#Importance of Spoken English in Today

[barcaatthemoon]

in your corner || barcelona x teen!reader ||

the team shows up to your graduation when your parents don't.

it didn't feel right sitting in the back of a taxi. you should have been riding to your graduation with your family, but they had deemed your brother's track meet more important. they believed that one day, he'd be an olympian, despite the fact that you already were. it had always been like that in your family though, your brother's accomplishments outshining yours no matter the difference.

today, you graduated from school, which you had attended while also easing your way into soccer full time. anybody else would have thought that was a marvel in and of itself except for your parents. because it was you, they only questioned why you weren't top of your class. any bit of excellence on your part looked like the pinnacle of mediocracy in your parents' eyes.

in hindsight, yelling at them to just forget about you was not your best idea. it was why after this, you were packing up your things and moving them into a new apartment. there had been an opening in bruna's building, so you took it. you could easily afford the apartment with your salary at the club, especially not that you'd be getting starter time.

the taxi came to a stop, and you were careful in picking your facial expression for the day. this was a happy day, and you couldn't let your peers know how disappointed you were about your parents abandoning you. you kept a happy face on during the ceremony, one that was fake until you looked out into the crowd while you accepted your diploma to see your teammates.

it was unmistakablely every single one of them sitting there, including girls who you had briefly played with on the b and youth teams. your heart swelled with joy, and for the first time that day, your tears were happy ones. suddenly, you couldn't wait for the ceremony to end so you could go see them. each of those girls had become like family for you, and it was your first taste of what family was supposed to be like. they were your support system, always cheering you on no matter what endeavor you pursued.

"no more homework!" mapi exclaimed as she scooped you up into a hug. you laughed as she spun you around and around. her least favorite part of every practice was when alexia made you sit with vicky while you studied or finished up your school work. in mapi's mind, that was always during prime goofing off time. "come on, my mami wants pictures."

you let yourself get pushed around for several sets of pictures with your teammates. none of them mentioned the absence of your parents, most likely thanks to a briefing from alexia and patri. slowly, they all began to shuffle out and disperse, leaving you to catch a ride with aitana and keira for lunch. it was a team thing, so more of the girls would be there, but keira had quickly claimed the spot to drive you there.

"i'm proud of you kiddo," keira said as she wrapped her arm around your shoulders. there had been a lot of changes during the season, and while the change scared you, keira had been like your rock. she was the biggest help to you learning english and solidifying your spot in one of the best midfields in the world. "i've got a surprise for you when we get to the restaurant."

"a surprise?" you perked up instantly. it was somewhat childish, but you loved surprises. usually, they were good when it came to your teammates. you knew that keira would never do anything to hurt you, having taken you under her wing like you were her child. both of your english teammates had, but lucy had departed from spain a couple weeks ago.

you had been more than a bit bummed out by the news, but you understood. lucy had done what she felt she needed to at barcelona. you were also going to be on your way out temporarily. you had spoken with your coaches and management about going to college, and they had signed off on you taking a gap year to play the next season before you went off to america. you were committed to a school, but you had yet to tell your teammates which one.

lunch was nice, despite the fact that you couldn't focus because you kept trying to figure out what keira's surprise was. it wasn't until you noticed several of your teammates filming you that you got a bit nervous. luckily, you didn't have to wait too long after the cameras were brought out. alexia mentioned something about dessert, and when you turned around expecting to see the waiter, you saw lucy standing there in a tarheels shirt.

"i didn't tell anybody," you mumbled, unaware of how they could have known where you were going.

"sorry that i missed your graduation, but i'm so proud of you. i can't wait to watch you next year in carolina," lucy said as she wrapped one arm around you. the little plate with a slice of cake was set in front of you, but you didn't pay it any mind. you wrapped your arms around lucy's body in a tight hug. "score some goals for me, okay?"

"i'll try for more than what i score against you." everybody at the table laughed at your joke, except for lucy, who knew that you were serious. she could be the best in the world, and you'd still managed to get one or two past her. the whole team would work to make sure that you did. they wanted the world to know how good you were, which lucy knew would make for an interesting champion's league with her new team.

"we'll see about that," lucy mumbled as she pressed a kiss to the top of your head. you glanced around you at your teammates and friends surrounding you. it was the happiest that you'd ever been, but something told you that there was only going to be more to come with them in your life.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

A List of "Beautiful" Yiddish Words & Phrases

for your next poem/story

A mensch tracht un Got lacht - man plans and God laughs

Az der soyne falt, tor men zich nit freyen, ober me heybt im nit oyf! When your enemy falls, you shouldn’t gloat, but you don’t have to pick him up either!

Az Got zol voynen af der erd, voltn im di mentschen di fenster oysgeshlogn! If God lived on earth, people would break His windows!

Az ich vel zayn vi er, ver vet zayn vi ich? If I’m going to be like him, who will be like me?

Choshuv - important; notable

Daven - to pray

Di kats hot lib fish, nor zi vil di fis nit ayn-netsn - the cat loves fish, but doesn’t want to get her feet wet

Di liebe is zees, nor zi iz gut mit broyt - love is good, but it’s good with bread

Fargin - to be glad for another person’s success or happiness

Gezunterheit - with health

Heymish - homey, down to earth

Ich hob dich azoi lib, az ich volt dir mayn toit nit gezshalevit - I love you so much I would not even begrudge you my death

Kholem - dream

Kvell - to swoon with happiness and pride

Mensch - a good person

Mishpocheh - (mishpokhe, mishpucha) family, or someone who is "like family"

Schmaltzy - overly emotional or sentimental

Seichel - common sense

Sheifale - lamb

Shmutz - a little dirt or something messy, generally on your face

Shpilkes - impatience, restlessness

Spiel - a generally long story or speech

Vartn - waiting

Verklempt - feeling overwhelmed with emotions

Zeeskeit - sweetness

Yiddish:

Yiddish is about 1,000 years old, and was once the international language of Ashkenazi Jews (the Diaspora Jews of Central and Eastern Europe and their descendants). 

The language is mostly German, but is fused with words from Hebrew, Aramaic and many other languages from the places where Jews have lived or fled to. It’s sort of a melting pot of languages, in a way. Traditionally, It’s written in the Hebrew alphabet.

At its height less than a century ago, Yiddish was spoken and / or understood by an estimated 13 million of the world's 18 million Jews, with many speaking Yiddish as their primary language. But, due to the Holocaust and other atrocities, most Yiddish speakers didn’t survive, and the language almost died.

Aside from Hasidic and Ultra-Orthodox Jews who often speak Yiddish as their primary language, in insular communities, most people today know only a few Yiddish words. However, many young Jews have recently become interested in getting back in touch with their heritage through Yiddish.

Yiddish is a language full of humor and irony, expressing subtle distinctions of human character that other cultures don’t recognize or put into words. It’s a language that expresses our strengths and weaknesses; our hopes, fears and longings. Many of these terms have found their way into English, because there is no English word that can convey the depth and precision of meaning that many Yiddish words can.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ More: Word Lists

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or send me a link. I would love to read them!

[octuscle]

Catalan internship

Michael was overjoyed. He would never have dreamed that he would be accepted as an intern at the renowned architecture firm in Barcelona. Normally, world-class offices only accepted seniors as interns. And Michael was a sophomore. And he barely spoke a word of Spanish. To be honest, he had lied a bit on his CV. But the internship didn't start for another three months. Until then, he would learn Spanish and learn so much that it wouldn't even be noticeable that he had only just started his studies.

When he was on the plane to Barcelona three months later, Michael didn't speak a word of Spanish and had gained a lot of experience in frat house parties over the past few weeks. The internship was going to be a debacle… And indeed, he didn't understand a word on his first day. And even if he had spoken the language, he would have had no idea what they wanted him to do. Michael cursed the decision to apply for this position. He was only happy when he was finally in the office. He googled "Spanish now". A list of language schools and language apps came up… Boring stuff… That didn't help him now either… And then, already on page 2, came "Become Spanish in just a few moments". Chronivac… Never heard of it… "In-app purchases possible." Never mind, Michael had his dad's credit card….

"Spanish architecture student in his final year". That was all the effort Michael put into his prompt. That was enough work for today. Michael spent the rest of the day looking for trendy bars for tonight.

Miguel wasn't overly punctual when he came into the office the next day. Why the hell didn't he understand anyone here? The language sounded like a gibberish of Spanish, French and a few more languages. Fortunately, everyone here actually understood Spanish. And for a reason Miguel couldn't quite explain to himself, Miguel spoke fluent English. This made it easier to flirt with the other interns from Germany, Poland and the USA. Unfortunately, Miguel quickly realized that everyone else here was far superior to him professionally. Despite his advanced studies, Miguel was a complete layman compared to his colleagues when it came to creativity, structural engineering and building technology.

"A young Spanish architect". And "Enter".

Miguel hated his small apartment in the suburb of Barcelona. He designed the most beautiful houses, the most spectacular skyscrapers. And he lived in this shoebox. Okay, to be fair, Miguel didn't actually design anything. Miguel drew staircases. Staircases for the most beautiful houses, the most spectacular skyscrapers. Buildings that someone else in the office had designed. One of the big bosses who were in the limelight, who were celebrated in the press. The stars of the Catalan architecture scene. Miguel could puke. In itself, he could have been satisfied. He wasn't earning too badly. He was a good-looking man. But he spent ten to twelve hours a day in the office. He had never seen one of his construction sites. He left his home at 06:00, he came home at 19:00 or not until 20:00. Sport? Going out? Meeting friends? He was already happy if he managed to finish a ready meal in the microwave. Didn't he have this app? He felt like he had last used it years ago. "One of the big boys in the office," he wrote. Tomorrow he wanted to be one of the bosses.

As a Spaniard, Miguel was used to having to earn respect. The cursed Catalans always thought they were better than everyone else. That was one of the reasons why Miguel almost lived in the gym. Sleep, gym, office, gym, sleep, gym… Getting his muscles to burn was more important to him than being successful here in the office. And with the muscles, success somehow came automatically. In meetings, he was always looked at when a question was open. Miguel knew that he wasn't actually the most talented architect in the office. But thanks to his impressive physique, he had managed to carve out a reasonably decent career. He earned good money, he had a summer house in Mallorca, he fucked the interns. And he was sometimes allowed to suck off one of the gods, the bosses of the office. No more. No less. His career had come to a natural end. He was just 42 years old. Damn it, it had to go on somehow. But as a Spaniard in Catalonia? Not a chance! He searched for this app… What was it called again? Chronivac. What should he enter as a prompt…? "My own master. And Catalan"

Miquel got up at 05:00 and immediately started lifting weights in his carpentry workshop. As a self-employed man, he didn't have a minute to lose. His apprentice and his two fellow carpenters arrived between 06:00 and 06:30. Most of his neighbors could set the clock so that the circular saw would start howling at 06:30. This did not necessarily make Miquel and his workshop popular. But his father and grandfather had already built cupboards and tables here for the neighborhood. The family had made a small fortune. And Miquel was a celebrity in his neighborhood. They called him "the Catalonian Arnold". And indeed, he was not much less imposing than his great role model. When customers came to his workshop, he always went out of his way to flex his muscles. Many of his customers attached great importance to him personally installing the furniture. And it was not uncommon for customers to have the air conditioning turned off. No matter. As a rule, he worked bare-chested whenever possible anyway.

Miquel was a good craftsman and not a bad self-promoter. But as a businessman, he was a failure. His accounts were constantly empty, the demands of social security and the tax authorities constantly hovered over him like a sword of Damocles. How he would love to simply chisel iron and work with wood. His two passions. In fact, he felt like an accountant. He wrote "Be free" in this strange app.

It had been a few years since Miquel had sold his workshop and the house in Barcelona. He had never been back since. But he had heard that Japanese-Chilean tapas were served where he had once assembled cabinets. Although he had received an indecent amount of money for the property by his own admission, he would be able to eat there for maybe a year and then he would be broke. But the last thing he dreamed of was eating Japanese-Chilean tapas in Barcelona.

He no longer worked for money in the village where he had bought an abandoned carpenter's workshop. He worked when he felt like it. Or when someone asked him to. Of course, after just a few hours, his muscular body made him a household name. But first and foremost, the few remaining inhabitants were happy that there was a carpenter in the village again. And what a carpenter. Good with the plane. And good with the tail. Miquel had nailed everything there was to nail in the village. His cock was in a jockstrap encrusted with cum and precum. He stank of sweat and musk. If it bothered anyone, Miquel would press their face into his armpit. Either he was rid of the annoying troublemaker afterwards. Or he had a new victim to fuck. Everything was actually perfect… But something was missing.

Miquel hadn't had a cell phone for years. Anyone who wanted to reach him could reach him. He wasn't a hermit. He had internet in the former sheepfold that he converted into his last home. His supposed last home. Who would know that?

He still remembered the moment when he switched off his last phone for the last time. He had used Chronivac for the last time shortly before that. "A contented man in his prime". Damn, that was him.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5948

Jalsa, Mumbai May 31-June 1, 2024 Fri/Sat 12:14 AM

🪔 ,

June 01 .. birthday greetings to Ef Barun Sen .. and Ef Manish Singh Rajpoot .. 🙏🏻🚩❤️

Belated birthday greetings to Ef Amit Agrawal from Seattle USA 🇺🇸 .. for May 31 .. 🙏🏻🚩❤️

..

and all the wishes for the birthdays from the Ef family .. love ❤️

so each day is a learning .. what I learnt today stays .. and is replicated to others , and in particular family and the dear ..

I learn today ..

aaahh .. never mind ..

it be not of interest or importance to share to the other .. there is ever the reason for it .. and it be that , better to get the sharing of another that is greatly more proficient and valued than what you may have picked up .. and that is and has been the practice, at least for me .. I may be of the opinion that my learning could be of value to another .. but what if his or her learning is sufficiently more interesting than mine .. to assume that yours is the best is my fallacy .. and fear in many ways .. to be put down is an embarrassment .. ever .. you think you know all but there are millions of others better than you .. you m ay be the strongest physical presence in your environ, until you turn a corner on the street and discover that there are several others stronger than you .. your boast goes to roast .. !!

so ..

come to me .. yes , come .. but -

wait .. wait .. wait .. !!

I am never the best ..

and wait .. wait .. waaaiiittttt .. could be the utterance from AAA in film coming out of an Easter egg , giberiging :

'the whole country of the system is juxtapositioned by the haemoglobin in the atmosphere .. !!'

but it was just ad. libbed at the recording by me .. not making any sense .. Manmohan Ji just allowed me to say any junk at my request .. just so it looks like a proficient English speaking Anthony, when indeed he is not .. and merely just rattling off some BUMFF .. !

AND ..

AND ..

AND ..

you shall be surprised and shocked as am I , that it was mere junk spoken by me .. but the Ef Bushra on a research of the film Amar Akbar Anthony by the interview given by Man ji to an English journalist or writer found this :

The song ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves’ begins with these lines spoken by Anthony when he emerges from the Easter egg – “You see, the whole country of the system is juxtapositioned by the hemoglobin in the atmosphere because you are a sophisticated rhetorician intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity.” It is an almost exact quotation from a speech in the Parliament of the United Kingdom given by British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in 1878. Disraeli (who was referring to William Ewart Gladstone) used the word “inebriated” rather than “intoxicated.”

wooooaaaahhhh !!! 😳

AND .. hang on ..

I had some days ago either a letter or a WhatsApp message from a cinema fan and a very proficient scientist, I think from the US, an Indian doing research on space , that the words :

'juxtapositioned by the haemoglobin in the atmosphere'

is a scientific fact .. that indeed there is this factor and a reality, scientifically proven, of 'haemoglobin in the atmosphere, being juxtapositioned,' or something like this .. and his purpose of writing to me was ..

how did mr B know of this fact years before it was researched ..

🤣

🤣

🤣

NO NO NO sir .. I knew nothing .. they were just funny sounding words that were invented at the time of the song recording live by me, spontaneously, without any pre prep or meaning, and enacted in the song , my name is Anthony Gonsalves ... !!!!

OHHH .. BABY .. !!!

I must search that mail or letter .. to give the correct interpretation of this scientist ..

so where did we start today ..?

aaah yes .. learning ..

told you .. never a dull day ..🤨

Love night and dreams 😴

Amitabh Bachchan

... such a common phenomena 👆🏼 in the days of the cassette generation

🤣

[shiqmns]

fem! reader that’s best friends with jackie and shauna (like how they are in the show + her) and then she starts going out with one of them (you can decide who) after sleeping together drunk at a party and it’s kind of weird at first for the trio and the change of dynamic but they solve it at the end

Spare the Gory details

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

no crash au! & party after they qualify happens a few days after the game for my own mental sanity..

no smut but suggestive???

title from the butcher by radiohead 😉

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jackie and shauna, only one word to describe them; inseparable. so when you happened to join the mix halfway through their senior year their dynamic was..off to say the least.

you had began getting closer to #6 herself, shauna shipman, you were both nerds so to say who excelled in english—she took a liking to you. now you had known that she was on the schools soccer team, however, you didn’t expect them to be that good. you realized when you had managed to catch a game after one of the longest days of school ever—swamped with homework you decided to take it to the library and that’s when you heard cheers and screams of encouragement, you being nosy as ever went down to the field (homework long forgotten i may add) and managed to catch that nail biting finals qualifying game without even realizing it.

you watch and you watch—cheering every now and then—and just as fast as it started it ended, yellowjackets won! you focus in on #6 herself, seeing how she darts down the field to #9 i mean you had known, (everyone knows) jackie and shauna were the best of friends—voted most likely to stay best friends after high school—kind of friends, it was just common knowledge.

that next week, in english class you’re sitting alone listening to whatever music not even realizing that shauna is speaking to you, “hey—would you wanna go to this party today, the clearing in the woods it’s uh—the yellowjackets celebration party—it’ll probably be lame-“ you cut her off “i’ll be there” you say with a smile—after that party let’s just say the dynamic changed between you and her, it also gave you the chance to finally meet the princess of Wiskayok, jackie taylor. the two of you hit it off instantly (whether it was her actually liking you or the fact that shauna and you were from the same pod didn’t matter) the inseparable two of them became the inseparable three of you!

one random day at lunch you hear the infamous lottie matthew’s speaking about a party at her house, yellowjacket’s and invited guests only, you of course are always an invited guest (otherwise lottie would most definitely get jumped by jackie and shauna), you all agree to go and everything is great! fun even..until shauna (who’s incredibly wasted off of milk and malibu) drags you off to the side citing it as “something about jackie—important—and something else” that’s all you could really get from her drunken slurs, you oblige and she pulls you into one of the many guest bathrooms in the matthew’s estate; and almost immediately she kisses you, you freeze up but after a moment (almost one too long) you kiss back—matching her passion and grabbing onto her waist, you kiss and kiss—running out of air you pull back and dumbfounded mutter a “what the fuck—“ before you can even think to continue shauna’s back pouncing onto you, gripping at your shirt and tugging it off—you help her get out of whatever colored flannel she’s wearing, was she even wearing one?, whatever you don’t care—everything’s moving so fast and she’s down on her knees, she’s pulling your pants down and looking up at you with those big brown doe eyes pleading with you to just let her do anything, and who are you to say no?—

so yeah, that happened. you and her haven’t spoken since you dropped her off after the party. that next english class, shauna doesn’t even show up. she’s not answering texts or calls—and neither is jackie. you think you really fucked up, until you find a note in your locker during passing period reading—in that somehow neat scribbled handwriting—that you know oh so well, “park after school-s”, well now your stomach hurts!

you obviously go to the park—you’d be dumb not to after whatever that hookup was (it was amazing—best you’ve ever had you think) and once you arrive you see #6 sitting on a bench alone. the tension in the air is thick to say the least, neither one of you wanting to talk about what happened a few nights prior but shauna eventually breaks the silence by confessing that she does in fact like you, and deep down you know that you feel the same. the hookup was a last chance to figure yourself out before she left for nationals. you both decide to think things through while she and the rest of the yellowjacket’s play in their state game.

when she comes back you both decide to give whatever this is a try and just see how it goes—promising that if it doesn’t end well that it won’t mess up the friendship between you her and jackie.

however things seem to go fine! great amazing beautifully—whatever you wanna say because shauna shipman is the best girlfriend anyone could ask for.

and yes—while it’s awkward for jackie for a few weeks, she gets over herself and used to it because she can’t stand to lose her best friends in the entire world. plus she’s actually kinda happy that shipman is getting laid now…her mood has definitely improved!

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[outlanderanatomy]

2024 SiWC Panel with Diana Gabaldon

Greetings Outlander fans! My, I have missed you all… 🤗

This weekend I find myself in beautiful Surrey, British Columbia,  Canada, attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, more commonly known as SiWC!

I drove from Oregon to Canada lastThursday. It was a beautiful day but the  normally 5.5 hr drive turned into nearly 7 hours due to two collisions in Washington state.  Yes, it was an inconvenience for those on the freeway, but I was grateful to arrive safely and I hope those involved in the crashes are OK.

Thus far, I have attended several events featuring Diana – she is one busy lass! All were delightful and I will share them with you, but not in chronological order mostly due to the technical issues of posting via  iPad. 😉

Today’s event was titled “Compelling Expositions,” a panel featuring Diana Gabaldon, Michael Slade, Robyn Harding, and Darren Groth (not shown).  K. C. Dyer moderated (also not shown).

Diana looked stunning, layered with in a deep red shawl because the room was freezing! 🥶

Many fruitful topics were covered by the panel. Here are some highlights including Diana’s responses:

Question:  Which is your fav scene from your writings? Diana chose the scene from “Outlander” book wherein Jamie rescues Claire from Black Jack Randall’s clutches. They shelter at a tavern –  Jamie tells Claire he is not ready for bed and proceeds to whip her with his sword belt. This set up a major clash between the two characters because each POV was justified from their perspective. Claire was trying to find a way back to Frank but Jamie knew her actions put all of their lives  in danger. I must confess, this choice surprised me. I suppose because Diana has written so many splendid scenes. How would one even choose? 🤔

This is wee bit of the excerpt from the scene (pp. 249-250 “Outlander” Kindle version) that is Diana’s fav!

“Come to bed, Jamie. What are you waiting for?”

He came to stand by the bed, swinging the belt gently back and forth.

“Well, lass, I’m afraid we’ve a matter still to settle between us before we sleep tonight.” I felt a sudden stab of apprehension.

“What is it?” He didn’t answer at once. Deliberately not sitting down on the bed by me, he pulled up a stool and sat facing me instead.… 😯

Question: How do you deal with pacing? Diana responded that pacing depends on context. For example, if there is an emergency then the writer wants to keep sentences short and terse. Pacing allows the author to create tension between two elements. A question is raised and then answered to move the story forward. (Psst…. She didn’t mention that sometimes the answers to questions she raises don’t get resolved until two books and ten years later!) 😂

Question: How do you deal with slang or dialect? Diana feels dialogue is the most important way to define a character.  An author using another language (e.g. Gaelic) needs to educate themself in the language. She watched films with Scottish characters to hear their spoken English. At conferences, if she heard anyone speaking with a Scottish accent, she invited them for coffee and listened to them speak. Diana also recommended reading books written by someone who speaks the language. She read several Scottish authors to help her get a feel for syntax, cadence, etc. Frankly, her devotion to her craft is a splendid example to all aspiring authors. 🥰

Question: Do you plan out a chapter or scene ahead of time? Diana does not. We already know she doesn’t write in a straight line. She also does not tell her characters what to say or do. She waits patiently for them to speak to her.  This being my fourth SiWC, I can tell you hers is a unique approach. Most writers I encounter plan out scenes, many even work from  a classic outline. She also doesn’t know ahead of time how a book will end. I guess the one exception here is that she seems to know how the “Outlander” books will end. Sob! 😢

Question: Who is your favorite author. James Clavell, she answered without a moment’s hesitation.  Clavell authored the marvelous, “Shogun,” for those who might not know. Although it has been some time since I read it, it is well worth doing so. 👍🏻

These were highlights of the panel for me.

The full panel discussion can be accessed on the blog.

I hope you enjoyed the panel. Need I say, my fav author for “Compelling Exposition” is none other than Diana Gabaldon? 🤩 🥇 🏆

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Follow me on:

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Facebook: OutlandishAnatomyLessons

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Photo and audio credits: Outlander Anatomy

[janus-cadet]

So, I've been watching Hazbin Hotel, and Helluva Boss.

Loved it. Therefore, obviously, to none of my friends' surprise, I added the fandom in that nonsensical tarot project of mine- and it starts with Lucifer, the short king himself, as the Five of Cups.

(The Devil was already taken, which both caused me immense amont of dismay, and just as much relief, because that version of Lucifer does NOT fit the Devil card as much as he could.)

Now, under the cut (only for the braves who can handle a long post spoken in broken english), the mandatory explanation for the choice of the card and the composition.

A joyous card, isn't it! Ahah? Totally. Let's get right into it.

The Five of Cups, Upright, often appears in a reading when a situation hasn't turned out the way you expected, leaving you sad, regretful and disappointed. I mean, you just gave one (1) apple to humanity, just to give them free will, and look what they did with it! What the hell, literally! You are blaming yourself, and instead of moving on with your life (despite the small inconvenience of being banished to an endless pit of evil and horror), you ar choosing to wallow in your self-pity. All you can focus on right now is what went wrong and how you failed. You're stuck in the past, and you can't let go; old wounds you never closed are keeping you from trying to create some positive changes. Which is why the card is here: to help you forgive. Forgiveness, to others and to yourself, is the only way you'll be able to release yourself from your sadness and disappointment. Remember that foresight and wisdom in the present moments comes from mistakes of the past: reflect on what led you to this point, and try to find something positive by reflecting on the lessons learned. You can rebuilt, you still can challenge an unfair system, despite everything! New possibilities are waiting for you, as shown by your daughter. You just have to be ready to accept it. Shift your mindset and focus on what can go right from this point forward.

Reversed, the card suggests that you might look at yourself specifically as a failure. You are stuck in a loop of self-loathing, and can't bring yourself to open up to others about those feelings. The reversed Five of Cups card is here to encourage you to open up: people around you may not see how much pain you're in right now, so don't be afraid to ask for help or talk to someone you trust.

You cannot undo the past, and just as Lucifer at the end of the first season, you are starting to accept that. You are slowly discovering how to be open to the new opportunities and ideas shown to you; you are finally starting to be more hopeful anout the future. You may not be fully okay again, you might still be in pain, but you are taking the first step: the card encourage you to keep doing so. Focus on the bright side. Not all is lost!

Lot of talks already, so I'll quickly go over those. The cups (that I spend too long on for such a small detail in the whole piece agh agh) are, as I drew them, a symbols of the regrets and the remorses felt. The regrets are the titled, broken cups: Lucifer's marriage, his relation with his daughter, and the dreams he had as an angel. Three things that feels like they are lost, damaged beyond repairs- but that are, in fact, still within reach. The content hasn't even spill yet. The remorses are the acts that can't be undone, and the effect on the vision he has of himself- the bitten apple, and the beastly devil that can't be trust. Those are te things he keeps blaming himself for, and the source of the self-loathing he's stuck into. But! He's turning his back on them, as a way to show he is not as linked to those things as he thinks he is. One is a thing of the past, the other is merely a shadow of who he is- what's important is what lays in front of him.

And that's it for today! You're still here? Dang, you're resilient. Thank you very much, hope you enjoyed this. And you're just in time for a little ending poll!

See, I started two other WIPs while drawing Lucifer. Therefore...

[flowerandblood]

The Golden Cage (Epilogue)

[modern! mafia boss • Aemond x female]

[warnings: sex content, oral sex, smut, angst, fluff]

[description: Aemond works with the mob and finds a new accomplice. His attention is drawn to his daughter, trying to isolate herself as much as possible from their criminal underworld. Angst, domination kink, a lot of sexual tension.]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Previous chapters: Masterlist

_____

Ever since he'd come to her that morning when he'd sought comfort in her arms after Luke's death, their relationship had taken a different level that she couldn't understand. Her confession - her promise to be by his side - made him take it literally. And even though she meant what she said then, it surprised her.

She quickly realized that the Black Moon Club was owned by his family without even having to ask him. She knew that he was tired of her father complaining about him, screwing his daughter under his roof. One day she got a text from an unknown number and she knew it was him.

A: "Little birdie - BMC, today, at 9 p.m."

She looked at the message as if it were some kind of code, but then she understood what he meant. He wanted to meet her on his land, he wanted her to come to him. She pursed her lips at the thought.

She knew that her feelings for him were disturbing to say the least. Every time he fucked her, he drew from her the confessions of her fervent devotion and love, which he craved as much as a child in need of a parent's approval. Not that he wanted her to dominate him - his control gave him a sense of security.

She wasn't sure if she should give him what he wanted. On reflection she decided, that he was always the one who came to her so she could take that into account. However, she decided that she wouldn't make it easy for him.

Y: "I have an important exam tomorrow."

She answered him impassively, which was true. She knew that for some reason he was obsessed with her studies, her good grades, and her academic performance. He often asked her if she had prepared well for the upcoming exam.

She believed that deep down he couldn't bear the fact, that his family forced him to drop out of college to focus solely on their underground business.

She knew that he felt deficient in that regard. He constantly borrowed books from her when she no longer needed them. He also liked to watch her read, lying next to him, naked.

He would lie there, resting his forehead against her warm, soft shoulder, kissing it gently once in a while, looking at her. He fell asleep, and after a while she turned off the lamp, lay down next to him and dozed off. His big hand would find her then and pull her to him.

A: "I need you."

She pursed her lips as she read the words. She knew that he had defeated her. Since Luke's deat, there has been a huge division in his family, with shootings and homicides.

She knew he was here today but might not be tomorrow.

That she might have been the target of his uncle's attack, and that was why his men had followed her closely, watching her from afar. She pretended not to see it so as not to go crazy.

She gave in and went to see him at the appointed time. In front of the entrance to the club stood the same security guards with whom she had spoken many times. Now they didn't stop her when they saw her, letting her in right away. People in the club turned to her, curious.

She knew that she was some kind of enigma, a shadow woman who came and went by his side. Not that it bothered her. She had no intention of being his whore.

She had no problem being his property, though. She knew he was only pretending to objectify her. She was like a precious jewel to him, which he hid from everyone in the closet.

She saw him sitting on a sofa with several girls and other men, one of them leaning towards him, talking to him quickly, anxiously. He seemed to be explaining something to him, and Aemond didn't seem convinced by his explanation. She could tell from the smallest gestures on his face whether he was pleased or not.

He smoked a cigarette, staring blankly ahead, his face hardened, his lips tight. Whatever the man was saying didn't work, Aemond was growing impatient. She saw him roll his eye and say something slowly, low, the man next to him curled up.

She pursed her lips as she saw one of the girls, apparently accompanying them, cuddle up to his shoulder, whispering something in his ear.

She wanted to turn and leave, but then he saw her, his pupil narrowed. She could see that he stopped listening to what this helpless guy was saying to him, and focused only on what she looked like.

His gaze fell on her legs, on her pretty, black, sparkly boots, tied up in a knot, her white, soft, wool mid-thigh socks, her soft, black, velor dress with a white collar and long sleeves that hugged her waist so nicely. She knew that she did not fit into this interior, this music, these people who surrounded him and that was her goal.

She wasn't going to be absorbed into his world, snorting cocaine next to him like those girls, who were looking for sponsors and daddies. She wasn't desperate, because she had no reason to be.

But now, looking at this girl who was clinging to his arm, who was still trying to talk to him, not realizing that he was now looking only at her, she felt a pang of jealousy and pain.

She wondered if that was why he had invited her. To make her feel that he is her owner, not she his. That he can do what he wants, fuck who he wants. She pursed her lips at the thought.

She shuddered and took a step back as she saw him slowly stand up, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. He blew smoke through his nose, ignoring the surprised look of the guy that he had apparently stopped talking to mid-sentence and the disappointed look of the girl, who was now looking at her, disturbed.

Aemond approached her unhurriedly, his black T-shirt tucked into his pants, showing how well built he was. She tried not to think about how her body reacted automatically to the sight of him with the moisture between her thighs.

He grabbed her nape with his big hand and obviously wanted to kiss her, but she turned her face away. He stopped mid-gesture, narrowing his eye. They stared at each other for a moment.

“You asked me to come, so here I am. What happened?" She asked, raising her voice a little, so she could be heard over the announcing club music surrounding them. Aemond looked at her thoughtfully, still holding her by the scruff of the neck.

“Something must have happened?” He asked dispassionately, and she felt a tightness in her heart. He must have seen her gaze soften suddenly, because a smirk appeared on his face. "You look nice with jealousy on your face."

She broke away from him, wanting to head for the exit, but he grabbed her arm and spun her around in a swift motion towards him, pulling her so that she crashed into him, slamming her face into his chest. He locked her in his arms and wouldn't let her go, her hands on his chest trying to pull away. He chuckled at her helpless efforts.

"Come on. Let's go fuck."

As soon as they entered one of the VIP rooms he literally pounced on her, shoving his fleshy tongue into her lips down to her throat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw, that he had chosen a room that had a nice double bed, not a couch and table like the others. Her whole body shivered as she thought that he had it all planned out.

He grabbed her hips and lifted her as lightly as if she weighed nothing. He headed for the bed and threw himself on it with her, she felt the pleasant smell of clean sheets around her.

Her breathing quickened, her muscles clenched in her lower abdomen as he quickly took off her boots and then her panties. It was not in his nature to pretend or subtly build desire. He got straight to the point, and his directness made her want it even more.

She sighed and shivered as his hands ran over her thighs and the material of her high socks, looking at the sight with appreciation. He grunted in satisfaction, seeing how wet she was, how beautiful it looked.

"I love it when you wear them." He said, slipping his finger under the material of her soft sock, stroking her bare skin underneath. “They're so fucking sexy. I'll fuck you in them, okay?" He hummed, and she nodded so eagerly that he chuckled, a smile of satisfaction on his face.

“Such a good girl. You deserve an award today." He grunted in appreciation and leaned over her, the tip of his tongue running timidly over her entrance.

Her whole body arched in pleasure at this gentle sensation, she trembled, a sweet moan escaped from her mouth. She felt him smiling, his hands tightening on her thighs, his mouth and tongue moving to her clit, teasing her with wet, circular motions. She clenched her hands to the sheets around her, pursed her lips, trying hard not to make any noise.

She heard him pull away from her, licking his lips, looking at her expectantly.

"Is this a punishment?" He grunted, apparently slightly amused by her efforts. She pursed her lips at his words, annoyed, her pussy throbbing all over, hot and swollen with desire.

"Take the girl from your table. She looked like she wanted to moan with you." She said, squinting, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling. She saw his eye gleam menacingly. She shivered.

He leaned over her again, and she arched back, taking a deep breath as she felt his tongue slide suddenly inside her, all the way to the end. He licked her in a fast, intense, perverted rhythm, immediately caressing and teasing the place that gave her the greatest pleasure.

Usually at first he was tormenting her by not allowing her to experience her full pleasure, but now he was clearly determined to bring her to orgasm as soon as possible.

She rose slightly on her hands, spreading her thighs wider in front of him, one of her hands automatically slid into his hair, pressing him closer to her, wanting to feel him even deeper.

She couldn't help herself, her hips responded greedily to his caresses, broken, powerless moans of pleasure escaped her lips every time the tip of his tongue brushed against her wonderful spot.

She began to pant, and they both sped up their movements, her moans getting louder and more desperate, he had never been so determined to satisfy her so quickly. She leaned back and moaned loudly in surprise as she felt a sudden wave of heat and pleasure run through her body, her insides tightening on his tongue, her hips falling against his face.

She heard his hum of satisfaction, licking everything that flowed out of her patiently, delighted. He pulled away from her and wiped his face with his hand, giving her a look so proud of himself that she pursed her lips in frustration.

"What's that face, little birdie? Where's the thank you?" He asked amused, starting to unbutton his pants. She swallowed softly at his words, looking at him, her chest heaving uneasily. She thought that if he wanted to play like that, she would drive him crazy herself.

She spread her thighs for him, pulling her dress up to reveal everything to him, her expression now soft, innocent, her lips parted sweetly, invitingly.

"Right here, between my thighs." She whispered, her hands on either side of her head in total surrender. "Don't you want to feel how warm I am inside?"

She saw his iris darken at her words, his jaw clench as he quickly unzipped his fly and slid his pants down, along with his boxers, leaving him naked from the waist down.

She parted her lips with a slight smile of satisfaction as she saw how hard he was, his cock throbbing impatiently, swollen. He squeezed himself at the base several times as he looked at her.

"Of course I fucking want to. I'm gonna cum in you a few times today, okay?" He hummed, taking her thighs in his hands, pulling them to him so that the tip of his cock pressed against her wet, throbbing entrance.

She nodded at his words and moaned softly, her hands gripping the sheets on either side of her head as she felt him slither into her a little, pushing her fleshy, hot, oversensitive walls to the limit.

“Yes, cum inside me as many times as you want” She mumbled and started panting with him, as he began to move at a fast, intense pace, his cock penetrating her all the way, stretching her hot inside painfully hard.

"Just like that. My girl likes to be taken care of, doesn't she?" He panted, thrusting into her fast, his thighs slapping her buttocks with all his might with a perverted, wet slap of their bodies, that made her nipples stick out. She moaned sweetly at his words, her body leaning back in pleasure, as his thumb began to tease her clit again.

"− y-yes − yes − please, take care of me −" She sobbed helplessly, wanting only to be fulfilled with him again, to feel his seed deep inside her, to feel how much he desired her.

She heard him groan low at her words, speeding up, the mattress creaking beneath them with each of his brutal thrusts into her tight pussy.

"You want to please me, don't you? So fucking come for me, squeeze on my cock a bit.” He purred in delight, out of breath, close to the fulfillment he needed. Her body began to tremble, heat gathering again in her lower abdomen, she felt that she was close.

"− I will, just please, touch me there −" She mewled and moaned surprised as his thumb began to massage her clit in circular motions, teasing her almost painfully, making her body try to pull away, thrusting into her with sticky slaps.

"− come on, babygirl, give it to me −give me what I want −” He panted helplessly and she leaned back, her mouth parted, her whole body tense.

A loud, sweet moan escaped her throat, as a second orgasm washed over her in wonderful, hot waves, her insides clenching against his throbbing cock. Feeling it, he tipped his head back, his hips pumping against her relentlessly.

"− that's right − fuck, yes! −" He gasped loudly as he cum inside her, breathing heavily, staring at her with his mouth parted.

He fell on top of her, pinning her with his body, his face against her cheek. She didn't think about it, just hugged him, breathing fast and he grunted contentedly. She could feel him pulsating inside her, the remnants of his seed spilling over her hot core. They both tried to calm down.

She felt his nose press against her soft skin, tracing it slowly up and down her face, inhaling her scent. He often did this after their close-ups, once in a while placing soft, wet kisses on her cheek. She sighed softly, closing her eyes. Hearing this, he spoke up.

"You're so silly, little birdie. Don't you knowthat you're the only one I fuck with?" He purred, placing small, sweet kisses on her skin. "The only one I cum in?"

She felt a shiver go through her at his words. She wondered why she cared at all. She tried to kid herself that it would be better if he finally found another object of desire, but she knew that wasn't true.

She was as addicted to him as he was to her.

"I wanted you to come, because I want to discuss something with you." He said calmly and she looked at him, turning to face him. His hand slowly ran over her cheek and hair. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“I want to move out of my family home into my new apartment. Move in with me. I want to have you by my side." He spoke softly, and she gasped, her mouth parted, completely taken aback by his proposal.

For a moment she couldn't get a word out. She looked down, afraid to say what was on her mind.

"I don't want to be your dependent." She said finally.

He pursed his lips and she knew that he didn't like her words. Still, when he answered her, his voice sounded gentle.

"Finish your studies. Find a job that suits you. Just be by my side."

_____

Thank you for your journey, this is by far one of my favorite fanfics I've written here! 😭😭😭

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @astral-blossoms @randomdragonfires @amirawritespoorly @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes @darylandbethfanforever9 @fudge13 @snh96

Others: @okfashionista @abrielletargaryen

[anarchotolkienist]

would you say then that neopagan celtic revival movements are primarily centered outside of ireland (&the other isles) instead of there be perhaps large movements of celtic revival in these ancestral lands? it seems to me from what you’ve said that in the ancestral lands, most people of celtic descent are practicing or nominative Christians. And it also seems that any existing celtic revivalist movements in the ancestral lands today are afflicted by that noble savage folkloric fetishism you’ve spoken of. From your perspective and experience, I wonder that there aren’t many or any that don’t play to those harmful tropes? Seems rather rare. I ask because in Canary Islands there’s been syncretic revivalist movements seeking to reestablish indigenous Canarian spiritualities within contemporary religion. Perhaps that’s different than most neopagan revival with the Christian syncretism being incorporated, rather than discarded. Food for thought

I would first caution against even using the term 'celtic' in this way, of a unitary territory or ethnic group - such a thing has never existed outside the minds of the far right, whether they conceive themselves as in favour of the 'celts' (as most of them do today) or against them (as the eugenicists who invented the racial category did). Someone being "of Celtic descent" means absolutely nothing if they don't have the language and never knew someone - say, a parent or grandparent - who did. This is of course quite different from the Canaries, where the indigenous language has been completely wiped out, so long ago that very little is known of it, as I understand the situation - though I am more ignorant of Spanish colonialism than I want to be.

I think the most important thing to remember about the neo-pagan 'revival' with regards to 'celtic' spirituality is that it emerges completely outside of the actual language community, the people who actually carry Gaelic/welsh/Breton culture in some way. It is fundamentally shaped, therefore, by stereotypes and other ideas that can't be checked by them against the actually existing people and culture. The Gael, speaking of the group I know the best, is weak, in practice, and has no voice of their own to speak up and defend themselves - they try, again and again, but they mostly do it in their own language, which none of the intellectuals who invent this rubbish speaks. Due to the history of suppression and oppression, there is essentially no Gaelic middle class, which can read and write in English, which can defend them. The few intellectuals who could (Fear Chanaigh, Alasdair MacIlleMhìcheil, maybe) were easily ignored. Because of the presence of Gaelic within the imperial core - on the English-speaking core - it's much more known of than, say, indigenous Canarians, but this means that false information spreads even faster to people - Americans - who have even less connection to the actual culture than, say, Scottish Lowlanders do. I think this matters, too, for why it's so incredibly widespread.

I think you're right to identify the openness towards syncretism as being core to it. To the extent that there is some animistic survivals on modern Gaelic folklore (which I'm less than convinced of myself, but some people, including some Gaels, believe), it has been syncretic with Christianity for more than a thousand years at the time it starts to be recorded in a modern form. It needs to be remembered, too, that unlike in the Canaries the introduction of Christianity did not come through colonialism at all, but it was adopted by the Gaels en masse long before colonisation begins, a significant difference between Gaeldom and the natives in the Canaries or elsewhere in the Spanish empire. I hope that sort of answered your question?

[mint-yooxgi]

{3} - Written in the Stars - Yandere!Idol!Yeosang X Tall!Chubby!Reader

Soft Yandere AU & Idol AU

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor, Slow Burn

Pairing: Yeosang X Reader (ft. platonic Ateez ensemble)

Words: 11,000

Warnings: Slow burn. Mentions of Jonghyun. Brief conversation to start about past insecurities. I think that's all. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: So, this chapter we get to see a little bit of how our dear Yeosangie is feeling. I'm doing my best not to make it a super sudden infatuation, but the feelings are there. Boy just doesn't want to admit it yet. That being said, I am super excited for a scene I have planned next chapter, so I hope you'll all look forward to it!! On a side note, I finally got my glasses!! Yay!! Anyways, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Disclaimer: It's not often this chapter where this applies, but the following is important to note:

"This represents a line spoken in Korean."

"Bolded represents a line spoken in English."

"Bolded and italics represents a line spoken in Japanese."

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two

Yeosang is not jealous.

He doesn’t get jealous when Atiny comment to him that San’s arms are more muscular than his are. Nor does he get jealous when other fans tell him that their bias is someone else, or would prefer a selfie with a different member other than him during fansigns. 

Knowing whether people like him or not is none of his business.

So, when he notices that you seem to be messaging Hongjoong all day today leading up to the award’s ceremony instead of the group chat at first, he most certainly is not jealous. It definitely doesn’t bother him that the Captain of Ateez gets the fun, close-up pictures of your face while you’re getting ready for tonight. The kind one would normally only send to close friends. Nor does it irritate him that you only start sending those same selfies to the group chat once Hongjoong suggests it. 

Jongho’s and Wooyoung’s whining also has nothing to do with it, of course.

Most of all, he doesn’t care that the guys all compliment you before he does when you send them all a proper photo of your face once you’re ready for tonight. It’s not like he wanted the honour of praising you first, or anything.

Yes, Kang Yeosang is certainly not jealous.

“I wonder what type of outfit she’s going to wear.” Jongho wonders aloud, managing to pull Yeosang out of his much too loud thoughts for the moment. He can see the younger flipping through all of the photos of your face that you sent them this afternoon, seemingly deciding between the two he likes the most.

“Does she usually get super dressed up for events?” Seonghwa asks, not even bothering to shift his gaze from the window.

“I think I’ve only ever seen her in dresses for formal events like the Writer’s Guild awards.” Hongjoong comments, gazing down at his phone. 

He must still be chatting with you.

Yeosang’s jaw twitches. He blinks.

“I think I remember watching a clip from a question’s panel where someone asked her about it once,” Yunho hums, tapping his fingers over his knee as they make their way towards the venue. “From what I recall, she doesn’t necessarily like wearing skirts or shorts all that much.”

“Why?” The question is out of Yeosang’s mouth before he can stop it.

“If I recall, she gave a two parted answers.” Yunho replies.

“Oh, I think Bin sent me this clip before!” Wooyoung pipes up from the back seat. “I think she said something about a lot of clothing always being a bit too short for her height. She said something about being more comfortable in male styled clothing because of it. It’s also why she doesn’t wear a lot of short dresses.”

“The struggle is real,” Mingi sighs, shaking his head in understanding.

A comforting pat is given to his arm from San who sits beside the taller male for the moment.

“And the other?” It’s Seonghwa who asks, and Yeosang feels a subtle weight lift off of his shoulders at not having to ask again himself.

A frown pulls at Jongho’s features as he looks down at his lap.

“What?” San tilts his head, curious as to the sudden silence in the car. “What is it?”

“She said she just doesn’t like the way she looks in them.” Hongjoong voices from the front seat, a subtle downturn of his lips.

“I’m pretty sure she used different words that that, cause I remember Bin going off about it.” Wooyoung chuckles. “Give me two hours between them and she’ll never feel insecure about her thighs again.”

“Wooyoung!” Seonghwa’s eyes look about ready to fall out of his head.

“What?” He complains. “It wasn’t me that said it! It was Changbin!”

“Doesn’t mean you have to tell us.” San smacks the male sitting on his opposite side.

“Like Jongho isn’t always thinking it.” Yunho teases, receiving his own harsh smack from the aforementioned male.

“He’s not the only one.” Mingi mutters, but not lowly enough.

“We’re about to arrive at the venue.” Hongjoong’s sharp gaze turns to look at all of them. “Keep it in your pants, and control yourselves.”

San sighs. “Just another casual day.”

Turning onto the street that will lead them directly to the red carpet set up at the venue, Yeosang remains quiet. Again, his jaw twitches, focussing his gaze on the passing scenery outside of the vehicle. He doesn’t know why the other’s comments bother him so much, but they do. Yet, he does whatever he can to not let it show.

“Her makeup still looks really pretty.” Jongho sighs, somewhat wistfully as he looks out his own window.

“Oh, will you ask her out already?” Yunho nearly rolls his eyes.

Jongho’s whole face begins to turn red as he sputters out a response.

“We all know you want to.” Hongjoong joins in on the teasing now, brow quirking in amusement as he sees Jongho avoiding his gaze.

“Nah, Jongho won’t be able to ask her out.” Wooyoung shakes his head.

“And why’s that?” Seonghwa shifts his body towards Wooyoung in the backseat.

“Cause Mingi or I will do it first.” Wooyoung states, rather proudly.

The tips of Mingi’s ears burn bright red as he begins to chuckle nervously, leaning back in his seat when he notices the death glare sent his way by the youngest. However, before any one of them can comment more on the matter, the car stops.

“We’re here.” Yeosang states, rather pointedly, as he nearly flings open the door to exit the vehicle, leaving the others stunned in silence behind him.

The second his foot makes contact with the carpet, screams and cheers erupt from the surrounding fans. Some go as far to start calling his name, hoping for him to spare a glimpse in their direction. Of course, he smiles politely, bowing to everyone around him as cameras flash periodically.

A minute later, and all of Ateez make their way down the carpet, stopping to pose for the cameras every now and then. The second they make it to the designated picture area, even more cameras start going off.

Through the thicket, Yeosang spots a few of his fansites. Though, with how the official photographers of the show quickly shout directions at the eight of them, he quickly forgets all about them. That is, until a small hush settles over the crowd.

The screaming fans seem to go silent as another car pulls up to the venue. The confusion as to why becomes apparent as soon as the person steps out of the vehicle.

The moment you step out of the vehicle, Yeosang cannot take his eyes off of you. Yet, it seems, neither can anyone else.

You seem to be wearing a sort of overcoat, reminiscent of a cloak. It’s deep red in colour, hiding whatever outfit you’ve chosen to wear tonight. All except for the black lace sleeves adorning your arms that poke out of the slits in the fabric. Yet still, the cloak suits you, and it matches the sinful shade of red painted elegantly on your lips.

Briefly, you make eye contact, and Yeosang swears his heart is about to burst out of his chest. The smile you send his way only confirms it.

The palms of his hands begin to sweat. A feeling of which he hasn’t experienced since their debut stages.

Just what are you doing to him?

An organizer approaches, walking beside you and whispering lowly in your ear. You seem to nod quickly to whatever she says, for in the next minute, you’re pausing in your steps to scan the crowd. It seems as if the call of your name has drawn your attention.

There, standing next to some Atiny’s he noticed earlier, is a small group of fans that seem to be completely awestruck by you. A few hold copies of your books in hand, smiles wide on their faces as you approach. The way he notices one of the males say something to you, only for you to turn your face away for the moment bashfully has an uncomfortable feeling settling in his chest.

Why does he want that to be him?

Yeosang only wishes he knew what you were saying, but from the way the fan’s faces light up, he can just tell that you’re probably making their entire evening. When you go so far as to sign the copies of their books and take a photo, he knows that you do. Though, that same male that complimented you seemed to be getting a little too touchy with you, in his opinion.

The feeling of someone gently nudging his side pulls him out of his thoughts of you. Blinking, his vision clears to see Wooyoung motion for him to continue down the line towards the red carpet interviewers that are now ready for them.

Just as Yeosang goes to take a step, they get told to wait once more.

“We’d love to get a few photos of you with that author for public relations.” A few photographers say, already having talked it over with the event’s staff.

The eight of them share a brief look before nodding, and Yeosang knows he’s not the only one that cannot control the upturn of his lips.

A kind greeting is the first thing that escapes your lips when you walk up to all of them. You bow politely, to which they bow and greet you back. A moment later, and the photographers have instructed you to stand in the centre of all of them, having four males on your either side.

Mingi and Yunho get told to stand directly beside you to offset the height, causing both Wooyoung and Hongjoong to get shifted to the ends. The fact that you stand just a smidge taller than Yunho signifies that you must be wearing some type of heels. From the way Jongho is staring at you like you’ve hung all of the stars in the night sky, Yeosang knows he’s probably right.

His brow twitches, his smile suddenly looking a little forced. 

Soon, the photographers get you to shift poses slightly so that him, San, Hongjoong, and Wooyoung are crouched in front of the five of you behind them. While doing so, Yeosang manages to school his face back into that neutral expression everyone is used to from him. A moment later, and he’s posing for the cameras.

The minute you get told to place your hand onto Yeosang’s shoulder, he can feel the tips of his ears turning red. He just hopes people assume it’s from the chill gracing the night air. A stark contrast to the sudden way that he can feel his skin burning beneath your gentle touch.

A few more photos are taken like this until all of Ateez are finally told to move on to the interview portion of the night. Besides, the photographers want to get a few shots of you by yourself. Apparently, there’s going to be a big Naver article written about you attending these awards tonight, and the company wants as many photos as possible to choose from. The more they can get with you interacting with the other celebrities in attendance, the better.

Stepping up onto the little platform that they have set up for the interview, Yeosang follows wordlessly behind San. Three microphones gets passed to the group, one assigned to Hongjoong, one to Yunho, and one to Jongho. Though, with how they’re positioned, Yeosang knows that both Yunho and Jongho were just the unlucky ones to get stuck with the talking bits.

A few questions get asked, and he vaguely registers answers being given from his group mates beside him. He gives nods here and there in agreement, and that seems to suffice for now. That is, until one question draws his attention back to the two interviewers.

“We’ve been asking all of the artists here tonight, and some of their answers have shocked us.” The female host begins.

“There seems to be a common answer among certain groups, so we’d like to ask the members of Ateez now that same question.” The male host continues.

“Who’s performance are you looking forward to the most tonight?” The female host asks, looking between all of them.

As always, Hongjoong answers first.

“Ah, well, as Captain of Ateez, I’d say most of us are hoping Atiny will be looking forward to our special performance tonight.” Hongjoong begins with a smile, his eyes shining. “So, I will say I’m most looking forward to our stage.”

“Spoken like a true leader,” the male host nods in approval before turning his head to the member standing beside Hongjoong.

Mingi takes the mic Hongjoong offers him. “For me, I would have to say that I am most looking forward to Stray Kids performance tonight.”

Seonghwa is next, a soft smile painting his features. “Twice.”

Raising the mic back to his lips, Jongho is quick to answer. “Ah, well, I’m very much looking forward to hearing a particular speech from my favourite author.”

A few ‘oh’s and ‘aw’s are heard from the hosts and surrounding crowd.

“Yes, she seems to be a very popular choice in response tonight.” The male host notes. “Stray Kids’ Bang Chan said something that her performance is something he wishes he wrote himself after hearing it in rehearsals yesterday.”

“I cannot wait to see what it is!” The female host smiles, her eyes crinkling at the sides. “What about you, San?”

The mic in Jongho’s hands gets passed to the aforementioned male.

“Well, I’m personally excited for Seventeen’s performance.” He smiles.

“Ah, yes, a few members of Seventeen also said that they were excited to watch you all perform tonight, too!” The female host comments, nodding her head.

Wooyoung is next, but San already sees him holding onto a mic, so he passes his back to Jongho.

“My mind is telling me Stray Kids, but my gut is telling me NCT.” Wooyoung says, and the hosts share a chuckle.

“Changbin of Stray Kids said the same for your group.” The female host chuckles, a subtle blush rising to her features.

A blink, and the mic is back in Yunho’s hands.

“I would have to say that the performance I’m looking forward to the most is ours.” A wink is sent to the camera. “Atiny, we have a very special stage planned for you tonight. Please support and cheer us on!”

A roar erupts from the crowd, and the eight men all smile.

Finally, it’s time for Yeosang’s turn to answer, but again, he finds himself distracted by you. It looks like you’ve just finished up with the photographers who had made you take some photos with all of NCT just shortly after they had arrived.

The feeling of a microphone being shoved into his hands draws his attention back to the present, the hosts blinking at him expectantly.

Raising the mic to his lips, he has his prepared response ready, and on the tip of his tongue. Only, when he opens his mouth to speak, the answer that comes out shocks even him.

“Seems as if that author is a hot topic tonight!” The male host chuckles. “I certainly hope that she can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

“Speaking of, look who is coming to join us!” The female host motions for you to join all of them after being prompted by the staff.

Slowly, you begin to ascend the side steps, and all Yeosang can do is stare. His mind screams at him to move, to offer you his hand as you step towards him, but it seems as if he’s frozen in his spot. What only makes it worse is when he sees Yunho eagerly hop passed him and help you the rest of the way up onto the platform.

A polite ‘hello’ escapes you as you bow to both of the hosts, and all of Ateez again. A moment later, and they’re bowing back.

“You look absolutely stunning tonight, doesn’t she, boys?” The female host comments, a large smile on her face. Though, in the next moment, she leans into her co-host. “Oh, I forgot, can she speak Korean?”

“Yes, I can speak Korean.” You confirm, but only the people on stage hear you. You notice both host’s eyes going wide before the female motions for you to take a microphone in hand.

Yeosang graciously passes you the one in his hands, seeing as he stands on one side of you, while Yunho stands on the other. The moment you repeat the phrase, both hosts smile at you.

“It’s lovely to have you here with us this evening.” The female continues.

“It’s lovely to be here amongst such admirable people.” You reply, a soft smile painting your features.

“Kind, and beautiful,” the male comments, a small twitch to his brow upwards. “You must be very popular.”

Something about the host’s tone rubs Yeosang the wrong way.

A bashful look crosses your features. “Ah, thank you.”

“We were just chatting with the members of Ateez about who they’re most looking forward to seeing perform tonight,” the female host begins. “You seem to be a very popular answer amongst all idols.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet!” You place a hand onto your cheek. “I certainly do hope to live up to everyone’s expectations.”

The male host lets out a small puff in amusement.

“We talked with SHINee earlier in the night, and they informed us that you personally spoke with them about an aspect of your speech.” The male says. “Would you please divulge that with us now?”

“Unfortunately, that was a matter between myself and those four wonderful men.” You reply calmly. “Besides, I think I would rather let my words speak for themselves. You’ll all find out soon enough why, anyways.”

“Understandable!” The female continues. “Anyways, one final question for you before we bid farewell to Ateez for now.”

You nod, eagerly.

“Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform tonight?” She asks, leaning in slightly to catch your answer.

“Oh, excellent question!” You chuckle. “You see, I’m very indecisive, so my immediate response is everybody. This truly is a dream come true for me. However, if I have to choose, other than these fine gentlemen here,” you motion slightly to the Ateez members around you, “I would always have to say SHINee. Though, I think my one friend might have something to say if I don’t add NCT in there, as well.”

The hosts laugh along with you, though the male’s seems a little strained.

Yeosang frowns, but not even a millisecond later, his expression is neutral once more.

“Well, thank you so much for stopping to answer our questions!” The female smiles. “We have a few more for the lovely author here, but the Ateez members are free to head inside.”

Reluctantly, Yeosang begins to follow the other guys inside the venue, only catching little snippets of the hosts beginning to ask you some more questions. The way he looks back to see some NCT members waiting at the side of the stage, Mark at the forefront of the group and looking up at you in awe, twists his stomach.

“Didn’t realize you were looking forward to her speech that much, Yeosangie,” Wooyoung teases as soon as they’re out of earshot from the press.

“Shut up,” the male grumbles, rolling his eyes slightly.

“I wonder what type of outfit she’s wearing under that cloak,” Jongho wonders aloud, almost absentmindedly as they all make their way towards the green rooms to drop off their coats.

Luckily for them, there seem to be a few screens in the backstage area playing the interviews taking place outside. One of the hosts must have just asked you that same question, for you chuckle fondly.

“Well, avid fans of my first published series will certainly be very pleased.” You wink at the camera, and the female host pretends to swoon.

“I absolutely adore those books!” She says. “I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us tonight!”

Unfortunately for Yeosang, the members get ushered away from the screen to prepare for the beginning of the show. Well, at least Hongjoong does since he’s participating in your speech. 

The crew had everyone rehearse in reverse show order yesterday, which means you’re the opener. You’ve already expressed your slight nerves to the group chat, them all reassuring you that you’ll do great. From how well rehearsal went yesterday, Yeosang has no doubt in his mind that everyone will love what you have planned.

Walking out into the artist area after dropping off their coats, the boys (minus Hongjoong) move to their designated seats. Yeosang waves to a few fans that call his name, as do the other members, bowing politely to their seniors and smiling at their juniors. The second they sit at their designated couches, Changbin is leaning over from the one beside theirs.

“Heard staff muttering you got to take photos with everyone’s favourite author tonight.” He meets Wooyoung’s gaze, and Yeosang notices Felix also looking their way. “We are so jealous.”

“We got told Chan commented on her speech during the interview.” Yunho hums, leaning back comfortably in his seat.

“Minho had to subtly elbow him to prevent him from taking things further.” Jisung grins knowingly. 

“The way he was praising her might draw some unwanted attention from dispatch.” Minho shrugs casually.

“Not that our Channie Boy would mind.” Seungmin grins teasingly, a wiggle to his brows.

“Says you!” Jeongin cuts in. “Who’s the one that started lamenting about serenading her first at karaoke, and then asking her to sing a duet with him?”

Yeosang shifts in his seat, somewhat unknowingly.

“Like hell I’m letting you serenade her first!” Jongho frowns, meeting Seungmin’s gaze from across the two tables.

“Bring it on, Apple Boy.” Seungmin quirks a brow in challenge as the others simply look on in amusement.

“Careful, he might threaten to split you in half like one.” Yeosang comments, tone a little firmer than he intends. A fact which does not go unnoticed by his group mates.

“What? Speaking from experience?” Changbin laughs.

“I think you’ll have to fight Hyunjin asking her to learn Red Lights with him first.” Jisung casually adds, taking a sip from a water bottle provided for each of the members at the couches.

“Hyunjin wants her to learn Red Lights with him?” Mingi’s eyes nearly bulge right out of his head.

“He said he’d also be willing to perform Red Velvet’s Psycho again with her if she asked.” Seungmin hums.

Another cheer from the crowd erupts as NCT enters the area, and Yeosang notices how one-two-seven ends up being assigned the couches on the opposite side of them. Polite bows and greetings are sent their way, and Yeosang cannot help but notice that Mark sits the closest to their own seats.

“That’s not to mention how both Felix and Hyunjin both want to teach her Taste.” Minho huffs out a laugh, leaning back in his seat.

“We told you that you’re welcome to join us,” Felix comments, a chuckle falling from his lips. “Man’s too proud to say that he was impressed by her dancing skills.”

“She might feel too crowded having three males teaching her that type of dance.” Minho replies with a shrug, but he cannot hide the way he averts his gaze to the floor somewhat bashfully. “I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, is all.”

“That won’t stop Changbin.” Jisung teases.

“Hey!” The aforementioned male whines.

“Aww, does our little Lee Know have a crush, too?” Seungmin teases, Jeongin joining in quickly at the way the elder male’s cheeks flare.

“Hey!” He smacks the both of them on their thighs.

“Should we start that ‘simp squad’ now?” Wooyoung leans over to Changbin, hands gripping the armrest of the couch.

“What do you mean ‘start’?” Changbin laughs. “Felix and I have already been members for months.”

“And you didn’t invite me?” Wooyoung gasps, absolutely appalled by this turn of events.

“Oh, make sure you go around to all of the groups with the sign up list.” Johnny’s voice from their opposite side draws their attention. “I know plenty who would gladly join. Right, Mark?”

At the way they all turn to face NCT now, Johnny chuckles. Even Mark’s face begins to go bright red.

Yeosang exhales a deep sigh through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans further back into the couch. It appears that Twice has just arrived, the females taking their seats on the couches in front of them. Again, more polite bows and greetings are sent to the other artists, to which they are given back.

“Actually, I think combining them would be better.” Jungwoo joins in on teasing his bandmate. “Mark’s already president, vice-president, and head of his own. A merger might incite better relations in the simp community.”

“This is a completely casual conversation.” San nods, blinking a few times in earnest. A moment later, he’s nodding to himself. “Everyday, normal topics.”

Laughter erupts from around him.

“Just because you and Yeosang don’t read her books, doesn’t mean we don’t.” Jongho grumbles.

“Believe me,” Seonghwa leans back, crossing his one leg over the other. “We know.”

More laughter erupts around them.

“Not my fault you all don’t have taste.” Mingi huffs, a slight pout pulling at his lips as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“You know, as a curtesy, I think you should read at least one of her books now.” Yunho hums, looking between both San and Yeosang. “You’re both technically friends with her.”

“How come you’re not harping on Hwa for not reading her books?” San whines, motioning to the aforementioned male with a jerk of his chin.

“Because unlike some people, I actually borrowed her first series from Joong after we met.” Seonghwa snorts, amusement dancing in his gaze. “Never thought I would like that type of genre, but she writes it quite well. I just wish she would mention Star Wars more.”

The pout that pulls onto his lips is almost comical, and Yeosang nearly rolls his eyes.

“It’s not her favourite series.” He replies, somewhat bluntly.

All heads turn to him, some with quirked eyebrows.

“Then, what is her favourite series?” Jongho quirks a brow almost smugly, appearing ready to correct the elder and prove how much more he knows about you.

“Lord of the Rings.” Yeosang states, blinking as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Wait, how do you know that?” Wooyoung frowns, and Yeosang notices he’s not the only fan of yours that does so.

“She told me on the plane.” There’s a subtle quirk to the corner of his lips as he says this. A certain undertone of smugness that causes him to sit a little straighter in his spot.

However, before any of them can respond, the lights are dimming throughout the venue, and a hush settles over the crowd. An opening VCR begins to play, introducing the acts that will be performing tonight, interspersed with live shots from all of the artists sitting in their designated seats. Cheers erupt from the crowd as certain groups appear on screen, a grand instrumental accompanying the visuals.

Turning his head slightly, Yeosang can spot multiple varying lightsticks throughout the crowd, shining brightly in the darkness. The way the little glowing orbs shake along with the fan’s cheers makes him smile softly, and he knows he’s not the only one.

A voice booms through the speakers at the end of the video, announcing the start to the ceremonies, and outlining the safety procedures for the evening should they be needed. Once it has finished, another hush settles over the crowd as the stage is revealed, only for a loud roar to erupt in anticipation.

From the back of the stage, you begin to walk forward towards the lone microphone standing at the front. You seem to be holding a small notebook and pen in your hands, clutching them close to your body as you step forward slowly.

The moment the spotlight hits you, the crowd goes silent. Then, it’s as if many share a collective gasp as your full form takes centre stage. Finally, your outfit for the evening has been revealed, and from the way he can hear the sharp intake of breaths from your self-proclaimed biggest fans, he knows that what you’re wearing holds some sort of significance to you.

The dress is beautiful. The black lace starts with an off the shoulder neckline, trailing all the way down to your wrists in an intricate design. The material flares slightly at the waist, reaching all the way down to the floor, dragging elegantly over the stage as you walk forward. Gradually, the black material fades into a navy blue, until it bleeds into a vibrant royal blue at the bottom. The design is slightly form fitting, too.

Yes, there is no question about it. The dress is stunning. Yet, even more so, the person wearing it.

From his vantage point, Yeosang can practically see you glowing up on stage. The smile you wear is radiant, those sinful red lips of yours pulling across your features as your eyes shine. The screens projecting your image to the audience only serve to accent every little thing about you, and Yeosang can feel his heart skip a beat in his chest.

He swallows thickly.

“Holy shit.” Jongho gasps, and the elder male swears the younger has stopped breathing for the moment.

“What?” Yeosang frowns, noting all of the awed stares you’re receiving from the idols around him. Hell, even the way some of the Twice members squeal lowly in front of him only causes his brow to furrow even more. “What is it?”

“She’s wearing that dress.” Yunho breathes, blinking in awe as he leans forward in his spot to get a better glimpse of you on stage.

“What dress?” His brow furrows deeper, eyes scanning over your figure once more.

From in front of him, he can vaguely hear the Twice members muttering about how you look absolutely divine.

The corner of Jongho’s lips quirk upwards, a small puff of air escaping his nose. “Read her books.”

Yeosang shoots a pointed side-eyed look the younger’s way, jaw twitching as he clenches his teeth in annoyance. Why does Jongho always feel the need to gatekeeper everything about you that Yeosang asks about? It’s not fair. He wants to know you, too.

A still silence settles over the entire venue.

“Hello, everyone,” your voice comes out smooth and steady as you address the crowd, welcoming all to the ceremony and introducing yourself all the while. “Tonight, a celebration will be taking place. A celebration of life, beauty, and music. A celebration I am honoured to be apart of, and am grateful to be experiencing with all of you.”

Soft smiles paint the faces of the people around him, but none are as proud as Mark’s looks right now. The special gleam Yeosang can see shining within the males’ eyes has him huffing out a small breath, focussing back on you in the next second.

“Tonight, we are all here for one common purpose,” you state, eyes staring into the camera before you. “To celebrate art.”

The screens light up behind you, the words appearing in golden writing upon a pure black background.

“Art comes in many different shapes and forms, but to many,” you smile softly, “art is life.”

A brief pause as the screens begin to play a video showcasing different forms of art.

“It fills a room with music.” A new voice - Bang Chan - says.

The lights on the composers come up and a collective gasp is heard from the audience as both him and Jihoon are revealed. A montage of both Jihoon and Bang Chan working in their studios appear on screen.

“With vibrance.” Seulgi’s voice is heard cutting through the silence as the lights come up on the three visual artists.

Images of Renjun’s, Hyunjin’s, and Seulgi’s art are displayed on screen. A few pictures and silent clips of them working on said items or presenting them with smiles on their faces appear as well.

“And elegance.” Momo is the next to speak, Ten and Taemin flanking her on either side as the dancers are highlighted.

Clips of all three of them dancing in their respective practice studios flash across the screen, and even some of the collaborations between artists. Momo’s cover of Taemin’s Move appears, and even some different Super M performances focussing on both Ten and Taemin are displayed briefly.

“It showcases one’s highs,” Key’s voice is heard after a moment, Onew standing right beside him with a smile on his face.

Live performances of each male during concerts and comeback stages are shown, and even a short, silent clip of Onew performing Nessun Dorma.

“And their lows.” The lights on the rappers come up, Dahyun grinning widely at the crowd as Taeyong smiles beside her.

Performances of both NCT and Twice flash on screen, both idols in the midst of rapping their verses for their respective songs.

“It allows us to express who we are in different ways.” The idols you have chosen to represent fashion are showcased next, and Yeosang immediate recognizes Hongjoong’s own voice coming through the speakers.

Behind them, a montage of Baekhyun at his Privé Alliance premiers are combined with clips of Hongjoong refashioning clothing. Even a few shots of Hongjoong attending Paris Fashion Week for Balmain are shown.

“And even become who we are not, even if just for a short while.” The actors are brought into the spotlight, Minho standing proudly beside Kyungsoo as the former finishes speaking.

Multiple shots from each male’s respective dramas are shown, showcasing their versatility in the acting field. Even a few interviews and behind the scenes footage are shown wherein the two speak about their various roles they have performed over the years.

“Art encompass all aspects of a person’s life, and lives in collaboration with the artist, just as we do with one another.” Your voice draws everyone’s attention back to you for the moment, still standing at the front of the stage. “It has many angles, just as we as people do. When you change your perspective, it can become many different things. For art is not defined by one, single thing, nor will it ever be.”

“However, it does not do well to forget that despite all of its joys, art can be lonely.” You say, and Yeosang notices quite a few nodding along with your words, especially the idols on stage. “It allows us to channel our inner thoughts and feelings into a process so that others never have to feel as alone as we do. It is there for us in our darkest times, and shines with us in the light. For, even when we are alone, we always have art. It is constant and reassuring. It allows us to all express our fears, and our vulnerability. It allows for others to observe such pieces ands say, ‘I understand, for I have felt this way, too.’ Most importantly, it says, ‘you are not alone.’”

Clips of personal hardships are shown of the various idols standing on stage with you. Tears of joy, of pain, and of sorrow are shed, along with demonstrations of all of the hard work, time, and effort that go into each different art form.

Pages upon pages are edited together, showing scribbles and writings across them. Some end up torn out of the notebook, while others are shown being crumpled up and tossed aside.

That’s when Yeosang realizes, that this is your portion of the video. Your own art form taking shape in writing as a blank page with a cursor blinking almost ominously overhead is shown.

“Art can be simple, and it can also be complex.” You say. “Yet, always. Always, always, always, it starts with a single idea.”

A stereotypical ‘Once upon a time…” is seen being typed out onto the blank document showcased onscreen.

“Art starts with a vision, and a dream.” You say, and your fingers tighten the slightest bit on that pen and notebook clutched in your hand. “For me, it starts with a blank page, and a pen. All it takes is a single spark. A moment of clarity through the chaos that is life to help guide us in a way that we wish to experience with other people. Yet, at the core of all of this, is one binding factor.”

Quickly, you flip open that notebook and scribble something onto a page. Turning it around to show the camera reveals a close up shot of your writing spelling out the word that immediately appears on screen. 

The word for ‘love’ appears in big golden letters above your head, and a collective gasp is heard from the audience. A fact which is only emphasized when each idol standing on stage with you pulls out a piece of paper of their own, the word love written in their mother tongue in their own handwriting on each.

“Every artist is passionate in what they do; art encompasses the mind, body, and soul of the person who creates it. Art is meant to be shared in all of its forms, and it is you who allow us to continue to be our authentic selves through such self expression.” You continue, voice strong as you stand tall. “The amount of love, time, dedication, and energy put into a single piece always shines through. I can think of no better example for this that the late Kim Jonghyun, who’s artistic views have not only inspired me, but so many of my fellow artists around the globe. His dedication and love for his craft was clear in everything that he did, and continues to be a guiding light for many artists still struggling in the dark.”

Behind you, the camera picks up a single tear trailing down the side of Minho’s cheek. Though, from the looks of things, some of the other idols sharing the stage with you do not fare any better.

“No matter what type of life we lead as individuals, we are all bound by a common love for art.” The soft smile is back on your face. You take the time to look around at the artists before you sitting in the couches, along with many of the staff continuing to work to keep the show running. You briefly meet Yeosang’s gaze. “It is what connects us, for art is eternal. Love inspires art, and art inspires love. It is apparent in everything that we do, the people we are, and who we are meant to become.”

“Tonight, we are all here on common purpose,” your gaze is back on the camera before you, bars of music appearing on the screen behind you as notes begin to form on the sheet music. “Tonight, it is our love of music which connects us all.”

More nods are seen all around, a few even already shedding tears along with your words.

“As a beautiful poet, and artist once said, "Even though we can’t communicate using the same language, we use music instead.””

Both Key and Onew swallow thickly. Tears now trail a path down both of their faces as the quote appears on screen, Jonghyun being cited beneath as the speaker of such words.

Many sniffles are heard from the surrounding crowd, many openly sobbing along to your final words as you begin to wrap up your speech for the evening.

“Art is timeless, and knows no bounds. It transcends cultures, languages, and even memory. For even after an artist has passed, their legacy lives on. It lives on in their work, yes, but it also lives on in all of us. Each of us carries that passion, that drive, to strive to be our best selves, and produce art that we can all be proud of. We as artists pour our blood, sweat, and tears into everything that we do, in hopes to share it with you. For art is love, and without love, there would be no art.”

“After all, a heart without art is just eh.”

A few chuckles are heard throughout the crowd as you speak those words in English, shrugging along to them lightly. The video behind you demonstrates the word ‘Heart’ failing as the ‘Art’ portion is removed.

“I would like to end now, with a final quote from Jonghyun which has inspired me, even in my darkest times. For more than everything I have said here tonight, it is always important to remember this: we, as individuals, are all priceless pieces of artwork in our own rights.” Your eyes begin to shine with unshed tears, your breath hitching in your throat momentarily as you look out into the crowd one final time. Taking a deep breath in, you begin to speak once more, the quote appearing in perfect time with each word you go on to say, “The most beautiful thing in all the world is right now. This moment. You. Don’t ever forget that.”

A brief pause where you swallow thickly, a single tear sliding down the side of your cheek. 

You bow deeply. “Thank you very much.”

The moment you straighten back to your full height on stage, a tremendous applause greets you. Yeosang hasn’t even realized he’s started crying until he feels the first of his tears land on the skin of his hands, yet he knows he’s not the only one. Inside that venue, he’s pretty sure that there’s almost no dry eye in sight. Besides, the response from the crowd is too authentic and loud to suggest otherwise.

A blink, and Mark Lee is standing to his feet, followed immediately by all of the NCT members present at the event. Twice is the next group to stand, Jongho springing up as well before any of the members can stop him.

The crowd seems to follow the idol’s lead, for a moment later, the entire venue is giving you a standing ovation. Even both Irene and Wendy are reluctantly on their feet, tears falling freely down their faces despite their attempts to hide them.

What makes this moment even more special, is that on stage, the idols you have chosen to help you all step towards you. However, it is the four members of SHINee that approach you, bowing to you in tandem as you bow back. A moment later, a staff member hands something to Taemin onstage.

It takes a few moments for the applause to die down and for everyone to settle back into their seats. Once they do, it’s like a new sense of calm and understanding has passed over the entire crowd as the members of SHINee address you.

“You have once again proven your elegance with words here tonight in front of all of us,” Jinki begins, a fond smile gracing his features.

“You have reminded us all of why we are here, and why each and every one of us continues to strive for perfection in everything that we do.” Minho is the next to speak, standing tall as he looks upon you with pride.

“We would like to now thank you for your hard work and dedication to your own craft which you have shared with all of us tonight.” Key tilts his head in acknowledgement at you, eyes shining as Taemin approaches you with an award held in his hands.

“In honour of this ceremony tonight, we would like to present you with this artists award for the written word.” Taemin speaks lowly, handing the little statuette to you as a few more tears escape your eyes. He leans in, the cameras catching the way his own tears continue to fall freely down his face. “Thank you for honouring our brother.”

Another round of applause is heard from the audience.

“May this award solidify the relationship between artists, and the bond of love that we all share towards a common craft.” Minho smiles at you as you bow once more, thanking each one of them earnestly without a moment’s hesitation.

The transitional instrumental begins to play over the speakers as you all exit the stage. Most of the idols around you begin to congratulate you on your way out, you inclining your head to them in time and smiling widely.

Yeosang only wishes he could be up there, too, celebrating in your own victory.

A minute later, and the first idol performance kicks off, the crowd cheering along with the music. It takes a few minutes before most of the idols return to their groups after helping you with your performance, but still, you do not appear.

No, you do not appear in the artist’s area for over twenty minutes. Twenty painstakingly long minutes where Yeosang subtly keeps glancing towards the side, hoping that you’ll appear at any moment.

Once you do, though, it’s as if all eyes are drawn to you.

Walking with a staff member to your designated seat, you get stopped lightly by a few groups. Congratulations are heard all around, some idols going so far as to stand and bow to you, mumbles of gratitude falling from their lips. Of course, you immediately smile and bow back, talking lightly to those that wish to converse with you during the small interludes between performances.

Finally, you reach your seat, and it looks las if they’ve seated you right next to Twice, but in front of NCT for the show. A fact that normally Yeosang wouldn’t take much notice of, were you anyone else. However, the fact that it’s you, and that you’re so far away bothers him.

It’s not like he wants to congratulate you himself or anything.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he notices both Jongho and Wooyoung stand to their feet. Both Felix and Changbin do as well. Not that Yeosang is keeping tabs, or anything.

“Where are you two going?” His gaze narrows at them suspiciously.

“To congratulate our friend,” Wooyoung rolls his eyes. “What does it look like we’re doing?”

“Joong already did, though.” Seonghwa frowns, a hint of worry on his features as he glances around at all of the cameras watching their every move.

“We know.” Jongho hums, shrugging nonchalantly. “So, if anyone asks, we’ve just gone to the washroom.”

“Let them go,” Hongjoong huffs out a laugh. “I certainly don’t want to listen to them whining about it the whole show.”

“They’ll be a few seats away, and it’s not like idols haven’t switched couches before during shows.” Yunho hums, amusement dancing in his gaze.

Yeosang can only watch, frozen to his spot as the two youngest members make their way over to you with both Felix and Changbin shortly after that. 

Currently, you appear to be talking lightly to both Sana and Mina for the moment. The three of you lean closer in to one another as a small break is taken as the stage gets set for the next performance.

The second you see Felix, Changbin, Jongho, and Wooyoung appear, you smile. However, due to the angle Yeosang is sitting in, he cannot tell what you’re saying. Instead, he opts to lean back onto the couch, a huff escaping him as his lips tug downwards in the corners.

“If it bothers you that much, go with them.” Hongjoong chuckles, taking notice of the pout Yeosang seems to wear.

“I’m not bothered.” Yeosang is quick to reply, diverting his gaze to the men sitting beside him.

“Mmhmm,” Yunho hums, a knowing quirk to his brow. “And Jongho isn’t on his knees proposing as we speak.”

Yeosang’s head whips in your direction.

A boisterous laugh greets his ears as he sees you continuing to casually converse with the four other idols. None of them are on their knees, nor have they even moved a single inch.

If looks could kill, Yunho would be ten feet under.

“Oh yeah, definitely not bothered.” San quirks a brow, the corner of his lips quirked upwards smugly.

“Shut up.” Yeosang grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Just admit you’re starting to like her, and be done with it.” Mingi shrugs, patting the male beside him lightly on the knee.

“It’s not like that.” Yeosang shakes his head lightly, eyes catching on the way you seem to throw your head back in laughter at something Wooyoung has just said. His jaw twitches in annoyance.

“Sure, it’s not.” Seonghwa grins.

“It’s not!” Yeosang can feel his face heating beneath their knowing stares. “I haven’t even known her for a month!”

“It doesn’t take long to start developing feelings for someone.” Hongjoong comments casually, turning his attention back to the stage as the next group walks into position.

“You guys are making a mountain out of a mole hill.” Yeosang huffs, turning back to face forward as well.

Even though the guys all choose to say nothing as both Jongho and Wooyoung return to join them, Yeosang can just tell that they still don’t believe him.

No, there’s nothing there. Just like how Yeosang is not jealous, he doesn’t have any other feelings towards you other than friendly. You don’t even know each other all that well, especially not like that.

Yet.

Yeosang blinks, surprising himself with that small voice that sounds at the back of his head. He should be used to it by now, but he finds that everything about you throws him off. In a good way, of course. You’re just never what he expects, and for some reason, the thought of growing closer to you, even just as friends, warms his heart more than anything. He wants to support you, just as you’ve incurred that you’ve been supporting him all of this time.

Why then, does the thought of you with anyone else, or even the sight of you getting along so well with another male, bother him so? Why is it when even his closest friends make you smile, his heart hurts?

Yeosang gets so lost in his thoughts, that he barely registers the time passing by. The only two things that manage to snap him out of his daze of staring longingly in your direction half of the time is when Ateez wins an award and has to go up on stage to accept it, and when they are finally taken backstage to get ready for their performance.

In the back of his mind, Yeosang hopes that you’ll be focussed on him.

Standing in the wings, he cannot help but smile to himself. From his vantage point backstage, he can just make out your figure sitting on the couches, dancing along to Stray Kids’ performance right now. The way you excitedly mouth along to the words, potentially even singing along to them has the infectious joy on your features flooding his veins. He cannot help but get lost in the way you move, captivating him with something as simple as nodding your head and shifting your shoulders along to the beat.

Will you do the same for Ateez? Will you be just as content to sing along to the lyrics and music that he is about to perform? Will you, and he silently hopes this beyond everything, be as captivated by him as he is by you?

“Ateez, standby.” A crew member says, headset blinking periodically as they finish guiding the members to their entrance spots.

A large roar is heard from the crowd in response to Stray Kids wrapping up their set, the members rushing passed Ateez as they exit the stage.

Brief congratulations and praises are shared, Wooyoung and Changbin playfully teasing each other about who is going to win their bet of having your gaze on them more when performing. Though Bang Chan and Hongjoong chuckle fondly, Yeosang cannot help the irritated twitch of his jaw.

A minute later, Ateez is entering the stage.

The crowd once more erupts in cheers as their intro begins playing, their names being introduced onscreen as their opening VCR plays in the background. Yeosang can feel that typical rush of adrenaline flooding his veins, taking a deep breath in and getting into his starting position.

The music begins.

Each move is precise, the dance flowing between all of them just as every time they both practice and perform. Not a single error is seen from any of them, and the energy from the audience feeds into each of their movements, giving them motivation to continue and perform even better than before. Of course, it helps when certain close ups of the members cause cheers to erupt, or certain parts of the song.

The moment Yeosang steps to the front to do his part, the movements second nature to him by now, he spares a glance in your direction.

There you sit, completely mesmerized by him. Your eyes are wide, hand resting over your heart as you lean back into the couch as if you’re swooning.

Yeosang smirks, putting even more effort into his every movement. He needs to continue to feel your eyes on him every second of this performance, because it motivates him to do even better than before. 

If your touch is fire, then your gaze is electricity, setting his whole body alight in the best ways possible.

The minute the stage ends, Yeosang darts his gaze over to you once more. The fact that he can see you cheering loudly causes his already racing heart to stutter, a smile pulling at his features all the while. There’s a sense of pride building in his chest, more so than usual, and he absolutely revels in it.

It takes them about ten minutes to cool down backstage. Each male takes the time to change out of their performance outfits, allowing the staff to wipe the sweat from their faces before heading back to their seats.

The minute they return to the couches, they see you smiling widely at them. The added fact that you send them two enthusiastic thumbs up, mouthing ‘great job’ towards them, has them all smiling and bowing at you in thanks.

Yeosang’s heart absolutely soars, but he can tell that he’s not the only one. Even both San and Seonghwa look absolutely thrilled to be receiving your praise, giddy grins tugging onto their features as they walk passed. It’s only when Jongho sits on the couch directly beside yours that Yeosang realizes that the Twice members have all been brought backstage for their own performance.

Wooyoung is the next to sit on that same couch, and soon, all of Ateez takes over the spot where Twice had once been. You talk lowly with them, congratulating them again on an excellent performance while talking excitedly about your favourite parts. A fact of which makes all of them nod along eagerly, for you have something to praise about all of them.

The moment Yeosang’s name slips passed your lips, his eyes are on you.

“I know for a fact I wasn’t the only one captivated by your part tonight.” You say, eyes shining as you meet his gaze. “You should have heard the way Itzy squealed beside me. It was so validating to know I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.”

Sure enough, when his gaze darts passed your head, he can see Itzy smiling and waving at him from the couch to the left of your own. 

He turns back to you.

Lowly, he thanks you, and again, he can feel a vibrant warmth spreading onto his cheeks. Yet, all too soon, you’re moving on.

“And that high note!” You turn to Jongho, fingers squeezing the arm of the couch beside you. “God, I always love watching your live stages cause you guys don’t just perform, you perform.”

The way you emphasize that word has smiles rising to all of their faces, especially when they watch you lean forward slightly as you say such a thing. This is the first time they’ve ever truly experienced you talking like this about them, and each male wants to enjoy it. Though, some are definitely enjoying it more than others. Including Yeosang.

“I could literally go on forever about this, but I’ll spare you guys from my rant beforehand.” You chuckle, shifting back into your original position.

“Really, I don’t think any of us would mind.” Hongjoong grins at you, but the way his eyes flash suggests he knows something that the others don’t.

“Yeah, okay, captain of the stage demons,” you snort. “You’re really not slick in still trying to figure out my bias to your group. You ask me more times than the Iron Lung over here.”

At the way you motion to Jongho with your thumb, the guys and you all share a laugh.

“Didn’t realize Captain was that interested in learning your bias,” Wooyoung’s eyebrow quirks mischievously. “And after that huge ass lecture on the way home from rehearsals yesterday about giving you space about it.”

Hongjoong looks about ready to leap across the couch and start smacking Wooyoung upside the head.

“I honestly don’t mind not knowing.” Hongjoong says, though the fact that he forces a tight smile suggests otherwise.

“Really?” You grin, tilting your head forward knowingly. “Mister ‘don’t look at other idols’ doesn’t care whether or not my bias to his group is actually him or not?”

“I don’t say that!” His mouth falls open in shock.

All heads in Ateez turn to look at Hongjoong, blinking in disbelief.

“Okay, maybe like, once,” he grumbles.

Yunho snorts out a laugh, “yeah, maybe once today.”

A playful smack is given to the younger male, who pretends to rub his side in pain.

“Whatever,” Hongjoong mumbles. “You help a friend out with their presentation, and they won’t even tell you their Ateez bias afterwards.”

You laugh.

“As long as I’m your wrecker, that’s all that matters.” Wooyoung chimes in, a firm nod to his head.

“Given up on the notion that you’re her bias already?” San asks, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Where’d that confidence from the plane ride go?”

“Didn’t you know, a person’s bias is most like them, and their wrecker is their ideal type?” Wooyoung proudly repeats the words you told him yesterday.

All eyes are instantly on you.

“Okay, so, who’s your Ateez bias wrecker?” Mingi asks eagerly, leaning forward slightly in his seat.

Again, you laugh. “If I’m not telling you my bias, I’m most certainly not telling you my wreckers.”

Yeosang’s brow quirks, but his face remains neutral for the most part.

“It has to be one of us,” Seonghwa frowns, attempting to figure it all out from everything that you’ve told them so far.

“Oh, I never said there was only one.” You hum, a teasing quirk to your lips. “Oh no, one of you was very adamant about wrecking me in the end.”

“You like multiple of us?” Yeosang’s lips part, ignoring the way his heart leaps hopefully in his chest.

“Of course I like more than one of you,” you giggle. “There are eight of you, after all. It’s quite hard for someone to choose only one. You’re all very beautiful men.”

Quirked eyebrows greet you all around, and your eyes seem to widen in embarrassment. The fact that they all smile at you giddily only makes it worse.

“Wait, please don’t think I’m super shallow and am only talking about your looks when I say that.” You’re quick to add. “Yes, I think you’re all handsome, but I mainly base my decisions on what is known about your personalities and what you show your fans.”

“You think I’m handsome?” Jongho’s eyes absolutely shine beneath the dim lighting of the venue, nothing but awe in his gaze as he looks at you.

“Of course I do.” You smile, and red begins to slowly creep up Jongho’s neck. “Beauty is also very subjective, so who I might find the most visually appealing might not be another person’s answer.”

“As long as you think I’m the most handsome, we shouldn’t have a problem.” A voice from the left side catches your attention, and you turn to see Johnny, Mark, and Yuta moving to sit beside you on the couch. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, John.” You grin, bowing your head politely in greeting to Yuta who smiles back.

“Every day I know you, you break my heart even more.” Johnny sighs dramatically, placing a hand over his chest as he falls backwards on the couch.

“I’ve known you for a day and a half, John.” You blink blankly, somewhat teasingly, causing laughter to erupt around you.

“You’ve only known Mark for that time, too!” He counters.

“Technically speaking, I’ve been talking with Mark for over eight months now.” You reply, fixing the skirt of your dress as you cross your one leg over the other beneath the material.

Yeosang’s eyebrow twitches, leaning forward slightly in his seat to see you better.

“Yeah, she’s my best friend!” Mark grins widely, puffing out his chest slightly as he looks at Johnny. Were it not for the cameras, Yeosang bets anything that the male would have slung an arm around your shoulders by now.

“Yeah, cause you won’t share her contact details with anyone else.” Johnny mutters, rolling his eyes.

“Mark! Right in front of your number one stan?” You gasp dramatically, extending your hand outwards and motioning towards Yuta.

“Normally, I would have to agree with you.” Yuta smirks, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he looks at you. “However, I think I can make an exception for our favourite author.”

Your whole body freezes, eyes sparkling as you look towards Yuta. “Favourite author?”

“Yes.” Yuta nods once in confirmation. “And might I just say, you look divine.”

The way your breath hitches in your throat does not go unnoticed by any of them. The fact that you avert your gaze so bashfully while muttering out a small ‘thank you’ has Yeosang’s heart squeezing painfully in his chest. He can hardly prevent the way his lips purse the slightest bit, fingers digging into the skin of his thighs as he grounds himself to his spot for the moment.

Yeosang may not have fully understood what Yuta has just told you, but from the bits he picked up, he’s understood enough. Besides, the bashful way you respond says it all.

A second later, and you’re clearing your throat. “Wait, Mark won’t share my contact details with you? I told him it was fine when he first asked. I just didn’t bring it up again because I thought none of you were interested in talking with me. I didn’t want to push or come across as some weird, obsessed fan who was using connections to get what she wants.”

A pointed look is sent towards Mark by both Johnny and Yuta as the former male begins to shrink in his spot.

“Ah, so Markie Boy has been gatekeeping his pretty author friend this whole time.” Johnny hums, a tight smile pulling across his features.

“I think I need to reassess how much I stan Mark now,” Yuta adds, a teasing grin pulling on his features.

“I’m telling Ten!” Johnny jumps up from the couch, moving back off to where all of NCT is sitting. “And Taeyong! And Kun, and Chenle, and Renjun, and Jeno, and-“

His voice begins to fade as he walks away, but he continues to list off names, nonetheless.

“Get back here!” Mark immediately chases after him, though with the cameras around, it’s more of a speed walking competition as they head back to their own seats for the moment.

Your eyes widen, a snort of amusement escaping you as you watch Johnny slowly going around to each couch to inform the Neos about this recent discovery. Mark attempts in vain to stutter out excuses, but the moment Doyoung pulls him back down onto the couch beside him, it’s clear his efforts are futile.

“Didn’t realize how many Neos wanted to talk to me.” You mumble, turning back around to face the front with a soft smile on your face.

“I know for a fact that it’s more than just the Neos.” Yunho chuckles, motioning back towards both Stray Kids and Seventeen with his head. Two groups of which that sit off to the right of them all right now.

“I still can’t believe it,” you comment, somewhat breathlessly as your eyes are drawn back to the stage in front of you.

Yeosang wants to wipe that flirty smile right off of Yuta’s face as the elder male shifts closer to you on the couch. The second Yeosang sees Yuta take your hands in his own, Yeosang can feel his nails biting into the skin of his legs even harsher than before. Why does he so badly wish that were him?

More than all of that, why do you look so awestruck?

The words Yuta speaks to you are nothing but a loud ringing in Yeosang’s ears, only getting worse when he watches you smile and nod back enthusiastically. You reply something, but that damn white noise drowns everything out. He only wishes he could actually hear what’s being said, but before he knows it, the next performance is starting.

It’s just not fair.

Yeosang is forced to watch as you settle onto the couch with Yuta beside you, a large smile painting your features as you relax into your spot. He really wishes he could enjoy the music, just as you seem to be. Only, he finds that the dull ache of his heart demands to be felt.

Why, suddenly, is it so difficult for him to breathe?

[thelingodingo]

There is no such thing as "hyungie"

If you're someone whos into kpop then you may or may not already know about words such as "hyung", "noona", etc

And so you may also know that in Korean there are name honorifics that can be attached after a person's name between people who are close to each other. these honorifics are "ah" (if the name ends with a consonant) and "ya" (if the name ends with a vowel) and can only be used age horizontally or downwards. (eg. Dokyeom-ah, Mingyu-ya)

another suffix for names ending in a consonant is "-ie" (eg. Jungkookie)

BUT something that is not really known among fans is that this "ie" sound is so much more than just a name ending, it's still an actual korean word. it can mean "two", "teeth", "this", etc just like how in english "lead" and "lead" are completely different things.

by far the most important reason for this post is that "ie" is a Korean subject particle along with the subject particle "ga" meaning that it is used within Korean grammar to mark the subject of the sentence, a completely different thing than the name vocative case mentioned above.

so whenever any korean speaking person is saying "hyungie" they are NOT saying it with the purpose of being affectionate or cutesy in that moment, they are literally just speaking korean the way its supposed to be spoken grammatically. the word "hyungie" itself does not exist in any way in Korean.

now if the person happened to be saying, for example, "Namjoonie hyung" or "Namjoonie hyungie" then it would make sense since the name suffix is actually on the name, not the honorific title (again, "ie" on a word like "hyung" is a subject particle).

I know that non korean speaking kpop fans obviously won't know about this part of the language unless they've studied the language themselves and in no way am i trying to shit on anybody for this.

but i really wanted to make a post on it cuz i've barely seen any other koreans talk about it before while im over here everyday seeing comments like "omg he loves his hyungie soooo much 😍😍😍" and everytime im thinking "??"

theres actually many more examples of the language being somewhat misused/misunderstood but thats all I'll say today 😫

(also im not saying that kpop idols don't love their fellow members its just that "ie" isn't always used the way some fans think it is)

[transflynnscifo]

Words left unspoken-- Flynn and the XBOX 360 ending

Today, I finally wanted to make a post about something that might be a little obscure. Whether it truly is would depend on whether

a) you’ve watched/seen the original version of Vesperia,

or

b) you enjoyed the game through PS3 or Definitive Edition and have looked into the significant differences done between the same game.

To preface, I think it is no secret to anyone that the original 360 version did not have Flynn as a playable character, whereas Patty was just not present (though there was a hint in the original version, if my memory serves me right, that there were plans to implement her even before the ps3 version)

This is my warning to avoid reading further, as this entire post contains spoilers for the ending of the game, regardless of the version.

To make sure all readers are up to speed, it’s important to mention that Flynn is not brought along for Tarqaron in the 360 version. If the player wants to talk to him as an NPC, he would be present in Aurnion (and the Colosseum as an enemy if you’re doing the 100-man melee). Regardless, this significantly changes the progression of the ending cutscene, once you are able to defeat the end-game boss. I would suggest to take a few minutes to watch and compare the original vs updated ending, which I am providing now, below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e91L4AIKcyg The version used in PS3 and Definitive Edition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgeMz8Vyocw The version used for the XBOX 360 version, in English.

[I want to mention that I think the part where the rest of the party runs up to Yuri is cute in both versions. In the older one, Yuri kneels to greet Repede! Um, they forgot Patty in the new version somehow, but I imagine she’s doing her Dream Star arte and is about to explode the others.]

Let’s put our focus on Flynn, though!

In the Definitive edition, you know that he approaches Yuri happily, and they both do their little handshake/high-five thing before running up to the others.

In the XBOX 360 version, we get something entirely different! We have Flynn looking up softly at the sky in order to declare his pride for Yuri, without Yuri ever being able to hear that, let alone know it was even said.

Why does he not say it in the newer versions of Vesperia? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will still propose an idea: The moment was different.

Time and time again Flynn witnesses Yuri and the gang do so many good deeds without taking the proper credit for it. In the case of the original, Flynn is not playable, so he witnesses even less of what the party is doing. I think this cut away from the party perspective in the original to show Flynn is meant to assure the player (who usually may be controlling Yuri) that yes, he genuinely considers Yuri in that high of a regard. He doesn’t personally witness the defeat of the Adephagos in the original, so his only line of thought is to assume Yuri was able to defeat it himself. In fact, the original helps the viewer know that Flynn is perfectly certain this was Yuri’s doing.

Though Flynn goes through the same issue of Yuri refusing to take credit in all versions of the game, he is able to travel with the others and establish more of a bond (albeit awkwardly) with them in PS3 and onward. I think part of him not saying the pride line in those endings was also because he was generally relieved to see the Adephagos defeated with his own eyes. I assure you he probably still is proud of Yuri for it.

Let’s move on to a more interesting observation. Since the English XBOX 360 was very big for the west and there was no dual audio at the time, many players have missed out on how the line is spoken in the Japanese version of the original. So I wanted to compare them too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5h6QoedZ9o&t=322s The 360 ending, in Japanese.

INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

This part of my post isn’t meant to say which version is superior, but to discuss the choices done that make the lines both similar and different. Please keep this in mind I am saying this as a(n English) Language major thank you and godspeed.

Anyway, let’s put the lines together:

……君こそ僕の誇りだよ。親友 ...I am so proud to call you my friend, Yuri Lowell.

The website I’ve referred to for years by now does not offer a fan translation for the 360 version, but only for PS3 and on. In my experience playing the game in Japanese audio, watching my sibling play it in the dub, studying Japanese, I have found that the only significant times the fan-TL and the localization differ are when translating arte names. (Here is the website https://hyouta.com/vesperia/index.php?version=ps3p&locale=jp&compare=c2)

Some notes: こそ is used to put emphasis after pronouns. だよ is also used to put emphasis too, but in a very informal manner. Flynn typically ends many of his sentences with だ in Japanese, especially when he is speaking casually with Yuri and other party members. He even switches his first person pronoun depending if he’s on duty or not.

(for だよ: https://www.alexrockinjapanese.com/meaning-of-dayo-in-japanese-and-english-how-to-use/, for こそ: https://selftaughtjapanese.com/2015/10/22/japanese-word-koso-%E3%81%93%E3%81%9D-explained-in-detail/)

With my beginner-level Japanese, I will try to offer a translation of the former line, with the help of dictionaries such as https://jisho.org and the above resources to help me parse out a meaning.

“...You are my pride, close friend.” ← where arguably, switching close for the word dear might convey the message better. Frankly speaking, this ended up being the same translation as the one provided by a fluri quote bot that was used on twitter (pay respects for it no longer working).

Now, you might have noticed that I put an emphasis on ‘you’. Well, it’s because Flynn’s wording would be impossible to convey in the translation otherwise.

Let’s compare this and the official English localization! Several elements here are the same. They are marked:

...I am so proud to call you my friend, Yuri Lowell. ← Subject: I, Predicate: am, Complement: to call you. I’m not making the rest of the sentence now as it’s not that important. ...You are my pride, close friend. ← Subject: You, Predicate: are, Direct Object: my pride

So why is the English one so different? I can’t be truly sure, but even with a glance I can say that the syntactic construction is more complex, for one. I am interested in the switch between ‘pride’ and ‘proud’, with the former being a noun, the latter, an adjective.

What I also want to highlight here is that they ARE saying nearly the same thing. With the words ‘pride’ and ‘proud’ being able to be formed from one another, the meaning behind the words are not lost. In fact, when looking up the kanji for pride in the script of Vesperia, it is always translated interchangeably, depending on context.

If I must further simplify Flynn’s words, we get the following:

ENGLISH: I’m proud of my friend JAPANESE: (close) friend is my pride

depending on whether the difference is significant may be subjective.

Let’s determine the reasons /why/ the two versions wind up ultimately different while saying the same thing.

1. This is something my friend Choc pointed out. The possessive adjective. MY FRIEND vs MY PRIDE. When pulled from all context, the Japanese version comes out more intimate. But putting them back in it makes the scale more equal

I am proud + you are my friend = you are my pride + close friend

2. Troubles in translation: 親友 (しんゆう)

This kanji is not easy to translate. I’ve seen posts talking about it used in Naruto, where even there, it is difficult to emphasize the meaning in a translation. Even directly translating it like I did may come off awkward when in English. Translation and localization are one of the hardest parts of offering a Japanese text to non-Japanese speakers. And what can one do when the direct translation fails to impart the word?

You find other words that attempt to impart a similar connotation/meaning. This lies at the core of translation studies. It’s why a translator is REQUIRED to be a good speaker of the source and target language. The capability of having a wide range of vocabulary AS WELL AS being able to use it in the best placements are at the core of what one could consider a good translation. And even then, such a term is very subjective depending on which language speakers you ask. Especially when this comes to languages as different as English and Japanese.

But is 親友 truly lost in translation? I think the average English speaker is still able to infer that Flynn genuinely means his words in regards to Yuri. If not through one word, I think everything else that is said in done in the game is proof enough.

“I am so proud to call you…”

3. Cultural translations and implications

This point arose in further discussion between me and my friend Choc on the topic. Though I have operated with both lines saying they convey the same thing, I have not considered the semantics and cultural aspects of such phrases.

Firstly, Japanese is taught in a way where there is a large emphasis on formality. Most of what is seen in anime/manga/games can be considered at best informal and rude at worst. So it is important to keep such a thing in mind when looking at a Japanese texts. While we can translate something, we also need to understand how intimate it can be read, and subsequently, how would such a sentence come across in English.

“X is my pride” as a phrase is much less common than “I am proud of X”. And, subsequently, a speaker comes to alert if the former would be uttered. Why call someone the noun when you can describe them with the adjective?

This is speculative on my end but, in the case of Flynn’s line, I think it’s perfectly fine to say it’s intimate. That’s the intention! He and Yuri have known each other all their lives, and have been through the roughest parts in their relationship. They already speak informally with each other in Japanese, so such a line should not be too surprising, right?

Well, the perceived issue with using “You are my pride” in the localization could be that its meaning alters when it enters English. Semantically speaking, most English speakers would perceive this as romantically charged in most contexts. Part of it could be due to how direct it is when dissected syntactically, whereas the official localization lengthens the sentence and makes it more complex. In personal experience, many sentence structures I’ve already learned in Japanese are short and direct. Though Flynn’s line breaches intimacy, the structure is not why, but because of “こそ” and “だよ” that I mentioned earlier. Once more, the direct translation would in theory create a miscommunication of intention in the translation.

Ultimately, the most devastating part of Flynn’s line is the fact that Yuri will never be around to witness it. Yes, Flynn is still pretty direct with his feelings, we have that one line before the Aurnion fight, and it seems he can still convey his feelings non-verbally in a fight. But for someone who begins the story as demotivated and depressed, continues on to a point where his self-esteem plunders further, and manages to find what he wants to do while holding certain unhealthy ideas about Flynn (such as putting him on a pedestal, check the conversation with Sodia in Nor), Yuri probably really should hear those words, even if he is allergic to praise or positive affirmations aimed at him.

Ultimately, what can be done as a result is to ponder ideas after the end of the story and hope that Flynn eventually actually uses his words. But who’s to say! What did I do for this? I made edits. This is your reward for making it through my post. Maybe someday I’ll post them separately too.

Thanks for reading. Flynn Scifo is gay

[wandamyconfort]

if I were you.. | CH.4

wanda maximoff x fem!reader

summary: y/n is best friends with vision, who ironically, is the boyfriend of his worst enemy, wanda maximoff. until one night, when the clock struck midnight, they are both struck by something mysterious that completely changes the fate of their best friends, including a certain redhead… be careful what you wish for.

sorry for any translation errors, english is not my first language

- I think I got the wrong place, I thought it came to the locker room but apparently it is a sewer manhole. Y/N looked at the team's locker room with a distorted face covering his nose.

- It stinks of feet in here. - grunted to his teammates, who were putting on their uniforms, still holding his hand to his nose.

- And what did you want it to smell like? Roses? Little flower... - Sam laughed sarcastically.

- It wouldn't be bad at all. - replied innocently as he looked at his closet not wanting to see those boys changing.

- Vision, what are you still doing out of uniform? - Coach Olivia asked with her hands on her waist, scolding the boy because he was the only one still sitting on a bench among the lockers still wearing normal clothes. - We don't have all the time in the world, the game starts in ten minutes. The court is already packed, guys, do your best. - she addressed everyone and then left.

Y/N was mentally killing Vision, in a thousand different ways in just five seconds repeatedly for making her go to school. She would have to participate in one of the most important games against a competing high school team and what was even worse: being Quarterback without having a clue what to do. That's great.

- Come on, guys! - Olivia shouted back, pointing at the players. - vision, don't be late, five minutes! - She warned the boy, who had already finished putting on his protective gear.

Y/N was immersed in her thoughts and did not notice the presence of someone behind her. The same person touched her shoulder and she turned around startled but relaxed when she saw that it was wanda.

Wanda was already in her uniform and that skirt seemed shorter than usual.

- Good luck in the cheerleading squad. - smiled without showing his teeth and Wanda approached him looking into his eyes as if she expected something more.

Y/N pressed her lips together already knowing what she wanted, he slowly approached and wanda closed her eyes by instinct waiting for the kiss. The kiss that never came. At least not where she wanted. Y/N had kissed her forehead. wanda huffed.

- That's not a good luck kiss... - she complained in displeasure.

- Isn't it?

- I want it here... - She pointed to her own lips, running her index finger over them sensually, they were painted with a skin-colored lipstick, thin lips.

Y/N bit his in nervousness. What am I going to do? Sir, help me

- Vision, are you coming today or tomorrow? - They were startled by the trainer who suddenly appeared shouting and soon after disappeared. Thanks teacher. Y/N smiled and kissed the girl in front of her again on the forehead.

- You heard her... the kissing is for later. - She ran away, leaving Wanda with a pout forming on her lips.

The field was really crowded, noisy. Everyone was looking forward to the match, the cheerleaders opened the match with a sensational number, and the instant they finished, Y/N immediately thought she was fucked.

She was terrified. Vision told her it was easy, that she had nothing to worry about. A few hours earlier he had shown her some passes: "Catch the ball, keep hold of it, then just run across the white line, and that's it, Touchdown!".

What if prayers made to a wishing fountain could come true, and by an error of fate you came back to me? She repeated the words he had spoken to her a few hours ago in order to build up courage. Vision was visibly in the first row of the bleachers, he also seemed nervous. The match started and Y/N ran to all sides just watching and mentally hoping that no one would pass the ball to her.

- Drew, pass the ball to Sam! - The coach yelled for the boy, who was surrounded, to throw the ball to the Quarterback.

And that was her indication: When you know you won't make it, pass the ball to Vision.

The black-haired boy obeyed, but one of the rival team's players stepped forward with a leap and managed to get possession of the ball. Coach Olivia had surely forgotten that shouting the passes was not a very smart idea. Y/N was relieved that the ball had not reached her. Unlike the school's fans, who shouted curses at the players and muttered something disconnected. A few more minutes of play went by and Wanda watched worriedly as Vision ran without paying attention to the field. It didn't even look like he was playing. Because of his inattention, a player threw the ball at her and she herself fell to her knees. Wanda covered her mouth in shock and wanted to go over to help him but a hand grabbed hers to keep her in place. It was Valkyrie.

- Oh... Oh my God... - she closed his eyes tightly. - Shit, that really hurts. - mumbled almost speechless with his hands between his legs.

She had just been hit hard and it hurt like hell. He had forgotten to put protection there. All the boys stopped to watch him and they frowned, contorting their faces in pain as if they had also been hit. Y/N felt two tears fall and Vision mentally thanked him for not being in his body at that moment. Could this get any worse?

Y/N tried to pull himself together as best he could. The game had to go on.

- Vision, it's yours! - Bucky shouted the instant he threw the ball to his friend. This time no one got in the way and the ball arrived at the right destination.

Damn it. What do I do now? Okay, stay calm, what did Vision actually say...? Oh, I know: Get the ball. Okay, that part I've already done. Now I have to cross the white line... But what white line? What line? There are so many... Or did I have to run first?

- DAMN IT, Y/N, RUN! - The answer came as a shout from his friend who was in the stands. He soon realized his mistake. - I mean... Go, Vision! Go for it... - He smiled faintly seeing that some students looked at him confused and he soon tried to keep a closed face watching the game.

As Y/N was about to start running, she was brutally hit by a big guy from the rival team, at which point she could tell she almost saw the light. That little kiss of good luck is being missed. Y/N grunted in agony through her aching body.

- Damn... I think I hurt my leg. - The girl spoke with the thread of her voice feeling the sharp pain in her leg unable to stand up.

- Congratulations, you idiot! - one of the players shouted without stopping his route to observe him and headed for the locker room.

- I think I'll get my Quarterback job back. - Sam, who was following him, smiled mockingly and headed for the locker room.

- Man, what is your problem? Have you forgotten how to run? - Steve pinned him without waiting for an answer or helping him up. It seemed that everyone made an Indian row of people waiting their turn to recriminate him.

- What's the matter with you guys? I'm fine, thanks for asking.

she managed to get up at great cost and stood feeling the pain in her leg.

- Are you ok? - Wanda asked and Y/N screamed almost off balance. She quickly put her hand on his waist and put his arm around her neck to help him walk.

- Have you come to reproach me too? - muttered with a twisted face.

- Of course not... Come here. - put his arm around her shoulder. - You have to go to the hospital. Can you take a few steps to the car? - She spoke worriedly, and the boy nodded.

(...)

- It was nothing too serious. It's not broken. he'll live. - The Doctor examined the leg over the redhead's expectant gaze.

- You say that because it wasn't with you. - she thought.

Y/N rolled his eyes.

- We'll just put a cast on it and you can go home now, young man.

- Put a cast? - The little girl lying on the stretcher asked in fright.

- Don't be scared, it's only for a few days. This way you'll get better faster. And so that you don't miss school you can use crutches. But... no more effort, that is, no more games for at least a month, okay? - This is the best news I have received so far.

she nodded and Wanda helped her up. She kissed his nose and wrinkled it in a funny way while smiling. Y/N laughed through the pain, finding it amusing.

(...)

- How are you? - the boy asked on the line. After they left the hospital the redhead dropped her off at home, who was now resting in bed.

- I had to put a cast on my leg. - She answered and sighed, looking at her leg.

- I'm sorry I got you into this. You wouldn't know how to play with just a hint, if you hadn't trained before. - he said, feeling guilty. - But on the bright side... At least you won't have to play anymore, right?

- Fuck you, Vision!

- Hey, but listen... - He spoke in the face of the other's muteness. - What do your parents mean, "Don't forget your dance class?"

- Shit... - She squeezed her eyes shut, bringing her hand to her forehead. - I had forgotten. It's my classical ballet class. Don't you remember when I told you that I joined a month ago?

- Yes… Now that you said it, I remembered.

- Well then… It's today at six. You can't be late.

- What? No, no… I can't dance ballet. No way. I'm not going!

- Oh, but you will! - ordered. - I didn't know how to play football either, and I did. Now I have a fucking leg in a cast! - she said angrily. - This is the least you can do.

- Am I supposed to thank you for breaking my leg? - he teased, knowing it would irritate her.

- It's your leg, but I'm the one feeling the pain here! - She fell for the provocation and became more irritated.

- Okay... I'm going to your class. - Having said that he disconnected the call and Y/N grunted, putting the cell phone aside.

- Honey... - Pepper entered the room. - Today unfortunately I'll have to stay on call. I tried to cancel. I tried to find someone to take my place today, but no one could. I didn't want to leave you alone, even more so, so I called your girlfriend so she could stay here tonight with you.

- No, mama! Why did you do that? You didn't have to bother Wanda. I'll be fine here. - Spending an entire night with the girl was not in her plans. What if she tried to kiss you? How could you escape with only one good leg?

- She didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, she liked it and was also worried about you. She also said that your parents had a conference tonight and might not be back until tomorrow afternoon.

- I still don't think I should have called. - She muttered in annoyance, but Pepper hadn't heard.

(...)

- Y/N? - Greeted a smiling girl. Hi, total stranger.

- Hello...- How have you been? Aside from dance classes, we hardly see each other. - The girl was nice and Vision scratched the back of his neck.

- Well, thank you. - He replied without amusement.

- Have you been talking to Virginia? - Who the hell is Virginia?

- No.

- Neither do I... - He smiled without showing his teeth.

- It's been a while since we've spoken. In such a short time you must know when she comes here to Miami, right?

- Um... I don't know when she's coming. - He answered, floating.

- What's up, Y/N? You look at me like you don't know me. - she laughs.

It's because I really don't know you, creature.

- Are you okay? - Yes, I'm fine. - he answered quickly.

- It's really good to be... You already know how kind America is. - She was ironic and Vision frowned.

- america?

- Yes... - She tilted her head to the side in confusion. - Our teacher. Have you forgotten?

(...)

- That must be Wanda. I'll send her up. I'm coming, okay? Take care. Mom loves you. - She kissed the boy's forehead, who was lying on the bed, flipping through some channels on the TV with the remote control.

Y/N nodded.

- I love you too, Mom. - She murmured softly, her eyes still on the television.

Pepper stopped her journey and looked at him with moved eyes. The last time her son had said this her husband was still alive, Vision was twelve years old. They were having a picnic in the park, her husband was teaching him to play baseball as he always did every day after work. Y/N knew that Vision had trouble showing his feelings, he loved his mother but found it hard to tell her. So he decided to give her a little help.

The woman couldn't help but come back and give him another kiss on the forehead, this time longer. Soon after she left the room smiling. y/n smiled sideways and continued to flip through some channels.

- My God, what happened here? - The girl who had just entered the room spoke up, looking at every corner of the place with a surprised look.

- What do you mean?

- Your room. It's organized...

- Oh, yes... - I knew what she was talking about.

- Yeah, it needed some cleaning up, so I finally decided to do it. - She smiled at the other's expression.

- You did well. - She smiled, stepping closer. - Does your leg still hurt?

- Not much. It's much better than before. I can't wait to get it off, it itches so much. - She began to poke and prod at the plaster, annoyed.

- Don't touch it, stubborn... - she sat up in bed. - It could get worse if you keep poking at it. You heard the doctor, it will only be a few days. If you keep poking it, it will take longer to get it out, do you want that?

Y/N shook her head sighing and Wanda held her hand to stop her leg from moving.

- Thank you! - she answered sincerely. knew she was just being nice, worrying, because she thought he was Vision. Even so, she felt obliged to thank her and no longer felt like recriminating or offending her. wanda just smiled.

- Well... I'll stay in the guest room. If you need anything, just call me, ok?

- That's fine. - She answered, relieved that they didn't sleep in the same bed.

The night was cold and gave way to dark, heavy clouds. The dark, calm sky had been changed by lightning. And their light reflected off the bedroom window. The wind whipped against the curtains of the half-open window.

- Oh no… - she mumbled in a terrified voice. - Dad…

Scott and Hope had already left the space for their daughter on the bed. They knew how much Y/N hated that time. scott was waiting for her with a warm smile but the girl gave no sign. The two then became confused and got up and marched to the girl's room finding her sprawled on the bed not at all bothered by the loud thunder.

- I guess our little girl is not a little girl anymore... - whispered Scott to his wife with a thread of sadness, watching the little girl sleep peacefully in bed.

I was happy that she was losing her fears but realized that she was growing up and was no longer a child.

- She will always be our little girl. - Hope whispered with a half smile at the man, she knew what he was thinking. - Let's go back to the room...

- Daddy... - She called him again, but only then realized he wasn't home and began to tremble. y/n began to cry amidst the thunder and lightning that was falling.

- Wanda! - she shouted, and another thunderclap came, making her scream louder. - Wanda, where are you?!

curled up in bed and soon saw a silhouette rush into the room

- What was it? - she asked, visibly startled by the screams.

- Stay with me. - pulled her arm. - Please, Wanda, don't leave me alone. - She asked between sobs and squeezed the other so she wouldn't pull away.

- All right... Stay calm. I'm here now. - lay down next to you. - Tell me what happened... Why are you crying? - she spoke sweetly, wiping his tears.

- I am afraid. - she whispered. - Thunder... I'm scared to death. - said, still whispering like a frightened child.

wanda frowned.

- Since when are you afraid? - she asked confused while caressing his face with the back of her hands.

y/n opened her mouth and couldn't make any sound without knowing how to explain. She couldn't think.

- Calm down, it's okay. It doesn't really matter. I'm not leaving your side. - the redhead spoke in a sweet way, she thought this scene was the most tender thing in the world. Vision afraid of thunder? could never imagine one day seeing that and him admitting it. He was looking like a little boy, which made her feel a desire to take care of him like never before...

- I'm glad you're here. - She had to say, her heart was screaming for it. Just the thought of being alone in that house as she had preferred hours ago made her petrified, she couldn't sleep if she were alone. y/n gripped the bottom of her shirt tightly looking into the girl's green eyes.

- I'm happy to be here. - pulled her into an embrace and nuzzled her head into the curve of his neck. y/n didn't know if it was because of fear or the circumstances she found herself in, but that hug was one of the best she had ever received, and she reciprocated on the same level. With the right to smell the sweet scent that exhaled from the redhead's skin, which made her calmer, more serene. When a thunderstorm was present she squeezed her tighter and that made wanda smile.

Five, ten, twenty minutes... couldn't tell how long she had been hugging her. could hear her heart beating at the same rhythm as hers, and she had to admit. I was enjoying it. The warmth of her body next to his, the quiet breathing, the caress she was making in his hair.

The thunder seemed to give way and only rain was present outside. The hug had also ceased and now they were just staring at each other. The girl's slightly flushed face was so close to his, her lips so inviting just inches away. So close to each other that y/n for a second was afraid she would hear his thoughts. Thank goodness that wasn't possible. For at that moment what she was thinking was that she would not run away should wanda try to kiss her. It was just a kiss, right? A meaningless little kiss, that would be fine. Or would it be wrong? How would vision feel about that? I knew I didn't want to do any more harm or avoid her now, because it would make her sad. She was being nice. It wasn't for her but for Vision.... It didn't matter. Now I didn't want to hurt her or see her suffer. Damn it. Why were you thinking about this? Now he cared about her. Why? Y/n stopped thinking.

- The thunder stopped. - she murmured, looking into the boy's eyes.

- yes... - blushed slightly as if the other had heard her thoughts.

- Let's go to sleep. You need to rest… - She touched his nose with her forefinger in a tender way, she was sleepy. wanda approached him and gave him a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. The intention was on the lips, but it was dark and what was supposed to be a goal was just a crossbar. There was no second attempt.

Y/N let out the air she had been holding in. She could swear her heart had stopped beating for a few seconds, or it was beating too fast that she couldn't even feel it. She hoped wanda hadn't sensed her nervousness. She felt cold, ecstatic. And it wasn't even in her mouth.

- Good night, Wands.

(...)

- Good morning, angel. - Pepper murmured, watching Vision wake up. she had just returned from his shift, exhausted but with a broad smile.

- Mom… where is she? - She looked all around the room, not seeing any trace of the redhead who had slept with her. - Where is wanda?

Y/N wanted to make sure that everything that happened last night was not just a dream.

- Oh, she is gone. I didn't want to wake you up

- And what time is it?

- Seven thirty-four.

- Seven thirty-four? I don't believe it! - tried to get out of bed. - How could I have slept so long? Damn, I'm going to be late!

- Are you sure you want to go? If you want to, I don't see a problem in missing the three remaining days before the cast is removed.

- No. I want to go. That's why they gave me the crutches, right?

quickly straightened up, grabbed the crutches that were near the desk, and stood up, not very dexterously. It was as if he was relearning how to walk, on one leg.

(...)

- Good morning, Y/N. And my leg, how is it? - He smiled at her as he leaned on his locker.

- She is already better.

- I'm glad.

- And how was my class yesterday? - she asked, picking up some books she would need.

- It was great... For me to find out that I hate ballet! - Her smile is gone. - I'm all broken up here, that teacher is crazy, you know? And next time you tell me to do those things, at least indignify yourself to tell me the names of your friends! I'm no psychic to guess. There was a colleague of yours there who asked me about a certain virginia and I was floored, lucky for me she didn't ask me anything complex...

- It must be Vick. - deduced. - But what about Virginia? Don't you know her?

- Of course not!

- How do you not know her? She is a friend of Wanda's. Granddaughter of that neighbor of hers, Mrs. Clarice... - I was trying to make him remember.

- I never saw her there. - She spoke disinterestedly.

- It's because she doesn't live here in Miami anymore, she's from New York. It's been a while since I've seen her here, the last time she came was two years ago...

- How could I meet her when two years ago I didn't even live here in Miami yet?

- That's true. - said contrarily. - Vision... I need to tell you something. - She paused and Vision shook her head silently telling her to continue.

- Last night, Wanda slept with me, Pepper asked her not to leave me alone. I needed to tell you that. - I couldn't stop thinking for a moment about that night, about their closeness and the almost kiss.

- And you didn't kill each other? - He laughed and y/n sighed, looking at him a little guilty.

- She almost kissed me.

- On the mouth? - She widened her eyes

- No, no. On the foot. - she scoffed. - Of course it was in the mouth!

- Y/N, don't kill me for it... But she is my girlfriend. You weren't rude to her, were you? - Spoken as if you were guilty.

Is that really what I heard? And here I am, dying of guilt. If it weren't for my phobia of thunder, Wanda wouldn't have gone to bed with me and wouldn't have almost kissed me. And to make matters worse, I think I would have wanted that kiss to happen. I am to blame here, right? Vision acts like he's to blame, thinks I'm mad... But a few days ago I was angry, yes, at this possibility. So why am I not angry now? I should be hysterical, foaming fire at Vision. But why am I not? Y/N thought.

- No... I wasn't rude... - she whispered, balancing on crutches. - Vision... what do I do if she tries to kiss me again? - Verbalized blushing a little at the possibility. - I mean... should I avoid her?

- Obviously she will want to kiss you. That's what boyfriends do. But please, don't avoid her. It's good so that she doesn't suspect that you are running away. - He said thoughtfully, thinking some more just to then tell her what was going through his mind. - I wonder if... Can't you break this one for me? Give her a few kisses and she will be satisfied.

- You want me to. - She pointed to herself. - Kiss your girlfriend?

y/n was inexpressive.

- I know it's crazy but it doesn't always have to be. Like I said, give her some kisses and roll her over as much as you can. Until everything goes back to normal. Please... - Y/N swallowed hard listening to his friend's pleas.

- I'll see what I can do...

She didn't know what to say, she just said what came into her head, trying not to give it too much importance. Trying to be as formal as possible so that her friend wouldn't suspect her, in the face of that whirlwind of strange sensations she had felt the night before.

- Really? - smiled with relief because he thought she would freak out. - You are the best friend in the world, you know that?

y/n tried to smile but could not. Guilt hammered inside her and she could no longer look him in the eye.

- Just don't fall in love with my girlfriend. - He joked, punching her weakly in the arm, still smiling frankly that she had accepted.

- Don't talk nonsense...

Three days flew by before she finally had that annoying cast removed. Thus closing a week and a half that the two exchanged bodies.

- Mom, you should go... - Y/N insisted.

- But today is Sunday The only day we have to spend together.

- There will be other Sundays. But today, I want you to accept my invitation to go out with him. You need to have some fun and I bet Robert will make the most of it. - she sat down on the sofa next to woman.

Robert worked at the same hospital. A doctor, divorced, he was close to 38 years old and a good friend of his wife. But he had a romantic interest in her. He had invited her once before, but she refused with the excuse that she was spending Sunday with her son. And so she was doing it again.

- I'm not old enough for these things anymore. - She whined and y/n reached for her hand, making her look at her.

- And who told you that love has an age? are not old enough to have fun, to enjoy life... I don't want any more excuses. If you want to go, then call him now and tell him you changed your mind. - handed him the phone.

- Are you sure? - She gave an embarrassed smile, she really wanted to go.

- Totally!

Pepper smiled and went to the kitchen to dial the number. y/n reached for the TV remote and turned it on when she found it. Minutes went by before Pepper returned to the living room.

- He said he'll be by at eight o'clock. - Great. Then we still have two hours. - He turned off the TV and stood up.

- Two hours for what? - She questioned, confused.

- Well... to get ready! I want you to look beautiful and I'm going to help you. - She smiled and pushed Pepper into the room.

(...)

- I am shocked... Who taught you how to paint your nails? - The woman looked fascinated at her freshly painted nails by y/n who was putting the finishing touches.

- É-e-er.. Y/N. But that doesn't matter now... - She tried to change the subject. - Now we just need to choose the clothes and you will look beautiful.

The woman looked really stunning. Y/N chose a sophisticated dress for the occasion. Since they were going to a dinner party. She did a babyliss on her hair, letting the curls fall down her back. She wore basic make-up, because she said that natural beauty was better and that she didn't need to be full of make-up to be beautiful.

For Pepper it was like a "mother-daughter" moment, she was overwhelmed by everything Vision did. She was surprised at the end result. She didn't know he had feminine skills. Robert wasn't short on elegance either, he practically devoured the woman in front of him who felt embarrassed and Y/N raised her eyebrows feeling uncomfortable there.

- Have fun.

- Are you going to be okay? - The woman asked, facing him.

- Of course. I'll be fine, don't worry. Go, Mom... Don't keep that nice guy waiting any longer. - She smiled at the man waiting at the door, who smiled back.

- Okay, then I'll be right there. - You got infected. - Mom loves you.

- Me too, Very much. - It sounded sweet and the woman gave one last smile, leaving with the man for their date, beaming.

Y/N went back to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. His eyes fixed on the ceiling, he bit his lip thinking about Wanda. He closed them, mentally beating himself up for thinking about her, letting out a breath. It was so wrong...

she heard his cell phone vibrate on the table, indicating a new message. picked it up and a smile opened on his face when he saw the name "wands" appear on the screen.

"What are you doing?"

decided to answer, biting his lips to see if he could stop smiling.

"Nothing, and you?"

"I'm dying of boredom. Why don't you come over here to take me out of this boredom? =)"

"No."

"You don't want to see me?"

Y/N was a little hesitant as the memories and sensations of that night invaded her mind again. But it turned out that she saw no problem in accepting.

"Okay... I'll be right there."

"Just like that, teddybear"

Y/N laughed.

(...)

- Where are your parents? - asked as she followed Wanda down the hall.

- They are in the office… - Y/N noticed a mixture of sadness in her voice.

- Is everything ok?

- Yes… - she answered and soon tried to change the subject. - Remember when you asked me about that movie at the amusement park?

- Titanic?

- Yes… Since you and I haven't seen it, so I rented it for us to watch together… What do you think? - Y/N moved his hand squeezing his nose affectionately, wanda made a face and laughed.

- Come on, wands. - she smiled.

- Are you crying? - She turned her gaze to her boyfriend, perplexed.

- Well... Aren't you? - sniffled.

- Yes, but... I've never seen you cry before. - she spoke with an amused smile watching Vision wipe her tears.

- Hm... - She mumbled, blushing, and Wanda threw herself on top of him.

- How beautiful my boyfriend is. - She hugged him like a bear hugs another bear. She broke away from the hug, looking for her boyfriend's lips, who shied away, preventing her from approaching him.

Y/N had been startled.

- Now what?

- Nothing. - she answered quickly and Wanda got off his back.

- Doesn't sound like a nothing to me.... - Y/N noticed her nervousness and became quiet.

- Why don't you kiss me anymore? What is going on? You don't love me anymore, is that it? Is it something I did? Something I said? Please answer me!

Y/N's face paled at the sight of Wanda's completely deranged questioning. Her eyes widened and she began to pray wondering what she would do.

wanda seeing her frightened face let out a laugh and couldn't bear to continue with the joke. Y/N snorted.

- Were you making fun of me? - said indignantly.

- You needed to see your face. You were like, "Help me, what am I going to do now?" - she said amid laughter.

- You pay me, Maximoff!

Y/N threw himself on top of her and started a tickling series on her, who laughed louder now, her eyes already watering and her face turning red trying to find air.

- Stop!

- Not until you apologize to me... Come on, maximoff, apologize! - she said smugly, still tickling the other who was trying to breathe.

- N-no...

- Ask!

- Stop! I'M GOING TO DIE! - she screamed tiredly, trying to find air but laughing uncontrollably.

- Do you give up? - She tried to hold the redhead's hands, who in turn tried to push him to stop the tickling.

- N-no... - tried to say.

- What now? - He held his wrists pinning them to the bed.

The laughter slowly died down, but Wanda still continued to breathe as much air as she could. Her chest was rising and falling with stupendous speed, and it sometimes brushed against the chest of Vision's body on top of her. Y/N shivered from head to toe as he felt the girl's breasts dragging on his chest.

Wanda, already breathing normally, stared at the intense gaze she was receiving and shuddered. Their faces were close to each other. Wanda smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

- Your eyes... - Y/N whispered wanting to tell her something. - It has little dots around it, and in the middle is a mixture of light green and dark green. - She said fascinated observing in detail the other's eyes. - They are beautiful...

- They are normal greens.

- No... Not just any green. - she whispered, and Wanda was fascinated. - They are not like those dull green ones, their eyes have something more. And they are the most beautiful I have ever seen...

Wanda blushed. She couldn't smile, she was too astute for the new compliment. Praise she had never received before...

- That's the most beautiful thing you've ever said to me. - she whispered.

Y/N threw his body completely on top of her feeling her nipples hardening. Wanda had her two hands on his waist passing from time to time slowly down his back and ribs feeling comfortable in that position. She was already crazy. She wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't deny that she was loving this little game. It was like something new... more exciting. Y/N who was still staring at the green shifted his gaze to her mouth and immediately ran his tongue lightly over hers. Wanda let out a low moan watching this and Y/N soon came closer decisively, brushing his lips lightly against hers. She was longing for this. And she knew it. She needed to know, needed to feel what it would be like to kiss her, and this would be the answer to everything she was feeling. For all the confusing feelings that tormented her so much.

- Daughter, me and your da...

Y/N jumped to the side falling to the floor amazed at the woman's entry into the room.

- Ouch!

- Mom. - Natalya frowned.

- Hello, Vision. I didn't know you were here. - She smiled sympathetically at the boy who had just stood up totally embarrassed.

- Hello, Mrs. Maximoff. Um... this afternoon, I think I'd better go. It was good to see you. - He picked up his cell phone on the bed.

- Wanda, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?

Wanda nodded, blushing.

- Are you using condoms? - she asked when she saw that the boy was already gone.

- How's that? - Wanda's eyes widened.- Yes, daughter. If you're taking care of yourselves. - She said naturally.

- Mama, I'm a virgin!

Her insides crumbled when she heard this. She had already told him this and even asked about it a few days ago, but it seems that the woman hadn't heard anything she said because she was too busy with that damn phone.

- Oh... - She was surprised. - I'm liking this guy more now...

- He's quite different now... - Wanda whispered without knowing why.

- Natalya, dear. We're going to be late. - Erik appeared in the room fixing his tie.

- That's right. Daughter, we're going to a meeting, but we'll be right back.

- But today is Sunday. - she murmured dryly.

- I know, princess, but it was unforeseen. - Erik kissed his daughter on the forehead and then left.

- We'll talk more about this later, okay? She kissed his forehead and then followed in her husband's footsteps.

- Oh, sure ... I'll be waiting for you. But sitting down, so as not to get tired.

(...)

Y/N drove home in a cold sweat. She could not stop running her tongue between her lips. Her thoughts were dominated by only one person: Wanda. The girl who was always tormenting her when she was in her body. The one who bullied her, cursed her, who hurt her... Who now is the same girl she wants to kiss. Everything was so confusing!

She ran her hand over her face nervously and turned on the radio to calm herself down. She wanted to forget Wanda just for a minute, to forget everything that was happening, to forget these insistent feelings...

"This is me praying that this was the very first page. Not where the storyline ends..."

- Damn... this music is not helping. - grumbled when he thought of Wanda again and changed the radio station.

"Your beautiful eyes... Stare right into my eyes. And sometimes i think of you late at night..."

How Damn! she thought angrily.

"My heart has never felt this way before... Just as long as your mine. I'll be you everthing tonight. Let me love you, kiss you. Baby let me miss you. Let me see your... Dream about eyes."

she punched the car window changing the station one more time and almost ran over a dog.

"Cause I see, sparks fly whenever you smile. Get me with those eyes, baby... As the lights go down. I'll run my fingers through hair. And watch the lights go wild, just keep on keeping your eyes onme..."

- No more music! - turned off the radio angrily and hit the steering wheel. - Damn...

[bihanarms]

Short one-shot in English (sorry in advance for any mistakes, I'm French) featuring Luis x Fem!Reader!!

Warning: Some mild smut at the end :p

It takes place while Luis is working at Lab 6, secretly developing Nemesis with his colleagues.

You're supposed to be a journalist coming to interview Umbrella and their pharmaceutical advancements, but the truth is that you're there to extract information about their true motives and try to expose the truth about Umbrella to the world. Unfortunately for you, it's Luis who you have in front of you :p Feel free to correct me or let me know if anything doesn't sound right.

OS: Luis x Fem!Reader : Not So Dangerous Curiosity

11:57 a.m.

A deep breath was taken, as a trembling hand reached into a overused notebook from a bag, followed by another hand searching for a black pen. "Fuck, where is that damn thing?"

(Name) finally felt what seemed like a pen under her fingers after hunting through every corner of her handbag, and immediately pulled it out. "Well, a pencil will do," she said to herself.

She took another deep breath as she saw her colleague approaching in the distance, cigarette in hand. The scent of mint mixed with tobacco wafted into (Name)'s nose as she immediately took the cigarette away from her cameraman's fingers. "You could’ve juste ask…" sighed the young man as he took out a camera from his bag.

(Name) pretended not to hear him as she looked at her watch for the twentieth time in a few minutes.

12:00 p.m.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

A nod and a hand gesture to indicate the camera now resting on the young man right shoulder were his response.

"Don't forget, I'm the one who speaks," were (Name)'s last words before being interrupted by the creaking of a door. "Are you here for the interview?" asked the man in a white coat who had just opened the door.

From head to toe, (Name)'s gaze traveled over the man standing right in front of her. Medium-length brown hair, stubble, tall and slender... a well-defined face, a rather charming smil-

"Ai, Señorita, por favor, I just asked you a question," snapped the man in the coat, bringing (Name) back to reality with a snap of his fingers.

"Luis Sera, encantado," he mocked, "Are you here for the report on our latest advances in the pharmaceutical field? 

Her heart started beating fast as she realized that she had lost herself in her thoughts and had been caught staring at the man named Luis a bit too intensely. She straightened up, trying to regain her composure and seriousness so as not to lose her credibility, and raised her eyes to meet those of the researcher.

Blue or gray eyes? Maybe both? Well, it was an enchanting colo-

"(Name), please " came a sharp voice from behind the young woman.

A smirk was heard from the person still standing in the partially open door.

Fuck..,for the second time, she had lost herself in his gaze and had forgotten all her professionalism in a matter of seconds.

"We're ready, sorry for the delayed response, we're just intimidated by Umbrella's reputation. It's just the stress talking," (Name) tried to recover, gradually regaining her confidence. No matter who was in front of her, and no matter what he looked like, (Name) had a very important objective today.

Take Umbrella Down.

Luis Sera opened the door wide and gestured for the two reporters to enter his laboratory.

"So, this is stress, huh?" These words were spoken low enough for the cameraman not to hear, but said at the right moment for (Name) to understand them as she passed by the handsome researcher.

*

(Name) stood in front of the imposing facilities of laboratory number 6, immediately struck by the high-tech aspect of the place. The room was filled with machines whose names she could hardly imagine, tables filled with paper documents inscribed with diagrams that she barely understood. Samples were also stored on all sides. But the answers she was looking for about what Umbrella really was, or at least the paper evidence, seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Quick, she signaled to her camera-friend to turn it on, gripped her notebook tightly in her hands, and put on a confident air, leaving no trace of how she had behaved towards this man before entering the building.

"Zoom in on his face," she said firmly.

"I'm going straight to the point, Mr. Sera. There are rumors spreading about the company you work for," she said.

Luis' face tensed as he heard her first words,

"It is said that you are actually busy manufacturing secret bio-organic weapons to create new human species like super soldiers-"

The Umbrella researcher suddenly ordered security to remove the cameraman from the room as he found himself face to face with the young woman who had just lowered her microphone.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" (Name) said provocatively.

Luis took a few steps towards her, bringing his face close to hers, now just a few inches apart. As (Name) was not intimidated, she kept control of the situation, not moving her face an inch. she was determined to extract any useful reaction from the researcher.

"It's funny how I thought you were here for a report on our latest pharmaceutical advances," he said sharply.

"Maybe you had trouble reading our email," (Name) mocked, raising back her microphone right in front of her interlocutor's mouth. "I'm still waiting for your answer, Dr. Sera"

"You see, mi hermosa," Luis began, placing his finger on the microphone to reposition it, "I thought I was going to have a nice, interesting interview with a beautiful journalist that I could have taken to a hotel for the night if she had wanted to. But you just ruined the mood of the day, I'm afraid."

Her thoughts raced in her head as (Name) tried to find a coherent way to respond to the man who was just millimeters away from her face. She could feel her blood rushing in her veins as her face slightly flushed. She would have loved to spend the night in a hotel with him as he had suggested, and let him take care of her. Luis was exactly her type of man under normal circumstances. But today unfortunately, she had to try her best to achieve her professional goals, and had no choice but to ruin the mood, as he put it.

Seconds passed and the ticking of the needle on (Name)'s watch grew louder, as a small voice in her head told her that maybe she could try to combine pleasure and professionalism in this story.

As she slid her hand up Luis' leg delicately, (Name) stood on her tiptoes and began whispering in his ear.

"If you don't want to answer now, then maybe, just maybe," her hand moved up to Luis' belt buckle, playing with it as if to give him a hint of what she was going to propose, "I could give you what you wanted initially, before I 'ruined the mood', in exchange for some innocent information. No one would know who leaked it, handsome."

A wave of heat was felt below Luis' belt as he couldn't help but imagine the different positions in which he could have taken (Name) right now. Deep down, he couldn't deny the effect that these words had on him.

Without warning, he grabbed the young woman in front of him by the neck, eliciting a moan from (Name), who couldn't help but smile at the man’s action.

A brief silence hung in the air for a few seconds as Luis closed the gap between his lips and (name)'s, almost brushing them. A shiver ran down our journalist's spine as a tempest of emotions surged within her: excitement, passion, apprehension.

Their gazes locked once again, and their breaths grew more intense as his free hand slowly slid down (name)'s belly, making its way between her underwear and jeans, stopping just where he could feel her wet core.

« Don’t stop there. » breathed (Name) heavily.

The sensations were overwhelming, as time seemed to stand still for a few moments. Their hearts were pounding, their breaths were short, and only (name)'s hands trembled slightly, while the atmosphere crackled with palpable tension.

Unable to resist any longer, she tried to bring her lips closer, ready to dance with the man’s tongue.

"You wish," Luis said finally, pulling his face back just in time to barely avoid her kiss.

"Now get out of here and never set foot in this lab again, neither you or your cameraman boyfriend," he continued firmly, releasing (name)'s neck suddenly and turning his back on her, trying to hide the obvious bulge that had formed in his pants.

"You haven't heard the last of me, handsome " (name) retorted sharply, after picking up her bag from the floor and turning towards the exit.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

So I’m interested in the thing you taught about Anglo-Saxons pushing the celts out of land- do you know how far north they pushed?

I’m Scots, and I have an interest in our history, but to be honest almost all of my knowledge of it comes from post-1000, with the exception of a few local myths about Viking raiders being scared off by a mother wolf.

So I’d love to ask what you know- and I’ll just say that, because you talk about the welsh language a lot, I would be interested in what you think of the work to revive Gaelic as a primary language of this country- my Nans all for it, but most other people think it’s not working the way it has in wales because Gaelic was never spoken across the country Welsh was- my mums family is from old Norse speaking ancestry/cities and the local area was more likely to speak French than Gaelic (my dads English with a clan surname so some Highland Clearance stuff definitely happened and also for about 50 years round about bonnie prince Charlie that name was banned/got you shot so some *shit* presumably happened)

In terms of how far they pushed, this is the map of the Heptarchy, i.e. their furthest extent:

So a bit of the Scottish south east. You see Strathclyde on there? That was the Brythonic part! This is why Glasgow is a Welsh name in origin. Cousins!

In terms of Gàidhlig revival (I'm not correcting you with the spelling, I just have friends who speak it and that's their preference lol), it's certainly a lot more complicated than it is in Wales, for numerous reasons. One is admittedly that Scotland has always been inherently multicultural - even before the Anglo-Saxons, the north was Pictish, the west was Goidelic (Dal Riada spanned west Scotland and modern northern Ireland), the south was Brythonic, and the islands have long been a spirited mix of Norse and Other. Each of those spoke their own language. Then came the Heptarchy, which birthed Scots, and then the Vikings in earnest... By contrast, Wales just spoke Welsh. Different dialects, sure, and infusions from elsewhere, but country-wide, we just had the one thing.

And then there's the sheer weight of numbers. The current percentage of the population that speaks Gàidhlig is, to my knowledge, less than two percent, which is an incredibly challenging position to be in. By contrast, the lowest Welsh ever slid to was seventeen percent, back in the Eighties, and today it's about thirty. That's much easier to pull off.

I should clarify here, of course, that I am not about to speak on behalf of Scottish people. Whether Gàidhlig is representative, whether it SHOULD be revived, those are ultimately debates for Scots to have, I'm nobody. But since you asked directly I can share my very Welsh-influenced perspective.

Firstly, any country-wide bilingualism is unilaterally a good thing. Without exception. Every country in the world should be aiming for it with *something*, regardless of what it is. There is no harm from raising a bilingual child. It's literally good for the brain.

Secondly, any language at all is a beautiful, unique thing that acts as a memory crystal for the culture and philosophy attached to it. If you lose one, you lose something important that can't be replaced. Here's an example! Translating between Korean and English pronouns is often a challenge, because Korean doesn't have the gender markers that English needs, but English doesn't have the age/social status markers that Korean needs. That tells you something fascinating about both of those cultures, and the philosophy and worldview they hold. Gàidhlig is not yet dead. There is time to save it. It is unique; it's a repository for so much of an older Scottish culture that otherwise might be lost. Why not save it?

Thirdly, why place the pressure on it to be a language spoken by all of Scotland? Does it need to be? Because there wasn't a pan-Scottish language, not until English, and that one was spread through imperialism. You won't find an alternative that was spoken by everyone. Does that mean you shouldn't bother with any of them? Well; see point one. But also...

If the issue is a lack of 'identity' - this was not spoken in my area, so I don't identify with it - it was still nonetheless a Scottish language. It's still unique and endemic to the country you now identify with. It's therefore still yours. And what's preventing someone learning something appropriately local as well? Fuck it, if you're from the south, learn Welsh. Pictish was lost - it can't be saved anymore. But it looks like it was Brythonic, so again, there's always Welsh as the closest analogue. But Gàidhlig is still Scottish, unique to the country, whereas Welsh is more pan-British.

So yeah, those are my very rambly thoughts that I have not actually pondered deeply at all. I shall now bow out of that particular conversation and leave it to the Scots

[thevoicefromanotherworld]

"HAS THE CAT EATEN YOUR TONGUE?"

"God, imagining how good that metal wire against my back would hurt as he keeps me pinned up against it" story idea by @d1g1talde1ty I hope you like it! 😊

(English is not my first language, so I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes)

The fight was in full swing when Celeste entered the room to collect the empty bottles from the attendees at the event.

Every now and then her gaze would fall on the man with the hair that resembled cat ears, the one they called Wolverine.

Celeste had never spoken to him, but she was secretly in love with him. Or so she thought. She mechanically placed another couple of bottles on the tray she held in her hand, while watching the muscles in his back tense when she threw a right hook at her rival that left him unconscious.

The ring echoed throughout the place, and the people began to cheer for the winner. He leaned against the wire of the cage, as they called the place where they fought, while he took a cigar out of his pants and quickly lit it with the lighter.

-Ladies and gentlemen - said the announcer entering the ring with the microphone in his hand- The winner of the fight is the Wolverine!

The crowd erupted in cheers and bills began to roll through the hands of the attendees, money mostly from bets. As he smoked, the fighter noticed a pair of eyes on him. Their dark eyes connected with Celeste's with such intensity that he almost dropped the bottles he was holding.

He hurriedly straightened them on the tray, and ducked his head shyly before walking out to the bar.

By now Logan had realized that he was the object of the waitress's gaze. He knew it because she was his, too. The young woman seemed not to notice, but in every fight, every day, Logan's gaze fell on her, before he took down whoever he was fighting that day.

As if he had summoned her again, Celeste entered the area where the ring was with a wet cloth in her hand. Despite knowing that he was still inside, she made no move to speak to him. He rested his hand on the wire, causing it to clink, sending shivers down Celeste's spine.

She had never told anyone, but ever since she first saw him struggle, she had always fantasized about him pushing her against the cold wire and making her his.

The mere thought of it made her blush slightly. She cleared a couple more tables. It was then that she heard him calling her.

-Hey babe -he said, his voice hoarse and masculine, which certainly didn't do much to calm the thoughts swirling through Celeste's mind-

She looked up at him. Again their gazes met with the force of two magnets. Wolverine's dark eyes scrutinized her for a few moments, as he exhaled cigar smoke.

-Could you get me a cold beer? –he asked politely- I desperately need a drink

-Sure, I'll be right there –he replied leaving the place to go to the fridge-

He took the bottle and entered the ring to give it to her. When he handed it to her, their fingers touched for a millisecond, a kind of electric current running through Celeste's fingertips. She wondered if he had noticed it too.

She stood there patiently as she watched him drink half the bottle in one gulp. Her gaze watched as his Adam's apple rose and fell as he swallowed the liquid. She took a deep breath when he stopped, and looked away praying that he hadn't noticed her not-at-all-disguised scrutiny.

-It's a little late –she commented- Shouldn't you be home already?

-I should - she admitted - but today's fight was very important, and I want to leave the bar tidy for tomorrow

-Sure - she nodded, taking another drink, he looked at her carefully - you don't have to wait for me to finish it - he shook the bottle - I can throw it away myself

-I know - he swallowed hard - although I don't mind waiting - she said - I enjoy your company

-Logan - he added- -Celeste - she seconded- He smiled, putting the bottle down slowly, before looking at her again.

-May I know why you enjoy my company? - he murmured - no one has ever told me something like that in my entire life - he tilted his head - it's usually the opposite

-I don't know - she lied, obviously she wasn't going to tell him that she was in love with him. That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? - it's easy to talk to you

-You don't really think that - he muttered, approaching her slowly, like a lion cornering its prey - I can smell the sweat running down your neck - he added - proof of the tension you feel from not telling the truth

He continued walking, for every step he took forward she took another one back. There came a moment when she could feel the cold of the wire brushing her back, even though she wasn't leaning against it. Logan's gaze wandered over her face, stopping at her lips.

-What's wrong, honey? - he whispered - Has the cat eaten your tongue?

-I suppose - she began swallowing hard, his closeness mixed with her smell of leather and tobacco made his head spin - the reason why I like spending time with you

-You're the one who's been lying to me for a while -he said, stopping abruptly as she felt Logan's strong hands resting on her hips, pushing them back, pressing her against the wire- You're nice to me, That's the second lie you've told tonight -he smiled amusedly- Come on, princess- he purred- Tell me what your fantasies are -he whisperedgetting dangerously close to her lips without actually touching them-

-Because it's clear there's more than one

-How do you know? -Celeste asked, trying to resist closing the space between them and kissing him at once- Can you read minds too? -she ventured-

It was clear he was playing with her, and of course she didn't want to be the first of the two to fall for it.

But damn, she was making it very difficult for him.

-No, honey, I can't read your mind -he replied, running his thumb over her lower lip- but I don't need to to know that you're dying for my metal bones- he whispered- Am I wrong?

-No- he murmured, letting out an impatient growl- shit, no, you're not wrong

-I knew it- he replied, sketching an amused smile- Do you see how easy it is to tell the truth?

-Shut up and kiss me already- he ordered, putting his arms behind her neck- please Logan, I need you

Wolverine's mouth quickly covered hers, drinking from her lips greedily, as if he were very thirsty and she was the only person on Earth with drinkable water. His hands rose to hold her face, deepening the kiss.

In one agile movement he lifted her, making her wrap her legs around his hips. He pushed her against the wire, making the metal of the cage clink. A moan escaped her lips as he pushed against her again, brushing against her sensitive area. Logan watched her, not missing a detail of her expressions.

-The smell of your arousal, mixed with your natural scent is driving me crazy -he growled, moving closer to her face again- I haven't touched you and you're already desperate to cum -he whispered, lowering his hand to the belt of his jeans -Don't worry, you're going to be cumming all night-