#artist: let me make a suggestion. how about you order something of Drew?
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askblog-cvesocs · 5 months ago
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soooo, first of all, how i made him (how he came into his half-existence).
i was watching youtube, and i saw this video and it said something like “pinterest oc making challenge — can pinterest make lore?” (( link to it here )) — and i was like, “dude, i gotta do this!!” and so i did.
(the video’s pretty cool, their ramble is so fun i love it)
soooo, under the cut i’ll actually ramble about the guy and what i have of him so far
___
soo, for the “random setting” i did, it was
2003, in the winter, in a bustling night market (those are the things that i randomly generated—but i also regenerated to get good ones jdjdjdkfjdks) (except for the winter, that i didn’t change)
i went on pinterest and looked for the thingies to make the oc
for the gender, you’re supposed to search “album” or “album cover” in pinterest, and what pops up first, the lead singer of that band, that’s gonna be your oc’s gender
soo… pinterest didn’t give me.. any. good. results. like literally no album covers and nothing good, SO! i pressed shuffle on my apple music library, and i’d use the artist that played first. “OK Go” played first, so the oc is a guy ^^
i found all the pic refs for him, like his hairstyle, his outfit, his shoes, his skin color, his color palette, all that. and accessories.
i put together his own “board”, i think that’s what you call it.
here it is ^^
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(awesome thing, too: before i watched the pinterest oc video, i was watching something like “rodrick heffley being iconic for (specific amount of time)” and it was absolutely awesome that he came up)
sooo, i planned on using the color palette and the outfit reference, and like, using the colors and coloring over the reference kinda, js to see which colors i liked where.
aaaannnnddddd i didn’t do that.
instead, i traced the outfit. then i colored it. (he…. he still needs a head.)
soo here’s what i drew/traced
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aaannnnd he needs a head. like dude, he needs a head……..
i PLAN on drawing him WITH a head, but i haven’t found a good enough reference picture yet. like, i need a reference picture of someone’s art that i like, so i can like, learn from them and stuff (like use their art as a guide to make my own, ya know? i feel like the idea of tracing is frowned upon, but honestly it’s how ya learn. like, i’ll use certain things that they used in their art and combine it with other things from other artists… ykwim? like i’m not gonna trace it and say “bam, that’s my art.” ima learn from them. ykwim? right? sejjfdjdkvj?) — also, here’s this video from this guy that actually has really good advice
so, here’s some things about him:
1] he uses he/him pronouns
2] he’s canonically “short”. because i said so, and short guys are cool as fuck. (like.. let’s get over the hype with the tall guys a little…, what about the short kings??) he’s probably like… 5’5. (in my state, that’s considered short for a guy — the average height of a 16 y/o boy here is like 5’7 or 5’8. the average height for a 16 y/o girl here is 5’4. js a fun fact ^^.)
3] he’s some kind of queer, not sure what yet though
4] at some point, eventually, he’s gonna have a girlfriend. — i need to make his girlfriend too. — she’s transfem (MTF), i know that. feminine representing, maybe gender-fluid. (i need more transfem ocs 🫶💕‼️ ottilie can’t be my only one for forever.) (OHMYGOSH I JUST REMEMBERED THAT I HAVE TWO TRANSFEM OCS. WAIT.)
5] for some reason, i really want his last name to be Grauldin. or Graulding. i don’t know what the fuck it even means, but it sounds cool 🔥
if anyone has any name suggestions for him, lmk 🫶💕‼️
also, here’s some shirts that he’d totally wear
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in order from the (most likely him), to the (least likely him). (the first two, 100%.)
___
General…
okay, ima ramble about my new oc that currently has:
no name,
no background,
only part of a visual reference of him (which is an outfit and the pic ref for his hair) (aka he has no head yet),
and only some small details.
oh, and he’s got no personality YET, but he’s gonna be a goof. i can feel it.
(ima reblog w/ the ramble. it’s gonna have the pic refs too)
___
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itstimetodrew · 8 years ago
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When I want a commission it’s just that ‘ya can I get a fuckin uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’ in my head
I am the worst at asking for anything specific lol
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lepiosprites · 2 years ago
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Homestuck^2 Sprite Critique: Commander Karkat
Disclaimer: This is going to be less of critiquing the outfits and more about the composition/construction of the sprite itself.
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(I ripped these sprites from a patreon post, which can be found here. I will be referencing this post throughout this critique so i’d recommend reading it.)
I know i said in my last one of these i would be going in order but i’ve changed my mind. I wanted to make this since this pateron post talking about process of making the sprite.
Step 1
I find it interesting that they drew the top of the torso for the sprite. Nothing wrong with that, just something that interests me.
Step two point 5
Now while reading through this section, i saw a line that bothered me.
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[Caption: one of the main rules of the homestuck style philosophy is that you should be as lazy as possible at all times.]
This annoyed me because if this person had spent some more time on this sprite, the pants would look better. I don’t want to be mean, but those pants are very messy. The outline on the outer part of the left side of the sprite is wobbly and the line where the crotch is doesn’t connect to the pants. There actually is a panel where you can see more of the thief pants, right here:
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(Link to panel here)
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See how the line on the crotch actually connects to the pants? It looks much better. The artists definitely did not use this panel, as the boots in this panel don’t have the accent line. Speaking of the boots, it looks like the person colored them in the same as the outline. To me it makes the boots look weirdly tall.
Also, going off of the ref it looks like there should have been grooves or something on the bottom of karkat’s boots? Sort of like elwurd
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Yet they aren’t visible on the sprite.
Step c
I don’t have much to say except karkat doesn’t have eye bags now and i think the lower part of the eyepatch’s strap should be going all the way to the edge of the head outline.
The Torso
I do quite like the cape. While i prefer to have sprite parts either have outlines or none, it looks pretty nice. The pouches are fine too, the main problem i really have with the sprite is the pants.
Sitting Sprite
While it is true there are no sprite where vriska is sitting in her god tier outfit, there is a sprite that could work as part of a sitting base from her sprite sheet.
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When compared to the sitting sprite from the panel the person included in their post, the foot matches up.
How i would fix it
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The main thing i fixed was the pants because, i’m sorry to say, they were not good. I have a cleaned up version of karkat’s sprite that i used as a base, and the only things i took from the original sprite were the scars, eye patch (edited slightly), cape (edited slightly), and the pouches.
For the sitting sprite i did what i suggested earlier with that thief sprite and then made the other side based on the foot i had.
I wish there were more walkthrough on how the team made the sprites, but this is the only one. It was certainly cool to see the thought process, but i’d say to disregard the part about being as lazy as possible. That is not a good mindset, and i’d say my resprite shows that.
Let me know what other sprites from homestuck^2 you’d like to see a critique of!
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cyborg-franky · 3 years ago
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RUNNING TO GET A DOOR SLOT! CONGRATS FRANKY YOU DESERVE ALL THE FOLLOWERS IN THE WORLD
Nickname: Duckie
Door Number: 23
What will you be wearing on the date? Corduroy pants and a comfy sweater over a button up.
Booze or sober?: I don’t mind drinking, but it’s not my first priority.
Your ideal first date: anything that isn’t too formal, where we can talk a lot
Three personality traits about you: I’m blunt sometimes to a fault, attention from others makes me nervous, I’m physically affectionate with people I care about, even if I don’t know them super well yet.
Three things you look for in a partner: honesty, good sense of humor about themselves, an innate need to help others.
Three dislikes: wasting money and especially wasting food, ppl who are rude to service workers, strong cologne (makes me cough)
THANK YOU MY LOVE <3<3<3
You looked smart you decided as you adjusted your sweater and put on your shoes, your date had told you where to meet him. It wasn’t an address you recognised but knew the area at least. You headed out feeling confident about the date, he seemed kind from his text messages, was that silly to judge?
Either way, you headed out, arriving at the address, it looked like a café. You saw someone waiting by the door.
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- “Usopp?” you called out, unsure but when he snapped his attention up from his phone you knew it was him.
- He wore dungarees that looked like there were some paint splatters across them, a T-shirt underneath and a bandanna keeping his hair at bay.
- He offered you an unsure smile and you could tell he was more nervous than you were.
- “Yeah! Hey! Duckie right?” He offered you his hand, but he rubbed it down his pants, sweaty and nervous before you could take it.
- Usopp tried again, offering you a less clammy hand.
- You chuckled and shook it, smiling warmly at him, trying to let him know he could relax, you were just as nervous.
- “Did you bring your art stuff?” He asked and you nodded holding up your bag.
- When you got in you were shown a table, it was a tall building with many stairs and small rooms, each floor had three or four tables.
- All sorts of art from local artists graced the walls, different styles and mediums.
- There were big pads of paper everywhere to use, cups of water, paintbrushes.
- “This is an art café I’ve wanted to try for a while and when I realised you were also an artist.. well I wanted to do something I know we’d both enjoy. I’m not one for busy loud places.” Usopp said with a nod as he pulled his chair out, starting to take out his sketchbook and pencils.
- “Oh, I agree, don’t worry.” You smiled and got out your sketchbook, your iPad in case you felt more like digital.
- A waitress came and took your orders, coming back with snacks and drinks.
- Usopp was started to talk more as he got further into his art piece, something about drawing helped him relax and he became more animated.
- You talked about your favourite artists, what styles you liked, what art mediums you liked to use.
- As you paused to drink your drinks you exchanged sketchbooks, looking through the pages, making positive comments about one another’s works.
- Asking what your inspirations were.
- “How about we draw one another? It might be nice to see ourselves in the style of the other.” You suggested and he nodded.
- “I’d like that!”
- The next hour was a comfortable silence, the light music the café had on was calming.
- The sound of pencils on paper, the little ‘hmm’ and other sounds from you both as you concentrated.
- You watched Usopp, how he poked the tip of his tongue out, concentrating his hardest to get something right.
- Oh yeah, he was a cutie you decided.
- “Ready?” Usopp asked setting down his tools, getting ready to turn the sketchbook over.
- “Ready!” You agreed.
- “One, two, three!”
- Turning around your books at the time you admired his work, he was a great artist and you felt so flattered with how he drew you, heat spread across his cheeks as he saw your work.
- “I like that… can I, have it? Is that okay? I don’t often like pictures of myself..”
- “Oh sure, only if I can have the one you made, I love it.”
- It was a soft and sweet moment, the gentle removing of the page, handing each piece over to one another with such care.
- The sun had set outside, and it wasn’t long before closing time.
- You both packed up and Usopp paused, he reached down for every ounce of bravery he could muster.
- “I uh, would you like to do this again next week?”
REBLOG to say yes, yes, yes to this sweet man and his beautiful art or refuse him and get to be the muse for his next art piece ‘sad, lonely and eating cold pasta in my underwear’
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literallydontlook · 3 years ago
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The Unexpected (2/4)
You’re just not that interested in dating military men, nor have you ever been with an alien lover. But a chance Ascension Week encounter awakens something you didn’t know was inside. Chapter 2 of 4.
Pairing: Thrawn x f!reader
Rating: 18+
TW/CW: none (or if I’m missing something, please let me know!)
Tags: sexual tension, romance, slow burn, civilian reader, sexual fantasy, m@sturbation
Word count: 2k+
A/N: I know I said the whole thing is written, but I got sort of unhappy with it and thought I’d rewrite some. My Thrawn crush has sort of cooled so I couldn’t find the energy to do it. But! I am a woman of my word! Here’s part II, unedited, no beta we die like chiss. 
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<-- Part 1 - The Trap
Part 2 - Friends
Dajmita had returned in the morning wearing last night’s gown, her makeup smudged from a night of sexual activity. Removing her shoes, she found you curled up in a blanket on the sofa. Your makeup from the previous evening in a similar state of disrepair.
“What happened to you?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“I tried to take someone home,” you groaned pulling the blanket over your head.  She smiled impishly and then faltered, “Wait - What do you mean tried?”
“How do you do it? I took him to my studio for a ‘tour’,” your hands motioned in air quotes, “and he bought a piece of art and left.”
Dajmita was torn between laughter and pity. She sat down beside you and stroked your hair, pulling tangled pins out as she tried to sooth you, “Only you could miscommunicate a hookup.”
Your data pad pinged and you grabbed for it blindly from under the blanket. You groaned, “Aaa ugh it’s already noon?” You threw your legs over the side of the couch and dragged your feet to the refresher.
“Do you have to be somewhere?” Dajmita called from the other room. You washed your face and pulled the remaining pins from your head, then pulled your hair up into a messy half bun. You sighed.
“I promised to meet a friend for lunch,” you breathed out tiredly as you brushed your teeth.
“You could just cancel,” she pointed out.
There was only the sound of scrubbing as you considered this. Spitting out the foam and rinsing your mouth you decided you shouldn’t flake.
“No...I should go,” you sighed again, pulling off your gown and rummaging through your dresser for something comfortable to wear. Dajmita gave you a concerned look.
“Well, I guess you must be pretty comfortable with this person if you’re going out like that.” You looked in the mirror and shrugged. You grabbed a cloak and pulled the hood over your head, “It’s not like anyone wants to hook up with me when I’m dressed up anyway!” you cried out over-dramatically.
Dajmita crossed her arms, “Don’t say that.”
“Just let me wallow for one day,” you complained, dragging your feet out the front door, “I’ll be back later.”
She laughed, “Fine but you’re being ridiculous! We’re doing something fun when you get back!” she called after you.
“Fiiine!” you called back.
——-
Eli had already found a table at Dex’s Diner when you arrived.
“What’s with the cloak? Did you have a uh...rough night?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. You glared at him.
“Whoa sorry we don’t need to go into detail,” he raised his hands defensively. You buried your head in your arms, “Nothing happened.” Your voice was muffled.
He realized you were serious as you sat back up to give the waitdroid your order. “What do you mean nothing happened?” he asked incredulously.
You took a deep breath, your cheeks burning with embarrassment, “Stars I can’t be talking to you about this!” you cried out.
“Hey I’m not a little kid anymore,” Eli shot back. “You can talk to me,” he offered kindly.
“I mean, what more can I say? We went to my studio and he bought a painting and then left.” Now that some time had passed, you could laugh a little. Then a thought occurred to you.
“Is he married or something? Or anti-inter-species?” Eli’s face twisted in thought, “He’s definitely not married, but to be honest I didn’t realize he had a sexuality.”
“Oh.” you considered this, not sure if you should feel better with this new information. The waitdroid returned with your orders - the smell of grease inviting you to indulge.
“Well he wants me to install the painting he bought on his ship,” you said, jabbing at the mush on your plate. You received his transmitted instructions earlier that morning which only reminded you of your failure.
Eli stopped mid-bite. “He wants you to come to the Chimaera? ...In person? He didn’t ask you to hand it off to a stormtrooper at the landing dock?”
“Is that unusual?”
“I’ve never seen a civilian aboard a Star Destroyer. I don’t think you’re allowed...but then again, it’s his ship, so I guess he can sort of do what he wants,” Eli conceded.
“I’ll send him a message to confirm,” You said, your heart beginning to race again. Why do I feel so...excited? You push away the thought.
“Enough about Thrawn. What’s up with you? What are you doing here? Last my parents told me you were training to be a supply officer in the Expansion Region.”
Eli sat back and sighed, not sure where to begin.
—-
“You cannot get hung up on a random guy you don’t even want to date!” Dajmita spelled out loudly as she shook you by the shoulders.
“Please don’t yell at me.”
“I’m not yelling! I’m just making sure you hear me,” she huffed. “You’re so desperate for a fuck. This isn’t some failure you need to overcome. You said yourself this guy might be ace.”
“Well why would he ask me to install the art on his ship then? Civilians aren’t normally allowed,” you countered.
“Maybe he’s just really into art and wants to maintain the artist’s original intent- I don’t know!” Dajmita threw up her arms in frustration, “Why do you even care? You don’t even like military men. If you need someone to fuck, just ask Endel. He’d definitely do it!”
“You know I can’t lead someone on like that! I think he still has feelings for me!” you turned back to the mirror to finish applying makeup, “Ok does this look like I’m not trying too hard? I want to be taken seriously as a professional but like, a hot professional.” You stepped out of the refresher clad in workers clothes.
“I mean, if that’s what you’re going for...Like a carpenter from a pornographic holo vid,” she assured you. You looked down at your top, “Is it too tight?” You tried stretching your arms up to see how much of your mid drift would be exposed. You tried bending over, too.
“Oh yeah - just do that a lot,” Dajmita purred suggestively.
——-
The Chimaera was much bigger than you had ever imagined. Several Lambda-class shuttles were docked in the landing bay where hundreds of stormtroopers and Imperial officers buzzed about their business in an orderly rhythm.
You suddenly felt very self-conscious. Your civilian clothes drew more attention than you were used to and even the officer who scanned your security clearance regarded you suspiciously as he read your destination from his data pad.
“You have an appointment with…Admiral Thrawn?” He asked incredulously.
“That’s right. I’m installing a painting in his office.” This seemed to make sense to him, but he reached for his comm for confirmation.
“Sir - There’s a...female civilian here to install a painting?”
Thrawn’s voice came through the comm, “Yes, please send her up with an escort.” Still somewhat suspiciously, the officer signaled a stormtrooper to meet you and he wordlessly lead you to a turbo lift.
You were fascinated by the cold design of the starship’s hallways. Every surface was immaculate, each crew member walking with purpose. There was almost complete silence, only the sound of murmured conversations and footsteps hung in the air. The path itself was dizzying - turn after turn after turn - you weren’t sure if you could find your way back.
Just as you began to wonder what was behind all of these sealed doors, your escort stopped at one guarded by another trooper.
“Code cylinders,” he demanded. Your guide handed him a pen-looking object and clarified, “This is only for her.” The object was inserted into a keyhole, opening the door behind him. “Go on in.”
Your escort turned and walked away, leaving you to enter Thrawn’s office alone.
The sound of clashing metal and of exertion filled the entryway. As you pushed the repulsorlift cart into the antechamber, you saw a door opened to a bright sparring room where Thrawn was combatting two large sentry droids. He expertly dodged each attack, countering with his own. You couldn’t help the warm feeling rising in your core again as you noticed his muscular arms for the first time. You imagined them pinning you to the floor as he pounded into you, a strong hand pulling your hair back.
Just as you caught yourself mid-fantasy, Thrawn noticed you and commanded the override code. The droids returned to their stations and powered down as the door hissed shut. You weren’t sure what to do next, but the door soon re-opened with a hiss and Thrawn emerged wearing his uniform jacket.
“I apologize - I thought I would have a few more moments before you arrived,” he said, fastening the cuffs on his sleeves. “Please, come in.” He ushered you through another door leading to his office. A large desk was situated in the center of the room, two reptilian sculptures flanking the display shelf behind it.
Thrawn led you through his office to an adjoining living space. “I’d like the painting to hang here. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“Th-thank you,” You shivered, realizing it was significantly colder here than in the hallway. Thrawn noticed your nipples had hardened in the cold, their outlines visible even through the layers of your shirt and bra. It was going to be difficult to concentrate today. He excused himself as you unloaded your work and began dismantling the piece’s wooden transport casing. After almost half an hour, you were able to carefully free the painting, only to realize it was too unwieldy for one person to lift.
You found Thrawn in his office, carefully studying star charts at his desk. Another fantasy intruded and clouded your vision: sitting at the edge of his desk, the holos of planets splashed against your skin, your legs spread wide as he drank in your cunt. He tweaked your nipples as you moaned in pleasure, the danger of being discovered only heightening your arousal. You breathed in deeply to ward away the thoughts.
You cleared your throat and he looked toward you.
“Could I have some help?” you asked, expecting him to call another officer or trooper to assist.
“I’m at your service,” he said to your surprise. He followed you back into the other room.
“I just need a hand lifting this onto the mounting brackets,” you explained. Thrawn situated himself on one side of the canvas and you heaved it up together, guiding its hanging wire in place. Just as it was lining up, he stole another glimpse of you. Your shirt rode up slightly as you worked and his eyes lingered on the small sliver of mid drift that was becoming more and more exposed in your exertion. With a deep breath, he fought back his primal urge to lunge.
You both stepped back to evaluate the painting’s placement. There was a long silence.
“…Is it…to your liking?”
“Yes…” he mused quietly, “Thank you…I believe I still owe you…payment.” His last word was almost a purr and you flushed as you fantasized a another meaning. Did he notice?
You followed him into his office, where he unlocked a desk drawer and pulled out a bundle of credits. He handed them to you, your fingers accidentally brushing against each other in the exchange. He saw your jaw tighten.
“I’ll be stationed on Coruscant for the next few months. There’s an exhibit on Mandalorian folk art that I think would be…educational. Would you care to join me?”
So he wasn’t going to bend you over his desk and have his way with you. Perhaps he really was only looking for a companion to discuss art with - he obviously wasn’t getting that kind of engagement from his peers. You were disappointed but not heartbroken. After all, it wasn’t like you had romantic feelings towards him. You accepted this invitation to friendship.
“I’ve been looking forward to that exhibition myself. When do you want to go?”
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mitthsyndic · 3 years ago
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Here is my second attempt at writing Thrawn, much longer this time! Again if you have any criticisms or feedback then please feel free to share!
Read on AO3.
Summary: Lieutenant Thrawn meets the reader (gender neutral) at the Ascension Week celebrations on Coruscant, and she offers to show him around her art gallery. (Based roughly on the 2017 Thrawn book). 
Pairing: Thrawn x Reader (gender neutral, Thrawn is still a Lieutenant at this point).
Warnings: None.
Word Count: 1,715.
A Keen Eye
If you'd learned at least one thing from your meeting with Lieutenant Thrawn, it was that he was passionate about art. 
He wasn't simply an admirer or even a collector; he'd told you in detail about how he used an enemy's artwork in order to anticipate their tactics in battle, and ultimately defeat them. From what you could gather from his companions, this proved to be effective far more often than not. Your own companions scoffed dismissively at these claims, and not so politely ushered your group away from Thrawn towards more powerful, influential partygoers. 
However, you believed you could understand where Thrawn was coming from, and you felt compelled to see his analysis in action. After all, it wouldn’t exactly be an inconvenience to you, as he could simply meet you at your own art gallery here on Coruscant. Furthermore, it didn’t take a keen eye for art to notice Thrawn’s strikingly good looks; his dark blue skin and illuminating red eyes caused him to stand out among the other guests, and he was what drew you over here in the first place. If he didn’t appear to be interested in any romantic prospects, you figured you could at least have some fascinating discussions about the pieces in your gallery. 
"I had best follow my companions. However, Lieutenant Thrawn, I'd like to observe your analysis of artwork and the military conclusions you draw in person. Please, take my comm details and contact me to arrange a meeting at my gallery - that is, if you have any spare time." You smiled at him as you offered him your comlink.
His eyes flicked briefly between your face and the comlink, as though he was unsure how to proceed. You tried to read his face; it was unwavering and unreadable. Well, almost. You could have sworn you saw the corner of his mouth slightly upturn into a smile.
Taking your comlink and quickly inputting his details, he responded coolly, "That would be most pleasant. Allow me to check my schedule for my remaining days on Coruscant, and I shall respond with my availability." 
As he handed you back your comlink, your fingers brushed for a brief second. The fleeting contact was intoxicating, yet his expression remained unvarying. It was almost impossible to tell how he felt about the momentary brush of your hands, or if he could tell that your proposition was identical to that of a date. 
"Of course. It was delightful meeting the three of you, and I hope to see you again soon." Politely smiling at Ensign Vanto and Colonel Yularen, you reluctantly trailed after your friends, leaving you with the rest of the evening to reflect on your meeting with Lieutenant Thrawn.
**
It was late; with your thoughts consumed by your encounter with Thrawn, you had left the celebrations and gone to bed at your apartment on Coruscant. Awoken by the faint alert of your comlink, you drowsily sat up and picked it up, allowing the incoming transmission through. 
“Apologies if I woke you. This is Lieutenant Thrawn.” His smooth voice echoed out of the comlink. 
“No, not at all. And, please, there’s no need for titles when we’re alone.” You boldly suggested. From what you could gather, Thrawn was exceptionally good at reading body language and tone, so you tried to convey your desire for a more informal relationship, in case he hadn’t gathered the implications behind your invitation.
“Of course.” You were certain you could hear a smile behind his voice. “This may be of short notice, but I will only remain on Coruscant for another day. There is a lapse in my schedule tomorrow evening, and I leave the following morning. I would like to see the works in your gallery, and hopefully demonstrate my... abilities to you then.”
He was incredibly difficult to read -even more so when you couldn’t see him in person, but you were sure that you could detect a hint of flirtation in his tone.
“Tomorrow evening works for me. Allow me to send you its location. If you need any directions or your schedule suddenly changes, then feel free to contact me. I’ve got my comlink on me at all times.” 
“Thank you. I look forward to meeting you again soon.” Your comlink clicked off, and Thrawn was gone once again. 
You laid back down and allowed your mind to drift off to sleep, thoughts consumed by the mysterious Lieutenant Thrawn and your ‘date’ tomorrow. 
**
You’d spent all day debating on whether or not to close the gallery and give Thrawn a private tour, and, eventually, you decided against it. It was never busy at this time of night anyway, and you didn’t want to appear too forward if you had in fact misinterpreted his intentions, and he really was here to only demonstrate his analytical abilities. Then came the matter of your outfit; he’d provided a rough estimation of his time of arrival, so you couldn’t exactly run off and change into something more ‘date-worthy’ before he arrived, but if you dressed in your regular work clothes then Thrawn may believe that this meeting was strictly business. After much deliberation, you’d settled on an in between that appeared professional, yet a little flirtatious.
Once that was sorted, all you had to do was wait. Many admirers came and went, as did the occasional interested buyer, yet the minutes passed by slowly as you anxiously anticipated his arrival. Normally, you would consider yourself a fairly confident, collected individual, if somewhat an overthinker, but in comparison to Thrawn? You felt almost neurotic. 
Although he’d spent almost a full day now preoccupying your mind, all coherent thoughts dissipated out of your head once he finally stepped into your gallery. He was precisely on time, and wearing simple black garments that had presumably been issued to him by the Empire upon his admission into the academy. From what Colonel Yularen had said, Thrawn had been practically discovered by the Empire, as his home planet was not in a region familiar to you. He also hadn’t mentioned what species he was; at first guess he appeared to be Pantoran, yet his glowing red eyes suggested otherwise. You made a mental note to ask him at some point this evening. Furthermore, you realised he actually hadn’t told you his last name -or maybe he hadn’t told you his first name? As your lack of true knowledge about the man who stood in front of you became more and more apparent, it began to feel like an incredibly stupid idea to invite him here.
Though, it was too late to do anything about that now. I guess I’ll have to make sure I learn everything I didn’t think to ask, you thought as you approached him. His expression was indecipherable, as, you began to suspect, it always was.
“Welcome, Thrawn. May I call you that, or is that your surname? I didn’t think to ask yesterday.” You bit the bullet and chewed your way through the awkward question. 
“It is Mitth'raw'nuruodo. My native language is Cheunh, and Chiss is the name of my species.” He broke eye contact and looked around at the gallery, and you did the same. Currently, it was just the two of you in there. “May I ask how you came to acquire the gallery and its pieces?” 
Though, Thrawn didn’t appear to find it awkward at all. Your eyes locked, and that same small smile you identified the night before appeared on his face. “Yes, you may call me Thrawn. That is my core name, as Chiss names can be difficult for many species to pronounce.”
“Ah, I understand. May I hear it anyway? And, is Chiss the name of your language then?” You asked delicately, although Thrawn appeared unbothered by your questions. 
“Well, I’ve had a passion for art since I was very little, both painting and admiring it. I practiced as much as I could with every bit of free time I had, and I took any even remotely artistic jobs. If a neighbour wanted their walls painted, I’d do it for free and they’d let me keep any leftover paint afterwards. All of my money went towards buying canvases, sketchbooks, paint, brushes, even spray cans. Sometimes I’d even spray paint murals, though I think everyone else saw that as graffiti and vandalism rather than art.” You paused, and the two of you locked eyes again. He was listening intently, so you decided to continue on. “Anyway, as I got older I’d sell my paintings, but it didn’t provide enough money for me to live on, so I begged Zena, the old owner of the gallery, to give me a job here. I did small things at first, like sweeping floors and cleaning picture frames, but eventually I got to lead tours and meet with other artists. When she retired, she left the place to me, and here we are now.” 
Thrawn paused for a few moments, as though he was fully taking in and understanding your words. “How fascinating. Do you still paint now?” Thrawn began to walk slowly towards the closest painting on display.
“Yes, whenever I have any inspiration or time.” You followed close behind, intently watching his focused stare on the painting in front of him. 
He then turned back to you, and stopped just before the painting. “Is any on display? May I see it?” He questioned. 
“No, it’s all in the back in our studio. Plus, I’ve never fought any kind of battle in my life, so I doubt you’re going to be able to observe any military tactics from my paintings.” 
“Perhaps, perhaps not. Many do not realise exactly what their artwork can reveal about themselves or their culture as a whole. So, although you may have never fought before, I could look at your work and anticipate your possible movements and strategies if we were to engage in battle, whether that be in a ship or in hand to hand combat. I have demonstrated it in this particular way once previously with a friend.” 
He noticed the slightly apprehensive look on your face, and smiled. “Of course, we do not have to fight. That would not be very typical behaviour on a date, would it?”
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insfiringyou · 3 years ago
Text
BTS - Going Solo (Part One) - Jimin x Ara
Contains: Angst. *Potential trigger warning for descriptions of panic attacks*
Set a few months following their scene in ‘Private Moments’, Ara is faced with a decision which will change the course of her future. 
(Part Two will be uploaded soon, after a few fics focusing on some of the other members.)
You can find out more about our headcanon universe and ongoing storyline here and more about our headcanon girlfriends here.
To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin /   Suga /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook & our full masterlist of fanart and fanfictions can be found here
If you wish to follow all member’s storylines in chronological order from the beginning, you can find them listed here.
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Content below the cut
‘Jimin,
We just spoke, and you asked if I was happy. I think I am. At least most days.’
Ara typed slowly. Her nails had just been manicured and were longer than she was used to. The sound of acrylics against the keyboard rang through the small hotel room. 
‘When I’m with you I can feel really happy. You can be so sweet and loving and I appreciate you always check up on me - to make sure I’m okay. Touring is hard. You know it better than anybody else, and you tried to prepare me for it.’
She gave a soft sigh, knowing no one else would hear. The words were spilling out of her fingers before her brain had time to catch up, though she knew based on experience she would eventually work out what she was trying to say. The room was dark and the white glow from the word document was starting to make her eyes water. The contact lenses had been in all day and were getting on her nerves. Still, she persevered. She could remove them once she had finished. 
‘I’ve been asked to renew my contract.’
She stopped typing, heart thudding, and realised she felt scared. Her hand moved automatically to her stomach and she exhaled slowly before taking a deep, drawn out breath. She had been practicing and it had gotten easier. At first she would panic, and find her chest rising and falling like crazy, on the verge of hyperventilation, but soon she learned the trick; it was her stomach which was supposed to be moving, not her chest. Her cheeks were a little warm and she knew it was shame she was feeling, not embarrassment. She hadn’t told him yet, despite having known for over a week. Tentatively, she continued, fingers picking up speed as she became used to the sensation of the new nails. 
‘You remember me telling you the first was on a trial basis, based on sales. Well - whatever target they set for us, we must have hit it. Even you have noticed the increase in publicity lately...the T.V appearances. They’ve asked me to film a reality show. I don’t know what they’re expecting.’
Her brow furrowed, wondering...
‘I guess they might have asked you too?’
The laptop stayed silent for a long time and she rested her hands against the small, cheap desk as she gazed at the screen. Her mind suddenly seemed blank and she felt stupid. She would never send the document to Jimin, just as she hadn’t sent the ones she had written before; three month’s worth of unopened, worthless ramblings saved in some obscure folder on her desktop, trapped in the harddrive somewhere between her acoustic recordings and photographs of hairstyles she had saved from Pinterest. She often wondered why she even bothered to save them. Her counsellor had told her, time and time again, that keeping a diary would be helpful. She could record her mood swings and track her periods, along with keeping count of what she ate; wholegrains made her bloated, red food colourings brought out a rash. She sometimes worried she might be lactose intolerant, though could handle it in coffee. That type of thing. She kept it up at first; bashfully bringing the sparkly diary into the small office she visited once a month and reciting what she had written to the man opposite. He would nod sympathetically as she spoke, making a comment from time to time; asking how she felt about what she had put. But the company was paying him to do this; all the girls went, and she sometimes wondered if it was the food diary he was really interested in. If her manager was keeping track, making sure she and the other members were not overdoing it on the full-fat salad dressing and milky lattes. 
The diary entries began to dwindle and, not long after her last week-long visit back to Seoul, the meaningless letters on her laptop started. They were usually addressed to Jimin, though she had written several to her father and one to her brother. She wasn’t good with words; she had been told that often enough at school when she would have to read out loud from the book of the week in Literature, or come up with an argument in Business Studies. Her mouth would stumble and she’d turn red, both ashamed and humiliated, until the teacher inevitably took pity on her and told her to sit back down. Writing in private was much easier, especially when she knew no one but her would see.
‘I don’t know how to feel.’
The cursor hovered, blinking at the end of the last line. There was a heavy knock at the door and Ara jumped, hands automatically reaching for the laptop lid, before a familiar female voice called out.
“Ara? Are you coming?”
She quickly gathered herself, clicking the save icon at the top of the screen. The company had arranged a group meal in the restaurant downstairs, though she had forgotten, her mind distracted by more pressing thoughts.
“In a minute…I just need to change my lenses.” She called back, moving her finger against the touchpad as a pop-up appeared. She selected the save button once more, mouth twisting as she read the title in the little window: ‘Untitled #12.’ She wondered if she would ever get around to renaming them properly.
***
“Your hair has so much texture. I wish mine were thicker.”
Ara murmured in reply before catching the young stylist’s reflection in the mirror and realising how rude she must have sounded. Da-eun had come to the company some months before and was undeniably sweet. Too sweet, Ara sometimes thought, for the business she was in. The other makeup artists and hairdressers loved to keep one ear to the wall, in case there was a chance of promotion or, she rather cynically suspected, a way to increase their pay by selling gossip, but Da-eun didn’t seem like that. At least not yet.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ara smiled into the glass at the figure behind her. “I’m glad I have you to do it for me. The roots are a nightmare!”
Da-eun returned the smile and seemed to relax, but a curious expression still played on her features as she ran the straightener gently across the dyed tips of hair. “Are you tired?”
“I didn’t get much sleep.” Ara confirmed, briefly closing her eyes. Da-eun knew not to press her, but she couldn’t help but worry the younger woman might know more than she was letting on. They had shared hotel rooms in the past and, perhaps it was the stylist's instinct, used to paying close attention to detail, but she always seemed to tell when something was amiss. It was frustrating sometimes. 
“I looked at the schedule. You’re not going on set until last so you’ll have time to rest before you go out.” Da-eun murmured helpfully. Ara nodded, relieved. It occurred to her, not for the first time, that Da-eun should quit while she could; while she was still young and hopeful and kind. 
“I just don’t have the energy right now…” Ara sighed as she felt her hair being released. The younger woman finished working the ends and unplugged the device from the dressing room table. 
“Did you sign the contract yet?” 
Her voice was inquisitive and a little optimistic. Ara had never asked, but there was always the chance that Da-eun’s contract was somehow tied to her own; that if the group were to disband, she might lose her job. Ara shook her head lightly.
“No.”
Da-eun raised an eyebrow. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“I just haven’t had time to read it properly.” She said, truthfully. “It’s come around sooner than I thought…”
The stylist moved forward, reaching for the set of hairbrushes on the counter, before selecting the biggest. She teased through the ends of hair with her short fingers before brushing lightly along the bleached roots, smoothing the locks. 
“There’s been rumours.” The younger woman said, voice suddenly low as though she were worried about being overheard. A thick curtain set apart the dressing room from the photography studio, but it was always possible someone was listening. 
Ara blinked, tensing a little. “What?”
Da-eun smiled gently. “That you’re making a solo album.”
“Oh…” The older woman wasn’t sure what she had expected, but this news took her by surprise. “I wasn’t planning on it.” She shrugged.
“That’s a relief.” Da-eun beamed with a small laugh. “I’m looking forward to going home soon. Aren’t you?”
Ara opened her mouth to speak, not sure what she was going to say, but the curtain beside them drew apart suddenly; startling them both. 
“Oh! Costume change…” Da-eun exclaimed, setting down the brush and turning to accommodate the older woman who had just entered. Mimi was a year older than Ara and usually less prone to accidents, but the leather strap on her camisole suggested a wardrobe malfunction which needed attending to at once.
“Sorry to interrupt…” The other woman murmured apologetically, gesturing to Da-eun. “Could you fix this for me?”
“Sure.” She nodded, stepping away.
Ara’s phone had vibrated against her thigh twenty minutes before but she hadn’t wanted to risk opening the text, especially with someone standing over her shoulder. As Da-eun seated Mimi in the rotating chair on the opposite side of the room to take a look at her costume, Ara took the moment to slip the device from her pocket and flick through the recent notifications. Unsurprisingly, it had been Jimin who had texted and she read the sentence a couple of times before returning it to her pocket.
‘Two more weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing you. It’s been too long.’ 
***
Ara sipped from the glass, the cool water clearing her throat and offering a much needed refreshment from the events of the day. Her voice had become raspy from singing, but luckily she didn’t need it to type. 
‘Jimin,
I was cleaning my closet before we went on tour and found the dress I was wearing on the night we met.’
She found herself smiling, a little longingly, at the memory, a strange anecdote coming to mind.
‘It still has a Daiquiri stain on the hem and it’s too big for me now. I don’t know why I’m saving it.’
The thought made her sad, somehow. 
‘I wonder if you remember that night as clearly as I do. I didn’t want to leave. I knew you were with someone else, but I didn’t care.’
A deep frown played on her otherwise gentle features.
‘Does that make me a bad person?’
It wasn’t until she read the line back, she realised the thought had never occurred to her before. Not once in five years. She wondered why it suddenly seemed to matter. With a sigh, she continued, committing her trail of thoughts to the page.
‘You told me it was over the next time we met, and I believed you, but part of me wondered if you’d go back to her, once you knew how inexperienced I was. I guess I know how you feel sometimes. The whole thing has taken me by surprise as well. I never felt like anyone would want me.’
Her chest ached as she typed the final sentence; overwhelmed by emotion. It was true that the compliments and flirty glances she often received were met with an automatic but fleeting sense of glee. It felt novel, after so long of feeling like she didn’t deserve it. It sometimes still felt that way; back in the hotel room, after the cheers of the crowd had faded. She had brought the subject up with her company counsellor who had laughed it off, explaining that everyone suffered with imposter syndrome from time to time; she wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. On the matter of flirting, she had kept that one to herself. It felt too personal and she was sure it would come across as vain. Occasionally it was unwarranted; the older mens’ eyes moving down her legs when she took to the stage in a short skirt back in Seoul, or the way she jumped in alarm when someone once slipped their hand down the back of her jeans while she stood tightly packed in an elevator in Osaka. But other times she found her heart racing and stomach churning; not thinking of Jimin until she tucked herself in bed at night. A pretty, tall waitress brushing her hand as she handed over the bill in a Thai restaurant, or the hotel doorman who had helped her move her luggage earlier in the week and smiled kindly at her in the lobby. She knew Jimin, of all people, would understand. She had seen the way he played the audience, like he had a secret to share with them all. Early in their relationship it had made her crazy; the way he seemed to flirt with anyone he came into contact with, often without even realising. But now the tables had turned. He would understand; but she wasn’t sure he would accept it. 
She glanced a warily at the shadowy corner of the room where an oversized bouquet of red roses sat on the dresser. They had arrived earlier to the hotel room, along with a postcard sized letter from her manager. He had been unable to make the trip to Taiwan but was waiting for her in Tokyo; the contract was ready, whenever she was ready to sign. The flowers seemed like a bribe; the gesture leaving a sour taste in her mouth. She wondered if the other two girls had received any, or if the privilege was all hers. 
The sound of her ringtone, a chirpy, summer tune, alerted her to the fact that an hour had already passed and it was getting late. She quickly swiped the screen and raised it to her ear, not wanting to wake up the neighbours.
“Hello?”
There was a pause before Jimin spoke. “How are you?” 
“Good.” She squinted at her watch with a frown. “What time is it there?”
“2am.”
“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” She asked, a little baffled. He hadn’t called her this late in a while.
“I only just got in. There was a company dinner.” He explained. “What are you up to?”
She hesitated. “Just thinking.”
He laughed, softly mocking her. “Just thinking?”
She shook her head, dismissing it. “Oh, it’s nothing…I was drying my hair.” She lied, fingering the ends of the bone-dry locks in an automatic response. “Da-eun dyed the tips purple for the photoshoot.”
“I liked the pink.” He groaned, a little sulkily.
“They thought purple would fit better with the concept photos.” She mumbled deflatedly. “It’s not really my choice.”
“You could change it when you come home.” He said hopefully. She heard the flirtatious grin in his voice and could picture his smile on the other end. “They can’t do anything about it once your contract has ended.” 
“Maybe.” 
She sounded distant and he noticed the change at once.
“Are you okay?” 
She closed her eyes tightly, temporarily blocking out the glare from the laptop screen. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”
“Did you take a look at the brochures I emailed you?”
“I haven’t had time. I’m sure whatever you pick will be fine.” She knew she sounded a little irritated but was unable to mask it. The weight of the day suddenly seemed to dawn on her and she wanted nothing more than to go to bed. The last thing she wanted to talk about was moving house. 
“I’d really like you to help.” He argued lightly. “There’s a three bedroom going for sale on the Han River. Yoongi says it’s a good deal.”
Ara sighed. “I’m sure he’s right.”
A pause. 
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I wish you’d stop asking.” She pleaded, feeling on the verge of tears. Jimin seemed to hear the tremor in her voice and thought for a long moment before he spoke, tentatively.
“Maybe you should ask the doctor to change your medication again.”
Ara clutched the phone tightly. “It’s fine.” She tried to smile, hoping it would show in her voice. “I’m feeling much better, just tired.”
“Is that a side effect?” 
He sounded concerned and she nodded to herself, though she knew full well she hadn’t taken the time to read the little leaflet properly. “Probably. Maybe I just need some sleep.”
“Okay.” He agreed, though she sensed his trepidation. “I’d better go then.”
He sounded disappointed and Ara felt guilty once more. “I’m sorry Jimin.” She apologised softly. “It really was nice that you called. It’s just these time zones…”
“I understand.” 
She wondered if he did. Her eyes felt damp beneath her heavy, false eyelashes, making them itch. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
***
She had forgotten her contact lenses and had to rummage through her Birkin to retrieve her reading glasses. They felt strange on her nose and she wondered how she had ever made it through high school wearing them. At least she had been given a moment’s peace to read through the contract. The office overlooked Ueno Station and the rush of traffic below would be too distracting had someone also been watching her. 
‘As a permanent member of the label you should not bring the company into disrepute…’
She read carefully, though the paperwork seemed much larger than the last one she had signed. Some of the phrases looked familiar, such as the declaration of her dedication to being a ‘brand ambassador’, but others were definitely new. Her gaze hovered over one line:
‘...should not jeopardize future success…not limited to personal relationships, controversial thought or opinion including strong ties to political associations, ideologies or groups.’
She expected no less, particularly after Mimi was caught on camera reading a Betty Friedan book. The first part was more complicated and she wondered if Jimin’s management had asked something similar of him. 
With a sigh, she continued down the page, skimming the text now but picking up on key words which seemed important, ‘Maintain a visible and transparent social media presence….Agree to the screening and management of said accounts with the view of protecting our artists and their wellbeing.’
By the time she reached the end, it did not seem to matter and there was a strange comfort in realising this. The past three years had been carefully planned, organised, operated; her future written for her from the moment she stepped foot on stage for the first time. The moments of quiet between shows, or during her increasingly short stays back in Seoul, only seemed to complicate things further. Her thoughts were a mess whenever she stopped to breathe for a moment, and maybe it was easier to shut them off altogether; to give over all control and decision-making to someone else than to try and deal with them all herself. 
The fountain pen was heavier than she expected as she picked it off the table. It had the company brand embossed on the side in gold-leaf which seemed to reflect the fading light outside as the sun set below the concrete structure of the art museum to the West. Slowly, she signed her name on the final page; the ink blotting a little as she moved aside the bound file and repeated the motion on the second copy. The second attempt was neater as she grew used to the feel of the pen in her hand. There was a knack to it; just like many of the things she had grown to learn in her adult life; underwear should be washed on the delicate cycle, t-shirts should be turned inside out before they are ironed, glasses should not be left in the sink too long, should they smash. She had an assistant to do those things now, and her clothes were mostly dry cleaned these days. 
She neatened the piles of paper and put the lid back on the pen, so the ink wouldn’t dry. The first contract had been signed in black Biro, which hadn’t come with such demands. Reaching down, she picked up her black handbag and carefully folded her personal copy, slipping it between her lipstick and glasses case before adding the pen. She had probably paid for it anyway; in her own way. The green light on her phone was blinking and she slid it from the pouch in the lining. The text had arrived while she was in the meeting, which is why she hadn’t heard her phone go off. Her thumb paused over the messenger button for a moment, before she tapped the screen lightly; Jimin’s name and picture coming into view in the little window above the text. 
‘One more week! :)’
***
Thank you for reading. To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin /   Suga  /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook
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26 notes · View notes
rat-father · 4 years ago
Text
Part 6! FLUFF
No angst, just wholesome.
This one is a bit longer then the others. I wrote 2k words instead of the usual 1.3k
I was just really in a fluffy mood so it's kind of like a treat
Again, I didn't proofread so if you see mistakes then shhh
Tagging; @skunkandgrenade
-- tw;; it as pronoun, pet whump/captivity --
For Cub it was like master never disappeared in the first place, it just went back to its normal self no questions asked. For the others it wasn’t as easy.
Xanzi got some bad wounds that needed bandaging which made it hard to do mundane tasks at time, while Lexi tried her best to treat them. Lo went back to his own place while still being a bit upset with him.
The pet did stay a lot closer to master then before, and always tried to give a helping  hand. It was also allowed to sleep in his room for a couple days. If anything it was like its bond with him grew closer. And because of that he wanted to take it somewhere new, to the city! He bought a new harness for it knowing it would be busy as always, even on a quiet day.
“Are you excited?” Master asked, already knowing the answer.
It nodded it’s head with joy. It was allowed to go to the city for the first time! Master made sure it was well hydrated and wearing warm enough clothes before they left. It was gonna be just the two of them, they had the entire day for themselves. I also got to wear a new harness and leash which it thought looked  really pretty.
It even enjoyed the ride to the city. It stared out of the windows the entire way.
Xanzi felt bad for the pet to an extend, it had never even seen a city before, or any public place. But then again he didn’t care much, it was a great opportunity to bond with his pet and make it trust him even more, if that was even possible.
The parking lot what surprisingly empty, usually it was filled to the brim but today Xanzi managed to find a spot quite fast. He could see his pet already getting more excited in the corner of his eye.
“Alright, we’re here. I brought water so if ya get thirsty just tell me okay?”
“Yes master!”
“Good. If ya behave well we can go here more often.”
It started practically jumping in its seat, eager to go out and explore. Master stepped out first and took opened the door for it after. He clipped the leash on its harness and they started heading towards the city.
There were still quite a few people around which made it a bit anxious, so it stayed close to master and made sure to check if he was still there every now and then. After a bit of walking it saw a cute little shop selling tons of plushies and stuffed animals. It really wanted to go see it and dragged master along to it.
The walls were pastel yellow on the inside with relaxing music playing through speakers. It immediately went over to the sections with stuffed animals and looked at all of them with amazement. Some of them had pretty pinks, greens and purple mixed in with their fur and were glittery!
A pink narwhal caught its attention, it was big and fluffy and master said it was allowed to have it. It held the narwhal in its arms as it continued looking around the store.
Aside from plushies and stuffed animals, the store also sold clothing. The pet knew it didn’t need new clothing, but a frog hat really intrigued it and it just couldn’t help itself. Everything there was so pretty and it could stay there for hours, but it also wanted to explore more of the city. Master paid for everything and they continued down the city, narwhal in hand and frog hat on.
There were street performers playing outside and Cub wanted to listen for a bit. Of course it never had heard music before so it was very amazed at the songs they were playing. When they were done Xanzi gave them 20 euros before the pet dragged them further.
It stopped in front of a pet shop, it seemed a bit unsure, but hesitantly went inside. At first it walked slowly, until it saw it the toy section which it basically darted to, almost making Xanzi fall out of shock. With its free hand it held up a small mushroom chew toy in front of his face.
“Ya want that one bud?”
“Yes please, master.”
He faked thinking about it for a second. “Alright, I guess you can have it.”
It smiled as they walked up to the cash register to pay. The cashier lady was nice and complimented the pet on how cute it looked as master paid.
It couldn’t wait to see more of the city, everything looked beautiful and the weather was perfect for a walk. Sometimes it would just stop and admire some of the trees or buildings, which master thought was just adorable. He couldn’t help but wonder whether all pets were like this, or if it was just his pet that was this curious.
Cub lightly tugged on master’s sleeve trying to get his attention.
“Hm? What is it pet?”
“It is hungry, can it have food please, master?”
“We can stop at a cafe and get some food there if you want.”
It frowned, looking confused. “What is a cafe, master?”
It didn’t know what a cafe was, of course.
“It’s a place where you can get food and drinks. You’ll see.”
Xanzi knew the city by heart, he lived there for most of his life before buying his mansion. There were tons of cafes nearby. They went to the one that was the most quiet, he didn’t want his pet to get overwhelmed.
In the cafe the pet got a lot of weird stares, pets were a common thing, just not often seen outside. Or in good condition.
Master ordered it a slice of cake and cola, with coffee for himself.
It didn’t take it long to finish its cake, it was starving and it tasted really good. But it waited a bit before drinking the cola, it didn’t understand why there were bubbles going up. Master told it to just try it, that it wasn’t something to worry about. The taste was, odd, but it liked it.
Master suggested they’d go to the nearby art shop too. He thought it might like drawing or painting. It didn’t know what drawing or painting was, but if master said it was fun then it must be fun.
The art shop was significantly bigger then the other stores, it was also packed with all kinds of stuff. The pet wasn’t sure where to look first, this was all new to it. It look at its master, hoping for some directions. Luckily he got the sign and directed it towards a shelf with different types of sketchbooks. They all had things written on them but it couldn’t read. Master picked one out for it and handed it to them. It had a nice yellow cover with a cat on it.
”Do you like this one?”
“Yes master. It’s very pretty.”
Master also showed it some colored pencils, he said it could use them to draw anything it wanted in the book. It still didn’t quite understand but it sounded like fun.
The store also had an upstairs area with big white blocks, master called them canvases. Apparently people painted stuff on them with brushes and different types of paint. It all sounded confusing and complicated.
When they were done there he took it to a book store. He wanted to teach it how to read and needed some books for it.
It didn’t like the book store very much, it felt like there were endless amounts of books everywhere it looked. It was too overwhelming. It held onto master’s arm with one hand and hugged its narwhal plushie with the other.
Master didn’t take long to find what he needed so they weren’t in there for too long.
“Master? Its feet are starting to hurt.”
”Let’s head back home then, I’m also getting kinda tired.”
Master held its hand as they made their way back to the car. It had a big smile on its face, master rarely held its hand, it loved it when he did.
The walk back made its feet hurt even more, but they stopped to get ice cream which made it easier to deal with. Ice cream had always been its favorite.
The drive home was very relaxing to Cub, it had spend all its energy in the city and now it could just sit and watch the sky while cuddling with the narwhal.
Master didn’t talk to it while driving which it was fine with. The soft music playing from the radio made it even better.
It didn’t notice it had fallen asleep until it felt the car stop moving.
“Ya took a nice nap?”
Oh no. It slept without permission. Was master mad?
“Sorry master. It didn’t mean to.”
”It’s fine dear,” he gave it a polite chuckle. “You can sleep whenever you want. I don’t mind, understood?”
“Yes master, thank you.”
He took it out of the car and walked it back to the mansion. It hurried off to its room to put its new plushie and toy away. It was excited to try this ‘drawing’ thing out with master.
It came back downstairs with the sketchbook and colored pencils in hand. Lexi cleared some room on the table for it so it could dump the pencils out of the box. It opened the sketchbook and, felt a bit lost. Where was it supposed to start?
”Just make some lines, whatever you want. There’s no right or wrong.” Master reassured it.
It picked up a purple pencil and went for it. The paper felt smooth each stroke it made, it was a nice feeling. It wasn’t entirely sure what is was drawing at first, but it was drawing it! Next it took a blue pencil and continued scribbling on the paper. It then set the pencils down and held the sketchbook up to master sitting in front of it.
”Master, look! I drew narwhal!” It had a proud smile on its face.
“Wow, that looks amazing! You’re a really great artist.”
He was lying, of course, but it didn’t matter if it look good anyway, the pet was having fun, and that’s what was important.
It giggled and continued scribbling with other colors on the next page. He was right to assume drawing was something it would like. It never got the chance to be a child, so he would give it to them.
Lexi joined them after an hour of the pet drawing various things on the white pages.
“You guys are having fun drawing I see.”
The pet silently nodded, not taking its eyes off the drawing it was working on. It was drawing the mansion, but with all types of colors.
It finished it and showed it to both master and the maid who said they loved it.
Eventually it was time for dinner and Cub had to stop drawing, it didn’t want to stop, but it didn’t want to be a bad pet either.
Master said it could continue drawing after it was done with dinner. It was looking forward to it.
Bonus;
It wasn’t long before Cub became obsessed with art, drawing specifically. It really enjoyed scribbling in its sketchbook and then showing it to its master with a proud smile. And like any good master would do, he put its best drawings on the fridge. 
37 notes · View notes
bqstqnbruin · 4 years ago
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Give your heart a break
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I did in fact scream about how much I hate and love the Bruins while in the middle of Kohl’s today, so there’s that. I also wore my Harvard hockey shirt again and another person asked me if I played for the team so next time someone asks I’m just saying yes.
This was requested ages ago (because y’all know I’m the worst when it comes to doing things in a timely manner), so I hope the anon who requested this likes it!
This was also inspired by Give Your Heart A Break by Demi Lovato!
----------------
You were on stage, loving the rush that every performance came with despite how tired you were. Now almost done with your second tour, you couldn’t believe this was your life. Your favorite song that you sang during this tour wasn’t even one of your own; Give Your Heart a Break was the only cover you performed. Every lyric seemed to mirror your relationship, despite being released before you were a teenager.
“Alright, we’re going to change things up a bit, and switch over to a song written by one of my favorite artists: Miss Demi Lovato. I hope you guys like it,” you say as the violin melody that provided the beat started to play, drawing out the sound of the crowd as you got lost in the song.
The day I first met you, you told me you’ll never fall in love. 
Singing the song takes you back to that night at the bar, out with your friends in your hometown. Your friend, Rebecca insisted you go out to this particular bar when she found out the Vancouver Canucks were going to be there seeing as she was slightly too obsessed with the group of men. You weren’t too invested the reason why you were going there, you just wanted to go out with your friends before leaving for what was going to be a way too long, three month tour around North America, your first one ever. 
“To Y/N and her tour!” Bex leads your friends toasting the first round, “let’s hope it’s successful so that when she comes back she can pay for our drinks!”
You roll your eyes, everyone agreeing as you sarcastically say, “Very funny.” They continue to banter, Bex with her eye on the hockey players sitting at the table across from yours. She was purposefully being loud enough for them to hear her say she knew someone going on tour, but that could mean a lot of things when you think about it. It was enough to catch the attention of some of them, causing them to look over and see what the commotion was about. But you weren’t too interested in anything. Leaving within the next week meant you had to focus on nothing besides your career. 
Your friends kept talking about how excited they were for you, but you weren’t paying attention. Only one of the guys at the other table had caught your eye: you weren’t sure if it was because he looked tired and like he didn’t really want to be there, sort of like you, or because of something else, but there was something that drew you to him. Apparently you caught his eye, too, since the two of you spent about five minutes doing what your friend would probably refer to as ‘eye fucking,’ even though you really hated that term. She would think that you were both mentally undressing each other, both of you fully aware of what was going on. 
You get up to get yourself another drink, praying that he would follow you to the bar. If he did, you would talk to him. But, no, you couldn’t start anything. Who the hell starts something and then leaves for three months? It’s not like you were the type of person who did a hookup, either, but who knows? No, wait. You were overthinking things, like normal. How the hell do you even know what he wants? You don’t unless he tells you. He had to follow you to the bar first. 
You order your drink, your back turned towards your friends and the Canucks. “Put it on my tab,” you hear from behind you as you’re about to hand the bartender your card. You turn around, seeing the tired boy standing behind you, trying to weasel his way next to you. “Quinn,” he introduces himself, “I hope you don’t mind. If you don’t want it I’ll just drink it and have you pay for another one.” 
You laugh at how nervous he sounds, introducing yourself and telling him it was fine that he was buying the drink for you. “My friends said next time I’m home, drinks are on me, so might as well save up while I can.” 
“You have that tour coming up, right?” he asks, you shocked that he would even know that before remembering how loud Bex was. Hockey players didn’t strike you as the type of guys to listen to your music, but then again, you remember Rebecca saying this team was watching Gossip Girl together, so anything was possible. “Sorry, I kinda listen to your music. What’s it called, the By the Book Tour?” 
You groan at hearing someone say the name out loud. “I really actually love that you listen to my music but it is so important to me that you know I did not come up with that name.” 
He laughs, starting a conversation about your music, his hockey, everything else in between. The conversation somehow managed to get really deep really fast. “Wait, but you have all those songs about being in love and the perfect guy and all that stuff.”
“Well, yeah, since I’m still new in the industry I have to write what sells and ‘build a fan base’ as my manager says before I can start writing what I really feel,” you say, rolling your eyes, “And I think I was in love and falling out of love when I wrote those songs, but I don’t know what real love is. You don’t know what it is until you actually experience it.” 
“So you don’t think you’ve been in love before?” he asks.
“No. Have you?”
He stops for a minute, trying to think before shaking his head, “Nope. I don’t think I ever will be.”
You look at him, shocked that he would even admit something like that to someone he just met. “Really? Never? You don’t think there’s someone out there for you that you could fall in love with?”
“Nah. Who’s got the time? I mean, traveling for most of the year for hockey? How can I? You’ve got to understand: you’re about to be traveling for three straight months and then who knows what comes next. How can you even find time for love?” 
“I don’t know,” you shrug, thinking about it seriously for the first time, “I think that,” you pause, trying to find the words, “I think that everyone is destined for love, regardless of how they get there. People who don’t want it might just be afraid of the pain that would come with losing it.” 
He looks at you, eyebrows raised, not like he’s shocked but impressed, instead. “I can tell you write your own songs,” he takes a long sip of his drink, finishing off the glass, “That was pretty poetic.” 
----------
You look out at the crowd, knowing exactly where they were sitting. He had the biggest smile on his face, the other guys, surprisingly, looking like they were enjoying themselves, too. 
Now here we are, so close, yet so far. Haven’t I passed the test? When will you realize: baby, I’m not like the rest?
After a month on tour, one of your shows happened to be in the same town that the Canucks were playing that night, so Quinn had suggested you meet up after your show and his game for drinks. It seemed that a lot of your upcoming tour dates and his away games matched up, some sort of weird but welcome coincidence. 
“Hey, Quinn!” you say as soon as you see him, practically jumping up from the table where you were waiting for him. You two had been talking nonstop since the night you met, but his words always haunted you, changing the flutter in your heart when his name popped up to absolute heartbreak: he doesn’t think he’ll ever be in love. Especially when you were sure you were falling in love with him. 
“Hey, how was the show?” he says, wrapping you in a tight hug. Even after just playing a game, he smelt so good.
“It was fine, not one of my best, but hey, the fans seemed to love it. As long as they’re happy, I’m happy,” you say. The trust was, you were already exhausted. Before every show, it seemed like, you were doing nonstop conferences, photoshoots, other promos like meet and greets, having your manager talk to you about your set list as if it weren’t the same each night, rehearsal, sound checks, costume, wardrobe, and so much more. You weren’t sure you had more than five hours of sleep in the last three days. You weren’t exactly sure how you were going to keep up. 
“You’re exhausted already?” he asks, as if he were reading your mind. You look at him, confused how he could have known that. “Even under the makeup you’re still wearing from tonight, I can see the bags under your eyes. Look, they’re the same as mine,” he says, laughing, pointing to his eyes. 
“I just, I knew it was going to be hard, but wow, I never thought it would be like this,” you admit, laughing at how that sounds. Something worth it is never easy, so why should this be any different. 
“But you love it, so who cares?” he asks.
“Very true.” The two of you sit there in silence for a moment, surprised it wasn’t as awkward as you expected it to be. “Can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“Are you afraid of love?” you ask, bluntly. But after that night you met, you had to know. It had been swirling around in your head the time. The more you talked to him, the more you swear you could see yourself falling in love with him if you could spend time with him, like you were right now, but was it worth falling in love with someone who didn’t love you back? 
He looks slightly shocked at the question, but you could tell it was something he had thought about before. “Well, I wouldn’t say afraid. I just don’t think right now it’s worth it. I mean, before I moved to Vancouver, girls would say they liked me because they thought I was going to be a professional athlete. So I would end up falling for them, then when I wasn’t in the NHL fast enough for their liking, they would dump me, and I’d be left just, standing there,” he says, not making eye contact with you. You can see his face getting red, obviously getting a little upset but trying to hold it in. “I mean, I don’t have time, you’re the only girl I talk to at this point who isn’t dating one of the other guys and isn’t my mom.” 
You don’t know why, but hearing that from him made you want to cry. Unable to look at him, you bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from doing that, pushing the food on your plate around with your fork. You were right there, constantly flirting with each other while you were on the phone, anytime Quinn was with the guys you could hear them teasing him about how excited he got when your name popped up on his phone, or when your songs came on the radio. Your band knew that when you were alone, you were probably talking to Quinn, getting to the point where they had some sort of code word to talk about you and him. 
You thought he liked you. You were so close to getting him, and you thought that’s what he wanted. If he asked you out on a real date right then, not just two friends getting together, you would say yes with no hesitation. When is he going to understand that you aren’t those girls from his home who would dump him when he wasn’t doing what you wanted him to with hockey? Who does something like that anyway? 
-------
You felt like you were staring at him the entire time you were singing, knowing that he couldn’t take his eyes off you either. 
On Sunday you went home alone, there were tears in your eyes. I call your cell phone, my love, but you did not reply.
Another night on tour, another night where your schedule lined up with the Canucks away games. You had no idea where you were at this point, you just knew you were exhausted, leaving in the morning for the next city and planning on sleeping on the bus the entire time, praying there was no reason for anyone to bother you when you arrived in the next city Sunday night. After the show, Quinn had invited you out again, the guys celebrating some big win that you didn’t know the significance of. You really didn’t care that much, especially since it was something that made him happy, so you went along and met him anyway, despite the fact that your veins had more coffee and energy drinks coursing through them than they did actual blood. You were getting there after the guys were, trying to find their table. The bar was crowded enough as it was, trying to find them taking way too long.
“Where’s that singer girl?” one of them asked. You still didn’t know his teammates well enough by name to know who said it, all you could tell was that he was blonde.
“She should be on here by now,” Quinn says, checking his phone to see if you had sent him anything. He had no idea you were a few feet away.
“Look at Huggy bear, already whipped by a girl he won’t close on,” another one teases.
“Ok, first of all, I am not whipped. She’s my friend. Second off, we will not talk about her like that, regardless of if she’s coming here right now or not,” you hear Quinn trying to defend you, even though the boys kept teasing him about you. Whatever, part of your career was criticism, this was just part of it.
You finally make your way through the people to get to the table, Quinn’s eyes lighting up when he sees you. You had to admit, you melted a little seeing him, despite him just putting you in the friendzone, him not knowing that you heard that. But were you really ready to sit with his friends knowing that they were teasing him about you? 
“I thought you weren’t coming,” Quinn whispers into your ear, pulling you in for a hug and sending chills down your spine. 
“And miss seeing you again? Please, I’m always up for seeing a friend,” you say. You swear he flinched when you said friend, but he said it first in your defense. You could already tell this night was going to end badly somehow, and none of you wanted to find out how.
He leads you over to the table of guys, none of them seeming to notice that you and Quinn had returned. The entire night was pretty much spent with Quinn pretty much ignoring you and only paying attention to the guys. They acted like you weren’t even there.
“I’m going to go get another drink,” you say, annoyed at Quinn, motioning to the empty bottle sitting in front of you.
Quinn nods, getting up with you “I’ll come with you.” You feel his hand on the small of your back, leading you from behind through the crowd to the bar. You couldn’t help your heart beating faster at this touch, something so intimate even though it probably meant nothing to him. The two of you sit down, you obviously bothered by the way the night was going. “Hey, I’m sorry for the guys,” Quinn apologizes, studying your face, “Are you ok?”
“No,” you admit. “You’ve been ignoring me the entire night. What’s the matter with you?” 
He bites his lip, looking back and forth between you and the guys while he tries to figure out what to say. “The guys think I’m falling in love with you so they tease me about it.”
You stare at him for a moment. Could the guys be right? Could Quinn actually have the same feelings about you that you did for him? “Well are you?” you ask, knowing that it was the alcohol in your system.
“Am I what?”
“Are you falling in love with me?”
“No.”
“Oh,” is all you can let out, looking down at the drink the bartender had given you. You didn’t want to drink it. Honestly, you just wanted to throw it in his face and storm out. You couldn’t believe he was doing this to you. You look up at him, his face red, him not able to make eye contact with you. He was lying. You know he was.
“I can’t,” he says, his voice small and wavering like he was about to cry.
“That’s bullshit and you know it. You can, too, fall in love, because you know what? I’m falling in love with you, and my schedule is just as busy as yours. So stop being afraid of letting people in because you don’t want to get hurt. All that does is hurt the people around you who are trying to care for you.” You sit there for a second, waiting for his response. When he doesn’t say anything, you get up and leave, before he can see you crying.
You take out your phone, trying to dial Bex as you make your way back to the hotel you were staying in. “Hey, babe, what’s up? It’s late.”
“I hate him,” you sob into your phone, knowing it wasn’t true. “He was so close to telling me he loved me, and he just looked at me and said he won’t.”
“Whoa, whoa, back up. What do you mean?” she says. You recount the night to her, Quinn not paying attention to you and then pretty much breaking your heart right there. “Ugh. what a bitch. He should be lucky to love you.”
You can’t help but smile, even though you were still upset about what had happened. You hear your phone beeping. Taking a look at the incoming call, you decline it, “He’s trying to call me.”
“Nope. Don’t answer.”
“Not gonna. Not for a while.” 
-------
You open your eyes, not even realizing that you had them closed. For a moment, it seemed like you were just singing to him, no one else around you even though you knew the venue was full.
When your lips are on my lips, and our hearts beat as one, but you slip out of my fingertips every time you run.
“So how does it feel knowing that this is the last night of your first full tour,” Bex says on the other end of the phone. The last night was in Vancouver, meaning that all of your friends who said goodbye to you three months ago finally got to see you again, and go out and celebrate with you again. 
“I’m so ready to sleep in my own bed, I’m fucking exhausted,” you tell her, sitting in the dressing room and looking at yourself in the mirror. You still had three more hours before you were supposed to take the stage, but you could already hear the audience going crazy. It felt so surreal, traveling around America and performing in front of thousands of people every night. You had never in your wildest dreams thought you would actually be doing this.
Your thoughts and reminiscing are interrupted by a knock on your door. “Hey, Bex. I gotta go, I’ll see you tonight? You have the passes ready to see me right after the show?”
“Yep, love ya, you’re gonna kill it. See ya,” she says, hanging up.
“Come in!” you call, not getting up from your seat. You were sure it was your manager, who always insisted that you stay in your seat instead of ‘tiring yourself and using energy to get the door.’ The door opens, seeing him in the reflection of your mirror. Practically jumping out of your chair, you run over to him, having not seen him since that night you left crying. “What are you doing here?”
The two of you had been talking again, but it took a while for you to be able to get comfortable with him again. Being told that someone refuses to fall in love with you is heartbreaking, especially when you were in love with them. But at this point, all you had to do was focus on the tour and repress your feelings, and you were doing pretty well until you saw him in your doorway.
“Something I should have done a long time ago,” Quinn says, his hands snaking their way around your waist. His lips crash to yours, you stunned by what was going on before relaxing into it. Your fingers tangle in his hair, tugging the soft strands when his grip tightens around your waist, pulling you closer to him. Your mind went blank, still unable to process that he was actually here.
He finally pulls away, your foreheads resting against each other, both of you with smiles on your face. “I don’t understand?” you say. He said he couldn’t love you. You talked all the time about how you weren’t really the ‘hook-up types.’ So why did he just kiss you? Why was he here before your show?
“I’m sorry,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut, “I don’t want the pain of losing someone, so I close myself off. You are everything to me. I don’t think I let myself fall in love because I never found someone who I could see myself being with until I met you.”
“You’re not going to run away this time, are you?”
“No.”
Another knock at your door startles you before you can say or do anything else. Your manager pokes their head in, “We need you for the pre-show warm-ups?” they ask, as if you were able to say no. “Are you staying here or finding a seat?” they motion to Quinn.
“Finding a seat,” he says, running his hand through his hair. 
“I’ll see you after?” you say to him, giving him another quick kiss before running out to get ready for the final show of the tour.
-----
You finish the song, the crowd cheering. You find Quinn and the boys sitting in their seats. You go through the rest of the show, still not able to pry your eyes away from Quinn. The second you saw him sitting the crowd, you nearly started crying; he had said he wasn’t going to be able to see you on this tour because of his hockey season. So not only did he technically lie, he surprised you and took all the guys to see you perform, too. 
After the show, you can hear the guys coming back to see you through the closed door of your dressing room. Opening it before they can knock, you nearly knock Quinn over, jumping into his arms and kissing him right in front of the guys.
“Who woulda thought that Q here would have actually landed a girl?” Brock asks.
“Hey, it was bound to happen at some point, look at the child,” Jake adds, “Even if it was with someone who sings about love all the time,” he teases you.
“I make just as much money as you do and all you do is chase a small rubber thing over a slippery surface. At least I create music people listen to while most of your fans just yell at you to shoot the puck,” you shoot back, the guys laughing.
“Come on, give her a break,” Quinn finally adds, “I mean look at her, how could I not love her?” he asks, the guys groaning at how mushy he was as as you plant a kiss on his cheek. 
124 notes · View notes
thefloatingstone · 5 years ago
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If you’re doing Self Quarintine (and you should be if you can help it) here’s some Youtube recommendations! Some of these I have posted about or recommended before but with almost all of us stuck indoors now’s a good time to remind you of some cool things you can watch for free!
I’m not gonna imbed the videos, I’ll just post the link because otherwise I would only able to post 5 and I want to collect a few so you can make a playlist or something. (I could make a playlist too but then I couldn’t tell you what each video is and you can’t pick and choose which one sounds interesting to you)
In no particular order:
Polybius: The video Game that doesn’t exist
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An hour long documentary in which the youtuber did extensive research to find the origin of the “Polybius” Urban Legend, which speaks of an early arcade game reportedly seen around the early 1980s which reportedly gave people migraines, insomnia, nausea, subliminal messages, and in some cases heart attacks.
The Universal S
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A shorter video in which LEMMiNO does his very best to try and track down where exactly this S that we all drew in middle school comes from? Why does literally every country on earth seem to HAVE their children draw this S?
I also recommend LEMMiNO’s video on the Dayltov Pass Incident and the perplexing UFO cases
Down the Rabbit Hole: Henry Darger
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Fredrick Knudsen has an incredible fascinating series called “Down the Rabbit Hole” which simply focuses on... anything you can discover and go digging into. From weird internet personalities, to bizarre happenings in history. This video is about the artist Henry Darger, a man who lived in the early 1900s and for all intents and purposes had a perfectly average, lonely life, until it was discovered just before his death he had spent literally decades writing and drawing a fantasy world in what is possibly the longest piece of literature ever written.
I also recommend his video on the Hurdy Gurdy
Bedtime Stories Channel
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I’m actually just gonna link the whole channel for “Bedtime Stories”. If you like weird and creepy stories, all of which at least claim to be “true” then Bedtime Stories is great. Coupled by illustrations and subtle sound effects, Bedtime Stories is literally listening to someone tell you a story about such things like hikers who mysteriously went missing, Sightings of Bog Men in Florida and giant Birds over Chernobyl, as well as weird and unsettling murders that remain unsolved. Sometimes the facts are a little dubious or have been disproved, but that’s not the point of the channel. It’s here to tell a creepy story, not give you a documentary.
A Journey Through Rule of Rose
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Rule of Rose is a Survival Horror gave for the PS2 which has rather bad gameplay... but a FASCINATING story with just as many layers and symbolism as Silent Hill 2 could boast. It tells the story of one young woman traveling back into her own childhood in an orphanage in the 1930s, and all the horrors that contains. From repressed grief, abusive relationships, child neglect, abuse, and bullying... but it ALSO contains symbolism of societal class structure, politics, eating the rich, and how power structures work. Not for the faint of heart, but HIGHLY recommended.
I also super highly recommend his video on the similarities between Silent Hill 2 and Solaris
Clemps Reviews Crisis Core
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Mr. Clemps is a great internet gamer who reviews JRPGs and other games he simply enjoys. Sprinkling in a heavy dose of comedy and very fast jokes and observations, Clemps’ videos are always upbeat, fun, and incredibly enjoyable to watch. I’m linking part 1 of his Crisis Core video in which he explains why the PSP game remains a personal favourite of his despite its flaws.
I also recommend his video on Eternal Sonata
Defunct TV: The History of Dragon Tales
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Defunctland is a channel that deals with theme parks and theme park rides that are no longer standing, or which are no longer around in their current form. Defunctland also has a sub series though, called “Defunct TV” where they look at the origin of children’s TV which are no longer airing. I recommend the video on Dragon Tales which is incredibly wholesome, and a genuinely uplifting and soft story of good people trying to make good things for children. (I also recommend the videos on Bear in the Big Blue House, Zoboomafoo, and Legends of the Hidden Temple)
Hagan’s Histories of Polar Exploration
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A Playlist for Diamanda Hagan’s videos about the doomed Franklin Expedition from the late 1800s, where England tried to find a passage through the Northern Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. This went horribly horribly wrong, with every member of the Expedition dead. Over a 100 years later we are still fuzzy on what EXACTLY happened, but apart from the arctic chill, there is also evidence of faulty canned food, a series of bad decisions, and cannibalism. Caution advised for this series.
I also recommend the rest of Diamanda Hagan’s channel. She is NOT for everyone, but if you enjoy somebody reviewing Z grade indie movies as well as just BIZARRE films, really bad Christian media bordering on Science Fiction (without making fun of religion itself) hot takes of classic (and modern) Dr. Who, an introduction to Red Dwarf, She’s an EXCELLENT channel to check out.
Good Bad or Bad Bad: Pass Thru
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A half podcast half review show where two guys watch a terrible film, decide if it’s “Good” Bad or just Bad Bad and tell you if you should watch it too.
That’s it. That’s the whole show.
I recommend diving into the untold madness that is one of the best(?) bad film makers currently still producing batshit insane movies, the immortal Niel Breen.
There is literally nothing I can say that’ll prepare you for Niel Breen.
(I also recommend their more recent video for “Dancin’ It’s on!”)
History Buffs: Apollo 13
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Do you like History? Do you like movies ABOUT History? Do you want to know if the movies about history you watch actually resemble what really happened in any way at all? History Buffs is an EXCELLENT channel, which does talk about the merit of a film itself, but is mainly focused on letting you know just how true to life that historical film you watch is. I highly recommend his longest video which covers the space race between the USA and the USSR, leading to what is known as “The most Successful Failure in NASA’s History”. The Infamous Apollo 13 and where the words “Houston, we have a problem” came from.
If you’re not interested in Apollo 13 however, I also recommend his video on the movie Casino, as well as his video on the female philosopher, Agora.
The Internet Historian: The Goodening of No Man’s Sky
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With videos with literally MILLIONS of views, you probably already know the Internet Historian. But I still want to recommend him very highly because his videos are just THAT good and entertaining. I recommend his newest video, documenting that time we were all pissed off about No Man’s Sky, the difficulties the game studio was in when the game released, and how they have been working hard to finally create what is now a truly brilliant game which is winning major awards. A really good underdog story of how a video game company actually saw what was wrong with their game, and FIXED it.
I also recommend his video on Fallour 76 as well as the Failure of Dashcon
8 Creepy Video game mysteries
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Hey. Did you know that sometimes there’s some REALLY weird shit in video games, hidden easter eggs which took literal decades to find as well as just a lot of “what the actual fuck?”. Oddheader is a channel with a dedicated discord and Reddit form solely focusing on trying to find or replicate bizarre video game finds, mysteries, and hidden glitches. Even if it means getting in his car and driving to a specific arcade just to check a rumour about Street Fighter II’s arcade version. So if you like getting spooked by weird game shit that’s not just some dumb creepypasta, this is a great place to start.
I also recommend his video on weird discoveries in DVDs and movies.
Red Letter Media: Best of the Worst
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Look you already know who Red Letter Media is.
You know... these guys:
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Here’s a video of them and Macaulay Culkin watching 3 terrible movies together.
I recommend literally any and all of their videos. Their discussion on Carpenter’s The Thing is amazing.
The Impact of Akira: The film that changed Everything
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Ok trying to pick just ONE Super Eyepatch Wolf video is literal torture. Originally I was going to suggest his recent video on Final Fantasy 7 for the PSone but I realised I recommended something FF7 related with Clemps, so instead I will recommend The Impact of Akira, a video talking in depth about Akira both as a film as well as a manga, how it completely and utterly changed the anime industry both in Japan as well as the west, and why it is still a meaningful and one of the most important anime/manga even to this day, still being unsurpassed despite so much competition.
However, ALL of Wolf’s videos are incredible, so I also recommend his videos on wrestling (despite me not caring about wrestling at all), His video on how media scares us, The bizarre reality of modern Simpsons, Why the Dragon Ball Z manga is great, and literally any other video he’s made. He hasn’t made one bad video yet.
Was Oblivion as Good as I remember?
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Exactly what it says on the tin. The Salt Factory goes back to playing The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and now with hindsight and modern sensibilities, gives feedback on his experience and whether Oblivion still holds up. This isn’t a super in depth review of the game’s mechanics or how its put together or how it was made. This is simply one guy talking about his experience replaying it with somejokes thrown in and how he felt revisiting it. It’s pretty good.
I also recommend the video he did on Morrowind (because I’m biased).
Weird Japan Only PS1 games
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Thor High Heels is SO GOOD and deserves SO MUCH MORE subs than he currently has. THH focuses a lot of obscure and lesser known games as well as big popular titles like the Yakuza series, talking about what he likes about them, what he thinks is cool, and just what kind of atmosphere and mood a certain game has, even if the game itself is kind of ass. He’s done several videos on games that were only released in Japan, as well as videos talking about the fashion in Squaresoft games and how it inspired as well as was inspired by real world street fashion, the aesthetic of PC-98 games and other topics. He also styles his videos and thumbnails after promotional art for video games from the 90s and generally just has an excellent style to his channel over all. Very chill.
Blue Reflection Review
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ValkyrieAurora is a channel run by Sophie where she talks about games she personally likes and enjoys. Her videos are really laid back and her voice is really calm and pleasant to listen to. She’s made a bit of a reputation for herself as “The channel that talks about the Atelier Games” and general is just a really enjoyable channel worth checking out if you just want something soothing to listen to.
Ancient Chinese Historians Describe Japan
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Voices from the Past is a channel were historical text is read out loud in english. These can be anything like the above video where Chinese historians describe the people of Japan around 297 AD, Accounts of “Dog-Men”, or the worlds oldest letter of complaint from 1750 BC. If you’d like something interesting historically to listen to but don’t want a full blown history lesson, this is a really good way to hear contemporary people talk about their experiences and what they thought about each other in their own words, without opinions or input given by the narrator.
The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet
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Whang! is a channel that covers weird internet stories, some horrifying, some curious and interesting, and some just plain weird. His video on The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet and its update, are about a song which was recorded off the radio in Germany around the 1980s, and after one person online asked if anyone knew who the artist was as they couldn’t find any information, led to the realization that NOBODY online knows where this song came from or who sang it. It’s a fun mystery to look into that, unlike some others on this list, is not creepy or unsettling, although perhaps a little frustrating.
I also recommend his video on The Most Mysterious Anime theme song, and the haunted Ebay Painting.
5 Lost, Destroyed, and Locked away Broadcasts
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Yesterworld is similar to the Defunctland channel in that it talks about obsolete rides, theme parks and other forgotten pieces of entertainment. Although the majority of the channel focuses on movie rides, rollercoasters and Disneyland, I recommend the video on lost and locked away broadcasts which you can no longer see. I also recommend the video about Lost and Rediscovered movie props.
The Nightmare Artist
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I talked about this one recently as I just discovered this channel. This video is about the renowned Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski who painted surreal and horrifying paintings during his lifetime. There is no mystery here or anything like that, it merely talks about the impact WWII left on Beksinski and how the trauma his country and people suffered influenced his painting, and how certain images and motifs can be seen to directly reference this terrible part of Poland’s history.
Disabilities in Prehistory
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Modern media likes to portray how “savage” the ancient past is, and tell us stories of how any person born with a deformity or disability would be thrown over a cliff or dumped in a well because they would be too big a drain on a community to look after. But here’s the thing... according to archaeological evidence, it turns out our ancient ancestors actually did their best to look after its disabled members to the best of their abilities. This video talks about archaeological finds of people who had genetic disabilities and what we can learn from their remains. TREY the Explainer is a great channel for archaeology and also talking about what answers we could have for sightings of cryptids. (not ALL of which we have answers for)
I also recommend his video on Pre-Contact dogs as well as Homosexuality in Nature and the Genetic History of the Ainu.
Decoding “The Secret: A treasure Hunt”
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“The Secret” was an art book released in the 80s full of beautiful paintings, but it is also more than that. The book has a fantasy story talking about 12 fantastical races who left wonderful treasures for humans to find,and the book’s paintings and riddles will tell you where you can find each of these treasures which are yours to keep if you can solve the puzzle... and the treasures are 100% true and can actualy be found and claimed, if you can solve the riddles in the book. The video tells the story of the artbook, who was behind it, what the treasures are, how many have been found and various other facts and details.
I also recommend the videos on this channel “The Game: A scavenger Hunt” and “The investigation of Erratas”.
5 Ancient Inventions That Were WAY Ahead Of Their Time
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I would recommend you be careful with this channel as its main focus is existentialism and rather alarming topics such as “how close are we to the apocalypse” and other things whose titles alone are enough to upset me. However this video is nothing like that. This video is exactly what the title suggests it is. 5 ancient inventions that were so incredibly ahead of their time you’d think they were made up. From the computer used by ancient Greeks to steel swords we don’t know how to replicate, this video is a great mix of mystery and history.
Although I caution you with this channel, I recommend Joe’s other videos about mysterious books, as well as his video on the most inbred people in history.
However, I know I keep repeating this, I highly recommend caution with this channel. Perhaps its just me and the topics of life and existent are just triggering for me, but I’d recommend maybe just doing a search for the titles I mentioned and not to go searching through the video library unless you’re not bothered by this kind of thing.
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Anyway I could keep going, but I think that’s a LARGE amount of videos to keep you occupied for the time being as well as some suggestions for further viewing.
Please enjoy, let me know if you found something interesting, and look after yourself!
If you enjoyed this list at all, please consider tipping me for a coffee
☕️ Ko-fi ☕️
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crimsonbluemoon · 5 years ago
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6, 3, 7 H2OVanoss! You know me heh ( •ॢᴗ•ॢ⋈)
Ahhh Owlbun! So I hope this fits the perimeters of a cute-meet cause I don’t know if it does but I think it does? Idk, its cute, please enjoy this mess of a story. >.> It’s a diff style than I normally do, but….hope it works out!
AU: Coffee shopTrope: Meet cutePrompt: “You had no idea, did you?”
Pairing: H2O Vanoss
If Evan was being honest, he hadn’t expected the chalkboard wall at his coffee shop to make much of a difference. The Owl Cafe was a staple in the community, and he had an okay group of regulars that liked to come in and check out his new blends on the daily. There were ones he knew by name, like the 6 year old girl Momo who loved Brian’s hot chocolate, or the late-night writer Kryoz who always seemed to appear when the place was deserted. Some regulars he didn’t catch names for, so he titled them as he saw fit; Runner man, vlogger teen, cute sweatshirt guy. All had their place in his cafe, which was steady in its sales. He wasn’t rolling in cash, but it was enough to pay Brock and Brian, so he felt that he was doing alright. 
The chalkboard had been something of a whim. A friend when he was younger had a wall in his bedroom with chalkboard paint that Evan had always enjoyed drawing on before bed. When he’d bought the cafe two years ago, he hadn’t really remembered the fun times he had scribbling across the bedroom wall. He was too focused on payments and attracting customers to stroll down memory lane. That had changed three months ago when bumping into Lui, the two speaking about their times as a child. The wall came up, of course, and Evan couldn’t let the memory go for days after. Lots of his customers had children, and college kids were always quick to bore when waiting for coffee. So one night, after a really good week at the shop, Evan went out and bought the paint in order to make his wall next to the waiting area a drawing board. 
The result was amazing; people loved coming by and adding their own doodles to the wall, filling it with different styles of art or funny sayings. There were always the punks who tried to draw dicks or write derogatory marks, but street justice tended to stop the crimes far quicker than Evan or his friends picked up on them. Evan enjoyed looking at the board at the end of the night, seeing what secrets it held from the customers he served. He tried to guess who drew what, or where each blurb of inspiration writing came from. Was the struggling mother of three the one who drew the calm beach? Did the preppy college girl express her darker thoughts in the corner of the board? Or was that old couple who shared a coffee really sweet enough to write their 70th anniversary with a heart around it? All of the pieces of the board was a collection of minds, hearts, and souls, and the nights didn’t feel complete for the shop owner without gazing at them in appreciation.  
His favorite part was the confessions; like an anonymous message board, people left words of secrecy every day. Evan felt it was a safe way for customers to express themselves without having to reveal their identity, and so far he hadn’t gotten any confessions that worried him. Brock always enjoyed reading the romantic ones where someone would claim their love for a friend, an ex, or a person they could never have. Brian’s favorites were the weird claims; he made Evan keep the ‘I like smelling feet’ confession up for three days. Evan couldn’t really say he had a type he sought out, because all of them were fun to read. If anything, he liked taking in the handwriting of the confessions, seeing whose were quaking with fear or more broad with confidence that only anonymity provided. 
It was nearly two months into owning the board that a message caught his eye; it didn’t have much color or outlandish design to it, so Evan wasn’t sure why it stuck out to him so much. But the writing just…looked different. Friendly. A little messy but with long enough strokes to show some care went into it. The words only took up a small part of the board. 
I come here every day because I think the owner is nice. And maybe cute? I wanted to ask for his name, but I’m too nervous.
Evan blinked in surprise, feeling his face heat up when he read it again. Someone…confessed about him? It was sort of risky, since this was his shop and he could have checked in on the board at any time, but it was also endearing. Someone was too shy to approach Evan, but felt strong enough about him to confess on his wall? He read the line two more times while he cleaned off every other drawing and confession, leaving the words in the middle of the board. Slowly, his eyes dropped down to the basket of chalk at the bottom of the wall, fingers twitching by his side. Despite having it for months, he’d never actually written on it. He left designing the morning greeting to Brock, as he was the artistic one of the three. But now…
He kept the confession where it was, drawing a little circle around it with the red chalk. Then, with block letters bright enough to catch any returning customer’s attention, he wrote out a simple reply. 
It’s Evan. Nice to meet you.
He didn’t think about the teasing Brian would rain on him, or how unlikely it was for him to get a response. The confessions were meant to be anonymous, not openers for conversation. So sure that his words would be left unanswered, Evan didn’t look once at the board the following day, trying to keep focused on making his customer’s happy. Any time he wasn’t working, he rushed into the back, trying to stay occupied so he didn’t stare at the wall. The day dragged on forever, but when the final customer was out the door, Evan nearly fell flat on his face vaulting over the counter to move to the board. 
“Desperate much, buddy?” Brian’s shout from across the shop went ignored when Evan scanned the wall, looking for any sign of a response. At first, the words around the response were disheartening; nothing connected to what he’d said. The drawings were still cute, and he wanted to read the confessions, but his heart slightly dropped at the sight. Had he scared off the anonymous messenger? He felt his frown start to capture his lips, but then his eye picked up on something. A blue circle had been wrapped around Evan’s words, and a line of chalk was drawn to the left of the board. Curious, his eyes tracked the line. Like thread in a maze, Evan was led to a familiar handwriting. 
Your name fits you! I’m…Jonathan. Is that okay? 
“Jonathan.” He rolled the name around in his mouth, his smile small when he finished. He knew instantly what his new secret penpal was asking, and he found the red chalk from before in order to scribble out his answer. 
That’s totally okay. I bet your name fits you, too, though I’m not sure who you are. Care to give me a hint? 
And for the next two weeks, the hints poured out. 
I like to wear blue a lot. Luke says it matches my eyes. But I think yours are prettier.
Evan counted seventy three customers with blue eyes who wore blue that day, but it did little to limit his search. 
I saw you drop that lady’s coffee on purpose. She deserved it for treating Brock like that. You’re a really good boss.
The incident had been in the morning around rush hour, which probably meant his penpal was at least his age. 
You only wear hats when you clean the mocha machine; it really looks good on you. 
Except this was something he did at night, so maybe he had different shifts throughout the week? 
Whenever little Momo comes in, you always give her the best smile. Sometimes I wish you’d smile at me like that.
Evan’s face hurt from how many smiles he gave out that day, but there had been nobody who hinted at knowing why he’d been grinning so much. 
You’re so beautiful. I really want to ask you on a date. 
Evan’s face flush red for the rest of the night. 
After the days of trying to piece together just who ‘Jonathan’ was, Evan was almost ready to throw in the towel. The little banter between them was fun, and peeks of Jonathan’s personality came out with doodles or smilies at the end of his sentences. He mentioned his friends, his dog, and if Evan closed his eyes, he could almost make out a voice to the words. Everything just felt so familiar about this guy, like he was already seated comfortably in Evan’s life. But he just couldn’t come up with a name, or anything to sink his teeth into. 
So, with a shot of courage (Brian may have supplied the alcohol) and nothing to lose, Evan wrote out one final message. 
Anything but coffee, and I’ll say yes.
Evan tried not to look at the board, just like the first day, hoping he wouldn’t scare away his crush by staring the wall down. Brock and Brian helped distract him, jokingly picking out old men and toddlers as ‘his secret admirer’ before laughing at the outlandish suggestions. Evan tried to smile and joke with them, but his shaking hands when giving out the orders always proved how nervous he was. Each time a customer came up to him, his back tensed, wondering if it’d be his penpal. But they never were, always asking for sugar or a bag for their half eaten muffin. 
When the last minutes of the day ticked away, and just a few regular souls lingered in the cafe, Evan finally broke. He left Brian and Brock behind the counter to walk up to the wall, hands shoved in the pockets of the apron to hide his twitching fingers. Slowly, his eyes scanned the board, trying to find the blue handwriting he’d grown to adore over the couple weeks he’d gotten to see it. But there was nothing; his crush hadn’t replied. 
“I scared him away.” Evan sighed and pressed his head to the chalkboard, eyes closing in defeat. His shoulders slumped down, unable to hide his disappointment. He’d just wanted to know who this guy was, because starting to fall for a chalkboard he technically owned was starting to feel a little creepy-
“Um.” An unsure voice made Evan bite back a groan, trying to keep his composure. Even if he was being ghosted by an anonymous customer, it didn’t mean he could ignore his other ones. Pulling back from the wall, Evan turned to catch sight of a familiar face. Cute sweatshirt guy had been a regular for months, always polite but never one to really engage in much conversation with Evan or the others. He always contributed it to the slight stutter in his speech, which only seemed to come out in longer sentences. It was actually kind of late for cute sweatshirt guy to be at the cafe; he’d bought his coffee close to an hour ago, and though he normally left right after, he’d seemed to linger now. He’d been one of the people who’d come up to Evan, looking like he was going to burst out in a confession, only to ask for creamer.
And sugar.
And a new cup.
…And more creamer.
For a coffee he always drank black.
“Wait.” Evan’s breath hitched in his throat as his eyes widened on the blue gaze nervously watching him, fingers curled into the worn down sweatshirt that was identical in color. 
“Yeah, I’m-that was me. Jonathan. Who you were-I’m the guy tha–that, um, fuck. Luke said I should’ve just-but the wall was…was our thing.” Jonathan’s face lit up in color at the confession, the nervous laugh that poured out loud and uncontrolled. It echoed from the emptiness of the cafe, and both men jumped when Brian swore and knocked over a stack of cups in surprise. Tagging that as future Evan’s problem, he turned his attention back to Jonathan, who looked ready to let his sweatshirt swallow him whole. The smile he gave only lifted half his mouth, proving he didn’t feel confident. “You had no idea, did you?”
“None,” Evan admitted, hands pulling out of his apron at the defeated look that sunk over Jonathan. 
“Right, that’s- I don’t have to ask you on a date if this isn’t what you…if I’m not who you-”
“Ask me!” Evan cut him off fast, not wanting to let Jonathan feel rejected for a second longer. He rushed forward, snagging hands that tugged the end of torn sleeves to entwine their fingers. Blue eyes widened above him, but Evan refused to let his racing heart of reddened cheeks stop him from repeating his confession from before. “Anything but coffee, and I’ll say yes.” 
“Dinner? Can I-would you like to get food with me tomorrow?” Like a puppy, Jonathan’s body perked up at the possibility. Evan laughed before lifting their hands to cup Jonathan’s cheeks. He pushed up onto his toes, feeling the slight intake of his customer’s breath before he answered with a kiss.
But just to be safe, he wrote ‘yes’ on the chalkboard the next morning.
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zoessecretjournal · 4 years ago
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Monday, April 19th, 2021
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Today was a great day! I didn’t sleep so well despite the full on beach day we had the day before. It was Taylor’s last day here, unfortunately we really only got to say goodbye today as I was leaving at 11am this morning to meet up with Ryan. I let her sleep in my bed and she gave a groggy goodbye as my Lyft approached the apt. On the way to Ryan’s I listened to Shygirl and started out the window, trying to stay cool. It was the first time I would see him since all of our serious talks, and he had been spending the weekend trying to help Kathleen get to LAX (she mixed up the dates apparently) so I expected him to be tired. I got there around 11:30 am, dressed in my chartreuse green baby doll dress with a white soft tee underneath. My gold earrings, white tennis shoes and gold lobster broach as accessories, and a natural style face. When he came to collect me from outside he certainly looked tired, but happy to see me. When inside, he complimented the color of my dress and drew in to kiss me, and then he held me for a long while. He genuinely gives really good and meaningful hugs.
As soon as I sit down on the couch he plops his head on my lap, wanting me to scratch his head. I tell him he’s just like a cat and he gives me a look to suggest “so?” in a cute way. Whenever I scratch his head, he always ends up doing it to me at the same time, as well as using his other free hand to hold mine or touch me in some way. We stay this way, catching long gazes at each other intermittently, for about half an hour. He asks me about my Hinge profile and how I must have a line of suitors. I tell him about my date with Daniel and how cringe it was, but not before he asked if I kissed him!!! I lie and say no, because I never wanted to really kiss Daniel in the first place. We have fun reveling in how basic Daniel is, and then Ryan proceeds to tell me about his coffee date with someone this week with someone from Hinge. Apparently she is also “ethically non-monogamous” and only wants to make friends. Whatever.
Then we decide to walk to his car to head off to the LACMA. Ryan shows me how they just laid out new tar on his street and someone had ruined it by driving on it, he really isn’t happy about it apparently. I honestly don’t really understand the big idea, but maybe I would care if I drove. On the way to his car he is of course quiet and a really slow walker, I feel like I fumble all the time trying to keep his pace while traversing the uprooted side walks of East Hollywood. Ryan thought he got a ticket as we were walking to his car and my stomach dropped, knowing how much that has effected other people I’ve dated in the past. Thankfully it ended up just being a “thank you” note from someone he helped get a spot behind his car. I could breath a sigh of relief, honestly. On the way there he held my hand, put his hand on my though, squeezed my fingers while catching my glance a few times. He doesn’t talk much in the car and I’m learning he really shows that he cares in a lot of non-verbal cues, which is so different from the Ryan I knew as a friend.
At the muesuem, Ryan gets a iced espresso before we get in. The place was pretty empty and we weren’t in a rush, it was a nice change of pace to be outside with him somewhere in the day time. Ryan took a second picture of me (The first was while i was sitting on his couch) in front of the dome next to the LACMA. Both were prompted by him, which made me feel pretty good. During the Nara exhibit, I found that I was much more talkative, I actually expected him to make jokes about more of the art but there were none! He didn’t even laugh at some of the funny ones! I respected his approach though, very contemplative. There were some really beautiful pieces, and I take a long while to stop and stare at everything. I really appreciated his patience and how he kept pace with me, he was interested in seeing it all with me.  The big paintings of Nara’s work were pretty amazing to see up close. I’ve seen a lot of this work in art books, but those photographs and scans can never capture the way the skin of the character’s look in person. They literally look alive, you see all the blue, pink and yellow hues that make a breathing person, but with this simple illustrated, petulant face. The eyes were also a kaleidoscope of colors, his techniques I've tried to commit to memory. especially the white dot technique.
After the exhibition Ryan thanks me for inviting him, saying no one ever invites him to things like this or things in the day time. I ask why he thought that was? He replied “I don’t know, covid?” and then he sings “or maybe I’m secretly cancelled!”. I wish I would of said this at the time, but I suspect it’s because he’s sober, and I hope that doesn't happen to me. He asks if I am hungry, and I say that I am, he suggests Korean BBQ by his place, to which I agree. We drove down 6th st which apparently he had never gone down and he remarked on how beautiful it was, it certainly was, I had missed it. We still hold hands, and even tighter this time as we make our way to K-Town. We both order the Bulgogi and while we wait for our take-out order Ryan discusses with me his thoughts on the exhibit. He spoke about how long Nara had been an artist and expected to do the same style over and over because it’s what sells and rarely to those artists get to do other stuff. He then started relaying it to his own work and how dispensable art is and how we just eat content like McDonald’s. I agree with him, I explained how I felt disenfranchised for those reasons as well. We get our food eventually and head back to his apt. On the way back from the car, Ryan makes a few stories on people leaving bagged dog shit in random places in his neighborhood. He doesn’t have a lot of shame when it comes to his musings in comedy. A quality I both admire and am fearful of. When we get inside I take off my shoes and spruce up a little. We eat in his kitchen next to his two open windows with the honey suckle veranda directly outside. We both had a non-alcoholic beer with our meal which was surprisingly good.  I can’t remember much about what we talked about, I think we just were eating and played footsie a little bit.
He invited me to lay down with him in his room after we were done, so I followed him there. We laid down for some moments, very close and comfortable.I was caressing him all over, I genuinely like to do that with my partners, but specifically Ryan, hes very receptive to touch. We end up kissing and he stops and asks me if I really want to do “this” and I tell him I do. We end up having sex twice, both times Ryan tries hard to focus on me cumming. I don’t but I think he thinks I did the 2nd time. For some reason I’m having a hard time with that, and also getting wet, but I still had a great time (I was really close though) . We felt closer some how, less stress involved. I even fell asleep with his head in my chest. When he woke up, he woke me up. He caressed my neck and grabbed my face to look at it, my eyes still half-way closed. He gets up to go take a bath and I slowly come to and retrieve my phone and go sit in the kitchen next to the open window. I respond to everyone I can, Matt (from Hinge, who I met yesterday at the bonfire) had messaged me to tell me he was free all week, and he was making carbonara if I wanted to stop by. I think I’m going to see him tomorrow.
When Ryan gets out of the Bath and dressed (in a matching green playstation shirt might I add) he puts on a podcast, gets a sparkling water and lays down on the couch. I assume, no room for me, so he wanted to be alone. He was quite quiet as well again. So I decide to purchase somethings from amazon (sewing machine, humidifier, etc) and when I finally put my phone down I look over at Ryan and he was looking at me. He immediately puts his arms up to say “Come here”. As I approach he says that I can lay on him any way I like, face up, down etc, and so I lay down on him stomach down so I can still see him, and he starts to massage my shoulders. We listen to this podcast for awhile like that, and talk about random things relating to it. at some point they get onto the topic of Randonautica, in which I explain to Ryan, who had never heard of it, what it was all about. As I’m explaining it, he downloads the app! I had dared him to do it, but he actually was really interested. Funnily enough, the pin it dropped was right in between his ex-gf’s apt (Dani) and his good friend Shawn’s apt (Who they both date apparently) which really freaked him out. But just as he got the pin, his friend Shawn messaged him on facebook! He looks at me bewildered and asks if I want to meet his friend Shawn and go check out the pin and I agree. I had expected to sleep over but felt instantly rejected, but realized we had spent a lot of close time together so I should just deal with my feelings right then and there. Ryan gets my attention and re-assures me it’s just because he hasn’t had much space the past few days and he had a really lovely day with me. His serious tone made me feel better and I assured him that I was ok.
Before we head out I ask if we can take a Polaroid together, unfortunately both times they are incredibly blown out. He lets me borrow a jacket of his, even though I just gave him back his sweater and we head off. I tell him that I have a bunch of mushrooms I’ve been waiting to take and ask him if the next time we hang out if we could do them/he could babysit me and he enthusiastically agrees. Even though I tell him I am quite the handful on them in large doses, he had a look of reassurance that he can handle it. We’ll see.
We arrive in the area and walk to the pin, Ryan points out where Dani lives as we pass by. The pin was behind a residential gate with an old mustang stored in it, with both its hood and trunk open and a shovel up against it. Ryan tells me his “intention” he set for it was for us to see a UFO, which there was none. But we did see a cardboard cutout of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, so I guess him being an alien is close enough. We walk to his friend’s house, which Ryan had the access code memorized, they must be very close. Shaun and his friend seemed to be working on something music oriented for a game as we walked in, Shaun was very nice and welcoming. We end up talking for awhile and he offered me a Kombucha, Ryan seemed to really enjoy himself and liked that I got along so well. We hung out probably for about half an hour and then decided to head out so Ryan could take me home. He asks me how I’m doing and I say that I am having a really nice time, and he looked really happy about that and confirmed he was too.
On the ride back he had his hand on my thigh and I had my hands on his hand and the back of his neck, giving him a light massage while we listened to the tail end of that podcast. When we get to my place he tells me I should borrow his jacket again, that it looks nice. I tell him that I’m going to be busy all week but we will see each other soon, he tells me he is also going to be pretty busy. He reiterates what a great time he had that day and gives me a deep kiss and a long hug. We part ways and I arrive back home to tell Johnny some of the snippets of today while I respond to all my messages on my phone. I ate sushi and got ready for bed. Ryan texts me a bit in the evening, telling me again! how nice today was and what he was up to. It felt really easy and nice.
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recentanimenews · 4 years ago
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INTERVIEW: JUJUTSU KAISEN's Music Staff on Billie Eilish’s Influence on the Soundtrack and More
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  Did the JUJUTSU KAISEN finale feel like a full-body experience to you? There's still one thing I can't get out of my head: the soundtrack. Last month, I got the opportunity to interview four members of JUJUTSU KAISEN's music staff about their experiences working on the series. Below, Music Producer Yoshiki Kobayashi and composers Hiroaki Tsutsumi, Yoshimasa Terui, and Alisa Okehazama share their creative processes, musical influences, favorite scenes, and more. If you're a fan of JUJUTSU KAISEN, you definitely don't want to miss out on this!
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    This was a rare case where three different composers were in charge of the background music, but could you tell us a bit about how that happened? How did you three go about producing the soundtrack?
  Kobayashi: When we had our meeting with Gege Akutami-sensei, he suggested we go with a stylish, Billie Eilish direction. Then director Sung Hoo Park added on that he wanted some hip hop and rock, so I entrusted the work to Tsutsumi-san, Terui-san, and Okehazama-san, who I knew could create unique songs that fit the anime.
  Tsutsumi-san is great with rock. He also has extensive experience with additional background music, so I figured Tsutsumi-san would be the center of the team this time. For a while now I’ve thought that Terui-san’s distinctive rhythms, melodies, and riffs are very unique and so is the way he creates them. He’s great with stylish songs. Then Okehazama-san knows how to work a synthesizer well, and her melodies are extremely pretty, so I asked her to join thinking she’d be perfect for the emotional tracks.
  There were some co-written songs, but most were composed separately by one of those three. I always made sure everyone could listen to each other’s demos, so we could share the same direction for the show’s music and make sure we didn’t lose track of it.
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    Tsutsumi: The songs were divvied up between the three of us based on the characters, tone, and music requested.
  A few songs were assigned when the composer raised their hand for it, but Kobayashi-san, the music producer, had the final say on the division, and we each broadened our imagination as we made our demos.
  We all received inspiration from each other as we worked on the composition.
  Terui: I heard that both the original author, Akutami-sensei, and director Park had a strong focus on the music and they also wanted to use a broad range of genres for the background music, so producer Kobayashi reached out to three of us to realize those requests.
  We decided who would be in charge of producing each song during our meetings with Kobayashi-san, and then we basically each worked on our own.
  I wasn’t in charge of the theme music this time, but I was able to produce a few songs that I co-wrote with Tsutsumi-san and Okehazama-san.
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    JUJUTSU KAISEN is a unique title with cursed spirits and jujutsu sorcerers. How did it feel to work on a show that would let you thematically address “dark fantasy” in a soundtrack?
  Kobayashi: It’s set in Tokyo, and the addition of curses makes it seem more Japanese, but since I had worked with director Park before on The God of High School, I felt that it needed more of a western music feel than a Japanese dark fantasy feel. I felt like I had to respond to the stylishness of the footage that the director sought, and not let ourselves get dragged down trying to make it more Japanese.
  Tsutsumi: Rock-style songs are my roots, and I felt like the setting matched the hard musical expression of that well, so it was very rewarding.
  Terui: Many of the projects I’ve been involved with so far have basically been more about looking at the darker side of things than going in an open, positive direction, so I was looking forward to seeing how I could bring out my experience in new ways with this soundtrack.
  Okehazama: This was my first time creating music for a dark fantasy, so I was a little anxious, but I was much more excited about it.
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    What kind of research did you do when you were assigned to the soundtrack? If you did any work to deepen your understanding of the title, we’d love to hear about it. If you were reading the original manga before working on the soundtrack, then what kind of inspiration did you take from the source material while composing the music?
  Kobayashi: I’ve read every chapter in Shonen Jump since it first started running. It was my job to further my understanding of the title and convey that to the composers, so I participated in the scenario meetings so I could soak in what the director was thinking about, what the themes of each episode were meant to be, and what points they were debating over. Thanks to that I was able to pick on some minor details and proposed adding one more song at the very last minute to the director.
  Tsutsumi: I had known about the title before, but the first time I really read through it was after I was assigned to the music. I organized the content of the title in my own way and laid out my own notes on how to convert that to musical expression before our first music meeting.
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    Terui: Reading through the original goes without saying, but I also researched what kind of music Akutami-sensei likes and I watched director Park’s past works.
  "This is right at the heart of the current shonen manga," was the impression I got from the original. I love manga myself, and I found some inspiration in the homages to various other manga scattered throughout.
  Okehazama: I began reading the original title after I was chosen to work on the music. I received inspiration from the story and the characters of course, but I also settled on the tone of the music based on the touches in the manga’s artwork.
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    Itadori watches lots of movies to hone his skill with cursed energy, but were there any movie soundtracks or composers the music team drew inspiration from?
  Kobayashi: It was only partial influence, but I imagined the songs coming in cool like they do in Spawn and Black Panther.
  Tsutsumi: A TOHO Producer, Matsutani-san, had introduced me to the soundtrack for a movie called Us released in 2019, and I was inspired by its approach to sound.
  Terui: This was my first experience with background music, so it wasn’t so much a specific movie’s soundtrack, but I listened to a broad variety of music from movies with a similar direction to broaden my perspective. Outside of soundtracks, I also felt that something which bridged the abstract hip hop of shing02 and DJ shadow with the more recent trap hip hop style would get people hooked, so I referenced those (though ultimately the songs I ended up in charge of were mostly in a rock-style).
  Okehazama: I didn’t use a particular title as reference, but I did proactively listen to hip hop and EDM music to gain a variety of ideas.
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    In Episode 2, there's a scene with Gojo and Itadori at a cremation center with a traditional flute and quiet electric guitar as background music. Not only was it an entirely anime-original scene, but it also shows a ritual that is not commonly portrayed in Japanese media. How did you work with the staff to create the sound to this scene, and what considerations did you take in showing the ritual of kotsuage (a traditional Japanese funeral cremation)?
  Tsutsumi: I performed a song with the harmonics of a kantele (a string instrument from Finland) as the main motif in order to express Itadori’s maudlin state of emotion. I felt that the transparent, empty, and dignified air of that tone would support such a quiet scene without intruding on it.
  We actually used a low whistle for the flute tones. When producing the music for JUJUTSU KAISEN we never recorded any Japanese instruments since the concept was to express that Japanese style with Western Instruments.
  I used the electric guitar to express his inner strength and his resolve for the future that goes with his sadness. (I actually didn’t make this song specifically for the kotsuage scene, but I do believe it fit the mood of the scene and expressed Itadori’s emotions.)
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    The artist Che Lingo helped provide the lyrics for the fight between Todo and Fushiguro in episode eight. Can you talk about how you found Che Lingo to help write the lyrics for the song and how it was written for the scene?
  Kobayashi: Director Park put in an order requesting a rap, so I was introduced to him by Youki Yamamoto-san who I had worked with on Dr. STONE before and who was currently in London. When I heard his rap I thought it was cool and knew I wanted to ask him for it.
  I told him the general tone of the music (and the details of the scene) beforehand, so Che came to the recording with a general idea in mind. We couldn’t go to London where he was recording due to the pandemic, so I decided to direct it online.
  Tsutsumi: We were introduced to him by a composer living in England, Youki Yamamoto-san. We used the internet to connect London and Japan in order to do the recording. Each composer told Che Lingo where we would be inserting the rap, and what theme we wanted from the lyrics, and then we composed the lyrics and recorded the rap all on the same day as the recording.
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    When Gojo fights Jogo in episode seven, we’re treated to heavy rock music. Later in the episode, after Itadori and Gojo enter Jogo’s domain expansion, we still hear cool rock music even though there isn’t as much fighting happening. Do you feel unifying the music to a genre like that throughout an episode is an effective way to convey a message to viewers?
  Kobayashi: We don’t actually worry about unifying the genre of music in an episode. The reason for that is because there are developments within each episode, and I believe using the music that fits each development is how you should maintain the overall balance of the episode. It just so happened to work out that way in episode seven, but for example, I don’t think it would have been strange for the song for Hollow Purple from episode twenty to kick in with Gojo. Then it would have shifted from rock to EDM. Either way, it would have helped leave that impression of Gojo’s overwhelming strength, so I think following the nature of the show rather than a genre of music helps leads to better unification.
  Tsutsumi: Episode seven was the episode that impressed Gojo’s overwhelming strength upon us. I felt the music was effective in emphasizing that strength.
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    The music that plays when Todo questions each character changes between heavy-metal (during Fushiguro and Todo’s fight), house (when Itadori meets Todo), and even easy-going acoustic guitars (during Todo’s nostalgic high school scene). I found this musical storytelling in Todo’s scenes really charming. What kinds of things do you pay particular attention to in order to convey a character’s personality?
  Kobayashi: On my end, I made sure each character was assigned to a specific composer. For example, Itadori and Todo were both assigned to Tsutsumi-san. Nanami and Fushiguro were assigned to Terui-san, while Kugisaki and Gojo were assigned to Okehazama-san, and they each composed for their characters. Because of that, we produced music that drew out their personalities and naturally ended up with a mix of genres.
  Tsutsumi: I really cherish the sense and feel that I get when I first picture that character, such as the tempo or the sound of an instrument that springs naturally to me.
  For example, when I pictured Todo, the first thing that came to mind was a chorus like a war cry, and taiko or other drum beats, and I felt that mid-tempo matched his unabashed nature, so those were the hints I worked from.
  Terui: I feel like I get a lot of hints about the sound I should produce not just from the character’s appearance, but also as I consider their backbone and ideology. Once I’ve listed out as many words that come to mind, I then use my creativity to turn that into sound.
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    One of the most provocative story arcs is Itadori’s dealings with Mahito and Junpei Yoshino. At the end of episode thirteen, there's a really moving insert song titled “Stand in the Darkness” playing as Itadori monologues about “never losing again.” Was there anything specific about that storyline, or about JUJUTSU KAISEN in general, that inspired this song?
  Kobayashi: The director put in a strong request here. It was the end of the first cour too, so he wanted the end of the cour to feel like a final episode and he told us he wanted to add in a song with male vocals. The order he gave us was for a ballad, so I really agonized over that, but I think we produced a wonderful song thanks to Steve Memmlo’s participation.
  In the actual anime, the vocals only play for a short thirty seconds. For the first half, we used the instrumentals without the vocals, but that’s because Tsutsumi-san and I discussed it and proposed to the director that we make the first half instrumental-only since Itadori’s emotions haven’t reached that point yet in the first half.
  On the soundtrack, you’ll be able to listen to the version with the full vocals that we recorded.
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    How have you felt regarding JUJUTSU KAISEN’s reception post-debut? Do you think fans are digging the mix of music genres represented?
  Kobayashi: Everyone’s had their own unique interpretation, and frankly I feel that’s a job well done. Being able to enjoy your own interpretation of it means there’s more chances for people to enjoy it than a fixed impression would provide. It’s not a negative thing for people who grew up in different environments listening to different music to have different interpretations. I think such diversity is really great.
  Tsutsumi: The charm of the original is spreading to so many more people through the anime, and I hope they’re enjoying it from the bottom of their hearts. I do think JUJUTSU KAISEN offers a very unique soundtrack. Even though we held true to the fundamentals of expressing emotions, we all worked together looking for new ways to combine instruments and express things as we created the songs, so I hope people can pick up on that foundational power.
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    Terui: I think even more people are enjoying the show thanks to the synergy of the original work’s undamaged appeal and the appealing elements of animation like the motion and the performance of all the voice actors.
  I’d be delighted if the music is also adding to that.
  As for the mix of genres, honestly while part of me thinks some people might hesitate at that, I’m convinced this active approach produced wonderful results.
  Okehazama: When I was creating the music I was very worried about whether people would enjoy it. However, after the reactions to the music from so many people through social media after it started airing, all of it positive, I think fans have come to love it too.
  I’m very grateful to all the fans who sent me messages.
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    Having come this far since episode one, are there any personal favorite episodes or scenes you have worked on?
  Kobayashi: Episode 16, Panda vs. Mechamaru. Che Lingo’s rap is just cool, and the story’s great, and I loved that episode in the manga too.
  Tsutsumi: Gojo and Jogo’s battle in Episode 7. After Gojo proves he’s the strongest in JUJUTSU KAISEN, it makes it very easy for viewers to understand the setting and the power balance between the characters of episodes before and after, so I think that’s a key scene.
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    Terui: I have several scenes I love, but what comes to mind right now is the scene where Hanami awakens to the joy of battle in episode nineteen.
  The animation there is incredibly beautiful, and the music was used wonderfully. I felt my mind getting hooked on MiMi-san’s performance with the hammered dulcimer (a percussion-stringed instrument) in that scene.
  Okehazama: There are lots of scenes I loved, but I really loved "Jujutsu Koshien" in episode twenty-one. It’s one of my favorite scenes where we get to see the main characters act like high schoolers, which we hardly see on their typical missions.
  There were also new additions original to the anime, and I found myself laughing.
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    Anything else you would like to say to worldwide fans of JUJUTSU KAISEN?
  Kobayashi: I take pride in my role here. I know there are lots of JUJUTSU KAISEN fans throughout the world, there’s only so much I can do, but I hope my ideas and efforts have helped boost the title and make it even more enjoyable.
  Tsutsumi: I may be one of the staff members producing JUJUTSU KAISEN, but as an honest fan as well, I love this title and I always want to make it something wonderful. Let’s all share our excitement for JUJUTSU KAISEN!
  Terui: I know it’s hard to encounter new things here when Japan is an island nation that doesn’t speak English, but Japan is filled with amazing anime, comics, music, and underground scenes in addition to big titles like JUJUTSU KAISEN, so if you got hooked on this, then I hope you’ll keep going and sample other works as well. You might encounter something wonderful.
  Okehazama: To everyone watching JUJUTSU KAISEN, thank you very much. I’m very happy to have people watching worldwide in addition to Japan. JUJUTSU KAISEN has many serious scenes, but the characters are cool and appealing, and the wild action of the battles is impressive to watch. I hope you enjoy watching it all the way to the end.
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    Did the JUJUTSU KAISEN finale rock your soul? Did it make your heart drop like a base? Let us know in the comments below!
  Special thanks to Kobayashi, Tsutsumi, Terui, and Okehazama for their time and the JUJUTSU KAISEN team for their amazing work.
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      Blake P. is a weekly columnist for Crunchyroll Features. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more. He would like to see Mahito do the worm.
  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!
By: Blake Planty
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ieyasuwu · 5 years ago
Text
Unspoken Thoughts
Ieyasu x MC
Warnings: none it’s all fluffy
———
Your fellow crackhead decided to write a fanfic 😗✌️ bare with me, I haven’t writen anything creative in a while. Only writing I did was some dumbass essays for schools. I was on a call with my best friend at 3am- because that’s obviously a good idea- and she was all like “bro why don’t you write fanfics for your otome fandom, you love writing” and I was all like “holy shit, you’re right!”
Probably won’t do this again but fuck it we in here.
———
I slid the door to my room open and entered. I was finally free- I never thought that the war council would end! I looked around the room and noticed how quiet and empty it was. I’ve become so used to hearing a “‘welcome home’” from MC I’ve almost forgotten what if felt like to have this room to myself.
Even though she isn’t here yet, I still find myself imagining her clumsily getting up and rushing to my arms. I can still see her goofy grin as she looks up at me, her beautiful flush cheeks, her eyes that told me I was the world to her, her soft lips just inches away- god, I missed her!
I wanted to feel her warmth in my arms once more, I wanted her to sit on my lap, to tell me about her day, to kiss those soft lips, to caress her smooth cheeks, and to tell her she meant the world to me! Obviously, I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that! but I didn’t have to anymore. She has been good at knowing how I truly felt. Although, sometimes it could get annoying. It’s like she can see right through me, it’s like all my deepest feelings are displayed for her and her alone.
I really wasn’t in my right mind today- I haven’t seen her for only a day and it’s already driving me crazy! I knew that she was just caught up with work and will be back soon, but I couldn’t get the thoughts of her out of my mind. My beautiful, but strange MC, always occupying my thoughts. Damn it! I needed to get back to work. I needed to focus! I sat down at my desk and took out some ink and paper, I noticed an unfamiliar box next to my desk with a note placed on top.
“‘Don’t skip your meals okay? My nose is still stuffy from all the spice, so you better finish it all! -MC’”
Only an idiot would cook something that would make her this uncomfortable, and only an idiot would waste time on something like this! but- she’s my idiot. Damn it, I didn’t have time for these distractions right now!
I hurried to finish all the food she made for me. Oh- It was delicious... Of course, it was, she made it for me. Anything she does is perfect. From her sewing to her laugh, everything! I wanted so badly to be by her side. As these overwhelming thoughts took over I found myself picking up my quill and starting to doodle pictures of her. Her face still clear in my mind, not like it would ever leave. I’ve memorized every inch of her and did my best to print it down on my paper.
About an hour went by and I’ve finished the drawing. I think it turned out pretty good. I especially like the expression in her eyes~ Yes, I think I’ve captured her well. As I admired my work I heard the door slide open.
“Ieyasu, I’m home!” I heard, the voice I’ve longed to hear, the person I’ve been craving to see- She’s finally here!
“You’re late.” I plainly stated, quickly putting the drawing away and trying to hide all these racing thoughts going through my mind. I can’t believe I would miss anyone as much as I’ve missed her.
“Sorry, Sorry, I’ve had a lot of orders to get done today. Oh! You ate the food I made. Was it good?”
“It was fine.” As if she would have to ask. It’s all gone isn’t it? Can’t she figure it out herself?
“Good! I’m glad you liked it!” I spoke too soon. Her face beamed, her smile radiating. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Hoping she would understand what I wanted, I held out my arms towards her.
Not surprising, she understood immediately. She rushed towards and plopped down on my lap. God, she was so precious! I gave her a squeeze and she let out the cutest giggle.
“Did you miss me or something?” She turned so she was facing me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Yes.” I let out. Shit- I didn’t mean to say that! Her eyes widened, but before she could look at me I buried my face in the crook of her neck. I don’t want her to see my expression right now! I felt my face heat up and my mind whirling.
She tensed for a second due to my hair tickling her neck, but she quickly relaxed and held me close once more. She giggled as she stroked my hair lovingly. Hmm... I loved the feeling of her fingers going through my hair. I loved the feeling of being in her arms.
“I’ve missed you too!”
“mmm” really? She missed me too? Was her mind also consumed by thoughts of us together?
“Umm, Ieyasu?” She stopped her strokes and turned her head to the drawing I’ve made under my desk. She let go of me and went to retrieve the, not very well hidden, paper. “What’s this?” She asked looking puzzled at the sheet of paper that had that drawing of her on it. To me it was a fine piece of art, but- to her she made a face at it like she’d seen a disfigured ghost-
“Can’t you tell? It’s you.”
“O-of course it is... Did you draw this?”
“No Mc, wasabi broke into my room and drew a picture of you.”
“Haha, right. Well, wasabi is a real artist in that case.” She looked at the drawing for a few more seconds before breaking with laughter. She then hugged the paper to her chest.
“What’s so funny?” I turned away baffled.
“Hehe, you drew a picture of me! You’re so cute!” She smiled at me. That smile was the most precious thing I had. Even if she was laughing at me- and even if she was crazy enough to call me cute- I’d do anything to keep my Mc happy. If only there was a way to freeze time just so I can admire her for a little longer.
“Cute? Who are you calling cute?”
“Who do you think?”
“Hmm no, I think you’re the cute one here.” I smiled at her. I couldn’t contain my happiness. When she looked this happy it was so hard to resist! I pulled her towards me again, my arms snaking around her waist from behind. I placed my head against her shoulder again and embraced her tight.
“Why did you paint it though?” Mc asked. She put the paper down and placed her hands on mine.
“No reason.” I just missed you.
“You drew me for no reason, hmm?”
“That’s right.” No- you wouldn’t leave my mind all day!
“Then, can I keep it?”
“Do whatever you want” I’m glad it made her happy.
She laughed as if she already knew my true thoughts. There wasn’t anything I could hide from her anymore. I guess I don’t mind though, I don’t mind being so completely vulnerable to her touch. I don’t mind my thoughts always being consumed by my memories of her. If only I was able to tell her all I’m thinking, but she didn’t mind since she was able to already understand all of my unspoken thoughts.
———
Thank you @nuttytani for the suggestions and proof reading! It helped a lot.
Thank you @xarexraven for proofreading I’m glad you liked it!
And another tag for my lovely @choi-jiyu
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foreverfangirlalways · 4 years ago
Text
The Astronomer and The Florist (Chapter 15)
Chapter 15 Title: Royality Wedding
Summery: Patton and Roman’s Wedding Day
Ships: Analogical & Royality
Warning: Nervousness, mild panic, tears
-let me know if I need to add more warnings-
( HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @thefingergunsgirl​! I hope you enjoy this fluffy Royality Wedding (can you spot the part where your fic inspired me?)  and a special thank you to all my friends who did wedding planning with me, especially @kawaiikat54​ and @five-falseh00ds-ph0nated​ for shopping with me )
*here is a collage of the wedding*
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<the wonderful and fabulous @franticfandomfanatic​ drew Roman in his wedding dress, and I just had Link it! The picture is fabulous and exactly how I envisioned Roman looking in his dress! https://franticfandomfanatic.tumblr.com/post/621142753920860161/i-drew-something-from-foreverfangirlalways>
—-
*BEEP BEEP BEEP* Whack!
Patton sat up and stared at Virgil. “Did you just whack me and my alarm clock at the same time?”
Virgil grinned, and raised the pillow over his head again. “Yep! And I’m about to do it again if you don’t get up within the next 5 seconds. It’s your wedding day!”
Patton lunged and tackled Virgil in a hug, and Virgil fell to the ground. “Oh my gosh I am getting married today! Common Virgil! We have to go get dressed! And eat! And go to the Venue!”
Patton started dragging Virgil and he busted out laughing. “Well hopefully not in that order, and Patton, this is my house! Stop dragging me, I know where we are going!”
-_-_-_-
Meanwhile, Roman woke up a slight different way.
“Oof!”
Logan glared at an excited Roman.
“You have five seconds to get off me and tell me why you deigned to wake me by jumping on me, or Patton will find himself a widow very early.”
“Logan, Logan, Logan!” Roman said, bouncing off Logan and spinning around the room. “I’m getting married today! No time for sleep, we have to get ready! We have to be at the Venue in 4 hours! There’s so much to do! Let’s go!”
Roman started pulling Logan, and Logan just sighed, exasperated but with a fond look on his face.
“Just because this is your house doesn’t mean you get to drag me everywhere! Now, the makeup artist will be here in an hour, so let’s go ahead and eat breakfast while we can.
-_-_-_-
Once everyone was ready and fed, they all headed to the Venue. Roman and Logan stayed in the Bridal Suite, and Patton and Virgil were in the Groom’s Suite.
“Roman! If you get water on that dress I will kill you!”
“Logan, it’s water! And my dress! Now stop delaying and go get dressed!”
Logan crossed his arms, and Roman glared. “Do not test me, I will go Bridezilla on you. Now go. Get. Dressed.”
Logan scoffed, but went to go dressed. Roman let out a victory whoop, and Logan grinned at finally getting Roman to calm down.
-_-_-_-
“Patton, I don’t know about this. How did I let you talk me into this? This was a bad idea, I look-“
“Finish that sentence and I will physically fight you! I’m sure you look wonderful! Now let me see!”
Virgil walked out from behind the changing screen, and Patton squealed.
“You look awesome! I love it! Ooo! Spin spin spin!”
Virgil smiled at Patton’s begging and did a little twirl.
“Ah! I love it! This was a great idea! You look adorable in your blue skirt, and the red vest was a good choice!”
Virgil looked at his vest and smiled. “Yeah, Logan suggest that wear matching but opposite outfits. He picked out the vests. Roman got the skirts.”
Patton laughed, grabbed Virgil’s hand. “Holy shit, I’m getting married in 30 minutes!”
Virgil stared open mouthed. “You just cursed. And yes you are! You look amazing! Baby blue is definitely your color, and I love the bow tie!”
Patton giggled and took a bow. “I’m gonna be Roman’s Prince Charming!”
The door open and the new person smirked. “I’m glad you said that, because I can make a fabulous dramatic entrance now.”
The man with a bright yellow shirt and black suit walked over and and kneeled in front of Patton.
“The esteemed groom Roman asked that I present the most handsome prince in the world with his final gift to you before you are to get married.”
They all looked down at the blue crown that was sitting atop a decorative pillow.
Virgil asked “So Janus, how much did he pay you to say exactly those words?” at the same time Patton clasped his hands together and squealed.
“Aww! That’s so sweet! And cute! And I love it! Please tell him I love it and can’t wait to see him in the one I sent him!”
Virgil and Janus stared. “The one you...?”
“Yeah! While you were changing I sent Remus to Roman with a tiara I bought him. I thought it could be his ‘something new’!”
Janus laughed and Virgil shook his head in amusement. “Y’all are too perfect for eachother. Janus, since you are already here, I need your help. Common, time for finishing touches!”
-_-_-_-
“Alright Roman. You are dressed, hair styled, makeup done... I think you are ready. How do you feel?”
“I feel great Logan! A little nervous, but I look prefect!”
“Ohh, do you now?” Ask a man standing in the doorway. Logan narrowed his eyes and Roman rolled his.
“Yes, and my dress already has the perfect amount of red. So for the last time Remus, I am not putting fake blood all over myself for my wedding!”
Remus scoffed. “Who said anything about FAKE blood? And also, that’s not what that is about. Don’t worry Logan, I’m not going to try anything again, so no need for a glare. I came to bring you this.”
Remus held a tiara up from behind his back. Roman gasped and Logan chuckled.
“Patton gave it to me, telling me to give it to you and say some love speech that sums up to be ‘I love you and you are gonna look hot in this’ more or less.”
Logan laughed. “While I am sure that is not what Patton said, I know that if anyone had any doubts that y’all are perfect for eachother, the fact that you both secretly got crowns for eachother is all the proof they would need.”
Roman beamed and Remus set the tiara upon his head. “It’s almost time for me to walk you down the aisle little bro, are you ready?”
“Yes,”Roman said while nodding. “I’m marring the love of my life with my best friend by my side and my brother giving me away. I can’t wait!”
10 minutes later Logan and Virgil walked to their spots, and Patton was standing next to the officiator.
The opening notes of ‘I See The Light’ from Tangled are heard, and everyone stands up. Roman walks down the aisle, arm in arm with Remus.
Patton is bouncing on the balls of his feet, using all of his willpower to not rush to Roman and profess his love right then.
Remus walked Roman all the way up to Patton and clasped their hands together.
“Listen Pattycakes, you make Roman cry even a single tear of sorrow, I will make sure you push up some lovely daisies.”
Remus than pat Patton on the head and walked over to sit by Janus. Patton looked unnerved but Roman just shook his head and smiled.
“Well then! I believe that is my cue to start the ceremony!”
Everyone chuckled at Emile’s words. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bare witness to the union of Roman Royal and Patton Hart. If anyone has a problem with this union, then I don’t know why you came to their wedding.”
Everyone chuckled again, and the grooms shook their heads lightheartedly.
“Now, I have been told that the grooms have written their own vows for eachother? Roman, you may go first.”
Roman smiled and squeezed Patton’s hand.
“Patton Morales Hart, ever since you sat beside me at the movie theater and cussed out Hans in ice cream flavors, I knew you were the one for me. You are sweet and gentle, but will also threaten people and chase people around with a weaponized tennis racket. You are my favorite sight to see, and the best thing to wake up too. You are my soulmate and help me be the best person I can be. I love you and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” Roman then put the ring on Patton’s finger and kissed his hand.
Roman started crying about midway through his vows, but he never let his voice waver and powered on. Patton had a few tears streaming down his face and smiled brightly.
“Patton, you may now try and top Roman’s vows. Good luck!”
Light laughter was heard all throughout the crowd, and then Patton opened his mouth.
“Roman Cretivies Royal, I would first like to say congratulations on your nuptials!”
Roman huffed a laugh and shook his head, smile never dimming.
“In all seriousness, I knew I wanted to marry you from the moment you offered to take me out for ice cream after watching Frozen and proceeded to tell me how I should be treated like a true prince, and to always tell the Han’s that I will ‘kick their rocky road.’ There is no one else I want to dance around the kitchen with, embarrass our friends with, or make bets over how fast said friends will get together with. By the way, you still owe me ten bucks.
But I will let you keep the money in exchange for your undying love and support, because you have always had mine. I am so excited to spend every day making you feel as special as you have made me feel. We have been great boyfriends, and now we get to be fabulous husbands.”
Patton places the ring on Romans hand and bows. “A gorgeous ring for a gorgeous guy.”
At this point there wasn’t a dry eye for a two mile radius. Not being able to hold back, Roman pulled Patton into a rib-cracking embrace.
“Of course you have my love and support, now let’s officially become husbands!”
Emile clapped his hands. “Alright! Roman, do you take Patton to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do!”
“And Patton,  do you take Roman to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do!”
“Perfect! By the power vested in me, you may now kiss the groom!”
Roman dipped Patton into a kiss, and then Patton spun Roman around.
“It is my honor to intrude to you, Roman and Patton Royalhart!”
Everyone cheered, and no one stopped smiling for the rest of the day.
Patton booped icing on Roman’s nose.
Logan and Virgil both gave embarrassing but adorable toasts.
Roman glided across the dance floor with Patton for the first dance, and then with Remus for the brother brother dance.
Patton friendly intimidated Logan when Virgil caught the bouquet.
Logan places a flower from the bouquet behind Virgil’s ear.
Virgil kissed Logan after a slow dance, and Patton and Roman then dragged them to go take pictures at the photo booth.
After the night was over, Roman and Patton were sent off to the airport in a limo, to head to their honeymoon destination.
Virgil and Logan went home, changed into pajamas, and fell asleep cuddling.
Taglist-
@dragonwithproblems​
@five-falseh00ds-ph0nated​
@thefingergunsgirl​
@kawaiikat54​
@sanders-sides-with-quinn​
@007ardra​
@yikesdodson​
@nerdycupcake559​
@softestvirgil​
@teacupfulofstarshine​
@impatentpending​
@star-crossed-shipper​
@ravenivy2079​
@rainbowemonightmare​
@ladyartemisia28​
@moose-boi​
@resident-trash-goblin​
@parx-boiiz​
@ninathepancake​
@kuroyurishion​
@funkyfreshfatherfigure​
@pattoncake-and-eyeshadow​ 
@drewwwbydoobydoo​
@sure-i-exist​
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@glitched-cookie​
@wellhellothere09​
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moonlit-imagines · 5 years ago
Text
Second Cousins?
Byers x second cousin!reader
warnings:
a/n: THIS IS SUCH A REACH LMAO BARE WITH ME I LITERALLY HAD TO LOOK AT A CHART btw you’re about jonathans age? ig? idk but this is NOT romantic that’s frickin gross. p.s. horowitz is winona ryders name
prompt:
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You crawled out of bed to the sound of your dad screaming for you. What time was it?
12:38pm
Great. You slept the whole day and now you have to help your extended family move in immediately. You rolled off your mattress and scrambled to get some clothes. You hadn’t seen this side of the family since Christmas of 1978!
You’d regret not eating breakfast, but not yet. You walked outside, pushing your hair from your face and waiting for your family to exit their respective cars. Your “first-cousin-once-removed,” Joyce, got out first. (You just call her “Aunt Joyce”).
“Hey, guys! Long time no see.” She smiled. “Oh, my god, y/n. Is that you?” She walked up to you and gave you a hug.
“Hey there, Aunt Joyce. We’ve missed you a whole lot.” You looked over her shoulder and saw a younger girl, maybe 13 or 14. You’d never seen her in your life. Her eyes were definitely tear stained, her hair falling out of her scrunchie, and the sleeves on her flannel rolled up. “Who’s the girl?”
“Oh, uh, that would be El. She’s a...‘new addition’ to our family.” Joyce put in air quotes.
“Wicked. I’d love to get to know her better.” You stuck your hands in your pockets and watched the boys get out of their car. “I’d like to catch up with the boys, too. It’s been years. I mean, I know we talk on the phone every once in a blue moon, but this is so exciting! You guys are gonna be living with us now!”
“Only for a little while.” She sighed.
“We’ll make the most of it.” You gave her another hug and moved towards the boys.
“Jonny Byers. You got taller.” You joked with him.
“Bring it in.” He welcomed you with open arms.
“What’s up, kiddo?” You gave Will a high five. “You still drawing that cool ass art?”
“Yeah, I have a ‘portfolio’ now. Jonathan made me put one together.” Will snickered.
“Hey, artists need them. I have one for my pictures.” Jonathan reasoned.
“Well, Will, when you’re all settled in, you’re gonna have to sit me down and show me what you’ve got. You know, I still have that picture you drew me last time I saw you.” You told him.
“Really? I was like, seven.” He shook his head.
“Yeah, seven and truly gifted.” You turned your attention to your other “second cousin,” “And as for you, I’ve got all those old vinyls and some new ones, too. What about you?”
“I have more cassette’s than vinyls, but I’ll make sure we have time to share.” He punched your arm.
“That’s what I like to hear. Now let’s go help your mom and El unload the truck.” You turned around and Will and Jonathan followed you.
“Oh, you heard about El?” Will asked.
“Your mom said she was a ‘new addition to the family.’” You quoted.
“Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate description.” Will nodded. “She’s shy, I wouldn’t push her into conversation.”
“Noted.” You picked up a box and carried it inside. There were two spare rooms. One for Joyce and El and one for the boys. Good thing they didn’t mind sharing. You put the box into Joyce’s room, then headed right for the truck. The next box was labeled “HOPPER.” You lifted it up and an your way into the house, you ran into El.
“I can take that one.” She told you quietly.
“You sure?” You raised your eyebrows and she nodded. You handed her the box and went back to the truck.
“Hey, Horowitz, wanna help me grab this mattress?” Jonathan asked. You jogged up to hig and grabbed one side. “Got it? Alright, be careful.” You guys got the mattress inside, and then the other two.
“Alright, what’s next?” You asked.
“I’m actually kinda hungry.” Jonathan wiped the sweat off his forehead. “What about you?”
“Starving. Go round the gang up, I know a great place to get some lunch.” You told him. Jonathan went around and got all of the family together. There was only six of you. You, dad, Joyce, El, Jonathan, and Will. You all squeezed into one car and hit the road. Really, it was only a 10 minute drive.
“This was my Grandma Darlene’s favorite place to eat before she passed away. We always sit at her booth.” You told your cousins in the back seat. El was in between Joyce and your dad in the front. “Ooh! We’re here.”
You approached the door and your dad opened it up for everyone. You waved at the waitresses you had known so well and went to your usual spot. You each picked up a menu as the waitress asked for drinks.
Water for you, coffee for your dad, water for Jonathan, Sprite for Will, Diet Pepsi for Joyce, and lemonade for El.
“So, boys, what’s been going on in Hawkins? Any significant people or events you wanna talk about?” You questioned the boys.
“Well, Jonathan’s got a girlfriend who leaves lipstick marks all over his face.” Will taunted.
“Oh, shut it.” Jonathan pulled his straw up and took a sip of his drink. “Yeah, her name is Nancy. We’ve been together for almost a year. She’s a badass.”
“How so?” You bit down on a piece of ice.
“She’s determined to get what she wants. We had an internship at the local newspaper and she was an assistant, but she really wanted to be a reporter. She did every possible thing she could to do it. Followed stories, wrote them, suggested topics in meetings...” Jonathan gushed.
“And did she get to be a reporter?” You asked, turning your head sideways.
“No, she actually got us fired.” He chuckled. “But she stood up for herself, that’s why I love her.”
“She sounds great, will she be visiting you soon?” You asked him. “I’d love to show her the embarrassing pictures of us with marker all over our backs and faces when you lived here in ‘73. And the pictures of you pretending to be Super-Man. Can’t forget those ones.”
“Oh, my god, you still have those?” He laughed. “Yes, she’s visiting on Thanksgiving with her brother, Mike.” El’s head perked up. “Mike is Will’s best friend...and El’s boyfriend.”
“Is that so?” You smiled and turned to her. “What’s he like?”
“He’s...funny. And awkward. And a nerd.” She mumbled to you.
“He sounds very pleasant. Can’t wait to meet him.” You winked at her and she gave you a sweet little smile. You were very curious to hear what she had to say.
The waitress came back to take your orders. You and your dad got your usuals, Jonathan got a hamburger, El and Will got hot dogs, and Joyce got soup.
“You guys should try the rice pudding afterwards, it’s really good!” You told them and your dad rolled his eyes. “It is!”
“Pudding with rice in it?” El asked.
“Seriously, you gotta have some.” You told her. “I love it cold with cinnamon on it.” Your cousins were staring at you curiously. “C’mon, if you don’t eat it, I will.”
“Darlene loved her rice pudding.” Joyce chuckled. “You know, you look just like her.”
“I tell y/n that every day.” Your dad said. “It’s the eyes, I swear.”
“And the nose.” Joyce added.
“Oh, yeah.” Your dad agreed. The waitress came with rice pudding for everyone but your dad. Joyce ate it without a question, she had it every holiday with your grandma growing up. Your cousins (including El) stared at it hesitantly, then each took a bite. Jonathan remembered eating it once and hating it. Will spit it out. El took a second bite.
“Like it, El?” You asked.
“Not bad.” She actually managed to finish it.
“Sweet.” You did the same. “Anyone wanna make brownies tonight, or something?”
“Me!” El lit up. You were happy that she was warming up to you so fast.
“Sounds like a plan, we’ll make them from scratch.”
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