I hesitate.
"Y/N." I slowly lift my hand and shake his. His smile widens.
"So, I have a project that requires a model, and when I saw you, I thought you'd be the perfect candidate. Not to be blunt about it, but you're beautiful." I blush at the sudden compliment.
"All you need to do is let me take a couple of photos, and I'll pay you, about... 300 franc?" I gape at the offer.
"Are you sure? Just for pictures?" They nod.
"Yes. Good transaction, yeah? If I win the project, the pictures will be displayed in the front of a car magazine. Is that alright with you?" I think again, but what's there to think about when there's 300 franc on the table?
"Deal." I shake hands Callum's hand, and he smiles wider.
"Good. Now, I'll take you to my car, and you can do a couple of poses in front of it." He led me to his car, and the second I saw the bright mint blue of it, my jaw hits the floor.
"This pretty one," Callum pats the front of the car. "is a 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Mint blue exterior, white top, and a mix of both for the interior. It has the brake horsepower of 193, and she's my most prized possession. She goes up to 23,069 kilometres. Very lovely, right?" He leans on the car, almost hugging it.
I cover my mouth, hiding my smile. He walks over to me, gently grabbing my wrist and pulling it away from my face.
"Keep that smile on, pretty lady. We need it for the pictures." He tilts his head towards the car. "Go on."
I walk slowly. Once I'm near the passengers door, I pose, and I see the flash of the camera.
"Get inside. Take a feel around." I walk to the other side of the car, opening the door and closing it once I'm in. I feel the leather of the wheel against my palm, and I scoff in awe. The camera flashes again.
"I didn't get to pose!" I laugh, slightly embarassed.
"You didn't need to. You're a natural." He snaps another photo, and I laugh again.
After taking a few photos and reviewing them, Callum finally chose one. It was me smiling at the camera with my hands on the wheels, windows rolled down.
He told me I looked perfect, which was, based on what he said, the first thing that came into his mind when he saw me.
The rest of the day, he accompanied me shopping and even offered me a ride around town in his car. I obviously couldn't say no.
He pulled the hood down, letting the wind flow through my hair as we drove in the roads, making it to the fields, stopping by for some gas, and then getting on the road again.
××《☆》××
Callum parks the car in front of his flat, which was only a few blocks away from mine. We decided to walk to my place instead of draining out the car, not before him telling me that it was absolutely fine for him to drive me directly home. When I said I needed my legs moving, he stopped pushing it and agreed.
He puts the hood back on, locking the door with his keys. He walks to my side.
"Good luck with the project." My hands are in my coat pockets as Callum walks me home. He smiles, then looks at me.
"Meeting you was luck itself. That means if you're in my pictures, I'll bring luck with me." I roll my eyes.
"Cheesy." We come to a stop infront of my flat's door.
"Well, this is it." I purse my lips, looking up at him.
"Yup. I guess we're here." His eyes sort of lose its spark. I worry.
"You okay?" I raise my eyebrows, concerned.
"I wanna see you again." He blurts out. "Is tomorrow okay? The results will come out, and I sort of want you to be there."
"Sure. I'll be there." I rub his arm reassuringly. He slowly lifts his hand to cup mine on his arm. He lifts it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on it.
"Goodnight, Y/N." He smiles softly, lets go of my hand, and leaves. I stay in my place, unsure of what to do. When his frame disappears from my sight, I shiver. What was that?
I'm greeted by George as I get in my flat. My heart's beating out my chest, and I feel anxious. There's something in me. It doesn't feel so good. Some sort of regret. Why?
A boy. Not Callum. Someone else. Taller frame. Shorter hair. One eye. Fuck no. No way. I can't. I shouldn't. Why am I thinking about him?
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. 'I don't even call him by his first name.' Joseph Descamps. I feel indifferent calling him his first name. I'm not in terms with him like that. We aren't close enough for me to call him that.
Then suddenly, I want to. I want to call him Joseph. 'Why?' I wonder. Joseph, Joseph, Joseph. It feels nice on the tongue. Descamps is suddenly too long of a name. Joseph is fine. The name, I mean. Not him.
Then suddenly, again, it is. He is. 'No, he's not', but I want him to be. How do I get him to be? 'I can't do this. I really shouldn't.' But, oh, how much I want to.
'No.' I quiet my thoughts. 'No. Never. I won't do it.'
But I want to.
Fuck.
××《☆》××
The next morning, most of the boys are called to the principles office. I sigh in boredom, looking out the window.
"It certainly feels emptier today." Simone says, breaking the silence. I want to laugh, but I can't. I wanted to see the way Joseph's green cardigan looked on his wide frame longer.
I shake my head. I totally didn't get enough sleep last night with that thought popping in my head.
Though, that cardigan really suited him. Green really suits him. It makes him sort of glow. It's not like he doesn't already. Come to think of it, his hair glows, too. It was a bit messy. He probably rushed to school today. I wonder how soft it'll be against my fingers when I brush it off to look neater.
I remember how warm he was that day in the alley. He was so much taller, so he had to basically break his back to reach me. I double take that thought.
He had to break his back just to reach me.
I know he didn't actually break his back, but I just knew that sort of hurt. But it was nice, so I guess it was worth it for him. At least, I hope it was.
Okay, wait. Why am I thinking like this? I guess we're on good terms now. I mean, sure, we bicker, but not as much anymore? I don't know. Whatever. I guess we're fine. I want us to be. I'm tired of being mad at him for no reason.
Yeah. We're fine. That's why I'm thinking like this, right? You know, as a friendly, 'I want to take care of you' kind of way. Which is platonic. Totally. Yeah, that's fine.
Maybe I should say hi from time to time? Or no. Maybe just a nod for a greeting? Too bland. A smile will do. He might be creeped out, though.
I groan internally. Why am I overthinking this? Whatever, I'll just smile and wave. That's good. Simple and effective. Don't overthink it. There's nothing to overthink about.
Ms. Couret walks in, and the class collectively stands up. She's wearing a green dress. It looks nice. It reminds me of Joseph.
Woah. Why am I thinking about him? I think I'm just worried. Yeah. I'm worried about him because we're friends. Wait, are we friends? I'll ask later.
We're told to sit down, and we do. Ms. Couret pulls out a copy of the news. This must be about The Beatles, I remember from the last discussion, before it got interrupted. I light up in my seat.
"We won't wait for your classmates. They're getting tortured at the dean's dungeon." The class laughs.
"Today, we'll start with an article on President Kennedy's murder." So it isn't about The Beatles. I furrow my eyebrows.
I raise my hand.
"Yes?" Ms. Couret lifts her head.
"What about the song?" I shrug my shoulders, asking a bit sadly.
"No. There won't be a song. I don't have the record." I purse my lips in silent disappointment. She passes us some papers, and I sit the rest of the day quietly.
××《☆》××
I walk outside of the gate, the crowds of students slowly dissipating. My hair flows in the wind, styled the same way it was yesterday, except done in a half up half down style. My yellow dress lifts up and down as my legs do.
I'm headed to Callum's school, excited for the results. Almost halfway there, I stop. Joseph is in front of a magazine booth, buying. My heart drops, assuming it was another one of those flashy magazines. But then he leans out the booth, holding a magazine with my face on the cover.
My face is on the cover, and Joseph is buying it.
Two very important things.
One, I got on the cover, so Callum won. Two, Joseph is buying a magazine with my face on the cover. My question is, does he know it's me on the cover? Or is he buying it because he generally likes cars.
I take slow steps forward. The closer I am, the more I hear. And there's a voice inside my head repeating Joseph's words.
"That's my girl." He points to my picture in the magazine, showing the booth owner. "She's gorgeous. I mean, look at her." He makes the magazine face him again. There's a wide smile on his face.
He's smiling. I think I'm starting to like it on him.
The second he turns his head and sees me, the smile I just started to admire drops. He looks red under the afternoon sun.
"Pardine." He clears his throat, hiding the magazine. "What are you doing around here?"
"Headed to St. Patricks. You know the all boys school?" I smile softly. His nervousness seems to fade, for only a little.
"What would you be doing there?" He sounds off.
"Meeting a friend." I lift my shoulders, showing off a smile.
He looks like he melts, then stiffens back up. "A friend? Who? What's his name? What's he look like?"
"You ask a lot of questions. Answer mine first, then I'll answer yours." He nods. "What are you doing here?"
He stutters. "I was just looking around. Thought I'd buy a magazine but then saw you." He's acting uninterested. Or atleast trying to.
"Saw me walking towards you, or saw me in that magazine you have in your hands?" His eyes blow open. I hide my laugh.
"What? What do you- oh." He points to the magazine booth that he's still standing next to.
"That's you? Wow, I didn't know you modelled. It's not like I care or anything." He puts his head down, shrugging his shoulders.
"Why'd you buy it, Joseph?" I smirk, tilting my head, trying to meet his eyes. He shys away.
"I was... gonna burn it. Yeah. I was- wait. What did you call me?" He whips his head up. I try to recall, then flush when I do.
"Nothing."
"You totally called me Joseph." Yes, I did.
"No, I didn't." I shake my head.
"You never call me that." No, but like last night, I want to.
"I didn't call you Joseph."
"You just did."
"You're so childish, Joseph."
"You did it again!"
I groan, walking away from him, as red as when he saw me. Why was he red when he saw me? Whatever, I need to get to Callum.
I hear his steps behind me, and I roll my eyes.
"Y/N, come on." I turn around.
"You called me Y/N."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did." He definitely did.
"I didn't." Mhm, sure.
"You did. You never call me that." I mock him. He rolls his eye.
"Whatever."
"Whatever." I walk away from him. He doesn't seem to follow after me anymore, but then after a while, I hear his steps again.
"What's your friends name again? Are you sure I wasn't the friend you were gonna meet?" Oh right, I was gonna ask him about that.
"Are we friends?" I stop and turn to him.
He stops, too. No talking, no walking.
"Do you want us to be?" He asks. I pause.
"Yes."
"Then, yeah." There's that smile I missed.
"Good." I continue to walk.
"You didn't answer my first question."
"His name is Callum. He was the one who photographed me." I feel him grab my arm, and we stop again.
"He photographed you? When did you even meet? How are you sure he isn't some old creep?"
"Yes, he did. Yesterday, when I was in the market. He's our age, I made sure to ask."
"Okay, how exactly did he come up to you in the market?" He squints, tilting his head.
"Just went up to me, said hi, called me beautiful, offered money for the photos, took the photos, we drove around in his car, and then he walked me home." I shrug simply. He's still hesitant.
"You drove around in a stranger's car?"
"Correction, friends car."
"Yeah, a friend you just met."
"Whatever, I'm here now safe and sound anyways."
"But what if he was some creep? You need to be more careful, Y/N."
"I said it's whatever, Joseph." His eyebrows are furrowed, then after a while, he nods.
I continue to walk, and he follows. I don't stop him.
Once we're in front of St. Patricks' gate, I see the familiar Ford Thunderbird and quickly make my way, Joseph hot on my feet.
I see the familiar man leaning against the car with his hands in his pockets, then I see his toothy grin. I run up to him and give him a hug that he returns.
"Callum! Congratulations. I knew you had it in the bag." I say as I lean away from him. He keeps his arms wrapped around me. I feel a burning stare on us.
"Told you, you brought me luck." He takes his glasses off with his hand, then places the arm he used back on my waist. I hear footsteps and Callum's hold loosens.
There's an arm around my shoulder. Then, an all familiar voice.
"You alright, man? Congrats on the magazine. Y/N's told me about you." I look up at Joseph. His jaw's clenched.
"Of course she did. She told you about the ride on this pretty thing?" He pats the car, and I flush.
"Yeah, she did. I'm Joseph." He puts a hand out for Callum to shake. They clasp hands, and their grips are tight.
"Callum, but I guess you already knew that. If you don't mind me asking, who are you to Y/N?"
"Her b-"
"Friend. He's a friend." I cut him off. He looks at me with hurt in his eyes, then masks it with fake joy.
"Yup. I'm her friend." He nods to Callum.
"Oh. It's a bit weird that she hasn't mentioned you. You know, since you're friends and all." Joseph's arm tightens around me.
"Yeah, it's not like her to talk about her friends to someone she just met." There's a sarcastic smirk on his face.
Callum hums. "Well, s'nice to meet you, Joseph. Have a good one, yeah? And you, pretty lady..." Callum's gaze shifts to me, stare softening.
"Have a good night." He lifts my hand to his lips, placing a soft and lingering kiss on it. I take a deep breath in, maintaining composure, overwhelmed by the attention both boys were giving me.
Callum turns around and drives off on his car. Once his car was out of sight, I look back at Joseph, his stare still on the road where Callum rode off to.
"What was that?" I squint, tilting my head up. He instantly looks down at me with tending eyes.
"Nothing. I'll walk you home." His hand comes town to my arm, rubbing it gently. We turn to the way to my place.
The sun has set, and the street lights are on. It's a quiet night, the only things being heard are footsteps and draining water.
Only a block away from my flat, Joseph's arms are still around me. It feels comforting. It's nice to have a new friend. Though, I've known him longer.
"When you get home, I want you to say hi to George for me." I laugh at that. "I'm not kidding."
"Yeah, I'll say hi to George for you." I smile at the ground, then look up at him. He's already looking at me. We slow down a bit, just staring.
Then he leans in, and I mirror him. We lean in closer, closer, and closer. A moped engine turns on. We stop, and pull away.
"Here we are." He stops, and I didn't even notice we were already at my place.
"Oh. Right." He steps away from me, the arm around my shoulders gone. I feel alone again.
"Well, good night, Y/N." He stand there with his hands in his pockets.
"Good night, Joseph." I purse my lips. He nods. I walk up quarter way to the steps, then I stop.
I go back down, see Joseph, I tip toe, then press a kiss on his cheek. I quickly walk up the stairs again, almost tripping.
I make it to the inside of my flat, not bothering to turn the light on, then rush to the window. I peek out of it, and he's still there. He looks bewildered. Then, a smile slowly sits on his face. He stays there for a while, and then he walks away.
I slowly get up from my place, turning on the light, and I just stand there. Then, I squeal.
Holy fucking shit. Oh my gosh. No way, no way, no way, no way. I just kissed his cheek. Holy shit.
That's normal. Totally. Just a friendly kiss. But it felt nice.
I check the time. It's 12 in the morning. New year's kiss. I just had Joseph as my New Year's kiss. Kind of.
I see George, and smile wider.
"Joseph said hi."
I definitely don't hate not hating him anymore.
××《☆》××
End of- Chapter four: Flashy Magazines
Next- Chapter five: You Know Where To Find Me, and I Know Where To Look
××《☆》××
It's finally done 😭😭 watch me take a month for chapter five /j. Anw, this is a handful chapter. So many emotions. This is turning out to be an enemies to frienimies to lovers. What do u guys think abt Callum? Honestly, hes lowkey me cus i love cars. I wish i had his car. More of him soon too. I wanted tk add fluff so that u guys dont get the idea that im not making joseph and reader end game. I promise i am but u guys have to wait. Happy reading hope u guys liked this!!!
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chlerc · 2 months
Text
back in barcelona ; joão félix
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— summary; catching her in the stands while he’s playing for barcelona is certainly not the way he thought he’d ever see her again.
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pairing — joao felix x old-friends-actress!f. reader ( third person story )
social media au + 1085.
content — old friends, she studied in joao’s school but moved back to barcelona and they were only mutuals on instagram but never talked. joao pinned over her.
NAVIGATION + author’s note: back in chicago trend but make it back in barcelona cause you can never take the man out of the barcelona girl!!!
song rec for this fic — end of beginning!!
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Liked by hugofelix18, itsnicolewallace and 3,827,197 others
ynusername did you miss me, Viseu?
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itsnicolewallace I MISS YOU, regresa a mí!!! (come back to me)
evaruiz tan hermosa (so gorgeous)
maddisonarg love you
ynusername @maddisonarg love you too!!!
gabrieloxguevaraa eres tan bonitaaaaa (you’re so pretty)
ynusername @gabrielxoguevaraa halagándome guapo (flattering me, handsome)
ferrantorres 🔥
yn.officialupdates Drop dead gorgeous
hugofelix18 meu irmão sentiu sua falta (my brother missed you)
ynusername @hugofelix18 saia do aplicativo 🤦🏻‍♀️ (get off the app)
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Liked by joaofelix79, louispatridge_ and 4,817,912 others
ynusername THE LAST TIME ON SET!!! Super excited for this to go out on @netflixes soon, catch Through My Window coming up. Really really love this one, please look forward to it 🤍
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juliopfernandez por favor espera #ATravésDeTuMirada!!! (please look forward to Through My Window)
carlitosalcarazz Le conté a mi mamá sobre nosotros 😉 (I told my mum about us)
ynusername @carlitosalcarazz sin habla 🤦🏻‍♀️ (speechless)
siramartinezc Eres tan bonita te quiero tan mala (you’re so pretty I want you so bad)
hugofelix18 legal, vou dizer ao meu irmão para assistir (Nice, will tell my brother to watch it)
ynusername @hugofelix18 HUGOOOO, ir para a cama 😠 (go to bed)
joaofelix79 @hugofelix18 você está cheio de merda, o que você está fazendo e dizendo aqui? (You’re full of shit, what are you doing and saying here?)
gqportugal 🤩🤩🤩
gqspain ¡nuestra princesa! (Our princess)
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IT COULD HAVE BEEN the lack of sleep catching up on him from yesterday but he swore he wasn’t seeing things. Amidst the sea of faces in the crowd, his gaze kept drifting to a familiar figure seated near the team’s bench where he stood nearby taking a quick gulp of water.
There she was, with her eyes the colour of earth kissed by spring rains, the hue that promises to stir life from dormant seeds, the nascent plants guided upward by the light before blossoming into the vibrant colours of a new season. Her hair was the brown of aged mahogany, rich and deep, yet with the subtle hues only time brings. Those strands that he was too familiar with, staring at the back of her head back in the days whilst she sat in front of him in classes.
She was a constant presence in his thoughts, a captivating enigma he couldn't shake off. Her laughter echoed in his mind when the lights dimmed in his bedroom, her smile a beacon of warmth that drew him in. But here, in the midst of the pulsating stadium, João couldn't believe his eyes. Was it truly her?
Throughout the match, João’s mind oscillated between the thrill of the game and the enigmatic presence of her. His concentration wavered, his thoughts drifting to moments shared and conversations unspoken. With each passing minute, the field seemed to blur, his focus slipping away like sand through his fingers.
But duty called and he pushed aside the distractions, channeling his energy into the game, his every touch eliciting roars of approval from the crowd for those seventy three minutes he played. He thanked his lucky stars and the coach for subbing him off early today, finding himself a seat within her distance. João’s neck awkwardly craned and turned just to catch a glimpse of her, her eyes everywhere but on him.
And when he catches her eyes before he could realise he was staring, his breathing becomes harder, the pensive look on him melting into a smile as soft as the morning light. His body squirms just a little as his muscles relax but he just threw a thumbs up her way, acting as if everything was fine. There was something about that gaze of her he’ll never find in another woman.
As the final whistle blew and Barcelona emerged victorious, João’s heart raced with adrenaline and triumph. But amidst the celebrations, a lingering doubt gnawed at him. Should he have approached her? But it was probably her lookalike, the last he checked her Instagram, she was still on set and busy. At the end of the day, he knew deep in every nook and crevice of his heart that it was probably her and he was just lying to himself, no mistakes on recognising the girl he secretly pinned after in highschool.
There would be other matches, other moments. For now, João embraced the euphoria of victory, knowing that somewhere amidst the chaos of the stadium, she lingered, a silent specter in the tapestry of his dreams. He made a mental note of checking her Instagram later tonight and stop his brother from commenting outrageous comments about himself.
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ynusername back in barcelona, i feel it 🤍
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judebellingham wrong place bruv, thought we talked about this before?
ynusername @judebellingham literally born in barcelona before i went to UK and befriend you whilst on shoot??? the ego, jude…
judebellingham @ynusername YOU’RE SOOO MEAN, did you just call me egoistic? Not gonna talk to you ever 😞
rolemod3lyn @ynusername Y’ALL ARE FRIENDS???
claaragalle no podría extrañarte más (couldn’t miss you more)
drewstarkey you visiting home but I don’t see you? (I’m supposed to be your home) 😠
ksi #drinkprime!
ynusername @ksi this is not the football team you sponsored mate????
ksi @ynusername ohhh i thought…
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ynusername off season for me but always cheering my number 1 and childhood team on with Laila! ps ksi this is the team you sponsor.
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ksi #DRINKPRIME
judebellingham how bout you come to madrid and visit your friend (me) too!
ynusername @judebellingham thought someone didn’t wanna talk to me 😒
judebellingham @ynusername we LITERALLY FACETIMED after my comment????
fcbarcelona Welcome Back Home ✨🏠
barca.4life SHE A CULER TOO???
davidrenzo she just got more perfect
forblaugrana One of our own, culer 💙❤️
ferrantorres Bienvenido de vuelta amiga, gracias por venir! (Welcome back home friend, thanks for coming by!)
ynusername @ferrantorres no hay problema chico tiburón 👉🦈 (no problem shark boy)
itsnicolewallace Dijiste que me llamarías cuando hayas vuelto a España, mentirosa (you said you'd call me when you're back in spain, liar)
ynusername @itsnicolewallace ¡Te iba a sorprender! (I was going to surprise you)
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The last time he was playing in the stadium and on the pitch was when she was here. And she literally was here after her two recent posts on her social media platform accounts. And he was right, João would never recognise the wrong woman, not when he memorised every bit and parts of her before she left Viseu.
In the velvet night, the shining light of the stadium shone upon her, illuminating each and every feature of her. João legs unable to carry himself forward, entranced by her with his match jersey in one hand and a towel in the other. There she was looking right at him, dead in his eyes whilst a small grin plastered across her face.
“You’re staring at her like you love her.” Ferran nudges him by his shoulder, a small hint of banter evident in his voice. “She’s your friend though, isn’t she?” João questions, his once agape jaw now capable of finding words to speak, arms hanging around Ferran’s shoulders as they walk towards where she was.
“Yeah but we aren’t that close like you are with her.” Ferran shrugs nonchalantly, removing João’s arm around his shoulder before patting João on the back and pushing him towards her before running into the tunnel. “Good luck, I know you can do it.” He heard the whispers of Ferran before actually processing what happened.
“Long time no see and talk, great goal today Floki.” She rubbed his shoulders, calling him by his nickname she had for him in school. She was the whole entire point of naming his own dog Floki, just to have the simplest and smallest yet memorable thing of her by his side.
His palms turned sweaty at the moment, nibbling at the lower lip of his and he swore he could hear his heart palpitating against his chest, yearning to be freed from the tightness within him. “Thanks, it’s so good to see you after all these years. You still look gorgeous.”
Her eyes curved into crescents, his favourite thing about her. “Really, you think so?” Her fingers are linked together while she fiddles with them, swaying her body a little from side to side. “I don’t think so, I am sure. Anyways, what brings you here?”
“You, I heard you have been loaned to Barcelona for the season and I thought to just drop by some matches to watch you while cheering for the team.” She turns João around, pushing him to walk into the tunnel while she follows behind. He didn’t know how to reply, losing all capability of talking when he couldn’t find the right words without messing it up and showing his anxiousness.
“That’s good, I was hoping to catch you in Barcelona when I saw your Instagram post. I mean not that I follow up on it but nevermind, I’m not explaining myself clearly.” He waved his hand in the air, a sign for her to shrug the conversation and whatever he just said off.
“It’s okay I miss you too João, you can just admit it.”
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ynusername Floki & Laila’s papa and mama reunion
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judebellingham uh, Floki as in João Félix’s sausage dog? 🤔
ynusername @judebellingham RUDE! You’re calling Laila a sausage too? You’re calling her fat? BLOCKED.
judebellingham @ynusername YOU’RE PUTTING WORDS INTO MY MOUTH. SAUSAGE DOGS ARE CUTE IS WHAT I MEANT.
bornaswaglife OMG??? THE CROSSOVER
joaofelix79 Laila and Floki’s mama 🤍
ynusername @joaofelix79 you too papa!
ferrantorres 😆😆😆
livenolaughnolife TWO DACHSHUND OMGGG EVEN MATCHING DOGS
barcawag.planet This is literally so unexpected and cute
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joaofelix79 Laila’s mama but myself and Floki’s new mama now 😉
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pablogavi 👏👏
andr34daurent bros pulling 10s on and off pitches
marcguiu9 lindo hermano (nice one brother)
forblaugrana 10/10
ynusername my favourite dog papa 🤍
joaofelix79 @ynusername & my favourite mama
blaugranaplanet ustedes dos son muy lindos juntos, se complementan bien (you two are really cute together, complement each other well)
lamineyamal ¿Tienes dos perros salchicha, papá? (You got two sausage dogs papa?)
fcbarcelona Floki’s Star papa & Princess mama!
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fourstarsoutofnine · 9 months
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I was wondering if you could do something with reader yeeting a weighted blanket at the chain and their reactions? I got reminded of that weighted blanket trend and thought it’d be funny
A/N:HAHAHA ABSOLUTELY OMG this ask made me actually laugh out loud😭 I have a weighted blanket I use sometimes bc it helps with chronic pain(I have arthritis) and anxiety and such—also I’ve always wanted to do that trend w someone but I’ve been to scared bc I don’t wanna hurt anybody :( anyway enjoy!
The chain and a weighted blanket!
(For simplicity’s sake, we’ll say they have weighted blankets in Hyrule lol)
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Time:
Is a bit confused with the initial throw(I’d be struggling if I tried tbh) like—why is a blanket being thrown on him, but once it hits him, he stumbles back with a groan and a laugh
“What’s wrong with this thing, great goddesses!”
Totally thinks it’s funny
Will be buying a weighted blanket as soon as possible to get Malon with it…also just cause it feels nice.
Twilight:
Catches it
“Hylia, this is heavy, why is this blanket heavy???”
When you(albeit shocked, cause how did he freaking catch it) explain to him that it has sand(?) in it, and what it can be used for, he’s pleasantly surprised.
“Oh wow! Who would’ve thought of such a thing!”
He accompanies you to go get Wild with it.
Wild:
Body folds like a lawn chair
“OGH-“ and a thunk on the ground 💀
But he’s laughing!
Pokes his head out and just kinda lays there. Twilight’s cackling his head off behind you.
“Why?” He asks with a laugh and you just
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Funny is funny, and it’s nice to have a few pranks here and there, both to keep you on your toes and have a laugh.
Sky:
Also folds like a lawn chair
Except he doesn’t like his head out like wild. When there’s no movement and you peek under, he’s asleep
Mans can fall asleep anywhere anytime in a short amount of time. Sleeping is like second nature to him.
“Sky???”
Nothing. Dead silence. You’re actually beginning to wonder if it knocked him out, but no. He’s snoring, and seems perfectly fine. It’s just comfy and he decided it was time to honk his shoos. Go night night for a bit.
Wars:
You throw it at him from behind and he stumbles forward into the stump he was using as a table for planning their next route.
“Agh! Hey!!!”
Was originally upset but when he saw how hard you were laughing, he can’t seem to make himself stay mad
You were too cute, and far too happy. He didn’t want to ruin that.. and it was a little funny
“Alright Alright, You’ve had your fun…. Now go get the vet.” He said with a soft smile. The effect you had on these boys was remarkable
Legend:
Get ready to run, and run fast
Yeah—he’s… pretty much the only one that didn’t take it well.
You threw it on him and he fell forward and cursed
“Y/n what gives?!”
Though when he saw how upset his yelling made you, he softened.
“It was just a joke, I didn’t mean—“
“No. It’s whatever.” He drops the blanket to the ground with a thud and crossed his arms. “It’s fine. Stop looking like that, though. All…sad. You look like a wet dog… or wet blanket, more appropriately..”
That made you crack a smile, and he huffed and rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up as he turned away.
You can’t figure out if he said the pun with the intention of making you laugh or not, but it worked. (Spoiler alert, yes he did. He’s a softie whether he likes it or not and he has a particular soft spot for you.)
(Totally got the blanket to sleep under it for comfort, but if you told anyone or asked him about it he’d deny everything.)
Hyrule:
“AAH!” He yelled as he flew forward when you threw it on his back.
He’s laughing, which is good.
Like time, he just laughs and holds it out to you, only he’s doing it with a touch of struggle to keep his arms out until you take it.
“That’s so heavy! What the heck! How did it get like that???”
After a long winded explanation, he really likes it!
Definitely asks for it one night, especially after a particularly rough battle.
Four:
Like Wars, he’s a bit upset but laughs it off, because at the end of the day, it is funny
Just make sure to pay attention to when you’re throwing it on him. Make sure he’s not working on any weapons—that’s dangerous ground both in injury and messing the weapon up.
Then, he’d actually be upset(but not for too long. He can’t stay mad at you.)
“Oh cmon!” He laughs, shoving you once he’s out from under the blanket.
Once he gets over his small upset, he’s laughing louder. It starts being real funny to him.
“That’s so dumb, that’s so dumb.” He says through laughter.
Wind:
He goes FLYING
“Hey y/—WAH!”
When you pick it up he’s got the biggest mischievous grin
“THATS CRAZY! LETS GO GET THE OTHERS!”
Thinks it’s the funniest thing known to mankind
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olderthannetfic · 12 days
Note
I always see people who have never been antis, talking about/questioning how some antis even ARE antis when you look at their taste in media - ie the ever famous joke of "Hannigram is #problematique" "but it's a show where he eats people" or whatever.
I thought I'd weigh in as someone who could, hypothetically, be called an ex-anti (which, thankfully, nothing ever really came out of it - it was just very 2014 keyboardwarrior-esque behavior of me being a chronically online young adult who would share posts in a group chat making fun of certain shippers, or reblog posts about how 50shades is The Most Problematic Media Ever to exist -- basically I was an anti with anti-lines of thoughts, but i never, like, a ran a Shipping Discourse Blog or whatever)
For me, personally, it was a few different things. I can now see how it's incredibly hypocritical that teenaged me shipped Light/L, while still thinking that Dramione was Bad And Abusive. It ultimately boiled down to a) being pretentious, and b) just not understanding media or what proshippers REALLY believed, with a side of c) not realizing that nuance exists. like i was pretty late to join tumblr, I think I immigrated here during PEAK "yourfaveisproblematic" era which definitely did have an impact on my opinions and my tastes.
to elaborate, a.) being pretentious. i mean this one just kinda goes without saying. "I engage in media in a way more intellectual way than you do, don't you know that? You're a filthy and disgusting person who writes Snape/Hermione because you're an actually disgusting pedophile IRL who would probably date your own student that you're abusing if you could. Meanwhile, I'm a very smart, good, and pure person. When I read Uncle Vernon/Harry, I'm doing it in a G-d honoring whump way that clearly condemns abuse, incest, and rape. Unlike YOU who only writes harmful stuff as a way to get people off :/"
(as an aside, i think this line of thinking will ALWAYS be present in fandom and popculture in some way, sadly. ie the recent trend of people hating on booktok bc the books are 'trashy' and how these porn addicts should read real classic literature instead.)
as for b.), not understanding media - i cannot emphasize enough that i was GENUINELY stupid and disconnected enough to think that proshippers REALLY WERE pro-All Of The Degenerate Dead Doves That They Wrote.
why did i feel this way? why did i understand that Lolita clearly isnt pro-pedophilia, but for some reason i thought that someone shipping weecest was? well, first of all, i think that fanfiction is (generally) seen as Less Serious than classic literature, and fandom is a fun place, so i guess i somehow thought that every fanfic/fanartist who wrote Problematic Things, especially Problematic Things that they portrayed as Sexy, really DID enjoy the thought of that Actually Happening To Real People.
and i think THIS is the bulk of why antis ARE antis. i'm not calling them all stupid - i do think BEING an anti is stupid, but at the same time, there are people who are truly smart and good-intended people who just have some really off color opinions about, like, homestuck ships or whatever. Lawlight is okay because notebooks that kill people don't exist so it's IMPOSSIBLE for the Harmful Aspects of Light/L to be romanticized! but schoolyard prejudiced bullies DO exist and are a REAL problem so Drarry is BAD (*truly completely unaware of the fact that there's 'realistic' aspects of the Light/L dynamic and 'unrealistic' aspects of Drarry - such as, for example, Hogwarts arguably being even MORE of a fantasy setting than DN is.*) I know that media literacy is the hot buzzword of the year to throw around in 2024, but, like, i really did not have media literacy.
as for c.), not realizing nuance exists - ok "nuance" might not be the best word here, but i dont know how else to describe it. like, each time ive typed the word "problematic" out in this ask, i've done so in a very tongue in cheek/ironic/retroactive way, but, like, those posts about how Everything Is Problematic, Including Your Fave ARE true. and i didn't like the fact that my favorite media or favorite person might've Made A Mistake! i need to Talk About Its Issues Because I'm So Betrayed That My Dear Sweet Comfort Media Would Do This To Me. I Need To Prove I Clearly Condemn It.
like, i legit morally could not justify reblogging a twilight post without adding in the tags '#this is my guilty pleasure it sucks that the books were so racist though' or whatever. Most people were lucky enough to avoid that line of thinking, but there was an actual group of people who felt a genuine need to virtue signal all the time, partly bc, hey, they WERE passionate about talking abt #issues in media, but also bc of a subconscious fear of If You Reblog A Singular Piece Of Hetalia Fanart, You're Literally A Nazi And Will Get A Callout Post Written About You.
and during all of this i was at the tail end of my high school experience (yes i know im younger than most of your audience, ha). i was going through A Lot emotionally, going through a lot of life changes, and lived in a very . . . interesting household/place where i couldn't do ACTUAL good in the world that i was passionate about. so to make up for the fact that i was genuinely in no place to do legit activism, clearly i had to save the gay community by arguing about johnlock queerbaiting or whatever.
^ and honestly i do think that is the position of most antis. theyre isolated and cant seem to do Enough in the Real Scary World so they have to resort to talking about how bad of a person someone is for "shipping abuse", bc theyre not in a situation where they could, for example, ACTUALLY fight the good fight to end abuse or raise awareness for it.
There was way more to it and way more that I could say, if I wanted to, but this post is long enough as it is and probably doesn't make much sense.
I feel bad for antis, honestly, or at least the ones who are antis in the way I used to be.
--
Oh yes, passionate young fools who think they can at least fix the internet if not their lives make up most of the cannon fodder. Some of the ringleaders are just mini dictators and wannabe cult leaders, but most anti-leaning types are just traumatized or clueless, even a lot of the ones who do serious damage and don't just mock shit in private with their friends.
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alastrrz · 2 months
Note
headcannons for getting drunk with tgc?
like how high their tolerance to alcohol is,
what they usually have,
and stuff similar?
ignore my 'ideas' if you dont wanna do them <3
🫧 anon
absolutely!! i love making hcs like this (i also won't be including larry bc he isn't of legal age to drink :P)
。゚゚・。・゚゚。 ゚。 drunk ; tgc boys
  ゚・。・゚
genre/type: fluff/humor, headcanons
read below!
ISAAC;
absolute unbeatable tolerance. insane tolerance. dude can take 6 shots of everclear and still walk a straight line.
you've only seen isaac blackout ONCE, and it was complete accident. you hadn't seen isaac drinking that much, but he was actually borderline drunk. he asked you in a pretty sober sounding voice, "how many drinks have i had? should i stop?" you say, "i've only seen you take like 2 shots. drink some more!"
horrible move. he blacked out and also woke up with the world's worst hangover.
ever since then though, his tolerance, like i said, is rock solid.
he likes the classic drinks, so i'd say he likes a good screwdriver.
super clingy and COCKY when he's drunk.
drowning you in kisses and hugs, and he goes, "babe, i'm soooo hot. i'm soooo hot and sexy.."
"sure you are."
your two options are to kill his ego or boost it, but it kills you too much to deflate his ego.
"how cocky was i last night?"
"yeah."
TANNER;
moderately normal tolerance, maybe a TINY bit lower than the average person in their mid-20's.
like, if we're measuring in shots of vodka again, like 4 1/2 shots he'd be gone. not black out gone, but "i'm gonna talk about every celebrity i could probably pull" gone.
he's such a YAPPER when he's drunk dude.
will probably do the trend of writing fake band names to try and make you laugh
he's dancing around to loud ass music in the kitchen, invites you to dance with him, he immediately starts shoving himself against you
he won't shut up about how much he loves you
he's definitely got his head in your lap and he's making you play with his hair and listen to him talk
however you have to stop him talking at a certain point, because he'll just start having a crisis and making himself sad.
he's never blacked out, but he has terrible hangovers.
favorite drink? he strikes me as a daiquiri kinda guy. he'd love them.
but if it's more casual drinking at home, he's happy with some soju.
NICK;
literally AVERAGE tolerance.
about 2-3 shots of vodka has him tipsy, 4-6 has him drunk, and don't give him more than 8, he might start drunkenly making an album.
he's not a clear liquor guy, he prefers browns like brandy or scotch.
there is almost ALWAYS a bottle of whiskey in the fridge for nick, he never runs out.
he drinks regularly, but he doesn't HEAVILY drink on those nights.
he's super sleepy when he's drunk. he could literally fall asleep anywhere if given the opportunity
he could be laying on the floor to "stretch his back" he's asleep 10 minutes later
you have to carry this dude to bed (and if you can't do it alone, isaac helps you)
like i said he prefers drinking brown liquors, so i think he'd maybe like a tequila sunrise or just straight whiskey
BLAKE;
"i have a ROCK SOLID tolerance!" dead in 3 shots. don't listen to him lie to you
every time you and the guys go out for dinner at like chilis or something, blake orders a margarita and everyone sighs in unison
the margarita gets him on the verge of drunk. just a little past tipsy.
he can HARDLY casually drink with anyone because his tolerance is just THAT bad
you constantly pick at him for it but he's just accepted it at this point
he's so SILLY when he's drunk man
cracking jokes that do NOT land at all and are not funny unless he's talking to a bunch of drunk people
"so the.. uh.. what? yeah.. uh.."
he suddenly forgets english
he can barely formulate a SINGLE sentence and he's basically speaking in mumbles
he's like speaking in fancy or speaking in riddles like a troll under the bridge or some shit
you have to baby him while he's drunk or he won't know what the hell is going on
i think he honestly.. just likes whatever he can get his hands on.
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celesteleoves · 8 months
Text
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“STRANGERS AGAIN.”
.ೃ࿐ GETO SUGURU X FEM!READER
summary: the person who stood in front of you claimed to be your dead lover but it wasn’t, it was a stranger. yet, you seemed to know everything about this stranger.
warnings: angst with like a smidge of fluff (in flashbacks), suguru and y/n dated, spoilers for jjk manga! shibuya arc spoilers, swearing, italic is flashbacks!
a/n: not ready to see this animated, so here’s me ripping my heart out so kenjaku doesn’t have to do it for me 😭 this is also inspired by that one tik tok trend “today i walked past a stranger” or wtv it is! lmk if there is any errors! not proofread.
-
today you saw a stranger. you stood in front of him, you yelled at him and swore infront of him alongside your other best friend satoru.
this stranger looked like your one and only love, but it wasn’t suguru geto you stood in front of, it couldn’t be. he was dead, he died to the hands of satoru and in your arms. this body that stood proudly in-front of you felt like a stranger to you.
although, you knew every single aspect of this stranger. that means he wasn’t a stranger, right?
you knew his favourite color, his favourite food, his favourite hobby, his parents, his dislikes, and every inch of him.
it wasn’t suguru though, it was a stranger. the body that stood in front of you was not your best friend, that wasn’t the person who knew all of your secrets or the person who told you all of theirs.
it was kenjaku, a evil curse user who could inhabit bodies… making them his vessel to toy with and flaunt.
he shouldn’t be able to flaunt suguru’s body, he shouldn’t be standing in front of you with a wicked grin on his face as he shows you the inside of suguru’s stitched head.
it wasn’t suguru, it wasn’t. a stranger is what it was.
“this is not funny. purple is not a pretty colour.” suguru stared at the color of a shirt you bleached by accident when doing his laundry.
even though he found the situation ridiculous and quite funny, he wasn’t gonna let up after you turned one of his favourite shirts into his least favourite color. the one time he lets you do his laundry and this happens…
“i didnt mean to! you let me do your laundry.” you whined as suguru inspected his shirt with a frown.
“no, love, you did it while i was on a mission. i hate the color purple. this is so dumb.”
“what?! purple is pretty.”
“no, there’s better colours.”
“like what suguru? red? yellow? orange-”
“your e/c, that’s my favourite color. you could’ve accidentally bleached it that colour and i would’ve flaunted it everywhere happily.”
“just saying.” he added when he noticed you go silent.
suguru had a soft smile on his face as he held the shirt in his hand and sat down beside you on his bed.
you froze in your spot on suguru’s bed, staring at him as he continued ranting about how the purple made his shirt look silly now and satoru is going to laugh at him.
you moved closer to your boyfriend and snuggled up against his side. suguru stopped talking and looked down at you cuddled up into his chest with a smile on your face.
suguru stared at you with lovesick eyes and dropped his bleached shirt, pulling you closer to him and kissing all over your face as you laughed.
“you’re my favourite person y/n, don’t forget that! everything about you is my favourite. just don’t bleach my shirt again please love.”
“promise, gonna need your assistance next time though if you don’t want it to be purple!”
“oh yeah?”
~
“yeah. the curse users name is kenjaku. it’s not suguru.” you mumbled with your head in your eyes while you rubbed your eyes.
shoko sat beside you, your comrades who were still alive sat next to you in chairs or stood.
“shit, y/n.”
you lifted your head and looked at shoko, a cigarette was held in one hand while the other caressed your back.
“that wasn’t my suguru, it wasn’t geto. satoru knew that as well! so what the fuck happened?!” you frustratedly yelled as others around you flinched.
kenjaku in suguru’s body had caught satoru off guard, resulting him getting sealed. it made you torn beyond belief as you watched the whole thing go down.
it’s been 19 days since your other bestfriend was sealed. locked away by his best friends body in the prison realm.
that moment still haunted you after these few days but you could only think of one thing, you were going to unseal satoru and let sugurus body rest in peace.
you’ll kill kenjaku and give suguru a proper burial, even if you die in the end.
you’re killing a stranger: not your boyfriend, not your bestfriend, not your other half.
that was a stranger you saw in-front of you that day, that’s all.
-
a/n : womp womp here you go! school just started and it’s kicking my ass so here’s this! send requests my loves.
leave tips or concerns anywhere!!
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frownyalfred · 10 months
Note
*busts down your doors* HEY! Long ask for ya
okay so I was rereading your fic where EMS showed up because Dick couldn’t flip on the trampoline (rip) and it got me thinking about routine trauma.
So here’s the thing: I am not EMS. I know three people who are EMS, but my extent of EMS experience comes from one (1) ride along and lurking on EMS subreddits. Those guys are a hoot. Great memes. Anyways.
A comment stuck out to me: “You haven’t truly lived the job until you’re eating a gas station burrito next to a dead body”. I’ve seen a bunch like that. Nonchalance and dark humor because well, that’s their job. Gore is the norm. Sure, depending on the area, your usual calls might just be lift assists, but other areas are neck deep in gang violence and violent crime.
A pretty common post on that subreddit is also, sadly, “I just got a call that’s never bothered me before but all of a sudden I’m broken” or “I’ve never had a problem running this type of call before but all of a sudden it just hit me.” Delayed trauma is a bitch. Someone pointed out that if a civilian saw a fatal car accident with multiple corpses, they’d be in therapy and given support and it’d be a huge deal. With EMS, they’re just expected to deal with it. (EMS mental health is getting better- there are helplines and resources and first responder focused therapies- but it’s still a developing field)
ANYWAYS, now that I’ve given you a crash course on the EMS mental health crisis (someone should really write a feature on EMS in Gotham those fuckers would be crazy and I love them already), my point is, how would this apply to the bats? Seeing bodies is treated as very much the norm to them, but do you think it ever just… catches up? The impact of seeing corpses day after day? Do you think they have to fake being fine and tough during those times because well, “everybody else in the family is fine with it, I’m not going to be a liability/burden/weak/etc”
Do you think Bruce, the goddamn batman, who shouldn’t be ruffled by anything, ever just feels something crack inside when he looks at a little boy who could have grown up healthy and strong like his Jason, had (Bruce) someone been there for him? and then he can’t work cases with kids for a week?
This is such an excellent ask, thank you so much for gracing my inbox with it!
It's a very good question. I'm also on a lot of those subreddits (needed to do some research for that fic) and the discussion in those forums and on TikTok is like you described, a kind of practiced desensitization to all gore and suffering in order to survive in their job.
What I've seen from those discussions (and my EMT friend) is an almost sub-conscious trend where they allow themselves the "thing" that breaks them, and they push a lot of that trauma and emotion onto that thing. Like an EMT saying they don't do kids, or they don't do gunshots to the eye, etc. And they'll sob like a baby on those calls, while remaining stone-faced and level-headed through the triple homicide.
I'm just theorizing here, but I imagine the Batfamily uses similar coping skills -- pushing all that trauma and suffering into a box which cracks only under limited, defined circumstances. And they break or snap only under those conditions, because, subconsciously, they allowed themselves to.
So yes, Bruce might be 99% fine with most of the bodies he sees, but there might be a little boy who has a detail (like Jason's dark hair) that just slams into him out of nowhere.
PTSD and trauma literally change the structure of the brain. Individuals react differently to trauma after that, but there does appear to be a "desensitizing" effect with repeated trauma, as the body tries to compensate.
I agree that the Gotham EMTs must be some crazy motherfuckers. They probably deal with 6x the normal shit EMTs deal with in other cities. They probably take on a lot more trauma and burn out quicker than other EMTs, too.
Anyone else have thoughts on this? I admit I don't cover PTSD explicitly in a lot of my fics.
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writingseaslugs · 1 year
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Savanaclaw: Reader Who's Scared of Storms
Ahhhhhh I’m starting to see a trend…just cuddles. They solve all the world problems and I refuse to be silenced on this matter.
Disclaimer: All characters in this series is aged up. For more information about my version of this world and the type of reader you can expect, please do a quick read of THIS post.
Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw (You’re Here) | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia
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Reader Who’s Scared of Storms
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Leona Kingscholar
The Spelldrive game that you were planning on going to was canceled due to weather complications. Leona was annoyed since he was prepared and was going to just mope around in the gardens when he noticed you hiding behind some plants. You clearly weren’t expecting a storm to be hitting anytime soon and were grabbing alchemy ingredients when it all happened. Due to the garden area having a greenhouse aesthetic, you could see everything and became scared instantly and crouched down. Leona took five seconds to put two and two together.
He says it’s a stupid fear to have, but he will still pick you up and take you away from his favorite napping spot. He’ll bring you to one of the empty and dark classrooms. It was better than nothing, and you couldn’t really see much of the storm there anyway. He’ll just lay down with you still in his arms, trapped and squished against his body. It’s like a weighted blanket, and you won’t think too much when one of his arms is pressed over your ear as he falls asleep like that. Better to just sleep out the storm than try to stay conscious and deal with it.
If you call him and he picks up, he’ll be annoyed, judging by how it’s the middle of the night. He’ll suggest you just come to Savanaclaw since he is already in bed. Eventually, he’ll give in, especially if he hangs up and you keep calling him. Expect a grumpy lion to be crawling into your bed while telling you how troublesome you are. He’s the big spoon that night, and you’re just gonna have to deal with it. At least he’s warm, and his snoring will block out some outside noise.
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Ruggi Bucchi
Ruggie got this far in life by being able to read people like a book. He’s going to notice how tense you are when it begins raining on campus. It’s not even a storm, just rain, but he notices it’s almost like you’re preparing for the first crack of thunder to go off. He’ll be snickering as he comes up beside you and asks if you’re really scared of storms. Don’t act too surprised; it was obvious…or so he says. Once you admit it, he’ll tell you to head inside because your body’s instinct was right, and a storm will blow through in the next hour.
Ruggie is basically a big brother to every little cub where he’s from, so he’s more than used to dealing with people scared of storms. Not to mention his home was never really sturdy, and any small noise could be heard…almost like Ramshackle. So he’ll be trying to make you laugh the entire time, maybe using his signature spell to make you do something silly. He won’t stop until you're clutching your stomach from laughter and more relaxed with the storm.
His ringer is on for you and Leona only, so he’ll receive your text in the dead of night and roll over to read it. He doesn’t even prepare to go over; he just goes. He’ll show up at your doorstep, dripping water and asking for a towel and something warm to drink. Dragging you to the couch with him as he sleepily drinks tea and possibly falling asleep while cuddling with you. If you manage to get to bed, he’s asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow.
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Jack Howl
After classes, you were just walking back to Ramshackle when Jack paused and looked off into the distance. That’s when you hear him comment that he hears thunder in the distance and you guys should hurry back to the dorms. Then he’ll see how scared you look and know right away what the cause is. He’s pretty intuitive to you and will offer to go back to Ramshackle with you, so you weren’t deal with it alone. He won’t make fun of you at all; he’s well aware that everyone has to be scared of something. He still sees you as one of the bravest people he’s ever met.
He knows that being picked up can be calming for someone, so anytime there’s a storm, he’s lifting you into his arms and going off somewhere, so you don’t have to worry about stumbling whenever you see or hear something. He’ll be sitting with you the entire time, maybe telling you stories from his childhood or of the great seven. He’ll also offer to watch movies with you, telling you he’ll be staying with you until the storm is over, no matter how long that’ll take.
A good boy who hears a storm rolling in and is preparing to be with you. Ramshackle is more comfortable for you since it’s your home, and he’d rather the people from his dorm not see you in such a frazzled state. He’ll be at your doorstep and be ready to cuddle up with you for the night. He’ll even grab the thickest blanket and throw it over the two of you, hiding under it with you. Even if he overheats a bit, it’s worth it if you can manage to fall asleep.
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Possibly unpopular opinion (Or perhaps not idk): I love what they have done with Zuko and Ozai's relationship in the live action Netflix Avatar show.
In the cartoon we never get the ~vibes~ that Zuko has a complicated relationship with his father, only that it is abusive and one-sided in the sense only Zuko craves Ozai's approval, while Ozai straight up hates him, wants him dead or has no problem with him dying (Why doesn't he kill him if he has Azula? We don't know, plot has to happen, he sent Zuko to find the avatar in order to get rid of him, probably, or actually canon idk or remember), clearly prefers Azula to him as successor, etc, etc, etc (+ later the comics literally overkilled this trend "she was born lucky while..." omg stfu). Zuko is basically the perfect character to prove the fire nation is not all evil (Oh look, they hate him too, he is inherently their victim too from the very beginning).
So when Zuko switches sides in the cartoon, what I see as an adult rewatching is someone giving up on luxory, physical safety and... that is pretty much it. Sure it is a big deal to give up on those things to do what is right (Few would) and still awesome that he did the right thing in the end, but if you really think about it, he is not giving up that much, he is not giving up anything truly valuable to him. Respect? Honor? Sure he is said to have received it back after Azula "killed" Aang, but we never truly see it. For all intents and purposes his sister has that and wayyy more of it. His father's love and acceptance? Never had it, so he didn't truly "loose it" when he spoke up for those soldiers, got the scar and was banished, it is not really shown to have suddenly popped into existence when he was said to have killed the avatar. He literally had nothing in the fire nation, literally nothing. This could only make "doing the right thing" a lot easier for him, and for the adult audience (At least for me), his arc is just him realizing what is almost irritatingly obvious for us: That no one in the fire nation truly loves and respects him so might as well switch sides (Basically if we weren't also shown that Zuko is compassionate and does care about the horrible things the fire nation is doing, Ember Island Players would have gotten a bit of truth in it).
Now, in the live action, where do I even start? It has been so good so far when it comes to Ozai and Zuko. That man, if he hated Zuko in a cartoonishly evil way almost from birth, he sure doesn't show it. Don't get me wrong, he is just as abusive (Creepily so in many scenes, made me feel so protective of Zuko and Azula), but he is also shown to "care" about Zuko as in having some hope left that he can mold him into another powerful genocidal mini me. Is Azula winning by far? Ofc, she is still the prodigy, I am sure I am going to see flashbacks of favoritism later on. But Ozai doesn't yet seem to favor her in a way that makes Zuko's craving for his approval (Or even Ozai's hope in him as heir) hopeless. It seems, from his scenes with Azula, that Ozai foments the rivalry and competition between the two siblings not only because he personally thinks Azula is the best (Which he also might in this version), but also as a way of control through fear (Especially for prodigy Azula), and to make them (Especially comparatively weaker Zuko) "better", something this version of Ozai appears to think is possible EVEN when he banishes Zuko. Now, he might have done this "to get rid of him" as in the original, but in the live action he seems super open to and genuinely believe the idea that the exile could make Zuko stronger and better, not to mention worthy of the throne if he succeeds. Ozai treats Zuko like the heir despite favoring Azula is all I am saying. Zuko's actions are therefore almost impossible, yes, but not hopeless or even naive. And if this trend of Ozai's respect and "love" (Super on quotes) being achievable continues, Zuko's eventual turn to the good side will be much more powerful. He will have to give up much more after spending a summer with his abusive parent love bombing him for "killing" the avatar. Zuko's choice will be solely based on his findings about the horrors the fire nation has committed and not wanting to be the cause of more suffering even though he could have it all. Even though it was his fate to be his father's "mini me"-> Something terrifyingly likely and not so quickly discarded by the narrative itself as it was in the animated series.
I think the best part about this subtle change in the father-son dynamic (If it was the intention of the writers, I am aware it could have been unintended) is that the scar tm was a direct result of Zuko's compassion for those soldiers and not just the excuse Ozai used to banish him or "final straw" because he preferred Azula sooo much more, as it is pretty much implied later on in the animated series and comics by focusing so much on how much of a perfect victim Zuko was pretty much from birth. The addition of the 41st surviving because of Zuko was also pretty nice, and so is Zuko's relationship with them, he will need fire nation allies when he gets to the throne and this is a good start, something the animated series never touched upon much.
I am on episode 6 btw so my opinion might change. I will edit this post if that is the case. BUT my thoughts on these first scenes doesn't change, they are good imho
EDIT (And spoilers): I just watched Zhao’s revelation where he tells Zuko that Ozai would never let him return and he just wanted to use him to motivate Azula. It does change things and invalidates most of what I said, but taking out just this one scene, as I said, the Ozai-Zuko dynamic is great in this show, and also, Zhao is obviously not the most reliable source, because he was allied to Azula and obviously wanted to hurt Zuko, as he was losing the fight with him. There is also the fact that Azula wasn't watching Ozai and Zuko when Ozai told his son that he was being banished and that it was in part so he could get stronger etc, that was all for Zuko and had little way of serving as motivation for Azula (Unlike the scenes where Ozai praises Zuko in front of her, those could have totally been him bullshitting his daughter to motivate her to work even harder). So all in all this scene doesn't ruin the overall impression I had of the Ozai-Zuko father-son dynamic in the life action show. In fact, it could be taken to confirm one of my impressions which was that Ozai likes pitying his children against each other to push them harder.
EDIT 2: Ozai's reaction to Zuko's possible death is further proof imo that his “test” was very much real (even if almost impossible) and everything I said earlier still stands. He wouldn't mind that much if he died, it would just prove his “weakness”, and he is very pleased with Azula, but he didn't look happy or even indifferent when he learned the news.
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13thdoctorposts · 2 months
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has anyone else noticed how reactions and consensus on 13 has been RETROACTIVELY negative? I know there's been an intensely misogynistic hate campaign since Jodie was announced but I also noticed that when you look at old posts from when s11 especially was freshly aired, there was a lot more good faith engagement with the show and genuine excitement in fandom. It seems like covid gave the bad faith actors the opportunity to take over fandom and force their narratives on everyone.
Yeah a really great example of this is if you look back to tweets from the night Rosa aired the praise was very very high, now if you bring it up in the fandom you would think it was terrible and racist.
On YouTube I was told the writers, both of them Chibs and Malorie Blackman were incompetent because they doesn’t show how bad the racism really was, yet the episode starts with one of our companions being physically assaulted and told to be careful so not to end up like Emmett Till, some one who had just been murdered acting as if the show was sugar coating what life was like back then. Oh and of course with the Chibs slander that he’s racist because he may have hired a woman of colour to write the script, but she is English not American and he should have made sure it was an American or not done the episode at all
Malorie Blackman is an award winning author claiming she’s an incompetent writer is pretty incredible accusation.
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Here’s some of the tweets from articles praising the episode.
I think 2 things hurt 13 era who and they weren’t Chibs and Jodie. It was the unhinged toxicity the fandom constantly spewed and then even after things got praised as you said people would go back and nitpick to a level they never ever do with any other era and 2nd not having a big enough marketing budget and brand manger series 12 and 13 suffered most from this because the BBC did put the marketing money into series 11 even if they didn’t have a brand manager, and Chibs mentions this in the Radio Free Skaro podcast from last year that the BBC put a huge marking budget into series 11 but series 12 and 13 basically the budget was… you can only advertise on the BBC because there’s no money for anything else.
Rosa is just one example but there was a lot of praise for the work at the time of release and it’s quite possible general public viewers may have just stoped engaging on social after series 11 because they would then be piled on, and people in the online fandom knew they couldn’t go to social saying they loved an episode so they started picking it apart before putting their thoughts out there so they could be on trend with the haters who were gonna pile on if they didn’t fall in line.
Seriously if there’s ever a down fall to doctor who the ‘fans’ will be it because they would rather hate on the thing they supposedly love than love it. And ever era has its super questionable moments but if you bring them up for any other era you just being petty, or it isn’t that big of a deal, or ‘it’s of the time’ it’s just excuse after excuse.
I’ve seen people upset about the fact that RTD dead named Rose in the star beast, something very legitimate because now all the right wing idiots of the fandom use that name and the people who were upset get piled on if they say anything because they should be happy that RTD is trying to give them representation… but these same people when Chibs tried to give rep though a female doctor, or an episode like Rosa or Ryans disability, say Chibs is a right wing capitalist, sexist, racist, ablest, you don’t hear them saying hey he was really trying by getting people of colour to write their stories, by getting directors with the same heritage to direct episodes, he work with a dyspraxia organisation to help write Ryan, brought in the first 2 female Doctors and the 1st Doctor of colour who was also a woman, the 1st master of colour, the first Doctor who admitted to having feeling for a companion of the same sex and the episode where the doctor admits those feeling is co written with a queer woman, oh no Chibs gets no grace for tryi neg he did everything wrong but RTD everyone should be thankful for.
I don’t understand the level of hate. Not liking something is one thing but a part of this fandom has made 13 era who seem like the anti christ of Doctor Who, when really it tried a lot harder to involve more people in it then ever before.
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