#caleb daily chat

[lisharchivez]

Promise[Story]🍎 chat with Caleb : all possible outcomes

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Requirements You will immediately get notification from him after u finish [11 story] of 03 chapter

Funfact : Caleb's profile in "message" doesn't exist until you finish [11 story] of 03 chapter

Caleb & Zayne are the only people in chat whose first message to you didn't show up as "Unknown" profile

REMINDER- if you want reply from him PLEASE interact with the post BEFORE "03-story-within reach" and wait for him to reply you before proceeding Or better , don't start chapter 04 until you get his reply . or else like the 2nd photo , he will not reply to you.

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🍎He starts the chat

here are your options

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🍎Outcomes

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🍎Next options

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🍎Outcomes

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🍎Next Options

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🍎Outcomes

Here is the profile of caleb and current chat history for good measure

*Chat Ends*

what option did you choose ?

Or did you make mistakes like me and forgot , now you wait for a reply that never came in past 11 months

Please like & re-blog, Help me reach more Lads players who might want to know these

Curious about other posts and chats outcomes from zayne ,sylus and others ? Checks more in my pinned.

Like & follow for more.

The end ;)

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[blaire-apricity]

Hello, first of all I want to thank you for the amazing scenes with Sylus. Thank you a lot 🥰

I would like to make a request IF you have the time and energy for it...

Would it be possible to write a scene with Sylus and Caleb (the supposed dead childhood friend)?

I read somewhere that both of them are 190 cm and big in every sense of word...

Maybe Caleb finds out about Sylus being mcs love interest and is not that happy about it? Or something like that. Oh and don't forget the smut or fluff - anything that works for you.

Thank you again ☺️

Crow's Gaze

sʏʟᴜs x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᯓ❅ ┆ synopsis┆ : An unexpected encounter with the famous leader of the Onychinus- though of course, only you knew that, but Caleb isn't sure what to make of it.

ᯓ❅ ┆ tags┆ : fiction, fluff & possible OOC

──────────────── ˗ˏˋ ❅｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽ ˎˊ˗ ──────────────

You and Caleb were out fetching groceries for your grandmother’s house. The marketplace bustled with its usual energy, though it wasn’t overly crowded today, making it easier to navigate. As you wandered between the stalls, you and Caleb exchanged stories about your daily lives, the rare time together making the moment all the more enjoyable. After all, with your hectic schedules, holidays were the only chances to catch up like this.

Usually, you handled errands like these on your own. You didn’t mind—it was part of your routine. Caleb, being busier than you, rarely had the time. And yet, here he was now, proving you wrong.

"Ahha, what’s wrong with helping out?" he said when you’d expressed surprise at his presence. "Coming back early to spend time with you and Gran feels like a win to me."

That cheeky, sheepish grin of his left you sighing in mock defeat. Caleb always had a way of disarming you, leaving little room for argument.

At the counter, you reached for your card to pay for the groceries, but Caleb was faster. His card swiped through effortlessly, his grin triumphant.

"Seriously?" you muttered, shaking your head as you turned toward the bags the cashier was packing.

The bags weren’t heavy, and you reached to grab them, only for Caleb to intercept again.

“I can carry those, Caleb,” you protested, giving him a pointed look.

“I know, pipsqueak, but remember the time the bottom ripped and all the groceries went flying?” His teasing smirk was impossible to ignore.

“That wasn’t my fault! The bag was overloaded—”

“Uh-uh,” he interrupted, hoisting the bags with ease. “Safety measures, remember?”

Obviously, you weren’t winning this one.

As you and Caleb made your way out of the marketplace, chatting and laughing about past mishaps, the bustling environment seemed to shift. The lively chatter and hum of merchants became distant, replaced by a curious lull. Your steps slowed, and instinctively, you looked around.

That’s when you saw him—Sylus.

Dressed in his usual sharp, all-black ensemble, the man looked impossibly out of place in the rustic charm of the marketplace. His presence was magnetic yet foreboding. His striking features—sharp jawline, piercing red eyes that seemed to see too much, and the faint smirk that hinted at both arrogance and danger—commanded attention. Even standing still, he exuded confidence like a coiled serpent, aware of its lethal potential but patient enough to strike only when necessary.

You instinctively stiffened. Though you knew Sylus from past, shall we say, unconventional encounters, it was never easy being in his proximity. Caleb noticed your shift and followed your gaze, his cheerful expression quickly replaced by suspicion.

"Who’s that?" Caleb asked, voice low and taut.

You opened your mouth to respond, but Sylus noticed you both. His smirk widened ever so slightly, and before you could decide whether to walk away or wave, he was moving toward you, his gait casual but purposeful.

“Well, fancy seeing you here,” Sylus drawled, his voice smooth, almost mocking. His gaze flickered to Caleb, scanning him like he was a trivial detail in a much larger picture, before settling on you. "And with company, no less. How... quaint."

Caleb stepped a little closer to you, shoulders squared. “Can we help you with something?” he asked, his tone polite but firm, though his unease was palpable.

Sylus turned his attention fully to Caleb now, as if noticing him for the first time. His smirk turned sharper, a predator recognizing a challenge it didn’t take seriously. "Help? From you? I doubt it, but the offer’s adorable." He then shifted back to you, his tone softening to something almost conversational. "Running errands, are we? Never pictured you as the domestic type."

"Sylus," you interjected, trying to steer the interaction. "We’re just here for groceries. Nothing... noteworthy."

He tilted his head a bit, clearly entertained. "Oh, but you see, everything you do is noteworthy for me."

Caleb’s patience visibly frayed. "What’s your deal, man? You just wander around making people uncomfortable for fun?"

Sylus chuckled, low and dark. "Only when they’re worth my time." He stepped closer—not enough to invade your space, but enough to make his presence loom. "Relax, kid. I’m merely catching up with an old... acquaintance."

Caleb frowned, glancing between you and Sylus. “Acquaintance? You never mentioned this guy before.”

“It’s... complicated,” you muttered, not wanting to dig into the gritty details of how you knew Sylus, or why his interest in you felt more like a game than genuine connection.

Sylus raised a brow, clearly enjoying the tension he’d stirred. "Complicated. Now there’s an understatement." His gaze lingered on Caleb, as if deciding whether to entertain the conversation. "But don’t worry, I have no intention of spoiling your errand run. Today."

There was an unspoken weight to the last word, one Caleb didn’t miss. His jaw tightened, and you could feel the tension radiating off him.

"Come on, Caleb," you said quickly, grabbing his arm and tugging him toward the exit. "We should get back to Gran."

Sylus didn’t move to stop you, but his voice followed as you walked away. "See you around, sweetie.”

The casual arrogance in his tone made your skin prickle. You didn’t have to look back to know his smirk was still there, etched with the promise of future encounters.

As soon as you were out of earshot, Caleb exhaled sharply. “Who the hell is that guy? And why does he talk like he’s in some kind of mob movie?”

You forced a chuckle, though your grip on the grocery bags tightened. “Just... someone from the past. Don’t let him get to you. He thrives on that.”

Caleb frowned but said nothing, though you knew this wouldn’t be the last you’d hear about it. And deep down, you couldn’t shake the feeling Sylus’s appearance wasn’t just a coincidence—it rarely ever was.

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╰｡ Author's Note: I am not gonna lie, this took me a while to formulate and think about, I haven't written anything regarding the dead childhood friend-- So, I'm unsure if I did him justice. Hope I did.

Thank you for requesting the idea! Another request that took me a while to complete- spare me. I hope you'll like it as well~

╰｡ Tagging: . ݁˖ .@slitheringwaves

[kiarastromboli]

𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐱 𝐲/𝐧

⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱

⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱

𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘: jealous!reader, stalker!Matt, just a bit suggestive 🤏🏼

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: Y/N will meet Sarah, who doesn't seem to particularly please her, and after spending the morning waiting for him, our two main characters will finally be able to enjoy their dates together.

ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕖: I know the really spicy part takes time to arrive, but don't worry, it's coming soon.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐.

⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝟑:

Here we are, Saturday.

This morning when I woke up, I was in high spirits. I was going to spend my day with her, well, at least half of my day, given that I still had to work this morning.

Last night, I had a lot of trouble falling asleep; I couldn't stop thinking about today and how it would go. I was apprehensive, expecting both the best and the worst, but I really didn't know what to expect. Even though she had made advances, Caleb, her so-called friend, had clearly hinted that he also wanted the place I coveted.

So naturally, I spent my night on social media trying to find Caleb's accounts to learn more about him. And to be honest, it wasn't very difficult to find.

"Caleb_the.1, seriously?" I thought when I found his Instagram account. This guy was so self-centered it almost made me want to vomit.

His bio consisted of bro-ish phrases to show that he was an alpha athlete above the others, it was ridiculous to the point of being laughable. How can you hang out with this kind of guy, y/n? Seriously, aren't you ashamed?

Scrolling through his profile, I found about fifteen shirtless photos of him, of course, it goes without saying. And honestly, it's not very prudent of him to expose his life so much on social media. In less than five minutes, I knew which gyms he frequented, his favorite restaurants, and all the places he liked to go daily, giving me the opportunity to learn a little more about him.

But for now, he'll have to wait. My priority is y/n, and I'll deal with his case after our appointment.

"You're late!" Sarah said to me when I arrived at the bookstore.

"Sorry, traffic was jammed this morning," I lied. I didn't have an excuse; I was late only because I spent an extra 20 minutes scrolling through Caleb's profile this morning to learn more.

"Matt, since when does traffic matter to you when you're on your bike??" she said, confused.

"It's none of your business, Sarah, stop asking me questions," I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah, you're lucky I'm your friend; otherwise, I would've fired you!" she said before turning around and going back to her tasks.

It's true; I'm lucky to have a friend like Sarah. I probably don't think enough about thanking her.

I went back to my post and continued my morning, chatting a bit with her; there weren't many customers today.

"Matt, you're lying; you're not going to tell me you've never thought about that before!" Sarah said, shocked that I've never had any weird fantasies about a celebrity.

"No, never, and I find it weird that you were obsessed with Zac Efron until the end of high school!" I said, laughing.

"First of all, I wasn't obsessed! I just had a little crush on him, and secondly, everyone had a crush on that guy back then!" she said, justifying herself.

Meanwhile, I hadn't noticed, but someone had entered the shop at that moment.

"Yeah, in middle school, Sarah, not in high school!" I replied, laughing.

"Screw you, Matty!" she said, chuckling and giving me a light push.

We were interrupted by the voice of a newcomer behind us.

"Hey," she said, her voice a bit sharp.

I immediately turned around, recognizing y/n's voice.

But something was different; her voice wasn't as gentle as usual, and I couldn't see her usual smile.

"Oh, hi, y/n," I replied, smiling.

"Um, this is Sarah, my colleague. I didn't know you'd come so soon," I said, scratching my neck.

"Hi," Sarah said, smiling and extending her hand.

"I've got my hands full, sorry," y/n said to Sarah, giving her some sort of fake smile.

"Yeah, I thought I'd come a little earlier to bring you some coffee," y/n said, turning to me.

"Oh, um, thanks, you didn't have to," I said timidly.

"No, of course, I insist. It's the least I can do after you gave me a ride home last time!" she said, casting a fleeting glance at Sarah.

I'm not sure what game she's playing, but I don't get the feeling she likes Sarah too much.

"Yeah, well, I'll leave you guys. I still have a lot of work. Matt, don't linger too long; we still have to do inventory," Sarah said before leaving us.

A brief silence ensued before I decided to speak.

"It's really nice of you to get the coffee, y/n," I said, smiling.

"It's nothing, I got you a decaf," she said, handing me my coffee.

"Wow, wait, this is my favorite. How did you know—" I started to say before she cut me off.

"Just lucky, I guess," she said, smiling.

Maybe this girl knows me a little better than I thought. I thought I was harder to read than that.

"Well, thank you very much. I finish in 2 hours. If you want, you can browse the bookstore while you wait for me," I said.

"That works out perfectly; I was in the mood to read today," she said, smiling before heading off to explore the bookstore.

It was nice working with her around. We exchanged little glances, and most of the time, she would smile at me.

Honestly, I could get used to working under these conditions.

"Matt, focus. I don't mind you having your friends over here, but I can't handle the customers and inventory all by myself!" Sarah said, getting annoyed, interrupting yet another exchange of glances with y/n.

"Sorry, if you want, I'll take care of the inventory and close the shop today," I said, trying to make amends.

"Okay, but hurry up. We have 45 minutes left before closing, and there's still a stack of books in the back room," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back before I went to do what I needed to do in the back room.

POV of Sarah:

I watched Matt walk into the back room, smiling and shaking my head. How could I stay mad at him after all?

Anyway, I headed back to the counter to tidy up the things lying around when I noticed Matt's friend heading towards the back room.

"Hey, sorry, but you can't go in there," I said, stopping her in her tracks and pointing to the sign on the door that specified "Employees Only."

She stopped and turned to face me.

"Sasha, right?" she said, crossing her arms.

"It's Sarah," I replied.

"Yeah, whatever, Sarah. Have you had feelings for Matt for a long time?" she asked, catching me off guard.

"W-what?" I said, furrowing my brows.

"Let's not play this little game, please. It's not going to work with me. You and I both know you have a huge crush on him, and frankly, it's pathetic. You can see he's not interested in you, so I suggest you keep your distance and let those who actually have a chance take theirs," she said, staring me in the eyes.

I didn't even know how to respond. I couldn't deny it; everything she had just said was true. But there were much better ways to say it.

There was something off about this girl. She had this threatening air about her towards me when I hadn't done anything to her.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go join Matt," she said, before striding off and pushing through the door without giving me a chance to say anything.

Back to Matt's POV:

I heard the door open, thinking it was Sarah coming to say goodbye.

"What, already? It's closing time, and I haven't finished the inventory yet!" I said before seeing y/n appear.

"Oh, it's you," I said, a bit surprised because she had no reason to be here.

"Yeah, I asked Sarah if I could come give you a hand," she said, smiling.

"And she said yes?" I asked, surprised because Sarah is usually strict about the rules, so it would have been strange for her to let y/n in without any objections.

She paused for a moment as if she was taking time to think before answering me.

"No," she said, chuckling, "I waited for her to turn her back before sneaking in here," she confessed, and I laughed.

"I feel like you're going to get me into trouble," I said, smiling.

"Come on, it's not like I'm going to steal any books. Plus, I think it's stupid to restrict access; it's just a back room," she said, rolling her eyes.

"And honestly, I find your colleague rather annoying," she said before covering her mouth.

"Sorry, I spoke before thinking," she said, embarrassed, and I chuckled at her action.

I couldn't help but find it cute.

"Firstly, access is restricted because there are some pretty old books here, the kind that should absolutely not be touched unless you're a professional," I began to explain.

"And secondly, yes, Sarah can be annoying, I'll give you that, but she can also be really nice. I'm sure you'd get along great with her," I said, continuing to do the inventory.

"We'll see about that later. For now, let me help you with all this so we can finally go for a ride on the bike," she said, chuckling before coming to help me.

With y/n's help, I managed to finish the inventory just in time for closing.

As we were about to leave the back room, Sarah shot me a look and nodded towards a section of the bookstore, indicating she wanted to talk to me privately.

"I'm going to do one last round in the aisles just to make sure everything's in order before closing. Wait for me here," I said to y/n, realizing Sarah wanted to talk to me alone.

I walked over, and she pulled me a bit further into the bookstore to ensure y/n couldn't overhear us.

"Hey, what's going on?" I said, chuckling.

"Listen, Matt, I'm your friend, and as such, I can't keep this to myself, you understand?" she began, confusing me.

"Your friend y/n, or whatever she is to you, I don't trust her. You shouldn't hang out with her; that girl is really weird," she said.

Here we go.

Seriously, Sarah, instead of being happy for me, you're having a jealousy fit?

"Okay, I don't know where you're going with this, Sarah, but y/n is a great person, and I won't let you badmouth her just because you're jealous," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Jealous? Matt, she threatened me earlier, specifically telling me to stay away from you! I'm not jealous!" she said, getting annoyed.

My y/n do something like that?

It's not possible; she's way too kind and gentle to threaten someone. I knew Sarah had a crush on me, but I didn't think it was to the point where she'd throw a jealousy fit as soon as I was with another woman.

It disappoints me to see her acting this way; I thought we were past that.

"Whatever you say. I'm done with this," I said, rolling my eyes before turning to leave, but she grabbed my arm.

"If you don't want to believe me, that's your problem, but I'm telling you, Matthew, there's something strange about that girl. You should stay on your guard," she said before letting go of my arm and going to collect her things to leave the bookstore.

I stood there for a moment, feeling confused, before joining y/n.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, ready to go?" I asked her, returning her smile, and she nodded.

Once the bookstore was closed, y/n and I hit the road before stopping at Central Park.

"Central Park, you couldn't have found a more cliché place," she said, chuckling once she removed her helmet.

"I thought it was the company that mattered, not the place," I said, pretending to be offended.

"Okay, don't start, Matt!" she said, pointing her finger at me, and I smiled.

"You know what, there's a pretty nice museum nearby. Let's go there," she suggested.

"So, no stroll in the park," I said, putting on a falsely sad face.

"We'll do that after your park stroll, idiot. Come on, follow me," she said, rolling her eyes.

We walked for a few minutes before finding ourselves in front of the museum she mentioned.

We entered and strolled around, observing the artworks. It was at this moment that I learned something new about y/n—she's been passionate about photography since she was a child.

We spent a good two hours in the museum, chatting about everything and anything. We almost forgot that lunchtime had long passed.

"Oh my God, it's 1:30 in the afternoon, and we still haven't eaten," she said, chuckling when she checked the time on her phone after leaving the museum.

"Really?" I asked, surprised, and she nodded.

"That's your fault; you talk way too much," I said, chuckling.

"Yeah, like you don't love that," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her, smiling.

"A little, and you?" she said, looking me in the eyes.

"A bit," I replied, shrugging.

"Hmm..." she hummed thoughtfully, scanning the surroundings.

"Look, a hot dog stand!" she said excitedly, pointing at the stand before grabbing me by the arm and running towards it.

"And you thought strolling in Central Park was cliché, huh?" I teased once we arrived at the stand.

"Shut up," she said, smiling, before turning to the vendor.

"Two hot dogs, please!" she said cheerfully to the vendor.

"So, I don't even get to choose my meal?" I frowned.

"No, just be quiet and take what I give you!" she said with a smirk, and I chuckled.

"No ketchup!" she added to the vendor as he reached for the sauce compartment.

I hate ketchup, but I don't think I've ever told her that.

She grabbed the hot dogs and paid before I could say anything.

"Ugh, sorry, I hate ketchup, I didn't think to ask if you wanted any," she said, handing me my hot dog.

So it was just a coincidence? You and I probably have much more in common than I could have imagined...

The more time I spend with you, the harder it is for me to believe that you're not the literal definition of perfection, y/n.

"It's okay; I don't like ketchup either anyway," I said, smiling.

"Really??" she said, surprised.

"Yeah, I can't stand it," I said, chuckling.

"Or maybe you're just trying to copy me, huh? I see what you're trying to do, Matty!" she said, narrowing her eyes before taking a bite of her hot dog.

Matty, so we're already at the nickname stage?

"Yeah, that must be it. Keep dreaming," I said, shaking my head and taking a bite of my hot dog.

We continued our little walk to the park.

"Can I be honest with you?" she said, turning to me.

"Go ahead, I'm listening," I replied.

"These hot dogs are really terrible," she said, grimacing, and I laughed.

"I agree," I replied, and she laughed too.

"But I really want to finish them; I hate wasting food!" she said, pouting like a little girl.

Y/n, if only you knew how much you softened my heart.

"It's alright, sweetheart; I'll finish it for you if you can't," I said, smiling.

"Matt, you're so cute, bro," she said, blushing before turning her head.

"Bro?" I chuckled. "That hurts."

"What were you hoping for?" she said, rolling her eyes. "That I'd call you baby?" she said, smiling.

"Okay, go ahead, mock me some more," I said.

"With pleasure, baby," she said with a smirk.

"You're not funny, y/n," I said, finishing my hot dog.

"Maybe, but you adore me anyway," she shrugged, offering me her hot dog for me to eat as agreed.

"I can't deny that," I replied, taking her hot dog.

We continued our walk, chatting about everything and nothing.

I wasn't usually talkative, but with her, everything was so effortless. I loved listening to her; she always had something interesting to say.

She was full of surprises, always having a different opinion or perspective on the world, which made me feel less alone.

"Oh, Matt, look, an ice cream stand!" she said, hopping.

"You're such a child, y/n, you know that?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, I love life, sue me for it," she said, raising her hands sarcastically.

I shook my head before following her to the ice cream stand.

"Oh my god, they have rose-flavored ice cream, it's my favorite scent; you absolutely have to try it!" she said excitedly.

"I don't really feel like ice cream," I started to say before she cut me off to talk to the vendor.

"Two rose-flavored ice creams, please," she said, turning to me with a big smile.

I looked at her bewildered before bursting into laughter; she's completely insane, but I love it.

"Here you go," she said, handing me my ice cream before happily continuing to walk in the park.

How can she have so much energy and smile so much?

It's true; this girl was like a sun; she lit up every place she went.

And me, on the contrary, I felt like I was the moon next to her.

"So, how is it?" she said, smiling, referring to my ice cream.

"Delicious," I replied.

"See, I knew you'd like it," she said proudly.

"Oh, wait, you have some ice cream right there," she said, chuckling before approaching me.

Standing on tiptoes, she placed her hand on my cheek and used the finger of her other hand to wipe the ice cream from the corner of my mouth.

"Here," she said, looking into my eyes and offering me her finger with the ice cream to lick.

Her gaze and expression changed at that moment.

What are you playing at, y/n? Is this your way of making suggestive gestures towards me? If so, you have absolutely no idea the effect you're having on me right now.

I took her finger into my mouth without breaking eye contact, and she bit her lip.

I can't be imagining things; she's not as innocent as she pretends to be.

She then returned to standing normally on both feet before taking a bite of her ice cream, still looking me straight in the eyes.

Fuck, does it really take so little to get me hard?

"Mmmh, my favorite," she said, closing her eyes before turning around and starting to walk again as if nothing had happened.

Is that all? Are you going to leave me hanging like this?

If you only knew how much I dreamed of being in your ice cream's place right now, y/n...

From that moment on, it was difficult for me to focus on what she was saying. My mind was filled with ideas... of all kinds.

But regardless, we resumed our conversation, stopping on a bench to finish our ice creams.

"Fuck," she said, taking her phone to check the notification she had just received in the middle of our conversation.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"It's my dad, he needs me for his charity gala next weekend," she said with a sigh.

"His charity gala?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's something my dad organizes every year. It's a big event where he invites his most influential friends to raise funds for cancer research," she replied.

"Oh, um, do you want me to drop you off?" I offered.

"I'm really sorry to cut our outing short like this," she said with a sad look.

"Hey, it's okay, don't worry about it. We can hang out again this week," I said, putting my hand on her back and smiling.

"You're the best," she said, hugging me, and we headed back towards my bike this time.

"Where do you want me to drop you?" I asked as I put on my helmet.

"Take me home, I need to pick up some stuff anyway," she said, putting on her helmet as well.

We got on my bike, and I started driving towards her place.

This time, she seemed to hold on to me a little tighter, as if she didn't want this moment to end.

Oh, so you'd do anything to not have to leave either?

Once we arrived at her apartment complex, I parked, and she got off, taking off her helmet.

"I really hate that I have to go. I wish I could stay with you," she said, looking down at the ground.

I took off my helmet before responding.

"Y/n, you have important things to do, and I'm not going anywhere. You'll come back to me when you have time," I said, placing my hands on her cheeks without thinking.

She looked up at me, and damn, how badly I wanted to kiss her.

Is that what I should do? She's not saying anything anymore, maybe that's what she's waiting for from me?

"Thank you, Matt," she said softly, smiling after several seconds of staring into each other's eyes without saying anything before stepping back and turning to go inside her place.

And I missed my chance again, what an idiot.

Next time, I promise you, y/n, I won't let my chance slip away.

⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱✮♱⋆♱

Taglist: @mayhem-72 @tillies33ssss @junnniiieee07 @bernardenjoyer @whicked-hazlatwhore @nicksmainbitch @vickyzloserz @stingerayyy2

[writing-whump]

Sick from fear

Seline takes a student home. Matthew isn't happy about it. Intimidation, agression and some emeto ensue.

“Don’t be shy now. It’s okay,” Seline said with a smile.

Caleb hesitated at the doorstep of the apartment, nodding meekly, before he stepped inside and immediately started to take off his shoes.

She was doing writing consultation for the seminar she was assisting with for students as always, but today was special, because she got to talk with the only wolf student one on one. A young wolf, just 18 years old. He seemed like a child to her no matter what the passport said. 

Wolves that studied were rare, since most of them couldn’t handle the training to tolerate humans. Even rarer were wolves who studied the softer sciences, for when they already did, they wanted something that would increase their status or their skills for pack matters and business. 

Caleb studied cultural anthropology though and she was beside herself with joy. Finally it happened! Their faculty of european ethnology, one of the many names their faculty could be called, was small and cozy and little known. Most people couldn’t imagine anything under the name. Sociology was more famous, the annoying step-sister of the department, but people didn’t understand it any better.

But theirs was like a little secret club just across the big gallery building and the butterfly museum and the big state library. Surrounded by art and thoughts, just like she liked it. 

Caleb was insecure in the lessons, a little shy and flinched at loud noises, but he was there, growing into himself.  

Normally, she held her consultations at the student space, which was a fancy name for a hall filled with tables for student needs. As the end of the day neared, it filled with project groups and chatting students. At the point when she couldn’t hear Caleb's soft answers anymore, she decided just to invite him over. She finally had a place in Vienna, compared to the 10 years she spent traveling back and forth. Finding a quiet place, where you could just chat with people was a challenge, cause everyone had the same idea, so everything was very full, very busy and too loud.  

Caleb held his bag self-consciously in his hands, looking at her for directions. 

Seline smiled and waved him in to sit down at the kitchen table. The apartment always looked representative these days, because of Isaiah’s constant and insistent cleaning, which usually prompted her and Matthew to help out as well. 

“So. Tell me again about the research question.”

Caleb sat down gingerly, gaze downcast, like he was scared looking around would be some kind of attack on her privacy. 

“I’m not entirely sure about the topic yet. The assignment says we should choose something mundane and familiar, something we have close connection to and that won’t be hard to do participative observations on…but there aren’t that many public places…I feel comfortable in?” Caleb only recently moved to the city so she understood the whole experience as a wolf and as a student was very new to him. 

“Is there a place you would be interested in? It’s always best to start with what makes you curious. It doesn’t have to be familiar as long as it’s exciting and you feel like you would like to find out more.” 

“Uhmm…I actually thought I might ask you…is it allowed to write about your own home?”

Seline threw her hair back, straightening on the chair. “Yes, of course. Ethnography is all about exploring the small, mundane, the seemingly daily and personal. But diving in deep. Autoethnography or something or someone close to you is definitely allowed. Many first years do their first interviews with their parents or friends. There is nothing wrong about it, you have to learn the format and work up your nerve. You just have to be transparent and take consideration of that in your analysis.”

Caleb looked at the table, his eyes flickering to her and back for several long seconds. Seline held still. People didn’t like silence, so they usually tried to fill it and expanded upon what they wanted to say. She liked that technique very much. 

“Would I be allowed to write about wolves as well?” Caleb asked finally, shoulders tense, his hands curled up in his lap. 

Seline smiled widely. “Of course.”

Caleb lifted his gaze to her, eyes wide. “A-are you sure? Isn’t that…I don’t know…”

Seline took a deep breath. This was an excellent question and she had waited years for someone to ask.

“Shadow wolves are beings just like humans. We share space. We share cities, so we all have a right to the city. We share our lives and our desires and needs that way and need to negotiate our collective space. It’s an entirely legitimate topic for an ethnographer to explore.

Admittedly, there had been very little research done on this field from the perspective of social sciences. Political sciences have really ridden the hype on this since the legislative finally settled on a solution everyone was moderately happy about. But also communication sciences researching social media representation and debates. Film and media studies and literature studies have whole lectures about wolf shadow authors and how they have always been here, their identities more or less hidden in their content. But if you disregard the biology and medicine papers and the ethical questions and controversy regarding them that had been going on for over 20 years - the scientific community has actually done very little direct research with wolves as active consensual participants.

As a wolf yourself, you have to reflect your identity, role and positioning in this field - obviously - but it gives you unique access to spaces that are closed or uncomfortable for most scientists. Especially since most scientists are still very human and wolf packs are very private, structured and distrustful social units with their own rules for correct behavior that are very hard to understand, if you didn’t grow up with them. No one has yet written the rules down.”

“There are guidelines from government institutions and schools,” Caleb countered.

“Yes, but they are for wolves, not from them. There are only unspoken rules. Humans have made space for wolves, but they made them adjust themselves to human norms and rules - partly this is necessary as human safety, integrity and dignity have to be respected. But no one ever thinks about what wolves do, feel and where they are coming from. Why is it hard for them to fit into human communities and groups, why their instincts go against what humans would normally consider right or pleasant.” 

“But would anyone be interested in that? Would it be relevant…for someone who doesn’t come into contact with wolves?”

“Even if people didn’t want to interact with wolves - which is unlikely as they are very frequent in cities now and why wouldn’t they want to interact, when they have to come across each other - consider all the humans involved directly with wolves. Like humans born into wolf families.”

“Or witches,” Caleb said quetly, watching her. 

“Or witches,” she agreed with a nod. “It isn’t natural for me as a witch why wolves do and feel what they do. I have human instincts and understanding and I’m socialized into my own culture. Behavior for and around wolves had to be taught to me.” 

Caleb nodded eagerly. Seline noted how his shoulders relaxed visibly as fascination replaced the discomfort from before. 

“There are so many wonderful topics you can explore around wolves. Safety and conflict mediation are so common they are cliche at this point.”

“So I can research whatever I want?”

“Yes. As long as you can find logical arguments and explain the relevance and connection to ethnography.”

“But you just said-”

“There is one,” she said with a grin. “There always is. You just have to learn to situate your personal interests in the wider context of your scientific field. You are an ethnographer-”

“I am?”

“-as long as you act and think of yourself as one. You are my colleague at the faculty now.” She had always loved it when their professors treated them like colleagues and partners in the seminars and discussions, although it was plain they had so much more experience and knowledge than students could gain in the 5 years it took to finish the master's degree. It was incredibly confidence-boosting and remade her own understanding of herself as a researcher. 

Caleb redded, but couldn’t quite suppress the hopeful smile as well. He seemed to have become taller during their conversation, just by uncurling. Satisfaction swelled in her chest. She wanted to stay as a professor at the university for moments like these. 

“Now, I would like to show you some exercises to help you formulate-”

The entrance door opened and slammed shut, interrupting her. 

“Seline? You home? Class ended early and I…” Matthew’s voice faded as he got closer, walking inside the kitchen. “What the hell is this?”

“Oh hey, Matt, I just invited my student over for a consultation. We should be finished in 15-”

Matthew’s bag fell down on the floor with a bang. It had been some time since she had seen that expression on his face. It was somewhere between an angry grimace, pain and a snarl that contorted his features.

Then a loud growl echoed inside the room.

Caleb was on his feet in an instant, backing away to the wall. “I’m s-sorry, I’ll leave, sir,” he said, trembling.

“Matthew, what are you doing?” Seline said in disbelief and irritation. She didn’t understand what caused such a reaction.

Matthew’s shadow rose up, black and swelling, like a giant nightmarish monster behind him.

Caleb whined, crouching against the wall. His own shadow stirred, but it was small and hesitant and completely scared. 

“This is my territory. How dare you-” Matthew could barely put a sentence together, his hands shaking as he towered over the younger wolf.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb repeated, shaking all over.

Seline jumped up from the chair, positioning herself between Matthew and Caleb. “What has gotten into you?” She said angrily. “You are scaring my guest.” 

“You brought a foreign wolf here?” Matthew said, turning to her. It was very different to have thar angry scowl accompanied by a risen shadow that reached the ceiling directed at her. She felt a shiver run up her spine and her hair standing up on the back of her neck. 

“Stop it,” she said quietly. You are scaring me. 

Matthew stared at her, eyes shadowed over, reaching for her arm…

Seline had no wards, no shields. All protections in the apartment were made against wolves she didn't know, she didn't like, didn't trust…and she had no way to sing a song or call on water inside the apartment, without preparation and time. 

If he hurt her now, she wouldn't be able to do anything. She stood frozen from fear, helplessness flooding her from head to toe. 

Caleb made a soft whiny noise behind her and that snapped her out of it.

Seline grabbed Caleb’s hand and without turning and retreated back, going for the door. Caleb barely managed to take his shoes before they were out of the apartment, both breathing hard. 

Seline’s heart was hammering in her chest. Once the door stood between them, the cold creeping presence of the shadow wasn’t notable anymore, but the cold dread remained. 

They were silent on the elevator, Seline still processing the shock of that feeling. She recognized it from when her younger brother made that move like he wanted to hit her for the first time during an argument. 16 years old boy who she cradled and played with from the day he was born, growing to be taller than her only that year, almost hitting her in the face. His fist stopped centimeters from her nose. She cried herself to sleep that night and started to look for her own place the next.

This felt so close to that horrible moment she felt tears in the corners of her eyes, hugging herself. 

The elevator jingled as it stopped. They both stepped out, Seline feeling weirdly detached from the situation as the fear still coursed through her.

Then Caleb suddenly made three quick steps to the side of the building, reaching the beginning of the decorative grass and promptly threw up all over it.

That snapped her back into action again. 

Caleb was shaking, hands braced on his knees, breathing fast. Seline walked to him, first hesitant, but when he groaned, she dared to put her hand on his back. He tensed for a moment before relaxing. He gave her a look from the side, opening his mouth to say something, when his body rocked and heaved again, spluttering vomit onto the grass.

Seline rubbed his back, hating the tremors running through him. Such a nice boy. Even as a wolf, she felt like he would never even think of hitting her. And now he was scared out of his mind by her…what was Matthew to her? A roommate? A friend? A pack member? They weren't a pack, were they? 

Can wolves attack their own pack members? She had never heard about it being witches at least - pack witches were always cherished, protected and untouchable. 

Was it because they weren't a pack or because they were, but not enough?  

“I'm so sorry, Caleb. You are going to be fine. Deep breaths. You are safe.”

Caleb spit on the ground with another groan, then tried to straighten up, swallowing visibly. He looked at her again, perspiration sticking his short blond hair to his forehead. 

“No, it's my fault. I was in foreign territory and I-”

“You were invited though. I invited you. I don't know what got into him.” Seline wasn't sure if it made it better or worse, that she lived with someone who couldn't be trusted like that.

“It's a classic response when you have a threatening foreign element on your turf. It's fine. He was worried about you, not me,” Caleb said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“I'm really sorry.”

“No. Humans don't get how wolves work, remember?” He gave her a shaky smile that didn't last more than half a second. “Trust me, Miss Silverstein.” 

She rubbed his arm up and down. The texture of his white cardigan was so thin she could feel the shirt underneath. “Don't be so formal with me and let me apologize.”

Caleb shook his head. “I'll accept your apology if it makes you feel better, but really - no harm done. My shadow is so ridiculously small and my reaction is exaggerated. I'm sorry you had to see that.” A bit of color returned to his too-white cheeks as he flushed.

“It's okay. Are you feeling better now? We can go sit somewhere and wait until you are ready.”

He waved her away. “I'm all good. Thank you again for your help.”

Seline watched him go, not knowing how to explain how much worse everything seemed to her now. 

@bellysoupset

[wherebettertoescape]

A Little Life - Harold Pinter Theatre

For anyone who does wish to attend this production, please don’t take the content warnings lightly - the self-harm is graphic and two characters have full-frontal nudity. 

I (Freddie) attended the matinee production at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London on Sunday 7th May

THIS REVIEW/ANALYSIS DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE NOVEL AND STAGE PRODUCTION, SO PLEASE BE AWARE!

Trigger Warnings: talks of self harm, child abuse, sexual assault, domestic abuse and more

There’s no discernible reaction from the audience when Luke Thompson as Willem makes his entrance onto the stage. He’s wearing a dark blue hoodie, the hood pulled up over his hair - perfectly innocuous, nothing spectacular or grand as he walks about the stage. The lights are still bright, the audience is still chatting, laughter is filling the room. And Luke Thompson as Willem is onstage frying himself some bacon and eggs.

What has struck me again and again whenever I reread A Little Life - because, yes, I get a masochistic kind of joy from putting myself through that pain repeatedly - is the intimacy of it. Naturally with any book, the reader is granted the chance to feel close to the characters, to garner a look at their lives behind the veil. But if you were to ask me, I would say that there are very few - if any - novels that create this illusion as Hanya Yanagihara’s does. For 813 pages you are allowed to experience this life as they are, to experience snapshots of their lives - the good, the bad and the unimaginably horrifying - even as the rest of New York, the rest of the world, goes on as normal, with no thought spared to what is occurring within the walls of Lispenard Street and their subsequent homes. 

The awareness that despite what Jude is revealing to the readers about his past, the beyond nightmarish history he has, the world is continuing to go on as normal was perhaps the aspect of the novel I adore so much that I was most scared about losing in adapting it for other mediums.

But from the moment Luke Thompson stepped onto stage, transformed into Willem and beginning to go about his daily life, with the moving images of New York streets surrounding him in his apartment, I knew that my worries had been unfounded. Ivo Van Hove with his unbelievable direction paired with Jan Versweyveld’s set design had found a way to maintain that understanding. 

Throughout almost all of the performance, there is no moment of stasis. Be it JB and Malcom painting and working at desks on the right side of the stage, or Andy reading his book in his clinic, or the ever-present Willem and Harold. 

The former is always in the same spot on a sofa at the back of the stage, flipping through scripts, determined to make it big as an actor, pouring all of his attention and focus onto learning the lines, dedicated to making his dream a reality, and yet always there ready to support Jude. In the second act, Luke Thompson takes the exact same pose when listening to Jude revealing the details of his childhood, desperate to understand his best friend, and at this stage his lover, in the same way he had been desperate to make it as an actor.

Harold, however, spends much of his time on stage left, stationed at the kitchen set up. Constantly in movement, cooking several dishes throughout the course of the play. A reference, perhaps, to the number of Thanksgivings Jude is reported to have spent with him and his wife, Julia (absent from this adaptation). 

Despite the eternal loneliness that James Norton as Jude exudes with just his presence, he is only truly alone for a few moments - the harrowing whisper of “x equals x” that he gasps out after Elliot Cowan as Caleb leaves him naked in the street. It is then that he is alone onstage, laying in his blood, until he is retrieved by his loved ones and taken to rest on Andy’s hospital bed.

It is this detail of James Norton’s performance as Jude that I found the most powerful - which is saying something, considering that I am considering suing him for emotional damages, hasn’t anyone ever told him to think about using his acting powers for good, rather than evil? He captures a side of Jude that I had not previously considered - Jude views himself as a side character in his own life. He doesn’t feel worthy of attention, of his friendships, he is lonely in spite of being surrounded by those he loves the most and as a result feels unable to call out and ask for the help he desperately craves but does not believe that he deserves. 

The contrast between this and the fact that Jude is always centre stage is immense and almost disconcerting to watch and caused me to spend the entire performance practically begging him in my head to just turn around, they’re right there!

But this desire to be helped and to be heard is brought to life by the presence of Nathalie Armin as Ana. The first person in Jude’s life to truly care about him, and the only female in this adaptation of the novel. Armin has a commanding presence on the stage, even as she is a mere figment of Jude’s imagination. Dressed in all black, a stark difference to the bright set, allowing her to melt into the darkness when the spotlight focuses on Norton. 

In many ways, Ana vocalises the audience’s own thoughts - pleading with Jude to confide in his friends, desperate to stop him from harming himself further, and the relief in Armin’s expression as Jude finally tells Willem his story. 

The choice to keep the cast small causes a heavy weight to be put on Elliot Cowan’s shoulders, as he is tasked with portraying three different, truly heinous characters. Even without the costume changes, however, I truly believe it would be possible to tell which of the three he was in each scene.

Cowan gives truly fantastic portrayals of each of the villains of Jude’s life, as Brother Luke he shows the softer touch which allowed for him to manipulate Jude in his innocence, he never handles Norton roughly when playing the part of Brother Luke. Carefully pulling him along, coaxing Jude to trust him to the point that the child does not realise just how wrong it is what Brother Luke asks of him. 

This acting from Cowan makes Jude’s words all the more heartbreaking in Act 2 when talking to Willem, as the audience is able to see why Jude insists that Brother Luke was different, that he did love him.

When taking up the role of Caleb, however, he becomes the manifestation of everything Jude believes about himself. He has none of Brother Luke’s gentleness, but all of his intensity and possessiveness. The last that we see of Caleb, is when he lifts Jude up by the arm, Norton’s body used to reflect the words he says - “x equals x”. Being with Caleb has brought to life Jude’s darkest thoughts of himself, and Jude views this as proof that no matter what he will always be the same. Damaged and unlovable, to be blamed for everything he had been subjected to in his youth.

As Dr Traylor, Cowan’s words are clipped and straightforward. He is the most detached of Jude’s abusers, not caring for his name and only referring to him as “a prostitute” and reinforcing what Jude already believes about himself. It is not until Jude’s “release” that we see any true kind of emotion from Dr Traylor. Cowan shows Dr Traylor with a manic kind of joy upon forcing Jude to run from him, all the while on the tail in his car. The chase scene is long, and dramatic with the incredible musicians rising in volume and intensity with their instruments. The length of the scene forces thoughts back to Jude’s earlier response when JB asked about his legs - “I used to run cross country”.

In all of his roles, Cowan has the same commanding presence onstage as Armin. The moment he leaves the wings, regardless of who he is in that moment, the audience’s attention is drawn to him. As though by sheer glares and willpower we will be able to change Jude’s story, that we as mere observers will be able to push against Cowan’s slow, purposeful steps and keep him away from Norton. 

Zubin Varla and Emilio Doorgasingh gave masterful portrayals as Harold and Andy, respectively. They are markedly different to the presence of Willem, Malcom and JB - in what proves to be a very physical play, Harold rarely touches his son, while Andy only does so as necessary in his medical examinations of Jude.

This respect for Jude’s boundaries when it comes to physical contact is what truly sets Harold and Andy apart from the other older figures in Jude’s life (those villains played by Cowan). Varla’s portrayal of Harold is always evaluating his own movements, always second guessing himself before moving towards Jude - he does not seek out the easy, casual contact shown by the other three young adults. But when Jude comes to him for comfort, Harold is always eager to provide it.

The final scene of Harold and Jude embracing - Jude in his wheelchair, Harold knelt on the ground in front of him, with the rejected trays of food scattered on the floor around him - when Norton practically falls into Varla’s arms, sobbing into his shoulder, as a screen slowly comes down to hide them, JB on the outside, is one that I believe will stay with me for years to come. 

There is an emotion in Varla’s voice when he confides in the audience the story of Jacob, his first son. And in that closing scene we are forced back to that monologue, when he confesses to anyone listening that when Jacob died, there was a little part of him relieved, as that meant it was over. And although it is heartbreaking, it is this statement that makes it no real surprise that when the screen lifts again, Harold is alone in front of that wheelchair to report Jude’s suicide.

Where Armin’s Ana shows the sympathetic side of the audience, the aching desire to hug Jude and promise him it will be okay, to protect him both from the world and himself, Doorgasingh’s Andy exhibits the rougher side of it. His frustration at Jude’s abject refusal to accept help, his anger at watching someone he loves destroy themselves. The hopelessness he feels when his advice goes unnoticed, and his frequent calls to Harold and Willem - often screaming at the two people Jude is closest to, desperate for them to be there for him more.

Andy does not have the same stage presence as many of the other characters do, instead he - and the same can be said for Malcom - almost fades into the background at times. But they are there, ready to pick up the pieces. Both Doorgasingh and Wyatt are spectacular in their characterisations. In the novel, Andy and Malcom show an awareness that they are not the most important people to Jude, that they cannot help him in the ways others can, and in this adaptation, the actors bring that feeling to life.

They are there, working in their own lives, on their own projects. Malcom quietly sees what Jude refuses to acknowledge about his worsening condition and accommodating for it even despite the push back of his best friend. And Andy who can be seen pacing at the side of the stage, calling Jude when he can sense everything is getting too much for him - they are both there for him in their own quiet ways, and their loyalty and love for Jude is never questioned by the audience. It is also important to note that in this adaptation of the novel, neither of these characters address the audience directly - the only two whose focuses are solely within the story with no fourth-wall breaks.

Omari Douglas as JB, on the other hand, stands out more than anyone. First as a result of his costumes - often more brighter than those of his castmates - and then just as how he presents himself. Anyone who watched his performance in It’s a Sin will recall how Douglas’ presence demands to be noticed, and this is carried forth onto the Harold Pinter Stage. He captures the heart of JB’s character - desperate to be heard, to be needed by his friends. Charming in his own way, despite how his messy character causes him to betray his friends at several points in the story. 

Douglas transitions well from how JB is around his friends - brash, loud, confident - to how he truly feels when talking to the audience. His voice is softer, he somehow seems a little smaller as he talks about watching Jude, how he feels Willem doesn’t value his friendship as highly as the others, how he feels they don’t need him anymore.

While JB’s drug addiction is rather rushed in this adaptation - it’s discussed at length in the novel - Douglas eloquently displays his anguish to the audience, his desperation to quit. A previously difficult to like character, after having seen him mock Jude’s disability, and betray his trust, the audience is able to empathise and understand him better. And when it is just him and Jude left at the end of the show, Douglas doesn’t say anything, but takes up the same space as had previously been filled by Willem and Malcom. He quietly watches Jude - just as he had before with his painting, only this time, it’s out of concern for his friend, rather than concern for his career and viewing him as a muse.

I have already mentioned how this production brought me to tears on several occasions, however none made me sob more so than Luke Thompson’s monologue at the end before his car crash. Having already read the book several times, I had known that this was coming and yet it didn’t stop me from hoping that somehow I’d misunderstood the plot point and that Willem did actually survive. So when Thompson took centre-stage and I knew what was next, my sister took my hand as the two of us prepared ourselves.

Beyond the tear-jerker of a monologue, when I later considered the adaptation as a whole I wondered over the choice to mention Hemming at that point. Perhaps this mention worked some some of the audience, however for me I felt it should have been mentioned earlier, as it is in the novel. With Willem only mentioning Hemming before he dies and only in reference to Jude, it caused me to reflect somewhat poorly on their relationship. It’s a minor point about the adaptation, however I do wonder if mentioning his older brother earlier, before Jude himself begins to use a wheelchair, it would have been more impactful.

I could sing praises about the chemistry between Norton and Thompson onstage - however considering I have the voice of a dying seal, it’s probably best that I don’t. Instead, I’ll simply say that their interactions in the second act, as Willem confesses his attraction to Jude, and he struggles to understand it caused my heart to skip a beat. 

Norton captures Jude’s innocence throughout the play perfectly - from the moments that he slips into his childhood self in flashbacks, to when he’s so unsure in his relationship with Willem, unused to being with someone who does genuinely love and care for him. 

All in all, I enjoyed this stage adaptation of A Little Life - if “enjoy” can be the correct word for a production that brought me to tears and caused me to question the meaning of life. It was hauntingly beautiful, heartbreakingly sad and utterly harrowing. I don’t believe I’ve ever been quite so moved by a whole troupe of actors and the way that they characterise their roles. While I certainly have some criticisms and hang-ups about this show and the story in general, I shall save those for another post, hopefully less long and wordy.

Would I return to the Harold Pinter Theatre to watch it again given the choice? Truthfully, I’m not sure. While I fell in love with these actors, the direction, set design and music, I’m unsure if I could watch it again and feel the same level of intensity as I did on this watch. Also, I cried enough to give myself a headache by the end - so if I were to watch again, I’d have to remember to bring a water bottle to ensure I stayed hydrated.

[real-total-drama-takes]

2023 TDI oops all influencers reboot (from 🦆 anon)(not including chase + julia for obvious reasons) (I haven't watched season two yet so take this all with a pinch of salt)

Caleb is like Mr beast. Monetized acts of kindness. Probably a daily vlogger too.

I think Axel has two unrelated but both semi popular social media accounts. A basic work out Instagram, and a secret Tumblr account where she posts shitty poetry.

Nichelle has a nepotism YouTube channel that gets pushed hard in the algorithm due to her being a celebrity. She doesn't really post the videos her manager probably pays someone to do that for her.

Scary girl I thinks started out as a controversial Tumblr mico celebrity and moved to tiktok as soon as that ship sank. Posts a mix of dances and untagged jumpscare/shock videos.

Damien is a let's player/live streamer. I was gonna say he's a react channel but I decided he has too much integrity for that. He gets genuinely scared playing middle of the road indie horror games.

MK has a YouTube channel where she "gives advice" on how to shoplift. But it's all shit advice that will get them caught. She doesn't want competition.

Wayne and Raj have a shared react channel. They aren't like cynical about it they just don't realize how shit the content they're making is. They watch scenes where characters play hockey and go "yup that what I would've done".

Ripper has a podcast he hosts out of the shed in his parents back yard where he just talks about mind numbing bullshit that doesn't matter. Eventually he starts taking calls and half the callers are just asking if he's really like this or if he's doing a bit.

Zee has the spirit of early internet. He just records himself talking to the camera about a bunch of bullshit and it gets 50 million views +. He doesn't even monetise it so he doesn't make any money from it, he just has a love of the craft.

Emma has a true crime channel. She has enough self awareness to be somewhat cautious when talking about murder at least. She still has an a sponsor for every video though

Millie probably doesn't watch YouTube realistically, but if she did she would be a video essayist. She makes videos called "The total-dramatization of Gen Z", and they'd be the most pretentious shit imaginable.

Bowie I think streams some basic shooter like valorant specifically so he can ruin some fourteen year old shit heads day. He's okay at the game but he even better at the mental warfare of a unmoderated voice chat.

Priya is like baby gronk, does this make sense? She doesn't have her own social media but I imagine that since the first day she was born her parents have worked tirelessly to keep her relevant.

Bonus: Chris tried to make a YouTube channel, uploaded one video, spent the rest of the day arguing with commentators asking why he tortured those teens on live tv. Chef ended up deleting the channel while Chris was sleeping to keep him sane.

[wolfsbanemanor]

Hey, listen

I just want you all to know that in my game, Lilith is living in Windenburg now, but she calls Caleb almost daily just to chat.

[queeniecook]

Apollo's and Naya's Vacation

April 24th to April 27th ~ Granite Falls

Apollo and Naya Grant meet in Granite Falls late in the evening of April 24th. Apollo had driven straight from his sister’s house in Henford-on- Bagley in a rental car. Naya had flown from Sulani. While Apollo waited, he made sure their cabin was ready for them and they have the supplies they need.

After a good night of sleep, they spent the morning fishing.

“I’m not catching anything.” Apollo sulked.

“Maybe if you stop talking for a bit, the fish will come?” Naya suggests. She loves her husband but fishing requires you to be quiet most of the time and sometimes…sometimes she gets tired of hearing about his work. Science is not her thing. Though she guesses Apollo doesn’t enjoy hearing about fashion either. 

After Naya catches two fish – releasing them since they are on the small side – and Apollo catches a boot, they set up a camp fire.

They dine on hot dogs and smores, simply chatting with each other and enjoying each other’s company.

“Is that a bear behind us?” Apollo questions, mid throw in a game of horseshoes. 

“It’s just Granite Falls’ mascot, Claire the Bear.” Naya replies, eyeing the creature wondering down to the fishing spot.

“Just as long as Claire doesn’t try to eye my hot wife. We might come to blows.” Apollo says with a smile before staring at Naya’s bum.

Naya giggles much like she did back in high school for a moment. Back when she and Apollo first fell for each other. “Quit trying to distract me, Apollo.”

“Just being truthful.” Apollo states.

The couple does their best to relax and check out the local attractions. While the local mosquitoes are attracted to them. They miss their son but get daily updates on him from Vera. He’s doing well and this time is giving Vera and Caleb some much needed practice before their own child comes into the world.

Naturally the couple make time for the most important of things.

[telomeke]

ID text of images at the start of this thread–

Tweet by "Dr. Horace Hungryman (Official)" @‌BirdRespecter of a chat conversation between a certain Caleb and a company contact, posted 9:23PM UTC 18 January 2022:

Being an independent contractor sucks for a lot of reasons, but it also affords you the unique ability to tell people to fuck off in delightful ways. Company contact: Hi Caleb, I was just informed you weren't on the morning stand up call this morning. How come? Caleb: Yeah dude I was asleep. I basically never join those Company contact: Going forward, morning meetings are a requirement for employment at [REDACTED]. I expect you to be on the next call tomorrow at 9AM, EST. Caleb: Man that sucks for you guys, but I'm not an employee. My contract says nothing about required hours or daily meetings [sad face emoji] Company contact: You REALLY need an attitude adjustment! If you aren't on the next call, you're fired. Your choice. Caleb: You can fire me if you want, but you guys have to pay me through the 18th of next month regardless so I'm definitely sleeping in tomorrow. Enjoy your meeting [thumbs up emoji] You guys really ought to read the contracts you have us sign sometime. Pretty wild stuff in there Company contact: Please call me. Caleb: No

[crimechannels]

By • Olalekan Fagbade Impeachment not Military Coup, Wike blows hot over Rivers Political crisis Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has told governors of the People Democratic Party (PDP) that there is nothing wrong with impeachment moves as it has constitutional backing. The Minister said this when Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed, led his counterpart on a courtesy visit to him over the crisis rocking Rivers State. Aside from Mohammed, who is governor of Bauchi, others in the delegation are: Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), and Agbu Kefas (Traba). Daily Trust had reported how crisis erupted at the Rivers House of Assembly over the move to impeach Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Wike, a former Rivers governor, had worked for the emergence of Fubara as his successor but the duo fell out in less than six months. In his chat with the governor, Wike said impeachment move was not equivalent to a military coup in view of its constitutional backing. He dismissed rumours of interest in monies belonging to Rivers state, adding that nobody could take away the political structure in the state. “Nobody can intimidate me. If I want to do something, I will do it. Impeachment is not a military coup; it is provided under the Constitution. I’m not interested in all the rumours, money, this, and that. Rubbish. Absolute rubbish. I just left office how many months ago? And I’m FCT Minister, so which money?” “But nobody can take away our political structure. No one. You cannot work and people will begin to bring enemies, those who fought you when you were struggling for the person to be in office. Nobody does that. I’m not a political ingrate, but don’t touch the political structure of the state. I will not shut my eyes,” Wike said. Wike also appreciated the Governor’s Forum for the visit and appreciated President Bola Tinubu for the privilege to serve as FCT Minister, while reiterating his support for the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Earlier, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum thanked Wike for his willingness to resolve issues, noting that the Forum had “waded into the matter”, which showed the importance of Rivers.

[callunasims]

Courtlandt Legacy | Part 10 - Work Stress

Today the Courtlandt's have to face... STRESS!

It's 5:30 am and the Courtlandt’s are up and about! With a good morning kiss and a stretch, Daphne is feeling fine. She’s almost in her third trimester! She started the day with her work task of harvesting harvestables, which she had been too exhausted to get to the night before. Caleb’s work task was done, so he decided to help Daphne out in the garden with the weeding, watering, and spraying for bugs. Besides, Daphne likely couldn’t get down that low anyway!

Caleb improved his gardening to level 2, and Daphne researched away to get her level up to five for a work promotion! Hopefully that will be coming soon – they’re short on cash and still need to expand the house a bit more!

Daphne took a moment to sell their harvest and went off to work. Caleb had some time to himself, so he decided to go back to the library after a plasma pack breakfast to hopefully make some new friends. He found two lovely ladies already there – the librarian and a new sim working on a computer – and at down to make some small talk. Caleb, it’s against library etiquette to talk, especially to people who are working but… it’s seeming to work out fine for you somehow.

Uh oh! At work Caleb ran into an old flame! He chose to chat with them to be polite – no need to make things more awkward or be rude, right?

Ouch – the old flame didn’t even remember him!

Daphne got home from work stressed and still promotion-less and wanting a change. Perhaps after the child is born she’ll consider making a switch, but she does love gardening. It’d be a shame to leave something she likes because the job is too stressful.

She went outside to research some plants and get the last rays of sun for the day while Caleb was at work. Even though she was exhausted, she wanted to make the most of the day. Their good friend and family photographer Lex dropped by, so Daphne invited him in for a bit! She needed a change of pace.

Daphne may not have gotten promoted, but Caleb did!

He was feeling great after that, and some time outdoors had made Daphne pretty happy too! Caleb and Daphne shared the big news with Lex, and he was VERY excited to hear he’d be an uncle! Well, not by relation or marriage, but still!

Daphne was exhausted now, though. She got herself another bite to eat and went to bed. Caleb showed Lex out and then headed to the library to get working on his next daily task for work. Luckily for him, Caleb is a night owl (night bat?) so he wasn’t feeling tired quite yet! He had another thing to celebrate, too – he hadn’t drank deeply in 2 days! Only three to go!

He was starting to feel tired as he wrapped up his gaming and tried to begin his programming skill, so he got a plasma pack and headed home. As they slept, the house reno fairy came by and finally finished expanding the house! It still needs a basement and furnishing, but it has reached its full size!

That’s all for now – we’ll see what they get up to next time! Hopefully the baby will arrive!

[sporadically-writing]

Did you get a request? It's headcanons of dating Mollymauk, Essek, Caleb and Fjord. Thanks!

Love me some Crit Role prompts, hope you like 'em!

Mollymauk Tealeaf

Molly is chaos incarnate regardless of whether you are in a relationship with him or not. Your life with the Nein is never dull anyway, but especially not when Molly's around.

Molly, however, is also incredibly smart for essentially being two years old. He's perceptive and picks up things about people very quickly. He is also adept at using that knowledge for his own benefit. All this to say, he picks up on your crush on him very quickly.

And uses this knowledge for evil...

...constantly.

Molly flirts with you every chance he gets with every possible idea he can think of just to see what kind of reaction he can get. He's incorrigible, but you blush all the same.

Don't worry! He also finds a nice time to chat with you when the two of you are on watch and lets you know that he has become just as fond of you. He, "just likes teasin' you, love."

Will find every opportunity to make you laugh or smile and is your biggest supporter and defender on and off the battlefield.

He's your circus man. He loves you fiercely, loudly, and sweetly as the world allows him for as a long as he can.

Essek Thelyss

Essek is a very difficult man to get to know. But, it has been scientifically proven that he can be worn down. Just keep at it.

Once you find something to bond over, Essek can be very sweet. He, despite any attempts he makes to instruct others that he does not, has a very big heart and cares an awful lot about the people he allows to really see him.

If you have a problem he will do whatever he can, within his abilities and around his busy schedule, to help you.

He is very hard on himself and in some instances probably should be to a degree, but you have to be there to stop him and that brilliant but treacherous brain of his from hurting his poor heart and soul.

Watch out for him please. He's battling a lot.

A relationship with Essek would be a sweet and loving one but it would also be fraught with the dangers of the lines he walks on a daily basis. The good news is, the love the two of you share is more than enough to whether it.

Caleb Widogast

Caleb, like Essek, cares very deeply for those around him. But, unfortunately also like Essek, also suffers through a lot of mental and emotional torment of his own making.

He's gotten better being with you and the Nein but you can tell that he still struggles. The kind of things he's been through are not things you can simply forget. He may need your help in the mental fight against his demons every once and a while.

Caleb would need a lot of coaxing to get him to really open up to you about his feelings for you (I mean we all saw how he got around Jester sometimes). You might have to be the one to make the first move because he will likely have plans to keep that secret to himself until the end of time.

I feel like Caleb would oddly be really good at taking care of you? Like reminding you to get the proper amount fo sleep (after all, he knows exaclty how many hours you've been awake for), and eating the proper amount as well as taking breaks. But, at the same time, he is awful at doing that for himself. Watch this one, make sure he doesn't fall asleep with his head in a spell book.

I also imagine that Caleb, once you get to a certain point of comfort in the relationship, is as cuddly as his cat. Imagine that after a particularly long day, he just flops on top of you, absolutely exhausted, curling in to you. Probably mumbling things in Zemnian that makes absolutely no sense regardless of whether you speak the language or not. He's very tired, just hold him and let him sleep.

Caleb is a very attentive person and he remembers literally everything. He constantly mazes you by the things he remembers about you and your relationship. He loves you and that love comes through in the detail he puts into every magical creation that you are included in.

Fjord Stone

Fjord, Wildmother love him, constantly finds himself in ridiculous situations. You, as much as you love him, have to find the humor in it. You are always there to help him out, but you almost have to laugh at him sometimes. 

Regardless of his occasional fumbling, Fjord is very attentive and romantic. 

He finds his own ways to fluster you, finding moments to be almost comedically romantic like someone out of Jester’s novels.

He, being a Paladin, and a new one at that, most likely feels a need to protect or like he has to prove he can protect you. He knows you are fully capable of defending and protecting yourself and he never wants to step on your toes in that field (he, like everyone else mentioned, is a respectful boi) but he loves you and sometimes assumes that he needs to prove that he is worthy of loving you, prove that he can keep you safe, prove that he himself is safe for you to be around.

He knows how to make you smile in the simplest of ways. Whether it be a flower left for you, a kind word, a reassuring hand on your shoulder, Fjord somehow always manages to know when you need something sweet like that.

Navigation

Request Rules/Character Sheet

[spoileds]

she   leans   against   the   bar,   fingers   tapping   a   restless   rhythm   on   the   polished   wood   surface.   smirks   at   the   male's   words,   though   her   heart   was   pounding   in   her   chest.   of   course   she   was   jealous.   seeing   him   with   sasha,   watching   their   intimacy   grow,   was   a   daily   torment.   but   zuri   had   no   right   to   admit   it,   not   when   caleb   was   still   a   significant   part   of   her   life,   even   if   her   feelings   for   him   had   vanished.   '   of   course   i   am,   how   could   i   not   be?   '   she   admits,   exhausted   sigh   leaves   her   lips   as   fem   looks   back   at   their   group   of   friends,   chatting   animatedly   amongst   each   other.   she   lowers   her   voice,   not   wanting   anyone   else   to   overhear.   '   i   miss   you,   prescott.   i   miss   us.   pretending   everything   is   fine   with   caleb   is   killing   me.   '   turns   her   eyes   back   to   prescott,   her   frustration   giving   way   to   vulnerability.   '   i   don't   know   how   much   longer   i   can   keep   up   this   charade,   especially   when   it's   so   clear   that   what   i   want   is   standing   right   in   front   of   me.   '

the    past    couple    months    there    had    only    been    so    many    times    prescott    could    come    up    with    an    excuse    to    not    hang    out    with    caleb    without    making    it    obvious    something    was    wrong.    eventually    he    had    to    just    suck    it    up    and    ignore    the    fire    in    his    chest    and    twitch    in    his    hands    when    he    saw    zuri    and    caleb    snuggled    up.    it    was    the    way    things    were    meant    to    be,    homme    told    himself,    but    every    minute    of    it    left    him    in    disgust.    “    she    put    up    a    bit    of    a    protest,    but    i    told    her    i’d    grab    her    some    fruity    drink.    if    we    have    whatever    that    is,    ”    he    said,    throwing    a    glance    back    at    the    fem    now    scrolling    on    her    phone.    she    was    a    decent    distraction,    though    empty.    “    you    sound    jealous.    ”    it’s    a    tease,    but    one    he    silently    hopes    bears    truth.

[thisispurpleyam]

Shooting Stars and Pseudoscience [part 1]

Pairing: Nathan Bateman x Gianna (fem!OC) (poc!oc)

Rating: Mature 

Word Count: 6,222

Warnings: Sexual innuendos and curse words

Genre: Mostly fluff, some angst, eventual smut

Summary: Soulmate! AU Each person is born with a soul mark that is identical with their soulmate’s. Nathan Bateman thinks it’s all nonsense, but his soulmate doesn’t. As if the whole idea wasn’t ridiculous enough already, his soulmate is none other than the popstar who is currently Blue Book’s brand ambassador.

Notes: Click here to see how this idea came to be

Playlist

---

‘Former Blue Book Employee Calls Nathan Bateman an Insensitive Lunatic’

‘How a Week With Blue Book’s Owner Led a Computer Coder to Quit’

‘Blue Book’s Fall From Grace?’

“Have you seen these headlines?” Thomas, Nathan Bateman’s publicist, questioned. 

Nathan rolled his eyes at the image on his monitor. “Of course I have, but since when did we give a shit about gossip?”

“This isn’t just some gossip, this is a fucking PR disaster, Nathan!” Thomas exclaimed, flailing his hands in the air for emphasis. “These are statements from somebody who actually lived with you for a week! Somebody you handpicked but couldn’t even afford to be nice to. Do you understand how bad this is?

The scientist sighed in disinterest. “Not really, but you seem to think it’s pretty bad.”

“Would it kill you to give a fuck about public opinion for once in your life? Daily Mail, Yahoo News, People.com, they’re everywhere! If this bad publicity goes on, your company is gonna take the blow. There will be a decrease in sales.”

“Fine, what do you propose?”

“We get another celebrity brand ambassador to help promote the products Blue Book is about to launch.”

Nathan nodded noncommittally. “Who did you have in mind?”

“This was actually Monica’s idea, so she’ll take it from here.”

Monica, Nathan’s social media manager and Thomas’s wife, moved her seat closer to the computer and screen shared a PowerPoint presentation of news articles and social media accounts. 

 “Gianna? A popstar? That shit barely counts as real music,” Blue Book’s CEO complained. “Are we really that desperate?” 

“She has a clean reputation, a solid international fanbase, and a new album coming out,” Monica clicked onto the next slide. “She’s a sweetheart! She donates to charities, has a great network, and connects well with people. If she promotes your brand and the public sees the two of you getting along, it’ll really help soften the reclusive image you have going on.”

“It’s not an image, it’s a lifestyle.”

Monica exasperatedly shook her head at Nathan. “You know what? Lemme show you an example of what Caleb has been saying so you’ll see what I mean.”

“He’s narcissistic, condescending, and has probably never heard of hospitality,” Monica recited from an article she began screen-sharing. “He has a massive god complex and prefers the company of wires and gadgets over actual humans. In fact, that guy has had no real human interaction in ages, I won’t be surprised if he has sex with his own creations too.” 

“Okay, I get it!” Nathan sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “The people think I’m a maniac, so we have to paint a more sympathetic image.”

“Look, you wanna live in some faraway estate all by yourself and be rude to your guest? Fine,” Monica gritted out in agitation. “You wanna create a perfect AI that you can have sex with? You do you. But what I can’t let you do is drag every other innocent Blue Book employee and their careers into this mess you’ve created.”

After heaving out a sigh, Nathan finally conceded. “Alright. Tell me what I have to do.”

*****

“That’s all for today,” the choreographer announced after the song concluded. “Great job, everybody!”

Gianna lingered for a bit in the dance studio to chat with the choreographer and her back-up dancers. She thanked them all before heading to the conference room for her meeting. When she entered the elevator, she redid her ponytail, did some quick minor touch ups, and gave her reflection another once over right before the elevator reached her stop. 

“Good afternoon, ladies!” Gianna cheerfully greeted as she walked into the conference room. 

Jillian, her personal assistant and long time friend, got up from her seat to give her a hug. “Hey! How did rehearsals go?”

Agnes, Gianna’s manager, stated, “I’m sure she killed it, as always!”

“If being out of breath counts as killing it, then yeah!” Gianna laughed in response.

Jillian smiled and pulled out a cup with a familiar logo. “I figured you must be tired, so I got you your favorite drink from your favorite cafe!” 

While the three continued to catch up, Krista, the singer’s publicist, and Dinah, her social media manager, trickled into the room and expressed their greetings as they took their seats around the table. 

“Apparently,” Agnes began when everyone in the team finally got situated, “Nathan Bateman’s team reached out to Krista and was asking if you could be their next celebrity brand ambassador.”

“They reasoned that since you’re already headlining at the launch of Blue Book’s music streaming service in two days, why not offer you a brand deal as well?” Krista elaborated. “Plus, working with such a well-known company could help bring your music to new audiences worldwide.”

“Did they say how long I had to decide?” The popstar inquired. 

“Until the end of the week,” her publicist answered. “Monica, Nathan Bateman’s publicist, also requested that I arrange plandid moments between you and Bateman for the cameras after your performance at the event. She said that being seen with you could sway the public into thinking, and I quote, ‘that he’s capable of making friends because they’re nice people and not because they can help with his research.’”

Gianna scoffed incredulously. “The caveman is coming out of hiding and needs my help? That can’t be good.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ve seen the articles,” Dinah mentioned in agreement.

“At this point, who hasn’t?” Gianna rhetorically asked. “It’s been known that he’s an arrogant egotistical prick, but to think he’d be rude to his own guest that he invited? Money really can’t buy class.” 

“Oh, you don’t even know,” Dinah stressed. “His team is struggling to curate a somewhat decent image of him. They can barely get him to show up to his scheduled public appearances.”

Upon hearing all that, Nathan’s difficult nature worried the singer even more. “Won't attaching my name to his brand hurt my image, then?” 

“Not really,” her social media manager reassured her. “Bateman might’ve gotten himself in trouble, but his company is still favored by the public. A lot of people on social media are only bad mouthing him and talking about how he doesn’t deserve a company full of good and honest workers.”

Gianna laughed dryly. “They got a point there.”

“If anything, they’d think that associating yourself with Bateman is public service.” Agnes handed Gianna several documents. “You already know that Blue Book is donating half of the money they’ll earn from the streaming service launch to Make-A-Wish Foundation. As for the two other products launching later this year, they’ve chosen to donate to RAINN and ASPCA.”

“If you agree to this brand deal,” Krista added, “they’re letting you pick a charity for each event and product you'll be attached to because they know how much giving back to the community means to you. And even though their new phone has already been launched, you still get your pick of charity since you’ll be modeling for the print ads.”

The singer mulled it over for a moment and mentally weighed the pros and cons. “Let’s do it.”

*****

‘Loneliness Caused Nathan Bateman to Make His Own Sex Robots?’

Nathan had recently landed in Los Angeles and was in the middle of getting ready for the launch when he came across another scathing article about him. He forwarded a link to his lawyer with a brief text that said, “call me.” Within seconds, he heard a familiar ring from his phone.

“Isn’t this a breach of the NDA?!” Nathan questioned as soon as he heard Kyle breathe on the line. 

“Hello to you too, Bateman.” Kyle then regretfully answered, “But no, it isn’t.”

Nathan adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he paced in his hotel room. “So we can’t pin him down?” 

“The second I caught wind of this news, I looked closely into the terms of your NDA and checked if there was anything Caleb violated. However, because he didn’t outright say anything and merely used a hyperbolic statement, he’s safe.”

“That son of a bitch!”

“Are you really surprised, though?” Kyle asked bluntly. “You experimented on the guy and almost got him killed.”

“You don’t say.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Nathan shook his head and heaved a sigh. “No, that’s all for now. Just…keep an eye out for me.”

“Will do. And Nathan?”

“What now?”

“Play nice. Don’t scare the popstar away.”

“Yeah, whatever.” 

Not long after the call ended, Nathan made his way to the elevator and pressed the button that would lead him to the event’s venue. The elevator doors hadn’t even completely opened yet, and he could already hear the boom of the music coming from the room. Walking through the foyer, he could tell how much his company outdid themselves. The team had decided on going for a futuristic themed party, and the whole place was transformed into a technological wonderland with a sprinkle of scientific motifs. The snacks were cut out like cell phones, speakers, radios, and other gadgets. The LED lights were shaped like headphones. The staff donned sparkly silver attires, and their trays held beaker shaped wine glasses and Earlenmeyer flask shaped cups. Glowing party cups contained the non-alcoholic beverages. His team even prepared stations where guests can get an immersive experience with the latest models of Blue Book’s devices. 

As Blue Book’s founder continued his tour of the venue, he noticed guests turning their heads and exchanging surprised remarks with their friends. Monica and Thomas decided that it was best to only tell a select number of people about Nathan’s arrival in Los Angeles to minimize the amount of damage he could potentially do to the paps. “Last thing we need is you cursing out a poor paparazzi or smashing his camera to bits,” Thomas brought up while they were discussing the plan. Only Gianna and her team knew the specifics while the staff of the launch party had barely been notified of his appearance a few hours prior. Thomas did make sure that there would be plenty of paps at the event, so if they didn’t know about Nathan Bateman’s presence, they were soon about to.

Nathan walked further into the room toward the location where a platform was set up and headed to his reserved seat near the stage. He made it just as Carina Garcia, a Latin pop singer who was scheduled to open for Gianna, was doing her last number. The audience applauded after Carina hit the final pose of the choreography, and she and her dancers cleared the stage as the host made his way back. The second he announced Gianna’s name, the crowd cried out in excitement and began chanting. Nathan looked back, puzzled as to what it was about the popstar that elicited such a reaction from the audience. 

Gianna and her backup dancers soon filled the stage as the opening instrumentals to her first number blared out through the speakers. The singer carried out the choreography flawlessly while skillfully executing each note, making sure to wave and wink at the crowd every once in a while. The pop star didn’t waste a single second of the time she was allotted. She showcases her versatility by singing songs in various styles such as several different sub-genres of pop, R&B, neo-soul, and house. Although Nathan had a different sonic preference, he was admittedly impressed by her musicality and lyricism. He wouldn’t dare say it out loud to anyone, but he was having fun at the show, particularly enjoying Gianna’s modern disco tune.

After the sixth song number, the music halted, and the dancers left the stage. A mic stand was brought to the middle, and Gianna took her place behind it. “Good evening, everybody! Thank you so much for having me.” The singer took a pause to catch her breath and have a sip of water while the audience cheered her on encouragingly. “Ever since I started doing live shows, I’ve made sure to always share a part of my culture by singing in my native language. These next two songs are very special to me as I wrote and co-produced both of them. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. And if by any chance you know the lyrics, please sing along!”

The first of the two was an alternative R&B track sung in Tagalog, her native tongue. He may not have understood the words, but he felt her sincerity. As he looked around the room, he noticed a handful of people mouthing the lyrics along with her, and he was suddenly awestruck by how music can resonate with people despite the language barrier. 

The next Tagalog tune was slower and had a more soulful feel. He noticed that she connected with the lyrics differently, and he was intrigued by the emotional vulnerability she exhibited as she poured her heart into the song. Its melody and musical arrangement had him so hooked that he felt an unusual sense of longing as the song came to an end. 

The dancers returned on the platform while upbeat instrumentals resounded through the speakers, and the mic stand was removed from the center stage. Nathan was so caught up in Gianna’s performance that he hadn’t noticed a bespectacled middle-aged woman taking a seat next to him until she spoke. “I’m Joan, your new personal assistant,” she coldly introduced herself. 

Nathan raised an eyebrow and scrutinizingly inspected Joan. “They hired somebody to babysit me?“

“Seeing how you almost died the last time you were left unattended, we all agreed it was necessary.”

The scientist laughed to himself, taken aback but pleased by the woman’s bluntness. “Touché.”

True to his assessment, Joan jumped right into business. “Gianna has two songs left to perform before she gets changed into more comfortable clothes. She’s going to meet you at the foyer. You need to grab at least one drink together and be seen having a chat over some snacks. That way, the meeting doesn’t seem like just a coincidental one-off thing, you wanna seem like you guys actually wanna be talking to each other.”

Nathan rolled his eyes and snorted. “You want me to spoon-feed the popstar too?” 

“You’re not required to do anything. You don’t even have to proceed with the plan. Just know that if you screw this up-”

“I know, I know.The company’s at stake, my poor employees.” Nathan shook his head as he huffed in annoyance, making his way back to the foyer.

*****

“You ready?” Jillian asked Gianna after the singer shed her costume in exchange for a more casual attire, a breathable and loose fitting romper. 

Gianna applied a lighter shade of lipstick and smacked her lips in front of the vanity before replying, “Now I am.”

Jillian looked at her friend a little more intently and raised her eyebrows. “You know what I meant.”

The musician shrugged as she prepared her purse. “I think so? 

“It’s not too late to back out, babes,” Agnes gently told Gianna. “Krista is in the middle of contacting the paps and finalizing a couple more details with Bateman’s team. If you’re not up for it, I can tell her to call the whole thing off.”

“You guys, it’s just one guy! Sure he’s richer and kind of a dick, but I’ll be fine! 

Dinah affectionately laughed at how concerned the girls were for Gianna and chimed in. “Nathan Bateman’s got nothing on our girl! She’ll put him in his place. Stop worrying so much!”

“Yeah!” Gianna affirmed confidently. “He’s just a cocky tech genius. How bad can it be?”

Cameras and compliments welcomed the popstar the moment she stepped out of the elevator doors. She made her way around the room to thank as many guests as she could, genuinely enjoying meeting new people and making her fans smile. When the buzz surrounding her arrival died down, Gianna then set her sights on the task at hand. She scanned the foyer and spotted the billionaire, sporting his usual polo and khaki pants attire, tinkering with one of the Blue Book phones on display. 

“That’s a great model, by the way,” Gianna remarked when she reached Nathan’s side, holding up her baby pink colored Blue Book phone. “Although, I do wish you had it in lilac.”

Nathan looked up from the display and carefully eyed the popstar. The CEO angled his body to face the singer, slightly tilting his head as he continued studying her wordlessly. Gianna’s gaze didn’t falter, defiantly raising her head and stepping closer to him in response. In reality, the entire exchange probably only took about 10 seconds, but it somehow felt much longer given the intensity of Nathan’s stare. 

Her entire demeanor transformed in a millisecond when she donned the sweetest smile she could offer to him as she extended her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! I’m Gianna.”

“You’re shorter than I thought you’d be,” Nathan commented before shaking her hand. Even in her 5 inch heels, he still stood nearly a head taller than her despite only being 5’9. 

If it wasn’t for the slight crinkle of her nose and the fleeting furrow of her brows that marred her smile, her irritation would’ve been undetectable, a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment. “Well, aren’t you the charmer,” she replied, gripping his hand ever so slightly tighter. 

Nathan smirked and gripped her hand back, pulling her a little closer to him. “So you think I’m charming?”

Gianna finally released the handshake but kept her stance, folding her arms across her chest while maintaining a smile that contrasted her tone just in case any cameras were on them. “Says the guy who’s dressed like a Best Buy employee.”

So the popstar has some bite to her. “At least I know how to appreciate real music,” Nathan bit back challengingly.

“And here I thought you only knew how to appreciate the sound of your own voice.”

This is gonna be fun. “Would you appreciate a drink?” 

“Didn’t think you had good manners.”

Nathan placed a hand on the small of her back as he led the two of them to the open bar. “There’s no way heels like that are practical,” he voiced as he helped her up the bar stool.

“No, but as weapons? They can cause some serious damage.”

The bartender approached the pair, interrupting the question Nathan was about to utter. “You speaking from experience?” he said as soon as the bartender disappeared.

“Oh yeah. Broke a guy’s toe once for being a creep at a bar and kicked my stalker in the groin to teach him a lesson.”

“Good girl.”

Before Gianna could react, the bartender returned with their drinks in beaker shaped wine glasses. The singer wasted no time in grabbing hers so she could conceal the blush that crept up her cheeks. 

“Not a fan of red wine much, are you,” the CEO commented upon seeing Gianna’s expression after taking a sip 

“It’s not that. It’s just a little…” Gianna motioned with her left hand, struggling to find the right adjective. 

“Oaky? Smoky?” 

“Yeah, those! My bad, I just don’t drink much.”

“What? The popstar’s too good for drinking or something?”

“No, alcohol dries out the vocal cords. I kinda need them in tip top shape for my job.”

The billionaire simply hummed in response before taking another sip of his drink.

“Come on, let’s get to our final stop,” Gianna said, motioning to the snack table.

Nathan stood up and offered his arm to her, allowing her to steady herself while she descended the bar stool. 

“I was gonna commend you for your chivalry, but then I figured it must be the drink getting to you,” the singer quipped.

“Please, it’ll take a lot more drinks for me to get affected. Besides, I can’t have you falling on your ass and drawing any more unwanted attention.”

The popstar plastered an artificial smile on her face before a scowl could form. “How sweet of you!”

“So,” Nathan began after taking a bite from a boombox shaped cookie and making sure that no one else was in their vicinity, “how much did my reps pay you for you to agree to this deal?”

“This might be a little hard for your tech genius brain to comprehend, but not everything has to be motivated by money.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t get paid?”

“Now that’s unpaid labor, and I don't think you want to attract any more unwanted attention,” she answered, echoing his sentiments from earlier. “Least of all, from the law.” 

“Fine, don’t tell me your reasons. I’ll find out eventually.”

“I’m sure you will,” Gianna nonchalantly responded as she grabbed a laptop shaped cookie. She tilted her head and observed him appraisingly as she nibbled on her snack. She took another sip from her wine glass and continued examining the scientist. 

“Can I help you?” 

“I know you have your opinions on what the news says about you, but they do consistently get one thing right.”

“Which is?”

A cheeky grin took over Gianna’s face as she said, “You really do grow an impressive beard.”

Nathan skeptically narrowed his eyes at her, not buying the compliment one bit. “Oh yeah?” 

“Sure! It looks like a built-in chia pet.”

The billionaire was unable to hold in a chortle, shaking his head at the musician in amusement. “That’s creative. That’s actually so fucking creative, I’ll give you that.” 

*****

“Good work today,” Thomas told Nathan through the phone, genuinely relieved that the CEO followed the plan through. “Joan said you guys looked really convincing.” 

“You just reminded me,” Nathan brought up to his publicist, “if you’re gonna get me a guardian, it would’ve been nice to have been informed.” 

“If we did, would you have agreed?” his publicist retorted. 

“Probably not. Still, I could’ve prepared. Anyway, how much money did that popstar’s team demand from us?”

“They didn’t demand any. We offered her team $5 million at first, but they said that Gianna won’t attach her name to any brands unless it’s for a good cause.”

“So how’d you close the deal?”

“We settled on a $5 million deal plus a charity of her choosing for every product we have her endorse.”

“Huh. A popstar with a heart of gold.” Nathan mused, genuinely not anticipating the revelation. “It's good branding.” 

“Or, she could genuinely be a nice person. You should take notes.”

Not looking forward to another lecture, Nathan opted for a different topic. “So when do we know if the plan is actually working?”

“It’s working, alright. I’ll email you some photos Monica’s been putting together.”

Nathan set his laptop on the desk in his hotel room and did as much work as he could while he waited for his publicist’s email. It was nearly 11 pm, but he had yet to feel the urge to fall asleep. His body was having trouble adjusting to the new timezone, so he busied himself in hopes of self-inducing exhaustion. Several minutes went by before Nathan heard the ‘ping’ of his email notification that came from Thomas.

‘’No fucking way y’all. Nathan Bateman and THE Gianna are friends?! Maybe he’s not that bad”

“I’m not saying my queen can do no wrong, but if she thinks he’s worthy enough to be her friend, we may have misjudged him”

“Of course Gianna was able to uncover Nathan Bateman’s hidden friendly side.”

In the email, the publicist attached screencaps of people reacting to Nathan’s photos with Gianna on Twitter. The paps captured several moments between the billionaire and the singer, but the fan favorites seemed to be the one by the gadget display and the one by the snack table. Based on the photos alone, no one would be able to tell that the two had never spoken before, let alone that it was a rather tense first meeting. Gianna’s a pretty damn good actress, Nathan acknowledged. 

*****

Gianna felt the warm water of the hot tub soothe her aching muscles, leaning back and closing her eyes in contentment. She let out a long heavy sigh, grateful for the peace and quiet. It was a little over 11 pm, late enough for her to have the whole indoor pool to herself. As much as she loved her job, putting on choreography-heavy shows and constantly having to mingle with different crowds were no easy feats. Still, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. The soff buzzing of her phone distracted her from her reverie, and she reached over the edge of the hot tub to grab the device. 

“Hey girl! Sorry if it’s a little late. Just doing a last minute head-count for the party next week. Will I see you there?” Carina Garcia’s message read.

The singer smiled, relieved that the text notification was not work related. “Rinaaa! Of course I’ll be at your release party! I’ve been waiting for your album for ages!”

“Thank youuu! Hopefully we can collab soon! Also, you absolutely killed it tonight, as always.” 

Gianna heard the creak of the doors just as she was hitting send on her reply. She set her phone back down and prepared to interact with a guest who could potentially recognize her. She was met with disappointment, though, when she made eye contact with whoever walked through the doors.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” In front of the double doors stood Nathan who was clad in a sleeveless shirt and gym shorts while a towel hung over his shoulder. 

“You can’t ask me to leave. I was here first,” Gianna defensively stated, irritated that the billionaire’s presence was disrupting her peace. 

Nathan exhaled in annoyance as he strolled toward the hot tub. “I knew I should’ve had the whole place reserved.”

“That’s so excessive, why would you waste money on that?”

He set his towel down on a chaise lounge near the pool and pulled his tank top over head. “I’m Nathan fucking Bateman, I can do whataver I want.”

“That's a funny way of admitting you’re an overgrown toddler who doesn’t know how to share,” Gianna retaliated, averting her gaze from his (rather impressive) shirtless frame. He stepped in the hot tub and took a few steps closer to where Gianna was sitting.  “Hold up! Right there’s close enough”

“What, you think I got cooties or something?” Nathan quipped, settling down on the bench directly across from her.

“No, but there could be cameras around. We only need the public to think we’re friends, not hooking up too.”

Nathan smirked and smugly raised an eyebrow. “Would that be so bad? I think it’s a compliment, actually”

Gianna snorted and glared at him. “You wish, Bateman. I’d blame the jet lag, but it’s probably just your ego.”

“My team didn’t put me through hell reading thirst tweets on Buzzfeed just so you can doubt me.“

“They don’t teach anatomy in billionaire school, so I doubt you’ll even know how to give a woman an orgasm.”

“Would you like to test that theory? I could debunk it for you.”

“Absolutely not.” 

Nathan shrugged at her as if to say ‘suit yourself’ and leaned back, closing his eyes massaging his temples. He still had his glasses on as he only intended on taking a moment to unwind in the hot tub instead of actually going for a swim. Gianna reveled in the quiet and reclined against the edge of the tub once again. 

“I figured it out, you know,” Nathan announced, breaking the silence. He continued after not getting a response, “What got you to close the deal.”

“And that is?”

“Charity,” he pointedly said to her. “You’re a fucking sap.”

She sat up and scowled at him. “Excuse me for actually caring about the well-being of others.” 

“What did you choose for this one?”

“The Asian Mental Health Collective.”

“And for the other products?”

“Shouldn’t you know already? I thought Blue Book’s CEO looks up everybody he meets so he can judge if they’re worthy enough or some shit”

“I didn’t wanna risk finding out anything about you that would make me even more reluctant to stick with the plan.”

“Was me being a popstar instead of a robot not enough of a deterrent?” Gianna questioned sardonically. 

“It was almost too much.” Their conversation was interrupted by the shriek of Nathan’s alarm. He briskly grabbed his phone to turn it off and check the time. “Back to work,” he sighed, standing up from his seat and turning around to climb up the steps. 

Before he could go any further, Gianna abruptly got up and grabbed his arm. “Wait!”

Nathan looked over his shoulder at her. “Have you changed your mind about testing that theory?”

“Shut up,” Gianna told him distractedly. Her eyes were glued to a specific spot on his left shoulder blade. “Stay still!”

Nathan grunted and begrudgingly complied. He felt Gianna let go of his arm, bringing up her shaky hand to tentatively touch his soulmark. “What the fuck?” she finally spoke up, dismay lacing her voice. 

He turned around to look at her in agitation. “Yeah, I have a soulmark too, big deal.” 

“Look!” She commanded him, angling her torso to one side to show him her left rib cage. She adjusted her bikini top to reveal her soul mark a little below her breast. Hers was a few shades darker than her skin tone and shaped like a shooting star, just like his.

His stunned eyes met her dumbfounded ones. “No fucking way.”

Gianna moved herself away from Nathan and shakily sat back down. Distress was written all over her face as she rapidly fluttered her eyelids to fight the tears she felt forming. 

“Don’t tell me you actually buy into that pseudoscience bullshit. Most of it is correlation anyway instead of actual causation!”

The singer looked up and shot daggers at the Blue Book’s founder. “That pseudoscience bullshit to you is truth to me. I grew up believing in soulmates. My parents, my sister and her fiancé, my aunt and her husband. What they all have is beautiful.”

“I’m not thrilled about this either, okay, Princess? Look, I have my own theories about soulmates, but you being mine contradicts every single one of them.” 

“Finally! Something we agree on!” She got up, stepping closer to him and looking him in the eye. “We can’t even stand each other!”

“This must be a mistake.”

“A glitch in the matrix!”

“So let’s never talk about it again.” 

“Deal.” Gianna nervously surveyed her surroundings to make sure that their discussion had no other witnesses. “I’m gonna go now. Wait at least 10 minutes before walking out so nobody suspects we were together.”

“That’s such a-“

“10 minutes!”

“Fine.”

The popstar swiftly gathered her belongings, wrapped her bathrobe around her, and scurried toward the doors. She waited for them to close behind her before reverting back to a normal pace to not raise suspicion with her speed. Meanwhile, Nathan laid on a chaise lounge and impatiently waited for 10 minutes to go by. 

*****

“So what’s the verdict on Bateman?” Krista inquired after exchanging updates with Nathan’s reps.

“He could use some sensitivity training.” The singer was in the process of getting her hair and make-up done for her print ad photoshoot for Blue Book’s latest flagship phone. 

“Hey guys,” Dinah interrupted, rushing in through the hotel room door, “you should see this.” 

Gianna held Dinah’s phone and apprehensively eyed the article she had opened up. “Romance for the reclusive billionaire?” She read the headline aloud. The photo underneath depicted her standing toe to toe with Nathan as she looked up at him through her lashes. Thankfully, her elbow was bent at an angle that covered her soul mark while Nathan had his unmarked shoulder toward the camera. “One of the staff members must’ve seen us. What are they saying on social media?”

Gianna handed the phone back to Dinah, and her social media manager immediately typed the popstar’s name on Twitter. Gianna then took her own phone out, pulled up some of her fan accounts on Instagram, and scrolled through the comment section.

“Looks like somebody’s into bad boys”

“Alexa, play ‘Mayores’ by Becky G”

“Why do they kinda look good together? The height difference???”

“A singer and a tech mogul? Grimes and Elon Musk are quaking.”

“Guys, quit comparing Gianna and Nathan to Grimes and Elon Musk cause Gianna and Nathan are hotter!!!”

“That went better than expected,” Gianna muttered after seeing the public’s reaction. 

Krista gently touched her shoulder. “Are you okay”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine!” Gianna honestly replied. “Just a little peeved that it had to be Bateman, out of all people, but I’m sure it’ll pass. 

“Is there anything we can do?” Dinah offered. 

“Nah. I don’t plan on being alone with him ever again anyway, so it should blow over soon.” Gianna reassured them. 

Jillian joined in after helping set up Gianna’s wardrobe. “Okay, but, can I ask?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” The singer responded. 

“Did you two actually… do the do?” 

“Of course not! He interrupted my alone time, so honestly this whole thing’s on him.”

“But if you ever wanted to, we’d help cover it up,” Jillian told her. “Like, come on! He’s hot!” 

To Gianna’s disbelief, both Dinah and Krista giggled and nodded in agreement. The singer rolled her eyes as she finished lacing up her shoes. “You all need to get your eyes checked.” 

Gianna and her team headed to the photoshoot location where Agnes had already arrived to help with setting up. During the drive to the studio, Dinah phoned Agnes to fill her in on the dating rumors while Krista emailed Bateman’s team regarding future plans. Much to Gianna’s chagrin, Nathan was already scheduled to be present at the photoshoot and most of the other publicity events surrounding Blue Book’s latest products to seem like “a more hands-on CEO.”

“What charity was her pick this time?” Nathan asked Agnes during the 15 minute break.

“Pawssion Project from the Philippines. Why?”

“Nothing. Just curious.”

“Are you testing if I’m actually serious about donating?” Gianna walked up behind him after she finished changing into a different outfit.

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Nathan turned around to reply, alerting Agnes that it was her cue to leave. 

“I take it you’ve heard the news.”

“Yup. Told you it’d be a compliment.”

“Ugh, don’t flatter yourself, Bateman. Being around a popstar is probably just making you more attractive.”

“Did you just say that I’m attractive?”

“Oh my god, I can’t stand you.” Gianna groaned in annoyance. “Do you think they heard us?”

Nathan didn’t need any more specifics for him to understand. “No, it’s really unlikely. Judging from the angle of the photo, they couldn’t have been near enough to make out what we were saying.” 

“Good. As long as we’re never seen alone together again, we’re fine.”

*****

-One Week Later-

The it-girl of pop music may not be such a darling after all. Carina Garcia, Gianna’s labelmate and friend, has recently split from her long-term beau, actor Matthew Jauncey. Although there have been no official statements from any of the parties yet, photographs from Carina Garcia’s album release party suggest that Gianna’s dalliance with the actor may have caused the break-up. Who knew that the pop sweetheart is actually quite the temptress?

“This makes no sense!” Gianna exclaimed as she threw her phone down her couch. “Dalliance? We just met!”

“What happened?” Jillian picked up the phone from the couch to see what triggered such a reaction from her friend. 

“That picture of him leaning over to me? He was telling me where the restroom was because I asked him! He wasn’t ‘whispering sweet nothings.’ He had to get close to my ear cause it was loud!” Gianna’s arms flailed while she recounted what actually transpired. “And the one at the bar? The bartender accidentally swapped our drinks! And he was getting that drink for Carina!”

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay! I’ll talk to Krista.”

“My career is over.” Gianna slumped down onto her couch, bringing up a hand to dry off the tears that began to fall. All the space that she normally enjoyed in her luxury apartment now felt suffocating to her.

“No,” Jillian crouched down in front of Gianna and looked her in the eye. “We’ll figure something out.” 

*****

“We can make it work,” Thomas stated. Nathan, Gianna, and their teams were all gathered for an impromptu meeting in Blue Book’s office in LA. “The public received them very positively, so we just have to follow it through.”

“Yeah, we’ll arrange for more public appearances together and plandids,” Krista agreed. 

“What’s our timeline?” Agnes asked.

“I’m thinking maybe 4-6 months?” Monica replied. “Whirlwind romances happen all the time, so it’s reasonable.”

Gianna struggled to conceal a snort. “Good luck making him commit to it for that long.”

“He will,” Joan reassured the singer. “I’ll make sure he sticks to the schedule.”

The meeting ended shortly, and everyone cleared the conference room leaving Gianna and Nathan behind. The businessman swiveled his chair to face the singer. “Turns out, you need me just as much as I need you now.”

[randoimago]

Hello hun! Very sorry to bother you, I'm pretty new to the Critical Role fandom, but I was wondering if you could please write some Headcanons for how Caleb, Caduceus, Yasha, Nott and Jester would react to their s/o having a troubling past, like being abused, but is so dedicated to caring for everyone that she rarely even mentions it. So they're shocked and upset when they find out what she's actually gone through because she's spent so much time making them happy that she hasn't really talked or cared about herself. Sorry if that's too edgy, but thank you so much in advance. Hope you're doing well ☺️

S/O With Troubled Past But Cares for Others 

FANDOM: Critical Role

Character(s): Caduceus Clay, Caleb Widogast, Jester Lavorre, Nott the Brave, Yasha Nydoorin

Type of Request: Headcanons

Word Count: 634

Note(s): You’re not a bother at all! And welcome to the fandom, if you stay away from Twitch chat, everyone is very loving from what I’ve seen <3 

I will say Taliesin does confirm Cad as being aro/ace so his is going to be more platonic than romantic in this!!

Caduceus

He knew something was up but never wanted to push the issues.

Caduceus is very perceptive so he could always tell something is on your mind but wanted you to say things on your own time.

When you finally open up to him, he’ll be patient and listen.

He’ll brew you some tea as he talks with you about your feelings and things you want to do. Do you want revenge? Do you want some kind of closure?

Cad is honestly just a very pleasant therapist as he talks through things with you because he cares for you like he does for his family so he is going to do his best to make you feel somewhat better.

Caleb

Honestly if Caleb finds out that you’ve been hiding your troubled past so he could be happy then Caleb is just going to feel even more guilt.

He’s been through so much and you’ve listened to all of it yet he never knew how much you’re hurting.

He’s definitely going to want to listen and help you but the whole time he’s just diving into self hatred because how could he not realize this?

With Caleb it feels like a whole circle of you listening to his troubles then him having self hatred because you’re bottling up your own stuff to listen to him, which causes you to listen to his feelings again.

Caleb will tell you that no matter what, he’s by your side. He will be with you every step of the way rather you want to burn people down or just confront the ones that caused you pain.

Nott

Who the fuck hurt you? She’ll kill them. She’s loading all the crossbow bolts. She’s got fluffernutter ready. Who the fuck is she killing?!

She’ll absolutely listen to you and chime in with little “that fucker” and “you poor thing” but after hearing the story, she’s ready to go.

She’s ready to find the person that caused you this abuse. She’s ready to find them and kill them. She already has a list of assholes and that person is going on it immediately.

If you would prefer to just talk instead of killing then she’ll be a tad disappointed but she’ll gladly give her own threats.

No one is going to hurt her S/O and get away with it.

Jester

Jester is going to feel hurt. You’re so sweet and kind and you’ve been hurting this whole time? Jester feels hurt that you didn’t tell her sooner. That you pretended that everything is okay.

She wants to listen to you. She wants you to open up and let her know about your thoughts and feelings. 

She doesn’t want you to hide yourself so that she can be happy. Jester will be happy to know that she’s able to listen to you and help you through things.

Jester is definitely ready to do some sendings to whoever harmed you as a way to fuck with them until you’re ready to confront them.

Definitely going to ask Caduceus and Beau to keep a closer eye on you and she’s daily going to ask if you want to step aside from the rest of the group to just talk.

Yasha

Like a lesser Nott, to be honest.

She killed her whole family, she’ll throw yours under a bridge. She is ready to kill whoever needs killing.

First things first with her thanking you for being so sweet but telling you that this relationship will only succeed with communication.

Yasha sucks at communication but she wants you to talk to her. She wants to know your pain just like you’ve listened to hers.

But yeah Yasha is ready to kill whoever. Just point her in the right direction. If you don’t want to kill then she’ll just stand menacingly behind you.

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 4 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Glamour

You can call it however you want: kid's show logic, superhero disguise logic, magical girl show logic, cartoon laws, suspension of disbelief, etc. But the fact that nobody recognises Marinette, Adrien and others when they are suited up IS NOT BAD WRITING. It's one of the main laws of this genre. That's not because characters are stupid, okay? So, being frustrated that everyone in the show acts stupid about this "wearing a mask that covers only eyes" trope is strange. This criticism is not valid or fair.

But, this trope has to make sense in-universe as a worldbuilding and narrative element.

Miraculous doesn't give us much direct information on how glamour works. And in this case, I think we need both SHOW and TELL. Because if you don't establish the glamour rules clearly, you are going to run into problems and create unfortunate implications with your storytelling choices.

Appearance

Miraculous obviously gives our heroes magical glamour. In "Lady WiFi" we find out that masks can't be taken off. It's magic. No other explanation is needed.

Miraculous can slightly change the appearance of users (eyes, face shape, height and hairstyles). People can identify and notice the hairstyles of heroes (numerous Ladybug wigs, statue in Copycat). Jagged Stone points out the change of hair when he mistakes Chloe for Ladybug ("Antibug"). But it's just a costume. There is no magic that prevents Jagged from understanding that Chloe isn't Ladybug. So, how does it work? But it's forgivable because it's cartoon logic. Suspension of disbelief works here, I suppose. I won't judge this too harshly.

Glamour also obviously prevents people from making a connection that Marinette and Ladybug have identical hairstyles. So people know that Ladybug wears her hair in pigtails, but magic does not allow them to notice similarities.

Another important question. Does glamour work on Kwamis? Can they see who is behind the mask?

New York Special makes it clear that magic does not affect robots and they can see through glamour. Does that mean that Markov, AI built by Max, knows the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir? And it's never addressed.

Plagg in "Frightningale" says that holders can subconsciously choose their superhero appearance. This is actually pretty interesting and I like this idea a lot. Except the show is not consistent with this. The transformation of Master Fu looks identical to Nathalie's. And we have seen how different from each other Ladybug and Black Cat holders looked in the past. At the same time, Master Fu and Nino have different takes on Turtle superhero suit.

Age Glamour

Does age glamour exist? Do people see Ladybug, Chat Noir and other heroes as adults even when they look like teenagers to the audience (their height and build are smaller even when they are transformed)? Is that why no one ever questions the fact that children nearly die on a daily basis?

I mentioned unfortunate implications earlier. Well, this is where they come into play. Let's talk about "Copycat". A lot of people discussed it before me, so I won't bore you with details.

When I watched "Copycat" for the first time Theo's crush on Ladybug didn't bother me, because I thought that he sees Ladybug as his peer, a girl who is about 20-23 years old. Theo is an artist, his character design is that of an adult. He has his own studio, its appearance indicates that he did serious commissions in the past. The guy has no idea that Ladybug is like 13.

But then we get "Heroes' Day" and "Ladybug". And Hawkmoth calls them "kids", which means that there is no age glamour. Others see Ladybug and Chat Noir as teenagers. Perhaps, other Miraculous users aren't affected by age glamour. Therefore regular people see all heroes as adults but other heroes are able to guess their age more or less correctly. But you must spell this thing out because the audience can interpret "Copycat" differently. If there is no age glamour, then Theo is crushing on a teenage girl and he is fully aware of this fact. And this doesn't look good for your show.

The "No Age Glamour" theory is further confirmed in "Sapotis" where Alya just straight up analyses voice recordings and says that Ladybug is a girl their age. If glamour exists then it should also cover technology. Kwami can't be photographed. Face and voice recognition software shouldn't be able to analyse transformed superheroes and detect their identities in any way.

Besides, after "Sapotis" Alya should definitely be sure that Ladybug is not 5000 years old (also not an adult), especially after she wore Miraculous herself and was one door away from detransformed Ladybug.

SEASON 4 UPDATE! There's no age glamour after all.

In "Furious Fu" Su Han calls Chat Noir a child without knowing his identity. It means that everyone knows their superheroes are teenagers. "Copycat" can't be saved from that, uh, subtext anymore. No one questions the danger of their job or the balance of their lives outside of the mask. No one doubts their competence after "Origins" ever again. No one becomes annoyed after being bossed around by two teenagers in spandex. You had many opportunities to drop these details into the narrative. Someone could have been akumatized over this (I will not be ordered around by some magical kids!).

I don't know why writers decided not to use at least this idea and slightly adjust "Copycat" if they got rid of the age glamour completely. It can be explained as kid's show logic, but unfortunately, I'm reluctant to do it. If many characters sympathise with akuma victims on-screen, why not with the teenage superheroes who must fight them?

New York Special had this weird focus on collateral damage out of nowhere (the damage done by sentimonster Robostus) and yet it has 0 effect on the main story. No one in Paris is pissed that their 2 teenage protectors weren't there.

Ironically, "Furious Fu" and that one remark made by Su Han also created unfortunate implications for other moments in the show. Just hear me out. Apparently, Jagged Stone wrote a "thank you" song for Ladybug knowing that she is 13-15 year old child back in "Pixelator". Fandom is more than happy to roast Lila for lying about saving Jagged Stone's cat and him writing her a "thank you" song. Fandom claims that Lila's tale could harm Jagged's reputation, when he wrote a song for teenage Ladybug several weeks prior. Meanwhile, in-universe this lie is 100% believable.

If we put on "realism glasses", then both this whole song situation and Theo's crush in "Copycat" have uncomfortable implications. However, the show's canon can't be viewed and criticised through "realism glasses". I admit that bits and pieces of my criticisms are affected by these "glasses", but, ultimately, I'm trying to be fair and concentrate only on things that can't be justified by "cartoon logic and worldbuilding".

Could the existence of age glamour solve this problem of unfortunate implications and other concerns mentioned above? YES. Is it better for the narrative? YES. Is essential for the story? NOT QUITE. Could the absence of age glamour be called an irredeemable storytelling flaw? NO.

Disclaimer: On a side note, only older audience can notice these implications. Children, the target audience, most likely won't understand this subtext simply because they don't have enough experience. So, perhaps, this criticism is unfair, because these moments only look weird to me as an adult. It's like an adult joke in a cartoon that you don't get until you reach a certain age.

There's nothing technically wrong with adult writing a "thank you" song for a teenager. It's just an expression of gratitude. However, unfortunately, we live in a world, where adults normally wouldn't write songs for teens to express gratitude only. In real life similar actions would imply pedophilia and would be actively scorned by the public. No one would risk their reputation like that even if their intentions were genuinely pure and sincere. But this show can't be viewed through "realism glasses", because it's a cartoon and in certain cases we as the audience must use suspension of disbelief and pretend that certain things are possible for plot to happen.

Su Han also wants to give Ladybug and Black Cat to adults. Why didn't Master Fu do this then? Writers don't give us any explanation. Throughout the show we never question this up until the moment it's revealed that adults don't have time-limited powers. Then comes "Furious Fu". Story suddenly becomes self-aware here. Because apparently nothing prevented Fu from giving the most powerful Miraculous to adults who won't have time limit and will be more effective against Hawkmoth (see part 3 for more details).

I have a very good example of Age Glamour done right. It works in the story. There is no confusion or unfortunate implications. There is like one plothole connected to the glamour (it's been years and I still can't forgive them for Cornelia and Caleb) but otherwise, it's a pretty solid example of both show and tell. Clearly, writers wanted to avoid uncomfortable implications which are present in "Copycat". I am talking about W.I.T.C.H. comic books and animated series.

If you are not familiar with it, I'll give you a brief explanation. The story follows 5 girls, the Guardians of Kandrakar who are chosen to protect their world and parallel ones from evil. They receive magical powers from the amulet known as the Heart of Kandrakar. Their powers are based on elements: fire, water, earth, air and energy. Our main characters are about 13-15 years old. In the animated series they are younger and they attend middle school, making them 12-14 years old. But the transformation makes them look 18-20. They look like young women to each other and to other people. At the same time, people can recognise them, their looks and voice don't change. Most people don't know that they are really teenagers when they are not transformed and these people don't know that magic can make them look older. That's why everyone treats Guardians like adults when they are transformed. Comics establish this fact in the very beginning. In first issues characters state that they look older, we are also shown this multiple times.

In fact, one of the first side plots revolves around the fact that Irma uses her powers to sneak into the disco club to meet up with her crush. Irma is 13 at the beginning of the series, she is a high school freshman. Her crush, Andrew Hornby is a senior guy 17-18 years old. Irma has liked him for a long time and wants to impress him, so she decides to be clever about this. She transforms into her Guardian form of the 18-year-old girl, hides her wings, sneaks out to the club after her parents are asleep without any problem, and meets Andrew, who obviously doesn't recognise Irma in this girl who looks about his age. Smitten Andrew offers her a ride and 13-year-old Irma doesn't understand the implication of that offer, so she accepts. And, obviously, he decides that she is interested in more than just a ride home, since she agreed, and the comic implies that he fully intended for them to have sex in the backseat of his car. But Irma understands the implication only when Andrew tries to kiss her. She panics and turns him into a frog. And she actually pulls this "I need to look mature" trick more than once over the course of the series.

It's not the only situation where this age difference is handled well and makes sense. People who know the main characters in everyday life remark on their older appearance during transformation. Sometimes people flirt with Guardians when they are transformed. In one of the side-novels centred around Cornelia, she is worried that the prince of the realm they helped to save from famine would try to marry her. That never happens, but Cornelia actually brainstorms with her friends about how to tell the prince that she is really 15.

There are many other plot points where this happens, but I think that you got the idea. I really like how "Age Glamour" was handled in W.I.T.C.H.

How do we fix this? Create the situations where people offhandedly mention "Age Glamour" in the presence of Marinette or Adrien, use Kwami for this.

"Don't worry, dear. Chat Noir and Ladybug are adults, who know what they are doing. I am sure that they will handle this. "

Theo could say: "Oh, I wonder which university Ladybug goes to?"

"So, does that mean that other people see us as grown-ups, Tikki?"

A few words and boom, problem solved. Then allow the "show don't tell" rule do the rest.