#For reference my picks are 6 Neither are good / 7 Stage / 8 Stage / 10 Stage / 11 Stage / 12 Stage / 13 Boss / 14 Boss / 15 Stage

[capricornus-rex]

A Shadow of What You Used to Be (10)

Chapter 10: A Home Away | Cal Kestis x Irele Skywalker

Cal Kestis x Fem! OC

Requested by Anon

Summary: There is another! Years after young Anakin Skywalker departed Tatooine, his mother Shmi delivers a second child—this time, a daughter. Whilst the circumstance of the girl’s birth remains unexplained, Irele Skywalker has yet to choose the true path between those laid out for her.

Tags: Fem! OC, Irele Skywalker, Force-sensitive! OC, Anakin’s Younger Sister, Skywalker! OC, Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, Long-lost Sibling

Requesting to be tagged: @heavenly1927​

Also in AO3

Chapters: Prelude – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 | Previous: Part 9 | Next: Part 11 | Masterlist

11 of ?

The maintenance droids only needed an hour to prepare a dorm for Irele within the command ship. Not that she would need a personal room in every ship she boards, but it would help if she did in the near future. The human guards did not need to wait for Irele to come to, they barged into the cell, pulled the poor girl by the arm to stand her up and then drag her out of the prison block while she could barely use her own two feet.

Irele’s eyes have not adjusted to the changing tones and gradients of lights of each part of the ship she passes through. She thought she said the question “Where are we going?” when the guards only heard an incoherent groaning at the throat.

The way from the prison block to her new chambers was a ten-minute walk, if one marched faster it would have been lesser. Upon reaching their destination, only one escorted her into her room and sat her down on the bed—to which she immediately fell limp and ended up lying down instead. While she was out cold, a nanny droid entered her bedroom to tend to whatever it can in the quarters; it took its time, in fact, until the girl came to. The droid’s sensors picked up the spike from Irele’s heart rate from slow to normal, it briskly turned around.

“It is fortunate that you’ve come to, milady. The serum from the probe has completely worn off. Should you feel slight nausea, do not be alarmed for it is normal as well. I can administer some painkillers to you with your choice of pill or syrup.”

The droid is programmed to speak in Basic and had a rather lulling, female voice—perhaps the most appropriate if you are to manufacture and program a droid for nursing.

“Milady? What are you talking about? Who are you? What are you?”

“You are here as a ward under the strict order of Master Vader. I am HY-L33, Nanny Droid,” it brought its head into a bow, “At your service, Milady Irele.”

“Why call me Milady when I’m kept hostage here?” she sits up and examines the room.

“Oh, you are mistaken, Milady. You are Lord Vader’s ward,” HY-L33 corrects. “And I have been tasked to take care of your basic needs and whims, if need be.”

“What I need is to go home! I don’t like being holed up in anywhere!”

The nurse droid lowered its head slowly, it stayed like so for a moment; with a rather sympathetic voice, HY-L33 responds, “I’m sorry, but I am incapable of fulfilling that whim, milady. I would suggest that you make yourself comfortable in this new one.”

Irele sighed, knowing that she’s talking to a wall here. She gave herself time to calm down and breathe. She passed her hands across her face and sighed.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be lashing out to you…” Irele inhaled. “What are you called again?”

“HY-L33, madam.”

Irele quietly parroted the name, “That’s a mouthful. How about I call you Haylee, is that alright?”

“If it proves to be more convenient for you, milady. Although personally, I do adore the name you’ve given me.”

Irele hummed as she managed a small smile, she hinted the chirp from the droid’s voice, relieved that she found some company out of the droid in this inorganic, cold room, she walked around to get a better feel of it now that the serum from the interrogation droid has worn off.

“Say, Haylee, do you know where we are?”

“We are aboard the command ship Anathema, the ship is within the Ulgoro system, and we are passing by the orbit of the planet Yelen.”

“How far are we from Tatooine?”

Haylee ran a quick scan from her processors, “We are approximately twenty-five parsecs away from the said Outer Rim planet.”

Irele breathed deeply, her heart sank, “That’s so far away…”

The droid’s photoreceptors picked up Irele’s increased heart rate and temperature. The girl was manifesting signs of anxiety: shivering hands, failing voice, and cold sweat.

“You are suffering from homesickness. Unfortunately, I do not have the appropriate medication for that, milady. Neither can I administer any medication for you. This is absolutely natural as you have been extracted from your real home to your current location.”

Irele took the deepest sigh and made a mantra.

Don’t lash out on the droid, you just screamed at it ten minutes ago.

She told this to herself mentally until she’s calmed herself down.

“Yeah, I am homesick. I left my family behind and…” she trailed off, realizing that the last people she was with were her friends. “My friends. They must be all worried sick about me.”

“You will be well taken care of here, Lady Irele.”

“Heh,” the girl huffed. “No need to be so formal. Just call me Irele.”

“As you wish… Mistress Irele.”

“Droids, gotta love ‘em…” she mumbled very quietly, knowing how acute droids’ hearing could be—depending on the model, that is.

–

Fortunately enough, Irele is indeed being taken care of.

Ever since she was moved to her own chambers in the Star Destroyer Anathema, she was thoroughly pampered—more or less—than anyone else in the ship, aside from Darth Vader. Never has she ever been well-fed in sixteen years! The serving portions were generous and they were quite tasty, but she had her moments where the food somewhat reminded her of home.

A uniformed officer enters Vader’s quarters to report of Irele’s adjustment to the new environment. Most of the officers feared that they’re speaking like a broken record, reporting the same thing to Vader every week—they had probably imagined it vexed him to be hearing the same thing over and over; it did them little comfort when adding their own personal observations of her such as asking for seconds with her food and interacting with the nanny droid, since she’s still shy and cautious from everyone else on board.Additionally, she was not yet allowed to wander off alone beyond her room. So, by all means, she is pretty much a hostage still—a rather pampered one, at the very least.

“Has she stopped her erratic behavior?”

“Fortunately so, Lord Vader, she has. Perhaps about a week and a half since her extraction, she had become somewhat… docile.”

Vader paused. He had presumed it was the effects of the interrogator droid’s syringe, but surely during the time the nanny droid was tending to the girl, the substance has flushed out since. Realizing that he truly knows nothing of what kind of person Irele is—compared from his earliest reference of her—he sighs with a quiet frustration under his mask.

“Very well. We are right on schedule. Carry on, captain.”

“Yes sir,” the captain bowed and dismissed himself militarily. His true posture showed when he rejoined his companion who had been waiting for him by the door. He hissed, “I didn’t conscript myself to the Imperial Fleet to be a babysitter!”

“Be more frustrated when Lord Vader does appoint you the official babysitter of the girl.”

“She’s quite a handful, don’t you think so?”

“Temperamental, to say the least,”

Only Vader and the droid, HY-L33, know what’s in store for Irele. Very soon, the plans for her life under the Empire’s wing—unknowingly under her brother’s care, or the walking shell of him perhaps—will be put into play.

For many weeks, HY-L33 patiently watched over Irele—especially in the medical aspect—and a mandate was programmed into her that once a diagnosis of the teenager would show optimum by the end of three weeks since her extraction from Tatooine, Irele would be considered physically eligible and be subjected to training. Eventually, HY-L33 was the only companion she has ever had in this ship since day one; so in exchange for medical knowledge and advice from HY-L33, Irele repays it with stories from her homeworld of Tatooine, but knowing that the droid is under Imperial property, she was cautious of what she ought to say, and rather told her adventures she had done on her own or with a friend instead of her family life.

“It seems as though your rigorous lifestyle has contributed to your increased stamina throughout your developmental stage.” HYL-33 commented once while listening to Irele recall one job she did where she would deliver goods door-to-door across the town of Mos Espa.

“Yeah well, I had to work. Because if I didn’t work, that just meant, I’ll be sleeping hungry—or if I’m lucky, with a half-full stomach.”

HY-L33, being the medical nanny droid that she is, went on to lecture Irele that it was ill-advised to sleep on an empty stomach for it will cause ulcers. The girl politely listened and heeded the advice, until she calmed down the droid that she had been fine for the rest of the time she was growing up.

She had only been staying for a week and a half. HY-L33’s sensors indicate a lesser trace of homesickness and anxiety within Irele, her body mass index has not changed drastically at all since her food intake was increased rather than imposing an eating strike—a few of HY-L33’s references cite that most human teenagers are more rebellious, especially when it comes to being fed after being thrown into a stressful situation. However, this was not the case with Irele, which made the nurse droid’s circuits cooler.

Eventually, the three weeks were over. Irele noticed HY-L33 seeming to be in full preparation. She did not mind this, but kept a close eye, until she could find the right timing to ask. After lunch, Irele went to the bath by rote, and quickly dressed herself in a dark gray shirt, black pants, and low boots.

Irele could truly sense something different in their routine.

“Haylee?”

“Yes, Miss Irele?”

“Is there something new added into the routine?”

“Yes, Miss Irele, we are about to perform a full health assessment on you. Please follow me and I will escort you to the medical ward.”

This was the first time Irele had been outside of her bedroom. For three weeks, she had been holed up in that metal room with no one and nothing else but HY-L33—to which she had grown fond of anyway—and then she finally comes out for a medical check-up.

Along the way, she could not look into the eyes of the crew, although she perfectly blended in with her gray and black clothes. She was nervous and afraid of what they’re thinking of her—because she felt like she knows what they’re saying about her, it’s a feeling that she can’t explain but it still manifests in her. Eager to avoid the stares and attention, Irele walked directly behind HY-L33 until they got to the said medical ward.

When they got there, the interior of the medical ward was a little bit brighter than most of the rooms in the ship. The walls were still metal, of course, but it was a cooler shade of gray which somewhat eased the people who are admitted and confined here—instead of the intimidating dark grays and blacks on other parts of the ship. At the center of operations was a 2-1B surgical droid stationed by a medical bed; it was approached by HY-L33 and Irele, when the droid’s photoreceptors saw the girl’s face, a deep male tone started speaking in a monotonous, continuous fashion.

“Irele Skywalker, human female, age is sixteen standard years, height stands at five feet and three inches…”

“Okay, okay, I think we got enough of my vitals already!” Irele interrupted.

“Were you briefed of your purpose here?”

Irele made a side-eyed glance at HY-L33, who didn’t move at all, “I was only told I was getting a check-up.”

“Correct.”

The surgical droid cleared out what HY-L33 failed to when they were still in the bedroom. It started with the physical examination—taking down her age, height, and weight, until it pored into analyzing the fluid levels and vitals of her organs to see if they were normal. It was all strange for little Irele, but she held up and did as she was told. She wasn’t getting hurt by the droids anyway, save the one pinprick that they had to do in order to conduct a blood test.

From Vader’s chamber, he was receiving real-time transmissions of the medical ward’s database. Whatever diagnosis the droids encode into the database under Irele’s profile, Vader saw it all firsthand—every revision, every new entry, every number.

Midichlorian count: 20,598.

Seeing this number and then recalling his impression on Irele baffled Darth Vader.

This child has lived sixteen years in a backwater planet, with a high midichlorian count… and yet her sensitivity is dormant.

[anne-lister-adventures]

Saturday, 8 February 1840

6 10/’’

3 5/’’

A-[Ann] awoke me to strike a light at 5 – Slept well and comfortably on my 2 mattresses placed on our 2 large portmanteaus and a box we found in our room – Breakfast now at 6 3/4 and all over at 7 1/2 Reaumur 6 1/2º in our room – A-[Ann] had felt cold, but had the stove been heated our little 7 ft.[feet] high room would have been an oven –

Off (from Manacowa) at 8 – Pretty undulating parky pine-wooded country Reaumur -13º lying at the open door on my side the Kibitka – Fine morning – As we drove off – Several little valleys and gullies as if beds of rivers and melting snow streams, and pass over several wood-bridges and little frozen lakes – Several villages – The good village and church of Tirêvĕnĭa (as pronounced) at 10; and another large village at a little distance – 

Forests and wood Scotch fir with a little spruce and much birch and a little poplar, and a good deal of young oak-copse, or brush wood as yesterday – The most hilly stage we have had, and interesting corn country – Rather pointed caps today – What sort of Tartars? More snow on the road today than before – A line of birches (sometimes 2 lines) mark off the road 60 to 100 yards wide – Mills with sit sails - 

At our next Station Osablicowa at 11 1/4 – Neat good house – A-[Ann] cold – Came in – Large good room – Wrote all the above of this p.[page] and we had the pot brought in       first time a great convenience – 

Osablicowa pronounced Zabliski (pogosk or bourg) – Good church – Station just before entering the Town – Had just written so far – And the sun shining on my paper now at 11 50/’’ – 

Off at 11 55/’’ – Do not enter the town at all – Leave it (go alongside) at a little distance with its 3 good churches finely situated along a high bank over valley between us as if over a river – Very pretty picturesque looking Town – In the valley just between us and the Town a large Tannery and great deal of leather hanging up today – Nice undulating country – The country probably began to improve upon us at Vladamir; and improves as we go along and at 12 40/’’ gallop over little frozen river and thro’ 2 white pillars, the boundaries between the Governments of Vladimir which we quit and Nijeniy which we enter – 

At 1 3/4 at Jarilowo good, pretty small village or hamlet – Good Station-House – Canifs, knives &c. &c. the manufacture of the country offered to us for sale thro’ our Courier, but not wishing to buy any, nobody came to torment us, and we did not even see the things – 

Off again (from Jarilowo) at 2 10/’’ and at 3 35/’’ pass thro’ good Town – picturesque – Having 3 handsome stone churches and at 3 3/4 pass (a little distance left) the good Monastery of Serkos as pronounced by our Courier – Enclosed by a wall with a round tower at each of the 4 corners – The great gateway passes under the tall picturesque pointed clocher, and behind at a little distance (in the middle of the Monastery enclosure?) a handsome looking church – But this Monastery tho’ handsome and picturesque as an object is a nutshell compared with Troitsa – Part of the wall high and loopholed but the penthouse (seen outside) spoils it – And great part of the wall is low and garden wall like – 

At four incur a cross think loosely of [Pi-Mariana] as I always do now when she serves me for these purposes which I do not now give way to very often but I have had no opportunity of putting anything on nor have I washed once so that my shift is one clot and the hair is clotted together and this and the friction of jolting brought on erection which as I lay conveniently down in the bottom of the kibitka and A[Ann] sleeping I did not discourage found myself very large at night and glad of a wash and to get rid of my clotted chemise       never such a thing occurred to me in my life before – 

From Jarilowo at 2 10/’’ to Aleschkowo at 4 50/’’ ∴[therefore] the Town was about 1/2 way and the Monastery ten minutes more than that – Neither marked on our map – Only the Post Towns and Stations marked but still the map is very full – 

It seemed our Courier was dining ∴[therefore] we having alighted ordered tea – this and the 2 last Stations good – New, large good rooms – Tea at 5 40/’’ to 6 20/’’ – Paid the civil government Post-Master who came in – Put down on the table the 50 Kopek in silver, and he seemed well satisfied It is enough to give for Semovar and cream and use of room – Had to wait for the things repacking – 

Off again at 6 40/’’ from 6 40/’’ to 8 55/’’ from Aleschkowo to Doskino slept the greater part of the way till A-[Ann] suddenly roused me to pick up our lantern which in one of the great jolts had come down with the iron bar on which the pockets are hung – Hardly anything is strong enough to bear such jolts – And when not these there is a strong tremulous motion like that on board a steamer near to the engine – A-[Ann] felt sickish she said once or twice and so did I – But I did not think of it, and it passed off in slumbers, for when crouching down in the bottom of the Kibitka, and propped up with our pillows &c. and having passed so few hours in feather-bed case, we sleep in spite of the jolts par excellence – Glad to pick up our lantern for fear of breakage and fire – We might be 1/2 or all out burnt to death before we could get out – The door pad-locked on A-‘s[Ann’s] side to keep it shut – And the door not opened in a moment on my side tho’ not locked – Held the lantern in my hand till we reached Doskino – 

Off from there in 25 minutes at 9 20/’’ slept – At Nijeney at 1 10/’’ – The rooms to be 12/- per day – 3 rooms and little places of some sort close by including little anteroom might for our 3 men and one woman she (George’s wife) really very handy and attentive – A sofa in each of two rooms, and bois de lit and mattress in our middle room (salle à manger) but A-[Ann] put her mattresses on her sofa, and I mistrusting mine and bed stocks too put mine on chairs – Undressed and washed – Put on my usual night things and over these my Chelat – My Cossack sheep skin lined huge-sleeved pelerined pelisse, and lay down on my mattresses – 

Soon after leaving Doskino last night – George came to beg we would walk down the hill – So steep, dangerous – Afraid we might be overturned! Declined the walking and reached the bottom safe – Looked out of my window the descent seemed steepish a high mound left and I could not what right – A-‘s[Ann’s] window blocked by herself and the glare of the wax light – Could only see out of my own by shading off the light, and putting my head out a little – But never dark – That is one can always see the road when there is so much snow on the ground and so many stars – More snow in the Government of Nijeney than in Moscow or Vladimir? But no great depth anywhere, and very little drifting – Very fine day –

Route from Manacowa (Monakovo) to Nizhny Novgorod.

A view of Nizhny Novgorod in 1911.

[symbols in margin of the page:]    X

[in the margin of the page:]             Enter Government of Nijeniy

[in the margin of the page:]             Monastery of Serkos

[in the margin of the page:]            observation on my cousin

[in the margin of the page:]            Nijeney

Page References:  SH:7/ML/E/24/0007 and SH:7/ML/E/24/0008

[twigstarpikachutroll22]

I see a lot of people do this so here we go, 2020 top 10 original posts from this blog

1) 289 notes, April 1st 2020

The post where I congratulated people on having survived the first three months of 2020, and threw in some celebratory gifs. I added onto it every month, congratulating people on surviving the first 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. I have another reblog of this queued for midnight tonight to celebrate having survived ALL of 2020! Gotta say, I am REALLY glad this one got to the top spot. I think having survived this much insanity is definitely something to acknowledge and celebrate, and y’know, always important to think positive. :-)

2) 232 notes, October 20th 2020

“Guys what if werewolves refer to the full moon as ‘that time of month’ like it’s their menstrual cycle?” Definitely proud of this one too. XD XD XD

3) 148 notes, January 12th 2020

The post where I just shared the full Autodale series for the heck of it. Mixed feelings about this getting third place. I mean, it’s not any original content that I’VE made, but, the Autodale videos are amazing and I’m glad to help spread recognition of them.

4) 135 notes, July 31st 2020

In this post I gave some weird out-of-context descriptions of things that happened in Epithet Erased. Inspired by a friend’s sort similar post for Fresh Precure. I am proud of this one and I hope it gets some more people to watch Epithet Erased because this web series is GOLD.

5) 123 notes, May 3rd 2020

I made this post to share my thoughts on why I don’t want Poppy and Branch to get married and have kids just yet, how I really want to just keep taking things slow and just savor every stage of their relationship for a good long while. Also made this to see if anycreature else in the fandom agreed with me on this, seeing as I’d seen some people just be like “NSJLDFSDK; I WANNA SEE THEM GET MARRIED AND HAVE A BUNCH OF BABIES NOW NOW NOW” and I did not like that. Somehow it started whole fandom-wide discussion threads and as it turned out plenty of people felt the same as me, so, that was cool. 

6) 92 notes, November 17th 2020

In which I summed up in a few gifs the different attitudes that Trolls, Trolls: The Beat Goes On, and Trolls World Tour had towards making broppy fully and explicitly canon. Kinda glad this one blew up as I think the gifs I found for this summed it up pretty well. 

7) 77 notes, August 8th 2020

I’d seen people make content headcanoning that Branch would move into Poppy’s pod with her at some point, and I’d seen people make content headcanoning that Poppy would move into Branch’s bunker with him at some point, and I wasn’t sure what the ratio was there of how many people preferred each of those. I also shared my own preferred headcanon, which I hadn’t seen anycreature else talk about: That neither of them would ever move into the other’s space, each of them would keep their own space, but they’d also grow almost as comfortable in each other’s spaces, so that they could happily move back and forth between the two whenever they felt like it and neither would feel the need to just pick one.  Honestly, I’m a little iffy on the fact that this one made it into the top 10 because I didn’t really see anycreature saying that they’d also prefer this. Mostly I just saw people talking about Poppy and Branch moving into some third living space together as a compromise. Most of the reblogs that didn’t add something were reblogging the folks talking about that, and I can’t tell whether most of the likes were for those or for the original post. And I do like the third living space idea better than Poppy moving into the bunker or Branch moving into Poppy’s pod, but I also like my own idea better than any of that and I can’t tell how many of the people giving it notes actually did like what I was saying and how many just liked the third living space idea that everycreature else was talking about. It seemed like it kinda got derailed a little. And I’d really like some more validation on this.

8) 62 notes, September 23rd 2020

Just an incorrect Owl House quote from King. Not the MOST proud of this out of all the original posts I’ve made, but like, it’s a fitting quote.

9) 62 notes, May 10th 2020

Well, technically this would be tied for 8th place. Anyway, this was a Trolls incorrect quote that I really do enjoy very much.

10) 59 notes, May 31st 2020

In which I complain and vent a little about how as an aromantic, that thing where a kid complains about romance being gross or boring and some adult in the room goes like “oh, you’ll fall in love one day and then you’ll understand :-)” is just SO invalidating and makes me so mad, especially if the adult ends up being right. At some point I also reblogged this and added that it’d be cool to see this classic exchange happen in a story but THEN have an older adult jump in and validate the romance-hating kid. Definitely glad to see this got in the top 10. Hope it ends up higher in the top 10 by some point next year, actually.

So yeaaaahhhh, that’s my top 10 posts this year. Most of them are posts I’m proud of and quite glad to see in my top 10, so, yeah! I like this. :-)

[kilgamayan]

Touhou Music Poll

Hi Tumblr! I’ve been around the Touhou block for a while and found I seem to consistently tend to have unpopular opinions about a very specific subset of the franchise. I don’t know if this is actually true or just a result of convenience sampling and confirmation bias, though. So, instead of checking the most recent popularity poll results like a non-lazy person, what I’d like people to do is reblog this post and, for each Windows game, put in their tags whether the stage theme or boss theme for Stage 4 is better. For convenience, they are listed below.

EoSD: Voile, the Magic Library vs. Locked Girl ~ The Girl's Secret Room

PCB: The Capital City of Flowers in the Sky vs. Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble

IN: Retribution for the Eternal Night ~ Imperishable Night vs. Maiden's Capriccio ~ Dream Battle vs. Love-Colored Master Spark (pick only one!)

MoF: Fall of Fall ~ Autumnal Waterfall vs. The Youkai Mountain ~ Mysterious Mountain

SA: Heartfelt Fancy vs. Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye

UFO: Interdimensional Voyage of a Ghostly Passenger Ship vs. Captain Murasa

TD: Desire Drive vs. Old Yuanxian

DDC: Magical Storm vs. Illusionary Joururi

LoLK: The Frozen Eternal Capital vs. The Reversed Wheel of Fortune

Thanks!

[dark-infatuation]

*Xanthias shoves Samuel forward, who rolls his eyes.* ...Xanthias would like you to answer them all, if you'd be so inclined. He's far too shy to say it himself.

Awww, don’t be shy, my dear! I don’t bite! ...Unless you want me to.

1. How do they respond to having a song stuck in their head? Does that happen to them often?

I usually end up humming it for quite some time, but it doesn’t happen often, no

2. How do they feel about confronting their friends when issues arise?

I will. Celine in particular is unafraid of confrontation.

3. When speaking to themselves in their mind, how do they refer to themselves?

......That greatly depends. Usually it’s...a conversation, simply put.

4. Do they enjoy wearing socks/stockings when they aren’t wearing shoes?

I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, but I don’t mind.

5. Do they have any unappealing habits (ex: picking their nose, hawking loogies)?

I’m not sure it’s classified as a habit considering it’s mostly involuntary, but I’m sure vomiting up mutated maggots the size of my fist isn’t exactly appealing

6. How do they cope with losing a game?

Celine is a sore loser, and I -- you pout, Damien

7. How do they cope with losing an argument?

Depends on what the argument was about. We both tend to be bitter about it, though not for every long

8. How do they cope with losing a friend?

...It happens. People grow apart. You just have to find new friends.

9. How do they cope with losing a lover?

Much the same, though it does hurt. Love happens again, if you let yourself move on.

10. Do they enjoy sitting on countertops?

....................................................................yes.

11. How expressive is their face? Are they easy to read?

I think I’m fairly expressive, yes.

12. How do they deal with experiencing physical pain?

I’m always experiencing physical pain, dear. I’ve learned to tune it out

13. Are they easily insulted?

No

14. Would they prefer to act or react?

Act

15. How would they respond to performing on stage?

I used to be a politician, dear, and a damn good one. That is performing on a stage.

16. Would they ever wear perfume or cologne? When? What would the scent be?

I’ve worn both in the past, for particularly formal events. I don’t like to, though. The chemicals always hurt our heads. We both preferred ‘natural’ scents though

17. Could their personality or interests be considered “flighty?” Do they change their mind/interests often?

I wouldn’t same I’m flighty, no

18. Do they daydream? Of what?

Not often

19. What is the most inappropriate thing they have ever done in public?

I don’t know, Xanthias, I’d say you getting on your knees for me in a mall dressing room and drugging you with aphrodisiac while I drag you around on a leash was pretty damn inappropriate, don’t you think~?

20. What was their favorite toy as a child?

......Neither of us ever really had toys as children. We were left to our own devices a lot.

21. What was their favorite way to play as a child (ex: playing pretend, playing games with rules like tag,)?

I was always fond of pretend, though Celine preferred games with rules, so she could be in charge.

22. How do the sneeze (ex: loudly, quietly, openly, into their elbow, hold the sneeze in)?

......I don’t think my sneezes are too loud, and I try to always do it into my elbow

23. When engaged in an irritating conversation, how to they conduct themselves?

My irritation is always plain, and I try to get away from the conversation

24. What words make them cringe?

...Ah. I don’t think it’s ever the words themselves that bother me, but rather...the context.

25. How do they feel in large crowds?

Fine, as long as I have a little space that I’m not constantly being touched.

26. Would they ever spend an afternoon in a library? What section would they spend the most time in?

Absolutely. I do love a good murder mystery.

27. Do they find it difficult to try new foods?

No.

28. If a friend asked them to taste something and it turned out to be unpleasant, how would they handle it?

I’d be polite, but inform them, and possible help repair the dish

29. Do they wear underwear?

Yes...?

30. Can they pee in front of other people?

......What the fuck kind of question --

31. What story gave them nightmares as a child?

The Brothers Grimm fairytales gave both of us nightmares as children.

32. How would they respond to being handed an infant?

I’d hold the child until the parent took them back, it’s not that hard.

33. How would they respond to being asked to watch over a child for an afternoon?

I wouldn’t mind, provided I’m given a little instruction on how to handle the child.

34. Do they enjoy climbing trees?

I used to.

35. In which of their own skill sets do they have the most confidence? Why?

I’m quite confident with my magical skill. One of the perks of living in a near-sentient manor with an ancient entity sharing your body.

36. Do they enjoy receiving compliments? How do they respond to it?

I do enjoy it, and it depends on the context of how I react.

37. How often are they the one to initiate physical contact?

Most of the time, I’d wager

38. Do they prefer salty or sweet things?

Sweet

39. Do they get the urge to jump from high places?

No? Is that an urge people have?

40. Have they ever written a dirty letter and actually sent it?

Back in the day, I used to write like that to my husband, yes

41. How would they describe their love life?

I...am not sure. Previously, my love life has been...dark, to say the least, but my time spent with you, Xanthias, has been...beautiful. I was married for sixteen years, and the week or so I’ve been with you has been far more rewarding

42. How would they describe their sex life?

Between you and Samuel’s mating season, I’d certainly describe it as active.

43. Do they hide objects? What and where?

I hide many things, most I’d rather not reveal, nor where they are hidden. Some...I don’t think would sit well with either of you.

44. What are their reasons for getting up in the morning (outside of achieving their main goal)?

For the longest time, I didn’t have a reason. I’d given up on sleep altogether, really. But...now I have you two, and our future child.

45. Who is their greatest confidant? Who confides in them?

I -- suppose you, Xanthias.

46. What is something they’ve always wanted to do, but know they shouldn’t?

Morally, I shouldn’t kill my husband. But I gave up on morals a long time ago. And if I ever see him again, I will not hesitate

47. Is there someone whose laugh makes them laugh as well?

......An old friend used to have that effect on us.

48. How festive are they on holidays?

We used to be very festive. Then -- things happened, and the enthusiasm faded. I certainly wouldn’t mind doing something in the future, though

49. How would they respond to their ears ringing for an extended period of time?

My ears are almost always ringing, dear. It whether others can hear it or not that tends to be the issue.

50. How likely is it that they would be the first to point out a full moon or a beautiful sunset?

I’d say fairly likely. I’ve stared at the sky for a long time. I know what a bright moon or a beautiful sunset looks like.

[sugakookiesbutbadass]

💜 Soft Bias Tag 💜

i was tagged by the two lovelys at @bts-soccer-moms​ to do the most adorable tag ever ~ tysm this was so much fun!! 

1. Who is my bias?

my favourite muscle bunny jeon jungkook, kookie, nochu, love of my life

2. What made you notice them?

“Dope” was my first bts mv and i swear it was legitimately love at first sight (that police uniform got me whipped from the start but shhh) i’ve never chosen a bias that quick in my life tbh i didn’t even know what a bias was back then and i already knew it was going to be him (cheesy i know) also when i started watching more bts content i fell for his honey vocals, his big sparkly eyes, his cute bunny smile, and he’s just my ideal boy you know? he’s beautiful and talented what more can i say?

3. What’s your favourite thing about them?

i know everyone says this about their bias but honestly can you blame us? of course the answer is everything! i love everything about him, his passion and ambition for music, his big heart and love for his hyungs, his cute mannerisms, his will to strive to become the best at whatever he sets his mind to, he’s not only beautiful on the outside but he’s infinitely beautiful on the inside 

4. Who would initiate skinship more?

i think at the beginning probably me? mostly because he's such a shy shy boy but also i think once he's more comfortable it will be pretty balanced between us

5. Who would hog the blankets more?

either neither of us or him bc i'm literally a human heater so i don't really need to hog the blankets that much plus if he just cuddles up to me he wouldn't need to hog them anyways  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

6. Who would be more clingy?

i don't think either of us are that noticeably clingy but if it's just us and not in public then perhaps me? 

7. Who would say “I love you” first?

hmmm is it cheesy if i say we happened to say it at the same moment bc it finally felt right? lolol but idk i think maybe he would to say it first cuz it takes me a while to finally admit things so yeah

8. Who easily be more flustered?

oh man i think we both tie in this one but i’d like to think that i can hide it better than him, i mean have you seen the stuttering mess kookie is when his hyungs catch him off guard poor bun bun

9. What cuddling position would you two have?

please refer to this taekook moment as a point of reference

10. Which colours remind you of him?

two colours come to mind:

~ golden honey yellow: he's not the golden maknae for nothing, also like i've said before, his honey vocals make me melt every time and he's also the sweetest boy so of course he reminds me of honey plus he looks so precious whenever he wears yellow

~ a deep bold red: it reminds me of the fire and raw passion in his eyes as he performs, the energy he exerts when he dances, and just that alluring presence he holds when he knows he's owning the stage

tldr: kookie is 💛✨🍯 and jungkook is ❤️🔥🎤

11. What season would you like to spend with them?

summer! i want to have all the fun in the world with him without any worries or cares in the back of our minds, i want to have cute amusement park dates, ice cream at the park dates, bowling alley and arcade dates, everything and anything, we could go out to the pier, stargaze, the whole shabang 

12. Who would bake the cookies and who would steal the batter?

based on the cooking run bts episodes, i think he'd be better in the kitchen than me tbh and i'm not much of a baker but i will help if i see someone else baking but also low key so that i can sneak a bite or two

13. Which one of you would make bad puns and how would the other react?

i think both of us would crack a pun every now and then and the other person would just sigh and roll their eyes but also quietly chuckle and note to themselves to one up the other person in the future 

14. Who would want to adopt 50 cats and dogs?

i think we would alternate between one of us being like "you know what sounds like a good idea? adopting a dog. right now. let's do it." and the other one being the Reasonable One™ but then eventually one day we both end up being the one wanting the dog and attempting to enable the other and so we end up getting a cute dog child and we live happily ever after the end

15. Which one of you would nearly burn the kitchen down trying to microwave a pop tart and who would come to the rescue?

well considering kookie had said before that he has One Fear which happens to be microwaves so i'm gonna say it's him. it will be like:

him: "kirstyyyy can you make me a pop tart?"

me: "sorry kookie i'm a bit busy at the moment, can you try making it yourself?"

*smoke detector goes off in the distance* 

me: *cleans up the mess and makes him a new one* 

me: "you're an idiot" 

him: "yeah but i'm your idiot" 😉 

me: “ugh you're lucky i still think you're cute” 🙄 

him: “heheh sorry ily” 😙

16. Who likes to lean over trail railings and who pulls them back?

i think we'd both have our moments for this because we both have no fear of heights and have moments where #dangerismymiddlename but then again we are also promoters of safety so yeah 

17. What would watching a horror movie with them be like?

it would consist of a lot of fun banter and teasing towards whoever jumps or get scared :P i really enjoy watching horror films with company because i love commentating (especially for dumb horror films where i get to yell at the characters for making dumbass decisions) but i also get a laugh whenever someone (including myself) gets a big scare so yeah, i think it would be fun to have a horror movie marathon with kookie during spooky season or something

18. Who would be the cheesy flirt and who would be the smooth flirt?

i think kookie can be 50/50 i mean have you seen this boy's duality? his dorky offstage personality vs his sensual onstage presence gives me whiplash.. me on the other hand, i think my cheesiness will outweigh my smoothness like 75/25 

19. Who would be more competitive?

we will make everything a competition, but like in a fun healthy way like "i bet i can beat you in this track in mario kart" "iS tHaT A cHaLLeNgE??!?" and whoever wins gets like a little prize each time (can be anything from food to a peck on the cheek to getting the better controller next time to picking the next movie etc.) like just simple silly competitions to keep it interesting (no sore losers or egotistic winners in this house, it's all just fun and games) and ooo bonus: we can keep a little chart over like the month or maybe the year like a "jungkook vs kirsty" and the overall winner gets a grand prize of whatever they want 

20. Who would have to be given constant reminders (to eat, sleep, drink water, etc.)

him. we all know that he works his hardest and tries to push himself past his limits so i think he would need someone to gently remind him to take care of himself from time to time :’( 

21. Who sends memes and who sends cute “i miss you” texts at 3 am?

we're talking about your resident meme king and queen here so what do you think? but then again we both have our soft hours so i think it will be a fair mix of both. something like 

"i miss you"

"you meme a lot to me" 

and that’s it!! this was honestly so much fun to do and i’m now feeling softer than usual for my bunny rip gonna go watch some cute compilations or something ok byeee

i tag: @wen-jun-bae, @blueberry-child, @taeyongskookie, @cyphersnamjoon, @mysticalj, @jinstaej, @min-baby-boy-yoongi, @majinstic, @madpanda69, @kochiniseokjinnie, @im-captain-of-this-ship,  @kawaii-ing, @chiantae, @dailygifihope, and anyone else who wants to do this :) 

[theaterdisneynerdsunite]

Tony Awards Thoughts

So it looks like, at least for now, the CBS website lets you watch it for free (at least in the US). Here are my thoughts using those time stamps (be warned I have a long running commentary)

0:23 Oh is this going to be a parody of her playing the piano on last year’s Tony’s

1:05 How has neither one of them won anything? I mean I get if they said neither one of them one a Tony cause I mean, they both did shows that one time…but anything?

1:18 Is there anything more Broadway than saying the same rehearsed thing at the same time and pretending it was just part of the banter? Oh theater tropes I love you

1:36 That’s always been something that bothered me, people assume that just because something didn’t win the Tony doesn’t mean its not a great show, and the show that wins might not even be the best one that season (you know who you are). I love the Tony’s but its an award show, people don’t stop watching tv shows and movies or listening to artists that didn’t win or weren’t nominated, it makes me sad that so many shows close post Tony’s just because they weren’t the big winner. Anyways…

1:53 THEY CELEBRATED THE LOSERS LIKE ME, these A list celebrities that are totally not losers are soooo relatable ;)

2:40 A few years ago Something Rotten did what I thought was a brilliant advertising campaign listing amazing shows that lost the Tonys like them, so the fact that it was put into song gave me a fond flashback. See? SEE??? Oh it feels so good to be vindicated on tv

3:49 “If you make art at all your a part of the cure” :)

4:10 THEY HAD THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS BE THE ONES IN THE OPENING NUMBER RATHER THAN THE LEADS THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY. If only my high school self could have seen this she would have felt so much better

6:42 I didn’t see any of the plays this year but I heard the most about Angels in America this season so not surprised. Looks interesting

7:45 Happy Pride Month

8:40 Bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked would actually be a pretty good diction warmup

14:10 Kinda surprised that they didn’t pick Rather Be Me or Apex Predator considering those are the really marketed songs. “Where We Belong” seems a lot like “Status Quo” from High School Musical. I mean you’ll get that about high school clicks in the lunch room with a blond queen bee but like, even the dance moves felt similar, and the lunch tray dancing, even the giant cat decal. But like, it's not as catchy? I didn’t expect them to win anything tonight but I really don’t think they’ll win anything now? Is that mean? Just cause it feels like it was supposed to be a high energy number and it didn’t have that energy I thought it would. Also come on, just cause you want the girls to be shallow and dumb doesn’t mean the lyrics have to be that cringey. This feels like a less good version of if Legally Blonde and High School Musical had a baby (I absolutely love Legally Blonde that was not intended to be an insult to either show).

15:00 Is it me or did Amy Schumer look like she wanted to say something but Rachel Bloom kept talking. But it didn’t really have any joke setup or serve as a good segway for commentary, what could she have wanted to say?

15:35 Later on I’m going to see if I can find the award speeches that didn’t get televised. most of the world doesn’t get broadway they get regional theater, I wanted to hear what they had to say

15:45 Nick Scandalious feels like a cartoon name you’d see in an Onion article about the Me Too movement. His face even looks like the generic celebrity that had a TMZ scandal five years ago. I thought I read it wrong at first lol

16:40 I was cracking up they know their brand so well. The air quotes on emotional, perfect!

17:10 Mini Sara and Josh are so cute!

17:50 Ok I missed the reference, what is the giant bird lady from?

18:10 oh

20:57 celebrity child picture counter: #3 Amy Schumer. Also guess which year the musical described as “a comedy about class and sexism” is from? Yup it’s My Fair Lady, the audience laughed like I did in that sort of this is funny but also sad kinda way

26:00 This was so overacted and hammy and one day I aspire to that level of loud printed robes. Coincidentally my name is also spelled like Eliza but my voice is not nearly that good. Also does it count as drag if they are clearly men in dresses with some comical makeup or is there another name for it when they aren’t actually trying to look feminine?

26:18 The twitter usernames were too small to see on my screen who were the twitter pictures of?

26:30 See above comment

27:00 What show did Billy Joel work on? Also Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and Josh Groban maybe my mom will finally enjoy theater

29:12 Oh my gosh that picture of Titus Burgess is amazing as is that suit. And that intro is so Titus its great

30:07 Renee Fleming we’ve got the Opera world here too? It’s so many famous musicians from outside broadway on broadway, think of all the crossovers

32:50: Yes spongebob get Josh Groban to sing more thank you for your service. Ok I’m not a huge fan of spongebob but they have to win for sound design that guy is on overload

33:27 Lol it explains so much why the songs sound disjointed cause they got a billion people to write them. Also lol I was waiting for that joke

33:50 Also what I thought would happen would be a medley that way Spongebob who really is the driving energy of the show and Squidward played by the Broadway darling would both have a song. This wasn’t how I expected them to do it, but I was sort of right so I’ll count it. I’m not really a fan of Spongebob the musical (I’ve listened to it twice once when it first came out and once during Tony Season. I’m not one of the people who hate it off the sheer premise and won’t give it a chance, but I just thought it was meh and not worth having the most nominations.) But Squidward’s song is very me, not in terms of melody cause that is I find most of the melodies to be rather generic but the lyrics are 100% me trying to convince myself. Also all I will be thinking about for the rest of the will be what tap dancing must feel like its gotta feel weird how long do you think he spent practicing it with and without the extra legs. Or it might be nightmare fuel with the sea anemone contributing to it, who knows? Probably both,

38:07 still don’t know whose handles those are

38:28 ^^^

38:40 Ok when I saw the outfits I was expecting a Chorus Line Parody, but this Sia parody fits this every genre but musical theater theme of this Broadway season

39:20 Eight times a week, and all the subsequent puns

40:28 Can I just say I love this return to singing interludes over awkward award show banter?

41:44 I saw the Bands Visit a few month’s back and I still don’t know how to describe it. Normally I would guess it would be the second fiddle of the Tony’s but considering the “purists” it’ll probably win most of the awards

44:16 With all the previous reaction shots you knew it had to be Nathan Lane. I always forget how well spoken he is because of his typical roles but he is really well spoken and sincere rather than trying to wise crack and it was so sweet. It made me smile

47:43 His face saying “blow high” has got to be a gif right?

51:45 The entirety of the Carousel number was me thinking if I had a higher sex drive this would totally make me thirsty. They also used very creative ways to physically embody the shape and workings of a ship but then again I’m admittedly biased. Listen to that number you know their vocal prowess was not why they picked it

52:12 I mean, I know that crew gets less attention than cast and plays less attention than musicals but I would watch the full version stop cutting out the speeches. C’mon I love costumes

53:04 I know your joking but that hurts

53:19 yes #4 famous kid photo Uzo Aduba

55:49 Ari'el Stachel’s speech is made all the more poignant when you realize everyone else in his category were white. Despite this season’s commerciality you actually do have shows and casts with Asian leads and African American leads and Latin American leads and Middle Eastern leads somewhere between the sea of shows like Spongebob and Frozen. Show these shows some love, prove that Hamilton wasn’t the anomaly but the rule

56:55 They brought the Parkland teacher for the theater education award! Fitting 65 students into a high school teacher’s office for hours to protect them is not easy, she saved lives that day

58:17 I thought #5 Matthew Morrison was a girl in his child pic

58:40 They went to Parkland?!

59:35 OMG they’re performing!?!

1:00:10 Seasons of Love is the Perfect song for this, they sound so good too!

1:01:18 Girl has an amazing voice! Dang to get up there in front of all of these famous performers on live TV after the media has already hounded them and putting yourself out there is courageous

1:02:45 I can’t see the handles

1:03:11 Will they be able to top NPH’s Tony magic trick though??? Probably not but let’s see

1:03:31 So cheesy but tbh if I had a Harry Potter wand I’d be even cheesier

1:03:46 Was that line improved or was the tech delay intentional?

1:04:22 C’mon Squidward already pulled the same “trick” you have ensemble block the audience pov while someone enters from the back. Didn’t even come close to topping NPH

1:04:43 Little Patti Lupone I can’t believe she allowed them to include her picture of lil’ Patti

1:05:04 I just wanted to include Patti’s line about a “deep appreciation for outspoken women” cause I actually said “you go girl” out loud

1:05:35 Yeah, fun fact, Tony wasn’t a man but was actually short for Antoinette. They referenced it multiple times before, including earlier tonight, but it was stated most explicitly here

1:06:35 Is that a young or modern Claire Danes, I can’t tell

1:07:39 Also it’s really cool that an older woman won something, I feel like the stage gives more roles for older woman that other acting industries, also if people argue that she was political she served political office. Also how cool is it that apparently people were there from every recognized country?

1:09:27 so that’s how they do Sven, I knew Olaf was supposed to be an Avenue Q style puppet but the way they move Sven is really cool (it’s the technique they used on things like War Horse, I don’t know if it’s considered costuming or puppetry or what the official name is)

1:10:20 Anna looks exactly as I pictured her, and they changed a few minor lyrics for it to fit the stage

1:10:44 There are so many quick changes tonight

1:11:22 Elsa did not look like what I imagined her to be, but the costumes are on point

1:12:00 The chorus versions of these songs have beautiful harmony, but Olaf shouldn’t be there yet right? Isn’t he “born” in Let it Go

1:12:47 Alright I’ve been waiting to see how they’ll do the snow effects!

1:14:00 They got out of building the castle by already having it built at the beginning of the song, which is smart technically but I wanted to see how they do it, unless it’s one of those things that’s a surprise for when you see it live.

1:14:25 Never call it “Daddy’s Day” ever again. Never.

1:14:46 I can’t see the handles

1:14:59 How could you not show Chita Rivera’s lifetime achievement? I’ve been lucky enough to see her in more than one show and she is incredible.

1:15:13 And you also cut out Andrew Lloyd Webber’s?? You made the wrong cuts Broadway

1:15:25 It looks like they’re going to show a tribute I’m excited!!!

1:17:42 Two things: Andrew Lloyd Webber has written a weird collection of musicals, like when you see clips of them back to back you realize just how weird of a collection it is, and Josh Groban needs to be the next Phantom

1:18:08 That exchange was so physically awkward they haven’t even started talking yet and I feel the cringe

1:19:18 Is “I swore I’d never do something like that” shade against the La La Land debacle? In 2018? Or am I reading too much into it

1:19:21 I saw the Band’s Visit but I also saw Once on this Island and I thought that one would win Direction for sure but I guess I was wrong

1:22:36 I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it’s a weird read, but I haven’t seen it live so maybe it’s directed brilliantly, who knows? Who else thinks its a weird read?

1:23:56 He’s getting the Tony audience to sing his boyfriend "Happy Birthday" instead of giving a speech and that is both adorably sweet and such a power move. Also a rare occasion of Happy Birthday being sung on key

1:25:10 They’re having DEH perform? You cut out people who actually were awarded tonight for people who already were featured on the Tony’s last year? And that song is a weird choice for a In Memoriam considering that show doesn’t really…respect the deceased. Weird

1:28:17 Give the tech more time in the limelight! You cut out Chita and Webber’s speeches for a weird tribute and you have weird stunts with tech like the magic thing yet cut out all their stage time. I know this is standard Tony procedure but it is something I will comment on every year until it changes

1:29:20 That move for “work hard for the money mom” line was uncomfortable

1:30:30 They really do sound like the original singer

1:31:53 So that’s how the performers follow the conductor. They have a huge teleprompter-like screen in the back of the audience

1:32:52 This cast seems specifically tailored to gather different subsections of internet geeks and I will not tell you which categories I fall into

1:33:18 I never knew “the Jimmy’s” were a thing when I was in high school

1:34:54 THOSE are the great themes of Harry Potter? Really?

1:36:10 Aww look at little Cinderella

1:36:34 How are they going to build that stage for the Tonys? They built a river inside the theater for it before!

1:37:00 Well it makes sense that they’d only include part of the set, you can’t really recreate an entire building. Yes I’m so glad they included Mama Will Provide. That song is like the definition of a Tony performance song. Why did they include the Daniel bit, that was so awkward and broke up the flow

1:40:40 If anyone would be chill with the goat it’s Nathan Lane. Yup, there a live goat at the Tony Awards

1:41:21 Don’t joke about that

1:41:41 Are you going to cut out every technical award

1:42:32 Too relatable

1:43:16 Is this that song from Chorus Line in real life

1:44:10 English Major life

1:46:03 The angel from Angels in America is so Extra TM

1:46:54 That Tony Kushner line was forced

1:47:18 Awkward segway but REMEMBER TO VOTE

1:47:38 That Judy Garland line ties in perfectly with the Happy Birthday to the gay couple

1:48:04 That reaction to the word “money” is me. And also is a gif right?

Am I so much of a Tony nerd that I both knew and was shocked that the accountants weren’t the normal ones from Ernst and Young but instead were from Grant Thorton. Why do I remember what company normally tallies the Tony votes? Why did they change companies? Why do I care so much? But seriously what happened

1:49:00 That phrase just sounded so odd, just the way it was said “my television Daddy-O Tony Shalhoub”

1:53:15 I don’t have the accent and I’m about as white as white can be, but I really want to perform this song somewhere at some point. I have family in this area even though I don’t look like I would but and I just connect to it. The melody is gorgeous and the chorus reminds me of the lullabies of when I was very little.

1:54:15 Every time the young photos come up it puts a small smile on my face

1:54:37 Good on them for putting their money where their mouth is. They actually helped fund arts programs in places where they were cut

1:55:05 I wonder what the rest of the scenic guy’s speech for Spongebob was because this tiny clip seemed so passionate (and just has such an interesting aesthetic). Gosh darn it Tonys stop pretending the only backstage people that count are the directors and producers, you have all these other people who put in so much hard work yet you consistently ignore them. Even orchestrations, choreography and score?? Orchestrations, choreography and score are crucial for musicals to exist as unique entities from plays. You make jokes about people sitting through 5 hour plays but I would gladly sit through a five hour award show if you just included the technical awards.

1:57:10 me trying to open anything ever

1:57:14 Yes! I was so worried they would go with the super old school ones that get constant revivals. I mean, they picked the show that had “1000 pounds of sand, a 100 gallons of water, a goat and 2 chickens into his theater” when you have safer, more conventional bets. Everyone kept sleeping on Once on this Island this Tony season to talk about their feelings about the Spongebob’s and Mean Girl’s of the world but this is such a good show. Maybe this’ll get this show the love it deserves.

1:59:30 what did Robert DeNiro say on the recording the sound cut out. Did the mic cut out did he say something inappropriate, I’ve been avoiding Tony news what happened?

1:59:55 It’s got more than just a big cast, dancing, and a history lesson. You know that applies to, idk like 60% of famous Broadway musicals lol

2:00:06 when someone gives that pregnant of a pause you gotta wonder what the story is there

2:00:27 Truth

2:00:40 “Jersey Boy” that’s such a good one liner, actually, it might sound sarcastic online but that was a funny one liner in context

2:03:00 Is Bruce Springsteen really going to just do spoken word poetry the whole time? Also I don’t know why but this makes me think of Fun Home

2:06:05 Oh he’s going to sing after all. Though that story is about as Americana Fourth of July as anything I’ve ever heard on the Tony Awards ever and that’s saying something

2:07:39: who are these people?

2:08:00 Didn’t Kristin Chenowitz and Alan Cumming do this exact same shtick when they hosted, what 2 years ago? And there’s was much bigger I mean really go big like that Glinda the Good dress or go home.

2:08:23 Was there really no punch line? Also aww baby Kelli O’Hara is precious

2:09:07 The actor’s name sounds like his character’s name and I enjoy that

2:09:39 Well these actors are very different from each other

2:11:28 I am a sucker for genuine sincerity and that combined with some of the earlier moments like the Parkland moment brought me close to tears

2:12:45 Look at this award shows actual diversity, and not just using one show for diversity and nominating a bunch of actors you have 3 out of 6 female leads be people of color and none of them are a “token” and they all support each other. Hailey Kilgore is so young and such a good actress and I wanted her to win so much but she seemed so excited for the person who did win and they all seem happy at the result you don’t have any of that polite loser face they are all genuinely supportive and this makes me happy. I’m happy, look at those smiles I’m smiling, I love it when they show women supporting each other.

12:14:06 “my stupid little heart with so much joy” is me watching these people tonight.

12:14:27 Still can’t identify these people

12:15:00 Josh Groban’s reaction to Bernadette Peter’s name is me. Honestly Josh Groban is killing the potential gif game tonight

I’m sorry I just can’t take this description of them as “empowering stories” seriously when half of your nominations are Spongebob and Mean Girls

2:16:10 Tonight the Band’s Visit really swept. Honestly some seasons shows don’t win any awards that deserved it and other seasons shows that (while still deserving) probably wouldn’t have won win and it’s all kind of arbitrary, but I’m glad out of this batch it won, it was really the only show out of the four that would have gotten the Tony Award ticket sales boost and it got it.

2:17:35 “Music gives people hope and makes borders disappear”

2:19:08 yes another Josh Groan duet!

2:19:25 I love Miss Peters too

2:20:44 This number made me smile, this whole night made me smile. I was worried I would get frustrated by the night with Spongebob and Frozen and Mean Girls and all the potential for it to be a cynical snark fest or a capitalist money grabber spectacular. There are about 10 billion ways I saw myself not liking this year’s Tony Awards before it started and not only am I relieved that I was wrong about the mood of the night but I am elated. I love me some deadpan humor and some snark but you rarely see one of these nights just wholly be genuine and not tongue and cheek and it was such a breath of fresh air. Even the hokey bits like the stupid magic jokes and banter or weaker songs like that Mean Girls number, because everything was in such a kindhearted atmosphere, didn’t feel as bad as they otherwise would have.

[gchoate17]

I read 18 books in 2017. These were my favorite 10.

1.       True Grit by Charles Portis (1968)

Portis captures something intangible about Mattie Ross that neither movie seems to be able to, or maybe they don’t even try. The movies place the bulk of the weight of the title on Rooster Cogburn’s character, the book places an equal amount of “true grit” within Mattie. She plays a supporting role in the movies, but she stars in the book. The story is efficiently told with impeccable dialogue and it maintains a perfect balance between suspense and action.

2.       The Infinite by Nicholas Mainieri (2016)

Teenage love often runs the risk of melodrama, but The Infinite places the love between Luz and Jonah into a perspective that extends far beyond the scope of its teenage characters. Mainieri juxtaposes the authentic beauty of a post-Katrina New Orleans and the complicated dynamic of different populations within the city with a vast and dusty swath of Mexico ruled by drug lords—each a landscape of self-destruction that yearns for forgiveness and hope.

Like most teenagers, Luz and Jonah are eager to come to terms with the events of their lives they had no control over while also attempting to navigate the dodgy waters of young adulthood. The Infinite captures that time for its characters in a way that is somehow both believable and astounding in its suspense, but above all, in a way that is sincere.

3.       How to Be Alone: Essays by Jonathan Franzen (2002)

These essays are undoubtedly dated, but they're also surprisingly still relevant. The collection is a sort of homage to literature in the face of new technology, and there will always be new technology.

4.       What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell (2009)

This collection was my introduction to Gladwell, though I’ve known for a while I would appreciate his work simply because of the caliber of my friends who reference him on a regular basis. In these essays he writes with a psychological depth that goes well beyond what would ordinarily be expected from a writer, and to me, that is the payoff. Some of the essays didn’t necessarily leave me feeling as if I had an exhaustive understanding of the topic so much as they left me feeling like I was not alone in feeling inadequately equipped to understand what might never be understood. And that’s at once terrifying, and reassuring.

5.       In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson (2017)

The horror genre is something I generally steer clear of, but left to my own interpretation, I don’t think my instinct would’ve placed Andy Davidson’s writing in the genre to begin with. To me, it belongs right next to Cormac McCarthy’s work in the Southern Gothic category.

In the Valley’s conclusion feels like horror, but the book’s plotline was never the driving force of enjoyment for me. Rather, I found the payoff to be in the characters and the landscape, both of which revealed just enough about themselves to maintain constant intrigue. I’m eagerly looking forward to Davidson’s next book.

6.       Carry the Rock: Race, Football, and the Soul of an American City by Jay Jennings (2010)

This book is a reminder that we are not far removed from the 1957 Central High Crisis, and that we are still grappling with factors that contributed to that event. And also that that recognizable and celebrated occasion is just one event in a spectrum that forces our society to look into the mirror at who we actually are. It parallels well with Coach Bernie Cox, who forces his 2007 football team to take a look at themselves and see how lacking teamwork will inevitably lead to a loss—in football, and in a segregated society.

7.       Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson (2008)

I appreciate Bryson's ability to keep things in perspective. Most biographies tend to present opinions as fact, while Bryson is more likely to say "Here's what scholars think and the reason they think it." The problem with that brand of presentation is that you sacrifice a continuous narrative in lieu of one that starts and stops, rewinds, then starts again. Good for scholarship, but not as entertaining from a storytelling perspective.

8.       War Porn by Roy Scranton (2016)

If nothing else, this book lives up to its title. It gives a glimpse into the strange and terrible and pornographic effects of war on the people who voluntarily and involuntarily participate in it. The American soldiers in the book are vile when described both in country and while stateside. While I understand those soldiers exist, as an Army veteran, I have a hard time accepting that generalized portrayal. Crude and disrespectful, yes, but not vile. I wanted a character I could relate to and the closest thing this book gave me was the Iraqi mathematician. That part of the novel I found to be the most impressive. My least favorite sections were the ones intentionally made up of clipped scenes and nonsense, which had no payoff for me.

9.       Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy (2015)

Intriguing story, but I think the overt acknowledgment of Lewis & Clark kept jeopardizing my suspension of disbelief. It was a constant reminder that this was something a writer thought up. However, I did enjoy the mystery of the world, and Percy’s ability to craft powerful sentences. I look forward to picking up another of his books.

10.   All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1929)

I appreciated how much ground--time, geography, philosophy of war/conflict, camaraderie, history--this novel covers, but the cost of that seems to be a lack of character development.

Biggest Disappointment: 15. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (2006)

I had a hard time getting into either of the two stories here. I kept waiting for the characters involved in the murder to get interesting, but it never happened, so I kept thinking we would get some gruesome details when we got to the actual murder, but that didn’t happen either. The advancement of technology is interesting in theory, but when all the details were laid out, it was simply a parade of egos. I think I would’ve rather read this as a 5,000-word short story.

Previous Book Lists: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

[hurricane-jenn]

Bullet Proof- Chapter 11

Hey guys, I feel like all I do is apologize for how long it takes me to upate fics, and I’m sorry about that. Please read my last post for an update on my life and my plans for my fics. As always thanks to @jordan202 for her support and for catching all my typos. As I said in my last post, this will be the last chapter of Bullet Proof, for now. Don’t get too worried, I am already planning a sequel, this will just be the end of this part of the story.

There is a special reference to one of my favorite TV shows that only lasted one season. It is in the form of words spoken between Owen and Amelia, over the phone and again at the end. I highly doubt anyone will get it, but if they do please message me because you are automatically my new BFF.

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

“I think I just stepped on a pressure plate,” she looked up to meet his eyes. “I’m pretty sure I just triggered a bomb.”

Concern flashed across Owen’s face. He took a step in Amelia’s direction trying to think of a plan for how to get her out of this.

“Owen wait!” He felt Teddy grab his arm to stop him. “You can't go over there, for all we know there could be more explosives. We need to wait for the bomb squad.” She looked over at Amelia with a worried expression. Though she was trying to be the rational one here, the idea of running over to Amelia’s aid had gone through her mind too. She finally found someone who could be a confidant, a friend, and immediately that person’s life was put in danger.

Owen shrugged off Teddy’s arm and made his way towards Amelia. Before he could get too much closer Amelia called out to him.

“Detective Hunt,” she said formally. “I really appreciate the concern, but I’m okay over here. Why don't you go make sure the techs are gathering evidence properly. I see someone over there not wearing gloves.”

Owen was taken aback by Amelia’s formal tone, but he followed her instructions. Making his way over to the techs he realized Amelia was wrong, all of them had gloves on and were following proper procedure. He then realized she must have been trying to get rid of him. The formal way she had called him Detective Hunt reminded him that they were coworkers, and were supposed to be behaving as so. Right now he was acting like a worried boyfriend, and Amelia must have picked up on that. Owen took a deep breath, though he was worried about Amelia, he had a job to do too and he needed to remain professional.

It had been over an hour since Amelia had stepped on the bomb, and she was still standing there. The bomb squad had arrived about half an hour ago, but no one had given Amelia any indication of how much longer she would be here. Everyone kept casting her worried looks and she was getting tired of it. In fact she was tired in general. She has been trying to keep herself incredibly still for the last hour, and she was exhausted. Her body was beginning to betray her, she could feel her legs shaking and she was starting to wonder how much longer she could stand.

The bomb squad tech, Dylan something or other, and his team continued to whisper and send worried glances her way while they stood a safe distance away. Owen and Teddy were supervising the collection of evidence, but they too were keeping a cautious eye on her. Amelia was done with being out of the loop on her own crisis. No one had even spoken to her in the past half hour. It was as if they were scared talking could set off the explosive.

“Hey,” Amelia yelled across the field. “Is anyone going to tell me what the hell the plan is?!”

Dylan stepped forward and raised his voice so she could hear him. “We apologize for the wait Miss Shepherd, we-”

“Doctor,” Amelia interrupted.

“What?” Dylan replied confused.

“It’s Doctor Shepherd not Miss.” Amelia replied annoyed.

“Right, well as I was saying… we are working on a plan to get out safely, the problem is we do not know yet if there are more explosives in that field. We need to ensure our path is clear before we come in to get you.”

“Cool so I'm just supposed to hangout here and wait?” Amelia deadpanned.

“Do you have your phone on you? You could play CandyCrush,” he joked.

Amelia didn't laugh, but instead got an idea. “Can I make a phone call?”

Owen had never been a good actor. In middle school he was cast as a pirate in his school’s production of Peter Pan. He had a huge crush on the girl who was playing a Wendy, and he tried out to impress her. He almost didn't, but his sister convinced him to. A regular in the school plays, Megan assured him she would be there to support him. It turned out he had never been bitten by the acting bug like Megan had and was a terrible pirate. On opening night Owen, who still didn't have the choreography down, tripped over a set piece and fell into the backdrop. He brought the whole scene down with him. Megan, bless her heart, stayed true to her promise of having his back, and pretended the whole thing was her fault. Needless to say he did not get the girl, and he never set foot on the stage again.

So now here Owen was having to pretend he was a professional doing his job, all the while the woman he cared very deeply for was in grave danger only feet away. He really wished now that he was a better actor. Teddy hovered near him equally worried. Neither knew exactly what to do. The bomb squad seemed to be handling it, though from where Owen was standing it just looked like that bomb squad asshole was checking Amelia out. Technically him and Teddy didn't need to be there anymore. Their part of the crime scene was covered and it was up to the MEs now, and of course the bomb squad. If it had been anyone else on the bomb him and Teddy probably would have left already. But it wasn't anybody else, it was Amelia. And though neither of them voiced it they both knew they weren't’ leaving until she was okay.

Owen was shaken out of his thoughts by the ringing of a phone. He didn't realize it was his own until his partner elbowed him in the ribs.

He assumed it was Chief Sloan asking why they weren't back yet so he answered without looking at the caller ID. “Hunt.”

“Don't turn around,” the familiar voice said.

Owen had to resist the urge to turn and meet Amelia's eyes. Instead he took a few steps away from his colleagues for privacy. Teddy met his gaze and nodded knowing.

“Hey,” he replied eagerly. “Are you okay? The techs keep whispering and I can't hear what they are planning.”

“I'm doing okay,” she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. “I have never needed to sit down so bad in my life. This is worse than all the long surgeries I observed in med school. At least those I knew I could walk around and stretch my legs a little without putting my life in danger.”

Owen chuckled despite his increasing worry. It was his job to keep her calm. “Listen, I'm sorry I can't come over there, I tried but that bomb squad guy is an ass.”

“That he is,” Amelia replied. “And I swear he's spending more time staring at my ass than he is trying to get me out of here.”

“You noticed that too?!” Owen replied, his voice laced with jealousy.

Despite her circumstances, Owen’s jealous outburst amused Amelia and she burst out laughing. This caused Dylan to whip around and smile at her, which made Amelia laugh harder. Dylan took this as encouragement and threw a wink her way.

Owen saw this and mumbled into the phone, “that bastard.”

“Awe do I detect jealousy Detective Hunt?” Amelia teased. He chuckled in response but then a silence went over them. It was if they were both brought back to reality. And the reality was she was standing on a very unstable explosive, and the man who was supposed to save her was too busy winking at her to actually make a plan.

“Look Owen,” Amelia started.  “If I don't make it out of this I just want to say-”

“Me too,” Owen cut her off. He turned around and met her eyes. They shared a sentimental smile.

Amelia didn't actually know what she would have said if he hadn't cut her off. I like you? I have feelings for you? I love you? No definitely not the last one, it was way too soon to think about that.

Before Amelia could reply she heard Dylan shout, “Alright Miss Shepherd. We've cleared a path to you, I'm going to make my way slowly toward you.” Owen nodded at Amelia and hung up the phone. He walked over closer to the bomb squad guys needing to be close to her. Teddy came and stood by his side wrapping her hand around his. On her other side Henry appeared and took Teddy’s other hand in his. There they stood in a line, none of them spoke, but they were all there, Amelia’s people.

Dylan crossed the field slowly followed by one of his team members carrying something large. “Alright Miss Shepherd-”

“It's Doctor,” Amelia sighed frustrated. Why can't he get that right?

“Right sorry,” he apologized throwing her a wink. “So here's what's going to happen, Agent James here has a sand bag. She is going to place it onto the pressure plate to make up for your weight. But this is the tricky part, we need to put the sandbag on at the exact second you step off or else it will go off, and all of us will be blown to smithereens.” He and Agent James shared a good laugh before that, but Amelia just stared back at them terrified.

What happened next was all a blur to Amelia. She heard Dylan count down, she saw Agent James nod, and then she felt the ground beneath her disappear. She felt a jolt go through her body as she hit the ground, then the weight of someone else falling on top of her. She didn't know if she passed out or not, but when she opened her eyes she saw a pair of eyes staring down at her. It was Dylan, he was smiling in a sort of predatory way. She tried to sit up but she was pinned down by his body. He must have been what landed on top of her, he must have tackled her out of the way. She glanced around and realized the bomb didn't actually go off. She struggled to get up again but an intense pain went through her shoulder. Fuck, I'm sure it's dislocated. If fucking Dylan would get up it probably wouldn't hurt so bad.

All of a sudden Dylan was pushed off of her and she was met with the face of a very frantic Owen. She smiled up at him, relieved she wasn't blown to smithereens so she could look in those eyes again.

He pulled her into a sitting position and threw his arms around her in a tight embrace.  She winced in pain and he pulled back with a concerned expression. “You okay?”

“Yeah I think my shoulder is dislocated, but I'll live.” He stared back at her obviously not finding her joke funny. “Too soon?” she asked.

“Yeah a little,” but he grinned at her anyways. He helped her to her feet and steered her over to the waiting paramedics. They set her shoulder and put it in a sling, all the while Owen never left her side. Henry and Teddy made their way over to them as well and they all shared tight hugs, no one addressing how close a call it had been today. As the paramedics were finishing up with Amelia, Dylan came wandering over.

“Hell of a close call today Shepherd,” he said clapping her on the back. She winced, her shoulder still tender. “So what are your plans tonight? Wanna grab a beer and celebrate me saving your life?”

Amelia froze, too stunned to speak. Owen tenses up beside him, his eyes shooting daggers at Dylan. Teddy grabbed Henry’s hand, both worried how that would play out.

“Oh..umm,” Amelia stammered. “I'm flattered, but I'm actually seeing someone.”

Dylan's chuckled, “well it's okay, he doesn't need to know.”

Before Amelia could say anything Owen stepped forward, throwing his arm around her good shoulder. “Like she said, she's seeing someone.” He glared at Dylan, but when the bomb tech didn't seem to get the message he pulled Amelia into him and claimed her lips in a possessive kiss.

Dylan suddenly got very embarrassed and slowly inched away. While Teddy giggled at her friends and Henry let out a loud wolf whistle.

When Owen pulled away he noticed that many eyes at the crime scene were on him and Amelia.

She stared at him stunned, “wow I think I like jealous Owen.”

“Well he likes you too,” Owen replied trying to steer attention away from them. “Come on, I'll drive you and your car home, you've had a long day.”

Owen walked her over to the car and opened the passenger door to help her in.

He was about to close the door when Amelia stopped him. “You know, umm, back there when I said ‘If I don't get out of this’ what did you think I was gonna say?”

“Uh I dunno,” Owen replied, unsure how to say what he had really been thinking. “What were you gonna say?”

“Thanks,” Amelia said smiling at him.

Owen leaned in to kiss her but Amelia put her hand on his chest to stop him. “Owen, what if someone sees?”

He chuckled. “I think the cat’s already out of the bag in that one.” And with that he leaned in and captured her lips with his own.

[purplesurveys]

228

1. What time is it? Exactly 11:00 AM. 2. Name? Oooo haven’t seen a bunch of basics questions in a long while. Hi, I’m Robyn. 3. Age? 19, but can’t wait to refer to myself as 20. 4. Hair color? Black. 5. Height? 5′1″ or 5′2″.

6. What are you wearing? The stuff I usually wear around the house - tank top and shorts. 7. Have you ever been accused of being a gang member? I’m the furthest thing from being one. 8. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? No, but I’m about to be in February when I see Paramore! 9. Boys - have you ever worn skinny jeans? 10. Girls - have you ever had to borrow a guy's clothes? Nope. 11. What are your favorite pajamas? I don’t really wear pajamas. I’d rather have my skin out at home. 12. Look behind you. What do you see? My feet perched up (I’m on my stomach.) Also the bedroom wall. 13. What's your favorite brand of toilet paper? I don’t have a favorite brand...as long as it does its job then it’s good for me. 14. Have you ever used the saying, ...I’m still waiting. 15. What about, Waiting for this, too. 16. What's your favorite color? You can only pick one. Black. 17. Where do you live? I live in a small city in the Philippines about 25 km away from Manila. 18. Do you have a MySpace? I had an account nine years ago, but it was never popular in my country so I abandoned it not long after. 19. What do you think about Facebook? Fun, or overrated? Overrated. 20. What color is your keyboard? The buttons are black but the spaces between them are silver. [music.] 21. Favorite genre? Changes a lot. I have my moods for punk rock, pop, pop rock, synthpop. R&B, etc. 22. Favorite band? Paramore. 23. Do you play any instruments? I learned how to play the recorder from music classes but that’s the only one. 24. Have you ever been to a concert? Yeah. A few major artists and lots of minor, local concerts. 25. Have you ever met any bands? If so, which ones? Not the big-time bands, no. 26. Linkin Park or Fort Minor? I’d say Linkin Park but only because I don’t know who the latter is. 27. As I Lay Dying or The Devil Wears Prada? I’ve never heard of anything from either. 28. Lifehouse or Chris Daughtry? I don’t enjoy either. 29. Lil' Wayne or Ne-Yo? Ne-Yo, I guess. 30. Colbie Caillat or Taylor Swift? Taylor Swift but her personality sucks. I’d prefer anything over Colbie. 31. Lostprophets or 30 Seconds To Mars? I don’t listen to either. 32. Against Me! or Rise Against? I love both but have more of a connection with Against Me! 33. Jason Mraz or Rob Thomas? Neither.

34. What's the worst genre, in your opinion? Country. 35. What artist would you like to never hear from again? The fucking Vamps. Or Meghan Trainor. 36. Imagine you're in a rock band - what would you name it? I really have no idea. It takes more than a survey question to come up with a name that’d stick. 37. What if you're a hip-hop artist? No clue. 38. Pop? Honestly I would just be Robyn but there’s already a Swedish singer with that stage name. 39. What's your favorite song? I never give that title to songs, but I’m really enjoying 26 by Paramore, and have been for the past month or so. 40. Have you ever had one song on repeat for more than an hour? Yes. Always. [everyday life.] 41. How big is your house? It’s not huge. It’s perfect for five people and two animals. 42. Who do you live with? Dad, mom, two siblings, two pets. 43. Do you have any siblings? I just mentioned that I do. 44. Do you have any pets? If so, what kind and how many? We technically have two, but my sister solely owns the cat. We also have a dog that I primarily take care of. 45. What color are your bedroom walls? White, yuck. 46. How many posters are on your walls? Ten if you count all the Audrey Hepburn frames. 47. Do you have any pictures hanging up? I guess but it really depends on what you want to call the Audrey thingies on my walls. 48. Do you go to church? Unfortunately. 49. Do you smoke? Nope. 50. Drink? Every now and then. 51. Do drugs? Never. 52. Curse? Every hour. 53. What would you consider your 'style'? It’s either ‘I’ll wear what I feel like wearing today whether it comes together or not’ or chic and trendy. 54. Do you wear makeup? Never. I stopped putting on makeup two years ago because I found it to be eating so much of my time. 55. Dye your hair? I haven’t, yet. 56. Wear belts? No. 57. How about jewelry? Yes, I have a necklace that I permanently have on. 58. How often do you fill out surveys? Depends on my schedule because sometimes it’d be multiple times everyday, and other times it’d just be once a week. 59. Do you have any piercings? Where? Yes but just on my ears.

60. What about tattoos? Where? What of? I don’t have any. [relationships.] 61. Marital status? Isn’t marital just single, married, and widowed? Under this umbrella I’m single, but I’m also already in a relationship. 62. If single, why? Because I’m not getting married in the middle of college and without a job and enough money and a house to move into. 63. If taken, how long? A year and 10 months. 64. Why are you no longer with your last ex? I never said we were no longer together. 65. Describe your dream guy/girl. Gabie. 66. Light- or dark-haired? Filipinos are a homogeneous people and everyone has black hair, so my tastes have been suited to that.  67. Taller or shorter than you? Taller, preferably. 68. Cute or sexy? Gabie’s already both. 69. Sweet and naturally sexy, or mischievous and alluring? Mischievous and alluring. The latter sounds extroverted and as if I’d be exhausted too quickly from socializing with them. 70. Kiss on the first date? You do you, but it’s a hell no for me. 71. Sex before marriage - yes or no? Preferably no but you do you, plus I already practice premarital sex, so. 72. What do you think about PDA's? It’s whatever as long as it’s not too sloppy or like no saliva involved...... 73. What's your best friend's name? My best friends are Gabie and Angela. 74. How long have you been friends? Angela for almost 13 years, Gabie for around 5. 75. Does this person know you through and through? They both do. Angela knows me better in some aspects, Gab in others. 76. Would you take a bullet for this person? Both of them with no question. 77. Do you get along with your parents? No and I’d rather it be that way because I plan on moving out of their lives in about 4-5 years. 78. Siblings? Sure but we don’t have a super sweet relationship. 79. Extended family? No. 80. Would you rather have 50% alone time, or 10% alone time? 50%. [this or that.] 81. Rap or rock? 82. Bass or keyboard? 83. Techno or metal? 84. Dancing or singing? 85. Acting or writing? 86. Books or movies? 87. Jeans or shorts? 88. Boxers or briefs? 89. Sleep or food? 90. Black or white? 91. Cuddling or making out? 92. Swimming or tanning? 93. Quiet or loud? 94. Guys or girls? 95. Concerts or music videos? 96. Photos or videos? 97. Republican or Democrat? 98. Religious, agnostic, or atheist? 99. Grammar nazi or spelling freak?

[finishing up...] 100. What time is it? 11:34 AM.

[kierongillen]

Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine #29

Spoilers, obv.

Weird issue this, for me.

We've been away for a few months, so this is the reintroduction. As I've said, the second half of Imperial Phase is more constricted in time than the first, so we've got to set all that up. And in terms of my “stuff to do” list, I obviously had a bunch. I also had a structure, which was putting the focus on Persephone and take her through her day (akin to 24). It's about that hangover, juxtaposing the realisation of Sakhmet's actions and the feeling of being sapped and wrecked and regretful.

(I'm writing this with a hangover, oddly, though it's the “last night was amazing!” sort of hangover, so not exactly right.)

Anyway – I have the story goals and the structural means and all that, and basically hit them. But I also didn't do something more than that, despite having plans for a Big Swing issue. I simply choked. I hit the point and just didn't want to write what I had planned. Not even “didn't want to”. Maybe “wasn't capable of putting myself through it.”

As such, even though the issue has gone down well – better than I would have thought – it nags at me. I suspect it was best for me not to do it, and may even show character growth on my part in choosing not to, but it's still mildly annoying. I suspect it'll be my least favourite issue of the arc... but that may have been true anyway. I am particularly fond of the rest of this arc.

Anyway – that ennui and reluctance fed into what the script ended up being: “I'm tired and I don't want to do this any more but what other choice is there?” is very much the mood and the point.

(Why has this gone down well? The character focus, I suspect. We've got 10 main characters, and all of them bar Baph (and arguably Woden) get meaningful scenes.)

Okay – remember back in issue 27 on Phased I talked about how I solved trying to fit all the information in by realising one sub-plot could be excised and then pushed later? That was the Sakhmet/Persephone relationship stuff from this issue and the rest of the arc. We obviously had some of it in 27, but it was the absolute minimum necessary for 28 to make sense and to establish their interactions. I realised the rest would be just as effective if it's stuff Persephone remembers, in terms of the ghosts of their past together. It integrated well with the themes of Waking Up The Night After And Thinking Back.

Jamie's Cover

Was mildly annoying that this was released online just before the last issue dropped, as the blood coated coat is something of a spoiler. But you end up shrugging, because “Sakhmet covered in blood” is very much her look anyway.

Jamie covered this one, due to Matt being away on well deserved holiday.

The breaking of the portrait is the theme for the second half of Imperial Phase, as those who've seen the future covers will know.

Jock's Cover

Very happy to get Jock doing a cover – one of the definitive cover artists of the 21st century, and one of the nicest people in comics. If I ever made a faustian deal, it was made on the floor of Jock's hotel room in Dublin, waking up and picking fluff off my tongue and thinking “you need to earn some money at some point, Kieron.” Jock had let Jamie and me crash on his floor, like the kind and lovely fella he is.

Anyway! Morrigan, in full fashion-sepulcharal. Obviously look at how Jock uses space here, and plays with the logo. That sort of awareness of the specifics of any individual cover is one of the reasons why he is what he is. Lovely stuff.

The 25 Issues In Future Cover

For Image's theme months, we normally say yes or no depending on whether it strikes us as a worthwhile idea in terms of the book – which normally means “do we have a good idea instantly.” In this case, Eric went “A hypothetical cover for your book 25 issues in the future.” Everyone on the team went “Well, by that point the book is over so...”

Original idea was a graveyard, but realised that a monument would be the way to go. It's based on one in Glasgow, which Jamie pointed out as we went past it.

One day I'll get the HUMANITY statue in London into the book, but not yet.

IFC

Deciding what information gets added to these is always an interesting challenge. What matters? What doesn't?

Page 1-2

We're back, and first panel is the Laura narration we haven't seen since issue 11. I miss that girl.

Jamie does this whole sequence so well. Matt too, in terms of mood. I'm always interested in the question Jamie asks me – in this case it was “why the hell is she living in a crappy room in the underworld? She's rich.” And then I have to justify it, which is nice, because it reminds me that my choices actually do have the justifications built in. I suspect I believe I used Bojack Horseman and Sid Vicious in crappy hotel as my references.

Yes, the Lucifer fangirl is cruel and unusual. That Persephone left the party saying she wanted to be alone and wasn't in the mood, and between then and now she's picked up someone else, and someone who reminds her of her old friend says a lot about her. Same as later, when she goes clubbing rather than go home.

Really interesting colour choices in the second panel of the second page by matt – that beige-y red of the cigarette light. And then look at the cold blue/white light when the phone clicks in.

I think a lot about how we hear about news, both personal and world news. Occasionally it's in person, but I think of refreshing the Warren Ellis Forum and then the top post being “Plane flies into World Trade Center” with one unread message or anything else. Just a line of text that is going to change everything.  We do a lot of stuff like that – I find myself thinking of the climax of The Immaterial Girl.

Page 3

I believe I was thinking of Bananarama's Love In The First Degree. Bananarama were my original text pop band. Huge chunks of what I love in Pop Music can be traced back to Bananarama.

Page 4-5

Earliest scene in the current recurrence, I believe... at least in terms of showing gods.

This is in part to make sure the timeline was clear. As Baal's Death Day was revealed, we know when he must have appeared... which was before 2013 Ragnarock which still clearly believed the gods not have returned yet. If this is Baal's first gig, then we know he spent a couple of weeks not doing performances.

The question of when Sakhmet came is open. I suspect I'm never going to actually say it in the script, but I can see Sakhmet's appearance basically prompting Baal into doing his first gig just to make sure he gets to be first. Those would be fun conversations. I could talk about our choices in terms of when we started our story, but there's certainly another version of WicDiv which did everything in straight chronological. If I was writing it for (say) television, I suspect I'd take that route.

(The short version is that in a monthly comic “Gods reincarnating as pop stars” isn't a big enough hook. That's a theme and setting. I needed the specific big plot, which was the Did Lucifer Do It?)

Anyway – party in a Warehouse, but look at what Matt does with the colours here, which are brutal. In an issue with so little joy, this level of pop just shows what the book isn't now.

Page 6

I'm always interested in Jamie's choices for the gods when they're not on stage. Amaterasu's clearly herself, but not quite as loud.

Eight panel grid, which is my standard choice. I suspect I could have pushed either of these half scenes to longer scenes, but I have bigger fish to fry.

Jamie does great stuff here with the body language – being questioned by the police about your girlfriend murdering a bunch of folk when you're hungover can't be much fun, and panel 2 really shows it. And then there's panel 4 – Persephone holding herself as she trudges away. The contrast between that and the detective's words is a lovely bit of irony by Jamie – she really doesn't look like someone who could.

Matt's colouring in the fifth panel is just startlingly wonderful. Just look at that.

Chrissy's ongoing biggest regret is that we did PERSY instead of PERSEY when we first did Amaterasu's nickname for Persephone.

Page 7-9

The formalist in me is a little annoyed that I break the purity of “follow around Persephone on her hangover day” and have a scene which starts before her.

Jamie and Matt always realign their work between arcs, and Jamie is trying some slightly different approaches to the page. I mention, as for me, this scene is where it's most obvious in terms of “something is a little different to usual.”

Return to the I Can't Believe It's Not The Danger Room, introduced in issue 17. Also, Minerva and Baal in Valhalla, which says how seriously they're taking it – neither live there any more.

I smile at the hot pink in panel 4 on page 8. Hot pink! Hot Pink!

The last panel of page 8 took some tweaking – originally Amaterasu didn't have a line, which made it easy to overlook their entrance, which made Persephone appear to come out of nowhere in the next panel. Adding a line to her solves that problem, but does undercut the beat of Baal/Minerva – Baal had a line which we lost, which meant the reader's eye would treat the panel as two moments. The celebration of the two – a gap on the page – and then Amaterasu coming in on the right.

I think Marlboro Shite has been in my notes since issue 4 or 5. Everything eventually finds a home.

(It's so old I was worried I'd used it before somewhere. Baal repeating himself would be terrible.)

Writing that has also reminded me that I had a stress dream last night about a continuity error in Uber where someone pointed out we'd changed names of one character mid-through the story. My subconscious is totally crap.

Page 10-11

I don't use that sort of caption-dialogue transition a lot in WicDiv, even though it's a classic story writer trope. In terms of modern writers, I always connect it to Rick Remender. It's one of his main bridging devices.

More about the gig next issue, but it was important to set up a bunch of stuff here. It's been talked about, but not in this level of specific. Clearly it's going to be a big part of the plot. It's been a while since we've done a big performance scene, after all. Imperial Phase is all about getting to your Knebworth, after all.

God, Cass is almost translucent here. She works too hard.

I really like Persephone's necklace in this page. Just noticed it.

Page 12-15

Highbury & Islington, as seen in issue 5 and returned repeatedly to since then.

I'm still not bored of how we flipped Young Avenger's White Backgrounds As Aesthetic Device when dealing with the Underground. Which probably says everything about the two books.

Obvious setting up key stuff for the Underground we'll need later in the issue on page 12 – namely that we can find to places you've been before, but it is infinite down here.

I believe ”Crap Narnia” was a last minute tweak of the script, but it does please me. The Norns are not have it with these tropes.

Panel 3 on page 13: Awwwwkward.

I have no idea how Jamie keeps on doing these outfits. He's an amazing talent. I should do a comic with him.

The specific choice of “At least 3G” makes me smile, as if Cass is working out what signal is reasonable to get in a magical underworld. “Yeah, maybe you'll lose 4G, but 3G should be good” she thinks to herself.

Yes, nothing at all comfortable in any of this.

It's always interesting to me how Cassandra is as vulnerable as she clearly is. You choose the right places to hit her, and she'll be derailed. Some characters clearly understand that, and others don't.

The last panel is the point where people who read the solicits are thinking “wait – when Kieron said “Wherein Dionysus sits in the darkness for most of an issue, but in an awesome way. Honestly, you'll love it. Also: other stuff.” was he being literal?”

Last panel is great. Full bleed gets the sense of the endlessness of the dark, and Dionysus sitting there, facing it. Art against the void. Our comic in a panel.

Page 16-17

There's more interaction with the public in this issue for a while, but the crowd stuff is where we're trying to show the responses more. Some people are petrified. Some people are still trying to snap her. Some are both.

Yet more fine gods-casual-clubbing looks.

The club they're leaving would be the Buffalo Bar, as seen in issue 18 of WicDiv (since repaired in WicDiv). They're stairs leading down on the right. Also showed up in Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl.

Interesting flashback colour choices here from Matt. Teal and turquoise? Colourists are amazing.

The Bridge Reconstruction sign is 100% period Highbury & Islington sign. We moved dialogue over it to try and signal “I know this looks important, but it's not.”

Deciding which exact euphemism for sex Cassandra should use on 17.1 was some degree of thought. Originally I'd written “Fucking” but that jarred with Persephone's own Fuck. “Banging” was the most comic option – it just speaks to the lack of respect Cass has for Pers/Baph's act.

“I've never said that out loud before” echoes with Young Avengers, of course.

I wanted the hard – mid sentence to set up for a hard-cut to the club. I'm a fan of hard-cut jokes, but doing it as an anti-joke was kind of the point. Let's go home, as I need to OH NO I AM IN A CLUB AND HAVING A SHIT TIME.

Page 18-19

I look at the first page, and smile, in purely a “I love comics” way. When I talk about “Wanting to write comics” versus “wanting to write stories that get turned into comics” way, it's stuff like this I'm thinking of. If I didn't write full script, it wouldn't work like this. Well... not as easily. It's calling for specific effects that Jamie and Matt completely get. Matt bleeding the red in is pretty astounding – that third panel especially. The second one you can think it's just the club lights, but the third is saturating the image, and then it just takes over. And that expression on panel 5. Yay, jamie. Comics!

Thinking this was a pro-pantheon fan club, so the response is different than on the streets. These people are shook up. They mean well. But... yes.

Obvious call back to Baphomet's dialogue way back in issue 7.

I believe the last panel description was “Hmm. I do like coke?”

Page 20

A general sentiment, but dancing with Taylor Swift's Blank Space.

21-22

And we return to where we started.

How good was the coke? Will we ever find out? Stay tuned to The Wicked + The Divine, kids!

(Not the first time Coke has been explicitly referenced in Imperial Phase. It was implied in episode 24, and Woden's memorable nose-piece in 28. Imperial Phase, proggy double albums and all that shit is just connected with that particular drug for terrible people. Year 4 will be less coke-y, hopefully)

And Ruth's surname revealed.

It's odd – when writing this I'd completely forgotten the obvious fact that Persephone is disobeying the television's instructions. I am useless.

That this is the second time that data access in the underworld has been referenced in this issue makes me wonder whether my own router problems were working their way into the comic. All work is autobiographical, but not usually that crappily.

(Don't worry. It's solved now.)

Great Jamie expression on the final panel, of course. The colouring of the section was one of the most debated bits of the book, and I like where we ended.

Page 23

I suspect I've got some pun interstitials which are worse than this ahead, but not many. That would be impossible.

Anyway – back next month for top sitting in the dark adventures.

Thanks for reading.

[bangtan-insfired]

Snake Eyes | BTS Mafia AU (5)

Pairing: reader x jimin | Mafia/Gang AU

Genre: angst x some occasional fluff

Summary: You were assigned to protect, watch over, and defend him. Falling in love with him was just an inevitable side effect.

Word Count: 4,188

A/N: Just to be clear I freaking adore Wonho but his name was the first to pop into my head when writing this and he ended up being a jerk...lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, feel free to send me asks with your thoughts <333

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 

“It’s so good to see you, son.”

You turned around in your seat at the new voice, eyes landing on two men. The one who had spoken was much older than all of you and you knew him as Park Seunghyun, Jimin’s uncle. Aside from working in the company, he also owned his own hospital and rumor has it that he’s power greedy as he had been pushing to be Mr.Park’s successor. You couldn’t help but feel wary around him.

The other man was taller than Seunghyun but younger and you recognized him as Wonho. He often featured in a lot of magazines known for his playboy ways and as you took him in, you now understood why he was such a heartbreaker, especially with that bright blonde hair. His eyes raked over your form curiously as well, a smirk tugging at his lips as his gaze met yours. His face rang a bell in your head as a sense of familiarity came over you but you couldn’t pinpoint why, other than the fact that he’s a well-known public figure.

“Long time no see, cuz. Sorry about your father.” Wonho addressed Jimin, pulling him into a brief hug. Neither looked pleased by their proximity, so when Wonho pulled away, he wasted no time in walking up to you, grasping your hand in his and pulling it up for a kiss. “And you are…?”

Jimin frowned, pulling your hand away from Wonho and standing in front of you. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Wonho’s smirk widened as he kept his gaze glued onto you. You scoffed, crossing your arms against your chest. Wonho is insanely handsome, you’d admit, and although you were into trouble, he’s the kind of trouble you liked to stay away from.

“Well if you ever get bored of Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, you can always call me for a good time.”

You couldn’t say you were surprised to see that he was indifferent to the death of his own uncle or to the suffering of his older cousin. As tight knit as the Park family all appeared to be on camera, they were pretty distant with each other behind the scenes. Even the way Seunghyun addressed Jimin was a bit awkward but you sensed that beneath it all, his sympathy was genuine. Family is still family, after all.

“Son, now is not the time.” Seunghyun cut in sharply, displeased by his son’s behavior. He looked at you in an apologetic manner, stretching his hand out to shake yours. “I’m sorry about him. But it’s nice to meet you. Jimin rarely introduces his girlfriends to us.”

“So I’ve heard,” you laughed with ease, smiling courteously at the older man as you shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. Park. I’m [Y/N].”

“Please, call me Seunghyun.” He replied and you nodded in acknowledgment. With a smile, he turned back to Jimin. “I was hoping you two would like to join us for some coffee. We have some things to catch up on.”

“Yeah, that’d be great.” Jimin nodded in agreement with a sense of relief in his tone, making you glance suspiciously between him and Seunghyun.

 **

 “So,” Wonho started, resting his elbows on the café table so he could lean in closer to you. Jimin insisted that he would join his uncle in ordering the coffee because you were picky and he wanted to get you your coffee just the way you liked it. He was bluffing, of course.

To anyone, it sounded like a sweet gesture because knowing how someone likes their coffee was a sign of intimacy. A part of you was amused to see what he’d bring you, but for the most part, you were concerned. You knew too well that this was an excuse just so he could speak to his uncle alone and you had to give him credit for it. How could you say no to your loving “boyfriend” in front of his family without sounding like an a-hole?

You kept your gazed fixed on them, trying to decipher their expressions and the way their lips moved. They stood in line, a good distance away from your table. When Jimin felt your gaze on him, he simply smiled at you and moved forward, conveniently hiding behind a huge plant while his uncle remained in your line of view.

You wondered if Jimin had lied to you earlier about not knowing anything and decided to seek his uncle’s help instead. If that’s the case, then he sure had you fooled and he was much cleverer than you thought he was. You doubted his uncle would be away to give him the help he needed, anyway.

Wonho frowned, waving a hand at your face to get your attention. You reluctantly tore your gaze away from the two men as you saw them just about to order, knowing that there was no chance of you being able to eavesdrop on their conversation anymore. Wonho was already finding your behavior suspicious.

Seeing that he now had your attention, Wonho’s frown morphed into a smile. “What’s your play?”

“What do you mean?” You asked as you leaned back into your chair.

“Is he forcing you?”

“What?”

“Are you pregnant?”

Your face scrunched up in distaste.

“Is he paying you?”

“No!”

“I don’t get it. What is a woman like you doing with a man like him?” Wonho asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he stared at you in disbelief. “You can do so much better.”

Should you feel flattered at his subtle compliment or slightly offended? You went with the latter when you reminded yourself of his true intentions. Was he always like this with Jimin’s girlfriends? This is probably why Jimin rarely introduced his girlfriends, you theorized. Suddenly, you felt protective over Jimin and a bit angry on his behalf. Poor boy.

“If by better you mean you, then you really need to reevaluate your pick-up lines. I believe when trying to ‘woo’ someone you’re meant to sound promising and I hate to break it to you”- your eyes raked his form with slight aversion because you knew that would hurt his ego-“but you don’t.”

His smug expression turned into a glare and you were glad that Jimin and his uncle showed up at just that time. You smiled lovingly at Jimin, sitting up straight in your seat. Jimin returned your smile—an awkward one but a smile nonetheless.

“I got you your iced, sugar-free, vanilla latte with soy milk.” He told you as he handed you an iced-coffee.

You grimaced at the contents of the order—you preferred your coffee black and with a lot of sugar—but quickly masked it with happiness, leaning in to kiss his cheek just to irk the man sitting across from you. “My favorite. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” Jimin replied in a bashful manner, his cheeks tinting with blush.

Seunghyun smiled warmly at your interaction while Wonho sulked in his seat.

“Ah, young love.”

For the rest of his break, Seunghyun asked you questions such as how you met, how long the two of you had been dating and if you two were serious. Wonho sat back but you knew he was just as interested in your answers as his father. You and Jimin took turns in answering the questions and he was surprisingly good at improvising. The two of you killed it and had captivated Seunghyun’s attention with your quirky love story.

He also reminded Jimin that there’d be an important meeting soon, where all the lead departments would discuss and vote on who the new CEO should be. He assured Jimin that the position would fall onto him as his father would’ve wanted, which you found odd considering the amount of articles that had been written about him the past months. Either they were just rumors or Seunghyun had something up his sleeve. According to him, the meeting was just a means of making it “fair” and official.

When Seunghyun and Wonho finally left, you dropped your act and turned to Jimin. He motioned for you to follow him so you did, matching his pace. “Your family sure is…nice.”

Jimin rolled his eyes at your tone. He knew who you were referring to. “You should meet my mother. You’ll sure get a kick out of her.”

“It’s a bit too soon for me to meet your mother, don’t you think?” You teased, bumping your shoulder with his.

Jimin glared, rubbing his shoulder. You doubted you shoved him hard enough for it to hurt and the quiver of his lips finally gave in to a smile, giving him away. “Well, we’ve been dating for two months…”

“Hmm,” You paused thoughtfully, tapping your chin as you leaned against the elevator’s wall. It was just the two of you inside so you could freely continue on with your little game. “Since we’ve been dating for a while now, I’d like to think we are beyond the stage of ‘keeping secrets’ so if there’s anything you’d like to disclose to me, I’m all ears.”

Jimin stared at you for a moment.

“Perhaps, something to do with your family...” You added.

 When the words processed in his mind and he finally registered what you were trying to do, he chuckled. “You have your secrets so I can have mine.”

Where did he get that confidence from? A few reasons came to mind and you sighed, trying to keep your cool. He could be bluffing.

“I’m allowed to keep secrets. You’re not.” You reminded, pointing a finger at him. The elevator dinged, signaling that it was stopping at a floor and opening soon.

Jimin grasped your finger, engulfing your hand in his as the doors opened behind him. A young woman entered and she spared you two a glance, bowing in respect to Jimin and sending you a small smile. A light blush colored her cheeks as she saw you two holding hands and she murmured an apology for interrupting you two, moving to the opposite side of the elevator. 

Jimin didn’t recognize her but as he looked at the badge around her neck, he realized that she must be new to the company. This was definitely not the first impression he wanted to make on his new employee.

You wiggled your hand out of his grip and leaned against the wall once more, relieved to see that the next stop was the sixth floor. You decided not to press him any further about it as you now had an audience. Albeit, it was just one person but one person was more than enough to get an unnecessary rumor started.

**

 Blood oozed out of his thigh and with a groan, he used his arm to apply pressure to the wound. He didn’t have the energy to tear a piece of his clothing to wrap around his leg.  It could be worse, he thought. He staggered to the front door, becoming wearier with each step he took as he leaned against Hoseok for support.

“We’re almost there.” Hoseok said as a way to encourage Taehyung.

Hoseok was just as beat up as Taehyung, except he hadn’t been hit by a bullet like the younger man. They had underestimated their mission and in return, were ambushed by not only the men they thought to be their allies but by Jaebum’s men as well. Their car had broken down a few miles before they reached the house so mustering up all the strength and energy he had left, Hoseok had to half carry, half drag Taehyung. They would’ve requested back up, if their phones hadn’t been destroyed in the process. It wasn’t skill that saved them tonight. It was luck.

The front door to the house opened and Taehyung smiled, his eyes beginning to close in on him. Despite the pain, he felt so sleepy…

“What the fuck happened to you two?” Yoongi greeted the younger males, his face scrunching up in concern as he took in their states.

“Hey, hyung.” Taehyung lazily purred.

“Jaebum’s men.” Hoseok replied as they entered the house.

Yoongi clenched his jaw in understanding as he shut the door behind him. He turned to the staircase. “JUNGKOOK-AH!”

In an instant, Jungkook was at Yoongi’s side. His eyes widened when he saw the two men. Taehyung was covered in all sorts of bruises and blood, and judging by the way Taehyung pressed his hand against his thigh, he knew it was his own blood and not anyone else’s. Meanwhile, Hoseok sported a black eye and bruises of his own, clutching his stomach in pain.

Jungkook stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Taehyung, taking in all his weight in support. Yoongi motioned for him to take him to the living room while he went to go get their first aid kit. Jungkook cautiously eased Taehyung onto the couch, rushing to their mini-bar to retrieve the whiskey as Hoseok threw himself on the love-seat across from them.

He poured some whiskey into a cup for Hoseok and gave the rest of the bottle to Taehyung, knowing he’d need it more, if they were going to take to the bullet that was currently lodged into his leg out.

“Drink up.”

Taehyung wasted no time, chugging the whiskey as if it were water. When Yoongi returned, Namjoon was by his side, taking in his member’s states with worry. 

Yoongi’s fingers pressed against Taehyung’s wrist to check his pulse and let out a breath in relief. He began to cut around the material of his pants to clean the wound properly, not caring if his blood was staining the couch. They could always buy a new one.

“They’re not messing around.” Taehyung let out a breathy laugh. Although he had been tired, he was fully alert now.

“What do they want?” Namjoon asked, sitting beside Hoseok.

“Everything.” Hoseok answered, remembering vividly the threat Jaebum had made. His group didn’t just want to expand their own territory. They wanted Bangtan’s allies, money and power. They wanted to be them.

“Seokjin was there, too.” Taehyung added, causing the atmosphere to darken. “He’s the one who shot me.”

“That bastard.” Yoongi hissed.

“Be gentle.” Taehyung winced at Yoongi’s carelessness with a pout, opening his eyes to see Yoongi struggling with the bullet. “[Y/N] wouldn’t treat me like this.”

“Well, [Y/N] isn’t here.” Yoongi snapped instead of apologizing.

You were always the one to treat their wounds since you had much more patience and were much gentler with them. Yoongi couldn’t help but miss you. In situations like this, you were the one who knew exactly how to make one feel better. Even when Hoseok would be in one of his rare bad moods, you always knew what to do or what to say to make him smile again. They desperately needed you right now.

“That’s because she’s playing housewife with Rich Boy.” Jungkook replied, rolling his eyes as he handed Hoseok some ointment for his bruises. “Remind me again how that was a good idea?”

“We need to keep her distracted right now.” Namjoon answered curtly. He then ran a hand down his face. He hated this as much as Jungkook did but as a leader, he had to think about what was best for his family as a whole, rather than just you.

“By making it easier for them? Jaebum wants Jimin and Seokjin wants [Y/N].” Jungkook retorted as he glared at his leader.

“Watch your mouth, kid.” Yoongi warned, not liking Jungkook’s attitude. He knew where Jungkook was coming from but that didn’t give him the right to question Namjoon. Had he forgotten who had brought them all back up after Hitman Bang’s death?

“Once we deal with Seokjin, [Y/N] will be back with us.”

“You mean once we kill him.” Taehyung laughed once again but there was no humor to it.

Everyone in the room tensed up as they all glanced at each other. The idea of killing someone they once regarded as their own kin was unsettling. It felt so wrong, even when it was the right thing of them to do. Seokjin knew too much. The quicker they dealt with him, the less risk they all would be in.

They knew how you’d take the news, which is why Namjoon thought it best that they sent you off to protect Jimin to keep you occupied and away from the house. Unbeknownst to you, Hoseok and Jungkook were watching you closely in fear that Seokjin would approach you. They’ve already lost a lot. They couldn’t afford to lose you, too.

“It’s just not right to do this behind her back.” Jungkook sighed in defeat as he brought his hands to his face.

“It’s not.” Hoseok agreed with a sullen pout. “But it’s what’s best for everyone.”

**

After Jimin’s shift was over, you texted Namjoon to let him know that you would not be returning home. Jimin had asked if the two of you could visit his father’s house and you had surprisingly agreed, despite the dangers it could bring. You were itching to know what Jimin had told his uncle so you decided that the best way to get him to tell you was to get on his good side.

As you pulled up into the long, spacious driveway, you gawked at the mansion. It was much bigger than your family home and that was saying a lot since your house was also huge. You couldn’t help but wonder why someone who lived alone would want to live in such a big house. Sometimes, you felt pretty lonely in your house and it was inhabited by six other people.

Jimin hopped off the car and you followed after him, your gaze wandering around the area. His father’s house was in a quiet neighborhood that looked peaceful. Too peaceful. Hitching up your skirt, you secured the gun from the glove department into your thigh holster. You probably wouldn’t even need your weapons but you didn’t want to take any chances.

Once it was adjusted and you made sure your knife was also there, you smiled at an annoyed Jimin as you fixed your pleated skirt. You followed after him, going up the porch steps to reach the front door. When Jimin punched in the code to unlock the door, you were glad you had made sure to bring your gun and knife along with you.

Every piece of furniture in the entrance living room was flipped over. Broken glass littered the floor along with papers, plants and house décor. The family portrait that consisted of just Jimin and his father was slanted, barely hanging on top of the fireplace. It looked like a tornado had hit and as the two of you walked further into the house, you noticed that every single room was in a similar state.

You kept a small amount of distance between you and Jimin as you walked, all of your senses on full alert mode. Jimin suddenly froze, turning his head to his right, causing you to crash into his back. It was then that you heard what had made him stop. It was a muffled sound—like muffled screaming.

Before you could stop him, Jimin was running toward the noise. You slipped the gun out of your holster, clicking the safety off as you ran after him. You felt your heartbeat ring in your ears at the thought of something bad happening to him when he was so close to you.

The noise was coming from the kitchen and as you turned the corner, you saw Jimin kneeling before an old woman who was tied up to a chair. Her mouth was shut with duct tape, her hair disheveled. Her cheek was tainted with a dark, purple bruise.

“It’s okay Mrs. Shin, I’m here.” Jimin whispered to her, reaching out to wipe her tears.

You scoped out the area, making sure that no one else was around before approaching them. It was only then that you allowed yourself to breathe.

Jimin pulled the duct tape off of her in one fast motion. Mrs. Shin let out a cry. She was quick to speak as her mouth was no longer restrained and the one word she uttered out, had Jimin blanching.

“Leave.”

“Leave? Are you kidding me? Who did this to you? Are the others okay? I’m going to get you out of this.” Jimin nervously ranted on as he rushed behind her chair to untie her hands. You kept your eyes on the old woman as she cried for Jimin to leave in a desperate manner.

“We should listen to her, Jimin.”

Jimin shot you an incredulous look, his eyes glistening with tears. “I’m not leaving her like this!”

You took a deep breath. You hadn’t meant to just leave her like that. You weren’t that cruel and you thought you had been obvious about it.

 Seeing that his hands were shaking and he was struggling with the ropes that were fastened tightly around her wrists, you moved forward to kneel beside them. You set your gun aside and slipped your knife out, cutting through the rope that had bound her hands and then the one that had bound her legs together.

“Who did this to you?” You asked the older woman in a calm manner as you could sense that Jimin’s current state was only adding more onto her distress. Her breathing was erratic and eyes wide. She was trying her best to calm down for the male’s sake but was failing terribly.

Whatever she saw or experienced had gave her a grave scare. Jimin wrapped his arms around her small, frail body. He rubbed her back in a soothing manner as Mrs. Shin slowly got her breathing back to normal.

“I-I don’t know.” She cried, rubbing the sore spots of her wrist. “They just…they just came and demanded to enter…enter Mr. Park’s office. They rummaged through all his stuff…Minseok wasn’t here today but Shinwoo...but Shinwoo was here and he...he tried to stop them and...and…”

Jimin pulled her in tighter, tears escaping his own eyes at the terrible news. She didn’t have to finish her sentence for both of you to figure out what had happened. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not safe for you here, Jimin-ssi.” Mrs. Shin whispered as she leaned back, bringing both of her hands to his face. Her thumb caressed his cheek the way a mother would his child. The two of them stared at each other, tears streaming down their faces. “You have to leave. What if they come back?”

“M’am,” You called to her softly. “Is there any place we can take you, where you’ll be safe?”

“I’ll send you back to your hometown.” Jimin’s eyes remained on Mrs. Shin as he answered. “I already lost my father. I can’t risk losing you.”

“No.” The old woman began to shake her head with a frown. “What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Jimin smiled in reassurance as he placed a loose strand of her gray hair behind her ear. “It’s my turn to take care of you now.”

“I’m going to go check out the rest of the house and then we can head out.” You informed Jimin, leaving your gun with him just in case.

You felt like you were intruding in such a precious moment and it started to make you feel uncomfortable. It reminded you of just how naïve and pure Jimin was to this new world he was living in. He was beginning to learn the hard way that any association with people like you opened the door to his loved ones getting hurt. Too bad, he had no choice as he was thrown into this cruel world against his own will.

You approached every room with caution, gripping your knife. The house was so huge that you were sure half an hour had already passed and you had only covered the downstairs area. Fortunately for you, you hadn’t encountered another living soul. You say living, because as you approached the upstairs hall, you almost stumbled upon a dead body.

It was of an old man. Blood pooled around him and as your eyes raked over his lifeless form, you spotted two bullet holes. One in his chest and one in his head. You knew then exactly who had been in this house. You recognized Mark’s, one of Jaebum’s men, signature all too well.

His body didn’t reek terribly yet. It was in the early stages of decomposing. You estimated that this had happened recently, perhaps earlier today even. Poor Mrs.Shin had probably been stuck to that chair for hours.

 With a sigh, you stepped over him and continued on into the house, making note to call one of your police friends to deal with the dead body. You’d dispose of it yourself. However, you sensed he must’ve meant a great deal to Jimin-- assuming he was Shinwoo-- and knew that Jimin would want him to have a proper burial.

When you finally came across Mr. Park’s room, you were disappointed. You had been hoping to find some kind of clue or lead but found nothing. Whatever it was that Mark and his men had come in looking for, they either must’ve found it or found nothing.

  The mattress was hanging off of the bed frame, curtains ripped and every single drawer of his bureau were thrown open, some of them laying on the floor in broken pieces. Piles of clothes littered the floor along with some papers. All you could see were contracts related to his company but of no relevance to you or anyone important and some old mail. Your eyes were skimming the last of the mail when you heard it. The sound rang in your ears loud and clear. 

It was a gun shot. The blood drained from your face as you scurried down the hallway, pace quickening as you heard another gunshot followed by a scream.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 

[bananashemmo]

When We Collide (Part 19)

Pairing: Assistant!Y/N/CEO!Luke

Rating: NC-17

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18

Summary: He is the definition of high class smart ass, swimming in Dom Pierre Pérignon champagne and has never seen the shadow of poverty. She is underprivileged, lives in a messy dorm room on sale and struggles working as an assistant after being thrown out of college. But how will they collide when Luke makes Y/N pregnant after a drunkenly one night stand?

When We Collide on Wattpad

“She asked you to be their fake surrogate? For fun? I’m sorry but was she dropped as a baby because the lack of brain cells and situation awareness are concerning!” 

The conversation had been serious until now. Nicole’s frustration was almost bigger than yours and it was the reason why you couldn’t keep a straight face. She almost hated Holly more than you did. 

“How do you even bother to be their assistant…” She shook her head in disbelief and glanced over at Luke and Holly talking by his director chair, a script in their hands and their faces serious. 

“I think with everything I go through I’m able to take on the world.” You giggled and moved away from leaning against the wall to look more productive than you had done before.

The studio was packed today as usual. People were at the dressing rooms running around and preparing actors for the scenes, Luke was sitting in his chair and yelling when things wouldn’t go correct or if a scene had become just like he wanted it to be.

Nicole was here as usual standing with her little tray to serve food. You sometimes thought her work was worse than yours, at least you didn’t have to walk around and fed other with delicious food you weren’t allowed to touch.

“Hey!” She almost scolded when you stole one of the strawberries from the silver tray, “Those are for the actors.”

“With all the secrets I have I think I’d become a much better actress than assistant.” You winked and chewed until the strawberry was gone and she couldn’t take it away from you. 

“When will you announce anything?” She asked with a curious expression and her eyes adverted down to your stomach.

“I mean look at you. You’re glowing.”

You giggled by her words and rubbed your hand up and down the bump. It had become bigger than the last time you had checked, it was growing every single day you almost felt you couldn’t catch up. 

People had been complimenting you wherever you went. People at the office were pretty surprised but it couldn’t compare to your old college friends.

It wasn’t that you had been paying them a visit but you had met some on the streets a few days ago. They were pretty shocked, they didn’t know what to say other than the fact you looked much older than you had did in college.

Weirdly enough you felt the change. You weren’t such a mess like you had been before, you were starting to have a change of thoughts and parties weren’t on the top of your head any longer.

You weren’t the one to walk around and be completely fucked up in a bush. You knew it was something you missed a little bit but still you didn’t feel like it was something you needed in your life right now.

Give the baby the blame but it was starting to make you change, not just in the way your attitude was but also the clothes were starting to become tight.

You sooner than later had to buy new clothes. Everything was sitting so tight now and with your boobs starting to grow as well you knew you would have to raise the cups in your bras sooner than later.

It was a budget that was a bit hard to take over and you didn’t want to ask for money. You couldn’t just call home and say you needed money for clothes, you hadn’t even announced the news that you were pregnant.

You didn’t see any reason to tell them. When they didn’t even give effort to ask and hear if you were okay you didn’t see any reason to start explaining the change of your life.

Besides, you also wanted to avoid the topic of who the father was gonna be. 

“Considering you can’t hide it anymore, how will you tell everyone?” Nicole asked and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“I mean, some day you have to tell people that you’re pregnant. As it is so obvious now you can’t really say you ate too many pizzas down by Rosalie.” 

She was referring to the pizza place your dorm was above. It was the place you always visited on Sundays with hangovers, you could almost name a pizza after you because it was the one you always ordered and there was always a special ingredient on top. 

“I think it’s just easier if people have the guts to ask me.” You shrugged, you hadn’t really thought about it. You knew people were thinking about it but some were too afraid to come up and ask if it was true. 

“But what about Luke? Will he ever announce that he’s the father?” You could tell she was curious, she was having one eyebrow quivered but she didn’t want to trigger you. 

“If you ask Luke he’s not the father.” You quickly answered and crossed your arms.

“I don’t get him! One moment he acts like he’s all over me and makes sure that everything is alright with the baby and another moment he’s the biggest ass I’ve ever met and doesn’t want to have a single thing to do with it. I know it’s a big change in his life but sometimes he acts like he’s the only one going through it but I’m here too. And I’ll be affected more because he can leave easily and I can’t. Not that I want to. I’d never leave my baby behind.” 

Nicole nodded her head in agreement and understood your frustration.

It was confusing as hell. You knew he also had a lot on his mind when it came to Holly but you just wished for a little bit sympathy that wasn’t just fake. 

“Holly is just more important to him than you are.” She shrugged her shoulder and watched them talk.

“I’ve never been important to Luke.” You replied in a soft tone, feeling a frown spread on your face. 

She looked over at you with the exact sympathetic smile you had been searching for, for a while. She wrapped you up quickly but also had to leave because she was at work after all and not really allowed to speak to you between breaks. 

“We’ll talk later okay. We’ll go get some coffee or something. Hot chocolate for the mommy.” She added the last bit just to show that she knew you weren’t allowed to drink the other thing and disappeared on the group of people.

You sighed softly and looked down at yourself. Months from now you wouldn’t be able to see your feet, how would you be able to put on socks with such a big stomach?

It was weird thoughts like these you had at times. They just came randomly and also reminded you of how alone you felt. You knew you had Nicole, Joe and a few other friends but it was still something you went through alone. 

You shook the thoughts out of your head and decided to head towards the camera crew and Luke. You were at work after all.

They were currently having a scene which meant the lights were dimmed, workers were completely quiet and the only thing that was focus on was the scene in front of you.

The stage had been transformed into a small bedroom but it was very neutral so you couldn’t tell who it belonged to. 

Holly was by the door and talking but nobody was in the room. You didn’t understand any of it but now when you thought about it, you had never invested your time in finding out what Luke’s movie was about.

Sure, he had been talking about it more times than you could count by hand but you had never actually listened. 

It had been sounding interesting and with his enthusiastic voice you one wit was something he was very proud of. He worked late at night to make the scripts, he said it was his way of working best. When it was dark outside and he would sit in front of his small lamp and a notebook clearing out his thoughts and writing everything he had in his heart.

You hadn’t been reading the script but there was one available so you decided to take a look. 

The top had a few scribbles here and there. You could tell that whoever owned it hadn’t fully planned out how the title of the movie would be. It was something along the lines of walks being built to keep someone safe but there wasn’t a final result.

The scene they were recording today were number 19. It was still in the introduction part of the movie, the protagonists hadn’t fully gotten to know each other yet and only two characters would be on stage today.

You knew it was about a boy, Luke had been telling you that. It was the only thing you remembered because it was something that stood out from the ordinary. 

It was a character Luke had invented when he was younger and didn’t take anything seriously. He had never believed he would be in the industry because it was only something he saw as a hobby. But with the money he had and already prepared knowledge of the acting industry he followed his dad’s footsteps. 

You weren’t sure where in the scene you were at but you were somehow drawn to it.

Holly was many things you could point out at once. She was such an idiot, use didn’t understand anything that was not surrounding her and she was born with a golden spoon in her ass.

She was never the one to understand everyone else, she only understood her own problems and pushed away everyone else to get her satisfaction. She only lived in the life of money, she was home schooled and never the one to get near a public school.

But acting she could.

There was something about the way she was moving around, speaking heel ones with emotions that made you understand why Luke had picked her in the first place.

She knew what she was doing, most probably because it was the only thing she was good at besides spending more money than you would ever own in your life. 

She was neither wearing the usual clothes she did. Her makeup was minimal, her blonde hair was curled to try hide the Botox invaded face and she was wearing more casual clothes.

You knew the movie wasn’t about being rich, it was about the normal life of someone being in school and not having to buy everything to get what they want in life. 

“Okay cut.” Luke announced and the dimmed lights were brightened up again so everyone could proper see.

“It was really good, I loved the expression. For the next clip I’d like you to be a little more shocked when you hear the voice coming from the bed but not being able to see anyone.” He explained and you watched carefully.

It was different seeing them like this. They were professionals, they weren’t just goofing around like they always did. They both really area about their professions and it was somehow a little bit of a surprise. 

They did in fact do something to own their money. Of course they were both born in the life of richness but they also did a lot to gain their respects from everyone. 

Luke could easily become one of the most arrogant asses you had met in life but he was working hard to get the success he wanted. It was a feature you hadn’t realized until now. 

“When we start this, it’s the moment where she actually sees him. He’s not a shadow anymore and he’s not invisible to her world and I really want all the emotions expressed in that quick moment.” He explained and baffled his arms in the air to express his meaning. 

Holly nodded her head in agreement and the ponytail swung around a circle as she turned around to get back in the staged bedroom. 

As the scene progressed and Luke seemed as satisfied as he possibly could be the lights changed again and everyone was allowed to get a small break. Only fifteen minutes and if anyone were late they knew a fired note would be planted in their hands.

Luke ran his hand through his hair a little bit tired from all the hard work, he had been here since 6 A.M. 

“Have you seen Y/-,” Oh over there.” He glanced over his shoulder after grabbing the arm of one of the other workers. He clearly hadn’t needed you for a while since he had no idea where you were standing. 

“I’m sorry I was just looking…” You trailed off not really knowing how to safe it, it wasn’t really any of your business you were only the one to copy the papers out at the copy machine.

“It’s fine.” He nodded his head with a quiet voice and noticed the wonder on your face. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I’m just trying to understand it. Not the scene where looking at but just the movie in general. I know you explained it before but I’ve just… Never fully understood it?” 

You could tell by the way he turned around on his chair that he actually wanted to share a moment with you to let you understand. It was a thing you had noticed, he liked sharing stuff he was proud of. 

“Well the movie is about living in the shadow of everyone else. Nobody pays attention to you, you’re close to become invisible because it’s one of the hardest things to go through. Never being fully noticed for who you are.” 

You nodded your head by his explanation wanting him to continue.

“We’ve got the main character Adam who suffers through the life of being nobody. He doesn’t have any friends. It’s not like he’s being bullied because nobody has noticed him to do so. He’s just completely alone.” 

“And that changes when he meets Julia?” You asked just to be sure, you had been reading the script after all and you noticed Holly’s character shared that name. 

“Yes Julia is the first one to notice him. At first Adam doesn’t believe the possibility that someone has seen him, let alone being a girl. It changes everything about his life and it starts to color up. Like it suddenly makes sense why he’s living.” 

“But what is the plot then?” The story sounded so interesting you were actually surprised by Luke’s imagination. 

“They are polar opposites. The live completely different lives and that creates the complication. With all the odds against them Adam doesn’t believe that he deserves her…” 

Luke paused in track almost as if he didn’t want to spoil the plot twist or if he wanted you to figure it out yourself. 

“So he becomes invisible again.” You replied after thinking, looking up at him with wide eyes.

It was brilliant. Everything about it sounded so interesting, for once it wasn’t a girl being confused and feeling alone but a boy. Not to mention it had a bit of fantasy in it, but with a deeper meaning of real life and how someone could feel so alone. 

“And the suspense continues from that.” Luke nodded his head in confirm and looked down at the script you still had in your hands. 

“I haven’t figured out a title for it yet. Sometimes it’s one of the hardest things to do. Even if it’s so simple.” He reached over for you to return it as it was in fact his script you were standing with.

You did think the handwriting was familiar and you returned it with a small smile on your face. 

“It’s actually a brilliant idea Luke. I think you should know that.” You admitted and out of habit rubbed your bump.

“I know.” He smiled, bringing back the cockiness he always had but the warmth in his eyes was something new. 

“Would you mind copying a few of those?” He gave back the script, “We’re having new actors coming later for the new scenes coming up and I want a few extra copies in case they forget theirs.” 

“Sure.” You nodded your head in agreement and took the script back. For once you were actually happy to do something Luke requested you to do because it meant you could skim through the pages and see what would happen. 

Your head was completely buried in the script it was almost like a book. And to be honest there was a reason you had been kicked out of college, they had never really been your thing. 

The office was quiet when you walked in but it was no wonder. Everyone was almost gathered at the first floors to be a part of the filming no matter what kind of role they had in the business.

You opened the lid to the copy machine and connected the script to it. It was actually one of the only things you were good at, you knew just exactly how to use it because it was the thing Luke requested you to do the most. 

Meanwhile the papers were spit out from the machine you took the time to take a look at your computer while waiting.

It had been standing open since this morning when you checked into the office. It was only for a quick check but now you at least got the chance to see what was going on without Luke calling for your name repeatedly. 

You furrowed your eyebrows confused when checking your mail. It was the same boring thing as usual, some being less important than others but one mail stood out from the others.

You could see the sender was the landlord of your dorm, and the title was making you so nervous you didn’t want to open the email at all. 

“Your contact is terminated.”

You furrowed your eyebrows confused but you knew you had to open your mail. You knew what was coming, it had been prepared for a while yet you felt you had only gotten a second to adjust the change that was going to happen.

There it was. The landlord had been waiting for this, he had been waiting to kick you out of your dorm to get some other idiot to rent it instead. 

You knew you had the contract that said he allowed you to find another place and stay at the old dorm until so. But with all the things that had happened it had slipped out of your mind and now you had to return your key the second you would show up to pack your things.

In fact you didn’t even get the chance to pack any of your things since they had been placed right in front of the door waiting for you to come. 

“I’m sorry to inform you that the deadline is over and I have no other option than to kick you out. Key has to be returned before 3 P.M this afternoon.” 

It was like a kick right to the stomach and the worst thing was you had been prepared. You knew it would come yet you allowed it to slip out of your mind and thoughts. 

You could feel your breath quickened, you had no idea how to react. It was so many emotions hitting you at once and they were heightened because of the pregnancy. 

 “Y/N what in the world is taking so long it’s just a couple of damn papers-,” Luke stopped in track when he came into your office to see your miserable expression.

You weren’t crying but you had water in your eyes and it was hard to keep them in. You tried your very best because you didn’t want to stand and cry in front of him, it felt pathetic even if it was your own fault.

“What’s wrong?” His face showed a hint of concern and he quivered an eyebrow.

“I uh-,” You didn’t know how to explain yourself so you turned the computer screen around for him to see.

He furrowed his eyebrows confused and headed over to give the mail a read. It wasn’t until the end that he softened up, he wasn’t as confused as before and he understood your sudden reaction.

“What uh-, What a bummer.” Was the first thing he said after thinking and you silently nodded your head in agreement. 

“I don’t know what to do…” You never liked being the vulnerable one, especially not showing weakness towards Luke but it just felt natural at this point. 

“Move in at my place.” 

The words were so simple yet held so much importance. It left silence cloud over the room and your eyes widened so large they were about to fall out. He seemed pretty confused by his words as well but he still meant his words. 

“What?” You had never been this confused in your life before and your voice was weak. 

“Move in at my place until you find something else.”

“Luke it’s okay I can just stay at-,”

“No seriously. I’m insisting.” He stopped you and held a hand in the air, “You know you shouldn’t be stressing around and it’s probably for the best. That way you will always have a place to be at and you don’t have to worry about crashing from couch to couch. I can promise you a real bed. Five if you’d like.” 

“But what about-,”

“Whatever problems we have we’ll fix them okay? You just don’t have to worry about anything now.” He folded his hands together and waited for an answer, you were still pretty surprised. 

“Okay fine,” You were still confused why you were nodding your head in agreement but you did. It would almost be a bigger change in your life than your pregnancy because living with Luke would be something out of the ordinary. 

He smiled softly by your words happy that he was able to convince you and grabbed the scripts that had been printed out but were still warm. 

But I get my own room right?” You asked just to be sure and he nodded his head in agreement with a smile. 

“You can get your own wing of the penthouse.” 

[lizziethereader]

85 Questions

I’m finally getting around to doing this. Thank you so much for tagging me @coffeebooksorme!  This is very long, so it goes under a read more, and I totally understand if it’s too much (and tmi) for the people I tag and you don’t wanna do it, BUT I’m nevertheless tagging @fromprincess2veganess, @princessofbookaholics and, to keep it a princess theme, @aliteraryprincess :) 

the last 1. drink: coffee

2. phone call: if all goes well, my future employer

3. text message: the family whatsapp group

4. song you listened to:  Right Hand Man from the Hamilton soundtrack

5. time you cried: I don’t remember, it’s been years

6. dated someone twice: I’ve never dated someone once lol

7. kissed someone and regretted it: nope - I only kissed on stage and that was fine, but I wouldn’t wanna kiss anyone in real life

8. been cheated on: nope

9. lost someone special: only pets :(

10. been depressed: that happens pretty regularly.... last time was last month

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: I’ve never gotten that drunk since I honestly don’t see the point

3 favourite colours 12. dark red 13. dark green 14: petrol blue

in the last year have you 15. made new friends: yes, on Tumblr :)

16. fallen out of love: nope

17. laughed until you cried: probably, but I can’t remember a specific time now

18. found out someone was talking about you: I don’t think so... but that doesn’t mean people are not talking. They’re probably saying lots of bad things and they’re probably all true :P

19. met someone who changed you: possibly? 

20. found out who your friends are: yeah, but in a positive way

21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: definitely not

General: 22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: all of them, I don’t add strangers

23. do you have any pets: two cats and some fish

24. do you want to change your name: Nope, I quite like my name :)

25. what did you do for your last birthday: hahahaha nothing. well, I made myself an awesome cake and we ate it, but that’s it. 

26. what time did you wake up: 08:50

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: I was just about to go to bed

28. name something you can’t wait for: my Dresden holiday next week :)

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: this morning

30 has vanished? uhm, okay? 

31. what are you listening to right now: The Hamilton Soundtrack - currently ‘Helpless’ :)

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: well, not Tom, but Thomas

33. something that is getting on your nerves: The insecurity and uncertainty in my life currently

34. most visited website: Tumblr

35. hair colour: Brown

36. long or short hair: mine is pretty long (just about covers my boobs); on other people I like both - people are usually prettiest with what they feel most comfortable with

37. do you have a crush on someone: not really, I think I can’t go beyond aesthetic attraction 

38. what do you like about yourself: very little. maybe my  conscientiousness

39. piercings: Just my ears

40. blood type: I’m not entirely sure, but signs point to AB+

41. nickname: Lisi, or Lizzie

42. relationship status: single

43. zodiac: Taurus

44. pronouns: She/Her

45. favourite tv show: yeah there’s no way I’m picking just one :P

46. tattoos: I don’t have any, since I’m scared I wouldn’t like it after some time

47. right or left handed: Right

48. surgery: I had knee surgery almost two years ago (got a cruciate ligament replacement since mine was torn)

50. favorite sport: horse-riding! (jumping and dressage)

51. favorite vacation: in general, I LOVE city-trips. Out of the vacations I’ve been one, I couldn’t pick a favorite since I’ve been on many great ones

52. favorite pair of trainers: well, I always wear Converse, and my current ones are always my favorites

MORE GENERAL

53. eating: fun fact: I only eat every second day

54. drinking: If you’ve never been to Austria and had Almdudler, you’re missing out!

55. I’m about to: catch up on the #oneshortmonth reads

56. waiting for: book mail!

57. want: I could go for a snack right now

58. get married: I don’t think it’s for me, but I love when friends do it

59. career: I don’t even know, man

WHICH IS BETTER:

60. hugs or kisses: HUGS

61. lips or eyes: Eyes

62. shorter or taller: taller

63. older or younger: depends on what this is referring to

64. nice arms or nice stomach: arms 

65. hookup or relationship: neither

66. troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER:

67. kissed a stranger: nope

68. drank hard liquor: definitely

69. lost glasses/contact lenses: no, because I don’t have any :D

70. turned someone down: sort of

71. sex on the first date: sex never! I’m very very ace

73. had your heart broken: not in a romantic sense

74. been arrested: no

75. cried when someone died: yes

76. fallen for a friend: I’ve never fallen for anyone

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

77. yourself: Ha. don’t call me out like that! the answer is no

78. miracles: I don’t know...

79. love at first sight: nope, not love. 

80. santa claus: haha nope, and I never did because we have the Christkind over here

81. kiss on the first date: if people want to, sure

82. angels: nope

OTHER:

84. eye colour: blue/grey/green? it’s hard to tell 85. favourite movie: I don’t knooooow, there’s many good ones! 

[eirian-houpe]

The Library Beneath the Clock Tower - Chapter 16

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

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

Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Widow Lucas | Granny, Grumpy | Leroy, Maurice | Moe French, Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Merida (Once Upon a Time), Jiminy Cricket | Archie Hopper, Gaston (Once Upon a Time), Le Fou

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

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

Read on AO3

[Chapter 1]  [Chapter 2]  [Chapter 3]  [Chapter 4]  [Chapter 5]  [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]  [Chapter 8]  [Chapter 9]  [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15]

Chapter 16 - News Travels Fast

It didn’t take Belle long to move her things over from Granny’s to the library apartment, as little as she had to bring. She was mid-move when she noticed that the utilities had been reconnected, and reminded herself to take a walk along to Mister Gold’s shop later to thank him for being so efficient. Thinking about that also reminded her that should drop by the town hall too, to give the personnel office her permanent address. Let’s see how the mayor likes those apples.

She chuckled to herself at the thought, but really more because of her happiness at being in the undeniably beautiful apartment  - a place to call her own at last - and literally being right on her work’s doorstep.

Her stomach growled softly and she supposed she should visit the local grocer’s shop and buy supplies.  She may have a working stove and a refrigerator now, but nothing to put in either, so picking up her purse, and the keys to both the library and the apartment, she let herself out through the library so that she could ensure that the door was locked in her absence.

The sun was making a rare appearance and it helped to keep her already buoyed spirits even higher as she made her way down the street and in through the little door into the grocery store. She picked up a basket, which she hung over her arm as she made her way up and down the narrow rows of shelves, picking out a few essentials to keep her going for a couple of days. As she turned around the end of an aisle, she spotted the woman behind the counter, and her shock of red curly hair. Maggie, she remembered as she waved a hand in greeting.

“All right?” Maggie said in return. “Heard you’ve moved up in the world.”

Belle picked out some vegetables and set them into the basket along with her other supplies, and approached the counter, setting it there for Maggie to ring up.

“I’m sorry?” she said, confused.

“Moved out of Granny’s and into the apartment above the library,” Maggie said, beginning to take the items from the basket, tap away at the register before carefully packing Belle’s purchases into a paper bag.

“Ah,” Belle said and nodded. “Yes, that’s right.  Wow, news really does travel fast around here.”

“Och,” Maggie dismissed her thought with a wave of her hand. “You should’nae worry. Folk around here’ve naught better to do wi’ their time than gossip.”  She weighed Belle’s tomatoes, before keying the price into the register then asked, sounding as though she were trying to be offhand about it. “What’s it like up there?”

“The apartment?” Belle asked, just to be sure they were still speaking on the same topic.

“Aye,” Maggie confirmed. “No-one’s been in there since the last Librarian popped her clogs, gods rest her soul… and then she took it on.”

Belle’s frown of confusion deepened. “She?” she asked.

Maggie leaned across the counter a little, lowering her otherwise booming voice to a near conspiratorial stage-whisper and said, “It’s all rumor I suppose, but they say that Gold’s wife decided to gut the place, and—”

She pulled back looking guilty as the door opened and the mail man walked in. He nodded to Maggie before setting a small bundle of mail on the counter top beside the register, and with a polite smile as though aware that he had interrupted some kind of ‘moment’ between the two women, went out the way he’d come.

Belle raised an eyebrow in query at Maggie the moment the door closed, more intrigued than any other feeling, but it seemed the moment had gone, and Maggie bustled around for a moment as if trying to remember where she was in terms of Belle’s groceries as she said, “Well, I shouldn’t really be spreading rumors now, should I? Bad form all round.” She paused a moment before asking, “So?”

“So?” Belle’s head was beginning to spin with the speed at which Maggie kept changing the subject and mood so fast that she couldn’t keep up.

“Aye, the apartment. You were about to tell me what it’s like.”

“Oh, well,” Belle floundered a little, “It’s quite nice really. Better than I expected actually?”

“And it has central heating, right?” Maggie asked, as if suddenly concerned after Belle’s well being. “Only, I remember my da always used to say Miss Angela would always complain about the cold, and around here, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, that’s most of the time.”

“Oh, I… I see, and um… I’m not sure.”

“You mean ye didnae ask?” Maggie blurted. “Took on the place and didn’t even check to see if Gold was gonnae freeze ye to death.”  She shook her head, “What else did you neglect to ask?”

“I’m… sure it will be fine. It’s quite obviously in a good state of repair, and I’m sure Mister Gold wouldn’t have forgotten something as important as basic amenities, like heating.”

“Aye,” Maggie said as if doubting, “Well… Will there be anything else?”

Belle blinked and then realized that the chatty gossip that was the local shopkeeper had finished her calculations and was referring to her groceries.

“Oh, no,” she said. “Thank you.”  Then, “Oh, wait… you wouldn’t happen to have any more of those bannocks, would you?”

“Of course,” Maggie ducked away into the back of the shop calling through, “How many do you want? They’ll keep in the refrigerator.”

“Um… two please. No - make that three, and could you wrap one separately.”

Maggie came back through carrying three bannocks, and slipped one into a paper bag on its own, with a raised eyebrow, and Belle couldn’t help blushing.

“As a thank you to Mister Gold,” she said.

Maggie nodded, as if she had known all along, then asked, “So… what do ye plan to do… for the library, I mean.”

Belle smiled and more in her element launched into regaling Maggie with details of all her plans, even those not quite fully formed as she said, “And I plan to have a children’s story time. To encourage young readers to the library, you know?”

“Aye, well, there are plenty of kids around here,” Maggie said.  “Even the mayor, if you can believe it, has a wee boy.  You should talk with Mary Margaret if ye can. Local school teacher. A wee bit too cheery for my tastes, but… all right in small doses, I suppose.”

“Thank you. I will,” Belle said, and started to turn to leave. She was half way down the length of the store when Maggie called after her, sounding almost embarrassed.

“You… you wouldn’t happen to have a copy of Margaret Peterson Haddix latest book? You know…? It’s the next in the series with Found in it… that had a plane on the cover. I started reading the series to my brothers and… well, I kinda got hooked.”

Belle gave a soft, internal sigh. She knew the book series to which Maggie was referring. A series that began with the sudden appearance of a plane, out of nowhere, and the passengers on board being babies - thirty-six of them. The series revolved around the adventures of some of the children thirteen years after they were found.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head, “I don’t. I could get it, but it might take a while.”

“Oh, well,” Maggie said, clearly disappointed. “Never mind, then.”

A sudden thought occurred to Belle, and she said, “I think I know a book you might enjoy even more. I can put it aside, if you’d like.”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed, and she said, “I doubt it.”

“No, trust me on this one,” Belle said with a smile. She knew just the right book.

“I know the kind of things I like,” Maggie argued softly.

“Well,” Belle kept the smile on her face. She hoped that Maggie wouldn’t be as hard a convert as she seemed, and that she could get her to come to the library. “Perhaps I’ll see you over there anyway.”

She left the store then, and returned to the library, meaning to head to the outside access to the apartment and to put away her groceries, but when she drew near to the library, she saw quite the crowd had already gathered at the front doors. She altered her course, to arrive at the rear of the small group of people, attempting to make her way through to the doors.

“Excuse me,” she called out, and little by little was able to make her way to the doors, where she turned to face everyone and said, “It’s really good to see you all.”

“We were hoping that you’d be opening the library,” Doctor Hopper seemed to have been appointed spokesman for the eager townsfolk.

“I will, yes,” Belle said, shifting her bag of groceries to the other arm, as she tried to unlock the doors so that she could set them down. “But just at the moment, I’m still reorganizing everything. It shouldn’t be much longer though.”

A sudden cacophony of voices erupted as everyone seemed to forget that the town psychiatrist was supposed to be speaking for them, and as soon as Belle got the doors open, like a tide they swept her into the library, almost pinning her to the circulation desk.

“Please, everyone… one at a time,” she called above the sudden noise.

She had to repeat herself, but eventually the voices died down to a murmur and Doctor Hopper spoke again.

“We don’t mean to pressure you, Miss Marchland,” he said, “It’s just that it’s been so long since we had a library, I think we’re all… anxious to use it.”

Belle smiled. “I feel the same,” she said. “I promise you I will open just as soon as I have everything in place. She set the groceries down at last, and instead picked up a sheaf of registration cards.  “In the meantime, perhaps I can ask you to take one of these with you, fill it out and return it. I’ll put a box outside for you to slip them into.  That way as soon as I do open, you’ll be able to just come in right away and get started.”

Once again she was almost swarmed by eager townsfolk, who took the cards and hurried off with them, and she smiled to herself as she expected there would be many cards in the box for her to process by the morning.

Before he left, Doctor Hopper gave Belle a nod, and said quietly, “This really is what everyone needs, Belle. Thank you.”

She gave him a smile as he left, and was about to pick up her groceries to take them up to the apartment to put away before coming back down to the library to start work again, when she spotted an older woman lingering by the doorway, keeping hold of an unruly toddler who was trying her best to escape the woman’s grasp. The old woman was also holding the hand of a quieter, older child.

Belle frowned softly.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“I know you said you aren’t open yet, but…  I um…”  She tugged on the toddler who was still trying her best to free herself. “I live right by the edge of town, the small house by the park - far too small for all these children.”

Belle blinked in surprise, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Sorry,” the woman apologized, as if only then remembering that Belle was new in town. “For some reason, there are a lot of orphans in Storybrooke, and… well, I foster a lot of them until homes can be found.”

“Oh, I see,” Belle felt her heart begin to soften as understanding dawned.

“And, you see, they get like this with nothing to do,” she gave a little shake to still-struggling toddler. “When we had the library before…”

She trailed off, but Belle understood, and held up a hand. “I think I have just the thing,” she said.  “Wait here.”

She left the old woman standing by the desk and walked into the children’s section of the library - or what she was setting up to be the children’s section - and grabbed a handful of Magic Treehouse books, returning with them to the woman, and offering them to her, even cognizant that she had no hands with which to take them.

Instead, the old woman nudged the older child who was still standing quietly, and he reached out to take the books from Belle.

“I think these might help,” Belle said. “They’re great to read aloud to children, but also easy enough that older children can read them themselves, or to the other, younger children.” She offered a smile, then added, “There are more, somewhere. When I find them I’ll be sure to bring them over.”

“Oh,” the woman seemed to be quite beside herself at the gesture. “Thank you. You’re a godsend.”

Belle shook her head, moving to hold open the door for the woman and children. “It’s my pleasure. Please be sure to come back if I can help with anything else. Something for you perhaps.”

The old woman nodded, and then left, all but dragging the toddler behind her, the sound of her giving the unruly child a talking to diminishing as they got further away. Belle sighed, and let the door swing shut, leaning on it for a moment.

She was about to turn the lock when a man’s voice from the end of one of the stacks made her jump almost out of her skin.

“Well, Miss Marchland, it seems you’ve made quite the impression around here.”

She spun around, relaxing only slightly when she heard the tap of Mister Gold’s cane as he came closer, but offered him a wan smile none-the-less.

“Mister Gold,” she greeted him. “You gave me quite the fright.”

“My apologies, that was never my intention,” he said as he came to a halt, setting the cane on the floor between his slightly spread feet, and leaning both hands on the handle. “I merely came to check that everything was working now as it should be; in the apartment, I mean.”

Belle’s smile brightened. “Oh, yes. Thank you,” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “Actually, I was going to come and see you to thank you in person, but then…” she gestured at the door to the library again to intimate the people that had just left. “…well, I was delayed.”

“Indeed,” he said pleasantly enough, but with a faint smirk on his face. “Well if there’s nothing else I can help you with…”

He had taken a step toward the door before Belle remembered the gift she had for him, and called out, “Actually, Mister Gold…”

He stopped, and swiveled back around to face her, “Miss Marchland?”

“Well, I have something for you,” she said and reached into the bag for the individually packaged bannock. “As a thank you for getting everything done so promptly.”

“No need,” he said in answer, but took the bag she held out to him all-the-same. “As your landlord it’s my duty to see to such things.”

“Even so,” she said with another smile. “It was very thoughtful of you.”

She watched as he opened the bag and peered inside.

“A bannock.” He identified it immediately, and she thought she saw the hint of something flash through his eyes. “How quaint.”

“It’s just,” she shrugged, “I had one before; recommended to me as a matter of fact, and… well… I thought you might like one.”

“It was very good of you, Miss Marchland,” he said. “I do, actually, quite enjoy a good bannock every now and again.”

“Then I’m glad to have gotten one for you,” she said, feeling a faint blush come to her cheeks. “So, um… did you want to come up and make sure of everything yourself?”

He gave her a slight frown. “I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said, “I trust your word, and I’m certain that you’ll let me know if you have a problem with anything.”

“I will,” she said.

“Well then, Miss Marchland,” he said with a nod of his head, “I’ll bid you good day, and um… thank you. For the bannock, of course.”

[torentialtribute]

It is time for Johanna Konta to put the boot in against Vondrousova to reach French Open final

It appears that the teenager who stood between Jo Konta and the French Open final on Friday

Marketa Vondrousova owns 200 pairs of shoes, gathering them as being the only distraction from the company to make itself the most important star of the ladies game.

She can play any recording in the manual and use every inch of the job. The question is whether she will be able to perform in this unknown area.

<img id = "i-71a53df05962a45a" src = "https://dailym.ai/31giktu image-m-83_1559854668751.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Johanna Konta was watching her on the ball when she was challenged in front of her nose "

<img id =" i-71a53df05962a45a "src =" https://dailym.ai/2KugUWi "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Johanna Konta

Johanna Konta kept her eye on the ball when she was referred her walk for her half

<img id = "i -2b4468f00d7b7954 "src =" https://dailym.ai/31dzwQA "height =" 430 "width =" 634 " alt = "Konta takes over world no. 38 Marketa Vondrousova for a place at the end of Saturday in the French Open" class = "blkBorder img-share"

Konta takes us reld no. 38 Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the French Open on Saturday take on world no. 38 Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the Final of Saturday Open

PRISONED FOR KONTA

7] Beware of the mix : Under the Marketa viewer, Vondrousova is a head who can immediately program different strategies. She can draw on different photos by striking a flat backhand and heavier played forehand. Unlike many female players, approaching the net is no fear. In her last match, she played nearly a quarter of her points and won 68 percent of them.

Note the dropshot : She loves to taunt opponents by sweeping the ball over the ball. just. Billie Jean King suggested that Konta avoid hitting her backhand that way. Here, there and everywhere : Her victim in the quarterfinals, Petra Martic, described her as the best movement she had encountered.

on tour The way she flies over it makes it difficult for her.

Konta enjoys the advantage that he had been here before.

What is different is that neither of the two occasions was the most experienced player she should win, this is her third semifinal Grand Slam, after taking the same stage at Wimbledon 2017 and the 2016 Australian Open . .

But the British No 1 has promised to give a show on Friday.

& # 39; I definitely my role as an entertainer, & # 39; said Konta. & # 39; People come, they pay tickets to watch a show, to watch a match. I don't know what to do, but I don't know how to do it, but I'm not as good as that, so that doesn't always happen.

she cloust the first available ball in every rally.

During this tournament, almost three-quarters of the points in her games lasted four strokes or less and she won a comfortable majority of them.

That Konta is the only one of the last four to have gone so far in a large one, shows rather the almost total breakdown of power structures in the women's competition

Vondrousova, 19, can look for inspiration after the shock of the 2017 French champion Jelena Ostapenko, who started as a teenager with that tournament, but had turned 20 by the time she won.

<img id = "i-5e3afcd83e108942" src = "https://dailym.ai/2KtFTJq image-a-89_1559855008214.jpg "height =" 430 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-5e3afcd83e108942" src = "https://dailym.ai/2WgE5KP /06/22/14473928-7113543-image-a-89_1559855008214.jpg "height =" 430 "width =" 634 "alt =" Three-quarters of the points in Konta & # 39; s games so far have only four hits or less of the points in the Konta matches have so far only taken four strokes or less "

Three quarters of the points in Konta's matches so far have only taken four times

Vondrousova will seek inspiration to be picked up at Jelena Ostapenko who won the 2017 "class =" blkBorder img-share "/> tournament i 2017

& She did great and she was just as old as I & # 39 ;, said Th and Czech. & # 39; It's very hard to win all those games, seven in a row, so it's just like dreaming me now. & # 39;

Vondrousova comes from the town of Sokolov and moved away from home to Prague on tennis at the age of 15.

Rapidly rising like World No. 38, Vondrousova has a box of tricks that represents a serious danger to her.

In the other semi-final, it lists the nature of the ladies draw that the new favorite for the professional cricket title played barely three years.

Ashleigh Barty, Australia, who gave up tennis and a season had for Brisbane Heat in the Women & # 39; s Big Bash League, beating American Madison Keys 6-3, 7-5.

On Friday morning, she must face 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova, who played the game of her life-defending title defender Simona Halep 6-2, 6-4.

]

[19459] <img id = "i-b63c4e6960cf5ba8" src = "https://dailym.ai/31dzxE8 -image-a-91_1559855339642.jpg "height =" 446 "width =" 634 "alt ="

Ashleigh Barty, who left cricket for tennis three years ago, is in her first semifinal slam "Ashleigh Barty , who gave up cricket for tennis three years ago, is in her first semi-final slave "

Ashleigh Barty, who gives up cricket for tennis three years ago, is in her first Slam semifinal

Rain and strong winds have been predicted, so the tournament has taken the unusual step of putting the women's half over the second and third courts at 10 am, British time.

Steve Simon, chief executive of the women's tour, mentioned the & # 39; unfair and inappropriate & # 39; switch, but if the delayed schedule is further messed up, it will at least be the same for all involved. ] The result is that Konta does not play in the huge Philippe Chatrier stadium, but in the intimate setting of Court Simonne Mathieu with 5,000 seats, the new arena built in neighboring botanical gardens.

It is designed to look like a tropical greenhouse, but the conditions inside can be more like stormy days in Eastbourne. Since the British No 1 wants to try to reach one target that Jo Durie achieved 36 years ago, the Bristolian offers a warning story. Like Konta, Durie defeated a top American star, Tracy Austin, in the quarterfinals but then lost to a modestly ranked Eastern European, Mima Jausovec from former Yugoslavia

<img id = "i-ed7d6b46ea049d86" src = "https://dailym.ai/2WPmxkZ /2019/06/06/21/14473758-7113543-image-a-86_1559854782063.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Konta will take over Vondrousova in the intimate 5,000 seat Court Simonne Mathieu on Friday "

<img id = "i-ed7d6b46ea049d86" src = "https://dailym.ai/2KyLD4O. jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Konta takes on Vondrousova in the intimate 5000 place on Friday afternoon Court Simonne Mathieu "class =" blkBorder img-share "Konta takes on Vondrousova in the intimate 5.000- places Court Simonne Mathieu on Friday

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