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sevenboarproductions · 3 months ago

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[IDOLiSH7] [Part 6] Chapter 13: Towards the Promised Hour

6.13.1. - Those days passed by

Takanashi Tsumugi: And thus the day of “Black or White Live Showdown” has come.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Good morning, everyone.

Nanase Riku: Good morning, manager.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Morning!

Rokuya Nagi: Good morning! It’s finally the long-awaited morning, isn’t it?

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes! Today, it will finally be time for “Black or White Live Showdown”.

Nikaidou Yamato: Yeah.

Izumi Mitsuki: That’s true.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Ever since I learnt about “New Black or White” until now…

Takanashi Tsumugi: There was no time when I didn’t think about this day.

Takanashi Tsumugi: I was wondering if everyone else actually felt like that, too. How is it for you?

Ousaka Sougo: That’s true… For me, it was especially about the new song. In the back of my mind, I was always thinking about it.

Izumi Mitsuki: Aah, I get that. Even while going about my life, I’d be like, “Aah, that idea just now might be nice”.

Izumi Mitsuki: I was thinking “I might be able to use that in the live” a lot.

Nanase Riku: I was imagining it before I went to sleep, too! In my head, I’ve done this year’s Black or White about seven times already!

Rokuya Nagi: Me, too! We won and everyone congratulated us!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Me, too, me, too! Sometimes, the setlist changes too.

Izumi Iori: Please don’t change it for no reason.

Nikaidou Yamato: You’re worried because the time where you can’t change it anymore has come. Like “Is this setlist fine…?”

Ousaka Sougo: I get that. I changed up the order in my head and did some trial and error…

Izumi Iori: It’s a perfect setlist. It’ll be fine.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Riku-san, Tamaki-san, please try to recall the stage the two of you imagined.

Nanase Riku: Uhm…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Like this?

Takanashi Tsumugi: Tonight, IDOLiSH7 will be on a stage that’s even more wonderful than that one.

Nanase Riku: Manager…

Takanashi Tsumugi: That special stage performance that everyone took their time to create…

Takanashi Tsumugi: I’m sure it will be a live that reaches the fans’ hearts!

Takanashi Tsumugi: To everyone who’s been attending our lives with so much love and enthusiasm…

Takanashi Tsumugi: I am so grateful!

Takanashi Tsumugi: The real event is today, but the days leading up to it were a very precious time to me, like an irreplaceable treasure.

Takanashi Tsumugi: I learned a lot from being able to create a live from scratch together with everyone.

Takanashi Tsumugi: More than anything, it was really fun and I’m so happy we were able to do this!

Rokuya Nagi: OH… Me, too. I am very, very happy.

Nikaidou Yamato: Me, too. Coming up with everything from the theme of the live to the setlist together was fun.

Nikaidou Yamato: It might be an exaggeration since the competition hasn’t been decided yet, but I have the feeling that we are creating the culmination of who we are.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yamato-san…

Nikaidou Yamato: I remember how we got started.

Nikaidou Yamato: When I heard it was gonna be an audition, I was planning to walk out that door.

Izumi Mitsuki: That’s right… You tried to leave as if you were just letting us pass.

Nikaidou Yamato: I didn’t want to become an idol… But it’s different now.

Nikaidou Yamato: Thanks for stopping me, manager.

Nikaidou Yamato: I should be thanking you, but…

Nikaidou Yamato: Tonight, I’ll make these guys win.

Takanashi Tsumugi: …Yamato-san…

Nanase Riku＆Yotsuba Tamaki: Waaah…！

Rokuya Nagi: Oh my god…

Ousaka Sougo: Wow, Yamato-san’s cool…!

Nikaidou Yamato: Now, now, don’t get too excited.

Izumi Mitsuki: This old man finally said it.

Izumi Iori: Seems like he is finally realizing his role as the leader.

Nikaidou Yamato: Please be a bit nicer, Izumi brothers. Well then, getting back to the point…

Nikaidou Yamato: I’ll show you how the idols you, as our manager, named IDOLiSH7 become the number one in Japan.

Nikaidou Yamato: Thank you for putting all your effort into planning and preparing for the live despite being so busy.

Nikaidou Yamato: Once we go on stage, it’s our job. Leave it to onii-san.

Takanashi Tsumugi: …Yes…!

Takanashi Tsumugi: From the bottom of my heart, I am proud to celebrate this day together with everyone!

Nanase Riku: Manager! Give us your support until the end!

Nanase Riku: The one who first told us to do our best was our manager, right?

Nanase Riku: Please cheer us on like you did back then!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes… I will!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Iori-san!

Izumi Iori: Yes.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yamato-san!

Nikaidou Yamato: Yeah.

Takanashi Tsumugi: Mitsuki-san!

Izumi Mitsuki: Yeah!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Tamaki-san!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yo!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Sougo-san!

Ousaka Sougo: Yes!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Nagi-san!

Rokuya Nagi: Yes!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Nanase-san!

Nanase Riku: Yeah!

Takanashi Tsumugi: I love IDOLiSH7 more than anything in the world! Please do your best…!

IDOLiSH7: Yeah…!!

–

Woman: Waa… So many people…! Aah…. So that’s what it feels like at a live?…

Woman: This is not the time to be impressed! I wonder if I can still get live goods…

Woman: Ah, that person might be a fan of Riku-kun. And that one seems to be a ŹOOḼ fan!

Woman: Everyone is smiling… Everyone looks really happy! …I’m getting excited as well!

Woman: I decided on it on a whim, but I’m glad I applied for tickets and got to come here…

Passerby A: I’m glad I could come today~! I’m looking forward to it so much I could die!

Passerby B: I’ve kinda been too nervous to sleep for a week!

Passerby A: Ahaha! For a week!

Woman: Fufu… Everyone’s saying the same thing. I’m kind of relieved.

Woman: We like the same things and we’re looking forward to the same thing; it’s like everyone here is friends.

Woman: Alright! Let’s have lots of fun! I hope everyone else does, too…!

Woman: So that everyone here moves toward the most happy new year!

Mage Takara: Haa… I couldn’t sleep…

Mage Takara: Thinking that TRIGGER is going to sing the song I wrote today…

Mage Takara: Oh my god… I said it… Even though it’s top secret information…! I gotta stop breathing!!

Mage Takara: …Waah… I almost died…. Kujou Tenn…

Mage Takara: Yaotome Gaku… Tsunashi Ryuunosuke… Okay, I calmed down…

Mage Takara: When I’m nervous, saying TRIGGER’s names is the best… Oh my god… I might die…

Older Sister: Oh my god, I might die… Do you think ŹOOḼ will win today!? Torao-kun is so cool!

Girl: Are you okay, onee-chan!? The one who will win is IDOLiSH7! I’m glad I get to see Riku-kun…!

Mage Takara: …Those sisters are amazing… They’re able to hold a conversation on the edge of that line…

Nervous Man: I feel kind of bad… Even though you invited me…

Sunohara Ruri: You’re fine, you’re fine! Please support your future brother-in-law! I want to introduce you later.

Nervous Man: W-we can do it another time. Since it’ll be right after a big job.

Sunohara Ruri: But Yuki-san wanted to meet you as well.

Nervous Man: I’m a stranger to Yuki-san, so why…

Sunohara Ruri: I’m looking forward to Re:vale-san’s live! I hope they can stay Japan’s number one!

Mage Takara: …They have matching rings… I’m a fan of Re:vale as a couple…

Mage Takara: It would’ve been nice if I could’ve brought my girlfriend. I don’t have one, though.

Mage Takara: Ah… a beautiful blonde IDOLiSH7 fan. Maybe a RabbiTuber…

Thorvald: ＜Well then, Prince Seto. Until I enter the venue, I will continue to provide live coverage.＞

Seto Ranvalt von Northmeir: ＜Yeah. I’ll leave it to you.＞

Thorvald: ＜This is the venue where today’s “New Black or White” will be held. There’s a takoyaki shop over there.＞

Seto Ranvalt von Northmeir: ＜Oh. Is there a any connection between lives and takoyaki?＞

Thorvald: ＜There isn’t- This is the live t-shirt. Later on, I’ll show you how it looks when it’s worn.＞

Seto Ranvalt von Northmeir: ＜This is a beautiful design. I appreciate it.＞

Thorvald: ＜Thank you very much. On behalf of the merchandise production team, I would like to express my gratitude.＞

Seto Ranvalt von Northmeir: ＜Yes.＞

Thorvald: ＜This an item used to cheer people on. It lights up when you bend it, but I will not do that yet. ＞

Seto Ranvalt von Northmeir: ＜I know that one. It’s because the light slowly starts to fade, right?＞

Thorvald: ＜That is correct. By the way, Prince Nagi’s color is yellow.＞

Seto Ranvalt von Northmeir: ＜I know that, too. For his next birthday, I’m planning to give him a yellow sports car.＞

Thorvald: ＜That’s wonderful. I’m sure His Highness Nagi will be very pleased as well. The next thing I’d like to introduce to you is an uchiwa fan…＞

Mage Takara: He’s showcasing the live goods… What a way to spread word about IDOLiSH7 to the world!

Passerby C: Aah, my heart’s pounding! Since I have a great seat today, maybe ŹOOḼ will notice me!?

Passerby D: They’ll notice you for sure! I mean, you talked to them before, right?

Passerby C: Yeah! I even gave them a letter directly…!

Mage Takara: …Directly!? That’s amazing. But to take it properly from them, ŹOOḼ must be surprisingly serious…

Mage Takara: Ah… I wonder if the tough-looking old men over there are idol fans, too…?

Passerby E: But it’s surprising~! Didn’t expect big bro Kuma to be interested in idols!

Passerby F: Yeah! My oshi is the reason why I rediscovered myself as an illustrator!

Mage Takara: Ah, an illustrator, huh? You shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.

Mage Takara: A lot of people are here. Ah, oh my god, my heart is pounding… My song will be sung in front of everyone…

Mage Takara: What do I do… If Kujou Tenn suddenly said that he will dedicate this song to Magechon…

Mage Takara: …No, I offered it. Calm down, come to your senses… Aah, I can’t stop imagining stuff like that…

Mage Takara: Start quickly!

Mage Takara: No! Don’t start yet!

Mage Takara: Even though it feels like the best right now, even better things are still coming up…!

Mage Takara: It’s the last day of December, but it’s not cold at all!

Mage Takara: “New Black or White” is the best…!!

~ to be continued ~

6.13.2. - To that place we longed for

Isumi Haruka: Haa…

Isumi Haruka: Finally, it’s time for “New Black or White”...

Inumaru Touma: Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous!

Natsume Minami: You’re the one who’s too tense, Inumaru-san, your shoulders are too stiff.

Midou Torao: Even Minami is blinking a lot.

Isumi Haruka: And Torao is looking at the clock too much.

Utsugi Shirou: It’ll be fine. Everyone, please relax.

Isumi Haruka: What will be fine?

Midou Torao: How can you know that?

Inumaru Touma: Relax…

Natsume Minami: I would if it was that easy.

Utsugi Shirou: It is difficult, isn’t it… First, let’s go with a smile. Try smiling, please. 3, 2, 1…

ŹOOḼ: …Haha…

Utsugi Shirou: …That’s fine! Okay, this is the waiting room.

Isumi Haruka: Wah… look at all those flowers!

Natsume Minami: There’s enough to fill the room…!

Inumaru Touma: We also received some from the “BLAST” team and music programs, but most of the flowers in this dressing room are…

Midou Torao: They’re from Moonlight Ichirou…

Inumaru Touma & Natsume Minami & Isumi Haruka: …

Isumi Haruka: …Ahaha! Ryou-san, you’re overdoing it!

Natsume Minami: All the flowers look expensive. It seems like a thing Ryou-san would do.

Inumaru Touma: Ahaha! That sure is a surprise, but they’re pretty. What’s up with this Moonlight guy…

Inumaru Touma: …A lot of things happened, but if that guy hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t be here right now.

Inumaru Touma: I hope he’s watching us from somewhere tonight.

Isumi Haruka: I’m sure he’s watching. He’s calling our names.

Natsume Minami: That’s true… Let’s deliver our victory all the long way to that person.

Natsume Minami: We had enough defeats. We won’t lose again.

Midou Torao: Yeah. …That’s true. Should we at least take a photo and send it to Ryou-san? Utsugi-san, will you do it?

Utsugi Shirou: Of course. Everyone, please gather around here.

Isumi Haruka: Got it. How do we do it? Do we glare at the camera?

Inumaru Touma: No, it’s not a work shoot, isn’t it fine if we smile?

Midou Torao: That’s true. Since we only might be smiling for now…

Natsume Minami: Please stop. With the negative talk, I mean. We will be smiling in the new year, too.

Midou Torao: Surely. There’s no way I’d lose, after all.

Isumi Haruka: We will win for sure! Yay!

Inumaru Touma: Oh, that’s nice! Ryou-san, we will win!

Utsugi Shirou: Let’s go, one, two…

(click)

Utsugi Shirou: I think I got a good shot.

Natsume Minami: Thank you very much.

Utsugi Shirou: Even though he couldn’t come here, Ryou-kun did a good job. He made everyone smile.

Isumi Haruka: Haha… That’s right.

Isumi Haruka: When we stand on stage, we have to make the fans waiting in the audience seats smile, too.

Isumi Haruka: We will give ourselves our own applause and flower bouquets. We’ll swallow both wins and losses alone. I am prepared for that. But…

Isumi Haruka: When we stand on stage, I want to see dazzling smiles and cheers.

Inumaru Touma: Haha… You’ve changed. The old Haru never cared about the fans…

Isumi Haruka: I wanted to be acknowledged by Kujou. I wanted him to praise me, I wanted to be told I was amazing.

Isumi Haruka: After my affection for him ran out, I was singing to stick it to Kujou Tenn. But since both of those things are gone now...

Isumi Haruka: The ones in front of me as I sang were our fans.

Isumi Haruka: Even though I don’t like it all, and I don’t care. Obsessively calling my name…

Isumi Haruka: You’d fall in love with that, right? Saying thank you, thank you, you’d want to reward that, right?

Inumaru Touma: …That’s true…

Inumaru Touma: I was happy that they smiled in front of me… That’s why, when they turned their backs, I was anxious and sad, and I couldn’t do it.

Inumaru Touma: I was scared of being abandoned. But… That is a small matter.

Inumaru Touma: It’s not about me being thrown away. Rather, I won’t abandon anyone. Not you guys, not the fans, not this dream.

Inumaru Touma: I will love everyone who loved me, even if it was just for a moment. Even if it’s unrequited love, I won’t throw it away.

Natsume Minami: Easy for you to say, ‘unrequited love’. Aren’t you the one who made us feel that, Inumaru-san?

Inumaru Touma: Uhm, when?

Natsume Minami: Are you saying you don’t know?

Utsugi Shirou: Can he be that dense…

Midou Torao: See, that’s the kind of guy you are. Even though you didn’t notice, there might have been people who had feelings for you.

Midou Torao: Even when NO_MAD ended, there may have been fans who would continue to always think of you.

Midou Torao: Maybe even now.

Inumaru Touma: That’s crazy… That’s almost an eternity already. Even if I lost my form, they still love me.

Natsume Minami: Even if we lose our form, the feelings remain forever. As long as this unforgettable scenery remains in our hearts, we will not lose anything.

Natsume Minami: Sakura-san was who I admired. Even when I couldn’t meet him, even when were far apart, I thought about him and admired him.

Natsume Minami: And if that’s the case, isn’t it the same now? Even if he was in North Meir, even if he’s in heaven…

Natsume Minami: A slightly wicked old man I admire, I support, and don’t see very often.

Natsume Minami: It’s because I was able to meet Sakura-san, that I am here tonight.

Natsume Minami: Hey, I… This year, I want the Black or White trophy.

Midou Torao: I’ll listen to your request. We’ll take it away and make it ŹOOḼ’s.

Inumaru Touma: That’s right! This time, it’s our turn to win!

Isumi Haruka: We’ll win for sure! That’s what we came this far for! Let’s do this!

Midou Torao & Inumaru Touma＆ Natsume Minami: Yeah!

Utsugi Shirou: You can definitely win. Here’s one last thing before the big showdown: let’s do image training.

Isumi Haruka: Image training?

Utsugi Shirou: Yes.

Utsugi Shirou: ŹOOḼ, congratulations for winning today’s “Black or White Showdown”!

Inumaru Touma: Image training for winning!? Even though we just arrived at the venue!?

Utsugi Shirou: Although it’s presumptuous, I’ll lead with three cheers for you. ŹOOḼ, hurray!

Midou Torao: We’re doing this to the point of the cheer!?

Natsume Minami: If someone hears us from outside, won’t people think it's a provocation!?

Utsugi Shirou: Of course it’s a provocation. Let’s go to the point of no return.

Utsugi Shirou: Because it was our company that was at fault, over the past year, I was busy bowing my head to the other agencies to apologize.

Utsugi Shirou: I think it’s natural, I feel how big of a responsibility that is. However…

Utsugi Shirou: On the last day of the year, with your victory, please let me feel some relief.

ŹOOḼ: …

ŹOOḼ: Hurray!

Utsugi Shirou: Hurray!

Everyone: ŹOOĻ, hurray!

Okazaki Rintarou: They’re doing three cheers for ŹOOḼ… They’re really provoking us, huh?

Yuki: We won’t lose to something like provocation, though? Should we do something, too, Momo?

Momo: …

Okazaki Rintarou: What’s wrong? Are you scared, maybe?

Okazaki Rinto: Hey, president…! Momo-kun can be quite delicate to the point of losing his voice, okay!

Okazaki Rintarou: That’s not it! He won’t provoke them! I just thought it was rare.

Yuki: Momo, are you okay?

Momo: I’m okay…

Momo: I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay. I’m okay, I’m okay. Invincible, invincible, invincible, invincible, invincible.

Yuki: …Are you really okay?

Momo: Yeah. No, aah… Ha—...

Momo: This is bad, I’m so nervous. What should I do? Aah, I shouldn’t think that. I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t…

Yuki: It’s not bad. I’m here. I’ll make you relax.

Momo: How… how will you?

Yuki: An old story.

Yuki: Actually, there was a time I thought about quitting music and no longer going on stage.

Momo: …That’s about Ban-san, isn’t it?

Yuki: Wrong. It’s like… When things didn’t go well…

Yuki: I was anxious and wondering if my music is really reaching anyone.

Momo: Something like that happened to Yuki…

Yuki: But during that time, I received a certain letter and got back on my feet.

Momo: A certain letter? What kind of letter…?

Yuki: That’s right…

Yuki: It’s embarrassing, so I won’t tell after all…

Momo: Eeeeeh!? Now that I’ve heard this much, I wanna know…!! What is that certain letter!?

Yuki: Next time.

Momo: Haaaa!? I feel jealous when I hear such a special story, though!?

Okazaki Rinto: Ah, Momo-san started to feel better.

Yuki: I’m glad.

Okazaki Rintarou: The letter that brought Yuki back to his feet. Maybe it has something to do with me?

Yuki: It doesn’t.

Okazaki Rintarou: Actually, I wrote it. I’m the type of person who writes well.

Yuki: Don’t think so.

Momo: I’m super curious…!! Yuki, if we win, tell me! Who the letter was from!

Yuki: …

Yuki: Haa… Fine…

Momo: Why are you so shy!? Aah, this is definitely Ban-san’s! Momo-chan’s jealousy is erupting!!

Yuki: Momo erupting from jealousy, that’s cute.

Momo: It’s not cute! Sorry, IDOLiSH7!! I’ll definitely beat you!!

Yuki: Nice. With that momentum, we’ll beat TRIGGER and ŹOOḼ as well.

Momo: Of course! Re:vale are the eternal champions!!

Okazaki Rinto: Haha, that’s reassuring!

Okazaki Rintarou: Losing is fine, too. As long as you show us your stage, that is enough.

Re:vale: We’re saying we'll win!

Okazaki Rintarou: I get it, I get it. I said it to relax you.

Okazaki Rinto: Yuki-kun, Momo-kun. Re:vale continuing to win until now wasn’t a coincidence.

Okazaki Rinto: Because it was the two of you, you were able to keep winning. Re:vale is the best duo. In the past, present and forever in the future.

Momo: Okarin…

Okazaki Rinto: IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER and ŹOOḼ are aiming to defeat Re:vale…

Okazaki Rinto: Doesn’t that sound king-like? Please be prepared to make a stand.

Okazaki Rinto: Only you two know the pain of constant victory.

Okazaki Rinto: The confusion of your adored kouhai becoming formidable rivals, too.

Okazaki Rinto: However, you are being attacked by tremendous obstacles, rivals and pressure…

Okazaki Rinto: And re:vale will definitely enjoy it and overcome it.

Re:vale: …

Okazaki Rinto: Leave the role of taking stomach medicine to me.

Okazaki Rinto: Enjoy what lies beyond that stage, whether it’s heaven or hell.

Okazaki Rinto: Please show me your coolest Re:vale.

Yuki: Haha… Because Okarin likes us being cool.

Momo: Then… Let’s show you our cool parts, shall we.

Momo: Thank you, Okarin.

Okazaki Rinto: No, right back at you.

(knock knock)

Okazaki Rinto: Ah… Seems like someone came to check on us. I’ll go and check.

Okazaki Rinto: Ah…You are…

Yuki: Ah…

~ to be continued ~

6.13.3. - With each step closer

Anesagi Kaoru: Well then, you guys! The long-awaited “New Black or White” is here!

Anesagi Kaoru: Don’t get too nervous, but do give us your best performance! I know you three can do it!

Anesagi Kaoru: After all, you came all the way back here using your own strength,

Kujou Tenn: Anesagi-san…

Anesagi Kaoru: I know you were told this before… That we’re in uncertain times right now, so people choose safe things to love.

Anesagi Kaoru: That they don’t even look at those who are hurt. That they are scared of getting hurt themselves, so they let go of them.

Anesagi Kaoru: But that is wrong.

Anesagi Kaoru: There was an incredible number of people who never let go of you and kept cheering you on.

Anesagi Kaoru: It’s because you guys were the real deal. Even the people who were shaken by doubts and anxiety believed in TRIGGER and came back.

Anesagi Kaoru: You were born in the light, then swallowed by the darkness… And once again, you have obtained the light.

Anesagi Kaoru: You are the only idols like that.

Anesagi Kaoru: Ryuunosuke.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Yes.

Anesagi Kaoru: On that stage at the Tokyo International Music Festival, you didn’t run away and sang by yourself.

Anesagi Kaoru: Because you sang there, TRIGGER exists as it is today.

Anesagi Kaoru: Everyone’s hearts were moved by your courage and resolve then, by you saying that you wouldn’t ever let this go to waste.

Anesagi Kaoru: They felt like as you connected from there to the future, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Anesagi Kaoru: It was an amazing performance. You did a good job.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …Thank you so much.

Anesagi Kaoru: Tenn.

Kujou Tenn: Yes.

Anesagi Kaoru: Even now, I clearly remember the street performance on that rainy day. I was crying out of frustration.

Anesagi Kaoru: But as you sung in that hell-like rain, you smiled and told your fans this:

Anesagi Kaoru: “I’m glad I sang this song.” I still remember your face, your voice that day.

Kujou Tenn: …This is embarrassing.

Anesagi Kaoru: There's nothing to be embarrassed about. At that time, I was thinking I will definitely take you back to that dazzling stage again.

Anesagi Kaoru: An idol who says he’s glad he sang, even while singing in hell.

Anesagi Kaoru: It felt so wrong that a kid like that couldn’t stand on stage in this world.

Anesagi Kaoru: It was like your crying face lit a fire within my and the fans’ hearts. We decided to start a revolution.

Anesagi Kaoru: It’s like the tears of that day are connected to the present.

Kujou Tenn: Thank you very much. Anesagi-san…

Anesagi Kaoru: Gaku. You did a good job on both “Crescent Wolf” and “Zero”.

Anesagi Kaoru: Regarding what happened to you guys, you must have been the one who was the most frustrated and hurt.

Anesagi Kaoru: You’re straightforward, you have a lot of pride, and get agitated easily, after all.

Anesagi Kaoru: Even though you were the one who was against Yaotome Productions’ aggressive sales tactics the most, you became a victim of that promotion.

Anesagi Kaoru: We made you go through a hard time.

Yaotome Gaku: That goes for you as well. You must’ve had a hard time, too, Anesagi.

Yaotome Gaku: But no matter what, there was no giving up.

Anesagi Kaoru: That’s true. You never gave up. Even though you were hurt head-on, you didn’t avert your eyes; you just kept looking straight ahead.

Anesagi Kaoru: Whether in an agency or independently, your strong pride and your competitive spirit never changed.

Anesagi Kaoru: You’ve always been the real thing. Even when you were hurt and beaten down, there was never a moment of misery.

Anesagi Kaoru: Seeing you unchanged, everyone started believing in TRIGGER once more. It was what made them want to come back.

Anesagi Kaoru: Tonight… Lead TRIGGER to victory. You’re the leader.

Yaotome Gaku: Of course. Together with these guys, I’ll definitely win!

Yaotome Gaku: I’ll hold up a huge trophy and show it to the fans who came with us…!

Anesagi Kaoru: That’s the spirit! This era belongs to TRIGGER!

Anesagi Kaoru: Idols who know both the top and the depths of hell. That’s you guys!

Anesagi Kaoru: Before long, people will start saying that idols who only know what’s in the light are outdated.

Anesagi Kaoru: TRIGGER can reach for glory already! Go ahead and do it to your heart’s content…!

Kujou Tenn: Yes!

Yaotome Gaku: Yeah!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I’ll sing as best as I can!

(door opens)

Yaotome Sousuke: How are you guys doing?

Anesagi Kaoru: My, it’s the President!

Yaotome Gaku: Dad…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: President, you came!

Yaotome Sousuke: TRIGGER will be joining the battle for the top spot, after all.

Yaotome Sousuke: I’ve never seen Black or White at the venue, but I felt like I wanted to be there today and cheer you on.

Yaotome Sousuke: I will witness the moment history changes in person.

Yaotome Gaku: Yeah, leave it to me!

Yaotome Sousuke: And also…

(door opens)

Kujou Takamasa: Hey.

Kujou Tenn: Kujou-san…

Kujou Takamasa: I’m looking forward to seeing you guys on stage. Do your best.

Yaotome Sousuke: Originally, Kujou-san was supposed to be the head judge. But he declined.

Yaotome Gaku: So that’s why the special judging system was removed.

Kujou Tenn: Why did you refuse?

Kujou Takamasa: Because I am biased and I would end up voting for TRIGGER.

Kujou Tenn: …

Yaotome Gaku: Seriously? Even though you called us second-rate.

Kujou Takamasa: That was my mistake. I apologize. I am very sorry. I just didn’t want to lose Tenn.

Kujou Takamasa: You’re all first-rate idols. You sincerely love your fans, never stopping to improve yourselves, and you sincerely believe in both yourself and your teammates.

Kujou Takamasa: You’re a great team. To the point where I am jealous.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …Thank you very much. Hearing that the creator of the Zero era is jealous is the greatest compliment.

Kujou Takamasa: Likewise. Since I am a TRIGGER fan, too.

Kujou Takamasa: More than anything I am just happy to see your new live tonight. I’m looking forward to it.

Kujou Takamasa: May you three be left with no regrets. Winning or losing can come after. Do your best.

Kujou Tenn: Yes… Thank you very much. I’m glad you came to show your face.

Kujou Takamasa: Yaotome-kun invited me. I assume it was difficult for him to come to the dressing room by himself.

Yaotome Sousuke: Wha—… That is not true. It is because you said you had free time during the New Year holidays.

Kujou Takamasa: You invited me.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It’s heartwarming to see how well the old guys get along.

Kujou Tenn: Do they?

Yaotome Gaku: Really?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You don’t think so…?

Anesagi Kaoru: Anyway! The president and Kujou-san both came to cheer you on!

Anesagi Kaoru: Give it your all in your own way and enjoy yourself to the fullest!

TRIGGER: Yes…

Nanase Riku: Ha…

Izumi Iori: Are you okay, Nanase-san?

Nanase Riku: I’m fine. I ended up being really nervous, after all…

Izumi Iori: You probably didn’t get much sleep, did you? You woke up several times last night.

Nanase Riku: If you know that, Iori, that means you couldn’t sleep either.

Izumi Iori: Well…

Nikaidou Yamato: I always end up wide awake before a live. Especially since it’s “New Black or White”...

Izumi Mitsuki: Don’t worry, don’t worry! Let’s overcome this with enthusiasm!

Rokuya Nagi: Are you ready!?

IDOLiSH7: Yay!!

Yotsuba Tamaki: King!

IDOLiSH7: Pudding!

Izumi Mitsuki: We can do this, we can do this, we can do this!

Ousaka Sougo: Forget about the sleep deprivation and pretend you’re in your best condition!

Izumi Iori: I assume the other groups are similar to this, too. ŹOOḼ in particular are the type who can’t sleep in this kind of situation.

Ousaka Sougo: TRIGGER seem to be the type who sleep properly. The kind who gets up early so they can sleep well.

Nikaidou Yamato: Re:vale are probably used to this kind of thing, after all.

Izumi Iori: Speaking of which, Momo-san seems to be really motivated this year.

Nanase Riku: A Momo-san who’s this motivated seems like trouble! Aah, stop scaring me!

Izumi Iori: No. Change your way of thinking.

Izumi Iori: There is no doubt Momo-san is a formidable opponent, but it is because he felt we were formidable opponents that he was fired up and took lessons.

Rokuya Nagi＆Izumi Mitsuki＆Nanase Riku＆Nikaidou Yamato＆Ousaka Sougo＆Yotsuba

Tamaki: …

Izumi Iori: We are the ones scaring Re:vale.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …A-Aren’t we kinda cool…!?

Nanase Riku: We are!! They think we’re tough!

Izumi Mitsuki: Alright! We can do this, we can do this, we can do this!

Rokuya Nagi: Burning! Our fighting spirits are burning!

Ousaka Sougo: I think I’m feeling more confident!

Izumi Iori: Nikaidou-san, please tie things up cleanly as our leader.

Nikaidou Yamato: R-Right… Alright!

Nikaidou Yamato: Listen, you guys!

Rokuya Nagi＆Izumi Mitsuki＆Izumi Iori＆Nanase Riku＆Ousaka Sougo＆Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah…!

(door opens)

Yuki: Yamato-kun. I brought Shizuo-san…

Nikaidou Yamato: Let’s beat Re:vale and have IDOLiSH7 take over the world!

Rokuya Nagi＆Izumi Mitsuki＆Izumi Iori＆Nanase Riku＆Ousaka Sougo＆Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah…

Izumi Mitsuki: Ah, Yamato-san, behind you…

Nikaidou Yamato: Your voice is too quiet!

Izumi Mitsuki: Sorry.

Nikaidou Yamato: Are you listening!? We’ll crush Re:vale and get the whole world to call for IDOLiSH7…!

Rokuya Nagi＆Izumi Mitsuki＆Izumi Iori＆Nanase Riku＆Ousaka Sougo＆Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah…

Nikaidou Yamato: What’s that “Yeah…”? Put your energy into it like last time and say, “Yeaaah!”...

Yuki: Yamato-kun.

Nikaidou Yamato: Whaaaaat!?

Chiba Shizuo: That you, Yamato, would want the world to call IDOLiSH7’s name…

Nikaidou Yamato: Whaaaaat!? What are you doing here!?

Rokuya Nagi: OH! Chiba Shizuo!!

Izumi Mitsuki: Hey, hey, hey! You’re Chiba-san, right?! H-hello.

Chiba Shizuo: Nice to meet you. I am Chiba Shizuo.

Izumi Iori: I am Izumi Iori.

Izumi Mitsuki: I’m his older brother, Mitsuki.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m Yotsuba Tamaki.

Ousaka Sougo: I am Ousaka Sougo.

Rokuya Nagi: My name is Rokuya Nagi! I am your fan! Nice to meet you!

Nanase Riku: I’m Nanase Riku! Yamato-san is a great leader to us!

Chiba Shizuo: Likewise, you have also been a great help to Yamato. I’m sorry for how sudden this is. Yuki-kun brought me here…

Yuki: Look at you talk. Wasn’t that your intention?

Yuki: You came to Re:vale’s dressing room, so we brought you here. Come on, Yamato-kun.

Nikaidou Yamato: What…

Yuki: He’s your dad.

Nikaidou Yamato: I know…

Chiba Shizuo: No, I’m sorry for bothering you before such an important event. I think it’s time for the older people to leave.

Nikaidou Yamato: Ah, sorry. It’s just… It’s not that I don’t like that you came. I was just surprised, so…

Chiba Shizuo: I know. Yamato…

Nikaidou Yamato: …

Chiba Shizuo: Please take over the world with IDOLiSH7. And make them call your name.

Nikaidou Yamato: Please forget that I said that.

Yuki: I’m glad I didn’t bring Momo. You said you were going to crush Re:vale.

Izumi Iori: But that is certainly not a lie, because we will do it for sure.

Yuki: You just declared war politely, huh.

Yuki: We won’t lose, either. Since Momo would be sad if we lost. And I don’t want to make Momo sad.

Nanase Riku: We won’t lose, either! So we can become the greatest IDOLiSH7!

Nanase Riku: Isn’t that right, Yamato-san!

Nikaidou Yamato: Ye… Yeah!

Rokuya Nagi & Izumi Mitsuki & Izumi Iori & Nanase Riku & Ousaka Sougo & Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah…!

Nikaidou Yamato: We are the ones who will stand at the top!

Rokuya Nagi & Izumi Mitsuki & Izumi Iori & Nanase Riku & Ousaka Sougo & Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah…!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yama-san, you’re so cool!!

Rokuya Nagi: Yamato! You’re the hottest!

Yuki: Oh? I’ll be sure to remember that.

Chiba Shizuo: You’ve become an adult… Win or lose, you’ve grown up splendidly.

Yuki: Shizuo-san. Please cheer me on as well. We’re friends, right?

Chiba Shizuo: Of course, I want both of you to win. Yuki-kun, do your best. Yamato, do your best.

Rokuya Nagi: Good ahead and enjoy it! Here’s a penlight with Yamato’s color.

Chiba Shizuo: Thank you. Looks like I could use that to strike someone down.

Nikaidou Yamato: Stop making that kind of joke!

Nanase Riku: Ahaha! Chiba-san is funny as well!

Nanase Riku: It’s 12 o’clock… The venue opens in seven hours, huh…

Nanase Riku: A new music festival, “Black or White Live Show Down”, begins!

Nanase Riku: Please make it so we can put on a performance we won’t have regr… (coughs)

Nanase Riku: We won’t have regrets with!

Rokuya Nagi & Izumi Mitsuki & Izumi Iori & Nikaidou Yamato & Ousaka Sougo & Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeaaah…!

Izumi Iori: …

~ to be continued ~

6.13.4. - With our unwavering hearts

Mr. Shimooka: “Backyard MAGIC”.

Mr. Shimooka: I had to do the title call by myself because Mitsuki-kun isn’t here, how lonely~!

Mr. Shimooka: Now, time to pull myself together… Everyone! There’s only a little time left this year!

Mr. Shimooka: Everyone knows the reason why Mitsuki-kun isn’t here, right?

Mr. Shimooka: The long-awaited “Black or White Live Showdown”. The male idol division finals!! It starts in one hour!!

Mr. Shimooka: In this program, we will be showing you the real faces of the idols who will be competing!

Mr. Shimooka: Everyone, thank you!

(clapping)

Mr. Shimooka: Wow, this is so exciting. Re:vale, TRIGGER, IDOLiSH7, ŹOOḼ are all really fired up.

Mr. Shimooka: Mitsuki-kun should be at the venue right now, too. Good luck, everyone~! Then again, they probably don’t have the time to watch this?

Mr. Shimooka: Well then! In this program, we would like to give you some advance information so that you can “Black or White” to the fullest!

Mr. Shimooka: Here's the one who will give the explanation!

Mr. Shimooka: It’s Producer Matsunaga, the producer of this show and the person who started "New Black or White"!

Producer Matsunaga: Thank you for having me.

Mr. Shimooka: Well then, let's get started! Can you tell us about the rest of today's schedule?

Producer Matsunaga: Yes. Since you will be the host, Mr. Shimooka-san, I'm sure you already know…

Producer Matsunaga: The show and streaming will begin at 7 P.M.. The opening ceremony for "Black or White Live Showdown" will then begin.

Mr. Shimooka: The opening ceremony! I'm looking forward to it! It looks like it's going to be very exciting!

Producer Matsunaga: Yes! Please be sure to check out the idols' performances as well.

Producer Matsunaga: And then the mini lives begin. The mini lives consist of four songs. Please pay attention to the stage set and costumes.

Mr. Shimooka: The set list is still a secret, but the order in which each group will sing…

Producer Matsunaga: Has already been decided. It was decided by drawing lots the other day. There is also a video of that.

Mr. Shimooka: Ooh, let's take a look!

–

Staff: Inside are sticks with numbers from 1 to 4 written on them, please draw one.

Kujou Tenn: Understood.

Nikaidou Yamato: Who’s going to represent us?

Nanase Riku: Someone who’s lucky should go! Someone who drew a great fortune this year!*

Nikaidou Yamato: Eeh!? I don't remember anything about the beginning of the year, though.

Izumi Mitsuki: Leader, leader, go!

Nikaidou Yamato: No, at times like this, I end up being the last one to perform…

Rokuya Nagi: Tamaki, you had great luck in the gacha the other day!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Right! I did a 10-pull and got 3 SSRs! Isn’t that amazing!?

Ousaka Sougo: How amazing is that?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s an amazing probability! Almost as amazing as winning the lottery!

Izumi Iori: I wish I would win the lottery…

Rokuya Nagi: Tamaki, you're my angel!

Ousaka Sougo: Riku-kun, didn't you win the convenience store lottery?

Nanase Riku: I did! I won an Usamimi Friends pencil case!

Nikaidou Yamato: So it's Riku or Tama. You’ll play rock-paper-scissors and whoever wins can go.

Nanase Riku＆Yotsuba Tamaki: Rock, paper, scissors!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Which one of us is going?

Kujou Tenn: Isn’t Gaku fine for that? He seems like an auspicious guy.

Yaotome Gaku: Alright. Leave it to me.

Kujou Tenn: You didn’t ask "Why?" or anything.

Yaotome Gaku: I also think I'm an auspicious guy.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You’re so dependable! Let’s put our hands together.

Yaotome Gaku: Hahaha. Looks like a jizo!*

Yuki: Momo, you can be the one to draw the straw.

Momo: U-Understood. Yuki, which one do you like best?

Yuki: The final act.

IDOLiSH7＆TRIGGER＆ŹOOĻ＆Momo: Ooooh…

Yuki: I don't like being first because I don't think I'll be mentally prepared in time.

Isumi Haruka: I don’t wanna be the first either… I’ll definitely be nervous…

Inumaru Touma: Let’s aim for anything other than going first! Who’s going?

Natsume Minami: Wouldn't Midou-san be a good choice?

Midou Torao: Why?

Natsume Minami: Somehow, I sensed an aura similar to that of an animal mascot beloved by the New Year deity once every 12 years from Midou-san ...

Natsume Minami: I think it might be Midou-san this year.

Midou Torao: I’m not sure, but if Minami who’s into fortune telling says it, I’ll draw the straw.

Staff: Then, please.

Nanase Riku: Here I go! Then, this one!

Yaotome Gaku: I’ll take this one.

Momo: That one!

Midou Torao: That one! Please!　

Staff: We’ll pull after I say “go”. Ready… go.

Nanase Riku: …Second…！

Yaotome Gaku: Third!

Momo: Whoaaaaa! We’re the final act!　

Midou Torao: Whoaaaaa! We’re first!　

Isumi Haruka: That makes us the opening act…!

Yuki: Good job, Momo.

Nanase Riku: Second! Second is just right!!!

Izumi Mitsuki: Just right, just right!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Isn't being third nice! We're three, after all!

Izumi Iori: Ah… It's in order of who debuted last, from the newest, ŹOOĻ-san, up to Re:vale-san.

Ousaka Sougo: That might be true… It's like the idol eras are going backwards.

Natsume Minami: That might be interesting, it's like following the feeling of history.

Isumi Haruka: But we're first…

Inumaru Touma: Don't worry! It’s when the audience is the most pumped up! And you can just go out with a bang!

Nanase Riku: I'm sure the audience will be all warmed up after ŹOOḼ, so things will be easy, thank you!

Inumaru Touma: Y-Yeah.

Yaotome Gaku: Perfect, we're in the right distance to pull the trigger on the champions. This year, we'll take the win.

Yuki: Fufu. We won't let you have it.

Momo: We definitely won't lose!!

Yotsuba Tamaki: We won't lose, either!!

Producer Matsunaga: …That's the result of it.

Mr. Shimooka: Oooh! I see!

Mr. Shimooka: There will be mini-lives with four songs each in the order of ŹOOḼ, IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER and then Re:vale; it'll be the best singing contest of all time!

Mr. Shimooka: Isn't that right, Matsunaga-san?!

Producer Matsunaga: Indeed. For the specific times, please look at this.

Mr. Shimooka: From 7 p.m., the opening ceremony begins. ŹOOḼ’s live is at 8 p.m.. IDOLiSH7’s live is at 9 p.m…

Mr. Shimooka: TRIGGER’s live is at 10 p.m... Re:vale’s live is at 11 p.m…. And at 11:45 p.m., results will be announced!

Mr. Shimooka: It seems like it will become an unforgettable New Year's Eve!

Producer Matsunaga: Before the lives, there will be a video message from each group.

Producer Matsunaga: Everyone at the venue, everyone in front of their TV, everyone watching this show; please feel free to listen to the idols’ enthusiasm!

Mr. Shimooka: This is the first time and all, but seriously, I really cannot imagine which group will win!

Producer Matsunaga: That's true. Every group has the skills deserving of winning.

Mr. Shimooka: I will explain how the winner is decided once more!

Mr. Shimooka: There are three ways to vote! You can use the special “New Black or White” app to vote! You can vote via your TV menu!

Mr. Shimooka: And you can vote by dialing our dedicated phone line!

Mr. Shimooka: From now on, there will be no special votes by the judges, right?

Producer Matsunaga: That's true.

Producer Matsunaga: I considered having them, but the person I was considering for the position of head judge rejected, and….

Producer Matsunaga: He said that if we are judging the live itself, all people who have seen the live should have an equal right to do so.

Producer Matsunaga: It is as he said. They came this far because they treasured the perspective of the viewers; the perspective of the audience the most.

Mr. Shimooka: A new era of Black or White… It's a very “Black or White Live Showdown”-like initiative!

Mr. Shimooka: Well then, before we show you the messages from the idols…

Mr. Shimooka: We are showing you a message from the people involved in the lives!

Mr. Shimooka: Behind the beautiful stage, there are many people, many talents sparkling just as much as the idols!

Mr. Shimooka: Built up by many people, today we finally have this stage!

Mr. Shimooka: So that even more people will love this stage!

Mr. Shimooka: Let's take a look at the backyard of “Black or White”! There you go!

Concert Promoter: Congratulations on the "Black or White Live Showdown"!

Concert Promoter: The idols on stage, the audience at the venue, and everyone watching via live stream…

Concert Promoter: From the bottom of their hearts, all of our staff will work together to do our best to provide you with the best possible experience!

Concert Promoter: So many talented people have come together with the honest aim of making someone happy and inspire them.

Concert Promoter: It will be the best New Year ever. You definitely won't regret it! Look forward to it!

Re:vale Costume Designer: Congratulations to everyone on the "Black or White Live Showdown.”

Re:vale Costume Designer: I am really happy to have the opportunity to be involved in this huge festival as Re:vale's costume designer.

Re:vale Costume Designer: I'm a bit worried about whether I did a perfect job, but they really liked my costumes…

Re:vale Costume Designer: How can I put it.... I think Re:vale wearing my costumes is the coolest thing in the world.

Re:vale Costume Designer: Ah, I'm getting too cocky. Fufu…

Re:vale Costume Designer: We've been making adjustments to match the atmosphere of the song and the choreography, so please look forward to it.

Momo: Please look forward to it!

Re:vale Costume Designer: Ah, Momo-san.

Momo: Ahaha! Sorry, I was listening there!

Re:vale Costume Designer: It's super embarrassing….

Momo: Not at all! You're so handsome! Ah, after Yuki, that is!

Re:vale Costume Designer: Fufu, I know.

TRIGGER Stage Designer: Well… Congratulations on the "Black or White Live Showdown.”

TRIGGER Stage Designer: Looking at the set design, the set design... What can I say in one word? I shouldn't give away any spoilers, right?

TRIGGER Stage Designer: ...That's difficult…

TRIGGER Stage Designer: This time there are four songs… That is less than 30 minutes long. And what's more, they have to perform within that short time.

TRIGGER Stage Designer: So I tried to create a sense of immersion and a worldview that was on par with what you'd get from watching a two-hour movie or a three-hour play.

TRIGGER Stage Designer: I think we were able to create a stage worthy of TRIGGER. Please look forward to it.

TRIGGER Stage Designer: ...Hmm? Who will I root for? TRIGGER, of course.

TRIGGER Stage Designer: Ahahaha!

ŹOOḼ choreographer: Congratulations on the "Black or White Live Showdown”—!

ŹOOḼ choreographer: Wow, it's quite exciting... I want ŹOOḼ to win, but even just entering the competition is impressive.

ŹOOḼ choreographer: That alone is enough… No, I really want them to win after all!

ŹOOḼ choreographer: Everyone at ŹOOḼ has strong fundamental skills, is clever and highly technical... And what's more, they're not afraid of challenges.

ŹOOḼ choreographer: It's an honor to work with them! I'm sure tonight will be another great night!

ŹOOḼ choreographer: ŹOOḼ! Do your best！

Inumaru Touma: Wah, what are you doing？

ŹOOḼ choreographer: Touma-san！

Inumaru Touma: I just heard you tell me to do my best.

ŹOOḼ choreographer: The interview! The BackMagic one!

Inumaru Touma: Ah! Thanks for your work.

ŹOOḼ choreographer: Do your best at winning Black or White! ŹOOḼ! Do your best!

Inumaru Touma: Yeah. I'll do my best.

IDOLiSH7 producer: Congratulations on the "Black or White Live Showdown”!

IDOLiSH7 producer: I'm very happy to be able to take part in this wonderful stage with lots of tradition.

IDOLiSH7 producer: And the members of IDOLiSH7, whose stage production our team was able to support…

IDOLiSH7 producer: As well as TRIGGER, Re:vale, and ŹOOḼ are all truly wonderful people who love and are loved by so many people.

IDOLiSH7 producer: Tonight, I believe that the greatest stars will bring their best smiles and their best sparkle to see your smiling faces.

IDOLiSH7 producer: Let's keep this miracle-like sparkle in this world just a little longer, stronger…

IDOLiSH7 producer: I will do my best to make sure that many people can see it and that these wonderful people receive more love.

IDOLiSH7 producer: Please, please, look forward to it…!

Oogami Banri: The opening ceremony is about to start in 30 minutes. Is everyone ready?

IDOLiSH7: Yes!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Do your best!

Takanashi Otoharu: Everyone, do your best!

Izumi Mitsuki: Yes! Everyone, we’ll do it!　

Yotsuba Tamaki: Whoaa！Let's do this!

Rokuya Nagi: Let's enjoy the best New Year's party!

Nikaidou Yamato: That's right! Let's forget about winning or losing for a moment and let's entertain the people watching!

Nanase Riku: Yes! I'll do my best…!

Ousaka Sougo: …

Izumi Iori: Ousaka-san, what's wrong?

Ousaka Sougo: Ah, no…

Oogami Banri: Sougo-kun, can I talk to you for a second?

Ousaka Sougo: Yes…

Oogami Banri: I just checked the seats, and there's no one there in the ones reserved for your parents.

Ousaka Sougo: …Is that so…

Oogami Banri: I thought it would be bad if you got upset when you get on stage. If anything changes, I'll let you know.

Ousaka Sougo: No, it's okay… I don't think they'll come.

Oogami Banri: Sougo-kun…

Ousaka Sougo: It's better this way. Thank you for letting me know. Thanks to that, I feel better now.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sou-chan, are you alright?

Ousaka Sougo: Yeah. Let's do our best, everyone!

IDOLiSH7: Yeah…！

~ to be continued ~

6.13.5. - Up on that stage

Woman: …It's about to start…

Takara Mage: …My heart is pounding…

Kujou Takamasa: …

Kujou Aya: …Kujou-san…

Kujou Takamasa: Aya… I thought you wouldn't come.

Kujou Aya: I was hesitant, but… It's my big brothers' big day.

Kujou Takamasa: That's right. It would be a shame to miss it.

Kujou Takamasa: We are witnessing the beginning of a new tradition, after all.

Audience: Kyaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Welcome to “Black or White Live Showdown”...!!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: The renewed monster show has powered up and descended upon the country tonight!!

Mr. Shimooka: I'm your host, Mr. Shimooka! I’ll be in your care!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: As you all probably know, this is the venue where the top male idols will compete!

Mr. Shimooka: It's up to you all to decide who will be the winner...! Please cheer as much as you can so that there will be no regrets!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Are you ready!?

Audience: Kyaaaaah...…

Mr. Shimooka: Ready!?

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: So, let's invite them in! The four groups aiming for the throne! First off...

Mr. Shimooka: ŹOOḼ……��！

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Here they are, ŹOOḼ! They're appearing in the costumes they wore for "Poisonous Gangster," their stunning debut song!

Isumi Haruka:: …

Audience: Haruka! I love you…!

Inumaru Touma: …

Audience: Touma! I'll always cheer you on!

Natsume Minami: …

Audience: Minami-kun, you look cool...!

Midou Torao: …

Audience: Torao-kun, you're the best...!

Mr. Shimooka: The event started with some intense music! The opening dance performance!

Mr. Shimooka: Perhaps with their debut song in mind, they've done some intense dancing with a gangster-like story! Cool, isn’t it...!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Audience B: ŹOOḼ's dance is so cool...! I wonder if we'll be able to see all the other groups too!?

Audience A: Oh my god!　I’m about to cry…！

Audience A: Everyone at ŹOOḼ… Even though you're surrounded by amazing idols, don't be intimidated, just do your best in your own way...!

Audience A: So cool and gangster...! ŹOOḼ, I love you...!

Inumaru Touma: …Ha…

Inumaru Touma: ŹOOḼ！We’re in your care!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Thank you to everyone at ŹOOḼ! The next group to appear is...

Mr. Shimooka: IDOLiSH7！

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: IDOLiSH7 appear in the costumes, which they wore when they won in their first Black or White competition as challengers singing “MEMORiES MELODiES”!

Nanase Riku: …

Audience: Riku-kun…！Riku-kun, I love you…!

Izumi Iori: …

Audience: Iori~! Do your best~!

Nikaidou Yamato: …

Audience: Yamato-san...! He’s cool...!

Izumi Mitsuki: …

Audience: Mitsuki~！　I love you…！

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Audience: Tamaki...!! He’s the best...!

Ousaka Sougo: …

Audience: Sougo-san...! I love you...!

Rokuya Nagi: …

Audience: Nagi-kun! I love you...!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: A dance performance by IDOLiSH7!

Mr. Shimooka: A refreshingly prince-like, poppy, light-hearted dance to go with the aristocrat-like costumes!

Woman: ...It’s R-Riku-kun.... I finally got to meet the real Riku-kun...

Woman: ...That's amazing, so amazing.... We're in the same space right now... I was so happy that tears came to my eyes...

Woman: I'm glad I got to know Riku-kun. I'm glad I could come here today.... I'm glad I did my best up until today...!

Woman: I was anxious and confused, but all that was blown away! I made a decision and it was great!

Woman: I love Riku and everyone else...! I love everything I can see right now...

Nikaidou Yamato: …Ha…

Nikaidou Yamato: We’re IDOLiSH7! We’re in your care…!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Audience: Yamato...! I love you...!

Audience: Nagi-kun! I love you...!

Mr. Shimooka: Wow, the cheers show no signs of dying down! Thank you to everyone in IDOLiSH7...!

Mr. Shimooka: Now, next up is this group!

Mr. Shimooka: TRIGGER！

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: TRIGGER will be appearing in the costumes from their shocking debut song "DIAMOND FUSION" that shook all of Japan!

Yaotome Gaku: …

Audience: Gaku-kun…! You’re the best…!!

Kujou Tenn: …

Audience: Tenn-kun！I came to see you...!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …

Audience: Tsunashi-san！I will always, unchangingly love you...!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah…

Mr. Shimooka: A dance performance by TRIGGER!

Mr. Shimooka: TRIGGER's sexy and mysterious dance feels like an invitation to a secret evening party!

Takara Mage: Whoaaa……！TRIGGER is so cool...!!

Takara Mage: I think I just made eye contact with Ryuunosuke...!

Nearby Woman: Oh my god! I think I just made eye contact with Ryuunosuke-san...!

Takara Mage: …

Nearby Woman: …

Takara Mage: Whoooooa…!

Nearby Woman: Kyaaaaah…!

Yaotome Gaku: …Ha…

Yaotome Gaku: We’re TRIGGER! Let's enjoy the last hours of the year!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: A thunderous cheer...! Thank you to everyone at TRIGGER...!

Mr. Shimooka: Next up is this group!

Mr. Shimooka: Re:vale！

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Re:vale are dressed in costumes from “SILVER SKY,” an anniversary song released on the 5th anniversary of their debut!

Momo: …

Audience: Momo-chan, do your best...!

Yuki: …

Audience: Yuki-san, you're the best!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Re:vale's dance performance!

Mr. Shimooka: From stillness to motion, these are stunning entertainers! After a stunning debut, they quickly rose to the throne, showing off his charisma!

Sunohara Ruri: Kyah…！Momo! Do your best...!

Sunohara Ruri: Yuki-kun, do your best, too! Re:vale will definitely win again this year...!

Man: Do your best, please—...!

Momo: …Ha…

Momo: We’re Re:vale! Everyone, we’re in your care~!

Audience: Kyaaaah…!

Mr. Shimooka: Thank you to the two of you from Re:vale!

Mr. Shimooka: Now, at last, all the young people competing for the crown are gathered! Who will the goddess of victory smile upon?

Mr. Shimooka: Is it ŹOOḼ!?

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: IDOLiSH7!?

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: TRIGGER!?

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: Or Re:vale!?

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah…

Mr. Shimooka: We'll find out the answer tonight!

Mr. Shimooka: "Black or White Live Showdown", Male Idol Division, Opening!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

Mr. Shimooka: The first act begins at 8 p.m., which is when ŹOOḼ's live will start!

Mr. Shimooka: While we set up the stage, please enjoy a video message from ŹOOḼ!

Mr. Shimooka: Well then, everyone! Let's enjoy the hottest New Year's Eve in the world!

Audience: Kyaaaaaaah...

~ to be continued ~

TL notes:

* Riku is talking about getting “great fortune” in the omikuji you got during hatsumoude * This is a jizo, a common statue. Hello, it's mod Riku again!

This was a long one... and the next one will be even longer (6 sub-chapters), so don't expect it for a while, haha. On the plus side, it is the last one, and we will finish this year unless I literally get hit by a bus! ᴴᵃʳᵘᵏᵃ⁻ᵏᵘⁿ ʸᵒᵘ ᵍᵒᵗᵗᵃ ᶠⁱⁿⁱˢʰ ⁱᵗ ⁱᶠ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵇʸ ᵃ ᵇᵘˢ ˢᵒʳʳʸ

First TL note courtesy of Haruka-kun btw, thanks for that!

#idolish7 #idolish7 part 6 #idolish7 spoilers #idolish7 translations #idolish7 translation #i7 translation

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hagumiluver · 1 year ago

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Why I Love Shizuku Hinomori

This is less gonna be a full blown analysis and more me gushing over Shizuku and her unit focuses but here we go:

From first impressions, Shizuku comes off as someone who's absolutely gorgeous, but also an airhead. This is probably how alot of people perceive in her in the fandom.

But �� just from the main story alone, you can see that's she's much more than that. During MMJ's main story, she offers to help train Minori in order to pass her idol audition, displaying her kindness from the very beginning. However, an altercation occurs between Shizuku and Airi — a fellow idol who's also her rival. Airi lashes out at her, admitting feelings of jealously towards the girl for being admired as an actual idol while she gets reduced to nothing but a laughing stock.

Shizuku runs away in tears, while Airi immediately regrets her actions towards the rival that she admired and looked up to. The tall idol thinks about her past, specifically with how Airi encouraged her to keep going as an idol despite her low confidence — which is why Airi's words shattered her heart deeply, as Shizuku believed that she was different from the others who only sought after her looks.

We also get to learn about CheerfulDays, the now ex idol group that Shizuku was in. They held very strong feelings towards her due to the fact that she was favored by their managers, and got special treatment, even though they all put in the effort as idols.

I'll talk about her treatment in CheerfulDays in more detail later, but for now... The idol makes a sudden decision to quit the group, which surprises Minori, Haruka, and especially Airi. The three go and confront CheerfulDays, ending with Shizuku bidding farewell to the idol group, holding no resentment to them despite their mistreatment of her.

Shizuku's kindness is something that gets displayed as early as the main story, with her accepting Airi's apology quickly, and politely saying goodbye to her ex group mates, even briefly apologizing for being disappointing as the center.

Fast forwarding a bit, MMJ gets formed — and makes the decision to do livestreams, as they seem to be best option for independent idol groups such as themselves.

During Shizuku's first event story, MMJ officially announces their formation to the world, with them getting mixed responses — mostly from the people who supported Airi, Haruka, and especially Shizuku in their past groups.

We get more elaboration on what exactly happend with Shizuku while she was in CheerfulDays, and learn that she acted very drastically from the girl that people close to her know her as. She was elegant, confident, and flawless — essentially "perfect."

However — this persona of hers was heavily pushed by her managers, with them editing out any mistakes in talk shows, TV recordings, and more. Alot of the attention she got was mostly from to her looks, which led people to have their own perceptions of how she acted, only to get deeply disappointed by Shizuku's actual personality.

This led to Shizuku feeling very self conscious of how she acted, making sure that she behaved exactly in line with how she was in CheerfulDays. This is the main conflict in her first event story, the fear that her fans wouldn't love her anymore if she stayed true to her actual character, and didn't act "perfect."

This belief gets affirmed by a mishap that happens in one of MMJ's livestreams, where Shizuku admits to putting miso soup in her container instead of the expected water, leading to an onslaught of confused and negative commenters — but one specific comment hit her the most: "this isn't Shizuku."

This encapsulates the way that Shizuku's feigned image has dominated the publics perception of her to the point where anything other than the flawless, perfect her is rejected in its entirety.

Airi compares her to a swan, which is accurate to her character. Swans look graceful and elegant, but under the surface — they're quickly paddling their feet in the water in order to swim, just like how Shizuku on a daily basis tries her hardest and practices 24/7 in order to keep up the image she's maintained for so long.

In the end, Shizuku's fans accept her for who she really is — a clumsy, airheaded yet kind and determined individual who tries her damn hardest ever single day.

Now — onto Shizuku's second focus, which centers around her insecurity and lack of confidence in herself.

MMJ makes a competition where they all design stage outfits for the group — with the winner getting their idea officially made by their fans.

Shizuku struggles with an outfit concept for the group, due to her lack of confidence in her own ideas from the trauma she has with a lack of self identity.

She eventually confides with MMJ Miku and remembers her first time in CheerfulDays preparing for a performance — where she wasn't confident at all despite the continuous practice she did prior.

But — after she officially gets introduced to her unit outfit, she gains enough confidence and the performance becomes a success — due to the support from her group mates prior to their conflict, and the outfit she was wearing — which essentially "transformed" her into a different person.

Shizuku finally gets motivated, and manages to make separate outfits for each member of MMJ aside from herself — each incorporating their differences while still looking unified.

The story ends with her wanting to spread the "magic" that was put on her when she wore the CheerfulDays outfit with the rest of MMJ, determined to aim for new heights together as a group.

We finally get to Shizuku's most recent focus, where she with the rest of MMJ are forced to confront CheerfulDays and resolve tension between the two groups.

When MMJ first get the sudden announcement of them holding a segment with CheerfulDays, she puts on a strong face in front of the group and says that she's fine with the situation.

However, Airi privately goes and asks her if she's really fine with the arrangement due to her rocky past with group, but Shizuku reassures her that she's fine — and has known for awhile that there was a possibility of the two groups encountering eachother sooner or later now that MMJ is officially entering the idol industry. Infact, she sees this as an opportunity to reconnect with her old idol group, and show them show much she's grown and changed since then.

Before the segment occurs — a flashback starts that explains CheerfulDays current attitude towards Shizuku. At first, they supported her, covering for her mistakes, which made Shizuku feel like she relied too much on the others as the center of the group and wanted to make up for that.

But — as time went on, she got scouted for more and more independent work due to her sheer popularity, to the point where she barely showed up for actual performances with the group. Conflict started occurring when Shizuku missed a theatre performance that was very important to the rest of the group for a shooting on the same day — despite the fact that she had the power to move the dates in advance.

This is when CheerfulDays started turning on her, frustrated at her lack of motivation as the center of the group, and how they essentially got reduced to Shizuku's background dancers. This culminated into them relentlessly bullying her for the prettiest of things, like her stage outfit being misplaced.

Now onto the actual segment with CheerfulDays and MMJ. The two groups talk about various different topics, before Arisa, the new center of the group brings up a question that wasn't in the script — Shizuku's drastic behavior shift from the one she showed in CheerfulDays.

Everyone in MMJ gets caught off guard with the question, Airi and Haruka calling out the malicious intent veiled with curiosity.

But in the end, Shizuku answers that she put on that "perfect" persona of hers due to her insecurity �� which is simultaneously the truth and a lie at the same time, because while she lacked the confidence in herself — her managers pushed the image of a flawless person onto her, with them making scripts for her and the like. She answers this way as to absolve her former managers from any guilt in the situation.

She admits to the public that she troubled alot of people due to how poor she acted as a center, and formally apologizes on TV.

However — she also says that the her in CheerfulDays days and the her in mmj are the same person, and won't fault anyone that feels betrayed by her major personality shift. Despite those grievances, she asks for everyone to support the current her, as she'll try her best to spread hope to everyone in her own way — as a member of MMJ.

Everyone gets impressed by her response to the question, with Airi in particular admitting her admiration toward the idol — saying how her real self is much better than the one her managers came up with.

After the recording is over, Arisa goes up to MMJ privately — wanting to talk to Shizuku. She's met with hostility by Haruka and Airi before Shizuku steps in, intending on apologizing to Arisa.

She apologizes to the CheerfulDays center for something she said in the past — her wishing that someone else took the role as a center. Shizuku now recognizes that she took advantage of the position of power that many people yearn to someday have, and strives to do better as an idol, now being able to stand on her own without relying heavily on other people.

Her apology gets cut short by Arisa, who wishes her good luck in the idol industry — and bids her farewell. She doesn't reconcile with CheerfulDays, but she does manage to resolve tension in her relationship with Arisa — which may serve well in any future encounters between the two.

At the end of her third focus, Shizuku reflects upon the growth she's had between not even being able to speak without a script to now managing to properly confront her old group despite being caught by surprise. She desires to spread hope to all the people who supported her — regardless if it was her in CheerfulDays or MMJ. With that goal of hers cemented, the event ends.

One thing that all of Shizukus events have in common is the determination to stay true to herself despite her fears — from her recultancy from her first focus to her absolute confidence in her third focus. Shizuku has grown alot from the main story.

This analysis of her character focuses alot on her personal growth — but that's just one aspect of her character. There's many things to love about Shizuku, like her ability to emphasize with other people, her hardworking nature, the kindness she shows to everyone she comes across — and even her silly moments, like her struggle with phones, her absolutely horrible sense of direction, her short attention span, and much more.

I could ramble even more about how she tries to help people regardless of the results, like her attempts to help Haruka relax during his first focus. (I use he/him pronouns for haruka)

However, this is where I'm gonna end this analysis. Shizuku is an absolutely amazing character, and I'll be happy if other people get to appreciate her from reading this. Live laugh MMJ, that is all.

#analysis post #character analysis #project sekai #prsk #pjsk #shizuku hinomori #mmj shizuku #hinomori shizuku

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lollytea · 2 years ago

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((Part 2 of my La La Land Machine posts!! Introducing Gus!!! And maybe some other guy idk, it's a little unclear.))

((Part 1))

One of the first things Willow does when she learns she will be working alongside Amity Blight is pick her jaw up off the floor, clamp it shut and smile pleasantly.

She is not going to cause a scene. She is not going to throw a tantrum. She is not going to be a source of conflict on this set. Willow is going to keep her lips buttoned and behave herself. She's lucky to have this role and she's not going to lose it.

She and Amity are two of the first few roles casted. The show is still in the process of putting itself together. Willow finds it a little weird that their chemistry wasn't checked out via screen tests before the two of them were signed on and it makes her anxiety spike.

I mean obviously, there's a lot of awkwardness and tension between them and an audience would surely pick up on that? Willow is gnawing off her fingernails worrying that she's gonna get fired before she even gets her first paycheck, all because she had to and get herself dumped by Amity 7 years ago. Plus they're supposed to be playing best friends?? How the fuck are they supposed to make that believable?? They're actors, sure, but...

In hindsight, this is the point Willow looks back on this as an obvious red flag but she was too stupid to realize it at the time. Of course they didn't need to see if Amity and Willow had chemistry. They didn't give a fuck if they had chemistry. That was never the point of Willow's character on this show.

As far as Willow can tell, Amity does not remember her. She's curt, polite and a little chilly with her during those first few days of pilot shooting but nothing overtly hostile. Nor familiar. At least not right away. She's blunt and she's critical and she does not hesitate to tell Willow when she's doing something wrong. Still a perfectionist after all these years. Even more so than she used to be.

Theyre going to be sharing a dressing room. Which can only lead to good things. Yay.

If Willow had to describe one of the most awkward experiences of her life she'd definitely recount shooting that goddamn Hexside Pilot and having to throw her arms around Amity Blight in a tight, loving hug back when they still wanted nothing to do with each other. It's nothing compared to how excruciatingly awkward her first kiss was but it's certainly up there.

Willow learned from the second she walked in for that audition that the character of Paulina was a comedic role and she was optimistic about giving it a shot. True she didn't have any friends to gouge an opinion from but she made her Dads howl with laughter pretty often so she liked to believe she was moderately funny.

The exaggerated faces she made certainly scored some giggles at the audition. They liked her disposition and line delivery. It makes her swell with pride. Paulina's meant to be a little on the ditzy side so she gives it her all. Willow is excited for this role, she gets to silly it up!!

Although once the scripts start rolling out and Gilbert reads them aloud to her at the kitchen table, she notices that Paulina is....way ditzier than she initially thought. And well, Gilbert seems a bit uncomfortable with it. But Willow assures him it's fine. It IS fine. Sure, she might be a little much but it's not that big of a deal.

The director of Hexside, Adrian Graye is....difficult. As in he expects you to be a mind reader and berates you relentlessly if you can't follow the vision in his head. And maybe Willow is too sensitive but in those first few days of filming, before she really understood the kind of person he was, he made her cry a lot.

She found a place to hide between takes when she's recovering from the hurtful words and it's in the school room, underneath a desk. This is where she meets the boy who's gonna become her best friend in the entire world. He also happens to be the boy she's pretty sure she saw a few people searching the set for. So what's he doing huddled under a desk, choking on his own ragged breath?

Augustus Porter is something else entirely. There are kids like Amity whose parents have sunk thousands of dollars into professional acting classes and she's STILL hasn't mastered the craft. You have kids like Willow with minimal training but enough natural talent to make a living but not win an Oscar anytime soon. And then you have Augustus. Who is made of stars.

As the son of a former performer turned news reporter, it was not difficult for Augustus to find an open door towards the spotlight. His Dad has a lot of connections. And it was the ideal setting for him. He likes to perform, his likes the dazzle and he likes attention.

Augustus has a lifetime of theatre experience under his belt by the time he auditions for Hexside. It could not be any more obvious that he is SEVERELY overqualified for this role. He can sing, he can dance, he can act, he's been on Broadway, he can even do magic tricks, like cmon!!! What the fuck is he doing here??

The simple answer is that he wants to do something fun and goofy right now.

Augustus has been on stage and screen since he could walk and let's just say that it's made him a liiiiittle....out of touch with reality. As a result of this, he's genuinely enraptured by mundane aspects of human life that he's never experienced. And that includes attending public school and having his own locker and backpack and GASP!!! Waving flags at a sports game!!!!

Unfortunately, as Willow tries to calm him down, the reason becomes apparent why he's auditioning for a teen show instead of attending an actual school.

Augustus doesn't have friends. He DOES however have a teenage neighbour who seemed very eager to become buddies. Quickly after, Gus tried to help his new friend get his acting career off the ground by asking his Dad to put in a good word with his friends in the industry. It wasn't until the day of his audition that he overheard from his assumed best friend that he was being used. And it stung. It stung bad.

He managed to hold it together all throughout the car ride to the studio. It wasn't until they arrived that it all burst out of him and he had to go hide somewhere so nobody saw him cry.

Augustus is painfully trusting. And no matter how hard he tries, he never ever EVER learns. He's a prodigy and he's famous. So many people who seek him out have an ulterior motive but he chooses to believe that they're genuine every single time. Willow would be wary about sending him to school too. They'd eat him alive. Just like what they did to her.

He likes showbiz. He likes the excitement of sets and castmates. He likes the illusion of living a normal life but also having the upper hand of knowing exactly what's going to happen and what everyone's intentions are because he already read about it in this week's script.

That doesn't mean Augustus wants to live like this forever. He dreams big. He wants to travel the world. He wants to rattle the world around and turn it upside down. He wants to get into politics. He wants to become an ambassador. He wants to talk to people and learn their stories and gather up a million friends. He wants to ride public transport. (Buses are....so cool.) But he's not ready yet.

He gets a role in Hexside because of course he does. He's Augustus Porter. He will be playing a flashy and charasmatic child villain, a role he was born to play. And Willow is indescribably relieved to have him here. Especially since those early days of shooting would have been Hell without him.

They take care of each other, Willow and Augustus. She comforts him when he fails projects or gets trapped in his head. She's his second pair of eyes who can let him know if somebody is messing with him again. And Augustus helps her read scripts and finish her homework. He sits beside her and makes her laugh after a long day of Amity's condescending comments.

Oh yeah, the condescending comments are gradually getting worse. Both on and off screen. By this point, Willow has realized the point of her character. Paulina exists to make Amity's character look better. Paulina is not ditzy, but is borderline illiterate. Paulina is not endearingly skittish, but is a complete invertebrate. Paulina is nothing but a combination of mockable characteristics rolled up into one character. She's supposed to be the protagonist's best friend, so why does Amity have new lines every week where she makes jokes about her brainlessness as the laugh track plays? It makes the occasional affectionate scenes between them feel pretty hollow.

Willow keeps trying to tell herself that she's being too sensitive. That she's being ungrateful. This job is paying the bills. This job is keeping her Dads from getting ulcers. This job is gonna put her through college (She is 100% gonna flunk out of college but she can't afford to dwell on that right now) and she's over here getting her feelings hurt because she's the comic relief.

But like. It does hurt, man. It REALLY hurts. Especially considering that out of everybody in the cast, Amity is given the most lines about what an idiot Paulina is and its hitting a little too close to home. Amity has plenty of comments to make in the school room about Willow obviously struggling with reading. The close proximity of a shared dressing room is beginning to lead to some hostility on both ends. So the line between where Paulina ends and Willow begins are already blurring. She is trying her goddann best to suck it up but coming to work every day and being an object of ridicule for profit isn't fun. It really isn't.

But she follows all of Adrian's notes and does what she's told.

Willow doesn't speak much on set anymore. She shows up, puts on a performance and either hangs out with Augustus, or makes herself very very small. And it seems to be working for her.

It's not like she's not used to treatment like this. But she has Augustus. And she's never had a friend to soften the blow before. So yknow. Pros and cons.

Willow and Augustus have a lot of fun together. Neither have ever gotten the chance to do normal teen stuff with a friend. And even tho they're not allowed to wander far off the lot, there's a fast food place, a skatepark, an arcade and a movie theater nearby, which gives them plenty to do between takes.

"The special effects kinda sucked," Says Augustus as the two wait in line at the studio canteen, discussing the whimsical fantasy movie they just saw.

Augustus has little to no interest in fantasy and magic. Willow is more of a comic books/superheroes kinda gal but she can appreciate a fun little flick every now and again. Plus one of the characters was really hot.

"I wanna sink my teeth into Sir William," Declares Willow with a wide grin, making Augustus scoff and wrinkle his nose in distaste.

"You want to BITE ME??" Pipes up an incredulous voice from behind, causing them both to whip their heads around, startled.

Willow nearly screams in blood curdling terror, but all she can manage is a pitiful little squeak.

He is standing. Right there. Sir William. Waiting in line at the studio canteen. His head is cocked quizzically, looking a little insulted. His bottom lip is hanging open and....there's a gap in his teeth. He did not have a gap in his teeth in the movie.

However, the arrangement of the guy's teeth does NOT matter right now. What DOES matter is that the blood is scalding under Willow's skin and there is no way the furious flush is not pathetically obvious.

Okay, lesson learned. No more thirsty comments in public.

This was definitely also on the list of her most embarrassing moments but it really lost its cringe factor after a few years. Because nowadays, she'll openly tell 'Sir William' that she wants to munch on his shoulders and it makes him blush and giggle.

But at age 14, it's....the kind of unbearable shit that makes her seriously contemplate quitting her job. Especially when she and Augustus learn that 'Sir William' is apparently filming something on the same studio lot and they might be bumping into him pretty often. There's even talks about him attending the same school room sessions as the other Hexside kids.

Willow would like to disintegrate. She really would. Fortunately the co-learning sessions have not been established yet but....this studio is now a minefield. Willow needs to avoid that boy or die trying. She's lucky to have Augustus. They've come up with a codeword ('Chew Toy') to mutter every time he sees the dude, giving Willow the opportunity to duck her head and subtly turn the other way.

So yeah, filming of season 1A of Hexside is going.....Well, its going. Pros (Augustus) and Cons (Everything else) but Willow is determined to make the best of it. She's given herself so many pep talks, she's pretty sure her own reflection has gotten sick of the sight of her.

Maybe her confidence isn't doing well. Maybe she and Amity are struggling to even co-exist in the same dressing room. Maybe she feels herself shrinking with every passing day.

But things are gonna improve soon. They will.

Because Willow is about to meet Luz Noceda.

#La La Land Machine AU #it was Athena that suggested that the kid manipulating Gus be showbiz based and not academic based and that fits a lot better #thanm you Athena

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bstvst · 8 months ago

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A Life Worth Watching (Pt 1/?)

With Every Heartbeat x Red Carpet Diaries

F!Dakota Winchester x reader (past), Victoria Fontaine x reader (eventual)

Word count: 736

A/N: This first chapter is basically a summary of events from WEHB and the beginning of RCD.

A(nother)/A/N: Really this is WEHB as past and context and RCD characters doing whatever I want because I'm too lazy to go back and replay all of RCD lol. So here's this AU I guess, I will try to follow the storyline of the first RCD book, but eventually I'm gonna do what I want lmao. But I'm saying reader/you/"sage" moved to Boston from Iowa, so the Iowa nickname is still usable. I apologize this took so long, but writing intros is hard for me, hopefully now that this is out it'll be easier to write.

Go live a life worth watching.

Those words still stay with you after all these years.

Those words from your first love, Dakota Winchester.

You had a love story for the ages. That's what she would say about you two. You both fell hard and fast in your senior year of high school. She was the outgoing, bubbly popular girl and aspiring director while you were the new transfer student. There was something that gravitated both of you together, staying just friends was never an option.

When you learned of Dakota's cancer, you never saw her other than this amazing, lively, wonderful person. You even helped her make a short film that got her an award at her dream school in California. That after party was where she told you she loved you for the first time.

When her cancer came back, you still stayed by her side, knowing that you needed to be with her throughout her second fight against her leukemia. It was hard watching someone you love go through something so hard, her bad days were bad, and she tried pushing you away as her way of "protecting" you, which didn't work. You stayed and reassured her that you wouldn't be going anywhere. To show her you really meant it, you shaved your head after helping shave hers. You even threw her a special prom at the hospital with her friends since she wasn't cleared to leave yet. This girl had to know that she was never going to get rid of you, not unless....

After she passed, it felt like you were just going through the motions of life. Nothing but a numb feeling as you moved through your monotonous daily routines.

Graduation came and you received a video of her recounting your past year. How your love story really was for the ages, and how you have to live a life that'll be exciting for her to watch.

So you accepted your offer from California's Grantmore University with a major in acting. Not only were you going to live a life worth watching, you were going to live in a way that honoured her legacy as a future feature-film director.

Your time in university would allow you to become more adept at acting and you truly fell in love with it, all because Dakota Winchester got you to act in a short film in your senior year of high school.

Even though Dakota made you promise to try and find love and be happy after she passed, you never really dated in university. It wasn't that you weren't being asked, you were just focused on school, and thinking about Dakota still hurt made your heartache just a little.

In your last year, you found out that one of your old classmates from Iowa, Chazz, was working for a talent agency and offered to represent you once you graduated.

Post graduation, your mom helped you out with signing for a small apartment on the edge of Los Angeles, and your attempts at trying to get cast were officially underway.

After many unsuccessful and downright weird auditions, you get a call from a new friend, Teja, who is an assistant director on the new Markus von Groot film, telling you that you should audition for one of their lead parts. When you went to the audition, Matt Rodriguez, one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood was there to be your scene partner and test the chemistry between the two of you. The audition process seemed alright, and while Markus seemed like a weirdo, this role would be huge for your career.

That leads you to tonight, the Friday of that same week, Chazz gave you a call and told you the amazing news that you were chosen to star opposite Matt Rodriguez in the Markus von Groot film that was sure to be the summer blockbuster.

You started freaking out, you were going to star in your first feature film, and with an established cast and crew at that. You just closed your eyes and looked up towards the sky, thinking about how Dakota would be so happy for you in this moment. You let the moment pass and begin calling your mom and your friends Amy, Mateo, and Lennox to tell them the good news.

Your life was really going to start, and you hoped Dakota had popcorn wherever she was.

#choices stories you play #playchoices #dakota winchester #dakota winchester x mc #pixelberry #red carpet diaries #with every heartbeat #victoria x mc #victoria fontaine x mc #my writing

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dominickeating-source · 7 months ago

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60 Second Interview (2002) by James Ellis

DOMINIC KEATING FIRST came to fame in this country as Tony on Channel 4's first black sitcom, Desmond's, before flying to LA to seek stardom in Hollywood. Eight years and several dodgy series later, he landed the role of the token Brit, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, on the new Star Trek spin-off, Enterprise.

What was it like arriving in LA? I rented out my flat and I had this old beach buggy that I bought at the height of my 15 minutes of fame in Desmond's. It never rains in California, so I sent it by boat along the Panama Canal and of course it rained incessantly for six weeks when I got there. I set off two days after the earthquake of September 1994 and I was at my mum's house here looking at the devastation on her little telly in the kitchen going, 'Oh, my God!' But I still went over.

What's the most embarrassing show you've had to do? I gate crashed my first LA audition - it was a Showtime equivalent of the Red Shoe Diaries [erotic drama] called Love Street and, what do you know, I got the lead. I played an ex-pop star who's had one massive hit before drying up. His girlfriend died of a drug overdose in the middle of his fame and then, through the love of a very cute girl with fake bosoms, he manages to write another huge hit.

Pure Shakespeare... It read really well. Great pop star, fabulous house, he's really cool, makes love by a fireplace, his manager doesn't like what he's doing, he makes love by a swimming pool. You think it's very Al Pacino but, unfortunately, with a soft lens and commercials every ten minutes, it doesn't quite come together like that.

As a Brit, do you get typecast? There are certain roles they think of you for as an Englishman and there are certain roles you can only aspire to. You know: devilishness - love the voice; pop star - love the voice; hairdresser - love the voice.

Bond villain? Bond villain - love the voice. But doctor on a medical show? Never gonna happen. Well, whats-her-name [Alex Kingston] did get ER . There's no real rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it's opening up. Look at anything by Aaron Spelling - no accents whatsoever. They just didn't trust the demographic. They didn't want anyone in Wiscokey-nowhere going, 'What the hell did he say?'

What do you miss about the UK? It's the old things - Marmite, the sense of humour. Actually, in my local store in Beachwood Canyon, there's an English corner now, and you can get everything, even PG Tips.

How is dealing with Klingons? I got beat up by one the other day. This Klingon supermodel smacked the s**t out of me!

Sounds like one of those Red Shoe Diaries... Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Apparently Klingon women do have the strength of five men, so I shouldn't be too embarrassed. And she jumped me, so I was taken by surprise.

What's the strangest question you've been asked? I liked the one you just asked, about the most embarrassing thing, and I didn't even tell you about the drag act. We were called Feeling Mutual! Am I a fool for telling you about that one? Oh, who cares. I made my professional debut doing a drag act. I got my Equity card doing it. We first performed at the Vauxhall Tower, in 1985 or 1986. We were a double act, me and a boy called JonJon who I met in my dance class at the time.

What will you do after the series has finished? I'm ready for the fact that this may be the last gig I ever do, but it might be the beginning of something huge. I'm a good character actor, and I hope this is going to be the launch pad. And, in the meantime, I'm taking myself off to directorial school. I'm learning how to direct because there is this other pathway you can take during Star Trek, Star Trek University they call it.

That happens a lot in the States, no? Well, Jason Priestley was allowed to do Beverly Hills 90210 to keep him happy and Shannen Doherty was doing Charmed for a while.

But you've got nothing to do with Aaron Spelling... Erm, well, sort of covertly, the guy who directed our pilot is Aaron Spelling's right-hand man, Jim Conway. I played golf with him the other day.

Is it good to be back in the UK? Tell me about it, mate. Actually I'm really excited, coming home. This is what I always dreamed of. You know, going to America, in some way making it and coming back here going, 'Look ma, I'm top of the world!

Source: www.dominickeating.com

#dominic keating #the keating cult

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femalewylanvaneck · 2 years ago

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Get Down, Make Love

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: corroded coffin is looking for a new lead singer and you're the perfect candidate. but it turns out your new band comes with more than one benefit.

words: 4.6k

warnings (mdni 18+): reader is over 18, making out, fingering, oral (f!recieving), brief mention of weed

a/n: this is the first part in a series, idk how many parts it will have yet. also my first time writing smut.

It was two days ago that you spotted the flier pinned to the notice-board outside the school cafeteria. The words written on it had told you that a local band, called ‘Corroded Coffin’, was looking for a new lead singer.

You had been looking for a band to join for what felt like decades. You knew that you could sing, but you were also self aware enough to know you’d never make a break on your own. You just didn’t have what it took for a solo career. Saying that you weren’t a socialbird would be an understatement. Making friends or connections wasn’t a talent that you possessed. So, in order for you to make it in the music industry, you would need a band to help pave the way.

And there was your opportunity, pinned to the giant notice-board, along with posters about the upcoming basketball game and other stuff you’d never cared about.

The flier had indicated that ‘Corroded Coffin’ was a rock band, whose taste leaned towards metal. In all honesty, metal wasn’t exactly your preferred subgenre, but your heart had its own devoted section for rock music–and Roger Taylor. This was probably a contributing factor to why people didn’t swarm around you, begging to be your friend. The band tees, the leather jacket and combat boots–along with the chains, rings and heavy eyeliner–didn’t exactly invite people in.

But, in the end, that didn't matter–you could learn to love heavy metal if it meant you got to be on stage. That’s why you were currently spending your Thursday night in your car driving to The Hideout. You pulled into the bar’s parking lot with nine minutes to spare. There were fewer cars parked outside than you’d been expecting. Hopefully, people had decided against driving after a night of shooting back a pack of beers.

As you swung the door open you were met by a strong odor of sweat, cheap cologne and alcohol. Your eyes scanned the crowd, but all you could see were a couple of men, all over the age of forty. That’s when it hit you that you actually had no idea who ‘Corroded Coffin’ was. And as you kept scanning the crowd a knot of doubt started growing in your stomach. What if the poster was old? What if the Friday in question wasn’t this Friday, but a Friday weeks ago?

You checked your watch–7:58. You decided that you were gonna stick around for a few more minutes to see if anyone showed up. Surely, you couldn’t be the only kid in all of Hawkins interested in joining a band, right?

That’s when you spotted a dark head of long, curly hair, over the sea of balding ones. This head was approaching you at a steady pace. And you knew, before he turned a corner and you spotted his trademark Hellfire shirt, that the person nearing you was Eddie, The Freak, Munson.

No, not The Freak. You never referred to him as a freak, because he wasn’t any more of a freak than you were. And also because it was insensitive and shitty going around referring to someone as The Freak. He was Eddie Munson, a person.

That sounded kinda weird. It wasn’t like you regularly walked around thinking about Eddie Munson, and whether or not the judgment he’d been dealt was unjust–which it was. You only meant that, in the general sense, it never sat right with you to call anyone a freak.

“You here to audition?” You snapped out of your thoughts to find Eddie standing a few feet in front of you. He looked down at you, eyebrows slightly raised, the shadow of a smile splayed over his lips.

“Y-yes! Right,” you stammered, trying to kickstart your brain back up. “I’m-”

“Y/N,” he cut you off.

“You know who I am?” You gave him a puzzled look.

“You’re pretty much the only girl in that entire school who doesn’t exclusively buy their clothes at the Gap,” he smirked.

“How can you be sure? Have you checked the tags on them?” you smirked back at him. “What if I just buy my stuff there and dye it black?” He chuckled at that.

“Did you write ‘AC/DC’ on that shirt yourself, then?”

“Wait, you don’t do that?” You furrowed your brows and tried to look perplexed, but you couldn’t fight the smile tugging at your mouth.

“You’re funny,” he said, while throwing his arm over your shoulders and beginning to guide you towards, what you assumed, were the rest of his bandmates. Your first thought was that Eddie smelled a lot nicer than you thought he would–not that you’d thought about what he’d smell like. You had expected him to reek of cheap cologne and weed, but he smelled vaguely of pine and cedar, with a hint of cigarettes.

“Don’t tell anyone,” you murmured.

Eddie stopped the two of you in front of two guys you recognized from school, but whose names you couldn’t remember.

“I present to you, the rest of Corroded Coffin.” Eddie gestured towards the three boys with his free hand. You gave them a little wave, that’s honestly pretty damn awkward.

“Holy smokes, someone actually showed?” said one of the guys, wearing a red flannel, looking between you and Eddie. The other guy also glanced between the pair of you, and all of a sudden Eddie’s arm seemed to burn your shoulders. At the same time, he appeared to realize your position as well, removing his arm and awkwardly stepping to the side.

“Guys, this is Y/N.” Eddie gestured towards you this time. They eyed you up, and you were ready for one of them to make a comment about you being a girl, or something along those lines. But instead one of them locked eyes with you.

“Favorite band?” he asked.

“Queen,” you responded without a doubt.

“Solid.”

“Should we do a Queen song, then?” Eddie asked.

“Huh?”

“Do you want to sing a Queen song? So we can hear how you sound?”

“Yeah. Sure.” You had almost forgotten that you were gonna have to sing something. “Do you guys know how to play ‘Hammer to Fall’?”

Eddie said “yes” at the same time the other guys said “no”. They then suggested you sing with only the guitar in the background, so they could better hear your voice. You and Eddie got through the song together, drawing some attention from the drunks scattered around the room.

By the time Eddie had put his guitar down, you had begun nervously picking at the hem of your miniskirt. None of them showed any indication as to whether your performance met their standards or not. The three of them huddled together and began whispering. You tried to make out at least a few words, but you couldn’t catch anything.

After a while Eddie turned around slowly. His face bore a stern expression and you felt your stomach sink.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Eddie began, your heart breaking a little. “But it looks like you’re gonna have to start spending some time with the freaks of Hawkins High,” he continued.

“You can’t begin like that!” you exclaimed, striking his chest with the back of your hand. Eddie sent you a wide smile and caught your hand, before holding it between his own. Suddenly, there were butterflies in your stomach.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he mumbled and pressed a light kiss to your knuckles. The butterflies escaped into your chest.

That’s how you became the lead singer of Corroded Coffin. That’s also how you ended up in the school cafeteria, a couple weeks later, arguing with Dustin Henderson about what time Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.

“It was at 2:54 am!” Dustin exclaimed, frustrated.

“No, it was at 2:56, Dustin!” you bellowed back.

“Are you not listening to me? He took his first step onto the moon at-”

“Listen to the lady, Henderson,” Eddie cut in. “She’s usually right.”

“Thank you, Eddie,” you smiled at him.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, against his will.

“Eddie, no offense,” Dustin started off, “but you’ve failed to graduate high school, like, three times.” Everyone at the table went quiet. “So, I don’t exactly trust your opinion.”

You had to cover up the laugh that tried to escape you with a cough. Eddie stopped glaring at Dustin for a second to glare at you. “Sorry,” you mumbled under your breath.

Dustin's face had gone slack as he realized what he’d just said. “Eddie, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s alright, Henderson.” The tension in the younger boy's shoulders went away immediately as he let out a breath. “But you’re still wrong.”

You had never seen a person's mouth from such a straight line. You could tell that Dustin had fought with all his strength to not say anything.

“Not to rain on your parade, man,” Mike cut in, “but it was at 2:56.”

“Michael!” Dustin snapped at the other boy, with such force it was a miracle his “Thinking Cap” hadn’t flown across the room.

You giggled into the back of your hand. What you didn’t notice was the smirk that grew on Eddie's lips when he saw you laugh.

Then you remembered that you’d wanted to talk to Eddie about one of the songs the two of you had been working on. There was one line in the second verse that you felt just wasn’t right, and you needed to fix it before the gig tonight.

“Eds?”

“Yes, princess?” You ignored the heat that rushed to your cheeks.

You pulled the notepad out of your bookbag and showed the right page to him. “I think we should change this,” you said, pointing to the words.

He leaned in to get a better view. “Yeah, you’re right. That doesn’t look right.” His words were spoken right into your ear, causing a chill to run down your spine.

The two of you went back and forth, trying out new words to see what would sound the best. When the bell rang, you weren’t even close to finished. Because the more you looked at the song, the more you realized it was crap. Maybe some of the weed you’d smoked while writing it was to blame.

“We have to get this fixed before tonight,” Eddie stated. “We promised we would have a new song for tonight.”

“Oh, yes, we can’t disappoint the handful of drunks who happen to be there tonight,” you chuckled.

“They’ve started paying more attention since you joined.” You rolled your eyes at that.

“But, I agree. We gotta fix this.” Your eyes met his. “I’ll be at your place around 4. That sound good?”

“Thank you,” he said, then planted a quick kiss to the top of your head before hurrying away.

“Why are you in a rush to get to class?” you called after him.

“I gotta graduate this year!”

Your knuckles never got the chance to strike the front door of Eddie’s trailer. Instead, it swung open, with you still holding your closed fist up like an idiot. You lowered it awkwardly, tucking your hand into your pocket.

“Hello, there,” he smirked at you.

“Hi,” you got out, sounding like a moron.

Eddie stepped to the side, letting you enter. You glanced around the trailer. There was no sign of Eddie’s uncle, but his comings and goings weren’t something you’d yet figured out. You knew he worked nights at the plant. But, surely, it was too early for him to have already left, right? Whatever.

Half an hour later and you were sprawled out on Eddie’s bed, notepad in front of you and pen between your teeth. Eddie sat in his desk chair, guitar in hand. Your eyes tracked his ringed fingers as they moved over the strings, going from chord to chord. Their movement had you in a trance. The way your mind tended to wander when you were around Eddie was something you liked to ignore–yet it happened all the same.

“Hey, Y/N. Wake up!” (I apologize)

Your eyes snapped to his. “What?”

“Are you even listening?”

“Sorry.” You buried your face in your hands.

“Let’s take a break,” Eddie said, then pressed play on whatever cassette he’d listened to earlier. You smirked as Freddie Mercury’s voice met your ears.

“Queen?” You looked up at him with big eyes.

“I was prepared, just in case,” he said, suddenly shy.

“Aww, you’re a softie.” A smile washed over your face.

Eddie sat down next to you on the bed and shoved your shoulder playfully. “I am not!”

“Yes, you are!” The tip of your finger jabbed him in the side. He snatched your wrist before you could pull it away. As you tried to wring it out of his grip, he took the opportunity to grab your other arm as well. You were now fighting to get both of your hands back. But Eddie easily used your arms to swing your body down onto the bed. You continued to struggle, and in order to hold you still he pinned your body down under his own.

You looked up into his eyes, gazing right back down at you. Your chests were heaving slightly from the exertion. For a brief moment, Eddie's gaze strayed to your lips. Then they did it again and once more, until they stayed there.

“Have I ever told you I had a crush on you last year?” He spoke the words quietly, afraid you were gonna make fun of him.

“No.”

“You were sat in the cafeteria, combat boots up on the table,” he looked back at your eyes. “You had your Walkman with you and I could hear ‘Run to the Hills’ blaring through your headphones. It took me three weeks to not look for you the second I stepped in there. And every single day you were sitting at the same table, alone. I drove myself crazy, wondering what would happen if I just walked over there.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he had the chance to respond, you raised your head off the mattress and crashed your mouth against his. It took him a few seconds to react. Once he did, your head was slammed back down onto the bed, his lips working hungrily against your.

Your hands went up to cup the sides of his face and draw in nearer, while Eddie’s hands grabbed at your hips. He pulled away from your lips, and you were certain he would say something about how you couldn’t continue what you were doing. But instead he started trailing kisses along your jaw and down your neck.

You gasped as his teeth grazed the sensitive skin of your neck. His tongue trailing after to soothe the area. You tangled your fingertips into the curly hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him even closer. He planted kisses along your collarbone, before returning his mouth to your neck.

You were panting underneath him. His mouth sucked on your neck. You knew it would leave a mark, but you just couldn’t find it within yourself to care. And honestly, there was a part of you that wanted him to mark you up, claim you.

“Eddie,” you breathed, as the suction on your neck grew rougher.

You felt Eddie smirk against your skin as he hummed. His fingers played with the hem of your shirt. He began pushing it up every so slowly, giving you the chance to stop him. But you just arched your back in response, willing him to push it up farther. However, he left it bunched up right before your bra could be revealed. You let out a disappointed huff.

“I wanna feel before I see,” he mused and let his fingers slide underneath the fabric of your top. He grasped your covered breasts and squeezed lightly. The way you let out a shaky breath let him know you enjoyed it. So he gave them another squeeze, harder this time. You raised your chest, asking for more, and he obliged.

He ran a thumb over your nipple. Your body shuddered in response, causing Eddie to smirk and do it again. A whimpering sound escaped your lips. You felt heat pooling between your legs, certain that if Eddie went on like this, a wet patch was gonna form in your underwear.

Eddie removed his hands from your chest, and a frown appeared on your lips. To your delight, they made quick work of removing your shirt. You helped him get it off, then tossed it onto the floor. The cool air contrasted against your flushed skin, which caused goosebumps to form across your body.

Eddie was staring down at you, examining your chest. The piercing attention made you feel self conscious, your hands instinctively going up to cover yourself. But Eddie was quicker, taking your arms and pinning them to your sides.

“Don’t,” was all he said.

So you tried looking away to escape his examining eyes. He grabbed your jaw with rough fingers, forcing you to turn your head towards him. Still, you refused to meet his eyes.

“Look at me.” Reluctantly, you locked your gaze on his. “You’re beautiful. So beautiful.” He said the last part more to himself.

Heat rushed to your face. You wanted to turn your head away once more, but Eddie still had a hold of your jaw.

When he felt certain you wouldn’t look away, he let go of your face. Then he returned his curious hands to your clothed chest, squeezing and running his fingers over your, now very hard, nipples. And once again you were a whimpering mess underneath him.

His lips went back to trailing openmouthed kisses along your collarbone. His hungry mouth traveled downward, leaving marks along the way. But it wasn’t enough.

You pushed him away from you. Eddie was sure you were gonna ask him to stop. Instead, you sat up slightly, your hands disappearing behind your back to unclasp your bra. It quickly joined your shirt on the floor.

Eddie was grinning like an idiot. His eyes eating up the sight of you, Y/N Y/L/N, splayed out on his bed topless. Your chest heaving, causing your tits to move in a way he could only describe as deeply erotic. If he hadn’t been nursing a hard-on before, he sure was now.

He would be lying if he’d said he hadn’t thought about you like this. When you’d leaned forward to grab something and your shirt had slipped down, he’d had to stop himself from reaching out and cupping your breasts. Or when you licked the paper while rolling a joint, and his mind wandered to what it would be like having that tongue doing the same thing elsewhere. Or when he woke up in the middle of the night, craving a release after you’d haunted his dreams.

But having you here, in front of him, topped anything his imagination had been able to cook up. He felt your hips bucking underneath him, craving friction just as much as he did. However, before he could get to that, he had another task at hand.

He took your left nipple in his mouth, using the tip of his tongue to play with it. He pinched the other one between his fingers.

“E-Eddie,” you moaned, as you felt your slick slowly stain the fabric between your thighs. You clenched around nothing. “Eddie.”

You didn’t want him to stop what he was doing, but you needed some friction, anything. He was taken aback when you shoved him off of you, then straddled him. You quickly began grinding your hips against his, moaning over the sudden relief.

“So greedy,” he said through a grunt.

“Shut up, Munson.”

If he’d thought you were hot earlier, it was nothing against the way you looked now–head rolled back, skirt bunched up around your hips, hands gripping his chest for support as you dry hump the bulge in his jeans. His fingers dug into the flesh of your thighs.

Eddie was sad that your tit was no longer in his mouth. However, the way you grinded against him didn’t have him feeling blue for long. And seeing you take what you wanted was insanely attractive.

“Eds?”

“Yes, princess?”

“I need you to do something,” you said, still working your hips at a steady pace.

“I was doing something when you interrupted me,” he smirked. All you did was whine in response, and the smug look was wiped off his face. “Alright, sweetheart.”

Eddie lifted you off of him and placed you back on the bed. He was perched between your legs, once again devouring the sight of you–the way your boobs were drooping to the sides, forced down by gravity. And the way your nipples were stiff, one of them glistening with his saliva.

He studied your face, loving the way your lips were swollen from having battled with his own, and loving that he now knew what those lips tasted like.

His hands grabbed the waistband of your skirt. “Mind if I take this off?”

You shook your head and raised your hips, causing Eddie to smirk.

The way he removed it was agonizingly slow, but he wanted to make sure he had time to scan every inch of your skin with his eyes. They moved down your legs–God, he never knew legs could be this attractive.

But what caught Eddie’s attention in the end was the wet stain that had formed in your underwear. He ran a finger over it. You hummed in response, as your eyes fell shut–finally.

Eddie made quick work of removing your underwear, and they joined the rest of your clothes on the floor. You felt it was unfair that you were completely naked, while Eddie hadn’t shed a single article of clothing.

“Eddie?”

“Yes, love?” (Aaron Warner who?)

“Can you take your shirt off?” you asked, suddenly embarrassed.

A smirk grew on Eddie’s face. “Since you asked so nicely.” He removed his top in one swift motion.

This wasn’t the first time you’d seen Eddie without his shirt on. You, Eddie and the other guys from the band had gone to Lovers Lake after your first gig together, and Gareth had pushed Eddie into the water. Which had been an awful idea since it was during early March.

Eddie had gotten out of the water, soaked and freezing, wet bangs sticking to his forehead. He had taken off his drenched jacket, cursing Gareth under his breath for ruining his precious piece of leather. His shirt had quickly followed, and you had turned your burning face away from him, as he searched through the back of his van for a blanket.

This time you didn’t turn away. Instead, you let your eyes travel over his pale skin. Your fingers traced the ink covering his chest, admiring the artwork. You made a mental note to ask him about them later.

You were so consumed by the sight before you, that you hadn’t noticed when Eddie moved his hand to hover between your open legs. However, him swiping his thumb over your clit pulled you out of your trance as you let out a groan.

Your hand, that had been tracing shapes on Eddie’s chest, grabbed onto his forearm. He looked up at you. “Do you want me to stop?” You hastily let go again. He could do anything, as long as he promised to keep touching you. Your head rapidly shook from side to side.

He ran his fingers through your folds once more, spreading you slick over your aching bud. Eddie began tracing small circles over the bundle of nerves and your eyes fell shut. You let out sighs of pleasure, lightly moving your hips against him.

Eddie leaned down and began placing kisses on your sternum, moving down and doing the same along your stomach. Before you knew it his head was between your thighs. He planted quick pecks on the inside of your thigh, then replaced his thumb with his lips.

Eddie brushed the tip of his tongue over your clit.

“Fuck,” you moaned, and you could feel Eddie’s lips quirking into a smirk.

The way he worked his tongue over your cunt made you feel sorry for any guy that had ever gone down on you for thinking they’d done a good job. Because this felt so good and the moans leaving you were genuine, not forced like usually.

When you didn’t think it could get any better, you felt one of Eddie’s fingers at your entrance, slowly pushing its way inside of you.

“E-Eddie! Fuck-” you bit the back of your hand to stifle the sound.

“You don’t have to worry, sweetheart. No one can hear you. Let it out.”

You removed your hand and at that exact moment Eddie curled his finger inside you. The sound you let out was heady–and quite intoxicating in Eddie's opinion.

Your fingers found their way into Eddie’s curls, which he only took as encouragement. Eddie was sucking at your clit like his life depended on it, and it almost did, because he thought he was going to die if he didn’t get to hear you moan his name one more time. Eddie added another finger, and you didn’t need many seconds to begin grinding your hips against them.

You felt the knot in your stomach begin to tighten. “Eddie, I’m close.”

“I know, I know.” He didn’t need you to tell him, he could feel the way your walls were clamping against his fingers. Eddie put even more effort in–he couldn’t wait to have you come undone.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-”

And just like that you were cuming on Eddie Munson’s tongue, his fingers working magic inside of you, while Freddie Mercury was telling you to Get Down, Make Love.

Eddie lifted his head from between your trembling legs, and removed his fingers before popping them in his mouth, savoring every last drop of you.

As you were coming down from your high, your head fell to the side. That’s when the clock on Eddie’s nightstand caught your attention–5:44 pm.

“Shit!” you exclaimed. “Eddie, we need to be at The Hideout in fifteen minutes.”

“What?” His eyes snapped to the clock. “Crap!”

Eddie threw his shirt back on, before diving onto the floor in search of your clothes. You got your bra and skirt tossed at you, then your panties followed. You hastily put them on, then joined Eddie in the search for your shirt.

“I can’t find it!”

“Here, take this,” Eddie said and tossed you a shirt from his closet.

You pulled it on, grinning slightly–it smelled like him.

On the other side of the room, the sight of you in his shirt had Eddie fighting the urge to throw you back onto the bed and let tonight's gig figure itself out. But you came rushing past him and he was pulled from his reverie.

“Eddie, you coming?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, sorry.” He looked at you reluctantly, afraid that the moment was over and that you were gonna sweep it under the rug and act as if it never happened.

“We’re just taking a break, okay?”

A smile split Eddie’s face, and he threw on his jacket before grabbing his keys. The two of you rushed out to Eddie’s van, making sure to not forget his guitar.

You were almost at The Hideout when something struck you. “What are we gonna do about the song?”

“The drunks can live without it, we were up to more important things.”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson smut #stranger things #eddie munson stranger things #eddie stranger things #dustin henderson #stranger things 4 #st4 #eddie munson imagine #stranger things smut #eddie munson fanfic #edward munson #eddie x reader #eddie my beloved #eddie the freak munson #munson #eddie

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ninoisntluka · 3 years ago

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A Deep Dive of the Hikari-Mahiru Revue in the Movie, or why maybe you should figure out your own stuff first before giving other people advice

Okay, so the Revues in Revue Starlight are super confusing.

There’s just so much going on at once, from the fights to the sets to the music in the background, it’s overwhelming! And the movie somehow makes the revues even more vague than what we got in the show, because along with the budget to pop off on the sets of the Revues, apparently there’s a costuming department now! Meaning that instead of laying themselves bare like they did in the auditions, now the stage girls are acting like half the time, so I don’t know if they really mean it or it’s just a performance!

That’s not to say the fights are hard to follow, since honestly it’s pretty clear what’s happening and what it means for the characters, but it’s still a lot at once. If you got time the to rewatch any of them, you will probably find something new that you missed the first time. So this is part of my ongoing project to write a deep dive into each of the movie’s revues so I can get a better understanding of everything going on in them.

This is the second one, about the Revue between Hikari and Mahiru, and it should be able to be read stand alone, but I may touch on some themes I mentioned in the previous deep dive on the Revue between Kaoruko and Futaba, since it’s hard to completely separate each Revue from the others.

In my last write up, I could very easily compare what was going on with Kaoruko and Futaba in the lead up to their Revue because they both were together the whole time and I could compare their reactions to whatever was going on in the plot simultaneously. But Mahiru and Hikari are in different places. Both physically, since Hikari went back to London, but also mentally, since by the start of the Revue, Mahiru is ready to move onto the next stage, but not Hikari.

So basically the Revue of Competition is to Hikari what the Revue of Annihilation is to everyone else.

A wake up call that they can’t get to their next stage as they are now.

So to see how we got there, let’s take a look at Mahiru!

After High School, she’s planning on applying to the New National First Theater Troupe, which is widely regarded as the best musical theater troupe! She wants to use what she learned at Seisho to make her ideal self come true on a bigger stage.

This may sound familiar, and that’s because it’s exactly what the Mahiru from 3 years ago, who was applying to Seisho wished for!

Her dream is still the one same one she had from Middle School, and she hasn’t lost sight of that! And we’re gonna see a lot of comparisons between the Mahiru who was applying to Seisho and the Mahiru who is applying to New National.

When she and Claudine are in the washing room, Claudine compares them all to freshmen being excited about the future, and specifically says that Mahiru would be one if she gets into New National. But Mahiru, much like in her interview as a Middle Schooler, isn’t too confident that she’ll be accepted.

And while I really do wish she’d build up some self confidence, I’m really happy that Mahiru resembles her younger self. Admittedly considering that a stage girl evolves everyday, and that stagnating could lead to death as a stage girl, this could be dangerous, but this is a series where literally everything comes back to a promise that two kindergarteners made, so it’s definitely not a bad thing to stick to your roots either.

But the reason it’s so important for Mahiru to stay consistent like that is because she thinks that her younger self was dazzling. Back during Episode 4, Mahiru thought that she had no talent as a stage girl, but Karen pointed out that actually she was overflowing with brilliance, Mahiru just wasn’t looking at herself properly. And while Mahiru wasn’t completely convinced in their revue, afterwards she saw proof of her own potential by looking at herself objectively through an old interview, and realizing that she had that glimmer all along.

Even though she had lost confidence in herself after seeing how amazing everyone around her was, Mahiru realized that as long as she stuck with her original dream from when she applied, she could shine. She didn’t need to rely on anyone else other than herself, despite thinking if Karen left her, she would be empty.

And she’s right! She is someone her classmates and underclassmen can always rely on, and she got to a place where she did everything she could to help Karen find Hikari. That’s not to say the Mahiru at the start of the show wouldn’t have done the same, since she’s a sweetheart and can’t refuse Karen, but she’d be way more reluctant and passive-aggressive.

(Although admittedly the glimmer on screen when Mahiru looked at her current self was a lot smaller than in the interview, but it’s a work in progress! She just regained her sense of self worth after all! Give her some time!)

Self love is hard. And Mahiru did lose herself to despair once, so it’s easy to slip into a downward spiral again. After all, she’s applying to New National alongside Tendou Maya and Daiba Nana, literally the best in her class. It could be easy to lose confidence in herself if she compares herself to them again, and it seems like she does come close at some points.

Because in this movie, Mahiru is constantly linked to Futaba.

Take how the two of them are applying to the same school, even though neither of them are quite sure if they’ll make it in. But despite that they both have a super long list of questions for the actors at New National and are both excitedly reciting the line of the New National’s lead on the train, so it’s clear they’ll do their best to achieve their dream, despite the odds.

Or take how during the Revue of Annihilation, they are both defeated by Nana in the same swing.

As I talked about in the last deep dive, Futaba doesn’t think she’s good enough as a stage girl. In her Revue with Kaoruko, Futaba mentions how she didn’t have the qualities the others had that made them shine as stage girls, and how she needed to go off on her own to become someone who could stand beside Kaoruko.

And all of this rings true for Mahiru as well. Neither her nor Futaba think it’s very likely they’ll make it into New National. And just like Futaba, Mahiru had lost confidence in herself after comparing herself to how amazing her classmates were back in their first year.

But it’s really just a matter of perspective if you consider how Futaba mentioned Mahiru alongside Claudine and Maya as stage girls she admires. Anyways, this will come up later, but just understand that Mahiru doesn't think very highly about her own acting skills, even though she’s actually great and doesn’t give herself enough credit. (Just like Futaba, may I add.)

So Mahiru, after her devastating loss, has a lot to think about before the 101th Starlight Kick Off Party. And like all her classmates, she’s in a dark place. Literally. (Except Maya because she’s simply built different, but we’ll get to that in her essay.)

Nana gave each of them a lot to think about, and Claudine took the practice room and Junna took the table they always ate snacks at, so Mahiru gets the leftovers and has to brood in some place that’s not very significant to the anime, since all the good spots were already taken, I guess.

I think it’s telling that despite all of them facing the same issue, that they aren’t ready for the next stage, they are all dealing with it alone. Each of them knows what the others are going through right now, after all Nana beat all of them at the same time, but none of them are willing to reach out to each other. They’re so caught up in their own problems and self pity, that they don’t realize this is an option.

But keep in mind, if you ignore the absurd and extravagant nature of the revues, they’re just high schoolers who are about to graduate. Literally everyone else around them is also worrying about their future. It’s not just the main characters who are dealing with this.

Just like the stage girls, the scriptwriter from Class B is also in the dark. This is in contrast with all their other classmates who are enjoying the festival and are illuminated by the lights of the party.

And just like how everyone else realized they weren’t ready for the next stage, neither is the scriptwriter.

Even though she promised to finish her script by the party, she couldn’t make it in time. She wanted to write the best final chapter, but she couldn’t achieve that. And now she doesn’t want to go outside and tell everyone that she couldn’t do it. She isn’t ready to go onto that podium.

But she won’t be the only one on that podium.

The director from class B is there too, and she says they have to go up. The scriptwriter promised and everyone is expecting them.

Plus, it’s not like the scriptwriter didn’t try. The script is incomplete, but it’s still halfway there. And it has some banger lines in it.

So when the director and scriptwriter go on stage, the director breaks the tension of everyone noticing the script is incomplete by screaming that she’s afraid. She doesn’t know if they can surpass the production of Starlight they put on last year, just like what the scriptwriter was worrying about.

And it’s not just those two who want to put on the best show they can. You can hear the lighting girls talking to Maya about how they also want the lighting to be the best since it’s gonna be their last year. And then we hear the acting class students talk about how they want to do the lines that the scriptwriter wrote.

They all want to do their best for their final show, and they’re all scared because of that. The director acknowledges that. And she guesses that every year’s graduating class has been scared about their final performance too.

But even though she’s scared, she wants to perform with everyone, since it will be their last chance to put on this show with everyone.

And because the director could admit her own weakness, the scriptwriter can too. (I mean she still needed to be dragged on stage, but still.) The scriptwriter acknowledges her failure and apologizes for being unable to finish, but everyone supports her despite her failure. They love the lines she wrote so far and there for her so she can write even more!

It’s this support that brings the scriptwriter out of the shadows and into the light with all her classmates.

And I’m happy for them! I’m glad they’ve got all these friends who support them, even when they mess up. Even though we don’t see this duo very often, I’ve always had a soft spot for these two. Mostly because I think it’s funny that despite working on the play for 7 months, they completely rewrote the script for Starlight to change the ending and recast the play to change the leads and add a 7th goddess for literally no reason. Actual Legends. And while I’m on the topic, how did Karen and the others even convince them? It’s not like they could explain the Revues…

But the reason I spent so much time on them, other than the fact I adore them, is because we’ll see this entire situation play out again with Hikari and Mahiru in their Revue.

And this scene is also the moment when the stage girls realize that they aren’t alone in trying to figure out their futures and what their future selves will be. They can rely on each other and talk about where they are going. Admittedly stage girls don’t so much as talk as they do swordfight, but you know what I mean.

But unfortunately Hikari isn’t here, so she get didn’t see this beautiful moment of solidarity. She’ll need someone to show her it’s okay to be scared since everyone is there for her.

Fortunately, the rest of the stage girls who are here have learned this lesson. So when they go back to the site of their failure, their death as stage girls, they go together.

The bodies laid out on the roof of the train are dead stage girls. None of them are wearing their cloaks as they have all fallen on the ground. This is their future if they stay complacent and don’t shape up.

But this isn’t the first time Mahiru has seen herself as a dead stage girl. Back during the auditions, Mahiru felt like she had no glimmer. And Hikari, who had actually lost her glimmer in the London Auditions, specifically calls herself a dead stage girl at the time.

So Mahiru knows that the path of a stage girl is going to hurt her. She doesn’t think she’s that good of a stage girl and this inferiority complex drains her. She almost lost hope in her second year because of that, before Karen helped her see herself properly. So she understands that she may get hurt, but she needs to push forward regardless.

But I think this line could potentially be referencing another thing too. In the upcoming Revue, Mahiru is going to have to scare Hikari. This is directly at odds with her motivation to become a star who brings smiles to those she cares about. Mahiru thinks that she can only shine if she makes people happy, and we know how lacking that shine can hurt Mahiru. So this next performance will be painful, but she has to do it. For Hikari, yes, but also because Mahiru is a stage girl who chose to perform.

Everyone from the Revue of Annihilation knows what to do next. They come to the same conclusion and take a bite of the tomato, symbolically the first step to going to the next stage.

But Karen and Hikari didn’t get to witness Nana’s epic solo win where she crushed literally everyone else simultaneously, and like a student who missed a day of class, now need to borrow their friend's notes.

So the Revue of Competition is meant to help Hikari take the first step in going to the next stage, which is to first recognizes her faults and what she needs to do to improve in the future.

Now for Hikari, there really isn’t much to say about her before the Revue. Aside from some adorable flashback scenes, we don’t really know much about what happened to her after the show’s finale. And just like the tomatoes, I’m saving the analysis of that means for the essay on the Karen-Hikari Revue. But as for the third year Hikari, we know that she’s back in London, but her reasons are a mystery.

Just like in the first episode, we know nothing about what’s going on with her. But if there is one thing we do know, it’s that Karen is important to her, even if she won’t say it out loud. I mean, the giraffe mentions Karen being in trouble and she has no hesitation in getting on the train so she can be there for Karen. And this is the same giraffe whose audition led to her losing her radiance and potentially Karen’s too, but none of that matters if Karen’s life (as a stage girl) is on the line.

But her impatience to get to Karen means she skips some important steps.

Unlike everyone else who had to take a break after the wi(l)d-screen baroque scene, Hikari simply runs past the sign, without the proper time for self reflection. This is because Hikari mistakenly thinks she already knows what it means to already be on stage.

For some reason, after sending the cutest picture of them as kids to Karen, Hikari says “We are already on stage,” the conclusion that everyone else comes to on the train, despite having not yet eaten the tomato.

Also, quick sidebar, but literally what the fuck is Hikari on about? What could possibly be the context for sending those two things one after the other? Why does Hikari say the things she does!? I just want to understand her but she always makes it so hard!

So, moving on now, it’s Revue Time.

Hikari, who had entered the revue following a red line that said it led to Karen, she is super lost when Mahiru is there instead, and keeps asking her where Karen is.

But Mahiru isn’t confused at all, she’s been expecting Hikari. But instead of answering any questions, she starts to perform on stage.

And it’s a grand stage, that once occurs every four years where participants compete in a variety of sports for a gold medal, all under the purview of a giant flame that was lit by a torch.

It’s basically the royalty free version of the Olympics.

And Mahiru is in complete control.

Sports have always been associated with Mahiru, recall how her last Revue with Karen had a baseball motif going on, and the Olympics is the biggest stage for sports in the world! Plus the stadium is full of cutouts of her favorite mascot, the Suzdal Cat, as opposed to the singular Mr. White cutout that greeted Hikari when she entered the stage. And that’s not even mention that Mahiru can somehow quiet down the entire stadium at will as well as bring out props from her old revues!

And while Hikari is super confused when she enters the set, Mahiru doesn’t miss a beat when she enters and immediately does her introduction, but in line with an Olympic oath, to show that she is already on this stage.

You can see this difference in preparedness in the entrances of their mascots too. While Hikari was surprised that Mr White was there, which she really shouldn’t since he will always be at her side, Mahiru was leading her Suzdal Cats like a country’s the entrance parade in the Olympics.

Anyways, Hikari is super worried about Karen since the giraffe gave her that cryptic warning, so she’s in a rush to get to her. But Mahiru insists that they perform together anyways.

Because Mahiru knows that Hikari can’t help Karen get to the next stage as she is now.

And Mahiru symbolically says that, by saying right now it's the two of them on stage, so she can’t focus on anyone else right now.

As is tradition for all of Mahiru’s revues, it starts with the opponent running for dear life while she chases them.

The two of them are not on the same page at all, with Mahiru insisting that Hikari compete with her, and Hikari asking Mahiru to stop. Possibly because Hikari wants to find Karen instead of performing with Mahiru, or possibly because Hikari genuinely needs a moment to process what’s going on since this was all sprung on her at the last minute.

But Hikari does perform with Mahiru. She and Mahiru put on outfits for the various sports they compete in. And when you listen to the song, you can hear both Mahiru and Hikari singing about competing in various sports. Hikari can do this much because Hikari has always been an amazing stage girl. The beginning of the show had her perform at a level that impressed everyone who saw her, even though she lost her motivation and her heart wasn’t in it.

But when you look at their dialogue, you can see that Mahiru is in character for all these, as she talks about how rivals competing can push each other to new heights. But the issue is that Hikari keeps breaking character, pleading with Mahiru to listen to her so that they can stop performing.

So basically this is all a long winded way to say that Hikari is not on stage. She’s refusing to act, which is why she loses her button, her pride as a stage girl. Since what’s the point of a stage girl who won’t act?

And just like the stage girls who lost their jackets when Nana beat them, Hikari stands there in utter confusion over what just happened.

The song stops, and since Hikari lost her button, the revue should be over, right? But this isn’t an audition, so the same rules don’t apply. This is between these two, so they’ll decide when it ends.

Mahiru confronts Hikari over the fact that she won’t act despite claiming to be on stage, and the stadium dims as it loses its shine, since it looks like the performance is over. But then Mahiru starts singing in the background again. Their Revue isn’t done yet. And since Mahiru has been in complete control of this set so far, it shows that the dimmed lights aren’t because the show’s over, but because Mahiru isn’t trying to make those she cares about smile anymore.

In Hikari’s revue with Nana, the background becoming blue was a triumphant moment for her. It was the moment her brilliance was reborn as she remembered her promise. But this time, the background becoming blue is ominous for her. But just like last time, this signifies that we are going to focus on Hikari and their promise for this next act.

And apparently this next act is a straight up horror movie.

Okay, before I get to the next part, I want to discuss a question: Is Mahiru acting here?

Like afterwards, she does say that all of this was an act to Hikari, but it’s left a little vague.

I mean she literally says that she always hated Hikari just after the song in the background has her singing about her how she wants Hikari to be honest. And as I mentioned earlier, when the two of them were performing, they changed into the outfit of whatever sport they were playing, but they are in their stage girl outfits here. Although that might just be because Hikari didn’t realize that Mahiru was acting at the time, so that’s why neither of them could change.

But from her perspective, I get why Mahiru could be pissed at Hikari here. After all, she just sang a song about wanting to compete with Hikari as rivals, but Hikari kept brushing her off. And this could just be frustration from all the way back in the second year where they were love rivals over Karen, but Mahiru was way more conscious of Hikari than she was of her.

And Karen is still super important to Mahiru. So when Hikari just straight up left after they performed Starlight, Karen was hurt, and no one knows why Hikari did that.

It’s easy to be frustrated with Hikari after all of that.

But I don’t think Mahiru would lie to Hikari about feeling scared over having to act scary, especially because Hikari just admitted that was scared of facing Karen. And although Mahiru says she’s not great at acting after Hikari leaves, which is what made me think there is a grain of truth to her performance in the second part of the revue the first time I watched the movie, remember that Mahiru has been constantly underselling her skills since the movie began. Despite what she thinks, she could totally pull off this performance because she definitely has the range! She just needs to recognize that in herself.

But the biggest reason I think this was all fake and Mahiru was just acting in this scene is because when Mahiru is actually angry, she doesn’t act like this. We’ve seen Mahiru angry a few times in the series so far. Like back when Kaoruko wanted to snitch on Hikari and Karen for sneaking out without a permission slip in episode 4, and Mahiru scared her off by reminding her that snitches get stitches and also Mahiru had a baton and she knew how to use it. Only at that time, Mahiru was way more expressive and theatrical when threatening her, imitating Kaoruko and monologuing about how she wished Karen paid attention to her like she did Hikari.

And this is a recurring thing for Mahiru. She cries tears of frustration when confronting Hikari in the locker room about stealing Karen from her. She loudly whines whenever Karen makes them late at the start of the series, and during their Revue, Mahiru acts overly cheery at first but nearly breaks into tears when she talks about how she missed their old relationship since she thought it was the only thing she had.

So the Mahiru in the Revue, who acts cold while forcing Hikari to face uncomfortable truths, doesn't feel like the same person to me. No, if anything, this anger feels more like Hikari’s.

In episode 3, after Karen’s revue with Maya, and in episode 5, when Mahiru accuses Hikari of stealing Karen’s glimmer from her, we see an angry Hikari. She’s cold and harsh and threatening, and completely ignores what the other person is saying.

So my theory is that Mahiru is trying to show that she means business by imitating Hikari. It’s a nice a little call back to when she imitated Kaoruko back in episode 4, but that time was to show that she knew what was going on, but this time it feels like an attempt to convey the intended emotions in a language that Hikari understands, but Mahiru doesn’t realize how scary she can be and went overboard.

But while I do think Mahiru is acting in this part of the Revue, she might still be mad at Hikari deep down. After all, no one frustrates us more than the people we love, since we expect so much more from them. But it’s left vague on purpose, because even if Mahiru hated Hikari at one point, now she chooses to ignore that to help her get to a point where she’s ready for the future, and honestly that feels a lot like love if you ask me.

That was a bit of a tangent, but I wanted to get my thoughts out on why Mahiru acts so scary before I actually looked at her actions in this scene, since hopefully it will help us understand her better. Also the fact that I changed my mind about what was going on after rewatching the movie and the show makes me want to see what others think, since other people may have their own interpretations that could make me see it in an even newer light.

So back to the Revue, Mahiru shows she means business by decapitating the Mr White cutout Hikari came in with. Now Mr White has always been by Hikari’s side, a bastion of support and comfort in her most trying times, but Mr White can’t help Hikari right now. Like Mahiru said at the start of the Revue, there’s no one on this stage but them. And right now, Hikari is alone.

So Hikari flees from the stage.

She runs away to the backstage, as you can tell by the background having spare props, dressing room lights, costumes hanging on a rack, etc.

But Mahiru calls her out for that. That she’s running away, just like she did from Karen and their promise. And she wants to know why Hikari is running.

And behind Mahiru, as well as all the places that Hikari had previously run, there are these Suzdal Cats cutouts with red heads.

So I’m not sure exactly what those things represent, but I have a couple theories. Firstly, I think that it's a constant reminder of what Mahiru did to Mr White. She decapitated him, and so their red heads remind Hikari of the danger that she’s in. Another explanation is that the circular red shape of the head could be a reference to the tomatoes, the symbolic first step to going to the next stage. Hikari still hasn’t accepted it, so they’re looming behind Mahiru, constantly reminding her. But my last theory, and what I think is most likely, is that they’re reminding Hikari of a certain other redhead she’s been running from.

And Mahiru is an extension of that. She’s chasing Hikari while repeating the promise Karen and Hikari made, and Hikari is running from her. She also asks Hikari why she really left for London, calling Hikari a liar for saying that she left in order to make sure Karen didn’t get too spoiled, since that’s also a way of running from the truth.

And in order to escape, Hikari runs to the elevator, heading up from the 99th floor to the 101th. This is a nod to how their class performed the 99th production of Starlight and the 101th production will be their last, showing the passage of time. I’m not entirely sure why these numbers were chosen considering Hikari was only in their class for one year, but I think the more interesting thing is that the elevator is going up. After all, the elevator to the auditions went down, so it shows how Hikari is still running from the stage.

But despite not being in the elevator, Mahiru still manages to confront Hikari. And Mahiru demands more from Hikari. To act more properly. To convey more emotions. To say more lines. To be more real.

Because Hikari has never given the audience much to go off of. She’s the cool and mysterious transfer student. We didn’t see her backstory until episode 8, over halfway through the series. We didn’t even know what she was up to in London before the Movie Revues!

And this approach carries over to Karen too. Hikari never sent letters and she’s a taciturn person in general, so it can be hard to tell what she thinks. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, after all I’m a private person myself too. But this is an issue when it comes to dealing with problems with Karen, since Hikari usually pushes Karen away instead of telling her more.

Hikari locked Karen in a shed without explanation to keep her from the Revues. Hikari beat Karen in the penultimate revue of the show since only she knew what winning the top star in the audition meant. Hikari solves problems on her own, without explaining her plans to Karen.

And while it was okay in the show, since Karen was the one reaching out to Hikari there, that won’t work this time, since Karen needs help. Karen needs help to know what to do in the future, and if Hikari can’t give her anything to work with, then the two of them meeting at this point is useless.

And as Hikari escapes from the elevator, where she still was still being pursued by Mahiru and the redheaded cutouts, she’s eventually comes to the elevated platform of the backstage, but it’s a dead end (It’s also shaped in a T like position zero). And now there’s nowhere left to run on this bridge, so Hikari is forced to stop running from the truth and confront the real reason she’s left Karen.

This is also the moment Mahiru corners Hikari, showing that Hikari running from Mahiru meaning Hikari can no longer run from either Mahiru or Karen anymore.

Also I want to take a second here to point out that in the song in the background, even though Mahiru is the only one singing, it isn’t a monologue. She’s directly asking Hikari questions, but Hikari isn’t answering them. And just like the song, when Mahiru confronts Hikari about how she intends to help Karen be reborn as a stage girl if Hikari isn’t even acting properly as a stage girl and can’t face Karen properly, and Hikari can’t say anything in response.

So the last thing she can see before she falls is a young Karen, holding a letter. (Also a neat thing I noticed is that Hikari’s eyes narrow in fear almost identically when she sees that Mahiru means business as well as when she sees young Karen.)

But this isn’t the Karen from when Hikari made a promise with her. She’s wearing the crown pin that Hikari gave her after they made the promise and the letter in her hands isn’t the invitation that Hikari gave to her all those years ago, since it doesn’t have the Mr. White sticker. Instead, it is one of Karen’s numerous letters that she sent to Hikari that she never responded to.

This is the Karen that Hikari ran from.

And since Hikari can’t answer Mahiru, she pushes Hikari off the stage (or drops, it’s vague like that.) And as I talked about in the deep dive essay on the Futaba-Kaoruko revue, falling in Revue Starlight signifies failure. But the thing about failure is that the most important thing is what you do next.

As Hikari falls, she has flashbacks of the first time she met Karen, the last time she saw Karen before moving, and the moment Karen gave her the star hair pin, the moment they solidified their promise. And all this is very similar to what happened to Karen in episode 1 when (dream) Hikari pushed her off Tokyo Tower, which symbolizes the stage, and it was this moment that made Karen realize that she wasn’t taking her promise with Hikari seriously enough.

So just like how Karen could be reborn after that moment, Hikari falling here is a chance for her to confront the fact that the real reason she had left was not to keep Karen from getting spoiled and stagnating as a stage girl, but because Hikari was worried that she would be the one to stagnate, because she would be too captivated by Karen to become a stage girl who could stand by her side.

And eventually, Hikari lands safely on a giant Mr. White, because Mahiru doesn’t actually want to hurt her. This is all an act, remember? And in lying down in the fetal position, Hikari is symbolically reborn as she admits that Mahiru was right and she had been running from Karen and their promise when she went back to London. She cries and admits that she was scared and she’s sorry that she avoided Karen after they fulfilled their promise by going back to London.

And this next part is kind of a stretch, but the shot of Hikari lying alone on a soft mattress-like object kind of reminds me of that scene in episode 1 where Hikari was lying in bed, clutching a picture, the same picture of them that Karen kept framed in her room. Up until then, Hikari had been rather cold to Karen, but this was the first glimpse we saw that Hikari cared about that promise just as much as Karen.

But unlike that scene from episode 1, Hikari isn’t alone anymore.

Mahiru is also there, and her voice is much kinder than before. She admits that she had been acting the whole time, and that she was and still is scared too. Specifically about whether or not she could be a good enough actor.

So Hikari asks Mahiru why she stands on stage when she’s scared, because Hikari was terrified and she ran but Mahiru could instead overcome her fear and embrace it.

And Mahiru’s answer is simple. Because she decided that she will live on stage. And this is a really big moment for Mahiru, because earlier in the series, she said she only applied to Seisho because her grandmother and the people around her thought she could become a star. And now Mahiru fully accepts that dream as her own, she’s not trying to meet anyone’s expectations other than her own now, and she’s choosing to be a stage girl.

And Hikari also decided. She made a promise to stand on stage with Karen and shine together all those years ago. And even though it’s scary, she still decided that she wanted to be a stage girl who could stand beside Karen all those years ago.

Just like that scene with the scriptwriter and director at the party, they’re both scared. They’re both facing the same challenges. But even though they feel alone, there are people around them who care for them and are willing to help them.

And Hikari and Mahiru have each other, so they can help each other overcome their fears.

So as the star in the background ascends like a sunrise, Mahiru returns the star clasp that she had knocked off of Hikari so long ago. And the whole thing resembles a medal ceremony because now that Hikari is honest with herself, she is actually on the stage now, so they can finish their performance.

Plus this also ties into the line from the pep rally that was spoken over Mahiru, since she literally helps breathe new life in Hikari by helping her be reborn as a stage girl.

Meanwhile, Mahiru sings to Hikari that she understands her fear of being left behind, because of how dazzling everyone else is, since that’s what caused Mahiru to lose heart in the beginning of the show, so she knows what Hikari’s going through. Hikari isn’t alone, and if she bears her heart more, she can perform more honestly, which is a much nicer way of conveying that message than chasing Hikari backstage with a mace that can crack concrete.

And since Hikari finally understands what Mahiru has been trying to say to her the entire time, the two of them can now sing together in harmony about how as rivals, they can share their burdens with each other.

And after restating what she said at the beginning, how she was happy that she could share the stage with Hikari, Mahiru urges Hikari to run, despite being on her case about how she ran away from Karen only minutes ago.

Mahiru knows that Hikari has another stage with Karen and encourages her to say the final lines to Karen that she couldn’t before, because she had been too scared to say them before this Revue.

But before Hikari can descend down the combination finish line/position zero, the two of them say their goodbyes, with Mahiru reaffirming that she was happy to stand on stage with Hikari. Mahiru had been saying that from the start of the revue, but it’s also a callback to when Karen had to descend into the basement to save Hikari with the help of her classmates. Each and everyone of them asked Karen to pass on the same message to Hikari, that they were waiting for her on stage. So it’s not just Mahiru who’s there for Hikari, but every one of the stage girls she fought with and grew together with during the auditions.

And Hikari, before she leaves, thanks Mahiru again. She also praises her acting skills, partially because Mahiru was super terrifying earlier, but also because Hikari has always thought highly of Mahiru. Hikari, who is notoriously stubborn, always listens to Mahiru when it comes to cleaning their room, despite being super reluctant about it. And in episode 5, Hikari herself says that Mahiru is shining, even when she had lost confidence in herself.

Hikari always saw Mahiru as a proper rival, even if Mahiru didn’t realize it.

We see this again, in Mahiru claiming she’s not that great of an actress after Hikari is gone. Mahiru still suffers from the self doubt problems she came into this revue with. Actually, Mahiru doesn’t change at all in this revue. She repeats the same thing at the beginning and end, that she’s happy to be on stage with Hikari. And her last line in the scene is the same as her introduction’s last line!

And that’s because Mahiru doesn’t need to change. She was already shining at the start of the Revue. Her arc in the show was that she lost track of what she originally came to Seisho to do. And in this movie, we see the continuation of that struggle. Times are going to continue to be rough for her, and she won’t always have the confidence to succeed, but as long as she keeps aiming for her original goal, she can be happy and brilliant as a stage girl.

And she keeps at it! Mahiru makes it into the New National Troupe despite her doubts! And she made it in with her fellow applicant Tendo Maya, literally the top star of her class!

As for Hikari, we’ll get to her ending when I cover her Revue with Karen, but just know that had she not had this Revue with Mahiru, she would not be ready to face Karen, and they wouldn’t get a happy ending.

Anyways, before I get to my final thoughts on the Revue, I wanna do my fun facts corner.

The Olympics has a passing of the torch from event to event, like how Mahiru is passing the torch onto Hikari to help Karen. She helps Hikari understand how to get to the next stage, and in turn Hikari will help Karen in her next revue!

The set of Mahiru’s previous Revue was full of cartoonish designs and had a childish air in general. But the Olympics is the greatest stage for sports in the world, and I’d like to think that this reflects not only the bigger budget of the movie, but also the bigger ambitions and maturity of Mahiru now that she doesn’t rely on others to feel dazzling.

But it’s still the same Mahiru, so she keeps the cutouts and Suzdal Cats, as well as the UFOs that are around when Mahiru drops Hikari from high up.

Also, whenever Mahiru and Hikari are performing and have a number on their uniform, it’s their student numbers, 17 and 29 respectively.

Mahiru can deadlift almost 200 kg. This is very important and I need everyone to know this fact.

Once Karen and Mahiru came to a proper understanding in the Revue of Jealousy, the two of them play baseball to decide the winner. So in a way, I think this shows Mahiru’s sincerity in attempting to perform with Hikari, since she and Karen managed to communicate like this, and Mahiru wants to use what Karen had taught her to communicate with Hikari.

Also, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate how far their relationship has come. After all, Hikari really didn’t care for Mahiru at first. She came to the Tokyo Auditions and was willing to steal the brilliance of all the other stage girls in order to keep her promise with Karen. And in episode 11, when Hikari doesn’t do that, her classmates all agree that it was probably to protect Karen, and the rest of them were saved as a byproduct of that. Another example is how despite knowing that moving in with Mahiru and Karen would be a bother to Mahiru in episode 1, she moved in anyways despite her objections in episode 2 anyways.

But Hikari does soften a lot over the series, and since they are roommates, she probably was the closest to Mahiru out of everyone other than Karen. So that’s why Hikari doesn’t just ignore Mahiru, and tries to reason with her at the start of the revue.

The redheaded Suzdal Cats might be rejected props since one of them has an upside down mouth. This is either to show that Hikari running away is a mistake or it’s to give a feeling of wrongness about what Mahiru is doing, since she’s actually acting here. I didn’t bring this up earlier though, since usually the redheaded Suzdal Cats are blank.

I always thought Hikari moved since her parents got transferred or something, but Hikari makes it sound like she’s the one who chose to London, so I’m imagining the conversation her parents had go like, “Hey, Honey? Our five year old is worried she’s gonna catch feelings for her best friend, so we’re gonna move halfway around the globe. How’s your English?”

The fact that Hikari and Karen need to find themselves and their own star apart from each other now that they completed their kind of brings to mind how Mahiru’s Revue in the show was about finding her own shine and not relying on others, which feels thematically similar, and is probably why she could help Hikari come to the same conclusion.

Mahiru says she wanted to be on the same stage as Hikari, but understands that Hikari has another revue with Karen, which is some good character development considering that she also wanted to stand on stage with Karen, and got upset when Karen wanted to stand on stage with someone else too.

Also it’s just so nice that Mahiru is just so gentle with Hikari at the end, showing just how much she cares about her and wants the best for her. And I know that Hikari and Karen have this bond of destiny and they mean so much to each other, but they both have two hands okay!?

Also they literally just taped the head of the Mr White cutout back on at the finish line. That’s just so funny.

Anyways, take a look at Hikari running to her Revue with Karen before and after this Revue. The first time, she’s in the dark, and she’s determined, but probably a little scared. But after Mahiru, Hikari is bathed in sunlight, and is smiling when she runs. She’s still determined, but she’s not nearly as impatient since she stops to say goodbye and compliment Mahiru. Anyways, this Hikari is way more ready to finally face Karen than before, and I think the difference between the two shots helps show that.

So overall, this Revue feels a little out of place. Unlike everyone else in the Movie, Mahiru doesn’t really change after this Revue, and Hikari still has another Revue with Karen, so this isn’t really a conclusion for her either. But it still makes sense in a way. After all, this the culmination of both of their times at Seisho.

Because for Mahiru, there is never going to be a proper end point for her goal, unlike Karen and Hikari’s Starlight or Claudine beating Maya. She’s going to have to always keep trying to become a warm star, even when times get tough. And so the fact that Mahiru can remain unchanged, even after a Revue, which is usually a volatile moment for a stage girl, says good things about her future.

And for Hikari, this Revue is the result of her time at Seisho. Even though before she had only come there to get her brilliance back to maintain her promise with Karen, she found friends who will support her. I said before that this was supposed to be like the Revue of Annihilation for Hikari, but in a way it’s also her Interlude of a Stage Girl. That’s the song where all the classmates helped Karen descend into the basement to find Hikari, and they told her that she wasn’t alone.

And this was important since Karen literally quotes Junna and Maya while fighting Hikari to show that Hikari doesn’t have to perform alone. And in a way, this revue tells Hikari the same thing, that she doesn’t have to perform alone. Only this time it isn’t Karen saying it, but Mahiru, because Karen isn’t the only bond Hikari had at Seisho.

It also opens up the idea of a stage without Karen for Hikari, which is essential for the two of them since their next stage won’t have each other on it.

Also I’m just really happy I finally got to see the Hikari-Mahiru revue after I got baited in the show. And yes, I’m still not over the fact that they had the ringtone chime right when Hikari and Mahiru were about to get into an argument in the locker room, only to never follow through on that until now.

But I guess it was worth it. This was everything I wanted and more from their Revue together!

#revue starlight #hikari kagura #mahiru tsuyuzaki #mahikari #revue starlight movie #shoujo kageki revue starlight #gekijouban shoujo kageki revue starlight #revstar #essay

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smokestarrules · 3 years ago

Text

My Interpretation of Pen : Chikara : Katana (SPOILERS)

So I’m gonna be honest. When I started to watch this movie, Junna was my least favorite out of the main nine. I LOVE HER, but she was the one I was least interested in. HOWEVER. I am certainly interested in her now. Holy shit.

Now, even in the very beginning of this, after she learns who she’s going to be fighting, Junna is already angry. Understandably so; after all, in Wi(l)d-Screen Baroque, Nana had callously slaughtered them all, and she’d severed Junna’s cloak without even giving her a glance. This is the person she’s been living with for the past two years (and for Nana, far longer) and she hadn't even looked her in the eyes when she defeated her, because, seemingly, she hadn’t cared.

These two are the pair that had the least amount of conflict in the anime, and this Revue plays on that previous stability; the setting is outside of Seisho, the same place Junna had cheered Nana up after her defeats against Hikari and Karen. And with Nana being the one in control initially, this is clearly a strategic move.

Pen : Chikara : Katana begins very similarly to Wi(l)d-Screen Baroque had, with many of the same tones. Nana’s barely even acknowledging Junna as a person anymore, and she’s certainly not acknowledging this Revue as anything but a continuation of her previous one. Nana attacks directly at Junna’s weakest points immediately; showing video evidence of Junna’s shortcomings and failures and shoving them in her face as if to say my victory is inevitable.

And yet...

This isn’t Nana. Nana’s color has never, ever been red, and this particular shade of it has never been anyone’s but the Giraffe’s and his deadly Stars. This is the Giraffe’s influence showing freely in her actions and thoughts, and it is him who has pitted them against each other once again. Nana and Hikari are the two who seem to be the weakest against his influence, and that’s because they are two of the most caring.

It’s safe to say that Junna begins this Revue terrified. This is the person who recently demonstrated enough skill and shine to defeat them all, so how she is supposed to win on her own? There’s that, and there’s also the rift that Nana’s torn between them in showing no mercy, and worse, no recognition.

This entire Revue, Junna is set up to fail. She begins on her knees and weaponless, Nana standing behind her one sword drawn and the other sitting in front of her. Of course, they can’t bleed in these Revues probably, but Nana’s sword is still stained red as Junna runs, because in her mind, she’s already won.

But Junna is, above all things, a fighter. Even when desperately outmatched, she is not one to quit, and so she fights back, caging Nana like a rabid animal. This is the Revue of Hunting, and now both of them have established themselves as both Hunter and Prey. Junna’s already ran, with Nana following, but now Nana is the one trapped. And with that, it’s actually Junna who’s rewarded with the first few lines of the song.

But Nana’s not done yet.

“You were beautiful. You were foolish, blazing, and beautiful.” (N) Note the past tense. Nana is perhaps the one who uplifts the rest the most out of anyone, and she knows exactly how to tear them down.

“You were dazzling, Hoshimi Junna.” (N) And when the moment comes, she doesn’t go for Junna’s cloak because she doesn't need to. She said it herself, these are not the same auditions they’ve fought in before; you make your own rules inside to determine how someone wins. Cloaks aren’t necessarily the winning thing here, and so Nana goes after something far worse; the physical sign of Junna’s own brilliance, her gemstone. This is a direct attack against Junna’s entire drive; this is Nana saying you are not good enough to succeed anymore. She doesn’t have to break Junna’s cloak, because with this blow, she’s broken Junna. She even leads her second blade in front of Junna, and I think she left it there so that Junna could cut her own cloak with Nana’s weapon, entirely hopeless.

Which....... almost works. Junna is broken, and the music returns to how it began; rumbling and tense, waiting for Nana to declare her victory. Nana even acknowledges Junna’s crying as a parallel to her own breakdown in the anime, which had happened in this very place -- the grounds of Seisho.

But then Junna realizes that she can’t keep relying on other people’s words. She takes Nana’s blade, yes, but not to cut off her cloak, no, instead, she does this.

And here the tides turn. She takes Nana’s blade and rebuilds her brilliance with it. She says “Try and see if you can kill me, Daiba Nana!” she challenges Nana in return; she refuses to lose.

Immediately, the stage is flooded with yellow, and Junna takes over the song almost effortlessly. She’s still knocked down, but she gets back up again and keeps fighting. And Nana? Nana’s unsettled. She demands her katana back, she insists that Junna’s out of her league, but Junna keeps. getting. up.

“All you do is parrot borrowed lines. Your star is just a piece of space trash.” (N) Again, doing anything she can to discredit Junna, to defeat her drive, but Junna’s done listening.

“Gotta try to kill me, right!! Don’t you!” (J) Junna is refusing to go down unless Nana makes her stay down. If Nana wants to win, she’ll effectively have to kill her.

“Her” Junna wouldn’t stand on her feet and declare you’ll have to kill me. “Her” Junna wouldn’t have kept getting up after being knocked down, time after time. This isn’t Nana’s Junna anymore; she doesn’t need to fall back on Nana anymore. She can push forward on her own now. And then everything goes blue. Nana’s not in charge anymore. Junna doesn't need the role Nana’s given her; she doesn’t need to be “Nana’s” anymore.

And in the end, Nana’s the one without her cloak.

And look, see how their colors intertwine now; Nana’s yellow (note, a much more saturated one than the sickly color from her Revues in the anime) focused on Junna and Junna’s light, dull blue on Nana. Nana’s been defeated, and she has to learn to move on. Of course.. there’s always going to be another stage for the both of them, they just have to be patient.

“Let the curtain fall. We’ll meet each other in due time.” (J) - Beaten, Nana lets Junna finish the Revue without another word. She’s deserved it. And once again, Nana cries at their parting, cementing the connection between this Revue and their old conversation when she let herself break down.

They’ll be okay.

#hhhhhh them #RS #revue starlight #shoujo kageki revue starlight #revue starlight spoilers #nana daiba #junna hoshimi #junnana #smokey speaks

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quindolyn · 4 years ago

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hi can i request the maurauders going to see the reader do a musical like heathers or mean girls and they are just confused and turned on bc they didn't expect it to be this dirty (can lead to smut or not). luv you and hope you are taking care of yourself, if not go get something to eat, drink some water, take a nap, or do somthing you enjoy. or dont not trying to be pushy :)

Creature of the Night || Poly!Marauders

Word Count: 3029 (excluding song lyrics)

A/N: I think I liked how this turned out? I didn’t make it smut but it’s certainly suggestive, I went with Rocky Horror, I know that the musicals mentioned in the request are more modern but I fucking love Rocky Horror and I think it works with the request. When I first read this request I smiled so much because I love live theater, I don’t perform as much as I used to because as I progress with my education I’m focusing more on the stuff I can use to pad my resumes for college and stuff but I still love going to see productions. One of the worst parts of the pandemic for me has been not being able to go see shows, I miss it so much.

Warnings: theatre enthusiast reader, erections, suggestive material, song lyrics, slight teasing, wearing very little clothing in front of an audience, I believe that that is it

Masterlist

500 follower celebration

antici-

The magic of the stage was second to none. Sure, Hogwarts may have had witches and wizards, subjects like Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and ghosts that spent their time meandering about the halls but there was always a part of you that looked forward to the summer between your years at Hogwarts. Because no matter how magical Hogwarts was, the theater always made you feel completely and utterly alive.

Every summer since the one after your first year at what all of your muggle friends thought to be a very prestigious boarding school up in Scotland, you’d taken part in your local youth theater’s productions. Your parents both being muggles thought that it would be a great way for you to be able to stay in touch with your muggle origins.

The first year you’d been far too nervous to actually audition for a role, the very thought causing bile to churn in your stomach and threaten to make you sick all over your kitchen floor when your father first pitched the idea. So instead you’d done costumes and it was the most wonderful experience of your life.

Who needed drugs when you had live theater? The hustle and bustle behind the scenes was electrifying but after two summers of costuming, of quick changes in the wings, learning how to use the ancient sewing machines they stored in the depths of the storage rooms, and pulling pieces for the actors to try on you decided that you wanted to try something more.

The moment you had stepped onto the stage it was like you’d come to life and you cursed yourself for not taking the risk earlier. You belonged on the stage, with the harsh stage lights on you and pounds of makeup plastered onto your face you could feel the magic thrumming through your veins and it was addicting.

If it was possible, you were even more excited to perform this summer, the previous school year you’d finally gotten together with your long time best friends the Marauders, turning them from friends to your boyfriends.

When your mother had sent word of the production being put on this summer you’d squealed while seated next to James and across from Remus, who had Sirius hanging off of his side. After explaining to them, mostly Sirius and James really, just what live theater was their first reaction was to ask if they could come see you perform.

“I don’t even know if I’m going to be cast,” You had explained gently, not wanting to get their hopes up in case you weren’t cast this year.

“Bull shit of course you’re going to be the cast,” Sirius had contested through a mouthful of jam and toast, waving his hand theatrically through the air, watching him that day was not the first time you’d considered how the way he acted often reminded you of an over enthusiastic theatre major.

Remus, the only one with any knowledge on muggle theatre had snorted, wrapping an arm around Sirius’ waist to pull him closer to his body, “She’s not going to be the cast Pads, she’s going to be casted,” He’d corrected gently, pressing a kiss into his long, dark tresses.

“Whatever,” The smaller boy had grumbled, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

Which brought you to where you were right now, five minutes to curtain touching up your make up in the mirror of the shared make-up room.

“Hey (L/N),” One of your cast mates called settling into the makeup chair next to you as she plucked a tube of dark red lipstick from the small canary colored makeup bag she had previously abandoned on the counter, “Your boyfriends coming tonight?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Yeah, they are,” You responded, applying mascara to your lashes.

“Excited to meet them, that photo you showed us,” She smiled, fanning her face with her hand, “Smoking,” She smiled, making eye contact with you in the mirror.

Rolling your eyes you ignored her comment, “It’s five minutes to curtain, you’re just now doing your make-up?” You chuckled, noticing her black face.

“Oh, shove it,” She laughed as you pushed yourself from your chair, traipsing out of the room, giving her the middle finger on your way out.

“Break a leg!” She called after you as the door latched shut.

You weren’t usually this nervous before a performance but knowing that your three boyfriends were sitting out there somewhere in the audience had you pacing back and forth backstage wondering what they were going to think of the whole production.

“Rocky Horror?” Sirius’ confusion evident in his voice as he plopped down in his seat next to Remus, throwing his arm around the werewolf’s shoulders, drumming his fingers on his clothed shoulder hidden behind his knitted cardigan.

“Yeah,” James collapsed into his chair on the other side of Remus, tucking one leg under his body, “No clue what it’s about but I’m sure our angel will be wonderful. Can you guys see her?” He straightened himself up in his seat, craning his neck in attempts to catch a glimpse of you.

Remus being the only one with any ties to the muggle world knew a bit about the show and had to do his very best to suppress a smirk from overtaking his face as he knew exactly what he and your other two boyfriends were getting themselves into.

“Just hush up you two, the show’s gonna start any moment,” He scolded, patting his large, scarred hand on James’ thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Rem,” Sirius whined, puckering his lips and closing his eyes, signaling to his boyfriend that he wanted a kiss.

“My needy baby,” He crooned, leaning in to connect his lips with Sirius’ in a quick liplock before pulling back, allowing Sirius to drop his forehead to smear against his shoulder.

“That’s mean,” Sirius murmured discontentedly.

“Poor baby Pads,” James cooed mockingly.

“Both of you,” Remus hissed as the lights in the theatre dimmed, “The show’s about to start, be good for me and be quiet yeah?”

Their response came in their silence as the crowd started settling down and the music from the orchestra pit began a voice coming from somewhere out of sight as it was played through the speakers,

“Michael Rennie was ill

The day the earth stood still

But he told us where we stand”

Not 20 minutes into the show all three of them were as hard as rocks, James had already made Remus check the playbill for the name of the character you were playing, not being able to remember what you’d told them as all of his concentration was focused on a certain place.

Janet Weiss.

Remus couldn’t remember either, but he was almost certain that’s the name he could make out in the dark theatre, printed next to a picture of your smiling face.

When you’d stripped down to your underwear the boys could barely focus on the plot line of the show, only being able to watch the way your bare skin shone under the harsh light of the spotlights. Watching as sweat glistened on your skin, making you shine as you moved about the stage.

Enchanted by the melodic cadence of your voice they all felt a certain jealousy burning deep in the pits on their stomachs at the thought that there were dozens of other people packed into that theater, all observing you in your vulnerable state of under dress. Only they got to see you like that.

Sirius missed much of the first act glaring at members of the audience who he deemed as looking at you for too long for his liking, but if you were being honest a 4th year smiling at you in the hallway was sometimes too long for his liking.

It wasn’t like any of them had never seen you naked before, in fact they’d all seen you naked more than their fair share of times but something about you on that stage in a white bra with a matching slip was driving them all crazy.

Especially Remus, whose ultimate weakness was seeing you in anything white which was one of the reasons you’d been so excited to invite them in the first place, knowing that they would be horny messes the entire time.

On stage you did your very best not to look out into the audience looking for them, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to stop a ginormous grin from forming on your face and you couldn’t afford to break character. Not if you wanted the night to go your way.

As the opening notes to “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me”, rose from the orchestra pit you had trouble stopping a small smirk from pulling at your lips as you opened them, inhaling deeply before singing the first words of the song,

“I was feeling done in, couldn't win

I'd only ever kissed before”

Despite yourself you caught a glimpse of long dark hair in the audience, quickly taking a glance at Sirius’ face, eyes glazed over in lust, legs shifting uncomfortably with his mouth hanging wide open.

Out of the corner of your eye you noticed another raven-haired boy’s mouth dropping as you shrugged off of your robe

“I thought there’s no use getting, into heavy petting

It only leads to trouble and, seat wetting

Now all I want to know, is how to go

I've tasted blood and I want more”

It was impossible to miss the way Remus’ jaw clenched as you laid your palm against Rocky’s chest, he was being played by your good friends who’d been working with the same theatre company as you since forever, he was like a brother to you. But that didn’t mean you couldn’t lay it on extra thick tonight with your boyfriends in the audience.

Tracing a dainty finger down Rocky’s chest you pushed your body against his singing out the next lyrics of the song,

“I've got an itch to scratch, I need assistance”

You turned you and your cast mate so that looking over his shoulder you were able to meet Remus’ eye, sending him a quick wink before focusing back in on Rocky.

“Toucha, toucha, toucha, touch me

I wanna be dirty

Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me

Creature of the night”

Pressing your back up against Rocky’s chest you guided his hands with yours to your breasts, squeezing them as you followed the choreography you knew by heart.

You ripped your slip from your body with the help of Rocky leaving you in only your white bra, matching panties and a pair of small heels as you paraded around stage, belting the suggestive lyrics into the theater.

“Then if anything grows, while you pose

I'll oil you up and rub you down (down, down, down)

And that’s just one small fraction, of the main attraction

You need a friendly hand, oh i need action”

You smirked, thinking about all of the action you’d be on the receiving end of later that night as you sunk to your knees in front of Rocky, your hands grasping his thighs. Deciding to tease them perhaps a little more than necessary as you went through the number, curling your leg around his and pressing your bodies together so that there was no space between your two questionably clothed bodies.

As the number was brought to a close it was impossible for you to ignore the excitement bubbling up inside of you as you continued your way through the show you kept throwing glances at your boyfriends, always finding their eyes already trained on you. More often than not, on some body part other than your face.

If your boyfriends thought that they had a bit of a problem before that song they were in a terrible predicament now.

Remus caught Sirius on multiple occasions trying to move the hand that he was holding to grope at his crotch as he tried to buck up into his boyfriend’s hand. And much to his own dismay, Remus would pull his hand away, thinking it probably wasn’t the best idea to give his boyfriend a hand job in a crowded theater. Knowing that he wouldn’t have to worry about James touching himself because he would never dream of disobeying him, Remus divided his attention between you on the stage and keeping Sirius in check.

Each of the boys were counting down the seconds until the show came to an end and they could get out of there and relieve some of their tension. As the curtains were pulled closed they all breathed a sigh of relief before they reopened, leaving all three of them bewildered and slightly annoyed, even more so when they noticed everyone around them standing as they applauded the actors.

Remus forced both of them up when you rushed to the front of the stage, curtsying as the crowd went wild, your boyfriends most notably. As you took your bow you blew a kiss to your boyfriends taking note of the uncomfortable way they all stood, trying to adjust their erections to make them less noticeable while simultaneously applauding you.

As you cleared the stage after curtain call you took your time, doddling towards the dressing rooms where you had left the clothes you’d arrived at the theater in along with a special outfit you’d brought for after the show. Usually you were one of the first actors to clear the theater after a show but tonight you took your time. Hanging up your costume with more care than anyone really should treat any garment with and certainly more than what it needed.

You smirked mischievously as you pulled the you’d brought outfit from your bag and shimmied it up your legs before slipping the delicate straps up your shoulders. You glimpsed yourself in the mirror, the red satin of the dress clinging to your curves in an attractive manner, short enough to display miles of legs and low cut enough to show off a decent amount of cleavage and perhaps a sighting of the matching red bra you were wearing beneath it.

Slinging the back of your black heels over the heel of your feet you snatched your purse from the armchair in your dressing room before striding out to go meet your boyfriends in the lobby, where you’d told them to wait for you.

Their heads all turned as they heard the clacking of your heels against the tile of the floor, “Boys,” You greeted as they unabashedly took in your new appearance.

As he most often was, Remus was the first one to collect himself, “Puppy, you were wonderful,” He praised, walking to meet you as you approached him, leaning down to smear a kiss against your cheek, “You did amazing up there, so proud of you,” He threw his arm around your waist as you walked towards Sirius and James.

“We got something for you,” He explained, his grip on your waist tightening, “Jamie give it to her, yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” The smaller boy grinned, remembering the bouquet he held cradled in his arms as he handed it over to you, “Here you go angel.”

“Thank you Jamie,” You said as you took it from him, closing your eyes as you buried your nose in the sweet smelling flora. As you opened your eyes you made eye contact with Sirius, who stood across from you, practically drooling as he took in your appearance without any shame, “They smell wonderful.”

“You okay Si?” You asked, looking up through your eyelashes, batting them innocently.

“Like you don’t know exactly what you did up there to us (Y/N/N),” Remus whispered in your ear, pressing his nose into your temple.

“You guys are the ones who wanted to come,” You lilted, rubbing one of the velvety petals between the pads of your thumb and forefinger.

“Could’ve warned us,” James mumbled, his eyes not leaving your thighs as he licked his lips, if it were anyone else you would’ve been uncomfortable but you couldn’t help but feel flattered whenever any of them ogled you.

“And what’s with the dress Pup?” Sirius nodded his head appreciatively towards your dress, obviously admiring the way it hung on your body.

“What, you don’t like it?” You asked with fake hurt in your voice, knowing that he more than liked it, he fucking loved it.

“S’not that,” Remus mumbled, nosing at your jugular, “Just that whole show, got us a little bit worked up. We didn’t expect it to be so sexual Puppy,” He nodded towards James and that’s when you noticed the erection he was still sporting.

“Got us really worked up, can we go home now?” James asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, trying to distract himself from his little problem.

“Jamie,” You whined, smiling wickedly, “I wanted to celebrate, I was thinking we could go eat somewhere, I was thinking maybe Thai food?”

You watched as Sirius ground his teeth, conflicted between needing to get home and not wanting to deny you from what you wanted.

“Having fun teasing us Bunny?” Remus asked you with a sly smirk, knowing exactly what you were doing.

“M’not teasing,” You insisted, turning indignantly to your other boyfriend.

“Sure you aren’t,” He chuckled, “Thai sounds great (Y/N), wanna talk with you about the show,” The idea of teasing Sirius and James even longer was very appealing to Remus and he was ready to make the sacrifice of being teased himself, knowing that he’d be able to get back at you later that night.

“But-” James began.

“You wanna argue with me Jamie?” Remus challenged, raising a singular eyebrow.

“No,” He moped, “Of course not.”

“Good,” Remus said, nodding his head approvingly, “We wouldn’t wanna deny our Princess would we?”

James shook his head, eyes pleading, desperately seeking Remus’ approval.

“Pads?” Remus challenged, turning his attention to the other raven haired man.

“What? Oh um, of course not,” He agreed distractedly, dragging his eyes from your form to meet Remus’, his reluctance evident in his voice.

“Good,” Remus said pointedly, his eyes cold, daring Sirius to question him. When he didn’t the werewolf continued, “Let’s get going then, there’s a nice little restaurant a couple blocks away yeah?”

As you all hummed your consent you made your way to the exit, “Ten galleons if you can make James cum in his pants at dinner,” Remus whispered in your ear quietly enough so that James and Sirius trailing behind you wouldn’t be able to hear you, you could hear the smirk in his voice as you exited the theatre.

“Deal.” This was going to be fun, you considered that you might have to invite them to come see the show again.

-pation

tagging: @randomoutsiders @weasleyposts @kittykylax @amourtentiaa @superbturtlemakerathlete

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strawberryshortcakegirl · 2 years ago

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Rewatching Episode 1.01 of HSMTMTS

Me and @organic-guacamole are gonna be rewatching HSMTMTS. I'm a big fan of this series so it's gonna be fun rewatching this series knowing what happens in the future.

me recognizing that big red did NOT grow that mustache he was anticipating for :(

"nothing about bad news or needing to have a big talk" oh don't worry ricky you'll have that big talk when yall break up in season 2 :D

ricky being able to deal with a "hey" text is unbelievable. whenever i get a "hey" text i start questioning my worth and what i did wrong to not deserve a "hi!" or something like that-

Nini's hair is so different. it's a lot shorter, it's a light brown color too

"And that's why we work" proceeds to break up with her 3 minutes later... this is why we ship ricky x therapy forever instead of rini

Nini's room is literally my dream room. it's so pretty- the room lights, the pink curtains, the hanging chair.... i'm jealous

olivia's riff on "guess i'm saying i don't not looooove you" is seriously beautiful

principal guiterriez or however you spell it, why would you tell the whole school that miss jenn's announcement wouldn't cost too much money...?

Oh back when Nini's biggest dream was getting the lead... oh how times change

mr. mazzara being able to pay for ad-free spotify but not me makes me question my life

i love how mr. mazzara says "we don't call colleagues sweetie" but i'm sure s2 mr. mazzara would LOVE that 😏

EJ actually isn't being completely stupid about going to auditions in costume. It actually does make a difference. It can represent confidence and help the director picture you playing that character. For those who are about to do an audition: maybe don't go FULLY in costume but wear something similar to what the character would wear.

"is he (ej) the best, or is he the best?" every hsmtmts fan

NINI'S GRANDMA IS QUEEN

"and you don't have the hair for it!" big red predicting type casting

POP OFF SOFIA WYLIE

i'm just saying they should give gina a character that dances, not gabriella who barely does (like even taylor dancing during stick to the status quo was lowkey out of character)

EJ'S "YES!!" REACTION WHEN MISS JENN GIVES HIM THE TROY SCRIPT WHY ISN'T THIS A GIF

also hate on ej and nini all you want, but we have to talk about how ej gave her courage to say "no, i want to audition for gabriella"

i am kinda mad that miss jenn gets info about the students through carlos. already shows bias.

ej should've gotten troy and i will forever stand by that.

nini using a british accent when she's nervous was never brought up ever again in the series. i wish they did, it was cute

"troy would've arrived on time" i've converted many friends to hsmtmts fans and every time they watch that scene they recognize that carlos is 100% wrong

ej seeing ricky do the phone flashlight thing and doing the same is much more cringey than i remembered

awww big red being a supportive best friend to see ricky's audition (even though he advised against it)

ricky attempting to act is the most relatable thing about this show

in ricky's defense, the greatest showman can be pretty unrealistic

OKAY theatre directors learn from miss jenn and post the cast list immediately (looking at my theatre director who waits three weeks)

I will forever laugh at HSMTMTS cursing once the whole series 🤡

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts s1 #hsmtmts reaction #ricky bowen #gina porter #nini salazar roberts #ej caswell #hsmtmts season 1

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havethetimeofyourstyles · 4 years ago

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Chapter One.

a/n: welcome to the first chapter of wtsgd! i’m so excited for you all to read this story and for what’s to come. please please please support content creators bc we’re doing this for free and it takes up a lot of energy to put out stories. so reblog, leave feedback, and send a message to motivate and support them. happy reading everyone <3

SERIES MASTERLIST | word count: 6.4k

come talk to me about wtsgd! i’d love to know your thoughts!

March 4, 2017

The trunk was filled with heavy boxes that were labeled with thick black sharpie, which didn’t seem to leave Luciana’s senses; and one too many suitcases filled with her many articles of clothing that she couldn’t get rid of—no matter how hard she tried—since she was too much of a hoarder and every piece of clothing seemed to have a lost memory in them that she tried very hard to think of, which only meant that it was worth keeping.

A droplet of sweat leaked down the side of her face due to her nonstop packing and heavy-lifting from her childhood room upstairs to her dad’s car in the driveway. It didn’t help that the sun was beaming down at her with every move like she was on center stage, in front of the spotlight, but it made much more sense for the sun to do that because that’s where she belonged: on stage.

Moving to Brooklyn, New York from Cambridge, Massachusetts during, what felt like, the coldest but the sunniest day of March wasn’t the smartest move—to be fair, Luciana was never one to make a smart move, anyways—but it was one that needed to be done. Plus, all the lifting seemed to have warmed her up.

Her destination, or now, home, in New York was one that she’d been anticipating for a while now. She had auditioned for the role as Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway in November, and she’d gotten a callback in January for the role as the second Kim, meaning she would be on rotation to perform every week or two weeks, so the main Kim could rest. But she would still have to go to rehearsals and be on the side of the stage watching the show just in case she needed to jump in at the last minute.

It wasn’t her ideal way of playing the main lead, but nonetheless, she was grateful for the opportunity, and she would take any chance that was thrown at her to not only take another step towards her dream, but also another learning opportunity to make her a better actress.

Little Luci would’ve been so proud of the present Luci because it’d been her dream ever since she was younger, to be on stage and eventually, be on the big screen. Although she was far from completing her dream of being a face in Hollywood, this was a step that would take her to where she wanted to be in the future, and for that, she was proud of herself.

As a child, Luci had been in various commercials; from being the kid that played with slime and had no lines but to just put on a big smile while the sticky substance ran through her small hands, to being the daughter in a car commercial with one line that said “Are we there yet?” with a groan and a face of exhaustion as if she were the one driving the car. She hoped that these commercials would have someone recognize her talent, to cast her as a Disney star, but that would require moving to California, which her parents were wary of.

The commercials stopped when she reached middle school. Her early adolescent years consisted of an abundance of attitude and mood swings; Luci was a very tough and determined kid. Her love for acting had grown into a big balloon that was let go and on its way into the galaxy where no one could reach it—where no one could mess with her achieving her dream.

She would always stand in front of her white wooden framed mirror—with delicately painted colorful flowers around the border—reciting lines that she heard from a television series or the films that she watched, and she would write them down in her blue notebook. Sometimes, her parents would let her search the script up if it was available online. But oftentimes, she would test and challenge her memorization, and listen to it by ear; testing her mind, and eventually, her memorization skills were immaculate by the age of eleven.

It was perfect timing because by the time she was in middle school, she was able to snatch the roles she wanted when her school’s drama department held school plays. Her family thought that she would start to hate being on stage since school plays always ran until late evening, but being part of the productions had only enhanced her love for her talent, and it only prepared her for a quarter of what her future may look like.

All in all, from a very young age, she always knew that she wanted to become an actress. The spotlight or the center of the camera was where she always craved to be.

And she was finally making that dream come true.

A black Toyota Camry pulled into the space behind the car that was filled with her belongings. Ren and Beatrice, Luci’s lovely parents, both get out of the car with a pink box of donuts—a snack for the road and for when she gets to her new apartment.

“Ready, Lucky?” Beatrice asked, rubbing her daughter’s back. She was quite bummed to see Luci leave her childhood home, but she’s proud to see Lucky Luci chase her dreams. She was, after all, twenty-five and was bound to move out at some point, but to see it actually happen made Beatrice quite emotional.

“Ma, please, don’t cry…” Luci frowned as Beatrice pressed her fingertips to the corners of her eyes. She wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulder, comforting her. “You’re all coming to New York in a month, right? To watch me on stage?” Luci asked, reassuring herself that she would see her family in a different state to rescue her from her loneliness.

Luci was an independent woman. She could do tasks by herself, go places alone, and she wouldn’t have a problem with it; she enjoyed the company of herself. But to know that at some point she might be alone—that everyone had left her behind or forgotten about her—was what scared her. She needed to know that the people who loved her unconditionally wouldn’t forget about her.

“Of course we’re going!” Ren exclaimed with a smile that Luci was going to miss seeing everyday. “We can’t miss our baby on the Broadway stage. If we could, we’d go to every damn show that you’re in, but that would be a lot of gas, no?”

She chuckled, nodding her head. She felt tears pricking her eyes at how supportive her parents were—they’ve always been. If she could, she would take them with her to New York, but her one bedroom apartment and their work said otherwise.

“Now, Lucky, don’t cry.” It was Beatrice’s turn to comfort her daughter. Like any parent, when they see their child cry, it breaks their heart and they cry too. “We’re gonna see you real soon. You can always come back anytime you want. We’re just a phone call away and we’ll pick you up,” Beatrice said between sniffles. The mother and daughter were embracing so tenderly and comfortingly—enjoying every last moment together until they got to see each other again.

“Jeez, you’re both the same—always crying!” Ren interrupted, making the two women laugh; and he was glad they found what he said amusing because he couldn’t handle the sad moment. “C’mon here, my Lulu.” Luci settled into her father’s arms, hugging him tightly. She’s always been her dad’s girl, despite having a close relationship with her mother, her relationship with her father was something that felt like home; he always knew what to say and when to say it. It helped that she was the female version of him. “You’re gonna be the best star out there, I’m sure of it. Now, I want you to have fun, alright? The fame, the fortune, the big city…it doesn’t amount to anything if you’re not having the time of your life” He comfortingly rubbed Luci’s back, holding her in a warm and tight squeeze.

Luci smiled at her father’s words. She was always a bit hard on herself when she would mess up or forget a line or a movement that correlates to a specific line in her script. When she was younger, she would beat herself up for a sliver of a moment; she would cry into her pillow—sobs loud enough that they were heard from downstairs. Luci would think that she wouldn’t become a well-known actress just because of the minor forgetfulness her mind had presented. But Ren would gently tap on her ocean blue door, letting himself in because he knew his daughter didn’t have the energy to get up and let him in, and he would sit beside her, gently urging her to sit up with him. Once she complied, after many groans of refusals, she would be glad she did because her father looked deeply into her eyes—and it was like looking into the reflection of clear and clean water—and told her she was a star. It was only three words, but those three words reminded her to never give up and get up when she would hit the pavement of what she felt like were her fallen hopes and dreams.

Ren would then end it with a statement of advice that had always lingered in her mind, resonating to the silent and harshful words that she tells herself. ‘Nothing will amount to anything if you’re not having the time of your life.’

A rush of gratitude settled upon her as her eyes became glossier by the seconds she was in Ren’s arms. Beatrice looked at her greatest treasures fondly, a smile appeared on her face only for it to be replaced by a look of confusion.

“Where is that damn brother of yours? He said he was going to be here at ten!” Beatrice interrupted the sweet moment she was having with her father, making them disconnect from the hug—just as Ren did with Luci and Beatrice.

Speaking of the devil, her dear brother was making his way towards home on the side of the street, wearing a grey sweatshirt that was stained with his sweat as his earphones were nestled in his ears, loudly playing music. He loudly sang along to some rap song, breath staggered as he rapped along with his hands.

Nathan smiled once he stepped foot onto the driveway as he took out his earphones, seeing his family look at him vigilantly. Luci laughed, shaking her head.

“Hey, there’s our superstar, little Ana!” Nathan opened his arms, ready to hug you but she quickly stopped him, curving her spine backwards to deny his hug. Ana had been one of the many nicknames her family had called her when she was growing up from the second half of her name, but Ana seemed to have stuck with Nathan as no one else really called her that, so it was his own personal nickname for her.

“Ew, please, do not hug me.” Her face wrinkled in disgust from the spell of her brother’s sweat from his run. Nathan chuckled, playfully rolling his eyes before turning towards his parents.

“Ooh, donuts-”

Beatrice slapped the back of his hand before he even got a chance to open the pink donut box. “Not until you shower and change. Lulu needs to be in Brooklyn by three!”

“Ow, mother!” Nathan whipped his hand away from Beatrice’s burning slap, although he was just playing around and being dramatic. “But fine, alright. The star always gets what she wants, am I right?” He dropped his head towards Luci, sighing before he hurried inside the house to take a quick shower and change.

Luci giggled, telling her parents that she would be right back to go up to her room to check if she’d gotten everything, even though she knew that she had everything, she just needed to reminisce alone for a moment.

Her feet took her up the wooden stairs, where she, for some unknown reason, always spent her time sitting on as she leaned her back against the wall and read or drew. Nathan always found it weird of her when they were doing homework when they were younger, but it was just one of the many fun anecdotes he could tell reporters if he’s asked about their childhood.

Pushing open her ocean blue door that she never changed because she loved the color, she was met with the emptiness of what was once her sanctuary. Despite the paint on the wall changing, the replacement of furniture, and rearrangement of her childhood room, Luci could still see the baby pink walls where she hung up various posters of her celebrity crushes when she was eight. She could still see herself walking over to her Cinderella white wooden dresser as she pulled out an inflatable microphone from her drawer before she walked over to her bed to sing her heart out with her cousin. In the corner of her room was her mirror that she painted colorful flowers along the border when she was younger, and she definitely did not want to change or get rid of it; it wasn’t difficult to stir up a memory when she was in front of that mirror because up until now, she was always reciting her lines to her own reflection until the late night.

All of these memories that Luci held within her heart would help her ground herself—remind her where she came from. No matter where her career took her, she would always be the girl that was firstly known in her room, crying, laughing, and acting within the four baby pink walls until she was sixteen, and then it changed to an ecru white. The feeling of nostalgia clutched her chest, and for the second time today—not even noon, yet—she found herself crying.

She silently sobbed in her sanctuary. Her chest felt tight, like her heart was grasping onto the memories, begging her to not leave, to not move on. But moving on would mean being stuck, and she didn’t want to feel stuck—she just never wanted to be in one place where the walls would slowly feel like they were closing in on her. She didn’t want to be in one place and eventually hated it, so for that, she had to move on.

A soft knock was heard from the outside of her bedroom, making Luci turn around hastily. She found Beatrice standing in the doorway, warmly smiling at her daughter, and keeping the tears at bay because she needed the comfort of her mother more than her mother’s tears.

“My Lucky Star…” Beatrice walked into the room, welcoming Luci into her arms. “You okay?”

Luci deeply inhaled and exhaled as she calmed herself down from her cries. “I’m alright. It’s just hard saying goodbye to this place—to my room.”’

“Oh, Lulu. You don’t need to say goodbye. I know you’ll be coming back here soon, anyways. I know you love home too much to completely stay away.” Beatrice was subtly trying to remind Luci about her love for her hometown, for her home, but her words also were trying to remind her about that certain love for her home and to never forget that love so she doesn’t stray away because Beatrice was simply afraid Luci would never want to come back once she discovered the luxury of her career. And even though she knew her Lulu wasn’t one to forget about her family, Beatrice would never admit her fear.

Luci sniffled, wiping her tears away as she pulled away from her mother’s embrace. “Yeah, I know. Just…doesn’t feel real that I’m leaving.”

“Sure, you’re leaving, but you’re going off to do bigger and better things. You were never one to stay in one place, physically and mentally—you were always moving, always loved learning more. And I’ve always been so intrigued and interested in how your mind works.”

“Ma…” The waterworks seemed to be the highlight of the move.

“I’m serious! I’m so genuinely proud of you. You’ve been keeping your talent—and I don’t mean ‘high school plays’ talent. I mean your Broadway, Hollywood, Academy winning talent. Now, you get to showcase your light in front of thousands of people.” Beatrice always had a way of boosting Luci’s self-esteem, making her ego a tad bit more bigger than it already was. She didn’t mind if her self-esteem had skyrocketed into the galaxy of her dreams, but she always reminded Luci that being humble and kind always outweighed being obnoxious and arrogant. “Now, enough with these tears. You’ve got a road trip to New York. C’mon, now.”

They made their way downstairs and out the door where Ren and Nathan were talking about the latest basketball game of the Celtics. The trunk was closed, and the only thing waiting was Luci herself.

“There she is! Ready?”

Luci took a deep breath, turning her head to look back at the pastel yellow house that had kept her safe for the past twenty-five years. From here, she knew everything was going to change. Whether it’d be for the good or if things would go downhill from here? She didn’t know; all she knew was that she was going to be doing what she loved and she was going to have the time of her life doing it.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

The state of Connecticut seemed to pass by quickly from the car as Nathan drove at a decent seventy miles per hour; the state vanished just as quickly as when they entered.

Luci mindlessly looked out the window, thinking about everything and nothing at once as she drowned out the music playing through the speakers of the car and Nathan’s voice singing along.

The cars passing by, the bystanders, and the locals filled the streets and highways, making her wonder what all of these people’s stories were—wondering if they lived in this city or if they were just stopping by to visit, or if they’re just going through the state to get to the one next door just as she was. Maybe she’s had an encounter or simply passed by them on the street in a world that seemed too large but small at the same time. She always pondered on whether everyone else thought the way she thought—if they wondered what her story was or the people around them.

The world is an interesting place and there were so many intriguing people out there, making her more excited by the minute as she takes on this new adventure in her life that would be completely life changing. Luci’s going to be meeting so many new people that, she would hope, have an impact on her personal life or career.

“Nervous?” Nathan broke the comfortable silence between them.

Luci raised her brows and curled her lips into her mouth. “A bit.”

He nodded, thinking for a moment. Nathan was always one to think before he spoke, and it was a quality that some people needed to learn how to do. He quickly learned that lesson when he was in high school; one of his friends, Johnny, and him were going back and forth joking around with one another. And for some odd reason, teenage boys liked to joke around about fucking everything, so Nathan had said “Yeah, I fucked your mom, what about it?” without thinking. Johnny stayed silent, the rest of their friends were waiting for his comeback, but they only received tears that glossed over his eyes before he ran off to a different part of campus, away from the lunch tables. Nathan found him behind the orchestra building with his face pressed on his kneecaps, crying. Later, he found out that Johnny’s mother had passed away before their sophomore year started and he hadn’t told anyone, which left Nathan quite speechless, but it was a lesson that he learned: to think before anything comes out of his mouth.

“I know you’ll do great. You were born to do this, born to be on stage. Everything you do is to greater your experience and opportunities. All the mistakes you’re gonna make, which we both know you’re gonna make, they’re gonna be learning lessons for you to continue doing what you’re good at doing; the mistakes are there so you can better yourself,” he reassured, occasionally glancing at you briefly before averting his eyes back onto the highway.

Luci smiled, never taking her eyes off her older brother. She leaned closer to the middle console, where his right arm was resting on the padded console. Hugging his arm tightly and resting her cheek on his shoulder, she accepted and appreciated his advice, his words. They made her heart fill up with so much gratitude and love, insanely grateful and happy that she had such an amazing and supportive family who always knew the right things to say when they could sense her nerves and anxieties powering through the roof.

“You’re gonna kill it out there. This is just a step towards where you wanna go, where you actually wanna be.”

She nodded, looking to her right as they quickly passed the ‘Welcome to New York’ sign from the state line of Connecticut and New York, and it was the sign indicating her new home.

Nathan pulled into the apartment’s parking garage, entering in with the code that the complex gave Luci on the silver keypad as the two watched the automatic gate arm swing up to the side, and Nathan entered the parking structure, parking in one of the many spaces available.

Luci excitedly got out of the car, rushing to the trunk where Nathan had opened it from inside the car. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to bring the hand dolly to help carry the boxes, which meant that the siblings were going to have to carry the many boxes she packed by her own hand and strength. But luckily, some of them weren’t that heavy; most of the items in the brown boxes were kitchenware and she figured she could just drag those.

One by one, they took one box each and headed for the elevator, where it took them to her apartment floor—floor four. Luci grabbed the keys from her purse that contained two copper keys hanging on one single silver loop and a small keyless sensor, and she unlocked her navy blue door, revealing her new apartment.

When she entered, she was met with a door across the entrance that she would use for her coats and shoes, things that she would need when she’s rushing out the door. Going through the small hallway in from the entrance, it led her to another small hallway to her left where her bedroom and guest bathroom was; and to her right, it would take her to the kitchen and living space. With four big windows with black window frames, the natural light really came in, making her place brighter for saving electricity.

Walking in and putting the boxes against the black cabinets in the kitchen, she immediately fell in love with the space, her space. Despite already taking a tour of the apartment a few months prior to her official move in day, it felt different being there for the second time because she now knew that this place was hers. She saw it in a different light, and she was already anticipating the memories she was going to make in her new home. The place was empty; and with every step and every noise from her mouth, the room would echo, and she loved it. There was something satisfying about the echo in an empty space that was hers, like she wanted to furnish the hell out of it, but at the same time, she didn’t mind the echo.

“This is your new home.” Nathan put an arm around Luci’s shoulder. He got a bit emotional seeing his baby sister grow up and move away from home, but he was excited for all of the experiences and memories she was going to make. Luci looked up at him, not saying anything but smiling as she was speechless. Nathan could practically feel the excitement run through her and all he did was chuckle at her speechlessness. “C’mon, let’s go get the rest of the boxes.”

For the next fifteen minutes, Luci and Nathan hauled the boxes from the car, to the elevator, and down the hallway to her apartment. There were about four more boxes left in the trunk, and they would’ve been finished by now if they hadn’t been taking breaks.

Nathan’s phone rang as he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the cabinets of the kitchen across from Luci who was sitting in the corner where her dining table would be.

“Hello?” Answered Nathan. “What? Tonight? I’m in New York. I’m helping my little sister move here. Uh, okay. Sure. Bye.” He groaned, standing up.

“Who was that?” Luci asked, nosy as she was.

“That was one of the board members at Mass General Hospital.” Luci’s eyes widened. “They just asked me if I could come in tonight to teach and supervise the new residents.” Nathan was a general doctor working in the Emergency Room as Mass General back in Boston. He’s always wanted to teach with all the knowledge he’s stored in his brain—always wanting someone to learn a thing or two when they spoke to him, and this was his chance.

“Holy shit, that’s amazing, Nate!” Luci stood up, excited for him.

He started to breathe a bit heavily and Luci immediately took notice; she could practically feel the nerves coming out of him, the same nerves she felt while going in for an audition. “Yeah, I actually have to leave, like, right now.”

“Hey, hey.” She quickly stopped him from running out of the building and out of his mind. “Come here—breathe with me for a second.” She held onto his wrists gently.

“Luci, I have to-”

He pulled away, but she tugged him back. “You’re going to drive yourself through the highway, and who knows what will happen, you might get pulled over and you won’t make it to the hospital. So, just take sixty seconds to breathe with me.”

For the remainder of the time that they had together, they took some deep breaths. She spoke encouraging and uplifting words to him to calm down his nerves and anxieties that he seemed to drive himself over a cliff for, and it seemed to work as Nathan’s shoulder’s weren’t so tense and the grip on her hands had loosened.

The two of them walked down to the parking garage where Nathan took down the last four boxes and placed them by the entrance of the complex. He was adamant on helping her get the last few boxes up to her apartment, but she shrugged it off, telling him that she was able to carry them and that he needed to leave because he’s most likely going to hit traffic during rush hour.

“Call me if you need anything, okay? I mean it. I will drive here in a heartbeat.”

“I will, I will-”

“Just not tonight,” he joked. “This is the highlight of my career.” His smile was so bright that it was like he was a little kid on Christmas again who just received a Hot Speed set from Santa.

Luci laughed, hugging him goodbye. “And call me if you need anything too. I’ll miss seeing you everyday,” she admitted, a slight frown on her face. She thought she’d have the entire day with Nathan, but it was cut short due to his work but she wasn’t mad about that at all because she knew there'd be plenty of times when he would drive down to walk along the New York streets and see her perform.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Ana. But I love you and I’ll see you next month!” He hurried into his car, and Luci watched him as he pulled out of the driveway, waving at the rear view mirror to say one last ‘see you later’ to his little sister.

Walking back to the curb where all of the boxes were set, Luci picked one up to test how heavy it was and she barely made it upright without almost hurting her back, so she put the box down to take a proper breather. She decided to drag the box closer to the door of the complex—which saved her a few steps without completely dropping the box that was labeled ‘glass plates’—and pulled the handle of the door, only to find it completely locked. There was a slight panic that flew through her until she realized that she needed her keyless tag that she had to press against the pad on the wall to get inside the complex, so she blew out a sigh of relief before reaching down to her pocket for her key, and with just her luck, her keys weren’t in her pocket or with her at all. Then she started to panic again.

Luci quickly walked out of the parking garage and to the front of the building where the leasing office was to find them closed, which was odd because it was Saturday, but apparently their servers were down so they just decided to take the entire day off. She rolled her eyes annoyingly, walking back to the garage in a fast manner because she didn’t want anyone to take her boxes, and so she figured that she could just wait until someone left the complex or arrived. She even left her phone at her place, so it wasn’t like she could call anyone to help her, but some sort of entertainment would help the time go by quicker.

Sitting on the curb in the garage, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, and humming the melody from the Miss Saigon soundtrack, an hour goes by until she sees someone walk past the automatic gate barrier, heading towards the entrance where he opened the door with his tag. Luci sprinted towards the door, calling out for help.

“Wait, wait!” The man turned around confusingly, taking his AirPod out of one ear. She caught up, taking deep breaths as she waved at the man. “Sorry, I’ve been out here for an hour and I completely forgot my key.” He didn’t say anything but stared at her, wondering why he’s never seen this woman before. The apartment complex really only had four floors, and he’s sure that he’s seen everyone who’s lived here. She noticed that he looked down at the boxes and back at her. “Oh, I just moved in.” He nodded more understandingly. “Do you mind holding the door for me?”

“Sure.” Was the first thing he told her before stepping aside to hold the door. She took another deep breath, getting into the correct form so she doesn’t throw her back out, and began to lift the heavy box. He noticed her struggling, and he felt foolish for not offering his help in the first place when he noticed the four boxes on the cement. “Here, sorry, let me help with that. Get the door, yeah?” Luci’s heart flipped once she heard his deep, accented voice before she gratefully thanked him and he grabbed the box from her, replacing her hands with his and the slightest brush of their fingers made her flustered; he held the box tightly to his chest without much struggle.

“Yeah, let me just get this one.” Luci grabbed a much lighter box that had all of her shoes, and held the door for him with her foot as he made his way inside of the building and to the elevator. He pressed the button with the arrow pointing up, and luckily, they didn’t have to wait for more than five seconds before the bell at the top chimed and the stainless steel doors opened.

With the heavy box in his hands, he still let Luci walk in first, which made her smile and he followed in as she pressed with the bold ‘4’ printed on it. He held the box in between his chest and the other end of the bar on the wall as they waited in silence as the elevator lifted them up to her apartment floor, and she brushed past him when he lifted his arm, gesturing her to go first.

Her front door was closed but it was unlocked, which only made sense, so she opened her door, putting the box next to the entrance and politely asking the man to put it next to the one you put down.

“Thank you so much, really. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help.”

“It’s no problem. I was the same when I moved here too—forgot my keys and was locked out.” He related to make her feel lighter about the situation since it was an honest mishap.

“Did you go to the leasing office?” She asked curiously.

“Yeah, but they were closed.”

“They’re closed today too! It’s like they do that on purpose whenever someone new moves in.” The man chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

She hadn’t gotten a proper look at him since she was too distracted by trying to get into her building, but just by one real look at him, he was very attractive—probably too attractive to where she couldn’t think straight. He was wearing a pastel yellow and white striped button down that was a bit flowy and open, showing his white tank underneath that was tucked into his black skinny jeans. His tank top was low enough, exposing a patch of chest hair and his necklace that rested against his skin, in between his swallow tattoos just below his collarbones. Rings hugged his long fingers on both hands as he held two brown paper bags from Trader Joes. He was handsome, that’s for sure, and she felt like she was going to compare his beauty to all the other men that she was going to encounter in the future.

“They’re not very good at going into work, but if you give them a call then it’s like they’re a 24/7 help center.”

Luci nodded, chuckling. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll help you with the last boxes.” Before she was about to protest and tell him that he didn’t have to help her anymore because she was sure the last ones were light, he made his way towards the elevator and she quickly followed.

To her surprise, one of the boxes was heavier than the other and she was glad that the man was able to carry it for her. They took the boxes up to her apartment, stacking it on top of the ones that were set down before she thanked him gratefully again.

“I really appreciate all your help.” She smiled, leaning against the doorframe.

“Not that I’m doubting your strength or anything, but how were you supposed to get those boxes up to your apartment?” He asked softly, not wanting to offend her by his words.

“Oh, my brother was supposed to help me, but he had to go back home for an emergency at work.” The man nodded, seeming that was the most acceptable answer, not like he was searching if she was lying. “But thank you for your help. You’re a true lifesaver,” she said with a soft smile on her face. Her tone was a bit flirty than she wanted it to be, but it naturally came out.

“It’s not a problem. I’ll see you around.” Luci hadn’t closed her door yet, but she found out that he was literally her neighbor on the opposite side of the wall. He didn’t even have to take two steps to get to his place—all he had to do was turn around and he was home. She smiled at the thought of that, glad that her neighbor was already so kind to her.

As he was fumbling with his keys, he eventually got his door unlocked, and Luci was itching to ask what his name was—maybe make her first friend during her first day living in the big city. The man felt his neighbor's eyes on him, burning through the back of his head, so he turned around at the same time she spoke.

“Uh, hey,” Luci called out. He was looking over his shoulder, pursing his lips as he raised his brows. “I was wondering if…you’d like to have dinner with me tonight? Y’know, to thank you for all your help and practically saving me while I was stranded.” She chuckled, playing with the tips of her fingers as she looked at him with hope.

He thought the invitation was nice, but…“It’s okay, really. I, uh, have plans already tonight,” he admitted honestly because he doesn’t make a habit of being dishonest.

Luci had some thick skin—she grew it throughout the years, and she had always been pretty confident. So many people would think that she could handle rejection well because she’s auditioned for many roles in her lifetime, and had been rejected for most of those roles. But the rejection that her neighbor handed to her so respectfully and politely was one that hit her the most, and she didn't know why.

Curling her lips into her mouth as she felt the pang of her heart sinking into her chest, she nodded and placed a small smile onto her face.

“Have fun tonight, then. I’ll see you around.” She grinned, hiding the slight bit of pain that she felt. He nodded, walking inside his apartment as she was in her doorway as well. “Oh, I’m Luci, by the way.” She introduced herself, feeling like she should have done that ten minutes ago, but it had slipped her mind.

The corner of the man’s mouth turned up into a sly smirk, and she nearly felt herself fall as she gripped the door handle tightly. It was enough to make the pain in her chest disappear, and all thoughts of the rejection that she would think about for the rest of the night vanished.

“Nice to meet you, Luci. I’m Harry.”

With that, Harry closed his door, putting a barrier between him and Luci, who was still standing in her doorway. She let out the longest sigh of her life, feeling like she’d been constricting herself from breathing properly for the last ten minutes.

Luci closed her door and leaned against it, looking down at the boxes that were resting by her feet. She softly smiled, her cheeks were starting to get warm, and she was fully aware that Harry was the cause of it.

come talk to me about your thoughts and feelings! hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, thank you for reading <3

ty to @sunflowers-styles for beta reading!

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles angst #harry styles series #harry styles x oc #harry styles fic #harry styles ff #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles au #boyfriend!harry #harry styles writing #harry styles solo #actress!oc

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secretsbehindthenine · 3 years ago

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I have more thoughts™ for the idol!AU

So you know how in Unstank My Hart, the only reason Randy and Howard let Levander join 30STM was because he had access to some high quality equipment? And then, later on in the episode, we learn that Levander was able to become a world-renowned rock star in a matter of 3 months after the Sorcerer gave him the talent he lacked?

Well, what Levander's family owns a super successful record label/music company? And that's why he has access to musical equipment and how he was able to become such a huge celebrity in such a short span of time?

Levander hates it when people befriend/talk to him only because of his wealth and/or his family running Blazing Heart Records. He wants people to see him for his own talents and traits separate from his connections to the company.

I feel like the only real friend Levander has would be Rachel. She's such a genuine sweetheart; the kind of person that wouldn't care about his family's reputation or how much cash he has. Rachel would like Levander for who he is, share his passion for music, and be the one (besides his mom) to support his dreams of becoming a rock star.

In the context of my idol!AU, the same thing in Unstank My Hart happened here. Sorta.

As mentioned in the fic, Randy and Howard signed 30STM up to perform at the talent show so they could become popular. Levander also signed up for the talent show. But, for him, he's doing it to prove to his dad that he can make it as a rock star. His dad knows he doesn't have much talent in playing guitar, so Mr. Hart tries discouraging his son from being an actual performer and steer him towards something he's actually good at. Which, in my headcanon, is songwriting and singing. But Levander's like "fuck you dad, I'm gonna be a rock star >:(" and is determined to show off his nonexistent guitar skills.

Randy and Howard see that Levander has some awesome equipment and, as in canon, they convince Levander join their band so that they could use his equipment for their performance. But, also like in canon, they kick Levander out when they see (or, more accurately, hear) that the dude can't play guitar for shit. He's just as heartbroken over it as he was in the episode, but in the AU he has Rachel to comfort him in the aftermath.

When he heard about Randy passing his Star Demon audition and being invited to the callback, Levander was so pissed off. Like, what the fuck. Not only did he and Howard use him for their own personal gain, but the whole talent show stint was essentially meaningless in the end when Randy was talented enough to be eligible to join a bigshot entertainment company. They didn't need to make him feel like shit when they could've skipped over the talent show performance and just had Randy audition in the first place.

Levander was pretty much one of the few students that didn't give a shit when Randy and Howard were bragging about Randy passing the audition. In fact, he secretly hoped that Randy would fail the callback as some form of karmic vengeance.

Though, his attitude shifted some when he and the rest of the student body noticed a rift between Randy and Howard in the days leading up to Randy's departure from Norrisville. Levander was still too angry at them to really care, but he was still curious about what happened to the two that had Howard ignoring Randy's whole existence after spending so much time glued together at the hip. It didn't help any that Randy looked so miserable, making Levander pity him somewhat.

And then, when Randy left, Levander started feeling bad for Howard. Howard was better at hiding his pain than Randy, but Levander couldn't help but notice how lonely the ginger was. Howard didn't have any other friends besides Randy. With him gone, he did everything by himself. And that felt wrong to Levander. But his pride and petty ass prevented him from really doing anything about it. Which got him an earful from Rachel, but Levander didn't care. He didn't owe Howard or Randy, so he wasn't obligated to be there for either of them.

Still didn't help the pang of sympathy he felt every time he saw Howard by himself.

Lucky for him, Howard ends up befriending Bucky, Pradeep, and Dave (like in True Bromance) over the summer after freshman year. Though, this causes Levander and Howard to cross paths a lot, which results in some awkward tension between the two.

Rachel is definitely the type of person who's into K-pop. She especially loves the idols that do the fun, cutesy, and bubblegum pop-ish concepts, but would also enjoy the groups that do the girl crush concept. When she hears about Randy auditioning for Star Demon, she looks up J-pop artists (mostly ones under Star Demon) and gets super into too.

She would also be inspired to audition for Star Demon after watching episodes of ProtostarTV and seeing how happy the trainees are. As a K-pop fan, she knows how brutal entertainment companies can be towards their artists. It's a no-brainer that idol training is not all sunshine and rainbows. But, upon finding out that there is a company that does care for its artists/trainees and actively works to be better than the more toxic companies, Rachel revisits her old middle school dream of becoming an idol and considers auditioning for Star Demon.

Levander decides to audition with her, partly because he wants to support her but also partly because he sees it as his chance to become a rock star. He doesn't want to be signed under his family's label, since he knows people will see it as him using his privilege and not his talents. Trying his luck with another company will show his dad that he does have the talent to make it. There's also the added (petty) bonus of possibly debuting before Randy despite Randy getting into the company 1st and having more talent than him.

So, when sophomore year rolls around, Rachel and Levander do the fall audition and both make it. They go to the callbacks and are officially made Star Demon trainees.

I saw @meltedtire's headcanons about Rachel and Brent being siblings while looking through the tag and really loved the idea, so I ended up making them siblings in my AU.

Brent's the only one in their family that fully supports Rachel and her idol aspirations, since he wants his sister to pursue something she genuinely enjoys and not something their parents want her to do like he did. He doesn't hesitate to fight with their parents in order to help Rachel get to the callback in Japan.

He accompanies her and Levander when they go to the callback as their technically-an-adult chaperone (I see him as a senior with a late birthday, making him 18 y/o), and end up staying with them in Japan after they become full-time trainees. With help from Star Demon, he enrolls in a local high school to finish his education and gets an apprenticeship job at a metalsmith workshop that specializes in making jewelry, tools, and weapons to provide for himself and Rachel.

Through his job, Brent makes Rachel a bracelet as a congratulatory gift for becoming a trainee. It's a simple silver band that has her name written in katakana engraved on it. She always wears it wherever she goes, calling it her "good luck charm".

God, Randy would be so glad to see more familiar faces join the company. Though, that feeling is short-lived when he meets Levander again.

Basically rivals at first sight. For Levander, at least. It's more like "oh-shit-it's-that-guy-I-took-advantage-of-oh-fuck" to Randy. He's equal parts guilty as hell (since he didn't fully apologize to Levander for what happened back at the talent show) and worried out of his mind (since he's afraid that Levander is gonna tell every trainee about their history and cause some to see him as the shoob Howard warned him people will think of him as).

Poor Rachel is forced to play mediator between these two idiots. And Katori. Katori may not know Randy's full story (yet), but she sees her friend has history with the newbie and wants to help him out.

Anthony's of no help, tho. He takes Randy's side and thinks Levander is an asshole.

Suffice to say, there's a lot of tension during lessons and practices and school.

And in the dorm. Because yes, Levander shares a dorm room with Randy and Anthony.

#rc9gn #randy cunningham 9th grade ninja #levander hart #randy cunningham #howard weinerman #rachel rc9gn #rc9gn rachel #rc9gn brent #brent rc9gn #god i need to come up with a tag for the idol!au #dont mind me i'm just rambling to void #infodumping about an au that i'm like 99.9% no one else but me and a couple of my followers care about #rc9gn idol au

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hyperfixatedimagines · 3 years ago

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The Moon & her Star: Ch 1

Summary: Long before Zoya, another girl from the wrong side of town fell for one of Julien’s posse. Unfortunately for the girl, she had fallen for Luna La and not noble O.

A/N: This is the first chapter in a series I will be writing. Please let me know your thoughts. I’m currently accepting requests as well. Hope you enjoy.

(Y/n) was no stranger to the excess and glamour of the upper East side’s elite. Though (y/n) didn’t belong to the exclusive club she had always had the displeasure of their company. Thanks to (y/n)’s grandmother, the head maid to the oldest of old money in New York, she had secured a full scholarship to Constance.

Freshman year was rough, (y/n) wanted so desperately to fit in with the beautiful, glamorous, and rich circle of students. (Y/N) wanted nothing more than to be on Broadway. She was going to be a star, at any cost. But freshman year- she got sidetracked trying to network herself into the right circles. The head girl, Julien, got the leading role in Heathers without even auditioning. That year (y/n) learned that money always won over talent.

Sophomore year was better…. with a noteworthy exception.

Everything seemed to be going well for (y/n). She had friends, theater rejects and scholarship kids like herself but friends nonetheless. She was steadily getting better roles, from background extra to understudy. A star on the rise.

(Y/N) had even managed to secure a leading role in the spring musical, and the only thing she had to do was first help Julien prepare for her role as Juliet. Julien didn’t understand anything about Shakespeare, and promised she’d let (y/n) have the next role. Juliet was personal to Julien, but she never revealed why. (Y/N) didn’t press further, all she needed was one role. One leading role and then no one would be able to deny that she was the true star of the theater department.

Tutoring Julien was easy enough. Julien wasn’t mean like her minions, Luna and Monet. (Y/N) and Julien’s friendship, or partnership rather, was a secret matter that (y/n) didn’t care to bring to light.

Whether it was fate or bad luck, Julien’s minion Luna found out about them and read Julien the riot act for daring to converse with such a lowly individual. Julien forced Luna into being their silent accomplice. Luna agreed, apparently knowing how important the Juliet role was. However, Luna insisted she coordinate the meetups so that no one that mattered caught the two of them together.

On a few occasions, Luna even joined the two. (Y/N) hated when Luna would watch, because she never just watched. Luna didn’t ever take criticism well, even if it wasn’t directed at her. Any time (y/n) gave Julien a piece of feedback Luna would swoop in and say the exact opposite. Of course Julien would only listen to Luna’s praise, it was the easier pill to swallow.

Fearing Julien would let her go and abandon the promise made, (Y/N) confronted Luna during the next session.

Luna La was not about to let some backwater trailer trash tell her to butt out. So what began with harsh words turned to pushing and hair pulling.

And it ended with Luna on the floor, (y/n) on top of her.

With (y/n)’s face just inches from her, Luna realized just how beautiful (y/n) was. Luna stared at (y/n)’s lips, suddenly aware of just how soft they looked.

(Y/N) hadn’t planned on falling for someone in high school, especially not at Constance, and especially not for a bitchy spoiled girl like Luna La.

But it happened.

It happened in the theater building’s basement on a normal Tuesday evening.

It happened just moments after calling Luna a jealous bitch.

It happened slowly, as (y/n)’s lips met Luna’s.

The first kiss was tender, tentative…..and tragically over just seconds after it started.

The two girls heard footsteps coming down the stairs and separated so fast they had to catch their breath. Julien entered the room, only to see Luna and (Y/N) on opposite sides in complete silence.

Luna and (Y/N) we’re terrified Julien would know the sinful act that had transpired but in her blissful ignorance Julien merely thought they’d gotten into an argument.

The session went on without a hitch. Julien was surprised that Luna hadn’t given any comments regarding (Y/N)’s feedback.

It was then that (y/n) could finally bring herself to look at Luna for the first time since their kiss.

Their eyes met, both terrified of the feelings they knew were brewing inside them. Luna excused herself, and walked out without another word.

Luna stopped showing up to Julien’s tutoring sessions.

(Y/N) would turn the opposite way anytime her path crossed Luna’s.

It went on that way for weeks.

Until opening night of Romeo and Juliet.

(Y/N) had gone backstage to wish Julien luck. To her public dismay, and to her secret joy, Luna was there.

Julien exited the dressing room for a brief second, leaving the two alone for the first time since their kiss.

(Y/N) didn’t know what to do. So she did what all terrified teens in love do, she tried to run.

But Luna reached out for her hand and stopped her.

The words came out of Luna’s mouth like vomit, uncontrollable. “I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”

“Neither have I.”

The two stared into each other’s eyes, silently begging the other to be braver.

The echo of footsteps cut their moment off too soon.

Luna let go and turned to look at herself in the mirror.

The door opened and Julien walked back in with the rest of her gang of heirs.

Surprised to still see (y/n) there, Julien addressed (y/n) simply as an extra.

(Y/N) wished Julien good luck and walked out before she lost what was left of her dignity.

Winter break came and went.

The spring musical neared and the only thing (y/n) could think of was Luna La’s peach lip gloss.

Forbidden stares in class, stolen glances as they passed each other in the halls, it was torture for them both…even if they couldn’t admit it to themselves.

Julien, true to her word, opted out of the spring musical. So auditions were to start on Friday.

(Y/N) should have been over the moon, but instead she found herself wanting to be in Luna’s glow instead.

(Y/N) couldn’t focus, and she knew she’d fail the audition if she couldn’t get her act together.

So the evening before auditions (y/n) forced herself to practice in the theater building basement in a last ditch effort to pull herself together.

“I thought I might find you down here.”

What was once a voice laced with acid had become music to (y/n)’s ears.

Luna stood at the bottom of the staircase, anxiously fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know. All I know is I haven’t been the same since…..” Luna stared at (y/n), unable to name their sacrilegious act.

“Since what,” (y/n) pressed.

Luna crossed the distance between them. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

(Y/N) sighed. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you either. I can’t even focus for my audition…. I’ve been waiting so long for this moment and I’m going to screw it all up because…”

(y/n) was unsure if she could bring herself to say it, out loud.

Luna bit her lip. “Because?”

“Because I can’t stop thinking about what it would feel like to kiss you again.”

A wave of relief, and fear, washed over Luna. She wanted (y/n), and couldn’t lie to herself about it anymore…. but there was no way in hell she’d risk social suicide to date (y/n).

“We can’t.” Luna wrapped her arms around herself.

Cruel reality had finally set in for (y/n).

“Of course, I was stupid to think a coward like you would take a chance.”

Luna’s arms fell to her sides, fists balled. “I’m not a coward. I just can’t risk my future over someone like you.”

(Y/N) straightened her back, indignant. “Someone like me?”

“You know what I mean,” Luna said with a sigh.

(Y/N) stepped closer. “I don’t, so why don’t you enlighten me.”

“Fine, you’re a broke nobody from the wrong side of the cliched tracks.” Luna mirrored (y/n), stepping closer to her.

(Y/n) had stepped in Luna’s personal space, daring Luna to challenge her.

“I’m not a nobody. I’m gonna be a star one day and I won’t have time to waste on petty, airhead heiresses like you.”

Luna grabbed the collar of (y/n)’s shirt. “Who are you calling an airhead?”

The scent on peach lip gloss hit (y/n)’s nose, and it suddenly set in just how close Luna was. Her eyes darted to Luna’s lips…tantalizing and only inches away.

“What are you going to do about it?” (Y/N) dared.

Luna tightened her grasp on (y/n)’s collar and closed the gap between them. “This,” she said just before her lips crashed onto (y/n)’s.

Sophomore year was supposed to be the year everything changed for (y/n)….and with Luna La now in her orbit it certainly would be.

#luna la x reader #gossip girl imagine #luna la #luna la imagine #gossip girl #gossip girl 2021 #gossip girl reboot

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imaginethathaikyuu · 3 years ago

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tis the damn season

atsumu miya x fem reader

the first fic in a series i like to call “Me Writing Whatever The Hell I Want” (a working title) hope u like it or dont idk im not ur boss!!!!!!!!!!

synopsis: Running away was easy when you were chasing hazy dreams of a big city that was destined to be yours, when your rear-view mirror showed nothing but your hole in the wall hometown. But now it’s all waiting tables and failing auditions. You were still running, but somehow, these winding roads always lead you back to Miya Atsumu - a man you’ve loved and left, until you return home for the holidays.

tags: friends to lovers, exes to lovers, angst without a happy ending, established pre-relationship, friends with benefits, reader lives in Undisclosed Big City lmao who has celebrity dreams, atsumu is ur good ole southern boy (sort of), canon divergent, not edited, light nsfw, beginnings of sex but isn’t very detailed

word count: 4220

song inspo (tis the damn season by taylor swift)

i won’t ask you to wait if you don’t ask me to stay…

. . .

The soundtrack of this early morning replayed in your head as you made a hazy drive to the neighborhood’s hardware store, cutting left onto the correct street and forcing the car’s back tire over the curb you couldn’t miss.

The replay of events looping in your mind? A whirring, then a splashing, then your father’s booming voice shouting curse words at anyone who could hear them. Your name was laced in there somewhere with demands for you to get to the kitchen, and you couldn’t tumble down the stairs fast enough to see what in the hell was going on.

It was your first day home for the holidays, and already it was a catastrophe.

Somehow your dad had busted a pipe underneath the kitchen sink and a strong stream of water was spraying halfway across the room because of it - your feet landed in a shallow pool when you finally reached the first floor. You didn’t have time to think of any questions before the man at fault, who was on his knees with his head hidden under the sink relentlessly trying to turn the water off, sent you out the door with more shouts, telling you to go to Miya’s Hardware and buy… something.

“A connector?” You were talking to yourself, thinking out loud as you finally parked, but it didn’t help you remember. All you could do was walk inside the store and hope someone knew what you needed.

It’d been years since you had been in this shop, but it looked just the same as when you were following your dad through its isles. You didn’t even bother browsing now, though - you went straight to the back of the store to the counter, expecting to see a familiar, perhaps older, face eager to help you.

That isn’t what you found.

“Well, hey stranger.”

That voice rang in your ears like you’d just heard it through a megaphone pointed directly at you. Something about it was so warm, but it left you with a shiver down your spine and goosebump ridden skin. You could feel the hair on the back of your neck standing up, and you hadn’t even turned in the direction the words came from.

But you didn’t have to look in order to know just who it was. “Atsumu.”

“What in the hell are you doing back in town?” His voice rang with excited confusion; it carried the same inflection as anyone who’s happy to see you. Like nearly forgotten family members at a reunion before it all goes to hell, or the way the tone of your father’s voice changes when you tell him you’re doing well and mean it. People don’t speak that way often.

He pulled you in for a hug and you gladly reciprocated, already forgetting that you were supposed to be in a hurry.

“Home for the holidays. How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” he replied. “I’ve missed you.”

His voice felt more like home than your four bedroom walls did, the charming drawl and depth in his words immediately reeling you in. It was familiar. You had spent a long time trying to forget about that familiarity; too long learning how to straighten out your words and lose any hint of the small town you came from. But Atsumu - he sounded like the epitome of this place.

He didn’t give you time to reply, for one reason or another; instead he decided to push you back by your shoulders and get a good look at you. Up and down and up again, likely noticing every change you had made to your appearance in your time away.

“Are you still wearing your pajamas, or is this a new… trend?”

You looked down at yourself, “Shit,” and closed your jacket tight over the old graphic t-shirt you wore, but nothing could cover your pink polka-dotted pants. And you’d have been hit in the face with embarrassment if the image of your dad and the broken sink and a flooded kitchen didn’t smack you first. “Shit, no, um… I need something to fix a broken sink. Are you… do you work here now?”

“I do - and you’re gonna need to be more specific.”

“I don’t know, Atsumu,” you laughed, slowly realizing the bizarreness of what you were about to tell him. “I woke up to my dad shouting and water shooting out from under the sink, literally flooding the kitchen. He told me to get a part for the pipe… a connector, or a couple, or something - I don’t know.”

“...A coupler?”

“Yes!”

“...He didn’t happen to tell you what size to get, did he?”

The look on your face must have been a good enough answer for him, because he took off into a random aisle and left you wondering just how many sizes of couplers there could be.

“This one will probably do the job,” he said as his path rounded the counter. “If it doesn’t, then, I can ignore the return policy for you. Just this once, though.”

“Thanks, ‘Tsumu.” You made your payment and he slid your product over the counter as his elbows landed on it, leaning down to make himself comfortable. Like he thought he’d be there awhile.

“How long are you gonna be in town?”

“Two weeks. Why do you ask?” You knew why - you just wanted to hear him say it.

“We should catch up.”

He was grinning and shrugging and fidgeting with his fingers, just like he always did, and you would never turn down any offer he made you.

“We should. I’ve got to get home, but are you free tonight?”

“We close at six,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” you said, meaning every word. You wondered if he knew that.

“So will I,” he replied, and then you made your way out before you convinced yourself to stay.

It’d been three years since you last spoke to Atsumu. In that time, you had done a lot that felt like nothing, living in a different city that felt worlds bigger than this town - that city was a place you had once convinced yourself was all yours. You had pulled off running away effortlessly.

But it didn’t matter how much time goes by between your meetings with Atsumu. There was something there that you could never shake, the hold you had on each other was anchor tight. Ten years could pass and you would speak to each other like it had only been one day. You’d have world ending fights and one of you would always come crawling back, letting the other win as long as it meant things would go back to normal.

You couldn’t describe it. You never tried, you didn’t need to. The unspoken acts between the two of you didn’t need to be explained. It was something akin to a best friend with all the benefits included and most of the strings attached - confusing and nerve wracking but still so comforting.

Atsumu was the closest thing to home you had in this town, and somehow every road always leads back to him. With a few detours on your part, of course, because you just couldn’t stay away too long. Even moving across the country didn’t change that - not like you thought it would.

You just barely missed the turn into your driveway, being so distracted by your thoughts. So much was rushing back, so much that shouldn’t be - it isn’t a big deal, it’s just Atsumu, but it felt grand, like this was some massive reunion.

But it wasn’t. You were only here to celebrate Christmas with your family. You weren’t even planning on seeing Atsumu, let alone meeting up with him or rekindling any kind of flame that was once there.

And it was such a rush that you couldn’t even question why he was working at his father’s store - or why he was even in this town at all. What happened to the dreams he was chasing?

For what felt like the first time in your life, you had questions for him. But you’d have to wait all day to ask them.

. . .

You were thankful to come home to a dry floor and a calmer father - he finally figured out how to turn the water off and decided to fix the pipe later. You knew he’d inevitably be paying someone more qualified to repair it, but your mind had no space for that problem.

You were still trying to figure out how you’d meander the night with Atsumu by the time he was picking you up, and when the two of you arrived at his home you still hadn’t found your answer.

Easing into this would be best, and once alcohol was introduced to the equation it would turn into a slippery slope.

Nothing was hard with Atsumu. You knew that - that’s why you couldn’t figure out why you were having such a hard time talking to him.

A lot had changed. Not between the two of you, not exactly. You were right back where you were three years ago: on his couch, sitting too close to him, laughing at something he had said that was only funny because he said it.

But your lives had changed. Your worlds had changed. His mind had very obviously changed, and because of it all, you couldn’t keep pretending that the two of you were teenagers again.

You had to bite the bullet and ask the question that was on your mind, completely knowing that he could throw a hard hitting question back at you.

It came out more effortlessly and lighthearted than you expected. “So… what happened to playing volleyball?”

Atsumu scoffed. “You still remember that pipe dream? Nothing happened, it was just childish.”

You didn’t like his answer, so you pressed him. You worked up the courage to start this conversation, so you were going to get to the bottom of things. “You said you wanted to catch up - I know you, Atsumu. You get what you want and you wanted to play volleyball. You were going to be a pro, you were good.”

“I know you know me,” he said, and the smirk on his lips didn’t go unnoticed by you. “I wanted to get drunk and chat, not start up a fucking therapy session.”

You sat patient and waiting, eyes on him, refusing to go without the answer to your question. You were teasing, really, eyeing him up and grinning as you watched him struggle. The problem was: you didn’t expect the answer you’d get.

“I - I had the chance.” There was a scratch in his throat that wasn’t caused by the whiskey he’d just swallowed. “I was being scouted and playing my ass off and there were talks of being on an Olympic team one day, but… shit happens, and that’s it.”

“What shit, Atsumu? You didn’t just give up, did you? Were you scared or something?”

You didn’t realize how close you were to him until his hand came down to rest on your knee, and both of you focused on that touch as his next thoughts became words. “Dad got sick. And ‘Samu had just opened the restaurant, and… there were bills to pay and the store to run. Even though I wasn’t his preference, Dad had no choice and left the legacy of Miya’s Hardware to me, so - that’s where I am.”

“Oh. I… I had no idea - I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. You were already long gone by then - don’t say sorry.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, and you hugged him without thinking, but he hugged you back all the same. “I’m sorry, ‘Tsumu.”

“It’s okay,” he told you, but you didn’t feel okay. You were sure he didn’t, either. “It’s not your fault.”

You pulled away from him just enough to look at his face, and you hadn’t noticed the distance in his eyes until just then. As you looked at him, you realized it was only familiar to now. It wasn’t there years ago, when you got to look into those eyes every day.

“I should’ve been there for you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, but his words were dangling on an edge. He didn’t quite mean them. “You were off in your own dream. I got through it.”

You only nodded. You weren’t sure what else to say after that.

As Atsumu sat back against the couch, he brought you with him, tucking you under his arm against his chest. His lips on your forehead made you close your eyes and for a second, it was like you were both nineteen again. You could’ve been, if time would only slow down or freeze or go back - what wouldn’t you give for that?

“I’m done talking about me,” he mumbled. “I wanna hear about your life now.”

You laughed, but quiet, “My life’s been fine.”

“Only fine?”

“You don’t see me on the big screen, do you?”

He laughed this time. “Not yet. One day, though. Have you gotten used to the city yet?”

“Oh… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, but… it does feel like home now. It’s so different from living here.”

“I bet.”

“I try not to romanticize it, but - I don’t know. It feels good, even if it’s not what I thought it’d be. The lights are pretty bright. Blinding compared to here.”

His response was a nod, and that was it. If he had any questions or comments, he held them back.

A break in the silence came soon, though. “You know,” he said, quiet, with a small laugh that was humorless, “I’m not as good at getting what I want as you think I am.”

“That’s not true,” you replied, and you were setting up an argument you weren’t ready to make. “You got me.”

“Did I?”

“What do you mean?”

Silence lingered, and after too long you sat up and looked at him, and that got him to talk.

“Nothing,” he insisted. He pulled you closer with two fingers holding your chin, and you didn’t resist. “Nothing, baby. Let’s just… just be quiet for a while.”

There wasn’t time for you to say anything else. His lips were on yours the moment he got his last word out. And even though you expected him to kiss you, it still made you gasp.

You couldn’t describe how much you missed kissing someone you wanted to, and Astumu’s kiss was like finding home. His lips were like candy, sweeter than sugar; his bite was a freezing shock that always pulled a giggle and a whisper of his name out of you. He knew how to kiss you, slow and deep with a hand on your jaw to keep you there, never leaving you wanting more because he gave everything you could ever need.

It didn’t take long for his kisses to trail down your neck, or for his shirt to come off, or for your back to land on the couch. You had already reached euphoria just seeing him hovering over you, eyes soft and hair askew; you didn’t need anything but this. You’d never want anything but this.

You did what you always did - trailed your hand down his torso, over his golden skin, stopping just after every freckle or scar or mark. This time, you were looking for something new. You didn’t find anything. You didn’t stop until your hand landed on his waist, and there, you squeezed -

“Stop, you little shit,” and he laughed, right along with you. A real and genuine laugh - you hadn’t heard that song in a long time. “Why do you always do that?”

Finally he moved down to press his chest against yours, his hips locking in place between your legs. A perfect combination.

“Why do you always give me the chance?” You were still laughing, not able to get over the cute sight. Atsumu was always so ticklish there, right on his waist, and when you made that discovery you swore you’d never forget it. And he sure as hell wished you would have. “You’re so cute. I’ve missed that smile.”

“I’ve missed you,” he replied. Somehow you just knew that he meant it.

“Don’t. I’m here.”

“You’re here,” he repeated. Like he was reassuring himself.

You took the initiative to unbutton your shirt yourself, so that there was no way for him to think that you wanted this to stop there. It couldn’t, not when you had him this close. And his eyes followed the popping buttons like stalking prey.

“And you’re still the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Fucking hell.”

You cringed - you couldn’t help the feeling in your gut when he gave you those sweet words. You knew he meant them in some way; you knew Atsumu wouldn’t lie to you. He’s never told you anything just for the sake of it. But how many times, in the last three years, had someone done just that? Told you just what you wanted to hear so they could get inside you? It was vile the first time. The second, it made you ache. But now, you’re used to it. Nobody means what they say. You’re used to it.

And Atsumu could snatch up any girl he wanted. A girl who’s used to blinding lights and expensive wine and lying - or a girl who would stay with him, who wouldn’t push his buttons, who would be effortless in her charm and wit and beauty.

You couldn’t put yourself in either category.

“You haven’t seen many, then.”

“Why would I even need to when I’ve got you? You’re a fucking dream. All I ever think about.”

You shook your head, not even noticing you were doing it. Atsumu wouldn’t have it.

“Don’t do that,” he said. “Not when you know what you do to me. You’ve got my heart beating out of my chest, for fuck��s sake - it has been since you walked into the store.”

You never knew him to be so open with his feelings, or maybe you had just gotten used to being lied to. You weren’t sure and you didn’t care - all you could think about was kissing him, so you pulled him in, and you were sure he would devour you. You’d have no problem with that.

It was desperate when you said, “I need you.”

And reassuring when he replied, “I’m right here.”

He wasn’t close enough. You didn’t think he ever could be. And it was right then, when you were swimming in desperation, that you realized you shouldn’t have been doing this. It would only make leaving even harder. Doing it the first time was hell, letting him watch you leave and be okay with it. You hated yourself for wishing he wasn’t. And you were drowning.

You hated yourself for leaving.

You hated yourself more for coming back.

And you didn’t want to be there, all of a sudden, despite the ache in between your thighs and the addicting warmth he had you trapped in. You didn’t want to be there and you didn’t want to leave, either - you only wanted something easy, but you’d never have it. Not here, and not in the city, and not with Atsumu.

You felt him freeze, felt things shift. You hadn’t even noticed the way your energy had completely dropped.

“Something wrong?” He moved up to hold your face. He noticed the tears in your eyes before you did.

It was hard to look at him but you held his gaze, and his touch hurt more than it healed but you yearned for it. The concern on his face was genuine, the gentle strokes of his thumb on your cheek weren’t forced, and it all was making your stomach turn.

He cared for you - obviously he did - but not enough to ask you to stay. Not enough to find trouble in letting you leave him. So maybe you shouldn’t have a problem with it, either.

“No,” you said through a sore throat and a locked jaw. “Sorry, just…”

“We don’t have to do this,” he told you. “We can just talk - I want to talk. If it’s too much -”

“It’s okay,” you said. You tried to mean it as much as, “I miss you, Atsumu. I want you - touch me, I miss you.”

“I know,” and he was wiping the tears off of your cheeks as he kissed your lips, “I’ll take care of you, baby, just let me. Stop thinking so much. Let me take care of you like I always do, yeah? You want me to help you feel good?”

You always had a problem with that - thinking too much. He never hesitated to call you out on it. You nodded your head, strong and fast, like you were trying to knock the thoughts right out of it.

“Please, ‘Tsumu.” You were crying for him, pulling him closer. “Need you. Make it better, please.”

“I’d do anything,” he said. “You gotta quit crying, baby. You’re acting like our first time again.”

You laughed at that, wiping your own tears and knocking his hands away. “God, that was so embarrassing.”

“It was cute.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It was kinda hot, too.”

“Atsumu!”

It was his deep grin that made you relax again, and so did another blissful kiss that took your breath in a way that you enjoyed.

“You can cry, baby,” he said, popping buttons on both of your pants, “as long as it’s because of how good I’m making you feel. That’s what you need, pretty girl. Let me show you how much I’ve been missing you - get these pants off, baby, let me see you.”

He didn’t give you the chance to cry any more, at least not in an emotional sense. Your mind was stripped with your body, filled with nothing but him, no space between the two of you left for insecurities or questions.

It wasn’t until he coaxed you into his bedroom that those things had the chance to creep back.

Atsumu was out cold, cuddled into your chest and holding on tight to your waist, after smothering you in soft kisses and sweet sleepy words. You were comfortable there, warm and safe and content, but the pit in your stomach only grew. You watched him sleep, his mouth slightly open and eyes softly closed, and you wanted to reach down and kiss him but you resisted.

It was late and you should be asleep but you couldn’t rest. You couldn’t stop loathing yourself long enough to close your eyes, and the more you thought, the harder it got to breathe. Your throat was sore again. Your eyes were watering again. And every word you wanted to say to Atsumu was tumbling out of your mouth and falling onto sleeping ears.

“Why didn’t you ask me to stay?”

He didn’t stir. It was still rumbling breaths and the whir of the air conditioner filling the silence.

“Everyone else did. But you. Why… You of all people should know I’m just as worthless there as I am here - I’ll never make it - I’ve changed everything and still…”

You sucked a hard breath into your lungs to stop a wracking sob, just barely holding it in.

“I just ended up here again. With you. I’m so alone without you but I can’t - fuck.”

It didn’t even matter what you were trying to say anymore, because you had no clue. You didn’t know why you couldn’t just stay with him regardless of his choice to let you go, but something in you made you run. Maybe it was worthless pride or a childish desire to be something more - you didn’t know.

You didn’t belong in any industry you dreamed of working in. You weren’t born to be a star. You should know by now - should accept your failure and come back home for more than just one night.

But you couldn’t.

There was still a chance, wasn’t there?

A chance to belong somewhere.

A chance to be led home.

A chance to make it. Would you die trying?

You would leave in the morning. And you wouldn’t ask Atsumu to wait for you as he started getting ready for the day. And Atsumu wouldn’t ask you to ditch your own plotted destiny just to stay with him.

But this would happen again. Every time you would swear it off and every time, you would travel roads that take you right back to this town, this bed, these arms.

Running away would never get easier, but this is all it would ever be with him. He would never stop you leaving - and you would never ask him to.

. . .

...so i’ll go back to LA

#i researched how to fix pipes for this #by research i mean i went to hope depot dot com and looked at Pipes #my friend actually busted his sink pipe the other day exactly like i wrote and our other friend (who works at lowes) said he needs a Coupler #in conclusion i dont know how sinks or pipes work. do not perceive me or my writing.#miya atsumu #atsumu miya #atsumu x reader #miya atsumu x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #i forget what other tags i need to use lmao

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