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thefourthgrde · 4 years ago

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We rewatched The Addams Family (2019) last night. I do not like this movie, and I’m gonna tell you why: This movie absolutely destroyed everything that made them function like The Addams Family.

The 1960s show, for example, was LITERALLY ABOUT them seeing new people and accepting them for what they are. That doesn’t just go for the characters outside of the family; it goes for the ones in it, too. In the unicorn hair clip scene in 2019, Morticia’s reaction was absolutely awful. Her being backhanded about something Wednesday showed interest in was so unbelievably out of character, I don’t even know where to begin. Any other version of Morticia would probably have told Wednesday that the unicorn was very grim, that the clip was horrendous and that she looked lovely.

When Wednesday came home in Parker’s clothes, Morticia literally PULLED HER OUT OF SCHOOL and PUNISHED her for trying something new. That’s so un-Addams-y. Wednesday was so upset by her mother’s reaction that she literally RAN AWAY. What happened to all the beautiful communication from the other adaptations? In Addams Family Values, when Morticia and Gomez were under the impression that Wednesday and Pugsley wanted to go to summer camp, they were more disappointed that the kids were supposedly afraid to tell them rather than that they wanted to go at all. Clearly that implies that these kids DO talk to their parents, and their parents have created a comfortable environment for that to happen. In the 1960s sitcom, there was an episode in season 1 where Pugsley was showing interest in the Boy Scouts. Morticia and Gomez were a little off-put by this, but they didn’t shame him for it. When they went to a psychologist for advice, they were told to indulge in Pugsley’s interest, and DID. We know the writers paid attention to previous adaptations, because little things like the clipped roses, Lurch’s “youuuuu raaaaang?” the gong bell, and even Kitty Cat were present. They got little atmospheric details, but they missed the mark of what made them function the way they do.

I don’t actually take much issue with the Saber Mazurka plot. Though bland, Gomez admitted his mistake, learned from it, and let Pugsley show off his Mazurka his way. I take a much bigger issue with Wednesday and Morticia’s plot; both were out of character. Wednesday would not have gone for cutesy pink things. In past adaptations, she was shown to be quite the opposite and really turned off of them. Though I’m glad Wednesday tried new things, I’m disappointed they brought her out of character to do it.

Morticia was suffocating Wednesday. In the end, when Wednesday came back, Morticia didn’t apologize, admit to her mistakes, or try to make things right. She simply told Wednesday she was glad she was home. That isn’t an apology, nor did it demonstrate any growth. She was only pleased when Wednesday’s friend went goth and began to fit her idea of “acceptable,” thus showing that Morticia truly did not develop at all throughout this movie. Parker molding to Morticia’s views is what damaged Morticia’s development so much. Parker was harmful to the plot in that way.

This movie was cast for name recognition, not talent. Though I can applaud Snoop Dog in his role as Cousin Itt, he’s the only one I have anything positive to say about. Finn Wolfhard, as much as I love him and his work, should not have been cast in this movie. He sounded too old to voice such a young character, so when Pugsley spoke, he sounded more like Finn Wolfhard doing a voiceover than Pugsley Addams, if that makes sense. It made it hard to immerse myself in Pugsley’s character, which disappointed me. Finn Wolfhard does have some voice acting talent, like in his role as Player in Carmen Sandiego, but that does not make him the right choice for Pugsley Addams, either. Though Nick Kroll had a goofy voice, something about it didn’t feel quite.... “Fester-y.” I’ve liked his voice work in the past, but in my opinion, he wasn’t who I would have picked. All the other characters voices were.... plain. None of them particularly stuck out to me other than Snoop Dog.

The art style is horrendous. Especially for the people of Assimilation, they look particularly disproportionate, like how Parker’s eyes are set so low on her face. Parker is the ugliest character in this movie. Gomez was unappealing, and though it mirrored the comic style well, it wasn’t something I enjoyed watching, which is disappointing, since Gomez has always been portrayed as an attractive man. They tried to replicate things like his 1960s smirk, but couldn’t pull it off because of the facial proportions. The only characters the style was somewhat acceptable on in CGI was Wednesday and Morticia. Not a fan of the style.

They effectively dehumanized the Addams’s by portraying them more as monsters, like when Morticia made a bridge out of bugs, or were ran out of town with torches. It felt very Hotel Transylvania-ish, and I wasn’t a fan, because the Addams’s have never been any sort of monsters. They’ve always just been normal people with an abnormal lifestyle and habits. They want to be treated as people, and weren’t. They were meant to be a parody of “the perfect family,” in previous adaptations, so dehumanizing them like this distances them from the “perfect family,” trope. If this movie had been about the Munsters, I wouldn’t have nearly the issues I do with it, because then it would make sense that they’d be treated like monsters. This movie was not suited for The Addams Family.

Margaux getting together with Fester was not redemption, it was lazy. You can’t attach a villain to a hero and expect us to change our minds on them. Margaux SHOULD have gone around and uninstalled the cameras and actually APOLOGIZED for her wrongdoings. Romance is not redemption. These writers clearly didn’t understand that, though.

The movie was very “how do you do, fellow kids.” It was things like Parker having a borderline PANIC ATTACK because she “hadn’t posted a picture of her lunch in almost three days,” the townspeople chasing the Addams’s with torches ON THEIR PHONE SCREENS, and the LAZY resolution of Parker live-streaming Margaux’s plans to three million people (what kind of follower count does this girl have??). A lot of the jokes came down to “haha technology bad,” and it fell flat every time. Parker was supposed to be the average teenager. Clearly this movie was written by boomers.

Though the movie was a semi-entertaining watch, I didn’t find it enjoyable since they effectively erased what made the Addams Family..... the Addams Family. I like little details, like Wednesday’s noose braids, or Lurch spraying dust around the house, because they added things atmospherically and aesthetically, but a powerful aesthetic does not equal a good plot. These characters have existed for nearly a century. They had so much to work with, but the plot came out lackluster and underwhelming. All I can do is hope they do better next time.

#the addams family #the Addams family 2019 #movie critique #this is the worst movie i have seen in a long time #animation #movies #cartoons #2019

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spartanguard · 5 years ago

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sick of love (1/3)

Summary: If Emma’s not careful, she just might bump into her soulmate. Physically. And while she might like the idea of what comes with that—an almost psychic connection whenever they make skin contact—she’d rather not deal with the awful withdrawal sickness that can come when they inevitably leave her; she’s got a son, so she doesn’t have time for that. So she keeps herself covered and thinks she’ll be okay. Until she meets Killian, who does the same thing. Will their barriers protect them, or just hurt them more?

A/N: This story was inspired by a tumblr post imagining a different kind of soulmate AU; I got inspired and ran with the idea. (original post can be found here.) Thank you to the organizers of @cssns for putting on this great event again!! Also to @sherlockianwhovian for making the INCREDIBLE art that goes with this! (and to @optomisticgirl for looking it over!)

The train slipped into the station, coming to an easy stop at the platform where Emma waited. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass window as the door opened in front of her, and adjusted her hair accordingly, making sure her long blonde tresses hung over her shoulders and framed her face just so—but not so much that she was completely covered; she wasn’t Cousin Itt.

People began to stream out of the car, moving on either side of where Emma stood, not unlike water flowing around a rock in a river. She held her breath in an attempt to make herself smaller, in hopes that would make it harder for anyone to bump into her. There was a slight jostle to her leather-covered elbow, but thankfully, that was all. Soon, the last tourist had left the car, on their way to whatever pretentious bar was in this particular Boston neighborhood; Emma didn’t know and didn’t care, and was headed the opposite direction—her suburban apartment after a long day of fruitless work.

Emma shuffled onto the train and slumped into a seat, pulling her jacket just a bit tighter around her as she tried her best to melt into the hard molded plastic. The more she could hide or shrink, the better; the train was always packed this time of day, making it all too easy to get bumped or shoved into the next person, so the fact that she’d gotten a seat was perfect—even better, it was on the end, so there was only one seat next to her. Because if there was one thing Emma Swan hated, it was being touched.

Actually, that was a lie—she had loved it, once upon a time. But God, she’d been so naive.

The train quickly filled up. Emma tensed when someone sat next to her, but the suited businessman seemed more interested in his phone, and just as keen not to touch her. Even in a society that placed a high value on physical contact, there were still those who shied away from it, at least with strangers. Emma, though, did her best to keep away from everyone.

If her phone had more than 10% battery, she’d have her nose buried in it like half the other people on the train. Like her neighbor apparently knew, that was also a good way to ward off any unwanted contact. But given it’s mostly-dead status, and a desire to leave that little bit there in case Henry called, she’d have to content herself with people watching; hell, maybe she’d find the skip who’d gotten away from her earlier.

It was mostly people heading home from work, likely about to enjoy the balmy early summer evening on balconies or patios; if they threw a glance her way, they’d probably think the way she was dressed for late fall was insane—not many people wore turtlenecked sweaters, jeans, and knee-high boots in July, even in Boston. She’d gotten used to the self-imposed swelter by now, though.

But no one had eyes for her, thankfully, least of all the couple standing in front of her. They stood side by side, one hand each on the overhead rail and the other holding their partner’s. They had soft, happy grins on their faces and it almost looked as though they were having a conversation with just their eyes—and they most likely were. Because that was what happened when you found your soulmate.

She shivered involuntarily, despite the heat and her unseasonable dress. Gah, she hated that word: soulmate. Because, of course, the universe had picked that one perfect person for everyone. You didn’t have any choice in the matter; that’s just how it was. Great if you find them; sucks if you don’t—and even worse if you lose them.

As a kid, it had been a pipe dream for a touch-starved orphan like Emma had been. Everyone grew up knowing the stories: that when you found your soulmate, physical touch created an almost psychic connection with them. Thoughts, feelings, even dreams could be shared through skin, and it only got more intense the longer the relationship lasted.

And she thought she’d had that, once. Now? She’d sworn it off; there were more important things to worry about.

She blinked her eyes and looked away from the couple, lest she get too far down Memory Lane to turn back. She focused on the view of the city flying by outside the windows, the familiar landmarks telling her she was close to her stop. Each building was one tick in the countdown until she could get off and head home, where central AC, her son, and an ice cold beer were waiting.

Finally, the train slowed down and came to a creaking stop at her station. She waited a bit for more people to exit the car, including the annoyingly adorable couple (something she was all too familiar with in her own life), and headed back out into the temperate air.

And then she saw her skip, in the mass of people heading out of the station. Guess home would have to wait; good thing she saved her phone battery.

She took off at a sprint, waiting to shout the douchebag’s name until he had no time to react before she was on top of him, bringing him to the ground and pinning him there without an ounce of skin contact. If this asshole was her soulmate, she didn’t want to know.

(Or to know if anyone was anymore.)

A few hours later, she finally slumped into her apartment and sighed in the blessedly cold air. Then she sniffed; was that pizza?

“I ordered from Regina Pizzeria; hope you didn’t mind,” Henry shouted from the kitchen.

“Did you tip?” she asked, tugging on the zippers of her boots and stepping out of them.

“Of course; I’m not an animal.”

She snorted; he’d definitely inherited her sense of humor. “Good.” Her stomach was growling, but she needed to at least get out of her jacket before she did anything about it. It clung to her in an unpleasant manner as she peeled it off, the sleeves turning inside out as they clung to her clammy skin; she just hung it up that way, letting the sweaty lining air out.

Henry already had plates set out at their kitchen island-slash-dining table. “Thanks, kid,” she said as she walked past him to the fridge, pausing to ruffle his dark brown hair. “And sorry again.”

“It happens,” he said with a shrug. She winced at that, despite the chilled air blowing from the fridge as she grabbed her beer; she hated that he was so used to her inconsistent work hours, but was so proud of him for being self-reliant. She still wasn’t sure how she’d been blessed with such a fantastic kid, but that was why she did what she did—not just her job, but protecting herself. She couldn’t make sure Henry grew up safe and loved if she was too caught up in her own shit.

“Is your homework done?” she asked as she took a seat on what had become designated as her bar chair at the counter.

“Yup,” he answered, opening the box; plain pepperoni—their favorite.

“Show me after we eat.”

“I know,” he groaned, rolling his eyes a bit, and grabbed a slice. Every now and then, there were moments like that where Emma was reminded that her 11-year-old was growing up fast. But for the most part, he was still her little boy: smart, funny, and with the biggest heart she’d ever met. She wished his dad could see him.

Like they did every night, they talked about their days, but mostly Henry’s—she loved to hear about what he was learning and the things he did with his friends. No one had ever taken interest in her life, academic or otherwise, until she wound up with the Nolans, and she vowed a long time ago to make sure Henry always had an attentive parent.

“Avery had to go home at lunch; he got sick. It was gross, like you could see his—“

“Ugh, no—not while I’m eating!” (Lest she forget, Henry was definitely an 11-year-old boy.)

Henry sighed but plowed on. “Anyways, they sent him home and said he probably had a stomach bug, but he thinks it’s something else. He thinks he has lovesickness.”

Emma froze for a second, but not too long in case Henry noticed. He knew she had issues with soulmates and she tried her hardest not to pass them onto him. But lovesickness—that was something of a trigger word.

See, that was the other side to having a soulmate: if you went too long without physical contact with them, you got sick. Not just heartsick or lonely—physically ill. After a few weeks without touching your supposed true love, you started to develop flu-like symptoms that progressively got worse—the point of near immobility—until either you came back in contact with them or cycled all the way through it, your body mended but your soul a bit bruised.

It wasn’t uncommon to see notices in the “missed connections” section of Craigslist for people experiencing symptoms after a rare brush with their intended. Morbidly, it was also typical for old couples to follow each other in death, not being able to survive through the lovesickness that accompanied the loss of their soulmate after decades together.

She was pretty sure she’d been through it. Most people were confident in that distinction, but Emma still didn’t know, because lovesickness looked and felt an awful lot like morning sickness.

For the upteenth time that day, Emma shook her head, trying to clear away the ghosts of the past. “He doesn’t have it; you guys are too young.” The one perk to this whole cosmic system was that it couldn’t happen until after puberty.

“I dunno; he was pretty confident about it. Said he kissed Violet on the playground last week so he’s probably taken.”

Emma chuckled. “It doesn’t happen that fast. He’ll be fine. But maybe watch what you eat at school, okay?”

“Okay. Can I bring pizza tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

The rest of their nightly routine went per usual: Emma looking over his homework, forcing him to take a shower before she took one too, then watching an episode of Stranger Things before he went to bed.

Maybe he was getting too old for it, but she still tucked him each night. “Love you, Mom,” he murmured, already half asleep.

“Love you, too, kid,” she replied, placing a kiss on his forehead. Even if she shied away from that stuff herself, she never wanted Henry to miss out on those little endearments she never had.

She took one last look at him before leaving his room. He was getting so big, and looking more and more like his dad every day; but when he was asleep, he still looked like the baby she’d once rocked in her arms.

So that was why she protected herself. That was why she cut off physical contact as much as possible with anyone else. That was why she didn’t want to risk her heart like that again. Sure, she craved that kind of intimacy sometimes, but she’d made her peace that it a while ago. No lovers, no soulmates, just a few friends. Nothing that could potentially take her away from being the best mom Henry could have.

At least, that’s what she’d been telling herself for 11 years. She didn’t want to believe anything else, even though she was keenly aware of the heartbreak that lay under everything.

She retired to her room and flopped down on her big, empty bed, falling asleep eventually.

And if she dreamed that there was someone to share that bed with...well, she’d talk it up to her brain being weird.

She didn’t do soulmates.

*☆*――*☆*――*☆*――*☆*――*☆*――*☆*――*☆*――*☆*

“Seriously?”

“Oh, come on, Emma; it’ll be fine. You can play nice for one night.”

Emma sighed into the phone. Her sister-in-law, Snow—the living, breathing embodiment of peace, hope, and love—had a long track record of trying to surreptitiously shove eligible singletons Emma’s way. She was understanding about Emma’s avoidance of relationships and physical contact, and the need to put Henry first, but only to a point. By no means did she think that romantic love was the key to true happiness, but she herself had found her fairytale true love and its accompanying bliss; shouldn’t everyone experience that?

“Debatable.” And apparently, Emma would be subject to Snow’s fledgling matchmaking yet again at their weekly dinner. “What’s this guy’s deal?”

“Oh, you know how David picks up strays.” They shared a giggle at that; it was true—not only did David work at an animal shelter, but he had a tendency to pick up wayward humans as well, Emma being a prime example. She was 15 when the Nolans legally adopted her. “But Killian is—well, he’s like you.”

Both Emma’s curiosity and hackles rose. “What does that mean?”

“It means he’s not looking for a soulmate, either. So it’s not a setup or anything.”

“Uh-huh.” She’d heard that one before.

“It’s not!”

“Why do I feel like this is some sort of reverse psychology thing?”

There was a pause. “Was it really that obvious?”

Emma sighed again, chuckling slightly. “You know I know when you’re lying.”

“I know, I know. But you’re still coming, right?”

“Yes, of course.” One random guy wasn’t enough to put Emma off their tradition. Her only other option would be to sit at home by herself on a Friday while Henry was at a sleepover, and she wasn’t that lame, even if she was a 28-year-old single mother who hadn’t really socialized in over 11 years.

“Okay, good. See you and your wine in a few hours! Bye!”

Maybe someday, Emma would be able to soak up some of the effervescent optimism that her sister-in-law constantly bubbled. But today wasn’t that day.

Because now Emma had to pick a new outfit, and she was unusually annoyed. Given the muggy heat, she was going to let herself wear shorts and a tank top; David and Snow were the only people, outside of Henry, that Emma could let her guard down around, physically or otherwise. People only had one soulmate so there was no risk at contact there when David and Snow were each other’s, and even less so with David being her brother, even if not biologically; the universe may be a dick sometimes but at least it wasn’t gross.

But if someone else was going to be there, she’d have to wrap back up. These were the moments she wondered if it was worth it, keeping herself protected—if she died of heatstroke, it wouldn’t matter either way. And maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have normal human interactions with people, and it might not be so bad to go on a date or two—some kind of adult activity. David and Snow were proof that it wasn’t all bad, even if it was sickly sweet sometimes; she had more than a few moments of jealousy ever since they met, way back in high school.

But then the past would rear its head and she’d remember why she put herself through this. No, she was better off without.

She sighed and sadly pulled off the cute sleeveless blouse she was wearing. She didn’t usually do wear something so girly and was kind of looking forward to it. Although...the red flowers in it did match her jacket...

Giving it a shot, she tugged on a long-sleeved shirt, then slipped the blouse back on. The layered look was still a thing, right? And the blue background on the blouse matched her jeggings. It worked. She paused a bit to admire her reflection, then started to head out, grabbing her jacket and the wine from the kitchen before slipping on her gloves and heading out.

The AC in her old yellow Bug was cranked all the way up as she made the 20-minute trip to her brother’s house, tucked away in one of the nicer, if small, neighborhoods. She pulled into the driveway of their little bungalow and immediately groaned when she saw the car already parked there: an unfamiliar old Chevy muscle car that screamed “douchebag”.

Her mind’s eye was already conjuring the image of some alpha male gym rat, or worse, some preppy rich kid who was a third cousin of the Kennedys and made sure you knew it. She started bracing herself for a less-than-enjoyable evening in the mad dash between her car and the front door, lest she melt before getting inside.

But there was no one in the front room when she let herself in. “Hello?” she called out, carefully making her way through the house; crap, what if this guy had killed them or something? Thank goodness Henry wasn’t here. She started glancing around for blunt objects to use as weapons, until she remembered she had a full bottle of wine in hand; it’d be a waste of booze, but it’d do the job.

“Out here!” came Snow’s voice through the door to the back yard. Emma relaxed a little, knowing they were alive, but still didn’t let her guard down; that wasn’t something she did easily.

Although, looking back, maybe if she had relaxed a little, she wouldn’t have been so tense and focused on her family’s well-being that she skipped the last step down to the patio, making her lose her footing, drop the wine, and fall—into unfamiliar arms.

Her hair fell over her face in a curtain, both protecting her from and blinding her to whoever had caught her. But the jacket she could feel under her gloves wasn’t something David would wear this time of year, and those definitely weren’t her brother’s boots or skinny jeans.

“Woah there, lass—you alright?”

And that really wasn’t David’s English accent.

Instinctively, she let go of his (admittedly firm) biceps and fell backwards, definitely sticking her hand in the shattered glass of the bottle—she could feel it cut through her glove to her palm—but putting a good amount of distance between her and this Killian guy.

She hissed at the cut, and quickly brushed her hair aside with the other hand to inspect the damage. The glove was wrecked, but she couldn’t tell what of the red stuff on her hand was blood and what was wine.

Shade fell on her as David and Snow hovered, but the stranger was the only one who intervened. “Let me see,” he said, and rached for her forearm.

“It’s fine,” Emma tossed back, more out of habit than anything. It certainly stung, but her biggest worry was that she’d have an uncovered hand.

“Your hand is cut. Let me see,” the man demanded, his tone just commanding enough to jolt her. Who the hell did he think he was?

Before she could protest again, he grabbed her wrist and tugged it toward him—with another gloved hand. That was...unexpected. She finally dared to look at him, but all she could see was a mess of dark hair and a strong nose as he inspected her palm.

“It’s not that deep, thankfully,” he assessed, and even from this angle, she could see his thick brows furrowing in study. “But we should still clean it up.”

And then he looked up at her, and all her desire to tell this cocky asshole off was put on hold. Because she was staring into what were probably the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, and that tender a gaze should not belong to someone she’d literally just fallen onto. He should be mad, shouldn’t he? Wasn’t that usually what happened? But, if she was reading this correctly, he was worried...about her?

Did she hit her head, too? What the hell was going on?

She just blinked and gaped at him, until David stepped in front of her to help pull her up. She didn’t shy away from his touch, or the hug he gave her once she was upright. “I’ll clean up the bottle; you let Killian take care of you.”

“Okay,” she mumbled back, and followed Killian back into the house. It wasn’t until they were in the upstairs bathroom that she came out of her fog—more specifically, when he was pouring rubbing alcohol on her cuts. “Ah—what the hell?”

“I tried to warn you,” he replied curtly, then lightly dabbed at the mess with a hand towel. She noticed that he hadn’t taken his own gloves off yet, despite somehow managing to get her trashed one off without her noticing.

“‘S okay,” she muttered. He was almost clinical as he cleaned the (mostly wine) mess from her hand and applied ointment, though it didn’t escape her notice that one hand was noticeably stiffer than the other.

“Alright, I’m gonna wrap it up, but I might need your help; this requires a bit more dexterity than this thing can offer,” he explained, holding up the stiff hand.

“It’s a fake?”

“Aye; a good one, but not perfect.” Part of her wanted to ask, but she swallowed down her untoward curiosity.

They passed the roll of gauze between the two of them until her palm was covered, but she gave him a surreptitious once-over while they worked: he too was dressed in an unseasonable black leather jacket, the jeans she’d noticed earlier, and a navy oxford shirt with the collar popped, buttoned to his neck.

“Aren’t you hot?” she asked as he secured the end of the bandage; it was a tight wrap, but not constricting, making her wonder where he learned first aid.

He just smirked, which cut a dimple into the gingery scruff that covered his sharp jaw. “Does that mean you find me attractive, love?” he tossed back as he cleaned up the tiny mess they’d made.

She huffed; maybe she was right about her first assessment of this guy—what kind of cocky jerk said that? (Even if it was true.) “Not what I said. It was a question; not a statement.”

He put the bandage wrapper in the trash and then gathered the soiled towel. “I’d explain it, but I think you already know the answer.” His eyes traveled down her body much like she’d just done to him, then intensely met her gaze, an expressive eyebrow arched almost in challenge.

Something about him made her squirm, but she couldn’t tell if it was in a good or bad way yet. Or if maybe she really was sweating to death in this outfit.

He stepped toward her, and she sucked in a breath, instinctively moving away from him. “It’s alright,” he assured her, holding his hands up where she could see them as he continued toward the bathroom door. “Just going to toss this and head back outside.”

If the manner of dress weren’t enough, the fact that he was able to read her reaction definitely confirmed the fact: he was trying to avoid touch as much as possible, too.

“Yeah,” she answered, trying (and failing) to play it cool. “Uh, thanks.”

“My pleasure,” he said, with a slight bow of his head, then turned and headed out of sight.

She sighed once he left. What the hell had just happened? What kind of guy just cleans wounds for people he doesn’t know, especially one who apparently held the same no-touching policy?

And why did she let him? She was no stranger to cleaning up her own injuries—at least, the ones that didn’t require a trip to the ER. She was a mom, for god’s sake; she was usually the one fixing boo-boos.

She took a deep breath and let it out, trying to shake some of these weird nerves off. Then actually shook—her head, hands, arms, whole body. It helped, but she still felt a bit off-tilt. And she didn’t even have any wine to help her deal with it. Fuck.

But she couldn’t hide in the half-bath forever, so she fixed her hair in the mirror and then headed back to the yard. Killian was already there, seated under the umbrella at the patio table nursing a beer. Dave was manning the grill while Snow picked up the bottle shards.

“Hey, let me help—” Emma tried to intervene, but Snow brushed her off.

“It’s fine; I don’t want you to get cut again. Just grab a drink and have a seat.”

Even though she couldn’t see Snow’s face, Emma was pretty sure it had a self-satisfied smirk on it. They’d probably just reenacted some romance novel trope and she could see another one about to play out—and Snow knew it.

Emma grabbed a beer from the cooler by the grill, making sure to quickly tease Dave on his mediocre grilling skills, and then turned her attention to the table. The smart thing for her would be to sit opposite Killian, keeping the full table and umbrella pole between them. But that would force Snow and David to sit opposite as well, and it was kind of an unspoken rule that they never did that; it made it too hard for one to grab the other’s hand and mentally share some piece of gossip or inside joke.

So Emma took her seat next to Killian, but made sure the chair was a respectable distance away from his. It was a little awkward at first, because he seemed just as (not) interested in conversation as she was, but there was still a heaviness to the air that had nothing to do with the humidity.

“Um, thanks again,” she started, not knowing how else to break the unsteady silence.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, brushing it off with another sip of his beer. Whatever softness she’d seen earlier was back in hiding; she couldn’t really judge him for it when that was her usual MO.

It got quiet again, until David started yelling and jumping away from the flames shooting up from the grill.

“Fuck!” “Bloody hell!” they shouted at the same time.

David was fanning it with a potholder when Snow rushed to his side. “What the heck are you doing?” she chastised, then jumped forward and turned down the heat. “Are you trying to show off, you pyromaniac?”

The pair at the table snorted as Snow continued to lecture him about grill safety, even if they couldn’t hear half of it; the look on her face as she held tight to David’s forearm and stared him down said everything.

“Are they always like this?” Killian asked, his tone lighter than it had been a minute ago.

“Oh my god, always. And it’s been like this for 12 years.”

“Damn.”

Snow stormed off inside while David slunk back to the grill and pulled the steaks off of it.

“And they’re really soulmates?” Killian wondered, though she couldn’t tell if it was rhetorical or not.

“Yup,” was all she answered, and took another sip of beer.

Killian just hummed and stared at the condensation rings from his bottle on the glass-top table. There was something dark and faraway in his gaze; part of her knew it wasn’t her business, but a weird part of her wanted to cheer him up.

“Would you believe that those two are trying to set us up?” she said quietly and conspiratorially.

“Huh?” He looked up, blinking; it took a moment for his eyes to refocus on her. “Oh, aye; I had a suspicion.”

She wasn’t sure if she should be offended or relieved at his indifference. “Yeah, they tend to do that. So, you might wanna get used to it.”

He took another long sip. “David knows my feelings on that matter; I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

Emma snorted again. “Dude, I’m his sister. He knows exactly why I’m not interested in anything and that still hasn’t stopped them.”

“And why is that?”

“I—” She cut herself almost immediately, because she was just about to spill her life story to this guy who she’d met literally half an hour ago. She didn’t even like thinking about all that, let alone discussing it. So why was she so ready to spill all her beans? “I don’t really like talking about it,” she finally said, in a small voice.

“I know the feeling,” he answered, just as somberly. “Cheers to tragic backstories?” He extended his arm to her, bottle leaning forward in invitation to a toast.

“Cheers,” she said back, clinking the glasses together (but holding back a bit in case of another shatter).

Typically, the idea of meeting someone with as much emotional baggage as she carried sounded exhausting; but with Killian, she couldn’t help but be curious. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to shun the idea of soulmates, but it was rare to go to the lengths that she and Killian were going to. She heard the tuts and saw the pitying stares from people as she went about her day, especially this time of year when it was so obvious. And she was usually good about not letting it get to her—all she had to do was see Henry’s face to remind her why she did it. She’d never met anyone else who did, though, and wondered a bit at what Killian’s reasons were.

But, as she reminded herself, she’d just met the guy; it was hardly appropriate to pry when she wasn’t about to reveal anything herself. Thankfully, Snow arrived at the table at that moment with a tray covered in food, and they dug into the meal, maintaining a casual level of chat the whole time. It turned out that David met Killian while he was out for a run; David was the crazy type to go out at dawn, so when he ran into someone else doing that, it took his notice and they bonded almost immediately. That wasn’t a rare thing in David’s life, but based on the bashful expression on Killian’s face, she could tell it was for him.

After dinner had been cleared away and the pie brought out, Snow declared, “Oh, this was so nice. I’m so glad you were able to come, Killian.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, milady; thanks for the hospitality.”

“Oh, don't mention it,” she waved off. “I just wish he could have met Henry, too!”

“Who’s Henry?”

“My son,” Emma interjected. Who would probably also try to pull Killian into their family sphere; he was a lot like her brother in that regard. “He’s at a friend’s tonight, but this is our weekly tradition.”

“I’m not intruding, am I?” He seemed worried all of a sudden.

“No,” the other three were quick to assure him. “Besides,” Snow continued, “it seems like you're fitting right in. You two seemed to be getting on well,” she added with a wink.

“Too much, Snow,” David muttered beside her, focusing on clearing dishes.

“What? I’m just saying—”

Gently, David placed his hand over hers and found her gaze. It was pretty obvious again to imagine the private conversation they were having, but it still made Emma feel like she was invading their privacy, so she went back to picking at her pie crust. A glance at Killian saw him doing the same.

After a long awkward silence that the couple was completely unaware of, David removed his hand and started gathering plates. “Well, I mean what I said,” Snow continued, albeit a bit less forcefully. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

“I appreciate that,” he said softly, blushing a bit if she wasn’t mistaken—it was hard to tell in the shade of the umbrella if it was that, or just overheating. “I’ll be sure to bring better beer next time, too; is this really what you Yanks consider good ale?”

“I heard that!” David shouted from the open kitchen window.

“‘Yanks’?” Emma teased. “You sound like you just got off the boat from England.”

“I did,” he quickly replied. “In fact, it’s still docked in the harbour.”

“It’s been—what, a month?” Snow added.

“About that, yeah,” he confirmed. “And I still haven’t managed to find anything better than barley water to drink.” He glanced down at the label of his beer. “Sam Adams? Sounds like a ponce.”

“Mm, those are fighting words around here,” Emma threw back with a grin; she hardly even noticed how fast, or how easy it was, to slip into banter with him. “And I think we already know who won that war.”

“Yeah, but we got the good beer, so it’s probably a draw.”

It was kind of amazing how quickly they fell into casual conversation, especially when she usually hated insincere smalltalk. Killian was funny and charming, and despite the apparently short time they’d known each other, always had a ready quip for David. It was kind of adorable seeing the way his eyes sparkled and the fine lines next to them crinkled as he laughed.

Wait, what? Admitting he was attractive was one thing—not like anyone could argue against it—but...being endeared to him? That was a whole other level of nope she didn’t want to deal with.

But then he told another joke and that concern was put back on the backburner.

Eventually, the evening wrapped up, and Killian cited work as a reason for leaving early. She kind of felt bad—ever since she’d mentioned the weekly tradition thing, she could see an uneasiness in his eyes that told her he felt like he was trespassing; she knew it because it was how she felt in most of the actual family homes she’d been in growing up, and for a long while at the Nolans, even after the ink dried on the adoption forms.

“I hope he didn’t feel like he had to leave,” Snow said, echoing Emma’s thoughts, while the two of them were doing the dishes—with no more threat lurking, Emma had removed her other glove and her jacket, finally feeling a bit cooler. “He’s still so new here, and I don’t think he’s had time to make many friends yet.”

Part of Emma wanted to protest on his behalf—she still remembered being so overwhelmed by the Nolans initial drive to introduce her to anyone and everyone; even to this day, she only maintained a few good friendships and only a handful of casual ones. If Killian was as skittish or uncomfortable in that regard as she was, he wouldn’t want to be paraded in front of half the city.

But she also knew how good it was to find that kind of connection and support with someone like she had with Snow; they were close even before the discovery of her and David’s soulmate status. Emma didn’t doubt he had friends back in England, but having someone stateside would no doubt make the transition easier; it definitely would have as a kid.

“Well, at least he’s got us,” she finally answered.

Friends. She could totally do friends.

Right?

----------------------------------------------

thanks for reading! Hope you stick around for the next couple chapters!

tagging some peeps: @kat2609 @thesschesthair @optomisticgirl @fergus80 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @amortentia-on-the-rocks @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @wingedlioness @word-bug @pirateherokillian @bleebug @its-imperator-furiosa @killianmesmalls @effulgentcolors @laschatzi @ive-always-been-a-pirate @stubble-sandwich @killian-whump @lenfaz @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @kmomof4 @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis

#cs ff #cssns 2019 #cs modern au #cs soulmates au #my ff #sick of love

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marvel-mega · 5 years ago

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Neighbors (Peter Parker x reader)

authors note: hey guys this is one of my older fics that I forgot to post I guess? hope you guys like it !

word count: 2885

You had been neighbors with peter since elementary school but it wasn't until seventh grade that you realized your windows lined up. One day while you were doing homework on a desk that conveniently looked out that exact window peter threw some pebbles to get your attention. ‘Um, Hi?’ you said confused why this cute boy tried getting your attention. ‘I’m P-peter.’ ‘Hi Peter. I’m (Y/N).’ you smiled hoping a friendship came from this small interactions.’ What school are you gonna go to in the fall, (Y/N)?’ ‘Uh Hardy Middle School. What about you peter?’ You kept saying his name hoping you won't forget it as a way to remind yourself that this was real. ‘Me too!’ “Ugh awesome I don't have very many friends.’ ‘I'll be your friend, (Y/N).’ and the rest is history. Or maybe it could be more?

‘PETERRRRRRRR’ you yelled from your window truly not caring who heard. ‘If you don’t get up I will leave without you.’ you said in your normal tone. ‘Peter appeared disheveled at the window ‘I’M UP ‘ you just turn away your cheer uniform fluttering around you.

Peter wanted to tell you, that you looked beautiful. You see this was the first day of junior year for you guys’. Peter, in his opinion didn’t really changed much well expect that he was spiderman and he has been for about two years but he physically looked the same. (Y/N)...uh blossomed this past summer, she lost a few pounds but gained a few in places Peter can’t admit to his conscious that he stared at. And you seemed to be popular? Which was a gross stereotype like the popular girl and the nerd, but that what people categorized (Y/N) and Peter. (Y/N) was always beautiful to Peter but no one really noticed then she tried out for the cheer team sophomore year and everyone loved her, then that’s when people started noticing. Girls assumed (Y/N) and Peter were dating and the guys well the guys just ignored Peter’s existence or tried to be his friend to get to (Y/N). No matter how many times you told Peter you didn’t care what other people thought, Peter still felt insecure? Scared? Anxious? He couldn't really pinpoint what he was feeling but Peter’s other good friend Ned told him that he was feeling scared and nervous about losing (Y/N) to the ‘pop’. Which is what Ned calls people at your school with public social media accounts and lots of followers.

Y/N pov

You felt so nervous you kept smoothing over your skirt. You didn’t notice how this all happened. The ‘pop invasion into your life’ as Ned said to me many times before, it’s like one day i was playing ‘Star Wars’ trivia game with Peter and Ned then the next you were rushing off to ‘summer cheer’ practice. Your mom pressured you into doing cheer by saying motivating things like ‘Your thighs look bigger’ or my personal favorite ‘you don’t think you’re a little fatter than freshman year? I’m not sure Peter likes fat girls’. So you got moving you worked your ass off and you got on the team! You were ecstatic not only because you worked so hard but because the girls on the team really liked you! But this was the year your newly found confidence would help you make a move on Peter. You’d rejected pretty much all the guys that asked you out. Normally saying you had something to do with Peter.Your friends on the team said that Peter liked you back but you weren’t sure the girls were good friends to you but come on Peter Parker did not have a crush on me you thought as you drove you and peter to school.

Peter’s pov

I, Peter Parker, have a crush on (Y/N). Ned thinks the feelings are mutual but come on (Y/N) (Y/L/N) did not have a crush on me you thought as you pulled up to school with her. ‘Here we go Pete.`` She said then took a deep breath and reached out for your hand. (Y/N) didn’t like to talk about her emotions very often so when she explained her anxiety Peter was a bit taken back but after thinking back to (Y/N) hating going to social events or the night before the first day of school not being able to sleep. So right now she held Peter’s hand to help with that anxiety not any emotional attraction okay Peter? She just needs a friend right now. The two walked in and couldn’t contrast against each other more Peter had a shirt with an elemental joke and (Y/N) looking strikingly beautiful in her yellow and blue cheer uniform.

Fast forward to that Friday

It was the end of sixth period and Peter and (Y/N) were walking to (Y/N)’s car. ‘Peter im nervous out of my wits for the game today!’ (Y/N) was bouncing on her heels that were covered with yellow converse, that peter got her two christmases ago. (Y/N) was subtly wearing school which she informed me was like a semi-cheer requirement, on game days you wear the schools colors so (Y/N) asked to borrow my Midtown school of science and technology sweater and paired with simple black jeans but even dressed so casually she looking amazing to me. ‘Peter? Did you hear what i just asked you?’ ‘Going to be honest with you because you’re my friend...No i did not hear a word.’ (Y/N) sighed Peter seemed to get lost in his thoughts kinda often. ‘Alright dork i said are you gonna come to the game?’ Peter was kind of on call for something Mr. Stark needed him. ‘Of course i wouldn’t miss your first cheer thingy for anything.’ Peter knew his promise was far fetched he just hoped the universe was listening and would make Mr. Stark not need him tonight. ‘Amazing!! You being there will make the jitters go away. Home sweet home! Alright Pete i have to get ready I’ll see you later tonight!’ ‘Uh yea (Y/N) I’ll see you then’ Peter said not even believing himself.

Peter was catching up on his sleep since waking up early for school it messed up his sleep schedule of staying up until 3 am. But he awoke to the sound of his phone ringing thinking it was (Y/N) he answered itt quickly, “Hello.?’ his groggily voice said ‘Hey Kid, it’s happy I’m down the block Tony sent me he said something about ‘wanting to try you in a new suit he got you’ i don't know but just meet me over here’ Peter panicked a little bit of course this had to happen today. ‘Uh happy do you think I could call a raincheck on tony?’ I have a football game that i have to go to’ ‘A football game?’ Peter gulped ‘Unless you're the star players get your butt over here.’

At the game

(Y/N) scanned the crowd from on the field looking for Peter just then a boy came up from behind her and tapped your shoulder, you jumped at the sudden interaction from the guy. “Hey are you (Y/N)?’ You hesitated, ‘Yes i am. I’m sorry to come off as rude but do i know you?’ The boy chuckled ‘Uh No I don't think anyone here really knows me i'm new here.’ ‘Oh welcome! What's your name?’ ‘Harrison’ ‘Nice to meet you Harrison.’ And Harrison kept you company before the game started and then took his seat as he cheered you on for well cheering. He was a sweet boy but you couldn't help but wonder where Peter was. ‘Hey i don't mean to intrude but your mind seems to be somewhere else.’ ‘Is it that obvious,’ Harrison or Harry as he told you he’d rather be called kinda gave you a look like yes it's very obvious. ‘Well my best friend promised he’d be here and i was really nervous since it was the first game he was supposed to help me calm down but he didn't show.’ You said glumly. ‘I hoped I helped with some of those nerves,’ Harry said as he put his finger under your chin so you wouldn’t hang your head so low. ‘ But be careful princess hang your head any lower your tiara will fall off.’ At this point your heart was beating out of your chest you barely knew this guy yet you kind of wanted to kiss him and you kind thought he wanted to so you just settled for a kiss on the cheek that he gave you. ‘I hope to see you monday.’ Harry walked away. You were left speechless, no guy had genuinely shown you attention like that. ‘(Y/NNN)!! AHH THAT GUY WAS ALL OVER YOU PETER WILL SEE WHAT HE LOST!!’ one of your good friends who was on the team too said to you. ‘He is a really sweet guy’ you gushed to your friend ‘And he’s cute!’ she responded you walked away giggling with her. And as you left Peter was in the distance seeing everything that unfolded with the guy who had your attention while Peter was gone. Peter felt his blood boil and his heart sink he couldn’t believe that guy just kissed you on the cheek without EVEN ASKING! ‘But you wouldn’t have done’ it the voice in his head said. As he walked home alone, since he assumed he’d go home with you. You were in your car still thinking about that odd boy then you saw Peter on the sidewalk walking to his house. ‘Peter?” You questioned as you rolled the windows down and clearly saw him, luckily there was little to no traffic so you weren’t in anyone's way. ‘(Y/N)?’ ‘Yes Pete haha. What are you doing and where were you we won the game !’ you said excitedly not really angry with him. ‘I was busy.’ Peter said in a stern voice. ‘I figured but you couldn't at least text me so i didn't have to spend all night looking fro you in the crowd.’ ‘Yea i’ll remember that for next time.’ Do you want a ride home?’ ‘No’ he said rudely. You had enough you out the care in park and get out ‘Why are you angry with me Peter? You missed my game i should be even slightly angry with you.’ ‘Because you didn’t seem to miss me at the damn game!’ Peter yelled at you you were so taken back Peter never yelled at you. ‘Yea glad the ‘super nice and cute boy’ kept you company while i was gone.’ ‘How did you know about him?’ you said confused. ‘I saw you guys together after the game thats where im leaving from.’ ‘He’s just a friend Peter why are you upset? He’s new and wanted someone to talk to.’ You said still confused and near tears because you never fought with Peter like this or at least this seriously. ‘Whatever. I’m walking home see you on Monday.’ And that was the last time you had ever spoken to Peter Parker, that fight between the two of you changed your friendship Peter didn’t talk to you that whole week at school and he was never home if he was home he got back super late at night with bruises you tried to confront him about it but he said ‘it was none of your concern’. After a month you stopped trying he obviously didn’t want to talk to you, so you decided to stop wasting your time despite the pain it cost you to leave your other half. Apparently this wasn’t the year you’d ask out Peter Parker.

‘(Y/N) are you planning on going to prom this year?’ someone asked you you weren’t listening you were watching your old friend Peter frantically talk to Ned about something. ‘Hmm?’ ‘Prom?’ ‘Aw Britney I’d hoped you would’ve asked me in a more theatrical way.’ Your now closer friend Britney who was also on the cheer team with you. ‘Hate to break it to you babe. But I’m going to prom with Flash Thompson.’ She looking over at Flash, ironically you'd say she looked at him cheerfully. ‘You’re going to prom with Eugene?’ You never liked calling him Flash that name was reserved for the comic book hero by the same name. ‘But I don't have anyone to go with not that i need someone to go with but im using that as a valid excuse.’ ‘I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT.’ Britney yelled gathering some funny looks as you both laughed. ‘Thanks but no thanks I’d rather not go with one of Euguene’s friends.’ Before you could finish Britney disappeared whispering knowingly to Flash. Flash grabbed one of his friends, a nice looking boy brown hair blue eyes. And the three of them came in your direction. ‘Well well well princess (Y/N) here says that she's finally going to accept a date from a boy.’ Flash said with a smirk getting the boys' next to him hopes up. ‘No, this princess is not looking for a prince thanks Eug.’ You said as you got up and left heading to class early.

Peter’s pov

‘Just ask her to prom you idiot it’ll wash away any bad stuff that happened between you two..’ ned said frantically to Peter. ‘She doesn’t want to talk to me. I was a jerk to her eight months ago.’ Peter almost didn’t believe himself but he was right it had been that long since the first football game. Peter was staring at you and you were looking back with the same look of ‘please talk to me I’m not as mad as you think!’ but you were called away by your friends before he could even think of a response. Because of Peter’s powers he could hear your whole conversation and was explaining it to Ned. ‘Exactly everything is falling into place just ask her out.’ Maybe i will Peter thought to himself. He didn't want to tell Ned or else he’d freak out. But thats how Peter ended up bolting out of the cafeteria to catch up with you. ‘(Y/N) !!’ She turned cautiously around. ‘Peter?’ ‘Yea um h-hhow are y-you?’ ‘How am I?’ she said back ‘I’ve been fucking garbage these past eight months because the person i trusted the most in this world stop fucking stop talking to me out of the fucking blue!! And I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it because i care about this boy more than I care about myself yet he doesn’t have a clue and blatantly ignored me!! Then you have the nerve to fucking asking me ‘How AM I?? I'VE HAD BETTER DAYS PETER BENJAMIN PARKER. HELL I HAD A BETTER LIFE WHEN YOU WERE IN IT AND YOU JUST LEFT.’ During those eight months Peter was with Mr.Stark, helping him with ‘Rogue Rogers’ but he didn’t know how to tell (Y/N). ‘Meet me after school out window. Please.’ She sighed and walked away Peter hoped she was going to be there.

You checked your hair one more time in the mirror before looking out the window waiting for Peter to show. ‘He’s gonna stand me up again, it’s inevitable.’ ‘I wish you wouldn’t doubt me so much.’ A voice said from behind (Y/N). Her first instinct was to kick as high and as hard as she could. ‘(Y/N) WOAH WOAH IT ME PETER!!??’ Instead of seeing the face that belonged to that voice you saw spiderman sitting on your bed as casual as ever. ‘P-peter?’ ‘Ha now it’s your turn to stutter.’ he said. Peter took the mask off even though you knew it was him. ‘(Y/N) What was that sound?’ your mother yelled from below the stairs. ‘Oh nothing! Spider-man is in my room!’ you said smirking at Peter as you saw his face drop with fear. Maybe he shouldn't have told you he was spiderman. He heard your mom laugh? ‘Okay sweetie, lay off the red bulls.’ Peter let out a deep breath ‘Was that you saying that you are still angry?’ ‘No, I just want to know why you were angry that day. I’ve gone over everything that happened and can’t think why you’d even care that I was with Harry.’ ‘Have you tried the option where i was jealous that Harrison even had your attention for two seconds?’ Peter said as he moved closer to you. ‘I-i um no i hadn’t considered that to even be an option. A smart, charismatic guy like you is not interested in me at all .’ ‘You’re right a smart guy like me is practically infatuated with you, (Y/N).’ You smiled so hard your cheeks started to hurt and then Spiderman kissed you. The boy that you had a crush on since before you even knew what a crush was, was kissing you. ‘Wow.’ you said laughing. ‘I mean I know I haven’t had practice but was it that bad?’ Peter said sadly. ‘Hmm jury is still out on that i guess you’ll just have to kiss me again.’

#peter parker #peter x reader #peter x you #peter parker fluff #marvel #spiderman #Spider Man: Homecoming #spider-man: far from home #flash thompson #ned #tony stark #happy hogan #marvel-mega #marvel-mega masterlist

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gakinotsukaigifs · 6 years ago

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Documental S1 Primer

The following is a basic introduction to Matsumoto Hitoshi’s Documental for newcomers to japanese comedy. It looks like a surprising amount of people have stumbled upon it, and after listening to a podcast where the people enjoyed it but had a handful of questions about the comedians and their dynamic, I thought this would be a good opportunity to fill in some of the gaps.

With Amazon having subbed the second season, my hope is that even more people will familiarize themselves with the show and find joy in catching on to the subtler jokes and cast relationships

COMEDIAN NOTES

MATSUMOTO HITOSHI Career: 1983 / DOWNTOWN (Duo) Note: Out of all the comedians present, Matsumoto is the most highly regarded having been a pioneer and re-shaping the japanese comedy scene with his partner, Hamada, in the 80′s and 90′s. He has a long history with Jimmy Onishi, who is also his ultimate weakness.

MIYAGAWA DAISUKE Career: 1991 Note: Not to be confused with the veteran comedian of the same name, he is probably most well known for his work on ITTE Q! where a regular cast of comedians travel in search of interesting challenges and topics to investigate. I believe he’s a friend of Matsumoto’s outside of work as well. And like Matsumoto, he is also weak to Jimmy Onishi.

OCHI YOSUKE Career: 1994 / DIENOJI (Duo) Note: Ochi’s fame shot up after winning the 2006 and 2007 Annual Air Guitar World Championships in Finland, so they’re not joking when they talk about his air guitar prowess.

KUBOTA KAZUNOBU Career: 2003 / TORO SALMON (Duo) Note: He was Anthony’s neighbour at one point?

FUJIMOTO TOSHIFUMI Career: 1989 / FUJIWARA (Duo) Note: Gaki fans will likely recognize him as a regular guest in the 24hr Batsu Games and on Downtown’s Lincoln. As Matsumoto remarks in the beginning, he’s very good at making a quick quip on any situation (see below: Boke/Tsukkomi). He’s also a friend of Matsumoto which may explain why Matsumoto is a bit more lenient with him.

KUKKY Career: 1994 / YASEIBAKUDAN (Duo) Note: From what I’ve seen of Kukky’s style, he definitely plays heavy on the abstract humour. Of the group of comedians, he is the most fond of using props to his advantage.

SAITO TSUKASA Career: 2004 / TRENDY ANGEL (Duo) Note: According to the TV Asahi series, he has a surprisingly high IQ.

KAWAHARA KATSUMI Career: 2003 / TENJIKUNEZUMI (Duo) Note: Another absurdist like Kukky, but in a more subdued fashion. While he looks very serious and/or blasé, his comedic style is pretty energetic as evidenced by his very active twitter.

HACHIMITSU JIRO Career: 1996 / TOKYO DYNAMITE (Duo) Note: He doesn’t just have several hundred masks for nothing; Hachimitsu has done wrestling promotions for quite a few organizations (Osaka Pro, A-Team), including a couple based in South America.

ANTHONY Career: 2009 / MATENROU (Duo) Note: He was Kubota’s neighbour at one point?

JIMMY ONISHI Career: 1982 Note: “Jimmy’s not the best storyteller. He’s difficult to understand, but please make an effort.”

Jimmy has a unique way about him, and many are still unsure how much is genuine vs an act. I think his greatest power is completely and earnestly ignoring any situational context. The funniest things he does are almost always unintentional to make someone else laugh. His English is also famously terrible.

He is the most senior comedian on the show, although he has taken long breaks from comedy to pursue his painting which he is actually very talented at. Many will recognize him from his work with Downtown and annual appearance in their 24hr Batsu Games.

PEOPLE / GAG REFERENCES

Ep1 Matsumoto’s buffness

For most of his career, Matsumoto was actually a stick-thin guy. I think it was around the time of his major hip injury (2010) that he started hitting up the gym and slowly became a buff old man, providing a lot of material for others to make fun of.

Ep1-3 Daisuke Miyagawa and Hanako Miyagawa

A veteran comedy duo and couple since 1979. Kukky brings several props with him including: an envelope celebrating their 35th Wedding Anniversary, a cut out picture with a message for Master Daisuke’s supposed retirement, and a huge Get Well Soon flag.

Ep2 Daisuke Miyagawa “funeral” When the Get Well Soon flag is laid on the table and Fujimoto cover’s Master Daisuke’s face with a white towel, it is reminiscent of a Japanese Wake. It becomes extra inappropriate when Anthony covers the face with a USA flag. “That’s going too far. He’ll become the undead.”

Ep3 Pikotaro

Kubota says he will do an unfunny version of Pikotaro. This is a reference to a gag single performed by another japanese comedian, Daimaou Kosaka / Pikotaro, that went viral in 2016. The single is called “PPAP” or “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen”.

Ep4 The thing that made me laugh so hard... Kawahara: The TV show Gaki no Tsukai... That’s about it. For those completely new to Japanese comedy, Gaki no Tsukai is the popular variety show hosted by none other than Matsumoto and his partner, Hamada.

COMEDY CULTURE

Senior/Junior The Senior/Junior dynamic is extremely important in all lines of work in Japan. The reason I listed the career start date in the comedian section is to emphasize that it’s seniority in career years, not age. Matsumoto brings this up first, remarking that he wouldn’t participate himself because there would be that fear that his juniors would act differently out of respect.

The second instance is when Kukky refers to Daisuke Miyagawa (the veteran) as “this dude” and tells everyone to write a message because he’s retiring (he’s not). The others discourage it, asking if he got permission and remarking that he’ll get in trouble, and it goes back and forth from there.

Going against the Senior/Junior “rules” can create a tense situation, but when it’s subverted for comedy it can be quite effective. Downtown were well-known to intentionally ignore these rules when the cameras were rolling which drew a lot of attention to them and aided in cementing their influence.

Boke/Tsukkomi In Western terms, the Boke is the funnyman while the Tsukkomi is the straight man. Fujimoto’s Tsukkomi ability shines in Documental as he nitpicks the other’s behaviour. It may seem like he is being harsh or antagonistic, but it’s more like he’s pushing to create an escalating banter that will result in getting a laugh. On an unscripted show, the Tsukkomi has to seize the opportunity to point out the contradiction or absurdity of the situation, while the Boke can relinquish or double-down on the absurd. This is the basis for a good chunk of japanese comedy.

#documental #documental season 1 #matsumoto hitoshi #amazon prime

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powerfulfabray-blog · 7 years ago

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Pillow forts and conversations - Fabrevans

WHO: Sam Evans @greeneggsandsamevans & Quinn Fabray @powerfulfabray

WHERE. Sam’s pillow fort.

WHEN. February 17th

WHAT. Quinn and Sam ‘watch’ a movie.

WARNINGS. .

To say Sam was nervous would be an understatement. He spent the day trying to make sure everything was in its place, that he had everything he could possibly need, and that everything was perfect. He didn’t know why he was acting like a total maniac. I️t was just Quinn. Only that was just the thing. I️t was Quinn. He wanted to impress her, he really did. He created a fort, hung lights, made sure her favorite snacks were available and had his laptop ready with movies to choose from. So he got himself situated, giving his pillow fort one last look before he went downstairs to wait for her arrival. It took Quinn hours to get ready, getting ready always took her long, but this time it seemed to take even longer. She just wanted to look perfect. Show Sam that she was perfect. Although she wasn’t anywhere near perfect, she could still pretend. Deep down she knew that for Sam, she could still look like a local trash bag and he wouldn’t even mind. Once she was ready, she made her way to his house, quite excited to spend some quality time with Sam. Deep down, she didn’t even mind what movie they were going to watch, because she was sure Sam would try his hardest to make sure Quinn was having a wonderful time. When she finally made it to Sam’s house, or at least, what she remembered to be his house, she made her way to the door and knocked on it. Waiting patently for him to open up.

Sitting on his couch, Sam was playing a game on his phone when he heard a knock at the door. He took a deep breath, standing up and heading to the door. Swinging it open, he greeted her with a wide smile. But man did she look pretty.. “Hey,” he breathed out, his goofy grin evident on his face. “Come in, me casa es su casa.” He stepped aside, allowing her to enter.

“Hey.” Quinn spoke softly, not being able to hide the confusion on her face, me who? “I have to say I’m quite excited.” She smiled, putting her hand on his back as she walked past him to enter the house. “So, did you really build a pillow fort?” She asked, with a quite excited smile on her face. She loved the idea of being able to act like a ‘child’ again and forget about her issues. That was what she loved about hanging out with Sam, he could make her forget.

“One step at a time, Ms Fabray,” he chuckled, shutting the door behind her and following close behind. He stopped at the staircase, motioning for her to follow. “I should warn you, I may have went a little overboard..” He began walking up the stairs, his palms sweaty as they neared his room. He took a deep breath and opening his door, revealing the most intricate pillow fort. The glowing lights shining through the sheets. “Your castle awaits,” he smiled.

“Oh my god, Sam...” Quinn chuckled once her eyes fell on the pillow fort. She could tell he took his time to build it. “This is great.” She said, quite excitedly as she walked towards the entrance of the fort. It looked so cozy and cute. “I’ve always wanted to be a princess, now I finally got my castle.” Quinn smiled, making her way ‘into’ the fort, and sitting down between the pillows. “You’re the best.”

Sam internally did a fist pump, thrilled that Quinn seemed pleased with his work. “It’s sturdy too, I made sure of that,” he chuckled as he followed her in, taking a seat next to her and grabbing his laptop. “I try,” He chuckled at the comment of him being the best. He tried. He really did. “So, it’s between Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or Antman. I personally like Captain America, but i think you’d find Antman more enjoyable.”

Quinn leaned into him , resting her head on his shoulder to see the screen, but mainly to just rest on his shoulder. “It’s up to you. I haven’t seen either, but if you prefer Captain America, then let’s just go with it.” she said with a smile on her face as she looked up to Sam, from his shoulder, trying to see his reaction.

His eyes practically sparkled as she agreed with Captain America. “Yes, okay, cool. You’re going to love it, I promise,” he typed in a few things into his computer before finally pressing play. “If you get bored, let me know and I’ll put something else on. I know superhero movies aren’t for everyone.”

Quinn loved the sparkle in his eyes, “I know, but hey, I have something to prove, that I can stay awake during superhero movies, so I will.” She was quite passionate about this, something this small. She just wanted to prove him she could stay up, although, she knew deep down it would probably only take 5 minutes. Quinn looked over at Sam once the movie started, him being excited was the cutest thing ever. It made her feel all soft inside. She shifted a bit to make herself sit more comfortable and leaned back into Sam. “I’m holding you to that, and definitely will end up pinching you, so watch out,” he chuckled, draping an arm around her as he settled into his spot. She was so warm, extremely so. He never understood why people called her an ice queen. She was always kind to him. Well.. with a few minor bumps in the road.. But everyone went through things. He understood that. It took Quinn 10 solid seconds to look at the movie before she switched her attention to Sam. She missed Sam. They did talk after their break up, but she missed hanging out with him. He truly did make her feel good. “I missed hanging out with you.” She admitted, “well, actually, I missed you.” Sam was trying to contain his excitement as the movie titles crossed the screen, the classic marvel logo showing. That was until Quinn spoke, breaking him from his trance. “I’ve missed you too, Quinn,” he smiled sweetly, “I feel like.. we haven’t really hung out since, well.. we dated.”

Quinn nodded, “I just always thought you hated me, or something. So I thought it would be best to just keep my distance. “ she shrugged, playing with her necklace. “But at the end of the day, you were the only person that made me feel...good... you know.” “I.. I was upset, Sure,” Sam admitted, looking away for a moment before returning his attention to her, “But I could never hate you, Quinn. I loved you. I wanted you to be happy, even if that wasn’t with me.” “I was happy with you, Sam... I am.” Quinn admitted, “I don’t know what was up with me, but I should’ve never left you.” She sighed, “but anyway, the past is the past, can’t change that. Sadly.” “Hey, no need to explain yourself to me. I won’t question your actions,” he gave her a smile of reassurance, rubbing her shoulder softly. “And that’s true. The past is the past. You can’t change that, but you can always choose your future.” He grinned and looked back to the screen. “Sounds familiar...” Quinn chuckled, leaning her head back on his shoulder as she looked back to the screen, barely understanding what’s going on. “Is he the good or the bad guy?”

Sam rested his head on top of hers, watching the movie with ease and comfort. “Sam Wilson? Fucking Falcon? He’s the best. Now, I may be biased because his name is Sam, but i think he’s up there in my top favorite heroes.”

Quinn giggled, looking up at him. “So he fights like all the bad guys? That’s so awesome. I hope this universe thing will give us some real life superheroes too...” she beamed. Quinn wasn’t a fan of the movies, but she’d love a real life super hero. Sam eyes widened, mouth dropping open. “I never thought about that..” he turned to look at her, “Holy crap.. That would be awesome! Oh man, i hope I run into one of them soon. How cool would that be? I mean, they’d probably try to fit in with their secret identity, but still.”

“I have to admit, I’d be so in for that. Like this super handsome guy, protecting us, or... attacking us...” Quinn got quite excited with the idea, even though she didn’t know that much about it. “I wish we were from another universe... this one kind of sucks.” “As long as he’s not as handsome as me,” Sam teased, thinking about how cool itt would be if they had superhero’s walking around. “I mean.. this one isn’t so bad, yeah? I’ve got a great family, great friends, and.. well, I’m watching my favorite movie with a pretty girl. I️ think I’m good.” Quinn blushed, “Well, sounds like you’re good yes.” She said softly, as she tried to cover her blushing cheeks with her hands. “Wish I could say the same about my life, but yeah, well, at least this moment is good...” she smiled, as she shrugged. “And don’t worry, I don’t think any guy could be as handsome.” “Hey, I mean.. things suck sometimes.. I know that for a fact. My family is finally getting their shit together after everything that we went though, so I get that life doesn’t exactly go as planned,” He was thankful for what he had. His family went through a lot. “Ya think so?” He smiled at her comment, gushing a bit. Quinn nodded, she has always had mad respect for Sam’s family. She loved them. Especially his brother and sister. She pretty much hung out with them all the time back in the days. They felt like her family. “I’m glad to hear you guys have found a way out, Sam. You deserve it.” She nodded, offering him a smile. “And yes, you’re quite hard to beat. Even for a superhero.”

“Maybe I am a superhero, and I’m just in secret identity mode,” Sam gave her silly look, bringing his finger to his lips, “Shush, don’t tell anyone.” Quinn turned her head towards his, raising her eyebrow. “Honestly, with all this crazy shit going on... I wouldn’t even be surprised.” She chuckled, “Actually, now you’re kind of gonna have to prove you’re not a superhero... or are...” “I wouldn’t give myself too much credit,” Sam laughed, “I’ve got the superhero abs and the superhero know-how. But I’m not even close.”

Quinn shifted her gaze towards the screen, for a few seconds, just to look right back at Sam. “You could be my superhero...” She shrugged, chuckling softly.

Sam smiled widely at her comment, feeling a flush creep up his neck. “Oh come on, Quinn,” he brought her closer, rubbing her arm, “You know I’ve always been your superhero.”

Quinn bit her lip, shaking her head. “Well, I cant fight you on that one...” she admitted. He, after all, did kind of fake her away from a dark place. “I’ll be your...” she was silent for s few seconds, trying to come up with a superhero’s love interest. “Lois Lane...”

“My god, Quinn Fabray, you’re getting more and more impressive by the second, if that’s even possible,” he chuckled, “You’re already super impressive so this is all just an added bonus.” Thank God for the guy that once mentioned Superman next to her on the train. “What can I say... I’ve been practicing a lot.” She teased. “Superman... or should I say... Clark Kent...” Sam’s eyebrows went up at the comparison, corner of his mouth turn up into a small smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on before,” his eyes widened, looking away, “oh my god, did I just say that out loud? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it.” “Yeah, you totally did just say that out loud.” Quinn laughed, leaning the side of her head against his. “Out of all the topics... superhero talk turns you on.” She chucked, hiding her face in her hands. “Okay, well when you put it like that, yeah that’s weird,” Sam began rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t mean to be weird, I’m sorry.” “It’s not weird, Sammy.” Quinn said, as soon as she noticed it made him feel a bit awkward. “It’s cute. I like it.” She admitted, putting her arm around his waist to give him some sort of side hug. “At least now I know exactly what to say.” Sam let her come closer to him, wrapping his arm further around her. “Thanks, I guess,” he rolled his eyes with a laugh. God he could really be so stupid. “How do you like the movie so far?” “What movie?” Quinn teased, she hadn’t really seen that much. Most of the time she was either looking at Sam or too distracted. “From what I’ve seen... it’s... pretty cool. “ she admitted, it wasn’t that bad after all. “I just prefer looking at you.” She mumbled underneath her breath.

Sam looked to her with a slightly confused expression. “Why?” He asked. “I mean, Chris Evans is a pretty good looking dude, I figured you’d be into this.” Quinn rolled her eyes, hints truly weren’t Sam’s thing. “He is, yes...” she mumbled, “it’s just that...” how could she explain this as obvious as possible. “I think you’re way more interesting, and even better looking.” “You don’t have to feed my ego,” Sam chuckled, “I’m not Puck. Or that needy,” he smiled at her. “But I appreciate that.. You’re better looking than Chris Evans too.” “I don’t think I would’ve even been here if you were Puck.” Quinn mumbled, the thought of Puck sent shivers down her spine. She couldn’t stand him, not anymore. “Me? Better looking than Chris Evans? Said by you? Well, that must be one big compliment. Im taking it.” Sam couldn’t help but laugh at that, resting his head on top of hers. “He’s too hairy for me. Plus I think he would outshine me in every way possible. Which isn’t a bad thing when it’s a girl, but I don’t want to compete with a guy.” “Oh, Sam, cmon. Outside from the superpowers, he would have no game against you.” Quinn shrugged, placing her hand on his upper leg. “You’d win, any time, any day.” Sam’s eyes flicked down to her hand, feeling his stomach do flips. “You think so?” He looked to her next. Quinn let her thumb rub his leg softly, “I don’t think so.. I know so.” She smiled, “it’s just unfair he has superpowers... but if he hadn’t, he’d be so over.” “I could totally take on preserum Steve Rogers..” Sam said, knowing she probably wouldn’t know what he meant. “Glad you think so..” Who? But she didn’t bother asking, she knew she wouldn’t get it anyway. It was crazy how comfortable she felt, with Sam, and no one else, in this pillow fort. As if it protected them from the crazy outside world, as if they were the only ones on earth right now. Like she could finally let her walls down and just be herself, because she knew no one would judge. “I love this, Sam. All of this. I don’t think I’ve ever felt better.” Seeing the look on Quinn’s face was more than enough for Sam. He knew how rough her life was, he knew how damaged she was, how hurt she’s felt. He always listened to her when she spoke, remembered every detail. She deserved that. “Good, That was the goal,” he smiled. “I must admit that, at first I found the pillow fort idea kind of... insane, but god, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more.. safe.” Quinn beamed, looking up at him. “You truly know how to make a woman feel wonderful and appreciated, Sam.” “I thought I may have over done all of this but..I’m glad everything seemed to come together.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “My mom raised me right,” he chuckled, “Always treat a woman like a queen.” For Quinn, spending time in the fort was even more therapeutical than all the therapy session she has had in her life. For once she felt like her life had some sort of meaning again. The things Sam’s superhero talks could do to her. “Sam...” she whispered softly, placing her hand on his check and leaning into him to give him a soft peck on his lips before leaning back again. Unsure if she had gone too fast or too far, she tried not to break eye contact. Sam was glad that he was able to be the one to take her away from all of the bullshit that the world brought to Quinn. He was happy to be the one good thing in her life that she didn’t have to worry about. When her lips hit his, he was surprised, but not in the slightest bit upset. As she pulled away, he smiled and tilted his head, kissing her back. The feeling of their lips against each other just felt right. As if it belonged that way, was supposed to be all along. Quinn had missed those ridiculously big lips. “I...” she stammered, for once not even being able to say something. When she began to speak, he pulled away slightly, looking to her with worry, “Is this okay?” He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Never. Quinn needed some time to process what just happened. Never in a million years she would’ve thought to sit right here, with Sam, especially not after their nasty break up. “Yeah...” she said, softly, reassuring him with a soft and genuine smile, “I’m just... happy.” She nodded, before she leaned back in to kiss him again. “Good,” Sam let out a breath of relief, “I want you to be happy..” He continued to kiss her, bringing a hand up to cup her face, bringing her closer. This felt right. This felt like how things were supposed to be. Almost as if they had just picked up where they left off. Quinn put her hand on the back of his head and moved back to let her back rest against the pillows behind her, gently moving Sam with her. How did she even manage to go through the days without feeling so peaceful and loved? All she knew was that she didn’t ever want to let this exact feeling go again. She wouldn’t let Sam go again. The feeling of their lips brushing against each other made her feel so soft and fuzzy inside. Almost as a whole other person As he moved with Quinn, he felt his heart beating fast, leaving his mind wandering a mile a minute. He placed his laptop aside, moving his body to hover over her gently. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this. He couldn’t even comprehend what was happening. All he knew was that Quinn was here, and she was happy. That’s all that mattered to him. Whenever they did this back in the days, Quinn would always push him off or just stop. So her taking the lead and not pushing him off, was her own way of showing him she was more than comfortable with him. That she had matured a lot and was ready for something more serious than just high school dating to become more popular. She let her hand slide through his hair and deepened the kiss a bit. If anyone would have told Sam that two years ago, he’d be in a pillow fort with Quinn Fabray, making out while watching Captain America, he would call them nuts. But here they were, and Sam was absolutely ecstatic. He placed a hand on her waist, holding her close. Quinn pulled back for a second, mainly to catch some fresh air. “God, how I’ve missed those lips...” she whispered, offering him a smile. Her hand slid over his back as she took some time to study his face. “I missed you, Sammy.” As she pulled away, Sam looked down at her, smiling at her words. “I could say the same thing,” he was almost certain that he felt the most happy with Quinn. The most alive. She was an angel in his life, whether she wanted to believe it or not. “I missed you too, Q..” he rubbed his thumb over her cheek, smiling softly at her. “Can I ask you something?” Quinn couldn’t hide the smile on her face and gently rubbed her nose against his. ”Sure...” she said, softly, kind of afraid for the question that was coming, although she knew Sam wouldn’t never ask hurtful questions. “What’s it?” Sam swallowed hard, looking at her carefully. He was nervous. So nervous. But this was worth a shot. “Do you want to go out to dinner sometime next week?” He asked, hope laced in his voice. “You can say no, I just figured.. if we’re going to do this again, I want to do it right.” Quinn looked up to him, with bright, shining eyes. "Let me think..." She teased, closing her eyes for a few seconds, pretending to think. "Of course!" She said, quite excitedly. "I would love to!" The blonde tried to tone her excitement down a big, as she didn't want to look like a desperate freak. "As in... A date?" Sam instantly relaxed, happy that she seemed to be completely down with the idea. That was one thing to look forward to now. When she questioned him, Sams eyes widened slightly. “Um.. well, yeah..” He quickly added, “Unless you don’t want it to be a date.” Quinn nodded, "Of course I want it to be a date, Sam." She responded quickly, reaching out for his hand and putting hers on his. "Let's do this all right, this time. No more drama, no more distractions, no more letting other people influence us too much. Just us. You and me." She said as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Her response was everything he needed to hear and more. They both were different people than they were when they first started to date. They were better people. And maybe they deserved to have a second chance. “I’d really like that, Quinn.” “You deserve someone that truly loves you, Sam. Someone that puts all the stars in your sky. I know I wasn’t that person back then, but maybe... maybe I can be that person now.” Quinn said, softly, making eye contact with the handsome guy on top of her. “I really want to... try.” “Well, so do you, Quinn,” sam told her. “You’ve put up with a lot of shit in your life. And none of that was fair. It’s time you stop settling, and.. actually be happy.” A soft sigh escaped Quinn's lips, Sam was right. She spent most of her time despising herself for the mistakes she had made all along, and for letting it all happen. All she ever wanted was to be happy, but everytime she tried to be, life punched her in the face. Deep down she knew another punch had to be coming, because, well, she was happy. Or at least, starting to feel happy. With Sam being back around, and her having to have found a group of friends that seemed like friends for life, it all seemed to finally fall right back in place. "Yeah..." She whispered, playing with his hair. "Maybe I do." “I know you do,” Sam told her, giving her a pointed look. Sometimes it killed him how much she didn’t realize how special she was. He would make sure to remind her of that every second that he could. He sat back down, moving away from her and running a hand through his hair. “Is it hot in here?” Quinn pouted when he sat back down and then followed him, sitting back down as well. "The only remotely hot thing in here is you." She teased, immediately realizing how lame that sounded. "God, that sounded so bad.." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. Sam looked at her with amusement, lips curled into a smile. “Quinn, are you..” he paused, “Are you nervous?” I️t was different to see her like this. But he liked it. "Nervous for what? Our date?" She wondered out loud, giving him a confused look as she shifted a bit, trying to find a comfort in the pillows. Truth was, she was nervous for the date, she just didn't want to fuck this up. “Not just our date,” Sam chuckled, looking at her with a wide smile. “Just.. in general. There’s something different about you,” he noted, “In the best way possible of course.” Quinn shrugged. “I’m just really trying to enjoy life. I guess that, seeing Beth again, really slapped me in the face and made me realize that I shouldn’t give a damn about what other people think of me. Or my reputation. Because at the end of the day the people that really love me will see right through that.” She sighed, leaning back into the pillows. “And when I’m with you, I just feel like I can kind of let my walls down.” As Sam listened to her speak, he nodded softly. She was realizing things, she was growing up. And by no means was he grown up. He had a lot of maturing to do. But maybe they could help each other out. The thought alone sounded nice. “I’m really happy for you, Quinn. Not a lot of people make changes for the better.” He reaches out and took her hand, “Never he afraid of being yourself with me. Please.” A soft smile appeared on Quinn’s face as she heard Sam’s words and looked down at their hands. Truth was, there only were a few people she felt safe enough to be herself with, well, not fully. At home, she always felt like she had to pretend to be better, happier, and smarter. At school she always felt like he had to be meaner, more popular and prettier. With Sam, she felt like she didn’t have to be any better than she was, but she wasn’t going to bombard Sam with her complex feelings and life, yet. She figured it’d be best to just keep a lot to herself, and just go with the ‘im just really happy’. “Yeah...” she whispered, leaning forward to give him a soft kiss on his lips, to kind of try to drag the attention away from the topic, just to pull away and offer him a smile. Sam couldn’t help but feel tingly all over his body when Quinn kissed him. There was always something special about her, about the way she made him feel. He was glad to be getting that feeling all over again. “So, how about we finish this movie?” He wiggled his eyebrows, looking back to the screen before putting an arm around her, bringing her close. “Oh right, that’s what we were doing.” Quinn chuckled, leaning into him and leaning her head on his shoulder. As if she hadn’t fully forgotten what the movie even was about. Well at least she didn’t fall asleep this time, so that was a good thing.

#// this took me so long to copy n paste omg #post: para #para: sam

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individuationfic · 6 years ago

Text

Seeking to Seize Chapter 22

AO3

Nanako can’t stop smiling.

She’s home, finally. The nurses at the hospital were nice, but she missed home. And her daddy and Onii-chan and all of Onii-chan’s friends are here, too, and her hospital room wasn’t big enough for all of them. She feels like her family is finally coming together.

The cake the girls (and probably Kanji-niichan; she remembers the omelettes they tried making once) made is really yummy. She hasn’t had good dessert since before she was in the hospital, and it tastes so sweet she could cry. And the doll Teddie-niichan gave her feels good in her lap, even if her daddy doesn’t understand it. Her kidnapping feels like it happened a lifetime ago.

Until someone knocks on the front door.

It was the usual delivery man. Onii-chan said not to open the door for strangers, but she’s seen this delivery man a lot, so he’s not a stranger. She blows her nose, throws the tissue away, and answers the door. The delivery man’s smiling at her, but he doesn’t have a package, and then suddenly his hands are grabbing her shoulders and pulling her away from the house, and then he covers her mouth with a washcloth and she feels sleepy, really really sleepy—

Teddie-niichan’s hand on her shoulder makes Nanako realize she’s gone tense. Onii-chan and Yosuke-niichan have gotten up to answer the door, but everyone else is looking at her with worried eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbles, face heating.

“Don’t be,” Yukiko-neechan says. “It’s okay to be scared, Nanako-chan. You went through something really scary.”

Nanako takes a deep breath. “It’s just a door,” she says, trying to convince herself that’s all it is.

Onii-chan and Yosuke-niichan return, followed by a pretty blonde lady in a blue dress. Her daddy makes a weird noise in his throat. “You’re that interpreter!”

The lady smiles. “Yes. My name is Margaret. I have been helping Narukami-kun and his friends in their investigation. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Nanako twists around and sees her daddy blush. Then she looks at Onii-chan and sees the playful gleam in his eye. She takes a minute to think, then decides she wants to get to know Margaret-san better. After all, she thinks, she might be my new mommy soon.

Rise meets Kanji-kun and Naoto-san at the shrine about an hour after the party ends. She’d stayed behind to help clean up and give Kanji-kun and Naoto-san some privacy to talk first. Plus, she can’t deny how funny it was to watch Dojima-san tripping over himself in front of Margaret. I still can’t believe Yu-senpai is playing matchmaker. He doesn’t seem the type.

It may have been a mistake, Himiko says. He probably didn’t realize his uncle would be attracted to her until she came in.

Yeah, Rise admits, that makes more sense.

Kanji-kun and Naoto-san are sitting side by side on a bench near the shrine when Rise arrives. Even from this distance Rise can see how their fingers brush against each other, the blush on their cheeks, and her heart sinks. I’d better prepare for a rejection.

When he sees her, Kanji-kun stands and motions for her to take his seat/ “Did you two have a good talk?” she asks, hoping they can’t hear the emotion trying to invade her voice.

“Y-yeah!” says Kanji-kun.

“It was… enlightening,” Naoto-san says.

“And your decision?” Rise keeps her chin raised. She’ll be damned if she isn’t graceful in this. No matter what, they’re her best friends. They deserve happiness, even if it isn’t with her.

“I’ve been doin’ a little research,” Kanji-kun says, “and I think I know a way we can all be happy. Rise, have you heard of ‘polyamory?’”

The word seems familiar. “Like polygamy? I know there’s an American TV show about a man with four wives, but I’ve never watched it.”

Naoto-san snorts. “Don’t. It’s a garbage show.”

“It’s similar,” Kanji-kun says. “Except in our case it wouldn’t be me having two partners. It’d be all of us having each other at the same time. Like, uh, a three-way relationship. That’s a good comparison, right?” This last part is aimed at Naoto-san, who nods in approval.

Rise’s chest tightens. “What are you saying?” She stands, legs shaky. “I—that’s not how relationships work!” She turns on Naoto-san. “And you’re okay with this?” She’d come here expecting a rejection, expecting her two best friends to find happiness and love in each other, but here’s Kanji-kun, proposing what sounds an awful lot like an emotional threesome.

Naoto-san opens their mouth to respond, but it’s Kanji-kun who barrel in. “Three people came to Ma’s shop a few weeks back,” he says. “Two guys and a lady. The one guy—he’s the one who gave me the idea. He said it works for them. It makes them happy. They all love each other, so they’re all together. And.” He pauses here. Licks his lips. “And I love both of you. I don’t know if I could ever be happy with just one.”

“That surprisingly selfish of you,” Rise says, a little breathless. “I didn’t know you could be so selfish.”

“And I never expected you to be so stubborn,” Kanji-kun rebuts. “Naoto sees my point. Right, Naoto?”

Much to Rise’s shock. Naoto-san nods. “I like you both,” they say, “and I’m more than happy to share you with each other.”

Rise’s knees feel weak, so she sits back down. Her hand lands atop one of Naoto-san’s. She doesn’t pull it away. “How would this even work?” she asks after a few seconds. Kanji-kun says, “Communication. Lots of it.”

Naoto-san’s fingers twitch under hers until they’re entwined on the bench. “All three of us will have to be on the same page,” they say. “It wouldn’t be like an open relationship or anything like that. We’d all be committed to the entire thing.”

“People won’t like it,” Rise says. She squeezes Naoto-san’s fingers. Their hand is warm.

“Fuck ’em,” says Kanji-kun. “The important people won’t care.”

“What about marriage? Kids? Won’t this complicate things like that?”

Naoto-san exhales in a way that doesn’t quite hide a laugh. “Do you worry about things like that every time you contemplate a relationship? We’re high schoolers. Rise; concerns like that are a long way off yet.”

She blushes.

“The important thing right now,” Naoto-san says, “is whether or not this relationship is something you want. I know you like Kanji, but…” They sound shy now, and Rise can feel the sweat on their hand. “Do you like me?”

When Rise swallows, she knows the others can hear it. Then,very quiet, she says, “I think I do.”

Kanji-kun and Naoto-san both breathe out sighs of relief. Kanji-kun sits on the edge of the bench, barely even really touching it, and leans his weight onto Rise/ The touch fills her with warmth, just as Naoto-san’s did. “That’s a fuckin’ relief,” he says, and Rise can’t help but laugh. Then he says, “What will you tell your agency about work?”

“I won’t hide you,” Rise says. “Either of you. I’ll miss being an idol, but it’s not worth more than you guys. Besides,” she adds, “as long as I keep practicing my singing and I stay in shape, I can become an independent singer when I’m older. I’ll have more freedom that way.”

“I’d hate for us to be the reason you quit, though.”

On her other side, Naoto-san hums, contemplative. “Just leave that to me.”

It’s always weird to see Yukiko in her room, Chie thinks. The inn is more convenient most of the time, after all, but on Christmas Yukiko would be roped into helping out, so Chie offered her house for some private time.

Yukiko never seems to mind the mess, or that Chie’s room is so much smaller than her’s. She sitting at Chie’s desk, now, reading a book with so much intensity Chie’s worried she might set it on fire. None of their powers have bled over to the real world, but with how little they really know about Personae, it’s a possibility. Chie sets the two cups of tea she made for them on the edge of the desk to get Yukiko’s attention. “What’re you looking at?”

Yukiko blushes but closes the book so Chie can see the cover. It’s a university guide. “We’ll be third years soon,” she says, “and my parents have been asking about college plans, so I picked this up.”

Chie’s stomach drops. She hasn’t put much thought into the future this year, what with all the supernatural shenanigans. Her parents are gonna be on her ass. “What are you gonna study?”

“Business would be best for the inn, but I’m not really sure I want to take over. I’ve been thinking about studying medicine instead.”

Chie laughs a little. Because that makes too much sense to not be funny. “You’re smart enough for it. And your parents won’t be able to complain about their daughter becoming a doctor.”

Yukiko sends her a fond look. “Do you know what you want to do?” she asks.

Chie sits on the floor facing her. “I dunno. Maybe I’ll go to the police academy or something. God knows I’ve had enough practice this year.”

She means for that last part to be funny (how long has it been since Yukiko has actually laughed?) but Yukiko makes a contemplative humming noise instead. “That’s good,” she says. “Police academies are pretty much everywhere. It shouldn’t be hard to find a school with a medical program close to you.”

Chie startles and feels herself start to flush. “W-what?”

It’s Yukiko’s turn to blush as she realizes she spoke aloud. “Oh—uh—I mean…” She takes a deep breath, as if to calm herself, though her cheeks remain a fiery red. “I was sort of hoping we could move in together after graduation.” Chie finds herself at a loss for works, which Yukiko must take as a rejection, because she quickly continues. “I know it’s a long way off, and we might not even still be dating then—I mean, I hope we are, I like dating you, I don’t want to stop—and I shouldn’t’ve said anything—”

Her body on autopilot, Chie surges up. Her fingers wrap around one of Yukiko’s slender wrists and Yukiko, surprised by the movement, goes silent. “I would love,” Chie says, her voice rough in her ears, “to move in with you after graduation.” And then, before she can chicken out, she presses her lips to Yukiko’s.

Itt’s clumsy, as far as first kisses probably go. Even when Yukiko starts to respond, there’s no real coordination. They just kind of mash their lips together a few times. When they break apart, Yukiko’s face is redder than it’s ever been and her lips look a little swollen and Chie thinks I did that.

Yukiko fists her free hand in the material of Chie’s shirt. “No fair,” she mumbles. At Chie’s confused look, she continues, “I was supposed to kiss you first.” Then, quieter, “It was going to be your Christmas present.”

Chie feels her heart swell. “Well. You could always kiss me again.”

Yukiko snort-laughs and Chie’s smiling so hard her cheeks hurt and then Yukiko is pulling her face back up and they’re kissing again and everything feels right.

Yosuke can’t help but smile as Nanako-chan wiggles along to the Junes commercial on the TV. He knows he needs to be getting home soon—it’s been dark for over an hour and he didn’t tell his parents he was going to be out late—but it’s hard to tear himself away. They’ve all be worrying about Nanako-chan for so long. He almost forgets he’s just a normal kid sometimes.

A plate clatters to the floor, startling him. Oh, right, he thinks when Yu’s puzzled face turns to look at him. I’m helping with the dishes. ‘Sorry, partner.’ He bends to retrieve the plate and starts at it with his drying towel.

Yu shakes some excess suds from his hands. ‘What’s on your mind?’ he signs. ‘It’s not like you to be so distracted?’

Yosuke sets the plate on the counter to buy time. ‘I’m just glad Nanako-chan is okay.’

Yu raises one eyebrow.

‘Fine. I was wondering what you were like as a kid.’ He knows he’s blushing, and he prays Yu won’t comment on it.

He doesn’t. ‘Before I got sick,’ he signs, ‘my parents say I was a lot like Nanako. Cheerful, energetic, a little shy. Apparently I used to fake being sick to get to to miss work. That’s why—’ His hands stutter and his face falls.

‘Why what?’ Yosuke refuses to let him retreat in on himself. ‘Talk to me, partner.’

Yu glances at the living room to make sure Nanako-chan isn’t paying attention before he continues. ‘That’s why my parents caught it late. They thought I was faking again.’ He doesn’t have to clarify what “it” is. Yosuke knows Yu’s deafness stems from a childhood sickness; it’s been brought up a few times. But Yu keeps going. ‘My hearing was already going when they finally took me to a hospital. And the medication—it took the rest of it away. So, really,’ he finishes, ‘it’s my own fault I’m deaf.’

Yosuke frowns. Yu looks as nonchalant as he usually does, but Yosuke can see the real emotions underneath. “Hey,” he says aloud, mindful of the volume. Then he continues signing, ‘I like you the way you are.’

Yu’s smile is painfully tender. So much so that Yosuke is actually glad when someone knocks on the front door. In the living room, Nanako-chan whimpers. Yosuke signs, ‘Someone’s at the door. Go comfort Nanako-chan; I’ll answer it.’

Yu nods and moves to calm Nanako-chan down, giving Yosuke an excuse to escape.

The person on the other side of the door is one Yosuke’s seen around but never actually met. “Ah, Yuki-senpai, right? What brings you here so late?”

The third year raises an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same. This is Narukami’s house, right? There are a lot of things two teenage boys could be doing together after dark…”

Yosuke flushes. “Point taken. Wait here, I’ll go get Yu.”

Together they manage to convince Nanako-chan to go get ready for bed, promising a story and cuddles when they’re done talking to their “friend,” and then Yuki-senpai is sitting at the kitchen table. Yosuke, absurdly, thinks he should put on some tea before he remembers this isn’t actually his house. Instead he looks to Yu so he can start translating. “Why are you here?”

Yuki-senpai’s face remains blank. “Can’t a guy come wish his schoolmate a Merry Christmas?”

Yu’s bland stare needs no translation.

“Fine.” Yuki-senpai leans across the table to he can lower his voice. “You guys did good, getting rid of the fog, but don’t get too comfortable. There’s always a bigger fish to fry. Complacency could get you killed.”

Well, thinks Yosuke, that’s cheerful.

Jiraya chooses then to speak up. He’s correct. Were the danger truly gone, I would be, too.

What?

Personae exist to counteract threats. When the threat is gone, we’re no longer needed.

Yu’s snapping breaks Yosuke out of his own head to he can translate again. “You’re a veteran Persona user, right? Have you ever seen two people wield the same Persona?”

Yuki-senpai frowns. “No,” he says. “I—have you?”

“Adachi had a version of Izanagi.” Yu’s face twists. “It felt wrong, seeing someone else use him. Even Izanagi was confused.”

“I’ll look into it,” Yuki-senpai says. “That doesn’t sound good. In the meantime, your team should continue combat practice. At least once a week, I’d say.” He stands. “I won’t keep you any longer. Merry Christmas.”

And then he’s gone, and Yosuke and Yu have a child to put to bed and many, many things to think about.

#individuation #ao3fic #persona series #persona 4 #persona 3

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beebuddyreviews-blog · 7 years ago

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Title: Here in the Afterglow // Author: fondleeds (@fondleeds) // Rating: Not Rated // Words: 88,649 // Chapters: 3/3 AU // Completed: 12/8/16

Official Summary: “If you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have many friends,” Louis whispers, the blossom of insecurity in his stomach unfurling and clawing its way into his throat.

Harry is silent for a long time, and then he speaks; a soft, slow uncurl that makes Louis’ stomach shake. “I’ll be your friend.”

1970’s AU. In a tiny town in Idaho, Louis’ life is changed forever by the arrival of a curious stranger.

Green’s Review: This fanfiction begins with the election of Harvey Milk and itt features an honest portrayal of the attitudes of that period. Louis is a closeted high school soccer player, Harry is new to town, and the two of them form a quick bond. Full review under the cut.

Fondleeds has written a few other fics for the Louis/Harry fandom including, I Could Dream All Night and a Rhythm in Rush. She is a diverse author with an incredible ability to depict and incite emotion and she continued this ability in Here in the Afterglow.

Here in the Afterglow is a shining star in a sea of Louis/Harry fanfiction. It captures your attention from the first sentence and does not let it go for three chapters. Fondleeds presents the issue of homophobia in the 1970’s in a raw and honest way. She creates characters that inspire anger, but also hope because you want to see them rise above their prejudices. The title is a great homage to the end of the fic when everything seems to fall into place for these two boys. They do get to sit in the afterglow of their experiences.

Here in the Afterglow is around 88,000 words. It is not an incredibly lengthy fic and yet it achieves just as much, if not more, as you would expect from a 150,000-word fic. Fondleeds manages to create well-rounded characters with understandable motives and a lot of depth. The characters are not just the villains and the good guys – there is much more to every single one of them. Louis is charismatic, as usual, and incredibly loyal to his friends and to his mom. He internalizes most of his struggles and wants to make everyone happy even if that is impeding his own happiness. Harry is a loveable and genuine kid who you begin rooting for as soon as he steps into the story. He and Louis together is something truly beautiful. They become best friends before anything else, care for each other deeply, and offer copious amounts of support to one another. This portrayal of them is one of the most vulnerable I have ever read and I wanted more than anything for them to have their happy ending.

Some villains of the story are Stan – it was interesting to see him in this light, Harry’s mother – who is not Anne, and Jimmy – an actual piece of trash. Stan’s character was very hard for me to reconcile with. He was the character I was rooting for and sadly, he does end up disappointing you. Harry’s mother, Lisa, is another character that I was hoping would surprise me and I think there is hope for her later. A few years past when this story ends, I think she could end up surprising them. In this story I was glad she wasn’t Anne and I think that was a perfect decision on the author’s part because I could never see Anne pulling half of what Lisa did.

Jimmy was always the bad guy and I am glad he got what was coming to him. One of the most powerful moments of the fic for me was when Louis enacted a little revenge on Jimmy. “I came back,” it actually sent chills down my spine and I fist pumped the air. I don’t know if I have ever been as proud of a fictional character as I was of Louis in that moment. I won’t spoil anything for the readers but it was a moving and beautiful moment.

One of my favorite types of fic is slow burn. I literally live and breathe for good slow burn fics. I’m pretty picky though, and I have a limit for how long the “slow burn” portion of the fic can last before it just becomes ridiculous. Here in the Afterglow was the perfect amount of build-up. The pacing was so solid throughout the entire story. No part of Harry and Louis’ relationship seemed rushed or too slow. It was the perfect amount of time between every stage of their relationship. AND THE TENSION. Jesus. It was brilliant. Honestly. I’ll include one of my favorite parts of the fic here, warnings for recreational drug use:

“Fuck, that’s smooth,” Louis says as he exhales, following Harry and leaning back against the tree.

Harry giggles, and his cheek is almost mushed up against the trunk, eyes bright. “Thought you didn’t do ‘this’ a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis inhales again, sticky and sweet. When he exhales, lips wet, he catches

Harry’s eyes. They’re dark in the hazy light. “Doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s good and what’s shit.”

“I like your mouth,” Harry says suddenly, and Louis blinks, pulling back.

“What?” He says, too sharp, too bitter.

“I like the way you talk,” Harry says, lips quirking. “I like your words.”

“You don’t even know me,” Louis says. Harry holds his hand out and Louis passes the joint over, careful not to brush their skin together.

“I want to,” Harry says. “Gotta make friends, don’t I?”

“I suppose,” Louis says indifferently.

“Everyone else is…dull,” Harry says with a wave of his hand, like he’s explaining some great revelation.

“Oh?” Louis splutters a laugh. “We’re a dull bunch are we, down in Post Falls?”

“Everyone else,” Harry repeats with a purposed smile.

Their chemistry is so tangible and brilliant, even in this short preview. Their ability to work off each other just continues to improve as the story goes on. These two characters were perfectly crafted for each other. Here is another quote from a point in the story that I was very excited to get to:

But then Harry lifts a hand, his smooth, delicate hand, and runs a long finger down Louis’ cheek, coming to rest just by the hinge of his jaw. Louis stutters out a breath, gravitating closer, his eyes threatening to flutter closed as Harry touches him.

Harry rests their foreheads together gently, his thumb coming to rub at his jaw, his hand cupping the back of his neck and head. Louis’ body is covered in goosebumps, every inch of him shaking like a leaf, so nervous, so unused to this sort of touch.

I am completely here for characters being soft with each other and Louis and Harry are so incredibly soft in this scene. I think it was the perfect way for them to reach this point of their story.

Another thing I appreciated about this fic was that they bonded over great music as well. The author clearly did a lot of background research on the artists and the albums of that time and it was an amazing addition to her storytelling.

The only thing I have to say I was unsure of in this fic were the parallels between Harry’s back-story and Louis coming into himself. I do understand the reason the author took it into that territory but I’m not 100% behind it. I think she portrayed both of the instances perfectly and was able to get the desperation and hurt across amazingly, but it just didn’t completely work for me. Still, I understand the decision and I still support this beautiful fic. I recommend it to anyone in the fandom who needs a fresh story that is very well written and has well-rounded, compelling characters.

Finally, would you recommend it to Blue: Blue loves her fluff fic. She reads angst but it is usually per my suggestion – except for the Sweet Home Alabama fic, which she forced on me. However, she also loves fics that are well written and I know she would love this portrayal of Louis and Harry. Therefore, yes I would recommend it to her and warn her that the fic is a lot of angst but it’s not pointless and it does end. The ending is very happy and full of hope.

READ IT BLUE.

I have linked to the fic in the title at the top of this post. You can find the author on Tumblr at fondleeds. We always suggest that you leave the author comments and kudos because positive feedback is important! I hope that you have enjoyed my first review. If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to message me!

-GREEN.

#fondleeds #here in the afterglow #larry fic #louis and harry #harry and louis #halo fic #lourry fic #larry fic rec #larry recs #green review

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