#his first solo mag

[shojizbae]

JJ Dating a Kook

JJ picked up a job caddying at a golf course

He makes good tips for the first two months

One day he is assigned to a caddy for a mother, father and daughter

He expects some rich little 9 year old with her head up her ass

Enter you, beautiful, graceful, kind, and damn good at golf

He blushes (for the first time since he was 12 and found his dads nudie mag) when you accidentally brush his knuckles when he hands you your nine iron

Your dad, who’s the typical rich overprotective Kook dad, noticed this and tries to stiff him on a his tip

You noice that he only hands him a 50 for putting up with your parents nonsense for four hours

You point out one of your dads work buddies and your parents drift over to chit chat

You grab your dads wallet and pull a handful of twenties and shout that you need the rest room before you leave

You run over to JJ where he’s parking the golf cart he’d just driven y’all around on when you approach him

He jumps up and removes the course company hat to greet you

“My dad’s an asshole, here’s the rest of your tip.” You hand him the hand and he numbly receives it

“Thanks,” he chuckles and puts his hat back in his head. When he gets home and counts it he realizes that you had tipped him $240

“I feel like I’ve seen you at a bonfire,” he looks up for the wad that he was trying g to approximate

“Yeah, I go to most of them,” he takes his eyes down to the salmon skort you were wearing, it matched your hat

“I hope I’ll see you at the one this Saturday,” you giggle and skip away leaving him stunned

He does see you that Saturday. You were standing my the fire in black sweatpants and a royal blue bikini top. arms crossed with a red solo cup loosely held in your fingers

The fire made you look so radiant

He down the rest of his PBR and grabbed two more. The lion enters the den.

“Whatever that is looks like shit,” he hands you one of the beers he’s holding.

“Kinda” you throw back the final swig and toss the cup into the flames. You receive the glass bottle with half smile and look back into the fire to watch the cup melt “Thanks JJ”

His heart sings you remembered him!

You going golfing again soon?” It’s the only thing you two have in common so far

“No, I don’t get out often. My parents don’t want me out of the house without supervision. They have no idea I’m here, think I’m at the gym.”

“At,” he checks his phone “11:40?”

“Yeah,” you bite the cap of your beer off and spit it away from JJ “they’re kinda naive”

You spend the rest of the night huddled up to his furnace like body cracking jokes about pogues and kooks alike

Surprisingly you’re back at the golf course 3 days later. This time donning a shorter navy blue skort and a gray polo. You request explicitly for Jj to be your caddy

You had convinced your dad to let you go alone.

You flirt with him the whole time he’s driving you around the course. Purposefully grabbing his hand when he hands you a club. Resting your hand on his thigh as he drives. Readjusting the company hat he’s wearing. He may have cute hair but he can’t hide his cute face with it.

When you're in a secluded part of the course, you make out against the golf cart for a few minutes. Having accidentally hit into some surrounding woods

[yuri-is-online]

i’ve got this picture of Yutu being kind of artsy from your description. besides, being an outcast probably means a lot of solo hobbies from no friends. maybe a bonding method for Yutus with a father that is more artistic 👉👈

You have such a good point about being an outcast driving people towards solo hobbies σ(￣、￣=) certain Yutus are more outgoing than others but that does only get you so far.  Of the ones I have written about, Floyd! and Cater! Yutu both had friend circles before coming to Twisted Wonderland, while Ace!, Azul!, and Riddle! Yutu were certifiably friendless.  Bonding between Yutu and a more artistic dad hmmmmm let's see...

notes: they/them used for Yuu, this is part of my fyuuture kid au, you can find an explanation of it here and here, or look at my masterlist for all of the posts.

Vil! Yutu

... really likes to paint and draw, when I first wrote about him his unique magic involved temporarily bringing his paintings to life.  My brother used to dig through old fashion mags when he was teaching himself to draw and I can see Yutu doing the same.  So when he finally gets to see a not tortured version of his father and finds out he is a model on top of being an actor?  He's so eager to learn about all of it, and Vil has got to be thrilled to share.  You know between him and his own dad Vil has got to have a nice collection of vintage designer items he's willing to let Yutu have a look at.  Yutu has drawn his dad a lot, receiving a drawing someone has made for you is already beyond flattering, but when it's from a family member?  Forget the fridge, Vil is getting this framed.  I can also see him maybe commissioning Yutu because he wants to make sure he never under sells his work.  He is a member of the Schoenheit family, he is allowed, nay required to have a great deal of pride in himself.

Cater! Yutu

... likes playing guitar and he loves playing with his dad.  He's not really interested in playing with the other pop music club members, Yutu is a bit shy around his dad's friends.  When he's stressed he likes to play a few songs and sing, something I could see working for Cater too.  While I'm talking about Cater, I don't think he'd make a bunch of magicam posts about his family, just in general.  He uses magicam as a way of maintaining his false happy facade, his want to date Vil comes at least partially from his presence on magicam, some of his real self is on display there sure but a lot of it is exaggerated and fake.  When he has something real he wants to keep it away from the rest of the world, so while his followers absolutely are told he's #taken #blessed they don't know about the details of his relationship.  At least not if it's a healthy one.

Jade! Yutu

... is someone I haven't written about before but he is also very into music, just not jazz music.  Not that he hates jazz, he's just stuck in that teenage phase of refusing to admit the things his dad likes are cool, something Jade reasonably “sniffles” about but that's not to say music isn't a bonding point for them.  He also plays bass, just an electric not an upright one, and Jade enjoys listening to Yutu play.  He's very supportive and surprisingly soft in his praise for someone who just got done listening to his kid scream out a punk rock song.  As long as Yutu is willing to do some hiking with him (which he is) then he has no real problem with what his kid likes, if anything I can see Jade enjoying their differences.  Life is boring if everyone is the same.

Rook! Yutu

I've been thinking about Rook, just as a character recently and one of those things that's been stuck in my mind is that he was very shy as a child.  To keep this from becoming just general information about Rook! Yutu, unlike his father Yutu never got over his shyness, so a lot of their bonding revolves around Rook encouraging Yutu to see the beauty in himself.  He books tickets to shows, symphonies, and ballets in advance so he can make sure Yutu knows when they are going out and can prepare himself to be seen in public.  They plan their outfits together in advance, look up information about the company and what they are going to see so they can appreciate the art just that much more.  On the day of Rook makes sure to kiss Yuu goodbye,  and promises to come home safe.  But not to worry, he always has Yutu help him pick out a bouquet of flowers to bring back for you.  (Unless you're allergic to pollen in which case he'll bring home something else.)

[jaylestial]

I love Rodimus and Drift being each other's wing-men...

Like in my head they've definitely dated for a sec previously, but realized they're both just. These twinks can't do it for each other okay lMAO they just work better as amica instead of conjunx, yknow? They're the ones who say "if we're not married by -blank- then we'll just bite the bullet". (Also absolutely support driftrod, I just have thoughts on them in this aspect).

Drift has had eyes for Ratchet for a long time, a looong ass time and Rodimus can't believe how long it's taking them to confess properly. Of course in the end Drift didn't need him.. But I wanna think he assigned him to do solo work with Ratchet on purpose so they could catch up and properly bond. Ratchet needs help organizing his office when moving onto the Lost Light? Drift gets assigned to it "You'll help with his, what's that earth term.. Feng Shui?". Drift doesn't buy it and he knows exactly what Rodimus is doing, but he's not going to refuse alone time with his beloved Ratchet.

When Drift and Ratchet come back from their solo adventures and Drift sees who Roddy is crushing on- Oh boy. First it's teasing, then it's being unafraid to talk Rodimus up to Megatron. What is he going to do, kick him off the LL again? Tells him how loyal he is, how he wanted to take the fall despite everything. "Yeah he talks about grandiose things, but it's because he wants that for everyone here."

Drift and Mags/Minimus would absolutely get in on this kinda thing together... It's easy for them to talk about Rodimus in a positive light.

Anyways I love these two bots getting equally strong willed, powerful conjunx-endurae and being a part of each other's relationship journeys in small ways. That's what besties are for.

If you read my ramblings, thankyou~

[the1975attheirverybest]

Real Life — Chapter 3: That Night

A/N: posting this even though i said I wouldn’t.

Warnings: smut implied a bit.

“So,” matty started, his eyes darting around the busy restaurant. “what arbitrary social convention have you broken to incur the wrath of People Magazine?”

“What?” Most people open with what’s your favorite band. Or do you like to travel? on a first date. Why was he doing this. “Nothing! It’s none of your business!” Fuck. Her ex had clearly done a number on her. She’d forgotten how to talk to people.

“Right” he whispered. “Sorry. Was just trying to make polite conversa- never mind.”

Matty was painfully aware of her preoccupation with her phone. He counted the number of times she’d glanced at it since they sat down. Six. Six times. “So, you from around here then?” He tried a different line of questioning. There goes seven. “Right, I’m just gonna leave. Have a nice night.” He grabbed his coat off the chair and walked away.

Claire’s phone dinged again. It was Jazmyn.

You never thought to mention that your date is one of the most publicly hated people in the media??!! And you paraded him in front of PEOPLE MAG)?!!!!?

Her brows furrowed, she mouthed the contents of the text to herself. What was Jaz talking about?

A quick google search of “Matty Healy” gave her an idea. Fuck. What a hot mess.

She rushed over to him clutching him by the back of his coat “you’re not going anywhere. care to explain this???”

“Oh.” Matty began to panic. “Oh, fuck.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Oh, fuckin hell. I— I’m so— fucking people Magazine. I am so sorry.”

They walked back to their table. Matty reached for his wine and gulped down, waving the waiter over for a refill.

“I genuinely am sorry.” He finally spoke again. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I- saw that you were uncomfortable. I thought I owed it to you—“

“They hate you.” Claire stated emphatically.

“Yeah, erm, they- sort of think I’m… a Nazi.”

“Well, are you?”

“What? No! For fucks sakes.”

“Great. I’m publicly dating a Nazi.”

“I said I’m NOT a Nazi! Look, I’ll fix this.”

“How!”

“I’ll….i don’t know. Find someone to kiss in public. I’ll post something on-“

“Great; not only am I publicly dating a Nazi, I’m publicly being cheated on by-“

“If you say ‘Nazi’ one more time-“

“I have to go.”

Claire moved to stand from her seat. She felt Matty’s arm reach across the table to grab her hand.

“Please. Claire. Don’t go. Stay. Let— let me at least explain. Have dinner with me.”

***

The waiter cleared away their empty plates, offering them the dessert menu.

“So, what’re you doing now? Hiding out?” Claire asked, playing with the stem of her glass.

Matty shrugged. “Tour’s over. We’re on break. Figured it’s best to lay low.”

“You’re hiding out.” There was a hint of a smile in her voice. She unfolded the dessert menu, glancing at it to look away from him.

“I’m not! I’m still makin’ music. I’ve got a solo project. Might even do some soundtracks for a film or tv show. I’m just….not in the news as much. Well, I suppose after tonight….”

Claire smiled silently.

“I really am sorry.” He couldn’t help but repeat his apology over and over.

***

The restaurant was significantly emptier as they waited for their tiramisu and coffee.

Claire sipped on her drink. “It’s my dad, by the way.” She said. “People Magazine is interested in me because of my dad. He’s well known. Rich guy. He and I….we don’t have the best relationship.”

“Daddy issues. Hot.” Matty giggled. “Sorry, I really don’t know why I say these things.”

She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, they want me to talk about him. I would much rather forget he exists.”

Matty nodded, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table. Suddenly, Claire realized they were the only table left.

***

She tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Well, this is it.” She nodded towards the front door. “Thats my place.” Her arms wrapped around her protectively. Slowly, she tore her eyes away from him. “Thanks for tonight. And for….”

She let her words trail off, turning her back to him. He stood there, in silence for a while.

"Claire?"

She fumbled with her keys, raising her free hand up to him. "No, listen. I- can't." She blushed. "you're very attractive, obviously. I mean, look at you...but it's a bad idea. You're a bad idea."

When she finally gathered the courage to look into his eyes again, she saw that he had a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"I was just going to ask for my jacket back." He watched the blood drain from her cheeks.

For the first time that night, she was speechless. She moved stiffly, eager to take off his jacket, but before she could shake off her embarrassment and restore her feigned, dignified indifference, she felt him get closer, his arms around her shoulders, helping her out of his leather jacket. The scent of his cologne had transferred over to her clothes. Even with her back towards him, she could also smell the cigarettes on his breath.

Am I really such a bad idea?" He said into her ear.

She turned her face towards him. The tip of her nose brushing against his. Their lips locked together, his body slamming hers into the door.

***

Claire awoke to the strong aroma of freshly ground coffee beans filling her nostrils. Even through the curtains, the sunlight pierced through her eyes. She blinked, once, twice, and three times before the blob in front of her took the shape of Matty, standing by the bed with two mugs of coffee in his hands. He’d clearly made himself quite at home in her kitchen.

“Morning.” He offered her one of the mugs.

“Wh- what time is it?” She was groggy.

“7:30.” Matty blew on his hot beverage a few times before taking a sip.

“What? Fuck! I’m late!” She jumped up, setting the coffee mug aside and rushing to her closer.

“Oh. I was going to ask if you wanted some breakfast but I suppose—“

“No, no. There’s no need for any of that.”

Matty tracked her with his eyes as she bounced from one corner of the room to the other, collecting discarded items of clothes from last night and rummaging through her drawers for a new outfit. He trailed after her to the bathroom as she hurried to brush her teeth.

“I understand that the timing isn’t ideal, but, since we’re…..time is off the essence. I— erm, when can I see you again?”

Claire swore she nearly chocked on her mouthful of toothpaste.

“Pardon?” She mumbled, spitting into the sink.

“I mean…could I at least get your phone number? We could make plans later if….”

“What?” She turned around. Matty noticed that her face was cross. “No.” She washed out her mouth.

“‘No’?”

“I mean….we don’t have to do all that pretend politeness. It’s all good.”

“I’m not pretending.” He stated simply.

When Claire took a moment to pause and look directly into his eyes, it dawned on her. “Oh. You’re….being serious?”

Matty blushed. “I— had fun last night. And,

I thought…maybe I thought wrong?”

She was beginning to feel unsure, so she resumed her nervous dashing about. “Look, Matty. Last night was fun and all— it’s just…it’s not you; it’s me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Really? What’re you gonna say next? That it’s just not the right time? You’re not looking for a relationship right now?”

“Well, im not.”

“You’re just focusing on your career at the moment?” He sneered.”

“I am! But it’s not like that.”

Claire sighed, grabbing his arm and rushing him towards the door. “Listen, I really am running late. Last night way great. But— I’m not dating right now. I don’t think we should see each other again. You have to go cuz I need to get out of here.”

Matty wasn’t exactly sure what happened next, but he found himself on the streets again, with his coffee in a to-go cup, feeling incredibly unlike himself.

[idioticcrow]

141 + LV reacting to an older male reader that they didn't expect to be a badass person

Requested by @xdark-acadamiax

Warnings: cannon typical violence, blood, death, explosives, reader being kind if a menace, detailed gore, reader may have a touch of 'tism, reader is 6-7 years older than Price (40), reader is this characters are this font, reader is mentioned to be a demolitions expert, reader kind of turned out feral instead of badass, reader is cruel a but, and a sadist. Reader joined the military at 20-21 and is ranked above Ghost but Below Price, reader knows arabic

Im sorry if it looks gn reader, i have never wrote for m! Reader

Gifs are not mine

Characters Included: Simon 'Ghost' Riley, John 'Soap' Mactavish, Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick, Jonathan Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo 'Rudy' Parra

He doesn't really know what's your age but he doesn't underestimate you. Since your older than Price

On this mission you were sent you planned an other thing.

It was a stealth mission, but you got ambushed, you teamed up with Ghost for the time being.

You ran up to a window on the 2nd floor (3rd for the americas) of a building. "What are you planning to do?", "Just watch".

And with that you jumped down.

You jumped down on the enemie's shoulder, broke his shoulders, then used this moment to shoot all of them surrounding then you ripped the knife from the guy's hand and stab his neck with it, cutting in a straight line trough his artery.

Blood was everywhere, on your hand, on your thighs, your boots.

Then the enemy started to tilt from your weight as you got down.

And Ghost just watched this, he would have done this other wise but now he likes your ideas more.

Congrats, you got his respect for your ideas.

When he found out you're an demolitions expert, he knew he is lucky to meet your

You two were sent out on a mission to a lab in far Siberia, you had to sneak in, get the files and explode the building.

There were only stealth allowed so you had a plan, kill 2 enemy and wear their clothes, easy.

Except Soap didn't count on how much demolition you can make on 2 buildings.

He went on building A, and you went to B and C, he got the info, put down the bombs, and radioed you.

But you had other plans, you made gas grenades that contained magnesium and sulfur, and if magnesium is ignited it burns hotter that the sun. And Sulfur was used in old matches that used to explode. Overall the fractions of death.

So after you got the info and put down a bomb, you threw these grenades into the vents, everything I side the building had a glittery layer on them by the Mg (magnesium) .

You and Soap met up at the exfil point and there was nothing more than to send the buildings up above, so you did that.

First he exploded building A, it wasn't a really big blast but you could hear the fire eat up the desks, and everything flammable in there.

Then there went B and C, the explision had bright blue flames because of the burning magnesium and sulfur, it was beautiful.

Soap watched as you smiled at you "art" piece, he had to admit it it was one sight to see. But now, he had a fear of you, a fear in the back if his head that you could do so much more, and make more deadlier gas grenades

He was fond of you since you two understood eachother because of you ages,

he knew that you werent what you seemed because he arranged you here

It was a solo mission for you, but you had a camera on your helmet so he could see what you were doing

He was a bit terrified behind the screen, he never saw someone murder soldiers like this, it was a massacre

The mission went South and you basically had to kill every hostile (100 personnel)

But the twist was that you had 3 mags left, aprox 90 Bullets left (Choose your own gun)

So you went South too, one bullet-one head, you were giving out death to those hostiles like it was a peaceful airsoft match.

Then the Last 10 people, no ammo, face to face, with them having guns

But you had a knife, better that nothing eh?

You jumped onto the 1# guy, for Your luck he was big enough that he could cover you, you jumped and slashed his Neck and threw him onto his allies, -1

Then you sprinted to slash those 2 's neck that stuck under the Dead body -3

There was 7 left, they were in a bit of a shock due to your speed and power to throw a Man 150kg of pure muscle with accuracy

Not only they were suprised but John was suprised behind the screen too. He made the right choice with you.

The remaining 7 just started to shoot at you, you quickly got behind one of them, and broke their neck, then used their body as a shield, Nice! -4

Got onto the 5th person, you slipped into a crouch like position, made a ground with you left arm and kicked the guy in the Ribs, since you launched you entire anatomy at him a single kick, and his heart stopped :). -5

A half of them remained, they were still sooo sure that they can take you down, well no.

After the kick you Again used the Deadbody as a shield, stole his knife then you threw it into 6#'s solar plexus, you threw strong enough to Pierce the tac west, his clothes and his muscles in that area, drop dead, -6.

You decided you had enough showing off and you stole 6's gun, and just shot them up i ran out of ideas sorry

And there was Price again sitting at the desk as he watched all this in a 1st row seat, he really made the Best choice

He knew that you were authority when he saw you on base

He was lucky, that he got on your good side, you didn't scold him for his and Soap's shenanigans, instead you just laughed, maybe even joined if you found it good enough

You Got kidnapped on a Mission, and its been 1 week from it, the guys were back in the safe house making a Plan on getting you out, bit you had enough of being captive.

You were locked in the basement, and you Got the Plan to get out and destroy the building

So when the AQ soldier came in to interrogate you again, you knocked him out switched his clothes with yours and off you went, you knew it would be handy to learnedt arabic

Off you went, to search for C4's and alikes, and thee who seeketh thou shall find

You went to the basement and placed the bomba on the pillars, then you hade done this on every level, telling the AQ soldier that their boss wanted them in his "office"

Then you went around the whole site, the hangars, playing charges on the helis and the pillars, took a car and just drive out of the site

BOOM, all That could be heard, but if listened closely the screams of the AQ soldiers that burned to death, and the sound of falling building parts, the sound of the flames eating up anything fireable, as you watched the fire and the adrenaline started to get out of your system everything hurt,

You Got slapped by the reality that your knee was broken, your shoulder dislocated, your wrist broken, few Ribs broken and just a Lot of bruises and cuts that your torturer had bestoved upon you, you didnt kmow how the AQ didnt notice but you were glad

Of course the explosion wasnt excluded from the team's vision and hearing, espcially from gaz's he was absolutely amazed even though he just heard it, you alone exploded the whole site, probably with one foot in the grave from the week of pain.

You went away from the safe house in solo, of course shit went south and you got back to the safehouse, with half your body in the grave

You got atleast 5 stab wounds, 3 bullets in you, atleast 2 ribs broken, 2 of you fingers partially blown off, 2nd stage burns on your face, and partially blinded by a flash grenade because they thrown like 3 at you and a broken shoulder, yikes

Alejandro knew that you were older than him so he was a bit suprised that you still walked and was able to get yourself back to the safe house without dying ar further injuring yourself

Amd you got the whole job done like the whole mission, it costed a few things but it wouldnt be a bother anymore

After this Alejandro held you with deep respect because he knows for himself that he probably wouldnt be able to still treck back to the safehouse that was 5km away from the base you were attacking.

He started questioning in himself, if you could take this and still treck 5km then how much you can take, and what saddend him a little that to build up this much will and taking yourself back to safety, it must be often happening since you moved with no pained expression

Rudy knew that you were one dangerous fellow but he knew it more when he saw you run into a terrorist base alone to save him

He was projected cameras for him to see that nobody will come for his rescue, but there you were shooting up the building searching

Searching for him, he saw your face of concern and worry as you search for him

Eliminating guards, quickly, 4 and 5 at once to save him and you just kept running for him

You kept running so you could find him alive

He saw how easily you deleted 15 guards with just a single knife before you broke up the door of his cell and save him

When you entered his cell there you were, bloody, sweaty weary and searching for him

And you saw him, bloody and tired from torture so they could get information from him

-------

I'm sorry I ran out of ideas for Rudy's part

[the-sun-and-the-sea]

Odesta Week Day 1: Modern AU Monday

"Did you hear the news?"

Annie digs into her locker to find her coat, only half listening to the girls on the other side of the lockers. Whatever news they're sharing can range from somebody lost a paper clip to the world is ending outside, and she probably wouldn't believe them either way. The girls at Panem Skating Club have a penchant for gossip that is more frequently false than true. 

"What news?" the other girl asks. Annie can only see flashes of dark hair every so often from where she's standing, but she can't tell who's speaking. Somebody a few years younger than her, probably. 

"Finnick Odair is looking for a new partner."

Annie almost laughs aloud, but refrains at the last second. Finnick Odair is something of a legend in their skate club. His older brother Adrian was a former Olympic solo skater who took home the silver a few years ago. In their small town, that basically makes you a hero. Finnick himself is a great skater, but hasn't gone to the Olympics yet. Still, he and his partner Cashmere are pretty unshakable. The thought of either of them retiring so early is ludicrous. 

"No way," another female voice calls, as Annie pretends to not be listening. "Cashmere's only twenty-three. That's a pretty early retirement."

"Age isn't the reason," says the first voice. Annie's brows furrow. Injury, maybe? "She's pregnant." 

Whatever is said after this point, Annie doesn't hear. Her coat and scarf are wrapped firmly around her body and there's no need to listen to the gossip any longer. Even if it is true, listening in on the details of another woman's pregnancy just feels invasive. 

Her ankle aches dully as she walks out the doors of the skating club. She's recovering from a minor case of bursitis in her ankle. It's kept her at home for the past three weeks, and Annie hasn't been back on the ice until today. Today's practice had left her sore and exhausted. Apparently, it would take a few days for her body to get used to skating again.

That's one of Annie's biggest issues with solo skating. There's nobody there to compensate for your faults, or to support you in your successes. There are coaches and other skaters who may be friendly, sure, but come competition time, it's just her on that ice. 

These days, Annie's beginning to wonder if she even wants that. 

***

Annie can't be certain why she does it. 

She sits in her car, parked in the diner's parking lot. Maybe it's because the rink started to fill up and she had nothing to practice with no coach. Or maybe she's just curious. 

Okay, back up. Earlier this morning, she had made it to the rink for a practice session, although that quickly proved to be useless. The one highlight was meeting Mags Flanagan, Finnick’s coach. She was an Olympian back in her day before retiring from competitive skating to coach others into the same success she had. When asked about it in interviews, Mags says she'll quit when Finnick does.

So it was quite the surprise when Mags asked Annie to consider being Finnick’s new partner. 

The offer didn’t completely come out of nowhere. It’s not like Annie has anything better to do, and Mags had said that her technique was almost perfect. Her flaw in skating wasn’t about the jumps and spins. It had always been about emoting. Her coaches have been telling her that for years, but their vague instructions have never made sense to her. She can do almost any jump they ask of her, and her spins are basically perfect. What else is she missing?

"Finnick, on the other hand, feels the emotions of the performance very deeply,” Mags had told her. “Sometimes, his technique gets...lost."

And if Mags Flanagan thinks that she and Finnick can balance each other out, it’s probably not a bad idea to at least consider it. 

Taking a final deep breath, she leaves her car and walks into the diner. 

Finnick Odair isn't hard to find. Not only is he one of the most well known faces in their skating club, but he has a sense about him that radiates life. He sits with his back to her in a booth, idly stirring sugar into a cup of coffee. 

Before Annie can talk herself out of it, she slides in the booth across from him. 

"Hi, Annie," Finnick says, like he's known her for years. "Coffee?"

"No," Annie says. "Thank you."

She's expecting the silence to linger, but Finnick picks up the slack easily. "Mags told me you might be coming. I know you probably have questions, but if you want to know why Cashmere's retiring, you should probably go to her for that."

She shrugs. "It's not my business."

"Oh," he says, showing his first hint of surprise. "Cool. Okay. Well, I know this would be a risk."

Annie pretends to peruse the diner's menu, but her mind is on anything but breakfast food. "That's an understatement. Most pair skaters have been together for at least a decade. We'd be at a major disadvantage."

Finnick sips his coffee, wincing at the heat. He pushes it away. "True. But it's not like we're doing so great right now. I mean, my partner just left. And you're..."

She's what? Washed up? Obviously not making it anywhere beyond the confines of her own rink?

"You're a good skater, Annie," he decides on. That was diplomatic of him. "I've seen you perform, and I agree with Mags. But forget about that for a second. If you're happy where you're at, I can respect that. But if you're even a little unsatisfied, what do we have to lose?"

Annie's throat constricts. When she can finally get words out, she asks, "Don't you want to go to the Olympics?"

"I would love to go to the Olympics," he answers automatically, without thought. "More than that, I want to skate."

The same can't be said for a lot of skaters. She doesn't know many people who would be satisfied through the sport alone. There's a certain buzz that comes from competition. Watching her scores climb, standing on that podium. It's intoxicating. Sure, they love the sport, but they love more than just the skating. 

Finnick's unasked question still hangs in the air. "Okay," says Annie, because Finnick's right. Why the hell not? "Let's try."

[twilightmalachite]

Yuuta Aoi - Budding Season

Author: Yuumasu

Characters: Yuuta, Rinne, HiMERU, Kohaku

Translator: Mika Enstars

"(I-Ignore him, ignore him…! If I react, I lose!)"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: CosPro Office (Conference Area)

Yuuta: (Yaaay, I got some super-spicy rice crackers from someone at the agency!)

(Thanks for the mea~l. *chew chew*)

(Ah~, delicious! This tingling sensation that lingers on the tongue is just the best…☆)

(Since we’ve advertised ourselves as “the older brother who likes sweet food” and “the younger brother who likes spicy food” to emphasize our twin characters…)

(Those around us can tell us apart, and I don’t have any problem getting spicy food these days~.)

(I get told things like “It was a gift from a business partner, so I saved it for you, Yuuta-san” and “I saw this during a business trip, so I bought it for you”…)

(I’m so glad I’ve been using my love for spicy food as my appeal…☆)

(I’ll have to remember to mention that in my in my interview with the idol magazine today. ♪)

(…I have a lot of solo work tomorrow, too. I’ve gotten a sudden increase in individual appearances lately…)

(I guess it’s because half of 2wink, that sold themselves for their identical looks, suddenly got an image change?)

(Though my blood does boil when trashy gossip mags will write about it and call it a “rebellious phase that came late” or an “agency policy” or whatever.)

(But I try to tell myself it’s better than not being talked about at all.)

Yuuta: (…But when I get pissed off, I get seriously pissed off, though~.)

(Anyhow. The attention I’ll be getting for this is temporary, so I need to make sure I don’t get too cocky.)

(Right now, it’s just bonus time. I’m only being featured out of amusement, because they find it unusual and unheard of—)

(I need to properly give thought on how to proceed myself as 2wink, and as Aoi Yuuta…)

(I know things won’t be the same as they used to… How can I convey who I am now…?)

(……)

(Nope, I don’t have any ideas…)

(Maybe I’ll read idol magazines and ponder it.)

Rinne: Heya all~, Crazy:B minus Niki has arrived! ♪

Yuuta: (Ugh. Someone troublesome just came in!)

(I’ll hide my face behind this magazine to not be noticed…)

Rinne: Ooh, I see a little cutie! Yu~ta ♪

Yuuta: (Ignore him, ignore him…)

Rinne: That’s the magazine with Crazy:B’s gravure!

Are ya takin’ notice to me? I’m embarrassed~, Gyahaha! ☆

Yuuta: (I-Ignore him, ignore him…! If I react, I lose!)

HiMERU: —Amagi, quit it.

Kohaku: What he said. Can’t ya see you’re botherin’ Yuuta-han?

Rinne: It’s fine, it’s fiiine! Yuta and I are buddies!

Don’t ignore me, Yuta! Come have a nice chat with your big bro, ‘kay?

Yuuta: You are not my big bro!

Rinne: Theeere we go. Finally lookin’ at me, eh?

You eatin’ those spicy rice crackers again? Won’t ya upset yer stomach eatin’ too much of that stuff?

Yuuta: None of your business.

Rinne: Hmm… Are ya growin’ your hair out more?

Yuuta: It’s less that I’m growing it out, and just that I’m not cutting it.

I’m free to do whatever I want with my hair, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of work, aren’t I?

HiMERU: HiMERU agrees. Growing your hair long means more options for styling it.

Kohaku: Is that the reason why Niki-han’s got long hair too?

Rinne: In that guy’s case, growin’ it out would do nothin’ but just have it be longer, wouldn’t it?

He had his hair pulled back when we first met too, just shorter than it is now.

Kohaku: Is that so? …Yuuta-han, can I ask ya a stupid question that’s been on my mind for a while?

Is that hairstyle some sorta show of respect to Madara-han?

Yuuta: Huh, Mikejima-senpai?

Kohaku: Y’know, the half-up sorta look. It’s similar to how Madara-han wears his hair, y’know?

So I figured it maybe was a matter of respect. Doesn’t seem to be the case though, judgin’ from your reaction.

Yuuta: Ahaha… Yeah, it’s just a coincidence. I figured it’d be a little boring if I just grew it out.

It’d get in my face when I move around, so I just tied the sides of my hair up.

It’s a surprise to me that it was taken as a sign of respect for Mikejima-senpai. If I’m gonna grow my hair out, I gotta learn how to style it, huh…

Rinne: How ’bout we Crazy:B try givin’ producin’ yer hairstyle a try, Yuta? We’ll cook ya up a good meal!

Yuuta: Thank you very much~, if you’d be so kind, I’d appreciate it, then~.

Rinne: Ah, I thought ya would never agree to that in your life.

Yuuta: Ahaha. ♪ Seems like the magazine reporter is here to see me, so you’ll have to excuse me first.

HiMERU: Yes. I apologize for our Amagi.

Rinne: The hell you mean by that?

See ya later then, Yuta.

Kohaku: Do your best at work!

Yuuta: (Produce my hairstyle, huuuh?… Crazy:B’s changed, too. They weren’t that type of character when they first debuted.)

(…Guess the same goes for me. Back when I first debuted… No, even since when we’d perform on the streets, all I did was imitate Aniki.)

(As the two-in-one twin idols, 2wink.)

(Because, that was the strongest weapon we had.)

Yuuta: (…How will I change? How will I grow and who will I become?)

(……)

(I don’t know, so I’ll just do what I’m able to do now. One by one, as Aoi Yuuta would.)

(If I build myself up carefully like this, then one day—)

(I believe I’ll reach the future I desire.)

[ ☆ ]

story directory

[myobsessionsspace]

Who is Kim Young Jin?

The man behind the looks, bringing BTS' vision to life, from photo-folios, to music videos to high fashion magazine photoshoots.

Kim YoungJin and his team have worked with the members as a group and as individuals on their concerts and everything in between.

“Seoul-based stylist Youngjin Kim has been obsessed with fashion since he was a child, saving up his pocket money to buy magazines. “It was so special to me,” he remembers. After majoring in photography at college but leaning into the looks just as heavily, somebody suggested he give styling a go and well, the rest is history. These days, he’s working with BTS, but can also be found dressing the likes of NCT 127, Super M and Daniel Kang for cover features, campaigns and album artwork.”

ID Magazine - VICE Interview (March 2022)

👤What was your entry point to styling?

“I worked as an assistant to [Korean actor] Jin Oh Jeon’s stylist for about five years and came to understand the overall system of the Korean fashion scene. Looking back, that time was so precious; time that brought me to this moment, I guess.”

The man himself, Stylist @kimvinchey on IG

Kim YoungJin styled BTS and Bang SiHyuk for their TIME Magazine 2022 photos.

Kim YoungJin has been head stylist for MVs such as 'My Universe', styling Jimin for 'Vibe', j-hope for 'On The Street' to name but a few MVs

👤Tell us about the type of work you do.

“Styling for albums and projects such as “My Universe” by BTS and Coldplay is receiving tremendous attention on a global scale. Whenever I style an idol group, I think of a designer creating a collection. I mix and match clothes from different Japanese brands such as Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto, and I express my own aesthetic with styling to fit each concept. I also style various editorials for fashion magazines. I consider myself a fashion stylist, and when I first took on the role of an idol stylist, I was proud of demonstrating what kind of visuals could be created if a fashion stylist takes on an idol.”

Kim Youngjin has worked with the members on the brand ambassadorship endeavours, such as styling for mag shoots like the Valentino photoshoot with SUGA

👤Of course, a stylist doesn’t just ‘style’. You’re often a bridge between celebrities and brands — a look you introduce to an idol could quickly become a trend.

“Exactly. In many cases, celebrities or models with good momentum are recommended to brands or magazines, and if the celebrity is an ambassador of a fashion house, they communicate more closely with the fashion brand.”

👤What do you think is the most important thing in styling?

“I try to combine the latest fashion trends with classic items. For instance, I like pairing Levi's denim and casual sneakers with a Saint Laurent blazer. As details are crucial for men's clothes, the overall outfit is often impacted by details such as perfect length and sleeves.”

In Chapter 2 of BTS' journey, Kim YounJin has been part of many of the members solo projects that were even released post enlistment for some, such as j-hope LV campaign and styling for Esquire Magazine

👤Do you have a favourite brand or designer?

“I’ve always loved Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, which has had a huge impact on me as a stylist. I have such respect for a person who has accomplished what they’ve wanted to do for a long time — I think Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons are both great in that regard too.”

“I’m 32, so I was in elementary and middle school in the 1990s, which was when I started getting into fashion. Since I was really young, like 10 years old, I used to go downtown to buy clothes by myself. In elementary school, I wore baggy sweatshirts and jeans like this Balenciaga ensemble. I liked hip-hop and K-pop even back then and would dress up like this and dance at school festivals. Retro fashion is back in style, so it doesn’t at all look out of place or time to dress like this again.”

Mr Porter - The Journal Interview (Oct 2020)

💜

Special Mention:

**Though Taehyung has worked with Kim YoungJin with group projects the Head Stylist for Taehyung (V) during Chapter 2, in particular his Layover Era has been @HIJIBIN, Taehyung's personal stylist.

Info on Kim YoungJin:

https://www.mrporter.com/en-sg/journal/fashion/youngjin-kim-contemporary-fashion-classic-style-k-pop-1445414

[mileapo]

Happy Me Happy 'MILE' with Mai Phakphum

“The first time I saw a guitar was probably in grade 2. It was my relative’s guitar. I secretly took it and played with it. Then, the string broke!!! So I secretly hid it and never dared to take it out to play again because I had broken it already… The guitar came into my life again in grade 6. I was a kid at the back of the class. I studied hard, but I sat at the back of the class. Then, there was a female friend who sat in front of me. Her brother played music. She showed me photos of her brother competing in various competitions. She also showed me a magazine called The Guitar Mag. So, I opened it and read it. I read and read and found a guitar. It was an electric guitar in the shape of a white rabbit. 

I was like, “Wow!!! What a beautiful guitar! It made me start to fall in love with the shape of the word guitar from just looking at the picture first.”

And what about Mai's happiness with the guitar!!!

The eyes of the person you are talking to will tell you how they feel. This is not an exaggeration.

“The guitar is the instrument that brought me into the entertainment industry. Since I liked music since I was a kid, starting with the guitar, I started to be interested in music, interested in fashion related to music, which made me curious about music. I became a DJ, started to enter the loop where people saw my face more, started to go to castings, and was once at Grammy for a while. It was a time when I saw the entertainment industry in many other ways. It was the starting point that developed me until now.

The guitar has been with me since the beginning and has always been. For example, in AUTHENTIC MILE FIRST SOLO CONCERT, there must be a guitar that represents us and the different scenes in the show. If it's romantic, it will be an acoustic guitar. If it's a sexy scene, it will be a guitar solo. I am happy to play in the show. Entertaining and making the people who come to see us happy is another happiness that I like a lot.

We asked about the 28th anniversary of LOSO We Are The Rock And Roll Concert and being a guest of LOSO in the past.

“Phi Sek is an artist who I can say with certainty that he is the King of Rock and Roll of Thailand. He is also an inspiration to many Thai musicians. In terms of his work and songwriting, Phi Sek’s songs are meaningful, easy to understand, and honest. I think whoever listens to them will feel that way. I am very happy to be able to perform at the big concert to celebrate Loso’s 28th anniversary. It was fun to work on. The Loso team is lovely.” (smiles)

We asked Mai which guitar he likes the most. Mai replied that it was a very difficult question to answer. Very difficult.

"But if I had to choose, it would be this one I play regularly," Mai pointed to the olive green electric guitar he was carrying. 

“He has an overall meaning and a look that we really like. He’s the one that I feel has the right look, the right tone, not too strong, has a vintage feel, and still has a modern sound that can be used.”

Throughout my life journey, the guitar is the thing that makes me feel the most charming. I am most fascinated by the guitar. It’s like I’ve fallen in love with it. I don’t know how to stop loving it. As for other musical instruments, I might have had the chance to get to know them, but I might not have fallen in love in terms of playing. But in terms of consuming, listening, of course I am someone who loves music. Whether it’s the sound of the piano or the sound design of some electronic musical instruments, they also touch my heart. But in terms of playing, collecting, or anything physical, the guitar is with me. It is my first and only love, something like that.” (smiles)

That Cherished First Guitar of 'MILE'

“It’s still there,”  we asked about the first guitar in Mai’s life.

“Since we saw the white rabbit-shaped guitar in The Guitar Mag, that white guitar started to come into my head. I remember that when school ended around 3-4 p.m., while waiting for someone to pick me up in front of the school, I would complain to myself, saying to myself, “I really want a white guitar.” Then a friend named Ying Yai walked up to me and whispered in my ear, “I don’t know how to play, but I still want one.” I was shocked, my head was full of question marks. How difficult could playing a guitar be? Why did my friend say that even though she didn’t know how to play, she still wanted one? When I got home, I went to my mother and asked to buy one. At that time, I was still young, only in the sixth grade, and I was studying in Kalasin. It wasn’t easy to find one… When I asked my mother to buy it, she said, “Okay, I’ll buy it for you if I pass the entrance exam for Mathayom 1. Let’s exchange.” I was comfortable. I passed the entrance exam for Mahasarakham University Demonstration School (Secondary Section), and I got my first guitar, which was a popular classical guitar model, which most guitar lovers probably started with.”

“As for the first songs I played, they were songs that my guitar teacher taught me, which were “Khang Khao Kin Kluai” (Due Due Due, Due Due) (and then hummed the song for us ^_^) But if it’s a song that ends handsomely, it’s a song by Potato, “Mai Hai Tur Pai”. This is a song that I really like. The MV is beautiful, the feeling is there, and I really get into it. At that time, I was in Grade 6. I knew how to get into loneliness. I felt like playing this song. It just so happened that my guitar teacher’s younger brother, who was a night musician, told me that he would teach me to play a song. He asked me what song I wanted to play, so I told him “Mai Hai Tur Pai” (No Hai Tur Pai ). So he taught me. I was really determined because I really wanted to play it. After teaching him for about 2 days, I could play it. After that, I played this song all day and all night.” (smiles)

The Guitar Masters Who Fueled 'MILE' Passion

“Wow!!! That’s a lot.”

“I think it depends on the time period or the loop of listening to music. At first, we started listening to Thai music. The guitarist at the beginning of our life was 'P' Win Potato'. After that, time led us to know many guitarists, both Grammy and RS. We dissected a lot of songs. We dissected continuously until we learned that the flavor of Thai music is like this. 

When I started studying in Mathayom 2, I secretly went to study music, which made me know about Blues, Rock, Progressive Rock, and Dream Theater (a legendary American progressive metal band). The complexity of listening began to increase. I knew that John Peter Petrucci was this person ( John Peter Petrucci, founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater). We started to enter the loop of all things Rock Metal. My seniors listened to Trivium , so we listened to it too. We felt that it was good, it was cool. (Trivium is an American heavy metal band)

“The time when I really started to change was during Mathayom 4-5. I moved to study at Triam Udom Suksa School in Bangkok. A friend of a friend who was a student at Suankularb played John Mayer ’s “ Neon” in the karaoke room. When I heard it, it made me change my taste in music. It had an acoustic guitar feel, ding ding, ding, but it was a different feel from all the music I had listened to in the past 4-5 years. I can say that John Mayer was the first person who really inspired me. After that, it was blues rock like SRV ( Stevie Ray Vaughan ). Another person I really like is Philip Sayce ( Philip Sayce, Welsh guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor, and producer ).

In Thailand, there are many. Master Winai (Winai Trinatipakdi) and Phi Jack (Thammarat Duangsiri) are my inspirations who I used to study with. If it were about the same generation, I would say The Toys . He has great skill and a clear character. But if we talk about guitarists that I like at present, there are 2 people: Mean Thaitatsamit and Kong H3F. Their signatures are clear, their accents are clear, both in their sound and playing methods.”

And if there's a chance to perform with someone on stage? 

“John Mayer,”  Mai replied with a smile.

“But if it’s a Thai artist, “I want to play with Carabao.” I like the way they present meaning through Carabao songs. I’ve listened to a lot of Carabao songs. I went to the last concert. I like songs for life. I like songs that don’t talk about small images, just small feelings. I like songs that make the receiver, the consumer feel like they’ve gained something from life. Carabao’s songs are songs that have meaning. If I had the chance to be a part of a song with an artist, it would be Carabao.”

'MILE' Dream and A Part of 'MILE' Life

We all had dreams when we were kids, but not everyone can fulfill those dreams. Because dreams of “what do we want to be when we grow up?” “what do we want to do when we grow up?” may be just imaginary dreams. Because when we grow up, “dreams” tend to change over time, according to the context of society, according to what we see along the way. My dream is the same…

"When I was a child, I wanted to be a civil engineer." This is the dream of Pakphum Romsaithong.

“I remember having a relative who worked on road construction. He took us and his children to visit the dam. We saw the development from the laterite area and then saw it gradually develop until it was completed. So we thought about what kind of career could help our city in Kalasin grow. At that time, as a child, we also wanted to have fun, so we wanted to be a civil engineer.

When I started studying in Mathayom 4 in Bangkok, I felt that the vibe had changed. When I was in middle school, I went to school in the King’s class, got good grades, had many close friends, played music, and had activities with friends all the time. When I changed schools, I still couldn’t adjust myself. I studied a lot more. The subjects I studied were more intensive. I started to feel homesick. When I started to skip school a lot, I couldn’t keep up. Things started to go wrong. It made me start to isolate myself, talk to myself more, and see people’s nature more.”

“In the past, I liked to sit alone at bus stops, parks, or wherever people walked by every day for at least two hours a day. I sat mindfully, observed people’s behavior, and talked to strangers. People in the past were very charismatic. Many people talked to me even though we didn’t know each other. Some told me their stories, complained to me about this and that. I had no reason to do this at that time.”

Time makes us grow up and learn continuously. From Triam Udom Suksa School to the yellow and red walls of Thammasat University with the TU Sexy Boy stage that made both seniors and juniors open the warp to find out who 'Mai Phakphum' is and where he comes from.

“I used to think that I wanted to inspire people, but it doesn’t mean that we have to be great or anything. I just feel that being an inspiration to someone who is confused or lost, or being able to make someone who is straying in some way, bring them back to the center, to the point where they can balance, this is what we want to do, and we did it (smiles). 

Today, more people know us, whether it's international fans, younger people, or older people who may be in their 40s. I notice from the cards they write to me or the feedback when they send me DMs. I read them all the time. I may reply to some or not. What I see is what they reflect on how we inspire them. This is one of my dreams that I've seen take shape. I've made it happen and I want to keep doing it."

'MILE' Story of Pushing Through Bad Day

“Have you ever encountered anything difficult?” “Wow, a lot.”

“The more well-known something is, the more people expect it. This is a difficult thing. Even if we have a mindset that we can’t make everyone like us or change anyone’s mind, they say that life gets harder as we grow older. I think the difficulty lies in expectations.”

“The easy way is to let it go, let it go. But when the time comes, it’s hard to do that. It’s easy to say but very difficult to do because we are people who care about others and we think carefully. The best way is to try to stop inputting things, stop playing with our phones for a while, stop asking for opinions from others for a while while the problem is happening. Try to take a deep breath and stay here, in the present, come back to yourself, come back to talk to yourself, ask yourself what happened, what is the best case, what is the worst case. I do this and feel better. Even though the problem or stressful thing doesn’t go away, in the end it gets better.”

“I am lucky that my family is lovely and always behind me, no matter when I fall or encounter something difficult. But if I encounter something not too serious, I don’t tell them because I am afraid that they will worry. I will use a method like taking a nap. When we sleep, it is like resetting ourselves. Or changing the atmosphere, changing focus, or what they say to focus on breathing. At first, we didn’t understand, but when the time comes to try, when we focus on breathing in and out, really breathing in and out, the things that are floating, the things that are stressful, the extreme suffering, will get better. The nature of the human mind is to focus for only a split second and focus on one thing at a time. When we are forced to focus on breathing, whatever is floating will disappear. 

I learned this method when I was talking to a lot of people. One person talked about breathing exercises and I followed what he was saying. I felt better. When I went home and had a problem, I used this method. Hey!!! It helps. 

But in the end, I think everyone should have their own technique. For me, when I started to get to 30, I think that if we tune everything to be in moderation, in the middle, I think it makes us happy easily and it’s easier to move forward.”

The Art of Happiness in 'MILE' Moment

“Guitar, watch, record, wine glass, alcoholic drink”

“We have a bad habit. When we do something, we like to go all the way. We are like ducks who go all the way. When we reach a certain point, we will retreat. We are not experts, but we will understand the structure and then retreat. This is our habit.

All the things I mentioned, if we put them there, they will all be beautiful. Beautiful guitars, beautiful watches, beautiful glasses, beautiful alcohol bottles. Start with beauty first. When we touch them, we will find the next thing, which is what they give us, the form, taste, smell, sound, and so on. Then it will become a story. Story can fool us later. Everything I say will be like a rocket that gradually rises. Story is the last flower that makes the passion for that matter stronger. Like a first impression, I like beautiful things. I feel that even if I put it aside, in ten or twenty years, if we look back, it will still look the same. It has complexity and I think everything is a work of art. We like to consume art, but our art tends to go in this direction. Guitars are also art. They have their own stories, their own shapes. For example, guitars are relics that make them look old or painted in this or that color, which there are many. Or guitar amps, these are all charming. They give off a very personal sound. Vintage guitar amps can’t produce sounds that modern amps can’t. They have a certain sense, a tone, a character of sound, and a certain uniqueness that suits us.”

“If it’s an alcoholic drink, the way to make it enjoyable is like we understand if it’s a top nose or not, or we don’t need any principles at all. We drink it and feel that it gives us some imagination. Rum is one type, whiskey is another, bourbon is another, gin is another, and so on. So we spend a lot of time on these things. But I have to say that I’m not encouraging you to drink it (smiles).”

Vintage is 'MILE'

“Today, I’m dressing up a bit like this vintage style. I think vintage has a sense of timelessness. It has a sense of having its own character. It doesn’t have to follow anyone. It doesn’t have to change because the trend changes. But I will change when I want to change. Vintage is right here.

I think it’s similar to my personality. Actually, I am 100% myself. I am not someone who follows trends. But I have to study trends to work or change my look to follow trends as an actor or as a presenter. But deep down, I know what I like and dislike.”

“In terms of music, I think of Stevie Ray Vaughan ’s (SRV) song Lenny. It talks about an old guitar sound, a bit clear, a bit bluesy, but the guitar tone is the sound I’m describing. A vintage guitar sound is something like this.”

Green → Rose → 'MILE' → Greeny Rose

Why do you like green???

“At that time, I didn’t know what color I liked, but I probably liked it a lot because everything was green. I asked myself that question, but I couldn’t find the answer. Looking back, I only knew that the children’s dolls that we asked for or that we chose were green. They were Shin-chan dolls. Children like Shin-chan in green shirts. Even the first electric guitar that we secretly bought was green. The first amp cabinet, I didn’t know the sound, so I chose it based on the look. It was green felt. Everything was green.”

“I think green is a color that gives a feeling of comfort and is pleasing to the eyes. At the same time, it also has a coolness to it. It’s like a young man in his mid-teens who is starting to get older. He is calm, cool, and sharp but still, not loud. The cool thing about green is that there are so many shades. The green I like the most is olive green. Olive green and British green are British green, like MINI cars and BMW cars. Racing green are the two shades that I like. This is the charm of green for me.”

Tell us about Greeny Rose. 

“The green rose” represents composure, slowness, and calmness in making decisions. Seeing him makes you feel safe and comfortable. Why does it have to be a rose? Because the rose represents the feeling of love and passion at the same time, which is Love and Passion that is given to each other. When you put these two things together, it is a Greeny Rose. But there must be a condition that the rose that is given must be a rose that is willing to let go of each other’s thorns.”

“A rose that is willing to let go of its thorns means that it will compromise with both the giver and the receiver, and both of them will be happy.  Greeny Rose is a green rose that is willing to let go of its own ego thorns. So my meaning is that fandoms should not fight among themselves, or if we have something, we talk about it. The relationship in terms of fans will continue on forever.” 

Is the meaning too deep? Mai smiled and asked us back, then continued to tell us about 3 years of being impressed with Greeny Rose.

“ I think it’s a give and take, a mutual happiness , as I’ve always tried to tell everyone, whoever we meet, it’s a good time in life. And when we’re together, continuing to be together, nourishing each other is not just about taking or giving. That’s what I call a give and take, like a spinning top. We see fun, developing our relationship all the time. This is what I’ve always seen. Whatever we can do for him, be nice to him, do good work for him, respect him all the time as much as we can respect him. Whatever we can do, we do it all.”

“At the same time, Greeny Rose has sent us good feelings in various forms. Coming to the event, sending good feelings via social media, some are not in Thailand, they are abroad, posting to encourage me. I know they are still here, but some have withered, some have disappeared, but new ones have grown.”

“Lastly, whatever it is, I have to thank everyone, thank the fans, thank Greeny Rose , everyone who helped complete the experience, and gave and took together all along. In the past, I didn’t have many chances to thank you. I want everyone to take good care of their health. I want everyone to take good care of their hearts, their minds, and their bodies, both our own and those close to us.”

'MILE' Present is The Best Present

“Being alive now is the greatest gift in the world.”

“Being who we are, living here, is something we unpack and are happy about. And the box next to it that they gave us to live through is about family, about fans, about friends, about various desires, whether it’s a guitar, a record, or other things. The box that comes together to be Present 

Experience is like a grain of sand or a pebble, a stone that comes together. The Star is a big stone that lets us see how to work in the entertainment industry. And the most obvious thing is that we never thought we would become a star. Talking about this makes me feel shy (smiles). But now we can’t deny it. We ourselves used to be secretly confused about how we got to this point.”

In the final conversation, we asked Mai about the role of Kinn, the ill-tempered young man of the main family. What are the differences between Mai and Kinn? 

“Kinn is a size that is us, and then we expand on something more to give him. Love, possessiveness, thinking a lot about people he feels good with. Kinn and I are exactly the same (laughs). Both in the script, in the performance, and in terms of taste, we like it that way, whether it’s drinks, houses, lifestyles that are similar to what we like. But the difference is that I’ve never killed anyone (laughs). The second thing is that I feel that Kinn is too childish. When we’re children, we’re children, but we’re not that childish. But in the story, we expand on the cute side of Kinn’s personality.”

[aerowolf]

pinned post be upon ye

PROSHIPPERS AND INCEST SHIPPERS HARD DNI

i am a minor. if your entire blog is nsfw dni. if you only occasionally post nsfw it's fine to follow BUT ONLY if you tag your nsfw so the tag is blocked

my discord is open to anyone who wants to join, legals included. i will only selectively dm legals. please read the rules as well.

find my art at @aerowolf-draws

hi if you're curious i also run @thefencertf2 and @ilikeclipboards,and @miss-pauling-in-situationsi have other blogs but those are my tf2 oc and miss Pauling asks blogs

Table of Contents

About Me

Fic Requests and Masterlist

Full fics ( non headcanon multiple part or short story style, usually also on other sites, mostly personal but occasional requested )

About

Ahoy all ! the names Jasper ! she/her and i am a minor. i am completely ridden with audhd i am so sorry.

my current main hyperfixations consist of Atla, BABYMETAL, Paramore, TV Girl, Zelda, Star Trek, XFiles, Ninjago, Atla, Lunar Chronicles, Squirrel Girl, Audrey Hepburn, ATSV and TF2

I draw sometimes I am also a MAJOR Scout simp like idk I'm mentally ill about this man please don't ask how many photos i have of him or how many times I've drawn him and definitely don't look up my tf2 art tag

Miss Pauling is girlboss and deserves the world so do Scout's Ma, Zhanna and Mags. The administrator is womanfailure and needs to die.

you can find all my future art at @aerowolf-draws

Fic Reqs & Masterlist

i only write tf2 atm. what I'll write and how to request can be found here

MASTERLIST:

romantic x reader:

the mercs realizing their s/o still sleeps with a plush

includes: Engineer, Heavy, Demoman, Medic, solo interactions | format: headcanons/story | warnings: alcohol/drinking/drunk mentions on Demo’s section, very minor mentions of cadavers, blood, saws, etc in Medic's | type: sfw fluff & comfort, merc x f!reader, physical affection, forehead kisses, pet names, established relationship

fem!reader meets scout's family for the first time

includes: Scout, Scout's Ma, Scout's brothers, collective interaction. | format: headcanons/story | warnings: n/a | type: sfw fluff & comfort, merc x f!reader, words of encouragement, affirmations, physical affection, established relationship

platonic x reader:

the mercs realize it's your bday and you didn't tell anyone because your family doesn't do birthdays

includes: Miss Pauling & Offense Classes, solo | format: headcanons/story | warnings: n/a | type: fluff

platonic canon x canon:

romantic canon x canon:

nonship:

Dadspy Headcanons

includes: Spy, Scout's Ma mentions | format: headcanons, no story | warnings: absent father/abandonment etc | type: mostly just fluff or sad fluff

FULL FICS

Army Dreamers status: complete

Scout's mother, Marie Jones, receives a letter telling her that her son, her beloved Jeremy, is coming home early from the war, riding in a pine box.

WARNING: there will be thoughts of suicide. it will not occur, and the character will be comforted.

A Study In Scarlet Dress status: ch 3/?

The tale of how Spy met Scout's Ma, and the wholesome acts of love and chicanery which followed

[inmyblueparadise]

Hi there! Idk if you're taking request but if you are, then could you do something where after the hiatus y/n is promoting her new album and a sexist interviewer basically suggest that now that she doesn't have the boys her career will go down? And basically she just handles it in a badass way? Maybe the boys defending her...

Its a bit long but if you are not able to do it then its ok! 🙂

love you works tho!! ✨💕✨

Hii lovie, I'm so sorry I'm just awsering this right now ! But thank you so much for the love, it made my day babe !

Let me know what you think :) xx

Deciding to go on a hiatus, was probably the hardest decision you had to take. It's not that you didn't want to stop, but as of right now you just couldn't. Mentally and physically, all of you were exhausted. After 5 years of touring, recording, and putting albums out, promoting, interviews and so and so. You just needed a minute to breathe. 

And you did it. You went on a looooong vacation, sleeping and tanning for most of the time. You also reconnected with your family, spent time with your friends, and just lived. You also needed this time off to discover yourself. Who were you ? You were not just the girl from the band, the 6th member, you were now a grown woman, with ideas and dreams. 

That is what you tried to put into your first solo album. Your growth, your story, your style..Your album « A Letter to Me » came out to the world. It was your baby, an homage to the boys, to your family, and your younger self, because you made it. But there is one thing that you were less excited about. THE PRESS. You knew you had to give interviews as part of the promotion for the album, but you were not excited about it. While you were in the band, it was fun. You were never alone, always with at least one of the boys if not all of them. You made jokes and you relied on each other. But now, you were going to have to face it all alone. The first week of the promo went by quickly you were excited. to perform for the fans, the journalists were nice enough, so it was a good start. But you knew it could change reallllllly quickly and boy you were right ! 

You were actually sitting in a hotel room, all dolled up and dressed for your last interview of the day. A man walked in and gave you a smile before sitting in front of you, and introducing himself. 

Hello Y/N, I'm Joe from People Mag. How are you ? 

Hi Joe, I'm good thanks how are you ? 

Good, shall we start ? 

Let's go.

The interview started pretty much like the others, with questions about the songs, and the album. He was insistent on your relationship status but stopped when. he saw you wouldn't give him the answer he wanted, and that's when the interview took a weird turn. 

"So, Y/N, you started your career while in the band One Direction". 

"Yes, I did"

"All of the members put out new music, album, and singles, and they are doing pretty well, do you think you would do as well as them ?" 

"Well, when you put out a project, you want it to do good. Like every time we put out an album with the band, we wanted the fans to like it. And now that I'm on my own, I have to say it's a little more stressful because it's only, and I don't know < how the fans will react to the styles and everything but it's also exciting to be able to do this. You said, avoiding the question about the boys, but he came back to it." 

"Because, and I don't mean to put any pressure on you, but Harry for example did really great with his album do you want to do better than him ?" 

"It's not a competition. You said, trying to keep a smile on your face. There is enough of that in the music industry. Every time one of the boys put out a song or any project, I'm the first to listen to it, and send my love. I know firsthand how talented they are, and I am extremely proud of Harry for putting together such a great album that he is proud of and that his fans are happy to listen to. Do I hope the fans like my album, sure, but I'm not here to try and sell more than my friends, it's not what I'm about." 

"Good for you Y/N, and I mean you probably won't have the same success as them anyway.."

That's when you started boiling inside. 

"And why is that ?" 

"Oh, I mean that you were just the girl of the band, and people were fans of the band and now that you are alone, you are just a girl in the industry.."

"So you think that because I don't have the boys with me now that I won't do good ?" 

"Yes exactly, I mean don't get me wrong you are stunning, but you cannot expect your career to be successful without the boys..."

"Let me stop you right there. I have been in the industry since I was sixteen, I have been writing songs since that age and I have also been performing since then. I was not just "a girl" in a band, I was a member just like any of the boys, I have given my all to this band just like them and I earned my success." 

"Yes but," 

"No no, I'm still speaking, Joe. I find your question, not only offensive to me, but to all the women in this industry. So because I started in a band and I am a woman it means that I am less talented or deserving ? I think that you are forgetting that some of the biggest names in this industry are women. Or do you not consider Beyonce, Rihanna, or Stevie Nick talented enough ? Or Arianna, Celine Dion, Adele, I could go on ! "

"I am not here to teach you a lesson on feminism, even though it is clear that you need one desperately. But let me tell you this. Putting this album out has been one of the hardest things I had to do in my career, because yes I am scared to start over alone. I don't expect the same level of success I had with the band, because what we did was extraordinary, it was insane. And if I'm honest, I'll be ok with not having the same success as a solo artist, because I actually experienced this kind of love and dedication already. I'll be fine not touring stadiums again or having my album at the top of the Billboard 100, because I already did it. I just want to make stuff that is right, that is fun, in terms of the process, that I can be proud of for a long time, that my friends can be proud of, that my family can be proud of, that my kids will be proud of one day. And if the boys managed to get the same success, I will be on the front row cheering and dancing my ass off." 

After that interview, you left, surrounded by your team. You knew people would talk about it, and everyone liked the drama, but you felt good about what you said. What you didn't expect was the number of celebrities reacting to it. Barely a day after the interview was put online your social media profiles were flooded with messages. 

@tswift : Why are women still looked over in this industry because of our gender ? Your album is amazing @y/n congrats ! 

@AriannaGrande : Letter to Me by @y/n is on repeaaaaaat ! Go girl !

@Beyonce : Nothing more to add @y/n

But what people were waiting for was the boys reaction. And they got it.

Louis posted a picture on his Instagram. Of you and him, surrounded by trophies won with the band over the year, the caption saying. 

@LouisTomlinson : For 5 years, I was lucky enough to work with a kind, talented and unbelievable singer, whom I get to call my little sister. She is not only an incredible performer but also a songwriter that has the talent to make me dance and cry with her lyrics. I am incredibly proud of her new album, and I know she will go far in this industry, so all your sexist ass can fuck off. I love you @y/n.

Niall addressed the interview during an instalive. "Yes I have seen, the interview, and all I can say is how proud of y/n I am. She is one of the most talented people I ever worked with and she deserves the world, so go listen to her album ! "

Liam's tweet was simple. @LiamPayne : So my sister has no talent ? #sheisnumber1 with a screenshot of your album at the number one spot. 

Zayn's reaction was a surprise to a lot of people. He didn't mention you in the tweet, but everyone knew he was talking about you. @Zayn : She's not afraid, she is shining. 

As for Harry, well mister mysterious posted a beautiful picture of you, on stage, in black and white. With a simple caption 

@HarryStyles : Proud. 

[shizucheese]

So I realized after last week that reblogging my original red string board every week with updates is going to turn into a monster. I think I'm going to keep doing it but also make individual posts for each week with the same info linking back to the original for posterity and in case anyone wants to see the full descent into madness in one post (in which case they can go here).

With that, I give you this week's solo post update:

Today is 2/3/24. Episode 4 released 2 days ago.

“Talkers”

Norris (Voice: Martin?/ Alex)

Episode 1: “Reanimation (Partial) -/- Regret [Email]”. The Stranger? The End? The Dark? The Lonely? The Flesh? Arthur (Nolan?).

Episode 3: "Infection (full body" -/- Arboreal [Journal entry]". The Spiral? (Paranoia? Auditory, visual and olfactory hallucinations) The Lonely? The Corruption. The Flesh? (Callbacks to the Flesh Garden from S5)

Common Themes: Hearing the voice of a dead/ missing loved one?

Chester (Voice: John?/ Jonny)

Episode 1: “Transformation (eyes) -/- Tresspass [chat log]”. Magnus Institute, The Eye. (Involves a forum; the Web?).

Agustus: (rare?)

Episode 4: “Collection (blood) -/- musical [letter]” The End. The Lonely? The Slaughter.

Letter writer thinks passing on his violin might allow a part of himself to live on in his nephew. Very Jonah Magnus of him.

Music teacher hears “faraway music”, then goes crazy and throws himself out of the carriage and dies. Reminiscent of Mag7 and the Piper? The merchant’s wares include dice (Mag 29?). Got the violin from him (took his blood?). Effect of the violin reminiscent to Grifter’s Bone (Mag 42).

(Oliver Bardwell lol very funny guys)

Non-Talkers (?)

Episode 2: "Transformation (full) -/- dysmorphic [video call]". The Spiral? The Flesh. The Stranger. Ink 5oul (avatar/ entity?)

Transcript calls the male voice in the audio at the end "Klaus" (also the last voice credit in the episode credits). Who the fuck is Klaus? Why did he disappear the first time and why does he need to disappear again? What did Lena do to him? Was it just an audio recording Gwen got or was it video too?

[from-memphis-with-love]

Gambling on Your Love - Ch. 6

Summary: Francesca, already frazzled by relentless tabloid buzz, numerous vicious and targeted on set mishaps, and break-in that leaves her raw, spirals when a fake mag story paints Elvis as fed up with her "needy debauchery." This gut punch drives her off the set, doubting everything. Elvis scrambles, reaching for explanations, trying to bridge the gap her swift exit widens, but she's ghosting, gone silent. Amidst this, her pulling out of the movie hits him like a sucker punch; desperation peaking, he races to her, hoping to mend cracks with truths. Can he weave through the labyrinth of lies, or has the last thread of trust frayed beyond repair? And is an on set insider intent on breaking them apart?

Wanna catch up? Check out chapters one, two, three, four, and five. Happy reading!

Word count: 8,500 Warnings: Media manipulation; personal betrayal; isolation; resilience and personal agency.

The tabloids were roaring. 

Frannie couldn’t catch a break. Wherever she went, she was being hounded by the press. Hidden hats, lurking in the bushes, vultures with notebooks stowed away in their dark pockets, ready to ask her a line of licentious questions. She always gave them the same reaction: none. Holding up her hand to push a little distance, it conveyed the sense that they were disturbing her, trying to accost a lady in public while she simply wanted to go about her business. 

Passersby occasionally joined in to shoo them away from her as the buzz surrounding the release of her "debaucherous" past intensified. The uproar caused by news of her dancing was both nauseatingly routine and unexpectedly overwhelming. Rolling her eyes at the commotion, she made a concerted effort to carry on.

It has only been a few weeks since she received the call from Cassandra, informing her that she and Elvis would need to return for reshoots. And just moments before that, her apartment had been completely ransacked, leaving her waking up in cold sweats. She hesitated leaving her apartment, hesitant to return to the place that had been violated. The thought of moving altogether crossed her mind, but she cherished her home. It pained her to even consider it. Lately, she had been spending her nights with Elvis, hoping to alleviate some of her anxiety—but therein lie the problem itself. Perhaps she was being overly paranoid, or maybe it was just strange how so many unfortunate events seemed to be connected to Elvis Presley and this cursed movie in some way.

She lay in bed, watching the silhouette of him in the shower, singing loudly and enjoying the acoustics of her bathroom. The last thing she wanted was to dread a film with him, one that they’d wrapped up so beautifully together. Cassandra had downplayed the time it would take, but after talking with her agent, Dominick told her that it might actually take months. Over 30 minutes of film had been destroyed. It was a disaster. 

Francesca had wilted. Her heart and soul poured into every second. Gone. How convenient for Elvis that his solo scenes were mostly left untouched. The scenes with them together—and nearly half of her solo scenes—were cut and ripped, missing.

Dominick didn't explicitly say it, but he subtly hinted that he wouldn't blame her if she backed out. However, breaking the contract and abandoning a nearly finished film felt like career suicide. She didn't expect any other directors to jump at the chance to sign her on.

But the seed of doubt remained, ready to bloom at any moment.

Elvis emerged from the shower with a smile on his face and her cozy yellow towel, climbing into bed with her. Despite it all, she couldn't help but feel a sense of security with him in her home. He even insisted on sleeping closest to the door. He made sure the windows were locked and placed wooden dowels as stoppers (which he had thoughtfully purchased at the department store). For the first few weeks, he had his boys keep an eye on her place, taking turns to watch and check on her. No one ever returned to the scene of the crime. She wasn't sure if that should worry her or bring her comfort. The investigation yielded no results either. The intruder left no trace, no footprints, no fingerprints, no hair—just a cruel mark on her sense of safety.

Even though everyone around her seemed to be moving on, she couldn't let go. The wound may have scabbed over, but it remained visible, still causing pain with every movement, lurking in the depths of her mind, influencing every decision. And coupled with the violation of her privacy—her diary... It was such a personal and targeted attack. How could she simply forget? Someone out there harbored such intense hatred towards her that they were willing to not only destroy her belongings but also betray her secrets.

Frannie felt as if no one knew how to take her seriously, but she understood why. After all, she didn’t know anyone who’d been through something like this. Elvis tried his best. He gave her space when she needed it and showed his love in the most gentle ways. He even quietly replaced the items in her wardrobe that had been destroyed. Elvis also made sure the painters were paid and did everything while they were away on a wonderful trip.

Just last week, he’d taken Frannie on a mini vacation to Palm Springs. The weather was a balmy 75 degrees, and they both enjoyed soaking up the sun. It felt like therapy, getting out of town for a while and hanging out with Elvis’ crew who by now had become like family. Wherever they went, there was a sense of ease. The two of them wore cheeky disguises, she with wide cat’s eye sunglasses a silk hair wrap and he in a golf sweater and khaki shorts, complete with a bowler hat. But they didn’t need all that. Sensing their need for privacy, the sophisticated locals and other famous visitors let them go about their day unbothered.

Elvis went above and beyond, booking all the rooms at the Riviera Hotel. They swam in the luxurious blue water, the salt drying their hair in wispy furls. The heated pool was something of a marvel in itself, its warm dark surface reflecting the busy city’s lights.

He took her shopping to all the boutiques, eating up the retail therapy just as much as she. He generously paid for everything, always racking up more than her. He bought several suits, getting them tailored before they left to go hit the clubs.

“We’re getting in character,” Elvis laughed, rolling the dice. She winced at the mention of Gambling on Your Love, but not as hard as she anticipated. It was quickly forgotten with a glass of champagne and a few songs. He warned her to never leave her drink unattended, watching her like a hawk as they navigated the dimly lit venues. 

The smoke was so heavy that the dancefloor turned blue. Frannie had fanned her face, telling him that she was getting a little dizzy from all the inhalations. Besides, she wanted to go back to the hotel and get a couple more laps in the pool before they left.

That’s when he hauled her into a taxi and murmured into the driver’s ear, making the man grin as he accepted a preliminary wad as a tip.

Frannie relaxed into his arms after a day of shopping, partying and sightseeing, her eyes heavier than they’d ever been. Outside the city limits, the paparazzi weren’t tailing them as long as they kept their disguises up. As she floated off to sleep, she rather enjoyed feeling like a space alien hiding as a housewife. Elvis said her big glasses made it look like she had owl eyes. 

She woke up at the end of the taxi ride, only to discover they hadn’t arrived at the hotel. In fact, they weren’t even in the city anymore. The door opened and Elvis offered out his hand to her in the pale moonlight, helping her step out onto the dunes of alabaster sand, glittering before them like jewels. She was mesmerized, listening to the gulls, the waves whispering up the smooth shore.

They kicked off their shoes and trod through the sand, hand in hand, racing to the water together. She kicked a splash up, soaking his silly sweater. 

“Oh that’s how you’re going to play this? And here I thought you’d be thrilled I brought you to the beach.”

Frannie laughed, lifting her skirt and kicking up more water, sea spraying like diamonds. He shielded himself and chased after her, pursuing her playfully. Like a persistent lover, he pushed her further out into the ocean. She looked back at him and he tackled her with laughter in his eyes, sending them both into the warm surf. It was hard to think that back home, winter was already in full swing, freezing the roads. Palm Springs felt like an eternal, delightful party. 

Elvis swept her up in his arms, holding her body to his chest. Their clothes were stripped and tossed haphazardly on the shore. Nothing but stars and milky moonlight watched over them on the desolate beach.

“Fuck it,” Elvis smirked. 

That night, he made love to her there in the languid waves, lacing her legs around his sturdy waist, pushing in and out of her with the ocean’s movement. He made her see sparks, fireworks behind her lids. His skin tasted like salt and his voice was melted chocolate as he rumbled to her deeply, telling her all the things she’d ever wanted to hear. How much he adored her, how he was going to take care of her, how he’d leave her wanting only for him. How he’d absolutely ruin her for any other man. Francesca was his, all his, and he never let her forget it for a moment. He could be jealous with her, even with no one else was around.

*

Now in bed, luxuriating back in her apartment, watching Elvis make his way over to her across the rose-colored bed sheets, she gave herself fully to him. Any barrier she’d had in place had long since cleaved. She had in herself a vulnerability that she hadn’t wanted to share with anyone until him.

He brushed her hair away from her face. Frannie closed her eyes, keeping her mind from wandering. They had to start shooting again in a week and she had to convince herself that she was ready. There was no stopping the march of time, pushing her closer and closer to the set, the dressing room, the makeup mirror. The cameras, the lights, the dazzling smiles and the constant maintenance of her best self. It was exhausting and she hadn't had a chance to really take a break from filming when it was all about to start again.

There were bites on her hook now, but for how long? In the wake of her scandal, what directors would continue to work with her? For his part, Elvis didn't want to keep making mistakes that would land them both in hot water, but wasn't the mere act of seeing each other sloppy enough to tarnish her reputation? It wasn't exactly the most ladylike of circumstances, sleeping with a rock 'n' roll star out of wedlock - though maybe she'd earn some theatrical credibility considering Elvis was playing roles now - serious roles! He'd moved her to tears with his performance, and now he had to do it all over again.

Frannie trusted him. He hadn't stopped practicing either. She'd caught him a time or two, especially when he'd been dropped off by the boys, when he'd seemed a bit... inebriated. It wasn’t like him. On top of that, it was out of her comfort zone to try to manage a man like that, a man who didn't consider himself her permanent property yet, as much as she wanted him to.

Watching him now, drifting away after another day spent together, his face resting peacefully with such a sweet expression... she wondered if he'd be okay with making it official.  They certainly made a dazzling couple, she thought happily as she clasped his hand and listened to him mumble in his sleep while she tenderly kissed the back of his palm. Never before had her heart been so soft for another. It frightened her. 

It was as if something outside of her was forcing her. An existential force so far beyond her control that she was powerless to accept the endless, amorous feedback. She longed to be with him, to hold him. To smell his cologne on her sheets, to feel the rasp of his five o' clock shadow against her inner thighs as he woke her in the morning with his tongue. He was a delightful lover. He gave more than he took, but he took a lot and a lot. He wanted her always.

Her heart belonged to him completely, and maybe it was a foolish thing to give so much of herself to someone else. But what if it wasn't? What if this was the best decision she could ever make?

Frannie curled up against him, turning her back so that she fell seamlessly into his embrace. He reached for her, tucked her into his lap, and groaned contentedly against her back before settling down with her.  She slept harder than the dead, undisturbed in his arms. The mornings they slept together, waking up was like meeting the sunrise in her bed. No cold sweats, no spikes of fear that a stranger had broken in and was lurking somewhere, hiding in a closet, waiting for the chance to strike. She blinked at the honeyed light filtering in through the curtains, painting the room pink and bathing Elvis in gold.

"Mornin', beautiful," he purred, his eyes still closed. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Well, good morning," she said right back, acutely aware of her morning breath. But he didn't care. He took her in his arms and kissed her. He cradled her neck and the back of her head, such a deep kiss for a morning greeting. He did enjoy a nice playful romp to start the day. He always woke up hard as a rock and rubbed himself against her with purpose. Sometimes he turned her onto her back and made frantic love to her, other times he pushed her panties aside and slipped into her from behind, spooning her and thrusting into her hastily. 

Now he pet her lazily, breathing softly into her ear as he caressed her arms and neck, kissing her shoulders and ears. Fran shivered and felt his smile as he pulled her into him, turning her over so that she fell back into her sleeping position. He held her with her back against his chest, his excited breaths rising.

Elvis was sleeping in just his briefs, which he now pulled down to reveal his engorged shaft. She felt its vibrant spring as it touched her ass. She gasped and he thrust, beginning to rub skin against skin. She often slept in just a slip and panties, which seemed to drive him wild. Elvis often couldn't keep his hands off her, he could almost be a bit exhausting–literally–with how often he wanted her. He was insatiable and it made her so too. She couldn't sleep without longing for his body against hers. Recently, she used one of his shirts as a pillowcase and was completely unashamed if he noticed.

His voice was hoarse with sleep, but his voice was still velvet, telling her gently, "Spread your legs for me, sweetheart." And she would tremble and do as he asked, parting her thighs and guiding him inside. He hissed as he found her wet and so yielding. She was still slick from their previous tryst the night before. When she received him like a dream, he rewarded her with a self-indulgent grunt. A deeply masculine sound that left him without a preamble for utterance. He was reduced to a puddle at times as he handled her, immersing himself completely.

Elvis' hands cupped her breasts. His mouth was on her neck. His breath ruffled her baby hair. He kissed her and she arched, pushing further into his lap, taking him deeper. He was buried in her, gripping and shuddering, trying not to pull out too much. She knew his signs when he was close to orgasm. His movements would become shaky and discordant, no rhythm. He'd lose himself and have to go ramrod straight, tight as a bowstring, ready to fire at the slightest twitch. Which was why she loved to move her hips and milk it out of him. The rush of satisfaction was enough to make her laugh wickedly while he came helplessly, moaning and raging at her for taking it out of his control. 

"You're a little vixen, Francesca."

She rather enjoyed this power over him. And he seemed to subtly enjoy giving it to her. 

There were times when he could hold out and others when he seemed almost shy and inexperienced, spilling his seed quickly. She welcomed him in any way. Soft, hard, slow and sensual, rough and fast. He made love to her on her kitchen counter, in the back of his Cadillac. A recent favorite had been at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, after Presley had bought the venue for a private viewing. Even before they had made love in the swirling, waving, haunting blue all around them, she had been in awe of the world around her. He loved her starry-eyed dazzlement at all the things he had to show her. He admitted to her that the dates he was taking her on weren't typical of what he usually did. He'd been worried that the places would be too juvenile for the models and actresses he usually took out. But Frannie was different.

"You have this..." he'd rolled his hands, tucked a few more Swedish fish into his right cheek, "whimsy about you. Like you're still fascinated by things." He laughed, as if he always wanted to keep things light, as if he was afraid the things he said would be taken seriously, even though that was all she did.

Frannie saw depth in him where others saw only shallowness. She hated to see the lineup of movies that his idiotic, money-hungry agent seemed to be putting him in all the time. Elvis admitted to her that after this, Colonel Parker wanted him to star in Kissin' Cousins 2. She rolled her eyes. The pay might be nice, but the premise was trivial, thoughtless pandering fit for television, not the big screen. The first movie had been embarrassing enough, critically panned. Of course, it'd made her money back in ticket sales and then some, but that wasn't the point. She didn't want to burst his bubble or put out his flame. He seemed gung-ho to star in anything, but he seemed to share her disappointment that it was just another romantic comedy with a high, high focus on chemistry between the lead and the actress who hadn't even been cast yet. Frannie wasn't going to audition for it, not that Dominick would have put her name in for anything like that. Besides, she was thinking of returning to music and touring soon.

After another round of passionate lovemaking, they managed to sneak out of bed and start a decent day. She liked to shower in the morning and he liked to pretend he could make eggs without burning them. But even bad food tasted better when someone else was cooking it. She looked at him with concern when he smothered his eggs in steak sauce anyway. He didn't catch her horrified expression, not that he cared. He liked what he liked, and she loved that about him.

Eating across from him now, she enjoyed this domestic routine they had. She didn't have her makeup on or her hair done yet, but he still looked over at her, his eyes shining. He usually made trips up here every weekend, but now that filming was about to begin, he was slowly moving back to his home in Los Angeles, insisting on staying with her in Vegas until then. She didn't mind, but lately the paparazzi had been gathering outside her apartment in droves, and sometimes there wasn't a moment of peace. It could be whole days, rotating shifts, desperate shutterbugs ready to pounce. Seeing Elvis leave her apartment would seal the deal and they would have to go public. But now she began to wonder, would that be such a bad thing?

*

Every moment he spent with Frannie was like a dream, too good to be true. It was time they went public. He didn't give a damn what the Colonel had to say about it. This was his life, after all, and Francesca was going to be a part of it, whether his meddling agent wanted it or not. Colonel Parker would just have to get used to it—to her.

Given the choice between Francesca and continuing this constricting agency with the Colonel, he leaned toward her. He could find another, better agent. It wouldn't be too difficult, one who had his best interests at heart as a growing actor, a budding talent on the screen. One who actually let him go back to touring. Parker was too busy scheduling Elvis for schlock. Although he hadn't even bothered to take a single call from his manager about one since they started filming.

In fact, his heavy-handed agent was more than pissed off that filming had to go on again, putting a new formulaic film on hold for that much longer. Not to mention his proximity to Frannie, whom Parker seemed to loathe for no reason at all. And, horror of horrors, Parker'd also learned of Frannie's brief stint as a burlesque dancer. Elvis was utterly intrigued. He knew that the sway of her hips, though well practiced, had a tantalizing edge that came from somewhere more carnal than simple dance lessons. After all, she boasted of being self-taught. And Elvis himself would have thought it a waste if she'd found herself in a dull office job with a decent salary but utter mediocrity. Worse, she could have worked in a factory and had a foot torn off by an ill-managed machine that she was forced to clean as a new employee. Yes, a crazed club patron could have tried to harm her, but Frannie had told them there was no one-on-one interaction. The ladies were always escorted to their rides at the end of the night. Gifts were always inspected before being given to the dancers. Tips were washed and cleaned for any illegal drugs. And Frannie, for the most part, did more singing than dancing on stage. It wasn't as seedy as the media hype tried to make it out to be.

Soon enough, the headlines about her sordid past started dying down. She'd played her cards right in not folding. And she'd gained a lot of support from a new audience, the liberationists, after her confrontation with the reporter. Women chanted her name and joined dance troupes to show their support. It was a new wave of female freedom, and in many eyes, Frannie was helping to lead it.

All the more reason for the Colonel to call him, absolutely furious with the news.

"I want you to drop that broad right now. She's bad news."

Elvis waved him off. "She's been nothing but good to me." He smoked less (mostly because Frannie absolutely loathed the smell and said it was bad for the cat), used less. Partied less. He wanted to be a better man for her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd even looked at another woman. She had his full attention, front and center. She dazzled him, she delighted him. There was never a dull moment with her.

He could hear the Colonel burning through a cigar on the other end of the line. "You know how I feel. I can't change your mind any more than I can make you see reason. You'll have to learn that lesson yourself, Presley. But this refliming. This is inappropriate. You two need to make this quick, you've got bigger and better things to do." He inhaled, paper sizzling. "You know and I know, we both just want what's best for you. After this, let's take a break. You can't let everybody get used to you as an actor, they'll forget you've got albums to sell. I'll dig out some old material we haven't released yet!"

Elvis completely failed to see the logic in this. He was worth more than ever and had fan mail clogging his mailbox every day. Fans would sometimes wait outside his house to catch a glimpse of him. It was unnerving but flattering all the same.

"We'll see," he relented a bit. Actually, he wouldn't mind a return to music. But he didn't want to release old material, nor did he want any more movie tie-in albums. He wanted to tour and do new songs, he missed it desperately. Things were less rigid on stage, even if they were more... critical. Being live, he couldn't stand to falter. One wrong note, one wrong string and the audience would lose its enthusiasm. At least that's how it could feel. In reality, he'd plucked the wrong chord a few times and the audience still wouldn't stop going wild for him. He was their infallible heartthrob, despite the shortcomings he tried so hard to hide. It was comforting in a way. Seeing as he could be so scrutinized on the big screen, picked apart frame by frame. But this time he'd truly given it his all. Gambling on Your Love had been a passion project. He had poured so much of himself into it that even after the filming was over, he still felt attached to it.

Elvis was thrilled to be back on set. Francesca, however, seemed less so. He could tell from their brief morning passing by the craft table that she was tired. The bounce in her step was mostly still there but her eyes were weary. No one noticed—no one but him. Eddie smiled. He hugged her, tears in his sentimental eyes. He couldn't believe that they were all together again and that he was being called upon to return his doffer skills. He snapped his fingers like a pop gun, pointing at Elvis and reminding him, "You still owe me dinner! My mama makes a mean Mexican cornbread, Presley. Don't run out on me."

"How does this weekend sound?" He asked, watching Francesca go through the motions on the set. They put her in the exact same makeup. The lighting had been fussed over extensively. Everything had to match the original film. The tone, the brightness. If anything was out of place, it would be glaringly obvious on release day.

Eddie seemed to gape at the idea. "This—this weekend. Or next?"

Elvis chuckled. "This one, preferably." He wanted to spend the whole next weekend with Frannie if he couldn't make the most of this one. Besides, he wanted them to go public by then. To hell with the Colonel's advice. Frannie was a nice girl, not at all the "trouble" that his manager warned him about. She hadn't been known to date anyone, let alone her co-star. This was certainly a first. Would it be scandalous or celebrated? Only time would tell. He was just so tired of the sneaking around. Their involvement was nothing to hide. He wanted exclusivity with her. He saw the way men looked at her at charity galas and press junkets. She was desirable and, as far as the public knew, still available.

He wouldn't stand for it much longer. Admittedly, he could get a little jealous, especially of her. He'd never felt such strong emotions for anyone before. Love was already changing him. He was willing to be selfish with her so that everyone would know—Francesca Ferrara was Elvis Presley's girl.

She had a small solo scene to shoot today before they could squeeze in a scene where they chatted over coffee. It was going to be frustrating to change costumes so often for the little bits that were cut out. Elvis still couldn't get over the fact that the movie had been destroyed in the first place. Who would do such a thing? And on top of that, Francesca's whole apartment had been turned upside down.

His heart sank when she told him that. Something terrible could have happened to her—well, it already had, but someone could have been lurking in her apartment, ready to pounce. He was a mess, thinking about her all alone without him. He stayed over as often as he could, coming home to crash from time to time. More than anything else, he wanted her to be okay.

Watching her now, sashaying back to her dressing room, he thought she might need a little loving. As he casually followed her, he was stopped by the Colonel, who had taken him by surprise. Lately, appearing on the set was not something that was par for the course for him. He usually preferred to stay at home, but here, he told Elvis with smug satisfaction, "I'm here to make sure this ship sails nice and smooth." He waved his hand and grinned. "It just seems like the security around here is lacking, what with two hot shot celebrities in the studio. One armed guard seems a bit careless to me."

He always said something. Never had Elvis met a man who liked the sound of his own voice more. The things about Parker that impressed Elvis at 20 now irritated him at 30. The Colonel could talk for hours about nothing. Where to get the best beef jerky in Maplewood, Ohio, what kind of primer to use if you're doing a job outside, his favorite breed of dog. He would just go on and on, but he was the kind of guy who would cut you off the moment you started to contribute to the conversation, if one could call being talked to a conversation.

"Listen, you know I'm going to need a bigger slice to tolerate this kind of situation. I had to settle for a motel instead of a hotel." He gritted his teeth and threw up his hand. His sleeve glanced up at his wrists for a brief second and Elvis wasn't really sure why he noticed it or why it struck him so hard, but at that moment he looked straight at the hairy expanse of flesh and spotted a trio of three deep scars, thin and scabby, already well on their way to healing. It almost looked like the vengeful slash of a very angry cat. He wondered what the Colonel was doing, trying to pet hostile kittens.

But he didn't ask, he wanted to get out of here and join Francesca in her dressing room while he still had the chance. She'd disappeared around the corner, and when he caught up with her again, she was already waiting for him, peering from behind the door with a wry smile, her eyes darting to make sure he wasn't being followed. This was a dangerous game. Maybe they wanted to be noticed? 

They were in her familiar room, where they'd shared that heated kiss all those months ago. He'd only grown more intoxicated with her. She would ruin him, already had.

She grabbed him, pulling him onto her with a smoldering kiss, and they hastily made love on the narrow little couch that squeaked obnoxiously loud in the small room. She laughed and shushed him from behind her index finger, as if he was the one making the noise. Still, he apologized and bent over her, wrapping her in his arms so he could thrust quickly and gently, trying not to disturb the springs. It worked, but the consistency of his hips moving shallowly and lightly made her cover her mouth, muffling her cries into her palm to keep from making too much noise.

Maybe he was being careless, or maybe she was getting the impression that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. 

"Chess..." He cooed, brushing her hair back as they lingered for a moment in this quiet afterglow. "Don't you think it's time we let everyone in on our little secret?"

Her eyes glittered and she smiled wryly, shrugging her shoulders, straightening her clothes and smoothing out the wrinkles.

"Don't you think I'd love that? I really would, Press. But do you really think that's the best thing to do?" When she looked up at him so expectantly, he knew she wasn't asking a question. She was waiting for his resolve to harden and for him to join her. She wanted him to finally see for himself. Not that he was in need of any more convincing than the sight of her joy in their union.

"More'n anything," he told her earnestly. There was a knock on her door and his eyes widened. They froze, glancing between each other and back to the door. Giggles ensued. 

Knock. Knock. 

"Ms. Frannie? You're up in five. Would you like me to powder you again?"

Elvis looked over at Francesca's love-blessed face. Her lipstick was smeared all over her mouth. Her hair had come loose from its pins and braids. She was radiant. Glowing and well tended to. Her bosom still rose and fell hastily. At the make-up girl's innocent question, Frannie laughed, patted Elvis' chest and said without looking away, "Yes, that would be best. I look a little disheveled after changing, I'll be out in a few minutes.

She hadn't changed at all, still wearing the high-waisted red pencil skirt and tight white blouse that was Margot's casino work outfit. She threw on her clothes and stepped out, but not before telling Elvis, "I'll see you later.” Finishing his heart off with a wink. 

*

Francesca couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

Elvis was on a bender with the boys, a safe one, he assured her. He had his training wheels on, just for fun, since he was the designated driver. Mostly because he didn't trust any of them to drive his beauty around, especially drunk or high.

From the studio, the moment she'd left the dressing room, her face powdered and her hair sprayed back in place, she felt reinvigorated, ready to kick it into high gear and strut her stuff on stage even better than before. She'd give it her all, she'd give it 100 and 10 percent. She practiced her smile, her laugh, relying on a bit of method acting. When Josephine laughed at Jake's jokes, Frannie imagined all the times Elvis had brought her to tears with his gags and impressions. He made her laugh like no one else could. When they kissed on screen, there was more passion in it than ever before. It was palpable. Noticeable.

Cassandra watched her knowingly. More worryingly, in the unlit niche behind the director's chair, by the glowing exit sign, white smoke curling from a cigarette, Colonel Parker glared at them daggers.

She'd never met a man so malicious. He couldn't be proud of his client, because that would mean Elvis was right. That by choosing to star in Gambling on Your Love, even at a lower payout, he'd made the right choice. His name was even credited under hers. It was too much to bear for Parker that because of her, he'd attained even more success. All his merits shone in this one, and his vengeful manager was steaming pissed, watching them dance with marked disdain. She couldn't escape his gaze and the mark it had left on her.

Later that night, Francesca shuddered as she pulled back the curtain to peer down several stories to the well-lit street. Bennington had coaxed a stray dog out of the shadows to scratch behind his ear. But aside from parked cars and the cheerful doorman, no one else was outside. It was late in the evening, and a chill was setting in. She huddled in her robe and tied the curtains, telling herself she wouldn't look again. No one was watching her, and if they were, her anxious glances at the street would only be a lure.

She refused to let anyone have the power of fear over her. Its influence was too great. She wouldn't be confined to her home or forced to look behind her every step, checking under her bed and in her closet for the boogeyman.

She thought of the words artlessly painted on her walls. The attack had been deliberate. She just knew it. But the police weren't going to investigate and she didn't want Elvis dealing with the fallout.

Dominick called, but when she answered, she almost immediately regretted it. "Frannie?" He asked. He was quiet even though he was calling her. He took a long moment to answer, finally telling her, "Frannie... why didn't you tell me about the dancing? Do you think I would have cared?"

She smiled fondly and moved the phone to her left ear. "Aww, Nick, I just... I didn't want to burden you with it. I think I knew you wouldn't have been upset with me."

More silence, static clicking on the receiver. "Of course, kid. I just wish you would have trusted me with the information. I wouldn't have let anyone bully you over it. We would have released it in a really upscale way, maybe even found you a movie role as a burlesque dancer to ease the news." He laughed, a fatherly, warm chortle that soothed her. Frannie made a mental note to call her real dad; she missed him. She also missed Brooklyn. 

Frannie could practically hear Dominick rubbing his chin, though, thinking he was smart in that moment and keeping that idea close to the vest. "We'll work on that idea later." Agents usually weren't the ones to pitch ideas, just the salaries.

"Dominick..." She tutted, switching the phone to the other ear and straightening the tangled cord. "Hey, as long as I have you on the line. I just want to say I... really appreciate you being such a decent guy." Her jaw had dropped when she heard how much of a cut Colonel Parker got out of every movie. It was downright disrespectful to give a celebrity with as much star power as Elvis Presley the run around with his money. But for some odd reason, every time Francesca brought up the subject of the Colonel being a psychopath, Elvis brushed it off or even found ways to justify his agent's actions. She sensed genuine irritation behind his rebuttals to her qualms, but it was as if his agent had this personal grip on him, a leash. He tightened the slack with delight watching how Elvis jumped to perform.

"Hmph. Where's all this coming from?" Dominick coughed. She could hear the chair in his study creaking as he characteristically kicked his feet up on his desk. He delegated all paperwork to his secretary anyway; his mahogany import desk was more of a glorified nap station. Part cafeteria, part coffee table. 

"Just some passing thoughts. You know how tough this business can be for young girls just starting out. You've always been nothing but respectful to me."

He chuckled. "You were nothing but a nice girl. I just wanted to give you a chance. One like you only comes along, hmmm... once a century or so. Beauty. Talent. Charisma. You'll outshine them all, Frannie. You're my shooting star. And the mark you're gonna leave is gonna flip this town upside down."

"Aww, Dominick."

"I mean it. You're one in a million. You know Presley's lucky to be working with you, sweetheart."

"Did you call me just to check in?" 

"Is that a bad thing?"

It was exactly the kind of tenderness Francesca needed right now. More than anything. She drew her painted toes up into her new, off-color sofa—it just wasn't the same blushing champagne, this one was more of a dusty purple. It was pretty, just not the same.

Much of the furniture in her apartment was different. She still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of being alone. Her curtains were always drawn, her eyes occasionally glancing at the door and the windows. Every sound, every creak in the walls made her cautious. Her heart would race and she would have to remind herself that everything was all right. The lunatic had sadly only wanted to mar her reputation, not her.

Finally, Francesca whispered gratefully, "Thank you for checking on me. But I promise, I'm fine. I really am. You need to get back to your family. Didn't Gracie just have her first holiday play?"

"You should have seen her, Frannie. Maybe show business is in the blood, because that girl is destined for stardom!" He went on and on about how she stole the show, how she broke into her own solo and the kindergarten teacher had to drag her off the stage. He couldn't have sounded more proud.

"Take care of yourself, Dominick. And come visit when you get a chance."

"You only have a few more weeks of filming left, right?" More like months, but sure. "The red carpet premiere, you can count me in. I need to feel some California sun!"

*

That sun came sooner than she expected, cresting over the hills and turning the frost a warm orange. Spring was already here, and filming had been... rocky.

Francesca always gave it her all. But on this cursed set, she was prevented from giving her best at almost every turn.

"Ms. Ferrara, I'm so sorry, but we're all out of Red Coral 5 lipstick, we'll have to order a duplicate, but it may take a few days to arrive."

“Oh no, how did another pair of heels split at the base? Cheap ass shoes…”

“The horse is feeling too fidgety today. We might have to just cut that up in post.”

So many problems kept popping up, and it was just so... so convenient that none of these problems seemed to affect her co-star in any way. The same co-star who was getting another paycheck for doing less than half the leg work. Most of the time he was lazing around all day joking with the crew while waiting for his little scenes.

It was just this bitter thought that she couldn't let go of. And they had not gone public yet. She kicked under the surface to stay afloat. No one seemed to notice that she was putting in overtime. 

Elvis could've been waiting on her to make the announcement. He took her to a nice restaurant the other night and neither of them bothered to hide what they were doing. They mingled with the public, casually answering questions about the movie. Their pictures were taken and as the paparazzi began to gather at the buzz of their arrival, the questions they shouted were playfully amplified.

"Oh! Oh! Elvis! Are the rumors true, are you and your co-star romantically involved?" A skinny whelp shouted, sprinting after them with fury, his hand on his hat and camera.

Frannie laughed. She looked back at the crowd cheekily as she and Elvis walked arm in arm down the sidewalk. "Do you believe all the rumors you hear?" She had glanced at Elvis, but he was looking ahead. Was he worried? When he met her gaze, she couldn't read his smile.

"The fans have seen you two together! Before. You're working on a movie together. You've been spotted on vacation in the mountains. You've been to Palm Springs. And now you're having dinner together. Is this a friendly outing or something more? Ms. Ferrara? Any comments?”

Elvis was always so charismatic in his dismissals. He knew how to sway a crowd. "I appreciate the interest, folks. Francesca and I are working on some exciting projects together, and I'm sure you'll see the results soon. But, you know, some things are meant to be kept a little private. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're in a bit of a hurry to catch a taxi. Thank you."

She wondered how much longer they would be kept a little private. 

*

Elvis kind of liked these secret rendezvous in the dressing rooms. Usually they could have a private moment to themselves without much disturbance. Frannie knew public outings took a lot out of him; recently, no matter where they went, they were mobbed by fans.

She had started making a list of who was closest to them, taking into account who might have the desire to ruin her career. She suspected that all the things that were happening to her on the set, the movie being cut, the ripped dress, the broken shoes, the allergic reaction, Eddie almost being choked to death, the pin in the lipstick, were the work of someone who wanted to mess with her. Unnerve her to her core. She admitted to Elvis that she thought whoever was messing with her on the set could be the same person who ransacked her apartment. She went on to say in a shaky falter, "Whoever it is, I could be walking right by them every day."

She wouldn't say much about who she thought it was, except to remark that he might not believe her.

Nonsense. He would believe anything she had to say on the matter—because he, too, was convinced. It was too coincidental to be all in her head. She was still reeling from the intruder and subsequent invasion of her privacy, scared beyond belief. She mumbled in her sleep about closing the door to keep her cat from getting out and to "take anything you want, just go, please". It broke his heart, hearing her in such distress, and there was nothing he could do but hold her tight in the night to help her get through each day. He just wanted her to feel whole again. She even whispered to him, without repetition, letting him hear her indecision just once, that she was afraid the mental strain was just too much and she needed to take a break.

Francesca had one more scene. The duet. It had been flawless the first time. They'd both been wide-eyed, panting, glistening with sweat and pride, completely in sync, step by step, beat by beat. They were on fire. And that's why he was confident that she would do it again with feeling, maybe even more than before. They were so close to crossing the finish line that Elvis could practically feel the glide of the red carpet under his loafers. Or maybe he'd turn up and stunt in a pair of white cowboy boots.

Today the set buzzed with chaotic energy as Elvis prepared for another day of reshoots. Amidst the whirlwind of crew, white coffee and donuts, Francesca Ferrara, dressed in a stunning period costume, rushed onto the set, her kohl-rimmed eyes wide with anguish as she clutched a glossy magazine with trembling hands. She had been crying. Streaks of black mascara ran down her beautiful cheeks.

"Elvis, w-what is this?" Frannie's voice, usually so calm, cracked as she thrust the magazine towards his chest, like the barrel of a loaded revolver. He wasn't sure what was happening, but her dishevelment made him uneasy. She was more than upset.

He the tightly wound magazine. The headline screamed from the page, "Elvis Presley's Secret Set Frustrations Revealed!”

Las Vegas, Nevada – Elvis Presley frustrated with needy, debauched co-star. Set insiders say the heartthrob wants to ease his latest gal pal down gently as he’s got another dame waiting in the wings back home. Sources say it’s serious and Presley is on edge. 

Confusion flashed across Elvis' face as he scanned the damning article, his expression darkening with each word. The piece, which was a complete fabrication, painted a distorted picture of him being disgruntled to be back on set with Frannie for reshoots, insinuating that she was the source of the trouble.

"No. Frannie. No. I never said any of this. It's a hit piece," Elvis tried to explain, his deep voice a calming force, but just as she looked ready to blink away the tears, he could see he was losing her to her own maelstrom. He had to remember that fake press was old hat to him but it wasn't to her. Whereas it was easy for him to wave off such nonsense, through her own experience, Frannie was just now starting to realize the danger of taking gossip rags as gospel. "Someone is just trying to stir up trouble. You know I'd never say that. Frannie, you've got to believe me."

But Frannie, lost in a whirlwind of emotion, was already buckling. The weight of the false accusations bore down on her shoulders like an impossible load.

"I can't take it anymore, Elvis. I thought we were in this together and now..." She covered her mouth in horror. "Is this why you haven't gone public about me?" Without waiting for him to reply, she stormed off the set, leaving Elvis bewildered and helpless amidst the clamor of the film crew, who gawked at him with their mouths agape.

Cassandra did too, but after a moment's delay she snapped her fingers. "Everyone back to your places! The show must go on!" She slid down from her director's chair. "Eventually..."

As Frannie retreated into the quiet corridors of the studio, tears welled up. She found solace in a secluded corner, away from prying eyes, where the fabricated words echoed in her mind. The hurt ran deep, piercing the façade of composure she usually wore so well.

Her mind raced with thoughts of betrayal, questioning the trust she had placed in the man she thought was her ally. The magazine, now crumpled in her hands, felt like a damning testament to the fragility of their collaboration. She had given everything to this project, invested not only in the character, but in the camaraderie they had built on the set.

Frustration and anger bubbled up inside her. She couldn't understand why someone would concoct such lies, tarnishing not only her reputation, but their work together. In her haze of emotion, she made a decision: she couldn't tolerate this relentless attack on her character.

Elvis, realizing the gravity of the situation, tried to follow her, his genuine attempts to explain drowned out by the chaos of the set. Every step felt like wading through a sea of faces, desperately trying to get a word in to make it clear that this was all a ruse. Yet, frustration mounted as he couldn't reach her in time.

Later, under the harsh sunlight away from the set, Elvis sought out Dominick, Frannie's agent, his frustration heavy in his voice.

"Dominick, what the hell is going on?" Elvis demanded, desperately trying to make sense of the unraveling situation.

Dominick sighed, acknowledging the gravity of the moment. "Elvis, Frannie's in bad shape. She's upset about the interview and can't handle the pressure."

"But it's all lies! We need her for the movie," Elvis protested, his frustration reaching its peak.

"She's out, Elvis. She's pulling the plug. Thinks it's too much," Dominick revealed. It sounded like he was wrestling with her decision on this, too.

Elvis, confronted with the harsh reality, felt the fabricated article's impact. "I need to talk to her."

But Frannie, oblivious to the truth, had already vanished from the set and hadn’t returned his calls, leaving Elvis to grapple with the fallout of a malicious setup that threatened to unravel their collaboration as he sped over to her apartment.

[popculturebuffet]

Into the Spider-Verse: Spider-Ham (Marvel Tails #1 and Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #15) (Comissioned by WeirdKev15)

Hello all you happy webheads and welcome back to Into the Spider-Verse, my look at the origins of every webslinger from the landmark film in the build up to Across the Spider-Verse. And it's bittersweet to be this close to the end of the web here: i'm proud of myself for this project and kev for having cooked it up as it allowed me to really dig into my love of spider-man, and comics in general, with new ideas and even possible new retrospectives wholesale coming out of this.

But before we can end this ride, we still have one Spidey to cover, who after our previous spider-persons adventures with crackers and milk, their predecesors literal oppisite sex clone, mob goons without fear, rock n roll pop art halluciongens in your giant spider mecha, and giant spiders stripping you naked, one man comes along to say..

Yes it's time for the debut of Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham a

And i'm sure many of you, both those familiar with the comics and those who just watched the movie, are asking the same question: why. The answer is simple. Way way back in the 1980's, Marvel had a new animated arm, Marvel Productions, which was a massive deal, producing both GI Joe and Transformers, which both started as comics first to promote the upcoming toylines, as well as Dungeons and Dragons, My LIttle Pony Tales, Muppet Babies, Jem and the Holograms, Kid N Play and the Biker Mice From Mars. There were also of course marvel cartoons like Spider-Man(the 80s one), Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk, the more popular Incredible Hulk and the infamous and destined to be covered Pryde of the X-Men Pilot.

So naturally Marvel wanted more ips to feed into the almighty merchandising machine, because shockingly, companies have ALWAYS wanted every dollar they can get out of making more and more adaptations as long s they can afford it. So two writers set to work to spitball this: They were Tom DeFalco, a longtime spider-man editor who would go on to write the guidebook I had as a kid that really got me into the comics and taught me a lot about his rogues gallery and more importantly would write the book himself briefly, being the one to crystalize Mary Jane's tragic Backstory and her knowing Peter Parker is spider-man all along. WIth him was the wonderful Larry Hama, at the time writing GI JOe for marvel.. and at the time of this writing STILL writing his continuation of that continuity for IDW as he should. Hama deserves all the credit for setting the foundations of the GI Joe universe most adaptations follows and for writing one hell of a comic in the process, and not one to rest on his laurels would later have the defining run on Wolverine's solo book.

So as you can imagine when these two legends get together.. they created a simple but enduringly weird joke that has lasted decades. It's a concept that just works: Spider-Man.. but he's a funny animal. Weirdly though Marvel Animation passed on it, not wanting anything to do with it despite the fact that in a time when Garfield was at the peak of his powers and they'd be making muppet babies, funny animals were a VERY easy sell. Seriously why Marvel Animation was so stupid is a riddle for the ages but Marvel liked printing money, so they put Porker in a one shot, Marvel Tails, parodying the marvel reprint mag marvel Tales. That said DeFalco didn't expect much from it and was suprised months later when the higher ups asked for another issue. He explained it was a one shot.. and then they asked when the next issue was and he got the memo. While DeFalco wrote the one shot that launched the character he freely admits he's not the one who made him a star. That honor goes to Steve Skeates. Skeates had been a mainstay in the industry, paticuarlly having a run on Aquaman i've been trying to read for some time that really launched the character to new heights before Superfriends would shove him back to the depths for a while. He was burnt out on the industry and freely admits he wouldn't of done the book for Larry Hama if it was any other book, but felt the format allowed him to do a throwback to the kinds of books he liked writing while still throwing in plenty of comedy to keep it fresh. The result was pretty great, with Skeates wisely having Porker's various foes not be the obvious joke of being the animals they resemble, for instance the Vulture being a possum in a buzzard suit instead of a vulture.

And we'll be seeing that contrast between Porker's humble one shot joke beginings and evolved more nuanced parody as unlike most of the characters featured... Porker didn't get his origin story for a while. While most of the spider-persons got there's in their very first appearance or arc, Porker's origin didn't come about till late in his solo books run. So today we'll be looking at both his first appearance in Marvel Tails, and his origin story in Peter Porker the Spectacular Spider-Ham #15 under the cut!

Spider-Ham begins his career in a typical spider-man setting: stopping a typical gang of thugs with ease and some quips. But it's not long before we get into one of the weird things about this story, something that just dosen't really work with it: Captain Americat. Cap is pictured here as Peter's steadfast partner and a reporter at his paper and none of this works. Now this is an AU, it COULD work and the idea of steve and peter being closer partners and steve mentoring him is great, just as the idea of Tony mentoring him was a brilliant one the movies captalized on. But here it's just treated as a normal thing without really being used for a joke that this is so unusual. A large part of this is something that's easy to forget as it hasn't been true about the character since the early 2000's. Spidey.. used to be a bit of a loner when it came to the rest of the Marvel Universe. Granted he was the kind of loaner who had an entire ongoing dedicated to him teaming up with other heroes and a tv show where he had two super college roomies he'd fight crime with, but when it came to consistant teamups his only real super friends were the fantastic four and in a few years Daredevil. Spider-Woman existed, but Jessica was largely her own thing by design, with only the name in common and wouldn't really become an ally or even friend of peter's till they were in the avengers together. Peter would have team ups but he really wasn't super close with the rest of the marvel universe. This changed in the early 2000's as his joining the new avengers gave him a lot of new allies in the marvel universe: He'd be on the new avengers until Brian Micheal Bendis left the book, he joined HIckman's avengers for the first arc, with Doc Ock taking his place, and joined the Mighty Avengers and Mark Waid's avengers afterwords, only in the last few years taking a break from the group entirely, ironically as his MCU counterpart became heavily associated with them himself. Not only that the dawn of the spider-verse and miles migrating to become the 616's second spider-man, meant peter soon had a spider-family.

Even now in his current tirefire of a solo i've been purposfully avoiding but suspect i'l lhave to confront some day, he has Ms Marvel, soon to be thrown in the fridge, Norman Osborn, long story, and his current girlfriend the black cat. Peter's no longer the solo operator he once was.. but back then it's very weird fo ra parody of the character to just.. casually hang out with Captain America regularly and this angle was wisely dropped.

This isn't the only weird thing in this issue either. For some reason rather than pulling from peter's many rogues, the issue has him face the Masked Marauder, some punk ripping off a super high tech arcade. It comes off more like a Scooby Doo Mystery complete with various red herings and the actual culprit showing up early on. He's not even the main threat as the everlovin hulk is also shoved into this issue. His origin is a little neat, with Bruce Bunny being an arcade game maker who gets shoved into a cabinet.

The result though just isn't that funny. Ther'es a good joke about steve stashing his shield in his coat

But otherwise i'ts just kinda.. there and didn't leave the best first impression back when I first read it. It's nicely drawn, but dosen't have much actually to say or any really satire of the character. It's clear they had the name but no idea what to do with it. THe backup is pretty funny though, the weird Goose Rider, take a while guess, who just.. spends it riding around, thinking about grabbing a burger, and dealing iwth shouty civlians and some random doofus called chainsaw. This satire.. actually works as from what I can tell Ghost Rider's early rogues gallery before his reinvention in the 90's wasn't all that impressive with few exceptions. It's more what I wanted. Thankfully when Peter got his title shot, things perked up and by the time we get to his origin... we get something delightful.

As you can tell both by the cover used for this review and from the title, this one's a parody of spider-man no more. Even if you haven't read the story (I've only read the iconic issue iwth the cover), you've doubtlessly seen it's cover, and the various homages to both that and the shot of peter throwing his costume in the trash and walking away, both by spider-heroes and the rest of the marvel. It helps that Sam Rami choose it as the backbone of Spider-Man 2 and ended up making an even BETTER version of the story in the process. Even Miles had his own version of it after his mom died and he blamed himself for it since the second ultimate venom was the reason she died. If you've read more recent comics and seen Rio alive and well that's because Miles befriended the Molocule Man, a very shy man with the power to control molocules... which shockingly for comics has been treated every bit as horrifyingly powerful as it should since his introduction, with MM's only real wekaness being his crippling neurosis. So when the universe died and was put back, Molocule brought her back as a thank you present. I had a point here.. ah yes.. I love the Molocule Man and feel he's a highly underated character. Oh that with the severe stress and sacrifice of being a spider-man, it's not a huge leap to have that moment of doubt. And it's an even shorter leap to take that moment and parody it and Peter's angst for all it's worth. We open with J Jonah Jackal hooking himself up to an idea machine while his three young wards, the junior newsboys watch. They are Jermiah Jackal, JJJ's snooty nephew, Bunson Bunny, our resident nerd who talks in big snetences and Upton Adam Stray, a combination of a black sterotype and

If your getting some deja vu from a rich magnate having three young sidekicks who both acompany him and try to steer away his worse instincts, one of whom is jonah's literal nephew.. GOOD. It means you have good taste and also get the bit. Spider-Ham has a bit of the old Scrooge McDuck stories in it's dna, simply adding spider-man and his rogues to the mix, and really JJJ is such a perfect fit for scrooge and Peter for Donald, that I can't blame both writers for dipping into this formula when it fits spider-man shockingly well now he's a pig.

This issue is written by steven Mellor, who took over the title later in his run, but like Skeates does a really fun job with it.

With Jonah having peter come to the clubhouse to view an idea he came up with that involves the kids

Peter deals with typical spider-man things. That is trying to get a date with his ex Betty Bat. It goes about usual for peter

Also as you might have noticed, hilariously, Peter Porker looks a LOT like John Mulaney, despite having been created only one year after John was born. I mean he's also a talking pig but the hair is distractingly like his future voice actors and I love it.

Baby P decides to handle this like a mature, rational young swine

Before bemoaning that he's still single.. what I like is that Mellor both really gets how Peter Parker Mopey Rants work, and milks it with everyone starring not sure what to do as peter ineternally rants and the janitor eventually asking him to leave as he's getting his tears on the floor. Peter then reflects back to his origin, the reason we're here. And even for a talking pig.. peter's origin is hilaroiusly bizzare. It's my kind of weird shenanigans. Okay so in this version Peter.. was a spider, which is clever enough.. but May was a mad scientest who befriended peter and showed him her new invention: a fission powered hairdryer. It made her radoactive, it wasn't good.. and well... I can't say what happens next and have most of you belivie it actually happened so here's photographic evdience.

This.. this is comedy gold, and clever as all hell. Just deciding to have may be radioactive nad bite peter. It's as nuts as it is brilliant and I love it. So we get the standard origin moments of Peter testing out his powers.. and we also get a nice gag out of him bending a pipe in the original amazing fantasy #15

Peter returns to find may basically the dodering old lady sterotype she was in earlier spider-man comics, and decides to look after her and not tell her the truth, as well as put his powers to use. Peter's genius in this version is also from the bite and thus Spider-Ham is born

After running into flash thompsons counterpart, who sadly isn't named flash beagle, we get jonah's meeting where he's dressed himself and the boys up in superhero outfits and ...

To become Black Beagle and his beagle brigadeers. Peter is dragged along for this and this.. is easily the weakest part of the issue. While the idea of Jonah becoming a hero himself is great and has been used well, here it's just kinda there and is mostly a setup for them to befriend "Andy Warthog" and see a bunch of celebrity pastiches. It's a boring page or two

Thankfully it picks up with a delightful parody of one of my faviorite spider-man rogue as the Hobgobbler crashes the party! God bless this pun. He kidnaps one of the celebrties and we get a ncie character moment. Despite how silly this character and his origin are... it's still neat to see the core of spider-man.. is still present.

No matter the universe, no matter who wears the mask... they can't turn down responsiblity. Try as he might.. Peter just can't let someone else get hurt if he can help it and that's what makes spider-man the hero we love so much: that drive to help people no matter what it takes. It's what makes a spider-person what they are wethere they be man, woman, ham or nb.

So Peter naturally wins, in a nicely drawn fight, cooks the turkey and drive sJonah home. He WANTS to just get some deserved sleep but Aunt May has other plans.. thankfully said plans give our hero his much deserved happy ending. Action is already his reward.

As you can probably figure, this issue is a massive improvment and it's clear even with two diffrent writers, the full ongoing got the concept better and more importantly had more fun with it. The result.. is fucking great. Also the puns. Dear lord the puns. And that's not getting into the backup which has the scavengers fight kangaroo the conquerer. Who damn well better be among the council of kangs. At any rate this issue was greatr and even with the brief slowdown, is a great issue, not only getting me reintrested in this run, but also showing off just what you can do with a parody: have it be both heartfelt and clearly get what it's making fun of while still being great.

Next Time: The web ends as we look at the movie itself. Anyone can wear the mask but is one Miles Morales up to the task? Can he fill peter's shoes? Well yeah, I mean there's even a sequel, but it's still one hell of a ride.

[edge-oftheworld]

love that it’s 2024 and the first we hear of Michael apart from the obligatory people magazine thing and a few scattered Instagram appearances he’s solo representing the band in an interview about a collab we never saw coming (even when the dice said) and somehow manages to spend 50% of the interview talking about mental health (the rest being music stuff with galantis). and it’s a rolling stone interview!!!! of all magazines. like this man really doesn’t hold back. people mag we talk about family updates, rolling stone we talk about mental health whether they ask or not could be his mantra. this man really doesn’t hold back. and basically confirming their shared braincell too while we somehow manage to empathise and be like ‘huh I guess I shouldn’t worry about that either’ while he’s figuring all this out in front of us in real time narrated in that weird rolling stone way. what an adventure. what an icon

[randomthoughtsdissociating]

So, due to the relative sucess of my Lorbs tirade, I have decided to yell some more into the void on the topic of Ratchet and Clank. These musings specifically are on the nature of the Lombaxes as a space-faring civilisation and most of them came about when prompted by a disillusioned fan that "We barely know anything at all about Lombaxes, and also Alister was an idiot."

I always thought most of the Lombaxes were more or less space nomads, with their adaptability, problem-solving skills and advanced spaceships. Polaris wasn't all of it, but they didn't exactly live on planets so much as in the space between them.

It is true that we know awful little and that isn't helping. But we do know that Fastoon is a desert planet, which could push a large part of the population to leave simply due to food scarcity, and the local mineral resources could make for excellent trade material with greener planets, even without the Raritanium mines.

(Which would also go along neatly with the satirisation of capitalism in that trade isn't inherently predatory - hell, trade is one of the very few mutually beneficial things sentient beings can do - but that hoarding wealth and power and using others for your own gain before discarding them has a habit of biting you in the arse when least convenient.)

This would make the Cragmite war even more interesting, because if Alister's fighting style is anything to go by (keep in mind that he's a general, so while his combat training may not be as extensive, it should be covering the basics and he should have a good understanding of tactics and strategies the units under his command can perform, as well as the weaponry they have on hand), most of the conflict would be either ship-fights or highly mobile soliders, on solo missions or in small squads, in what would essentially be assassination and recon missions, all across the galaxy, at once, dismantling the threat from the ground up. Only for Percy to effectively do the exact same thing to them later and the only reason the Lombaxes made it was Kaden, his suspicions and persuasion skills and very dilligent sciencist labour, courtesy of our friend Mags.

As for Alister trusting a cragmite despite his best friend's advice, we know EXACTLY why he did it. It's 3 words. You can guess if you want to. They start with R, O and C.

Odds are that that's what got him into the position of a general in the first place, since it's probably a lot easier to get promoted after coming back from a suicide mission with your unit intact, and the philosophy can manifest in many traits that may be seen as desirable in a military leader. Like bravery, creative problem-solving, not being paralysed by difficult decisions...

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that Percy, having grown up around Lombaxes, knew this about him, and specifically tailored his presentation on new tech to trigger this kind of reckless behaviour. And Alister took the bait, hook, line and sinker.

Frankly, General Alister Azimuth was an idiot and a danger to everyone around him, and has learned nothing from his mistakes despite all the time he had for self-reflection while in exile. It sucks that this was someone Ratchet could call "uncle."