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sweeethinny · 4 years

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The Duke - Chapter 5

I took a while to update, I thought about quitting sometimes, I won't lie, but, I started reading fanfics and books about Monarchy and regency era theme, and all my creativity came back.

Thank you as always, @theroomofreq who is very kind to me and helps me beta this story And to all my friends who need to listen to my crazy ideas

AO3 | FF.NET | SIYE (soon)

| G. W |

It was barely dawn when that newspaper fell on the Weasleys' door and the elf caught it. It was like every other day, well rolled, with the ink still fresh, full of gossip, important news, and political speculation, in addition to that malicious hint that they introduced in the news, to be just mean to some stupid Viscount that was stolen - and deserved it - or a newly decorated Marquis who married a woman who struck him - and who also deserved it.

It was just another normal day.

Or so it was meant to be.

As soon as Ginny came down to breakfast, she felt that something was different in the air, or maybe it was the fact that her brothers and mother were on top of her father to be able to read the newspaper page too.

‘’Good morning.’’ She called, but no one paid any attention to her. ‘’What’s so important? Did we find a gold mine?’’ Ginny stood next to Ron, needing to tiptoe to read the main and most eye-catching story on the front page of the newspaper.

'’The - yet - Duke and Duchess of Godric’s Hollow, James and Lily Potter, open the doors of their country house, for the first time in 20 years, for the fiftieth Dueling Party.

Check out more information, and the guest list so far, on page 13.’’

‘’Were we invited?’’ Ginny asked, wanting her father to leave that page right away where showed a picture of the couple in front of their huge country house, with the two of them not looking so happy to pose for the camera.

‘‘We were.’’ Ron confirmed, still looking at the newspaper. ‘’I think… Did Mr Potter go crazy?’’

‘’Ron! Don't say that!’’ Molly slapped his son on the arm, scolding him. ‘’Arthur dear, do you know why… this? Lily's authorizing something like this to happen?’’

''James had talked about applying some measures at Godric's Hollow and some changes but ... I didn't imagine he would host the Dueling Party ... I mean, they have a pretty big list of guests.'' Father said, still standing at same page of the newspaper.

‘’I heard they think they know where their son is.’’ Fred said, a little quietly, as if saying something terrible.

‘’Lily will die looking for that son.. I don’t blame her, of course, but… It’s been almost 24 years, how does she think she can find the boy? Only Merlin knows who took him, where they took him…’’ Her mother put her hand on her chest, facing Ginny. ‘’We need to find you with a new dress.’’

‘‘No mom, please.’’ Ginny denied, looking back at the newspaper. ‘’But what if he’s really alive? How will they find him? Is that why they’re having the party this year?’’

‘’James says the boy was born with a brand.’‘ The father clarified. ‘’But I don’t know if that’s why they decided-- ’’

‘‘-- I’m sorry.’’ Henry’s voice interrupted Arthur’s, and the man bowed to everyone in the room. ''Mr. Weasley, I think you would like to accompany me.'' The man did not look at Ginny, as if he was afraid to show too much, holding a torn piece of paper tightly and having his left forearm grated and dirty. Had he fallen?

'‘Of course, Mr Figg. Excuse me, love.’’ Arthur kissed his wife respectfully and then followed Henry out of the dining room. Ginny almost ran after them, knowing it seemed to have something to do with her, just from the way Henry avoided looking at her.

She hated it when they made her look like a damsel in distress who couldn't distinguish fire from ice.

''Ginny, we will see this afternoon about your dress, and Ron, we also need to decide on new clothes for you ...'' Her mother continued to talk about the duties they would have for the next few days, but all Ginny could pay attention to was in Henry walking away. His cloak was torn in the back and it looked like he had just arrived - which was strange, because he never left in the morning, always preferring to go out in the afternoon when Ginny was at tea time with her mother, or at night, at dinner time. Henry always said that in the morning, it was the time that crazy people wake up and make a mess.

He looked over his shoulder after her dad turned the corner of the hall and disappeared towards the office, but he also followed the path before Ginny was able to have any appropriate reaction.

After his intrusion, and the delay for her father to return, Ginny had to be taken care of by another Auror (she was told that Henry needed to go to his office), and nowhere was Thomas as gentle and nice to her as Henry was.

All morning, Ginny felt like she was being followed by a ghost, in silence for all the hours that passed, a little disconcerted that Thomas didn't like talking to her like Henry did - even though sometimes it was just yes and no - and when she had to leave the house to keep her mother company on the way to the center, Ginny was excited to at least hear different voices.

''Does Mrs. Potter know that I need to bring Mr. Figg?'' Ginny asked, looking at the windows they passed, daydreaming about those colorful and well-sewn dresses.

Even though her father was a Viscount, Arthur had been decorated one after the other 10 in front of him died, so there was not much inheritance for them to benefit from. They weren't really poor, Ginny could still choose a dress sewn by a top dressmaker on special occasions, but she knew that the family had far more limitations than other families who had a wardrobe all made just for them.

‘’I wouldn’t like you to bring him,’’ The mother started, raising her gloved hand as if she already knew that Ginny was going to interrupt her. "It's always quite threatening when he stays behind you wherever you go, and maybe that's what limits gentlemen to ask you out." The younger redhead bit her cheek, swallowing the urge to say what prevented men from getting close to her was that she was seen as crazy. ‘‘But your father would never let us leave the property without him following, so… Yes, Mrs. Potter already knows that Mr. Figg will be with you.’’

‘‘I thought they didn’t throw parties anymore.’’ She commented quietly, smiling at a lady who was looking at her a little terrified, pulling her little daughter aside when Ginny passed.

Ah, London hospitality, always so pleasant.

‘’We all thought so.’’ Molly spread the fan in her hands, fanning herself because of the heat that seemed to be almost deadly. ‘‘But it looks like Mrs. Potter is tired of leaving the doors closed.’’

‘’I don’t remember visiting their house.’’

‘’You first came right when you were born, we introduced you to them. We have a picture of you and little Harry in the crib.'' Her mother sighed, stopping in front of the shop for hats, gloves and other accessories (not as chic as the one on the top street where jewelry was sold) and smiled at Ginny . ‘’Let's go in, I want to see if we can find some hats for you. Maybe there is a suitor who captures your heart during the Dueling Party.’’

[...]

‘'The Dueling Party …’’ Ginny repeated, rereading the news for the tenth time. ‘’Do you know what they say about this party?’’ She asked, looking over her shoulder at Thomas, standing behind her, while she was dining alone.

He denied. Ginny snorted, annoyed by the silence.

‘’Do you know where Mr. Figg is?’’ It was a lot more fun to have dinner with his company.

‘’No, Miss.’’

‘’Do you know when he comes back?’’

‘‘No, Miss.’’ Ginny turned to the untouched plate in front of her. Her father had spent the day outside, just like Henry, Ron had gone out with Fred somewhere, and her mother had already gone to bed, saying she was having a headache from the heat. She sighed, alone.

Thomas was married, not that he told her, she had seen the ring in his hand, and Ginny hoped he would be more talkative outside of work, or she would send her condolences to the poor woman who was married to a ghost.

The day had been quite boring, even after going out with her mother - which resulted in her buying a new hat - her father had sent a Patron with strict orders not to leave the house. Not even to fly. So Ginny spent the afternoon reading, knitting, and even pruning some flowers. All without saying much, since Thomas seemed to hate any human interaction.

At first, Henry was like that, too, quietly, until he seemed to feel sorry for Ginny's loneliness (and his own, since he was 24/7 by her side), and they started talking and she was even able to convince him sit at the table with her when no one was attending dinner.

But today, even after Thomas has been with her a few times, he still seemed to completely ignore the warmth and preferred to remain silent, leaving Ginny talking to herself.

When she thought about starting dinner - even though the chicken looked pale and the potatoes didn't look so appetizing - she heard footsteps toward the dining room, and before she could understand who was coming in, his voice boomed through the quiet room; ‘’Mr. Thomas, you can go to your home. Thank you very much.’’ Henry bowed to her a little. ‘’Good night, Miss Weasley, forgive me for being late.’’

‘’Good night, Mr. Figg.’’ ’Ginny had to bite her cheek to avoid the smile that wanted to break her face. The other Auror bowed to her and left the room, looking even relieved of an unknown tension that weighed on his shoulders. ‘’He doesn’t seem to like me very much.’’ She continued to look at the door through which the man had disappeared.

‘’If you want to know a secret,’’ Henry spoke softly, and approached her a little. ‘‘I don’t think he even likes himself.’’ Ginny laughed, her chest seeming to burn with that feeling of comfort that the man gave to her. It was always so simple to be around him, even when they were around several people and Henry was not allowed to give his real opinions (he would never give them, anyway, but Ginny knew that when it was just the two of them, he could be one little less judicious)

‘’May I know where you and my father have been?’’ She gave up on dinner, turning entirely to Henry and putting her arms on the back of the chair, resting her head there and staring at him curiously. ‘’It was a very boring day.’’

‘’Sorry to leave you, Miss.’’ Like a great gentleman he was, he nodded politely. ‘’But unfortunately I can’t tell you where we went. You’ll have to ask your father.’’

‘’And will he tell me?’’ She tried hopefully.

''I do not think so. Sorry.''

‘‘It’s not your fault.’’ She shrugged, only then really looking at him. Henry was still as he was yesterday; his slightly old and crooked glasses made his green eyes even bigger, Auror's clothes were so tightly buttoned and without any wrinkles that Ginny was embarrassed about her dress, which had a slightly worn hem. But unlike yesterday, she realized that his left hand was bandaged. ''What happened?''

‘’Ah… problems.’’ Henry shrugged. ‘’Another time we can discuss this, but I don’t think it is an issue for a lady who… still needs dinner.’’ He looked over her shoulder at her untouched plate - which now seemed to have gained color and life.

‘’Have you eaten yet?’’ Ginny turned around, slicing the chicken and smiling eagerly for him to sit with her.

''Already, Miss. Sorry.’’ Ginny could even hear his sad smile.

"But sit still, you know I hate to eat alone." She helped herself to the wine, having to bite her cheek again to keep from smiling and bursting into words she swallowed all day, when he sat in front of her. ‘’Can I ask you just one thing?’’

‘’For sure, Miss.’’ Henry seemed to want to disagree when Ginny spilled wine in his glass, but said nothing.

''Your bruised hand, the disappearance for the whole day, and the bloody story... has to do with me?'' She said, filling her mouth with a good forkful of chicken, peas and puree, staring at Henry with a pink color on his cheeks and he looked away from hers for a second.

‘’Yes, Miss.’’ He sighed, looking tense. ‘’But I’m not allowed to say more than that.’’ And then Henry pointed his finger at the walls around them, silent, and then at his own ear.

The walls have ears.

Ginny could not contain the reaction of bulging her eyes and looking at the large window beside them, which showed the entire backyard of the dark and lost yard in the darkness of the night, the trees making a lot of noise, as well as the wind whistling in the small openings of the glass and some old wood.

Henry was still staring at her, his green eyes almost seemed to enter her mind.

‘’What was I doing when I got the scar on my leg?’’ Ginny was alarmed, placing her hand on the wand at her waist, and the other holding the knife even stronger.

‘’You went up on the roof to save a cat, and when I thought was safe and tried to go up too, you slipped and cut your leg on a loose tile.’’ She blew out the air she seemed to be holding. ‘’I’m glad you remember to ask this, but it would have been too late,’’ Henry said, without taking his eyes off her. ‘’You have to do this when I arrive, not after inviting me to sit.’’ He warned her, his eyebrow dark and cut in half by the scar, rising and arching.

‘’I would know if you were an impostor.’’ For some reason she couldn’t take her eyes off him, feeling her chest burn and her hands tremble. And unlike any other time this happened, it was as if her magic was more controlled rather than totally insane inside Ginny.

‘’Miss didn’t seem so sure of that.’’ Henry didn’t seem bothered to look her in the eye either.

‘’I just doubted it. But I would know.’’ She didn’t know how, but something inside her said she would know.

‘’I’m happy that no imposter would take my place.’’ Henry smirked. ‘’I would also know how to differentiate you from an impostor.’’ And then he looked away at the window, and Ginny’s chest seemed to almost break without the pressure that was building there.

She even managed to fill her lungs with air.

| H. F |

‘’If you allow me to ask..’’ Ginny started, as they walked to the place where they were training duels. A place that Mr. Weasley had built after the clearing, where no one would get hurt or end up drawing much attention. It was not respectful for girls born in good families to know the art of dueling.

It was another day, nearly seven in the morning when Henry had to wake Ginny up so they could train the duel. After yesterday's threat, it would be necessary for her to be more than prepared if he could not defend her alone - but he was training even more so that it would not happen.

‘’Where do your scars come from? The one you have on your forehead. I mean.'' She pointed with her gloved hand at his forehead, almost touching where the lightning-like scar was marked on his skin.

‘’It’s too bloody a story for seven in the morning. And for a lady like you.’’ He kept up his education, already seeing the hut they haven’t visited in a few months, trying to ignore the feeling of failure due to having to make a woman like her, needing to learn the art of dueling. Dueling with an auror, to top it off, and not with figures he would transfigure, as he did for the boys who had been a tutor a few years ago.

No Auror learned to duel as Ginny Weasley needed to learn.

Women usually - if they learned to duel - did it with transfigured birds, wooden figures, and sometimes, if it was very necessary, the teacher would participate or call another woman who also trained, so that they would duel.

Ginny was dueling with an Auror who could do this even with his eyes closed, and who had already killed so many men that he almost needed a third hand to count how many.

''Well, if I'm asking for the story of your scar, I'm wise enough to know that I'm going to hear a bloody story.'' Henry opened the wooden hut door for her to enter first, and the smell of damp wood and dust entered their noses. Sunlight passed through broken planks and windows, and the lack of furniture (or what was left over and already broken) caused their voices to echo.

‘’They tried to kill me when I was a kid.’’ He didn’t have to look at her to see her eyes bulge, instead he walked to his usual place and started getting ready for them to start dueling.

‘’Who would do that ?! This is ... This is horrible!’’

‘’I know, Miss.’’ Henry never doubted that. ''But you would be astonished at how many crazy people there are.'' He saw her getting ready across the room, taking off the cloak, gloves and hat that her mother insisted she really wear, even inside the property.

‘’How did you get out alive?’’ Her brown eyes looked a little horrified and a little angry, as if she wanted to protect him. Henry wanted to laugh at the concern of a Viscount's daughter, at a poor man like him. In no dream or hallucination would a woman so above him look at him and speak as she did, always so friendly, seeming not even to notice how foolish she left him.

Henry was only above the bourgeois and, obviously, the miserable and squib (a class that his mother, unfortunately, belonged to), and by very little yet. If it weren't for sheer luck and being in the right place at the right time, Henry would never know what it was like to step inside the Auror Department.

‘‘My mom saved me.’’ He said, simply, but Ginny was still staring at him absurdly. ‘’In fact, she’s not my birth mother… My birth mother died at the hands of the Death Eaters. But she has looked after me since one of the Death Eaters tried to kill me, and here I am, safe and sound.’’

''I've never seen a spell that left a scar.'' She approached, eyes fixed on Henry's forehead, and her bare hand touched his skin, making him shiver and make him walk away in fright, as if her touch burned his face. ‘‘Sorry.’’ Ginny blushed furiously, still looking more scared, withdrawing her hand.

'’It's okay, Miss.’’ Henry swallowed, the wand in his hand shaking slightly, as if the magic wanted to explode out of it at all costs. ‘’And, I don’t know how I came out with just a scar. Maybe my magic saved me.’’

‘’Yeah… maybe it is.’’ Ginny now looked into his eyes, looking a little too serious, the brown eyes that Henry thought were so beautiful, seemed to carry a mountain of feelings that she would never let out. At least, not for him. ‘’Come on… let’s train.’’ And then she turned her back on him, the purple robes making her look like a witch from a Muggle fairy tale. Her hair tied tightly in the braid made her look a little more challenging than she usually was.

Henry knew he would never find a woman more beautiful than she was, and he cursed himself for thinking of her that way.

‘’We’re going to start.’’ He had to breathe deeply, before getting back in line and starting.

They bowed to each other in a sign of respect - if there was any respect in a duel - and then raised their wands.

Ginny and Henry had already dueled a few times, much more than a lady should, and he knew that she was really good and that if they accepted women at the Auror Academy, she would be even better than most the men who worked there. But whenever they dueled, Henry felt that electricity running in his wand, making it difficult to keep the spells for a long time, as if his wands refused to duel.

The magic was out of control - that's why Mr. Weasley had a hut built away from everyone and empty - and he could see the intensity of her magic almost greater than his. There always seemed to be something missing to make his strengths equal, and Henry thought that maybe it was the fact that he always feared for hurting her, while Ginny was instructed to use all her strength.

‘’Expelliarmus.’’ He whispered to himself

‘‘Estupor.’’ Ginny also spoke in an almost lower tone than Henry, and then the spells dueled, and the electricity almost looked like it was about to kill him. His arm was shaking, and the strength of the spells facing each other made the boards tremble and the rest of the entire furniture began to want to dismantle.

But for some reason Ginny lost her focus, and then Henry's magic won and her wand flew into his hands, just as her body stumbled over the furniture behind her.

He also lost his balance, and had it not been for the table well placed behind him, he would have been shamefully thrown back.

‘’I heard a noise.’’ She said, startled. ''I saw someone passing by, behind the house.'' And as if all the strength was suddenly recovered, Henry stood up and looked behind him, through the gaps in the wood where all you could see was the forest.

‘’Are you sure?’’ He asked, already casting a protective spell around them and throwing her wand at her, walking towards her and keeping her behind him - even though she insisted on going to his side.

''Yes. I saw someone. It wasn't a deer or anything. It was a person.’’ Henry’s magic trembled again, and just for safety, he cast three more protective spells around them, and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the house. ''Don't let me stay behind, someone can hit me from behind and you won't even see.'' She complained when he once again put his body in front of hers, stamping her feet next to Henry, who was looking at the forest silent around them.

‘’Miss, you will stay in the circle of protection, while I will see if there is anyone, understood?’’ He stared at her, the taste of blood dominating the palate with the idea of yet another crazy men trying to kill her.

''But I--''

‘’--Don’t make me petrify you. And I will. ’’ Henry didn’t even give her time to complain, throwing more protections around her, stepping out of the circle and preparing to grab another idiot who tried to get close to Ginny.

Yesterday morning Henry had found a miserable boy, doing the dirty work for wealthy people, bringing with him a cursed Ginny doll and a letter detailing exactly what they would do when they caught her. Henry didn't even like to remember the fury that surrounded him when he read what they intended to do. Not even over his corpse, would anyone touch her.

They were starting to be more creative now. It was the second cursed item they tried to get to Ginny.

Making sure she was still safe - and she looked furious in the circle Henry had created - he started walking around, looking at the sides of the house and a little way through the trees, but never losing sight of Ginny, who was so well protected that he could barely hear her voice.

But maybe Henry should have paid attention to what she was screaming, or trying to scream, because when a spell tried to hit him and ricocheted away, he knew it was she who was protecting him, and that they were with visitors. But he saw no one.

Turning to her, even more furious, Henry felt protected once again, seeing that Ginny was also surrounding him with protective spells, and he made the sign that she needed to leave. He told her to Apparate, but Ginny stayed there, denying it while Henry felt his protective sense scream inside him.

Better him than her.

He hid behind a tree, still feeling protected, and concentrating on the image of Ginny and her mesmerizing eyes, Henry struggled to enter her mind, as they had trained exhaustively. But it always seemed easier with her.

''Apparate out of here.. Now.''

He ordered, even though that part of the Forest was strangely quiet. Had they given up?

‘’Not without you.’’ She snapped in his mind, and Henry wished he could shake her shoulders.

‘’You are more important than me.Get out. They won’t see you, you’re protected.’’

''Not. Without. You.''

Henry took a deep breath and looked behind the tree, looking for whoever it was, wondering what he would do with that stubborn woman. There was no more noise, no spell shining, everything was silent. Which was even more dangerous.

They wouldn't come and just shoot Henry and leave without even fighting. But he was not staying to see.

And if he could bet, he knew it was more dangerous for them to stay there, waiting for them to come back. They had done this once, killed a deer as a threat, so Henry knew there must be a dead animal somewhere nearby.

He would send a patronus to Robards.

'’Apparate to our safe place. I will meet you there.’’ He spoke to her, still in mind.

‘’Do you promise to go?’’

‘’I’m right behind you, Miss.’’

#hinny #hinny au #harry x ginny #Harry Potter #Ginny Weasley #Harry and Ginny #hp au #read-a-hinny-fic #Aristocrat and Bodyguard trope

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chicagocityfclanspromoblog · 4 years

Photo

Alice Colt → Kathryn Newton → Hunter

→ Basic Information

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Straight

Birthday: April 20th

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Religion: Irreligion

Like Alice? Consider taking her in our Hunter Giveaway Event! We will be waiving applications para samples, personalities and histories requirements for all canon hunters. Just send in the first and last name of the hunter(s) you would like to the main.

→ Her Personality (one to two paragraphs)

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: Senior Hunter

Scars: Alice is missing her left arm due to an attack by an animal shifter

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Norse Mythology and Rebuilding Motorcycles

Two Dislikes: Pity and Alcohol

Two Fears: Public Speaking and Bleeding Out

Two Hobbies: Archery (One Armed) and Cross Country Motorcycling

Three Positive Traits: Determined, Resourceful, Graceful

Three Negative Traits: Cruel, Antisocial, Unyielding

→ Her Connections Parent Names:

Bryce Colt (Father): Alice has always wanted to impress her dad. It’s what she’s worked towards in all her training with Blaine. She’s heard of the transcontinental road trips he took killing swarms of supernaturals with his brothers. As well as his trip with Colin and Blaine to Italy, and she wants in on one. Bryce still isn’t sure she is ready with only one arm, so she works everyday to prove that she is.

Brittney Colt (Mother): Brittney tried to be a doting mother to Alice, but that was never something she wanted. She always gravitated towards Blaine and her dad, even as a toddler. When Alice was the youngest Colt to kill on a hunt, she knew that she wasn’t really getting another sweet little girl.

Sibling Names:

Blaine Colt (Half-Brother): Blaine has been the biggest teacher in her journey to becoming a hunter. He pushes her harder and she’s all the better for it. They’re like two peas in a pod and she has found herself modeling many of her choices after his.

Elle Colt (Half-Sister): Elle and Alice never really hit it off. Elle was always too much like Amy, and spent most of her time with her anyway. Alice doesn’t think they’d have a lot in common, though she’s always wanted a close relationship with Elle.

Colin Colt (Half-Brother): Alice gets along well with Colin, but he still doesn’t treat her like he did before she lost her arm. His incessant need to take care of people was only holding her back, so she started distancing herself from him.

Amy Colt (Sister): Alice doesn’t really have a lot in common with Amy. Amy likes to drink, and flirt and party, all of which hold no appeal to Alice. She’s still fierce in a fight, and the only sibling to trust Alice on a motorcycle enough to ride behind her.

Casper Colt (Brother): She thinks Casper is weak. Definitely weaker than her mom, and maybe weaker than Hailey. He just doesn’t get what it means to be a Colt.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

None

Platonic Connections:

Megan Colt (Cousin): Alice and Megan get along well, and are paired up by Elle a lot when going hunting. Megan can be harsh and cruel and doesn’t hold Alice back.

Iris Colt (Cousin): Alice and Iris have only been on a few missions together, but they didn’t ever really hit it off. It’s just as well, as Iris will soon be married off to a Stone and rarely around.

Hailey Colt (Cousin): Alice has heard stories about Hailey’s skills in the field, and she can sympathize with not being able to do what you love. They don’t really talk, but Alice respects her.

Imani Anderson (Sister-In-Law): Alice really likes Imani. She’s strong and maybe even a better hunter than Blaine. During her recovery, she never pitied her and only helped her regain and push past her previous skills.

Helena Stone (Friend): Helena is as ruthless as she is. One of the most capable and deadly Stones, she can hunt almost as well as Alice. Unfortunately she doesn’t get to go on as many missions since James keeps a close eye on all the Stones.

Raven Jenkins (Friend): Raven is always creative with her kills, but she has too much of a heart. Alice is trying to get her experience how good it feels to just let go and give into the beauty of a kill.

Marquis Anderson (Friend): Marquis has a lot of skills, but he doesn’t seem interested in anything other than wanting to be away from his family as much as possible. He’s good for muscles and bagging larger prey.

Hostile Connections:

Chris Bialar (Hate): Even if she doesn’t know the exact person who bit her arm off, she knows who runs the clan in Chicago. She has taken up a habit of stalking around what she believes is the cat’s territory and scaring whoever she can. The ultimate prize will be Bialar himself.

Clara Fields (Hate): Alice has taken to skulking around the Fields Hotel to try and find a heavy to skin. Security has had her removed from the back and premises multiple times.

D.W. Colt (Suspicious of): Alice saw D.W. remove her ring right after Colin gave it to her. She was rubbing the skin around her finger and it looked burned. She knows D.W. saw her, but neither has said anything.

Pets:

None

→ History (paragraph(s) on background)

→ The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

#Kathryn Newton #hunter rpg #open roleplay #city rpg #new rpg

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bapydemonprincess · 3 years

Note

1 to 5 for all your OCs cause I can't tell what all your ocs are and too lazy to look it all up, sryy :P BUT I do like what you have made that i saw!!! jsyn

Well, I’ll see what I can do!! It’s.. all under a cut becayse god it got long. 🙈🙈🙈

Aarushi:

1. What is their gender? Nonbinary.

2. What is their sexuality? Asexual.

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?Aarushi is Sanskrit for the first rays of the sun. Which makes so much sense as they are a baby created between Agni and female Sebastian :’) And it’s most likely Agni came up with the name mainly and Sebastian totally loved it immediately. 🖤 In most cases, people seem to like calling Aarushi Aaru for short, so there’s that, and I also headcanoned myself Agni calls his child tiger cub (there was Bengali for it but I can’t find it 🙈) Lastly, Sebastian calls both Aarushi and Ambrose their “kittens” and that sticks too. 🥰 (much to Ambrose’s dismay)

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with? As stated above, Ambrose is Aarushi’s only other sibling. In general it was a miracle Seb and Agni were able to have another child after the first, considering the difficulties they endured the first time around, but definitely didn’t regret it! So Aarushi was much older by the time Ambrose was born, and had also likely come and gone to go explore the world on their own and make contracts (they need to eat souls like mama). As for closeness, Aarushi and Ambrose’s relationship is a mixed bag of love/hate. Aka, Aarushi adored their baby brother, no matter what, but Ambrose is always going to feel a bitterness deep down involving his older sibling, considering compared to him, Aarushi has LOTS of power inherited from both Sebastian and Agni’s hand of Kali, and yet.. they really are a peaceful sort and nothing like a demon of Hell themselves!

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Aarush loves both Agni and Sebastian and has a strong bond with both parents. The only thing they ever disagree on is Mama’s idea of eating souls and such. Aarushi is a pacifist through and through, much like Agni, and though this worries Sebastian because they do need to eat souls to survive, Sebastian cannot fault their beloved kitten for how they think of things. As for other relatives, Aarushi considers Grelle Sutcliff and Hannah Annafellows, who are most definitely together and (possibly..?) happily married their aunts, especially since Hannah helped Sebastian through the whole pregnancy in the first place.

Ambrose:

1. What is their gender? Male.

2. What is their sexuality? Bisexual.

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

The name “Ambrose” is Greek, and means “Immortal” ..(I am so so sorry I cannot for the life of me remember why that was picked it was something to do with how ironically his life WAS almost snuffed out, or he was meant to be a powerful demon but didn’t/couldn’t become one.. I dunno! 🙈) And again, Sebastian calls him “kitten” and Aunt Hannah, Grelle and his father Agni call him a little raven or corvus. :3 Meanwhile his now boyfriend calls him “Rosie” as they can shorten his name to that 🖤

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

I think it’s basically the same answer as above :P

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Like the polar opposite of his elder sibling, Ambrose doesn’t get along very well with family. Especially Mum. Mainly due to Sebastian being the one he was meant to be given powers from but couldn’t handle it. Not to mention, with how independent Ambrose is, Sebastian’s motherly attitude constantly gets on his nerves from early on and many times he’d tried even running away from home out of frustration, wanting to be “free”, and of course rebellion in general. For some reason, though, when it comes to Aunt Hannah, Ambrose doesn’t mind her much.. She was the one to save the boy from death by Sebastian’s demonic essence tearing his soul asunder, and that involved her taking away most of the demonic parts of him.. But instead of also targeting her with his rage, Ambrose respects and admires her a little. She is a quiet, calm, knowing comfort. As if she too understands the urge for isolation and independence. 💜 And finally, as for Aunt Grelle, well.. as Hannah’s wife is a bit more hands-on, Ambrose isn’t that fond of her.. but despite that he does respect her fighting skills, as growing up, Ambrose had learned to fight with weapons with her, as well as her junior, Ronald Knox (who loves goading the half-demon on out of spite because he’ll never be a fan of Sebastian, of course.)

Ulva Gelzer-Michaelis:

1. What is their gender? Female.

2. What is their sexuality? Lesbian.

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

Without even needing to look it up again, I know for certain Ulva means She Wolf in old German! uwu As for nick names, obviously most call her pup or little pup, especially her Dad and Mama!!

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

Ulva is an only child, as it was a miracle that Sebastian (while female of course) and Wolfram managed to have this little one by herself! However, since Wolfram considers Sieglinde Sullivan like a daughter as well, Ulva has come to know the young lady as like an older sister!

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Both Sebastian and Wolfram undeniably adore their only daughter, though the hyperactive little puppy girl does always give them a run for their money, and the demon’s Mother Hen instincts are very high where she is concerned, as Ulva always finds herself getting into things one way or another that she might regret.. other than that and perhaps the older servants of Phantomhive at that time and maybe the Earl too if still alive, no other relatives really.

Eddie the Demon

1. What is their gender? He/them for the most part.

2. What is their sexuality? Demisexual.

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

As most demons under contracts allow their current masters to give them names instead of freely giving out their true name or, in this case, not even having a true name, Eddie let Ambrose decide on that, and thus the boy was like “Hm.. well... with that spooky Victorian Author look I’d say Edgar, y’know, like uh Edgar Allen Poe? But eh.. You don’t look serious enough or old enough to be an Edgar, so how ‘bout Eddie!”

Of course, Ambrose loves calling his imp turned lover plenty of nick names ;), including Ed, sugar, baby, babe, sweetheart...

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

Well, being a very young imp of Hell, it is unlikely Eddie has any siblings, or even knows about any :P (And the likelihood that any siblings they do have if any would come to kill them for the sake of getting more power and recognition is very high..)

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Like many, many demons of Hell, Eddie likely has no clue at all who exactly created them. :/ It may be unfortunate to us humans to be left like that, but demons really don’t care, especially after a few centuries of adapting to fend for themselves!

Aidan Astre Sutcliff-Michaelis

1. What is their gender? Male.

2. What is their sexuality? n/a as he was last seen/known as merely a toddler so I and @grelleswife would rather let that be until we eventually write something new in that verse where he’s grown older. :3

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

Aidan is a Gaelic/Irish name for “Little fire” and was thought of, of course, by his mother Grelle Sutcliff :3 And obviously both other parents Mey and Sebastian were in agreement. He is a little spark; a little flame they’d all brought to life with their love. 🔥 Besides that, Aidan is still called “baby” by his mama Mey, “kitten” by his papa Sebastian, and “little chap” from his mummy Grelle!

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

He is currently an only child! However at the end of our Sebagrellerin rp, he did confess to wanting a sibling, sooo who knows ;3

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Aidan is very close with everyone, and not only his three original parents, but also now Miss Hannah Annafellows who kinda in a way has become a third mother too. >w< 💜

Amy Michaelis

1. What is their gender? Genderfluid, but usually favoring female.

2. What is their sexuality? Pansexual

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

I don’t believe it is possible to derive a nickname from the name Amy, but I think it’s important to note in her original story in That Butler Big Brother, Bard likes calling her “Madam President” in a tender/joking way. >w< (And i personally think after that, back in Hell, Amy INSISTS her subordinates call her Madam President TOO. (though they all find the extra madam part confusing..))

In the original article of Amy the Demon, their other names/other version of their name is Amii or Auns, Hanar, Hanni.

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

In every verse of this character, the one thing I think that will always be the same is she has an elder sibling named Naberius, who is the fourth Marquis of Hell in the Lesser Key of Solomon, and is who we headcanon Sebastian Michaelis as. Who knows if these two have any other siblings, but I personally like the idea of these two, being the weirdo outcast demons they are, are a rare breed on their own. While other demons in Hell would likely either immediately kill and/or leave any blood related demons to be forgotten, these two stuck together for some strange reason, and our best guess on the why is that as Naberius was much older, nearly an adult by the time Amy came into being, and something instinctively drove the crow demon to stay by her side, and raise her, despite.. the animosity they sometimes share towards each other...

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Neither Amy nor Naberius know or remember for certain who or what their parents are. Amy most definitely recalls absolutely nothing, while her older sibling only vaguely recalls someone very, very old holding them as a youngling close, and between soft, soft soft so soft.. black wings.... But that’s all.

Adam Borders

1. What is their gender? Transexual ftm

2. What is their sexuality? I am not completely certain if he is Bisexual or something else at this time, as all I know is story wise he fell hard for Amy, so he is attracted to her but I cannot jump to the conclusion just yet as to what that means.

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

Adam chose his name when he fully accepted himself as a transexual man, not only just because he liked it, but because of the Biblical humor only he’d understand behind it considering his dead name was Evelynn, similar to “Eve”. It is understandable that many wish to completely forget their dead name, but Adam liked doing this, as he has a rather dark, bitter sense of humor, especially regarding himself.

As for nicknames, his current Senpai Grelle calls him “Handsome” or “Charming” like Prince Charming, and Amy herself just calls him Boy or “dear boy”. Amy also likes resorting to Ancient Greek or Latin with her terms as it gives her confused flustered looks. >;3

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

Most of Adam’s life before becoming a reaper is very sad and a bit left unsaid.. but I think he had an elder sister, who like most of the rest of the family, reacted very badly to uncovering what happened to their deceased relative and the why of it. :( So Adam would likely never bring up his older sister again.. except maybe briefly, but only maybe after learning of Amy’s relationship to the other demon Adam meets eventually, Sebastian Michaelis, who is her older brother basically.

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Again, most of that is very depressing and dismal, as they never would have accepted Adam for who he truly was, and had tried forcing him to live a certain way he did not want to. :(

And so... that’s most of my OCs!! XDD @grelleswife and I have something else in the works involving our current RP, but i can’t spoil it right here so that’s all left out! And the only others were tiny characters like Sylvia the Angel from the RP, and my self insert that I don’t think i need to put down here. 🙈 Thank you though for sendig me this!!

#Anonymous #My Ocs #shared oc #kuroshitsuji oc #Aarushi #Ambrose #Ulva #Eddie the demon #Aidan Sutcliff Michaelis #Amy Michaelis #Adam Borders

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soyouareandrewdobson · 4 years

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Dobson’s favorite cartoon reviewed: The adventures of spandex girl in New York aka the Miraculous Ladybug movie

So THIS is not going to be about a Dobson comic, but rather with the lack of Dobson posting shit out here, I thought I give my opinion about something Dobson would have likely sperged out within the last few months. What could it be I want to talk about? The riots? The death of RBG? Cuties?

Are you insane? My brain may function better than Dobson’s, but even so I am not touching those subjects with a tong, seeing how I myself am lacking detailed knowledge on such subjects. No. I am talking about the cartoon that makes Dobson’s little brain (and dick) all tingly: Miraculous Ladybug.

For starters, let me just say that despite being an animation fan myself, I am not really into this show at all. For a magical girl show that goes on for over three seasons at this point, I just feel like nothing happens in it. Sure, A LOT of tokusatsu and magical girl shows run on repetitive monster of the week formulas, but overall they will still have some progression to themselves. Growing up with Sailor Moon, I always loved the first season and how it actually made me feel like things are increasingly at stake as the story progressed. Especially in the final episodes when the Senshis actually died protecting Sailor Moon and it was only thanks to a Deus ex machina everyone was reincarnated again. As melodramatic as Sailor Moon could be, at least each story arc had a beginning and ending that did not overstay its welcome. Ladybug meanwhile can be summed up as followed:

Teenage girl is thirsty for obvious blond boy whose dad wants to get magic jewelry to necromance his comatose wife. Teenage girl gets magic jewelry and turns into heroine in ladybug mustered spandex suit that makes rule34 artists all tingly. Same goes for boy she has the hots for, only he becomes gimp catsuit shota bait. Bad guy transforms random citizens who feel down for some reason (often times connected to a blond whose family name Dobson can’t write) into action figure like super villains. Ladybug and Cat Noir defeat them, the damage is reseted, Ladybug and Cat Noir never figure out who the other one is despite things being so obvious Ray Charles could have seen that shit coming. Repeat not just for one, but ALL seasons so far and add as little as possible storywise to increase the roaster of characters, but not progress the plot.

All that said, I can say that there are worse shows out there and for a show meant to sell toys to girls and be about a female hero, it is not THAT bad. But a) the creator is an asshole (think of functional Dobson) and b) there are still better shows to watch, even within the preteen magical girl genre, than this. Not to forget that this thing may be the indirect successor of Totally Spies and give certain people internet related fetishes within the next few years.

So, why am I believing Dobson would talk about the show at least for today more than he already tends to do on average? Because Ladybug actually got now a movie.

Well, it is called a movie, but in reality it is more of a 3 parter to start the fourth season if you really look into it. The thing is called Miraculous World: New York – United HeroeZ. It clocks in around 65 minutes and focuses on Marinette and Adrien in New York, teaming up with new heroes that are so unsubtlety promoted in this movie, I expect them to get their own spin off series by the end of next year so the showmakers can milk the cow even drier.

Let me try to elaborate in what is going to be a less than just a bit snarky summary with a few critical points and jokes at Dobson’s expense thrown in here. In other words, the typical biased youtube reaction channel/movie review. Spoiler warnings are obvious and I promise than unlike certain pedos on youtube I am not going to focus on the assets of underaged French girls. I do warn however for increased levels of making a fool of myself by writing a multi page “mock summary” of this thing.

So because the movie is based on a children show, it has a very basic set up; Adrien and Marinette’s class is invited to spend one week in New York, because of a pointless international collaboration thing referred to as French-American Friendship week. The sheer existence of this showing that a) we needed any reason to get them there and b) this special was worked on LONG before COVID19 hit us all. And yes, I know animation takes its time to be done, I just think it is funny how in today’s international political climate and health situation this thing has become outdated already, when it is hitting the tv just now.

At the same time, Adrien’s dad suspects that an artifact currently shown at a museum in New York may be a missing Miraculous that was owned by the Marquis de La Fayette and gifted to George Washington during the American Revolution. And yes, we are going there and you can guess what Hawkmoth’s goal this time is, while at the same time history gets fucked up the butt.

But before we can get to any action in New York, we have to deal with the one thing Ladybug is known for best: Cringy shipping bait.

Look, I know that shipping is a part of magical girl shows in general, but the shit going on in this cartoon is not only drawn out tediously even for children tv standards, I find it makes some characters outright dumb and unlikable. We get it Marinette, Adrien makes you tingle. But can you stop cringing your way through life around him in a manner that would make Tomoko Kuroki say that you are freaking pathetic?

I don’t want anybody else. when I think about Adrien I...

Just three minutes into this movie she essentially melts away at a poster of Adrien and throughout the first 15 minutes she just simps away in the big blue yonder. For example by asking Adrien’s dad to allow his son to travel with the others to New York, obviously stumbling upon her words when she needs to remind herself that she can only see Adrien now as a friend and not love interest (because this is supposedly set after season 3, when she decided to go for the second price in form of the guy who plays guitar), insisting that she is only “friends” to the point even her best friend Alya gets fed up. Or when Marinette gets more than just “a bit” nervous at the chance of sitting on her flight to New York next to Adrien, resulting in her fucking that chance up so badly, I felt an headache approaching.

Not gonna lie, I had to pause a few times because it got so cringy for me, I wondered why Dobson makes primarily jokes on Adrien’s expense when Marinette herself is female thirst personified. Even the movie seems to point out how the two are so obvious to each other, when Alya has the following to say about them: I can’t decide if they are the most cutest people I know, or the most embarrassing.

Thankfully it is at 18 minutes into it, we FINALLY get something of a conflict. While still on the plane (And Adrien and Marinette watching a sunset through a window) a villain shows up, trying to steal the jet engine midflight.

Just roll with it

Thankfully, before the plane can go down thanks to a Gremlin on the wing- I mean TECHNO PIRATE, the real stars of the movie show up.

Wait, you thought this thing was going to be about Ladybug and Cat Noir being the primary heroes? WRONG!

Okay, to put the summary on hold and explain what I mean: This “movie” introduces us to “United HeroeZ”, a group of American superheroes. Yeah, turns out Miraculous is essentially set in your average “Superheroes are everywhere, but primarily US dominated territory” world and this story is meant to introduce us to them and have Ladybug and Cat Noir team up in order to save the day. And while I don’t necessarily HATE the characters, I have to admit that I can’t help myself but snark quite a bit about them. Not only are they for the most part just expies of well known superheroes, the way how prominent two of them in particular are featured in this movie makes it very, VERY obvious that (As I stated earlier) this thing aims just to create a tie-in show for the creators to make more money of the property. Not just that, but their presence in a way reduces Adrien and Marinette’s importance as characters, even though the new ones at best would count as supportive characters overall. Which again makes me wonder, what does it say about Ladybug and Cat Noir’s “impact” in their own franchise when I actually find myself more interested in the side characters made to promote new toys, than the actual leads?

Anyway, United HeroeZ defeats Techno Pirate and in doing so we are introduced to the main members of the group which are relevant for this movie:

So please, give an applause for…. MAJESTIA (aka actually decent Powergirl redesign/Non Superman)

SPARROW (Aka yet another Robin that may get hit by a crowbar)

UNCANNEY VALLEY (aka The Shipper on Deck/Cleopatra in Tin Foil/Vision as your Waifu/the dumbest name you could have chosen for a character!)

NIGHT OWL (aka Alan Moore is going to be pissed!/Oh look, it’s Batman!)

You get where I am coming from when I call them expies, right?

Anyway, with the plane safe the class finally gets to New York. Both Sparrow and Uncanney Valley get tasked to go undercover with the students and assure they are save during the trip, because plot reasons and New York is supposedly enough of a safe place that their services aren’t needed to fight bigger threats currently. Which confirms at the very least that a) this is not the Marvel Universe cause at this point the town may be ground zero yet again and b) a way more enjoyable version of the Big Apple than the real deal.

By the way, these are Uncanney (left) and Sparrow’s (right) civilian identities :

I can now imagine Dobson wanting to proclaim how problematic the character is for being a native American who looks the way she does. But believe me. It gets kinda worse in all the right ways.

Also, we are 28 minutes into the movie and we are introduced to the dumbest thing in the movie yet. The arch enemy of the Condiment King; Hot Dog Dan.

A superhero hot dog vendor seller with a flying hot dog truck, whose hot dogs give you temporarily some random superpowers when you eat them. And it seems he uses hot dog tongs as weapons.

I don’t know what the people making this show take, but I am torn between wanting some of that myself and putting them into rehab.

I really bring the character just up because he is as a concept in itself so ridiculous that part of me thinks he is a fever dream of Dobson. Otherwise he has no real bearing on what is going to happen on the rest of the movie. He is just relevant for a three minute long scene of a house roof party during which Adrien and Marinette dance for a bit.

Speaking of relevance, the next day the class finally gets to do something on the trip that leads into conflict for our heroes to face. During a visit of the museum where the La Fayette related Miraculous is hold, Uncanny and Sparrow decide to play shipper on deck by forcing Marinette and Adrien in a room and attempting to set a really stupid plot into motion (and no, I don’t mean they enforce a reenactment of Steven Universe or something). At the same time the villains finally do something, when Hawkmoth (now in New York) turns Techno Pirate into his latest minion and have him attack the museum to steal a saber by La Fayette as distraction, while he takes the charm he is out for. Long story short: Our heroes FINALLY transform and have to fight with Uncanney and Sparrow against Techno Pirate on the roofs of Manhattan.

And while I don’t think it is all that great of a fight, it still means something aside of Marinette cringing her way through the plot is happening and the heroes are actually in decent peril. Plus during the fight the movie gives me one of the funniest moments possible. You want to know what it is?

Well, while fighting the bad guy, Cat Noir and Ladybug obviously trigger their miraculouses. And what does Ladybugs miraculous turn into this time, to help her develop a strategy to defeat the villain and save the day?

A bikepump.

... yeah, I am going to give all of you now 5 minutes to laugh it off. Believe me, I needed them too.

Sure, it is a cartoon and I doubt anyone working on the show is even aware of our favorite uncare bear, but come on. At this point the universe itself is either mocking Dobson or tries to set up the perfect opportunity for an obvious joke from my side.

Not helped by the fact that once the bike pump shows up, the dialogue between characters that follows is, and I quote:

Cat: A bicycle pump? What are you going to do with that?

Ladybug: I may have an idea, but you wouldn’t like it

Anyway, believe it or not, the fight actually ends with a surprising shock moment. Cat Noir, while having his cataclysm powers active (you know, the powers that make him decompose anything he touches), being thrown by Techno Pirate at Ladybug, resulting in Uncanney protecting her and being turned into scrap metal. Which in turn causes Techno Pirate to make the acquaintance with Majestia’s fist, as Uncanney is more or less her adopted daughter and I guess she has seen what was going on (but did not interfere because the plot says so) until now, pummeling him so hard he flies through a few buildings and causes at least three 9/11 to happen on this day in New York.

So, yeah. Uncanney is dead. The heroes experiencing their darkest hour in the movie.

… welp, can’t have that for long, so less than 2 minutes later Ladybug uses the Magical bikepump…

5 minutes of laughter later

Got it out of the system? Good. As I was saying; She uses the fetish toy to reset all the damage done by the akumatized villain and in doing so fixes Uncanney too.

Welp, that was a waste of tension. Guess someone watched the entire Lars dying thing from Steven Universe.

So, damage undone, but Majestia and Night Owl pretty pissed at what happened, want Ladybug and Cat Noir to give up their miraculouses (I assume that is the correct plural) until they leave New York. You would expect this to result in some dramatic chase scene or confrontation with the older heroes, but because this movie has just like 22 minutes left and we need to close act two now, our heroes instead flee and end up in the sewers of New York.

There they do NOT team up with a group of mutated reptiles, but have a heart to heart talk (I never thought I would agree with Dobson on something, but I have to agree on this: The show is kinda fixated on having important stuff happening in sewer channels) that is sort of an argument Cat Noir and Ladybug also had during the fight. You see, because those two idiots haven’t figured out their respective civilian identities yet (something even Sailor Moon would have figured out AFTER THREE SEASONS!) Marinette assumed that Cat Noir would be in Paris while she is in New York to keep the city save. And Adrien/Noir was okay with making the promise of keeping the city initially save, because his dad only allowed him on the trip the day after he made the promise. So when the two transform out of sight of the other in New York and meet, instead of asking some logical questions (like “where is Marinette/Adrien and why is Cat/Ladybug here?”) they kinda argue wtf Cat is doing here while Paris may be in danger.

Long story short, she is angry at him, he feels guilty for having disappointed her and the thing with turning Uncanney into scrap, Paris was attacked by Hawkmoth’s secretary unleashing temporarily some monster clone because Hawkmoth thought that distracts the heroes in Paris (and really just results in damage that makes a city that experienced the destruction of Notre Dame the year prior just feel numb) and because this is the turning point in the plot, our hero needs to do something just a bit too melodramatic. Which is that Adrien gives up his powers and runs away.

… so, up to the final part in which things to care about start to happen.

Hawkmoth now has the Miraculous and unleashes its Kwami who is this eagle themed little thing referring to itself as the “Kwami of Freedom”.

… Yeah, this thing was NOT around for the last 200 years, wasn’t it?

Anyway, it states that its powers are based on “freeing” people of limitations to achieve their full potential. What does that mean practically? It means that when Techno Pirate holds its powers on top of his regular powers increased by being akumatized, he can unleash some energy attack that removes moral inhibitions when getting hit by it.

… So it basically unleashes the Purge.

Which is exactly what happens to Majestia and Night Owl, turning one into Man of Steel Superman causing nine additional 9/11s on top of the three prior (how the fuck did this movie manage to turn an American tragedy in a measuring unit?) and the other into All Star Batman.

Oh and it turns the President of the USA into a worse war monger than people accuse Trump of being.

Oh, this is NOT going to sit well with anyone...

… Yeah, sidenote: The president of the USA in this movie is essentially Michelle Obama who ALSO is a superhero with an American flag theme and besties with Majestica and Night Owl, trying to protect the exchange students. Because supposedly NOTHING better needs to be done. Once she gets hit by the “Freedom Feathers” or whatever you want to call the Kwami power, she pulls out the Football and activates turrets all over the USA, ready to blow up anything that moves into smithereens. Including at least 10.000 such turrets on the roofs of New York and a nuclear missile in the bay near the Statue of Liberty.

I’ll take it to the people with the eagle not the dove. If there is one thing that obedience is symptomatic of, it’s W-E-A-P-O-N-R-Y... WEAPONRY, from above!

(BTW, the rocket is animated like shit!)

I get the feeling someone on the production team is not the biggest fan of America.

Anyway, with the heroes being useless and Marinette and Adrien mopping around for what happened during the battle (and Adrien being tricked by his dad to leave New York and get back on a plane cause this town is not save and Adrien can’t fucking stand up to his emotionally abusive father), Uncanney and Sparrow have to get the ball rolling so the day can be saved. Which means that Sparrow and Ladybug try to fight and distract people for time (off screen mostly), while Uncanney hijacks Adrien’s plane and brings him back to take up the gimp suit of Cat Noir again. Oh yeah, almost forgot, Uncanney, cause she is a robot, has figured out easily who Ladybug and Adrien really are cause scanning. Making our heroes literally dumber than a walking toaster.

So the four finally together, fight Techno Pirate on the Statue of Liberty a second time (after some hijinx with another corrupted hero whose power is literally to create portals through doors, but he is irrelevant for anything so I skipped him up until now) and defeat him. He loses the Miraculous, Sparrow takes it on and becomes its next official owner, resulting in her costume turning into THIS

So now we have the native American girl turn into an eagle based superhero with a costume that looks like out of a western based Lego set.

Real talk here: Unlike Dobson I do not believe that everything is political or offensive or some other shit. In fact I hate his comic where he talks about “skin color changes” of the black characters in Ladybug, because he essentially tries to create a race issue and tension where there is none, just because he is a social justice moron. Which gets especially funny when his ideas for a progressive female results in characters like the black rat pirat who kicks you in the face for being hetero or infantilizing the characters of Patty to make them visually more appealing to Max Karson.

That said, in this day and age, doing a character like that… kinda yaiks.

Like, on one hand I think the girl has an enjoyable personality and the design of her hero outfit is okay for a kids cartoon. It’s not like she also talks in some cartoonishly native way or has suddenly a tomahawk as a weapon.

On the other hand, it is kinda stereotypical from multiple ankles and unfortunately there is nothing to the character past this point. Oh sure, Sparrow has now Miraculous powers, but really, all she does now is just use her powers to nullify Techno Pirates influence on the adult heroes before Majestia manages to reenact the bad ending for Majora’s mask and that is it.

Granted, there is Hawkmoth also almost starting World War 3, but that is really just happening at the site and dealt with almost instantly. To be more specific, because Ladybug and Cat Noir did not hand over their Miraculous, he lets Techno Pirate launch one of the missiles near the Statue of Liberty (worse president than Trump, honestly) but before the thing can hit anything, Majestia sweeps it away and throws it into the sun.

You know, if the show writers want to make Adrien’s dad even remotely “sympathetic” or interesting/intelligent, they increasingly fail. Cause I don’t know about you, but causing World War 3 does not really feel like it will benefit in bringing your comatose wife back.

Bottom line: Nuke has been burned, Techno Pirate gets defeated, all the damage reseted, Sparrow is now the official owner of the latest Miraculous and renames herself Eagle, everyone is happy, there is a big celebration for the class and Hawkmoth is convinced there might be other missing Miraculous all over the globe he wants to get his hands on, meaning season 4 may have more globe trotting Miraculous “action” once it starts.

And also the last scene of the movie shows Eagle and Uncanney meeting some other guardian of the Miraculous box who wants the Eagle charm, but she seemingly convinces him to team up, solidifying that this one hour “movie” was really just a backdoor pilot for a tie in series about an American centered heroine that is so big, a freaking monster truck could pass through this backdoor.

Yeah, if you can’t tell, I am not a big fan of what I saw.

Look, I will openly admit that my opinion on this is in large parts already tainted by me not being part of the demographic which enjoys the show. So this was never going to be considered “good” in my opinion. That said, I tried to be neutral to it for the sake of fairness. And I kinda failed.

Sorry, but I genuinely do not think this is a good “movie”. First, with barely 65 minutes I don’t really consider it a movie and more of a tv special meant to lead into the next season of the show. Second, I expect of a movie based on a tv show to have slightly higher stakes and presentation value to it than what you would expect from any average episode it has to offer. Which this thing doesn’t. Oh sure, the animation is slightly improved in some scenes, but overall just the same. And frankly, the writing is just still as “bad” as in the original show, if in parts not even worse. Aside of the typical stables, such as the cringy romance that does not move forward but is kinda on the forefront, the main heroes stumbling more or less into the situations instead of being more active in their duties, Hawkmoth not even in a movie having a genuine plan aside of “get this, see how it will help me defeat two kids and fail”, the movie also just never manages to induce a proper escalation of conflict to make it feel like something “special”. For example, we have a shitton of temporarily corrupted heroes. Do Ladybug and Cat Noir ever properly face them off at one point or have meaningful/fun interactions with Sparrow and Uncanney or each other outside of the first three minutes of the movie? Nope! I can name a few movies based on animated shows that gave me enjoyment, even those following basic shonen anime rules. But this one isn’t really among them. And taking into account that I consider at least the Steven Universe movie enjoyable in a dumb way, that says something.

There is also just the fact that it takes away from Ladybug and Cat Noir too much. Sure, I don’t like the romance stuff with them because I think it plays out in some of the cringiest way possible. But I would have been okay with them or other already established sidecharacters doing other stuff and having to face some conflict that is centered more around them.

Instead the movie finds this bizarre disbalance where it focuses too much and yet too little on completely new characters, that feel shoehorned in to create a starting point for a spin off, making Cat Noir and Ladybug secondary characters in their own movie.

I mean sure, I have seen many shonen anime based movies where there is a set of “movie only” characters interacting with our heroes, but they don’t take too much away from the heroes being heroes. Say what you want about the 13th movie of any long running shonen anime, at least Luffy, Naruto, Son Goku etc. are still the central characters of their respective franchise affiliated flic. Here however we take too much away from Ladybug and Cat, while at the same time focusing also too much on their “struggle” as Marinette and Adrien (or rather just Marinette making a fool out of herself while Adrien is utterly obvious to her behavior) while the major heroics are reserved for the movie characters only, that this entire thing should just be renamed “The Adventures of Mummy Robot and Not Robin, also starring two underaged kids that Dobson is obsessed about!”

All that said, I will give it a few things.

1) Uncanney and Sparrow/Eagle, despite my jabs, are kinda enjoyable in terms of personality. So are their partners/parents (Majestica and Night Owl are actually the (adoptive?) mothers of their sidekicks and also a couple openly caling themselves love, so yay, L(GBT) representation) and if the show would ever decide to focus also a few episodes on other characters aside of Ladybug and Cat Noir, I wouldn’t mind to see them. I just don’t think they are the most original characters out there and I think I may speak for some fans of the show when I say it sucks, that when it comes to the “action” within this “action adventure show”, they take up the spotlight from the actual main characters.

2) The fight scenes against Techno Pirate were okay overall. Nothing mind blowing animation wise but okay for the standards of this franchise.

3) Eagle’s costume design is not the worst despite my jabs at it being “stereotypical”, at least under consideration of cartoon designs (again, I can think of more offensive shit from the 90s or the Dobbear himself)

4) Well, it wasn’t for me, but I can say it was at least still on the same level of quality as the show. Make out of that comment however whatever you want.

My verdict: Three out of five Dobson’s would approve this movie. The other two would rant about stereotypes and be too busy incest shipping Majestia with Uncanney based on one shot of the movie. And none of them would acknowledge the flaws that make the “movie” a badly disguised jumping point for a spin off that makes the Equestria Girls look subtle.

Hope you got some enjoyment out of this rant that ironically may have been overall more retarted and detailed than anything Dobson may ever say in regard of this movie.

#miraculous ladybug #movie #marinette dupen chang #andrew dobson #so you are a cartoonist #syac #movie sperging #animated movie #sucks #mock #review #adrien x marinette

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polygamyff · 4 years

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58. Part 9

I have used and abused the leisure of having this Bentley, I do love the car and if I could I would keep it but it’s hired on Maurice’ name “I see you not wearing no earrings, hair tied and air force ones. Mother, seriously?” I have to laugh; my mother is on something “are you strapped too?” I have to ask, she seems strapped to be honest “if I could, I would, Robbie I would go down for murder for you. I love you with all my heart and to know my only love is being treated this way, this kills me. I remained with Thomas with his negative vibe just for you, just so you can feel love and you did. He made me strong, I wanted better for you and you have, and I won’t let some rich evil bitch ruin that” that is deep “belt on then mother, we got some Davenports to ruin” my mom laughed “least Reign is asleep, she will sense the hate” looking behind me, Reign is asleep in the car seat “well she will learn, I will make sure she goes into this with eyes wide open. I will be like you; I know I will be. Maurice rang again, well Marquis did but he’s using his phone. He wants me to bring his clothes but I didn’t” turning in my seat “oh dear, well you can deal with that” putting the car engine on “you know what mom, I could buy myself this car with the money I am on, if Maurice ever fucked me over I would never need him or his money. I was just thinking that” I could literally do without him “and it’s good to know you feel that you would be able to make it without him, I would tell every woman to never place their eggs in one basket. Love is good, and bad I mean look at me baby. I loved Thomas, he is taking me on in everything” holding my mother’s hand “and I am getting this house for you, you will get this house and you will sell it. You raised a strong girl, just the love I have for Maurice gets me” letting her hand go as I put the car in reverse “that is the girl I raised, but Maurice is too in love with you my girl. I don’t see him letting anything go that easily, I see good in him. He is just extremely stupid at times; he is not Marquis. I think he is not programmed to be malicious as his dad, this is why he slips up so many times” my mother has a point.

Opening my car door, Jay waved at me “nice seeing you here this evening” he made his way over to the car “park the car when she is done” Jay said to the valet that is waiting “imagine that” I laughed “is little stinky in here, I heard I am the assigned babysitter, I think I spoke to your mom. You was busy” nodding my head “yeah, I was getting changed” Jay opened his arms “in life we all love hugs and I think you need a hug” I cooed out as Jay hugged me, because he is a big guy I am actually lost in this hug “that is so sweet, is this a pity hug?” laughing while moving back “it’s more of a I was there and it was wack to see, but I saw Maurice earlier. Just as I was coming down, but I didn’t say much. Ally is going to take care of Reign instead; she is coming down” pulling the seat forward “you awake now” climbing into the back to unbuckle my daughter out, Reign looks in a daze but she is waving at me “you going to be a good girl for me, look who is here” picking her out of the car seat “look who it is” turning her to Jay “little stinky, I missed you!” Reign hid her face in the crook of my neck smiling “she is being shy, aren’t you. Stop being shy” holding the key out to the valet “mom, did you get her baby bag” turning to her “yes, I am here” I hope Reign is not going to be clingy, I just need her to be with Ally while this goes on “move out” Jay said at a group people that was stood around “and no, I don’t care who are you” Jay laughed as he pushed them, walking up the steps “who are they?” I asked him “some guys, related to Maurice. I was smoking out here waiting around and they were talking big, now they stood there taking pictures, crazies” I didn’t even notice that but Jay notices more then me I guess. The doorman opened the door for us as we entered the hotel “hey girl” look who it is in the corner, Maurice is shying away from me “hey, I don’t want her to see him, Reign. You going to go to Ally? She can give you cuddles too” she is moody, she knows I am going to leave her here with Ally “come here, come on pretty” Reign stiffened her body holding me “awww what, ok then. You know what, where are you going to be? I will go with you” I said to Ally “ok, I will stay until she settles” she is not stupid this girl “just in the room” following behind Ally “come on mom” look at his stank ass with his suit on from yesterday too.

Ally is the sweetest “you put pillows all over this room, all for Reign. We won’t be long hopefully, look at this Reign. Ally got some toys here for you to play with, where did you get this from?” I asked as I walked over to the toys “I bought them, I thought I need to entertain her” she is so sweet “that is so sweet, we appreciate it so much. She won’t do no dirty diaper, she had that. I will change her again before I go actually” sitting on the floor with Reign “it’s ok, I think I will be ok. Just want to know if she will be ok with me” Reign is looking at the toys so that means she is interested, she is being hard headed right now “did you drink a lot last night?” I asked, “well I remember you spoke to me, so I guess not, I did hear a few things go off” Ally sat down on the edge of the bed “oh you did, go on then. Spill” I chuckled knowing full well who has been spreading any type of rumour “well, I saw the commotion with Maurice and his mother. I didn’t go over there but I asked when he walked by, he just told me fuck off. So I left it, but then I overheard over breakfast that you felt unsure about the family and was asking questions and that they felt you are not right, I didn’t say anything but just kept going because I am like nah, Robyn I know has been through hell and back with Maurice and she is loyal as fuck, she will take on you minions don’t play. So, I was like ok moving on, then I found out Maurice is in a room but then hotel staff talk, they saw you leave and didn’t come back. But now I figured they have been talking a little too much on social media and their little group chat, we need to nip that quickly. Then by time I knew, Maurice was walking off the elevator a mess, then Jay told me he knew it all, he’s good for nothing told me nothing. But I am just hearing things, Maurice is by the way walking around like he has been wounded, just to add. Like Negro please, you got a damn hangover and last night clothes on. Then the family gathered for a meeting in the meeting room, all very moody I must add” I swear that family is dramatic “Ally, it was a terrible night, Jay saved my ass from having a mental breakdown, they are liars. I innocently asked Marquis sister in law, what is it like to be a Davenport!? I was innocent in this” I shouted, hearing Reign let out a cry “awww I am sorry, mommy shouting. I know” hugging Reign close.

“Robyn, this is not shocking. Do you know how many stories they leaked on Maurice? We were fed up because we were fairly new and us as a team never met Maurice yet because his dad was preparing for him to come to New York, every time stories came out they had the fact he was taking over. They leaked his rehab place too; they leaked the fact he was getting drugs to the rehab place still. They leaked pictures and videos of him, they discredited him to the point Marquis was like how can I leave anything to you you look bad, this is their own nephew. Marquis yet had to pay them shut up money, his own family. I have not seen a family like it but it’s money, they needed to be shut down. I think the worse one that got faxed through and we nearly fell out of our chairs, we had to really dig deep to get it off any outlets but it’s gone now, it was pictures of Maurice and I don’t understand why anyone would want to do that to their own, but it was so disturbing to see. Pictures of him injecting, then snorting and then being out of it, it was a mess so yes they would do this. Money is evil and he is taking that from them” that is so disturbing to hear “you have really disturbed me now” I shuddered “sorry, but we have been his team for so long to get to this point and for drama to happen. It’s sad to see” I guess I am nothing to them “I am a threat to them” I said, Ally nodded her head “you are right, if Maurice so happens to die. Then that will be ripped from them and given to you. Just like that” that must really scare them.

Robyn told me to stay away from her, that she doesn’t want Reign to see me and I do hope that is because she wants to leave her with Ally, I mean I just don’t know what happened. I am here trying to celebrate my moment but clearly that has been ruined, all I know is that I walked into the meeting room and my dad slapped my mom, now I am confused and still hungover a little. I swear I didn’t drink as much; I know I didn’t unless I continued after I stopped drinking but still, I can’t have. I don’t need to be doing that, that was never my intention but right now, my mind is a mess. I feel like I caused a hell of a lot of mess, this meeting hasn’t really started, and nobody will speak. “I will contact you later, I need to get over this hangover” Lorraine said “yeah, thanks for coming. What were you doing anyways?” I don’t even know what she was doing “sorting the mess out, trying to filter the good press. Don’t worry about it boss, anyways see you back in New York” Lorraine walked off, but what did I do, am I in real trouble. My phones are gone, I have no phones “Lorraine!” I shouted, why did I shout, my head right now “yes?” she turned to me “email me, I have no phone” Lorraine laughed “I will” I wish people would speak “is anybody going to tell me what happened?” I don’t get it “your woman talking shit, but Marquis doesn’t want to believe it, slapped me! For what!? She going to keep her kids away from you now, awww is that it now? You made her cry too not me, you come near me again I will fucking scream!” my mom pointed at my dad “I made her cry? For what exactly?” I have really fucked up “because you are just like your father Maurice, you are him and good at making women cry” I don’t need this right now, how the fuck did I make Robyn cry and why did I do that.

I am waiting for Robyn at the front desk, I am bored of waiting but here I am and they are taking their time “you make us nervous here” one of the workers said, I had to double take seeing Lionel “aye!” I spat, Robyn said she wanted him there but why “cousin, hey” he made his way over to me with his fist up at me, fist bumping him “what happened at the party yesterday?” I asked him, let me see if I can get any detailing from this one “you were wild as fuck, like you legit live up to your name. Party animal but like shit was good vibes, nothing wrong at all why?” I fake laughed nodding “right, so I heard that you want to work at the Texas hotel, is that right?” he nodded his head “cool, well tell them you will be busy. I need you to come with me” he says everything was good but like shit wasn’t any good, it wasn’t “my nigga, I will be one second” he jogged off “Maurice” looking behind me, Robyn is here finally. Moving my head to the side seeing Robyn “where is it then?” Jay said, I did bad and I don’t know what I did “erm, one second” feeling a hand hit my arm “let’s go then, this your wife. She good people, you know” clearing my throat “just wait here, you come with me” walking off, I just need to talk to Robyn on her own and see what the fuck went down, I don’t know what happened or what I did to her. Walking down the lobby “these hotels are beautiful, like they are amazing. Man!” he is too damn happy “T!” I spat, my dad’ bodyguard is out here “keep him in here” moving out of the way “woah, wait. Why?” T grabbed him like he weighed nothing and dragged him into the meeting room “I will be back” closing the door.

This is so stank that I am walking with this old shit on still, walking over to the desk and grabbing the keys to the rooms “I will be back, I have them” I said to the colleague “come” walking off “Maurice!” one my cousins shouted “not now, I am busy. If it’s work related then speak to my assistant” walking around the front desk and to the side room, unlocking the door and pushing it open “come on in” holding the door open, Jay walked in first. Robyn placed something against my chest, holding it there “your phone” grabbing my phone as she walked, looking down at my smashed phone, my face softened seeing my phone broke as fuck, pressing the side button and nothing working. Letting the door go as I held the side button to switch the phone on, I guess this shit is really broke “did you bring me any clothes?” letting the door go to close “let me just start off, I just want to say this because other then that this is Robyn and yours issue but I am very upset and hurt by how your family has treated my daughter, just because she doesn’t have a father in her life doesn’t mean I won’t fight, because I will fight to the ends of the earth for her. My daughter has been treated like some bitch off the streets when you and I both know she is higher then that, I am upset Maurice. But I said my piece now” Terry turned a little, she really hates me. Placing my broken phone to the side “I didn’t bring no clothes with me, and I broke your phone” Robyn added, frowning at her “why? I don’t have nothing on there, I have you, your mom. Just family and close friends, I don’t flirt with anyone. Why did you break my phone?” I am confused because there is nothing to see on there anymore, why would she do that “let’s start from the beginning yeah? Why were you drinking so much, I let you drink, and you kept going?” shaking my head “I didn’t drink as much, that is bullshit because I drank as I would at a party” Robyn laughed “there you go as YOU! Would at a party which to me is probably a lot, and to you it’s a little, so you saying with that amount you wouldn’t be blindly fucking drunk and so quickly? Those people hate you” I sighed out “one night of forgetting that shit but of course, I don’t know I just so happened to drink more one night. But I know I didn’t, to you maybe” this is fucking bullshit because I know me.

“Right, so you remember when you told me to fuck off too? Your mother talking shit to you?” Robyn said but this is all new to me “no, the last thing I remember was that something, Reign was leaving. I don’t know” Robyn shook her head in disbelief “that was it? And then it all went down the drain after that, leaving me with your family!” she shouted at me and then breathed out “I am calm, it’s ok mom” Terry held her hand “I came back in there to look for you, to find you, to look after you. And then I see Nalah because I couldn’t find you, I didn’t know anybody to be honest, just a bunch of people. Jay went with my mom, I wanted her to be safe with Reign. He said Lenny is in there waiting, I said to Lenny leave it have a good time, I was in a safe space. I have my drunk man there; I got some people that may like me around. I see your mother first off before I even got back in that place your mother got to me, she said something along the lines that Maurice is not watching, clearly knowing the stupid idiot I am with is drunk as fuck, she said you look to other women for a mother figure and that I will see the truth he will destroy my soul with the family and I will end up needing to be a bitch or they will step on me. And that they will kill me and that they hate me, so I said back to her she is an evil bitch and that Malik will be ok I will show him love, and I will fuck her over if she plays on my family like that. So I am now angry anyways, I go into the hall and I see Nalah I thought I need stay with her, I can’t find you like you was any use to me. Nalah and I ended up sitting down, we can’t drink or anything like that. We spoke for a while then your mother came again, at this point I was fed the fuck up. This is when she said you are always happy when you are intoxicated, I! Me! I stuck up for you and I said who would find that a good thing. Then she added that I broke your happy ass family, so I snapped and said just like when you fucked Marquis’ brother. She walked off; I am glad she did. Nalah was trying to calm us all down at this point. Then she sees your drunk ass with your mom, I go up to you both. And this is when she has switched it up on me, told you I said about you love being intoxicated but then you looked at me like I was the one to say it, questioning me. I cried, of course I cried because then you said fuck it and walked off” I breathed out, I don’t want to cry right now.

“So anyways, you walked off, big help. I was ready to attack your mom, I apologised to Nalah it’s disrespectful. So, then I went to the toilet, dried my hands off. I meet your, I forgot her name or whatever. She is Marquis’ sister in law, I only asked is the family big and that is it. She said yes and she heard I am headstrong but then these rumours of me talking shit about your family came out, it was all lies! I never did do any of that or say anything bad. So I left the bathroom fucking fed up because she gave me bad vibes, I just wanted to go home but I didn’t want to leave you. I see Lionel” Robyn sighed out “god, yes I see fucking Lionel, he was looking at me from the start wasn’t he mom?” looking at Terry “I found it strange that he was looking at you that way, you don’t belong to him at all, top to bottom. Smirks here and there” Terry added, my blood is boiling already “so I see him again, he once again looked at me like he wanted a piece of me. He said he liked the length of my legs and that he gets why you want me so much and then said he will be here once Maurice dies” that is it, I have heard enough. Turning around and opening the door, I am going to kill him and every person in that meeting room “Aye Maurice, can we talk” pushing by Shawn, I don’t want to know fuck everybody.

Opening the meeting room door “you dickhead huh, you fucking think I wouldn’t hear what you been saying about me” Lionel’ eyes widened “no, woah. I didn’t say anything, she is crazy!” grabbing his tee and balled up my fist as I punched him in the face. Lionel fell back on the chair with the punch but I dragged him up a little before punching him again. Lionel groaned out “oh god” he mumbled, I moved back “you, you fucked up. You stupid bitch” T grabbed me, I was so close to slapping my mom’ fucking face “calm down now, you ain’t her. You a good man like that” T towered over me “now straighten yourself up” T fixed my suit jacket, but I am heaving, I am angry “breathe in and out, come on now. I think you knocked his ass to next year” hearing a commotion and a scream, looking around T “aye, Miss Terry. Come on now” running towards my mom and Terry fighting in the middle of the room “stay out of it” I said to Robyn, Terry is throwing them punches. Jay wrapped his arms Terry to pick her, but she has my mom’ hair in her fist “Terry, let her hair go” I can’t get that shit out “you fucking with my daughter! Not my baby you got it!” Terry let her go and Jay picked Terry up like a child, looking away from my mom “anybody else” I said to Robyn “your whole family” nodding my head, walking over to Lionel. Picking the chair up and fixing it “get up” gripping him up “sit the fuck down” letting his top go as I stepped back, looking over at Terry. Jay is stood with her, he probably doesn’t trust her right now “you hear this shit?” my dad is sat there like everything is ok “I see and hear a lot Maurice, and where was you hm?.”

My dad questioned me “rule number one Maurice you don’t get drunk at your own party, you look sloppy. You know this, I say put on a show and I don’t expect you to be the class clown. Move to the left now” my dad said as I stepped to the left “are you alive still Lionel?” my dad asked him “yes, he just attacked me. I didn’t do anything” my dad put his hand up “so less than twenty four hours and the world knows you are the owner of the company this happens, what have I taught you Maurice? Have you just not listened; this can’t happen. You put on a show, it was your night and you made it into a clown day. I can’t clean your mess; I opened the paper and I didn’t see praise I saw you acting an idiot on the first night. I am quiet with you for that reason, and now you’re walking around in a suit you were partying in from yesterday, I want to beat you so bad! You don’t act right! Don’t give me that face, you’re thirty and you act like you just came out of that bitches pussy!” my dad pointed at my mom “do not get me started on you, you ruined his day also, but he is too stupid, let’s gather around and drink with enemies. I have sat with my enemies; I did every fucking day but they would never see me tripping and you damn sure wouldn’t see me drink with them. Lionel, I suggest you take down those posts on twitter about going to a rich cousins party and they hate each other, and that video of the argument that occurred with this idiot and her too. Oh son, this old man knows his stuff, I will die helping you. Grow up, how can Robyn learn to be with you and your life when you are blind yourself, still! I have tried to teach you everything” putting my head down “how is my little angel Robyn, is she happy?” my asked “she is ok, a little clingy today” Robyn answered “now Robyn, tell me what was said from Joy’ mouth” my dad has made me feel so small.

#Chrianna #chrianna ff #fanfiction

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daisy-rivers · 4 years

Text

Kettling

MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin just explained kettling to his viewers, referring to it as a “controversial police tactic,” and once again, I got the eerie feeling that I had predicted the future.

Chapter 26 of I Like You a Lot is “Shouting in the Square,” about a protest march in Times Square that turns violent. I wrote it in the late summer or early fall of 2017, and now it feels like I’m watching it on the news. I’m posting the whole chapter here today. For those of you who haven’t read my fanfics on AO3, it’s a Hamilton fic, modern AU, set mostly at Columbia University in New York City. George King has become President; his police force is referred to as the “Greaters.” Alexander Hamilton is one of several student leaders of the resistance group called the Movement (there are mentions of TJ, Ethan, Ben, Nat, Frank, and Tony; maybe you can figure out who they are) at various colleges who are protesting against King’s unfair and oppressive tactics. Everyone in this chapter (except the very minor characters Alice, Vincenzo, and Monica) was actually a participant in the American Revolution, although not all of them appear in the musical. The Marquis de Lafayette goes by Gil in my stories, and he’s a pre-med student.

This excerpt begins a couple of paragraphs into the chapter. If you want to read the rest of the story, it’s here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11194281/chapters/24997485

By noon the next day, they had a plan in place. The protest was starting in forty-eight hours. Alex had applied for a protest permit, but they were going to march whether they got a permit or not. Angelica and Eliza were staying in the city to participate. Tony had returned to Philadelphia and Ben and Nat to New Haven to organize protests there, and they got confirmation that TJ, Frank, Ethan, and the others were doing the same. John designed flyers, and he and Herc gave them out on and off campus. There seemed to be more interest that there had been in the first protest, but also a new wariness about the increased and militarized police presence.

The day before the protest was to take place, Alex got word that the permit had been denied. He wasn’t surprised.

“Oh, well,” he shrugged. “This is where civil disobedience kicks in.”

He made sure that everyone was aware that they’d been refused permission, so that they could make their choice about whether to participate. It didn’t look like many planned to back out.

“One protest won’t change a law, no matter how well it goes,” he reminded the others over coffee, “but if they see that a majority of citizens oppose King’s actions, some members of Congress may grow a spine and stand up to him.”

“Especially if there are protests in a dozen or more cities,” John added optimistically.

“Just remember,” Alex continued, “that the protest isn’t permitted. We could be arrested for disturbing the peace. If we get separated and you do get arrested, call me. We’ve got some guys at Legal Aid who can help, and we’ve got some money if we need it – not a lot, though, so don’t all of you get arrested at once.”

It was a feeble attempt at a joke, but they smiled anyway.

“Dad’s not going to like it if we get arrested,” Angelica said to her sister.

Eliza nodded. “Maybe he won’t find out.”

“Let’s hope.”

* * * * *

The protest march was to start at the campus and go south on Amsterdam Avenue to Broadway and then on to Times Square, where they would meet up with more protestors from other organizations. At the same time, in other cities, there would be marches in the largest public spaces. They were planned for maximum visibility and maximum publicity. All Movement leaders were emphasizing the concept of peaceful protest.

“If anything gets out of hand,” Alex reminded them all early in the morning, “it won’t be because we started it.”

Unlike last time, they weren’t all gathering at Alex and John’s apartment because there were just too many of them. They were going to assemble on Amsterdam Avenue, and once there was a crowd there, start walking.

It was no surprise that there were dozens of police officers – Greaters – in evidence.

“Let’s see your permit,” one of them demanded as the protestors began to gather. Alex had prepped everybody for this.

“Joanna has it,” he told the officer politely. “She’ll be here in a minute.”

The Greater was irritated, but apparently wasn’t aware that no permit had been issued. He began asking random women if they were Joanna, and people were responding with helpful information like, “She’s just up the block there,” or “She’s wearing a bright red sweater. You can’t miss her.” That all generated some confusion, and then someone else, as planned, told the Greater that it wasn’t Joanna who had the permit, it was Orlando, giving a description of Orlando to make it even more complicated. Greaters continued to search for Joanna and Orlando while the rest of the crowd began to move south.

“You think they’ll find Joanna?” John asked Alex, trying not to laugh.

“Nah, I think she and Orlando were on their way to JFK to catch a plane.”

“You sure there’s no Joanna or Orlando in this crowd?” Herc asked, looking around. There were a lot of participants he didn’t recognize.

“As sure as I can be,” Alex said. “I asked everybody I could think of, and nobody knew anyone with those names. Worst case scenario, the Greaters find some poor guy named Orlando and question him, but he won’t have any connection to us.”

“That’s pretty heartless,” Deb told him, disapproval in her voice. “It sounds like you don’t care if some guy gets hassled, as long as we don’t know him.”

“Not quite,” Alex told her. “I care a little less, though, if it doesn’t put our group at risk. Besides, anybody protesting today knows there’s a chance of getting harassed.”

As if on cue, a police car turned sideways across Amsterdam Avenue to block their way.

“Keep walking,” Alex called out, and the word was passed along. There were two Greaters in the car, but dozens, maybe hundreds, of marchers, and they kept walking. The police officers glared, but didn’t take any action.

“It doesn’t look to me like they have any real plan to deal with us,” John said to Alex. “Are we supposed to be intimidated by their presence?”

“Probably. Remember that most of these Greaters are new hires, and I doubt if they’ve had a lot of training yet. We’ll just keep walking.”

The marchers carried signs with a variety of messages. Many said, “Repeal the Smith Act;” others called for re-opening the national parks. Quite a few had the words Have, Hope, Deplo inside a red circle with a bar across it. Holding the signs and banners high, they continued marching south, and more people joined in. It was beginning to look as if King’s most recent actions were finally getting the attention it would take to bring real change. Alex turned around, walking backwards for a few steps. Herc and Johan were behind him, and he caught a glimpse of Eliza’s bright blue scarf farther back, but he couldn’t see Gil or Patty or any of the others. He felt a small twinge of anxiety, but reminded himself that they were all adults and knew what was expected of them. He turned back to John, “Don’t get too far from me, okay?”

John smiled. “I’ll hold your hand if you want.”

Alex took him up on it. “We might as well piss the Greaters off for that too.”

A few blocks later, a group of protestors from a local church joined them. They were singing a song Alex didn’t recognize. He quickened his pace to catch up with them and approached a guy with an Afro, glasses and a clerical collar. “What are you singing?” he asked.

The guy grinned at him. “Old civil rights protest song I learned from my granddad,” he said. “Seems like everything old is new again, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m Alex, by the way. We’re with Students for a Progressive Government.”

The clergyman held out his hand. “Tim Dwight – the Reverend Timothy Dwight, if you want the whole thing, but most people call me Tim, and the kids call me Rev.”

“Your grandfather marched in the civil rights movement?”

“Yeah, but he was a kid himself at the time. My great-grandfather, now, he was the one fighting that fight. He died before I was born, but according to Granddad, he marched with some of the greatest.”

“So you come by this naturally?”

Tim shook his head. “I don’t think any sane person comes by fighting the powers that be naturally. It’s always a struggle, but we have to stand up for the truth and for our rights.”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re doing this,” Alex agreed. “Glad to make your acquaintance. Can I get your number? Maybe we can coordinate some activities?”

“Sure.” Tim took Alex’s proffered phone and tapped in his information. “Let’s hope we can get some attention, get some changes made.” He turned to some members of his congregation who were close by. “This guy’s Alex,” he said. “We’re going to teach him a song.”

It wasn’t long before dozens more of the marchers had joined in the old protest song that Tim was leading in a call-and-response. By the time they reached Broadway, they were singing “Ain’t gonna let George King turn me around, turn me around, turn me around,” and there were police cars on the street, forcing the marchers up onto the sidewalks and slowing them down. Alex was still holding John’s hand, but he had no idea where Herc and Johan had gotten to. He kept looking over his shoulder.

John yanked on his hand. “They’re fine,” he said.

“Yeah.” Alex was a little embarrassed. “It’s just … damn, there must be hundreds of people here.”

“Probably thousands. That’s good, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” He looked back again. “Why aren’t they giving us more trouble?”

“Like you said, most of them are new, don’t know much …”

“Yeah, I …” Alex, barely five foot nine, couldn’t see more than a few feet in any direction. “It doesn’t feel right. I wish I’d told everybody to stay together.” I should have set up checkpoints so we’d know where everybody was. I should have arranged a meeting place after the march. I should at least have told everybody to text me every hour or so. He pulled John with him into an alcove by a shoe store. “I’m going to call Angelica.”

Angelica didn’t answer.

“She’s probably got her phone in her purse and didn’t hear it,” John said sensibly. “It’s noisy.” He was right. Dozens, maybe hundreds of people were singing and chanting, and practically everybody was talking.

Alex texted Angelica: Where are you? Is Eliza w you?

“She’ll get back to you,” John told him.

Alex shoved his phone back in his pocket. They were almost at Times Square, and it seemed like the noise level was increasing. He could feel the excitement running through the crowd as they got closer to their destination. There would be media coverage there, reporters looking for statements. He was ready if anyone wanted to hear from him. He’d rehearsed some words in his head, just in case they were needed. He smiled at John and held his hand tighter, and John gave him a grin, his eyes sparkling. “Let’s give ’em hell, mi amor.”

At first the high-pitched noise seemed like more shouting, but within seconds, they realized that they were hearing screams.

“What the fuck?” Alex muttered, starting to run. The crowd was so dense that it was hard to make any headway, and it didn’t take long for him to grasp that there were people running toward him, away from Times Square. Some of them were coughing and choking or holding their shirts over their faces.

“Tear gas,” John said angrily.

They kept going, weaving their way between those going in the opposite direction. There was more than screaming coming from up ahead now. As they came to the northern end of Times Square they heard the crashing of breaking glass and saw some of the marchers picking up anything they could to throw through windows.

“Shit!” Alex yelled. “What are they doing?” He ran forward, John with him, trying to get to a small group that seemed to have brought their own rocks and broken bricks to throw. “What’s the matter with you? This is supposed to be a peaceful protest. Leave the stores alone.”

“Fuck you!” a dirty guy with a straggly beard told him. “I’m not leaving till I use up all my bricks.”

“What are you talking about?” Alex grabbed the guy by the arm. “Why the hell did you bring bricks anyway?”

The bearded guy squinted at him, as if trying to focus. “I didn’t bring them. Cop gave them to me. I’m getting ten bucks a brick.”

“A cop gave them to you?”

“Yeah.” He let fly another one through the glass door of a candy store. “Over there.” He gestured vaguely in the direction of 48th Street. “You can get some too.”

Alex did a quick assessment of the rock-throwers and concluded that many of them were probably homeless, desperate to make a little money. Before he had time to say anything, John leaned in and spoke to him. “The tear gas is coming from the south end of the square. Looks like they’re moving in.”

“Fucking Greaters were giving out rocks for people to throw, making us look bad.”

John nodded. “We should move back or we’re going to get hit with the tear gas.”

“Where the fuck is everybody? I haven’t seen a single person I know in an hour.”

John shrugged, trying to pull Alex away from what was evidently a coordinated line of Greaters moving from south to north. Alex’s eyes were starting to burn. He looked over his shoulder to see that the bearded guy and his buddies were gone. He thought fast, then pulled John with him. “Come on.” He kicked out the rest of the broken glass in the candy store door, then climbed through.

John followed, muttering, “You’re fucking nuts.”

“I want to see what’s going on,” Alex said. He found a vantage point several feet inside the store. One of the windows was still intact, so they had at least partial protection from the tear gas but could see most of what was happening in the square.

Tear gas canisters were flying through the air, and people were running in all directions to try to get away. For a minute Alex couldn’t understand why they didn’t turn around and go back north as they had been doing when he and John first got to the square, but then he saw that another line of Greaters had formed at the northern end of the square, so the marchers were trapped. He felt suddenly cold.

“It’s kettling,” he whispered to John. “They trap people, and then yell at them to disperse and they can’t. Then they can arrest them for not following orders.”

There were three or four Greaters in front of the store, their backs to it so they could face the crowd. They weren’t planning to arrest people. It was worse than that.

“They look pretty dangerous to me,” one of them yelled to another, his tone mocking. “What do you think?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” his friend called back. “I definitely fear for my life. I bet some of them have guns.”

Without warning, the Greaters started firing into the trapped crowd of people already disabled by the tear gas. The sounds of the shots and the screams of the wounded echoed off the tall buildings surrounding the square so that it seemed the shots were coming from all directions at once. Alex lunged forward to run out, but John tackled him and held him down.

“They’ll kill you,” John whispered, his hand over Alex’s mouth.

Alex’s eyes met John’s, as horrified as he was. He gave a quick nod of acquiescence, and John let him up. They inched closer to the window.

“Not too many,” someone who seemed to be a senior officer was shouting.

The first Greater who had spoken looked at his commander and grinned. “Just a couple more?”

The commander shrugged, and then let out a scream as a shot shattered his kneecap.

“Gun! Gun!” the first Greater yelled, this time with real fear in his voice. The next shot took him down in exactly the same way, and the two Greaters lay on the sidewalk screaming in agony. The others fired randomly a few times because the echoes made it impossible to know where the shots were coming from, and then they heard another officer shouting, “Cease fire! Fall back!”

The remaining Greaters ran, leaving their wounded colleagues sobbing and writhing on the ground. Within minutes all of them except the two wounded ones were gone. The tear gas had mostly dissipated, so people in the square were trying to help one another. Alex and John joined them, putting pressure on bullet wounds, helping hand out water bottles that people were grabbing from stores with broken windows. A few yards away, Alex saw Tim Dwight, his shirt covered with blood, doing the same thing.

“Yo, Rev!” he called. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” the pastor responded. “How bad is it?”

“Don’t know yet.” Alex handed a bottle of water to a young woman who was shaking and sobbing but appeared to be uninjured, then jogged over to Tim. “Have you seen any dead?” he asked quietly.

Tim shook his head. “They mostly fired over the crowd. Not all, mind you. They wanted to hit some, but they could have slaughtered all of us. They want us terrified more than they want us dead.”

“It’s working,” Alex said, surveying the crowd. “Did you see where the other shots came from? The ones that hit the Greaters over there?”

“No idea,” Tim said. “Are they badly injured?”

“They’re not going to die,” Alex said, “but any hope they had of playing football is gone. Whoever it was got them both right in the kneecap.”

Tim’s eyebrows went up. “Really? A sniper?”

Alex gasped.

“What?” Tim asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Nothing,” Alex said, looking around slowly. “I didn’t say anything.”

The first ambulance arrived a few minutes later, and they did what they could to help. Tim estimated about fifteen protestors shot, two or three fairly seriously, but it looked like they would all survive. John was translating for a young man whose girlfriend had been shot. “Vine a estar con Mónica. Dónde la llevan? No soy americano. No hablo ingles.” The kid was in tears, and deeply grateful to find someone he could communicate with. John got the hospital information for him and told him how to get there.

He had just turned around to see if there was something else he could do when he heard his name, and saw Eliza racing across the square, sobbing. She threw herself at him, grabbing his shoulders. “Where’s Alex? Is Alex here?”

“He’s okay,” John told her, holding her tight. “He’s around here somewhere.” He looked over her head and saw Angelica, then Herc and Johan.

“What the fuck happened here?” Herc asked, his face grim. “We got cut off just north of the square.”

“Thank God you did,” Alex said, stepping up to join them. He held out his arms to Eliza, and she fell into them, sobbing on his shoulder.

Angelica, a few feet behind her sister, looked from Eliza and Alex to John.

“C’mere,” John said to her softly, holding out his hand. Angelica let John pull her in. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “We’re all okay.” He felt her nod, then felt the warm tears on his neck. He kissed her hair. “We’re all okay, you understand me?”

She nodded again, then pulled back, wiping her eyes with her hand like a little kid.

Alex kept his arm around Eliza and asked, “Do you know where Gil and Deb are? Or Patty?”

Nobody did, but the good news was that they weren’t among the wounded in the square. Alex called Tim Dwight over and introduced him. He was gathering together the remainder of his congregation. One of them, a kid of about fifteen, had been grazed by a bullet to his upper arm, but had refused to go to a hospital.

“If you think I’m getting in a car, even an ambulance, with any of them, think again,” declared the kid, whose name was Danny. “My mom can take care of this.”

Tim didn’t argue. Another one of his people, Alice, had twisted her ankle badly and needed help to walk. John went back into the candy store and got ice out of their freezer, wrapped it in Eliza’s scarf and tied it to Alice’s ankle. “Do you need a ride home?” he asked.

“I was going to get the bus,” she said uncertainly, looking from John to Tim.

“Are the streets open?” Tim asked.

Herc and Johan took off to check and came back to report that while Times Square itself remained closed off by police barricades, the surrounding streets were open to traffic.

“Let’s get you a cab,” John said to Alice.

She shook her head. “I don’t … I can’t …”

“I got it,” he told her, smiling. He and Herc half carried her out of the square and flagged down a cab, and John handed the driver a wad of cash that included a tip large enough to take his entire family out to dinner. The driver promised in return to be sure that Alice got safely into her apartment. She was still thanking them when the cab pulled away.

“She’s a third-grade teacher,” Tim was saying to Alex. “She says she wants to set an example for her students.”

“Good people,” Alex nodded. “Everybody here today was good people, marching for justice.” He told Tim about the group who had evidently been paid to throw rocks and break windows and about what he had heard the Greaters say before the shooting started.

“They planned to shoot all along, then,” Tim said.

“That’s what it sounded like.” Alex looked over to where the wounded Greaters had lain until they were picked up by an ambulance, and then his gaze circled the area, looking for places where a sniper might have been concealed. They were literally countless, the square surrounded by multiple-story buildings. It couldn’t have been on the same side as the Greaters, though, because they were shot from the front. On the opposite side, there was a hotel as well as four or five office buildings.

“Where do you think?” Tim asked, understanding what Alex was looking for.

“Impossible to figure out. I just wonder who would have guessed that there would be shooting.”

“I’m sure whoever it was thinks they were helping. Thinks they’re on our side, I mean.”

“I have no doubt of it,” Alex agreed.

“We don’t want to encourage violence, though,” Tim continued.

Alex was silent for a minute, then he looked Tim in the eye. “We’re on the same side, Rev,” he said, “but I don’t know that we’re going to be taking the same road. I promise you that I don’t encourage needless violence, but I won’t lie and say we won’t shoot back. This is the beginning of a war, and we’re going to be fighting.”

Tim nodded and held out his hand. “Like you say, different roads. I’ll be praying for you all, no matter what. Call me any time.”

Alex gripped his hand. “I will. You’ll hear from me.”

Tim gathered up the remaining stragglers from his congregation and they headed out of the square.

There weren’t many people left in the blocked-off area. The ones still there were those who had been badly overcome by the tear gas or who were still shaky and tearful. Alex and his friends made phone calls for some whose phones had died or been dropped and crushed in the melee, made sure everyone had water, and then Herc said, “We ought to go home. We don’t want to be the last people here when the Greaters come to re-open the square.”

“Good point,” Alex agreed. “Let’s go.”

It was a long walk back to campus, and they spent most of it trying to contact Gil, Deb, Patty, and the others. John got through to Mark, who told him Patty and Deb were safe at Betsy’s. Nate Pendleton and Joe Allicocke had actually been in the square when the shooting started, but had been able to duck into an alleyway, where they were lucky enough to find a restaurant worker who opened a back door to them. They went through the kitchen of Zaide’s Deli and out the front door onto 8th Avenue, and from there back to campus. Angelica finally got a text back from Gil who said he had been separated from Deb in the crowd and had still been well north of the square when he heard gunshots. Alex made sure that everyone got the message to meet at his and John’s apartment at six. They had a lot to talk about.

* * * * *

“Someday,” John said, “we’re going to get tired of pizza, and Vincenzo’s will go out of business.”

“I think we’re good for a few years yet,” Herc told him, helping himself to another slice. “How old is Vincenzo, anyway?”

John shrugged. “I think he’s got to be in his sixties. Talks about immigrating as a kid with his parents back in the day.”

“We ought to be able to get him to retirement age then,” Herc said. “After that we can worry about ordering something besides pizza.”

Alex boosted himself up onto the counter and tapped it with a spoon to get everybody’s attention. John and Herc sat back down on the floor with their pizza and prepared to listen.

“You all know the basic facts of what happened today, so I’m not going to recap that, and most of you watched the evening news a few minutes ago. What did you think?”

“It was bullshit,” Johan said through a mouthful of pizza. He took a gulp of soda and continued. “We know there was nobody in the crowd who drew weapons on the Greaters. They fired first.”

“Do any of you know anybody who talked to a reporter?” Angelica asked. “I expected to find Times Square full of journalists and satellite trucks, but there were none there. How did they keep them from getting access? That big a demonstration is news, so where was the press?”

Alex tapped a note into his phone. “Okay, that’s something we need to find out. I’ve heard from Ben and Frank, and they say the same thing was true in Connecticut and Charleston – no press on the scene at all.”

“What does Tony say?” Eliza inquired.

“I haven’t heard from him yet, and neither has Ben. I’m getting a little concerned.”

Gil was on the far side of the living room, sitting on the floor in front of Deb’s chair, his head leaning on her knees. He sat up straight now. “Was there shooting at every protest?”

Alex nodded. “Some places worse, some not as bad. There was one dead in Boston, and two in critical condition. Only half a dozen or so injuries in Charleston. Every other place was somewhere in between.”

“And were any Greaters shot or otherwise injured in any of these other cities?” Gil pursued.

Alex gave a little snort of laughter and shook his head slowly from side to side. “Not that I’ve heard, unless it was in Philly. Tony’s the only one nobody’s talked to yet.”

“So here there was at least some actual résistance,” Gil said, his accent so pronounced that the final word was in French.

“Yeah, you might put it that way,” Alex responded.

“Any ideas about who the sniper was?” Joe Allicocke asked.

“Not a clue,” Alex said blandly.

“Whoever it was, they were damned good,” Johan put in. “Kneecapped both of those bastards from God only knows what distance.”

“Yep, definitely a good shot,” Alex agreed. “Okay, the next thing …” he broke off impatiently as his phone rang, pulling it out of his pocket and checking the screen. “Alex Hamilton,” he said, and then, “Yeah … yeah … shit, is he okay? How many others hurt? Listen, let me ask you something, was there any press coverage? Okay … yeah, keep me posted.” He put his phone down and looked up. “That was a guy named Will Hays. He’s part of Tony’s group. Tony was shot today.” He waved his hands as everybody exclaimed at once. “He’s okay. He was hit in the thigh; they had to dig the bullet out, but it missed the bone, so it could have been a lot worse. He’s home now, and the biggest problem according to Will is that he’s pissed as hell. They’re trying to make him get some rest, so Will’s handling the calls.” He turned to Patty. “Can you text Nat with an update of what I just said? I told Will I’d let the Yale guys know.”

Patty pulled out her phone and started texting, and Alex tried to remember what he’d been about to say. “Okay, I want to be sure we get some connections in the press, because the narrative we saw on tonight’s news was not at all what really happened. Second, we need to talk to as many people as we can, both those who marched with us and those who didn’t. How many of them would do it again? Obviously, the Greaters meant to intimidate us. I want to know how far they succeeded.”

They finished up with an agreement to meet in Betsy’s conference room in a week and share information. As everybody was leaving, Alex approached Gil. “Tu peux rester cinq minutes?” he asked. “Je veux te parler.”

Gil nodded. Eliza and Angelica were still staying at Deb’s so he gave his girlfriend a quick kiss and stepped back into the apartment. John and Herc were still there, curious.

“You want us to leave?” John asked.

Alex sighed. “I hate to say it, but yeah. It’s for your own good.”

“Fine,” John said, waving him off. “Herc and I are going to Scoopy’s to get ice cream. I’m not bringing any back for you.”

“Fuck you,” Alex told him calmly.

John leaned back into the doorway and batted his eyelashes. “Any time, mi amor.” Alex heard them laughing as they went down the stairs.

Alex looked up at Gil. “Was it you?”

“Was what me?” Gil asked, his face blank.

“Don’t get cute.”

Gil smiled but stayed silent.

Alex tried another tack. “If I check the guns at Betsy’s, will they all be there?”

“I’m very sure they will.”

“Will any of them show evidence of being recently fired?”

“No.”

“No? None of them was recently fired?”

“That’s not what I said.”

Alex ran his hand over his face. “Fuck, Gil, did you take a gun out today?”

Gil stared over Alex’s head at the picture of the angel on the wall. “If I had, I would not tell you,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because then you would know, and you would have to act on the knowledge. You would have to consult with Ben and Tony and all those other people and make rules and policies about gun use. It would be time-consuming and unnecessary.”

“So you think any of us should be able to get one of the guns and use it whenever we want?”

Gil considered for a minute, then nodded. “Yes, I think that is the simplest policy. Either we are trustworthy or we are not.”

Alex chewed on his lip. He could see Gil’s point, but he knew the rest of the Movement wouldn’t agree with him. After a few minutes, he threw up his hands. “Okay. I know nothing – nothing except that I’m sure to regret this.”

“I don’t think so,” Gil said.

Alex smiled. “You’re damned good. Hell of a shot, twice no less.”

Gil allowed himself to look a little cocky. “Yes. I understand that snipers have very good hand-eye coordination, like surgeons.”

“So a good sniper might, under other circumstances, make a good surgeon?”

Gil shrugged. “A time to kill and a time to heal.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “You quoting the Bible? I thought you were an atheist.”

“I am, but they made me study the Bible when I was a child.” His eyes went back to the angel picture. “Sometimes there is good advice in the Bible, even for an atheist.”

#i like you a lot #Provoke Outrage AU #hamilton fanfic #alexander hamilton #John Laurens #eliza schuyler #angelica schuyler #gilbert du motier marquis de lafayette #hercules mulligan

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renegon-paragade · 6 years

Text

Based on this prompt from @exyprompts

This got way longer than I meant it to be, and I probably did way more research than neccessary. Google probably thinks that I own a pregnant cat now.

In this au Neil is in witness protection after all the shit went down with his father

Also, Andrew and Neil are neighbors

They haven't officially met yet

Andrew absolutely does not wake up early to watch the cute boy on his jog. Nope. Not at all. He just happens to be sitting on the balcony at the same time

And since their balconies are next to each other, and they both tend to smoke late at night when they wake up from nightmares, they sometimes smoke silently together

Sir is Andrew's cat and King is Neil's.

And Andrew is perfectly fine dealing silently with his crush annoyance with his neighbor

Except there's a slight issue

You see, Neil has never owned a cat before. He found King while on a run and decided to take her in. While he did a bunch of research on toys to get her and what to feed her, he didn't know about getting her spayed

Andrew hasn't had the chance to neuter Sir. Nicky convinced him to get the damn thing when a coworker's cat had kittens because he thought Andrew was lonely. Andrew agreed just to get him to shut up. He knows he needs to get Sir neutered, but the vet closest to him doesn't care about the animals at all (He's the type who puts down healthy animals because of divorce and tries to sell owners a bunch of medicines they don't actually need) so he's waiting until he has the time to go to the one a few towns over that Renee swears by. It shouldn't really be an problem. He has an appointment booked and everything.

Well, it wouldn't be a problem so long as he didn't knock up another cat

Both Neil and Andrew allow their cats out on their balconies as they please. It's fine, they don't roam much except to visit each other (Andrew assumes King is a male cat and thus doesn't think twice about Sir not being neutered)

Eventually, Neil starts to notice that King keeps throwing up, and her stomach is getting bigger

Neil panics and rushes her to the vet (the one a few towns over, thankfully, because he's heard bad things about the local one from Dan and Matt) where he finds out that King is fine

Except, you know, she's pregnant

Neil, overbearing cat dad that he is, starts making a queening box and buying specialty food, supplies for the kittens, books about how to care for kittens, etc

What I'm getting at here is that he's carrying a lot of things that announce to the world that his cat is both a girl and pregnant

And, of course, because Neil's life is the cosmic equivilant to shattering 20,000 mirrors, his bag rips and drops all of it right as he's walking into the lobby of his appartment

Directly in front of Andrew

And Andrew is not normally the kind of person to help out of the kindness of his heart, but the completely overwhelmed look on cute runner boy's face as all of his purchased goods fall to the floor makes him reconsider that

And if it just so happens that this works as the perfect opportunity to introduce himself and maybe flirt, well, no one needs to know

So Andrew helps Neil pick up the stuff and bring it to his appartment, while Neil rambles on about King and the pregnancy and how out of his depth he is

And Andrew thinks that this is the perfect way to get closer to his crush that Neil is such a mess of a human being that he has to help him out, for the poor animal's sake

(And, in the back of his mind, Andrew knows that Sir is probably the father. Andrew decides to keep this thought to himself for now)

So Andrew starts visiting a bit, taking care of King while Neil is out and helping Neil get everything ready. He makes sure that Neil has his number and keeps his phone charged so that if he isn't home when King goes into labor Neil can call him and maybe so Andrew could text the idiot

So of course at 7 am on a fucking Saturday, Andrew wakes to Neil pounding on his door and rushes over

Of course, cat labor doesn't actually require human input

Andrew knows this

He's not really there for King

He's there to stop Neil from being a hoverparent and stressing King out

He does this by sitting Neil down in the same room as King so they can keep an eye on her while they watch an Exy game, much to Andrew's disgust

It was the only thing that distracted Neil from worrying, so whatever, Andrew will watch stupid stickball

After a couple of hours, King is finally done with labor, having given birth to 3 adorable kittens

Two match King's black and cream tortoiseshell markings

But the last one is ginger and fluffy

Just like Sir

Andrew snorts. "Guess we know who the father is"

Andrew doesn't do guilt or regret. They're pointless

That doesn't mean that he doesn't acknowledge that if he had gotten Sir neutered earlier, Neil wouldn't be forced to take on the emotional and financial burden of kittens

And he knows it doesn't make sense, but maybe he feels something bad when he realizes that if he hadn't been there for the birth, his cat would be a deadbeat dad who abandoned his kids

Just like Andrew's father

So Andrew decides to help out where he can

He buys nursing mother food and drops the bag on Neil's balcony with a paper taped to it saying "child support"

Neil's laugh when he sees it absolutely does not make him blush

Andrew and Neil take turns watching over the cats to make sure they are okay

King, like the spoiled brat she is, adores the attention

Meanwhile Sir is getting antsy

His friend (girlfriend?) just disappeared out of the blue? Why won't she come out to play?

He sits on the balcony watching Neil's apartment, waiting for King to show up

Neil is the one who suggests a visit, to let Sir meet his kittens and to see how he reacts to them

He almost takes it back when he learns that sometimes male cats will attack kittens - he knows too well what it's like to fear your father - but ultimately, he decides to give Sir one chance, so long as he's supervised

So when the kittens are about 12 days old, Andrew brings Sir over to visit (with more "child support")

Both Andrew and Neil are ready to grab him if anything goes wrong

But Sir doesn't attack the kittens at all

At first he just watches King as she washes the nursing kittens, keeping his distance and observing

After a minute or so, he moves closer, coming up and sniffing at King, who watches him but doesn't move to react

Slowly, he begins to wash her head, purring softly

King steadily relaxes, accepting that Sir won't hurt their kittens, which makes Neil and Andrew relax as well

They spend the rest of the day together while the cats do their thing. Andrew makes Neil dinner because he has quickly learned that Neil can't cook more than basic meals

Andrew also forces Neil to watch something on tv other than exy games

"Seriously Josten, what the fuck is with you and stickball"

They end up binge watching "My Cat From Hell" until 3am, when they finally decide to call it a day

This quickly becomes routine for them. Andrew and Sir come over for dinner and to catch Neil up on pop culture

Neil thinks "Mythbusters" is interesting, but finds "Finding Bigfoot" stupid. He loves "Planet Earth," since he gets to learn things that he missed in school. His favorite is still "My Cat From Hell," though Andrew doesn't know why he expected otherwise from a man who channels the same energy as a 85-year-old crazy cat lady

(He eventually stops complaining that they're missing the game)

(Eventually)

Time passes quickly and soon the kittens are three months old and ready to find a new home

Neil wants to keep them, but acknowledges that he doesn't have the room or the money for 4 maybe 5 cats

Dan and Matt say they can take in one, Aaron and Kaitlyn ask for another, but Andrew and Neil are still looking for a home for the third

They don't want to give any of the kittens to someone they don't trust to take care of them, but neither of them are exactly social butterflies and none of their remaining friends or family can take in the last kitten

Andrew mentions it during one of his weekly meetings with Bee. She promises to look around and get back to him if she finds a suitable home

A few days later, she texts him and says that if the kitten is still available, she would love to adopt it.

Thirteen weeks after King gave birth, the kittens all go to loving homes

Dan and Matt adopt the oldest, Princess Lazyfluff, aka Princess, who takes after her mother's royal grace and her father's depleated energy levels

Aaron and Kaitlin get second-born Marquis Sweetums McCatterson, aka Mark ("No Nicky I am not calling her that ridiculous name"), a quirky kitten who only sits still when she wants to be pet

Bee gets the youngest, Dutchess Flooftail of Caterbury, aka Dutchess, who's curious but quiet nature makes her the perfect companion for Bee

(Eventually, Bee gets Dutchess trained as an emotional support animal to help patients who are in need)

Andrew and Neil are sad to see them go, but calmed in knowing that they will still see the kittens often and that their new families will take care of them properly

(And also in knowing that all of them, including King and Sir, are now spayed or neutered, since they are responsible cat dads and don't want any more suprises)

Neil is kind of worried that things will go back to how they used to be, with Andrew not talking to him, not coming over to visit every night. He does not like how that prospect makes him feel

But that night, like clockwork, Andrew shows up with Sir

"King is probably going to miss the kittens and I don't want her yowling to keep me up all night"

Of course, Andrew keeps coming after that night too

The only time Neil asks him why, Andrew claimed that he was doing his civic duty in making sure Neil eats real food and catching him up with the rest of the world

This goes on for another month, during which they also start to cautiously trade truths, revealing the parts of themselves they hid from everyone else.

Neil goes to visit Dan, Matt, and Princess. At some point Matt references Harry Potter and Neil snorts. The others are shocked that Neil actually understood what they were talking about, so Neil explains about his evenings hanging out with Andrew and Sir

Dan and Matt, confused, ask if they are dating. Neil is quick to say they aren't, they're just friends, but the idea is planted in his head

That night, as he and Andrew are eating dinner, Andrew notices how distracted he is and asks what's wrong

"Are we dating?"

Neil didn't really mean to blurt it out, and kind of regrets it when Andrew tenses up

"Do you want us to be?" Andrew asks cautiously

And Neil thinks about the quiet companionship. He thinks of Andrew's presence calming him after nightmares and during King's labor. He thinks about the worry in his gut when he thought Andrew was going to go back to ignoring him. He thinks about how his kitchen is arranged how Andrew likes it, how his couch is covered in Andrew's blankets and pillows, how King and Sir are never seen apart anymore, how seamlessly their broken edges fit together. How Andrew learned his truths without flinching

Neil nods, uncertain of how to proceed

Andrew leans in, eyes moving to pointedly look at Neil's mouth then back to his eyes

"Yes or no?"

"Yes," Neil answers, the first of many, many more

#andreil #aftg #all for the game #andrew minyard #neil josten #aftg fic #aftg fanfic #paragade interrupts #i cant remember my writing tag so #also i literally hit the limit on the amount of bullet points you can use #this is a psa to spray or neuter your cat #if the read more doesnt work im so sorry but im on mobile and cant check #long post

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asiantheatre · 6 years

Text

Under the list are all the confirmed, announced shows in the 2018-2019 season featuring Asian writers, actors, designers, directors, etc in New York, London, and International. Listed are the dates for first previews, the theater it’s performed in, and a summary of the show.

This list isn’t 100% comprehensive and will be updated as time goes on. If we missed a show, please let us know!

Make sure to tune in and give these shows your love!

BROADWAY (source)

Straight White Men

Until September 9, Hayes Theater

“It’s Christmas Eve, and Ed has gathered his three adult sons to celebrate with matching pajamas, trash-talking, and Chinese takeout. But when a question they can’t answer interrupts their holiday cheer, they are forced to confront their own identities. Obie Award-winning playwright Young Jean Lee takes a hilariously ruthless look at the classic American father-son drama. This is one white Christmas like you’ve never seen before.”

Getting the Band Back Together

August 19, 2018; Belasco Theatre

“The musical comedy follows 40-year-old out-of-work banker Mitch who moves back in with his mother and decides to reunite his old high school band, Juggernaut.”

King Kong

October 2018

This show reimagines the famous movie King Kong into a story about fame, greed, and manipulation within the original framework of a young actress and film maker finding their way to Skull Island, the home of a 2000 pound monkey.

Tootsie

March 29, 2019; Marriott Marquis

“Based on the film, Tootsie tells the story of a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until an audacious, desperate stunt lands him the role of a lifetime.”

Hadestown

Walter Kerr; March 22, 2019

Info in the west end section

Be More Chill

Lyceum Theater; February 13, 2019

Info in the offbway section

Chicago

July 1–14; Ambassador Theatre

Japanese star Ryoko Yonekura will make a limited run engagement as Roxie Hart before transferring over to Japan for the national tour.

OFF BROADWAY (source / 2)

Be More Chill

August 9, 2018; Pershing Square Signature Center

Based on Ned Vizzini’s novel, the show tells the story of an average teenager who takes a pill purported to make people more—you guessed it—chill.

Henry VI

August 21, 2018 - NAATCO

“Shakespeare’s Henry VI is the story of a great nation’s decent into barbarism and cruelty. It is a study of how the experience of a problematic foreign war erodes civil discourse at home, and how that erosion allows political self-interests to take hold and send a country hurtling into civil war.”

Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future

September 25, 2018; Ars Nova

“250 years from now, constructed humans are built in black market labs, Mars is a forced labor camp and underground outlaws are brewing rebellion. You might not remember how Beaux Weathers and her band of “illegal intelligences” fought for the right to exist, but Rags Parkland does. Back on Earth for the first time in 10 years, Rags plays the music that carried us to where we are today. But on this planet, the more things change, the more we stay the same.”

India Pale Ale

October 2, 2018; Manhattan Theatre Club

“In a small Wisconsin town, a tight-knit Punjabi community gathers to celebrate the wedding of a traditional family’s only son, just as their strong-willed daughter announces her plans to move away and open a bar. As they come together for feasts filled with singing and dancing, one generation’s cherished customs clash with another’s modern-day aspirations, and ghosts and pirates from the family’s past linger in everyone’s thoughts – until one sudden event changes everything.”

Wild Goose Dreams

October 30, 2018; The Public Theatre

“Minsung is a “goose father,” a South Korean man whose wife and daughter have moved to America for a better life. Deeply lonely, he escapes onto the internet and meets Nanhee, a young defector forced to leave her family behind in North Korea. Amidst the endless noise of the modern world, where likes and shares have taken the place of love and touch, Minsung and Nanhee try their best to be real for each other. But after a lifetime of division and separation, is connection possible?“

The Resistable Rise or Arturo Ui

October 30- December 22, 2018; Classic Stage Company

The political allegory shows a Depression-era Chicago mobster, who, with the help of his henchmen, manipulates and murders his way to totalitarian rule of the cauliflower trade. The play uses a vaudevillian portrayal of American mafia culture to parallel events that brought the Third Reich to power.

A Chorus Line

November 14, 2018; New York City Center

“A Chorus Line, the 2018 New York City Center Annual Gala Presentation, is a joyous celebration of dance and musical theater—two art forms that City Center has been bringing to New York audiences for 75 years. In 1975, the stories of seventeen Broadway dancers were brought to life when A Chorus Line opened Off-Broadway. The musical was born of workshop sessions with actual Broadway dancers (eight of whom appeared in the original cast) who laid bare their personal stories and the challenges they faced in pursuit of their dreams.“

The Prisoner

November 24, 2018; Theatre for a New Audience/Polonsky Shakespeare Center

“The Prisoner examines the complexities of crime, justice, and compassion in a breathtaking new international production. A man sits alone outside a prison. Who is he, and what is he doing there? Is he free, or is he the prisoner?“

Noura

November 27, 2018; Playwrights Horizons

Noura and her husband have a successful life in New York, and, eight years after having fled their home in Iraq, they’ve finally gained citizen status—which Noura, as an Iraqi Christian, is celebrating by planning the perfect Christmas dinner. But when the arrival of a visitor stirs up long-buried memories, Noura and her husband are forced to confront the cost of their choices, and retrace the past they left behind.

Flower Drum Song’s 60th Anniversary Gala

December 2, 2018 - NAAP

The gala will begin at 5:30 PM with cocktails, followed by a 6:30 PM dinner (a traditional eight-course Chinese banquet). Throughout the evening will be entertainment informed by the history of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song.

Nassim

December 10, 2018; New York City Center

In his latest work, Nassim Soleimanpour explores the power of language to unite us in these uncertain times. No rehearsals. A different guest actor at every performance. A sealed envelope. Oh, and some surprises.

Blue Ridge

December 12, 2018; Atlantic Theater Company

“A progressive high-school teacher with a rage problem retaliates against her unscrupulous boss and is sentenced to six months at a church-sponsored halfway house, where she attends to everyone's recovery but her own. Set in Southern Appalachia, Blue Ridge is a pitch-dark comedy about heartbreak, hell-raising and healing.“

Merrily We Roll Along

January 12, 2019; Roundabout Theatre

Roundabout’s company in residence, Fiasco Theater, reimagines its next Stephen Sondheim creation. With Fiasco’s one-of-a-kind imagination, this audacious musical about a trio of showbiz friends who fall apart and come together over 20 years emerges as newly personal and passionate.

Superhero

January 31, 2019; Second Stage Theatre

Before we can save the world, we have to save each other. From the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of Next to Normal and the Tony Award-winning writer of Red comes a deeply human new musical about a fractured family, the mysterious stranger in apartment 4-B, and the unexpected hero who just might save the day.

Anne of Green Gables: Part 1

The Royal Family Performing Arts Space; January 24-February 11

An adaptation of the book with the same title.

God Said This

Cherry Lane Theater; January 29-February 15

God Said This paints a portrait of five Kentuckians facing mortality in very different ways. With her mom undergoing chemotherapy, Hiro returns home, struggling to let go of the demons she inherited. Sophie, her born-again Christian sister, confronts her faith while tackling inevitable adversity. James, their recovering alcoholic father, wants to repair his fractured relationship with his daughters. And, John, an old classmate and thirty-something single dad, worries about leaving a lasting legacy for his only son.

Alice By Heart

MCC Theater; January 30-March 30

The show, by Waitress scribe Jessie Nelson and Spring Awakening duo Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, adapts Lewis Carroll’s famed fantasy into a London-set tale against the backdrop of World War II, as Alice and her friend Alfred journey down a rabbit hole to find love, loss, and the courage to move forward despite harsh circumstances.

REGIONAL / US TOURS (source)

Man of God

January 31 - February 24, 2019; East West Players

A hidden discovery in a hotel bathroom changes the lives of four Korean Christian girls on a mission trip to Thailand. Samantha is hurt that someone she trusted could betray her. Jen is worried about how this might affect her college applications. Kyung-Hwa thinks everyone should adjust their expectations. Mimi’s out for blood. Amid the neon lights and go go bars in Bangkok, the girls plot revenge in this funny, feminist thriller.

Mamma Mia

May 9 - June 9, 2019; East West Players

On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island they last visited 20 years ago. The storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless hits sets the scene for this infectious tale of love and frolicking fun, creating an unforgettable musical experience that will leave you dancing in the aisles!

Tours - Dates are subject to region

Aladdin

Hamilton

Miss Saigon

Hello Dolly

Falsettos

Lea Salonga’s Human Heart Tour

Rent

TV special live on Fox tells the story of the AIDS epidemic in New York City

WEST END/LONDON (source)

The King and I

Until September 29, 2018

Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.

Love’s Labor’s Lost

August 23, 2018; Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

“Self-denial is in fashion at the court of Navarre where the young king and three of his courtiers solemnly forswear all pleasures in favour of serious study. But when the Princess of France and her entourage arrive, it isn’t long before the all-male ‘academe’ have broken every one of their self-imposed rules. Shakespeare’s boisterous send-up of all those who try to turn their back on life is a dazzling parade of every weapon in the youthful playwright’s arsenal, from excruciating cross-purposes and impersonations to drunkenness and bust-ups. It’s a banquet of language, groaning with puns, rhymes and grotesque coinages“

Dance Nation

August 27, 2018; Almeida Theatre

“Somewhere in America, a revolution is coming. An army of competitive dancers is ready to take over the world, one routine at a time. With a pre-teen battle for power and perfection raging on and off stage, Dance Nation is a ferocious exploration of youth, ambition and self-discovery.“

The Humans

August 30, 2018; Hampstead Theatre

“Hampstead Theatre is proud to present the Broadway production of The Humans by Stephen Karam, the winner of four 2016 Tony Awards including Best Play. Three generations of the Blake family have assembled for Thanksgiving in Brigid and Richard’s ramshackle pre-war apartment in Lower Manhattan. Whilst the event may have a slightly improvised air, the family is determined to make the best of its time together. As they attempt to focus on the traditional festivities, fears of the past and pressures of the future seep into the reunion and the precariousness of their position becomes increasingly evident.”

The Village

September 7, 2018; Theatre Royal Stratford East

“The Village transports the Lope de Vega’s Spanish play, Fuenteovejuna to contemporary India. It’s a powerful story of community and solidarity, and the lengths a person will go to protect themselves from tyranny. In Jyoti’s village, life is simple. People work and sing while living off the land. And finding a partner is far from her mind. She’d much prefer a delicious meal. Things are happy until the Inspector and his men come back to town. But when the tyrannical Inspector has his eye on Jyoti and he commits unspeakable acts against the village, everyone is pushed to breaking point. Will Jyoti dare turn him down despite what it may mean for her village?”

White Teeth

October 26, 2018; Kiln Theatre

“Rosie Jones, the Iqbal twins, their parents, their grandparents, Mad Mary and an avalanche of other characters who make up the everyday chaos of Kilburn High Road come together in an extraordinary revelry of NW6. An epic comedy with music and dance, this theatrical rollercoaster takes us on a fast-paced journey through history, different cultures and chance encounters. Zadie Smith’s breakthrough novel is adapted for stage by acclaimed playwright Stephen Sharkey and directed by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham in a major world premiere.”

Hadestown

November 2, 2018; National Theater

“In the warmth of summertime, songwriter Orpheus and his muse Eurydice are living it up and falling in love. But as winter approaches, reality sets in: these young dreamers can’t survive on songs alone. Tempted by the promise of plenty, Eurydice is lured to the depths of industrial Hadestown. On a quest to save her, Orpheus journeys to the underworld where their trust is put to a final test.”

INTERNATIONAL

Philippines

Side Show - August 31, 2018

M. Butterfly - September 13, 2018

A Doll’s House Part 2 - September 15, 2018

Waitress - November 2018

Angels in America Spring 2019

Beautiful: the Carole King Musical Spring 2019

Korea

Matilda - September 8, 2018

The Greatest Showman - August 7, 2018

Bridges of Madison County - August 11, 2018

Jungle Book - closing August 26, 2018

Singapore

Peter and the Star Catcher - September 28, 2018

Other Local Shows

Japan

Fiddler on the Roof - December 16, 2018

Something Rotten - December 31, 2018

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG - May 16, 2018

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 - January 5, 2019

Chicago - Osaka (August 1-4 at the Orix Theater) and in Tokyo (August 7-18 at the Tokyu Theatre Orb).

Full list of shows in Japan (translated)

Other Local Shows

China

Rent - August 30, 2018

Les Mis - September 27, 2018

Hamlet - November 28, 2018

Chicago - December 20, 2018

Other Local Shows

Canada

Come From Away (until June 30, 2019)

Next to Normal Toronto (April 26-May 19)

Dear Evan Hansen

New Zealand

If/Then - November 29-December 8, 2018

#theatreedit #broadwayedit #news #edits

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manicwordsfleeing · 6 years

Text

Another Random Scene!

Warning! Sexual references

Read my bad writing at your own risk.

“Hehe, it’s just a one time thing! It won’t happen again, promise.” Tunani said, greededly starring at the fridge and cabinets behind Fang, she was lying through her teeth and she knew it.

Fang narrowed his eyes, watching Tunani closely. She was lying. Fang really didn’t need to look very hard, the signs were everywhere. Her eyes didn’t meet his, her hands fidgeted, and her breathing had slightly increased.

“Ok... whatever you say.” Fang replied slowly.

Tunani tried not meeting his eyes, but when their eyes met she knew he knew.

“I swear it won’t happen again!” She pleaded, “It wasn’t even that good!” But her mouth was already watering just thinking of the sugary, icy treats she now loved.

Fang sighed, he already knew that Tunani was going to do it again. The question was when? When was she going to steal and eat more of those children’s drinks? The babysitter was already at his wits end, the continual disappearances of snack foods and drinks really soured his milk. It was a nuisance that Fang had been “voluntold” to look for the culprit. It was obviously Tunani, she was the only person immature enough to do so. She was to blame for the nagging babysitter beside him, who managed to pop up at all the wrong places and yet somehow say all the right things to piss Fang off.

“Of course it was Tunani! She’s the only one immature enough to do this!” The babysitter snapped, for once I agreed with him.

“Punish her or something, that’s what you’re here for right? You should make her kneel on peas! Oh that will be perfect! Oh, wait! Make her kneel on uncooked rice, so she can remember all the snacks she stole from the pantry! It’s all because of her that the toddlers are cranky. They didn’t get any gummy animals, cause she stole and ate them all! And you should also-“

Fang stopped listening after that, he was pretty sure that the gummy animals weren’t the cause, but he sure wasn’t about to say that. Still keeping an eye on Tunani, he notice that she was smirking. Probably getting ready to crush the babysitters dreams with minimal words.

“Oh no you don’t.” Interrupting the babysitters still on going speech, Fang moved to stand in front of the babysitter, crossing his arms and giving Tunani a cold stare. “Don’t you dare Tunani! You’ve given me enough headaches to last a lifetime! And, as a matter of fact, you don’t need any candy right now. You’ve had enough sugar to last the whole month.”

“When...” she stopped abruptly. “No candy?”

Her bottom lip begins to tremble, her eyes glistening with tears. Fang shook his head.

“Nope, those tears won’t work on me. I’m called cold hearted for a reason.”

“B-b-but, you just got more dicks.”

“And they were delicious, weird, but delicious.”

Tunani took small steps until she was directly in front of Fang, staring up at him with her adorable puppy eyes. Her small hand stretched out to grasp his pinky. She let out a small hiccup. “Don’t you have at least one more?” A single tear slipped from Tunani’s eye, “Please?”

Fang sighed, “Fine, this was my last dick too.” Reaching into thin air, Fang’s hand disappeared, only to reappear with a large bag. He handed it to Tunani with a faint forlorn look in his eyes, but his face remained cold and unreadable.

Tunani instantly stopped fake crying, her eyes widened with excitement. She ripped the bag open and grabbed the dick, licking the tip a few times before shoving the majority of the shaft in her mouth. Using her tongue to suck the delicious coating. Fang shook his head.

“That was my favorite flavor too, with cream filling.” He mournfully said.

When she heard Fang say that it was filled with cream, she began to suck harder.

“Don’t go too deep.” Fang warned.

Tunani ignored him.

She let out a small gagging sound, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the succulent shaft that is halfway down her throat. She really wanted that sweet cream.

“Hey... HEY! Tunani! Don’t suck that hard, you’ll make it bur-“ But the warning came too late.

She was in the middle of sucking, the dick deep in her throat, and still ignoring the warnings Fang gave, when she felt it burst in her throat. A creamy orange flavored liquid ran down her throat. She let out a loud moan as her eyes rolled towards the back of her head. She pulled the halfway finished dick out with a pop, a string of saliva and cream connected her lips to the once full dick. Her mouth was wide open, the insides covered with a thick layer of orange and white cream.

“Fang, your dick tastes so good.” Tunani breathed.

“I probably would have said the same thing except I can’t eat my dick now, can i? Cause someone ate all the dicks I gave her in one week.” Sarcasm dripped from Fangs voice like honey.

“It’s not my fault,” She commented, shrugging, “These things are fucking addictive. It’s almost like the real thing, but it tastes better.”

“That’s true.” Fang admitted, it took a few seconds for her words to fully register. “Wait... Tunani...”

“Yes?” She mumbled, in a trancelike voice. Still high from dick sucking.

“How do you know what dick tastes like?” Fang’s eyes widened, disbelief blossoming across his face.

Silence was the answer he got.

“Tunani? You still haven’t answered me...” Fang grew suspicious.

Tunani straightened, like a rubber band that was being stretched. “I... ah... I need to... um... need to go do...”

She scanned the room, frantically searching for a reason to leave. “I have to go to the funeral home, you see my mom’s grandma’s aunts best friends goldfish died and they asked me to arrange the funeral. So I’ll be back in a little while!”

Tunani shot towards the door, trying to escape before Fang could question her anymore. Only to find Fang blocking her means of escape.

“I think you better sit down, Tunani.” Fang growled.

She backed up a few steps. “Fang, I think I hear the director calling me, I better g-“

As she turned to run to her room, where she planned to lock the door, get under her covers, and stay there for a week, she ran into a very tall, muscular figure. “CONNER!” Tunani exclaimed in utter delight, “Help me, Fang is trying to interrogate me!”

She jumped into his arms, which caught her with ease, and began to cry into his shoulder. Or as close to it as she could get, it was more like his right bicep.

Fang knew Tunani’s method of getting Conner to back her. Before Conner could say anything, Fang quickly yelled. “TUNANI’S HAVING SEX!”

Fang, realizing that he’d yelled too loud, quickly glanced around, but the babysitter wasn’t in hearing range. As he had taken offense to being ignored and went back to the day care while Tunani was begging for a dick.

Conner’s once confused face quickly morphed into shock. I knew right then and there, that I had turned Conner to my side.

Tunani felt herself fall, a scream ripped from her throat as she hit the tile floor.”NO! Conner, he’s lying!” She scrambled to her knees and grabbed Conner’s leg, pleading with him. “I would never- I have never- I’M INNOCENT!” She screamed, begging Conner to believe her.

He never takes Fang’s side, Tunani is his favorite. Conner always chosen her.

“Tunani.” Conner breathed, “How could you. You’re not even 18 yet.”

Fang chimed in, “I totally agree with Conner, you’re not even 18 years old yet Tunani!”

“You could get an STD, Tunani! It’s not safe to have sex before 18 years old!” Conner added.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” She said, stuck on her knees between the two attractive men, “And we used protection!”

Tunani looked from Conner to Fang then back to Conner. She realized that she was in a very interesting position and she was not quite sure how she felt about it.

“What kind of protection?” Fang asked.

“Did you take birth control pills?” Conner injected.

“Who exactly did you have sex with?”

“It wasn’t that red head jerk from year 3, was it?”

Fang and Conner towered over Tunani, shooting question after question.

Tunani’s Head was spinning with how many questions she had to answer. She decided to answer the most important question first. “God, no! It wasn’t that red head!” She shouted, offended that they thought she would fall for just any pretty face.

“And I don’t think y’all know him. Yes, I’m on birth control and we used condoms too. Now I have to go-“

She was trying to stand up and escape her awkward position, when both men placed a hand on her shoulders and shoved her back down. Tunani, after looking into both Fangs and Conners eyes, decided that she did not like this situation. Fang and Conner had morphed into two angry dads, who had no idea who had deflowered their precious baby.

Tunani had never seen Conner angry and she certainly had never seen Fang angry. Hell, she had almost never seen him show any emotions. That fact terrified the living daylights out of her. She knelt there, helpless, as she tried to conjure a way out of the situation without being beaten to a pulp by the two daddy figures beside her.

“WHO IS THE BOY!?” The dads yelled, in unison. Their fury reaching its boiling point.

Tunani didn’t know what to do. Her and the guy said it would be a one time thing. It didn’t mean much of anything to her or to him. “He... ah I... we di...” She, for once, was at a loss for words.

Conner and Fang presses closer together, trapping Tunani between their legs. There was no chance of her escaping until she had answered all their questions.

“You what?” The angry dads asked, “What exactly happened for you two to have se-“

“YOU TWO BETTER STOP IT RIGHT NOW!” A sharp voice commanded. Both men quickly jumped back, their anger evaporating like water in the desert.

“But Miss-“ They began.

“Don’t you Miss. Marquie me, you overbearing oafs!” Beatrice Marquie snapped, “ Can’t you see that you’re making her nervous? Would you be reacting like that if she was a boy and he had accidentally let slip that he’d had sex?”

Conner and Fang both wilted, shamed. Now that their anger had been stilled, they saw the error of their ways. “No ma’am.” They mumbled, they turned and looked at Tunani.

“We’re sorry for acting the way we did.” Conner started.

“Yea.” Fang put in, “We’re really sorry Tunani. We acted out of order and we shouldn’t have, we are thoroughly ashamed of ourselves.”

Beatrice, satisfied at their apologies, also turned to Tunani. “Now, Tunani, it is up to you.”

Tunani was shookith. Now only had Miss. Marquie saved her, but Fang and Conner were also apologizing to her. They, especially Fang, never did that. She slowly stood up, her attention solely on the two men. “Um.” She didn’t know what to say. “Apology accepted?” Tunani didn’t know how to receive apologies, normally she gave them out. Turning to Miss. Marquie, she thanked her and proceeded to go back to her room. Only to stop mid step, Miss. Marquie’s last words swam in her head.

“What do you mean ‘It’s all up to me now?”

“You’ll know when you need to know, dear.” And with that, Miss Marquie disappeared, literally.

If she was being completely honest, and she was, Tunani was kinda scared to find out what Miss. Marquie meant.

“Maybe she meant that it was up to you to tell us about the boy?” Fang said, hopeful.

She sure as hell didn’t want it to mean that.

“I-I think s-she meant I would find o-out later.” Tunani stuttered, “Like next month later. So I’ll just-“ She turned around, trying to finally escape this horrid situation, when she was stopped, yet again, by Conner.

“Wait, Tunani!” Conner said, blocking her path once more. “You can’t just leave us hanging! Give us a hint or something!”

If he wasn’t so proud, he probably would have been on his knees.

“Shut up.” Fang hissed, narrowing his eyes at Conner. “She just said she didn’t want to tell us, so do yourself a favor and stay here.”

Pointing his finger at Tunani, Fang motioned for her to follow him. “Come.”

Normally, Tunani would run away instead, but Fang’s tone of voice said that she shouldn’t. Fang led her through the door, down a couple hallways, up a flight of stairs, turned a few more times, and then stopped. Taking a deep breath, Fang slowly turned to face Tunani.

“Tunani... first morning want to implore that I am deeply sorry for what I did. ”Fang visibly struggled to continue speaking. “I... Tunani, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I was also your age once, I did a lot of stupid things. One of those, was giving my heart away to those I thought loved me. I was so young and naïve, I believed that I was loved when it was just an illusion I had conjured.” He chuckled. “I was asinine. All the signs were there, but I ignored them. The illusion of love was so alluring to me that I threw all caution out the window. While I don’t approve of the speed of which you and Jungguk’s, yes I already knew all about him, relationship is moving. I won’t do anything to stop you. That’s entirely up to you. However, I am warning you. I don’t want your heart to be broken so early, the heartbreaks in the early years are the ones that stick with you for a lifetime. I’m begging you Tunani, take a step back and look at everything from a distance. As master used to say, “Focusing on a single leaf, blocks the beauty of the whole tree.” Be wise, don’t give yourself out to just anyone that warms your heart. Make sure they’re worth it. Please.... for me?

Fang found himself unable to meet Tunani’s gaze. Rarely did he ever show such emotion, nor talk as much. He was amazed that he’d actually been able to say all that without choking up.

He knows! That very thought consumed her mind. He knew she was seeing Jungguk in secret the entire time. How did he find out?That question felt like cement bricks resting on her chest. When Fang finished, Tunani couldn’t speak. It took everything in her to even breathe. Not only did he know, but he wasn’t angry or upset that she didn’t tell him. He was concerned and worried about her.

This was a whole new Fang, one she had never seen. She loved this Fang. She’d never realized how much Fang really cared for her until now. From this moment on she will forever love him, Fang was like a father to her, in his own slightly messes up way. But she still loves him for how much he truly cares.

Tunani spread her arms ready to hug Fang. And this time when she moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, he didn’t stop her. He even went so far as too stroke her hair. But what came next surprised them both.

Tunani, without letting go in the slightest, whispered, “Fang, I love you.”

His heart stopped at those beautiful words.

“Fang, I love you”

Those words echoed in his ears. He couldn’t believe it, this sweet toothed maniac said that she loved him...

Fang knew he was hard to love, impossible even. He’d been told those same words over the years, but they were always empty promises. However, when Tunani said them, his heart warmed and peace flooded his soul. Yes, this smol sugar monster truly loved him. Fang knew without a doubt, he loved her too. He ceased stroking and instead wrapped his arms around her shoulders, not tight, but not loose either. He breathed in deep, buried his face in Tunani’s hair, and whispered back,

“I love you too, Nani”

It was about time he gave her a nickname.

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aaluminiumas · 7 years

Text

There’s Our Future Behind It

“Just don’t tell me I’ve been explaining it to myself.”

“As you wish, Tall-boy. I won’t.”

Brewster gifted his friend, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, with a broad silly smile. His calloused fingers were now fiddling with a knickknack he had grabbed from a shelf – his thoughts indeed wandered around something else – some matter at hand Ben had mentioned in passing – but at the same time he was still able to contrive and add the details he missed. Strategy was his forte; Caleb seemed to succeed in what Tallmadge spent hours on. Brewster didn’t need either an outlined plan, or a site plan as he used to explore the surroundings all by himself. He used to lay an ambush on the enemy using a sidelong hill near the river simultaneously demonstrating the prowess of an experienced soldier. Furthermore, he was good with his hatchet – but this honed skill Major Tallmadge sometimes tended to disregard.

“Stop staring at me as if I stole your money after a night with a wench,” Caleb drawled swiveling his eyes to the bagatelle in the scratched fingers. “I might accidentally think you’re in love with me, Benny-boy. I’d be very much flattered but you’d better taste a woman before you try a guy!.. Let me not be the lucky man though.”

“What a wise thing to say,” it was obvious Tallmadge got embarrassed by such a remark about his monastic private life, but the young man decided to ignore the comment hoping that Caleb would calm down. “But Caleb,” Major’s eyes slid across the avuncular bearded face, “did you get what I was talking about? The great significance of the operation, its upcoming impact on the…”

“Yup, yup, Major,” Brewster interrupted the stream of rebuke that was about to fall upon his head. “I got it. I just can’t understand why the heck we aren’t shooting them down at the river.”

“Because they have supplies, that’s why. If we use our cannons while the redcoats are on board, everything will drown. We will lose the chance to snatch the rations.”

Not eager to discuss the wide range of problems the army had to face during the war, Tallmadge briefly mentioned the lack of supplies – and dwelled on some other things Washington dealt with. Although a cut and thrust in Congress wasn’t going to abate, Ben could easily imagine it had nothing to do with the circumstance in the country at the moment. Delegates jettisoned letters from the camp and used their agile minds only to contrive a new tax to levy on the emaciated nation. Working on Virginia’s court system, the sagacious congressmen operated in cahoots although normally they were at loggerhead with each other. They were incredibly unanimous when they needed a better way to ignore Washington’s orders and demands. Considering the fact they barely reached a compromise even talking about the comeuppance that was to befall the British for oppression and decimation, this was a worth mentioning achievement. The Congress was the first to yell about the knell heard in the distance – but the last to work out the kinks whether it was about a financial project, or the army.

“True. Wet gunpowder is as helpful as a broken gun,” Brewster uttered, putting the bric-a-brac in its place. “You can hardly kill a foe with a ball of gunpowder… while he sure can hole your head with a bayonet.”

Tallmadge nodded absent-mindedly – and glared at the unfolded map. The Congress didn’t even believe they were able to vanquish. Politicians never declared it openly, yet they undoubtedly would lick King George’s boots in case of defeat. Washington, the man, whose valor inspired people, was seen as an extravagant warrior putting effort into the wrong hobby: his endevors to fight destitution and hunger seemed silly and futile to the congressmen. Look, he was trying to challenge the mightiest empire wielding power all over the world! Strong, inflexible, General Washington revealing his deflating sangfroid, led the way to independence – and wasted time on the homesick Congress refusing to search for allies. His talents were evident – but he was all alone, and even the greatest needed confederates. That was what they could not quite fathom.

“This is not my plan, actually,” Tallmadge said after a long pause. “General Rochambeau and Marquis de Lafayette offered it.”

“General who and Marquis who? Those tall messeurs never leaving Washington’s tent?”

“Correct. Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton wrote to them.”

“So the French are taking over?”

“To some extent. They suggest cutting the British off at sea.”

Caleb nodded in agreement, already lost in thought. How did it turn out this way? He was standing here with his best friend, casually maintaining a confabulation about people they were going to kill by cannons, guns, bayonets and blasts. He barely speculated on the subjects like that, but this time the whaler suddenly caught himself thinking there was no way out. They were not to go back in time, and the childhood dreams they were so determined to pursue… went belly up. Brewster didn’t miss the younger years dearly, moreover, he was quite contented with his life, but… how did it change so quickly?

Silence fell upon the tent. Tallmadge marked something on the map, wrote something down in his journal.

“You know, Benny-boy, I never thought to see you such a burly man-at-arms. I mean, we’re at war. You, a Yalie, and Abe, and even our Annie. I mean… she used to treat your grazed knees all the time! Remember, how loudly you howled when you fell off a tree? I thought it was fatal. But then you squalled so loudly that we sighed with relief: the dead don’t shout at the top of their lungs.

“I didn’t shout at all,” Ben got confused, “My Dad would give me a good scolding, I was wearing my new pants. Every child is afraid of the parents every once in a while.”

“Well, Abe never was and never is,” Caleb japed amiably, “So as Annie. She came home scratched all over.”

“While you were somewhere else!.. And then popped out of nowhere having some ‘intelligence of topmost significance’! Where did you take it, finagled out of a merchant’s son?”

“Really, ‘intelligence of topmost importance’, you say?” Caleb let out a laugh, “Somebody had to brighten your smug prolixity! You’re grinding at English days on end, Woodhull’s having law in the head, cabbage on the head, dreams about his own farm in the eyes, and Annie can do nothing about you both. While one is expecting to have his elbow bandaged, the other…”

Suddenly, Brewster fell silent. Tallmadge was about to mention his elbows had always been in great condition, but didn’t say anything himself realizing that his friend touched upon something bigger than just a childhood game. Abe got married, Anna did the same; but their mutual attraction did not subside a tad – and was clear to others. Devoted to their spouses, both Anna and Abe eluded greetings, even the slightest interaction that could awaken a maelstrom of emotion they strove to mortify. People did see the storm of those feelings; neither Mary nor Selah was blind dolls, and even though they possessed enough power to ignore and defy the obvious, they could barely miss out the glances, voices and smallest changes in the faces of those they loved. Jealous, Selah tried to prohibit his wife to meet his rival – and Mary suffered quietly; Selah nearly exploded in his room, accusing Abe of all the sins committed in the world – and Mary patiently waited, although knowing her husband was wandering around the tavern. Selah was direct – and Mary fought on her own, never letting the people of Setauket pry into her private life. Whatever they saw was not grounded, but how can you judge people for their desire to watch and to gossip?.. She took it as a duty of a home goddess she was not to shirk: the notion of the family she had in mind demanded to be indemnified from public conviction of any kind. Let them run their mouths, let them drive a wedge between the couple – she will never give him an opportunity to diminish the peace she has been creating for ages. She didn’t interfere – but didn’t plan to turn tail either.

It didn’t work that way with Selah. He was put against Abe by those who craved for a show. Shouting that they ought to topple tyrants as quickly as possible, the same people morphed into the declared tyrants, who doused the lights and pretended to be blind – just to embellish the reality that never took place. The boisterous ire transforming into a perverted desire to faze and tantalize was another manifestation of war in which the world of Setauket had been beguiled into. And Selah still strove to resist – to resist waspish remarks that aimed to sully his family reputation. His fury was always genuine and unadulterated – and never addressed to Anna.

Come to think of it, they used to call her Annie!.. That feisty girl who easily parried both jocular and acerbic comments! She was constantly the winner if Caleb made an attempt to play a trick on her and Abe; moreover, she managed to persuade Tallmadge not to do the same using the right tone of the voice – she mildly threatened him with a punch on the long nose and an embarrassing situation she would not help him with.

The war derailed their plans.

The war exposed the most sensitive places people tended to hide.

The war impelled them to sacrifice themselves – their hopes and dreams.

“It can’t be a mistake, can it?” Ben whispered, swiveling his sapphire eyes to his friend. “Everything. Those casualties, our past, dreams… How can we go on knowing there is… nothing behind it?”

“There’s our future behind it,” Brewster smiled again and canted his head to the side. Now he was perusing the plan the French had offered. “And write this down, Benny-boy. You have a frightening tendency to fall into philosophy. Man up, Yalie, and let’s show the French how we can fight!”

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fan-fic-fix · 7 years

Text

I love you, each of you with all my heart, always. (Poly!Hamilsquad x Reader)

Pairing: Hamilsquad x reader

Word Count: 2975

Warnings: Poly relationship, a few cuss words (like 2), some google translation (sorry, I took Spanish in hs, not French),

Summary: You and the boys take a trip, but leaves you broken hearted.

Author’s Notes: I wrote with more for the plot than the cuddly relationship stuff, next time I will try to add more of that stuff.

You and your boys were sitting around the dinner table discussing dates. Days all of you had off or could take off so you could go and visit your family in Mississippi. You were nervous as hell because YOUR FAMILY IS FROM MISSISSIPPI. That means they are super conservative and you being in a relationship with 4 guys was going to be a total shock. You never really told your parents that you were in a relationship, they just thought that you dated them separately and at different times.

“Okay, what about Junes 9-16?” Alexander asked.

“I can do that,” Laf said.

“Me too,” you said.

“Me three,” Herc agreed.

“Yep, perfect!” John said.

“That gives us a month to prepare. I am going to call them and tell them that me and a couple of friends are going to come stay for a week.” you said a bit nervous.

“Friends?” they all questioned.

“Okay, look, I haven’t really told them I am dating all of you. I’m from Mississippi it’s not exactly welcomed. I have decided it was time to tell them,” you say as you look down at your fidgeting hands.

They all surrounded you in an embrace and kissed your head.

“I am sorry, mon cheri,” Laf said sympathetically.

“I’m sure it will all work out, I mean you are their daughter after all,” John reassured.

“I guess you’re right,” you gave him a half smile.

“Come on, let’s get to bed and we can start planning tomorrow,” Herc said yawning and putting you over his shoulder.

You loved how they each carried you in their own way. Herc put you over his shoulder, Laf let you wrap your arms and legs around you while he carried you on his front, Alex carried you like a bride and John piggybacked you. This was also one way you knew who was carrying you to bed if you fell asleep on the couch.

You were all in the bed, and started to give goodnight kisses when Alexander wouldn’t let you pull away. There others got jealous and started joining him by kissing other parts of your body. You loved the nights when they each had their way with you and each other. Everyone always fell asleep satisfied on those nights, your favorite part was everyone’s skin as you laid twisted with each other. You slept naked anyway, but loved when all your boys did too.

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Before you knew it the say y’all were going to your hometown was here. You felt Herc slam the trunk of the car to get it to close and stared towards the airport. You gazed out the window deep in thought about this coming week. You are snapped back to reality with one of the boys moving your hair to the side and kissing your neck.

“Ready?” John asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you huffed.

After a four and a half hour flight from NYC to Gulfport you pull up to your house in the rental car. You could feel your heart pounding and check your heart rate on your watch. 131. You haven’t seen that since your high school graduation. You turned the car off and opened the door.

“Let’s do this,” you said with a shaky voice.

“Hey,” Alex said as he pulled you to him, “Everything is going to be just fine,” he kissed you and let you go. All of the others planted a kiss on your lips also and they y’all proceeded to the door.

Your house was right across from the beach and it had a wrap around porch on the first floor and each room on the second floor had a balcony. You were so happy to see your home again.

“We are here!” you shouted as you opened the door.

“Oh (Y/Nick Name)!” you mother came rushing in, hand in the air.

“Sis!” your sister said as she followed your mother.

“Hey! I’ve missed y’all so much!” you beamed, “Where is Mr. Steve?”

“He is still at the office dear, we are going to dinner when he gets home,” your mother explained, “That gives all y’all a little bit of time to unpack.”

“Oh right, these are my, uh, friends,” you said sheepishly, “Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, and Marquis de Lafayette.”

“I wasn’t aware that all of your friends were going to be males,” your mother said with a strange look on her face, “I will have to rearrange the sleeping.”

“Why?” you asked.

“Well, I thought it was going to be all girls so I put air mattresses in your room so y’all could all sleep in the same room.” your mother said.

“We still can all share a room, I mean we do back home anyway.” As soon as you said this you knew you were screwed. You could feel all of the guys looking at you with wide eyes and heard them all shift with nervousness.

“You. What.” your mother sounded mortified.

“I mean we share a house, not a room, silly me.” you tried so hard to save yourself, but you knew you were past the point of return.

“Okay, mother, I need to tell you something,” you started.

“Non, Madame, we need to tell you something,” Laf interrupted.

“We, as in all of us,” Herc admitted.

John just stood there with red cheeks and shook his head.

“Mother, um, you know how I have mentioned dating them? Well we are all kind of dating each other.” you stuttered out.

“My. God. (Y/F/N). I cannot believe this. I will not allow this. This is absurd. So you know what your stepfather will say when he finds out?” your mother was furious.

“Mother it’s not that big of a deal. Why are you freaking out?” you protested.

“Look, in New York this may be ‘acceptable’ but here it is not.” your mother said trying not to yell, or cry.

“Why not? You and everyone else here need to grow up and stop judging everybody on how they choose to live their lives.” you said slightly raising your tone.

You turn around and walk towards the stairs. You grab Alexander’s and John’s wrists and pulled them with you. Laf and Herc followed. You reach your bedroom door and open it dramatically throw yourself on the bed. It still had your simple gray bedspread on it. Laf was the first one to come to you.

“Amoureux, do not stress. We shall figure something out.” he said trying to comfort you as you sat in his lap with your face in his chest.

“Yes, my love, we will. She is just shocked is all,” Alexander agreed.

“Look, just give her time to cool off,” John suggested.

“Maybe I can talk to her. I am kind of intimidating,” Herc said trying to get you to smile.

It worked. You looked at him with a half smile and even a small giggle. By then all of the boys were on the bed with you and snuggled together. You didn’t realize that your sister was standing there until she cleared her throat.

“Oh, hey Amelia. I didn’t know you were standing there.” you commented.

“It’s okay. I just came to check on you, well all of y’all,” she corrected.

“Thanks, we appreciate it. We didn’t mean to cause a scene.”

“I also came to say that I support your relationship. You are incredibly lucky to have found 4 people who love you. I know I just met them but just seeing them comfort you I can see they love you so much.” she said.

“She is right,” Herc said and the rest nodded their heads in agreement.

“Also, Mr. Steve will be home soon. Just thought I would warn you so y’all weren’t like this when he got here and mom told him the news.” she said.

“Thanks again, sis.”

“No problem.”

You watched your sister leave and then looked up at Laf then the rest of your lovers. He stood up with you in his arms and placed your feet on the ground. You walked back downstairs and sat at the counter with the guys following you. Soon after that your stepdad walked in.

“Hello (Y/N)!” he said excitedly, “Are these your friends?”

“Um, yes,” you replied.

“No, they are her boyfriends,” your mother claimed.

“All of them?” he questioned.

“Yes we are all dating each other.” you admitted again.

“Um, wow, okay. I will call Callie to clean the spare rooms then.” he suggested.

“Why can’t we stay in the same room? We do at home, we all share a bed.”

“I said that was not an option, did you forget that?” you mother butted in.

“Please, we are grown adults we know how to behave, if that’s what you are scared of,” you sassed.

“Our house, our rules,” she proclaimed.

“Sweetie, please don’t do this in front of our guests,” Steve said taking your mother’s hand.

“Fine, but what I said stands. Call Callie, we are eating in tonight.”

Your mother and stepdad walked off to their room leaving you in the kitchen with the boys and your sister. Y’all could hear your mother, but not your step dad. He cared a lot about what people thought of him and often kept his opinions to himself so he didn’t offend anyone and have his name be bashed in the press. Your mother always overreacted so you should have seen this coming. They came out of their room, your mother still looked upset but forced a smile on her face.

“Did either of you call Callie?” she asked.

“No,” you and your sister both answered.

“Okay, I guess we can still go out.” she sighed, “Everyone go freshen up. (Y/N), use your sister’s bathroom.”

You huffed and rolled your eyes when you turned around and headed for the stairs. As soon as you heard your parent’s door close you went to your bathroom with the rest of the boys.

“Your step dad, he reminds me of Burr,” Alexander said as soon as you entered.

“Yeah…” you said.

“I think we will be able to sleep in the same room, just not the same bed,” he started to explain, “He doesn’t want us to hate him, but wants us to get an idea of where he stands without saying it.”

“I am going to start getting the bags out of the car,” Herc said.

“Okay, I want to change out of these clothes anyway,” you answered.

“We will all go. (Y/N), stay here and relax a minute while be bring everything in,” John said kissing your forehead then walking out the door. The rest followed. Herc kissed your cheek, Laf placed one on your lips, and Alex gave you a nice smack on the ass. God you loved them.

They all came back in lugging the luggage.

“Thank you my loves!” you said giving them each a kiss on their sweet lips as they dropped the bags.

Went all 5 of you were changed and ready y’all walked to the kitchen where everyone else waited. Steve offered to drive everyone, but you said that y’all would follow. You and your 4 boyfriends piled up in the Beamer.

“How are you doing, mon cheri?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Everything will be just fine. I promise,” Hercules said in his soothing voice as he rubbed your leg.

You looked at him for a quick second and gave him a loving smile. Minutes later you pulled into a parking spot and walked into the restaurant. It was called Halfshell. You had been here countless times when you were growing up, so you didn’t even look at the menu before you ordered.

When you left you all walked out hand-in-hand not caring about the looks. You noticed that your mother and stepdad held back and calling to your sister to wait with them. You reached the car, but before you got in the car you found your family by the door.

“We will see y’all at the house, I am taking my boyfriends the the beach for a nice romantic walk!” you shouted in a mocking tone.

You knew your mother was steaming. As you passed you could also see the smoke coming out of her ears. As you pulled into the parking bay at Court House Pier your phone rang. You connected it to the car via bluetooth and answered.

“Have you lost your mind!?” you knew you were in deep shit now.

“I was just trying to prove a point. We don’t care about all the stares and weird looks, so why should you? I am your daughter, you should just be happy that I am happy. That I have 4 wonderful, amazing, caring, perfect boys that all love me and each other. I love each one of them with all my heart and if you can’t handle it we will come get our stuff and find somewhere to stay. I am perfectly okay with that, and I am sure ALL OF MY BOYFRIENDS are too.” you were sure to emphasize the all of my boyfriends part to let her know that you weren’t changing your mind about anything.

“Don’t bother coming in, Callie is already putting everything on the porch.”

You just stared, mouth gaped as the phone call ended. You felt tears start to fall over your eyelids and down your face. They all just looked at you.

“Honey, let me drive to the house,” John spoke up.

Hercules got out of the passenger seat and came around to the driver’s side and lifted you out if the car and placed you in the back seat. Lafayette placed you in the middle seat and wiped your tears away. He and Alex both cuddled you and Herc was turned around rubbing your leg. As John pulled into the driveway your sister came running out. She opened one of the doors.

“Is she okay?”

“Non, j'ai peur de ne pas.”

“What?”

“No, she isn’t,” Alexander loosely translated while he was still looking at you.

You knew the boys were mad, Laf was speaking French, John’s nose was crinkled, Herc’s breath was deep and loud, and Alexander would not stop mumbling insults under his breath. Callie started carrying bags to the car and John and Herc started loading them in. Laf and Alexander did not move because you were still sitting in the same spot and still staring off with tears running down your face. Amelia kissed the top of your forehead said goodbye and apologized. Hercules got on his phone and found a place to stay. He put the location into the GPS since you were being a statue.

It felt like you were in the car for hours. John finally pulled into a parking garage. The purple lighting you saw out of the corner of your eye told you you were at the Hard Rock in Biloxi, so you were only in the car for 20 minutes. Once John found a parking spot everyone piled out of the car, except for you and Laf. He stayed with you while the others went inside to get a room. When they got one Alex texted Laf the room number. He opened the door and carried you up to the room. You were so thankful that none of them tried to talk to you. You knew all you would be able to do was cry. Your mother kicked you out of your childhood home. Sure you had already moved away all the way to NYC, but she just rejected you for being you.

In the room the boys were readying the room for you. They pulled back the blankets on the bed and put your favorite movie on the tv. They even stopped at Ben & Jerry’s in the lobby and brought up your favorite ice cream. Hercules pulled out your nightgown you wore around the house before bed, John dug out his stuffed turtle for you to hold, and Alexander was calling room service to bring your favorite midnight snack.

Laf knocked on the door and you heard them all run to the door. He carried you inside and sat you on the bed. Alexander began to take off your shirt and bra, and John peeled away your jeans. Hercules put you in your nightgown while Laf changed into his pajamas and John and Alex put away your clothes. Hercules placed you in the middle of the bed and they all climbed into the bed as well, sitting around you.

“Are you ready to talk Sweetness?” Hercules asked in his deep voice.

“Why does she have to be like this? My own mother doesn’t support my decision to be with all the people I love. To share a bed in my bed at my house where I grew up. Share something that was apart of most of my life with the loves of my life. To care more about what people will say about her because I am with all of you who not only love me, but each other. Why does she care more about what the public thinks than about my happiness.” you paused to blow your nose and regain yourself. “If she doesn’t care, then neither do I. If she wants me out then so be it. I refuse to let what she thinks hold me back any longer. All of y’all is all I need.”

You took off your nightgown and handed it to Hercules. Everyone gave each other their goodnight kisses and cuddled under the covers.

“I love you, each of you, with all my heart. No matter what. No matter the looks we get or the comments that are said. I love you, each of you with all my heart, always.”

#hamilsquad #hamilsquad x reader #alexander hamilton #john laurens #hurcules mulligan #marquis de lafayette #poly #hamilton #hamilton the musical

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polygamyff · 4 years

Text

58. Part 10

I feel so stupid right now, I am angry at myself “come over here” my dad said to Robyn “tell me what Joy has been saying?” my dad don’t want to speak to me, he is angry with me but I don’t get what he wants me to do, he doesn’t want me to have no fun and just be like him. Moving back a little as Robyn got into my dad’ eye view “she has been getting at me that your family will kill me, I am not liked, making rumours up about it, she bullied me throughout the whole event. I am not the type to be taking shit, but I am pregnant, and I am not going to play with that, the stress she has put me through when I am already struggling with my anaemia. She has really tried to push me away like she doesn’t care for anything but money, I said one thing and she made it another. She tried to get at Maurice to twist things and make him hate me but he was drunk anyways so he don’t remember shit” shaking my head placing my hands on my hips, well she had to add that on top of everything “that is ok, take a seat. This is not your issue at all Robyn. You just relax” this is a mess, I fucking wish I didn’t take this bullshit business on “so what do you want to do now Maurice, I want you to deal with this. So, what is the next course of action” my dad said “hangover or not, business doesn’t stop so tell me, what are we doing?” I wish he wouldn’t do this; I am honestly not in the right mind to be doing this. I am put on the spot and I just need to think “I am going to send a cease and desist for slander and that my next point will be legal action for my reputation including seeking fees for damages” my dad nodded his head “for who exactly? This is on you, your choice now” my dad said “everyone, every Davenport I know” my dad sniggered “ok, then you make that happen, the world is yours Maurice. Use it” looking at Lionel “with Lionel I am taking you to court with defamation and using slandering words against me, I don’t need the money it’s just the point. I won’t see you in court cause my lawyer will be there but good luck. And T get his phone from him” Lionel looked at me panicking “what the fuck, you can’t do that!” I laughed “I am just taking my money from you, go and ask your dad for it. Give it T before he drags it from you” Lionel gave his phone up “once my people have got all that shit from your social media then I will give it back” T gave me his phone “now go Lionel, we will be in touch” my dad said to him.

Looking up at the ceiling as I paced off “why did you sleep with my uncle and then made Malik’ life a living hell” I just said it, I am bored of this situation “go on then Joy, the stage is yours” my dad said, shaking my head as I looked at my mom “if you just remained well, you remained good, you remained loyal. Me and you could have made it, yes I hated you for letting me go there and then hated you for me coming back but if you just thought fuck it. We can be good for my daughter and cared, but then you lied, again and again for nothing. You didn’t even care when I came back so I will always see Paula as my mother, to this day she allows me in her home and treats me like her son. I know it all mom, I do. See I call you mom! You don’t deserve the title, but you let me down, I was a kid. What the fuck did I know, so why? That isn’t a way to win a man back, fuck his brother and you still here!? Living and breathing, the elephant in the room is that clearly, so go on?” my mom looks rough but it’s her persona that gets me, she is not with me at all, she is just heartless like I am just nothing to her in a way “my pride and joy, not so much that though Maurice, you was never my son. I was the oven, and the bun was cooked and was taken by Marquis. It added to the fact I am not maternal at all; I don’t know what to do or how to be a mother. I didn’t want kids, that is the truth, but I had three. If you came first then I wouldn’t have had an extra two. I didn’t bond with you, and I see you as what it is, money. You have my genes in you, but I don’t feel anything towards you Maurice, neither do I Malik. I don’t really care about anyone Maurice, that left a lot time ago. I deal with him because he bought me, I mean who cares” nodding my head slowly “right, so is that it? You saw dad was with Paula and was like, I need to fuck his brother. Did you get abused when you were younger? You are not right in the mind at all, you are so dead in the eyes” leaning closer to her “I am nothing” she shrugged laughing, looking at my dad “she only wants money, that is her Maurice” my dad said, turning away from everyone and pacing off.

I don’t understand why but I have a heart for my mom, I don’t know why and why this is happening. I just don’t know; I don’t think she is normal. Nobody can be like that, nobody in their right mind can be this way. I just don’t know, I don’t know “come on now Maurice, we haven’t got all day. What do you want to happen to her? You have no home in Texas now, I am done with you” my dad said but I don’t know what to say really, I look at her and I see me in her because she is my mother “did I miss everything” looking behind me, Nalah is here “yes you did Nalah, your mom also got beat too” my dad laughed “mom, what happened? Oh my god” my mom turned away from Nalah “did I miss it all? I just needed to deal with things” waving Nalah over, Robyn is glaring at me, but I just need my sister “nice to know you are back with us Maurice, my god. You were out of it at the party” that is not my problem right now “just come here for me” standing in the corner of the meeting room “what is wrong with you, you have the sad face going on is it Robyn?” shaking my head “stand here” I pointed in front of me “I don’t want to shout” I said in a whisper “oh ok” Nalah moved in front of me “I bought it up, about Malik to mom. Dad wants me to I don’t know, take everything off her. And I can do it now, but you and I both know that the safety box she has got is non-existent, Wade told me that. She has nothing when everything was coming to me she has nothing. The things I have to fulfil mentions nothing of her. Dad wants me to I don’t know, throw her and destroy her but” I paused putting my head down “you can’t” Nalah finished off for me “that is dad’ job not yours, he should be doing it. He has got a face on with you about what went on so in a way he is punishing you, but just to add you are an idiot but for this. You shouldn’t be doing anything to mom, I thought you hated her anyways?” I swallowed hard “I have a heart Nalah, this is what gets me in fucked up shit. Mom is just not normal, she acts like she loves money but that is not real, it’s just mentally not right with her. I mean I kind of knew when I was younger she was never right but, I look at her” I froze, I am not about to cry “she gave birth to me and she looks like me, and I was angry but I am not” Nalah blew out air knowing this is a hard situation “Jesus Maurice, mom has been a bitch. She has been driving Robyn crazy” nodding my head “I get it, but she does shit for what? Attention, there is no reason for it, she has lied so much and told Robyn she has money put away, she doesn’t. Mom is not normal, and it is bugging me” rubbing my face.

I am frustrated “out of everything, you still call her mom and it always showed me that you cared for her. First of all, dad need to do his own shit not you, I will say it to dad or better yet you do it. Maybe” Nalah paused thinking “I been thinking this because mom is not normal. I don’t think she was when she met dad, I was thinking of getting her back with her own family, I don’t think she loves money as much as she puts on. I mean we all rather cry in a million dollar mansion, she has always been depressive as fuck, uncle hated dad anyways so what better way then fuck his wife. It’s lies, everything is lies. This needs to be a fresh start for you, for us and everyone else. What do you want to do, tell me?” Nalah said “I don’t want to destroy her like dad wants, I think in my heart. Like I am doing with Malik, knowing she is happy at least but away from us. We all been affected by dad, I love him, but he has done it to us all. Then Robyn will think I just did it and not took her side” Nalah shook her head “listen to me, you tell dad you do your job. You do what you want because I have my wife, and that is Robyn. Then I will take mom, she will come with me and put her up in some fancy shit and I will find out. Probably put mom in some counselling sessions too while I am at it, but then you need to help Malik while I deal with mom. Just let’s start off there, nobody needs to know. Mom will be away from dad so it may change. I am not judging you for having a heart because if you did try and do whatever, I would have helped her on the low. I think it’s a mess, a mess that our dad started and never ended” hugging Nalah “awww, you’re my little brother, an idiot but also got a good heart on you” Nalah hugged me back.

My dad is looking at both Nalah and then me “a lot of whispering, did any of you hear?” my dad looked around him “nobody heard so boss, tell us what is next” swallowing hard “I want you to do your own dirty work, without hitting her because at the end of the day a man shouldn’t do that. You deal with mom; you have thrown her out. So, divorce her then, end it. But this is your mess, not mine” my dad is staring at me, he is staring at me hard “I don’t like weak Maurice, I sense it. Be a man, the weak is not us Maurice. I can see it in your eyes, you are plotting something else. You are showing heart, she was horrible to your future. What are you going to do about it Maurice!? You want your daughter gone because you let heart get to you! Boy, don’t make me put sense into you” taking in a deep breath “you know what dad, he is your golden child but you sure did bully his ass. I blame you for not letting him show his heart, you need to leave him alone now. It’s done, it’s over! Your lonely and she is free” Nalah stuck up for me “Robyn let me love, and yes my heart has got me in a lot of shit, but she has shown me how I can be, to see good in people. I don’t want to be you dad! I don’t want to destroy shit; I don’t want lies! This is all you dad; I am done with it. You wanted me to be a bastard like you with a woman I hate, that was it. I remember those conversations dad! It’s a daughter son, what are you going to do about it!? You didn’t want angel did you!? You’re a hypocrite” I pointed at him “always wanted mommy’ love didn’t you, you needed hard love Maurice. We don’t do weak and that is all you do is show weak to me, reminds of that night when you peed yourself when I told you! To look after your siblings but did you. You couldn’t do that right, scared of some robbers? You know what, I am here to wipe your ass when you are ready Maurice, I am done with this conversation and Joy, you have twenty four hours to get your shit from the Texas home and if you want to tell on me, then so be it. Come on T, let’s go” my dad walked out.

Nalah hit my arm “come over here for a minute” rubbing the back of my head walking behind Nalah “dad will end up calling you soon, but I just want to go over this with you. I will take mom with me, and we going to try and see if mom is well and truly that way, but I have been always wanting to take her back to her parents, I think you are right. We can keep our distance but least we know she will be with her family, I mean someone got to love her” nodding my head “yeah, well she hasn’t said a word since the whole beating and saying that. So, I guess it is on you, just put her up somewhere. Imagine being with a guy and he left you nothing, but you still put up with his bullying ways. I can’t imagine they was good even before we were born, I just think she was there to have a baby. So yeah, just you do that. I don’t have a phone currently, I will get Ally on that” tucking my shirt in, I don’t know why because I need to change these, but I am anxious “dad plays you too much but stop giving him an excuse to come at you like that too, you better go” rubbing my face turning around “uh Nalah, get Ally on the phone for me. Just tell her that I need to speak to her and that she can bring Reign down too” standing at the side of my mom “leave through the back with Nalah, and I know everything. You had nothing on him, he did it but you lied and just threatened him. You want to know how I found out?” my mom looked up at me “I asked Wade to hire a private investigator, you don’t have nothing and I know my dad knows this too, I don’t know why he kept you around. It was probably some mind control; I don’t know because he loved Paula. Since I now have the paperwork for everything, when dad dies, you get nothing. You are literally living for the moment. Acts up now, but yeah. Nalah will deal with the rest” stepping back “Jay, walk them out too” stuffing my hands in my pockets.

This is like a queue system; I have Robyn and Terry now. Sitting on the edge of the table staring at Robyn “I am sorry for my behaviour and whatever the fuck I did, I am paying for it now” I apologised because I am sorry “what just happened with your mom?” Robyn asked “Wade has been investigating my mom since I found out, there is nothing. She has nothing, her shit is lies. I’ve seen my dad’ will and he ain’t left shit to her, Paula has been left what should have been my mom’ and when Wade told me that in real terms, she is just a nobody. Speaking to her, she just seems not right. Bit like Malik I guess, I don’t want to battle my mother because that is bad vibes, only thing I can do is get her help and then give her back to her family, and yes the family she left. I think they will be happy to see her back. And just give her a monthly living allowance, if not then she will be on the streets which then makes me look bad unless we kill her. I am done with this fight with people, Davenport name has been through shit, we need some truth” I am tired from this shit “you have a good heart, this is why I love you” I laughed, I had to laugh “I didn’t like to see your dad like that with you, he reminded me of that Marquis I met the first time and I didn’t like that for you” the door opened, pushing myself away from the table seeing Ally and Reign “she was very good, she didn’t cry and just played” smiling at Reign walking over to them, Robyn held out a polaroid to me “our baby, I was not well” looking down at the polaroid and looked away “uh, we have work to do. I need you to get me a new phone. And some new clothes, anything. Come back and get Wade on the phone. I will be in the office here” Ally looked at me all wide eyed “ok that is fine, I will” Ally said, Reign whined out “I have work to do, Jay will escort you all out” I said walking off “you going to walk off?” Robyn spat “I need time alone” looking at Reign with her arms out but turned away from her “you could have waited to show that” overhearing Terry say but it’s too late, I want to cry but I won’t as I made my way to the lobby. I look even more like a shit person, it’s just added to everything else now.

#Chrianna #Chrianna FF #Fanfic #Fanfiction

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eyez-ff-blog · 8 years

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○○ eyez | outtake seven

Prompt: High school headcanon

**NOTE**: Read this with the knowledge that in this AU both J and B were born in 1985, for obvious reasons. Age gapes are only alright when everyone is of age! Anyway—

September 1999 – Fayetteville, North Carolina

I crossed one leg over the other as I waited on the curb in front of my home, yawning slightly as I ran a hand through my thickened curls. I watched as the people who lived on my street conversed and talked about the year to come. We had been in school for an entire week, and people were already in the swing of things. Talks of homecoming in October were already in the works, and plans were being made even for the football game that would come about in a couple of days. I couldn’t get excited because once you’ve seen one football game, you’ve seen all of them for the most part. While my brothers and father were big sports fans for all sports, I only really enjoyed basketball season. That’s what I was more than ready for at this point, because at least I could be entertained aside from while I sat on the sidelines doing cheers and routines during halftime.

I had to find small pleasures within my life, because right now I wasn’t really feeling anything at all.

I moved to Fayetteville not too long ago—maybe about a year or so. I’ve been attending Sanford High and was now officially in my Sophomore year, and so far I haven’t been enjoying myself at all. I knew that the move to North Carolina wasn’t going to be easy but I didn’t think I’d be this miserable. Not only was I going to a school full of preppy white kids with whom I couldn’t relate, but I was really just...lost, without Rashaad. I didn’t care what my parents tried to convince me. They were running from his death. They couldn’t stand being back in Houston after he was murdered by the same people my father called comrades at one point. So they sold the house, dad quit his job, and all of a sudden the three grade school aged kids they had left were being uprooted from the place they called home.

I missed roaming through the halls of my old high school, and seeing the faces of people who looked like me. Even some of the other black kids here seemed so out of touch. There was another school in the small city—Smith—but my mom refused to even thinking about sending me and Kieran there. Alonzo was already going to college in Los Angeles, so he was spared from all of this. Marquis was still in 8th grade, and Kieran was finally starting his Senior year. In the flurry of my parents fawning over their children ending critical chapters of their grade school careers, I was alone...quietly suffering as I stood in the background.

Everyday was the same old thing—school, cheer practice, home. I worked hard all of freshman year to make the varsity team, and once I made it my summer was filled with sleepaway camps and orientation meetings. None of my time or my life seemed to belong to me. I honestly hated it, but I didn’t complain. I wouldn’t let anyone see that I was hurting. Shaad’s loss had hit me harer than anyone else, it seemed. Dad was throwing himself into his new business with the restaurant, mom was smothering Kieran and Marquis, and they were distancing themselves from me because I was ‘such a downer.’ But whatever—if I could just endure this school year, I’d have two more to go. Then one. Then I could leave and go back to Houston. I’d go to Prarie View like I had planned, then move on to the career I want. I’d do it because Shaad would have wanted me to.

My head raised when I heard the bus approach, and I stared at it before I got into line to get onto it. My bracelet littered right hand tightened around the strap of my dark blue backpack, already feeling weary of the books that littered the inside. I stepped onto the bus and I sucked my teeth when I saw that most of the seats were full. I’d have to share a seat with someone today and I wasn’t in the mood for it.

I strolled down the aisle before my eyes glazed over the bodies that had yet to have a partner sitting next to them. Most of them were white guys and I felt immediately uncomfortable—if they weren’t skinheads they were ‘Nubian Queen’ loving motherfuckers, and I didn’t mind knocking the shit out of any of them. I just picked the seat next to some kid who seemed to be too preoccupied in his headphones to even fuck with me. The less he said to me, the better.

I sat down once I shrugged my backpack off, right when I felt the pull of the bus moving forward. I yawned softly as I placed my hand over my mouth, glancing downward at my teal colored nails before I sat back, hearing the bump of the music from the boy’s headphones. At first I was annoyed at the fact that he had his music so loud, but then my ears picked up on some familiar cadences in the production. I knew those sounds well, and it sounded like nothing these other kids would ever be listening to. Something inside of me had to find out for myself, though. I raised an eyebrow before I gently tapped his shoulder.

He glanced over at me, and I took note of his face—I had seen him around a couple of times but I had never really taken the time to ever speak. I wasn’t interested in talking to anyone, really. But up close, he definitely had some interesting features. His eyebrows were wild and bushy, and his head was probably bigger than mine. But from the edge-up he had on his head, he definitely wasn’t...white. “My music too loud?” He assumed that’s what I was tapping him for.

I decided to just ask my question instead of answering his: “Is that the I Am album?” I asked, and his eyes seemed to light up at the realization of what I was saying.

“Yeah. It’s my shit right now,” He chuckled softly. “You like Nas?” He asked.

“He’s cool. I like him, but I’d like to say I’m a southern rap kind of girl. Been stuck on my Aquemini tip,” I replied, and he let out a soft laugh.

“I hear it all in your voice; you must be from the south. Texas? What part?” My eyebrows raised slightly. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should have been impressed or offended that he could pick up on my accent so quickly. Most kids around here liked to think that I was a ‘country bumpkin’ because of how I sounded.

“Houston,” I replied simply before I tucked some curls behind my ear. “How’d you know that?”

“My father stays down in Dallas so I guess I’m used to hearing it,” He explained. “I’m Jermaine by the way,” He held out his hand to shake.

“Beija...nice to meet you,” I took his hand, and we shook briefly before I took my hand away. He had soft hands, which I didn’t expect either. Suddenly, the bus stopped again and I glanced up to see that we had arrived at school. “Oh...great,” I mumbled to myself.

“I know,” He agreed before he gave me a closed smile. It was almost like he wanted to give a genuine smile, but was holding back for whatever reason. I just smiled back before I stood up, grabbing my bag before I filed off of the bus, losing him quickly in the sea of kids. I walked inside of the building and I tried to shake off my anxiety.

Attention students: any schedule changes need to be done today in the Registrar’s Office. I repeat, this is the last day for schedule changes, I heard the school’s secretary over the intercom as I got into line to get some breakfast. I had already changed by schedule around to fit my needs; I had a brand new Algebra 2 teacher but aside from that, my schedule was just how I needed it to be. After grabbing a sausage biscuit and hash brown patty, I got myself some chocolate milk before I found a table to sit at alone.

“Hey B,” I glanced up to see Kieran approaching my table, and I nodded as he sat down in front of me. He adjusted his black rectangular-framed lenses once he sat down his breakfast taco and orange juice carton on the wooden table top, and took a seat across from me. “Everything okay?”

“Mhm.”

“You need extra lunch money?”

“Nope.”

He sighed softly as he stared at me, and I glanced back up at him with curious eyes. Kieran tried every so often to fill the big brother role that he was supposed to, but he and I both knew that there was a wedge between us. He wasn’t Shaad, he could never be Shaad. And as much as he tried, he just couldn’t make me suddenly become this ball of sunshine. I just wished he wouldn’t try to force himself or his ideal situation for us upon me. I’d probably be less agitated with him if he did.

“Well...okay. I’ll see you when you get home from practice,” He said softy, and I nodded before one of his female friends walked over to retrieve him. She sent me a smile, but I knew it was fake. I just stared at her as he grabbed his things to leave, and I could hear her ask why I was ‘so weird’ to my brother as they passed. Bitch.

I quickly ate my breakfast and made my way to my first period English class. It was nowhere near time to go to class, but my teacher was always in the classroom early and she always allowed me to come in and have time to myself. It was the simple things that kept me from becoming a school shooter statistic.

After getting through English and enduring Biology, it was time to go to my new Algebra class. I heard this teacher was probably the best in the school, so I was fine with that—I was just hoping that my classmates could be bearable. Once I traded my books and supplies in my locker, I hurried to the class and entered just before the bell rang.

“Good morning,” The teacher greeted, and I nodded slowly. “You’re Baja, right?” He asked, and I tried not to frown.

“Beija,” I corrected.

“Yes, my apologies. Take a seat wherever yu like,” He adjusted his full-moon frames, and I looked over the class before I saw a familiar face. My eyes lit up a bit before I sauntered to the back of the class, sitting down in the available seat.

“Hey,” I said softly, and Jermaine shot me a small smile, still trying to hide what I assumed were probably crooked teeth. I honestly didn’t care otherwise, but clearly he did.

“What’s up? You got moved in this class?” He asked, and I nodded briefly. “Cool—now I have somebody I ‘know,’” He seemed happy to see me...I was confused about it.

“Ha...well maybe you can help me with this math stuff. I suck,” I said.

“No problem, I got you,” He insisted, and I smiled a bit as I opened my notebook.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. This guy wasn’t too bad...we’ll see how long it lasts, though.

It had been a whole month of seeing Jermaine at least twice a day—once in Algebra, and again at lunch. He had started to come and eat with me since we found out we had the same lunch slot, and he even offered to walk me to my classes since our rooms were usually always in close proximity to one another. He was a nice guy, and so far hadn’t proven to be a dick. He had a dry and almost corny sense of humor, but I liked it for some reason...it matched my dry and sometimes crude sarcasm. He loved basketball like I did, and he actually had made the junior varsity team for the upcoming school season. If we weren’t debating about Kobe vs. Jordan, we were arguing about Jay-z vs. Nas. He put me on to Bomm Sheltuh and I put him on to all the artists affiliated with The Screwed Up Click. When we weren’t trying to be each other’s teachers, we just laughed a lot and joked around. I had been smiling more...I noticed it was easy to, around him.

It was the beginning of Homecoming week, and everyone was officially going into overdrive. My brother and his girlfriend were in the midst of trying to get everyone to vote them for homecoming king and queen, and I was just in the midst of the chaos, just worried about what I was going to do with my hair for the game. I didn’t even think about the dance, because I knew I wasn’t going. It wasn’t my scene, and I didn’t have a date or even friends to go with. If I was back home, Lauren and I would easily be going to the dance together. But she was all the way down in Houston. No begging in this world would bring her here.

“Morning,” I glanced up to see Jermaine, dressed identical to me—today was ‘Twin Day’ for the school spirit week, and we decided on a blue set up. His blue polo and jeans seemed to fit yet hang freely from his lanky frame. His wheat-colored Timberland boots added to the look, and it matched my outfit completely, the only difference being my more fitting jeans. I had way too much thigh meat for anything to ‘hang’ off of me, anyway. I glanced down and saw the two small Krispy Kreme bags in his hand. “Missed the bus so my mama went by to get me some food—I managed to get extra for you,” He chuckled as he handed me one of the bags, and the chocolate milk he knew I enjoyed. He kept the strawberry milk for himself, which was fine...I hated that gross ass milk anyway.

“Thanks,” I grabbed my English book and notebook before tossing it into my bag, and I closed the locker door before we headed down the hallway together. “So, you going to the game on Friday?” I asked.

“Yeah. My homeboy is playing in the game so I definitely gotta show my support. And you gonna be cheering, right?” He asked, and I shrugged.

“On the sidelines. You’ll barely see me,” I laughed, and he threw an arm around my shoulder as he always did. It was nothing I wasn’t used to at this point, but it never failed to make me automatically snuggle closer to him. He smelled nice—like the good cologne and not that cheap shit all the boys seemed to wear. More than likely he jacked it off of his older brother Zach. He was always warm, too. It made my face warm when he was close to me.

“I’ll just come early so I can get a good spot in the stands so I can see you,” He said with a proud grin, and I laughed softly as I nudged him. These days, he didn’t hide his smile from me anymore.

“Silly ass,” I chuckled as we entered the cafeteria, sitting together to eat our breakfast. We really didn’t have a Krispy Kreme down in Houston—the last time Lauren wrote me a letter, the city had just gotten a new one and the kids were wearing it out every school morning. Up until then, we only had Shipley’s Donuts. But I could see why Jermaine spoke so highly of the heavenly rings; their taste was unmatched.

I wasn’t halfway into my first one when I saw Kieran approaching our table. “Morning, B,” He greeted before he glanced over at Jermaine with a sterner expression. “Jermaine,” He greeted.

“Kieran,” J spoke back with no sense of attachment to the older boy. My brothers gave J a hard time and my father gave him an even harder time. They had these ridiculous rules when he came over to study with me, and my father absolutely forbade me to be at Jermaine’s house unless his mother was there and would be there the whole time I was over there. It was ridiculous to me, because I knew that J and I were just friends. So what if we were growing close? I wasn’t interested in the birds and bees stuff, even after my mom gave me the talk when I started getting my period.

“You good, though? You need any extra lunch money or anything?” Kieran asked me the same thing every day, and I answered the same every time.

“No, thanks. I got it,” I said, and he nodded before he ran a hand over my curls playfully. I swatted his hand away and cracked a smile as he walked from the table.

“He hates me,” Jermaine bit into his donut after his statement, and I shook my head quickly. “Yes he does,” He argued.

“He’s protective...for whatever reason,” I said softly before I licked over my lips, getting the glaze off of my bottom lip.

“Yeah, whatever,” He chuckled, and I crinkled my nose in teasing before I downed some more of my milk. “Hey uh—you goin’ to the homecoming dance?” He asked.

“Huh? I wasn’t planning to,” I admitted.

“Really? Why not? I heard it was gonna be cool. Then the seniors link up with Smith’s seniors and throw a big ass after party since our homecomings are at the same time,” He explained. I didn’t really know much about the ‘schedule’ of the dance because I didn’t go last year.

“I just don’t wanna go. Not to watch everyone else have fun while I sit down,” I shook my head. “I can be a wallflower at my house with ice cream and my movies,” I said.

“Oh...nah, I feel you,” Jermaine sounded almost...sad, at my answer. Again, I was confused, but I brushed it off as we finished up our breakfast. Once we were finished, he walked me to class and I wouldn’t see him again until our usual times.

The rest of the week went as usual—Tuesday was Tacky Day, and I decided to wear one of my dad’s ld boxers over my jeans, along with a conflicting top and mismatched socks and shoes. Wednesday was Career Day and I wore one of my dress shirts and slacks. Thursday was College Day, and I dressed proudly in my Prarie View t-shirt with my jeans. Friday was Battle of the Classes, and mama had made me and Jermaine shirts—on the front had ‘Class of ‘03’ in our school colors, the right sleeve had ‘85’ due to our birth years, and on the back had our last names and our sports numbers; Jermaine held his basketball number, and mine was my number for cheerleading. She had also made a mini mum that I could wear easily around my wrist. It was actually a really nice gesture, especially since she was so busy with trying to do Kieran’s stuff as well.

We arrived at school together as usual, and we did our thing—lockers, breakfast, and heading on to class. In that span of time I saw three people make a production out of asking their girlfriends to the dance, and more and more I felt this weird sense of...longing. I almost wanted to go, but I didn’t want to bother my mom with buying a dress and shoes for a thing I actually didn’t want to go to.

“And here’s your stop,” I glanced up at Jermaine as he stopped in front of my English class, and I gave him a smile before we shared a quick hug. “See you in Algebra?”

“See you in Algebra.”

“Wait,” He said before he took off his backpack and rummaged through it. Pulling out a card and a CD sleeve, he handed them over to me with a bashful grin. “Don’t look or listen until you get home today before the game,” He said, and I nodded before he walked off down the hallway. I glanced over my shoulder as I looked back at him, and I saw some of his friends latch onto him. I could hear an influx of noise from their direction, and it almost sounded like they were...teasing him. Playfully, I assume, but still—they were teasing him. About what, I didn’t know.

I was granted a half-day like most of the athletes, band, majorette dancers and colorguard who would be participating in the homecoming game. My dad ended up being the one to pick me up from school and he brought me home before heading back to the restaurant. I did my homework and had a snack before I reminded myself of Jermaine’s surprise.

I headed upstairs before I walked into my bedroom, and I tossed my bag onto the bed before I took out the CD and the enveloped card. His attractive cursive handwriting etched the front of the blue enveloped. To Bumble Bee, it said. I smiled—we both enjoyed the Transformers animated cartoon, and while I said he was Optimus Prime, he said I was Bumble Bee.

I pulled the CD out of the sleeve before I placed it into my stereo. I switched the function from Radio to CD, and allowed it to play. The first track was The Temptation’s “My Girl,” and I found myself grinning as I gently rocked my hips to the beat. Although I could talk about any type of music until I was blue in the face, Jermaine knew I was a sucker for R&B. I was taken on a journey of 20 tracks of different love songs from the 50s all the way until the current day, and I was fully impressed at the thought J put into the placement of every track. It was cohesive and flowed almost perfectly. His ear for music was pretty impeccable, and I wasn’t surprised for someone who had dreams to becoming a musician.

After the songs were finished, I decided to finally open the card, and I read the front of the card. It was homemade, and the front was a print out of the classic Simpson’s episode of when Lisa gave Ralph the ‘I choo-choo-choose you!’ Valentine’s Day card. I laughed harshly at the reminded before I actually decided to open the card and read the message.

I know you said you don’t do Homecoming dances or whatever but I guess I’m going to ask anyway...because I really like you. We’ve been friends for a little bit now and I think you’re the flyest girl I’ve ever met. You’re really cute, and you make me smile...and that’s hard to do with this mouth of mine—

I found my face completely hot as I read over the words. Jermaine...likes me? He thinks I’m cute...? I was totally flattered, but confused. Why me? There were a lot of girls I’m sure he could like other than me. And the fact that he couldn’t just outright tell me himself said a lot. I never saw Jermaine as shy, but then some of his habits became a bit clearer. The way he held onto me in the hallways and our warm hugs now became hints I probably should have picked up. The way he hung onto my words as if I was saying something important, or how he’d never let anyone call me ‘weird’ in his presence. He always protected me and took up for me, and all this time I merely saw it as him being a nice guy. I still thought he was a good person, but now there was more to it. And for some reason, the thought made my stomach flutter. Was the thou0ght of him...giving me butterflies?

—Anyway, I really would like it if you could be my date to the dance. And if you want to, maybe we could talk about something beyond that...I really can see you being my girl. I’d like an answer after the game...I’ll be cheering for you in the stands. – Jermaine

I blew up my cheeks slowly before I lew out a slow breath, and I heard the door open downstairs. “Beija? I’m home baby,” I heard mama’s voice and I tossed the card on the bed before I hurried downstairs.

“HI mama,” I said softly, and she smiled before she pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead.

“You ready to get yourself together for the game?” She asked, and I nodded. “Well go ahead and get yourself ready and I’ll get your hair stuff ready,” She instructed, and I headed back upstairs.

I grabbed my bath items and grabbed a fresh wash cloth and bath towel before I headed into the bathroom. Sitting my items down, I returned to my room and grabbed my cheerleading outfit before I brought it into the bathroom, hanging it on the door before I closed and locked it. I took a hot shower and began to wash my hair once I washed my body thoroughly. I got out of the bathroom and I blow dryed my hair before I dried off the rest of my body. I washed and cleansed my face before I slid on my training bra and underwear, sliding on the Nike branded sports bloomers on. I got into my uniform and I cleaned the bathroom before I opened the door and moved what was mine back into my room. I slid on my socks and shoes before I grabbed my sports bag and headed downstairs to where my mother was waiting in the dining room.

She straightened my hair before putting my hair into a high ponytail, and I sat quietly as she began to expertly brush and style my edges. “Mama? I...got asked to the homecoming dance,” I confessed.

“Oh? That’s good, baby!” She seemed so excited, mostly because I had been so reclusive since Rashaad had passed. That’s probably the only reason why she didn’t oppose me being friends with Jermaine—he was probably my only friend, and he was bringing me out of my shell slowly. “Who asked?”

“Jermaine did...”

“Oh! Are you going with him?”

“I don’t know what I should do,” I paused for a moment before I crossed my legs. “He said he liked me. As more than a friend. I’m confused,” I continued to spill to my mother, mostly because I didn’t know what else to do or whom to turn to about it other than her. As crazy as things had been, she would understand my struggle at the moment.

“Oh...wow,” She laughed softly to herself. “Well, how do you feel, baby? Do you like him or not?” She asked.

“I don’t know. I just know how I feel when I’m around him. He’s really nice...and he listens to like, everything I say,” I laughed before I shrugged. “He brings me donuts almost every day. We talk about everything. And he’s just...warm, and kind to me. And he’s actually really nice looking. He gets this chink in his eyes when he’s laughing or when he smiles, and he has the craziest expressions, too. And his eyes...he has nice, brown eyes...”

“Oh, baby...” My mama almost sounded sympathetic. “You like him. You like him a lot,” She decided, and my stomach turned. I wasn’t any good at relationships...I knew nothing about being a girlfriend. Jermaine would be my first boyfriend if I said yes to his proposal—I was actually kind of anxious. “Just....do what you feel, baby. I trust your judgement and I know he’s a good kid,” She was giving me her blessing.

“But daddy, Kieran, and Marquis...they’re going to be so mad,” I huffed. “Especially daddy. You know how he is about Jermaine,” I said.

“He will have to deal. You’re growing up, and I know you’re not going to do what isn’t right,” She made sure my ponytail was in place and had straightened my hair to a silky texture before she placed a bow around m hairtie. “I’ll deal with that mule of a father of yours. And your brothers will learn to deal as well,” She kissed my cheek. “I got your back, girlie,” She smiled, and I felt some genuine love in her words. I smiled back, not because I had to either.

Mama made up my face, and added on a coat of lipstick and gloss in accordance with how my coach wanted our faces done. By the time I was ready, Kieran was just getting home from school and it was his turn to get ready for the game. His girlfriend was escorting him during the halftime festivities—the school would be announcing the king during the game, and the queen during the dance.

Once Marquis and Daddy got home, they got themselves ready to go and we were all off to the school first to drop me and Kieran off before they hurried off to the stadium. Once I piled onto the bus with my fellow cheerleaders, we waited for the dancers and colorguard to fill the other buses before we rode off towards the stadium.

Soon enough the game began, and I did my job as I always did at every game—I kept my pageant smile in place as I recited and performed the same old fight songs and cheer chants that I had learned over the summer and practiced every day since school had begun. It came as natural as breathing, so it didn’t prevent me from thinking about the dilemma that I had been presented with. A guy was sitting in the stands watching me right now, and I was probably the most important thing he had his eyes on that night. And I felt the same as him. But should I go for ir, or prevent an inevitable heartache? Jermaine would learn the true extent of me if we got together, and I wasn’t sure if he’d want to stick around once he realized how much of a mess I was, even at a mere 14-years-old. But maybe that was the part of me that had forced itself to grow. The true parts of me knew that I’d want nothing more to have somebody on my arm, especially when they were as cool to me as Jermaine had been. Maybe I was overthinking this, and maybe I just needed to let go and allow things to progress naturally.

By the time I heard the ending licks of Smith’s drumline cadence, I knew it was time for us to respond, and suddenly the thoughts in my head fueled my adrenaline. I was going to have a ‘solo’ within the routine that we were about to do, and whatever nervousness I held throughout the week about it was long gone now.

The beginning of the ‘Duality’ drum sequence began, and me and another cheerleader began our back handsprings down the track before we planted into our positions and began our routine to the cadence of the drums. I kept my smile on my face as I continued to my routine, making sure to hit every single move I was taught. Of all the things in my life, I did actually cherish being on the squad, and if I wanted to be captain by the time I got to my senior year, I had to put my best foot forward even on my lowest days. It was how I was taught and I couldn’t shake that need to succeed.

After our drumline accompanied routine, I was hoisted up as one of three during our chant to get the crowd going. The coach insisted that I would be one of the three ‘star’ players because of my athleticism, and it was times like these that I thanked God that Mama forced me into gymnastics when I was younger. By the time the routine was done, one of two burdens were lifted off of my shoulders. I got out of it without a bruise or broken bone.

Halftime was a blast—the band did an incredible job, and I was happy to see Kieran win the crown for homecoming king. It was a pretty nice achievement especially since it was his last year at the school. I continued to watch the game and rally the crowd, knowing that my biggest task was nearing its appearance.

After the game I headed towards the locker room with the girls and I changed out of my uniform to my cheering t-shirt and windbreaker pants. I slid on the matching jacket before packing my bag, and I bid the girls a good evening before I headed out into the cool air outside. Jermaine was waiting for me by the exit, and I smiled softly as we shared a hug. “How’d you like the game? We pulled in a win,” I walked alongside him as he headed towards our cars. I could see my mom and Ms. Kay talking to one another, and my brothers were joking arund with some of Kieran’s friends.

“It was dope. But you did great. I saw you flippin’ and shit. Little ninja,” He nudged me, and I laughed a bit as he let out his own as well. “So...did you listen to the CD I made you?” He asked.

“Yeah,” I said as I felt my cheeks begin to warm.

“And the card?” He pressed.

“I read it...” I answered, and he nodded. “So... What color are we wearing?” He stopped walking, and he looked over at me as I stared at him. I broke into a small smile, and he grinned as he nodded.

“I was thinking blue? Maybe a light blue...I like you in blue,” He said, and I nodded shyly as we approached the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” He said loud enough for his mother to hear, and she looked at me before she smiled broadly. She knew.

“Yeah, see you!” I waved before I climbed into my car with my brothers, yawning a bit as we began the drive home. “Can we have McDonald’s for dinner? I want a nugget meal,” I said.

“We always have McDonald’s. Can’t we get some Denny’s or something?” Kieran argued.

“Ooh, yeah! I want a chicken meal from there,” Marquis agreed.

“If we’re going to a pancake place, why not IHOP? It’s better. You can still get your chicken, ‘Quis,” Daddy said as he kept his eyes on the road. “We still gotta pick up your tux in the morning, Kieran. Don’t let me forget,” He instructed.

“Yes sir.”

“Mama...we have to go to the dress shop tomorrow,” I said quietly.

“Oh, okay baby. I can get you an appointment before I have to go into work,” She said casually, but I could feel Kieran’s eyes burning into the side of my face.

“You going to the dance after all?” He asked, and I nodded without looking at him.

“I bet she’s going with Jermaine,” Marquis annoyingly stretched out his name, and I rolled my eyes as I slowly sunk into my seat. “See, told ya. That’s totally her boyfriend,” He teased.

“Boyfriend?” Daddy’s eyebrow raised as he glanced at me, and my face was probably so dark from blushing so deeply.

“It’s not like that,” I whined softly before I looked over at Mama.

“Y’all, leave her alone. It’s just a dance,” She chuckled softly before Marquis snickered, only stopping when she glared at him. “Marquis, stop bothering your sister,” She ordered.

“She don’t need no boyfriend right now,” Daddy declared. “Especially not that boy. Boys don’t bring nothin’ but trouble,” He frowned as he spoke, and I did all I could not to roll my eyes.

“I was 13 when I had my first boyfriend. She’ll be 15 soon—you’re going to have to accept that she might like boys, Mekhi,” Mama teased a bit. “How old were you when you had a girlfriend?” She asked.

“Sixteen,” He proudly announced.

“I thought you said you were twelve,” Kieran innocently corrected, and Marquis and I burst into laughter.

“Boy shut up. That’s not the point,” Daddy argued, and I tuned out the rest of the conversation from that point on. I felt like it was just encoded into men to be protective to their sisters or daughters. But Daddy, nor Kieran or Marquis would ever get it. Jermaine wasn’t just some boy. He was different. He was my friend...my best friend that I’ve had since moving to Fayetteville. And more and more, I was into the thought of him being my boyfriend, too.

Mama actually had a day off, so she spent the entire day getting me ready for the dance. I feel like she craved times like this with me—where I acted like a ‘normal’ teenaged girl who actually had boy problems and wanted to dress up. We had a Mother-Daughter Day, and I actually found myself enjoying myself. Maybe I did need more time with my parents to make me feel a little better. She first took me to the spa and we got massages and facials before she took me to the nail salon to get a new set for my nails and a pedicure. Ms. Kay had called Mama and told her the color we needed to look for was Carolina Blue, and I wasn’t surprised. J was such a prideful boy, and he loved his city...hell, the whole state. So while I kept my nails a simple French tip with clear polish, my toes were painted in the corresponding blue shade.

We headed to the dress shop next, and within about fifteen minutes I saw the prettiest dress that I knew I wanted—it was a simple piece with a what the label called a ‘sweetheart hem’ on the top, and a flowing skirt that stopped at the knees. It was the perfect shade that Jermaine wanted, and deep down I felt like he’d appreciate the way it’d look on me. “This one, mama,” I touched the dress gingerly as I spoke.

“Alright...and it’s a good price, too. You have a good eye,” She laughed. “Let’s go get it altered.”

We spent a couple hours with the seamstress as she poked and prodded at the dress to make sure it fit my body—despite how I was trying to keep fit for cheerleading, there was no avoiding the hips and thighs that my mother passed onto me. Even my breasts were beginning to grow as well, and that probably contributed to why the men in my family were insisting on locking me away from the eyes of other boys. But nonetheless, when the dress was finally ready, it looked pretty great on me.

We made one last stop at the crafting store, and my mother looked through beads and stones of all kinds to find something that she could craft together for me to wear as jewelry. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Mama to do so, and I appreciated the time she was taking out to make me feel pretty for the dance. I wouldn’t take it for granted.

When we got home, I had some time to rest and relax before the dance—it consisted, actually of long amounts of primping and getting ready. Since the ladies at the spa were nice enough to thread and arch my eyebrows to a suitable thickness and shape, I could worry more about the hair on my legs. I shaved them and even did my arms too. I was told that they would just grow back but I didn’t even care...I felt like I was in a movie, primping up for a big first date...honestly, this was exactly what it was. My first date.

Now, I was nervous.

After a while, it was time for me to shower and get ready—me and Kieran took turns wit0h the bathroom, and once he was done it was time for me to get myself together. I entered the bathroom with my things, and I took a long and hot shower, making sure to wash every part of my that I could. Once I got out of the shower I dried off and applied cocoa butter to my body as always before slipping on my nude colored strapless bra and a pair of simple underwear. I slipped on my dress and I grabbed my stuff before hurrying to my room to make sure no one saw me. Mama was already there with my hair things, ready to help out with the mane sitting on top of my head.

“Oh, baby...you look so pretty! That was a perfect dress choice,” She complimented, and I smiled softly as she turned on my stereo. The Jill Scott hit they had been wearing out all summer was on once again, although I couldl never tire of hearing her sing about how the guy in her life even made her feel happy about cooking toast, two scrambled eggs, and some grits.

As Mama hummed with the tune, she began to carefully do two French Braids that circled the crown of my head and met at the back of my head. Tying light blue rubber band to bind the braids together, she plugged in the curling iron and let it head as we continued to listen to the radio, and once the iron was ready she coiled all of my hair into a flurry of curls that resembled my usual hair. Once she was finished, she presented me with the earrings and matching necklace she made for me and helped me put them on. She put a cover-up on me before starting on my make-up; she gave me what famous people would refer to as a “dramatic smoky eye” and then topped it with some simple lip gloss. I looked into the mirror and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I looked age appropriate, but there was something elegant about the way I looked. I felt like a princess. “I like it. Thank you mama,” I smiled as I put on my platinum charm bracelet and Emerald-stone ring Daddy got me for my 13th birthday.

“You’re welcome. Now go put on your shoes and thing. Ms. Kay said she’s bringing Jermaine in...about 10 minutes,” She said as she began to clean up. She was gone in about five minutes, and I was left alone to do my own thing for the next five minutes.

I glanced over at the vanity and I saw the mostly filled bottle of perfume, and I grabbed it before I lightly sprayed it on my pulse points and on my person. The sweet smell of vanilla and various spices filled my noise and I sat the bottle down before picking up the travel-sized version of it and sat it in my silver clutch. With it, I packed my lip gloss and my compact mirror, and a pack of Extra spearmint-flavored gum along with the bottle of mace that Mama provided for me ‘just in case.’

I walked to my closet and grabbed the pair of silver ankle-cuff heels that matched my purse and jewelry, slipping them on before fastening the thin buckle around each ankle before I wiggled my toes gently. The heels brought me from my tiny 5’2” to a 5’8”, and I was unsure if I was still too short for Jermaine. Either way, I felt like I was on top of the world. I looked in the full length mirror and I smiled to myself before I spun around slowly, taking a deep exhale.

Three knocks on the door brought me out of my silent moment. “Mama said come on,” Kieran said.

“Here I come.”

I opened the door, and he glanced down at me before he raised his eyebrows. “Wow. You look beautiful,” He said, and I felt this sense of pride. It was probably the most genuine thing Kieran had said to me in the last two years.

“Thanks,” I glanced over his outfit—Daddy had done well in making sure he looked put together. It was a simple two-piece black suit with a black shirt and a purple tie and handkerchief. I assume he and his girl were matching. “You look great, too. I’m sure your little girlfriend will like it,” I teased.

“Uh-huh. Your little boyfriend gonna be all bug eyed when he see you,” He countered.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I corrected.

“Yet,” He left me without a rebuttal, and I huffed as I followed him.

“Aw...look at my babies!” Mama said excitedly as we came down the stairs of the home, and my eyes snapped to Jermaine, who was waiting next to his mother. His face was the reddest that I had seen ina while—he hadn’t blushed that much since that time at the mall when his pants fell down in front of everyone. But his eyes were directly on me, and I couldn’t help but to blush too.

“You two look amazing,” Daddy nodded as he patted Kieran on the shoulder. He smiled down at me before he kissed my cheek, and I clasped my hands in front of me.

“Alright, the rules are that you need to be home by 1. No more or less. Since that’s the time we gave Kieran, we’re going to be fair and give it to you too, Beija,” Mama said, and I could tell that it was completely her decidison and she probably had to convince Daddy to go along with it. Otherwise, I would have been given a 11:00 curfew. “Please don’t get arrested, don’t drink anything once you put it down...”

“We know,” Kieran and I said at once before we gave each other a glance, smiling. For that moment, I just felt a bond with him.

As Kieran went to embrace and take photos with his girlfriend, I walked over to Jermaine, smiling shyly as I threw him a wave. I glanced over his outfit, and I smiled at the fitted suit that made him look way different from the casual clothes I saw him in every day. His white shirt and blue tie and handkerchief was a nice touch as well.

“I got you these,” He held out the bouquet of roses, and I grinned as I took them from him.

“Thanks! These are really nice. Let me go put them in water,” I hurried off to do so and afterwards, it was out time to take photos and such.

While Kieran took his car with his girl, Jermaine and I were being chauffeured by his mom—I didn’t mind because neither one of us could drive, anyway. Once we were in the car we seemed to fall back into old habits, laughing and joking as we always did. It no longer even felt like a ‘date;’ it just felt natural. It felt like quality time with my best guy friend, and I was happy all throughout.

Our first stop was at an Olive Garden to have some dinner. We actually ended up seeing a lot of our school mates there, and of course his friends teased him again...now I knew for sure they were teasing him over me. We had some simple pasta—spaghetti for him, chicken alfredo for me, then we shared a brownie sundae. After paying for the meal, we headed off the the dance.

The theme for the year was ‘Hollywood Nights,’ and the school’s hallway that led towards the gym where the dance would be held resembled a red carpet, complete with ‘paparazzi’ snapping our photots and getting ‘interviewed’ by some students that worked for the school paper. Once we paid for our entry and headed inside, I glanced around at the elaborate decorations and the lights that littered the darkened space. Kids were everywhere, whether they were dancing or just talking. Chaperones were never too far away, breaking up any dancing that was too risqué or watching the punch bowl to make sure none of the older kids got any bright ideas.

“So what do you wanna do?” I glanced over at Jermaine, who seemed to be at a loss to what even do next.

I shrugged before I heard the beginning licks to Lil’ Bow Wow’s current single, and I gasped as I felt my hips begin to automatically move. “Let’s dance!” I laughed as I grabbed his hand and nearly dragged him to the dance floor.

I swayed to the music as I bounced my shoulders, and I laughed as Jermaine began to quietly rap along, loosening up once he saw I was enjoying his performance. I threw my hands up in the air as I began to horribly sing along to the chorus, and he cackled as I continued to dance around him. On and off we took breaks to go drink some punch and eat some of their finger foods, but for the most part we were out on the floor, having fun and dancing. When it was time to crown the the Homecoming Queen, I watched Kieran’s girlfriend win the title and them have their celebratory dance.

“And now, I wanna play another song for all the lovers out there,” The DJ jokingly responded before he began to play Avant and Keke Wyatt’s version of “My First Love.”

Most of the girls squealed and swooned over what was probably their favorite song of the moment. Even I had to admit that I was in love with the song as well. As the beat dropped, I slightly rocked to the music before I felt a slight nudge to my side. I glanced over to my right and saw Jermaine with his hand held out to me. “Will you0 dance with me?” He sounded so nervous and now I felt as bad as he sounded.

I downed the rest of the punch I had and tossed the cup in the nearby trash bin before I took his hand, and he led me to the dance floor.

The bright red and yellow lights that were flashing during the high-strung hip-hop hits of the year were now replaced with soft blues and purples, and I allowed Jermaine to lead as he pulled me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, making sure not to hit him with the clutch I had attached to my wrist. He wrapped his arms around my waist and we slowly began to sway to the music. It was an odd feeling to be this close to him, but at the same time I felt like I was right where I wanted to be. My stomach was to the brim with flutters, and althou0gh his soft gaze made me want to shy away...I didn’t.

“You look really beautiful tonight,” He said, and I blushed deeply as I looked down for a brief moment at our feet. I could still see my toes despite the darkness, and his loafer clad shoes moved in time with me.

“Thank you,” I responded before I looked back up at him. His eyes were still on me, and I bit the inside of my cheek slowly. “You look handsome, too. I’m surprised—you usually look like such a bum,” I teased, and he rolled his eyes slowly.

“Damn, so it’s like that?” He chuckled before he gently squeezed my waist. My legs suddenly felt heavy and wobbly from the gesture. “But you said that you read the card, right?” He asked, and I nodded slowly before I pressed my glossed lips together.

“I read it,” I insisted.

“So...do you like me?” He asked, and I noticed how nervous he became. “I know you’re here because I asked you and we’re friends but—you know,” He shrugged as if he was trying to predict whatever I was about to say. He seemed defeated already.

“Can you not act like I said no?” I frowned.

“Well, you haven’t said yeah yet...and I know I ain’t shit,” He laughed nervously, and I sig0hed a little.

“I do like you, stupid. And you aren’t ‘not shit.’ You’re really nice...” I said, and he looked up at me with those large brown eyes. He had the prettiest eyes.

“You for real? So you’ll be my girl?” The hope in his voice made me realize I wasn’t making a bad decision. Maybe this would all be just fine.

“Yeah...I’ll be your girl,” I agreed, and he smiled a bit before he nodded as he slowly slid his hands up my back.

He took a moment to pull one of his hands from my back and he gripped my chin momentarily; I inwardly panicked when he began to lean in. He was going for it...he was really about to go for it, and I wasn’t sure what to even do. I had never been kissed nor kissed anyone in my whole life. I never even thought to practice. What if it went wrong? What if—

His lips met mine and my eyes slowly closed as I reveled in the softness of his gesture. He pulled away after some seconds, and I watched him lick over his lips before he cocked one of the most satisfied and smut smiles I’ve ever seen on him. I couldn’t do anything but smile myself.

He was something else.

#eyez; outtakes

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