#a complete secret until it's finished. because if people know beforehand i feel a pressure so strong

[featherymainffins]

Ok I'm gonna test something can everyone who knows about me going to draw HC designs of The Voices promise to forget about it? Like just wipe that info from your mind

[writing-in-april]

Paint me

Laurent LeClaire x Female Reader

Summary: Reader finally has enough money to splurge on getting herself painted for the first time in her life. When she meets her painter, Laurent, she wonders whether she got more than what she bargained for.

A/N: Hello everyone- sorry this ones out a bit late tonight- I had practice and had to finish up a few things on this one after. This is my tenth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April- can’t believe we’re 1/3 through 🙈If y’all have ever seen In Secret you know what scene inspired this fic asdjksdj lol 😂 also @propertyofabelmorales fic from Valentine’s Day also inspired me 🥰 I low key probably spent more time on this than necessary considering he isn’t a very popular character but I couldn’t help myself 😅 In secret was actually the first movie (that wasn’t Star Wars) that I saw Oscar Isaac in so Laurent low key has my heart- even with his murderous tendencies 😂 I always love hearing from my followers so feel free to drop an ask or request here. Thanks for reading and hope y’all enjoy.

Warnings: 18+, Smut, Reader is fearful of Laurent, Reader thinks Laurent might kill her, Dubcon, Oral sex (F receiving), Unprotected sex, Creampie- if any other warnings need to be added let me know

Main Masterlist Word Count: 3.2K

Being painted was an important status symbol in this life. To have your image captured for all to see, put down on canvas by paint from a brush was a way of showing off beauty to the people around you, and the people that came after.

You were elated to have your image captured on canvas for the first time, finally able to afford it on your own. A rare sight in the world that you lived in to see a woman able to pay the fee of having her portrait painted.

Such a rare sight it was that when you had chosen a painter and contacted him he had almost seemed confused. When he had asked if you had a husband you had snorted turning up your nose to then tell him no. It was not that you did not want any sort of romantic touch, but being tied down to someone for years that would probably not cherish you the way you deserved sickened you. So, with no one around to pressure you into an arranged marriage you remained unmarried.

The painter you had hired, Laurent, was sweet as honey, almost to a sickly degree. The charm had remained even after he had realized that you were alone, basically a spinster. Whether or not he kept up the act because he thought it would be easier to get underneath your skirts or because he truly did not mind an independent woman did not matter to you. You would only let your gaze linger over while he painted you, that was all. He was here to paint you, nothing more.

He had positioned you in a chair to sit in a simple position. His reasoning for that he told you was that the simpler the position, the easier it was for your beauty to shine. Painters had a way with words though, so you tried not to let your heart swell from the compliment.

You let yourself stare in each session as he began to lay out the foundation of your likeness. Each time you sat in the chair time ticked by slowly, inch by inch. It was not as if you minded as it let you look upon how his inky curls shone in the dim lighting, plus every other part your eyes were allowed access to. It was only fair in your book, considering his job was to stare at you.

This session you were in now seemed different to the others; he seemed more distant. While you both stared at the other not a single word was exchanged, only the brush on canvas got to speak today with each stroke.

It was harder to concentrate this time on staying as still as possible. You ached to move your legs over, just a bit to the side. Daring to test the waters, hoping he would not notice, your legs twitched a little over to the right.

For a while he continued to say nothing, painting with ease like he had completely missed the twitch in your legs. That was until he decided to speak for the first time in hours,

“No-“ His face twisted, morphing into a look tinged with darkness. It was this first sign of displeasure you had heard from your hours of sitting as if you had a rod in your spine. Dipping his brush back into his paints again to find his desired color was a much more rushed action than before. It was an annoyed and quick movement, trying to swiftly correct the mistake you had assumed he had made. When he returned his brush where it belonged on his canvas it scraped along it as he pushed the paint along, molding it into his image.

Another moment goes by silently and with no more words of displeasure; you begin to relax into your position again. It was already hard to relax fully while his eyes flitted from your body to his canvas; your nerves only raised higher after his outward sign of displeasure. He scrutinized every angle and curve as his eye took in every inch of you to create an accurate portrait of you. You wondered if in his fee there was an understanding that he would paint you in the highest light possible. Though, truth be told it was foolish to question that. What type of painter would he be if he displeased his clients by being honest in his paintings?

It was in his job description to lie. Painters depicted the beauty they saw and made it shine, even if that meant trying to find beauty in the darkest of corners to forcefully shed a light on them. All it took was a painter of proper skill, a canvas, and of course a set of paints. Any unwilling features that tried to fight their painters lies would be forcefully bent to their will, almost like a king, and all with a simple stroke to canvas. No, you weren’t ugly, but you accepted that it was his job to bend the truth to his will.

The darkness you had briefly observed reappeared on his face once more. He tried to be quiet in his frustration, but his whisper could not contain the anger brewing beneath. Truthfully his words were a far cry from a whisper, it was more of a shout, “It is not right!”

Naturally you wanted to question what had made the painter suddenly rise with anger, though you wisely kept your mouth shut tight. You did not know this man, nor did you know what he could be capable of underneath the sweet words. The darkness that brewed glinted in his eyes as he took his brush to canvas again, this time with more venom in his strokes.

You were not going to trust the honeyed words he had spoken to you, at least not now while you saw how the honey could possibly be sour. Even though honey never turned acrid in common knowledge, the sight before you disproved that. Each new brush against his canvas turned violent, almost as if he’d push through the canvas with how much force he was using and create a hole.

You could have left the room in a hurry, or even demanded him leave. After all, it was you that employed him. Watching honey that soured so quick intrigued you, so the rod stayed in your spine, though you knew it was naive of you. You couldn’t trust his words, but you could still listen to them.

Brush after brush splattered paint onto the canvas in front of him that you could not view. His once dexterous movements had devolved into a man you did not know, not that you truly knew him beforehand either. You couldn’t imagine he was painting anything close to your likeness; you highly doubted long irritated strokes would be good for each of your contours and curves.

Clattering noises filled the air of the room you were both trapped in, one trapped by his job and one trapped by curiosity. You hoped the curiosity didn’t kill you like the cat. He had kicked the easel that held the painting he was being paid for, which had caused the clattering. Gripping the paintbrush in his hand with fury he then separated it from the canvas and began to pace.

As he paced your mind wandered further; it was all it could do while it was stuck observing the man before you spiral. You wondered if he had forgotten your presence, even if he had been painting you- and you had even been doubting that.

Clearly he hadn’t forgotten about you as he suddenly stopped his pacing, slowly turning to face you again. His gaze no longer flitted between two things calling his attention, now fully focused on you, still with that rod in your spine.

“It is you.” He spoke with a deadly bite and you could not help but have your bottom lip wobble at his accusation. Racking your brain you tried to find why you were the one that was the source of his wrath and why you were the one that was about to receive it. “You are not in the right position.”

You wanted to protest, saying that you had not moved a muscle since he had placed you in this exact position with your spine rigid in a chair. The protest became stuck in your throat, no doubt because of the fear you now held for the darkness that brewed underneath. You remained stoically silent, rigid as ever, waiting for him to mold you into the position that he wanted you in.

He twirled his paintbrush in his hand absentmindedly while he thought. You did not know what he was pondering, though you had to guess it had something to do with fixing how you were positioned. He answered your own curious thoughts by confirming them, “You need to relax.”

Relaxing, that was hard enough earlier when you had not had fear put in you. Still, you tried to let go of the tension held tightly in your shoulders forcefully just as he did whenever he forced your features to look their best in his painting.

He then sighed, obviously displeased with your effort. Instead of letting you try again he simply gave you an order to ‘stay still’ while he began to approach you with his paintbrush in hand.

As the paintbrush approached you instead of the canvas you could not help but tremble as it came closer. It was not any sort of weapon that could do you any harm; it would take a lot to hurt someone with a paintbrush. Still, you quivered as it approached, perhaps more because of the gaze that was transfixed on you.

Laurent’s gaze was wild, a hint of madness was evident in his eyes. They were two dark pools of almost black fixed upon you as if they were set on devouring you in the oblivion in their depths. Eyes were said to be the window to the soul and Laurent did little to make you doubt that claim. He did not give you soothing words as he saw you tremble beneath his daunting gaze and the slowly approaching bristles of the paintbrush, still partially coated in the color he had last been using. Instead of giving you the soothing words you may have desired the paintbrush crept closer, like it was stalking you in the night just as the obsidian pools he called eyes.

Your quivers were not solely because of the glint of madness you could see, hiding in the depths of his eyes. It would be a lie to say that all your quivers and shivers were rooted in the fear as to what he might do to you if you dared move from the position he had placed you in hours beforehand. Something else akin to desire had found itself at home run in through your veins, unburdened by the worries of what the black pools might be hiding in their abyss.

That feeling, the one that was running through your veins in spite of the lingering fear, was soon guiding your body. You were no longer staying rigid in your position out of fear; you wanted him to touch you, even if only with the tips of his brush.

He knelt down when close enough to then reach to lift up your skirts. You were scarcely breathing now, still afraid yet intrigued as to what a man could do with a simple paint brush. Opening your legs up at the approach of his paintbrush would have been indecent to some, but you could not help yourself. Biting your lip hard enough to possibly draw blood was so you did not move into his touch, letting him come to you as you did not want to incite his wrath. You wanted him to touch you with it, despite that fear of those black pools staring fiercely at you.

The soft bristles finally grazed the inner flesh of your thigh, a small tickle running through the nerves connected to the spot it touched. You could’ve been fooled into thinking that it had been the brush of his hand if your own eyes hadn’t been fixated upon him.

You moved your position just a hair, maybe even smaller than the ones on the paintbrush used to move you.

“There.” His whisper breathless, now devoid of the darkness that had stifled any sweetness.

You ached to hear him say it again, it was not a praise for you in the strictest sense. He had been simply readjusting you, hardly any room or need for any praise. The way he had whispered it along with the whisper of the brush upon your skin made it feel like he was praising you. Before you knew what was happening or considered the consequences you chased the brush he had begun to pull back with your thighs.

The darkness quickly came back on his face when he had noticed you had moved to chase his touch. He began to bark out a command to put you back in your place, even though he was the painter, and you, the client. “Sit ba-“

“Brush me again.” Your plea was too beautiful for him to let it go unanswered, even though you had cut him off. There no doubt was still lingering fear inside you, afraid of what he might do in retaliation.

He surprisingly obliged you, you could see his curiosity meld with the darkness in him. He lifted your skirts again, holding the brush just above the spot where he had touched moments before.

When he brushed the inner flesh of your thigh again, the pressure was harder, less unsure.

That simple touch made you moan, even though he wasn’t touching any spot that normally might bring you pleasure. It was as if a dark shadow had cascaded across his face to blur your perception of who he probably was underneath it all. If it wasn’t for your curiosity and your simple desire you would have thought more critically about his next request.

“Take off your dress.” Like someone without a thought you stripped it off of you in haste, as did he with his own clothes.

In no time at all it seemed, his mouth had enveloped your own, keen on devouring all you had to offer. He picked you up with ease by the tops of your now naked thighs so he could lower you to the floor. He then allowed himself to nip and suck on any section of skin he desired to put his mouth on. Not that you could reciprocate as he had your hands held above your head.

When his fingers started to dance along the tops of your thighs just as the brush had done you instinctively pushed your thighs together. The action was quickly reversed by Laurent releasing your hands to push your thighs apart, giving him an unobstructed view of your entrance.

His mouth was soon swiftly on the places that brought you pleasure, sucking your pearl into his mouth like a sweet.

You wanted to writhe underneath him out of sheer pleasure, but he did not need to bind you to make you immobile. That fear still lingering in your mind kept your body still, even as he combined his mouth with his fingers by pushing them into your entrance.

“There?” He whispered as he crooked them upwards, trying to find the spot that would make you see stars. It wasn’t quite right though, so you shook your head side to side. You didn’t dare to speak, not that you could do anything more but making unintelligible moans of pleasure.

“There.” He whispered with finality when he hit that somewhat spongy spot inside you making you cry out louder than before. It was so nice to hear him say those words again, honeyed words that tasted so sweet even though they were tainted by darkness. Your release shot through you quickly, like an arrow sent to kill you.

He removed his fingers from you when you were finished with your first release of the night, wasting no time to push himself inside you. He was larger than any other man you had been with, stretching you blissfully and almost painfully. You were lucky he was not too cruel to not let you adjust to his size, but as soon as you had he unleashed himself upon you. All you could do was wrap your legs around his waist and let him thrust into you at a brutal pace. The sounds of skin slapping on skin were so loud they almost over took the moans you were emitting along with his grunts.

When his hand came to wrap around your neck your own mortality became evident to you. Early before you had succumbed to his touch with a simple brush, you had been afraid he might harm you, even with the desire pumping through your blood. You had not even thought of beyond a simple bruise or cut to your flesh by him. His hand around your throat while he thrusted into you made you wonder how much it would take for him to squeeze until your lips turned blue.

Desire one again took over your fear, his hand around your neck combined with the sweet nothings whispered in your ear made you fall apart again. It was a slow devastating release like honey dripping off a spoon languidly until it dropped down to sweeten the pot. Even though his own honey had turned sour, he still was fully capable of making people feel sweetness while shrouded in darkness.

He filled you soon after you had finished your own release with a grunt. Neither of you had any real care to be able to give to the possible consequences of him filling you. He rolled off of you and you were glad in the moment he didn’t crush you under his weight like most men would have done.

Silence seemed to be a staple item that constantly wormed its way in between the two of you. No one spoke for a while, truthfully it might have been an hour. Laurent was the first to break it again, with much less malice than before,

“Do you want me to continue to paint you?” He whispered into your skin as he continued to pepper his plush lips across your skin. Glancing up towards the easel that still faced the canvas away from you and then over to the bare man next to you helped aid you in your decision. You could let him leave with wasted paints, wasted canvas, and wasted potential.

The wasted potential was what stopped you from letting him paint the rest of the angles of your body. Pondering what could come of the painting, and your relationship with the man who had just made you see stars while simultaneously making you fear or your life at the same time made you frown. The possibilities were endless, but those two black pools hid something too interesting for you to ignore. You wanted to know more, even ached for it.

“Yes.” You simply replied and you then willingly fell into the abyss.

Ask Me Anything

—-

Tag lists (message me if you want to be added):

All works: @shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @s1utformgg @takeyourleap-of-faith — grr tumblr is still being stupid

People who might be interested 🤷‍♀️: @propertyofabelmorales @sergeantkane @foxilayde

[grumpy-triceratops]

Obey Me Brothers Playing Among Us

I played Among Us once and am obsessed, so just like with d&d, I wanted to combine it with Obey Me! Hopefully I’ll do the others tomorrow since I always forget how long these take me ^^; Lucifer

Red Main

Refuses to play unless the rules are explained to him thoroughly beforehand

Not only will he love being the imposter he will be terrific at it

We all know he can hold a secret so he’ll easily shift the blame

Will not vent and give others the chance to catch him that way

When he’s not the imposter he’ll be the one getting tasks done and always rushing to fix sabotages 

Will continue to work even if he’s a ghost

He will get secretly bitter every time he’s killed, tricked, or voted out

Tries to hide it but will laugh every time Mammon is voted out

Mammon

Yellow Main

Will try really hard but be really bad especially if no one tells him how to play

He gets caught venting at least 60% of the time

Really bad at lying 

Usually the first one voted off unless someone really messes up as the imposter

Won’t admit it but he refuses to kill MC even knowing its a game

Does his tasks poorly and lazily 

Will straight up skip a task if he can’t figure it out and he rarely takes care of sabotages 

He will stick to MC’s character like glue, both out of fear and “for their protection”

Will be devastated if they are the imposter and kill him

If he’s a ghost he won’t do his tasks but he will still continue to follow MC around even if they are the one who killed him

The Most Likely to Call an Emergency Meeting For Stupid Reasons Award goes to... Mammon!!!

He tends to just go along with whoever everyone else suspects

Leviathan

Blue Main

He’s played for an insane amount of hours so technical wise he’s amazing

He’s also watched tons of videos and read all sorts of strategies

Knows every map by heart 

Fairly good at keeping his cool but can slip up especially if its MC who is pressuring him 

Levi plays with lightning focus and will probably be the first to get his tasks done

Will almost never get caught venting but will use the vents efficiently 

Still will be voted off as an innocent on occasion because he often works alone and doesn’t have good alibis 

He’s also one who will regularly check the security cams

Will get really salty when he loses or kicked off when he’s innocent

Despite this he’ll still finish his tasks as a ghost if he somehow hasn’t already

Satan

Green Main

Will probably pick up on the rules fairly quickly even if they aren’t explained to him beforehand

This game is entirely his jam and he will probably become close to being as obsessed as Levi

Will prefer to be a crew mate more than the imposter but will have fun as both

He’ll use the vents and somehow nearly never (if ever) get caught venting

Very good at covering his tracks and shifting the blame

Satan is super strategic and will of course go full on detective

Will also try and shift the blame to Lucifer to try and vote him out whenever possible, but only as the imposter

No matter how tempting it is Satan as a crew mate won’t vote out Lucifer unless he truly thinks he is the imposter

Surprisingly cares more about solving the mystery than taking jabs at Lucifer

He’ll occasionally watch the security cams but prefers to try and find the culprit more directly

Loves calling emergency meetings and discussing theories

Will be annoyed with Mammon’s constant pointless meetings that distract him from what he’s doing

Satan won’t be as interested in doing the tasks or stopping the sabotages but still will do it

He will 100% leave people as bait with suspected imposters to try and catch them  (definitely not based on how I personally play)

If he’s voted out when he is innocent he will be IRATE 

He’ll give off a long angry list of reasons why could not have been the imposter and will be baffled at how people don’t get that

He’ll finish his tasks as a ghost unless he is upset whether it be about being unjustly voted out or people not listening to his theories and letting who he knows to be an imposter go

Asmodeus

Pink Main

If someone doesn’t explain to him how to play he’ll whine until they do

Really not that interested in the game though once he understands it 

Honestly his favorite part will just be dressing up his character

Will not be happy about having to turn off his mic and deprive the world of his beautiful voice

Rarely does his tasks and even more rarely fixes sabotages

Asmodeus won’t even do that much as an imposter, if there’s more than one he will rely on them to do the work

If he’s the only one then he may try sabotaging or killing but very sparingly and with no real plan in mind

Won’t vent because he doesn’t feel like it

Really, he’d probably kill someone in a room full of people without batting an eye

Won’t even care if he gets voted off as the imposter

He’ll still enjoy watching Mammon get voted off 

Will probably follow people around just cause

He will not do anything as a ghost

If he’s murdered he’s going to take that time to do something he actually cares about like his facial routine or paint his nails

Only votes if he feels like it whether its because he thinks it’d be funny like with Mammon, or because he has some personal vendetta like if someone suspects him when he isn’t the imposter

However people probably won’t often suspect Asmodeus since he’s always running around with others

Beelzebub

Orange Main

Will have a hard time picking up on the game if its not explained to him beforehand and even then it might be rough

He’ll probably spend most of his time in the cafeteria and be sad to find out there’s no way to get food in the game

Will not like being the imposter since he doesn’t want to hurt his family even in game

Also he’s super bad at it 

He tries to get into the mindset of being the imposter by imagining someone took his food like Belphie suggests but even then it doesn’t really help and it makes him hungrier

Like Mammon, if he’s venting he is almost guaranteed to get caught

He also cannot lie and is really bad at trying to cover for himself

Won’t really think to use sabotages that often 

If he isn’t caught he’ll probably lose because the tasks all get completed 

As a crew mate he will do his tasks with a bit of a struggle depending on the tasks

He also won’t understand when sabotages need to be fixed and will probably ignore them

Ghost times are snack times for Beel even if his tasks aren’t complete  

Beel would almost never be unjustly called the imposter since he’s such a bad liar and everyone knows he struggles too much playing the game to be a tricky imposter

Belphegor

Cyan Main

Even if Belphie is taught the rules he’ll probably just run around doing whatever, like Asmodeus it will be rare if he does his tasks or fixes sabotages

Belphie will go out of his way to make himself look suspicious: standing staring at people, chasing them around menacingly, hanging out on vents etc.

Will die laughing when he gets wrongfully voted off

He doesn’t have to be imposter for him to try and accuse and vote people off constantly

Will vote every round regardless of if he thinks someone is guilty or not

Loves it when he can cause infighting in the meetings

He’ll also occasionally call emergency meetings just to try and stir up trouble

Sort of enjoys being the imposter but isn’t too competitive about it

If he gets caught venting or murdering he’ll just shrug it off

Secretly though he won’t murder Beel or MC as imposter, he just can’t

But if he’s paired up with both or either of them he’ll be extra excited to go on a murder spree with them

Nap time comes when he’s a ghost, very hard to wake him up once the match ends to get him to start another round

[holycow99]

石田お寿司 12/9/21 stream translation Part 12

This is not the full translation of the stream. I only translated the parts I could understand & interpret or parts I found interesting/important. I’m still a beginner in Japanese, so the translations may not be accurate. If you want to repost, please repost at your own risk.

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(t/n: ** means translation may not be accurate.)

C: From your perspective, are editors someone who nurture (mangakas)? Are they gonna continue to be a presence who shape a part of you?

I: Nurturing? I don’t even aware of it at all. I think that applies to each other. I think both shape a part of each other as the relationship deepens. The editor gives feedback and the writer fixes the story based on the feedback. That’s how a work is created. I think both are shaping a part of one another. The writer and the editor becomes that kind of existence to each other and that’s how they both grow and change on their own accord. I don’t think they help writers grow though. To me, helping a human to grow is presumptuous/stupid.

(t/n: The word ‘okagamashii’ means both presumptuous and stupid. I’m not sure which one of them was he referring to in this context. You can interpret it as you like.)

I: Is the next Choujin X gonna be release soon?

I: Yeah. I forgot how to draw it in the middle of drawing the draft, so it took me some time.

*Ishida mentioned that he’s finding time to do both choujin x and animal rap, as well as drawing JJ’s illustrations.

C: I’m happy there’s a lot of streaming videos lately.

I: There’s not a lot lately, since I went away for a while. Maybe the duration was actually shorter than I thought it was.

C: Let’s stream until noon.

I: Well…it depends on the situation. I do think of that. I can’t help but do my work during streaming. Just like what I’m doing currently. If I play games, I’ll just play and then when it’s over, I can just end the stream. But when I’m doing my work, I don’t know when I should end it. I’ve no choice but to finish my work. In other words, I’ll be streaming until I’m done with my manuscript. For me, doing that is good because my work can progress. It’s like I’m being monitored. For a period of time, OPM’s artist, Murata sensei did that before but he quit for few reasons. I think it’s good to feel like you’re being monitored. Hamada Yoshikasu sensei did that as well. He pretty much streamed him working everyday. I’m not sure whether he’s still doing it.

C: Do stream every night.

I: That’s a bit…This is also difficult for me to do. I like making plans on what I should do. For example, “what I should do for this and that day?” or “what if I do this with this pace?”, but to actually follow the plan is hard. You’d feel lazy on the very day you had a plan. People who thoroughly follow their plans are admirable, aren’t they? It’s not like I have the need to follow it. But then, I wish to be able to do that.

C: If you get bored drawing the background, I want you to stream while you’re working on it even if it’s on irregular basis.

I: For the background, I must finish doing them all at once, if not it’ll take a few days. There’s a limit to what kind of work I can stream. I don’t want really wanna show me working on the latest chapter. It’s the latest chapter, after all. I’ll show the chapter after I’ve drawn it properly. This one is basically me fixing the chapter 2, so it’s fine.

C: It’ll be nice if there’s a notice before the stream on the day itself.

I: I see. It’ll be easier to watch if there’s a notice. You can arrange your time. But then, it depends on my mood. I‘d feel sorry if I suddenly don’t wanna stream, but you guys are already excitedly waiting for it. So, I’ll just do it randomly.

C: I can prepare some sweets if there’s a notice beforehand.

I: Well…Maybe I’ll at least give notice on that very day. If I really wanna stream, then I might let you guys know beforehand.

I: The 30,000 commemoration. I might not do anything for it. But I’ll keep that as a memory. Even someone like me can have that amount of subscribers with this kind of content. I’m thankful for that.

C: I turn on my notification, so it doesn’t matter if you tell us beforehand or not.

I: Oh, really? Then, I’ll do it as I like. It’s better If there’s a notice. Well, I’ll do it if I feel like it.

C: This is random, but I only turned on your tweet notification.  

I: Sometimes, I forgot to update on my twitter though. I update it when I’m streaming.

C: 30,000 subscribers is amazing! It’s more than the number of people in my home town.

I: That’s true. If you think about it that way, then 30,000 is amazing.

*Someone wanted Ishida to stream the drawing of the Choujin X’s volume’s cover, but he said it’ll be hard to do that.

C: For me, I like for the cover to be a surprise.

I: Hm…I probably think so too.

I: For me, regarding choujin x, I want everything about it, such as the drafts, to be a secret. If I got to do another manga, then I might…ah, but that probably wouldn’t be possible due to my personality. I do kinda want to be monitored when I’m drawing difficult stuffs. It seems to be efficient for me that way. It could make me feel motivated if you guys watching me draw them.

*The adult comment came back.

I: Can I do something about it? It’s probably just random comments. Report or timeout? What’s timeout for? Should I try time it out this time? Did it time out?

*The comment finally gone. It’s troublesome though. I have to do something about the comment every single time. I should leave it to the dark moderator.

I: It did!

*Ishida mentioned that he’d timeout this one fan if they commented something unpleasant.

C: That could be a reward itself.

I: What? Me banning that person? That’s already a stalker attitude. You mean it’s because I noticed them, right? There must be such people. But what a pitiful person if that’s the only way for them to be noticed by others. Doing what the other party dislikes, then seeing their unpleasant reaction. Being happy just by the fact that the other party reacted to them is already a lost cause. Don’t wanna be that kind of person, right?

C: It’s amazing how you can have a phone call with someone everyday.

I: It depends on the occasion. Like when you really feel the need to talk or when you’re having a tough time. I too had times when I randomly just called someone because I couldn’t concentrate working. When I thought it’d be good for me to work while conversing, then I’d call someone. But the other person also has their own life, if this happens continuously, even if they say okay, they must be actually enduring it. I mostly speak to my work-related friend.

C: Being a mangaka is a lonely job, isn’t it?

I: Yeah, you’re right. This is also another difficult issue. It might get harder to confront my work if I spend more time with others. So, especially, recently, I tried to get myself more motivated. I’ve isolated myself around until the end of summer, but as I thought, working with people is easier for me, mentally speaking. I have somebody to listen to me and I feel less pressured, that is, they give me some kind of advice and I can apply them.

C: Do you consult with the editor in charge when you’re at loss?

I: I think I do. I did consult with Mr. Matsuo at the beginning. But then, I think it’s important to resolve your problems on your own. I do think I have a lot of people I can consult with, and that’s totally fine, but I don’t want to do that. I want to find the answers that I’m completely satisfied with by myself. So, I hold myself back from seeking others’ advice. I did ask Ms. Towada about stuffs on JJ when I had some questions since she gave good answers.

I: Well, I wanna work on this manga randomly. And by ‘random’, I don’t mean sloppily. I wanna work on this manga in a way that’s appropriate for both the work and I. So, I thought it’d be better for me to seek less advice or opinions from others. I’ll do differently if this way isn’t working.

C: You’re a wise person.

I: Obviously. Hahaha. Of course. It’s because I keep thinking about things like this. I hope you find my words useful.

*He then mentioned that he preferred the way of doing things randomly, but it might not be suitable for certain people. However, it’s okay to seek advice.

*Ishida recalling the conversation he had with Ms. Towada regarding Hoshi Sandek.

I: “Hoshi and Arima look similar, right?”.

T: “Have you seen how Arima Kishou looks like?”.

I: “Yes, I have… They look similar, right?”

T: “You mean their characters’ overlapped?”

I: “Not that.”

T: “Hmm….”

I: Hahaha. What do you guys think? Do Sandek and Arima look similar?

C: Are you a TG bandwagon fan?

I: Hahaha. I might’ve never read it properly. But I legit did read TG recently. I’m not kidding. I took a look at it again. I’m thinking of accepting TG. It’s not that I don’t. I wanna accept it more. All said and done, I’m really glad I wrote TG. It’s good that I have something to leave behind. It’s definitely a good thing.

C: Have you ever played Red Dead Redemption 2? (comment in eng.)

I: Like I said, short time. Short time? Little time. (Speaking in eng) I wanna play it though. I wanna play more, but I’ve no time. Too busy.

C: I think Hoshi is actually what Sui looks like. (comment in eng.)

I: She’s saying Hoshi looks similar to me. Are you kidding me?

*Ishida looking for another page to draw.

I: Please take a look at this version of the chapter in the magazine. This will be in the comic as well, probably. They’re both the same.

C: Sensei, are you gonna sleep after this?

I: Nope. I’ll probably check whether Hitman’s already downloaded after I end the stream. After that, I’ll eat and then finish up my upcoming work. I need to add colour for the pages. And I kinda wanna draw an illustration. Have you guys seen Itaewon Class on Netflix? It’s from a Korean webtoon. It’s been made into a drama and I was super addicted to it.

C: Park Saeroyi? (The name of the drama’s mc)

I: Yes. That one. He’s really cool. That hairstyle. I wanna draw Park Saeroyi, if can. There’s this sassy kinda girl in the story, right? That girl is a total beauty. Yi Seo. (t/n: Yi Seo is the FL’s name.)

I: I wanna draw real humans. I’ve been drawing them lately, not that it’s a problem, since I’ve been drawing manga only.

C: She is pretty!!

I: I know right. She’s gorgeous.

I: I read a little bit of the original work, and it pretty much the same as the drama, so I thought the original work was amazing. But then, the Japanese version changed it into Roppongi Class. It’s a different vibe… Does it really matter if it’s in Itaewon? They changed it to suit Japanese readers. Was it the Line Manga or was it not? I don’t remember, but they did that. Just let it be in Itaewon or Korea. I was like “Don’t f*** with me!”.

C: Marunouchi Class.

I: Haha. I’m drawing that. Marunouchi Class. (t/n: Marunouchi is a commercial district in Tokyo.)

I: Itaewon is better. There’s no such place in Roppongi. I’m not familiar with Roppongi though. It may have places like this, but it’s better to showcase the vibes of Korea. Itaewon is a place packed with foreigner. It’s a miscellaneous street. It’s close to Roppongi now that I’ve put it that way. But still…Those who subscribe to Netflix, I recommend you to watch Itaewon Class. They only shot scenes that were important, so it’s really easy to follow the story. Such a beautiful drama. There were quite a lot of cliché moments, but there were also some unexpected twists in those moments, so it pulled you in. Korean entertainment is far ahead.

*The assistant guy finally went to sleep.

I: Oh, you’re gonna sleep now? You definitely can’t oversleep. Don’t mention my name as well. Haha. Do your best as an assistant. Okay, after he left, everyone takes a screenshot. I’m gonna send it to his boss.

C: Sensei, do you read the manga “This is Good”?

I: I don’t. Is it an ecchi manga? Is it the one in Tonari Young Jump? Is it the one with beautiful drawing probably? I wanna try reading it. I need to cultivate (?) and boost the popularity of Tonari Young Jump. I’d like to take on that mission.

I: Has Mr. assistant slept already?

C: I won’t sleep then.

I: It’s okay 2x. Please sleep. Don’t worry 2x. Nothing’s gonna happen. If you’re worried, you can watch it later.

I: I just thought of the number 1 prank he shouldn’t do. I wanted to ask him to draw shit on the manuscript. I wanted him to leave my mark on the background. But that’s definitely a no-no. It’ll be a problem. However, that kind of assistants do exist. Not a lot, but there are assistants that play around.

Part 13

[quicksilversquared]

Lost Heart: Chapter 21

Two Faces, Two Lives

Magic can be a dangerous thing to play around with, particularly when that magic is tangled up in a curse. When Nathalie Sancoeur experiments with magic that she doesn’t fully understand, it sends her on a path to become Paris’ most dangerous supervillain and tips the balance between superheroes and supervillain.

But which way will the balance fall?

links in the reblog

Adrien's first day of their winter holiday started with a bit of a lay-in. He deserved it, after the past two and a half weeks of utter chaos. He slept until ten-thirty, when he was rudely woken up by a cascade of socks falling on his face.

"Was that necessary, Plagg?" Adrien demanded, shoving the socks aside with a grimace. They definitely hadn't all been cleaned. In fact, a couple smelled like they had maybe been grabbed from his fencing bag. He really needed to get that cleaned out and put things through the wash. "I was sleeping!"

"No, you were laying on your bed with your eyes closed, ignoring the world. There's a difference." Plagg zipped around his head. "And obviously it was necessary. I thought you were going out with Marinette today for lunch. Even if she's only your fake girlfriend, don't you still need time to get ready?"

Adrien's yelp as he flung himself out of bed was all the answer Plagg needed. The mischievous kwami sniggered and went back to sampling his cheese stash as his Chosen made a mad dash for the bathroom.

"I should have set an alarm," Adrien groaned as he caught sight of the clock on his counter. Ten-thirty! That was so late! He was meant to be meeting Marinette at eleven-thirty so that they could go out for pizza together. It was a casual "date", set up partly to get their friends off of their backs about asking when their next date was, and partly because both Adrien's parents and Marinette's had been wondering the same thing, but Adrien didn't want to be late. It would give a bad impression, and he really didn't want to do that if he wanted there to be a possibility of real dates in the future.

That was one more thing to add to his winter break checklist, actually. Once the Purple Lady was taken care of, he needed to talk to Marinette and see if she was interested in actually dating. She might not want to, or not want to right away, of course- the press would no doubt make themselves an utter pain after his father's arrest, and he had to be upfront with her about his crush on Ladybug, too- but eventually. If she wasn't interested, well...

Then they would have to discuss how they might "break up" without having to deal with well-meaning but misdirected friends and family members trying to keep them together. The best approach would no doubt be to take advantage of the upheaval that they would all assume that he would be going through to take a "temporary break" and then not get back together. He would rather not have to use that excuse, of course, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Adrien was in and out of the shower in under ten minutes (thank you, plenty of practice with needing to rush thanks to akumas messing up his schedule), and then it was a scramble to dry his hair, comb and style it, figure out what he was going to wear and get dressed, eat a very light breakfast (it wouldn't do to not have room for pizza, after all), and then fly out of the house with both his kwami and his wallet. Thankfully Marinette's house wasn't far, and he got there with a couple minutes to spare.

"We just got her up a little while ago," Mrs. Cheng told him as he came in. "She must have been staying up late studying for the past few days. So she might be running a little behind."

"I got up late, too," Adrien assured her cheerfully. "And I could have kept sleeping, too. It's completely understandable."

"Understandable, but she should have set an alarm. We wouldn't want you arriving to find Marinette still fast asleep in bed." Mrs. Cheng waved him past the counter, passing him a croissant as he passed. "Go on up. Just have her text me when you two leave, so you don't have to go out via the bakery."

"Of course, Mrs. Cheng!"

Adrien trotted upstairs, munching on the croissant as he went. Marinette wasn't in the kitchen yet when he got there, but her trapdoor was open. Adrien headed up, giving the ceiling a knock before sticking his head in.

He was greeted by a somewhat frazzled fake-girlfriend. Marinette was frantically combing her hair, dressed in a cute winter jumpsuit. She waved before going back to trying to get a tangle out of her still-wild hair. Adrien grinned- a year ago, she would have probably panicked (delightfully) at him seeing her in such a disheveled state, but now she was calm.

Well. Mostly.

"I overslept!" Marinette told him, finishing up with her combing in a few more quick strokes and pulling her hair into her usual pigtails with a grimace. "I'm so sorry, I maybe should have gone to bed earlier but I had some stuff to get done and then suddenly it was late and then I didn't set an alarm and apparently I was really tired."

"Perhaps we should have a date that consists of the two of us snoozing on your couch," Adrien suggested with a laugh. That sounded really good now, but his stomach was all set for pizza so they couldn't change plans now. "With fuzzy blankets and lots of pillows."

Marinette let out a happy sigh. "Oh, that sounds amazing. Like a proper holiday break date. Nothing fancy, just recovering. And there would be snacks and maybe some movies playing in the background..."

Adrien nodded. He needed that. They would have to do that once he no longer had to worry about akumas and could spend the whole day utterly disconnected from the rest of the world. Maybe it wouldn't be an entire day- he knew that his mom was itching to get out and walk around, and he would definitely want to accompany her- but a good chunk of one, at least.

Marinette excused herself to the bathroom, and Adrien headed back downstairs to wait for her in the kitchen. Once she was fully ready to go out ("And I'm not even that late, either! See, it's still not noon yet!"), she snagged an orange from the fruit basket on the counter before joining Adrien at the door.

"I can't start my day with pizza," she told him as they headed down the stairs, peeling her orange as she walked. "But if I have this on the way there, then it'll be fine."

"Yeah, I had a really light breakfast, too," Adrien agreed. "I knew we would be going out right after, but pizza for breakfast? No thanks."

It came as no large surprise when he spotted Alya following them two blocks after they left Marinette's home. Apparently Marinette's friends were hugely invested in their relationship, which... well, it was a little intimidating, to tell the truth. He didn't like being watched, and it put on additional pressure for the two of them to actually work out.

At least he could point right to that when people asked why he and Marinette hadn't shared the news at first. If they were just going to get watched all the time, they were perfectly justified in trying to avoid that.

"They're going to follow us in," Marinette murmured in Adrien's ear, giving a small jerk of her head in Alya's direction. Presumably there were several of the other girls with them. "I would say that we probably shouldn't have told them at all, but that would kind of..."

It would kind of defeat the point of going on the date at all, Adrien finished mentally when Marinette trailed off. Of course, they could have not told anyone beforehand and then just posted pictures afterwards. Maybe they could do that next time.

Assuming, of course, that there would be a next time before the final confrontation and the entire city finding out who was behind Hawkmoth and the Purple Lady's masks. Adrien frowned at the thought, then forcibly shoved it out of his mind.

Right now, he was on a (fake) date with an incredible girl, and fake or no, he was determined to enjoy it. He would not distract himself with worries about what would happen in the future after his father was arrested or concerns about anything in his secret second life. Worrying would make it harder for him to keep up the facade of his normal, everyday life.

"Ignore them," Adrien suggested. "With any luck, they won't be seated close to us. We can just hang out like last time and enjoy ourselves, and then they can read too far into any and all interaction that they see."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Thankfully, the pizza place hadn't filled up completely yet when they arrived. The two of them were seated at a small, square table, clearly designed so that they could sit across from each other. Adrien considered it for a moment, then pulled his chair around to the side so that he and Marinette were sitting on adjacent sides, close enough to be able to hear each other better over the chatter filling the room. The tables weren't too crowded together, so he wasn't getting in anyone's way with the move.

"Can we do lighter toppings?" Marinette asked, already perusing the menu. "Like, veggies instead of meat? I feel like it might be better since neither of us have really eaten breakfast yet."

"I like the way you think." Adrien held out a fist for Marinette to bump. "Red onion and, uh, maybe spinach? Feta?"

Marinette reached over the table, grasping Adrien's hands and staring at him with a serious look on her face. He was really concerned for a moment- had he said something wrong? Was she allergic to red onions or something? He didn't know, they hadn't ever discussed that but they had been friends for a while so he should know, maybe- before she finally spoke.

"We are being pizza buddies forever. That is my absolute favorite."

Adrien laughed, the tension leaving his shoulders. "Oh my gosh, Marinette. You worried me for a second there. I thought that I had insulted you somehow or something."

Marinette was giggling. "No, not at all! It's just that whenever I get pizza with Alya, she always wants to put sardines or something and we end up either having to have the pizza split with half her toppings and half mine or just going for something really plain. And the other girls are the same- we can never decide on what toppings to choose."

"Well, there are a lot of options." Adrien glanced down at the menu. "I would add garlic, too, but considering that we both just got up..."

Marinette's grin had turned sheepish. "Oh. And I was about to ask if you maybe wanted to get some garlic bread to go with our pizza."

Adrien laughed. "I was going to go for a salad to go with it, actually, but if you want garlic bread, go for it."

"Oh, a salad does sound like a better idea," Marinette admitted, glancing through the menu again. "Garlic bread is a bit heavy for what's essentially brunch. And. Uh. It probably wouldn't make our breaths smell particularly good, either."

It only took Adrien a moment to figure out what Marinette was thinking about, and when he did, he grinned, leaning forward to press a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Aw, Marinette! You mean you wouldn't want to kiss me if my breath smelled like garlic? I'm hurt!"

Marinette laughed, leaning forward to return the gesture. Adrien went cross-eyes for a moment as he watched her. "I suppose if both of us had garlic breath, neither of us would notice the smell, would we?"

"Mmm. Probably not." Adrien nearly asked if she wanted to test that theory before deciding against it. It really was too early for garlic bread. "Oh, here comes our waiter. Have you decided what you want?"

"Yeah, I think so."

It didn't take long to order, and then Adrien glanced around the room as their waiter left, wondering where their shadow had gone. It didn't take him long to spot them- Alya, Rose, and Mylène, all jammed around a small table. There was no sign of Nino, which was- well, at least his best friend wasn't as overly interested in his relationship as Marinette's friends were. That was a relief.

It was also a sign that Nino might have actually listened when he and Marinette had talked about being concerned about going public with their relationship, so Adrien pulled his phone out and shot off a quick text to Nino, complaining about the stalking and how he and Marinette had been worried about the additional pressure and what was this if not additional pressure?

Maybe Nino would text his girlfriend and get her to at least think about backing off.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather spend the time with- uh, with you-know-who?" Marinette asked, pulling Adrien's attention back to her and amending her question halfway through with a cautious glance around. "I mean, we've been so busy the last couple of days that I feel like you haven't gotten a lot of time to see her."

Adrien smiled. It was so kind of Marinette to think of that, but he would have so much time with his mom once this was over. Besides, he was going over to the Grand Paris after the date, probably right away, and he would be there for dinner. But instead of saying all that, he decided to tease Marinette a little bit.

Just like any good boyfriend would. Obviously.

"I think I'd rather spend the time with my lovely girlfriend rather than Voldemort," Adrien said, hiding a grin when Marinette immediately groaned. "I've heard rumors that he's not terribly friendly. Or nice. Or, y'know, alive."

"I was trying to be careful, you absolute nerd!" Marinette complained. "And you know it."

"Okay, but can you blame me? I couldn't let that opportunity go to waste." Adrien grinned at her, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "You're sweet to wonder, but I'll see her plenty over break. Later today, for one, and then probably at least once a day after that. I'm sure she'll want to see you again, too."

Marinette looked happy. "She liked me, then?"

"It would be impossible not to, honestly." Adrien grinned over at her. "And she's really friendly, honestly. She doesn't just up and decide to dislike people like Father does. I'll definitely be spending Christmas with her."

One thing that was odd, Adrien noted as Marinette nodded in understanding, was the way that Marinette never pressed about anything involving his mother. He would have thought that a natural follow-up question would be if his father was going to be joining Adrien and his mom at the Grand Paris for Christmas, but Marinette hadn't asked. Not that he wanted her to, of course. How was he meant to explain that no, his father couldn't leave the house and see his mom because Nathalie might catch on and that would be the worst thing that could possibly happen? He couldn't. He would have to either lie and say that yes, his father was definitely coming over, or come up with some other answer.

Maybe she just suspected that there was more going on than he was letting on. It probably wouldn't be a super hard jump to make for someone as wonderfully perceptive and empathetic as Marinette.

It didn't take long for their pizza and salads to arrive, and in that time Adrien got a response from Nino, apologizing for his girlfriend and swearing up and down that he had tried to dissuade her from tailing them but clearly failed. Adrien told Nino to tell Alya that if they couldn't cut the stalking out, he and Marinette were going to go back to not telling people when they were going out on dates.

The clear yelp from the general direction of Alya's table three minutes later told him that his message had been delivered.

Between the two of them, Adrien and Marinette polished up both of their salads and the pizza. They had ended up with one slice left and, after spending a minute trying to give it to the other person, ended up sharing the slice. And, naturally, they hadn't just cut it in half and each taken half.

No, they had decided to eat from opposite ends, Lady and the Tramp-style. There had been a lot of giggling and a lot of bumping noses as the piece got progressively smaller, and Adrien was sure that some of the people at nearby tables had been less than impressed by the display. But he really didn't care.

He enjoyed being able to be silly with someone else, and Marinette instigated the silliness just as much as he did. That helped him not feel as self-conscious as he no doubt would otherwise.

"Look, it's snowing," Marinette said as they packed up, pulling coats and hats on. "We'll have a proper white Christmas this year, it seems. It'll be gorgeous."

"It will!" Adrien agreed, leading the way out of the restaurant. He didn't miss the way that one certain booth leaned away as they passed, hiding their faces behind slices of pizza and a book. "I've always wanted to have a snowball fight in the park. My parents never allowed it, but I've gotten more freedom recently, it seems."

Marinette made a face. "Snowball fights are overrated. They're all wet and cold and ugh."

"You could just watch from a safe distance and cheer me on," Adrien suggested, pushing the door open and wincing at the change in temperature. It was chilly outside. "Or sit and laugh as I get completely soaked through, whichever happens."

"I like the hot chocolate and cookies after a snowball fight. I can watch and then join you for that bit." Marinette tugged her scarf up to cover more of her face as they headed up the block. "Or hot soup and cheese sandwiches. That's really good, too."

Adrien laughed. "How can you think of food right now? I'm stuffed!"

"It's just what I normally have!"

They were a block away from Marinette's house when the akuma alert on their phones went off. Adrien's hand went to his pocket automatically to silence it, mentally bemoaning the end of their date and the end of his being able to pretend that he was just a normal boy.

"We have to get inside," Marinette said at once, grabbing Adrien's hand and tugging him into a run. "The streets are never safe anymore."

Adrien let himself be tugged along, but his mind was already racing. He couldn't go inside with Marinette, because there wouldn't be any way for him to get away again. And he needed to get away, because Ladybug and Chat Noir needed to be on the scene ASAP, and before they could get there they needed to round up their second string of superheroes. And considering that Chloe could be anywhere in the city right now, getting a mani-pedi or having her hair done or doing some Christmas shopping, he had to move fast.

"Actually, I just got a text from the Gorilla," Adrien said quickly before Marinette could pull him inside. "He's right around the corner, because he was going to pick me up and bring me over to see Mom this afternoon. He'll know where the akuma is and how to avoid it."

Marinette frowned, glancing around. "Really? I don't see him yet."

"He's almost here," Adrien insisted, feeling terrible about having to lie to Marinette, but this was really important. That was another reason why he couldn't get into a real relationship right now- if he felt bad about lying to her now, it would be worse if they were actually dating. "I know the route that he's taking, I can meet him halfway. But you should go inside."

"If you're positive." Marinette looked around again, one hand on the doorknob to her house. "You know that if you want to stick around until the Gorilla gets here but you think it would be too hard to see from the door, you can always hang around in the bakery."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Stay safe!"

Adrien nodded, waving to Marinette as she went inside. He hovered for a moment to make sure that she was actually in, then turned and bolted, slipping slightly on the wet sidewalk as he made a beeline for a concealed alleyway. The streets were clearing quickly as people rushed home or found shops to take shelter in, which made it easier for him to get away unnoticed.

"Plagg, eat up and then I have to transform," Adrien said, pulling out a hunk of Camembert and handing it to his kwami. Plagg dove for the cheese, and while he ate, Adrien scrolled through his phone, taking note of where the akuma was. A text to Chloe confirmed that she was at the hairdresser's, but they were delaying her appointment so that she could go out and save the city. He sent off a text to Marinette, claiming that his driver had picked him up, and then he put his phone away, straightened, and rolled his shoulders, focusing on the job ahead.

After all, superheroes didn't get holidays.

  It had been a while since they had a minion-creating akuma, and Chat Noir had to say that he hadn't missed it. He wasn't in the direct line of attack this time- once again, he was partnered up with Dragoness to face off against the Purple Lady, and he was keeping a careful eye both on her and on the akuma. Across the road, on the other line of rooftops, the other members of their superhero team were torn between fighting the akuma and knocking away her minions as they scaled the buildings, determined to get to the superheroes.

Surprisingly, there weren't that many minions. Apparently people had moved inside quickly enough to limit the number of possible victims.

Still, they were having some issues. The second string of superheroes didn't have great weapons for knocking the minions back, having to push them back down to the street one by one. Queen Bee looked particularly frustrated.

If he were over there, he could clear huge portions of minions in one easy sweep. That would clear up more people to help Ladybug. But he couldn't leave Dragoness alone, even if she had all but taken over the fight with the Purple Lady and left him as back-up.

Unless...one of the other second-stringers came over to take his spot. They wouldn't be able to keep the Purple Lady back for long, but Dragoness would only need cover for a few seconds so she could recover in case she was knocked down. She didn't need to have someone who was just as strong of a fighter as she was there, just someone who could buy her a little time.

Hopefully she would figure out what he was doing.

Chat Noir glanced over again, this time catching Queen Bee's eye. Plan decided, he jerked his head. She caught on at once, planting her heel in the face of one more minion as she leapt over the road and landed next to Chat Noir as he somersaulted backwards out of the fight. She shot a very nervous look towards the Purple Lady, but it was only a second before she straightened her shoulders, resolute. "Yes?"

"You're on backup now," Chat Noir told her. "I'll take your place dealing with the minions. Dragoness can probably carry the fight, but if she gets knocked off at all, you'll have to fight long enough for her to get back up on her feet. Try to keep the Purple Lady busy enough that she can't try to cast any spells- and get out of the way if she manages to get enough of an opening to cast. Can you do that?"

"I'll do my best, Chat Noir!"

Chat Noir flashed her a brief smile before taking a running leap across the street, immediately jumping into action. Minions went tumbling within seconds, knocked aside by his staff. Rena Rouge and Carapace cheered when they saw him.

"Go help Ladybug!" Chat Noir called over his shoulder. "I'll keep the rooftop clear!"

Much to his relief, there was no argument. They dashed over to Ladybug, weapons at the ready. Chat Noir glanced back across the street to make sure that Dragoness and Queen Bee were still doing all right- they were, and he had to wonder if Dragoness had even noticed the switch in her back-up- before lengthening his baton and pushing back the possessed citizens, knocking them down like bowling pins. Behind him, there were shouts as some of Rena Rouge's and Carapace's attacks landed, knocking the akuma off-balance.

Oh, they should have gone with this arrangement ages ago. Having him team up with Dragoness for her first battle had made sense, of course- they didn't know how absolutely amazing she would be at it- but now that they knew that she could hold her own, they could use the other second-string superheroes to watch her back so that he wasn't wasted during a battle.

...though perhaps Queen Bee had been a poor choice. Her dad would be less than pleased about the superheroes putting her anywhere near the Purple Lady. She had her Sting, though, so that should be enough to keep her safe.

"Lucky Charm!"

Chat Noir glanced over in time to see some sort of slingshot drop into Ladybug's hand. Judging by her delighted grin, she had already picked out how she was meant to use it. Chat Noir was almost tempted to watch, but another wave of blank-eyed minions was making their way up the sides of the building and he couldn't spare a moment.

He felt really, really bad about whacking innocent civilians around like this, but Ladybug's Miraculous Cure would undo all of the sprains and broken noses and bruises that the minions got when they tumbled back down to the street.

"Carapace, block it! Now, while they're down on the street! And Rena- now!"

The sound of both superheroes summoning their powers reached Chat Noir's ears, and he had to wonder why they hadn't done it before. Maybe Ladybug had assumed that they would be able to figure out when and how to use them on their own, like he often did, and they had been waiting for instruction instead.

It didn't matter now, at least. Carapace's force field slammed down around them, blocking the minions down below. Rena Rouge's illusion bloomed out around them, creating duplicate superheroes and confusing the akuma as the real superheroes ducked and wove around them. Chat Noir dove into the fray, dodging the frantic blasts from the akuma's weapon as she tried and failed to hit any real target. Behind the akuma, Chat Noir saw Ladybug pull back her slingshot and let go, sending a handful of broken shingle bits straight at the akuma's blaster. One piece made contact with a BANG!, and the weapon cracked. Seconds later, the corrupted butterfly peeled itself free.

Chat Noir blinked as the force field and the illusions promptly vanished, clearly recalled by their casters. As Ladybug threw out her yo-yo to purify the butterfly, he spotted Carapace and Rena Rouge leaping across the street, making a beeline for the Purple Lady. She noticed and shoved Dragoness back, getting her arm cut in the process but clearly not noticing at all as she made a dash for it. Rena Rouge and Carapace followed in hot pursuit, ignoring Ladybug's calls for them to come back.

Chat Noir's heart dropped. As long as the Purple Lady had been busy fighting Dragoness, her hands and focus had been occupied and she hadn't been able to cast any spells. Now that her hands were free, she could.

And neither Rena nor Carapace knew neither that nor how to block those curses, and their transformations would come undone in only a couple minutes. And, actually, they knew that second bit, so what were they thinking?

"Carapace and Rena, back here now!" Chat Noir bellowed. "Drop the chase! You only have a couple minutes left of your transformations left!"

Finally, finally the two superheroes slowed down. Chat Noir caught a flash of purple as the Purple Lady escaped, but he was less concerned about that than he was the slightly sour looks on Carapace and Rena's faces as they turned back to join the group.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," Ladybug said as she joined Chat Noir. A little belatedly, she cast the cure, undoing the damage from the akuma. Behind her, Queen Bee was bringing the akuma victim back down to the street. "I mean, I noticed that they seemed a bit off during the fight, taking more risks than they should have and not using their powers until I told them to, even though I had told them at the start to look for openings where they could act. But I didn't think that they would go off on their own like that."

Chat Noir frowned. "I wonder why they've decided to act out now. D'you think that they're sour about Dragoness being so good and being able to go up against the Big Bad, even though she's just started out?"

Ladybug shook her head. "I doubt it. But I know them in real life, and I know they've been frustrated about how the Purple Lady is getting all the holiday celebrations in Paris canceled. So they might be trying to force an end now." She frowned. "And now we're going to have to explain more than I wanted to, which... well, I would have told them more before, but I don't want to risk anything getting out. And they, uh..."

"You think that they might let something slip," Chat Noir finished. That was less than ideal. They should be able to count on their team not to spill anything. They had certainly been able to keep Chloe up to date without any ill effects, though then again, if it weren't for the fact that Mrs. Agreste was involved, he doubted that she would be nearly as close-mouthed about it. "...at least Duusu is improving and we'll be able to finish things up soon, right? If they do let something slip, surely it would only get to a few people before we end things, right?"

Ladybug looked less than convinced.

"We could have caught her!" Carapace complained as he and Rena Rouge landed on the rooftop. "If everyone else came with us, we might have actually been able to win for once."

"Your timers are running out," Ladybug reminded him, a note of steel running through her tone. Chat Noir resisted the urge to wince. Oh, she was ticked.

Rena Rouge only barely flinched. "We wouldn't be running down if you taught us the spell to keep the transformation going!"

Carapace nodded heatedly. "Exactly! What does it matter if half of the threat is gone once we've defeated the akuma? That's not solving anything! All you do is come out, deal with the akuma, and let her run away again! Are we going to spend the rest of our lives like this, getting called out to fight for our lives? I say we go after her and end this!"

Queen Bee and Dragoness exchanged a look but neither said anything, which Chat Noir was grateful for- though he couldn't deny that he was a little puzzled, too. Queen Bee knew why they weren't bothering to go after the Purple Lady yet, but Dragoness at least would be curious, right?

Maybe she still felt too new to question the more established superheroes.

Ladybug's lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes narrowed when their Miraculous gave another beep. "We need to get you down to street level to detransform."

"But-" Rena started, but a nudge from Carapace stopped her. They both still looked slightly mutinous as they waved good-bye to the other heroes and jumped down to the street, with Ladybug right behind them. She had clearly activated the spell to keep her transformation, which was smart. No doubt she would have to answer at least some questions to keep the peace.

He didn't envy her, not at all.

"Chat Noir, I really have to get back to my hair appointment," Queen Bee said, tapping at his shoulder. "Can I give my Miraculous back now?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Chat Noir glanced back at Dragoness. "Uh..."

"I will remain here until Ladybug returns," Dragoness promised.

Chat Noir nodded, and he and Queen Bee jumped down to the ground. It took no time at all for her to detransform and return the Miraculous, and then he poled his way back up to the rooftops. As promised, Dragoness was still waiting.

"I'm sorry you had to see that disagreement," Chat Noir said, heading over to stand with her. He kept one eye out, just in case the Purple Lady decided to return for the lingering superheroes. "We don't normally have arguments like that."

"Do they not know that you're planning on wrapping up the fight soon?" Dragoness asked curiously. "I would think that they would be willing to wait a little longer to finish up the fight safely."

Chat Noir blinked. "...Ladybug told you that?"

"I had inquired about how frequently I would be needed and for how long after last fight," Dragoness told him. "It is not easy for me to slip away from my normal life without being noticed and getting serious consequences, and I wanted to know if there was any end to the fight in sight. Ladybug told me that there were plans in place to end it and that you know who she is."

It had probably helped that Dragoness had expressed her concerns in (what sounded like, at least) a calm, straightforward manner instead of flagrantly ignoring directions like Rena and Carapace. Still, it was a little surprising that Ladybug had apparently told their newest teammate more than their (slightly) more experienced ones.

"Well, I'm glad that you can come out and help us," Chat Noir said instead of expressing any of that. "You're a fantastic fighter. To be able to go up against the Purple Lady like that? We should have brought you on board sooner."

Dragoness looked pleased. "Thank you. I've been training with a sword- well, a fencing saber- for my entire life. I can't deny that the transformation gives my skills an extra boost, though, and it's definitely needed. I've never seen someone fight like the Purple Lady- it's like she doesn't even have to think about her attacks. It's entirely reflex, no reaction time necessary, and she clearly has no conscience holding her back. Very hard to fight against. I can tell that you're quite a good fighter, too," she added. "It is obvious that you have some fencing background, even though you're fighting with a staff instead of a sword."

"It's a bit different," Chat Noir agreed. "I miss the hand guards sometimes, but my staff is so useful."

"Much more of a multi-use tool than a sword." Dragoness cracked a smile. "Though I can't deny how thrilled I was to see that I had a sword with my transformation. I was worried that I would get a 'weapon' like the others, and I really don't have the slightest idea of how I would fight with a yo-yo, or a top, or a flute, or a shield. Or how I would fight alongside others- I'm trained for one-on-one." Her smile turned sheepish. "So I was quite happy to be assigned to the Purple Lady, as odd as that sounds. And today, with Queen Bee as backup- I think that was actually easier than trying to trade off the fight with you."

"It takes some practice to make the shift, yeah." It was nice to have someone who could understand the shift between fencing bouts and all-out battles. He had to watch himself in fencing class now, making sure that he actually followed the rules and didn't just fight like he would as Chat Noir. "And Ladybug must have known that, to match Miraculous and position up so well. I did have my doubts when she just threw you in the deep end with the Purple Lady, but-"

"-it was definitely the best position for me," she finished. "She has quite the head for strategy, doesn't she? Whoever picked her did quite the good job."

Chat Noir was about to nod in agreement when Ladybug landed back up on the rooftop, looking a little cross as she tucked the Fox and Turtle Miraculous back in her yo-yo. She mustered up a smile for Dragoness, though, and Dragoness offered Chat Noir a wave before heading off with Ladybug. Chat Noir waited, and this time it was less than a minute before Ladybug returned.

"This is possibly the worst time for Rena and Carapace to rebel," Ladybug said with a sigh as she joined Chat Noir, offering up a fist for him to bump. "But I told them that we were working on some things to finish the fights and we were getting close, so I would appreciate their patience and cooperation."

"Dragoness said that you told her that we know who the Purple Lady is and that there's a plan to end the fights," Chat Noir said searchingly, returning the fist bump before catching Ladybug's hand in silent question. She finally smiled.

"Compared to Rena Rouge, Dragoness is a veritable safe. I probably could have told her everything and as long I requested it stay secret, she wouldn't have told a soul."

Chat Noir laughed, the stress from the fight finally sliding off of his shoulders. "Rena is a little chatty, then?"

Ladybug's smile turned wry. "Oh, you have no idea."

[thepropertylovers]

Feature Friday with Garrett Fleming & Aaron Powers

Happy Friday, y’all! This week’s FF is a really special one. Remember when our dream came true earlier this year and our house was featured on Design*Sponge? Well, Garrett was the writer of that beautifully-worded article that so articulately told the story of Thomas’ childhood home, now our home.

Garrett and his boyfriend Aaron discuss meeting on Tindr, and how Garrett’s battle with cancer brought them closer together in a pretty short amount of time. We enjoyed getting to know them, and we think you will, too. Take a look below…

Where are you from? Garrett’s from Arlington, TX, and Aaron is from Detroit, MI.

Where do you live? We live a little north of the gay-borhood in Chicago, IL. 

Instagram handle? @insta__gare and @aaronpwrz

Age: Garrett’s 30, and Aaron’s 33.

On their favorite trip together: Aaron: I’m not sure I could pick just one! Mexico City for the people, Italy for the culture and paninis or San Francisco for the first time I said “I love you” to Gare.

Garrett: I agree, Aar. It’s too hard to choose! I’d have to say San Francisco because it was our first trip together.  

“I remember thinking, ‘Am I going to be stood up? Is he going to be a total kook?’ Spoiler alert: Aaron did in fact show up and was just enough of a kook. He was and will forever be my complement.”

On the uncertain, initial meeting:  Garrett: We met on Tindr, and our first date was at a local spot called Uncommon Ground.

Aaron: I initially thought Garrett had photoshopped his Tindr photos to enhance his eyes. Although an adorable baby photo led me to believe he really was that doe-eyed, seeing him approach as I sat perched upon the edge of a flower pot was confirmation! I even texted a girlfriend “He’s real!” as we were seated at our table.

Garrett: I remember seeing Aar sitting on that flower pot and feeling a rush of relief. I hadn’t met up with anyone from Tindr before, so I was as little anxious. Beforehand, I remember thinking, “Am I going to be stood up? Is he going to be a total kook?” Spoiler alert: Aaron did in fact show up and was just enough of a kook. He was and will forever be my complement.

On taking the leap: Aaron: We were on a layover heading to San Francisco on our first trip together. I had just kicked back a crummy airport manhattan as we waited in a quiet corner of the terminal. Then I just said it. It felt right, so I took the leap

Garrett: I had no idea when the right time would be. Aar’s my first serious boyfriend, so I’d never told anyone that before. Before the trip, I recall telling my friends I was anxious I’d blurt it out on accident. Luckily, he brought it up before I could worry too much. Saved again by Aar!

On fighting with each other: Aaron: We’ve honestly never had a fight. Yes, we’ve debated over paint colors and upholstery once or twice, but it’s never been close to a fight!

Garrett: Never close at all. I never understood my friends who were in “love hard, fight hard” relationship. One of the things I cherish about Aar and I’s relationship is its consistency. After three years together we know how one another ebbs and flows. We’ve found the balance.

On their coming out experiences: Garrett: My family was very supportive and kind. No backlash here!

Aaron: I came out first to my brother when I was about 18. After a couple months of keeping the secret, I began to get a little gutsy with my escapades and spent one too many dinners away from home in a row. I grew up very close to family, so the distance caused some frustration with my mom. After some pressure, my brother caved and told her I was out with a gay friend. The next few weeks weren’t the most fun, but my immediate family eventually came around. They’re very supportive now. I look back on the experience as one of my contributions to destigmatizing homosexuality.

On life not going according to plan: Garrett: I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the spring of 2016. Halfway through my chemotherapy, a few spots in my pelvis turned out to be colon cancer as well. In the end they were unrelated, totally random and no cause was ever found. For 11 months I received intensive chemotherapy, received over 100 shots, five spinal taps, had four near-death experiences, lost all my hair and had every type of infection you can get. I’m healthy now though!

On how cancer affected their relationship: Garrett: I like to say it put our relationship into overdrive. We had only been dating 10 months when I was diagnosed, and it made us skip right to the real stuff. I spent about 50% of that year living in the hospital, so we weren’t able to do many fun things. We did have a lot of time for just the two of us, though, so we really got to know one another on a deeper level. Looking back, I’m so grateful for this. I feel so deeply connected to Aaron having gone through this with him, and it’s helped us put the other stresses of life into perspective.

Aaron: If anything, it brought us closer. Watching someone fight for their life provides one with a unique look at a person’s true character. We faced difficult decisions together and had to quickly adapt our routines to a new way of life. Doing this makes you understand what’s truly important in life. I don’t know that I’ve met a person more courageous, loving or level headed than Garrett. 

On what he learned about himself during this process: Garrett: I learned more about how I process pain. I could no longer be the guy who bottled things up and waited until the feelings passed. Instead I had to work through all of my feelings in the moment, as it wasn’t good for my recovery to be pent up. I also learned how to best communicate with Aar. We both process things, deal with stress and approach problem solving in very different ways. And an extreme medical diagnosis puts all of that on display.

On their proudest accomplishments: Garrett: By far, I am most proud of how I handled myself during those 11 months. Getting into remission was my full-time job (whether I liked it or not.) Before I was sick, I had gone seven years without needing so much as a prescription. That being said, being told out the blue that I had a life-threatening illness could have really torn me apart. While every day was a battle, I’m most proud that I came out the other end maintaining the positive outlook I had going in.

Aaron: I ran the Chicago Marathon the year Gare and I met. I had never been an athletic person before beginning training in May, and I had certainly never run more than a mile at a time. It was the first time I had been disciplined enough to finish something so huge outside of work projects in my adult life! I trained on my own with the help of a friend for the first half of the summer but completed training and the marathon on my own. The feeling as you approach the last leg of the race, body numb yet burning in pain at the same time, is so overwhelming. Tears began to stream down my face as I crossed the finish line. It was absolutely incredible!

On who they look up to the most: Aaron: My parents. My mom went back to school when my siblings and I were still in elementary school. Watching her work so hard to raise us kids, work part time and still find time to study showed me what hard work and determination looks like. My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 15 years ago. Despite the frustration I can sometimes see on his face, my dad has continued to be the most patient person I know. He still works full time to this day. His perseverance is something I hope to inherit.

Garrett: My family is by far my greatest inspiration. Right when I was diagnosed we had a meeting where we acknowledged how hard getting me into remission would be. We gave each other a free pass for a year: We could say and do anything without fear of hurting one another’s feelings as we processed all of the daily ups and downs that were to come. While we would have acted this way no matter what, verbally acknowledging it made it feel that much more ok. And sure enough, once I was in remission, all was forgiven and forgotten.

[restlessmaknae]

Paradox [pt.7]

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Word count: 1925

Genre: angst, drama, a bit of fluff

Pairing: Lee Donghyuck (Haechan); Yu Dayoung (OC)

Setting: non AU

Warning: mentions of character death, suicide, hints of depression

Chapter warning: -

They were so young, so talented yet so desperate.

Paradox of us (The paradox of you&me)

 People say that we were a wrong pair from the start. We were never meant to be together, it was never written in the stars. We met anyway and we fell in love. That’s when I realised what loss really was. That’s when I learned what love was.

Although coming from different companies, experiencing different training methods and being completely different, I think our paradox was one of a kind. It’s my favourite so far; the paradox of us, the paradox of you&me.

 Dear Donghyuck,

There were times when I believed it would work out. It turned out that I was wrong. I was only chasing a fantasy out of my reach. Life is not a dream, after all. I had to learn the hard way.

I wanted it to be as easy as the start. Without telling silly fibs, without hiding behind masks and without constantly being terrified. However, as trust exists, so does fear. Fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of the unknown. There are so many types of fear and you were only one of them. My greatest fear.

How easy it was in the beginning, right? Joking around without being afraid that we might hurt each other’s feelings. Yet, when one starts to care, insouciance is not a definition anymore. We love, we receive love, we hurt and we get hurt. It’s all part of the system, it’s all how it works. It was just a matter of time until we discovered it for ourselves. After that, there was no turning back. We were trapped in the prison that was called ‘love’.

Our relationship was the stern winter longing for the bright spring, never actually taking the warmth into consideration that will eventually make it disappear. As long as we could play with fire, as long as we didn’t fade away with the burning ashes, we were alright. We got burnt so many times, I don’t even know how many times but the hours we spent together with talking, gazing at each other or just lying beside one another definitely paid off. I wouldn’t regret anything.

The first few months were the so-called good times. We knew nothing about what was waiting for us. It was my mistake, I know. I never let you see how I was shaking in fear every time we parted our ways because I was afraid that we would get caught. But that wasn’t what really teared us apart. It was me, my own stubbornness and my own stupid body that made things turn out the way they did.

Believe me, I wish I could change but there’s no way that I could do so. The doctor says that I can’t do this anymore, I would only make it worse. Trapped in the cage of expectations with the weight of the pressure on my shoulder, I feel like I’m constantly being twisted. What is right and what is not? For who should I make sacrifice? What is my duty and what is the purpose of life? Is that the same thing?

Being confused in your own feelings and terrified at your own thoughts is the worst feeling in the world. You can’t be mad at someone else, the enemy is within you…

Remember how you always said that I would make it? I believed you because I wanted to believe that it would actually happen. I wanted it to be true but until I met you, I couldn’t afford to cherish the thought. It was a mere illusion for me, a dream that I couldn’t reach. It was the air that my lungs sought after; the medicine that I was ready to be given and the drug that kept me on toes, motivating me to keep going, pushing me to my limits. Pushing me until I fell.

In the end, I only have regrets regarding my debut. I shouldn’t have been so stupid, I should have just stepped on my dreams and walk towards another goal of mine. I was too adamant and that turned out to be my greatest weakness.

What I don’t regret is the things that we’ve done together. When we were together, our happiness doubled. When we were together, our sadness lessened. I know it sounds silly since it’s an equation that is far from even logical. But it’s the equation of love, so it doesn’t need explanation.

The hardest part was still yet to come. We couldn’t be prepared for what was following. The days got undeniably harder and so did the war that I wanted to win. It seems that I was an easy opponent and gave up easily. People usually think that if you commit suicide, it was the easy way for you. I have to tell you that it wasn’t. I’m not saying that I was brave and I really should have done it but you can’t imagine how many times I’ve changed my mind. I was constantly thinking about my family, the company, my dream and you. It wasn’t easy at all.

The thought first crossed my mind when Dr. Lee said that I should give up on my dream to become an idol. My body wouldn’t be able to handle it. You know that I’ve said that it was because of all the stress and pressure that was taking hold of me due to the upcoming debut of the Tender Thorns. Yet, I wanted to believe that I can do it.

That’s why I made the deal with the company.

To tell you the truth, I don’t know what it will feel like. Falling, flying with the wind and being free… But I know what I’ll be thinking of. Because amidst all the darkness and grief, you were always there. My beaming light. I’ll be thinking of that light. I’ll be thinking of you.

 And after that… well, I don’t know what will happen. You will probably blame yourself, saying that it was your mistake but let me tell you that it wasn’t. If you hadn’t been there, I would have done it even earlier. So, please, accept my decision and do me a favour.

When I’m not going to be there, please, be the one who smiles. The one who brings laughter and the one who gives hope for others. Be as radiant as you were and continue to be the beaming light for others. Last but not least, never be afraid to love again. And be loved.

I love you, Donghyuck. I should have said it earlier.

 Love,

Dayoungie

 With the letter in his hands, reading her words for the hundredth time, Donghyuck couldn’t help but shed a tear. He felt lonely again and the whole situation made him remember how much he really missed her. He blamed it on the wound that her loss caused which still couldn’t fully recover. It wasn’t as aching as in the beginning but it still hurt. Every single time he read her letter, it was less and less heart-wrenching but the hollowness hadn’t faded yet.

“Donghyuck, come on! We’re coming up next!” Youngho hollered gleefully and opened the dressing’s room door. Poor boy almost had a heart attack when his band member showed up in the room, grinning widely at his scaredy-cat friend.

“Why are you so scared?”

“I was just…” he was hesitating whether to admit that he was reading Dayoung’s letter or say an innocent, little lie. In the end, he decided to tell the truth. “I’ve just finished reading her letter when you came in,” he confessed sheepishly, looking down at the paper in front of him.

He didn’t need to say whose letter it was, Youngho knew it perfectly. In fact, he was the first who got to know about Dayoung’s last words since he was there when the doctor gave it to Donghyuck. He said that they had found it in the girl’s hand when they were operating her. His name was written on the back, so after they had clarified that he was the so-called Donghyuck, he could finally seize it.

At first, he wasn’t even able to read until the end, he bawled in tears after 2 paragraphs. The more he read, the worse he felt. It was tearing him apart, knowing that she had planned her suicide beforehand and he couldn’t figure out that she was up to such a terrifying move.

Yet, he wanted to do her the favour that she had asked and it meant that he couldn’t blame himself. It was one hell of a ride, to say the least, but he managed to move on and start living again. The fans noticed the change in his bubbly behaviour but he had to keep it as a secret due to Dayoung’s and his contract. On top of that, it was about his private life and although he loved his fans like family, he wouldn’t like to share the burden with them. It could have destroyed him even more.

“Oh, I see,” Youngho nodded and awkwardly ruffled his hair. “Do you need a moment to recollect your thoughts and−“

“No, I’m fine. Let’s go and rock this stage!” he immediately cut him off, giving him a thumbs-up. The leader smiled gently and slung his arm around Donghyuck’s shoulder.

Although he was nervous as hell, the current NCT sub-unit’s stage with Youngho – aka Johnny -, Yuta, Ten, Mark, Hansol, Winwin and Kun – turned out to be pretty successful and when they took their seats in the audience, some of their sunbaenims congratulated on their energetic and jaw-dropping performance. Donghyuck boosted a proud grin but he knew that the most exciting part was still yet to come.

They were nominated for the ‘Best Dance Performance Male Group’ and ‘Best Music Video’ awards along other bands like BTS, EXO, GOT7 and Monsta X and it would be an understatement to say that they were shocked when they won the latter. Donghyuck literally froze when he heard their name, questioning whether he had gone totally crazy or he had a problem with his hearing.

Nonetheless, they walked onto the stage and started their winning speech. First, it was Johnny who gave one since he was the leader of the sub-unit and the member who had trained the most, then, it was the international members’ turn - Winwin, Kun, Ten and Yuta. Mark thought of the international fans and said thank you in English, too, while Donghyuck didn’t prepare anything special, he said what was already arranged with the boys.

“I would like to dedicate this award to a very special person whom we had lost this year. I met her exactly a year ago and if she was here today, I’m sure she would do her best to make everyone happy. Please, in memory of Yu Dayoung, join me and observe one minute of silence for her! Thank you!” he bowed respectfully, his eyes scanning the reaction of the other idols.

The stadium stayed totally silent for a moment and then, one particular band stood up and the others emulated their action one by one. Soon, the whole audience got to their feet and no word was exchanged for a minute.

Donghyuck – who was doing his best to cover up his gratitude – looked up at the ceiling, wondering whether Dayoung would be able to see this.

I love you, too, Dayoung. No matter where you are, you will always be my beaming light.

[bostonbridget]

Dating Chronicles: The Cheap Bastard

We met on Tinder, of course. I was newly back to Tinder after an extended hiatus during which I relied on Bumble, Hinge, and the old-fashioned way to meet people/snag dates/get frustrated with life. But one of my best friends was using Tinder for the first time, and hearing her talk about the excitement of swiping for the first time, combined with a slow Friday night and a bottle of wine, made me itch to jump back into the cesspool.

Michael seemed great at first. A couple years older than me, he was new to Boston and a grad student at a highly acclaimed music school so we talked about artsy shit and fun stuff to do in the city. Our messages were a little more intellectually stimulating than my usual Tinder exchanges, and to top it off, he was from Australia so he had the sexy accent factor. When he asked if I wanted to meet up the next week I enthusiastically accepted.

“Sounds great, what were you thinking?” “Give me a few days, and I’ll plan something for us.”

I liked the sound of that. A man with a plan automatically gets extra attractiveness points. Then he followed up with a curveball:

“How about you come over to mine and we’ll make sushi together? It’ll be a fun way to get to know each other.”

…um.

I responded “Hey that sounds really fun, but to be honest I would feel more comfortable meeting in a public place for the first time.” He seemed to get it, and suggested we go ice skating and get hot chocolate instead. I agreed, he asked if I wanted to get a drink somewhere near the ice rink beforehand, I suggested one of my favorite spots, we had a date set.

Despite suggesting we meet for a drink prior to skating, he didn’t end up ordering a drink. When I finished my glass of Cab Sav, he not only made no movement toward his own wallet to pay for mine, but didn’t bat an eye when I eventually got the hint and paid for my drink. This wouldn’t have bothered me in the slightest if he’d established that he wanted to go Dutch on the drink situation, but I was operating under the impression that he was paying since he was calling all the shots. I got the feeling that if I hadn’t paid we both would have sat staring at the bartender all night. The first date was off on a weird foot already.

I have a season pass to the skating rink, so he only had to pay for himself. That’s when I learned he had never skated before in his life—he proposed that date since he knew I love skating. Ok, that’s really cute, I admitted, but that also meant the whole date was me giving him a skating lesson. After about a half hour of riding the struggle bus straight into the ice, I suggested we follow up on his hot chocolate idea. He agreed, but as we made our way off the ice he asked if I had my wallet on me. Taken aback, I stammered that I had left it in my skate bag. I went to fetch it. When I got back to the concession stand, a long line had formed and so he bought my hot chocolate since he was standing right there and it would save time, plus as he put it, “It’s the least I can do since you’re teaching me how to skate.” The drink cost $1.50. The fact that he’d been so reluctant to shell out for something he’d proposed in the first place rubbed me the wrong way but I pushed it out of the way so I could enjoy the rest of the date.

On our walk back to the subway, we passed the movie theatre and he mentioned he’d been hoping to see some films. We spent a few minutes discussing the current releases, then I gave him a hug goodbye at my subway stop and told him we should definitely meet again next week. First date down, overall my spirits were high.

A few days later we started texting to plan Date 2. He wanted to skate again but I put the kibosh on that because I enjoy skating, not teaching a six foot conglomeration of arms and legs how not to fall on me. I suggested a movie instead—the weather was looking spotty, and we had talked about movies just recently. “I’m not taken by the selection at the moment.”

…um. We literally just discussed this a few days ago. I was confused. I knew he was a student, so maybe he was trying to save money? Working off that theory, I suggested the Museum of Fine Arts since admission is free on Wednesday nights.

The date was going well enough besides a complete absence of physical chemistry on my part, until we started swapping roommate horror stories. Mine include a violent alcoholic and a kleptomaniac—separate people, and stories for another day—but his roommate’s capital sin was…wait for it…leaving the heat on in the apartment when he goes out so that the temps stay at 72 degrees. Apparently, this is a wasteful and expensive practice. I held my tongue rather than blurt out that I can’t live in a house that’s colder than 72, but mentally I chalked this up as a potential issue.

At the end of this date, we discussed going out again, and he said his student budget is tight but he was dying to try some restaurants in the city since he hasn’t done much culinary exploration in the 3 months he’s been here (To be more specific, he got fast food twice and that was the extent of it. For a man who describes himself as a foodie, I found this strange). I enthusiastically described a few of my favorite places for potential future dates and then we parted ways.

On the way home I convinced myself that since he was apparently a broke student we wouldn’t go out again because he seemed completely uninterested in paying for anything, particularly me. This was starting to really bother me. I should point out I’m not a materialistic person, but Boston is an expensive-ass city and there are really only so many things you can do for free on a date before you’re stuck with Netflix & chill. Additionally, I love going out for dinner and drinks. I do it all the time with my friends, and it’s a part of my life I’m not willing to give up with for the sake of dating someone without a convenient 9-5 like yours truly.

That night, my roommate and I decided together that I’d stop seeing him, and literally a minute later he texts me “Want to get dinner this weekend?” I was taken aback. Maybe he’d finally seen the light as to my likes/dislikes, and was also interested enough to finally sacrifice a little to spend more time with me. I replied “Sounds great, where were you thinking?” He goes, “I’m not very familiar with places in the city—where do you want to go?” At this point, I’ve planned all our dates, and my patience was a hair away from cracking entirely. Just get on Yelp like a normal person and figure this shit out! I politely encouraged him to do some research and choose. He comes back with “How about I make you dinner?”

Fuuuuuuuuuck we’re doing this again? Nope nope nope. 

“I assumed you meant a restaurant since you mentioned it last night,” I reply. “I was thinking about it, and you’ve shared some important things about you with me, and I’m not sure that I can do the same by taking you to a restaurant I don’t know in a new city. I figure sharing some food from back home would be a nice way to do that though.”

I’ve shared important things? I assume he’s referring to my love for skating and art, but those aren’t dark secrets I save for super special people. Now I’m genuinely uncomfortable with the idea of spending more time with this kid, but I already said yes. Fuck. Fortunately I managed to move it up from dinner to lunch, so less pressure. I also fabricated an unmissable commitment at 2 with a friend in order to keep a time limit on this date.

This third date confirmed my suspicion that he was a cheap bastard because, at his house, he talked about how much every one of his possessions cost, and how much money he saved on his purchases. It was weird. He also gave me an exhaustive history of every scholarship he’d ever applied for and their exact worth. You know, typical cutesy date talk.

The incredible exotic “food from back home” (Australia) turned out to be pasta with marinara sauce. Did the poor guy not know that Americans eat Italian food?? I mean, it was pretty good, but I’ve definitely made equally good pasta myself and I don’t have a drop of Italian blood in me. I also live in a city with a killer Italian neighborhood and the best damn Italian you’ll have west of the Atlantic. Michael’s fate was sealed. I completely stopped giving a fuck about making a good impression and dove straight into the worst date conversations: politics, religion, and stuff that pisses me off. My attempts to turn the guy off failed miserably though because, incredibly, he found my opinions very interesting and engaging. *hair flip* Realizing this, I promptly developed a bad case of stank face, told him I had to run, and peaced the eff out of there, barely giving him a hug goodbye. I texted him later thanking him for dinner, and he tried to talk about politics and religion more but I did not engage. He must have gotten the hint because I never heard from him again.

This story was long AF, but the life lesson is that cheap bastards exist, they are the worst, and don’t let any of their charms distract you from that fatal flaw.

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Boston-Based totally Blogger Shares Top Journey Tips

Boston-Based totally Brittany Stopa is residing the life most of the people dream about. She’s a Tour blogger who has determined a way to Travel 12 months-round.

“I just love to Travel and being tied down to one vicinity is simply too limiting,” said Brittany. Celeb Chef Opens Pop-up Restaurant at Eataly Boston In 2015, the 26-yr-old give up her desk task, bought her property, and used her savings to adopt a new lifestyle. During the last yr, she’s visited 19 international locations and Shares her trips thru her weblog.

Actual lifestyles Fishing Boat Featured in “Manchester by way of the sea” The weblog now receives sufficient clicks to make earnings, which can pay for her travels. On her blog, she additionally schools followers on in which to Tour, and a way to accomplish that frugally.

She said, “Travelling for an extended time period makes your cash stretch longer.” “Going to cheaper accommodations, no longer flying among locations, and taking buses” also helps, defined Brittany.

For People, Brittany advises vacationers to start with South us. She said one flight can get you to the region, and then you can cheaply Travel through nations.

She says she’s met many those who stay this way of life foreign places, absolutely everyone from unmarried humans to complete households. If you need to undertake the full time Travelling lifestyle, Brittany offered this recommendation:

1. Begin saving, locate methods to keep cash on everything and placed those financial savings away. Brittany did this for years, saved $15,000 and used that for her first six months of Journey.

2. Find a way to work remotely. Brittany started a weblog, however many careers have far-flung alternatives. If you chose to start a blog- get a free domain name and begin running a blog proper away. It is able to Start as a hobby until it’s profitable enough to stay off its earnings.

3. Trade your idea of Journey. It’s no longer a vacation as lots as it’s far experiencing a new u. S . A . and residing in it because the locals do. Choose frugal alternatives over accommodations, but live in us of a longer so that you can experience it fully through the years.

Frugal RV Visiting Guidelines: Maintaining an eye fixed on the street – and Your Finances

Hitting the road in your RV and the RV lifestyle can be one of the most competitively priced ways to Tour. If you do some making plans and research beforehand of time, it is clean to shop even extra – without ever feeling like you are pinching pennies.

One obvious way to take the frugal course is to devise your RV Tour throughout the “shoulder seasons” – before and after High Travel time – whilst reductions are regularly supplied at various campgrounds and sights.

Here are 5 value-cutting RV Travel Tips that are right any time of the 12 months:

1. RV Tour On One Tank of Fuel

Do not forget the ending to The Wizard of Oz., while Dorothy says she would not should appearance any similarly than her very own backyard to discover her coronary heart’s desire? Nicely, we are not suggesting testing out right outside the residence, but reflect consideration on going to places not too far away that you’ve always intended to check out.

You will be surprised at how many new and exciting locations are simply one tank of Fuel away. A variety of territory can be protected in only a few hundred miles, and you’re sure to find out exciting locations you by no means knew existed so near domestic.

Tip: Your neighborhood library is a wonderful aid for learning local and country information and sights – and most of it is loose!

2. placed Your RV On A Food plan And Get Better Gas-Mileage

it’s a simple fact that the much less your RV weighs, the more mileage you may get on the road. Go searching for places to your rig wherein you could institute a “much less is more” coverage.

As an instance, you do not set out with a complete, fresh water tank in your RV excursion. Take what you need for the primary day’s Travel, plus a small reserve, and fill up once you’ve got reached your day’s destination.

Overlook that bulky, economy-sized can of coffee: empty a smaller amount into an airtight plastic container that you can fill up later. (One region not to cut back, even though, is tire inflation: riding on absolutely inflated tires is a sure manner to growth your Gasoline mileage.)

Tip: while shopping for meals staples, do not forget dehydrated objects like soup and dried fruit, and switch cereal and pasta from bulky packing containers into heavy-duty plastic bags – now not most effective do they absorb less area, you can reuse them once they may be empty!

3. Plastic no longer Paper Dinnerware – A greater reasonably-priced Method Normal

positive, the consume-and-toss Technique of paper plates and cups is the easy manner to go – and may even seem economical when you buy in bulk. however lightweight, less expensive plastic dishes are smooth to locate, and even as they won’t last for all time, they will sincerely see you via the length of a long-distance RV tour.

Quality Coverage Salesman inside the International – Top Sales Pointers, Hint Steps and Excellent Selling Ideas

The Exceptional Coverage salesman inside the International changed into no longer created in a single day. Becoming the Satisfactory Insurance salesman requires studying the tops Sales Suggestions, working towards the Fine Selling Thoughts, and no longer bypassing Trace or steps in doing so. Adapt Top Insurance Selling Ideas for yourself.

Turn your dreams into truth. Streamline your Sales presentation whilst growing your Selling rate. Not anything routinely propels you to the Top in the Global. James Cagney in a film idea he changed into “on Top of the world”. He was taking manage of his mind, reflecting on being the Quality at what he did. A Coverage salesperson enforcing the Exceptional Income Ideas and excessive enough goals exceeds the wildest expectations.

It is time to evoke your senses to no boundaries. The technique is exceedingly easy to grasp. Take some time to look for after which exercise Pinnacle Income Suggestions and alternate secrets. To jump up like an eagle, you can’t have clipped wings. This means being one mean Promoting device. High-quality achievement presents the incentives to grasp the desired steps. Do not integrate ANY part of your new, exceedingly powerful remaining presentation with the business enterprise guy presentation. Trace: Write it yourself, it should sound such as you, no longer a recording.

The steps to a superior presentation are self motivation, know-how of your product, and self belief to make the sale. Begin by making your High-quality Coverage salesman Sales presentation greater powerful than ever. You may get five stars to your brow! Simply do a whole presentation in 10 minutes from Start to finish. Have an associate, partner, or pal time you till You can do it with skipping any steps.

1. Get your prospect’s attention. This doesn’t mean driving an navy tank to the prospects’ door. Positioned yourself for your consumer’s shoes. Listing a great aggregate of 12 objects in an effort to rattle your consumer’s attention. Start immediately at the door with a free gift. A new sports activities group brand hat, a small bunch of plants, or even a pocket calculator will be three of your First-rate Ideas.

2. Next you need to get the possibilities interest for your product or presentation. Telling them you are very busy, is filled with dynamite. Your briefcase is now not visible as overnight baggage, and it portrays you no longer combating over a sale till they say no eight times. Keep control by using asking to set at a table in which you need you show them a need to see alternative that changed into Simply introduced. Ask them in the event that they mind in case you take off your tie. The concept is to place yourself within the prospect’s environment, and sense comfy together with your presence.

3. Limit yourself to three brief reasons why your plan is superior. Encompass painting a image of a person who did not think they wished your product, but signed up. Then provide an explanation for in visual phrases how this man or woman or the individual’s family turned into paid advantages they might have otherwise in no way acquired. One of the Great Selling Ideas is to use a 3rd party, as then no pressure exists.

four. This is the most letters to get leads, and most displays share in not unusual. THEY Miss THIS Element! Supply three to 5 critical e blessings your Insurance product gives your patron. You robotically attain overcoming some objections from ever coming up. Get away The stairs, in a piece by way of piece way, how your product goes to solve the puzzle. Each of your blessings have to hyperlink to an emotion. For Coverage salespeople feasible feelings Consist of worry, love, safety, elevated happiness, and greed to accumulate cash. Keep it wonderful and exciting. Inject motivation and inspirational adjectives and verbs to Maintain your complete presentation fine.

5. Income professionals recognize that less speak tops all final policies. You already instilled the urge, now close the gap. in no way say, “Properly what do you observed?” Right here is the Income tip. As an alternative slowly say, “Does this plan offer the protection you need, or in case you can’t manage to pay for it, I will show you the constrained benefit plan? Wait till you get a solution, and This indicates sometimes a couple of minutes. exercise with a ramification of questions, till you find a couple that work High-quality for you.

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