#15th January 2019 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

asystol · 7 months ago

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OFFICIAL PROFILE

ᯓ FILE 000. — LEE, NICOLE ๋࣭

⩨͢ BASIC INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BIRTH NAME. nicole lee

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ KOREAN NAME. lee nakyung

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀HANGUL. 이나경

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ALIAS. nikki ❪ given by julie, origin from her birth name ❫⠀ ⠀collie ❪ ‘ pronounced cole-lee ’ given by belle, origin from her birth name ❫⠀ ⠀nana ❪ given by natty, origin from her korean name ❫⠀ ⠀뿌 ppu ❪ given by haneul, origin is 뿌 is a cute expression like the ‘ 😁 ’ emoji ❫⠀ ⠀naky ❪ given by daniel, origin from her korean name ❫⠀ ⠀ttokki ❪ given by fans, origin from her representative emoji ❫ ⠀ ⠀nakorita ❪ given by haneul, origin from the pokemon chikorita ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DATE OF BIRTH. april 1st, 2001

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ AGE. 23 years old

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ZODIAC. aries

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ CHINESE ZODIAC. snake

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PLACE OF BIRTH. toronto, canada

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ NATIONALITY. canadian

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ETHNICITY. korean

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ RESIDENCE(S). port hope, ontario, canada ❪ 2001 — 2013 ❫⠀ ⠀chungcheongnam-do, south korea ❪ 2013 — 2015 ❫⠀ ⠀seoul, south korea ❪ 2015 — ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ LANGUAGES. english ❪ fluent ❫⠀ ⠀korean ❪ near fluent ❫⠀ ⠀spanish ❪ advanced ❫⠀ ⠀japanese ❪ intermediate ❫⠀ ⠀thai ❪ beginner ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ GENDER IDENTITY. cisgender female

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PRONOUNS. she/her

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. homoromantic

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ RELATIONSHIP STATUS. single

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HEIGHT. 163cm (5’4”)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ WEIGHT. —

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BLOOD TYPE. a

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ EYE. brown

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ NATURAL HAIR. black

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BODY MODIFICATIONS. lobe piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀upper lobe piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀industrial piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀helix piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀conch piercing ❪ left and right ❫⠀ ⠀belly button piercing⠀ ⠀‘ i am the somebody ’ tattoo ❪ right rib ❫⠀ ⠀strawberry tattoo ❪ left hip ❫⠀ ⠀koi fish tattoo ❪ behind right ear ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FACE CLAIM. nana of wooah

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SPEAKING CLAIM. nana of wooah

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ VOCAL CLAIM. juria of xg

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DANCE CLAIM. yuna of itzy

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ RAP CLAIM. rei of ive

⩨͢ CAREER INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ STAGE NAME. NAKYUNG (나경)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ COMPANY. pledis entertainment ❪ 2015 — 2022 ❫⠀ ⠀off the record entertainment ❪ 2018 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀axs entertainment ❪ 2019 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀swing entertainment ❪ 2020 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀s2 entertainment ❪ 2022 — ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ TRAINING PERIOD. five in total ❪ skipping 2018 — 2021 ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SURVIVAL SHOWS. produce 48 ❪ 2018 ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ OCCUPATION. idol

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ GROUP(S). IZ*ONE ❪ 2018 — 2021 ❫⠀ ⠀KISS OF LIFE ❪ 2023 — ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DEBUT DATE(S). october 29th, 2018 ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ ⠀july 5th, 2023 ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DEBUT AGE(S). 17 years old ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ ⠀22 years old ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISBANDMENT DATE. april 29th, 2021 ❪ IZ*ONE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISBANDMENT AGE. ��20 years old ❪ IZ*ONE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ POSITION(S). vocalist, sub rapper, visual ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ ⠀vocalist, center ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ REPRESENTATIVE COLOR(S). WISTERIA ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ purple ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ REPRESENTATIVE EMOJI(S). 🦋 butterfly ❪ IZ*ONE ❫⠀ 🐰 bunny ❪ KISS OF LIFE ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ INDIVIDUAL FANDOM NAME. nakyorita ❪ origin from chikorita + nakyung ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ INSTAGRAM USERNAME. nicolee ❪ public, 11.4m followers, 14 following ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISCOGRAPHY.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀COLOR*IZ. october 29th, 2018

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Suki to Iwasetai. february 6th, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀HEART*IZ. april 1st, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Buenos Aires. june 21st, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Vampire. september 25th, 2019

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀BLOOM*IZ. february 17th, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Oneiric Diary. june 15th, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Thirteen. october 21st, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀One-reeler / ACT IV. december 7th, 2020

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀D-D-Dance. january 26th, 2021

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Stardust love song. march 6th, 2022

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀KISS OF LIFE. july 5th, 2023

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Born to be XX. november 8th, 2023

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Officially Cool (with BANG YEDAM). february 9th, 2024

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Midas Touch. april 3rd, 2024

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Sixth Sense. may 25th, 2024

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Sticky. july 1st, 2024

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ KNOWN FOR. placing second in produce48, the ‘listener’ for the yapper best friend (julie), her duality, accidentally kissing chaewon during a live, everyone’s parents loving her more than their own kid, the switch in concept between iz*one and kiss of life, her vocals, slapping/patting her members’ butts for no reason, belle recording her crying over the finding nemo movie, being the biggest moomoo, her stable cover of bad news while drunk, openly being a ‘gleek’, affectionately being called a loser in a hot body by fans, her sanrio themed room

⩨͢ PERSONAL INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MBTI TYPE. intj-a ❪ assertive architect ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ANALYZING. an assertative architect tends to have more self confidence than a turbulent architect, particularly when handling life’s ups and downs. if things do go the way they expect, an intj-a is not likely to second guess their initial actions or experience regret.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ POSITIVE.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀rational.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ambitious.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀self-assured.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀adventurous.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀observant.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀efficient.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ NEGATIVE.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀arrogant.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀impulsive.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀impatient.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀nosy.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀withdrawn.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀rigid.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAMILY.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀joshua lee ❪ father ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀angie lee ❪ mother ❫ † ❪ 1975 — 2021 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀daniel lee ❪ brother ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ciara lee ❪ sister ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀kim seoyoung ❪ maternal grandmother ❫ † ❪ 1955 — 2018 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀park hojin ❪ maternal grandfather ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀park jaewoo ❪ maternal uncle ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀park sooyoung ❪ maternal aunt ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀lee jihyuk ❪ paternal grandfather ❫ † ❪ 1950 — 1994 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀jung yeonhee ❪ paternal grandmother ❫ † ❪ 1954 — 2011 ❫

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀lee eunbyul ❪ paternal aunt ❫

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HISTORY.

⠀⠀ ⠀nakyung was born on april 1st, 2001 as nicole lee in toronto, canada. she grew up in port hope, ontario, canada with her older brother, daniel, and younger sister, ciara. her mother, angie, worked as a middle school music teacher and her father, joshua, was a construction worker.

⠀⠀ ⠀she became interested in music early on, her mother teaching her how to play guitar and piano as soon as she was old enough. when nakyung wanted to be a singer “just like stevie nicks” at eight-years-old, angie put her in vocal lessons.

⠀⠀ ⠀after being persuaded by her best friend, she joins the free ballet classes at her school with her. she starts to take dance and her vocals more seriously, finding it more fun than instruments.

⠀⠀ ⠀when she’s thirteen, her parents tell her and her siblings that her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the year before. they wanted to wait to see if chemotherapy would help. angie had gotten laid off from her job, leaving joshua the only financial support.

⠀⠀ ⠀for more financial stability and emotions support, the lee family moved from canada to south korea to stay with angie’s parents. nicole didn’t even have time to say goodbye to her friends.

⠀⠀ ⠀nicole, now going by nakyung, didn’t make very much friends in her new school and kept mostly to herself. she got a job under the table as a waitress to help her parents with bills, telling her family she was at a dance studio by her school.

⠀⠀ ⠀while working, she was scouted by pledis entertainment. despite her parents thinking it was sketchy and cult-like, she auditioned and was accepted. as her brother was going to seoul national university, she moved to seoul with him to train at pledis.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2016, nakyung’s parents announced that angie was in remission. she started working as a teacher again after becoming healthier.

⠀⠀ ⠀nakyung was in the final line-up for pledis’ upcoming girl group, but was pulled out due to ‘not being ready’. she almost left the company until her mother convinced her to stay and become better.

⠀⠀ ⠀with no news of a new pledis girl group, nakyung volunteered herself to join mnet’s survival show, produce 48. she would end up placing second in the last episode and debuting in temporary girl group, IZ*ONE, in 2018.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2020, nakyung’s parents announced that angie’s cancer had came back— being part of the 10-20 percentage of ovarian cancer recurrence. angie would not try chemotherapy again, wanting to be with her family and go to new zealand. due to the pandemic, the family would ultimately stay in korea and not fulfill angie’s wish.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2021, her mother dies and IZ*ONE disbands. nakyung is not seen for a long time, not even by her IZ*ONE members until her OST song for kdrama ‘twenty-five twenty-one’, stardust love song, was announced. she would, again, disappear.

⠀⠀ ⠀in 2022, it is assumed nakyung left pledis around this time as she later joins S2 entertainment after lee haein offered her a spot in ber upcoming girl group.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FATHER. joshua lee was born march 13th, 1973 in daegu, south korea as lee jaehyun. the day he turned eighteen, he left his house and moved to canada with his best friend and legally changed his name to joshua lee. he met angela park in 1994 and would go on to have three children with her. the first being daniel in 1997, nicole in 2001, and ciara in 2004. he doesn’t want to be in korea when they have to move but does it for his wife. when angie dies in 2021, he completely barricades himself in their room. one day, his number is changed and all of his belongings are gone. we never find out what happened to him but he either killed himself or changed his name again and started a new life. he is referred to as ‘dad’ or ‘deadbeat’. (non affectionately)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MOTHER. angela ‘angie’ lee was born on october 29th, 1975 in jeju, south korea as park jangmi. she goes by angela or angie now because she likes the name. she was studying abroad in canada when she met joshua. in 2012, she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. together, they decide to bare the news on their shoulders alone and decide not to tell anyone unless chemotherapy doesn’t work. it begins to work, but it’s too expensive and she’s laid off. they have to move to seoul to be near her family for help. she hates the person she is while on chemo, and turns to god in her sickness and health, even when she’s in remission in 2016. she begins working again. in 2020, the cancer come back, but angie doesn’t want to be on chemo again. she wants to be with her family, in new zealand. but then they can’t go and she dies in korea. she is referred to as ‘mom’.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ BROTHER. daniel lee was born on august 15th, 1997 in toronto, canada. he grew up teasing his younger sisters, ever so mean to them during puberty but there for them when they were upset. his relationship with his parents wasn’t so great, always noting a difference in the way they brought him up compared to his sisters. when he was eighteen, he left for seoul national university in 2015 with his sister. he now works as a cyber security engineer. he is referred to as ‘daniel’, ‘danny’ or ‘dumbass’. (affectionately)

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ SISTER. ciara lee was born on november 3rd, 2004 in ontario, canada. she grew up wanting to be everything like her sister, wanting to be around her constantly. she slightly grew up in nakyung’s shadow, but that didn’t matter to her— it just made her want to be her even more. she wants to become an idol just like her older sister— and she will. she currently lives with their aunt, sooyoung, and her girlfriend, bora, in busan, south korea. she is referred to as ‘chaeyoung’ or ‘cee’ or ‘ciara’.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER. park seoyoung was born on january 19th, 1955 in busan, south korea. she met lee hojin in 1972 and shortly married him a few months later the same year. they would go on to have three children, one boy, two girls. in 1996, seoyoung and hojin moved to chungnam, south korea and settled there for the rest of their lives. in 2017, her health begins to decline. in 2018, she dies in her sleep peacefully. she is referred to as ‘할머니’ (halmoni).

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL GRANDFATHER. park hojin was born on may 12th, 1949 in ulsan, south korea. after his father died during the korean war, his mother moved them to busan. he met seoyoung in 1972, marrying her and having three children with her. in 1996, he and seoyoung moved to chungnam. in 2001, he suffered from a heart attack. he is currently retired, but used to work as a contractor.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL UNCLE. park jaewoo was born on february 21st, 1973. he is currently a businessman, living in new york.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ MATERNAL AUNT. park sooyoung was born on september 27th, 1977. she is currently living in busan with her girlfriend, bora, and her niece, chaeyoung/ciara. she works as a hotel secretary.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PATERNAL GRANDFATHER. lee jihyuk was born in 1950. he was verbally and physically abusive to his son, jaehyun, which was one of the leading factors of why jaehyun left forever at eighteen. he died in 1994 of a heart attack.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER. jung yeonhee was born on july 1st, 1954. she never tried to protect her son from her husband, but joshua was soft on her and it took a lot of him to leave her behind. after jihyuk died in 1994, she tried to find jaehyun, as she knew him, but failed. she later settled in jeju, south korea in 2000 and died of a car accident in 2011.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PATERNAL AUNT. lee eunbyul was born on december 28th, 1981. her brother was nine years older than her and never cared enough to talk to her, despite the two having more in common than he thought. she was relieved when their brother left and then her father died. when her mother tried to look for her brother who never even wanted them, she grew angry and began to resent her mother and her brother even more.

⩨͢ TRIVIAL INFORMATION ⍣

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HABITS & MANNERISMS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀making sound effects, making sweater paws, switching from english to korean in a sentence, constantly organizing and reorganizing things, talking in aegyo, sleep talking, mumbling to herself, makes up lies about random, unimportant things for no reason, pouting or puckering her lips, sleeping in late, using ‘like’ constantly in a conversation, gesturing while talking, checking her phone, laughing in serious situations, poking haneul’s cheeks, slapping/patting her members’ butts for no reason, talking about stars, getting overstimulated with too much noise under stress, bursting into songs and choreo, being jumpy.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ HOBBIES & SKILLS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀singing, writing, playing the piano, playing the guitar, watching old and new cartoons, gardening, seeing how far she can push her members, vlogging, watching tiktoks/being on her phone, sleeping, shopping, collecting her bias’ photocards, journaling, collecting rubber ducks, doing mindf*ck games.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ LIKES.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀sleeping, music, shopping, reading, strawberries, rubber ducks, learning, butter pecan ice cream, astrology, stars, science, organizing, candles, dramas, the season fall, color purple, swimming, gentle rain, night time, puzzles, talking about her mother, ice skating, museums.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ DISLIKES.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀alcohol, the color orange, loud noises, hot weather, clowns, thunderstorms, liars, mint flavor, horror movies, assumptions, being vulnerable, repeating herself, being active besides dancing, chronically late people, wasting time, camping, cemeteries, family dinners, waiting, dirty fingernails, sundays, cheese, cleaning, world ending conspiracy theories/far stretched conspiracy theories.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PHOBIAS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀heights, blood.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE COLOR(S).

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀lavender and pink.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE SEASON.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀fall.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ FAVORITE ANIMAL(S).

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀bunnies, dogs.

͙͘͡ ★ �� FAVORITE NUMBER.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀seven.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ PERSONAL PLAYLIST.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀anywhere but home, seulgi. gibson girl, ethel cain. rhiannon, fleetwood mac. spring day, bts. teeth, enhypen. out of the woods, taylor swift. take a bite, beabadoobee. liquid smooth, mitski. bye my neverland, kiss of life. left alone, fiona apple. black madonna, cage the elephant. you know i’m no good, amy winehouse.

͙͘͡ ★ ◞ CLOSE FRIENDS.

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀former iz*one members. ryujin and chaeryeong, itzy. aespa. yunjin, le sserafim. miyeon and shuhua, (g)i-dle. nagyung, fromis_9. gaeul, ive. heeseung, enhypen. mark, chenle, haechan and jaemin, nct. sungchan, riize. yiren, everglow. yeonjun, txt. chuu. keeho, p1harmony. tsuki, billlie. soojin. matthew, zerobaseone. lily and haewon, nmixx. isa, stayc. park jihoon.

inspo from @m3loria

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rivalsforlife · 1 year ago

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Ace Attorney 456 Tokyo Game Show Information Masterpost

Since I haven't seen all the information collected in one place, this post SHOULD be a comprehensive review of everything revealed today - though please let me know if I missed anything important.

New Trailer and Release Date

youtube

We got a new trailer for the 456 collection, which covers (most of) what I'm going to say in this post, and a release date of January 25, 2024!

New Features

Language Support: These games are now available in seven languages: Japanese, English, French, German, Korean, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese, along with voice dubs for each of these. These are some of the first times some of the games (in particular 5 and 6) are officially translated to many of these languages.

DLC: The previously DLC-exclusive cases Turnabout Reclaimed and Turnabout Time Traveler will be added to the game for free, along with previously DLC-exclusive costumes. You can dress up Phoenix in the Tigre outfit from the beginning!

QOL: As well, any of the quality of life features from the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles have been added to the 456 collection. This includes an episode/chapter select unlocked from the start, so you can skip straight to your favorite sections, autoplay and story mode, and a backlog/history to review recent text.

Art Gallery: The game will also include an "art gallery" which includes concept art for the games. This will also include special artworks commissioned exclusively for this collection, some of which are unlocked after beating each game and unlocking each trilogy.

Orchestra Hall: There is also an "orchestra hall" where you can listen to what seems to be the full soundtrack for all three games (though I haven't verified this), along with orchestral tracks from the 15th anniversary and 2019 orchestra concerts.

There are also two new "trilogy exclusive" songs: "Apollo Justice - A New Era Begins! 2024", and "Trucy's Theme - Bring It In, Everyone". The new "a new era begins" remix might possibly be what they're playing in the trailer. "Bring It In, Everyone" is distinct from Trucy's main theme, "Child of Magic" (listed earlier in the soundtrack list), so I have no idea what that one will be like.

Animation Studio: This new feature allows you to play around with character models, setting up different backgrounds and sprites and settings, to create whatever scene you want. This doesn't seem to have a text feature, so it just seems kind of like a worse objection.lol but with 3D sprites. (Although I'm sure the objection.lol people will find a way to rip the models in like... five minutes of the game's release)

Preorder Information

It seems we overseas people will only have the collection available digitally, but Japan seems to have physical copies along with a lot of preorder bonuses! You can find the official page here.

This includes the following:

Game Software: You can order this standalone, or with the other preorder goods, or seemingly just the goods on their own without the software included.

Original Drama CDs: Two new drama CDs are being developed for this collection! As far as I can tell, one involves the Gavinners attempting a one-night-only revival of the band (which goes poorly...), and the second involves Taka fleeing the courtroom.

Evidence and Items Set: This includes ten pieces of evidence available from the games, along with some original illustrations. As can be seen above, this includes things like the photo of Apollo and Clay from Dual Destinies, six ID photos of major characters, and a signed poster of Klavier.

As well, a new sleeve box drawn by Takuro Fuse, the character designer for 5 and 6.

That should cover everything, but please let me know if I missed any news!

#ace attorney #FUCK TUMBLR SHORTCUTS. YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS ANY EARLIER #news

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pridequest64 · 5 months ago

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Anarky Reading Order

This is, based of my research the complete reading list in release order for all Anarly Comics as of October 1st 2024. Release dates were used when available but compromises were made with cover date when necessary. If you see anything that is wrong or needs new additions feel free to let me know!

(Comic Vine was a massive help in this Project!)

1. Detective Comics #608 November 1989

2. Detective Comics #609 December 1989

3. Detective Comics #620 August 1990

4. Batman #456 September 18th 1990

5. Detective Comics #627 March 1991

6. Batman Annual #15 April 18th 1991

7. Robin Annual #1 July 23rd 1992

8. Superman & Batman Magazine #1 Q3 1993

9. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16

10. September 1993

11. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #17 September 1993

12. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #18 October 1993

13. Green Arrow #89 August 1994

14. Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #2 September 1994

15. The Batman Adventures #31 April 1995

16. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #40 May 16th 1995

17. The Batman Chronicles #1 May 30th 1995

18. The Batman Adventures #36 October 1st 1995

19. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #41 June 20th 1996

20. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #50 May 1st 1996

21. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #66 September 1st 1997

22. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #67 October 1st 1997

23. Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73 April 1998

24. DCU Heroes Secret Files February 1999

25. Anarky #1 May 1999

26. Anarky #2 June 1999

27. Anarky #3 July 1999

28. Anarky #4 August 1999

29. Anarky #5 September 1999

30. Anarky #6 October 1999

31. Anarky #7 November 1999

32. Anarky #8 December 1999

33. Sins of Youth: JLA, Jr. May 2000

34. Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1 May 2000

35. Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2 May 2000

36. Green Arrow #51 August 2005

37. Robin #181 December 17th 2008

38. Robin #182 January 21st 2009

39. Robin #183 April 1st 2009

40. Red Robin #3 August 12th 2009

41. Red Robin #13 June 3rd 2010

42. Red Robin #15 August 4th 2010

43. Red Robin #16 September 9th 2010

44. Red Robin #17 November 10th 2010

45. Red Robin #18 December 8th 2010

46. Red Robin #19 January 12th 2011

47. Red Robin #20 February 9th 2011

48. Red Robin #21 March 16th 2011

49. Red Robin #22 April 13th 2011

50. Red Robin #23 May 11th 2011

51. Red Robin #24 June 8th 2011

52. Beware the Batman #1 October 23rd 2013

53. Green Lantern Corps #25 November 13th 2013

54. Detective Comics #38 Janurary 7th 2015

55. Detective Comics #39 February 4th 2015

56. Detective Comics #40 March 4th 2015

57. Detective Comics: Endgame March 11th 2015

58. Detective Comics #957 May 24th 2017

59. Detective Comics #963 August 23rd 2017

60. Detective Comics #964 September 13th 2017

61. Detective Comics #966 October 11th 2017

62. Detective Comics #968 November 22nd 2017

63. Detective Comics #970 December 13th 2017

64. Detective Comics #971 December 27th 2017

65. Detective Comics #972 January 10th 2018

66. Detective Comics #973 January 24th 2018

67. Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Red Hood vs. Anarky June 20th 2018

68. Harley Quinn #61 May 1st 2019

69. Harley Quinn #62 June 5th 2019

70. The Imfected: The Commissioner December 18th 2019

71. DC Nation Presents DC Future State November 24th 2020

72. Future State: The Next Batman #1 Janurary 5th 2021

73. I Am Batman #1 September 14th 2021

74. I Am Batman #2 October 12th 2021

75. Robins #4 February 15th 2022

76. Detective Comics #1054 February 22nd 2022

77. Batman: Urban Legends #22 December 20th 2022

#dc comics #dcu #dc universe #anarky #lonnie machin #comic books #comics

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bobbie-robron · 21 days ago

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Robron Fanfiction Recommendations (Jan-2025)

The below were recommended in January 2025 on the Voldemort site 🐦 and Bluesky🦋.

Let them bring you back to me (2020) 25.2K words, Daily_Scenarios

Reunion 3.0. Robert’s been in prison for a couple of months and Aaron’s in Scotland when he learns from Liv that Sebastian’s mum and Ross were in an accident and she didn’t make it. This news has Aaron (along with Debbie) scrambling to get to Sebastian. When he arrives at the hospital, Aaron has no rights to even see Sebastian (nor does Diane for that matter) because of no parental responsibility order. All roads then lead back to Robert who managed to get only medical help for Sebastian before being hospitalized himself for a prison attack. Now the lads have to work together to get Sebastian out from under social services and with Aaron while also finding a path back to each other in the process…

And that’s just the way it is (2018) 28.9K words, orphan_account

Gavin & Stacey AU. When Aaron (in Leeds) gets in contact with the company Robert works for (in London) about an open invoice, the two hit it off right away so much so that they start getting to know each other further first via FB then through texts and calls. Even with how well things are going, Aaron’s unsure if Robert’s really interested in him that way but that answer gets answered promptly. After that it’s all about getting to know each other better through reveals about their pasts, being brave enough to accept love and meeting the families especially a certain Jack Sugden…

The flowers always grow back (2019) 21.0K words, softlyspoken

Reunion 3.0, Sebastian pov. Aaron has been raising Sebastian and over time, Robert’s name has become one barely mentioned in his presence but Sebastian still wants to know about him. By Sebastian’s 15th birthday, he learns why Robert has been absent from his life. At his 16th birthday party, Robert shows up having just been released from prison. The feelings of abandonment are still strong for Aaron who’s tried to move on but Sebastian… well, he’s not having none of it. He’s determined to have his two idiot dads back together by Christmas!

This One Summer (2015) 6.6K words, lullabelle_moon

1940s AU. It’s the summer and Robert has been thrown at the Whites to marry Chrissie since he refused to enlist. When help is needed on the farm, Larry hires Aaron as he doesn’t trust Robert to do a proper job at Wyllie’s. Robert and Aaron get on well enough doing the work, that is until Aaron encourages Robert to open up and become even more comfortable with each other. Unfortunately, the era they exist in frowns upon what direction they could take. But, in the end, they might not have a choice what fate has in store for them (don’t worry, it ends fine).

Sunflower seeds (2019) 20.8K words, softlyspoken

Babysitter AU. Liv regularly babysits for quiet, Harry Potter loving, 13-year-old Sebastian but when her school’s coursework needs her full focus, she persuades Aaron to look after the teen on the sly. That doesn’t work out well as Robert comes home early not happy a stranger was looking after his son. But, as things turn out, Aaron endeared himself to Sebastian and he actually looks forward to babysitting when Liv cannot. It’s not just Sebastian he’s fond of but the Robert as well even if he may be straight. Both Robert and Sebastian want the other to be happy and Aaron may just be the person to do that if fears don’t get in the way…

#robron #robron fanfiction #robron fanfiction recommendations #robron fanfic monday #202501

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kurtwagnerisnumber1fan · 19 days ago

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Chat it's 2am(almost 3)so I'ma yap about Josh and Monique's kids(cuz I'm working on drawings of them(I haven't really motivation to draw lately))

as I have stated before they end up having 4 kids, 2 boys 2 girls

Their Eldest is Joshua "JJ" Levy Jr. He spends his days playing Call of duty, fortnight, arguing with his younger siblings(although he does get great along with his sister, Katelynn more), and doing whatever teenage boys do. He works weekends at Walmart, mainly so he can buy more video games. He's 15, his birthday is September 22nd 2009

The eldest Daughter is Katelynn "Katie" Levy. She plays the violin, she also played the trumpet for a little bit. She is very good at math and spelling(I wish I could say the same), She wants to be a music teacher when she's older. She enjoys spending time with her siblings, listening to music, studying music and movies. She really likes movies. Shes 12, her birthday is February 15th 2012.

Next is(And my personal favorite) Allison Levy. She collects rocks, pencils, crystals and tins. She really likes rocks, like really really likes rocks, she could rant about rocks for days without stopping. Shes also weirdly obsessed with medieval and ancient torture(Yes, her favorite ancient/medieval torture is stoneing). She absolutely adores her brothers, she is also a huge daddy's girl. She's 9, her birthday is November 18th 2015

And finally the youngest, Charlie Levy. Two words, Velcro baby(though he isn't really a baby so Velcro kid I guess). Literally cannot go 3 seconds without being held, hugged or clinging to either Josh or Moni(sometimes both). He likes spiderman, fish, chips, and ninja turtles. He has light up Spider-Man shoes he wears every day (they are on the verge of falling apart), he has stuffed toy fish he carries around everywhere(its name is Roger). He's 6, his birthday is January 2nd 2019

Me to the Levy kids

#welcome to eltingville #the eltingville club #josh levy #pete dinunzio #bill dickey #jerry stokes #eltingville oc #oc x josh levy #monique dunn #original character #fan kid

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ask-serendipity-sky · 1 year ago

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1108: Facts and observations

•Day 0

1108 started on the 8th of November of 2015.

Jimin uploaded a video of him and Jungkook to twitter:

On the 26th of January 2016, Jk uploaded a small snippet of a song he was covering.

•Day 100

And on the 15th of February of 2016, Jk uploaded the entire song Nothing Like Us and noted to listen to the lyrics as they were expressing what he wanted to say:

In Korean culture, parents celebrate 100 days after a child is born. This is to indicate that the child made it through the first vulnerable phase in their life. In the same manner, the 100 days are celebrated by Korean couples.

And this is what Jk had to say 100 days after the 8th of November of 2015:

There's nothing like us There's nothing like you and me Together through the storm There's nothing like us There's nothing like you and me together, oh

•Day 366 (1 year)

On 08/11/2016, a year later, Jimin posted another video of them:

•Day 732 (2 years)

On Oct. 28, 2017, Jungkook treated Jimin to a trip to Tokyo. It was because of this trip, that Jungkook released gcfTokyo on Nov. 08, 2017.

youtube

A fan used the images in the video and was able to determine the hotel and room jikook stayed at. It was room number 1108.

The video also used the song There For You by Troye Sivan:

Boy, I'm holdin' onto something Won't let go of you for nothing I'm runnin', runnin' just to keep my hands on you There was a time that I was so blue What I got to do to show you? I'm runnin', runnin' just to keep my hands on you

Day 811

On the 26th of January 2018, in a Japanese fancafe, Jimin gifted Jungkook a drawing of a set of champagne glasses and a bottle. Note the details of the glasses.

•Day 900

On the 25th of April 2018, a day before the 900 day milestone, Jimin had a vlive where it was obvious he wasn't alone in the room. He kept looking to the side, laughing shyly and explained:

After he said this, you can hear someone whisper, "Jimin."

Day 1000

On August 3rd 2018, Jk posted a selfie while they were all filming BV3:

During BV3, jikook were able to look around the city alone, and have a boat date under the moonlight.

Day 1013

As you all may know 10:13 is also known as Jimin ssi, or Jimin time. It only makes sense that this day would be special to jikook too.

On the 16th of August 2018, Jimin tweeted a series of 3 tweets:

Jungkook was the only member that appeared in the photos with Jimin. It is also interesting to note the 2 butterfly temporary tattoos he had on his hand.

This is the same time when they had the photoshoot with the inflatable unicorn:

The next day, Jimin uploaded a tweet with the caption "Love Ya", and one of the photos was him and Jk.

•Day 1141

On the 22nd of December 2018, when fans uploaded their selfies on fancafe, the fans let Jk know that Jimin had uploaded his own:

This prompted Jk to type "JIMINNNN" and he signed off. He later uploaded a song that he stopped at 1:18:

You take my mind away When you touch me that way This place, your face It gets hard to breathe I know you're feeling me now You're all I see Almost like we're dreaming

•Day 1394

On the 1st of September 2019, Jk made 2 tweets. One in which uploaded a snippet of Decalcamonia, which he also ended on 1:18:

•Day 1500

On the 16th of Dec 2019, Jimin posted a good night tweet:

The time he uploaded this was at 1:50.

•Day 2300

On Feb 22, 2022, Jk uploaded a story on insta where he is in a car, listening to So Good by Joan. The story was labeled 23:08 even though he uploaded it at 1:24 am.

You and me Got a lotta tension, not even to mention Ooh, that night, just two weeks ago It was half past ten Thinking about living, suddenly when you walked it You took my breath away

•Day 2315

On March 10, 2022, during the Permission to Dance Concert, Jimin used the 2315 numbers and stated the following:

2315 days had passed since November 8, 2015.

•Day 2545

On the 26th of October 2022, Jk uploaded a photo of himself while he was in Qatar. He uploaded the photo at 11:08 Korea time and, 5:08 Qatar time.

•Day 2643

On the 2nd of February 2023, Jimin answered a question on weverse at exactly 23:08. The question is now deleted.

•Day 2684

During Jungkook hosted a series of lives on White Day, 14th of March 2022. His first live was started at 8:11 pm:

During these lives, Jk changed to various outfits and had an extensive playlist. One of the songs that was included was There For You.

•Day 2855

On the 1st of September 2023, Jk hosted a short live to thank the fans for being present with him during so many birthdays. He ended his live quickly and it lasted 8:56 minutes:

My impressions

Based on Korean customs, celebrating different day milestones is typical in a Korean couple.

While some may think that jikook started dating on the 8th of November 2015, I think that's when they decided to be intimate with each other.

I feel like a jikook kiss had already happened since the last time Jimin asked Jk for a kiss publicly was in September 2015 for Jk's birthday. From there, one can only think that things proceeded quite quickly.

I think that in recent years, we have observed less mentions of 1108 because of BTS' popularity and so many fans expecting something from jikook.

It's possible that jikook has decided to not make these milestones known like they did before, but every now and then, they still reference that number. Who knows when they will do it again.

But who is counting, right?

#jikook #jimin #jungkook #1108 #Spotify

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technicolorfamiliar · 1 month ago

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"If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again."

[Photos: Alick Crosley, Sara Krulwich]

---

On Sunday, January 5, 2025 The McKittrick Hotel, the home of Punchdrunk's wildly successful and groundbreaking immersive theatre production Sleep No More for 14 years, closed its doors for good. As early as 2011, they would tease that the show was going to close in a few months time. It became kind of a running joke. It was generally accepted Sleep No More would run forever, barring some major catastrophe like a meteoroid flattening West 27th Street. Then in late 2023, when a closing announcement was released in major news publications, suddenly it was real -- Sleep No More was going to close in January 2024.

But then there was an extension. Then another. Then another… And the show ran for a whole year until the final, final, FINAL_SERIOUSLY_FORREALTHISTIMEISWEAR.pdf closing date arrived.

When the initial closure was announced in 2023, going back one last time wasn't an option for me. But as the extension extended, I made it my business to get to New York to say goodbye to Sleep No More and The McKittrick Hotel in person.

A note before I continue: I have a long history with Sleep No More. I saw it six times in Boston in 2009 - 2010 and many more times in New York. I was an intern, a run crew/stage management team member, a steward, and briefly a costume artisan in the period between 2011 - 2015. My complex relationship with the show is colored by all these different experiences. But I was first someone who was deeply moved and inspired and excited by Sleep No More. I could talk about it forever, and have to anyone who would listen. When all is said and done, I am a fan above all else.

---

I wound up booking a standard entry ticket for mid-October, around what would have been the 15th anniversary of my first time seeing SNM in Boston. The last time I had seen the show was in early 2019. I had gone with someone who had never seen the show and ended up being not as into it as I had perhaps hoped. I thought about asking someone to come with me this time, but it really is unreasonably expensive, especially for people traveling from out of town, especially for creatives who don't always have a lot of expendable income. So I went solo. Kevin Cafferty recently said in his podcast with original Hecate Careena Melia that SNM is an introvert's paradise, and I tend to agree. When SNM ran in Boston, I always went by myself, so a solitary journey has kind of always been part of the ritual for me.

Since 2019, I noticed there had been some changes. Arrival times were more strictly enforced due to covid-era social distancing protocols. Or so I thought before I arrived at 7:15 to find a line outside the front doors almost to the end of the block. Some of the new changes were appreciated: phones were locked in little cross-body bags, something I first encountered at Punchdrunk's London show The Burnt City in 2022; I wish this was SNM NYC had done in the beginning, it would have be amazing for audiences, crew, and performers. But between my unintentionally late arrival and the bottleneck in the Manderley Bar caused by all the added booths and tables (why??), I only got into the show right as Witches 2 was starting. And despite it still being the first loop, it was way too crowded in the Rep Bar. But I stood in my old run crew spot against the pillar beside the Jello Baby where I used to watch the audience for picture-taking and other bad behavior.

I hadn't entered the building with any real plan or expectations for what I wanted to do or see, but standing in that spot in the Rep Bar brought back all my old muscle memories of the place. I found myself being pulled to the scenes and spaces I inhabited as a crew member over 10 years ago. My pre-set had included the Hotel and so I followed the Porter for most of his loop. I followed the Cunningman, whose 1:1 I once stood inside night after night. The rest of the night was like a Greatest Hits of Sleep No More: the Party, Witches 1, Duncan and Danvers' dance to "Moonlight Becomes You", the Macduffs' bookcase duet. I lingered on the mezzanine as the Vertigo theme blared out over the Ballroom. I ran a hand over parts of the set -- walls, furniture, set dressing -- I once handled every day. Everything felt surprisingly and heart-achingly familiar.

That familiarity has always meant that I'm not really able to enjoy the show purely as a fan anymore. When the muscle memory kicked in, I became overly conscious of where I was standing so I would be out of the way of performers entering and exiting a scene, where to position myself in order to follow certain characters or catch a specific view of a specific scene. I was too aware of the loop structures and tracks to really be completely present. I know some SNM fans love having that knowledge so they can plan their show experience in advance, but what I used to love most about being an audience member was the feeling of discovery and following my gut.

I came out of the show that cold and windy October night with mixed feelings. I was already mildly annoyed by arriving late and I don't know... I got the feeling I wasn't there on a particularly good night. The cast looked amazing but there was a certain chemistry and intimacy missing in a lot of what I saw. The magic for me ended up being in inhabiting the building one last time, and all the sense memories brought up by being there -- the ghosts of every pre-set and post-show, every party and late night hang out in the bar, all the literal blood, sweat, and tears that went into helping make SNM run for a mere fraction of its existence. And of realizing how many other people have walked through The McKittrick Hotel's doors and been affected by their time and experiences there, all the audience members, superfans, staff and crewmembers, performers, everyone who was touched by the show and maybe by the friendships they forged in the Manderley Bar or backstage.

---

Years ago I bought this little box. It's where I keep my immersive theater knickknacks and ephemera. In there is Luba's red string and the Watchman's seed packet from The Burnt City, Tuttle's blood moon and Conrad's ink blot from The Drowned Man, a prescription from Then She Fell's Kingsland Ward, 3D glasses and an imaginary map from The Grand Paradise, six playing cards from Sleep No More Boston, Cawdor Seeds, and tickets for the Annie Darcy Band at Oberon. That box is where I put my final playing card with a Porter ring and Cunningman charm, right next to the engraved Hotel key and DeWinter locket I was given at my last show as a crewmember. But there used to be a lot more of SNM New York in that box, a lot of stuff I threw away or lost over the years, things I wish I had held on to. There was a limited edition run of monochromatic playing cards for the very first Halloween that were very cool. One of the people on the props team gave me a vial necklace at the first Mayfair. One of the cast members gave me a small animal tooth. There were photos from various parties. But all that stuff is gone. And fuck it, it wouldn't have fit in the box, but I wish I had smuggled out my black mask after my last show. I don't know why they made me leave it behind, it was cracked and held together with gaff tape. Now it's probably sitting in a landfill somewhere.

I think a lot of those things got tossed because they reminded me too much of the bad days. Sleep No More had a way of bringing out the worst in some people, myself included. I was miserable to be around. And not to point fingers, but I don’t think I was entirely the sole person at fault for this. I mean, they hired a superfan, what did they think was going to happen? I loved the show itself too much to have ever been able to make it out the other side 100% unscathed.

Don't get me wrong, the first few months I was there were the best. There were red flags during that time, sure, but over all the vibe in the building early on was very inclusive. There was a lot of mutual respect and comradery, it felt like a big family and for the most part I felt fairly welcome. Cast and crew and stewards and staff would all hang out together after shows in Manderley or at Billymark's West (R.I.P.). But all that good feeling eventually began to shift. I was like a frog in a pot of boiling water, by the time it got really bad it was too late. There was a shift in the culture inside the building for whatever reason. It became more exclusive, more image focused, more money focused. I suddenly felt expendable, like I no longer belonged there. It broke my heart to see the show itself become less important. My physical health started to deteriorate and my mental health began to spiral. But instead of leaving while things were still semi-ok for me, I had to hit rock bottom before I finally realized I needed a change. Or at least to go home and have a safe place to recover.

So I left. I moved back home to Maryland. I was in pretty bad shape after nearly two and half years of excessive stress and really fucking bleak depression. But Sleep No More, for all its faults, was my second home that whole time. Some of the people I worked with there, though I may not see or speak to them often if at all, I will always feel bonded to because of that shared experience.

So I left. I moved back home to Maryland. I was in pretty bad shape after nearly two and half years of excessive stress and really bleak depression. But Sleep No More, for all its faults, was my second home that whole time. Some of the people I worked with there, though I may not see or speak to them often if at all, I will always feel bonded to because of that shared experience.

It took me a long time to stop feeling bitter about Sleep No More, longer than I care to admit. The BuzzFeed News article rekindled a lot of my old resentment. For years, I've consistently had nightmares about my old job. Only recently have the dreams let up, or when I have them I don't wake up in bad mood. All the stuff I just said above is like a tiny fraction of all the SNM baggage I've been carrying around since I left. For years, it was always so easy to focus just on the bullshit. It completely eclipsed all the good stuff. But because of all the outpourings of love for the show after its closure, the fonder memories, much to my surprise, have begun to resurface.

My job at SNM was not glamorous, there was a lot of heavy lifting and gross stuff the run crew team had to do on top of running our tracks in the show and dealing with performer/audience safety, being on our feet almost the entire time, up and down the six floors of the building from call time to final notes. But showing up, doing the work, and connecting with people brought all these interesting and amazing opportunities both inside and outside of the building. I had barely been an intern a month and I was asked to help repaint the ballroom floor before the first Halloween parties. Much later, I was invited to come back and paint costumes for the Surrealist Mayfair. I met Pig Pen Theatre Co. because of Sleep No More and wound up being offered a few really fun illustration projects for them. I did a bunch of illustration work for performers and staff members. And through Tori Sparks I was connected to Third Rail Projects to work on the build for their first run of Then She Fell and later The Grand Paradise, one of the best experiences and teams of my professional career. I learned every stage manager and run crew track, and I helped create the original intern tracks back when there were just two of us. We would have movie nights in the empty sixth floor space that would become the restaurant. We had roof parties before they built Gallow Green. We had fun nicknames for when we were on radio. We ate a lot of cake at Cake Fridays. We celebrated people's birthdays and last shows and the 100th, 200th, 300th shows in the building. My first day as an intern I was allowed to just watch the early show as an audience member. Before I was hired, the marketing team hired me to design a postcard for a project that sadly never saw the light of day, but I got that opportunity because of the stupid and ridiculous SNM fan art I had made between the Boston show closing and the New York show opening.

All of that was a dream for me.

There were a lot of people who were really good to me, who made me feel welcome and valued, who had my back. I actually wrote down all the names of those people. It was a longer list than I expected. Through their friendship and support, a kind word or an inside joke, they gave me a reason to stay for as long as I did.

---

In the days leading up to the last show on January 5, I didn’t think I would write about Sleep No More. I thought maybe I would eventually write something way down the road, long after the final closing performance, after the dust had settled. But I just ended up feeling like this meme and had to get it out of my system now.

I was hired as a SNM intern in the fall of 2011. That winter I was offered a full time run crew position. I ran the track we called Nightmare on High Street from then until I gave my notice in January 2014. I had the pleasure and honor of not only working on a show that inspires me as an artist to this day but also the privilege of working with people who were genuinely really fucking amazing. And that's what really matters in the end, that's the stuff I think about now that it's finally true: we can never go back to Manderley again, and that's all there is.

#my writing #sleep no more

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leclerqueensainz · 2 years ago

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A Family of Three (C.L 16) - Part.I- Discoveries, Reunions, and Surprises

Paring: Charles Leclerc X OC!Marie Anderson

Synopsis: Charles and Marie ended any chance of a relationship years ago. They just didn't expect to have to share custody of a child after the death of their best friend.

⚠️ Warnings: Mention of death and murder, swearing, Charles being a little aggressive in his reactions, mention of sex and drug use. (This chapter may contain triggers!) (+16)

**In this story, Jules Bianchi died in 2019, not 2015, which changes some facts in the careers of the drivers.

A.N: Hello! How are you doing? After a long time, I finally brought Part 1 translated into English! Remembering that English is not my first language, so there may be some mistakes! I tried my best!

Feedback is always welcome. Let me know if you liked it!

Word Count: 7.882

Read the prologue here!

🇮🇹 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

January 15th, 2023 - Milan, Italy

"Good morning, Marcella!" I greet my secretary as I enter the office. "Any news for me?" I ask the blonde girl who is sitting with her eyes fixed on the computer in front of her.

"Good morning, Marie! And...HA! I did it!" Marcella suddenly jumps, startling me. "I'm sorry! It's just that I managed to schedule the meeting with Fred Lacroix for next week." She says, trying to compose herself, and I smile."

"That's great! You're amazing," I say, leaning over next to her at the table and taking a peek at her computer. "Do you think he'll be in a good mood? He's not exactly known for being pleasant when it comes to selling and buying his art," I ask and Marcella just shrugs.

"I don't know, and honestly, I don't worry about it," she says, and I can see a smug smile spread across her face. "Either way, we're awesome! We always get what we want," she finishes, and I laugh at her enthusiasm.

I agree with Marcella. We are awesome and always get what we want when it comes to work.

After Jules died, I moved from Monaco to Italy. I felt like I needed to leave it all behind, even if it meant burying a part of who I was with my past. I needed a fresh start, and I closed my eyes to my old life. I had nothing left in Monaco. Nothing held me back or was even worth staying for.

I needed time and a new life, and that's exactly what I found when I came to Italy, where I was able to enroll in arts just in time to continue the school year. And a year and a half later, I graduated and started interning at one of the best galleries in Milan. Shortly after that, I realized I had a lot of potential for curating and dedicated myself to the field, of which today I am still a part, with the highest success rate in recruiting and selling new artists.

Today, I can say that my life is more than comfortable, and I spend so much of my day occupied with work that I hardly have time to think about everything I left behind a few years ago.

"Ah!" Marcella screams and catches me off guard, making me take a few steps back.

"Oh my god, Marcella! You're going to kill me, girl!" I say and put my hand on my chest, feeling my heart skipping like crazy.

"Sorry! I just remembered you got a letter this morning," she says, and I swear my confusion is written all over my face. "I mean, you didn't really get it, it's more like 'they passed the envelope under the door while we were closed, and I stepped on it when I got here'," she says and pulls out a crumpled white envelope with a half footprint on it. "I tried to clean it up, but as you can see, it didn't go very well. Seriously, someone should clean the streets of Milan more," she says and hands me the envelope.

I examine the envelope to find the sender, but I only find "Marie Anderson" written in delicate handwriting.

"There's no sender. That's strange." I say and Marcella nods.

"I thought it was kind of creepy too. I mean, who still sends letters In 2023? Isn't it easier to send a message on Insta? Or like, an email?" I nod my head and shrug.

"Well, let it be," I say and start walking towards my office. "Please let anyone who wants to speak to me know to leave a message. And that includes my mom, okay?" I say and Marcella nods. "Great, thanks," I say, entering my office and closing the door behind me.

I throw my bag on the desk and sit in my chair. I analyze the envelope in my hand again and for a moment, I feel a strange sensation as I stare at it.

"Okay, let's end the suspense, Marie," I say to myself and I grab a staple remover from the pencil holder, passing it over the glued part of the envelope.

Opening the envelope, I take out a sheet of paper with the same handwriting as the envelope, and two photos of a little boy with dark hair and eyes who I swear I've never seen before, but who somehow seems very familiar to me. I turn over the photos to see if there's anything written on the back.

"Vincenzo. 24/12/2021"

Was written in one of the photos. The little boy was sitting next to what looked like a Christmas tree. I took a look at the next photograph, where the same boy, who seemed a bit older, was sitting on a mat surrounded by toys. "Vincenzo. 19/12/2022."

Feeling even more confused and with a strange sensation spreading through my chest, I picked up the letter I had left aside on the table and began to read it.

France, January 2nd, 2023.

Marie,

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've thought about how I would write to you. You don't know me, and to be honest, I don't think anyone in his circle of friends and family has even heard of me.

My name is Cecilia, and that's all you need to know about me right now, aside from what I'm about to write to you next: I was engaged to Jules Bianchi.

I know this is strange and perhaps even unbelievable, but it's true. Jules and I had a brief but passionate love story. I loved Jules, and I can say that he loved me too.

Two days before his death, I found out that I was pregnant. I gave birth to Vincenzo on December 24th, 2019. He was a healthy and strong little boy, very similar to Jules.

I loved him from the moment I found out he was growing inside me. The result of something so pure and beautiful, from my relationship with Jules.

I know it's a lot for you to process right now, but so that you can know that I'm telling you the truth, there are two photos of Vincenzo. I want you to look at them and see Jules, just as I do every time I look at my son.

"I've been wanting to write to you for a long time. Jules saw you as a sister. I'm sorry I hid this from you and his family too, but I was so afraid. Afraid of rejection, of being seen as a liar. I couldn't go through any of that. I only had Jules, and after he left me, there was no one else I could trust, so I've been raising Vincenzo alone until now, but I don't think I can do it anymore. Vincenzo has a family besides me. And I need him to grow up knowing that he is loved.

I promise I to explain everything you need to know. Please meet me at the café where you used to meet every time you came together to Nice. January 18th at 4 pm.

- Cecilia.

My hands tremble as I put the letter back on the table.

What the hell is this? Is this some kind of sick joke?

I take the two photos back in my hands and stare at them, now realizing why I found that boy so familiar. It was Jules. That boy is the spitting image of Jules.

But how is this even possible? Why didn't Jules tell us he had someone? That's not like him. Jules was always an open book to us. He told us everything, just as we did with him. He wouldn't hide this from us...would he?

With my head swimming with questions and my heart heavy as lead, I found myself shouting Marcella's name, and less than a minute later, her short locks appeared through the door.

My hands tremble as I put the letter back on the table.

What the hell is this? Is this some kind of sick joke?

I take the two photos back in my hands and stare at them, now realizing why I found that boy so familiar. It was Jules. That boy is the spitting image of Jules.

With my head swimming with questions and my heart heavy as lead, I found myself shouting Marcella's name, and less than a minute later, her short locks appeared through the door.

"Yes?" She asks before looking at me for a moment and entering my office complete with a worried expression. "Are you okay, Marie?" She says kneeling by my side.

"Book a flight for tomorrow morning. I need to go to France."

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January 18th, 2023. - Nice, France.

I stare again at the clock hanging on the wall above the counter of the small café. 3:45 PM.

15 minutes. Just 15 minutes until I could find out who Cecilia was and why she decided to contact me now, after all this time. And why me? Yes, Jules, Charles, and I were always very close despite the age difference. But why reach out to me? If she intended to introduce the boy to Jules' family, why didn't she contact Christine or Philippe?

I hadn't seen Jules' family in a long time, we didn't even exchange messages. I left them behind when I decided to move on to Italy. They were buried with my past in Monaco.

The bell on the entrance door rings, indicating that someone has entered the premises. My head quickly snaps toward the sound.

And it's like in one minute, everything I struggled so hard to forget and leave behind comes back with force and without control like waves of a tsunami.

Standing just a few meters away from where I'm sitting, my gaze meets Charles'.

Charles. My ex-boyfriend whom I haven't seen in almost four years. The part that hurts the most from my past, besides the death of Jules.

He looks different. So different from the last time I saw him at Jules' funeral. This time he's not dressed in mourning black, no. He's wearing casual clothes, dark jeans, and a moss green sweater with the word "FERRARI" stamped in black. There's a scruffy beard on his face and his eyes...damn. The eyes that last time reflected so much hopelessness were now more alive, but still with certain traces of concern.

Charles walks up to where I'm sitting, his steps quick and wide as if he wanted to corner me before I could escape again. He stops half a meter away, and his gaze curiously roams over me. His expression is stern but also covered in doubt. I bet that, like me, he wants to understand why I'm here.

"Charles..." I'm the first to say, my voice low and uncertain. He nods slowly, his gaze still fixed on me, as if he wants to uncover all the secrets I gained during the years we were apart.

“What are you doing here, Marie?" he asks, direct and determined, without any hesitation. It's a tone I would have never expected to hear from the Charles I left four years ago. Yes, he really has changed.

I wished I could answer him with the same intensity, but honestly, I don't think I could. There's so much going on here and my head is spinning with so many questions and emotions. Why is Charles here? What the hell is going on? Did he set all this up?

"Is this some kind of joke? Because if it is, I swear to God it's not funny," he says, his tone now rough.

I sit there staring at him, completely confused.

Charles runs his hand through his hair, messing up his brown locks even more. He sighs heavily and closes his eyes, his tongue quickly passing over his lower lip. He used to do that all the time when he felt anger or frustration. At least that hasn't changed.

"What are you doing here, Charles?" I ask, and he opens his eyes, once again staring at me.

Charles's hand reaches into his back pocket and pulls out an envelope identical to the one that was left for me in the office in Italy. The difference is that I can see that this one was addressed to Charles, only his name, and also without a sender.

"Please tell me it wasn't you, Marie," he says as his eyes shift from the envelope to my face. I look at him with all the sincerity I can muster and answer, "No, it wasn't me." He nods his head, his expression softening a bit. He moves and sits in the vacant chair in front of me, his hands going up to his face to rub it.

"Jules has a son," he says.

"I know," I reply.

"Charles lowers his hands and stares at me once again, confusion etched on his face. Before he can say anything, I reach into my bag on the table, open it, and take out the white envelope. Charles looks at my hand for a moment before reaching over the table to take the envelope from me."

"You got one too," he says, not looking at me, even though it's not a question, I nod my head in agreement.

"It seems she arranged to meet with both of us. I think it's easier if we hear the story at the same time, that way there's no risk of getting the wrong versions," I say, and his gaze shifts from the envelopes on the table to me.

"Do you think it's a lie? That the boy isn't Jules's son?" he asks seriously, and I just shrug in response.

"I believe it could be Jules's son. I just don't know why she waited all this time and why she chose us. Obviously, we're not the best people to show Vincenzo that he has a family on his father's side," I say, and I see Charles's jaw tighten.

"We were friends with Jules. He trusted us," he says, once again his voice sounding rough.

"It seems he didn't trust us enough to tell us he fell in love," I say, and immediately regret it.

I look at Charles and if we were part of a cartoon, he would have flames in his eyes.

“You don't know what happened. You don't know his reasons, just like me,” he says through gritted teeth. “Don't doubt his motives. Not when he's not here to defend himself.”

In all the years I've spent by Charles' side, I've never seen him so angry. And if I didn't know him, I'd be scared.

But do you still know him? I silently ask myself.

"That's not what I meant," I defensively reply. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that way. Of course, Jules had reasons and we'll find out when Cecilia arrives." Charles relaxes his jaw and adjusts in his seat.

I look at the clock on the wall again. 4:10 PM. She's late. I look at Charles, a little anxious.

"Do you think she's coming?" he shrugs, but his hand goes into his hoodie pocket and pulls out a cell phone.

"She's late," he states what I already know. "But I think so, she's coming." Charles carelessly tosses the phone onto the table, his anxious fingers fidgeting with his rings.

"Congratulations on the runner-up, by the way," I say, trying to ease both of our anxieties, and he looks back at me.

"Did you follow the races?" he asked, a little surprised.

"Yes," I admit, somewhat embarrassed. "My secretary is a huge Formula 1 fan," I add, which is not a lie.

Like all Italians, Marcella is a devoted Tifosi. And even though I wanted to leave everything I knew behind, I couldn't escape one of the most beloved sports in Europe, especially in Italy, the home of Ferrari.

Charles lets out a low laugh, his look adopting the expression of a mischievous boy. Oh no.

"Your secretary, huh?" he says with a teasing and suggestive tone.

"Ah, shut up, Leclerc!" I say, trying to sound serious but failing when I let out a laugh. "I'm serious! My secretary is a diehard Tifosi. She can't shut up for a minute about Ferrari and makes me watch all the races," I say, shrugging.

"Yeah, yeah... And I bet I'm your 'secretary's' favorite driver, right?" he says, making air quotes with his fingers and having a smug smile on his face.

"Actually, she prefers Sainz," I say, and instantly his smile turns into a serious expression, which makes me laugh.

Soon, Charles' dimples appear on his cheek and my heart skips a beat at the sound of his typically somewhat flawed and exaggerated laugh. Oh, how I enjoyed hearing that horrible but at the same time very cute laugh again.

At that moment, even though I hated to admit it, I realized how much I missed that feeling of familiarity and lightness. And even though just a few minutes ago, I was doubting whether I still knew the person that Charles had become, I could see that regardless of the years and tragedies that life had subjected him to from a young age, that kind and playful boy that I had once fallen in love with was still there. And maybe he would never leave. And I liked that.

Looking at Charles smiling, sitting in front of me, I wonder for just a second if it would have been different if I hadn't left. But as soon as the thought came, I pushed it away. Because even though I was happy to know that Charles still had something familiar to me inside him, we were not meant to be even before Jules' death. And I doubt that we could have maintained a good relationship with all the pain and mourning that surrounded us. I made a good choice. Yes, I did the right thing.

Leaving Monaco was one of the hardest things I had to face. But it made me grow and become a strong woman. I learned to deal with loss, even if it may not be the healthiest way, it still worked for me. I was able to finish college, got the job I wanted, and met new people. I fell in love, and even though I didn't love them like I loved Charles, I still allowed myself to feel and try happiness. Clearly, it didn't work out, but the experience was worth it.

And I can also say that Charles has achieved what he wanted, or almost everything. He is one of the best Formula 1 drivers and drives for Ferrari, which is almost every motorsport athlete's dream. He has a successful career and is known worldwide for it. And even though he didn't get the title he so desperately craved last year, he may get it this year. He is focused, grateful, and kind. The golden boy. Il Predestinato.

Even though Charles is so young, he has given his family and friends everything they ever dreamed of. Pascale must be so proud of him, and if Harvé were still alive, I'm sure he would also be proud of the son he raised. And Jules would also be proud to see Charles' progress.

And then the emptiness appears again. Jules. I try my best not to think about him. The memories are still painful even after all these years.

I think I let my thoughts reflect too much because Charles, who was laughing before, now looks at me with a compassionate expression. He probably thought of Jules too.

"I miss him too," he says and I nod my head. "And I missed you too," his hand meets mine on the table.

There were no ulterior motives. Just a gesture. A gesture to affirm what he was saying. And it hurt. It hurt in my heart and soul.

I quickly withdraw my hand from his and stare at the table. Charles withdraws his hands and keeps them close to his body.

"I know you didn't owe me anything, Marie. No explanations, not loyalty," he starts, his voice a little broken, making my heart tighten. "But Jules died and you left. Why did you leave?" he asks, and I can hear the hurt in his voice.

I wished I had the strength to lift my gaze and tell him while looking him in the eyes that everything I did was out of fear and thinking that there was nothing left for me in Monaco. That I still loved him even after he broke up with me and that losing Jules to death destroyed me, but knowing that I would lose Charles while he was still alive would only ruin me even more. I couldn't see him every day and know that he no longer belonged to me. And that every minute I spent mourning and heartbroken without him reminded me that love was impossible for me. That I didn't deserve to be loved. That there would never be anyone to love me.

"I had to go," I say, still staring at my hands. "I don't expect you to understand or forgive me. Because I'm not asking for any of that, Charles," my voice sounds firm but my eyes burn.

I take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds before releasing it. I raise my gaze to meet his when I'm sure the tears won't fall.

"I had to make a choice and I did. I chose myself," I say simply, perhaps trying to convince myself.

Charles nods his head and goes back to fiddling with the rings on his fingers. This time it was difficult for him to look at me.

"I'm happy to see who you've become, Marie. And I hope you've achieved what you wanted when..." he pauses for a second, unsure of what to say, "when you left Monaco." A tired laugh escapes his lips. "I'm not going to judge you, especially since when you left, we were no longer a couple. But I was an idiot to think that we were still friends." He looks back at me. "I was foolish until I realized that there would be no possibility for us without Jules being here."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to stand up and throw everything in front of me at him. I wanted to curse at him and tell him that he didn't have that right. But to be fair, I could never do that. Not when I left, when it was me who left what was left of the three of us. Jules had died and I had fled. When I left, I didn't think of Charles or his feelings. I only thought of myself and how I could never live with that.

I don't regret it. I did what I thought was necessary and would do it again. Charles might have needed me, but I needed to leave and heal. And that's what I did. Charles still had friends and family to rely on, and I had no one. No present family, no friends, and no boyfriend. Charles and I both mourned, of course, but we mourned in different ways. He had lost a friend, and I had lost everything.

There was no one to come home to and hug. There was no one there to tell me that they were sorry for my loss and that everything would be okay. So I went after what I thought I needed and I got it. I went in search of myself, a new life, new choices, and opportunities, and I found them. I found myself. Of course, I let go of a lot, and the void left by Jules and Charles was never filled, but I learned to cope and use it to my advantage for other things, and that was enough, at least for now.

Before I could respond to him, I'm interrupted once again by the sound of the damn doorbell.

Charles and I turned our attention to the door at the same time. Both of us were staring at a slim blonde woman, wearing a green coat and leggings. But what caught our attention the most was the little boy in her arms. He was about 3 or 4 years old, with dark hair, lying with his face hidden in the woman's neck, and his small hand clutching onto her collar as if he were afraid she would leave if he let go.

Charles and I stood up in rehearsed gestures, all at the same time. He stopped beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder, covered by my own coat this time. The woman looked at us and came slowly towards us. When she got closer and stopped about a meter away from us, I could analyze her.

Her face was thin and perfectly symmetrical, and even though it seemed like she hadn't slept in days, her tired eyes were a beautiful shade of greenish-brown. She is very beautiful. Her lips opened in a small smile, and there I could see that she easily fit Jules' type.

"I assume you are Charles and Marie, right?" She says, her voice sweet and tired.

My gaze moves from her to the little boy in her arms, and then they cross with Charles'. He tells me through his eyes the same things I am thinking. We return our attention to the blonde in front of us and nod.

"Great!" She clears her throat before continuing, "I'm Cecilia, and this little guy here is Vincenzo." She gently shakes the child, who tightens his grip on her coat collar even more. "Jules' son."

Charles' grip on my shoulder becomes stronger, and I swallow hard. I can't take my eyes off the little boy, and now up close, I can see his profile. His chubby childlike cheek and long eyelashes, just like Jules'.

Cecilia shifts uncomfortably, her feet shifting the weight from one to the other, and she adjusts Vincenzo's position in her lap.

"I know you must have thousands of questions, and I promise I will answer them all. But before that, would you mind if I sit down? Vincenzo is a bit heavy, and I walked here with him in my arms," she says, embarrassed.

"Of course not. Please," Charles approaches her and pulls the chair he was sitting in a few minutes ago. Cecilia sits down, careful not to make any sudden movements and wake Vincenzo.

Charles points to the empty chair, and I sit down. He takes a few steps hto the table next to us and takes an unoccupied chair to sit on. Once the three of us are seated around the table, Charles calls the waitress, whom I only now notice has been staring at us this whole time. The redheaded and smiling girl, who probably can't be more than 19 years old, approaches with her gaze fixed on Charles- she probably recognized him.

Charles is the one who orders. A cappuccino for me- which causes a sensation in my stomach that he still remembers- an iced tea for himself, and he asks Cecilia what she would like to drink, to which she responds that coffee would be enough. The redhead writes down the orders and asks for permission to leave. Her eyes still glued to Charles.

I roll my eyes internally, but I know I can't blame her. After all, it's probably not every day that she serves a public figure. When we used to come here with Jules, the employees were different, and the small café is located on a somewhat isolated street in Nice, so it's unlikely that many famous people come here.

I take my gaze off the waitress and turn back to Cecilia, who was already looking at me attentively with a small smile on her lips.

"Well..." Charles begins. "Why are we here, Cecilia? Why only now have you contacted us?" He leans forward a little more, his arms resting on the wooden table.

Cecilia shifts in her chair carefully and her eyes briefly glance at Vincenzo before turning back to us.

"I wanted you to meet Vincenzo. While he was alive, Jules always mentioned you as part of his family. He loved you both very much," she says, and I feel my chest tightening.

"But why only now?" I speak for the first time. "I know you wrote in the letter that you were afraid, but it still sounds strange that you would come looking for us now, without any reason," I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

Cecilia falls silent for a few seconds as if she wants to formulate the next words carefully.

"There's a reason," she confirms. "Look, I know it's strange, and I assure you that I'm not looking for any money or anything like that." Her gaze shifts from me to Charles, as if she wants to confirm the latter part specifically for him. "Jules and I met about six months before he died, and it was love at first sight."

"He never told us about you," Charles responds cutting her off and she nods.

"I know he didn't. I asked him not to," she says and Charles and I exchange confused looks before turning our attention back to her.

"What do you mean? Why would you ask him not to?" I ask, finding it all very odd.

"When I met Jules, I was in a complicated time in my life," she answers and I see her face darken. "I was only 19 and had run away from Italy." Her voice trembles as if it's hard for her to mention those times again.

I wish I could tell her that she didn't need to tell us if she wasn't feeling comfortable, but the truth was that it was really necessary. After all, that's what Charles and I are here for.

Charles nodded for her to continue and I could feel his tension.

"I got involved with the wrong people in Italy," she continues. "There was a boy I had been in love with during my teenage years, Paolo was his name. We were very young and stupid, you know?" Cecília laughs and her eyes fill with tears. "Like every teenager, we thought we were invincible, but we weren't. When I was 17, I spent most of my time at parties and clubs with him. We drank and did drugs, and everything was fun and happy until it wasn't anymore. Over time, the drinking and drugs stopped being just for parties and began to become necessary for anything. From being able to concentrate on studies, to being able to get out of bed. My parents assumed that Paolo was to blame for my addiction and banned me from seeing him. I obviously went against them and they made me choose between a life with them or my ruin with Paolo. I, being young and foolish, chose love and abandoned my parents without looking back. I left the life I had to chase adventures with Paolo and he did the same, running away from home. But the thing is, we were two addicted people without a home and money. There was no more money from our parents, so we started doing whatever we could. Small thefts and even..." She stops for a moment, thick tears streaming down her face.

"Here." Charles extends a napkin and she takes it, wiping her face immediately after.

"Thank you," she says and he offers her a half-smile. "Even prostitution," she continues, and I feel my stomach churn. It wasn't disgust, but rather a pity for imagining someone in that situation. Beside me, I could see that Charles was equally uncomfortable. It was hard for him to put himself in her place.

Charles grew up with great parents who did everything for their children, and even though they weren't millionaires at the time, they still managed to have and offer a comfortable life for them. And I bet that if any of the three, Charles, Lorenzo, or Arthur, had gone the wrong way, Pascale would never have abandoned them.

And me, well, I was lucky. I spent my teenage years with Jules and Charles, who had a structured enough family to share with me because my parents were absent.

Obviously, Charles and I had our rebellious phase with occasional drinking and smoking weed. But Jules, being almost ten years older than us, always kept us in line like a good older brother. And if he knew that we had crossed the line at parties or anywhere else, oh God! He would freak out.

- "Cecilia, I know it's difficult for you to say this, but I think it's important for Charles and me to understand," I say and she nods.

Cecília takes two deep breaths before continuing, and that's when I'm sure the story would only get worse. I try to prepare myself to hear what she had to say.

"I prostituted myself a few times without Paolo's knowledge. Some traffickers gave me drugs in exchange for sex and since many times I had no other choice, I accepted. But one day he found out and that ended us. With us." Tears returned to stream down her face. "Paolo went crazy when he found out and went after the trafficker I had slept with. He got a gun and killed the guy. We were on the run for a few weeks, but it was too hard for two homeless addicts to hide in Italy. Soon they found us and..." She closes her eyes and sobs.

I stretch my hand across the table and take Cecilia's hand. There was a lot of pain there and part of me wanted to curl up and stop listening, but I couldn't. I glance at Charles and he meets my gaze, his eyes reflecting distress at hearing everything that came out of her mouth. It was too surreal for him to hear all of that.

"They killed Paolo and thought they had killed me too. But by some miracle, I managed to survive and ask for help at a church. The priest there was friends with my parents and managed to find a family in Nice who were willing to help me. So I came to France, went through rehabilitation, and started attending meetings for drug addicts." Her eyes become distant again, and I continue holding her hand. "It was on the way back from one of those meetings that I met Jules, and that's where I understood the reason why I survived. We fell in love, but he had a public life and I couldn't expose myself because I was afraid that they would come after me. I told Jules what had happened and unlike what I thought he would do, he embraced me. He promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone, not even you two until I was ready and safe. And he did that. He kept us a secret for months. We saw each other every time he came back to Nice, after the races." She finishes.

Charles and I watched as Cecilia tried to calm her breathing, her grip on the sleeping Vincenzo's body tightening as if afraid he might disappear from her arms at any moment.

It breaks my heart to see all her pain and gives me a completely different perspective from when I walked in here today. She loved Vincenzo, and that was clear, just as she had loved Jules. And that's the part that hurts me the most.

Knowing that the reason Jules never mentioned her to us, his friends and family, was sole to protect her, made my heart heavy and warm at the same time. That was so Jules.

I remember months before he died, he started to spend more time in his hometown and whenever we asked him about it, he said he wanted to spend a little more time with his family. We even found it a little strange, but Jules always had a great relationship with his parents and closest relatives, which made us simply let it go and just enjoy the time we spent together before he and Charles had to go back to racing.

"I'm sorry for all of this, really, Cecilia," Charles is the first to say after she seems calmer. "But we still need to know why you're only coming to us now," he says, and I agree.

Cecilia nods and looks at Vincenzo in her arms. The tension emanating from her makes me shiver, and Charles probably noticed it too as his hand finds my thigh under the table.

"About two days before Jules' death, I found out I was pregnant with Vincenzo," she says and I nod in understanding. "Jules was racing in Shanghai and I was scared and alone here." The tears that had ceased returned in stronger waves.

My mind teleports back to 2019, to Jules' last race. He was so happy to finish seventh that day. But, all of a sudden, he just wanted to go home and rest, not even celebrating with the boys on the grid.

"I sent him a message after the race. I said I needed him to come to Nice as soon as possible because something had happened," Cecilia looks at Charles as she speaks. "Then he sent me a message saying he would take the first available flight back to France."

As Cecilia talks, Charles' grip on my thigh gets stronger. I look at him from the corner of my eye and I can see the moment his Adam's apple goes up and down.

"So that's why he left so quickly that day," Charles' voice sounds low. "He left before I could talk to him..." His eyes fill with tears and his breathing becomes a bit unstable. Cecilia just nods and closes her eyes tightly before continuing.

"When Jules arrived in Nice, it was already early morning and it was raining heavily. He tried to get a taxi or Uber, but couldn't get either," this time I feel my breathing falter a bit as she continues. "He managed to rent a car from a nearby 24-hour agency and sent me a message saying he would arrive soon and that I didn't need to worry because no matter what was happening, everything would be okay and that he loved me."

Charles stood up abruptly. His face adopted a look of disbelief.

"It was you..." his voice was weak and accusatory. "It was because of you that he... My God!" He flinches and his hands pass through his face and his hair.

"Charles..." I try to calm him down, even though I am also anxious. "Charles, please sit down and try to calm down." I try to grab his hand, but he recoils in a sudden movement.

"Calm down? It's her, Marie!" he says, pointing to Cecilia who only shrinks into her chair and holds Vincenzo even tighter, as he moves uncomfortably in her lap. "She killed him! IT'S HER FAULT THAT JULES DIED!" he screams.

My breathing becomes difficult and my heart races. In front of me, Cecilia sobs and holds Vincenzo even closer to her body.

All that commotion made some employees start to appear and approach at a safe distance from the table.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Cecilia pleads. "I swear I never wanted this to happen, I was so scared and..." She stops when she hears Vincenzo's low cry.

Charles' attention goes to the little boy as he realizes he is now awake. He shakes his head in a negative motion and leaves the café in a hurry, slamming the door hard behind him. We are startled by the noise and the little boy cries even louder. I quickly get up to go after Charles, but before I do, I turn to Cecilia.

"Please wait here, okay? I'll try to calm him down. Don't leave," I say, and she nods, her face stained with tears that continued to fall, and her breathing accelerated as she rocked Vincenzo, trying to calm him down.

A dark-haired waitress approaches with a glass of water in her hands and places it in front of Cecilia. I thank her with a gesture and quickly leave through the door to find Charles.

It doesn't take me long to find him, he was in front of a black car. His body leaned against the driver's side. Even from a distance, I can see his body shaking and hear the sound of his erratic breathing. I approach him slowly, so as not to startle him.

When I get close enough, I think about touching him, but the thought leaves my mind when I realize it's not a good idea.

"Charles..." I call him softly to get his attention. "I'm sorry, but we need to go back there. She-"

"No!" he exclaims. "Please, Marie! Don't ask me to go back there. She killed him! It was her fault!" He stares at me with red and swollen eyes.

My heart tightens at the sight of him like this. I find myself being sent back to the year of Jules' death, specifically to the day of his funeral.

I wanted to hug Charles and tell him that everything would be okay, but in reality, I didn't know if it would. Jules had died almost four years ago, and yet it still hurt every time his name was mentioned. And hearing today from a stranger the reasons that resulted in his death was not easy. But there was a reason why Cecilia wanted to contact us after all this time, and we needed to know.

I take a deep breath and decide to approach Charles more. One of us had to try to be rational at this moment, and if it had to be me, okay. I wasn't going to go back to Italy without an answer.

"Charles, I understand that it's difficult to hear all of this suddenly," my hands go to his face. "I know it hurts, Charles. I'm feeling it too." He closes his eyes and I feel tears rolling down my face. "But we can't blame her entirely, Charles. She was scared and just wanted to talk to him.”

“And it resulted in his death." He says, his eyes opening and meeting mine. "Marie, if she hadn't done what she did, he would be here now. He would be alive and he would have met..." His voice trails off. "He would have met his son." He cries and I pull him into a hug.

Jules died without knowing his son. Jules died without knowing that he would have a son. Jules died in the dark without knowing what was happening to Cecilia. Jules died alone and worried, and nothing we can do will bring him back. He died. It's over. But Charles and I are still here.

"Jules died without knowing his son, but we're still here and we can do this for him," I say and he squeezes me tighter.

"We're still here, Charles. And we can do this." He breaks the hug and looks at me with a face full of sorrow. I nod.

"We need to go in there together. Together," he looks down at his feet. "Charles, I need you to go in there with me because I can't do this alone." His eyes come back to me and he understands that I used the same words he did a few years ago. "Please, Charles. I don't want to do this alone. I can't." He nods and I take his hand and slowly lead him back to the cafe.

When we walk through the door, my eyes meet Cecilia's. I nod my head to let her know it's okay, and she nods in understanding. I look at Charles who stares at her expressionlessly. His gaze is icy, totally different from the one I once knew.

Still holding Charles' hand, I walk toward the table where she uncomfortably waits for us. I notice that Vincenzo is no longer in her lap and feel momentary concern that quickly passes when I see him playing with the same red-haired waitress who had served us.

We sit in our chairs and I see that our orders are placed on the table. I feel my stomach churn just looking at the cappuccino in front of me. I take glance around and notice the employees trying to avoid looking at us. I make a mental note to "solve" this problem so it doesn't follow us when we leave.

"Just say what you want," Charles breaks the silence, his eyes still staring at Cecilia who nods and swallows hard.

"I understand your anger, and I know I have no right to ask for what I'm about to ask," she says and my hearing sharpens. "I live with guilt for years. Whether it's for Paolo or Jules, guilt and remorse follow me wherever I go. No matter what I try to do, they're always there." She looks at her hands. "Last year, I relapsed. I used heroin, once, but I used it. After years of resisting and not even going near drugs, I let my messed-up mind fall into the hole and I shot up." She lets out a desperate laugh and her eyes fill with water.

My body freezes and Charles makes a sound of scorn beside me. When he opens his mouth to say something, Cecilia cuts him off.

"Yes, I know I'm a whore, and I deserve the worst shit life has in store for me. But that's the thing. I deserve the bad things, but my son doesn't," she says firmly, looking at us seriously. "I need Vincenzo to have a good and decent life. I need to make sure he grows up loved and that he never lacks anything." She looks away for a moment to the table where Vincenzo was happily playing with the waitress and then back to us.

Cecilia takes a deep breath and leans forward. I could swear she was capable of asking for anything at that moment. Money, a house in a distant place, a period in rehab, anything.

"I can't take care of Vincenzo anymore," she asserts, her tone exuding bitterness. "I promised Jules that I would do everything to make him different from me. And that's why I came to you after all these years."

My head spins. She's asking for...? No, it's not possible.

"What do you mean by that?" Charles asks anxiously.

"Cecilia wipes the tears from her face with her hand, blinks a few times, and adopts a determined look, a look that I knew well. The same look I gave to myself in the mirror when I decided to leave Monaco. Suddenly, I feel afraid because my suspicions are confirmed.

"She wants us to take care of Vincenzo," I say.

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