#cue 'another great idea from ME' reaction image !

[desperatepleasures]

she like doesn't even know how much dysphoria she's going through 😭

[dt5editoriaillustration]

FINAL EDITORIAL PROJECT

The article I chose: https://www.thefader.com/2024/10/31/mount-eeries-impermanent-eternities

Why did I chose this article? Because I'm a fan of Phil Elverum and his music which inspires much of my visual art, along with some of my other favourite bands/artists. I take inspiration from music in my illustrations as much as visual arts, and I like looking into how artists think, their processes, and how the interpret the world. Usually I find what they have to say about their art much more insightful than the art itself, their perspective is invaluable. This article is relevant to Phil's latest album "Night Palace" under one of his many monikers "Mount Eerie", but in the interview he talks about his wider philosophy around nature which is relevant to all of his music.

Keywords/phrases/Visual Cues:

Nature, remoteness, loss, poetic, fire, lightning, wind, fog, nature fetishisation, motherhood, connection between the mundane and the infinite, metaphorical, signifies more than a toothbrush (referring to one of his songs, something signifying more than what it is), mysticism, Impermanence, portal opens to another dimension, air organ (an instrument which produces drone sounds), bonfire, mountains, trees, nature representing ambiguous ideas, acceptance of him using nature as a symbol a lot, washing dishes in the night after putting the kid to bed and looking out the window at the world and burning with internal lighting with magic and fire, huge fire, forest, overgrown, pitting fire against water, and the water is the lesser of the two, eternal glow, eternity of nature as opposed to the impermanence of human life, air organ (what he's describing is a hand pumped harmonium), Crows (in reference to his older album "a crow looked at me", representing his lyrical realism in the face of great tragedy)

Condense the article into a few sentences:

Phil Elverum talks about his new album "Night Palace" in terms of how he uses nature to deliver his metaphorical lyricism which focuses on the impermanence of human existence. This is a return to form from his recent works which dealt in more realism, a reaction/response to the death of his wife. He discusses why he uses nature as a language, and how his past/environment influences that. Phil mentions the fetishisation of naturalistic imagery, and how he has accepted his lyrical vocabulary being full of these glorifications, but still doesn't like the idea of it. While he doesn't connect the eternity of nature as opposed to human impermanence, he does say impermanence is one permanent thing.

What is the core narrative/theme?

The article/interview tells the story of Phil Elverum's relationship to nature, and it does this by covering his past and his present. It states he grew up among the islands between Washington and British Columbia, and how the mountainous, forested environment influenced his lyrical vocabulary. Elverum uses these images to craft his metaphors relating to human impermanence, death, and the totality of the universe in all it's mass in comparison to our mundane existence. But, the article is also about Phil's aversion to the fetishisation of nature (also referring to a previous interview) in his music. He's referring to his complete focus on nature as a consistent lyrical imagry to deliver metaphorical allusions to real things (like how a mountain can represent something monolithic and impassable), he feels like he overuses naturalistic imagery/sounds. Though, he also mentions he has ultimately accepted that it's emblematic of who he is as a person.

ARTIST RESEARCH:

Artist Profile #1

Peter Kyprianou, London Based Illustrator with Greek Cypriot background, works primarily in photoshop and illustrator. He primarily illustrates people, infographics of people, and depictions of mundane, everyday life. He's a commercial illustrator.

Artist Profile #2

Gustav Klimt

Artist Profile #3

Aubrey Beardsley

[maverick-werewolf]

Modern Dragon Designs - Where they came from

Your regularly scheduled werewolf facts will return soon. For now, we provide this special, because you may not realize this, but I love dragons. There’s a reason one of my protagonists is basically obsessed with dragons.

Once upon a time, there was a movie - I don’t see anyone talk about it, I’m not even sure how many people are familiar with it...

It’s called Reign of Fire.

This movie shaped the modern Hollywoodian concept of dragons. Seriously, it did. Hear me out.

Released in 2002, Reign of Fire was a movie about - essentially - dragons as that age-old trope of “let’s take one monster and turn them into an overpopulated zombie plague so we can use them to tell a story about humans and make the monster just this brainless evil locust swarm backdrop.” This has happened to a lot of monsters by now.

But wait, these dragons aren’t like the dragons you might be used to: these dragons were completely redesigned from the ground up by the filmmaker(s) in order to make a more “realistic” and “animalistic” dragon that was acceptable by Hollywood, who generally views “dragon movies” (like so many other fantasy things...) as cheesy and silly. Market your movie as a film about dragons and you probably won’t get a deal. Well, turns out, coming up with your own gritty dragon designs worked!

Doesn’t this remind you of every other dragon you’ve seen in a movie for the last, you know, 18 years? Although it actually looks quite a bit cooler than those other ones that came after it

Please note that while I may sound sarcastic, jaded, and often maybe a bit scathing, I mean nothing against the creators of Reign of Fire or director Rob Bowman. I watched the movie in theaters when it released. I applaud Bowman for coming up with unique and interesting dragon designs, in order to have a different take on the creatures, so that they fit the story he wanted to tell, instead of doing what so many people do and completely co-opting concepts without trying to alter them to fit anything and... yeah... okay, I’m not going to talk about werewolf things in this post. Getting back on track:

What I don’t applaud is everyone ripping off Reign of Fire for their own dragons, doubly so because most of these people didn’t even take into account the reasons why it was designed that way. They should have left his dragons alone and come up with their own thing, but at least I guess Bowman can go down in history as the man who designed every Hollywood dragon for over a decade to come - with no signs of stopping - even down to the tail shape.

On Vice, you can find an article and interview with Rob Bowman, the director of Reign of Fire, discussing how he came up with this dragon design and how influential it has become. I highly recommend giving it a read.

Please note the Vice article is clearly written with the bias of someone who “can’t take dragons seriously,” so it’s also a good look at the Hollywood mindset about dragons and how much Hollywood treats fantasy in general like garbage (jerks).

It’s impossible to pretend this movie didn’t basically reshape modern dragons. Let’s get to the details...

Animalistic Design

Dragons in popular culture are generally - or at least they were generally - assumed to be powerful, intelligent creatures, often of a higher nature than humans and other mere mortals. They may be good or evil, but one can’t understate that traditional fantasy dragons are regal and majestic either way.

Reign of Fire wanted to usurp the majestic, intelligent dragon image, creating a smaller, hunched, knuckle-dragging sort of dragon that looks more like an animal - like a pteranodon. This is because the dragons in Reign of Fire are not exceptionally intelligent, noble beings that speak and hoard gold and have the wisdom of the ages. They are brutal hunters that set things on fire and eat everything smaller than them. So this design choice was a conscious one and a smart one.

The dragons in Reign of Fire are meant to be more scientific, more plausible, and also simpler, in a manner of speaking. They are not colorful, magical, ancient fantasy dragons...

Trouble is, everyone took cues from this design for their talking wise noble fantasy dragons, and it... doesn’t really work, at least if you ask me.

The dragon design in Reign of Fire looks like an ancestral throwback, an evolutionary ancestor to the intelligent, talking fantasy dragon, although they are smaller. They’re hunched, they haven’t evolved forelegs independent of their wings... you get the idea. Take a look at the “proto-drakes” in World of Warcraft versus the ordinary drakes, which have tiny dangly T-rex forelegs that haven’t fully developed yet, so they walk like the Reign of Fire dragons.

A proto-drake in World of Warcraft - also say hi to my worgen warrior

So many things taking this design for their intelligent, “higher being” dragons seems kind of... odd to me, to say the least. Unfortunately, Hollywood decided that’s the only way moviegoers can “take dragons seriously,” so here we are.

“Wyvern” - Two Legs vs Four

Municipal arms of Stjørdal, Norway

In medieval heraldry, there came to be a creature called a wyvern. Now, the etymology on the term “wyvern” is a little shaky. It originally didn’t specifically refer to a “two-legged dragon.” It is thought to mean/be derived from words meaning anything ranging from “asp” to “light javelin,” and essentially boils down to a flying serpent. It is noteworthy, of course, that the word “dragon” basically just means “serpent” too.

In heraldry, though, “wyvern” came to refer to a two-legged dragon - at least, if you ask the English, Scottish, and Irish; elsewhere in Europe, they may not be so picky. And now, in modern pop culture (such as Dungeons and Dragons), we often use it in the same sense.

Wyverns weren’t really a “thing” in folklore, just as dragons in folklore didn’t look like our modern idea of a dragon. It’s debatable whether the father of our modern concept of dragons, Fafnir (from whom Tolkien drew inspiration for Smaug), even had wings at all; he was essentially a serpent, perhaps with legs. Point is, wyverns come from heraldry, especially the specificity of two legs versus four.

So now you know why you might see a lot of people (myself included) referring to this design as a “wyvern design” for a dragon.

Dull Coloration - Grey and Brown over Red, Blue, Green...

There’s something else - something very important - that Hollywood took from Reign of Fire... the concept that dragons aren’t pretty colors and are, in fact, various hues of grey and brown, and any more contrasting colors are just vague indications instead of bright red scales.

Now, Reign of Fire obviously did this because - again - they were going for the more animalistic, natural look as opposed to the mysterious majestic magical being look. Okay, that’s fine. But then Hollywood decided that fantasy, too, has to be devoid of dragons with bright colors.

The green dragon in Game of Thrones

There are countless examples of this in modern media. Any dragon that was previously brightly colored has been dulled pretty much to an extreme. Sometimes you might catch a fleeting glimpse of them looking like a brighter shade, but it was probably just a trick of the light. Why? Because all dragons are desaturated to the point of being almost indistinguishable by color.

The golden dragon in The Witcher Netflix series

This is also why you see so many mods on the Skyrim Nexus called things like “true red dragon.”

There are plenty more examples of this - I’m sure you can see the difference when you look at those dragons and other modern film dragons over, say, something like this...

Red dragon in D&D

And now we move on to...

The Fire Breathing - Chemicals, not Magic

Bowman insisted on ditching traditional fire breathing (you don't want the audience wondering whether the dragon's mouth is being burnt up with every flame) and again looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration. The king cobra, once again, was a great starting point. It doesn't spray fire, but it can spit its venom. Even more useful was the bombardier beetle, which shoots two chemicals from its abdomen that, once mixed, create a hot, burning spray. Bowman used these real-world examples to inspire his own dragons. They don't breathe fire exactly, but rather spit chemicals from two different sacks in their mouths that, when combined, ignite. "That's anatomy. That's already been designed, so we're going to draw from there," he said.

(quoted from the Vice article linked to earlier in this post)

The Hungarian Horntail in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - fire is streaming from two separate organs in the mouth, but they aren’t chemicals mixing together like in Reign of Fire...

The director of Reign of Fire wanted his dragons to be more natural in that they breathe fire through organic means, based on chemical reactions, instead of the usual dragon magic. But lots of people loved this “mouth flap”/”mouth organ” design with “streams” of fire coming from the mouth instead of fire flowing directly from the dragon’s throat, so now you see it pretty dang often.

Horns? Brow Ridges!

Another thing that is basically out now in dragon designs is the real horns of many traditional dragons, like Spyro, and like the dragons in Dungeons & Dragons used to have.

These days, it’s all about brow ridges and big spiny scales that aren’t separate horns, they’re just big pointed scales or piles of scales or bone ridges - and they aren’t a different color than the dragon’s scales, either, pretty often. And, in general, dragon’s horns have become much smaller and far more numerous, and more like spines/ridges, as opposed to the great, sweeping horns of classical dragons.

Firkraag, the red dragon, in the D&D video game Baldur’s Gate II, from 2000

Firkraag is a very traditional dragon. Now, while Dungeons & Dragons has generally kept more traditional dragons (yay!), they did fall into the brow ridge horn thing - although they, thankfully, didn’t make the horns smaller and subtler and more numerous little spikes, like so many other modern dragon designs. They also went with the brow ridge horns for tieflings (once humans with demon blood, then some weird thing in 4E, and now I think they’re humans with demon blood again), as opposed to the ordinary horns of the tieflings in previous editions of D&D.

Skyrim dragon head concept art

The Desolation of Smaug(’s design)

Here is... a big one. Here, we’ll talk some about the production of The Hobbit films over time, so we’re going behind the scenes.

Alright, so we all know Smaug, probably, by pop culture osmosis if nothing else. He is the quintessential dragon. He’s basically the founder of all Western dragon concepts: he’s big, he’s red, he hoards gold, he’s extremely intelligent and talks, etc. You get the picture. Every dragon that we have borrowed at least something from Smaug. And, in turn, he was inspired by Fafnir, the father of all our dragon concepts, from Norse mythology - but Tolkien took it all a step further and created the concept of dragons that we have today. Or, well, the not Reign of Fire ones. The fantasy ones.

A map drawn by Tolkien: notice the winged, four-legged Smaug over his mountain

During the first Hobbit movie, An Unexpected Journey, we see Smaug attack the Lonely Mountain...

In this clip, you can plainly see that Smaug has four legs. This was actually edited slightly for later editions of the movie, or so I’ve heard (I haven’t watched any later editions).

I can tell you for certain that when I saw the theatrical release, it was like this, too. It is apparent throughout the scene that Smaug has four legs and wings, separately. I know because I was paying very, very close attention, because I was going to be very upset if Hollywood turned Smaug into a wyvern.

Well, they did - later.

Smaug the wyvern looking like just another slightly different take on the bog-standard Hollywood dragon

Apparently, some studio exec decided that having a traditional fantasy dragon, even if this dragon happens to be frelling Smaug himself, would not be okay in this modern Hollywood world. So we ended up with a dull reddish spiney hunching knuckle-dragging wyvern with an angler mouth (I’m sorry; I really am sorry if you like the design, that’s totally fine, it’s a fine design, I am glad you enjoyed it, but Smaug shouldn’t have looked that way IMO and forgive me but I am still in pain over it) in place of a more traditional dragon that held more to things like, I dunno, how Tolkien himself drew Smaug. Smaug’s movie design flies right in the face of that and destroyed our chance to finally see a proper traditional dragon done justice on the big screen.

Tolkien’s art of Smaug - note the position of the forelegs, separate from the wings, like in the earlier map

This is all just one big example why we should be thankful that The Lord of the Rings films were all shot in one go, so no one could alter important things like the design of the fantasy genre’s father of all dragons, in the middle of production. Of course, the production on The Hobbit movies was a nightmare at best, as you can read about in assorted other articles, and Peter Jackson was very unhappy with what the studio had him do to the series. All of that is just another story, I suppose.

Dragons Redesigned by Reign of Fire: Example List

Now that we’ve gone over just a few of the talking points about Reign of Fire’s dragon designs (although I didn’t even get into the flat, spaded tail look in detail), here’s an undoubtedly incomplete list of several examples that have either entirely taken the design and/or were massively influenced by it...

(please note that not everything in this list held entirely to Reign of Fire’s design, obviously; some have the fire, some don’t; some have horns, some have head/brow ridges; but all of them are wyverns and most are darkly-colored)

Skyrim - Obvious influence with the general design, skin/scales and ridges design, as well as coloration; however, it is noteworthy that the Elder Scrolls has had dragons with no forelegs since at least 1998, in the game Redguard - though that dragon was also very brightly-colored (also of note: Peryite, while technically a Daedric prince and not a dragon, had four legs at least as far back as Daggerfall in 1996)

The Hobbit films, specifically The Desolation of Smaug onward - as mentioned before

Harry Potter movies - Wholesale. Two streams of fire from mouth flaps in Goblet of Fire, generally dull greyish and/or brownish colorations, no forelegs, short/simple horns that are mostly ridges...

Gods of Egypt - The giant fire-breathing cobras have the mouth flaps

Game of Thrones - This one’s pretty obvious too.

Disney’s Maleficent - In the new live action Disney movie(s), the dragon falls right into this design (though the fire doesn’t come from mouth flaps)

Netflix Witcher series - Villentretenmerth is very much a wyvern design and a dull shade, and he in fact has no horns at all, even though dragons weren’t portrayed this way in any previous Witcher adaptations

Stargate SG1 (season 10) - In the episode series “The Quest,” a dragon appears and... well, it looks just like all those other dragons, though the fire does come from its throat.

Beowulf (2008) - I try not to ever talk about or think about this film, but I have to just throw out there that the dragon is very much Reign of Fire, especially with that wyvern design.

Seventh Son - If you can call Malkin a dragon  - she was called one, I think - she definitely also has the same kind of dull-colored wyvern design.

Sucker Punch (movie)

Lots and lots of B-movies and direct to DVD/streaming films - Dawn of the Dragonslayer, Dragon (2006), Dragon Crusaders...

Something to note, also, is that cartoons, anime, and other non-film media is mostly - but not entirely - free from this influence. Cartoons especially are free from it, partially because they aren’t influenced by Hollywood producers who want “serious” and “realistic” dragons. Cartoons are allowed to have magical, colorful, four-legged dragons. Unfortunately, we are deprived of those in live action film and television, by and large.

There are still other exceptions - most notably things that were created before this influence, like Dragonheart and its spinoffs and sequels, which have thankfully kept their dragon designs consistent instead of erasing their forelegs.

Of course, why dragons are depicted as four-legged and winged in the first place - and when this depiction arose - is another topic entirely. I’m not going into that right now, seeing as how this post is already preposterously long.

Long story short, I was rewatching the movie Gods of Egypt and, when I saw the giant cobra monsters breathe fire, I was possessed to write this article. Because Reign of Fire’s influence is something I have always noticed ever since its release, and something my brother and I talk about a lot (and everyone who knows me has surely heard me talk about it, too) - because, frankly, it’s always bothered me. My favorite dragons are traditional dragons: four legs, bright colors, wings, horns, breathing fire, the works.

So, although the original creator of these design ideas did something cool and different because he wanted to do his own take on dragons, Hollywood decided that these design cues should be taken to dumb down all dragons forever, the same way that Hollywood has dumbed down so many monster designs so that the only acceptable ones just a bunch of near-replicas of each other, including werewolves.

I think it’s very sad that film producers think you can’t take something like dragons or werewolves seriously unless they are dull, nontraditional, and ugly. And I say ugly in the sense of these are not pretty, majestic fantasy designs - they are, many of them, intended to be ugly. Though I personally also hold the opinion that most of them are ugly regardless of if they are intended to be ugly.

So - now you know! If you haven’t seen Reign of Fire, go check it out to meet the father of modern dragon designs, from the color of their hides to the shape of their bodies, the smaller horns, and - sometimes - even their tails.

(Special thanks to everyone on my discord who helped me compile this list, as well as of course my brother and all our ranting at/with each other on this topic over many years)

If you like this post, maybe you’ll enjoy the rest of my blog, where I post a lot about folklore and all kinds of monsters (especially werewolves)!

Werewolf Facts --- Patreon

[jennsmischievousmind]

Chaos Therapy

Session #4

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Summary: You were assigned to a field mission, with particulars co-agents, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. One mission turned into multiples. After each missions you are debriefed by a therapist, Dr Noach just as Sam and Bucky. Thing is, they don’t know that you are much more than an agent.

Warnings: pining, bit of angst, Buck/Sam bickering, violence (fights against enemies), mild swearing (still real bad at warnings)

Published: 2021-02-21 Completed: 2021-03-30

“Lettonia?” You fastened your weightlifting gloves looking back at Bucky.

“We have a lead on Zemo.” his face fell a little

“Hey” you searched for his eyes “kick his ass for me,”

His smile returned a hearthy chuckle leaving his lips, hesitantly his hand reached your forearm brshing down to your fingertips, he took a step forward and pressed a kiss to your temple, your eyes closed on their own and you squeezed his hand in yours, he let his forehead rest against yours.

"See you in a few days," he whispered, you nodded and he took a step backward,

"Don't kill each other," 

"noted,"

You watch him go, his broad back passing the gym door. Your stomach immediatly churning, "Buck!" you ran out the gym, he was waiting at the elevator, "Bucky!" he panicked seeing you ran to him.

"Doll,"  your fingers interlaced with his dog tags, you stopped the motion your face inches from him, his eyes fall on your lips. A tug on his dog tags and your lips collided, his arms circled your back, a hand splayed on your waist the other   slowly going up your spine to your nape as your free one caressed his face, feeling the pricks of his beard under your delicate fingers.

“Bucky, I .. “ the ding of the elevator distracted both of you for a second “I’ll have to tell you something,”

“you’re okay ?” the worry in his eyes had you tongue-tied, your hands tightened on his shirt. “Yea, yea just .. be careful out there,” the smile you gave him unknitted his brows, his hands brushed your arms.  You couldn’t bare to tell him, not now, he will know the truth soon enough anyway. He hesitantly leaned in pecking your lips before getting on the elevator. 

“What’s going on ?” Sam squinted his falcon eyes at Bucky who did everything to avoid his scrutinous look.  “Oh, oooh you and Y/n finally!!” Sam let out a proud laugh, clasping Bucky’s shoulder.

  “Y/N what do you make of their duo?”

“It works somehow. I know it seems unbelievable especially when you see them from the outside. The thing is, they both lose Captain Rogers, the person that believe in them both and now they can only count on each other and believe in each other that’s why it works. Sam believe in Bucky being able to heal and get redemption, while Bucky believe in Sam being worthy of the Shield. The constant bickering is their way of showing their affection. They have a strong teamwork.” you conclude.

Noach nods, all the while analyzing your features.

“Thank you, they’re another mission coming up_”

“Yes ma’am. But I’m not allowed to join them for this mission,”

“I know, I’ve talked with the Director, that’s a shame, it’s a big one,” you both stand up and she walks you to the door “Y/N” she stops “I’m planning on ending the therapy when they come back from this mission.”

“What is it?” she says seeing your face fell.

“You know exactly,” you passes your badge on the elevator sensor. 

“It was necessary,”

“They won’t like it,”

“They? Or he?” you gave her a grave look, “You want me to say that I shouldn’t have engage anything with Bucky,”

“No, I don’t blame you, you’re both human attraction is normal. Though now a long discussion with him awaits you.” Your head tilt back knowing too well she was right.

Sam and Bucky were back from Lettonia, you had some undone work back in the cave you didn’t have the time to greet them yet.

“Now, in order to round off our work here, I needed a closer look at your teamwork and general relationship,”

“You bugged us, Doc?” Sam scoffed, you facepalm behind the one-way mirror.

“Not exactly. I need you to know it was necessary to prove that your duo was fit for combat,” she turned to the mirror behind her nodding. Your cue, clenching your hand on the door handle, the voices inside increased as you pushed it.

“Agent Y/F/N mission was to evaluate your compatibility and capacity to work as a team, outside those therapy sessions. Agent Y/L/N beside her I.T work is a trained therapist,” 

“That’s some fucked up therapy,”

“Mr, Wilson,_” you blocked their discussion as you were focused on Bucky’s reaction. His clenched fits on his thighs, his locked jaw and his gaze fixated on the wall before him. You jumped slightly as he stood up and left the room. Noach and Sam looked at you stopping their discussion. “I’ll be right back,” quickly walking out, you breathe in deeply. Bucky’s back facing you, the tension in his stance visible.

“Bucky,..” he glanced on the side

“I’ve been lie too for a longtime Y/n, ..” taking a step forward carefully you observed his side profile “I guess you can hurt me in the end,”  his voice melted with anger and sorrow stopped you, the lump in your throat getting bigger, the prickling in your eyes accentuating.

Biting your lower lip, you tried to find your voice back. Like approaching a wild wolf, you were on edge yet cautious, reaching his shoulder you softly pulled on it “Please look at me,” he turned around but his eyes never reached yours, his hands on his hips you took them gently, interlacing your fingers with his. Against what you thought he didn’t reject you. His eyes still cast away, you rested your forehead on his chest, closing your eyes, you felt his hands twitched in yours, his chest heaving a little faster.

“You have to understand,…” your murmured feeling your throat tightened.

“you could have told me!” he spoke quietly yet the tightness in his voice showed his anger.

“Really though,” an anxious smirk reached your mouth for a millisecond “it was my mission Buck. I .. I didn’t plan on falling for you, it changed a lot of things.” He stayed silent at your confession; panic took over, his silence giving you the chills. Clearing your throat after an odd silent long second, you let go of his hands, taking a step back, and took your most serious professional voice “Please come back in the room, Dr Noach has some more questions.”

Noach arched an eyebrow seeing you enter the room alone, you sat next to her, facing Sam. Like Noach predicted Sam was “easier” to get by, he was still reluctant obviously but not closed to discussion. Bucky never came back in the room, before leaving Noach gave you gentle smile squeezing your upper arm.

“You won’t have to see much of me now, don’t worry,” you said to Sam who slowed down to a stop next to the elevator.

“Well, we’re not through it yet, the director of intelligence asked to see the three of us,”  you stepped into the elevator with him.

 “As you know the image of super-heroes is not at his best. After the few events with the flag smashers and the chaos in Lettonia” he looked at the boys gravely “the governments are not willing to brush this away as nothing happened. Moreover, rumor has it flag smashers are still quite upset about the docks operation. I suggest you lay low for a few days, weeks maybe. I can’t have you fighting flag smashers around the country, and cause much more mishaps,”

Sam clapped is hand all of sudden, turning to you and the silent Bucky next to you “Mi casa es su casa,”

You look at them wondering, Bucky avoiding your eyes. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” you left the room after the director dismissed you.

Starting your way to the elevator you paused hearing your name, “Sam’s house is safe, and you will be safer with us,” Bucky’s concerned warmed your heart.

“Hurts me to say it but tincan’s right,”

Although you knew they were 100% right, spending 24/7 with them, moreover around Bucky, it would have been great if it wasn’t for the fact that he totally despised you at the moment.

Passing by your place you grabbed a backpack and shove a bunch of random clothes in it. Sam and Bucky were waiting in the car. Seating down on your bed, the exhaustion caught up with you, your mind going blank, staring into the void.

Bucky look in the rear-view mirror “She’s taking too long,” Sam hummed. “Maybe we should check on her,”

“Maybe,” Sam looked at Bucky, pushing up his sunglasses onto his nose, reclining his seat and crossing his arms. Bucky rolled his eyes opening the door with a bit too much force that it cried out.

A knock on your door made you jump, blue eyes met yours, he was standing there at your bedroom door. He looked around taking everything in, if you were both in another mindset it would be thrilling.

“We have to go, the longer we stay here_ “ 

“I know, sorry,” grabbing your pack you slide down your bed, opening on your drawer near the door you grabbed the gun in it, slipping in your pants. Bucky eyed you, hands in his pocket. 

He didn’t budge as you passed by him. His aura embracing you, overwhelming your senses. Daring a glance behind at him, his eyes were lost on you, his lips moved as he was about to say something but as soon as he refocused his jaw clenched a second. “Let’s go,” he walked to the door, you squint your eyes unwilling to see him past you so coldly. A warmth enveloping the hand holding your bag brought you back, his flesh hand brushed yours as he grabbed your pack, then left without looking back.

“So, we’re just going to follow orders?”

“It cannot hurt,” Sam glanced in the rear-view mirror “we all need some time off...” The ride was so awkward Sam was trying to loosen up the mood every so often, you tried to keep up with him but at one point you were too exhausted and fell asleep.

Bucky kept glancing at your sleeping form curled in the backseat. “When we get there you two will talk!” I’m not spending a week or more with a depressed cyborg and a torned beautiful woman!” Bucky frowned at Sam, “I haven’t dealt with that kind of problem, in a while.” he sighed the all sentence.

“Well, get with it!” Sam’s voice woke you up, “Good timing, we’re here!” The light blue and white big house appeared before you. “Sam that’s a really nice place!”

“Thanks, in the family for generations!” he was rightfully proud of the building.

“Rooms are upstairs,” he turned around letting his duffle bag hit the ground, the both of you standing awkwardly 2 feet apart.

“I don’t want to hear anything…” his look paused on you then Bucky his look insisting. You rolled your eyes at the insinuation. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” You drag yourself up the wooden stairs.

“Dinner at 9, Everyone pitch in to cook, house rule,”

“Believe me Wilson, you don’t want me near fire and sharp knives.” You yelled from the landing, missing Bucky hiding a smile as he joined Sam in the living room.

“Here,’ Sam walked down the pier, handing a bottle of beer to Buck who was watching the sunset.

“You know she had to keep it from us,” Sam calmly said, his VA side resurging.

“I know,”

“And that she wouldn’t feel so bad if she didn’t care about you,” Seeing Bucky staying silent his brows knitted, Sam stood up “Man, you got to talk to her, she reached out it’s on you now,”

“You realized it’s not that easy,”

“It is, you walk up to her, show or tell her what’s on that cyborg brain of yours, and that’s it, avoiding her it’s not the right way to do it.”

After a good shower you sat by the window overlooking the pier, the boys were on the dock enjoying a beer. “It’s gonna be fine,” you pep talked yourself eyes trained on Bucky’s silhouette.

Session #5

MASTERLIST  

Published: 2021-02-21 Completed: 2021-03-30

[patchies]

Shadows

Pairing: Dream x Reader x ???

Summary: An apocalyptic world where creatures of the night roam all around it. Searching for living beings to satisfy their hunger. Vicious creatures they are. It’s said that one person called upon their wrath in revenge. You awake in this place with another human being at your side. No memories whatsoever of the life you’ve had prior to coming here. In search of a way out, and your memories, you stumble upon multiple people with many personalities. Some can’t wait to meet you. If you take it the friendly or hostile way is up to you, but worry not… Nothing can hurt you. Or can it, now?

Warnings: none that I can think of

Word Count: 2.8+k

Author's note: hi, hi, hi! I bring you a new chapter after what... 1 and a half months of not uploading anything? My apologies are probably not enough, but I have been working on chapters, I promise! And, drum roll, please, I might have some art in store for this series. It isn't done, yet, but I'm trying to work on it, guys!

Wattpad link: here

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Chapter 4: Forming Friendship

As the sun starts off the next day, you and Nick depart from your home in search of more resources. He throws in a suggestion that you should spread out, so you could cover more ground, and you agree- not like you have anything else to do for the meantime. Unless you want to be stuck at home playing some card games Nick had found while searching for the paint buckets.

You search the places south, just outside the town. All the buildings look the same to your wondering eyes, nothing valuable piquing your interest that much, so you rather opt for wandering further. Through the greenery until a clearing reveals itself before you.

A beautiful and elegant meadow stretches across the horizon. As if a page was torn from a fairy-tale book, and rightfully so. The only thing missing is a royal castle or fairies' houses. Pollen flies in the air and swirls around you enchantingly and a surge of calmness goes through your being. An accommodation in your body along with the feeling of delight.

The nature has truly taken over most of the world.

It's not like you can complain, really. Colours, textures and elements flow with each other in a beautiful harmony, creating an almost painting-like picture that you can marvel at.

Deep down, you were always a fan of the quietness Mother nature has offered you at times in need. Whenever you felt down, really.

You slightly remember how it helped you with your anxiety, shyness and depression when you used to be socially awkward and unwilling to do something about it. It felt peaceful compared to the continuous pressure many people used to put on you. Not many people were harsh on you, but your social battery could take so much until all you were ready to do was just lie down, put on a playlist of your favourite songs and chill. They denied your want to be left alone when the only thing you needed was space and your own time. Their faces are now blurry images of faces you once used to know, but you don't know if you'll ever get back to your life or how long it might take.

I should throw away my pessimistic thoughts…

That was a part of the old you, though. You'd like to think that you're better now, but your pessimism has stayed with you nonetheless. It's about time you started working on it and who knows? You might get to form plenty friendships here who will be willing to help you.

With a shake of your messy hair, you focus back to the beauty in front of you, pushing the vines away and walking towards the flowery meadow.

Yellow grains contrast gorgeously with the sparse greenery the field has to offer here and there.

You bent down and pluck one of the many Dahlias near your feet, putting the pistil close to your nose.

Sniff, sniff, sniff

The flower alone doesn't smell alluring or sweet, like anything. The stem and leaves, on another note, smell bitter with a slight flowery undertone. It strikes a sense of serenity in you as you inspect the innocent white petals be carried away from you by the wind, flying off to the clear sky to join the fine powdery substance.

You let go of the stem and watch it be snatched, following its trace until it falls between the loads of flowers.

Just then, a gentler breeze begins and takes a handful of leaves of the ground, aiming just below a small hill to your left as if it had a mind of its own. You realize that it might actually do as it points you to a lone building sitting at the base, overflown with the finest flora you've ever faced.

A mere bookshop from what you can see from the distance. The walls are built from brick and it still seems in a decent shape, except the nature, but that gives it a special charm. A great place to get away from all this chaotic and death-threating events for even a while.

You carefully move through the grass and blossoms, trekking your way up to it.

• • •

Meanwhile, somewhere far away from you, a deer curiously, yet cautiously, examines you from a cliffside looking over the whole meadow. Its doe eyes flick from you to a small fawn by its side.

It huffs, shakes its head and turns, departing into the forest.

• • •

The inside is wondrous, despite your expectations of it being completely trashed.

Bookshelves line the walls and are all filed with all styles of literature. Slightly used, torn and unkept. It gives you an idea how no one surely visits this place. The place looks great, so it doesn't make much sense to you. You cannot help but be a little happy over the fact at that despite the telling signs of its abandonment.

Your hand automatically lifts up to slide over the spines of the books, keeping your touch light as you advance further inside. The rough, yet extremely soothing, texture extracts a small smile from you and you close your eyes. You begin dragging your other appendage across the parallel shelf until a thud makes you shoot your eyes open in alert, whipping your head behind you, but finding nothing out of ordinary.

With your now unsure footsteps, you slowly walk to the end of the aisle in front of you, peeking around the corner.

You catch sight of a short boy sitting in front of a shelf, or rather a stand, with comic books. He's sat down near the middle where the wooden stand is, flipping through each comic with haste.

A messy brown nest of hair sits atop his head while a flower crown with some scarce plastic bees thrown in reasts atop and a long green scarf messily wrapped around his neck. It strangely compliments his look that is styled with green, golden and black and despite the apocalyptic surroundings and lack of proper resources, you're surprised he's styled it very prettily.

A black stylish coat with golden accents is thrown on the floor near him along with his messenger bag, its contents peeking out. Especially the thick book with a pack of pencils. You wonder what the book contains, but maybe you'll get a chance to see it sometime.

You cautiously and carefully lean against a counter near you, observing the young boy as he shuffles through numerous comics. He huffs out a long sigh, throwing another book aside. It comes tumbling down back to him due to the amount he has already piled on top of each other. His nimble fingers pick up another one, swiping through it with precision.

He mumbles something quietly, softly putting the comic onto another pile beside him that is neat compared to the other one.

This demeanour continues for a long minute, basically choosing a book in a ratio that one is kept and twelve are thrown away. He never seems too happy with his decision, frowning at some in sadness despite having to give up on them. You don't understand why he doesn't put them onto the obvious piles of his favourites, but you stand in your place.

Having enough of watching, you whistle too loudly to get his attention.

Only to see the guy jump up in the air and slip on a paper he has previously abandoned on the ground. He pointlessly flails his arms around until his elbow hits the ground first, followed by his hip and the rest of his body.

You wince.

As if caught in the headlights, he spins his head to you. The previously left out paper now present on his head. You see confusion, fear and surprise fight against who will persevere on his face, so you lower your shoulders back down and give him an awkward smile, “Uh, sorry?”

He unsurely stumbles to his feet and dusts his clothes off, tightening the scarf around his neck with tense movement. His eyes widen and he makes a quick, though awkward, show of pulling out a stick?

He fumbles around with it for a bit before it extends into a normal looking sword, posing heroically, “I'll- uh, stab you! Yeah! I'll use this sword to stab you.”

You quirk an eyebrow at his choice of words, and at the adorable stutter he did, “Do you even know how to wield a sword?”

“Of course, I do! Wait- do I? No, no, no, you're just trying to make me look silly. I do know-”

Cue an uncoordinated swing of the sharpened weapon at his own leg, but at least his reaction time seems to be fast and he slides his foot out of harm's way just in time. One he created, and he watches as the sword penetrates the wooden boards and he struggles to pull it out.

His action makes you doubt his abilities further and a you can't help the small giggle that escapes you, raising your arms in mock defence when he sends you a defensive glare, “You- you cannot be serious. Quit the child's play, I'm not here to hurt you.”

He stays quiet, still pulling on the handle of the sword with unfortunate outcomes. It slips out of his fists multiple times and he sighs before flopping down onto the floor, defeated, “I guess I really don't know.”

You choose not to retort any sassy comeback to his gloomy self, rather analysing his figure and approaching the weapon. Arms still held above your head to show you don't plan on attacking, your features soft, “Mind me getting the weapon for you? I won't use it against you, I promise.”

“Go ahead,” he gives you an absent wave of his hand and only stares as you grip the handle.

At first, you tug and nothing happens, so you try holding it at a specific place and are delighted when you feel a small button press against your palm, giving it one more tug along with a squeeze of the switch.

An imaginary lightbulb blinks above his head as he sees the sword retract from the ground and you're left gripping the stick in your hand, “See? It isn't as hard, is it now?”

“I admit, you're right,” he accepts the handle from your outstretched hand, storing it into his hoodie pocket.

No wonder you didn't notice it before. He's had it hidden there and he had to have pulled it out when you whistled. Although you personally wouldn't own a weapon like that, it probably comes in handy for situations like these. You aren't sure if it'd be beneficial in an actual fight against a stronger and better crafted weapon, though.

A switchblade would do a better job, surely. From what you've seen, they're a lighter object, more portable and friendlier to beginners. Might even suit his style of fighting better, even if you haven't seen it in action yet, to be truthful, “I do believe I'm right.”

“I would beat you if I had my hatchet!”

You chuckle, “Well, we can always engage in hand-to-hand combat, if you're that confident in getting me. Why use weapons?”

His eyes widen and all his courage dissipates, waving his hands crazily and shaking his head, “When you say it like that, I'll pass you on that offer, thank you. Why didn't you attack me, by the way? Oh, and also, I'm Tubbo, since we seem to be okay with each other.”

Refraining from telling him your name back, you swing your arm at his head and watch him yelp, shut his eyes and flinch from you in humorous satisfaction. You stop it inches from his face, lowering it and stepping away from him, “You should've seen your face, Mr. Tubbo. I'd say we are okay, but I had to pull that on you and to answer your question of my peace towards you… You just seemed harmless.”

He stands up and looks at you in feign anger, jabbing an accusing finger into your chest “You're so cruel, what? I can't trust you now.”

Tubbo crosses his arms, turning away from you. You turn away from him and spot his collection of comics. His previous actions coming to the forefront of your mind, “Hey, why were you browsing through so many comics?”

“I was looking for something,” he shrugs, walking past you and picking up quite a big amount of comic books. He catches the incredulous glance you give the items in his hands and nods his head at them, “They aren't for me.”

“You looked quite sad when you couldn't grab one for yourself, why can't you?”

He's surprised you picked up on that, but he just shrugs, “I would. If my bag allowed me to carry so much at once and I just want to surprise my friends.”

You give a small 'aww', making his ears flush pink and cower away, “I could help you carry them. Where is your camp?”

“I don't think I should be revealing that to strangers, but I've never been the smartest with decisions and I'm sure you'd notice either way,” Tubbo stuffs the books inside his bag, barely closing it, “I could just act like I abducted you.”

“Won't that be suspicious? You actually seem like a person who's too nice to do that.”

The bee boy lightly grins at that while putting his coat on, throwing the messenger bag on his shoulder, “I'm bad at acting, too, so they'd surely notice.”

“Are any of them keeping guard on this place, by the way?”

“No,” his answer is straight-forward, without any hesitation, “It might be very shocking, but none of my friends know about this place. Although I visit quite often than not. It gets quite harsh out there, y'know?”

You hum, choosing to drop the subject and return back to an airier topic, “Which ones do you like?”

Tubbo's quick to light up at the change, dropping to his knees and shuffling through the messy mountain of comics once again. He carelessly throws ten of them at you in happiness and leaves you grasping them to your chest. You laugh at his enthusiasm, reading off few of the titles and shaking your head as he keeps on searching for more.

This was probably a crazy idea, but whatever. Tubbo seems like an adorable person to be around.

Not long after you get ready to leave, keeping the conversation loose and it's almost effortless how you get along. The themes get intertwined between you with ease, pointing to some aspects around you if you want to make a point.

He is a strange guy to get a hold of, but you can say that you like how easy-going talking is with him. The male has visibly suffered some of his own stuff, but he still has this bubbly personality around him that you can't wrap your mind around. Though, you enjoy that little perk he has.

At one point, you lose sight of the boy, looking around you in confusion only to have him appear behind you and throw a freshly made flower crown on top of your head. The question of where he got it from is lost to his ears as he babbles on how he needs to teach you the crafting of one, so you could be 'flower crown buddies'. His own words. Your reaction is to bump your shoulder with his, joking how he is too goofy for you to even want to learn. A look of betrayal is thrown at you and you chuckle.

He proceeds to skip at certain intervals during your trek through the forest, too, visibly being excited to earn a new friend who is close to his wave-length. You don't even notice when you get close, having too much fun getting to know each other and goof around, but Tubbo increasingly slows his steps near an old-looking house.

He turns to you, “Well, this is my stop. I shouldn't take you further or I'll get spanked for not listening to my peers.”

“Uh, I won't respond to that, though I hope everything's alright back at your base. You shouldn't go through child abuse anywhere,” you awkwardly scratch at your neck, handing him the comic books meant for him.

Tubbo light-heartedly laughs at your perplexed self, a jokester-like glint appearing in his eyes as he accepts the papers, “I hope we can meet again.”

“I do, too, and hey. The library can be our place, if you're comfortable enough to call it that,” you heartily smile at him, ruffling his hair and receiving a pouty 'hey! my hair, not yours!'.

He shakes his head to fix your doings, throwing a lop-sided grin, “I can allow that.”

“Well, I should go,” you look up to the sky, seeing the sun brightly shining more to the west side now. It shouldn't be that long before you'll have to get ready for the night and report your findings with Nick. Not like you have much to say to him, but there are some things worth mentioning to him, “I have a friend possibly waiting for me already. It was incredible meeting you, Tubbo!”

“Likewise.”

[x0401x]

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun: Ghost Hotel’s Café (Part 2)

Revealing the secrets of the menu, such as “crushing muffins so they will look like earth”! Interview with the staff of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun GHOST HOTEL’S CAFÉ.

GHOST HOTEL’S CAFÉ, the collaboration café of “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun” – an on-going manga from Monthly G Fantasy (Square-Enix) by Aida Iro-sensei –, was held in Ikebukuro, Tokyo at AniPara CAFÉ for a limited period from December 5 to February 11. Here, we have carried out an interview with the staff behind the planning and production of “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun”. We have discussed things in detail, from the background of the collaboration café’s presentation to the public to the secret stories behind the development of the food and drinks that reflect ideas from the author, Aida Iro-sensei!

Interviewees

Square-Enix café organizer: Ookubo Kana-san

Square-Enix editor in charge of “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun”: Imanishi Chiharu-san

Grounding Lab café planner: Andou Minako-san

Grounding Lab café planner: Nakayama Natsuko-san

Andmowa café menu creator: Aizawa Kanto-san

AniPara CAFÉ manager and menu creator: Shirato Kouhei-san

The collaboration café of “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun” is entirely supervised by AidaIro-sensei!

——How was it decided that “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun” would have a collaboration café?

Ookubo: The cue was that, while the café planning members were talking about what café to hold next, we were introduced to “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun” as the most highly recommended title of our company.

Andou: There are a lot of young people in the staff of AniPara CAFÉ and most of them knew “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun”, so by the time SquaEni-san talked to us about it, we gave them the one-sentence reply of, “By all means!” and asked them to let us do it. *laughs*

——This is the third time that “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun” earns a collaboration café, so how were the fans’ reactions?

Imanishi: Since this is the third time, there were many reactions of concern about the very concept of “how will it turn out next?”. Thankfully, the responses were good and we received many warm messages such as “it was fun”!

——How was AidaIro-sensei’s reaction when it was decided that yet another collaboration café would be held?

Imanishi: They were very pleased. An event that the readers can enjoy is a rare opportunity, so they were hyped about many things, such as, “I wonder what we will do~!” and, “How about this?” (laughs).

——The theme of the collaboration café is a “ghost hotel” this time. How was it conceived?

Ookubo: This time’s theme was proposed by AidaIro-sensei.

Imanishi: In the first time, I think it is orthodox that the characters are made into café waiters, but since this is the third one, Sensei suggested that they felt like displaying them in yet another a different light, and that they wanted to make it so that both the people who would be attending for the first time and the people who had already attended before would be able to enjoy it in a brand-new way.

G Fantasy carries out a project of giving away color spreads as presents every year along with the commemorative issue of its launching, and the theme for the color spread of “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun” on the 25th anniversary was “ghost hotel”. There was also the fact that the readers’ response to it was very positive, so Aida Iro-sensei decided, “Let’s go with a ghost hotel this time!”.

When it comes to “Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun”, you cannot miss out on ●●●!

——Did you get any menu or decoration suggestions from Sensei?

Ookubo: They granted us the base ideas of the menu and supervised the whole thing. They also chose the names of all the menu items. Writing “holy” in English was one of Sensei’s ideas. *laughs*

——The shop’s interior has a wonderful decoration perfectly fitting of a “ghost hotel”, with spider webs and mini characters hiding everywhere.

Andou: When we were thinking about how to reproduce the worldview depicted by AidaIro-sensei, we thought it was perfect... so we left it there (laughs)!

Ookubo: That spider web is amazing, isn’t it? The first time I looked at it, I thought it was a perfect fit for the café’s mood!

——The BGM that plays inside the shop is also a perfect fit for a “ghost hotel”.

Ookubo: We choose after listening to lots of tracks, so hearing that makes me happy! This time, Sensei gave us proper suggestions regarding the worldview, so the interior design parts were easy to picture.

Imanishi: There is a fun to it that is similar to riding on a horror attraction, even if you are inside a café. I think we were able to create this atmosphere exactly because its worldview is solid.

Ookubo: Also, since this is “Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun”, we would like everyone to check the toilets, by all means! I want people to see at least this with their own eyes.

——The toilet is a checkpoint that people cannot skip. The illustrations for the café were made by AidaIro-sensei this time too, but do the numbers written on the keys of each character have a meaning?

Imanishi: In this thematic setting, the employees (the characters) live and work in the ghost hotel. The numbers on the keys are the numbers of the rooms where the employees live, and they increase like 1, 2, 3... when you see them lined up in order, you will know who is whose neighbor and which of them are in the floors below or above. This is linked to the nature of the characters’ relationships, so please give it a check.

——Sensei did not just write the story but also story cards.

Imanishi: There might be people amongst the readers of G Fantasy who know about the 25th anniversary illustration, but I believe most of them will be seeing it for the first time. Since it could be difficult to understand what the story of this ghost hotel is and what the characters are doing, so we introduce them in the story cards and in-store PV. This method is easy even on people visiting for the first time, so we would like them to come hang out with friends here (laughs).

Aizawa: Quite a lot of the people who come to the shop are young, and on Sundays, it is not rare for families to fill up the seats. Amongst them, we have received a call from a father who had never been to a collaboration café before, telling us, “I want to make a reservation for my daughter; how do I do it?” and we have also been asked, “My daughter wants your goods; are they still not sold-out?”.

Andou: We have also been told, “I’ll save up my allowance to go there!”. Hearing things like these makes me think that it is great that we managed to implement a wonderful café, and I want people to enjoy it by any means.

“We crush the muffins to make them look like earth.” “The pot-au-feu is always chamfered.” – The secret stories behind the cooking of the collaboration menu are revealed!

——You have quite a quirky menu, with things such as the “GHOST HOTEL’S CAFÉ Afternoon Tea”, which comes with a written invitation to the Ghost Hotel; Hanako-kun’s favorite food, the “Hanako-kun Floaty Doughnuts”; the shinny “Mokke’s Delightful Candy Cake”, which is modeled after candies, Mokke’s stable food.

Andou: “Mokke’s Delightful Candy Cake” is quite a painstaking piece of work...! Of course, it is delicious, but I think being able to have fun taking pictures of cute food is a point that everyone looks forward to in a collaboration café, so we prepared a menu that everybody would be able to enjoy from their eyes too. When we were planning it out, we had about thirty suggestions for the menu in total, and from there, the team narrowed them down through discussions until the menu took the form it has now.

Nakayama: When it comes to Mokke, I think the image that comes to mind is of candies, do after a bit of devising, I came up with a cake that looks like candy. I am happy that, thankfully, the fans also had positive reactions to it!

——The “Edible Plots of Nene from the Gardening Club” shows quite a bit of uniqueness. Having a dessert inside a vase had a lot of impact.

Ookubo: The “Edible Plots of Nene from the Gardening Club” consists of muffins in flower vases, and the sight of the vases lined up in rows in the kitchen is quite surreal (laughs).

Shiratsuchi: We crushed chocolate muffins for them to look like earth and made them dirt-like. As a cook, I am also conflicted as to whether it tastes good to eat it like that, so while obsessing over the reproduction of its appearance, I break muffins into pieces every day, in order to combine them with a definite deliciousness.

——(Laughs) “Nene’s R•A•D•I•S•H Pot-au-Feu” is a warm and comforting dish, perfectly fitting for this time of the year.

Imanishi: This is actually the menu item that requires the most work out of the other collaboration foods.

Ookubo: The radish used in “Nene’s R•A•D•I•S•H Pot-au-Feu” is not a ready-made one that we warm up, and instead we cook the radish in the shop every day. On top of that, since the ingredients do not absorb the taste when cooked in the normal way, we chamfer (thinly scraping a vegetable so that it will take a round shape) the radishes one by one, so this is a menu item that takes up a lot of time. It costs 880¥, so when people ask, “Is this the quality of a collaboration café?”, I think it is in the good sense (laughs).

——My! The people who visit the shop should totally try this out, then.

Aizawa: We want them to! This desire is quite strong in us, but since it is a hassle to prepare that menu item, it would be a problem if too many people ordered it (laughs).

Shiratsuchi: While I was happy that everyone said, “It’s delicious~” during the sample food meeting, this item made me think, “I might’ve created something terrible (in a laborious sense)” (laughs).

All: (Laugh).

Ookubo: The cooking team really created the collaboration menu with a lot of passion. We make the crust for the “Clock-Keeper’s Tart ~with fruits~”, which is from the latter half of the menu, by hand every day in the shop. We fill it up with layers of berries, chocolate cream and wiped cream one after another... It gives us so much work that it could make people think, “Are you really serving this at a collaboration café?!”. I believe that even people who have only ever been to regular cafés and never to a collaboration one can also enjoy it.

Imanishi: The menu for the latter half of the collaboration has quirky and cute items, such as the “Mad-Risky Soup”, as in a “pretty dangerous” soup, and a limited number of the “Pipe Dream Cake”, so I think anyone can enjoy it, be it the people who visited during the first half or the people who are visiting for the first time during the latter half.

By the way, AidaIro-sensei’s top recommendation was “Kou’s Specialty Omelet Rice”! This rice omelet has caponata (boiling of fried eggplant) inside, so the flavor is unlike that of any other collaboration café. The fact that these secret gems exist is part of the wonderful levels of consideration from the cooks’ side.

——All the foods looked delicious, and every drink was wonderful too, so I was indecisive about which ones to order.

Ookubo: “Nene’s Welcome Cocktail” is also in the story that AidaIro-sensei posted on Twitter before the café’s opening. I recommend it as the first drink to the people who are visiting the collaboration café for the first time.

——By the way, are there any menu items that were rejected?

Nakayama: There was a legendary menu item named “Hanitarou Sandwich”, right?

Imanishi: There was! There is a character named Akane-kun who uses a haniwa as a protection charm, and I suggested a meal based on him – a “haniwa” coppe bread.

During the planning stages, I thought it was possible and tried reproducing it, but the cost turned out pretty high and its appearance was a haniwa through and through (laughs), so I wondered if anyone would order that... There was also the fact that Akane-kun is not much of a “haniwa stan”, so it became a legendary menu item (laughs).

Andou: I had suggested “Hanako-kun’s Doughnut” with the image of a school cap at first, but then the talk turned into, “Rather than a hat, I want it to have the appearance of a cute and tasty-looking doughnut”, so the cap version was rejected.

Ookubo: I also tried to produce a book-shaped cake, with the image of Tsuchigomori-sensei’s Four O’clock Library, but it seemed the price value would be too expensive, so it was unfortunately rejected.

——So there were menu items that were cast aside as “legendary” ones! This means you have created quite a number of items, but how do you come up with those ideas?

Nakayama: We were already collecting information from Instagram and Twitter and analyzing what the costumers were after. We deepened the conceptions from there to plan out the menu a lot.

Andou: Also, we think first-thing about what will be suitable for the costumers’ age range. In these occasions, rather than thinking about it as the menu of a collaboration café, we tried coming up with tasty-looking stuff as a regular food and drinks menu, and from that point, we created many things that drew close to the characters.

——It seems you were very conscious of the “showiness” of several menu items this time, so is “showiness” an indispensable element for your needs?

Andou: That’s right. Of course, the menu has to be delicious, but I think that, if it also turns out good for taking pictures, it will be posted on Instagram and Twitter, and become a cue for the fans to interact. The people who know the series will obviously do that, but I would be happy if this menu could become a trigger for even the people who don’t know it to talk about it, like, “That’s wonderful”, “What series is this?”.

Ookubo: We believe that the collaboration café’s menu is important for the original work’s side as well, so we take many requests, such as, “I want you to make this kind of dish” and, “I want to put this illustration card on it”, and the side that plans out the cooking does their best to give them form, so a wonderful menu is birthed every time, and as a result, it turns out as something that the fans can enjoy.

——It seems the people who will visit the store are quite young, so have you devised anything for the flavors?

Aizawa: We added a bit more variety to the taste of “Nene and Mokke’s Broccoli Gratin XD” during the planning stages, but we reviewed it in order to make it match the palate of young people better.

Ookubo: The “Mokke Curry”, which appears in the latter half of the event, was a green curry at first, but we changed it into a normal curry so that it would match the young ones’ tastes.

——On the topic of creating menu items that suit the customers’ age group, were there any difficulties or things you obsessed over?

Aizawa: The biggest hardship in making the menu of a collaboration café is the items’ appearance. Even if we deepen their image, we often worry about how to bring out their colors.

We repeatedly have conflicts such as, “I have to use this ingredient for bringing out this color, but this ingredient doesn’t fit this menu. Then how do I reproduce this coloration?” so it’s a relief when we eat the finished products and calm down with a, “It’s surprisingly good now that I’ve given it a try!” (laugh). Also, when we are feeling confident, the ideas soon flash into mind, but when we are in a slump, we get distressed.

Shiratsuchi: There was also a difference of views between the cooks’ side and the original creators’ side, so there were times when we thought, “We’ve made something really good!”, the original creators would say, “This won’t do!” (laughs). In regards to the menu, it is purely an insight race, so it made us happy when good flashes of inspiration took form and received approval.

——Anything from this menu that gave you an especially hard time?

Aizawa: As expected, that would be “Nene’s R•A•D•I•S•H Pot-au-Feu”, which we talked about earlier (laughs).

——Lastly, please leave a message for the readers.

Imanishi: New menu items will be added in the latter half, so I believe it has turned out as a café that people can enjoy no matter how many times they come. We want them to eat, drink and have fun. Also, the coasters that they can earn by ordering foods and drinks have wonderful designs, so I hope people will take them as a memory, by all means. I think you will definitely enjoy it, so please come over!

Aizawa: There are many attractive menu items, so do not forget your cameras!

——Thank you very much!

[galactic-pirates]

I don't know if I've sent you an ask for this meme (the fun meta asks for writers), so here we go: 2, 3 and 4 please! (copied for your convenience:)

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

No I haven't had any asks from this meme just yet. Only just reblogged it. Very pleased to get this! Always fun to answer! So thank you very much :)

2)Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project Hmm I suppose I like the big scenes, where there's some kind of revelation, the best. There's a lot of set-up sometimes to get there but then the pay-off when it all comes together can be great. I'm writing one of those scenes at the moment. James (Watson, from Sanctuary) is about to go off about the Warehouse's more dubious decisions especially re: HG and I feel bizarrely vindicated somehow (over empathising with the characters perhaps lol). But just yes, somebody needs to tell them.

I have other such scenes later in the fic, like when HG and Myka finally talk, I have pages and pages of notes about their feelings and it's going to be a real challenge to work it in naturally. Sometimes I think I should just make a meta post instead haha. The same really with Artie and MacPherson exploring more about why the Phoenix showed them different things and what that means re: why MacPherson made all the choices he did. I have so much thoughts about this, so many.

This fic also has such cool visuals. For a while when it was untitled I was calling it the Italy + Egypt Adventure, and I had such strong images in my head of the sand, of the sun, of the ocean spray, of the dusty old scrolls, and of the hidden caves and tombs. So I'm looking forward to writing it but at the same time I feel like I can't do it justice, like what's in my head is not going to translate well to the page :/

3) What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can���t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? I have to be honest I don't really have one. I have plot bunnies, and sure there are scenes in those that I really want to write (sometimes the scene that inspired the idea) but it's the second half of the question - the "can't be arsed to write the set-up" because no, I have written tens of thousands of words in the past just to have the pay-off for that one scene, and I'll write tens of thousands more to bring other scenes to life. I can always be bothered. Whether I ever get round to it (due to plot bunnies multiplying exponentially) is another story, but it's never because I can't be arsed.

4) Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like) You know what I'm going to share the sentence I just wrote because I'm cackling I love it so much.

“You remember, Nikola,” James began with feigned casualness. “HG spent time as a denizen of the bronze sector, that bastion of inhumanity the Warehouse dares to call mercy.”

It has everything. It's like I'm going to pretend to be polite but nope there's a big old dagger of spite in those words. The kind of in-draw, suck in breath through your teeth because did he really just say that? Yes he did and the gauntlet is thrown down.

Unfortunately it's like how do I follow a sentence like that? Claudia is wide-eyed and keeps looking at Artie, Pete is surprised and also waiting for Artie's reaction as like a cue for what to do/say. Myka though, oh Myka agrees, she feels vindicated actually that someone else has finally said it. Oh man I have such thoughts about Myka. I think I might need to switch to her POV soon, perhaps that'll help me move this scene along? I wrote a oneshot about Myka leaving the warehouse during my fanfic dry season and I have so many notes about her coming back and her motives and feelings. It's going to be a challenge to basically not just info dump my meta haha, but I will try.

[rolandopujol]

Yo quiero an old-school Taco Bell renaissance, but it seems the beloved chain is going in another direction. The first few images in this post come from one of the finest surviving classic-style Taco Bells in the country. It’s in Goleta, California, and it’s one of two that I shot in the area back in May. (Scroll back for a look!) Like the other one, in Santa Barbara, it features its mission-style building, and even the bell tower! The other location features an actual bell in that notch. This one has a metal silhouette of a bell. The contrast between the 1960s design scheme and the 2021 purple elements is caliente, if you ask me. I’m glad these two locations are fairly intact. What inspired me to post this classic location was a new design concept that Taco Bell announced. Called Taco Bell Defy, the new structure features a sleek, rectangular building with an elevated, 3,000-square-foot kitchen, and four drive-thru lanes below. I’ve included an image. Three of the lanes are reserved for mobile or delivery order pickups. You scan a QR code and pick up your food. No fuss. No muss. No people. A fourth lane is reserved for regular drive-thru customers. The food is delivered by a “gravity-defying” “proprietary lift system.” The first of these Defy stores will be built in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and is to open next year. Reactions among those less impressed by architectural innovation focused on asking Taco Bell to bring back Mexican Pizza. That thing was popular! Anyway, I think Defy is interesting, and in tune with the somewhat Dystopian world we increasingly inhabit, in which being contactless is next to godliness. My only request for Taco Bell would be to embrace the chain’s heritage, and take some design and marketing cues from the past, from which much of that goodwill springs. Burger King and Pizza Hut are doing it. Why not Taco Bell? McDonald’s appears to be a lost cause, at least for now. (But if you want to see some great old McDonald’s, Santa Barbara is also a good stop for you. More about that later this week.) Anyway, I’m curious for your thoughts on Taco Bell Defy, and on the idea of Taco Bell embracing, say, a retro concept store? #retrologist
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSng5i0LYMD/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ilikeoneshots]

Misunderstanding- Bakugou Katsuki

Mentions body image issues

I’m not a skinny girl. Never have been. So I can’t believe I let the girls talk me into going to the beach. Normally I would wear shorts and a t-shirt to swim in but Mina just wouldn’t let me be! So here I am in the dressing room. Wearing high waisted bottoms and a bikini top that felt more like a bra. I’ve never wore this little in front of anyone and I’m freaking out.

I remember a moment last year when Jiro heard Mineta trying to peep at the girls through a weird hole in the wall. He mentioned everyone except her and she was a little let down at the time. Honestly, I’d rather have had him say nothing about me than what I heard him say... I know I shouldn’t feel bad about what Mineta, of all people, said but actually hearing someone say he might be scarred by seeing what I looked like hurt worse than just imagining someone thinking it.

I shake the thought from my head when I hear Mina and Momo call for me. I guess I’ve been in here for a while... I take a deep breath before walking out of the stall.

“Hot damn, (Y/N)! You look so hot!” Mina screeches at me in excitement. Momo nods alongside her. My face is hot from my blushing.

“You sure I can’t put on a shirt? I just feel exposed,” I mumble as I look at my reflection. It feels like I can see rolls everywhere. The stretch marks on my thighs and my arms are glaring at me.

“You look beautiful, (Y/N),” Momo smiles at me.

“Let’s go meet up with the other girls!” Mina grabs my hand and drags me behind her. I keep one arm circled around my waist. Trying to hide the pudge of my belly. The sooner I’m in the water the sooner I can hide from stares.

“That’s such a cute swimsuit, (Y/N)-Chan!” Ochako exclaims. Which cause the others to look toward me.

Dammit, Ochako. I love you, but really??

It doesn’t take long for the conversation to shift from my new swimsuit to our activities for the day and thank God for that. I tried to distract myself from feeling like people are judging me and focus on the girls talking around me but as soon as I see the boys walking up another wave of anxiety hits me.

Unfortunately for me, I have a crush on someone most consider rude and mean. I don’t want him to think I’m disgusting! I mean, he’s built like a damn model and I’m...

“Let’s hit the water!” Kaminari cheers before he and Sero race to the water. Soon everyone follows behind them, leaving me behind in the process. There goes my human shields...

I didn’t even realize I wasn’t alone until I heard a grunt and felt a jacket fall around my shoulders. I look over and see Bakugou with his signature scowl. He doesn’t pay me another glance before he makes his way to the water.

Oh.. I guess he couldn’t stand to look at me.. I mean, I expected this but shit if it doesn’t suck.

I sit on one of the towels I brought and watch everyone play in the water. I really just want to go home now. Any want to be in the water left as soon as Bakugou made it clear I was gross to look at.

~3rd POV~

Bakugou did not want to come to the beach but Kirishima wouldn’t leave him alone. Complaining about spending time with their classmates and shit. Bakugou didn’t give a rat’s ass about being around those shitty extras, but then he heard Mina say she convinced (Y/N) to come alone and he found himself agreeing.

He didn’t know why, but the girl made an impression on the blonde boy. She was strong and highly skilled with her quirk. She had this personality that made people flock to her. Somehow her magnetic personality worked on him too.

He had been standing around with the other boys from class, waiting for the girls to finish changing, when he saw her walk out with Mina. He couldn’t stop himself from staring. The way her hips curved out and her thighs... fuck.

He couldn’t help but be hyper aware of her. Somehow he came to know her micro expressions and mannerisms by heart. So when he saw her attempting to hide amongst the others and cover herself the best she could he found himself trying to find a way to help her from being uncomfortable. The only idea he thought of was putting his jacket around her to help her not be uncomfortable.

He fought against his creeping blush the entire time and went to the water to keep himself from ogling her any longer. He didn’t want to be a creep but it was hard not to stare at those thick thighs.

Kirishima looked around for a moment, looking for his friend and couldn’t see her anywhere in the water. He soon found her sitting on the beach with Bakugou’s jacket around her. Kiri, being Kiri, made his way out of the water to check on her.

“Hey, (Y/N), why won’t you come swim?” He asks as he sat beside her. He saw her sad face, maybe only for a second but he still saw it.

“I just... don’t want to right now. Go ahead and have fun!” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“It’ll only be fun if you come with,” he sighed and leaned back on his elbows, “What’s with the jacket? Trying to keep from getting burned?”

“In a sense...” she mumbled. She saw his questionable look and continued, “Bakugou dropped it around me. I guess I do need to cover up some,” the last statement whispered but Kirishima heard it.

“What are you talking about? The other girls are wearing a lot less,” he was confused.

“No, I mean... I don’t know. The other girls are more... fit. Than I am. I’m just...” she motioned to herself.

“I still don’t get it,” she groaned. She didn’t want to outright call herself fat or ugly but she didn’t want to continue this whole beating around the bush tangent.

“I’m big. I know that. I’ve never been little. I don’t like wearing stuff that shows off certain parts of me. Mina pushed me to wear this when normally I’d wear a shirt or shorts over my swim clothes,” she looked at Kiri to gauge his reaction. He just gave her a ‘continue’ expression, “I hate feeling like people think I look gross or something... so when Bakugou put his jacket around me I took that as...” she didn’t want to continue. The thought of her crush thinking she looked gross hurt.

“I don’t think it was the way you took it,” Kiri sighed. Being a girl is hard, thin or not. He came to learn this since living closely with his female classmates.

“What do you mean?” (Y/N) asked.

“Well, when you guys came out it was pretty obvious you felt uncomfortable so I think he was trying to be nice in his own way,” he smiled, “In my opinion I think you look great and anyone who thinks otherwise is just completely unmanly!” He stood up from his spot beside (Y/N), “So come swim with us!”

Across the beach, Bakugou watched as the two talked. He had this weird feeling in his chest. Like he wanted to punch Kirishima in the face. Not like his normal empty aggression but like he really wanted to hit him. He watched as (Y/N)’s expression went from kind of sad to her usual bright smile. The feeling in his chest became tighter.

“Yo Bakubro, why do you look like you want to murder someone?” Kaminari asked from his spot in the inner tube.

“Fuck off, dunce face,” Bakugou growled before moving away from the other blonde.

As Kirishima made his way back to his angry friend in the water, (Y/N) fought with herself internally before finding herself stripping from the jacket and making her own way into the water.

“Finally!” Mina cheered beside Tsu.

“Sorry I took a while,” (Y/N) smiled at her friends.

“What was that about, Shitty Hair?” Bakugou huffed.

“Just a misunderstanding. It’s all sorted now though,” Kirishima grinned. He saw how Bakugou’s glare only deepened before sighing, “She took your manly gesture wrong.”

“What manly gesture? Speak fucking normal!”

“She thought...”he glanced over to (Y/N) who now seemed more comfortable than before, “She took you giving her your jacket as a way of saying ‘cover up’ instead of trying to help her. I think I straightened it out though,” he sighed and began to float in the water.

Bakugou looked over to (Y/N), seeing her finally loosening up instead of trying to hide herself away like earlier. He was so confused about why she thought he wanted her to cover up. If anything he wanted to see more of her. He pushed the thought out of his head and decided to try to enjoy to cool water.

~~

“Man, I’m beat!” (Y/N) sighed loudly as she flopped onto the couch. The other girls followed suit.

“Heard,” Jiro groaned.

“It was a lot of fun though!” Toru chimed.

“Yeah, I’m glad I made you wear that swimsuit (Y/N)! You looked hot compared to the t-shirt and shorts you try to get away with,” Mina said before getting up to go shower.

“Yeah, I got to admit it was a lot more fun swimming without the extra fabric weighing me down,” (Y/N) laughed a little. After the initial anxiety, the day actually ended up being a lot of fun. For a little while longer the girls chatted before each going off to their rooms. Eventually it was just (Y/N) by herself. All the boys already went to bed, at least she thought they did. The sound of the elevator opening made her look up.

“Oh, hey Bakugou,” she smiled a little. He nodded at her before continuing to the kitchen, “Um, thanks for earlier.” She moved from the couch to the bar in the kitchen, “The jacket, I mean.” Bakugou didn’t say anything for a while so (Y/N) took this as her cue to leave. She was almost out of the living room when she heard him say something.

“I wasn’t trying to make you feel shitty,” it was different from his normal abrasive tone. (Y/N) turned and saw him standing, looking down at the counter where two cups of tea sat. She made her way back over and sat back at the bar. He pushed the cup towards her, “I just.. I saw how you kept trying to hide and I didn’t like how some of those perverts kept looking at you... I didn’t mean for you to get more self conscious.”

“Thanks, I’m sorry I took the gesture the wrong way initially. I’m just used to feeling like that, I guess,” she laughed but it wasn’t a happy laugh. It was a more of a self deprecating laugh.

“I don’t understand that shit,” she looked up at him in surprise, “I don’t know why you’re self conscious!” To an outsider it would seem like he’s mad, but to (Y/N) who has paid close attention to him for the past year and a half knew he really just didn’t understand. They were both quiet for a moment.

“Growing up, I was picked on about my size. I’ve never been a thin girl and with society these days... it’s hard to not have self image issues. For boys and girls. I try to love myself the way I am and just do my best, but when the media and even some peers keep shoving the unrealistic standards in my face day in and out.. it’s hard not to let those dark and hateful thoughts creep in,” she sighs and rubs a hand over her face.

“That’s fucked up.”

(Y/N) let out a bark of a laugh, “Yeah, it is. But, I’m gonna keep trying to get past these anxieties. I mean, I’m working towards being a hero right? I need to grow some thicker skin eventually,” she looked up at the boy across from her. His blonde hair shaggier than normal, from the day spent swimming. His eyes held something different than usual. They’re less sharp than normal.

“(Y/N), I... argh! Fuck it, good night!” He started to leave down the hallway but he felt her grab his hand. He looked back and she was facing the floor as she clutched his hand in hers.

“Bakugou, I need to tell you something...” he stayed silent to give her a chance to continue, “Earlier, back to the jacket thing. It wasn’t just me being self conscious and thinking I needed to cover up. I... I thought it was because you thought I was disgusting and that’s what sucked the most. I know people are gonna talk shit about my size. They have all my life, but the thought that you... you of all the possible people could find me gross hurt the most,” she finally looked up to meet his gaze, “I just.. I’ve liked you for a really long time. So, I’m happy that your reason earlier was not what I thought it was.”

Before Bakugou knew what he was doing, he found himself kissing his classmate. His crush. He was about to pull away when his brain caught up with his body, but then he felt (Y/N) kiss him back and pull him closer by his t-shirt. His hands moved to cup her cheeks and pulled away slightly.

“I’ve liked you for a while now. When I saw you walk out today, you just looked so damn hot. Like I said earlier, I didn’t want any of those pervs looking at you the way I was seeing you. I know that’s probably selfish but dammit... you’re just so fucking beautiful,” he kissed her again. He felt her smile against his lips which caused him to smile as well.

“Today really was a good day in the end,” she sighed. He hugged her close to him, loving the way her body felt against his.

“Damn right it was, but I gotta ask you something now,” he pulled away from (Y/N) and looked into her eyes with a serious expression now on his face.

“If I didn’t know you, Bakugou that look would be scary as hell,” she laughed which caused him to chuckle a little, “So what’s your question?”

“Wanna go on a date tomorrow?”

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

Sunflower - Harry Styles AU Series (Volume 7)

The year is 1977 and it’s officially summertime. Y/N is spending it with her family at the Malibu Breeze Hotel, where she meets, aspiring musician, Harry Styles. The two clash in the beginning, but soon realize they may just need each other in the end. Find out just how life changing one summer can be in Sunflower, a Harry Styles AU.

  Here is part 6 of Sunflower. Hope you enjoy it!

Vol. 1 Vol. 2   Vol. 3  Vol. 4 Vol. 5 Vol. 6 

The feeling of Harry’s lips pressed against mine still lingered well after our kiss. His scent was still ingrained into my memory. I could still feel the cool sand between my toes as I leaned up to deepen the kiss. Despite the kiss staying with me, it didn’t last nearly long enough when it actually happened. Harry had pulled away after what seemed like only a few seconds, but was probably more like a few minutes.

And then he walked away.

I opened my mouth to call out for him, but nothing came out. My body was still in shock from him kissing me, but also leaving in the way that he did. He probably kissed me out of pity, or decided I wasn’t a good kisser. It’s not like I had a ton of experience in that department, but it wasn’t exactly my first kiss either.

After he left, I sat down in the sand, waiting like a fool hoping it would come back, but he never did.

I had yet to see Harry since that night, alone at least. I’ve seen him from afar around the hotel and then at rehearsals. But neither one of us had brought up the kiss or him acting the way he did about William. Ugh, William. Anytime I heard his name, my instant reaction was an eye roll.

My parents still insisted on me spending time with him, but luckily over the last few days I was able to get myself out of it. Not sure how much longer I’ll be able to swing that, but I’ll take as long as I can.

Anyway, back to Harry, I had no clue what the kiss meant for him. But for me, I knew there was something. Something I had never felt before. I considered talking about it with Marianne, but I wasn’t sure what her reaction would be especially since it was with Harry. I had a feeling she wouldn’t believe me. She knew who Harry was, what image he produced, and what type of girls he normally surrounded himself with.

I fit in none of those categories. But I couldn’t focus on any of that right now because I had to get ready for my first gig with Harry and his band. It would be my first time really performing on a stage that wasn’t a talent show, an Open Mic Night, or singing with Harry a few weeks ago. My hands shook as I applied a little bit of a eyeshadow and mascara to my eyes. If I could barely do this without poking my eyeball, how the hell was I supposed to play my guitar.

Even though I knew I deserved to be up on that stage with Harry, I couldn’t help but second guess myself. What if I made a fool of myself or ruined Harry’s reputation? That was one of the main reasons I was nervous, my performance didn’t just affect me, but Harry and the band. It affected them more than me to be honest.

When I arrived at the venue, it was empty except for a few workers. I searched around looking for Harry, Jasper, or anyone in the band, but they hadn’t arrived yet apparently. This happened a lot, whenever I was nervous I would get to where I was going super early because I couldn’t wait around anymore.

“You with the band?” A husky voice asked from behind me.

I turned around seeing an older male with a creepy mustache staring at me.

“Uh, yeah, I’m a bit early… I think,” I answered.

“Yeah, you are,” he said. “We don’t open up for another hour, but you go on right ahead and get what you need ready. Just don’t get in my way. I’m running a business here.”

“Got it,” I nodded before quickly making a departure and heading towards the stage.

It was larger than the previous stage I shared with Harry, longer mostly. A keyboard and drum set were already set up for us. I took my guitar out of its case and worked on tuning it. It was mostly in tune, but traveling with it can cause it to get a little out of whack. I couldn’t risk sounding out of tune tonight.

Since I only had time to kill, I started strumming around on the guitar, and warming up my voice. Everyone in the building went about their business, so I didn’t care that I was singing up here by myself. I had completely lost myself in the song, closing my eyes and letting the music take me away. Because of that, I didn’t realize Harry was there until I opened my eyes to see him standing there in front of the stage standing alone.

Neither one of us said anything at first, until he cleared his throat.

“Um, I uh… I just thought I would uh.. Warm up… since I was here,” I stumbled.

He nodded before getting up onto the stage and preparing his own guitar. I bit my lip as I contemplated on bringing up the kiss, but before I could the rest of the band walked their way in. Of course, this was probably better because talking about the kiss before our performance probably wasn’t the best idea anyway.

Especially if Harry told me it didn’t mean anything. That would be humiliating, embarrassing, and heartbreaking all in one. There would be no way to face singing with him for the next few hours.

“Y/N!” Sarah smiled. “I love your threads.”

“Uh, thanks,” I smiled, tearing my gaze away from Harry. “I like your shirt.”

“Oh, this? I stole it from Harry,” she winked.

Figures. I sighed to myself.

“So, Y/N, are you ready for your first gig?” Jasper asked leaning against the stool.

“I’m a little nervous,” I admitted,” but ready.”

“You’re going to do great, just bring that same energy from your last performance with us and you’re golden,” Jasper smirked.

“No pressure,” I joked.

“You’ll do fine,” Mitch smiled.

At that point, I had noticed Harry had been the only one who had yet to say anything to me. Normally, that wouldn’t surprise me, but knowing what happened the other night, it confused me even more.

By the time it was time for our performance, the venue was crowded. People filled every inch of the building and their cheers and chants were deafening. Nerves filled my stomach and my hands started shaking again as I adjusted my microphone. I put on my guitar, looking out at the crowd once more.

I vaguely recognized a few of them from working at the hotel. It figured they would come here in support of Harry and the band. But I didn’t realize how many other people would come to see us. Pretty sure there were more people tonight than at the previous show. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, as Harry’s voice took over.

And then it was my cue.

Throughout the show, my nerves subsided, as they usually did. Once they were completely gone, I finally was able to enjoy the show and feed off the crowds' reactions. Many were belting out the lyrics as they sang along, while the others were dancing along to the beat of the music. Harry shined on stage, once again, and it was so easy to see why people loved him and why he loved performing.

As we approached the final song, I was unaware of what happened next.

“This next song is something we did at our last show and everyone seemed to like it, so I thought let’s do it again,” Harry said before looking over at me. “This is Landslide.”

After our performance, the crowd once again was speechless, but still cheering for us. I glanced over at Harry, who wouldn’t even look my way. I hid my annoyance at that, but knew I wouldn’t be hiding it for long. How dare he ignore me and then randomly decide on performing together and then go back to ignoring me.

I was tired of being treated like this and as soon as we were off this stage, I would confront him about it. I didn’t care if the others were around because they would eventually find out.

Harry introduced us and we took our bows, we headed backstage. We weren’t the only performers of the night, so all we needed to worry about were our things. My guitar was packed away and headed straight over towards Harry, knowing the longer I waited the chances of me talking myself out of this would be higher.

But I stopped, seeing Harry talking to a guy in a nice suit. Harry looked happy, his smile widening, but I could tell he was trying to remain calm. My eyebrows furrowed as I watched the interaction as the gentleman handed him a business card before leaving. Harry gave him a small wave as he looked down at the card in his hand.

Even though it halted my plans a bit, I was glad for this small interaction because now I could approach Harry abou who the guy was and then go into what was going on with us. However, just as I got closer, I heard an annoying screech of Harry’s name before seeing a tall blonde woman running up to him, throwing her arms around his neck and planting her lips right against his.

[sinagrace]

Iceman’s been back on my mind lately. It started with the internet rumor that Shia Labeouf was being considered to play the role of Bobby Drake in a Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the X-Men. My DMs and @Mentions on social media were a mixture of intense reaction and then asking my take on who would make a great Bobby Drake (for the record: in my head I always saw him as a younger Antoni Porowski with a theater background, ‘cuz playing the funny guy with a vulnerable streak requires serious acting shops). My mind went back to the time of BC, when I was doing a lot of touring, and answering this very question because of my work on the Iceman book at Marvel. One thing led to another, and I decided to take a trip further down memory lane to look at my favorite volume of the series: Amazing Friends. Now, I know I’ve spent equal amounts of time publicly stating what a gift working on Iceman was, while also calling out the challenges that came with the experience, but the third volume really was a pure blessing. I was able to take every valuable lesson I learned as a writer, and apply it to telling a story that would be interesting to one person: Me. I’ve been a lifelong X-Men fan, I live and breathe comics, so my own expectations for a return to the series seemed like the only ones to really worry about meeting/ surpassing. The first two volumes had been so bogged down by rotating editors, complex continuity, company-wide events, multiple artists… The third volume was my chance to focus on what an Iceman series was outside of so much context. All that mattered was challenging myself to do an X-Men story that focused on the aspects of the franchise I felt were valuable and relevant, meaning: excuses to have Emma Frost be an asshole and finding an opportunity to make fun of Kitty Pryde’s haircut. Before moving on from Marvel, Axel Alonso made time to call me for a pep talk about the series. I wanted to get the series extended, and he wanted to help me succeed with the ten issues he could commit to. First, he offered an eleventh issue to give me more time on the stands. He took a look at everything I had planned, and basically told me to restructure with an eye for ramping up the pace. My writing background comes from prose and essays/ think pieces… both of which are methodical and provide some allowance from the reader to really take your time and set up the world before diving into the meat. That’s not the case with comics. You gotta work fast. Especially in today’s market, there is less and less room for a retailer to say, “give it two volumes, because shit starts really coming together by the third trade.” That was literally my speech for hooking people on such iconic series as Invincible, Fables, and Strangers in Paradise. Nowadays, every single issue is not a brick to be laid down as foundation so much as a bullet in your gun. Conflicting imagery, but that’s the point. Axel told me to think about the Big Moments in my life and sort out how to inject the mutant metaphor into it and make the most compelling comic book story I could. This was epic advice that I took with me into the new arc, but I struggled a bit with what could be bigger than the “coming out” storyline in volume one. Love was off the table because I wanted to keep Bobby single and ready to mingle. Death was off the table too, because my editor felt like we’d done enough with Bobby’s parents in the first two volumes. Upon looking at my own life, and considering the stuff me and my friends were dealing with, I landed on something a bit more reflective than LIFE or DEATH. I wanted to focus on that moment when a gay guy looks outside of himself and realizes the folks around him may not have it so easy. After everything we’ve been dealing with this summer, Iceman’s “big issue” of the arc feels oddly prescient. Bobby Drake had to reconcile his accidental complicit role in keeping the Morlocks down, and he has to investigate new approaches to being a better ally to those who don’t want to or can’t live under the protection of the X-Men. I used the Morlocks to allegorically speak to the issues that the trans/ NB community face today. Considering that trans folks are facing higher rates of homelessness and murder than other members of the LGBTQIA+ community, all I needed to do was find a perfect villain to treat the Morlocks as “lesser-than.” Cue Mister Sinister, who I wrote as particularly Darwinist with a major flair for interactive theater. While Amazing Friends definitely is the most fun I’ve had working on the book, it was also full of the heaviest shit I’ve written about. I’m so grateful that my editor let me use Emma Frost for a story about the trauma of gay conversion therapy with her brother Christian, but I’m still annoyed he wouldn’t let me put her in a sickening Givenchy outfit for her reveal. Similarly, creating the Madin character required that I chat with several mental healthcare professionals and members of the NB community to respectfully portray them as a resilient and fleshed out hero. I included personal lessons that I learned from years of the therapy (the sandcastle / sea image, a Jay Edidin fave moment). My editor and I weren’t always aligned, but we definitely were on each other’s side. He understood what I was trying to do and asked questions when something flew over his head, and he even had the good instincts to stop me from going too heavy handed with the ending. My original idea for the arc’s finale was to have Bobby become permanently scarred in his fight with Sinister, where he’d have a cool ice gash running across his face or something, a la Squall from Final Fantasy 8. The goal was to show Iceman stripping himself of his ability to pass as non-mutant to save the Morlocks, but the Mutant Pride fight scene being a stand-in for the Stonewall Riots kind of already made enough of a statement. Plus, no one in editorial wanted to deal with remembering to track his scar in other books. At first I tried to balk at his point of view, but when I looked over my original notes for the series, the point was to focus on optimism and hope. Giving Bobby a permanent scar and emphasizing the notion of sacrifice was too bleak a message for a series wherein the hero carbo-loads hoagies while riding an ice scooter and mutant drag queens emcee local festivals. Of course, the crowning achievement of the series… my mutant drag queen :) I’ve witnessed a lot when it comes to the world of pop culture and myth-making, and I 100% believe that you can’t plan the success of something. I’ve seen bands forced into breaking up because labels spend six figures failing at making listeners connect with an album. I witnessed firsthand how The Walking Dead was built from relatively humble beginnings as a buzzy cable drama into a literal international phenomenon over the course of its first three seasons. Everyone hopes for the best, but you never know how something will land with audiences. When the Shade character took off, I was truly astounded. Things I posted on Instagram while half-asleep became official quotes on major news sites. Queens and cosplayers were interpreting her like Margot Robbie had unveiled a new Harley Quinn lewk. The impact was so legit and immediate that we had to jump in and give Shade a proper Marvel hero alias, to truly welcome her into the X-Men canon. Hence the name change to Darkveil. (Funny story: I tried to fight hard for Madame X as an alias, but CB didn’t want another Agent X / “X-Name” character. Three months later, Madonna announced the Madame X album. Phew!) There was a time where I felt uncertain that the folks in charge at Marvel would bring Darkveil into any stories outside of the ones I wrote. My understanding was that Hickman was like the Cylons and had A Plan-- one that didn’t include her character. I made peace with my contribution to the Marvel Universe being contained, but then someone on social media pointed out that Darkveil showed up in an issue of Marvel Voices. After breaking down and reading Hickman’s House of X, I saw that his Plan was one of endless possibilities, and that he was moving EVERY character into new and dynamic places. I have hope now that he sees the possibilities with Darkveil, and takes advantage of her and all of her many body pouches. Amazing Friends really is my favorite thing I’ve done for the Big Two. I made a lifelong friend out of artist Nate Stockman (DC, please hire us for a Plasticman book), and I got to run a victory lap with the most encouraging and supportive readers out there. It was worth every dreadful conversation, every shitty thing a person said to me online, and all of the fun nonsense that goes into being creative for a living. Being stuck at home in quarantine has given me a lot of time to reflect on the gift that my career to date has been, and I feel so grateful to be where I am today. Other people may groan when they have to talk about something they’ve moved on from, but not me. I made people happier, I got to work with my favorite characters at Marvel, and and I'll say it again: it’s a frickin’ gift to make people move from your work. So, I will engage every tweet or message asking me my thoughts about who should play Bobby Drake in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… I’ll just never have a good answer.

[josy72]

Rich Juzwiak

12/06/19

Filed to:PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Image: Neon

It’s almost shocking to see Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel in a modern setting and contemporary fashion. They disappear so much into the characters they play in Portrait of a Lady on Fire and the world they inhabit—a brief but idyllic love affair in 18th century France—that reality is jarring in contrast. (It’s kind of like when you started seeing Downton Abbey’s actors in other roles.) This is not to erase their past acting accomplishments, just to note how indelible their work in Céline Sciamma’s polemic romance is.

A follow-up to our interview with the film’s writer-director, Jezebel talked to its stars, both French, about finding their characters’ love on screen. We met in person in late September while they were in town to present their movie at the New York Film Festival. Merlant was, like her painter character Marianne, somewhat reserved, while Haenel, who plays Héloïse, the unbeknown subject of Marianne, was intense. “Sex scenes are violent for actresses, and this time it was not,” Haenel told me. She explains why in the interview below, which is edited and condensed.

JEZEBEL: What do you make of the rapturous response this movie has received?

NOÉMIE HAENEL: We did the movie we wanted to do, first. We did it very sincerely and with a lot of imagination—everything that creates a piece of art.

ADÈLE MERLANT: We were so excited to do this because it’s a love story, but there are so many things in it that we wanted to share, that Céline wanted to share that I think are really important. To see that people connect with us, with the film, it’s so warm.

Haenel: It’s a new proposal of love that is usually not portrayed, a proposition with a lot of equality in it. It shows the sexiness of equality, the sexiness of consent. I think we need it. As artists, we have the responsibility to offer new stories for people to live. The major story about a successful life is about possession. It’s about having your wife, your dog, your house. I think it’s not enough. We need different stories. We need for people to think about their life in a different way, having other expectations. I think this is why the response to the movie is very strong: We offered a new possibility. Love, which is not only about the possession of somebody or sadness. You can create with somebody and love this person and the fact that it has an end doesn’t mean the feeling itself is dead. The journey of the feeling continues in you. You will become somebody more alive; you will have higher expectations in life.

It shows the sexiness of equality, the sexiness of consent.

Merlant: It’s another vision, another angle. The woman’s vision. We don’t have enough of that.

Is that one of the things you referred to as wanting to share with the world?

Merlant: This. I was happy to read [the script]. I love love stories.

Haenel: Me too.

Merlant: And how it was written, it took the time to build. We are in a society where we don’t take time. In movies, everything is frontal. Everything is here. You don’t use your imagination. I think that’s less erotic. I feel more intelligent when I watch this kind of movie, more part of it. There is this, that was, for me, new or not shown enough, and also this vision of women. It’s a movie where the women fill the frame and take their freedom in a world where there is restrictions everywhere. They find their way to love. They don’t talk about men because it’s a vision of a woman writing this movie. We see something that we’re not used to seeing in movies and that is us. Women. It’s another vision, but it’s a big vision because it’s more than half of society. Just this thing of, “Let the women express themselves,” and how are they when we let them do that. They live their desires.

Haenel: It’s very important to create new stories that people can identify themselves in because the common story I talked about—about success—is in a way naturalized in society, but most of the people feel uncomfortable with that because they just cannot fit in.

Adele, I assume you were aware that this was being written given your [past] relationship with Céline.

Haenel: Mmmhmm.

How much did you know? Was it at all collaborative at the conception phase?

Haenel: No.

So she presented you with the script one day and said…

Haenel: “Voilà.” It took her a long time to write it, I think three or four years. I was aware that she was planning on working with me again, but I didn’t really know what she had in mind. It’s okay because I trust her. She gave me the script, it took me three days to dare to read it. I was like, “I hope it’s going to be good,” because I had high expectations. I read it, and I… as you know, she won Best Script in Cannes, so it’s a great script. I was touched, I was moved, and I was excited. I said, “Okay, yeah, we are going to try to create something that has never been done before, in a very naked way and in a very sharp way.” I feel like we are a team, Céline and I. Noémie came later and she is totally part of the team. When she arrived on the movie, it was, “Okay, this is what it’s about. It’s not just about the relationship between Céline and I—it’s about sharing this. It’s about welcoming a new person that comes with new ideas.”

Is the chemistry you have on screen natural? Did you do anything to foster it?

Haenel: The chemistry comes from the fact that we didn’t really rehearse together. I was just there when Noémie went through the casting process, so I met her at that point and we played a bit. To me, it’s a great way to meet somebody, to do it while acting. I think the chemistry comes from the fact that we were listening to one another, just trying to really catch the reaction. It’s like the beginning of the wave, trying to understand where Noémie is. Before the emotion comes to the surface, I try to see where she is. I think this kind of game we had while acting, this is what creates intimacy. We don’t pretend we know each other but we are really meeting each other. We built the characters in an intricate way with the process of the movie.

It sounds like the process you went through is much like that which your characters went through, learning about each other slowly and intuitively via silent cues.

Merlant: It completely is. We hadn’t rehearsed before, and Adele and I were building a collaboration as Marianne and Héloïse. You know when you start to work and meet someone, first you look at the other, you don’t talk much, you hesitate, you’re confused sometimes? We were using the reality and putting it in the story. Adele is someone who is really intense in the sharing process. She likes to play; she likes to make jokes. Everything is written, even the looks. But how you feel the look, how you put life in the look, because you can look in someone in many different ways. But it’s her look, her gaze. I like to play, too, and I like to open the borders. Every time she was giving me a proposition, I was surprised, and so I reacted and she reacted to that. It was always like that: We were building it in the instant.

Haenel: It’s also about being light while playing, like a boxer. You just move in every direction, whatever your partner does. It’s like that to me, to meet on the set.

What made the love scenes easier is not the fact that there are no men. It’s the fact that there is an idea.

The cast was almost entirely women, from what I understand the crew was very female-heavy as well. Is there a practical advantage to that?

Haenel: Yes. It changes [things]. I’m used to being on set with a lot of men. It doesn’t mean I didn’t have great experiences working with some men, but for sure, at this point it is an experience that is very rare.

Merlant: There were men in the crew, but in the acting yes it was only girls. I don’t want to make a comparison, but there are a lot of movies with only men, and we don’t really notice it. It’s normal. It was interesting because we don’t act and live in life in the same way when we are only with girls, like when men are with men. It was interesting to show this. It was interesting to live this during the shooting. It’s something else. There is no domination of the body. Society builds something between men and women.

Did it make the love scenes easier in any way?

Haenel: No, what made the love scenes easier is not the fact that there are no men. It’s the fact that there is an idea. There’s a point of view on love. That makes it easier. When there is no point of view on what sex is, you are the one stolen. This time was different, we didn’t fake anything, we just had this idea of the armpit. Celine had it, and then it’s not about you not giving something you don’t want to give. It’s about you collaborating on an idea. For me, it could have been like the entire crew on the set and it would have been the same. It was just another thing. There’s nothing different in this scene. The only difference is normally, sex scenes are violent for actresses and this time it was not.

Merlant: Even if it’s between girls. This was made with a lot of respect and collaboration.

Haenel: And fun.

[pocketramblr]

Srry for the inconvenience, but how do you find titles to your books? I just started writing this personal story about how this kid continually resets the timeline in order to receive a ‘happy ending’, but I can’t figure out what to call it. Any suggestions?

Oh, it's no inconvenience. Titles are hard, so I feel you. I think I can sort the way I do it into three methods.

1- Song Title/Lyrics/Quotes. I use this method for stories that have a fairy tale vibe (Poor Unfortunate Souls and the other stories in the Kraken Tales series) or that are particularly dramatic like I Thought You Were Mine, and I pick the title lyric before I write much of anything. Recommend this method if a certain song is what helped you come up with the idea or get into the writing mood, but I don't recommend it if you plan on publishing or submitting this story to anyone else since copyright.

2- Repeated lines/Motif. With this method I tend to come up with titles during outlining or writing. With many stories there's a theme or a symbol that works it's way in, if you can find it then it works as a great title. For example, during outlining of "The Walls are Thin" I realized that the scenes I picked to write tended to have Fuyumi very passive because that's how she copes- she frames the abuse as around her instead of to her. Most sections had her listening to something in another room or hall, so thin walls were required for a practical plot reason. Once I picked that as a title, I made sure to work the sentence in a good number of times. The same thing happened halfway though writing Hatchet- I realized a hatchet was an easy thing to seperate the two povs when I started on the second one, and so I picked that for the title.

If you go with this method- which is my personal favorite- look at your story or outline. Is the time traveler kid in denial about how hard it how many times they have to try? Is there a limit of attempts they can make? Is there a focus on how the butterfly effect keeps thwarting them? Does the kid's perspective change dramatically from start to finish? Titles like "If at first you don't succeed" or maybe a specific butterfly species- one that's rare and tricky to identify- could work, or if there's a sentence or image that keeps coming up as you read over you work that you can use.

3- The "Good Enough" Method. If the first two methods don't work, and you're looking at a complete or nearly complete story and still no title... My advice is to lower your expectations. That sounds terrible, but searching for the "perfect" title might keep you from finding one that's still "pretty good" or "perfectly serviceable". Make a list of options and eliminate the ones you like the least, or go with something that's like 80 percent satisfying instead of 100. This is probably the method I use the most. "Onlookers" is a title I still don't love, but it functions and its a 'good enough' title for a fic that's primarily a reaction to a bigger story by two characters that aren't in it. "Marks of Light" was a 'good enough' title for a fantasy story with a light-based magic system, and while I didn't love it at first with time it's really grown on me, and I'd never change it now.

If suggestions help, then a list of ones you might want to consider are: "Time makes ancient good uncouth," "If at first you don't succeed," "Try try again," "One more time and other lies," "Unacceptable Un-losses," "To catch a butterfly," "In spite of everything, everyone, everytime," "Would that I," "Slotted spoons," "A lesson in temporal tactics," "Take 157, Action!" and "Back to cue." Those were just ones I picked up from your description, but if any of them fit you can totally use it, and if any don't I hope the other three methods help you come up with something else

[dreamywriting]

Shinso Hitoshi // 7 Minutes in Heaven

pairing: shinso x reader (aged up)

word count: 1700+

genre: it’s not smut but 

warnings: alcohol, swearing, slightly suggestive

a/n: yes, it’s a well-used scenario, but it’s still so good. especially for when i’m feeling indulgent like this. i was heavily inspired by some fanart i saw of trunks, so i’ll put i down below ‘cause it is hot. 

-

He really didn’t hold back, huh? 

The bottle was whirling at a rapid speed on the floor. Everyone was gathered in a circle, excitedly anticipating who the bottle would land on. The game had just started and so far only one pair had gone into the closet.

It was the first time the whole class had organized a house party, and the night had been fantastic so far. Mina was the self proclaimed DJ and naturally played a lot of songs that were great for dancing. The atmosphere was dense, hot and filled with excitement. Drinks were flowing and everybody had loosened up quite a bit, hence the mutual agreement to play Seven Minutes in Heaven.

It was a classic party game, and yet it was your first time playing it. You were more giddy than nervous because of the alcohol. You felt fizzy all over and your confidence had gotten a sudden boost. Something in the back of your mind told you it would come in handy, and well, you weren’t wrong.

The bottle was on it’s last reserves, turning in excruciating slow circles before the participants. You followed it with hazy eyes as it finally came to a stop, nose facing you. Oh god.

In a flash everybody’s heads turned to you. It was expected but your face suddenly felt a lot warmer. You did your best to keep your composure. On opposite sides of the circle, you watched Kaminari squeeze Shinso’s shoulders, slurring that he’s the man and you got this, you damn stud. Shinso brushed his enthusiastic classmate off like usual and stood up. He wore a pair of black jeans, a simple dark sweatshirt with the white collar of his t-shirt sticking out from underneath, and his hair was in its usual, messy get up. But you noticed various rings adorning his fingers, accentuating his beautiful hands. His outfit was modest but he looked absolutely delicious in it. And knowing him, he probably wasn’t even trying.

He looked at you expectantly and you took it as your cue to stand up as well. Some of you classmates let out drunken hollers whilst others whispered among themselves, rather indiscreetly at that.

You hadn’t intended it to be so obvious, but a lot of people knew about your crush on Shinso. Your stares had lingered just a tad too long and from there it only got worse. Soon enough people caught on and you begged them to be cool about it. To your surprise they had actually respected your wishes, but the way they were acting right now was far from casual. You just hoped Shinso was intoxicated enough to not notice it.

He took the lead and you followed him into the closet. As expected it was pretty dim and cramped, leaving you with only about half a meter between the two of you. Your pulse was starting to pick up and you cursed yourself for not bringing a drink with you. There was absolutely nothing to distract you from your crush. Nothing to distract him from you. His intense gaze made that very clear, as you could feel his eyes all over you. 

You actually hadn’t intereacted a lot with each other. He was so focused on training and getting stronger while you had your own shit to deal with, and also, the guy was pretty intimidating. So it just didn’t come about that often. Your train of thought was broken up by the stream of light coming through the open door, seeing Shinso’s hand on the knob opening it further. Was he leaving already?

“Calm down, I’m only getting us some drinks.” He said, upon seeing your offended expression.

Oh. You suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

This game was new to you and you honestly had no idea what to do. Of course, you understood the implications of what was expected to happen, but you were not counting on any of the sort with Shinso. Pining for him for so long without getting any signs back said more than you wanted to know. The possibility of you two ever having mutual feelings seemed so distant, even to your drunk and hopeful self.

The door opened once more and Shinso came back holding two cups. By now you’d taken a seat on the floor and Shinso followed suit, mimicking your crossed legs. The tight space made your knees touch as you sat in front of each other, but you tried not to think about it as you took a generous swig of the drink he gave you.

“What the fuck,” you spluttered, “How much alcohol did you put in this?”

“Enough to help you loosen up.” he snorted, finding your reaction amusing.

“You goddamn predator,” you joked, as you took another tentative sip. It wasn’t that bad. Maybe you could need some loosening up.

The atmosphere in the closet felt more pleasant than before. The alcohol was slowly making your initial embarrassment fade away, but Shinso made sure to ignite it once more. He put the cup on the floor and gripped the hem of his sweatshirt. Swiftly pulling it over his head he revealed the white t-shirt underneath, as well as a sliver of his toned stomach. A waft of his delicious cologne hit your senses and it made you slightly dizzy. God, he was so gorgeous. Your heart rate picked up again and you were sure he could see the blush on your face, even in the dim lighting. 

“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to,” he started, definitely noticing your change in demeanor.

“No, I- of course not-”

“But that doesn’t mean much, does it?” he continued. Now you were confused. What the hell was he on about? 

“Because I think you’d let me do a lot of stuff to you.”

Your insides were twisting and turning. Were you just really intoxicated or had he actually just said that? Did he know? His words penetrated right through your foggy mind and brought out your lust for him. You eyed him up. He looked so sexy in front of you; tight jeans outlining his strong thighs, abs and pecs poking through his shirt and thick rings wrapped around his fingers making them look more intimidating, like he could leave a mark or two on your hips.

He was right. 

He could do almost anything to you and he knew it. It turned him on knowing that you were so readily obedient for him, even without the use of his quirk. But you didn’t know that, of course. You were speechless, too busy hanging on to his words.

"Listen, you obviously like me," he said, grinning confidently, “-and I don’t blame you.”

This guy. Out of all the people you could’ve fallen for, it had to be this bratty, overconfident, smug, strong, intelligent, irresistible insomniac.

"I- I swear to god I will end your life right now."

Your poor threat made his smile widen even more, effectively urging your embarrassment. There was no way you could get out of this one. He had used this stupid game to finally get you to confess and it worked. You felt like a clown and the whole ass circus. You hadn’t known what to expect upon joining the circle, but definitely not this. And how many minutes had passed? Five, maybe?

His silence was killing you. Your proximity just made it worse. What else could you say? Everything was already on the table to the person who mattered the most. Ultimately, the ball was in his court. 

He noticed your faltered spirit and he actually felt a bit bad. Maybe this wasn’t the best way to go about it after all.

Of course, he had noticed your pining. Even Aizawa had. Whilst patiently waiting for you to confess, Shinso eventually realised that he had to make the first move if anything was going to happen between the two of you. And what better opportunity than now, convinced his drunken mind.

There wasn’t a lot of time left, but he couldn’t let it end like this. At this rate nothing was ever going to happen. 

You were still avoiding his eyes like the plague, so he gently brought a hand to your jaw and turned your head to face his. You looked into his purple irises, seeing certain colors and emotions in him for the first time. It was captivating. You watched him slightly angle his head and lean in closer to you. His fingers felt rough against your jaw but his entire demeanor breathed of softness. When he was impossibly close to your lips, he whispered a small can I? still asking for permission, even though he knew you could never deny him. You were in shock. Your whole body on fire. Nodding breathlessly, your lips accidentally brushed against his and that’s when he lost it.

When he closed the gap your eyes instinctively close shut. All your focus was directed toward the sensations of your crush against you; his smell, his taste, his touch. He was so eager to feel you. His hands moved down your legs to uncross them so he could slide in their place, while your mouths worked together in an eager kiss. It was wet and filled with need. It tasted like alcohol and first love.

Your sitting form was forced against the wall as he pushed onto you and you felt his hands slide up your thighs. One of them latched onto your waist and the other snaked up your arm, caressed your neck and eventually settled on your throat. The feeling of his cold rings against your beating pulse made you want to rub your legs together. The slight pressure he applied to your throat made you want to moan, so you did.

This invoked something in Shinso and he couldn’t help but mumble a you’re so fucking hot, against your swollen lips. Because you really were. He had imagined you in all kinds of positions, all of the sounds you would make, how you’d writhe underneath him, how well you’d take him. He had been good at keeping it to himself, but you drove him absolutely wild. There was no place he’d rather be than in this murky closet, absolutely devouring you.

“Yo guys, your seven minutes-” Sero opened the door to an image that was burned into his retinas for months to come. Somewhere in the background you heard a drunken Denki yelling excitedly. It was a lot.

And you two were certainly in for it now.

-

a/n: might fuck around and make this into a series? who knows. 

here’s the picture i was inspired by. isn’t it just the best?

(x) 

[fanficnewbie]

Sienna Weighs In P6

OPEN HEART: SECOND YEAR - CHAPTER SIX

(ETHAN x FEMALE MC)

MC is Dr. Francesca Houseman *This entry takes place between the visit to Leland Bloom’s house and the tests on his yacht. (This is a chapter by chapter series…)

Sienna cheers on Francesca for standing up to Ethan.

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS Chapter 1:  MC tells Sienna about her Ethan convo at Donahue’s. Chapter 2:  MC and Sienna discuss Ethan’s gym routine. Chapter 3:  MC questions how well she really knows Ethan. Chapter 4:  MC takes Elijah and Sienna to see Evelyn’s exhibit. Chapter 5:  Sienna talks MC through a panic attack over Ethan. Word Count: 1889 Rated: Teen

***

“To standing up for yourself!” Francesca and Sienna clinked their beer bottles and each took a healthy gulp before setting them back on the bar. 

Francesca turned and surveyed the Sunday night crowd at Donahue’s, it was only slightly busy. Old school hip hop played while a few patrons danced. Most were at tables littered with various drinks and engrossed in animated conversations with their friends and/or colleagues. 

She swiveled back on her barstool to Sienna who gave her a knowing smile. “It felt good didn’t it?”

Francesca grinned widely, “It felt soooo good! Almost as good as Baz & June coming to my defense on the way over to the Bloom Estate. Ethan’s been treating me like crap for weeks and it was nice to know that others noticed it too.”

Sienna nodded, “I’m not gonna say I told you so but…”

Francesca playfully pushed her, “Shut up.” She took another sip, “What did Ethan even say to you when he showed up yesterday morning?”

Sienna shrugged, “Nothing really. He looked pissed and it was obvious he was there to see you so beyond ‘hello’, there wasn’t much to say.”

Francesca toyed with her beer bottle, “It probably kills him that you know about us.”

Sienna took a sip, “Well that’s his deal not mine. You guys are both adults, I’m just tired of waiting for the man to come to his senses. It’s like watching Elijah and Phoebe all over again.”

Francesca groaned and chewed on her bottom lip before looking back up, “Hey, speaking of Elijah…”

Sienna held up her hand, “Jackie already told me and you guys should just drop it. You gave him your advice and now it’s up to him. We’re all going to deal with our interns the way we see fit and that just is not going to look the same for everybody.”

Francesca scowled, “Sothy can’t even do a basic blood draw, that’s not acceptable.”

Sienna grew sullen, “We all have our individual challenges to overcome.”

Taken aback at the sudden shift, Francesca studied her friend closely. The week before she had commended Sienna when she triumphantly shimmied into a pair of jeans from college, but now she realized that she was starting to look too thin, almost gaunt with darkening bags around her eyes. She touched her arm, “Hey, so many of these conversations are about me and my dumbass issues. But are you okay? You’ve been so tired lately and you’re still losing weight…”

Almost on cue, Sienna turned to her, her face instantly brightening, “No silly, I’m fine, I’m great. You brought me out for a celebratory drink so let’s celebrate!”

Francesca sighed and gently squeezed Sienna’s arm, “Listen, you know you can talk to me about anything without judgment right? I’m your friend and I’m here to help you through whatever. This doesn’t always have to be about me and I’m so sorry if it has been totally one-sided as of late.”

Sienna smiled, “Francesca I love our convos, and I love helping you, and I know I can come to you, and I promise, I’m fine. A-okay.” She patted Francesca’s hand reassuringly.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Sienna reached for her phone. “Hey, I haven’t checked Pictogram in like forever. Did it work? Did Dr. Ramsey like that photo you posted a few days ago? Oh my God, I can’t believe I forgot all about it.”

Francesca smiled smugly as Sienna unlocked her phone. Yes, Ethan had liked her photo. It was a stunner, one she had taken the Summer before she started at Edenbrook. Surprisingly, the whole thing had actually been Jackie’s idea…

***

“So hell hath frozen over and Ethan Ramsey has a Pictogram account!”

Francesca was sitting on the floor in their living room, her back against the couch with her laptop in her lap. Sienna was above her, sitting horizontally across the couch in the same position. She peered over Francesca’s shoulder, “Oh my god, you got him to post a half-naked photo of himself?!”

Jackie walked into the living room with her tablet, “Who’s half-naked?”

Sienna and Francesca both froze for a second before Francesca answered. “Uh, Dr. Ramsey. I helped him create a Pictogram account so he could search Gwyneth’s product history. His profile photo is from when he ran a triathlon so he’s in swim shorts. He only allowed me to use it because he figured nobody would ever see it.” 

Jackie sat down and leaned over Francesca to view the image, she raised her eyebrows, “Wow! Who knew he was hiding that six pack under his lab coat? Damn Francesca, I’m finally starting to see why you’re so into the guy.”

Jackie’s eyes met Francesca’s astonished gaze, she chuckled, “You really don’t think I’m that stupid do you?”

Francesca’s face reddened, “Please don’t tell me it’s that obvious?”

Jackie thought for a second, “Nah, I honestly think I may be the only one who’s caught on, besides Sienna of course. I mean, we live with you. I’m sure you’re fine at Edenbrook, I’ve never heard any rumors.”

Sienna nodded, “Francesca, you know I’d tell you if I ever heard anything. I mean some people are still jealous of your rapport with Dr. Ramsey but they all attribute it to your top intern spot and Banjeri save.”

Jackie shrugged and she typed on her tablet, “Accurate.”

Francesca visibly relaxed, “Okay well, I can live with that. Anyway, I was just telling Sienna that he has an account now and I think it’s kind of hilarious. I mean, he kept it private and I’m his only friend.”

Francesca suddenly turned to her friends, her voice earnest,”You guys cannot tell anyone about this account or picture. He’ll know immediately that it came from me. Promise you won’t tell.”

Sienna put her hand on Francesca’s shoulder, “I promise. You already know we can keep secrets hon.”

Jackie gave Francesca a mischievous smile, “Same, but only on one condition.”

Francesca paled, “Oh god, what?”

Jackie turned her screen around where she had pulled up Francesca’s Pictogram account, “You set a thirst trap.”

Sienna frowned, “What’s that?”

“No, no, no, no.” Francesca vehemently shook her head.

Jackie turned to Sienna, still smiling broadly, “It’s a sexy photo that you post to make your followers thirsty. In this case, to make one specific follower thirsty.”

“No, it’s obvious and desperate and…” the panic in Francesca’s voice started to mount.

Sienna cut her off, “I like it. Where do we find a photo?”

“Wait Sienna, what? No!” Francesca looked at them both incredulously, “How pathetic does that make me look? Less than two weeks after Ethan becomes my PG friend, I post some random, sexy photo? Come on, even he could see through that one.”

Jackie shrugged, “I’d say you’ve waited too damn long as it is!”

Francesca was at a loss for words as she stared down her two friends. She slowly realized that she had no choice if she wanted to keep Ethan’s account under dibs and sagged against the couch in defeat, “Fine. But only because I know you won’t find a photo worth posting anyway.”

Undeterred, Jackie opened a new browser window, “What photo storage account do you use and what’s the password?”

Francesca gave her the details as she stood up, “I can’t believe this is happening, I need a drink. I’ll be right back.”

Her friends didn’t even acknowledge her exit as they started scrolling through the hundreds of photos on her Google account. 

Several minutes she returned to their flabbergasted faces. “What? What’s wrong?”

Jackie turned her tablet around and Francesca’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit! I forgot all about that photo.”

Jackie shook her head in awe, “I didn’t even think you had it in you.”

Sienna giggled, “That my dears, is a bona-fide thirst trap.”

Francesca sat down and marveled at the photo, “I took that in Cancun after graduating from med school. I went with a group of friends and it was the perfect day on the beach, so we decided to be silly and take photos in our favorite “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition” poses.”

Her mind started to change as she contemplated Ethan’s reaction to the photograph. “Hmmmm, I do look kinda hot huh?”

Jackie raised an eyebrow, “Kinda? No red-blooded, hetero man will be able to resist the allure, the pure sex of this picture. Dr. Ramsey among them.”

Francesca took a deep breath, “Post it.”

***

Sienna scrolled through the likes and comments, “Wow, is this the most popular post on your account?”

Francesca laughed, “I believe so. Even the friend who took it wanted me to tag her for credit.”

Sienna grinned as she came across Ethan’s red heart, “There it is.”

Francesca smirked, “Yup.” she leaned in, “And let me tell you the most infuriating part. I kept checking my phone to see if he had liked the photo. Nothing for two days. So, the next night I was up really late studying. I didn’t go to sleep until just after 1am, and I checked my phone before I dozed off, nothing. I woke up like three hours later to pee and guess who had liked my photo?”

Sienna’s eyes went wide, “Wait, in the middle of the night? He was on your account in the middle of the night!”

Francesca nodded, “And, and this was after the whole Gwyneth/Board thing. So at the same time he’s giving me the cold shoulder at work, he’s lurking on my account at home.”

Sienna shook her head in disbelief, “That man is so confused.”

Francesca rolled her eyes, “Whatever. That’s why I stripped down in front of him yesterday.”

“What?!” Sienna’s mouth hung open. 

Finishing the last of her beer, Francesca smiled, “I needed to kick him off his hypocritical high horse. So, after he barged into my room telling me I had three minutes to get ready on my day off, I called his bluff. I literally took off my underwear right in front of him. I mean, I turned my back to him but still, the look on his face was fucking priceless.”

Sienna turned to Francesca, put hands on her shoulders, and met her eyes, “You are officially my hero.”

Francesca smiled, “Well, that deserves another round.” She motioned to the bartender.

“Plus, I’m sure we’ll only be celebrating this victory tonight. Who knows how he’ll act towards me at work tomorrow, especially now that we’re in this absurd competition with Mass Kenmore.”

Sienna exhaled, “Yeah, you and Aurora going to be okay? I cannot take a repeat of the Landry experience.”

Francesca nodded, “I swear to you that we’ll be fine, We talked it out, made a pinky promise and everything. I’m more worried about Ethan and Tobias.”

Sienna frowned, “Aurora’s new boss?”

“Yeah, apparently he and Ethan have some bad blood,” Francesca shrugged, “I have no idea what it is about though.”

Sienna thanked the bartender as he placed fresh drinks in front of them and reached for hers, “Well that’s a good thing right? Now, he has somewhere else to direct his anger.”

Francesca thought for a moment, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Cheers to that!”

Sienna clinked her glass, “Hun, how many times do I have to tell you…I’m always right!”

Read the Ethan Pictogram Companion Piece here: Pictogram Pitfalls & Chapter 7:  Francesca confides in Sienna how she met Ethan’s mother. 

***

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. YOUR LIKES AND COMMENTS MEAN THE WORLD!

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[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Haikyuu S4, Episodes 4-7

In which Hinata keeps flying higher, Kageyama struggles to communicate, and an old kingship is resurrected.

Flying Higher

It’s the sign of a really good show when the protagonist is the most interesting character. So often my favorite characters are deuteragonists and side characters because they have more room to stretch their personality and do cool, endearing stuff beyond the demands of the story. But on the rare occasion that the main character becomes my favorite? I know it’s doing something right. And in Haikyuu’s case, it has the unique advantage of two protagonists that are equally the most compelling characters of the bunch. Kageyama and Hinata basically share the spotlight as two sides of the same coin, carrying the entirely of the show’s central ethos on their backs. They’re Haikyuu’s beating heart, telling twin stories of talent and struggle, individuality and teamwork, intertwining and pushing each other higher just as their characters arcs do. And every time the focus is on their friendship is easily the best part of the show. Just look at the moment they reunite after returning from their respective training camps; after silently staring at each other for seconds on end, they instantly slip back into their old routine of racing to be the first at the door. It’s the magic of their relationship writ large, both perfectly in sync on an instinctual level and constantly butting heads as they try to out-do each other in whatever way they can.

That said, while they’re at their best together, the benefits of their solo training arcs mean we get to see how they function on their own, exploring their own strengths and weaknesses. I already talked at length last post about Hinata’s growth as a player and person, and that continues strong throughout these episodes. Thanks to slowing down and observing the court from a distance, he’s able to understand the big picture more fully than ever before. He’s even able to help out another struggling player, giving Hyakuzawa some really good advice on how to use relaxation to increase his reaction time and make the most of his hefty build. Not that he realized that’s what he was doing: ”No way, I’m chewing him out!” “Nah, pretty sure you’re cheering him up.” In fact, Hinata’s inability to recognize the state of his own development is shaping up to be a pretty consistent character trait. Dude pulls off a perfect split step during practice with Karasuno and moves on like it’s nothing, blind to how gobsmacked everyone else is at his new talent. Imagine how much faster he’ll improve when he actually does realize when he’s getting better.

Words Fail

Of the two, though, I’d say Kageyama is the one I appreciate a little more. See, while I’m very different Karasuno’s star setter in a lot of ways, we do have one thing in common: we are hilariously bad at expressing our thoughts in ways people can understand. Kageyama’s clearly someone who thinks in sensations and images, and translating those thoughts into words is an incredibly difficult task for him to wrap his head around. That is something I relate to so fucking hard. Like, when I don’t know someone well, I also tend to identify by what their appearance reminds me of before I remember their actual name (”Broccoli number 1″). And I also have a habit of slipping into tactless honesty when I don’t pick up on the social cues of a conversation (”You seem normal to me.” ”But you’re a great reference too.”) Hell, even Kageyama’s habit of trying to communicate ideas with hilariously bad sound effects is something I’ve done on more than one occasion. He’s someone who knows exactly what he wants to get across to people, but also has very little idea how to get it across to them. And when people don’t understand him, or his advice goes unheeded, his temper flares up. After all, if he can understand what he’s trying to say, why can’t everyone else? Surely it isn’t his fault for poor communication skills; they must just be stupid. And boy howdy, let’s just say I know far too well how painful and self-defeating it is to be stuck in that mindset.

Which brings us to the middle of Karasuno’s practice match with Dateko, where Kageyama’s frustration at the game going against them builds higher than it’s built in a while. He’s just got back from playing with the best of the best, but now he’s with his imperfect team again, trying to shoot higher than they’re capable of reaching. And in that mounting frustration, his old self- the Tyrant King of the Court- almost slips out again. Fuck, it hits hard when he starts yelling at his teammates to score with his tosses. And it hits all the harder because he immediately realizes he’s fucked up. He’s grown enough by now to recognize how toxic his old domineering self was, how he drove everyone away by trying to impose his will on them. So the moment it hits him that he let that poison out again, after successfully bracing against it for so long? Yeah, the horror on his face is raw. It’s the face of someone realizing how bad he still is at communication, how he’s still not able to free himself from the crown that led to his downfall back in middle school. But the fact he realized it at all, let alone so quickly, is reason to celebrate too. He knows full well how and why he messed up, and recognizing those kinds of mistakes is the first step to figuring out how to correct them.

Return of the King

And fittingly enough, it’s Hinata, who knows Kageyama better than anyone in this team, who’s able to break him out of his death spiral and get everyone on the same page. Because Hinata actually makes a really good point about his partner’s authoritarian tendencies; there’s no reason anybody actually has to listen to them. Kageyama can rage and bully all he wants, but if his teammates don’t want to follow his orders, there’s nothing he can do to make them. In that sense, as long as everyone trusts each other and works ont he same apge, then Kageyama doesn’t have to worry about the Tyrant King destroying him like it did before. And if he can channel that desire to push people in a positive direction, it could even be an incredible force for good in this team. Up until now, he’s been pulling his serves back to compensate for his teammates’ weaknesses, but if he starts raising the bar for them, he can encourage them to rise to his level instead. In a very real way, the setter is king in volleyball. He’s the one who sets the pace for everyone else to follow, leading his teammates to victory or defeat depending on how his sets direct them. If Kageyama can grow into that role? If he can become a king who leads his people and pushes them to grow beyond their limits? Then he may well end up deserving the towel crown Hinata places on his head. First, though, he has to learn how to answer everyone’s individual needs instead of treating them like a collective. Even something as simple as learning which teammates to tell “Hey, I’m gonna serve to you less because you’re flagging” and which ones he can trust to get it instinctively is gonna go a long way to help him work past his mental blocks and better communicate what he wants people to understand. Keep at it, Kageyama! I believe in you!

Odds and Ends

-I won’t harp on the animation again unless it gets particularly egregious, but it’s still really makes me sad. This show used to look so good on a consistent basis, and now it just... doesn’t.

-”Don’t do a double take.” I love Hinata and Tsukky’s relationship so much.

-”Am I the shortest now?” Loooool, how does it taste?

-”Yeah. Of course not.” his fucking face I can’t

-Okay but why did that high jump look like it was animated by Masaaki Yuasa

-”He’s really staring at me.” sdlkfjsdjklf fuck’s sake Hinata you’re scaring him

-”Personally, I think a genius is the furthest away from perfect.” Huh, that’s an interesting way of looking at it.

-”I got super-hyped, but super frustrated too!” “Well thank you for being so detailed and honest.” oh just kiss already

-”You don’t have to lecture him that much with your eyes.” pfft

-Every once in a while Kageyama gets so into things that he grins like Hinata, and it’s awesome.

-I miss the old eyecatches where we saw the platers testing out solo moves. They were so cool.

-I’ll bet we see lots of these star players in the spring tournament. Gonna be a fight for the ages.

-Oh man, and Coach Saito recognizing Hinata’s hunger to improve because he knows what it’s like to be a short player in volleyball... man, when did I start liking this dude?

-”You can fly even higher.” God, they’re good.

-I see one of the background second-years is getting a bit more focus this arc. Let’s see what you’ve got, Kinoshita.

-”GO HOME!” Daichi’s such a dad, lol.

-Yep, that’s the impenetrable wall I remember. Go, go, let’s go, let’s go, Dateko!

-Yeah, when Kageyama’s so stressed he isn’t saying anything, it’s almost scarier than when he’s chewing everyone out.

-”You’re not subbing me out! But I admit that hit was sloppy!” “Wow, honesty.” sdkjfhskdfhsdf

The battle with Dateko continues. See you next time!