#but when you start a conversation it’s common sense to not stop listening and basically start talking to someone else in the middle of it!!

[nope-body]

.

[gilmoriends]

The twenty beauties of Gilmoriends.

It's about time we give a spotlight to the lovely souls that make up the Gilmoriends. Each of these twenty beauties brings their own sparkle in unity. creating the atmosphere that feels like home. They’re not just pretty faces; they’re funny, easy to tease (in a friendly way, I swear), and... just genuinely funny, really. Let’s dive in and get to know the incredible members who make Gilmoriends what it is!

Let’s start with the three that bring Gilmoriends to life, which none other than Jacqueline, the free spirit who tells it like it is, she is the kind of girl who’ll tell you if your outfit isn’t working (if you need a dose of honesty, she’s your go-to gal!). She’s got a knack for mockery that somehow always manages to make you laugh, never offend you. Second, is Rosemarie, the wise-advice giver with a wicked sense of humor! You can count on her to drop some serious wisdom when you need it—right after she serves you a perfectly timed sarcastic jokes casually like bombshells. Lastly, we have Phoebe, the ultimate cinephile who always armed with film references, also one who competing neck-and-neck with Rosemarie’s sarcasm (it’s a common scene to catch these two picking a fight).

And… drumroll, everyone… here come the new faces that bring Gilmoriends together! Starting with Teyis, the one who keeps us all complaining about how dark her profile is, but honestly, it suits her the most! She’s basically the human equivalent of a cozy night Next up is Bibie, our resident sweetheart and the only westerner in the crew! She’s the one who’s always down for whatever, whether it’s a movie night or a Spotify session. If there’s an activity going on, you can bet she’s right in the middle of it. Then we have Clayie, our meme royalty! Her fingers quicker than a lightning when it comes to editing the funniest video and photo memes to roast the rest of us (don’t worry, she’s our punching bag too, so it’s all in good fun!) also, you’ll never run out of things to discuss with her. And here’s MJ—nope, not Mary Jane or even Zendaya—but her very own MJ! One of our cinephiles making her the perfect movie buddy (also the post-discussion, too). Odes is here to bring the cuteness overload! She’s the friendliest of the bunch, always radiating good vibes that make everyone feel welcome, but still could keep-up with the humor (what a talent!). Then we’ve got Sassy, who we bonded with over playful fights, also an MJ’s (Michael Jackson, not Gilmoriends’ MJ) enthusiast and will not stop talking about him (we secretly love hearing her yap on about it). Meet Qidney, one who sweet and caring but also has a surprising sense of humor that sneaks up on you with random jokes, dropping punchlines like bombshells. Then we have Ophel, the girl who seems like she could be friends with just about everyone, really. Give off the approachable vibe, making it easy to share some jokey moments with her. Aveline, the night owl, is usually awake when the rest of us are snoozing, but also an amazing listener and a wise advisor when you need one! Let’s not forget Tejef, one of the most talkative, ready to chat about anything (not even exaggerating). You could bring up the most uncommon topic, and she’ll be there, ears wide open, ready to engage in a lively discussion. And then there’s Nyxié, our ghost-reader! To summon her from her reading cave, just mention anything related with soccer, and voilà—she’ll appear to join the conversation! Say hi to Acacia, our fun-loving and easygoing spirit! She brings the good vibes and wherever she goes. Also, she looks like she’s got a top-secret list of the finest men on the planet, and she’s not afraid to let it show! And next is Theela! also a football enthusiast and the life of the party! We need to see more of her hilarious side; 'cause we know she’s got the kind of humor that could has us cackling. Asleey, the one bubble that pops and dips forever! But when she does surface, you can expect her to say the sweetest things that make it all worth the wait. Next is Zè, our morning sunshine who radiates friendly vibes that make you feel like you’ve known her forever— definitely someone you want in your corner! And well, Kaluna is the sweetest and calmest of us all. She gives off major little sister energy that just make you want to treat her extra sweetly! Finally, we’ve got Celie, the sweet girl next door. You might not see her around often, but when you do, you know she’s got that kind, gentle spirit that makes her the perfect addition to Gilmoriends!

[sad-drake-lyrics]

alright, i’m having a lot of feelings™ about giyushino & i have to talk about it because otherwise i will implode. i’ve liked the idea of them together from s1, like most people who ship them seem to; but then i stopped thinking about them much due to obsession with other ships, and also because after their initial altercation on Mount Natagumo they don’t really get much screentime together, so i just lost interest.

but in my modern day obamitsu AU (you can find my ao3 link on my page!), i’m featuring giyushino as a background ship, & i am starting to catch fucking feelings myself from writing them. (if you head off to read the fic, there’s only two chapters posted so far & Giyuu + Shinobu are not in it yet, but will be very soon.)

so, here we go. gimme a moment to ramble about what inspired these HCs / character analyses before i get to the meat & potatoes.

street lights by killedmyself is one of my favourite songs despite the fact it being really more of a piece of audio art than a song - it’s mainly a movie dialogue sample mixed with sad boi lo-fi beats, but i play it all the time because it somehow hurts so good. so i was listening to it when thinking of the aforementioned modern AU, & i had an epiphany like “holy fuck, this is exactly how a giyushino relationship would go down, whether in a canon AU or any other story.”

the sample in the song is from No Strings Attached, a typical romantic comedy/drama about two close friends who have a deep understanding of each other and casually have sex, but the guy catches feelings and the girl wants nothing to do with a relationship.

(honestly, most people would probably find this movie boring - it’s a basic white het ship storyline; i only watched it because of the song, & the conversation in the song is literally the best part - otherwise the movie is hella bland & i wouldn't care if i never saw it again LOL so i’m def. not saying “go watch this” here.)

anyway, i’m listening to this song, and i’m like “omg, i can hear Giyuu & Shinobu saying every fucking line.”

basically, in my mind, Giyuu & Shinobu would start hooking up just for the sake of it - probably as a result of a quiet development of closeness born essentially out of convenience (they are always at the Ubuyashiki Estate together or working together), and then one night boning goes down. they’re attracted to each other; they like each other as people; and then the sex is good, so it keeps happening.

& very quickly, sad boi Giyuu, who is typically self-isolated and depressed, starts crushing hard. he’s alone and he’s desperate for human interaction and affection, even though he doesn’t realize it - and Shinobu is beautiful, and he admires her. plus they’re starting to have a lot of sex; & it’s pretty common for that to bloom some sense of love, ranging from base level attachment to infatuation to real feels - and it gets to the point where Giyuu wants to be with her.

but Shinobu doesn’t want the same thing. she cares about him (more than she can admit), but she’s fiercely independent and immensely dedicated to her work (with all her research and crafting of medicines & poisons). she puts this work above absolutely everything else with self-denying devotion - her happiness doesn’t matter; like she tells Tanjirou, she’s angry, and all that matters is success. a relationship for her would be a distraction, & she doesn’t need it - doesn’t want to deal with it; too many emotional ups & downs; too much drama; too much risk; too much intimacy with someone else, which actually terrifies her. so when Giyuu tells her he wants a relationship, she rejects him.

now let’s take the samples that slap me in the face with giyushino feels from street lights, which i can literally hear coming out of their fucking mouths.

Shinobu: You know me, this stuff freaks me out. It's fake. What’s wrong with what we’re doing? It’s working, we don’t have to fight -

Giyuu: Maybe I wanna fight.

Shinobu: Yeah, well I don’t.

Giyuu: What are you gonna do - you’re just never gonna feel anything? How are you gonna do that?

Shinobu: I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.

^ this exchange already starts murdering me because i feel like once Giyuu realizes he has legitimate feelings for Shinobu, and is wrestling with his own self-denial and inability to accept love from others because of how much he hates himself - he sees that Shinobu does the same thing - she doesn’t want to feel anything too deeply because she’s traumatized from Kanae’s death. she doesn’t want to love anyone else in a way that makes them more important than anything else (though, yes, we have to also acknowledge her love for Kanao here, but i imagine that's it for her - no more), so that she can’t experience loss again. she’s scared; she protects herself by being self-sufficient and dedicating herself to her work.

she's also stubborn asf, and sincerely believes in herself and what she's capable of, and so "I don't know. I'll figure it out." is literally what she would respond to this challenge.

Shinobu: I don’t need you to take care of me. I take care of myself. That’s what I do.

^ destroying me because this is exactly what Shinobu does. this is her MO; her armor.

Shinobu: Why don’t you go find some other girl who’s not gonna hurt you?

Giyuu: Because I love you.

^ help. why are they like this. it’s because Giyuu’s so alone, but when he feels, he feels deeply (seen even in his initially inexplicable sentimentality for Tanjirou & Nezuko from the beginning, all the way to when we finally hear his backstory with Sabito). he’s smart and intuitive, he can see right through Shinobu - right through everything she does to protect herself. he also doesn’t give up on people he cares about, and his sad boi meter is off the charts - he probably thinks he deserves rejection. plus we have Shinobu pushing everyone away so hard because she can’t handle it.

also going off the HC here that they’re casually hooking up throughout this: oh boy is this a mess of confusing emotions for both of them, both struggling to keep it bottled up, and Giyuu is clearly the weaker link. he just would be. he’s too sensitive.

Giyuu: It’s obvious, I completely love you - there. You’re such a wimp.

Shinobu: I am not!

Giyuu: Well then be with me.

^ why is this dialogue like, canon. it’s their personalities to a T - the way they push at each other in a way of making fun of each other; the way Giyuu is honest despite his problems with feelings; the way strong, independent Shinobu would be so offended at him calling her a wimp (which he totally would fucking say) - calling her out on how she blocks out feelings for others to stay focused on her mission so she can protect them, but so she also can’t get heartbroken, because she can’t go through that again.

*cough*

anyway. there’s my roughly 1k word count essay on how i envision a romantic giyushino dynamic. i’ll be trying to work this into my modern AU - but considering Giyuu and Shinobu are secondary characters, i don’t know how much i can explore this; still, i don’t have the full fic planned out, so nothing’s off the table.

but seriously, this shit hits me in my gut so hard i could probably write an entire fic about them just on this premise lol.

anyway, yeah. woke up at 7:30, made a cup of coffee, sat down on the computer and just wrote this essay out of nowhere in an hour because suddenly giyushino is also ruining my life.

[sparky-is-spiders]

JON

Jon!! Jon my most beloved!!!!!!!!! He's so important to me and I love him so much. This one got long so putting it under a cut lol.

First impression:

Ok this is a fun one because of how I got into TMA and you're gonna get some Sparky Lore.

So. Through a convoluted series of events involving a warriors fan-comic, Voltron (the remake), and several video-essays, I stumbled my way into a TMA fanfic. It was a J//mart soulmate AU that I honestly really enjoyed despite having zero context for the entire rest of TMA, but my complete lack of knowledge meant I ended up w/ a very... skewed impression of Jon. I imagined him as like, a balding, middle-aged white guy with wisps of gray hair, thick-rimmed glasses, and jowls. In his 50s, maybe his 40s. No I don't know why. I also sort of thought Martin was the main character and Jon was a major supporting character in the podcast itself (I. Don't really know why??) despite the fic being entirely from Jon's perspective. Aaaaand then I scrolled the TMA tag on the author's tumblr account. Idk how I reacted to that though my memory fails me. All I know is I have now adopted the common fanon perception of Jon's appearance and also I have been made aware that he is, in fact, 28. I was right about the graying hair tho.

I can't remember how I felt about Jon at first, but probably I liked him.

Impression now:

I'm very normal about him.

Favorite moment:

Oh I'm supposed to just choose ONE????

Idk. The entirety of episode 81 (yes it's my favorite). Literally any of his snarky little comments. His interactions with Sasha. His interactions with Elias. Whenever he was rude to Martin. "Our Gerard." When he talked about hoping Jonah was good. When he was experiencing Horrible Agony. Everything.

Ok ok. But seriously. I don't know if it's my favorite but one scene that lives rent-free in my head is that one moment near the end of episode six, talking about the death of Harriet Lee, where he says "though obviously it’s a tragic loss of life, etcetera, etcetera." It's so small but I think about it all the time... just. Jon who struggles with empathy. With caring about other people. Going through the motions of it so obviously because he knows that he has to but also doesn't think it should matter... idk. Does that make sense?

It's basically this post, really.

(Maybe this is projection. It's not a condemnation I don't think any of these make you better or worse as a person.)

Idea for a story

Idea... singular? Oh boy. Ok. So I'm not sure I have a singular solitary idea for a fic that DOESN'T involve Jon.

Okok here's one I'll never write because it would involve Too Much Martin. I've talked about it before but I don't think I've ever given it a full deep-dive. It's also like 75% Pure Salt. Much of it was Rotated while listening to Arcade Fire's Ready to Start so I think you should listen to it while reading this if you want. Also it's a good song.

Anyway it's one of them "Somewhere Else is Jonah Magnus Times" AUs and also one of my (several) bitter "Jon dumps Martin for someone better" AUs. Mostly canon compliant except instead of Jon asking Martin to kill him in e200 Martin takes matters into his own hands. They're kinda stuck together because they're literally the only person the other one has in a new and strange world but there is SO much festering resentment oh my god. Lots of arguements and tense conversations that are theoretically about what they should do next but actually about what happened in e200.

Sometimes Jon considers ending the world himself. Just doing it all over again because then he can complete his initial plan to kill everyone and starve the fears. It's like an idle "what-if" but the more he thinks about it the more sense it makes. No matter what there's going to be another apocalypse. And another. And another. And another. And clearly, he can't trust anyone but himself to do what needs to be done and stop the fears for good.

(And goddammit those few moments as the pupil felt so right.)

(But this isn't about that. It isn't.)

The thought of putting someone else through what he went through is beyond soul-crushing, but there is one person who could, theoretically, deserve it. One person Jon knows would do the exact same, if given the chance.

Idk if Jon founds the institute or seeks out Jonah to join his, but either way Jon wants Jonah's help. He breaks things off with Martin (does NOT mention any of his plans) and goes off to insert himself into Jonah's life.

Jon and Jonah begin a strange, very intense relationship. Jon is sort of a mentor figure, trying to guide Jonah the way Jonah guided him (potentially Jon tries to make Jonah the Archivist??) where Jonah is constantly digging for Jon's secrets and Jon is constantly trying to keep his true plans under wraps. Also they start having an affair (obviously).

Martin is probably still in the background trying to stop Jon but he fails <3. I think Jon maybe kills him in a fun parallel to how this began. But maybe not idc.

Jon does succeed in getting Jonah to read the statement but the ending flip-flops based on how I'm feeling. Sometimes Jon does succeed and kill the fears, dooming this universe to save countless others, but I think a stronger ending would be Jon failing. Jonah learning of his plans and killing him and starting the whole cycle over again, with them transported to a new universe and trying for their own armageddons, with the implication that this is going to be an endless cycle playing exactly into the Web's plan over and over again.

Unpopular opinion

He wouldn't date Martin. They don't know each other, they don't like each other, in just about any other circumstances Jon wouldn't give him the fucking time of day. I don't care.

Favorite relationship

Currently in Jon//elias hell but Jon//sasha dual archivists makes so much Sense to me...

Favorite headcanon

Oooooh... tie between aro Jon and trans Jon. I don't buy any interpretation of Jon as cis honestly. Usually I default to transmasc (PROJECTION) but I think Jon has soooo much Transgender potential in every direction. Aro Jon just makes so much sense to me. Like it suits them so well. Aro Jon........

[temporarypenintraining]

More Tea Shop AU changes!

Day of the Departed: -Lloyd is with Mystake during this episode but other than that the plot is basically the same. (Ignore the fact that the time difference would mean the Yin/Yang eclipse happened way earlier. This is Ninjago, we don't care about timeline here.)

Season 7: -Lloyd has no "Master in Training" arc (he also never got Garm's robes because that was just weird in general). -Instead, Cole serves as the leader throughout the entire series and he's the one to achieve the rank of Master after this season. -Obviously the season isn't really Lloyd-focused so it doesn't change all that much, except Mystake is involved a bit in the attempts to reverse Wu's ageing (unfortunately she is out of Yesterday's Tea and by the time she gets some, he's already been reversed and lost in time).

Season 8: -HO BOY THIS IS WHERE THE FUN STARTS -So it starts out pretty much the same, with the Ninja getting hired to protect the royal family against this spooky new "Sons of Garmadon" threat. -Lloyd finds out that they're after the Oni masks and immediately goes to contact Mystake, since she's, y'know, one of the original Oni warlords who owned the masks (my money's on either Decer or Ha-eed), but she's oh-so-conveniently absent from the shop. It's not a huge deal, since she's a cryptic old demon lady who does what she wants, but it's definitely unfortunate timing. -We actually reveal that Mr E is Echo (they only didn't in canon because there was already so much new lore, but since Lloyd already knows about his Oni/Dragon heritage we have time for some Zane/Echo angst). -The season goes normally until, of course, the scene where Lloyd and Harumi go to retrieve the Mask of Hatred. Since Lloyd's heritage is common knowledge by now, there's no "how did you know I was part Oni?" stuff (unclear whether or not the other Ninja figure it out). Instead, they get the mask and get out, but are then promptly "captured" by the Sons of Garmadon. Lloyd is pitching escape plans, which Harumi vetoes, and once they're approaching the Temple of Resurrection or whatever, she reveals her identity as the Quiet One and begins the resurrection ceremony (I'm gonna cut the hair thing because it really didn't make sense). -Resurrection stuff is happening, Harumi's screaming into a portal, the Ninja are trying to stop the ceremony, Mystake chooses now to conveniently come back and help, they stop the ceremony but obviously not fast enough. -Party at Laughy's, Mystake is also here and she takes Misako's place in that whole "hey, this sucks but don't let it ruin you as a person" conversation. -Anyway of course Lloyd does not listen because we have to have a dramatic fight scene where his soul and body are crushed. It's a lot closer of a fight because Lloyd is perfectly capable of accessing his Oni form so there's a LOT of damage done before Garmadon inevitably wins and takes over Ninjago and "kills" the Ninja and stuff.

Season 9: -I lied, THIS is where the fun starts. -Lloyd is a broken mess, his friends are dead and he has no idea where Mystake is or if she's alive, he's powerless and just trying to make it through the next day. Typical Lloyd stuff. -The only thing that gives him any hope is when they find Mystake again with the rest of the Resistance, although there's a pretty heated conversation about maybe TELLING HIM before sending his friends to an unfamiliar realm with no preparation and no clear way of getting home. -Did Mystake send the to the First Realm specifically so they could free the Hunters from their tyrannical ruler? Who knows? Maybe. -The biggest difference from canon is that, upon finding out that Mystake didn't survive her encounter with Garmadon, Lloyd discovers that while his green power still isn't working, his Oni form is back to normal. How does he discover this? By going absolutely apeshit on Garmadon's forces. -Harumi's dead, Mystake's dead, Garmadon is pissed because that's his daughter figure and Lloyd is pissed because that's his mother/grandmother figure. Now there's two Oni beating eachother's asses on top of Borg Tower and no one has any clue how to deal with them. -Eventually the Ninja find their way out of the First Realm, and Lloyd realizes that fighting his father is doing absolutely nothing and tries the whole "I cannot fight you, but I can resist you" thing (though not exactly the same way). Anyway part 3 coming in a sec.

[delayed-affection]

Chapter ten

Back   Navigation   Season 3

“Dude! Come on!” Y/n shouts at Dustin

“I’m coming!” He yells running to the front door, “You can’t rush perfection.”

“I don’t know about perfection but sure.”

“I’ll have you know that I am the best looking one in the party.” He argues following you out.

She stifles a laugh and get in the car, “What about Harrington?”

“Steve doesn’t count, he’s basically an old man and he’s not in the original party.” He states slamming his door shut.

“Steve and I are the same age.”

“Exactly you guys have one foot in the grave already.” He answers looking out the window.

“You know if those monsters come back one day, I’m going to let one of them get you.” She jokes in a serious tone.

“That’s like saying It doesn’t take a photon up to 40,000 years to travel from the core of the sun to its surface, but only 8 minutes to travel the rest of the way to Earth.”

She rolls her eyes, “Okay you nerd.”

Pulling out of the driveway she starts up a new conversation.

“So are you ready for nerd camp?”

“It’s not nerd camp, it’s camp know where and it’s going to teach me more about science and technology.”

“Nerd camp.”

~

“Dustin!” The boys exclaim at the sight of the car.

Before Y/n can even park the car he’s jumping out of it and rushing over to large group.

“If it isn’t my favorite and least favorite Henderson.” Steve greets pushing himself off of his car.

“If it isn’t my favorite Harrington.” Y/n says getting out of the car.

“I’m the only Harrington, y/n.”

“Exactly.” She states

“You are quickly becoming my least favorite Henderson.”

“Are you saying I wasn’t your favorite?” Dustin asks slightly offended.

“Talk to me when you can do cool things with your mind.” He answers tapping the side of his head.

The sound of a loud engine makes them all fall quiet. Billy’s blue Camaro comes zooming into parking lot.

Max quickly hops out with a huff and he wastes no time leaving.

She makes her way over to the group, “Bunch of losers standing out here, come on.”

The boys follow her inside the newly built mall with their siblings following.

“Jonathan and I are going to go look at Daltons Bookstore.” Nancy announces grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the group.

The now shorten group walks further into the mall not making it too far from where they started.

“There’s an E.B.” Will squeals making them all stop “I wonder if they have Spy Hunter.”

“We gotta go.” Mike comments

“Y/n can I have some money please?” Dustin begs

“Didn’t mom give you some before we left?” She questions

“She only gave me a ten, please just a dollar or two.” He whines with pleading hands

“Only a ten.” She mocks pulling out her wallet and grabbing a five, “Meet us here or at the food court at four.”

He takes the money with a rushed thank you, Will, Mike and him take off towards the store.

“You guys aren’t going?” Steve asks Lucas and Max

The two share a look and dash off to the store.

“Looks like it’s you and me, Harrington.”

~

“Yo, Dustin!” Lucas calls out catching up to them, “I think Harrington has a thing for your sister.”

He quickly turns around, “Ew. No, he doesn’t, why would you say that?”

Max nods, “He didn’t want us hanging around with them.”

“He basically told us to leave.” Lucas adds

“Don’t listen to them, Dustin. They don’t know what they’re talking about.” Mike assures

“Come on think about it, he said she was his favorite.” Lucas argues

Dustin quickly looks around before answering, “Yeah because she has powers and they’re friends.”

“He dated Nancy for god’s sake. what makes you think he won’t date her?” He questions

Max hums, “Girl code says you can’t date your friends ex.”

“Girl code? what’s girl code?” Will asks

“It’s a set of rules that apply to all girls. They’re not written down or anything, it’s just like common sense.” She replies

“Look, he’s not going to date my sister and there’s no way in hell that she even likes him.” Dustin states

Something catches Max’s eye, “Isn’t that Keith?”

They all follow her gaze over to the Cheeto eating teen.

Lucas’ eyes grow wide, “We have to go.”

“What? Why?” Mike asks

“I may or may not have promised him a date with one of your sisters and that date may or may not have happened.” he quickly confesses

“You did what?” Dustin and Mike exclaim

“Look I’ll explain later but right now we have to leave.” he tells them

~

Steve throws an arm around Y/n’s shoulders, “You feel like ice cream?”

She goes to answer but he cuts her off, “I don’t care we’re going to get some.”

He basically drags her by her neck over to the food court, “What are you gonna get, personally I’m more of a vanilla guy.”

She chuckles, “Your choice in ice cream is as bland as your personality.”

He drags his free hand through his hair, “I have a great personality, what are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?” She asks trying to get out of answering.

“Okay, what are you going to get then Ms Spectacular personality?”

She shrugs, “Probably cookies and cream.”

“Oh because that’s so much better than vanilla.”

“It is.” She argues, “Who wants plain vanilla ice cream?”

He puts both of his hands on his head, clearly stressing, “Your choice is vanilla ice cream with Oreos in it! You can’t be serious?”

The two of them make it to Scoops, two workers dressed in sailor uniforms greet them with an ‘Ahoy’.

They order and find a place to sit in the somewhat crowded parlor. The silence between them doesn’t last very long.

“So.” He drags, “Are you leaving for college soon?”

She shakes her head, “No, with everything that’s happened I’m not leaving until Dustin goes off to college. Are you leaving soon?”

“No, I uh…” He pauses, “I’m taking a year off from school. Might get a job, make some money of my own. Not sure on where to work though.”

“You could apply here, they’re still hiring.” She says pointing to the help wanted sign.

He shoots a quick look to the workers, “I don’t know, don’t you think the outfits are kind of dumb?”

She shrugs, “Kinda, but you, King Harrington, you’d look cute in it.”

Her saying that boosted his already inflated ego, even if she was kidding.

“Oh yeah?” He smirks “Well if I apply will you do it with me?”

“Sorry to break it to you but I already have an interview with Sam goody next door.”

He gives her a bewildered look, “What? When did you apply?”

“Yesterday.” She answers

“You were here yesterday?”

“This might surprise you Harrington but I have other friends.”

He sits back in his seat, “And I thought I was special.”

He then pushes him back towards the table, “Okay, how about a game of rock, paper, scissors? You win then you don’t apply but if I win then you have to apply with me.”

She gives it a short thought but agrees, “Alright let’s do it.”

Rock, paper, scissors. She lost.

“Best two out of three.”

Rock, paper, scissors. He lost.

Rock, paper, scissors. She lost.

“Alright Henderson I’ll be right back.”

He leaves the table and goes to the counter. She questions if she has time to run, not wanting to dress like a sailor if she were to get the job.

She runs out of time when he sits down in front of her with the applications and two pens.

He slides them towards, “Your pen and paper m’lady.”

They finish their ice creams and start on the applications. She thinks of writing down gibberish but it might be cool to work with the boy.

The two of them sit in comfortable silence, listening to those around.

The soft music playing behind the loud conversations.

Chairs scratching the floor as they move back and forth.

And Steve, who’s tapping his pen on the table after every question.

He sighs and glances at her, “Is little Henderson still going to that know it all camp?”

“Yeah, he actually leaves tomorrow. Why are you going to miss him?” She teases

“What?” He scoffs “As if, I’m happy I don’t have deal with the little shit for a while.”

She gives him a serious look, “Hey, that little shit is still my brother, asshat.”

“Sorry. But come on, me? Miss him? Let’s be serious now.”

“You don’t have to lie Harrington, I know you have a soft spot for him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you done filling that out? Cause I’m done, here I’ll take it up for you.”

He hurriedly gets up, grabbing the papers and pens. She’s glad she had finished and that he didn’t rip it away while she was still writing.

He comes back and huffs “Can we go to radio shack? I need a new Walkman.”

“Why what happened to yours?” She asks getting up.

He leads her out of the scoops, “I might have… lost mine.”

“That two this year alone, Steve.”

“Okay and this will be the last one of the year.” He states but mumbles “Hopefully.”

“Well then lead the way.”

~

Y/n and Jonathan sit on a bench outside of the dressing rooms, watching as Nancy and Steve try on an endless amount of clothes. For the past three stores it’s been them trying on random pieces of clothes and them two shaking their heads or nodding.

Y/n checks her watch, “Okay Wheeler, Harrington, we have to go.”

“What?” He says from the fitting room.

“We can no longer watch you guys try on clothes. It’s 3:55 and we have to meet the kids on the other side of the mall.”

“Okay, okay.”

Everyone in the store can hear him flailing around in the room, trying to get out of the unwanted clothes.

Nancy throws open her curtain, “Wait, does this dress look good? I don’t know how I feel about it.”

Y/n looks over to Jonathan who’s basically drooling on himself, “Can you do a little spin?”

The two watch as she slowly spins, showing what the dress has to offer.

Y/n nods, “I like it, I think you should get it. What do you think, Jonathan?”

He blinks rapidly, trying to get his mind back on track, “Uhh.. y-yeah. Y-You should get it.”

She smiles and closes the curtain to change.

Steve eventually manages to put his clothes back on, “Okay, I’m gonna pay for these and I’ll meet you guys at the front.”

Nancy is quick to change, “Let’s get a move on people.”

They all walk their separate ways, but it doesn’t take long for them to meet at the front.

“We’re following you Henderson.”

Walking back to the food court they run into Mike.

“Why are you alone? Where’s everyone else?” Y/n asks

“I was with Dustin and Will.” Mike informs, “They should be somewhere around here, Dustin was thirsty.”

“What about Lucas and Max?” Steve asks

“Will said they went to Wicks n sticks for Max’s mom.”

They wait a bit for Dustin and Will, Will spots them first, running over leaving Dustin behind to catch up.

“Is it time to go already?” He questions

“Yeah, we just have to find the others.” Y/n answers

With more than half of the group found they make their way back.

Dustin drones on and on about what he’s going to be doing at camp.

Steve’s not able to keep up with him, so he chooses to stay quiet after having them explain one too many things to him.

Will excitedly listens to Dustin, asking questions about what he’s going to be able to do and learn.

Mike shows his interest in the conversation but keeps quiet for the most part.

Y/n’s only half listening to him, knowing that she’ll be hearing it until he leaves and all about it when he gets back.

Steve falls back and Y/n watches as his face scrunches up in confusion.

“What are you looking at Henderson?”

She squints her eyes at his hairline, “I think you’re balding.”

His hand flies up to his head, “What? No I’m not!”

“You’re not but I made you worry.”

“You’re a dick, you know that?”

She laughs, “I know.”

Nancy loops her arm with Y/ns, “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”

“No, why?”

She smiles, “How would you like to go swimsuit shopping, I saw some cute ones and I feel it would be fun with just the two of us.”

“Sounds like fun.”

~

“Y/n! Can I ride with you back to your place?” Max asks running up to her.

“I don’t see why not.”

“I call shotgun!” She yells dashing to her car.

“What? So not fair!” Dustin shouts running after her.

Lucas follows, “I’m coming too!”

They all race to the car, shoving one another and calling each other names.

“Well I’ll see you guys at my house.” Y/n says to others before following the bickering kids.

“Our house!” Dustin corrects

~

Hopper takes a deep breath and knocks on Hendersons front door, to his surprise Nancy opens it.

“Hopper? Is something wrong? Would you like to come in?” She asks

He shakes his head, “No… no. Is y/n home?”

“Yeah.” She nods, “Let me go get her.”

She leaves him at the door and goes to find her.

She finds her in the kitchen with max making pizza, “Hey, umm… Hopper wants to see you, he’s at the door.”

She quickly wipes her hands off, “okay, can you help her finishes these while I go talk to him?”

She nods and takes her place.

Hopper doesn’t even til she’s full at the door to ask his question, “Is your mom home?”

“No.”

He motions her to follow, she follows him to his truck where El stands.

El immediately runs over to her and pulls her into a hug.

He sighs, “I’ll be back to pick her up after my shift. Make sure she eats something other than Eggos. And if anything happens call me first.”

Pulling away from El she swings her arm around her shoulders, “She’ll be just fine here.”

He gets in his truck and slams the door, “And keep her away from Mike.”

She nods and lead her inside, “No promises on the Mike part.”

~

“You’ll never believe what Steve did, Dustin?” Will laughs

He stomps his way back into the living room, “What did you do?”

“He sold us your railroad.” Will answers high fiving Y/n.

“Why would you sell our railroad?” He exclaims sitting back down.

“They were very persuasive, I thought it was good deal.” he argues

He points a finger at his sister, “Did you use your powers on him?”

“What? No!” She replies

“How much did they give you?” He questions

“Forty five and Mediterranean Avenue.”

Lucas stifles a laugh, “That’s the lowest paid spot.”

“Rent is only ten bucks.” Mike chimes

“El’s never played and is still doing better than you.” Y/n laughs

He sighs, “This game is going to take forever.”

“Not with the way Steve is playing.” Nancy comments

Jonathan chuckles, “You guys will be the first to bankruptcy.”

“Why did I pick Steve?” He mumbles to himself

~

Y/n and Nancy sit in her room painting El and Max’s nails. El has yet to open up to Max, she’ll act civil but won’t actually talk to her. 

Max looks over to Y/n, “So, you and Steve a thing, Y/n?”

“No, why?” she asks

“L- Lucas was just spreading rumors around and I thought I’d ask.” she sputters

“Why would he do that?” Nancy asks

“He said it’s because he thinks Steve wanted some alone time with her earlier. He then followed that up with ‘He dated Nancy what makes you think he won’t date her.” she informs

“Do you like Steve?” El chimes

“As a friend, yes.” Y/n answers

El looks up from her nails, “Like how I like Mike?”

She shakes her head, “No, the way you like Mike is different from the way I like Steve. You like Mike like the way Nancy likes Jonathan or how Max likes Lucas.”

A better example pops into her head, “You like Mike the same way you like Eggos.”

~

Dustin stands over Steve, beating him with a pillow, “You made my sister apply with you! You wanted alone time with her! You already spend too much time together!”

Steve tries to block the hits, “We’re friends that’s what friends do.”

Jonanthan stands in the corner of the room not wanting to get involved but the other boys are loving the live entertainment.

“Get him, Dustin!” Lucas shouts

“Should we stop him?” Will asks

Mike laughs, “No, I’ve been thinking about beating him up for a while. It’s better that is Dustin, he won’t get in much trouble.”

Dustin’s hits become harder, “Stay away from my sister, asshole!”

“Y/n!” Steve yells, “Help me!”

Dustin smacks him in the head, “Leave her out of this.” 

Dustin’s door slides open and all the girls entire his room. 

“Y/n! Get him away from me.” Steve pleads

“It’s a pillow, Harrington. Just take it from him.” She tells him

He huffs and grabs at the pillow, pulling it away from him. He stands up and goes to smack Dustin back.

The pillow flies out of his hands and over to Y/n, “I said take it Harrington, not hit him with it.”

Dustin stands in front of his sister, “Y/n, tell me you don’t like that asshole.”

She smacks him in the head with the pillow, “I don't like him.”

“Why did you smack me?” 

“Well for one you were smacking the shit out of Steve and two... well I just wanted to.”

He yanks the pillow from her and hits her.

The pillow from his bed lands in her hands and she whacks him with it. They go back and forth, just smacking each other. Max runs out of the room and grabs all the pillows she can. She hands them out and it turns into a pillow fight, then to a hit Steve party.

[sneakyscarab]

i'm back again! were you expecting my return so soon? cause i wasnt :P

nina's thoughts on Touhou 13 - Ten Desires

ok, i definitely did not expect to be writing this so soon. after the training arc of MoF and SA i think the return of real proper bombs to touhou has made me a monster. do you want to know how many runs it took me to 1cc this one? SIX! i might need to graduate to playing these games on hard difficulty… UFO to me made since cause they made getting extra lives super easy, but they cut down hard on extra lives in TD so i don't even know. i feel like i barely even know this game, but its done already.

the basic gameplay is pretty similar to UFO, minus obviously the UFOs. instead theres a new pickup system in Divine Spirits that pop out of enemies and fade away in a few seconds unless collected. there are 4 types of Divine Spirit, 2 common and 2 rare. the two rare types are Pink and Green and are pretty much just life pieces and bomb pieces with a different coat of paint, although you need a lot more than 5 of them now, starting at 8 for a full life/bomb and increasing in cost every time. the common types of spirit are Blue and Grey, blue ones increase the worth of point items, and grey ones increase your trance gauge (i think all spirits do, but grey ones do it better).

the trance gauge itself is pretty weird, when you get hit by a bullet you go into a trance which increases your damage and makes you fully invincible for up to 10 seconds depending on your gauge, and then you die when it runs out. alternatively, if your trance gauge is full, you can manually go into trance, which doesnt kill you when it runs out. its pretty much either a really strong get-out-of-spellcard-free move, or its a weird inbetween mood of "welp im dead in a few seconds, might as well see how much damage i can do"

in terms of playable characters, TD is very similar to Imperishable Night, having 4 choices with 1 moveset each, those being two seperate weapons taped together based on focusing. Reimu to nobodys surprise has homing shots and needles when focusing. Marisa has illusion lasers when focusing shoots magic missiles, although these are more like Nitori's missiles than Marisa's own. Sanae is back again but sadly doesn't get either of her cool weapons from last game, instead having a wind-based shot that goes wide normally and turns into a weird helix shape when focusing. and the 4th option is Youmu returning out of nowhere, although it makes sense given that the Netherworld is involved in this games plot. she has the weirdest weapon, with her unfocused shot being like MoF!Marisa's trailing options, and her focused shot being that you don't shoot while focusing, instead while you hold down focus you charge up a powerful sword slash that you unleash when you stop focusing. the sword charge is a really cool idea and is reminscent of how she played in PoFV, but while in that game her sword deleted bullets, it doesn't do the same here, making you feel really vulnerable. i want to like Youmu's moveset, but im just not a fan. granted, i only played as Youmu one time. i played each character once, then gave Marisa a second shot, then gave Sanae a second shot and got my 1cc. Sanae's weapon set is probably my preferred one just cause it feels like it synergizes the best, but Reimu is good too.

for the new characters, i gotta give shoutouts to the trans icon Toyosatomimi no Miko. She's the reincarnation of Prince Shoutoko, a Japanese historical figure who apparently used to be on the ¥10,000 note, who somehow ended up in Gensokyo and when coming back to life decided "i think im a girl actually". she has the ability to hear the desires (of which there are 10) of those she talks with, and is able to judge their character and motivations through them. however, shes a terrible listener when it comes to actual conversation, and frequently talks past people.

Kyouko is a pretty fun character. although she doesnt do much in this game, in external media she becomes besties with Mystia from IN and they form a punk band together, which is just amazing. if you go to one of their concerts you will almost certainly go deaf considering Kyouko's power is basically to shout things very loudly into the distance. they must get so many noise complaints.

like UFO im having trouble deciding on a third pick. Yoshika is a cool Jiang-shi with an interesting mechanic in her fight where she will summon divine spirits and then eat them to regain health, becoming basically unkillable if you don't grab the spirits before she can. Mononobe no Futo also has some fun attacks, i love how she just randomly jumps onto a boat for some of them, and her final spellcard "Saint Card 「Oomonoimi's Banquet」" is a really fun pattern to dodge, spinning in circles while avoiding the cards flying at you.

final thoughts on TD, uh… it sure is a game! i like how it uses returning characters like the netherworld duo, and Kogasa again lol. the divine spirits and trance gauge are just kinda eh, and the playable character movesets are also kinda eh. i hesitate to call it bad, but its certainly not ranking highly imo.

thanks for reading! i have no idea what the rate of these posts is going to be like, we'll have to see how i handle #14. until next time!

[fouralignments]

For the “get to know your writer” ask game - 3, 13, 20, 27, 74

Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

I get sparks of inspiration. I get bad dry spells as well, so it comes and goes. Often times I make little outlines on my phone with checklist features; to give me a sense where I want the conversation to go and what plot points need to be in there. From there I write, I usually like setting the scene with descrubtion to get my audience emerses. Sometime even though I have an outline, when I'm writing its more about finding where it all goes and letting it develop organicing or trusting my story of what and where it wants to go and where it wants to stop.

Sometimes, I have to step back and look at it from a different angle, for the answer to come to me, but its always been there, I just needed to find it. For example in chapter 7, I had this conversation between Peter and Sabah Nur and I need a transition between the next point because real conversation doesn't follow smoothly.

But when inspiration hits me rather that be from the podcasts that I listen to or film analysis or reading; I rework what they said and put them into the word doc. Sometimes I get ideas and have to write them down in my note section of my phone or even phrases that slip into my mind.

I go back on work on sections or move past trouble areas to work on the next point in the outline and go back and worth between them. Rinse and repeat until I feel its done. But, I have the bad habit of editing as I go and chasing rabbit holes thus increasing my chapter length. I sometimes worry that my audience will not like the length will skip over what I have wrote

Then check to see if everything makes sense. It takes me an entire day to upload, I go into word and type out the summary and whatever else is needed on ao3 and just copy/paste on there.

what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

(It should be noted that I have never EVER taken a creative writing course at the university level) Sometimes your writing has to catch up to your artistic eye.

It has three level:

1: you gotta get your basics down for technical wise like your sentence structure, word choice, using the correct punction etc. Like you gotta know the rules, before you know when break them and bend them when it comes to creative writing.

2: This is best summed up by Glenn Hetrick in the tv show Face Off said multiple. You need to have a reference library of shows, tropes, to see what came before and build on top of it. Understand why tropes, different readings of a show of movie, work the way that they do. Sometimes its better to watch and observe and analysis what went wrong on terrible show than a good one. Just engaging with the text

3: Read shit. Read on topics that you don't know about. Read think pieces.

I took classes on women studies, did survey course on the middle east, read 18 books on semester ranging from populism, poverty, 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état and 28 Mordad coup d'état. First you get exposed to ideas that can inspire you and depending on what your reading word choice, sentence length, I could go on. It helped me greatly better than my previous university did in teaching me how to write. I also started re-reading more writing how to books that I bought sometime back and took their advice seriously. This. helped me develop the language I needed to describe what was in my head. Also the power of the semicolon, run-on sentences I fear you no more!

I have to tell that I use to SUCK at writing, but in the process of having to write short essays and even a couple research papers per semester. It forced me to get better. Really get things down. The professors took the time to tell what I did wrong in papers.

Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

DOMESTIC SHIT

Its been pointed out to me that I write vulnerable moments between the characters rather that be between Erik and Peter, or Erik and Charles, or Peter and Sabah Nur.

What do you mean its not political?

Lots of food porn.

DADS

father-son relationships

For Erik:

I try my best to highlight his Jewish background and even in stories where it isn't apparent.

He does metal art like mystical menagerie of Ziz and leviathan, that do make an appearance in some of my fics.

Give my protective Dadneto any day; he's just so vulnerable around his son. He often sees his mother's eyes in Pietro.

Only Erik calls Peter, Pietro

His beard is called fuzzy. I find Fassy's veiny arms sexy and attractive.

He's very witty and sarcastic, but very worldly.

SHARKS

Yeah yes, Charles swimming with Erik in Shark form!

His singing and breadmaking, just him cooking is described as soulful. As a ritual for both himself and Pietro to help with establishing routine they sing Modeh Ani and Elohai Neshamah for the morning or blessings over food.

For Charles:

I've called his hair fluffy and feather-like mane many of times. He's associated with lavender, which is medicinal as he wants to heal both Erik and Peter but its also calming; also with pastel, lighter grays. His hands are soft and scholarly; I play up that aspect of his character. Shortbread and tea. I associate him with the spring, wildflowers, gardening.

Balancing out Erik in the parenting department. He's very motherly.

For Peter:

I associate him with hummingbirds. When describing his hair I often look up different slivery elements; I was very pleased with the tolkin reference in my Assassin Creed one-shot with Mithril.

Often described using celestial bodies and space, and metals.

He's neurodivergent and he flourishes under a patient teacher like Charles. He is very caring and kind, but suffers badly from self doubt and self esteem issues, a common problem in my fics. However, he doesn't think through things, but he's smart no dumb Peter here. He's trying to figure himself out and who he is.

For En Sabah Nur:

I've tired to my best to ignore or even re-imagine how Sabah Nur looks, so I focus on his eyes because Oscar Isaac has gorgeous eyes. For the character since he compesned with his eyes, voice and hands; I think why a lot of people didn't realize it was him was becuase in post ESN had to be dupped he really changed his voice for the role making it sound old.

I based much of his mannerism off of Oscar Isaac and if you see like him with Pedro Pascal or behind the scenes photos the dude gives good hugs and physical affection.

I also have given the nickname of En Sabah Nur giver of good compliments. Those are his two love languages that he primary uses.

I tired highlighting the milky prophet eyes. layered of his voice

Though surprisingly, I don't write the bite down on his lower lip tick that he has.

Though that may change in the future for the human less blue version in the future.

I am also giving him a fucking hobby, have it planned out, but he enjoy pottery. It turns out that yeah um Ancient Egyptians had pottery wheels. He also has an architect eye. With his powers it would probably help knowing material engineering, metallurgy, and chemistry.

What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

My least favorite part of writing is the first draft and actually getting over the hump of writing enough where I all I want to do is finish it and write glore.

When I am in the zone and the words flow through I feel like I can write for days; I stay up till 1 to 2 o'clock in the morning just being in that moment, while listening to ambient music that helps me get there.

You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

My descriptive language and just how I write the characters, its very disincentive. See answer above.

[zardasolamar]

Alright let's do this!

My main oc is Zarda! His proper name in his native tongue is Zandragora Gurrolf Sulmakir, but in common he's Zarda Solamar.

He's a small man, barely reaching four feet tall and maybe a bit over a hundred pounds undressed. He has a very petite build, but because of his work, is solidly built. His face is incredibly soft and effeminate.

He has several small pale freckles, they are relatively spaced out though they condense across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. His skin is pale, which fits his snow white hair very well.

He keeps his hair shoulder length, though because of his fluffy it is and because he prefers to keep it in a fluffy mop on top of his head, it rarely touches his shoulders, though it covers his eyes if he doesn't move it out of the way.

His eyes, when they're seen from behind his hair, are an incredibly deep shade of bright blue, like sapphires, they start dark around his iris and grow lighter as they near the edge of his sclera.

Zarda prefers to wear rather form fitting clothes, tight shirts and tight pants or leggings, but over the top he is always seen in large hand knit sweaters, and frequently in scarves. He typically dresses in dark colors, and reds. However, he always hides a pop of color somewhere on him, typically bright blue or lilac purple. Normally he uses pins or feathers for the colorful accessory.

He rarely wears jewelery, though he does have a small nose ring, a pair of gold stud earrings, and a set of nipple piercings which he hides with the sweaters.

He has two sets if noticeable scars on his body, deep ugly scars on his hips that look like he was grabbed by something with extreme force. They are noticeably indented, and the scar tissue is soft and pink, as if the wounds had been inflicted a very short time ago. On each side of his hips, there are four of these scars, and if someone looks at the inside of his thighs, up in the joint there is a fifth scar on each side, smaller, but no less disturbing to look at.

Zarda is a very shy and quiet person, though if you talk to him he will eagerly listen, he loves being the fly on the wall, finding it easier to enjoy a conversation between others, instead of joining in himself.

However, despite that, he is an overwhelmingly kind person, and if you get him to open up he will quickly show that he blossoms into a social butterfly around the right people. A great sense of humor, a wide contagious smile, and a heart filled to bursting with love to share.

He doesn't enjoy loud noises or angry tones, easily shutting down verbally when anyone raises their voice. It's easy to cause him to cry, and when he does begin to cry it's hard to stop him, as he spirals easily.

In medieval settings, Zarda is a young blacksmith, incredibly well skilled. He's an expert in basic smithing, nails, horseshoes and the like, though his weapons and armor are easily on par with almost any competition. His true mastery is jewelry making. He can often be seen in his open air smithy gently hammering gold or silver into intricate works of wearable art. He seems to have an unnatural resistance to heat, barely sweating infront of a raging forge, and easily able to hold metal most would leave to sit for several more minutes. His arms are commonly coated in soot up to his elbows.

In modern settings, he is an aspiring historian, following in the footsteps laid by his mother and sister. He has a fascination for all things medieval, though unfortunately he commonly gets lost in his own head, daydreaming so frequently that he doesn't tend to truly enjoy himself. He is an engine head as well, loving all things piston and rod. His prize possession is a hand customized 1957 Chevy Bel Air, plum purple with gold chrome and black soft top. The interior is the same color scheme. He has fine tuned the engine for years, and made several dramatic alterations, such as a fluid suspension system, intricate sound system, and magnetic brakes.

In Sci-fi settings, I don't really know! I've only used him in a couple of Sci-fi settings, and each time the rp ended before I was able to truly flesh him out sadly... I do know however that he would be a psyker in a 40k setting!

Zarda can be either a normal human, as detailed above, a nekomimi style person with the ears and tail or an arctic fox, or a full anthro arctic fox!

As a fox (or for the neko style his fox traits) are relatively simple, but I adore them anyways.

His fur is snow white, with small black dots covering his whole body like freckles (they also follow his rules for freckles! So they get more dense across his cheeks and the bridge of his muzzle!) He has black socks, up to his knees and elbows, however in truth it's simply years and years of soot or black dye, as he adores how it looks on his fur. The tip of his muzzle, ears and tail are also stained in the same way!

He does have some unique traits in settings with magic, such as small patches of incredibly fine slightly iridescent white scales with a silvered edge around his neck under his fur, and in his joints the scales are a deeper wine red shade. He doesn't talk about these, and only allows very close people to know that they exist. This is because he's actually a half dragon!

His father, Galdrak (#worstdad) abandoned his mother before Zarda was born, and in most settings he doesn't even know, which explains why frequently he has no idea that his heat resistance is because of his father, and why he doesn't know that if he gets angry enough, there's a chance that he could black out and his body would act on instinct, attacking whatever angered him, and even managing to emit small bursts of fire breath. Unlike an actual dragon, his flames come out much closer to a blowtorch. A short but insanely intense burst of focused flame that could melt straight through steel with no worries.

Unfortunately, if this happens it does burn him quite badly, singeing off his whiskers, curling and burning the fur of his muzzle, and giving him severe burns in his mouth which make speech incredibly painful, and eating or drinking next to impossible for several days.

As for general storylines, no matter the setting Zarda is always trying to make as many friends as possible while trying to help as many people as possible! He does have a short story I've been trying to write for several years now about him starting his organization called The House of The Yellow Sun, a place where all people are welcome and any help can be provided

[ambitionsource]

AMBITION “Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death” [ 4.10 ]♮PART 2, half 1

INT. L.A. APARTMENT - NIGHT

Farkle and Isa have returned to one of their tried and true pastimes, watching a movie together. Also true to their word, it’s impressive how swiftly they’ve fallen back into certain levels of comfort -- they’re sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch and sharing a blanket, Isa half-resting on Farkle’s upper arm like a bony pillow. They exchange light commentary as the film goes on, because it would be against their nature not to.

In a new form of nature, Isa can’t seem to stop losing focus on the movie. They can follow it enough to keep up the conversation, but they find their gaze keeps drifting elsewhere… right now, it’s landed on Farkle’s hand, resting on his thigh right there in front of them.

They could take it. There’s nothing stopping them from pulling their hand out from under the blanket and putting it in Farkle’s, linking their fingers together. It’s a surreal thought, having this much access so suddenly again, when they’ve spent so many months thousands of miles apart. The only thing stopping them is themselves.

And is it, really?

Before Isa can go down that rabbit hole, they’re spared with a different distraction. Their phone buzzes with a text. They pick it up and grow uncertain when they see Zachary’s name, then compulsively open the thread to read what he had to say.

Farkle picks up on their shift in demeanor. He pauses the movie, sitting upright.

Farkle: Everything okay? Isa: Huh? Oh, uh -- yeah. It’s just Zachary. Farkle: What did he say? Isa: They figured out who leaked it. Our connection. It was someone from Milo’s school. Farkle: Oh. Well, now that you say it, I guess that makes sense. Schools are big and leaky places. It’s honestly remarkable more shit didn’t get around Adams -- and that’s including the fact that we had a stupid Confessions page for a year. Isa: He’s wondering if I’d be willing to come back and talk things through. Now that they know.

Well, that’s good. Isn’t it? Farkle figures that’s a great sign. Isa seems less convinced, and their silence speaks for them.

Farkle: You’re not sure? You don’t want to go back? Isa: No. No, I mean, I do. I want things to work out, but --

But won’t this just happen again? Inevitably? Isa has a knack for ruining things. It’s basically in their blood. How many more times can they get their hopes up, thinking that this time will be different, only to ruin it all over again?

Farkle: Isa, this wasn’t your fault. It had nothing to do with you. Isa: No, actually, it does. Everyone keeps saying that, but they’re wrong. What is the common denominator here? Me. It’s me at the center of the scandal; it’s me who can’t socialize right or defuse any situation. Farkle: You’re not responsible for how people choose to perceive you. Especially when it’s willfully -- Isa: It’s me that the tabloids will eat up any bait about, including from petty exes, because I’m the easy target. It basically writes itself. I don’t want to put anyone else through that again. Not the MacNamaras. Not Zachary. I don’t need to add any more victims to my knack for destruction.

Besides, these last couple days have been fun. Nice. Comfortable. They want to keep enjoying that while it lasts. Farkle starts to argue, but Isa shuts down the conversation. They claim they’re tired and going to head to bed, but they thank Farkle for the movie and the company.

Reluctantly, Farkle lets them go. No sense in debate if they’re not willing to listen. Not now. Farkle says goodnight and watches them head back to his room, leaving him alone in the glow of the TV. He hates that Isa feels that way. That they’ve internalized so much unnecessary shame. It’s all unfair, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

Well, maybe not quite. Struck with an idea, Farkle picks up his phone and steps into Maya’s room for a bit of privacy, shutting the door.

INT. L.A. APARTMENT - MAYA’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Farkle dials a number he swore he wouldn’t be calling again, pacing the floor while he waits for it to go through. At least this time, he has a good reason. He doesn’t let himself chicken out, steeling his resolve.

INT. NELSON ESTATE - JORDAN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

JORDAN NELSON looks at his buzzing phone, unable to hold back a smug smirk when he sees who it is. He knew he couldn’t hold out on him. He figured his display at the festival would be a fluke.

After letting it ring just to draw it out a bit, Jordan picks up.

Jordan: Well, Minkus, have to say. I didn’t expect you to last that long, but this is quicker than even I anticipated.

INT. L.A. APARTMENT - MAYA’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Ugh. Now that the lovesick spell has worn off, Farkle can’t help but be turned off by the obvious arrogance in Jordan’s tone. Only days ago he wouldn’t have noticed… infatuation is a funny thing.

Right now, he doesn’t want to hear it. He cuts right to the chase.

Farkle: I’m not calling for you. Don’t flatter yourself. Jordan: [ with amusement ] Then why else would you be -- Farkle: You have a good time talking to the tabloids? I’m sure they just hung on your every word while you fed them garbage.

Jordan’s amusement is gone in a flash. And he hesitates a second too long, betraying his guilt, which is all Farkle needs. He wasn’t expecting to be caught. His denial is uncharacteristically meek.

Jordan: I don’t know what -- Farkle: Nelson, save us both the time. You know I’m the better actor. I’m not gonna buy your bullshit.

So why the hell did he call? Before Jordan can find a way to turn the tables, Farkle powers through, channeling the feral edge he hasn’t harnessed in months.

Farkle: If you want to be petty and take your anger out on me, fine. Do that. Feed the press as many smear stories about me as you want -- only no one will care, because like you said, no one gives a shit about me. I’m a nothing. But leave Isa alone. They’re not your personal cash grab vendetta. Drop one more word about them, I mean even a whisper, and you’ll regret it. Jordan: Oh yeah? Now you’re all feisty. Or what, Minkus? What are you gonna do about it? Farkle: For starters, lawyer up. You think the Hollywood firms are sharks? You haven’t met my family’s team. And believe me, they’d just love to dig their teeth into a defamation suit. It’s been a while since someone thought it wise to try and slander my family.

And if that doesn’t work, isn’t enough of a threat, he should rest assured -- Farkle will find something. His family has resources, and Farkle is nothing if not single-minded.

Farkle: Given how you treated me, I have no doubt I’m far from the first person you crossed. Or used. Or paid off. If you keep harassing Isa, trust me, I will find them. And I will not rest until you’re just as exposed.

He may not fight for himself so fiercely, but coming for his people is the biggest mistake you can make. He worked hard to earn them, and he will do anything to protect them.

Jordan isn’t impressed, but he has been pretty thoroughly dissuaded from messing around any further. After a certain point, it’s just not worth the extra stress.

But he does insist on getting the last word.

Jordan: Just tell me this, Minkus. You’re really gonna grill me this hard over your shitty friend, two days after our breakup, and still act like there was never anything there? That I wasn’t dead on for being suspicious?

That what he had with Isa wasn’t exactly platonic? Farkle grits his teeth, fuming over Jordan thinking he has any right to criticize him…

But he can’t deny it. Not convincingly. Instead, he closes the chapter without an answer.

Farkle: Goodbye, Jordan.

Then he hangs up, ending it for good.

INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT

Riley makes her way through the halls in a rush, rehearsal bag slung over her shoulder. With her hair and makeup still done, it’s clear she must’ve come straight from NYU as soon as the curtain closed.

It doesn’t take her long to find Lucas.

It must not be a high-traffic hallway they’re in, because he and Asher haven’t moved. They’re exactly where they collapsed before, only having adjusted so that Asher is sitting against the wall next to him. Lucas has worn himself out, slouched with his head resting against Asher’s shoulder.

Riley slows to halt at the sight, Asher glancing up when he sees her approach. He offers her a weak, bittersweet smile.

Asher: He’s resting. That’s something.

What a dull silver lining. But you take what you can get in times like these. Riley huffs out a thin laugh even though nothing is remotely funny.

Quietly, they change the guard, Riley kneeling down while Asher gently scoots out from under Lucas. Naturally, this causes him to stir, but Riley swoops in to take Asher’s place before they can disturb him too deeply. Asher holds his breath.

Lucas: Riley? Riley: Hi. Yeah, it’s me. Go back to sleep.

She guides him close again, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Lucas doesn’t put up much resistance, melting into the embrace and dropping his head against her chest.

She gives Asher a silent thumbs up, indicating she’s got it and he’s good to go. He nods in agreement, reaching for his bag and slinging it back over his shoulder as he gets to his feet. Riley mouths a thank you at him and he waves it off -- they all know why they’re here. No thank yous necessary. Each of them would do it in a heartbeat.

They can only hope Lucas realizes that.

As Asher quietly makes his exit, Riley shifts her attention back to Lucas, effortlessly settling back into the trenches. She encourages him to rest more fully against her, supporting his weight, softly stroking his hair and placing a kiss onto the top of his head.

EXT. MOTOR BOAT - DAY

Heather is seated with her things on a sleek, silver motor boat, looking drained and hollow. A couple other girls from the retreat have joined her, apparently having decided this opportunity isn’t worth the hoops or harsh reality.

The camera eases back as the motor boat takes off, headed away from the girl group yacht to shore. On the deck of the yacht, the crowd of remaining girls watches them go… 

EXT. YACHT - UPPER DECK - DAY

Yindra amongst them. So much for a guaranteed ally in the madness.

Kimmy: This is so sad. I liked them. Tabitha: Are you kidding? Three less competitors. Who else wants to jump overboard? Sloane: It’s tempting, but I’m thinking more of a push… Madysin: How much do you think one of those boats costs? I would love to be able to jet off into the sea whenever I want. It’s on my wishlist once those first checks start rolling in.

The range on this yacht is astronomical… the girls start to head back inside. Yindra is one of the last to go, steeling herself for a rough remaining handful of hours as she walks back to the doors on her own.

Maya, pre-lap: What do you mean you’re leaving?

INT. MALIBU LAKE HOUSE - DAY

Melissa is waiting for her Uber to arrive, all of her weekend luggage gathered by the door. Maya and Justin are both in the entryway with her, the former more concerned about her sudden departure than the latter.

Maya: We just got rolling with those new tracks. You can’t go now. Melissa: I’m so sorry, babe, but it’s a family emergency. Believe me, if it were any other thing, I’d put it aside for this. Justin: She means it, too. One time, we were doing so well on a songwriting session, Melissa skipped out on her brother’s wedding to finish the track. Bro was not happy about that one. Melissa: But Justin is gonna be here, and besides, you hardly need us anyway. You’ll make it slamming, you always do.

Justin agrees, promising Maya they’ll walk away from this retreat with something big. He throws an arm around her shoulders.

Justin: I’ve got you. I’ll take good care of you, on my honor.

Well, suppose that’ll have to do. Melissa’s car arrives. She tells them she can’t wait to hear what they come up with -- and they better come to her office first thing to share.

Maya: Will do.

Maya does her best to hide her disappointment, like she’s not losing half her validation as Melissa heads out the door.

INT. HOSPITAL - WAITING AREA - DAY

That afternoon, it’s not Jack, but SHAWN HUNTER who swings by to visit. Before Lucas can question what he’s doing there, Shawn raises a preemptive hand.

Shawn: No questions. No “aw, shucks” surprise or telling me I don’t need to be here. I’ve heard it all before, because I was you first. Let’s skip over that part.

Hurts to be so predictable. Shawn says he’s starving, and that Lucas better be too. Because they’re grabbing lunch, right now.

Lucas: Cafeteria sucks. Just so you know. Shawn: Oh, we’re not eating in this dump. [ to the desk attendant ] No offense.

No, Shawn has other plans. They’re getting out of here for a minute. They’re going away, getting Lucas some much needed space and out of this cold, septic building.

INT. YACHT - MAIN FLOOR - DAY

Equally thrilling developments await the girls on the retreat, as they start the morning by being informed that they’ll be left alone for this final day of the trip. That’s right -- no producers, no executives, no more consultants.

Ronica: Thank fuck.

Instead, they’re letting them make their own decisions for the day… mostly. There’s still the cameras around, of course, and they do have an assignment they’ll be working on for the final presentation tomorrow. As the producers explain, they’ll be self-sorting into two smaller groups, where they’re to collaborate on a performance routine entirely on their own. Music, harmonies, choreography, all of it -- that’s up to them, and all in their hands. A way to flex their group muscles, explore how they best fit into the big picture, discover their own strengths… and see who has natural leadership.

Once they create their presentations, they’ll come back together as a full group to perform the routines for one another and give each other constructive feedback -- a crucial part of any group chemistry. Then, tomorrow morning before the retreat ends, each group will perform them as their final audition. So it’s a chance to organically bond, in theory, while still being competitive and chock full of opportunities to make an impression -- for better or for worse.

Yindra isn’t sure, as the adults in the room head out, whether she’s glad they’re leaving or not.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY

To Shawn’s credit, he was absolutely right about going outside. Just being in the fresh air, walking through Central Park, seems to bring some color back to Lucas’s cheeks. It’s a bit easier to breathe. He has more of an appetite too, actually eating the food Shawn got him as they walk through the park.

Shawn: Look, I get it. Like I said, I’ve been in your shoes. I mean, mine were cheaper because I didn’t have the guts to steal ‘em at eighteen, but you get what I mean.

He’s gone through this whole thing himself -- sitting around waiting for his shitty pops to kick the bucket. It’s not a fun time. All he wanted to do the entire time was run away.

Lucas: Jack said he tries not to dwell on it. Be negative, and shit. That it was complicated, but he tries to… give grace, or whatever. Shawn: Ha! Of course he does. That’s Jack for you. Why do you think he’s the dignified principal-turned-school-board-member, and I’m the dropout who had to borrow a job from him?

Suffice to say, Jack has always been better about compartmentalizing his feelings about things. But it’s not always that easy. Not everyone is Jack Hunter. He means well, with his sage advice, but that doesn’t mean it’s as simple as following it.

Shawn: Besides, it was easier for him. That’s not to discount his experience or anything, but he didn’t live with our dad the way I did. He left him and his mom when he was still in middle school -- I got a lot more of his bullshittery, a lot more of the time.

No, he wasn’t as bad as Kenneth, since he never physically laid a finger on him. But he was still a piece of shit, and that still left wounds. Some he’s still healing from to this day.

Lucas: So what, exactly? Jack’s full of shit? Shawn: No. The “so what” is that I’m trying to tell you, it’s okay that this sucks. That it fucking sucks, and there’s no “good grace” to give it. That’s real. It sucks, and he sucks, and just because he’s dying doesn’t mean you have to set all that aside or pretend it didn’t happen. That it’s not complicated or fucked up. People do this thing when people die, where it’s like history gets rewritten. And suddenly, we’re only supposed to remember the good things, because confronting the truth is too… hard. Too bitter. But that’s bullshit.

So Lucas doesn’t have to feel bad for Kenneth. He doesn’t have to feel anything, just because it feels like he should. All Shawn wants to do is make sure that Lucas gets that it’s okay for it to all feel turned upside down.

Shawn: And you’ll grow through it. I swear to God, you will. Not immediately, and not all at once. But you will. [ patting his shoulder ] Get through the right now. Then worry about the rest.

A different perspective than what he’s heard so far, but not unwelcome. And yeah, it’s nice to hear someone say he’s allowed to have his ugly feelings along with the complex ones, even if he’s not sure which ones are the true root of how he feels.

Grief, universal as it may be, is about as varied an emotion as they come.

EXT. BEACH - DAY

That’s a sentiment Isa is all too familiar with, that they’re feeling a bit of themselves as they walk along the sand. They’ve returned to the same beach they visited in 213, the small hideaway of a strip that was one of Valerie’s favorites.

Just like last time, Farkle is with them, trailing along behind as they pace along the water’s edge. It’s peaceful, neither of them feeling as though they need to fill the silence. Given how hectic the last week or so has been in Isa’s world, the sense of privacy and peace is more than welcome.

Isa: For all her faults, can’t say my mom didn’t know how to find a sacred spot. Ironic for someone who was so addicted to the spotlight. Farkle: The woman was an island unto herself.

Hear, hear. Isa approaches the water and crouches down, letting the sea foam soak their hand. Farkle comes to join, kneeling down in the sand.

Isa: Do you think she’s still out there? How long would it have taken for the ocean to send her ashes away? Maybe she’s like, all the way in… Vietnam, by now. Or New Zealand. Farkle, theatrically: She’s always out there, as the ones who love us never really leave us -- Isa: Ugh. Wah, wah. I get it, Dead Poets Society, thanks for the therapy truism.

Farkle grins. After a moment, he states he should take advantage of the water while he has it, scooping up some and scrubbing at his face.

Isa: What are you doing? Farkle: When you gave me that little Eurotrash birth mark yesterday, you must’ve used a fucking Sharpie. I’ve been scrubbing at it all morning and it still won’t come off. Maybe the salt water will corrode it away. Isa: Either that, or you’re just rubbing my dead mom’s ashes all over your face.

Okay, really pleasant! Thanks, Isa! Farkle gags lightly, causing them to burst out laughing. Then they feign support, telling him to turn towards them so they can get a look for themselves. Farkle does so, letting Isa take his face in their hands and caress his cheek as they gently tilt his head to get a good look.

The view is quite nice so up close like this, but honestly, Isa has already forgotten what they were supposed to be looking for. What were they talking about? How the hell does this keep happening?

At the risk of losing absolutely all their brain power, Isa creates a different diversion -- they sweep their arm down and splash a big amount of salt water onto Farkle’s face when the next wave crests the shore, causing him to gasp and sputter as he falls out of their grasp onto the sand.

Isa: There. Think I got it.

Farkle coughs up a bit of salt water, then shoots Isa a glare.

Farkle: You’re so dead.

Hey, no dead jokes on dead mom beach! But too late. Isa scrambles to their feet and takes off at a run just as Farkle launches up after them, chasing them down the beach.

Neither of them are athletes, and running on sand is hard as it is, but it was inevitable Farkle was going to catch them. His legs are about twice the length of Isa’s.

Isa: How are you running this fast?! You failed fitness week -- !

Farkle ignores the taunt and rams into Isa, colliding with them and sending both of them down onto the sand. Isa cackles, catching their breath as Farkle collapses half on top of them and falls into a fit of giggles of his own. He sits up on his elbow, doing Isa the favor of brushing some hair and stray sand out of their face.

And there they go again. Somehow, they keep ending up this close. Like cosmic interference. Or maybe defiance, since every logical bone in Isa’s body is telling them not to play into their own delusions.

They’re just friends. Farkle’s newly single. They’re reading too much into everything. It’s dangerous to read into it, not to mention stupid.

And yet, how can Farkle manage to look at them like that, the way he is now, and not have it be worth spending the rest of their life reading?

For a fleeting moment, Isa thinks about breaking convention. They think about acting without thinking, of choosing the dumb move, and acting on the feelings they’ve been pushing down since last year. Farkle’s right there, with his electric blue eyes and face so close to theirs -- truly, what’s stopping them? Why the hell not?

In this case, reality. After a moment, Farkle clears his throat and sits up, giving Isa back their space as he plops down onto the sand next to them. Abruptly ending the moment, whatever it is -- if it was anything at all.

It’s for the best. Isa is losing their mind, seriously.

At least with some separation, it’s easier to breathe again. Isa sits up as well and brushes the sand off their legs, flicking some onto Farkle next to them for good measure. It’s his fault they ended up on the ground after all. For a minute, they soak up the peace again, watching the waves ebb and flow into shore and listening to their melodic crash.

Farkle: Do you think she ever brought Zachary here?

Isa is startled by the question at first. But once the initial shock wears off, and the ocean soothes their nerves, they shrug.

Isa: No idea. If she did, she never told me. Farkle: Seems like the kind of place he’d like. Secluded, private. Kind of antithetical to everything else about her. Isa: I guess. Maybe that’s why she found it -- so she could prove to him she was capable of holding peace.

Look how well that turned out… and now it’s Isa sitting on the beach with someone they love, hiding from everything and everyone else.

Farkle: I was just thinking, with Zachary… Isa: I could tell. You’re not very subtle at segues. Farkle: I think you should talk to him. Give him a chance to talk things through.

Isa sighs, propping their elbows on their knees and hiding their head in their hands.

Isa: And you’re the expert on communication now? Farkle: No, I’m not. Far from it. But that’s kind of exactly why I think so. Being here, you know -- [ looking out to the water ] Last time you brought me here, it was right after my attempt. And I’ve grown from that, obviously, but I still remember how that time felt. Vividly. I don’t know that I’ll ever really forget it, or that it can ever go away. I’m always going to carry it with me. And one of the biggest things that stuck out to me, that I still think about, is what it would’ve been like to leave so many things unsaid. To cut all these relationships I had short so unceremoniously. No possible resolution; no closure. When I think about it, and all the people I would’ve left on the other side… I feel like that’s the worst thing I could’ve ever done.

Maya is an obvious example, given how they were before his attempt. But it goes for everyone. He thinks about that a lot more now, about the way he leaves conversations with people.

Isa: Is there something you’re trying to tell me? Farkle: I’m not on the knife’s edge again, no. But my point is, I wouldn’t want to leave all the important stuff left unsaid. I try not to take that for granted anymore. The fact is, by choice or not, we don’t know when you might lose your chance to find your closure. None of us know when time’s up -- Valerie sure didn’t.

Isa closes their eyes, letting that one sink in.

Farkle: I’m not going to tell you what to do. And you know that no matter what, I’ve got your back on this. I’m just saying, like… is this how you’d want your last conversation with Zachary to have gone? When you finally got him in your life at all? Think you and I both know better than anyone else how much worse it can be to avoid communication.

True enough… maybe even now. Isa takes his point, contemplating it as they open their eyes and gaze out towards the ocean again. As the waves roll in and crash into the shore…

INT. YACHT - MAIN FLOOR - DAY

Out on the actual sea, the girls have begun their big project. They’ve finally been left alone and are now self-selecting, dividing up into their two groups.

Naturally, Tabitha has taken control of one group, loudly dictating what she thinks they should do for their number and eagerly -- but bossily -- throwing out ideas. Madysin has joined her as her right-hand man, both of them running roughshod over anyone else who has elected to join their grouping with bubbly enthusiasm.

Yindra seems reluctant to throw her lot in there… but on the flip side, Ronica has taken up residence in the other group, with Aleena and a couple others. While she may be more agreeable to work with, she’s the closest in vocal competition to Yindra. They’re basically occupying the same potential role in the group -- she can’t deny that. If she works with that group, she’ll avoid the teenage drama queens, but she might be risking being redundant.

Like Nigel said, she needs to seize her chance to stand out. It might be the only one she has left.

So Yindra bites the bullet and sidles over to join Tabitha, self-assigning herself to their group. They welcome her happily, Tabitha claiming she’ll easily boost their vocal score.

Tabitha: Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to build you in a solo somewhere. I want us to pull out every stop possible.

Well, that’s nice. Diva looks out for diva, suppose… Kimmy, also having joined this group, offers Yindra a friendly smile as they get down to business.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - ZAY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

The calendar shows there’s no more countdown. No more waiting.

The Turner audition is here.

Zay is just about ready, sizing himself up in the mirror on the inside of his closet door. He’s dressed plainly as per the audition guidelines, just a muscle tank and a pair of dark dance tights. He finishes securing his hair into a short ponytail, out of his face and ready for action.

This is it. Time to bring it. He releases a deep breath, closing his closet door.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - NIGHT

Zay descends the steps and grabs his coat off the rack by the front door, Omar and DONNA BABINEAUX in the living room waiting for him. The latter gets up and comes to give him a hug, both wishing him luck. Although the glamor and fanfare is less in-your-face, the moment feels quite reminiscent of the Kossal audition all those years ago.

Donna takes his shoulders and reminds him that whatever happens, wherever he goes after this, they’re proud of him. Endlessly proud. Zay nods, then glances over her shoulder towards his dad. He tacitly echoes the sentiment again, offering a light smile.

With that, Donna gives him one more kiss on the cheek and then lets him go, sending him off to face the music.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

Vanessa is already there, backstage in the wings as the auditionee before her finishes his oral interview post-routine. She’s also dressed plainly as required, wearing a maroon hued leotard and tights with a sheer ballet skirt over top. Her hair is similarly pulled back, in her case into a tight, curly bun on the back of her head. She’s also got her pointe shoes on, so you know she’s about to bring it.

That is, provided she can survive the walk onto the stage. As the interview before her is winding down, she’s starting to feel a bit light-headed. Her limbs are tingling, and the lights out there feel especially bright. Any second now…

She gets a surprise when someone comes to join her in the wings, jostling her shoulders from behind. She jumps and spins around, breaking into a smile when she finds Summer there. The two of them exchange a hug, Summer wishing her luck. She’s got this.

Summer: Show ‘em exactly who Vanessa Johnson is. Don’t take no for an answer.

Vanessa manages a smile, then a nod. And just in the nick of time, as the microphone invites her onto the stage from somewhere the audience.

Game time. Vanessa turns around, takes a deep breath, then marches onto the stage.

At the same moment, Charlie arrives with excellent timing. He pokes his head into the doors to the house and sees Vanessa entering through the wings, slipping inside the theater and quietly making his way to a seat in the back of the center section. He settles in just as Vanessa makes it front and center, squinting out through the lights towards the panel of three Turner faculty in the middle row.

Rosario Gao right at dead center. She leans forward towards the microphone.

Rosario: Are you ready, Miss Johnson? Vanessa: Yes.

If she says so. Gao nods to the colleague on her right, who turns and signals to the technicians in the booth to go.

Vanessa spins and faces away from them, taking her starting position. She closes her eyes as the lights dim and focus in around her. She inhales another deep breath…

INT. IMAGINATION SPACE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Little Bird” as performed by Jasmine Cephas-Jones || Performed by Vanessa Johnson

And exhales it on the imaginary stage, opening her eyes. She’s now front and center on this stage as well, the rest of the ensemble (sans the usual two empty blocks) standing in place on their marks behind her and cast in shadow once again. In this venue, she’s allowed to be far more fashionable, and she is -- her look is evocative of starlets and singers of decades past, shimmery even in a deep shade of black with billowy bell sleeves and a slit down the leg. Her hair is untamed, free and curly down her back SZA style.

The performance is split between the Turner audition stage and this one, emphasizing dance and singing respectively. While Vanessa executes the new routine she crafted to this track in just a few days, she vocalizes the sentiments in her own voice, thus acting as the backing track for herself in our version of the rendition. It doesn’t take long to recognize why she chose the song if she was digging for something more emotionally resonant -- some of the lyrics speak for themselves. Loudly.

Wish I could could tell ya Who breaks your heart Or the grass is greener when you don't wanna a boy no, no See life, will bring you down But your fire is blazing out

The song is about discovering your own worth, spreading your wings and letting yourself take flight -- without letting your insecurities and uncertainties cage you in. Accepting yourself as you are, and allowing that to be your greatest strength.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

And even more than her imaginary vocals, her performance conveys just that. Somehow, she’s managed to translate that struggle into choreography, and she delivers it as if every move could be her last.

Would be a nice sentiment for her parents to hear too… which is why it’s a great blessing that one of them decides to show up. Alexis steps through the house doors as silently as possible, better late than never, and scrambles to take a seat in the back. She’s immediately captivated by Vanessa’s performance.

It’s no wonder why. Vanessa is giving it her all, and it shows. The movements are sharp, precise, but also allowed to be imperfect. The imperfection is part of the journey, a reflection of those ways life bends and breaks you in ways you don’t expect. The parts she’s trying to learn to embrace, where you can’t always be exactly perfect.

Little bird, it's time Wings spread open wide Daddy said, walk on the wild side

That being said, her routine leaves no room for doubt as to her talent. It’s riddled with opportunities to show off -- spread her wings, so to speak -- particularly on the instrumental break. She executes a few difficult ballet leaps, stretches in and out of a split, falls onto her back before jumping back up with a flourish and launching into a spin.

Just like Zay said, she’s leaving it all on the stage.

Her imaginary self does the same with the vocals, absolutely nailing the last rendition of the chorus. The ensemble echoes her with harmonies from behind. 

By the time the song winds down around 4 minutes in, Vanessa makes it to the conclusion, slipping into a set of fouetté turns. She lets the spins dwindle out seemingly like it’s natural, taking a more sweeping full-body rotation to drop back down to her knees on the stage. She tilts her head back and looks up towards the ceiling, letting her eyes flutter shut.

INT. IMAGINATION SPACE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

Vanessa exhales the last breathy “fly,” the lights dimming around her and casting her in shadow.

Then the lights go down, concluding the number.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

Considering how breathtaking the performance was, it’s strange not to hear it met with resounding applause. This is something both Charlie and Alexis stumble over, both having to fight their natural instinct to clap as the lights come up and Vanessa gets back to her feet.

Instead, it’s quiet. She walks to the edge of the stage and waits to be addressed, catching her breath and skin shining with sweat. After what feels like an eternity of silence, Gao’s voice comes on over the microphone.

Rosario: Thank you, Miss Johnson. Well done.

Vanessa is going to do her damnedest not to read into that rare praise. She nods, maintaining her composure, while the panel begins to ask her questions. They prattle through the usual generic stuff, like what she’s hoping to gain from admission and how her time in the transfer program has prepared her.

Gao, naturally, saves the hard-hitting question for last. In all fairness, though, she did prepare her for it… in a way.

Rosario: The Turner program is an elite, top-rated dance academy that boasts a cohort of highly dedicated, unique individuals. How will you set yourself apart in the class, should you be admitted, and what will you bring to the cohort?

In short -- who are you, Vanessa? Now is the time to say it. Vanessa thinks on it for a beat… then she opens her arms and shrugs.

Vanessa: To tell the truth, I don’t know.

She wasn’t going to figure it all out in a week. It’s doubtful Gao expected her to. But she confronts the question candidly, not running away from it like she did the week before.

Vanessa: I’ve spent a long time trying to reach the standards of others. To follow the path laid out for me, even if I didn’t choose it or understand what that meant for me. How it reflected -- or didn’t reflect -- my own dreams and ambitions. To say it created a hazy sense of self would be an understatement.

Gao listens silently, not betraying anything. In the audience, Charlie is somewhat surprised by how relatable the speech is. He would’ve never guessed, based on her usual confident persona.

And Alexis frowns, disappointed to hear it. Knowing she had a hand in it, wishing that she didn’t.

Vanessa: So the truth is, I’m still figuring out what makes me… me. How I contribute as an individual, how I… make sense in the world. But the one thing I do know is that dance is a part of it. Indisputably. It used to be the biggest part, but I’ve spent the last year realizing that maybe I’m supposed to be more than that. That the joy and passion of the art can only shine brighter when it’s a piece of the portrait, not the whole picture. I think that being a part of Turner Academy is the next step in discovering myself -- a place where I can learn who I’m supposed to be and how I contribute. So… if you can grant me the patience of learning as I go, I promise, I will prove myself worthwhile. I will commit, with everything I’ve got, and show the cohort what I can do.

She’s asking for a bit of grace, and room to grow. In return, she will bring it, full heart, every single day.

It’s a compelling pitch -- but just one of many. Gao finishes jotting down some notes and then thanks Vanessa one last time, dismissing her.

Just like that, it’s done. Nothing left to do. Vanessa gives a small bow and forces her feet to move, walking off into the wings. In the house, Alexis gets up and makes a swift exit, not wanting to incidentally step on Vanessa’s moment or cause her extra stress.

Gao calls the next person up, moving things right along. Charlie takes the transition time to get up as well, quietly taking the side door out.

INT. HOSPITAL - WAITING AREA - NIGHT

Lucas is slouched in one of the seats, head tilted back against the wall and staring towards the ceiling. He’s alone now, everyone else otherwise committed. He told them all not to bother, so he’s glad they’re not missing anything important… but the silence of sitting there alone is deafening.

He checks his phone when it buzzes with a text, Grace giving him an update from beyond the double doors.

“Ken resting now. Has been in and out of sleep most of the evening. Docs say typical for this stage”

He’s fading, in other words. Who knows how much longer it’ll be now. Lucas isn’t sure how to feel about that.

He gets a distraction when a familiar face makes his way through the doors, getting the attention of the attendant working the desk. JOE is there with a carry-out bag, gruffly informing the attendant he won’t be hanging around long. He’s just stopping by for a drop-off.

Lucas straightens up when he recognizes him, completely shocked to see him outside the diner. Once Joe makes his way over, he finds his words, brow furrowed in confusion.

Lucas: Why are you -- ? Joe: Heard through the grapevine what was up. Thought y’all might want some food that isn’t made in a hospital cafeteria.

He hands Lucas the bag, filled with diner delights made by his coworkers. There’s a few condolences and warm wishes written on receipt scraps, as well as a slice of Grace’s favorite slice of pie set aside especially for her.

Lucas doesn’t know how to react. He can feel his throat starting to hurt, so he swallows hard.

Lucas: You didn’t have to do all this. Joe: Like hell I didn’t. I only do shit because I want to. And what I wanna do is look out for my crew.

Which, of course, includes Lucas. He’s been an employee of his for almost two years -- that’s as good as family in his book. And he takes care of family.

Lucas doesn’t have words. Joe doesn’t expect any. They’re birds of a feather in that way. He simply settles for a bracing pat on Lucas’s shoulder instead, waiting for him to meet his eyes.

Joe: Hold on, kid. Tomorrow’s still on the menu.

No matter what happens, time will move forward. Grief will ebb; life will go on. And when he’s ready, the diner will still be there waiting for him. Whenever he wants to come back.

With that, Joe leaves him be, giving a curt nod to the attendant as he saunters out. Lucas looks down at the bag at his feet, letting those words of advice give him a modicum of comfort.

INT. YACHT - MAIN FLOOR - DAY

As the sun sets beyond the nautical horizon, the groups have reconvened to perform and get their feedback from each other. It seems Yindra’s group has already gone, as she’s seated on the couch between Kimmy and Tabitha while they watch the other girls wrap up their routine.

And to be fair, they’re serving. While you can say what you want about their personalities, there’s no doubt that the girls who have made it this far have for a reason. Aleena helped spearhead a strong routine in the alternate group, and her footwork makes up for the occasional moments where she’s flat in this run-through. Ronica outshines her vocally regardless anyway, shooting off some spectacular runs that make Yindra squirm a bit in her seat. While Sloane takes a back seat singing wise here, and her expression remains intense and focused rather than bubbly and endearing, her dancing is at peak form.

Once they finish their run-through, out of breath, silence falls over the room. Competition is being brought, there’s no doubt about that. It hangs heavy over their heads that only five of them are going to make it in the end -- there’s simply not enough room for all of them and their grand ambitions.

Sloane: Well? Thoughts?

It’s a challenge more than an invitation. For a long moment, the silence remains… then Tabitha shrugs, doing her best to come off nonchalant in an effort to hide her insecurity.

Tabitha: It was fine. Kind of pitchy, but --

Oh, that’s really all she has to say? With all the strong female energy in the room -- and the prevailing sense of cutthroat competition breathing down their necks -- it was only a matter of time before a spark caught fire. Sloane snorts, claiming Tabitha is full of shit, which sets off a chain reaction of input and snark from everyone else. It starts along group lines, but quickly devolves into taking shots wherever possible.

If the producers were worried about missing the drama, surely it was a needless concern. There’s plenty of catfight being caught on camera right now, and their presence being removed only enables people to be even more bold. It feels like straight out of Bravo, reality TV grade fodder. Yindra stares back and forth between all the yelling, for once more bowled over by diva behavior than from when she was at Adams.

Yindra: Oh my God, it’s like Zay and Maya on crack.

Kimmy is equally overwhelmed, uncomfortable with all the harsh words being thrown around and standing awkwardly above it all with her height. She clasps her hands together, somewhat hiding behind them, but also weakly tries to keep the peace.

Kimmy: Stop, y’all. We’re women supporting women…

Yeah, all that stuff goes out the window in this industry. It seems like the theatrics and petty fighting may never end, all the big personalities in the room just fueling one another like gasoline. Either that, or it’ll escalate, as it seems like Madysin and a couple of the other girls might just launch at each other.

Sloane has other ideas. She steps away from the madness as it’s unfolding and makes her way to the kitchen. She scans the cabinets looking for what she needs, then finds a suitable choice, picking up a bottle of sparkling cider from the wine rack.

Then she turns back towards the rest of them, keeping her unimpressed, sharp expression on her face as she takes the bottle and smashes it against the countertop.

That’s an effective way to get attention. All the girls jump, a few of them shrieking on instinct at the sound, as the bottle shatters and cider spews all over the kitchen. Sloane stares at all of them, holding out the neck of the bottle and dropping it onto the hardwood. She pointedly steps on it and crunches it under her combat boot, not breaking eye contact.

Yindra stares over Kimmy’s upper arm, basically indirectly using her as a human shield. The look on her face says it all though, wide eyes and jaw dropped open. 

These bitches are crazy. Female ambition has a dark side, and she’s seeing it up close and personal. Adams Academy has nothing on this.

And she’s trapped with all of them in the middle of the Pacific, no way to escape but going overboard herself.

Sloane: This is fucking circus. Y’all can have my ticket -- I’m getting off the bandwagon.

She’s over it. She exits the main floor, a few other girls taking her lead and dismissing themselves. Yindra stays where she is, not sure whether she has the power to move her limbs back yet. They certainly created a spectacle, there’s no doubt about that.

And honestly, that’s probably exactly what the label wanted.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT

Zay is pacing impatiently, shaking out his arms and trying to stay loose before his turn. It’s coming up any minute now, and he’s using all the willpower he has not to get in his head about it. From prior experience, he knows that only leads to trouble.

Lucky him, he’s gifted a panacea just in time. He glances towards the door behind him in the reflection of the mirror, watching as it opens and a welcome face steps inside the room. Zay whips around, releasing a sigh of relief.

Zay: Charlie.

Indeed. He’s there, just like he said he would be, and he managed to sneak his way backstage to prove it before he went on. He smiles and steps further into the dressing room, meeting Zay in the middle.

Without thinking, Zay reaches out and takes his arms with shaky hands, jostling them playfully just as he’s using them for balance. Excitement, nerves, all that jazz.

Charlie: Hey. Zay: You’re here. Charlie: I said I would be, didn’t I? I’m getting better about holding my word, I swear. How are you doing? Zay: Good. Fine. Completely calm. Not feeling like I’m about to die or that my heart is gonna fall out of my ass. I’m so chill, it’s uncanny.

Charlie can’t help but laugh, shaking his head. He slips from Zay’s grasp simply to return the favor, touching his arms and then bracing his shoulders instead. He holds his gaze.

Charlie: You’re gonna be fine. Not even that -- you’re gonna be better than fine. You know you will be. Zay: Yeah. Yeah. Charlie: The only reason it didn’t happen last time is because you couldn’t show up. Not the way you usually do. This time, there’s nothing getting in your way. So there’s nothing that’ll stop them from seeing just how incredible you are. I know it. I have nothing but faith. Zay: Yeah. You’re right. [ taking a deep breath ] Thanks for coming. I’m really glad that you’re here. Charlie: [ with a soft smile ] Any time. It’s my privilege. But you would’ve been okay even if I couldn’t make it. You always are. You don’t need me. Zay: Well, I want you.

Here, that is. Didn’t quite come out that way, but…

Charlie feels it in his chest, like Zay just casually decided to drop a bomb on him. So normal and everything. He chalks it up to the nerves, to pre-audition jitters. No one really has control over their words right before a big audition.

Even so, Charlie delicately removes his hands from Zay and takes a step back, just so he doesn’t do anything he might regret. He isn’t about to audition, but Zay-jitters are an affliction he’s never quite figured out how to cure.

It hardly matters anyway, as a helper pokes her head in and lets Zay know it’s time for him to go backstage. He nods, thanking them, then exchanges one more anxious smile with Charlie.

Charlie: I’ll be right out there. You got this. Zay: Yeah. Charlie: Break a leg. [ a beat ] Just not your tendon. Zay: Fuck you.

It’s said with laughter, though, which is exactly what Charlie was going for. He mirrors his breathless grin and gives him one more nudge on the arm, then he leaves him to it, disappearing back through the doors. Zay takes the moment of quiet to himself to get centered, bottling up all the nerves he would never let anyone else see and burying it down.

Now, it’s just about the dance.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - ATRIUM - NIGHT

As Charlie is making his way back to the auditorium, who should he run into but Vanessa. She’s got her duffle bag over her shoulder and is on her way out, but she does a double take when she sees him heading back towards the side door.

Vanessa: Charlie?

He whips around, thinking he’s been caught trespassing, but he smiles when he sees it’s just her. He greets her and pauses to chat, commenting on the theater. Pretty nice venue, isn’t it?

Charlie: I honestly always wonder why they make us go all the way to some random other location for stuff like this -- Adams did this sometimes too -- but I guess it’s mainly for the aesthetic. It probably wouldn’t be as glamorous to do the auditions in the Turner theater or whatever. Vanessa: Right. Probably. [ a beat ] So, um… what are you doing here?

Charlie blinks, then laughs when he realizes it wasn’t obvious. He already forgot he’s kind of there on the down-low.

Charlie: Zay asked me to come.

Oh. Vanessa absorbs that, maintaining an impressively blank expression.

Vanessa: He did. Charlie: Yeah. You know, as a favor. Have some friend support in the audience.

True… although, look around. Don’t see Riley or Nigel hanging about, do we… Vanessa manages a weak smile, doing her best not to show how much this rattles her. How much she wishes it didn’t, that it didn’t create a sting of jealousy and a pang of hurt in her chest. It’s totally fine for Zay to want support for an audition. It’s natural, even. It shouldn’t mean anything that he asked a friend to show up for him.

But it’s not just a friend. It’s Charlie. He went to Charlie -- and didn’t even think to break the ice and ask her.

Vanessa: Right. For sure. Charlie: Luckily, I got here early enough to catch your audition too. You were awesome. I do not envy the admissions panel, I would not want the job of having to choose amongst you all. Though if it were my choice, you and Zay, easy. Vanessa: [ with a chuckle ] Thanks. From your lips to God’s ears… Charlie: I do have a direct line with him, so I’ll let him know. No need to thank me.

Okay, nerd… Charlie claims he better go back in there, because he doesn’t want to miss anything.

How could he, when Zay personally asked him to be there?

Vanessa nods, letting him go. He tells her one more time that she was fantastic, then books it over to slip back into the auditorium. She watches him go, a million thoughts creating chaos in her mind… then she turns and continues her walk out of the venue. Not letting herself look back.

INT. CHEY APARTMENT - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Nigel is facing his own daunting task, trying to find the courage to bring up his transfer idea to his parents. The family is gathered around the small dinner table, like any other normal night, ERNESTO CHEY trying to engage LEONA CHEY in chatter while she’d rather be scrolling TikTok on her phone; REYNA CHEY discussing the days events with LIEZEL CHEY in a mix of Tagalog and occasional English. Nigel could keep his head down, stay quiet like normal, and nothing would change.

But he can’t. He knows he needs to do this. His parents support him -- if he can just get the words out, they’ll understand.

Nigel: I’ve been thinking about school.

He’s got their attention. It doesn’t take much, since he rarely demands it. Ernesto asks him to go on, all of them giving him polite, good-natured smiles -- except for Leona, who is scrolling through Instagram under the table instead.

She won’t be ignoring him for long. Once he stumbles a bit through how the last year at NYU has gone, and how he feels about the program (addressing all the pros as well as the cons in classic peacemaker fashion), he arrives at the point.

Nigel: I don’t think it’s quite the right fit for me. I think I’d like to transfer. Liezel: Oh, I’m sorry, Nigel. We thought you were enjoying the program. Ernesto: Surely we can find something better though. Whatever we can do to help --

This is good. This is exactly what Nigel wanted to hear. He smiles.

Nigel: Actually, that part I’ve already figured out. I do really love acting, and I think I’ve got more of an interest in playwriting, too. I don’t want to give that part up, I’m just not sure that New York is the right place to do it. For me. I’ve been talking to one of my friends from Adams, and she… well, I’ve done some research. And I think -- [ with a grin ] I really want to transfer to the UK.

For all his palpable excitement, that little nugget is met with silence. Liezel’s eyes widen, trying to process that. Ernesto isn’t sure he heard right. Leona’s mouth drops open.

Ernesto: The UK? Like, London? Nigel: Yes. Yes, there’s so many great options for theater there that have excellent credentials and alumni. Guildhall, LAMDA, ArtsEd. I’ve been looking into the programs, and I think with my grades, I could be eligible for a scholarship. So -- Liezel: Are you crazy? You cannot do this.

Oh. That’s not what you want to hear. Reyna watches the conversation silently, but her eyes follow it like a tennis match. Nigel hesitates, unprepared for his mom’s blunt response.

Nigel: I know it’s a big change. But like I said, I’ve done the research. It’s -- Liezel: You cannot go all the way across the ocean. For some… silly school. You have so many options here. Nigel: … I don’t see how me wanting to go to one of these schools is any different than NYU? Which you were in support of. It’s just a little farther -- Liezel: A little farther! Ha! Ernesto: A whole other country would be quite a big jump, Nigel. Nigel: Yeah, but I can handle it. You guys are always saying how mature I am. And this could be exactly what I need for my career. Liezel: Your career? That’s your big reason? Oh my --

Liezel is clearly overwhelmed, and it’s coming out as incredulity. Nigel frowns, growing frustrated.

Nigel: I don’t get how this is different than where I am right now. You were all for NYU. Why is that different -- Liezel: NYU is our backyard. It’s right here. You can stay here, you save money. You know the city and you have friends. It’s one thing to follow a dream like that when you have that safety net. Going all the way to another country with no guarantee… no. No, that is bad. That is not okay, Nigel. Nigel: This is so ridiculous! You always told me you supported my acting. You sent me to Shakespeare camp. You never discouraged me. Ernesto: That’s another discussion -- Nigel: You’ve always talked about how awesome it is, that I do what I do. That I went to Adams; that all my friends have such big talent and high hopes. You thought it was amazing when Jade went to L.A. Or when Yindra went there with no school and no plan. Hell, when I talked about Zay going out for all these touring auditions and stuff, you said it was cool. You said you hoped it worked out for him. Why is it great when he does it, but when I want to try for something more it’s -- Liezel, frazzled: You are not Zay Babineaux!

The room goes dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. Even Leona is mute, staring between her mother and her brother with her mouth ajar.

Nigel is equally frozen, looking at his mother as though she’s a complete stranger. She really told him straight to his face that he’s no Zay -- that he isn’t cut out for this. That she doesn’t believe he has what it takes; that she could never support his change of plans, because it’s so damn silly of him to think he could.

They don’t believe in him. They never did.

Liezel’s cheeks are flushed, and she doesn’t look proud of what slipped out of her mouth. Even so, she doesn’t take it back.

Nigel gets up from the table without a word, throat thick and eyes glossing over.

Ernesto: Nige --

He doesn’t stop, disappearing to his room and slamming the door. A moment later, Liezel gets up and escapes as well, equally overcome with emotion. Ernesto sighs, pressing his hands together and closing his eyes to center himself.

Reyna looks after where both Liezel and Nigel left, a somber expression etched into her features.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

We follow Zay as he emerges from the wings and out onto the stage, aglow under the spotlights. Once he makes it front and center, focus shifts back to Gao and the panel. She asks him the same question as to whether or not he’s ready to begin.

Zay stares straight ahead, expression determined. Grounded. You’d never believe that just minutes ago, he was shaky and full of nerves in the dressing room.

Zay: Born ready.

Let’s see if that talk can be supported by his walk… he moves to the same starting point as the lighting adjusts, preparing for the audition to begin. Zay drops his head down, closing his eyes and taking a deep, centering breath.

Then he lifts his head as the instrumental track begins, eyes bright with conviction.

INT. IMAGINATION SPACE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Wait For It” as performed by Hamilton Original Broadway Cast || Performed by Zay Babineaux

Zay’s performance follows the same pattern as Vanessa’s, divided between choreography in reality and a vocal showing on the other stage. The ensemble is behind him, same as always, covering the back-up vocals and harmonies. Zay’s solo style is truer to his sensibilities, a velvet black jersey shirt half buttoned and tucked loosely into his well-fitted sleek dark pants.

In both realms, Zay delivers. To say this number has been a long time coming from him is a massive understatement. This is a performance that Zay understands intrinsically -- the perpetual Burr to Farkle’s Hamilton, the ever-striving try-hard, the accursed lover seemingly fated to wait -- that he feels in the marrow of his bones. It speaks for him in a way an interview never could, tells a story about him with so many layers, not necessarily all things he wants the world to see.

And that’s exactly why it succeeds. Because it’s raw; because it’s real. They wanted to see the true Zay Babineaux, to learn something from his routine, and this is about as far as he can take that assignment. The emotion bleeds through every movement, each complex combination or advanced ballet jump.

Not to mention the vocals they can’t hear, the ones he’s belting out straight from the soul.

I am the one thing in life I can control! I am inimitable, I am an original

Just like Vanessa, Zay leaves it all on the stage. All of his desire, his passion, his endless ambition. He rarely gives a weak performance, but this by far goes down as one of his best.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

It’s such a captivating performance, it’s actually a disappointment when it ends. The song is shorter than it feels for how epic it is, so when Zay finishes out the number and hits his final pose, shoulders back and chin held high, it feels far too soon.

Also like his competition, the silence that follows is jarring considering the thunderous applause that should be there. Charlie practically has to sit on his hands to resist the instinct, keeping his eyes on the panel a few rows ahead of him.

Gao: Thank you, Mister Babineaux. That was quite the performance.

Zay doesn’t waste time reading into her words. He simply nods, coming to stand at the lip of the stage and clasping his hands behind his back. Waiting for their barrage of questions, professional and patient. He answers all of the standard queries without missing a step, keeping his delivery even and calm. Passionate, yet refined. They got enough of his soul just now when he bared it all over the stage -- he doesn’t need to spill out any more.

It comes to the final question, which of course, Gao delivers. She has a different one for him than she did Vanessa, indicating that these last questions might be geared towards the specific applicant.

Gao: You’re obviously a competent dancer. That doesn’t come from nothing. In your opinion, what do you believe is essential to mastering the craft?

Huh. Not the kind of juggernaut he was anticipating… but at the same time, it’s a good one. Because he doesn’t have a perfect answer polished and ready to go -- he has to contemplate it, search his brain for the right one. The truth, if there is one.

And he finds it. He finds it out there in the audience, sitting a few rows behind the panel. Looking back at him, a beacon even through the shine of the stage lights, there to cheer him on.

Zay: Support.

Gao was probably expecting something different -- more arrogant, or literal. She seems a bit surprised.

Gao: Do you care to elaborate?

To be fair, Zay seems surprised by his answer too. It just slipped out, the moment he spotted Charlie. But he felt it, so he decides to run with it -- particularly when Charlie gives him an encouraging nod.

Trust yourself. You’ve got this. Zay nods.

Zay: Yes. If I’ve learned anything in all my years dancing, it’s that you cannot do any of it without the right support. Literally, mentally, emotionally. There’s the physical sense of it -- you have to have the right form, the right equipment, or you’re going to screw it all up. I learned that the hard way, pushing myself too hard and not letting my body get the proper rest. That’s why I’m standing here right now, grasping for a second chance, since I never got the opportunity to properly follow through on my first one. [ a beat ] But it’s actually the rest that I think is more crucial. The external support. I mean that in a literal sense, like trusting your fellow dancers to lift you up and catch you when the choreography requires it. But it matters just as much off the stage, if not more. I know I have talent, and I have what it takes, but I never would’ve gotten here without all of the people who lifted me up along the way. My parents, who let me follow my insane dreams and paid for dance classes and carted me back and forth to an arts school in Manhattan from Queens every day until I learned how to drive. My classmates at said school, who not only became my friends, but also challenged me and pushed me to be better. My teachers who saw my potential, guided me towards the right opportunities, and didn’t let me squander my talent. Who…

Zay trails off when he looks at Charlie again. The one who showed up just because he asked him to -- who would show up regardless, because that’s what they do for each other. Who always rallies him to go for it and follow through, who believes in his capabilities even when he’s lost the drive himself. Who rekindles that fire in his soul without thinking twice, who believed so passionately in his purpose to be something in this world that he sacrificed his own wants to set him free to do it.

The one he loves. The one he still loves, even for all the effort and denial he’s committed to convincing himself otherwise. It hits Zay like a wrecking ball, right there in the middle of his Turner audition, the all-consuming truth he can’t run from no matter how hard he tries.

He loves him. He’s still in love with Charlie Gardner.

But right now, he can’t think about that. He has to finish this fucking audition. He takes a deep breath, trying to keep his heart from pounding and his head from spinning out of control.

Zay: None of it would be possible without support. I’m extremely, extremely lucky to have an incredible support system, one that I will never, ever take for granted. And I see a version of reality where Turner Academy becomes an integral part of that system… along with getting the chance to become one for my peers in the cohort.

That’s the best thing they got out of Adams, after all. A family, a team, even with all its quirks and imperfections. Charlie smiles, in total understanding.

It’s the best answer Zay could’ve given. It captures him in all his nuances, demonstrates that under the talent and bravado there is a compassionate, community-oriented man desperate to share his love of dance with people who will appreciate it. Who wants to share it with the world, once his journey takes him there. It’s the most human he’s ever let himself appear in the Turner ecosystem, let alone in front of Gao.

And seemingly, it’s all she needs. She confirms that’s all and that he’s dismissed, reminding him that the three finalists will be announced at the gala next month. Zay nods, giving a bow and thanking the panel for their time.

Charlie checks his watch. He looks reluctant to dip, but he’s out of time. He gets out of his seat and makes for the door through the darkness as Zay exits the stage.

Nothing left to do now but wait for the universe to make its decision.

INT. TURNER AUDITION VENUE - ATRIUM - NIGHT

But suddenly, the prospects of his transfer are far from Zay’s mind at the moment -- he has basically zero thoughts as he rushes out into the lobby with his duffle bag, scanning the room with his heart caught in his throat. Not sure what he’s anticipating or what he thinks he’s going to say.

Just certain that after what he experienced on stage, he needs to see Charlie.

No such luck. The atrium is empty, and Charlie is long gone. He finds this out moments later when he checks his phone, discovering a text from him.

“Sorry, had to dash because of my other plans. I’m so glad I was able to see your audition though because you were AMAZING as always. Seriously one of your best performances ever. They’re insane if they don’t accept you after that.”

“I’m very grateful I got to experience it. Thank you for inviting me. We’ll debrief soon, promise”

Zay stares at the texts, feeling bizarrely stuck. Overwhelmed by what they say, but also what they don’t say. He suddenly feels unwell, a little crazed in the head, like he used to in the fabled days of junior year. Light-headed, airy feeling in his chest, mouth uncharacteristically dry. He starts to type a response, feebly attempting to capture any of this feeling into words that he needs him to know -- but he stops himself before he can send anything.

What the hell is he thinking? He’s not thinking. Charlie is busy; he can’t text him like this. Not to mention, what the fuck would he even say? He doesn’t think he could articulate the chaos whirring in his mind no matter how hard he tried.

He has a girlfriend. One that he likes, that he should’ve thought about on that stage. One that he should probably reach out to, now that the auditions are done and there’s no reason to continue their embargo. No tangible reason, at least…

Ultimately, Zay does none of the above. He pockets his phone and texts no one, numbly heading for the doors.

[ ← Last (Part 1, half 2) ] [ 410 Hub ] [ Next (Part 2, half 2) → ]

[fracturedmemoria]

Nobori was... weird.

He said a lot of things that Seki couldn't really wrap his head around - especially when it came to Pokemon. He really wasn't sure what to make of that if he was being honest with himself.

Seki made a noise of uncertainty, muttering under his breath a confused, "Type...commonalities...? What's that mean? Wouldn't a Showers be worse up there where it's cold?" All that went right over Seki's head. He understood the basics of Pokemon - some were stronger than others against others, but... wouldn't water be worse in the tundra?

What a strange guy.

But he seemed pretty knowledgeable... or maybe he was just talking out of his ass. Seki really wasn't sure which it was considering how earnestly Nobori spoke. He didn't just want to blindly listen to him after all, no matter how much Seki enjoyed his company and conversation. That was just commonsense.

Oh well... it isn't like anything Tsubaki says makes sense. I can just nod and pretend I understand like I do with him.

"My Pokemon have plenty of opinions about what I can do... but I'm not going to just sit here on my hands and let you do all the work." Seki huffed as he pushed himself to his feet, his Pokemon not chasing after him. He could handle making a campfire, they had plenty of debris and branches from their cleanup to raid for it, and it helped lessen their load when it came to dispose of it.

He was in the middle of striking the flint and steel, sparks flying and dry leaves and thin shavings of wood catching and curling as glowing crimson kissed the edges when there was a rush of wind and something large landed on Nobori. For a moment, his heart stopped.

Seki's Pokemon, once relaxing and nearly dozing off despite Seki's moving of them, bolted upright and Seki fumbled the flint and steel. "Nobori--" He stood, his Pokemon crowding around him with their ears pinned back and the fur on their backs bristled in an attempt to make themselves look bigger than they were.

The Glion was big and dangerous -- at least, that was the initial assessment until they all realized how affectionate it seemed to be. Nobori wasn't frightened, but fond, and Seki's arms fell limply to his sides, shoulders sagging. His Pokemon, seeing his distress change to confusion, eased up their own tension as well, watching Glion warily.

"Wha--" Seki rubbed a palm to his eyes, squinting. "That's your companion?" He asked, disbelief tinting his words. "Nobori, you are..." He floundered for the words, uncertain of how to best describe the man.

Terrifying? Amazing?

How did one describe someone who could so easily tame something like a Glion? He had so many strong Pokemon, and he was starting to wonder only now what kind of draw he had that these Pokemon could trust and listen to him so easily?

"Fascinating." He finally found the word. He stayed where he was, the fire slowly crackling to life as a breeze blew life into the small embers that had caught in the pile of leaf litter that acted as kindling for their campfire. He eyed the Glion warily, a hand curling at his throat in a nervous gesture. "You're something else." The words are accompanied by a light laugh, though he isn't even sure if it's a nervous laugh or a delighted one.

"I see. My younger si— or, ah… lea… the.. hm." He stumbles quite badly in the middle of his thought, coming to a full stop in the middle of rooting through everything he had brought along. It's difficult enough trying to refer to Kai in the midst of the clan— guessing how to talk about her to someone beyond it suddenly seems so much worse. Seki himself didn't seem as though he'd have too many issues to the point either way, but saying the wrong thing wears slightly at the edges of his nerves.

"…There's this young miss I attend to," Nobori finally settles on. Neutral and vague enough, disregarding the topic itself. "She's recently evolved a Glacia of her own. They make quite wonderful and loyal companions, if one can reach beyond their skittish nature. They hatched an egg, I believe." Seki's comment regarding his sister certainly piques Nobori's attention beyond the meandering lines of his own words. The method of acquisition was some sort of tradition around Kai's status as the head's daughter and sole child, though he couldn't say he's privy to the details.

"Though, I don't suppose I'd be inclined towards Glacia myself. I was quite surprised, really— a Showers would have done quite well in the Tundra, what with the matchup with type commonalities, and…" Nobori runs his mouth as he picks out a fair heft of wrapped meat nestled in a small pocket of eternal ice. Not great for long-term storage solutions, but just fine considering; it's only been a day or so, after all. He really ought to set up the tent, too…

"Ah, pardon me. I suppose all of that is to say that I'm quite glad to see it!" He really, truly is, above all else. Nobori supposes it'd only make sense to have sent a clan member with a team of their own in the interest of self-defense, but… it just settles him in a way he's not entirely sure how to describe. "Your sister found them, you said?" He prompts in turn, a curious eye cast towards his temporary companion's side. "I'd suppose you're welcome to start the campfire— though, I would listen to your partners if they've an opinion on that, Seki." He'd certainly seen the way they nipped and chased the other man by the feet to herd him into resting. Perhaps they're just an overcautious lot, but— well, it'd been quite a full day, and he still seems… a touch red in the face.

…No reason to be wary. Nobori evenly returns Seki's gaze as their words settle in the air, a low hum in the back of his throat. He ought to be sending for Goriky, anyways. "Very well then… one moment, if you will!"

Nobori trills out a short whistle through his teeth, already shifting to brace himself against the side of a nearby pillar. It only takes a moment for his ears to catch the edge of that telltale rush of wind along the edges of the sky, a dark snap of teeth and leather.

The cold stone digs into the meat of his hand as he tries to stay upright underneath the impact, an overexcited pair of claws slung about his neck. Glion always gets awfully overexcited after spending an entire day out of petting range of Nobori— he's long since learned to anticipate the pokémon's antics. His companion is intelligent enough to understand when it isn't time to be playing, after all— He is hardly going to begrudge the little thing for a bit of fun.

…or, the big thing, perhaps. Glion has long since grown out of fitting in the inner pockets of his coat, begging for scraps of berries and treats. Hot breath gusts over the back of his neck in stark contrast, a chittering squall ringing in the cup of his ear. There's an affectionate tail curling around his ankle, needle-tip stinger bumping against the fabric of his shoes. Nobori offers the pokémon a few sparing pats around the beginnings of dinner in his hands, the pot he intends to actually use still full of other supplies by his feet.

"Yes, yes, I know—"

[igotanidea]

The Raven's daughter: Morpheusx Matthew's daughter pt 2

prevously: part 1

Part 2

Since The Dream Lord never explicitly forbid Matthew from visiting his daughter, the Raven was using every opportunity to do so. This time he surprised the girl on Friday morning taping on her window on the early morning.

-Hey dad, perfect timing, you know. If you keep doing this I might throw my alarm clock away – Kay opens the window, not quite awake yet with her hair being a mess and her eyes not accustomed to the light.

-Don’t fool me. You don’t have an alarm clock. You use your phone for that. I just really hope you changed the sound, it was always annoying me – the Raven hops inside referring to his daughter’s high school time when she was listening to some electronic music

-It was a brief phase! – she protest emphasizing the word “brief”, even now, being almost 30 still a bit embarrassed about that – And yes, I did change it. But you would not like my alternative rock either.

-You know, this is one of the very rare moments where I’m glad to be a bird. I can always fly away from the music I don’t like – Matthew spats jokingly.

-Just wait here for a minute, ok? I need to remind my eyes their purpose is to actually helps me see. I don’t think they’re awoken just yet – she lets her father into tiny kitchen and leaves him crouching (?) on the counter.

A couple minutes later, she prepares breakfast. Unbothered by Matthew’s disapproval she just pour some cold milk into the bowl and fill it with cereals.

-Kay! – the raven caws – how many times do I have to tell you? The cereals goes first, then you add milk.

-Oh, yeah, I forgot – she grins – guess it’s too late now.

If anyone from the outside ever watched this two, one would think father and daughter to be childlike individuals fighting over every simple thing. The truth however, was that they had a lot of inside jokes and deeply cared about each other. Matthew, as the father was somewhat better at showing that explicitly. Kay was more prone to use sarcasm and irony to cover her sensitive part and avoid being hurt. There were only a couple of people who saw through that. The rest? Simply wasn’t worth it. Knowing his daughter well enough, Matthew decided  it would be best to entertain Kay with the continuation of the story he started last time when he visited.

- …. and then, after we received boss’ pouch of sand we went to Hell…

- Hell? Like literal Hell or are you being metaphorical right now?

Mere mention of the Dream Lord and her father going to Hell made Kayleen stop her spoon halfway between the bowl and her open with astonishment mouth. Neither the girl nor the bird notices her hand shaking slightly causing some of the cereal to drop down and splashing the milk all over Matthew and Kay’s pajama.

-Hey, watch it, Kayleen – Matthew ruffles his feathers a bit annoyed

-Sorry, dad - she reaches for the towel trying to dry her father which is funny enough if you have a specific sense of humor.

-Never mind. I meant literal Hell. You know, souls of the damned, demons and Lucifer. By the way did you know that the ruler of underground is actually a woman? Pretty intimidating one, may I add.

-Obviously. That’s a common knowledge. I am basically on a first- name basis with Lucifer – she shrugs casually – But sarcasm aside, I’m not a bit surprised it takes a woman to keep a bunch of demons in check.  The person who said we are the weak sex must have definitely been a man – she grins and Matthew can’t help being proud of how powerful and resilient his daughter grew up to be. Considering the fact she was raised without a mother who left the family when Kay was little – I can’t believe I’m really asking this, but how was it? In Hell? Do they really make the damned wash in the ladle of tar?

-What? No. Quite the opposite actually.

-Meaning?

-They make you bring your own fire to hell.

-What? Really? So  the costs of maintenance is high there too, I suppose? I mean, my rent has been killing me lately. And speaking of rent, I would love to continue this conversation later but for the time being I got to get to work. You know, I’m still a human and I have to earn to pay the bills. Otherwise I might be forced to go to Hell as well. Hmm – she mutters – that even rhymes.

-Sorry, Kay, I guess I forgot about that. I just missed you and can’t get enough of you.

-I know. It’s ok. I missed you too – the girl gently taps the bird’s head – can you visit me later? In the evening? I finish my classes at 4 p.m. That is – if you have some kind of time tracking in the …. – she hesitates trying to remember the name of Morpheus’ realm … - Dreaming – she snaps her finger in sudden realization.

-We don’t and I’m not entirely sure if boss wouldn’t need me later on. He relies on me heavily, you know.

-I bet. You must be very important to him. The only one loyal enough to follow him through the gates of damnation – she laughs lightly and it’s contagious making Matthew “laugh”  too.

-Well, he’s not exactly the first one to admit it.

-Yeah, from what I saw when he appeared here he can be quite moody and distant. Drama queen much?

-He is. And you don’t even know one percent of it. Anyway, I will do my best to meet you after work. I know you like a good story.

-Being an English and writing lecturer requires a little bit of imagination and creativity so any prompt can be useful.

-And I’ll be glad to provide you with that. So, we see each other later. – the Raven states, gently tapping Kayleen’s hand with his wing and fly out the open window.

-This is crazy – Kayleen says to herself – this is batshit crazy – shaking her head but still with a smile on her face she quickly dresses up, picks up her bag and leave the flat. Thankfully, she lives close to the University so there is no risk of being late.

***

As she crosses the street she spots one of the new teacher. The historian. She didn’t really have the opportunity of meeting and greeting him properly but she met an ear that his name was quite unusual. Hob? Maybe that was some sort of abbreviation? From Robert perhaps? Anyway, rumor has it, that this new guy was a walking encyclopedia of fun facts so she already had an idea of how to get him involved in her classes covering some literature classics. Like Shakespeare for example. But that was an idea for the future since the topic for today was frankly the ancient roots of modern arts. How the current writers and artist derive from what was created from the past.

The girl quickly enters the auditorium humming with content. Once again all of her students showed up. Not that she wanted to brag, but her classes was always the most-attended one and that made her proud. The possibility to help shaping and inspiring young minds was always appealing to her so she was practically leaving her own Dream.

-Good morning everyone  - she greets the student getting some in return – I’m so happy to see you all. Today’s topic might be particularly interesting to you since we are going to be mixing a little bit of past with a little bit of present.

-So you’re not going to bore us with the history of some old classic dudes who died a hundred years ago, professor? – one of the boys in the front row ask.

-Oh, I was actually planning on making you learn the whole history of Plato by heart – she jokes and the atmosphere loosen up – But seriously, did I ever?  - Kay smiles at him as the boy shakes his head grinning.  That was another specifics of her classes. She never stopped students from freely expressing their minds. This was a free-hate, open – minded space where she allowed even the sacrum to be torn apart and build up again.  Most often with the surprising and exciting results. – Ok, I know you come from different schools and therefore your experience with teachers may vary, but once again I got to remind you of the first rule here. Do you remember it? – the students nod their heads – Amber? Would you like to say it out loud? – Kay point to the redhead girl .

-Don’t be afraid to use constructive criticism.

-Precisely. So… - Kay launches the presentation she prepared for today – ancient Greece and Rome. The cradle of humanity. The basis of culture, art and stories. Do you agree? Or do you think something else?

-In my opinion Greece and Rome are overrated.

-Ok. Care to elaborate, Dylan?

-I mean, in all of the history books there are so many pages about the Greek philosophy, the Roman law, their mythology and inventions. I do not question the fact that there were great accomplishments like aqueducts, but at the same time I feel like other cultures are not being given enough credit.

-Any particular in your mind?

-Yes. Egyptians. And maybe Scandinavian. I mean, Zeus is the same as Ra or Odin, right?

-I can’t really agree with that – another student chimes in.

-Speak your mind then, Abby. What’s your opinion?

-Dylan still keeps on naming the big cultures. But what about the ones that really are forgotten in history books? Personally I’m quite interested in Andean cultures but there are no information of them anywhere.

-I think both of you have some right. The point is that  the cultures inspired one another. None of them actually functioned in isolation. And what Dylan said about Zeus, Ra and Odin being the same is true. As well as the fact that they may have derived from the civilizations we don’t even know existed. It all transpires. So tell me, does any of you believe we can use some of ancient in today’s work? Give some modern vibe to stories from the past and give them new meaning?  Yes, Skye?

-I… I actually started a story based on one of the myths.   

-Great. Would you like to share it with the class? – Kay encourages her, aware that Skye is one of the shy students –come on, safe space, remember?

-Well…. It’s modern approach on the story of the god of Dreams? – Sky has this manner of speaking when she’s using the questing intonation. – Morpheus

Are you kidding me? – Kayleen thinks to herself. Why does my world start revolving around the Dream Lord all of a sudden. First, my dad being his Raven, then he himself showing up and now this.

-Really? – she asks not showing any sign of her real train of thought.

-Yes. I was thinking of starting the story from the sleeplessness disease that we had to deal with some time ago. I was like five when it ended but the newspapers were writing a lot about it so there’s a lot of material to go through. And the opposite of insomnia – the  story of the sleeping beauty, you know professor. Unity Kinkaid.

-Yes, yes, I know what you mean. I was actually born during this time so I had the opportunity to briefly experience that. If you like I could give you a hand with writing – Kay smiles .

-That would be amazing, professor. Thank you.

-Don’t mention it. So – would anyone else like to share an idea of their own? Or maybe add something to Skye’s?

When the class ends Kayleen’s thoughts go back to the time of the dreamer’s disease. She clearly remember one particular person, Roderick Burgess and his son Alex, who claimed they had a Devil locked up the basement of their manor. Only that it was not the devil. Her father already told her some part of the story, mentioning that it was in fact the Dream who they held in captivity. For a century. No wonder he was acting the way he was. A hundred years completely alone would drive anyone insane.  And when he broke free the whole craziness of retreating his tools and talking birds started. Matthew was only halfway through the story but Kay was smart enough to connect the dots given.

Getting lost in her own thoughts of Morpheus’ locked-up time and having her half-an-hour lunch break she didn’t notice her eyelids growing heavy, slowly drifting off to a nap on her own desk. What she also didn’t know is that she was on a way to a very different domain. The one she only ever heard off. The one ruled by some particularly broody dark-haired man.  When she opens her eyes the girl is dumbfounded as her surroundings doesn’t even remotely resemble her home city, London. She’s standing in the middle of meadow, so peaceful and quiet that it actually seems a bit eerie to her. The colors, the scents and the sounds seem twice as vibrant as anywhere else she has ever been. There’s also not a single soul anywhere. As she turns around she spots a path leading to an enormous lake with water so clear that you can see right through it and a suspension bridge above it. Kayeen is amused by the fact that it’s shaped in the form of giant hands holding the arch and leading the way straight to the gates of the palace made from white and gold marble with stained glass windows, and sculptures. Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of ornaments everything seems classy and thoughtful.

-Amazing­ – she whispers to herself looking away only when she hears the sound of flapping wings. – Wait, is that a Gargoyle?! - Once again, the girls gasps in admiration. For a moment all of her thoughts but the delight gone. Just for a moment though, as she quickly regain herself.

-Where the heck am I? – she wonders frowning.

Part 3 coming soon :)

Edit: part 3 is up here

taglist (is open) @marvelsmylife @wickedly-grim @thereeallink

@lisacarolined @boofy1998 @endlessdreamqueen @mikariell95

[fernweh-writes]

how about the slasher react to an s/o that who sometimes speaks during their sleep? (Have a nice day :3)

I talk in my sleep according to my family and best friend. My best friend said she had a whole conversation with me while she was in another part of her house and when she walked back into her room I was responding but I was also knocked out. Makes no sense, I still think she’s lying…

-Fern🌿

S/O That Talks in Their Sleep

Michael Myers

Michael has a fucked sleep schedule. The only time he sleeps is when he has to because he physically cannot keep going. Although, occasionally he will take a quick nap purely out of boredom. Other than that, you’re going to have to coax him into bed with you.

Because of this, it’s likely for him to hear you talking in your sleep all of the time. He does enjoy watching you sleep. You look so peaceful and at ease and the steady rise and fall of your chest basically has him in a trance.

Michael isn’t going to mention it to you or anything. It doesn’t phase him, in fact he finds it pretty amusing. It does make him wonder what you’re dreaming about whenever you say something really crazy though. He wishes he knew what was going on inside of your head at all times, even when you’re sleeping.

Bo Sinclair

Bo will find anything and everything he can to use against you. He knows the perfect mix of degrading and praise that will have you hating him and never wanting to leave his side. So of course, this is another thing he will be using against you.

If you try and deny it he’ll find a way to prove it to you. He doesn’t care if he has to stay up all night and record you. One way or another, he’s going to prove it to you or just make a scene and get you to drop it or surrender and just let him be right. He’s always right darlin’.

Of course he is also going to use this knowledge to embarrass you. He’s the king of mansplain, manipulate, manwhore and he knows it. Bo will tell you stuff you most certainly didn’t say just so he can get a reaction out of you.

Vincent Sinclair

When the two of you first get together, he is still very hesitant about sharing a bed with you. He can’t sleep with the wax mask on his face and even though he does care about you, he’s not sure that he’s ready to show you his face quite yet.

Because of this he won’t come to bed with you until he’s dog tired. Vincent will be asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, not waking up until the morning. So it’s unlikely for your sleep talking to be known by him for a very long time.

Once he gets comfortable with you and is with you while you fall asleep is when he will finally take notice. Even then, it’s very unlikely for him to mention it to you, he doesn’t want you to feel embarrassed. Besides, he thinks that it’s endearing listening to you say random things in your sleep. Some of the things you say are cute and others are just down right funny.

Brahms Heelshire

If you talk in your sleep he’s going to know about it within the first week you’re staying at the Heelshire mansion. He likes to watch you while you sleep and if it’s something that you do frequently he was bound to notice.

Brahms has very limited knowledge on people considering he has lived a very sheltered life and hasn’t socialized whatsoever really. It makes him wonder why you do it, so once he reveals himself to you be prepared for a bunch of questions.

Just don’t let Brahms know that you’re embarrassed about talking in your sleep. He’s a little shit and he would most definitely tease you about it just to get a reaction from you. Also uses it against you in order to get his way, so being made fun of becomes especially common during his tantrums.

Thomas Hewitt

This man sleeps like a rock. The world could be ending and he would sleep through it. Can you really blame him though? Thomas works his ass off to take care of his family, so he stays tired and always sleeps hard.

Because of this it’s very unlikely for him to even notice that you talk in your sleep. Especially if it’s more mumbling than anything because it won’t phase him one bit. If he does happen to hear you though, at first he thinks you’re saying something to him. Only when that something makes absolutely no sense does he realize you’re still sleeping.

Don’t worry about worrying over what you say in your sleep though, Thomas will never bring it up anyways. After all, it’s not like it bothers him considering it took him so long to even notice. On the rare occasion he does hear you he just thinks it’s cute and wonders what you’re dreaming about.

Billy Loomis

This one all depends on where you stand in your relationship with him. If you’re still dealing with that boy next door front he puts up then of course he’s never going to mention it to you. After all, a gentleman like him would never mock his s/o.

But if you’ve reached a point where Billy really is himself around you then congratulations he’s going to tease the hell out of you for it. Obviously he’s going to over exaggerate everything you say in order to make it better blackmail.

Definitely uses the “that’s not what you were saying last night” line in order to mock you. If you claim he’s lying then that’s just to bad considering he was the one awake and listening and you were the one asleep.

Stu Macher

Stu thinks that the things you say in your sleep are absolutely hilarious. Because he enjoys hearing the random things you say so much he never mentions it to you because then you would somehow try and stop, He’s not sure if it’s possible to just stop, but he’s not taking any chances.

Would be the type to write down his favorite things that you’ve said in your sleep. The list ranges from random things you’ve said he thought were funny to the sweet things you’ve mumbled about him without even knowing it.

One day he might just show you the list of phrases he has collected over time. Happily points out his favorite ones, he should make a hall of fame for your sleep talking phrases. Of course, he has to tease you once he finally tells you.

Jesse Cromeans

Jesse has cameras covering every inch of property that he owns. His warehouses have cameras but of course so does his home where you reside. After all he has to make sure the things that are most important to him are looked after.

So, anything you say or do will be caught on camera. Although you have no privacy, you only have no privacy with Jesse, He is the only one with access to the cameras within his home, no one else.

Unfortunately for you this means every embarrassing thing you have said or done has been caught on tape for Jesse to enjoy. While he is temped to tease the hell out of you for it, he ultimately decides against it. He doesn’t want you to stop doing embarrassing things just because you know that he is always watching.

Asa Emory

Asa watches you sleep pretty often so it doesn’t take long for him to pick up on your sleep talking. Even if it is something you don’t do often, he’s a very light sleeper. So if you start talking, it is going to wake him and you’re going to get caught saying who knows what.

He’s not one to really mention those sorts of things, But, if it is something that you do often then it means he own’t be able to sleep good with you next to him. He may care about you but he already doesn’t get enough rest as it is.

On the rare occasion he is home and the two of you fall asleep together, he waits for you to fall asleep and then goes to sleep on the couch to actually sleep through the night. Obviously he can’t get away with it for very long without getting caught. So his great idea is to guilt trip you and make it your problem.

[nari-nim]

san as your boyfriend

nari-note: got some time and finally got back to writing! san was the reason I got into Ateez before Seonghwa biased wrecked me so hard I never looked back but I feel like this is a common experience so I’ll shut up now. gif creds go to @ateazes​

He is beyond ambitious and action-oriented wbk. Once he realizes he has such a huge crush on you, he’ll chase after you in such an intense, focused way. Guns blazing. Pulling all the stops once he gets over the initial shyness. Hot as fuck.

He’ll feel very compelled to take care of you. 

He’s really sentimental. Even the smallest things can trigger big emotional reactions from him, whether it be a small note you left behind or a love song that reminds them of the night you met.

He thrives off of your praise. Give him any compliment and just watch him swell with adorable pride.

He thrives off of any sincere, loving words from you, whether it’s spoken or written.

He’s a slut for love letters. He will take them with him wherever he goes and read it constantly. 

Very vocal about his “I love you”s

Compliments for you comes so easily to him and he pays them often

Wants you to pat his head to signify a “good job” a lot. Or give his the verbal equivalent of that if that makes sense

Likes to be constantly reassured that you love him and give him the reasons you know, compliment him so so so much and he will be glowing 

He will ask you questions that seems like he’s fishing for compliments but you oblige because you know he loves it so much

He would never want to feel taken for granted, so make sure you’re reciprocating or verbally acknowledging his efforts.

He’s pretty family-oriented. The type to immediately tell his family about you because he’s so excited y’all are dating! 

All of Ateez knows about the two of you even before the two of you fully realized your feelings for each other.

The type to start talking about kids and starting a family, not to pressure you, but because he’s just so excited about that concept

Really likes resting his head on your shoulders or laying on your lap

He is a clingy teddy bear. 

PDA? Yes. A lot. Will not hesitate unless there’s cameras, higher ups, etc.

You’re always having fun around him. It may be fun to tease him with the other members or laugh at your own jokes together. Or literally integrate a bit to the WooSan duo/WooSanSang trio and literally laugh until your sides hurt 

He’s super smiley already but he’s smile grows like 20 times wider and more genuine around you. Wooyoung teases him a lot about it.

He’s actually really emotionally intelligent. He’s pretty in touch with his own feelings and highly intuitive when it comes to other people's emotions. If you don't mind doing a lot of sharing, you'll feel incredibly supported because he’s great at sympathizing and being a great listener. 

Let him cuddle you while y’all are being little emo lovebirds 

Like the king he is, he falls in love with who you are and not who he wants you to be (this is an easy trap for a lot of couples) because he really aims to accept his partner as who they are. 

He really likes to have long, deep, and vulnerable conversations about each other, life, and any dumb topic you can think off

A lot of video calls where you stay up late and chat if he is on break

But even if he isn’t, he tries to call you for at least 10 mins before knocking out

Please there was this one time he set an alarm for himself to wake up at like 2 am because you both missed the scheduled call just so he could see you. When you picked up, he looked so tired and you forced him back to bed but the effort he puts into the relationship makes your heart melt ugh

Can get moody 

Clingy

Needs and loves constant reassurance

Likes pet names a lot! 

Any pet name goes but he would basically never call you by your full name unless you’re both being serious about something

Speaking of being serious, can get territorial and possessive as fuck

So can get jealous easily ngl

This might be a bit difficult because he’s the type to bottle things up. He tries to keep things in harmony and hates confrontation/disagreement. This usually leads to stability in your relationships, but try making him work on the problem together because keeping frustrations inside could mean the detriment of his own priorities and sense of self in the long run

The type to love getting kisses pressed all over his face!

Will end up coming up with some way to ask for them

You know how those cats head bump their owners for pets? He will head bump your should gently and put his face close to you, staring at you with a soft smile, and wait for his kisses

He wants so many kisses so much

You know that tik tok challenge of you refusing your partners kiss

So you tried that on him once 

He pouted the first time, confused 

And he whined after your avoided his peck for the second time

After the third he grabbed the sides of your face and holds you still as he just lunged at you, roughly kissing you squarely on your lips before shoving his tongue down your throat

Started kissing you so hard and so deep, pushing you a little back, you had to grab onto his shoulders to maintain your balance and ground yourself a little

Aggressively made out with you before pulling away with that sensual ass expression

“Had your fun?”

With that smirk ugh

And then proceeded to use his strength to his advantage as he fended off your horny ass out of pure pettiness

But don’t worry you brought out the demon in him, see more under the cut ;)

NSFW after this

Switch with sub lean

Caring and sweet

He loves teasing you and obsessed with foreplay and spends a lot of time on that before anything else happens

He loves seeing how much his sultry expressions and verbal teasing can get you so turned on! So he’s the type to want to see your face at all times so he can get those constant ego boosts 

Sex in front of a mirror helps this goal

Oh my god he is so loud in bed

Moans so much

Type to moan while eating you out, he just tastes you and looks up at you through his super hooded eye (you know exactly what I’m talking about) and pant as his licks his glistening lips

Moans into kisses 

I’ve seen a lot about him being an experimentalist

And I agree

He’s so confident about switching things up in bed. Lucky you.

This means that he would be very down with you doming him a lot if that’s what you’re into. Like he would really want you to power bottom or wreck him <3333

Will try anything you bring to the table

One very important thing to add is that he has the mentality that he will be the best at any given thing. So even if he’s introduced to a new kink of yours a few days ago, he will work so hard on refining his craft and by the end of the week, he is actually making you feel a whole new level of that kink

Gets off in the idea that only he can make you feel this 

This leads into his praise kink

He will always want you to moan/gasp/scream his name and just how good he makes you feel

Can get a little possessive and needs to hear you affirming that yes, your pussy belongs to him and you’re all his and only he can make you scream like this

Just be very vocal together 

His ideal level is where you’re both literally so lost in the moment that people can hear you both through the thickest of walls

Oh um also jealous/possessive sex with him happens more frequently than he likes to admit. 

Because sometimes you just think he wanted to dom that day and don’t think too much about it. He’s grabbing your rougher and pounding you into the sheets,

Other times, he’s shit at hiding it because he starts growling “mine, mine, mine” as he rails you into sub space

Um into exhibitionism

Likes letting other people know how good he is making you feel

Into marking

Likes getting hickeys from you in places only he can see

One time you left a few marks on his lower waist when he was subbing the night before and it definitely didn’t fade by the time his stylist tried to don him in a mesh shirt 

The next morning, it’s you that has marks all over in some highly visible areas

Oh he will send you nudes.

Sends you videos of him cumming

Sends you photos of his more provocative stage outfits

Sexts you, taunting and teasing how he knows how much you want to tie him up and edging him until he’s begging for you

Sends you voice clips of him moaning and whining about how much he wants you when he’s feeling horny

He begs for you in these vids it’s so hot

Would be very into making a sex tape

He likes watching your expressions carefully in his own time haha

But I also think he’s very much into soft love-making...that doesn’t get enough attention I think

Sex is actually all about emotional connection for him

So he takes commitment very seriously and he’s very committed to your pleasure

Very clingy and cuddly after

Aftercare may be 50/50, usually y’all try to get cleaned asap because we both know you might fall asleep so fast before the mess is cleaned up haha

[tamagosandesu]

A Change of Pace

Summary: Because sometimes, even the best of fateful encounters happen in convenience stores. Luckily, he’s stopped by the right one. Author’s notes: Expect typos and grammar errors. Enjoy and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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5 hours.

That was how long he’s been in the road. No structures ahead, just the familiar look of the expressway. Endless black asphalt concrete, white lane markings, and the smooth sound of his vehicle was his only company in this long road trip that he is having.

He sighs, frustrated trough and through. Although he knew what he signed up for, and all of this is a part of his work which he undeniably loves, it isn’t a crime to feel even a sense of regret at times like these.

He doesn’t really know exactly what he’s feeling right now—he could be sad, but that’s almost impossible. He could be bored—probably, and he could be lonely.

He does feel a sense of lone and absence, but not that he’ll actually admit that. He’s known for being a little cold and detached than many, hard to approach and intimidating—exactly what he wanted—and not-your-common-person. Letting his natural nature flow through, he’s gained those recognition, you could say, for himself with no sweat at all.

In his line of work, they were at least expected to be interactive, socially interactive in a tiring level after the end of the day, and to be kind to your admirers.

However, luckily, he wasn’t so much pressured to become someone completely opposite of what he is, and he’s thankful for that. He experienced disappointment and head-shaking disagreements about the way he chose to act, yet it never fazed him the least. And because of that, here he is now.

Sasuke Uchiha, a successful actor, musician, who is known to at least rarely or completely never show up to anything that includes heavy interaction with too much people. Someone who is drop-dead gorgeous but cold—the ‘ice-cold prince charming’, many swooning girls would say—but despite so many ‘negatives’, (he doesn’t actually believe that being naturally awkward in socializing is negative), he still made a name for himself that gained attention all over the country, and in many neighboring countries.

And yet, he’s here in boredom, driving miles and miles in silence.

He feels lonely—he begrudgingly admits with a guilty heart finally—in this moving, enclosed place he calls his car. Though there are always two choices in every small problem, (yes, it’s just a small problem okay?), either sit tight and endure it until he loses his sanity, or turn on the radio and listen to whatever’s on with no interest whatsoever, just to fill the silence.

He chooses the latter with great reluctance. He presses that god-forsaken button that is the start of all his nightmares, and cues the familiar sound of the daily news. He tries to switch stations—anything but news, he might really go crazy with that. But one played too lame hip-hop music that sounded just wrong and out of place for this new generation, basically stuck in the past. The other one was an informercial about a thorough step-by-step about properly brushing your teeth, which are likely targets audiences that is not him.

In the end, he settled back to news, since he decided it was a little better than listening to another station having the endless conversation about the good health attributes you get from regularly balancing your diet.

He tries, tries, to not listen to any words at all when the anchor talks, but of course that’s just utterly impossible. Specially when it concerns him.

“Rumors about the popular rock-band ENFLAME coming back together, is it true?”

He sighs. As much as he wants to avoid these things concerning the past, a tiny, dumb and stupid part of himself is piqued and he ends-up listening to it.

“Despite word from their leader, Shikamaru, about the mutual decision of finally separating and ending the 15 years of music journey of the group, fans still can’t help but think about the possibility of them coming back together. Specially that we see a big chance of that happening.”

Of what happening exactly? Getting back together?

“As we noticed quite around the time of their break-up, it was mostly during the days where the band wasn’t seen in good terms with each other than how they were before. And this all started, when one of the members was rising in stardom, and that was Sasuke, the band’s drummer and back-up singer. Fans speculated easily that the drummer might’ve caused something within the band, leading to their alleged break-up.

“But now, fans are assuming that the group might be back on good terms, seeing the images that was released on the internet a few days ago of Sasuke and Shikamaru talking. The picture was captured during the global awards last year, and—”

Sasuke abruptly turned it off. He felt a slow wave of anger slowly rising in his system as his grip on the steering wheel tightened by the moment. There it is, an issue, once again. This is why he hates the radio. It’s always oozing with showbiz and personal life meddling, just second to social media where he doesn’t even dare to go to.

Despite such clear confirmation, people still try to believe the opposite of what has truly happened. Following the break-up of their band, it was really a mutual decision between all of the members—him, Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, and Neji, to split-up and continue forward with their own solo careers. Mostly what caused their split was how hard everyone was having balancing their music and personal lives. Naruto, especially, who got married earlier than any of them. And after getting married, expected a child, the group had major adjustments for his sake to attend to his wife, who was having a hard time with the first few months of pregnancy, (everyone would be). And after that, even Neji had started to develop a career for himself, after having few and fewer practice schedule of their band. Every member sensed the growing feel of becoming distant and distant with each other every day, leading to the inevitable decision—disbanding.

Sasuke’s career didn’t really affected the flow of the band as much as how the public said and believed it did. His rise to the acting industry was something that his co-members supported even. Though it’s true that quite their problems started when he was slowly going to success in a different field aside from the band, it was mostly caused by personal reasons for everyone, and as it was said—Naruto’s marriage that in great timing, was around the start of Sasuke’s acting career, which led to one thing to another, and unavoidably causing quite a stir of speculations between people.

Not that the public could know the true details about their journey that led to ENFLAME disbanding.

Enduring the silence and losing his sanity it is, then.

Luckily though, and by the gracious gift of whoever had compassion left for Sasuke, he sees a glimpse of a gas station about a hundred meters ahead. He thinks of buying food for a change of pace and a quick stop by, because surely there must be a convenience store there right?

When he finally reached the curve to enter the gas station and saw that there was indeed a store, he made a mental note of victory when he saw how deserted it is. Not to flaunt his popularity or anything, but it’s honestly hard for him to go outside without being bombarded by people either shouting his name or asking for pictures and autographs on the weirdest of places—(“Can I have your autograph on the sole of my foot?”)

Still, even though there was only one obnoxious green Nissan Urvan on the parking—with a single sleeping driver with his foot out of the window, heavily snoring—he took the cap he keeps in his car and a mask as a safety measure, even though most of the time it doesn’t work because of how distinguishable his face is.

He takes his wallet and his phone, gets out the car being equally wary, locks his car with a beep, and finally strides towards the store.

Stepping inside, the door made a slight squeak and he was met with a cold breeze from the air conditioner. The inside was very serene and quiet, like he was the only person. But soon, he spotted one or two people walking around from aisle to aisle, carrying groups of various snacks and beverages in a serving for many. It was a weekday, so it isn’t really odd to see very few people inside a place, let alone one that is miles away from any city yet.

Sasuke suspects that these people are with that man snoring peacefully outside—maybe in a road-trip—and judges that they are exactly the people who are old-fashioned who never bothered to look into today’s new artists.

Exactly the type of people that will not know wo he is. Exactly the people he likes.

Though just to make sure, he was careful to avoid and add as much distance between them, assuring that he releases a brooding and not-in-the-mood-person-for-any-talk-whatsoever vibe to people whenever they would see him. It seems that he’s successful when a woman who glanced at him flinched and quickly avoided any contact with him as possible.

He first goes to the fridge, taking a can of soda and a few interesting looking drinks that he dares to try. He takes a packet of gum, mints, and any menthol candy. Immediately he walks past the chocolate section though as if it was never there. Next was the chips aisle, after the other people left. He continued to look through it, picking up those that he’s already familiar with, those he prefers to eat, and new ones that catches his eyes.

It was quite a lot in the end, more than he expected, but he’s not complaining though.

He goes to the cashier afterwards, careful not to drop anything that he’s holding.

However, when he reached the counter, it was empty of a cashier. He looks around, searching for anyone to attend to him. When there was none around, he wonders how the previous customers inside payed for their stuff. Did they self-checkout their items? But judging for the way there was no entry to the inside the counter to access the register—not of anything he sees—it says otherwise. Checking it out himself is impossible.

He then contemplates to whether or not leave the store and forget about buying anything at all, or to stay and try to wait if there’s anyone that’ll come eventually. Sasuke was starting to get annoyed, tapping impatiently on the tiled-floor with an irked face. What a horrible customer service, he thinks.

5 minutes, he decides looking at his watch and thus, started to wait. He looks around still, trying to look for anything to distract him because he knows, that his patience could run out if he continues to thinks of the cash register being left in the open without anyone to attend to it. Three minutes have passed, and there was still no one in sight that came out of the staff room. He’s becoming more and more triggered by the moment.

“I’ll be with you…in a moment!”

He almost jumped at the sudden, screeching voice that came from the staff room (he assumes because, where else could it have come from?). It was a woman’s voice that luckily, brought back his hope for having his items checked-out and payed. She seems in distress though, like she’s struggling with something. Like she’s lifting something heavy. Maybe that’s what caused her absence behind the counter.

Still, what awful customer service.

When the woman in question finally appeared from the door, Sasuke looked at her and thought of the very word ‘obnoxious’ to describe her. She was wearing a uniform, and she looked young for starters. She’s wearing a red hat, matching with her uniform of beige, and under that head garment was a mop of bright, impossibly real, and obnoxious pink hair. It must be dyed. It has to be. Sasuke scans her face next, and sees something that definitely captivated him.

Green, green, green eyes that shines so brightly, staring directly in his own pools of black,almost reflecting his very own face from its facinating clarity. It’s expressive, it’s amazing, it’s beautiful.

It makes him think suddenly that this woman must’ve attracted so much attention when she was young. She was the very personification of colorful, and it seems like her very existence filled the almost ghosted convenience store life and color.

Though what took his attention the most was the look of surprise written all over her lips.

“Wow,” she said with amazement, as if something fascinating appeared right in front of her very eyes. Immediately, Sasuke’s mind ran a million scenarios because it seems, the thing he’s dreading to happen the most actually occurred.

She recognized him.

Specially that she’s a girl. She’s a girl! And she looks exactly the type that is frequently on her phone, browsing the internet. She’s the type that is always updated about the news, about everything that is happening in the world.

Exactly the type that would recognize him in a heartbeat, even when he’s all covered up. Exactly the type of people he dislikes.

It’s fine, he told himself. After all, she’s just one woman. She’s not a horde of bustling, swooning fans that’ll jump his bones when they see him. He could very well and easily escape the predicament that he’s bound to experience, he knows.

Although the next words that came out of her mouth made him visibly frown, confusion halting his brewing distress inside.

“I never thought there was actually someone here,” she said with a laugh, proceeding to her designated place behind the counter anyway. Sasuke clears his throat, putting down his items for her to check-out, and pinched the wiring of his mask that settles atop of the bridge of his nose to secure that it won’t fall off. To secure it won’t reveal his identity.

It seems that she doesn’t recognize him, which makes him release a breath he didn’t know he’s been holding, as quietly as possible. He tries to give off the meanest and coldest aura he could, for assurance that he won’t tolerate any shape or form of a small talk.

But that didn’t faze the woman in the slightest, seeing that she started to talk.

“I thought you were with those other women here earlier so I thought no one was here anymore,” she started, not looking at him at all. It’s like she was merely wandering by herself about the weather, yet still smoothly manning the counter. “I say ‘I’ll be there in a moment’ all the time even if I’m not sure that there’s someone waiting for me in the counter at all,” she chuckles.

Sasuke takes out his phone, and uses its main purpose of why he actually brought it with him inside the store. Not for phone calls or any updates, but for pretending to looks through something, and to basically tell this rambling woman that he’s not interested about whatever she’s talking about. He doesn’t particularly turn it on, knowing that there is absolutely nothing he could actually do with it.

But she continues, to his annoyance, “This place is pretty deserted, like the possibility of someone coming here every day is at least just so little to impossible,” she continues within beeps of the cash register. “It’s funny that the possibility of someone actually waiting when I say ‘I’ll be with you in a moment’ is just flat out impossible. But I still say it anyway.”

He kind of gets distracted at his pretend busy scrolling, and finds that his ears are sub-consciously listening to her prattling.

“What’s even funnier is how there’s actually someone this time.”

Sasuke looks away from his phone and sees her beaming a smile at him. A carefree, sweet smile that makes him freeze for a moment and knocks all thoughts out of his head. His heart gave a painful beat, and he’s just suddenly aware that he’s mesmerized by that charming upturn of her lips.

As fast as it came though, it went away too soon as well as the pink-haired woman looked back at her work at hand.

She continues to talk and he clears his throat, trying to go back to his endless scrolling through nothing with his phone. But he just can’t.

He doesn’t really understand why she’s telling him any of this. He doesn’t give a damn about anything that she does, nor does she need to explain anything to him. But hearing her light laugh eased something inside of Sasuke that even surprised him. Her smile that was directed to him gave way to warmth that coursed through he’s whole being, and gradually little by little, he found himself relaxing to her talking about something that he doesn’t even spare an ear for, but just her voice he’s paying attention to.

He didn’t notice that all his items were done until she tells him the price. He becomes a little disorientated as he ungracefully pulls out his wallet, almost dropping it in the process. He also finds himself awkwardly asking again about how much he was paying for, being distracted and all.

Finally, with slightly shaking fingers, he pays and she bags his stuff with a paper bag (eco-friendly, she tells him), and hands it to him with a smile.

“Here you go, Sasuke Uchiha,” he almost had a heart attack at the sudden revelation. She knows after all. He tensed and stopped dead on his movements, as if he was a kid caught doing something bad.

When the pinkie noticed it, she laughs adorably towards him, which made a bloom of slight red on his cheeks, and says, “You know, you don’t have to be so stiff. I know you don’t want to talk to anyone since you’re giving me a professional anti-social vibe, but no need to be so try hard,” she tells him after leaning the bag closer to his grasp, while he was still slowly recovering from how taken aback he was. “I’m not gonna ask a picture of you, or anything weird like proclaiming my love or anything like that, or asking you to marry me,” she shrugs. “You already receive tons of those, I feel.”

“Have a great day,” she then tells him with another smile when he finally takes the bag. “Come again! Though I doubt that since this place is basically a deserted. If not, a ghost town.”

He walks away slowly with a nod, hopefully trying to reach the damned double doors because he will literally die in embarrassment if he doesn’t get out of this place.

“Oh, and by the way!” she exclaims when he was almost on the way to grasping the handles. “Your phone was upside down the whole time when you were seriously glaring and scrolling at it!” he could practically hear the grin from her voice.

And he internally explodes.

----------

Sasuke doesn’t really know what beckoned him to come back, but he just found himself on autopilot, driving on the same expressway and somewhat feeling giddy heading towards that same gas station beside it to stop by.

Few days have passed after his last and first time there, and he’s gone to work mode after that. But if he’s honest with himself, his mind has been plagued by that pinkie’s earnest smile and jolly voice that he can’t help but repeat inside his head. She’s made an impression to him, and it’s a good one that stuck with him despite the time that already passed.

Though despite knowing that, he still reasons that he’s only coming back here because he’s thirsty, (despite drinking a good enough amount of water before leaving set), and that he wants to buy the same food he did last time since it was surprisingly good. And that a change of pace definitely helped him last time, and would help him now too.

It has nothing to do with that pink-haired woman he met that made his drive a little bit better.

Nope, nothing at all.

The same asphalt cement he sees, and the same glimpse of the gas station that races his heartbeat by the minute.

Finally reaching the curve, he notices that there are far more people than last time. It was a weekend, considering, so it’s not out of the place for people to increase in numbers. Some might be heading back to their hometown for a good weekend bonding with their family, simply for well-deserved leisure or fulfilling plans of short vacations.

Not that it’s any of his business regarding why there are more people than usual, but that serves as a problem. Sasuke, to say in simple words, is somehow and quite literally afraid of people. Anti-social could be his last name if it was possible, and he could be literally glued to his house if circumstances in the world were different.

There are more people, and that means for him that it’s war. A battle between desperate pleas for pictures and try-hard avoidance from his part.

Sasuke parked his car in the very far part of the available slots (not that there was much in the first place), and thought about having therapy to cure such impulsive decisions. After all, it was that that brought him here in the first place. On the other hand, he also thought about leaving and ignoring…whatever it is that told him to come back here.

And he also considers the choice of going out of his car and seeing those emerald eyes again.

Something as small as this shouldn’t bother him too much, it really shouldn’t. Yet it does just that. He’s conflicted, and he feels like this is the most intense decision he is making his whole life. While his face might not show any hint of his inner turmoil, he impatiently taps his foot otherwise, and slowly rests his head on the wheel.

He fails to see just how and why has his life turned into something like this—inside his car, having an inner crisis, trying to consider a choice of going through war (literally: persistent and annoying people) only to see a woman whose name he doesn’t even know.

Damnit.

He comes up with a solution not long, and takes his phone out. Sasuke’s not a fan of social media—no denying—but since his management has tolerated his stubborn rejection of socialization, he does it by himself to create social media accounts—it could be out of guilt, or purely because he still loves his fans. He has Twitter, and Instagram, and nothing more than that. He posts there, but mostly it’s about certain promotions that concerns him, announcements of music release and very little interactions too.

He momentary lets out his dumb self as he conflicts with himself. Sasuke types a simple tweet, asking a plain 1 or 2 question with no one in mind and absolutely no connection to anything about his career at all.

He doesn’t—or more likely never—result and relies to these methods when coming up with decisions, usually and should be. Rationality is always his priority above else to follow. Feelings and other factors come in second as only back up with his conclusion. Usually.

But right now, he’s in deep conflict that he’s stooping low on having another party to help him in deciding.

He shuts his phone and waits for responses. Not to brag about his fame again, but responses comes in a flash for Sasuke. He finds a lot of times after posting something that his phone violently vibrates non-stop due to the amount of likes and comments he gets. He finds that responses mostly consist of a bunch of praises with a minimum of three words, to a maximum of repeatedly spammed heart emojis of all sorts and colors, consists people who aren’t interested in him at all that are genuinely confused to why he suddenly appeared in their timeline, and people who straight-out doesn’t know him.

And it seems it’s true since he feels his phone vibrate to an annoying level that he puts it on silent for a while. He doesn’t need that many responses, he just needs to know what majority would choose between a number that they have no idea what it meant at all.

It’s simple, the first choice, or 1, means that he drives out of this gas station, forget about the odd sense of longing he has for the pink-haired girl, and drive away to home. The second option though, is the opposite. It means, he goes incognito, grabs his wallet, gets out of the car, goes inside the convenience store, seek out the woman, and see what his life might lead to if he fulfills such a want of him.

That’s enough, he tells himself after a few minutes and opens his phone. Immediately, his lock screen is filled the Twitter icon notification, and he opens it. He did quite get a decent amount of suggestions between whether 1 or 2, so he scrolls down and counts that total of each group.

First few were an almost equal number of both 1 and 2, if not for that one person who seemed to be lost but intrigued enough to respond either way with 1. Next few rows were more of ones, and quite some twos.

Sasuke counted all of them as much as he could, (because in that short period of time, he got so much already), and got into the conclusion that there were more votes of ones than twos.

That decides it, he tells himself as he sighs, putting his phone aside and holding that stirring wheel, ready to reverse the car and get out of this place. Even majority of people thinks that the first choice is always the best in most hard cases. The rational choice.

But he finds himself that he just can’t.

He can’t will himself to drive away as he stares at the entrance of that convenience store. His eyes roam around it as much as it could, trying to see or find a hint of that familiar pink hair that he sees even in his dreams.

But what could he gain? What could that decision to come up to her and see her lead to? Satisfy his curiosity? (He’s not even sure if it’s curiosity). Make that part of himself that wants to see her shut up? He doesn’t even know anything about her for god’s sake, and yet here he is wanting to know, wanting to see her, wanting to hear that sweet voice of her, wanting to see that smile again, beamed at him brightly that it becomes blinding.

Ah, fuck it.

He groans and takes his cap and a mask, grabs his wallet and his phone—in case of needing to use it again as a distraction device—and gets out of the car, locking it. He pulls up his hood—luckily, he was wearing a hoodie this time—and tries to avoid any eye contact from anybody, looking straight at his destination.

He arrives in front of the entrance and see people talking, looking, and buying. And it’s quite a lot.

He then quietly hopes that he looks more like a suspicious person than approachable so no one would ever dare to approach him, repeatedly chanting don’t talk to me and hoping for the best.

Sasuke takes a deep breath, feeling like this is the most nerve-wracking moment of his life. He enters the slowly, trying not to gain anyone’s attention at all. Quickly though, he steals a glance at the counter and seeks a familiar sight of pink and green irises before disappearing in an isle as far away as anyone.

He convinces himself that it’s fine when he didn’t see her at the counter.

As usual, as if he didn’t just go in here with a different intent than usual, he looks through foods and beverages, being and acting like how he should normally. He tells himself to calm down now that he feels his heartbeat going wild with anticipation. He wills himself to not look at the direction of the cashier and act like an eager kid and he keeps such a bubbling excitement within him contained.

He feels the strong, strong, urge to go to the cashier, look for the girl, and see what could’ve happened. Sasuke isn’t really the type to be swayed with whatever the flow of life could possibly bring him. He likes to plan things out with outmost consideration about every factor that might contribute to him. But now it seems that he relies on luck and to whatever gods about what could today lead to.

Though despite that, his mind tells him to settle down and take his time, control that damn urge, and wait patiently until at least most people would finally leave.

He relies on his rationale right now as he skims through the aisles and foods displayed in front of him, taking his time and explore more options of possible new food to snack on.

He’s thankful that he feels himself release some tension and calm down. His earlier bubbling giddiness that felt like it was about to explode gradually lessened, but still left enough to keep him anticipating.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Sasuke concluded that the coast is clear and he can finally go up the counter and pay for the food and drinks he bought as façade for a completely different motive.

He goes up to the counter with the same feeling of anticipation crawling up his spine, and he notices the faster beating of his heart, as if he was to do the thing he’s most nervous about. Though he’s kind of sad to see that the counter is empty, feeling an arrow strike his heart and his face falling in disappointment.

But a nagging and persistent part of him was whispering that the girl might be in the staff room like the first time he met him, and that circumstances might be the same.

This raises his hopes to an embarrassing level that he doesn’t want to admit as he tells himself; 5 minutes, and tries to be patient while tapping his foot on the ground. Sasuke still tells himself to not be disappointed too much when the girl isn’t actually present, since her shift of work hours isn’t familiar to him whatsoever. He remembers that their first meeting might be just a great coincidence that is meant to happen one time (despite not believing in lucky and great coincidences).

“I’ll be with you in a moment!”

Sasuke’s heart skips a beat as he feels the unfamiliar feeling of anxiousness creeping up him. As distraction, he tugs his mask tighter and tries to cover his identity as much as he could. The girl recognized him the first time with no hesitation and doubt, so it won’t be a surprise of she actually catches him again this second time around. He tries to hide his most prominent features that makes Sasuke him and unique to anyone else. His eyes, he levels at the floor as he stares at it to hide it from plain view.

The person’s coming, he knows, and he feels like he’s unprepared enough for it.

But he’s short on time when the door soon comes creaking as he feels a presence come up to him. The person was quiet in his—or her—steps as Sasuke only sees hands coming up to his things and proceeds to man the register. Sasuke contemplates to whether he should settle down and not attempt to do anything, or at least have a look on who the person who does the register. But it seems that he can’t control impulsive actions today as he takes a quick peak, expecting that this person checking out his item is fully concentrated in his—again, or her!—task at hand.

But when he raises his gaze in the slightest, trying to catch a look at this person’s face, he’s surprised out of his with when his pools of black were met by those bright, beautiful emerald eyes that he was longing for, gazing directly at his onyx eyes with a never faltering resolve, as if she was anticipating for him to raise his sight at her.

Sasuke averts immediately, as if he was a school boy caught looking at someone far too long to be considered normal. He feels a heat creep up the back of his neck as embarrassment once again floods his being. He didn’t expect the girl to be a pro at her task as she seemingly did the register with ease considering how she didn’t even need to offer much of her focus at it. All her attention was focused on his, he now realizes as he dares not to raise his gaze anymore, nor try anything else.

“The first time when a person was here when I said ‘I’ll be with you in a moment’ is also the person that greets me the second time around,” Sasuke stiffened as he could hear the teasing tone from her, and knows, just knows that she’s grinning at him, which makes him slightly squirm and be further embarrassed.

“No need to hide, Sasuke Uchiha,” she announces as he slowly raises his gaze to look at her, tentatively. “I already caught you,” she says with a smile that hitches his breath, makes time stop and freezes him in the spot, again unable to tear away from the precious smile of hers.

She quickly goes back to what she was doing though, casually saying, “I never thought you’d actually come back.”

Sasuke shrugs when she looks at him again, finally allowing himself to relax at the conversation. It’s no use to pretend-ignore with this person. It’s still odd though, how he’s able to let down his guard in front of her in a matter of seconds, and how casual she is. Maybe not all fangirls are the same.

The transaction continues quietly—much to Sasuke’s gratitude—and they both enjoy the quiet company between them. Sasuke, as what he understands, is that this girl is quite talkative despite what the other person she’s conversing with prefers otherwise. But right now, he’s grateful that she allows him to compose himself and bask in the silence after such an embarrassing failed attempt to conceal his identity.

He feels a little sad when she hands the bag and tells him the price, silently reminding him that it’s ending and they’re finally parting. Sasuke thinks that this decision of going out and seeing her again was way too short for his liking, and he doesn’t want to end it so quickly. Yet he still hands her the money, still clutches the paper bag, and still prepares to walk out those glass doors.

“Come again!” he hears her cheerful voice as he slowly near the door. She didn’t add anything else however, like what she did last time. Sasuke’s every step felt dreadful. He hears whispers behind him, and hears his mind tell him to go, and that what he wanted was done and there’s nothing he could do about it anymore. It was a momentary lapse of judgement, and he’s just paying he consequences.

But when his palm meets the handle, he stops and stills, thinks about what he wants and contemplates the best thing he could do right now.

His mind shouts that he leaves and enough is enough, but his heart tells him something else that’s the complete opposite of his rationality. The constant clash of opposing thoughts and feelings makes him dizzy as he clutches the bag tighter.

Sasuke momentarily shuts his mind off and his feelings as he decides that he’ll allow what he thinks is his desire at the moment. He knows that nothing will result to his thought’s debate, so he takes calming breaths and allows his restrictions down and follow what he doesn’t usually follow.

He can’t leave right now, it feels like it’s not enough. He feels the urge to do something, to go back to her and say something.

Sasuke allows this urge and breaks all restraints, marching back to the counter as he successfully startles the girl.

“Uh…do you need something else?” she asks with genuine confusion, a little freaked out.

Sasuke removes his hood and pulls his mask down. He feels a certain pressure that makes it hard to breathe, and hard to talk, so he relieves some of that. He sees a visible tinge of pink spread across her cheeks as he completely bares his face to her, fully revealing who he is.

And before he even knows it, he already uttered those words.

“Go on a date with me.”

His tone was firm and his eyes were hardened with resolved that makes her green eyes wide for a moment, before she recomposes herself with a blush a shy smile.

He’s surprised when she responds, “Okay,” faster than he anticipated. But he’s even more surprised when she followed-up with, “when?” with a bashful look.

Sasuke blushes slightly while doing a mental check of his schedule, clearing his throat.

“Tomorrow,” he says with certainty, that takes her off guard again.

“Okay,” she responds quietly.

“Give me your number,” he then says after thinking about the matter on hand, realizing that he doesn’t even know anything about her identity.

Sasuke’s mind is short-circuiting at the moment due to how much his thoughts are in a disarray, and because of the constant embarrassment he gets, making everything that he says come out as a command more than a request. He hates himself for it. His ever so composed self is crumbling, and this isn’t so like him.

He tells himself to calm the fuck down, arrange his thoughts and think straight or he might really freak out this ever-jolly woman. It’s already a miracle enough that the woman agreed to his clearly not-thought-through-well-enough request of a date, so he tries to settle himself down.

He saw her quickly nodding and fumbling with a notepad that was luckily near her, trying to write her number with shaking fingers feeling the scrutiny of his gaze. She gives him the paper and hurries to compose herself.

When he receives the paper and felt a slight contact with the skin of her hand, he feels an electrifying charge that went up his entire body. It was a foreign sensation he’s never felt before, and it makes him stop for a second trying to comprehend.

“I’ll text you the details,” he then says, not wanting to make this anymore awkward.

Sasuke leaves in a little hurried matter and goes straight to his car. Luckily, no one was out in the open anymore to see him and bother him. He’s been conflicted enough to deal with any persistent paparazzi or people at the moment.

When Sasuke finally settles in his car and locks the door, he allows himself to lean on the chair and let all the reality of what he did sink into himself, knowing that there is absolutely no backing out to whatever he started.

By the time Sasuke comes to his senses again, he puts the things he bought at the backseat along with his other things, and he starts the engine, going to the road.

And finally, he allows himself to breath in, and sigh a shaky breath, his hand slowly fisting as he smirks.  He raises it slightly above his head and pulls it back down, a gesture of triumph as if he just won an award. A fist pump.

As if it was the greatest success of his life.

---------

Hello? This is Sasuke. read

oh sasuke uchiha! that’s right! what time will we meet up? read

Maybe around 11. read

and where? read

At the park, downtown. read

the park downtown…. read

Do you know it? read

kumo central park? read

Yeah. There. read

alrighty! see you tomorrow, sasuke uchiha read

See you too…? read

what is it? read

What’s your name again? read

haha! you ask me out on a date but you don’t know my name? read

Shut up. What is it anyway? read

it’s sakura sakura haruno read

… read

? read

Cliché. read

what? what’s that supposed to mean? what’s cliché uchiha!? hey! read

____________________________

Hi! so I’ve had this idea since forever and I’m contemplating about it so, just gonna post it out here for anyone who would see it!

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 26, part two

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Content note: This episode has a lot of lightning, but this post does not have lightning flashes--I’m using mostly stills for those parts, or I’ve snipped out the unfriendly frames before giffing.

Qing-Jie

Having successfully ruined Jin Guangshan’s party plan to get the Yin Tiger seal, Wei Wuxian dashes off to tell Wen Qing where her brother is. She hops up to hit the road with him, but then sorta-faints because she’s starving. In a rare moment of tenderness between these two, he catches her and gently sits her down again. 

Normally they’re busy out-toughing each other, both before and after this moment, but right now Wen Qing is openly vulnerable. Wei Wuxian responds to that, predictably, with all of his kindness and with his usual slew of unwise, impossible-to-keep promises.

As she eats the bread he’s brought her--a parallel to an important piece of bread in his early life--he says they have to believe in Wen Ning’s survival. Cut to: Wen Ning, not surviving. 

I mean, yes, yes, he’s only mostly dead, but he’s never going to be fully alive again, so.  

24 Hour Party People

Back at the party, Jin Guangyao, deliberately, I think, goes to offer his pops a drink while his pops is still super furious and looking for someone to take it out on. The servant lady is like, better you than me, pal, and helps JGY get his drink ready. Pops, predictably, knocks the drink onto Jin Guangyao.

(more behind the cut)

Lan Xichen is standing by with a hanky and a face full of worry. Lan Xichen is so Lanny that he thinks JGY needs to go change clothes after getting clear alcohol spilled on him, rather than just letting it evaporate and smelling pleasantly of booze for the rest of the evening like a normal party guest. 

JGY launches into a criticism of Wei Wuxian, which Lan Wangji listens to very carefully, frowning. Lan Xichen, Nie Huasang and Jiang Cheng listen as well, and don’t speak up. 

A Clear Conscience

Then Lan Wangji *literally* steps out of his brother’s shadow, and speaks in defense of Wei Wuxian. This right here is Lan Wangji’s turning point, as far as I’m concerned. Xichen is gazing at JGY, totally on board with JGY’s spin of the situation, and his shadow falls away from Lan Wangji’s face as LWJ steps forward.

Lan Wangji says, isn’t what WWX said true? JGY puts on his customer service smile and says that the truth isn’t something you’re supposed to go around saying out loud. 

I’d like to say this is what’s wrong with cultivator society but this is really a universal human thing; every society has rules about upsetting the social order, and they are very frequently at odds with basic compassion and morality. 

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng stay silent but Lan Xichen goes and throws Wei Wuxian under the bus carriage, saying his character has changed. 

Lan Wangji nods decisively at this, and bows to Lan Xichen, silently asking permission to follow Wei Wuxian. Lan Xichen grants permission, telling Lan Wangji to do his best. Lan Xichen probably thinks he and Lan Wangji are in agreement, in this moment, but that nod of Lan Wangji’s was nothing of the kind.

That nod was Lan Wangji agreeing with himself; he is going to try to bring Wei Wuxian back but he is also going to listen to him.  Meanwhile Lan Xichen is tying himself in knots to appease Jin Guangyao. The divergence between the brothers will just grow, from this point onwards.

Lan Wangji leaves to go follow his boyfriend conscience, while Jiang Cheng continues to silently listen to the commentary of others, and gets so mad he crushes a wine cup.

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night.

Wen Qing and Wei Wuxian arrive at the prison camp, and the first person they encounter is Granny, with a defaced Wen Banner in her hand and Wen Yuan on her back. 

Whenever I read a meta or a fic that talks about how the juniors are so sweet partly because they are “untouched by the war” I want to point to this moment. A-Yuan endures an absolute truckload of war trauma by the time he’s four years old, and while Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji both deserve a lot of credit for saving him at great risk to themselves, Granny and Uncle Four are the first heroes of A-Yuan’s story. His kind, mellow personality has a lot in common with theirs. 

This is followed by an eternity of Wen Qing running around asking if anyone’s seen her brother. Eventually Wei Wuxian gets tired of this and gathers the guards together, threatening them with Chenqing. 

He doesn’t need to play it; just holding it up has every Jin dude instantly kneeling and scared. 

The guards send him and Wen Qing go to a giant field of corpses, where Wen Qing runs around checking to see if any of them is her brother. Wei Wuxian starts off kind of detached and angry, but eventually snaps out of it, tucks away his flute and starts helping her to search. 

Wen Qing finds Wen Ning, mostly-dead with a lure flag speared into his belly. Wei Wuxian grimly takes in the situation from across the field of corpses. 

When he arrives at Wen Qing’s side he sees this talisman in Wen Ning’s hand. 

This is the talisman that Wei Wuxian made for Wen Ning back in Gusu summer school, before the war. It’s the one that Wen Ning was wearing at his waist when they met up after the massacre of Lotus Pier. It’s supposed to literally protect Wen Ning from having his spiritual consciousness snatched, as well as being a symbol of Wei Wuxian’s sense of responsibility for, and affection for, Wen Ning. 

Wei Wuxian, understandably, loses his shit at this point. Less understandably, he is about to decide that the best way to express his sorrow and rage is to re-animate the corpse of his friend, right in front of the corpse’s sister. Like, seriously, dude. Dude. 

Ghost General

This super-questionable decision leads to one of the most badass sequences in the show, which is unfortunately chock full of lightning flashes, so not everyone can watch it. Wei Wuxian and his flute and swirls of resentful energy come marching out of the darkness of the corpse field, back to the guards. 

The guards have decided to slaughter all of the prisoners and then run away, which would be a good plan except they should really have skipped right to the running away part of things. When Wei Wuxian accuses them of killing the prisoner in the corpse field, they claim that the Wens have a habit of falling off of a hill and dying. Wei Wuxian can relate. 

At this point Wei Wuxian summons up Wen Ning 2.0, ultra badass edition, who comes flying through the air with his odd, straight-armed fighting stance and cool solid-black eyes and rock-and-roll hair. 

Soundtrack: *Four Sticks*

Wen Ning proceeds to whale on the guards and scare the shit out of his relatives.

Then Wen Qing shows up and begs Wei Wuxian to stop. She explains that Wen Ning is only mostly dead. Like, if he was fully dead would she be okay with this? 

Wei Wuxian tries to reel Wen Ning in and realizes that he is not actually in control of Wen Ning. Ok, see, right from the first day of Wen Ning 2.0, WWX is aware that his control is iffy. Why does he think he’s going to be able to control him later? 

Anyway, this is where we learn Wen Ning’s grown-up name is Wen Qionglin. Wei Wuxian yells this name, and Wen Ning looks up like a cat hearing the “food noise,” and then proceeds to get control of himself. 

This is such a nice symbolic moment, that will be replayed later in the temple, when Wen Ning saves Jin Ling from Baxia. 

Wen Ning has a remote-code-execution OS vulnerability throughout the story; his soul is at risk of being stolen, and he is magically controlled by Wei Wuxian, Xue Yang, Su She, and Baxia.  Meanwhile Wen Qing, Wei Wuxian, and random kids on the street mostly treat him as a child, despite his clear adult capabilities. Wen Ning’s journey in The Untamed is at least partly about asserting his full adulthood, and his ability to overcome magical control is directly connected to that journey.  

After getting Wen Ning to chill, Wei Wuxian calls the floating resentful energy back into his own body, which looks about as comfortable as swallowing a burp. 

On the plus side, apparently resentful energy keeps your hair dry even when it’s raining.

Wei Wuxian should take a page from the guards’ book and slaughter all the Jin witnesses to this situation, but he decides to be the better person and let them live. They go running off down the road, where they encounter Lan Wangji and give him the 411, saying that Wei Wuxian resurrected dead people.

Meanwhile Wei Wuxian collects Wen Qing--half-fainted, again, in an echo of the start of their journey--and collects the Dafan Mountain Wen group, who are hiding, wisely. When they see Wen Ning, Uncle Four and some others start to freak out, but Wei Wuxian tells them that fierce corpses are cool, and they all grab horses and mount up.

Where Are You Going?

Lan Wangji is waiting for them, nonconfrontationally indulging in some visual poetry while he waits. 

In a show where every prop is exquisitely, carefully designed to enhance our understanding character, his Gusu-toned umbrella reveals surprising red and yellow threads woven in, right above his eye line as he looks at Wei Wuxian. 

Wei Wuxian speaks first, saying “you came to stop me?” Lan Wangji doesn’t answer, but asks him where he’s going. Then Lan Wangji warns him that he’s about to abandon orthodoxy forever, if he follows through. 

Wei Wuxian challenges this idea of orthodoxy, asking if Lan Wangji remembers the promise they made together, back in Gusu. It’s worth noting that they both appear to think of it as a co-promise, even though Lan Wangji didn’t speak aloud at the time. 

The conversation will continue in the next episode, because what’s better than a rainy romantic cliffhanger?

Soundtrack: Four Sticks by Led Zeppelin