#i realise today my cats associate sound or rather the way i say things to mean certain things

[unwellwoman]

i dont say this enough but i feel really lucky that my cats are mine and they are the way they are... so cute and so affectionate and smart and dumb etc

[realcube]

haikyuu!! boys’ reactions to you speaking 💗 uwu💗

characters: tsukishima, ushijima, yaku, kenma & iwazumi

thank you anon for this cute request 💕 idk what i just wrote but i had fun 👍

IWAIZUMI & KENMA’S ARE AGED UP! MUTURE THEMES - MINORS DNI

tw// fluff, swearing, uwu language, cwinge

kenma’s hcs tw// sexual themes, implied switch!reader, phone sex(?), mentions of a blowjob, mentions of punishment

iwaizumi’s hcs tw// breeding kink, fem!reader, orgasm denial

Kei Tsukishima

you realised he didn’t like it so you did it just to annoy him LMFAO

he was scrolling through tiktok and a girl popped up on his fyp talking like that, so he snarled and immediately flicked it away, muttering something along the lines of ‘why do people speak like that? do they think it’s cute? ‘cause it’s really not; it’s just embarrassing.’

so you wasted no time in responding, ‘sowwy? what was that?’

HELL 👏 FIRE

his blood literally ran cold, he was aware that you liked taking the piss but he didn’t expect you to do it to this extent

 ‘what did you just say?’ he murmured, silently praying that he had just misheard you

you rolled your eyes before scoffing ‘nothing.’ you deepened your voice, just playing around at this point tbh

tsukishima hummed in agreement, deciding not to inquire further as he figured that he must’ve heard the echo of the girl’s voice in his head rather than yours

so he was just about go back to scrolling until he heard you coo in a high-pitched from behind him, ‘tsukishima is a lil’ bitch.’

‘(Y/N), FUCKING STOP!’ he let a throaty scream at you

‘you’re so boring, tsukki-’ you spoke, quickly cutting yourself off so you could switch to your uwu voice, ‘or should I say; bowing.’

you said, hopeful that your voice would make it clearing that you meant ‘boring’ rather than the act of playing an instrument with a bow

‘go to hell.’ he grumbled, trying his best to tune you out by pulling his headphones over his ears 

‘babe~’ you purred, shuffling over to him and peppering kisses along the nape of his neck as you were feeling extra evil today, ‘wuv you~’

‘jail.’  tsukishima simply stated as he switched over to Spotify so he could blare some Mother Mother to drown out the sound of your voice

the worst part was that he couldn’t even tell if he liked it or not PFFT

like it was cute but the fact you weaponised it against him annoyed him

but you were also giving him kithes so he couldn’t exactly complain 💞

Morisuke Yaku 

ok don’t even lie yaku does a variant of the uwu voice whenever he’s trying to insult kuroo IUGBEIGVA

it’s something like ‘aww, kuwoo, does your lil’ undewdeveloped bwain not undewstand algebwa?’ but in a mocking way yk?

so when a he watches a lil’ tabby cat approach you on the street, then you busted out the uwu voice that he had never heard before- he was taken aback

at first he was like ‘woah why are you making fun of that cat?’ bc he always associated that voice with ridicule LMFAO

but when he processed all the nice things you were saying he realised that you were being nice lol

so then he was like ‘awwww 🥺 (y/n) + cat = SO FKN CUTE!! 💕💗💖’ *click click* and he just starts taking photos

he probably puts them on his private story with the caption ‘their an angel 😍’

(then kuroo probably replies with ‘they’re*’) (don’t ask why yaku put him on his private story ✋)

anyway, he’s probably so fond of the voice too like ofc he thinks it’s cute

bc it’s a lil’ kitten and you’re talking to it in a high-pitched voice as if it can understand you SO FKN CUTE

he’s not too effected by it tho- it’s mostly how well you get on with the cat that he really admires

then he couched down beside you to talk to the cat too and y’all had a whole conversation with it in uwu

‘aww, look! are you hungwy, baby?’ you asked the cat as it licked the back of it’s paw

‘i think, it is!’ yaku continued, aware that if anybody from school caught him doing this, he’d pass away on the spot but what can he say? he’s soft for you (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

 ‘i have some blueberries in my bag, you can have some if you say please.’ he told the cat

you were both met by the cat’s blank - but adorable - stare, accompanied by silence until the kitten let out a faint, ‘mew’

‘AWWWWWW!!! 💞💕💖🥺👏 ’ you both squealed in unison, impressed by the kitten’s response 

‘it understands us!’ you gasped while applauding the cat for it’s excellent communication skills

‘the voice must work!’ yaku concluded as he scrambled to throw his bag off his back and rummage through it in search of the tub of blueberries

you nodded, watching in awe as yaku pulled out the tub to carefully pick out the plumpest berries and feed them to the cat

yaku noticed your expression out of the corner of his eye and chuckled, ‘what?’

‘you’re so cute.’ you snickered, lighting bopping his nose with your index finger as he continued to allow the cat to feed out of the palm of his hand

a furious blush immediately covered his cheeks as he hastily turned his head away to hide it - in a typical anime fashion, ‘be quiet.’

Kenma Kuzome

it’s a sex thing-- it’s 100% a sex thing

a kink perhaps?

ngl he loves it when you do the voice in bed 

like don’t ask why it turns him on so much

he’s weak for you whenever you do the voice tbh

BUT it’s only hot when you do it 

when any other person does it - especially if it’s over text - he literally gags 🤢🤢🤢

when a streamer he watches does the voice, he’s just thinks ‘ew ✋ that isn’t cute. pls stop.’

but when you do it- boner alert pfft

especially when you moan in that voice yES HE LOVES THAT

you just execute it in a way these other bitches just can’t, okay? 💅 IUERBGFERIBG

he doesn’t mind putting the voice on sometimes if you like it when he does it but he’s really embarrassed by it 🙈

he’ll try to say something in the voice while you’re rearranging his guts for a change and you’re praising him like 👏👏👏 ‘awh, precious kenma bb.i love that voice on you, i might just let you cum early--’

and he’s fucking groaning from pain, pleasure and humiliation 

‘never again.’ was the single coherent thought he could form

you’re only giving like 20% of the time but if you happen to giving on a day that you’re feeling especially evil, you might make him do the voice in exchange for orgasm privileges

but he gets you back for it though 

you’d call him, whining and pleading for him to help you with the throbbing between your legs or at the very least, give you permission to touch yourself

but considering that the day prior, you had tortured his ass to the point were he was now struggling to sit down, ofc he was just like ‘no ❤’ when you ask for his assistance 

even after your continuous begging, he didn’t budge 

‘don’t you dare put your hands on yourself until i get home. i’m leaving right now so i should be back in half an hour but if you keep pestering me like a little bitch, then i’ll be sure to go extra slow on the highway.’

although, for kenma ‘extra slow’ is probably the speed limit lmao

(istg he drives like he’s in mario kart)

however, half an hour was just too long 😩 i mean, you had probably been on call with him for 5 minutes already and it took you 20 minutes to get him to pick up the phone so by now, you were clearly on the brink of madness

‘kitten~’ you whined, desperately trying to think of a way to convince kenma to aid you 

then you remembered; his weak spot

‘pwease, baby?’ you softened and raised the pitch of your voice

kenma perked up as he realised what you were trying to do, the tips of his ears burning, ‘don’t bother to try that with me, (y/--’

‘i’ll suck you off when you come back.’ you promised, keeping the voice on, the aching getting worse and worse by the second

kenma was now partially able to relate to your circumstance as he began to feel a straining of his own, between his legs at your cutesy tone along with the image of the last time you blew him tormenting his mind

‘whatever. but only use your hands. i can tell when you use a toy so don’t even try; or else i’ll dick you down ‘til the sun rises- okay bye.’

atm the moment, that hardly sounded like a punishment but then you reflected back on how you’d be crying for a mercy after the fourth round with kenma so- yeah

anyway, moral of the story, if you perform the voice well enough, it’s basically kenma’s weakness so use it wisely 

Hajime Iwaizumi

you first did the voice in front of him while you had a friend’s baby in your arms and you were trying to communicate with it 

it kinda looked like 

you: hewwo babyy~ who’s the most precious thing? you are! 

the baby: 🤠

the parent: 🙂

iwa: 😶

iwa ON THE INSIDE: breeding kink go brrrr 😩 i want to put a baby in her so bad- she’ll scream my name in that fucking voice tonight

and he was right

cut to him pounding you while demanding that you say his name in ✨the voice✨ or else you won’t be allowed to cum

ofc you had too much pride for that so you just let him dick you down and cum whether he likes it or not but he could tell that was the plan you had in mind so he suddenly pulled out just as you were about to reach your high

he looked at you with a mean scowl, ‘fucking say it or i’ll stop right now.’

if he were to stop, it would kinda be a punishment for him too but he didn’t care- anything to see his lovely gf suffer tbh 😇

also he could get off to you fingering yourself, struggling to orgasm- he’s done it before and he’ll gladly do it again if you don’t say his damn name 

‘iwa..’ you groaned, gripping at the sheets as you anticipated him sliding his cock back into you 

‘in the voice.’ iwaizumi reiterated, delivering a hard smack to the side of your thigh out of annoyance

you hissed at the sharp impact , gulping to lubricate your dry throat before choking out in your best imitation of the voice he desired, ‘iwa~’

he was only half-satisfied with what you uttered but i mean, it got the job done

his dick was throbbing, practically begging for the comfort of your warm cunt once again so he hastily slipped back in, letting out a low groan as he did so

so he’d continue hammer you from behind, probably muttering incoherent things about your babies and your voice while doing so but you chose to pay little attention to it as you couldn’t help but focus on your own intense pleasure

once he finally climaxed, he did it inside you which you wasn’t surprising as y’all had already established that you love being being filled up and he loves filling you up 💕

but then he insisted that y’all go for another few rounds to increase the chance of pregnancy 

like- sir-

you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you were on birth control 

bc surely......he would’ve known

but he didn’t

you eventually told him that you had no interest in coming off birth control and he wasn’t mad LMAO he didn’t even want a baby tbh he was just caught up in the moment 

yeah no but if you do the voice again, the cycle will continue

Wakatoshi Ushijima

you were both hanging out in your bedroom, doing your own things, and you were sending your friend a (video) snap so you ironically used the uwu voice

ofc this caught his attention so he shifted his gaze off of his revision sheets and onto you, shooting you a weird look

you couldn’t help but snicker, turning to him and continuing with your little impression, ‘can i hewp you?’ you tried to ask in all seriousness but you couldn’t suppress the smile that was tugging on the corners of your lip

were you a little high? yes

ushijima just blinked rapidly, wondering why you sound like a cuter version of mickey mouse all of a sudden

was it a trend?

or maybe it was for one of those ‘tiktoks’?

either way, ushijima couldn’t help what he said next

‘no. i’m fiwne.’

IUERSBGTOHAROHSGBGFRO

HE SAID IT LIKE ‘fi - whine’ THO

you passed away 💀⚰

‘TOSHI!!!’ you screamed, feeling your soul leave your body

ushijima gasped, thinking that you had just been possessed or sumn, ‘hm?’

once he realised that you were in fact sane, he figured that your reaction must have something to do with his response 

‘did i say something wrong?’ his lips curling into the tiniest of smiles, simply because you looked so joyous so ofc he was he was happy seeing you happy

‘nope! please say it again, toshi! i’m beggin’ ya’

‘no.’

although he loved hearing you laugh more than anything, the man had his limits

ngl he doesn’t mind when you do it - it just doesn’t especially effect him, that’s all

you could just randomly start talking like that during a conversation and he’ll just go from 😐 to 😐

but he gets butterflies when you call him ‘baby’ which is something you usually pickup whenever you put on the voice lol <3

pls call him ‘baby’ or ‘babe’ more he just wants to feel cared for and loved for a change instead of always having to constantly put on a front of ‘big, stoic man with no feeling that you can push around to your hearts content’  around literally everyone. sometimes he just wants to come home and feel like he can actually express himself and be soft without getting ridiculed  

[gravegroves]

“11. Billy” seems mysterious ! pls I must know more

11. Billy

The actual fic is named so too, as that's the way Billy signs all his postcards. The fic is about Claudia Henderson giving Billy a lift from the hospital to the airport and about the postcards he sends her from his trip. It's eventual Harringrove, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Here's a weird assortment of snippets from the fic:

As they pass the turn-off for Hawkins, the road Claudia would have originally taken to get home, Billy sinks down into his seat beside her, turning his head away from the town sign to stare straight ahead, jaw clenched.

"You from Hawkins, too, Billy?" Claudia ventures, curiosity and concern competing for first place.

"Not from that shithole," Billy mutters. Claudia frowns. "Lived there until yesterday."

"Oh, you're moving?"

Billy barks a harsh laugh and Claudia flinches a little in surprise.

"Got a bedside visit from the old man to tell me not to bother coming back to get my shit. After everything and he's the one that gets to slam the door in my face--" Billy's voice cuts off, his breathing harsh and uneven.

Claudia tightens her hands on the steering wheel.

*****

"Help yourself."

Billy gives her a look that tells her he doesn't have much confidence in her taste, but he opens the glove compartment and pulls out a box of tapes. She can hear the click clack of him looking through them all, reading the labels and discarding them one by one before he stops.

Curious, Claudia looks over. In his hand, Billy holds a familiar, well-loved tape.

"Oh, I haven't listened to them in a while. Pop it in!"

"You like Led Zeppelin?" Billy asks, choked, like his whole world is turning upside down.

Claudia laughs, "Oh yes. I wanted Stairway to Heaven played at my wedding, but my husband wouldn't allow it."

"And you still married him?" Billy grins, somehow brighter and more real than any he's given up so far. Claudia feels a little proud of it somehow.

"Well, he's now my ex husband, if that helps."

Billy's grin only grows wider. None of the usual averted eyes and condolences Claudia typically prepares herself for. It's refreshing. "Good for you."

*****

"You call me when you get where you're going, alright honey?" She says, "Let me know that you're not dead in a ditch somewhere."

Billy nods, folds the paper securely into his threadbare wallet. He looks back through the window at her.

"You're the only person worth anything in that fucking town, Ms Henderson."

She smiles, "Oh, I think we both know that isn't quite true."

His face goes distant. Claudia watches him, silently.

"Maybe."

He hesitates again. 

"Thanks, Claudia." He slaps the edge of the open window, straightens up with an air of finality and adjusts the duffle bag on his shoulder.

"You take care, Billy." 

She watches him walk into the airport. He never turns to look back.

*****

Steve is sleeping on the couch when Claudia gets home. The boy is sitting in the sofa chair in front of the muted TV, neck bent at an odd angle, mouth open and drooling on his own shoulder.

She wakes him gently, coaxes him half asleep out of the chair and down the hall into the tiny guest bedroom.

He collapses onto the bed, out like a light before she can bid him goodnight. The boy never seems to get enough sleep, so she's happy to leave him there instead of sending him back to that lonely, empty house of his. She throws a blanket over him, knows it's not her place to pet his hair and give him hugs unless he asks it of her. So instead she makes sure his feet are covered, knows by now that if Steve's feet get too cold that it'll wake him and keep him up until they're warm again.

Before going to bed herself, Claudia checks on her son. She notices the light coming from under his door and sighs a little before she gently knocks. There's no reply. She cracks the door open and peers in. Dustin is tucked into bed, his bedside lamp on and a book collapsed over his face.

With a small smile and a shake of her head, she moves into the room. Gently peels the book away, marking the page with a bookmark before placing it on the bedside table. She tugs one stray arm down -- knows her Dusty has a tendency to sleep with his arms above his head and wakes up with them half numb and hurting -- before she tucks him in and kisses his curly head.

She turns off the light and closes the door on the way out, ready for bed herself and happy knowing her boys are safe and sound and close.

*****

The last time Claudia cried herself to sleep was the day she accepted that Mews wasn't coming home. She's an easy crier, it doesn't take much. She'd cried as she picked up Tews from the shelter and again the first time she woke up with him sleeping at the foot of her bed. 

This time is different. When the first sob escapes her, it feels like it's being wrenched out of her by force, like a cork out of a bottle, leaving her helpless to stop the grief from pouring out. She feels like she might explode from the emotions if she doesn't let it happen, so she just… lets it all out. Bawls into a pillow, hugs it to her chest when she can manage to breathe without great heaving keens and stares into the dark.

She cries for Dustin, her darling boy who's been so brave for so long, for Steve with his absent parents and desperate need for company, for Billy and the kind of life that leads a boy to wherever he is now. Maybe even a little for herself.

Being a single mother hasn't always been easy. Claudia has gone without more times than she can count, but that's on her. She brought Dustin into this world and for that she owes him the best life she can give him. Even when that means divorcing her no-good husband. Even when she struggled to make ends meet and put food on the table. Things are okay now, but there was a time not too long ago when her tiny family had been one injury away from losing everything.

Even then, she knows things could've been so much worse.

She imagines Gene doing to Dustin what she suspects Neil Hargrove has done to Billy. Or abandoning him to a lonely hell like the one Lorne and Kate Harrington have left Steve in and she buries her face into the pillow yet again.

Claudia is definitely not the only good person in Hawkins, but she thinks there are far fewer than she might've once thought.

*****

Billy doesn't call. 

Claudia knows there could be a multitude of reasons for why that is, the most likely of which being that Billy simply doesn't want to. She still feels a little ball of worry forming in her stomach.

The first post card arrives two months later. It's short and to the point, but Claudia feels such immense relief that each word feels precious to her.

Not dead yet. Prague is nice.

Billy

Claudia clears the cork board she has up for reminders and shopping lists and pins the picture of a beautiful European town where she can see it every day.

*****

Karen Wheeler is someone Claudia knows by association. They've exchanged the usual niceties while picking up their kids from each other's houses and should they pass on the street they smile and nod to each other at the very least. Claudia knows Karen Wheeler, but they aren't friends and they certainly don't frequent the same social circles.

Claudia likes her book clubs, her cats, her knitting. She enjoys a quiet and comfortable existence after a life of too much family drama and financial strain.

Karen Wheeler likes… well, none of those things. Which simply means that conversation doesn't exactly flow between them unless they're talking about their sons.

Today, talking at length seems unavoidable. Dustin and his friends are insisting that they need another fifteen minutes to finish up their English presentation and Karen is standing at the front door looking done up and impatient.

Claudia, of course, invites her inside for a cup of coffee while they wait for the children to finish up.

It's as they're both sitting at the dining table that Karen spots the cork board.

"Is that Billy Hargrove?" She points to the latest photo he'd sent her, tacked over the letter that came with it. Claudia opens her mouth to respond, but instead watches, speechless as Karen gets up and untacks them both before bringing them both back to the table.

Claudia swallows down an annoyed comment and smiles politely.

"Yes, that's Billy." She says, before going on to explain how she came about meeting the boy.

"He sends you postcards?" Karen's eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline, corner of her mouth twitching and giving Claudia a look she can't quite discern.

"It's more of a favour to me," She laughs "I asked him to let me know if he made it safely so I didn't have to worry and since then he's been nice enough to keep my mind at ease. You do hear about such awful things happening to young travellers, it's good to keep track."

"That's… that's very sweet of you, Claudia."

Claudia wraps her hands around her mug and frowns a little. "Someone needs to care about that boy."

"Oh, of course." Karen says, looking slightly taken aback.

"If his parents won't, then that someone might as well be me."

Karen hums and goes back to looking at the photo. "He's rather good looking, don't you think?" 

Frowning at the incredibly odd change in subject, Claudia opens her mouth to answer when the words really begin to sink in. She closes her mouth and stares. 

Unaware of Claudia's scrutiny, Karen continues. "Did he send other photos? I'd love to see them."

Claudia opens her mouth again and knows she's about to tell a lie. She's interrupted by Mike sulkily appearing in the doorway to the kitchen.

Karen gets up. "All finished?" She asks and doesn't seem bothered at all when Mike ignores her and disappears out into the hallway to put his shoes on.

"Thank you so much for the coffee, Claudia. Please, don't get up, I'll let us out."

She rummages around her purse before she takes out a pen and piece of paper. She scribbles something Claudia quickly realises is her address and phone number before she slides it across the table. She clears her throat.

"You're right to be so worried for Billy, he needs all the support he can get. Maybe… maybe I could write to him as well? The more people that care, the better."

It's only when the front door closes that Claudia realises that the photo is gone.

There is a moment where she stares at the spot where the picture should be, right beside the letter, completely dumbstruck by the sheer audacity of Karen Wheeler. And she might have let it go under different circumstances, but Claudia has been on this earth long enough to know when to trust her gut, and her gut is telling her to not let Karen get her hands on any piece of Billy Hargrove, no matter how small.

Emboldened, she snatches the piece of paper off the kitchen counter and runs to the front door. When she steps out onto the driveway the Wheelers have already gotten into the car.

Claudia marches up to the car without hesitation and knocks on the window. Karen looks surprised for a second, then rolls it down.

Without a word, Claudia sticks her hand in, palm flat and face up.

They stare at each other.

The other woman tries for confusion for a few seconds, before she, rather guiltily, reaches into her purse and takes out the photo.

Claudia snatches it out of her hand before she can give it over and the woman flinches slightly.

"I don't think this will be necessary." She tosses the crumpled piece of paper through the open window, turns about and marches back up to the house without a backward glance.

She doesn't miss Mike's "What just happened?" Drifting out into the evening air, but she's too angry, too… something to care in that moment.

When she's back in the kitchen she calls Steve and invites the boy to dinner with her and Dusty.

I have much more, but I don't want to flood peoples feed. So I'll leave it at that.

[arolla-pine]

Happily Ever After

@adrinetteapril

Day 20: Photoshoot

A/N: This is what could have happened after “Troublemaker”, where Adrien invited Marinette for photoshoots (the locker room scene ;-) )

Marinette sat on a bench and felt so nervous… Adrien had invited her to take part in his photoshoots and today was the day it was to happen. They were to meet in the park, from where he would take her to a photo session. She wasn’t nervous because she’d never seen Adrien’s photoshoot. She was nervous because for the first time she was supposed to be on it officially, not in secret…

“Hey!” Adrien greeted her with a wide smile. “Ready for a very boring afternoon?”

“Su-sure!” she stuttered and jumped up from the bench.

“So, let’s go, I'll show you the way.” He reached out his hand and she could barely control her hand from trembling when she gave it to him. “But I warn you, it really will be boring.”

“You know, if I’m going to associate my life with it, it may be better to get used to it.” She muttered under her breath, and Adrien gave her an amused look.

“Are you really going to associate your life with it?” he asked with the same knowing smile, with which he’d asked in the locker room whether she was lying. Marinette immediately blushed.

“You-you know… I’d like to work in fa-fashion…” she stammered.

“Oh, right.” He nodded, again with that amused look. “I hope I won’t ruin your plans.”

Marinette didn’t know what to answer. She didn’t quite understand where this sudden change in Adrien's behaviour came from. After all, it was impossible that Jagged Stone's revelations were the reason of that! After all, Adrien “bought” her explanation that these photos were hanging because she was interested in fashion. And yet he behaved with her as if he hadn’t. And he kept holding her hand all the time. She wasn’t sure whether he did it on purpose or rather unconsciously. She walked next to him, dazed, and the more she thought about it, the more she was in a mess.

She knew that her current state of mind could lead to a catastrophe in which ruining her reputation would only be a detail. To call herself to order, she decided to concentrate on the afternoon with Adrien like on a task. Yes, she had to treat it as Ladybug.

After a short walk, during which they didn’t talk at all, they finally reached the place that the photographer had chosen for a photoshoot. It wasn’t particularly picturesque – just the Seine embankment. Under the bridge. Marinette looked around surprised. What photo session could take place somewhere like here? And where was she supposed to sit at this time? On a dirty wall that stank so much that she wouldn’t like even to come closer?

Adrien grabbed her hand more firmly and, in a mysterious way, suddenly turned her toward himself so that they stood face to face, and she completely forgot her ideas to control the situation. Blood began to throb at her temples, not helping in focusing. ‘Reputation! Save your reputation, Marinette!’

“I told you it would be boring.” Adrien sighed. “But I’ll try not to let it last long.”

“Don’t worry, I'll see ho-how it loo-looks like.” She tried to sound as being at ease.

“Young lady will leave the take!” The photographer yelled.

“The lady must sit down somewhere.” Adrien replied calmly, winking at Marinette. “There's a bench over there.” He whispered in her ear, and she felt a tingle on her neck. She really felt totally confused.

“Mmmm.” She murmured and left toward the bench.

She didn’t notice the half-smile that Adrien had with his eyes. When she sat comfortably on the bench, he turned into his professional appearance and focused on the photographer's orders, as if he really wanted to quickly finish the photo session.

She watched him with interest. Finally, she could do it openly, without hiding behind walls or trees in the park. She also didn’t have Alya around, who would always whisper in her ear that she should approach Adrien and talk to him.

From time to time, she caught Adrien's gaze, and although at the beginning she felt embarrassed at such moments, after some time she got used to it and simply smiled at him in response. The session was so long that they developed non-verbal communication, exchanging more and more information without words – with their eyes or face expression. Marinette felt more and more comfortable and was more and more amused. For a moment she felt almost as if she had a similar thread of understanding between them that she had with only one boy – Cat Noir. Only with him she could communicate without words. Well, but after so many fights and jokes couldn’t be otherwise. Now she suddenly discovered that such a way of communication would work with someone else.

“Please, tell me you have something to eat in this purse…” Adrien sighed as the photographer released him for a moment. He sat down to Marinette and looked with curiosity at her purse.

She blushed. She would never open this purse in front of him! He couldn’t see Tikki!

“I could take nothing more than five macaroons in this purse.” she replied, shaking her head. “But don’t worry I have something…” she added after a while with a smile and reached for a brown bag of snacks, which she had packed in her parents’ bakery.

“You’re saving my life!” he grinned at her, and she – for the first time in her life – didn’t start to stutter, only smiled in return. “Quick before they will look!”

He ate the entire croissant before the photographer realised that something forbidden was smuggled for the photoshoot.

“No, no, no! No fats! Nor carbohydrates!”

“It's best to drink water and die of hunger…” Adrien whispered, and Marinette giggled. “Thank you, Marinette. From now on you are a regular part of my photo sessions.”

“When they find out I'm feeding you, I'll be blacklisted and with a restraining order.” she replied jokingly.

“I’ll never allow it.” he whispered, looking deeply into her eyes, and she ran out of her breath.

When did it happen? And how? A few days ago, he’d confessed the love to Ladybug, and now… Actually, she didn’t know what was happening now. But Adrien was certainly behaving differently than usual. And she completely didn’t understand it.

* * *

The photo session lasted almost until the evening. Marinette could barely suppress yawning and couldn’t marvel at Adrien's endurance. Darkness fell much faster as dark clouds came over Paris, and at the least appropriate moment it began raining, flooding all the photographic equipment placed on the Seine embankment.

Adrien rushed to help the photographer, trying to hide as much valuable equipment under the bridge as possible, when suddenly he felt the great hand of his bodyguard caught him and led him to the car. Adrien hadn’t cooled down yet and almost started the argument with the driver that he had left Marinette alone when he saw her next to him in the car. Water dripped from her hair and even from her eyelashes. She stared at him in amazement. Everything happened so fast.

Before they realised what was happening, the car was already approaching the Agreste’s manor. The bodyguard escorted them both to Adrien's room unceremoniously, then locked the door behind them and stood guard. As usual. Even though water dripped from him as well.

“You're soaked.” Adrien pointed out. “I'll try to find something dry to dress for you.”

“N-no, no ne-eed…” Marinette stuttered.

“And you must drink something warm.” Adrien ignored her words.

He went quickly to the bathroom and after a while returned with a big towel. Marinette's hands were shaking – this time because of the cold – that she couldn’t wipe her head, so Adrien took the towel from her and carefully began to wipe her head from the water, then wrapped the towel around her.

“You're wet too.” She whispered.

“I'm used to rain.” he rubbed himself with the other towel. “Not such things happen. Sometimes I have a photo session in a total wasteland and there is nowhere to hide. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll find some dry clothes for you!”

Marinette approached to the couch and sat on the very edge of it. She was still dripping with water, but Adrien's towel absorbed most of water. A moment later, Adrien came back with a tray with two cups of something hot.

“I'm not saying that you have to drink everything, but at the beginning take even a sip. And then you have to change.”

“And y-you?” She asked, tamely taking a sip of hot chocolate.

“Ladies first.” He answered with a smile, then took her hand and led her to the bathroom. “Don’t worry about me. Scream if you need anything.” He squeezed her hand and kissed her on the cheek. And he left.

At the beginning, Marinette didn’t notice anything unusual in that what had just happened. After all, a few days ago she was here on a date with Adrien, during which they kissed and more than once. It took her a moment to realise that she wasn’t Ladybug now. She was herself here.

Suddenly she decided that there was no option to ever leave the bathroom. Then she heard the noise in Adrien's room. Carefully, she opened the door and her heart sank. Adrien was sitting terrified on the couch, and there was a black and white super-villain above him with a camera with a huge flashlight. She closed the door and whispered:

“Tikki, spots on!”

After a moment she jumped in through the open window into the room as Ladybug. The super-villain turned to her with a menacing smile and aimed the camera at her.

“Watch out!” Adrien shouted.

“You can’t escape, a little red insect!” the super-villain said slowly. “Soon we’ll see you in the negative!”

“Who are you, black-and-white-freak?” Ladybug answered back, running on the mezzanine.

She noticed that everything that her opponent hit with his flashlight changed the colours to the opposite, as if he indeed turned them into a negative.

“I'm Negative. I turn white into black. What's good, I change into bad.”

“Useful function.” she joked. “You should try to take a photo of Hawkmoth…”

Adrien chuckled. He liked this girl so much! What a pity he had to leave for a moment to transform into Cat Noir. But if he went to the bathroom, Ladybug would know that he knew her identity. On the other hand, he can pretend to go check on what was up with Marinette. It wasn’t forbidden, right?

“Where are you going, young model?” Negative asked him before Adrien managed to reach the bathroom door. Ladybug held her breath for a moment. Adrien could soon find out that she wasn’t there. That Marinette wasn’t there. “Would you like to hide? Or maybe you hid someone there? Maybe that irritating girl who almost ruined our photo session today?”

“What?” Adrien and Ladybug asked at the same time.

“If she wasn’t there, constantly distracting you, we could finish the shoots before this downpour!” Negative got angry. “I wouldn’t destroy the equipment for hundreds, thousands of euros! Girls mean problems!”

And he approached to the door.

Ladybug didn’t wait any longer. She hugged Adrien and jumped out of the window into the rain.

“God, have I lost my mind?!” She repeated quietly to herself, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She didn’t pay any attention to Adrien, who could hear it all.

“Ladybug, you have to leave me somewhere immediately.” Adrien interjected.

“I need to hide you somewhere, Adrien.” She muttered irritably.

She couldn’t control irritation. He had confessed his love to her a few days ago! And now he was picking up other girls, kissing them in his bathroom! Oh my God! She started thinking about herself in the third person! And in the plural…

“You don’t need to. Stop hiding me. The farther you take me, the longer you’ll be going back.”

He was worried about her. About Marinette. She felt happiness mixed with jealousy. So far, she’d felt this jealousy in the opposite direction. She didn’t think that she would ever be jealous of Marinette as Ladybug. She felt completely lost, which only made her irritate more.

“I have to…” she began again, but he interrupted her.

“You have to come back.” He ordered her impatiently. “Immedia…” he didn’t finish, because his pocket just sneezed. “Great, just great…” he sighed.

Ladybug looked at him with eyes wide opened. Adrien blushed, but there was no turning back. Wet Plagg fell out of his pocket and said wryly:

“I'm going to get sick right away. Let's do it finally.”

“I'm sorry, Ladybug.” Adrien sighed. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Plagg, claws out!”

“We have to talk, Cat” Ladybug drawled.

“So, we’re set up.” Cat Noir grinned. “Duties first.”

And they went to meet Negative.

* * *

A/N: It is more. Actually the whole story that you can read here or on AO3. It was written almost two years ago, freshly after “Troublemaker” had been aired.

Enjoy!

Arolla

[pluralismajestatis]

So, yeah. Therapy later today. If we can call it therapy, it's outpatient something or the other, not with a therapist but with a nurse. But given that I can't afford real therapy, it is what it is.

The plan is to fill papers. I'm okay with that, I like doing them, and it sounds like there'll be more this time than just the beck depression one. I've filled that so many times I'm kind of getting bored of it by now. The thing is, I have an extremely pressing matter on my mind and that's what I'd like to talk about.

I didn't know I had a system - let's say a month ago. It's not that I didn't know about my Others, it's that I refused to think about that as anything out of the ordinary. I've masked this thing up as long as I can remember, I'm not sure when it morphed from not knowing any better to deliberately modifying my language to come across palatable to others while still referring to the people I share space with every now and then, and quite honestly I've just never given it that deep of a thought. We've had our order and the rules by which everyone comes out and behaves, with me at the front taking responsibility for the rest and covering our asses so that we look "normal" to the rest of society. I never stopped to question whether other people are the same as me, I just knew that if they were, it was something that should be kept inside and not talked about, unless it was in a context of creativity. Writers were particularly easy and comforting to associate with, after all, don't we all have muses? Is it weird if mine are commenting on what I'm doing, living rent free in my head at all times, and sometimes take over my life entirely? If they buy my clothes and I buy clothes for them, if some of them feel more real than I am?

We had this way of keeping quiet, only associating with each other and occasionally with these other writers, but never directly. All my life I've had them sitting here commenting on my doings, but I've never talked back to them, never really acknowledged them further than by making sure they're alright, they're safe, and giving up control when it won't get us hurt. I knew about them and they never complained, we got along, we got through the day.

All this time I've very, very firmly kept it away from mental health professionals. My mantra throughout my treatment, which started when I was a child, is that I've got this. I can tell what's real and what's not. The parts of me that don't fit the definition of reality - my delusions, my paranoia, and my invisible cohabitants - are things that we don't talk about unless necessary, because a rational person would call that insanity. And it was never necessary with my Others, not like it became necessary with my psychotic symptoms when I stopped sleeping and believed the world was about to end. My Others are well-behaved. We take care of each other. They help me survive and I keep them safe. We have our own thing going.

And since they've never been a problem, just people I live with and experience everything through, I never recognised that this is an issue, or, like I said, abnormal. Maybe everyone does that. After all, those other writers just laugh it off when I tell them what X is thinking right now, how I'm being judged for what I said inside my own brainspace. So it's just creativity, isn't it?

Until I met others who, well, have Others. "Have you considered maybe it's not just imaginary?" "You sound like me." and "That's DID."

It's been one fucking HELL of a month. It feels like everything just kind of fell apart and the more I questioned it the more it was all over the place and I was no longer in perfect control as I thought I'd been. I've realised so many things about myself recently that I don't know how to process and my head hurts. One of them is that I'm barely a person on my own. I'm a paper doll. 2D. All I am is self-hatred and regret. I'm a traumatized mess who's been so hellbent on making everything look normal that I killed my functioning with it. The second I talked to Them, the second We had the smallest fraction of mutual communication instead of the one-way street I'd upheld for years, it's like a dam broke open.

I don't have to do this alone. There's no POINT in trying to do it alone, because I am so little, such a small portion of the whole. I don't have the fucking energy to take care of everything. So now we share tasks. At first it felt strange, after all, is it not the same hands picking up the trash and cooking the food and carrying the groceries? What difference does it make if it's me or J or T?

Turns out, every bit of difference. They have separate spoons from mine. J's not afraid of germs and he loves cats, he has no problems taking care of the litter box every day whereas I couldn't reliably touch it on a weekly basis and always, always had to throw out the entire thing instead of scooping out the dirty litter. T loves the outdoors, loves going out, loves getting his blood flowing, and loves carrying the weight of grocery bags up a hill whereas I'd rather die than do it as often as it needs to be done. M is patient and kind and will remind us when we need to rest and recover, he'll remind us that it's time to take a painkiller, and schedule us time to do yoga.

Together, we've planned up a sleep routine and a list of tasks for everybody. I care for the body and our social life. M manages the household. J takes care of the cat litter and reads books, which is more important than it sounds. He helps with my appointments. T exercises, takes out the trash, vacuums, goes shopping.

In the midst of all of this, and I haven't even began to catch up or adapt to what my life has turned into, I just... feel so much better. I called my mother and she asked me what's the magic trick I've pulled to sound so happy and full of energy for the first time in a long time. I can't tell her. I jokingly referred to my alter ego and T told me to never call him that again. I don't know how to explain this to anybody. I don't have to do this alone anymore. I can just let them help me. I can let them do what they've been trying, in their own ways, to do this whole time.

I don't have to act like I'm not crazy when nobody's looking, or around my friends who support me and mine even if we come across that way.

[misssophiachase]

Meet the Mikaelsons - Chapter 6: Lights. Camera. Action.

On AO3 and FF

Playa Palmilla, San Jose del Cabo

Wednesday - 10:09am

“I just don’t understand why I’m bitching and moaning about this? It’s not really my style, I think this script was meant for Kol.” The cast and crew were spread out around the pristine swimming pool, the bright sunlight adding to the picturesque view.  

“Oi,” Kol growled. “I don’t bitch and moan.” The whole set, not to mention the few extras, were suddenly silent. Kol’s reputation obviously preceded him, even in Mexico.

"Okay, cut! You are here to crash your ex-girlfriend’s wedding, Klaus,” Jenna offered, breaking the silence. “We need to understand your rationale, you can’t just turn up at her wedding for no reason.”

“Well, things on this show have happened for a lot less,” he muttered, standing up from his sun lounger. “Can we take a break? It’s bloody hot out here and I need a drink.”  

Once he stepped into the cool relief of his private villa, Klaus immediately felt bad. Usually it was Rebekah throwing a tantrum on set. Given he was co-producer didn’t help matters. To his credit, Klaus had been relatively professional since taking on the role but today he’d let himself slip back into old habits.

After grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, Klaus flopped onto the couch. His eyes had briefly flickered over to her before leaving set, not that he let them rest there long.

He didn’t know how long it had been happening, but Klaus was aware his attention was regularly captured by her. Yes, she was beautiful and intelligent and gave him a hard time (which was his favourite) but Caroline Forbes had become like a drug to him.

He needed to be near her.

A lot.

Klaus didn’t usually need anyone; he’d managed quite well up until this point given his interesting family upbringing but, when it came to Caroline, he couldn’t control his own feelings or somewhat weird and slightly stalkerish behaviour.  

Yes, he’d crashed her flight and insisted she stay with him, but he had a very good reason. One he’d yet to tell her about. Although, Klaus was starting to wonder if that very good reason came about because of needing to be near her and not the other way around which scared the hell out of him.

“I’m surprised you’re not lying on the floor, kicking and screaming,” she interrupted his thoughts. He didn’t respond immediately, annoyed that she thought so little of him. “That was a reference to your tantrum before, if you hadn’t already guessed.”

“And they thought sending you in here to coax me out was a great idea, Forbes?”

“It was supposed to be a motivational kick in the ass,” she offered, sitting next to him, grabbing the bottle of water from his hand and taking a swig. Her relative ease and comfort around him was surprising although not unwelcome. 

Her arm grazed his, no doubt by accident, and Klaus could feel himself faltering slightly. His nostrils filled with the smell of coconut and Klaus could detect the faint aroma of strawberries from the shampoo he’d noticed in their shared bathroom.  

She was wearing a pair of denim shorts that day and Klaus had lost track of how many times he imagined peeling them off her slowly and exploring what was underneath. 

He shook his head determined to get rid of such thoughts, Klaus was supposed to be annoyed with her after all.

His supposed tantrum before wasn’t due to the script (although it was ridiculous) but because of the previous evening.

Yes, he’d insisted she go to dinner with his family but what he wasn’t expecting was for Caroline to invite best friend number one, best friend number two and the Love Doctor. 

He didn't begrudge her company but Klaus was enjoying having her undivided attention and, yes, he knew it was incredibly childish. 

Many people were jealous because he was born into extreme wealth and privilege but with that came absentee parents and, even with five siblings, loneliness. Klaus always felt like the odd one out although he could never really explain why. Call him crazy, but when he felt like someone was actually hearing and seeing the real him, he didn’t want to let go. 

"Are you still not talking to me?"

"I never said that."

"No, you just ignored me during and after dinner. Actually, you pretty much ignored everyone," she noted. "I was tempted to encourage Henrik to start a food fight just to get you out of this funk but apparently he was on his best behaviour for my friends."

"It's not a funk," he muttered. "Although, you could have told me you'd invited them to dinner."

"I told your mom beforehand and, as we both know, she was extremely pleased to see Enzo. In fact, you should be thanking me."

"For what exactly?" The last thing Klaus wanted to do was thank her for bringing the perfect humanitarian doctor who could do no wrong. Who was Klaus kidding? He was jealous of the idiot and his close connection with Caroline and didn’t want to witness it first hand .  

"Occupying your mother from her cilantro obsession and annoying the hell out of Rebekah for whatever reason, amongst other things." Klaus had to admit she had a point there. He also knew he was acting like a child, especially since he'd forced her into dinner in the first place. "Also, don't forget Bonnie managed to minimise Kol's bad etiquette because he was so busy trying to impress her and Katherine monopolised Elijah so he didn't feel the need to lecture anyone."

"So, what you're trying to say, in a convoluted way, is that your surprise guests actually saved the Mikaelson family dinner from ruin?"

"Well, it certainly helped," she boasted. "And you so deserved it." Klaus attempted to interrupt before she continued. "Do I need to remind you of all the intrusive and presumptuous things you've done the past two days?"  

Well, she did have a point.

"No need to tell me I'm right," she said. "Your silence is confirmation enough. Now princess, can we please go back to set? Every minute we sit here is money that we don't have to waste. And if you want to do that stubborn brooding act and not talk about your feelings I'll have a word to Jenna."

"What silent, brooding act?"

"That thing where you'd rather stab out your eyes than show any emotion, it's okay our female viewers love the strong, silent type."

"I just don't like talking about my feelings, especially to millions of people," he shared, she gave him a look which clearly said he was in the wrong business if that was the case. "I'm here for my family," Klaus answered, thinking that was at least sort of true.

"Well, they should be very thankful for that," she murmured, her gaze downcast. "I'm not sure I could ever do something like this for anyone."

"I don't buy that at all, Forbes," he winked at her and took back his water bottle, taking a sip. "Now, let's go back where I will put on the performance of my life. Do they award Emmys for best performance in a reality television series?"

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," she drawled, following him out the door. "Wow, this girl must have really done a number on you."

"What makes you say that?"

"The brooding, the tantrum, the sudden change of heart. What exactly did Hayley Marshall do to you, Mikaelson?" She asked, her curiosity evident.

"Who said Hayley Marshall did anything to me?"

"Well, it's why we're here, right?" She stopped in her tracks, turning slightly, her left eyebrow cocked. "Right?"

"I never said that, well not exactly..."

"Oh my god," she hissed. "If you're not here to crash her wedding, why the hell did we spend all this money bringing the entire crew to Mexico? Without that particular plot line you realise we have nothing."

"Just breathe, love," he murmured, placing his hands on her shoulders and staring deeply into her eyes. She even looked beautiful stressed. "I didn't say I wouldn't crash a wedding, I just have other reasons for the trip besides that." 

Before she could ask any more questions or berate him for being annoyingly aloof, Klaus pulled her towards set thinking he was going to have to explain himself soon.

Just not yet.  

4:37pm

"That water feels so good," Klaus grinned, running back onto the beach thinking maybe Mexico was just what he needed. Elijah was sitting upright on his towel, mid yoga pose. For someone so uptight and serious he had some interesting ways to pass the time.  

"Must you drip water on me like some wayward canine, Niklaus?" He growled, opening one brown eye followed by the other. "I was attempting to relax."

"You are on a beach in Mexico, big brother, how much more relaxed do you need to get?" He asked, lying on his towel and taking in the view of the blue ocean. Elijah uncrossed his legs and gave his brother a frustrated look.

"It's all of this reality television, I need to cleanse my body and soul afterward."

"You make it sound so dirty, Elijah," he teased.

"That's because it is," he shot back.

"Then why do you do it?" Klaus asked genuinely curious about Elijah's motives.

Klaus knew that his older, and more responsible, brother had carved out a successful career as a stockbroker in New York City and didn't need reality television stardom or the associated trappings. He'd always been a loner from a young age and this kind of attention seemed like something Elijah would shy away from rather than embrace it.

"Mother called and you know how difficult she can be when she doesn't get her way," he said. "Add Rebekah and Kol to that equation and you know the rest. Anyway, surely you’re familiar with it all given she managed to lure you back from Europe." Klaus nodded thinking it was partly true.

 Yes, he'd felt the same family pressure but there was something else driving him. Something that no one knew about, even Elijah.

"It's that whining she does," Klaus joked. "She doesn’t stop and it sounds just like a cat with a fur ball stuck down its throat."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," a familiar brunette interrupted their conversation. Dressed in a fitted, red bikini with her hair loose, Caroline's best friend Katherine oozed confidence. His brother meanwhile seemed to be struggling to find his words. "You both finished filming for the day?"

"Yeah, about a half hour ago," Klaus said. "Thought we'd take a swim and wash some of that contrived reality television away."

"Some caring relative you are, Pierce." Klaus knew that voice all too well and he wasn't really in the mood for it. At least Caroline wasn't around, she'd gone back to the villa to take a rest before dinner. "I could have drowned out there."

"Enough with the dramatics, Lorenzo," she huffed. "Look who I ran into."

"If it isn't Mexico's latest celebrities," he whistled. "How did you escape all your adoring fans from earlier? I thought you were going to lose a lot more than the shirts off your backs."

"This isn't our first rodeo," Elijah offered knowingly, finally finding his voice in Katherine's presence. Klaus knew that Elijah was extremely shy when it came to women and decided his big brother needed and deserved a little push.

"Actually, Elijah was just saying how much he wanted to take a walk down the beach but I'm exhausted from that Oscar worthy performance I did by the pool. Maybe you might like to accompany him Katherine?" Out of the corner of his eye, Klaus could see Elijah sending him a death stare.

"Really, you don't have to.."

"No, I'd like to take a walk," she smiled. They walked off into the distance, Klaus secretly pleased with his efforts. But knowing Elijah and his stubborn ass he'd ruin whatever chance he had with Katherine Pierce. Caroline had said something about not leaving her alone with Elijah but surely that was a joke, well he hoped so.

"You're a matchmaker too?" He sat down beside Klaus, obviously not waiting for an invitation that would never come.

"Just bored I suppose."

"You don't like me much, do you?" He asked before continuing. "It's okay, I'm used to it. You know being BFFs with Caroline isn't easy...

“BFFs?”

“Best Friends Forever,” he responded and Klaus immediately felt like he’d been transported back to grade school. “Most of her potential suitors and boyfriends feel threatened because, well look at me, but.."

"What boyfriends?" He asked, probably against his better judgment.

"You do like her! I must admit I had my suspicions but that streak of jealousy gave you away," he laughed. "Not that I'm surprised, Caroline is amazing, albeit a little bossy."

"Do you always talk this much?"

"Says the guy who's deflecting," he snorted. "Look, it's okay, everyone falls for Caroline. She's beautiful and intelligent and.." Klaus gave him an unimpressed glance by way of response, "and I don't like her like that. I mean she's like a really annoying sister that you should never try to wake in the morning because it's not pretty let me tell you."

"You really do like the sound of your own voice."

"Fine, you don't want to admit it to me, I get it, we barely know each other but if you hurt her I will kill you," he promised. "Care Bear likes to act tough but she's actually more vulnerable than you think." 

Klaus was immediately curious about what that meant and who he'd have to kill for hurting her but didn't want to give away more than he already had to Enzo.

"Aren't you supposed to be a doctor? I thought killing people would be against your code or something?"

"I'm pretty certain killing people isn't okay for anyone, Niklaus," he teased.

"You did not just call me that!"

"You do realise that you have the same haughty tone as your sister," he commented. "Is she always frosty with people she barely knows or am I just lucky? I'm surprised I'm still alive to tell the tale given the looks she was shooting my way at the dinner table last night."

"It's difficult to tell with Rebekah," he explained. "There's a lot going on in that head of hers and if I had to try and explain it we might be here all day. Why exactly do you want to know anyway?"

"Just so I can avoid her wrath for the rest of the trip," he answered.

"Well, good luck with that, Lorenzo," he smiled, returning the favour. 

He consulted his watch thinking it was probably time he had that chat with Caroline. He just hoped she would understand why he brought her down here.

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 | AO3 link

“But I don’t understand!” Adrien protests. “I already practiced my piano enough yesterday after school!”

“Your father has decided that you would benefit from extra practice,” Nathalie says in her usual monotone. “He’s displeased with your progress.”

“This isn’t fair!” Adrien clenches his fists. “He never had a problem with my playing until two weeks ago!”

Nathalie says nothing, leaving Adrien to come to the realisation of what exactly is going on.

“Ever since I gave the brooch back to him,” he says. “He’s still punishing me for that?”

“The agreement was that you could return to school,” Nathalie says. “But your father feels that your priorities are…not aligned with his.”

“But I was going to see Nino today! Nathalie, please, I haven’t seen my friends in weeks!”

“You see them at school.”

“That’s not the same and you know it!”

But arguing with Nathalie is like arguing with a brick wall, and Adrien’s pretty sure that he’d used up his quota of “get his own way” when he’d convinced Gabriel and Nathalie to let him go to school in the first place. So, rather than spend the next hour wasting his breath, he stomps off to his room and unlocks his phone to bring up his recording of the song that Gabriel’s been having him practice.

“Ah, nothing like a nice night with my only love!” Plagg sighs when Adrien sets the phone on his piano. “Camembert!”

“I don’t think so,” Adrien says. “You were right about sneaking out the other night. I’ll be damned if I miss out on seeing my friends just because Father’s still mad at me. Plagg, claws out!”

Once he’s transformed, Chat Noir double checks that his recording is playing perfectly before cracking his window open and leaping out. But there’s a fatal flaw in his plan: where is he meant to go? Nino’s expecting Adrien, not Chat Noir, and he’ll know that Adrien’s been trapped when Adrien doesn’t show up. And although he loves his classmates, is he really close enough to impose on any of them as his superhero alter ego?

He’s so lost in thought as he bounds through Paris, with the cool morning air streaming through his messy hair, that he doesn’t realise where he’s ended up until a familiar smell of warm cookies reaches his nostrils. Oh. When did he arrive at the Dupain-Cheng bakery? Maybe Marinette won’t mind comforting a stray cat. He could certainly do with more cookies after the one she’d given him in class the other day.

The smell of cookies is coming from the top of the building and invokes an automatic reaction: cat smells Dupain-Cheng cookies, cat must acquire Dupain-Cheng cookies, no matter the cost. The source of the smell happens to be one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who’s sitting cross-legged in a chair on her rooftop balcony in a soft red cardigan, a white shirt, and a pair of pale pink pyjama pants. The cookies that have drawn Chat Noir in like a hooked fish are on a small glass table, piled haphazardly on a plate to be selected at random intervals by Marinette while she writes something in her semi-circle diary. His classmate looks so peaceful like this, not at all the flustered mess that she turns into whenever he’s around as Adrien, that Chat Noir can’t help but stare from the brick wall rising up behind Marinette’s balcony, where he’s perched.

“I can talk to him with the mask!” she mumbles. “Should I just pretend I’ve got the damn thing on every time I see him?”

Oh. Does Marinette like someone? Chat Noir probably shouldn’t be listening in like this. Not only does she think she’s alone, but she also doesn’t know that her friend is behind the mask of the stray cat currently eavesdropping like an awkward child. At least, he’s pretty sure she’s his friend. Sometimes, he wonders if she’d truly forgiven him after the gum incident, what with how weird she acts around him.

“Games! He likes video games!” Marinette scribbles something down, then groans. “Stupid, stupid! I already know this! Him and those damn green –” Having thrown her head back in exasperation while grabbing a cookie, she catches sight of Chat Noir when her eyes are on their way back down to the diary. For a moment, neither of them say anything, too busy playing a silent game of chicken to see who’ll freak out first. Chat Noir decides to take the initiative.

“Hey, princess,” he says, pasting on his signature Chat Noir smirk. “Sounds like you’re in a bit of a pickle.”

“Were you spying on me?” Marinette slams her diary shut with wide eyes. Chat Noir hastens to shake his head.

“No, no! I just smelled the delicious smell of Dupain-Cheng cookies with my kitty nose and like a helpless stray, I was compelled to investigate. I didn’t hear anything before whatever you were saying about a mask.”

“Nothing important. Just forget what you heard.” Marinette tilts her head and nods at her cookies. “You said you were sniffing out some cookies?”

“Oh, you are an angel!” Chat Noir leaps down to Marinette’s balcony and lets himself fall into her other balcony seat, shooting Marinette finger guns as he does so. She looks thoroughly unimpressed, so he hastens to grab a cookie and bite into it. He can’t help the moan that escapes him when the warm, gooey chocolate chips melt across his tongue, and Marinette looks away with pink cheeks. “Cat got your tongue, Marinette?”

“Uh – it’s nothing.” Marinette shakes her head, making her dark pigtails swing around her face. “You just…reminded me of someone.”

“That someone wouldn’t happen to be this mystery boy, would he?” Chat Noir says. Marinette’s cheeks flush darker. Ah. Bingo. And Chat Noir’s pretty sure he’s got an idea of who this boy is.

“No!” she says too quickly.

“Aww, you can talk to me, Mari!” Chat Noir wiggles his eyebrows. “Would this mystery boy perhaps be associated with the colour green?”

Now Marinette’s cheeks are fire-truck red. “N-No! No way! Shut up! I’ll push you off this balcony!”

Chat Noir leans in to commence the kill. “If you’re really crushing on Max, I can totally work something out for my favourite civilian –”

“Max?” Marinette blinks, then stares for a moment, then bursts into laughter so raucous that she slides down her seat with tears streaming down her face as she clutches her belly. Okay. Not exactly the reaction that Chat Noir had been anticipating.

“I take it I’m wrong?” he finally says. He doesn’t get an answer until Marinette’s pulled herself back up in her seat and wiped her damp cheeks, hiccupping as her laughter dies down.

“Max? What gave you that idea?” she says.

“You mentioned that this mystery boy likes video games. And he wears green.”

“And that’s why you don’t eavesdrop!” Marinette waggles her finger. “Naughty kitty! Me and Max? He’s a cool friend but that’s all! And haven’t you seen the way he looks at Kim?”

“He, uh…what?” Huh. Maybe Chat Noir should pay a little more attention to his classmates.

“No, the mystery boy is not Max,” Marinette says, her shoulders still shaking with the last of her laughter. “He’s none of your business. Why are you even here? There’s no akuma around, is there?”

“No, nothing like that,” Chat Noir says. “Can’t a stray cat just visit his favourite civilian?”

Marinette raises an eyebrow, so he caves.

“Oh, fine. Things got…tense at home, so I bounced for a bit. I smelled Dupain-Cheng cookies when I was jumping around like the cool cat I am.”

“Aww, kitty.” Marinette’s grey eyes crinkle. “You know you can come here anytime, right?”

“Such a noble and kind princess, taking pity on a mangy alley cat,” Chat Noir pretends to sniffle. Marinette just rolls her eyes and throws a cookie at him, and she only nails him in the face because he hadn’t been expecting it. Yep. That’s it. Totally not because his cat-like reflexes had failed him.

“I’m serious, though,” Marinette says. “I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m always open to lend an ear. And a cookie. Maybe a macaron next time.”

“Careful, princess,” Chat Noir grins. “If you feed the animals, they’ll keep coming back.”

“I think it’s a bit too late for that,” Marinette says dryly, pointing at the cookie crumbs on his face.

“And I’m serious, though.” Chat Noir shuffles in his seat so that he can cross his legs and actually sit like a dysfunctional human being for once. “I appreciate the offer. You seem like a cool girl, Marinette. And I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.” He actually knows her, not that he can just up and say that unless he wants to give her a major identity clue.

“Who’ve you been talking to behind my back?” Marinette says with a mock-glare.

“Oh, this person and that person,” Chat Noir says airily. “No one you should worry your pretty little head about.”

“Patronise me again and I will throw you off the balcony,” Marinette says, jabbing her pen at him. Chat Noir just grins.

“Ah, but cats always land on their feet,” he says.

“We could test that for science,” Marinette says innocently. Chat Noir snorts and holds his hands up.

“Okay, okay,” he says. “Whatever you say, my princess.”

“My princess?” Marinette raises an eyebrow. “Careful. Your lady will think you’re cheating on her.”

“I would never!” Chat Noir slumps dramatically and clasps his chest. “Ladybug’s the only one for me!”

“Dork,” Marinette giggles. Her laughter is like aural sunshine, only outmatched by the beautiful laugh that belongs to Ladybug, and although Chat Noir’s probably overstayed his welcome, being able to forget his suffocating life for just a little while with a dear friend is probably the best gift that Marinette’s ever given him. Minus the cookies, of course.

“Well, I hate to deprive you of my dashing good looks, but this cat should be getting home before he’s found out and loses a life,” Chat Noir sighs, jumping to his feet and stretching.

“What a shame,” Marinette deadpans. “Whatever will I do without you?”

“I know.” Chat Noir nods solemnly. “Your life is ever so grey without me. But fear not, princess, I shall return for more cookies!”

“Take your time,” Marinette says. She opens her diary and then raises an eyebrow at him. “Well?”

“Rude,” Chat Noir sniffs. “See if I come back now.”

“Oh, you will. I fed you, remember?”

“Very true. Very true.” Chat Noir shoots her finger guns for the second time that morning and then hauls himself onto her balcony railing. “Goodbye for now, princess!” He leaps away before Marinette can let loose with another scathing remark, and although every jump and step brings him closer to his gilded cage, it doesn’t seem as cold and lonely after his talk with Marinette. It’s nice to know that he’s got a friend when in the mask because, as much as he loves Ladybug, he doesn’t exactly have a reliable way of calling her up. Although Marinette is just as sassy as his lady so really, he couldn’t have made a better friend as Chat Noir. If only she could talk to Adrien that way.

.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it,” Adrien’s saying to Nino as Marinette and Alya take their seats behind the boys. “My father tightened my schedule and he didn’t even have the decency to tell me himself. He made Nathalie tell me.”

“Dude, that’s rough,” Nino grimaces. “Why’s he being so uncool?”

“He’s still mad about when I stole the book and the brooch. He says my “priorities are not aligned with his”.”

“What?” Marinette bursts out. Adrien and Nino jump, and she flushes and looks down when Adrien looks right at her. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to overhear. I just…that’s rubbish!”

“I know, right?” Adrien says. “I pointed out that you guys protested, but Nathalie said that was just to let me go back to school. I don’t get my father sometimes…he says I’m precious to him, then he goes and locks me up again!”

How does Adrien know that Gabriel had said that to Ladybug and Chat Noir about him? Huh. Gabriel must have had a heartfelt chat with him after being the Collector, which just makes this even more bullshit.

“And I can’t even get angry or I’ll probably get turned into Bubbler again,” Nino grumbles.

“I’d turn into Lady Wifi if it’d let me kick your dad’s butt,” Alya says.

“I don’t know what my akuma name would be,” Marinette says. “Probably something like Princess Justice. What?” she adds when Alya raises an eyebrow. “Akuma names aren’t my forte. I’m a fashion designer, not a supervillain.”

“You don’t need to get angry for me,” Adrien says, smiling around at the three of them. Butterflies erupt in Marinette’s stomach when that smile passes over her. “Really. I appreciate you three just letting me vent.”

“Well, that’s what we’re here for!” Marinette babbles, pointedly ignoring Alya’s smirk from next to her. Adrien’s smile just widens like a solar flare, melting Marinette from the inside out.

“Thanks, Marinette,” he says. He opens his mouth to say something else, but Ms Bustier calls for their attention at that moment, so he’s forced to turn back to the front and end the conversation there.

But try as she might, Marinette just can’t seem to pay attention. This is so unfair! Why shouldn’t Adrien get to hang out with his friends just because he made a mistake? One that he’d fixed? Gabriel has the book and the (fake) brooch, so there’s no need to take it out on Adrien anymore! Again, Marinette wonders if being the Collector had spooked him, but that’s still no excuse! Alya’s father hadn’t locked her up just because he’d been akumatised into Animan that one time, and Alya’s doing just fine!

Actually, she’s got a nasty habit of running into danger for the Ladyblog and she’d been kidnapped by Prime Queen after Ladybug and Chat Noir had saved Chloé, but that’s beside the point!

The next morning, Marinette ensures that she wakes up early enough to put her plan into action. The bakery’s already open, of course, but Marinette’s always allowed to grab whatever she wants from the freshly-baked pastries, so long as she doesn’t go overboard and take a whole batch or something. Perks of being a baker’s daughter. Ha. Take that, Chloé.

“What are you doing?” Tikki says as Marinette sets an empty pastry box down on the counter.

“Adrien was so upset yesterday because of his father cracking down on his schedule!” Marinette says. She grabs a warm croissant with the utmost of care so that her klutz curse doesn’t come into play, then places it into the box. “I want to do something nice for him!”

“That’s so sweet of you, Marinette!” Tikki says. “Oooh, what about those new pistachio macarons?”

“Right!” Marinette snatches up a couple of green macarons and adds them to the box. “They’re such a gorgeous green!” Just like his eyes…

Once she’s packed the box full of goodies, Marinette shuts it and picks it up with such care that it might as well be a priceless treasure, and then she’s off to school to deliver her gift, early for once in her life.

“Oooh! Marinette, you are a gem!” Alya says when Marinette finds her in the courtyard. She makes grabby hands. “Gimme!”

“Hey!” Marinette holds the pastry box out of reach. “No touchy! They’re not for you!”

“Hmph,” Alya huffs. “I see how it is. You’ll give fresh pastries to Adrien but not to me.”

“Your father’s not being a complete tool,” Marinette says. Alya grimaces.

“Okay, point. But girl, if he doesn’t marry you after this, I’m gonna marry you myself just to rub it in his face that I’ll get yummy treats every day.”

“I may be bi, but I do have standards,” Marinette drawls.

“Excuse me? You wish you could do better than moi.” Alya gestures to herself.

“Hey, girls!” says a voice from behind Marinette and Alya. Marinette shrieks and jumps away from Adrien, her heart ready to yeet itself out through her throat, while Alya just rolls her eyes and kisses Nino hello. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, Marinette!”

“You didn’t! You just…surprised me!” Marinette takes a deep breath and thrusts the box at Adrien before she can chicken out. “Here! Freshly baked this morning!”

“Aww, seriously?” Nino whines as a wide-eyed Adrien takes the box and opens it to inhale the delicious scent of warm pastries. “Why don’t I get freshly baked stuff?”

“Because we’re going to talk over there,” Alya says, grabbing Nino’s hand and dragging him off. Marinette’s not sure whether to kill Alya or thank her on bent knee for leaving her alone with Adrien.

“You were so upset yesterday because of your dad!” Marinette says. “So, I thought you might appreciate some sweet treats!”

“Marinette, you are an angel,” Adrien says, and Marinette only just manages to fight back the silly giggle that tries to escape her, both that Adrien called her an angel and because Chat Noir had said the exact same thing on the weekend. Is the way to a boy’s heart really through his stomach?

“I’m glad you like it!” she says. “It’s so not cool of your father to punish you for a mistake that you fixed.”

“I know but…what can I do? I can’t exactly go up to him and tell him that he can’t control my life anymore,” Adrien says.

“Why not?” Marinette says.

“Because I never see him for more than five minutes a month,” Adrien says, and Marinette can’t help the snort that escapes her at that.

“I feel so bad for laughing,” she says as her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.

“Don’t,” Adrien says with a cheeky smile. “I wouldn’t have made that joke if I wasn’t okay with you laughing at it.”

“But it’s so sad! That’s why I feel bad for laughing!”

“Well, if I didn’t joke about it, I’d just cry all the time,” Adrien says. “Humour’s how I cope. If I had an alter ego, I’d channel all the jokes I can’t make as me into him.”

“Ugh, like Chat Noir,” Marinette says. “His damn puns, I swear –”

“Hey! Chat Noir’s not that bad!”

“He is! He came to visit me on the weekend because he smelled cookies and I nearly threw him off the balcony! His puns are awful!”

“Don’t you mean –”

“Don’t you dare say it –”

“– clawful?”

“That’s it.” Marinette grabs for the pastry box. “I’m confiscating these until you learn to behave.”

“Nuh uh,” Adrien says and holds the box high above Marinette’s head. “I’m taller than you, so I win.”

“You’re an arse, is what you are,” Marinette mumbles. But Adrien swiftly earns her forgiveness when he offers her one of the pistachio macarons and they bite into their green treats together.

“Honestly, I’m really grateful for this, Marinette,” Adrien says. “Not just because it was a really nice thing to do, but because I’ve always been afraid that…we weren’t really friends?”

“What?” Marinette’s heart sinks into her stomach. No wonder Adrien’s never seemed to show any interest in her, if he hasn’t even considered them friends! “What gave you that idea?”

“Just the way you’ve always been weird around me. I guess I was scared that you never really liked me or forgave me for the gum thing, and you were just putting up with me. But this conversation was really cool. You’re really cool.”

Oh. Oh. Maybe Tikki had been on to something after all when it comes to not being able to talk to Adrien. “Trust me, I’ve always liked you,” she says. “As a friend! Yeah! We’re friends!”

“Oh, thank god.” Adrien’s shoulders slump. “I didn’t know what to do about it. Confrontation’s never been my strong suit.”

“Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that at all,” Marinette says. “I was weird because…I’m weird! Not because I don’t like you! Because I don’t! Dislike you, that is! I do like you!” She groans and facepalms. “I’m a disaster, is what I am.”

“Well, so long as I get amazing treats out of it, you can be as much of a disaster as you want,” Adrien says. Then he winks.

Dear lord. This boy is not making it easy to interact with him normally. What the hell did she do to deserve this?

[kangwei18053060]

Reflective

 Reflective posts

Blog 1

It usually takes a dog, or a cat or some form of human stupidity to go viral on the internet. However, one of the viral videos doing the round of the internet was an old woman, frail looking, sat in a chair with downcast eyes. Her hands fluttered to the swelling music of Swan Lake. The text on the video told the viewers that the lady was a former ballerina with dementia. For someone, who has been hearing about the “power of music” this video reinforced that notion. It made me realise potential of music to connect with people and also head down the scientific or rather neurological route to find out the many ways that music plays a vital role in one’s memory. Auditory memory while being the among the first things we develop, is also the last one to deteriorate and as primal animals, we humans are so responsive to it.

Further research on this led me to new avenues and I was rather saddened to know that the ballerina in the viral video, Marta Cinta González Saldaña, passed away last year, the year that the now-viral video was shot. She resided in Cuba, went on perform in New York, taught ballet in Madrid, and in a nursing home located in Alcoy, she dreamt of performing ballet with elderly residents. The viral video has made her a viral figure and has also made headline in half of countries around the world. Tributes from other artists also poured in for her. I guess what lives on is the power of music and its effect on people.

Blog 2

When I sit down to watch a film, I tend to focus on the background score first and then on the narrative. But does this mean if I have walked out of a film with good plot but bad music? No, but during the entirety of the film my attention was constantly drawn towards the loud or misplaced music. This is why I hold Whiplash very close to my heart. If I am allotted only three adjectives to describe the film then I would primarily call it intense, followed by awe-inspiring and beautiful.

The film is about Andrew Neyman, played by Miles Teller, a freshman at college, who is an aspiring drummer and does not simply want to be good. I must say that I was initially undersold by the trailer of the film, as I thought it was about drumming. However, it is about how the extent someone is willing to go to become the best at what the do. The instructor, Terrence Fletcher, played stunningly by J.K Simmons, is willing to go to any extent to make their students great. This includes verbal to emotional abuse and also physical abuse. I think the film also presents the dilemma of whether Fletcher is just doing his job of an instructor or carrying out the version of this job. In doing so, he becomes more of a drill sergeant than a music instructor.

I believe one reason why this film interest me primarily is because as a someone majoring in music studies, the film trained my ear in picking out each piece of music in a thorough manner. Also, when I consider my interest in music therapy, this film seems to lie at the extreme end of it. Music here is not therapeutic but rather cathartic and it always makes me wonder how this piece of cinematic adrenalin shows the competitive and cutthroat world of music, which is something that not many consider when thinking about the therapeutic effects of music.

Blog 3

Quite frequently, music gets minimal amount of consideration in the present filmmaking industry, and it is not hard to perceive any reason why. Music is invisible in films. Additionally, not every person is musically inclined, and they might be so enveloped with the co-ordinations of production process, that music is actually pretty low on the priority list at this moment. However, it is important to remember the impact that a music director wants to evoke from the crowd during each scene and set aside some effort to give genuine thought to the central component of music in the film project.

It is possible to affect the audience visually, and it also possible to affect them audibly in what one lets them hear. However, when the visuals fit with sound in a meaningful manner, that is the moment when the crowds go from essentially observing and hearing, to really feeling. Think of the ominous music that plays before the famous shower scene in Psycho.

On the off chance that you have watched any of the classical films, you will quickly observe the presence of music at urgent moments in the story. There is a certain melodic extravagance that films of past ages had, that I lamentably do not see quite a bit of today. A ton of films used to have long basic credits, that highlighted the film's main theme, which constructed expectation for what was to come, and set up an air. Consider Alfred Hitchcock films, James Bond, and so on.

In the entertainment world, there is access to shading palettes, designs, rules, protocols and best practices for pretty much everything. Nonetheless, with regards to music, it is not generally that obvious. A filmmaker will must be the one to settle on the decision on whether the selected scene would be ideal with music. In some cases, even quietness or simply ambient music of the scene convey more weight than music could at that time, and this is something I learned during my postgraduate lessons need to consistently aware of during production.  

Blog 4

This year commemorates the 250th birth anniversary of Beethoven and I believe this is an opportunity to reflect about a craftsman who endured and conquered uncommon difficulty. It is genuinely fitting that Beethoven, an artist who endured and conquered exceptional difficulty, would be so vitally associated with this year that brought unprecedented challenges to people all over the world. In Symphony No. 9, Beethoven expressed an expansive existential way of thinking that supported his faith in solidarity, resilience, harmony and euphoria. The symphony culminates in Ode to Joy, as it offers message of bliss, expectation and positive thinking that is genuinely needed during this year of pandemic. It appears in the fourth movement of Symphony No. 9 and it is among the most recognisable piece of music.

I have taken solace in finding stories about my favourite piece of classical music. Would you be able to envision what it might have been like if you are in your mid-twenties and steadily started losing your hearing, the one thing that is so desperately required for composing music? Obviously, such acknowledgment is decimating, and understandably Beethoven decided to end his own life however his resolute obligation to his aesthetic reason kept him pushing ahead as well as propelling himself innovatively more than ever. I am of the viewpoint that his loss of hearing brought about an internal creativity that challenged history and empowered him to rise above all limits.

I came across a research by the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference held in Manchester found that listening to music that has 10-second repeated rhythm concurs a drop in pulse, diminishing the heart rate. Some of the recordings mentions in the conference were Va Pensiero by Italian Giusuppe Verdi, Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony adagio. While it is not a prescriptible medication (yet), the research proposes that these impacts are not individual, yet universal.

In the event that more proof affirms such findings, it could imply that similar kinds of tunes with comparable rhythms (like third movement in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9) may help in lowering blood pressure in each one of us.

That is quite impressive.

Blog 5

Over the couple of decades, music therapy has evolved into modern science. The Chinese culture have used music for medicinal for a long time. As I study at music from a technical point of view, I decided to find more about the traditional Chinese music therapy. For more than a millennia Chinese community looked for the privileged insights of the universe's melody and cadence. I have grown up hearing from my grandparents about music therapy being an aspect of traditional Chinese medicine. These two aspects share an interwoven and continuous relationship. Music, along with theory of yin and yang, and the five elements remain interconnected.

In ancient times, people thought Tao was the essence of music. As a child, I don’t remember paying much attention to this piece of information that my grandfather was so interested to impart. Years later, as a high school student, when I came across the concept of Tao, I knew better than to not pay attention. Tao is the changes in yin and yang, controlling the force of life, as well as the universe’ tone and mood. In ancient China music was divided into five tone that belonged to each of the five elements of Kung, Shang, Chiao, Chih and Yue.

What I found to be particularly interesting is that as per traditional Chinese medication, the five sounds compare to the inner organs. This hypothesis is utilised in various clinical diagnosis and offering treatment. Various sounds influence various organs. The hypothesis of the five tones frames the holistic premise of music therapy in traditional Chinese medication. The yin and yang related to Heaven and Earth are identified with the body's yin and yang. Taoists have consistently accepted that the human body is a little universe, and inward harmony can be influenced by external harmony. How profound is this.

As per the five basic tones, one can identify various impacts in the human body. For example, Kung-based tunes are grouped as noble, Earth-related, and influence the spleen. Regularly tuning in to such music makes one open minded and kind. Shang tunes are hefty, similar to metal, inflexible. This music influences the lungs; and successive listening is said to make one noble and amicable. Chueh-based music proclaims the onset of spring and stirs all life once again. This sort of music influences the liver. Tuning in to it makes one charitable and conciliatory. Chih music is profoundly emotional, similar to fire. It influences the heart. However, tuning in to it makes one generous.

Yue-based tunes are despairing, as peaceful as running water. They influence the kidneys. Tuning in to these tunes balances one’s intellect and gentleness.

As the ancient Chinese saying states "sad yet not hurt," and "content but not overabundance". While I do not claim that body ailments needs to be treated in the above stated manner, this is the way of life that Chinese music endeavors to pass on.

Blog 6

My secondary school-life revolved around two main interest: music and bio science. My adoration for bio science started with an interest in the functioning of human body. I once toyed with the idea of turning into a medical caretaker, but I feel nauseated when I am around blood. I wound up predominantly thinking about may be simply choosing other field in bioscience for my higher studies, yet something was preventing me from doing it.  I knew I did not want to give up music, and I went beyond jamming sessions with my band after school hours. But I was not sure how to make that into a career. Last year of high school, I carried out research on possible options, and then I decided to pursue music for higher education.  

One would have thought that knowing how to play certain instruments would have made my academic life easy but soon I learned my lesson. While being an undergrad is difficult, being a music understudy is hard. Between classes, theories, practices and schoolwork, one is kept unquestionably occupied. It was while I was pursuing my college degree that I came to know about music therapy. It grabbed my attention immediately.

While there are times when I questioned if I chose the right degree, I also reminded why I chose to study music in the first place. Discovering music therapy was an important point as it made me consider if I as a sound engineer I can curate or make music that intentionally incorporates therapeutic outcomes. I realised this more during the current pandemic situation where I found myself searching for music that would help me feel better during the lockdown situation. I decided to dig deeper and study the music as an aspiring audio engineer. While this is an ongoing side-project of mine, I think the outcome will help me attain my goal of creating therapeutic music later on.

Blog 7

Last Thursday, I found myself reflecting upon my own encounters in music as a study, and a seasonal guitar player. My thoughts mostly revolved around how I went from someone who thought they wanted to pursue bio science to someone studying music. Who were there to support me along my bending path? I wonder if other people also ponder about their scholarly and their support system? I think one of the common factors among all of my support system was they understood my belief of music lessons being something more than playing an instrument. Music exercises can be viewed as life exercises.

I must put a small disclaimer before I go any further. I cannot specify each and every individual who went to impact how music played an important role in my life. There are endless individuals who have empowered and shown me, including my previous and current professors. I think about my absolute first music instructor, my grandpa, who handed me his old guitar and when I was 10 years of age and taught me to play some of his old favourite tunes. I started to choose tunes and make melodies after two years, and I always count my grandfather as my first music instructor. I remember him as a sweet, kind man who possessed a charming little Shitzou canine who would drink up tea (with cream) on the floor beside the couch where my music lessons would take place.

My grandfather played guitar for fun and once I reached 13 years of age, my music interest began to diversify, and I wanted to learn how to play the drums. We started looking for a teacher and I had to look no further than my family. This time it was my cousin, who took me under her tutelage and gave me lessons every weekend.

I learned more in the years to come but my grandfather holds a special place as my first music teacher.

Blog 8

This year was quite revealing to me. Pandemic and my lockdown coping method aside, I found myself pursuing various interest, trying new things and found surprising thing about myself as well. One that I did not see coming is I would go on to enjoy gospel music in a therapeutic manner.

I found gospel music to have a relieving and quieting impact that influences the brain in a positive manner. It lifted my state of mind, and the verses have a method of elevating one’s spirituality to another level. I believe that at the point when the barbed edges of life are influencing oneself, gospel music can mellow those issues and water down feelings of anxiety. This is on the grounds that gospel music recognises the disappointments of everyday day life, and it gives the support that makes the listener easy to push ahead. The tempo of the music, the pitch play a significant role in it.

Tuning in to gospel music is not just entertaining, as it can likewise offer nurturing of one’s soul. Gospel music in general is motivational, fortifies confidence and spirituality, which gives a decent foundation to spiritual development. All through time, music has been related with the divinity. It has been utilized in religious practices customs to improve supplication and confidence, give a way to request, petition and commendation. Music can help individuals to remember their connection with imagination and eventually with the innovative life power.

While my religious beliefs do not align with the Christianity, I listen to gospel music as I find it soothing, minus the religious connotations, and it demands my whole attention. It engages me in a movement, and I follow the beat of the music as I follow the tempo and pattern and go through various mixture of emotions.

Blog 9

Internet is changing the concept and perception around classical music. I think of the duo TwoSet Violin when I think of this. I just spent an hour binge-watching their older videos. Set up in 2014, TwoSet Violin is an Australian comedy musician group who every now and the showcases the life of classic musician through YouTube videos. The founders Brett Yang and Eddy Chen were past members of professional orchestras in Australia. They established TwoSet Violin to fulfil their goals of being comedians while keeping music near their work.

What is not there to like about TwoSet Violin? Their friendship, their rigorous knowledge on the world and life of violin players, and my personal favourite making fun of violists and viola, all in good humour. Then later on I was introduced to Victor Borge, another acclaimed piano player who also makes use of humour and makes fun of the carefree side of musicianship by telling jokes and actual setbacks that occurred during his exhibitions.

What caught my attention to TwoSet Violin’s YouTube channel is the duo’s constant experimentation, and their parodies of life as classical music students. Very soon, I found myself laughing at Ling Ling jokes and “Practice 40 hours a day” saying.

As a teen thought the world of classical music was “all work and no play.” But TwoSet is changing the notion of classical music being a piece of high culture. For instance, the duo have played pop music in the style of classic musicians. Who would have thought Jingle Bells in Paganini style would be such an interesting experience? They also make light jabs as the tune’s simplicity. Besides their creative and funny content, I think the popularity of TwoSet Violin lies in the fact that they genuinely combine humour with the splendour of instrumental pieces and live up as professional musicians while also having a humble personality.

Blog 10

I created a pandemic playlist.  Of all things that I did to keep me afloat during these testing times, curating a playlist was the most fun activity I did. I think perhaps there is certain truth to finding joy in little things. Without a doubt, this pandemic has tested the resilience of my emotional well-being. The lockdowns and remaining indoors prompted my increase in my depression and anxiousness. Not only this, but I was continually stressed over the wellbeing and security of my loved ones some of whom are frontline workers and are the preferred choice to treat coronavirus patients. My everyday routine had become monotonous and this likewise brought huge changes in my eating and sleeping habits. I caused me to feel like I had no control over my situation and heightened my anxiety. In the entirety of this, music acted as my saviour and it caused me a great deal to improve my psychological well-being. I made a playlist and I recently added some songs to it.

I call my playlist “Tanghulu” after my favourite Chinese sweet. These are my top 10 songs from the playlist.

1.     Taylor Swift- Shake It Off

2.     Black Pink feat. Selena Gomez- Ice Cream

3.     Twice- Likey

4.     Boney M- Sunny

5.     ABBA- Dancing Queen

6.     Escape Plan- The Brightest Star In The Night Sky

7.     The Beatles- Here Comes the Sun

8.     Namewee- Stranger in the North

9.     KUN- Lover

10.   BTS- Dynamite

While not done intentionally, the playlist reflects the theory of positive psychology. This theory has gone on to affect the discourse that surrounds the topic of mental health, while also providing significance ideas concerning the link between one’s mental health and music. I am not professing my playlist is the cure-all to end negative thoughts but this one works for me.

[ladyknight1512]

I don't normally do these sorts of things but I've had a long day and I'm in the mood to answer some questions. I'm not doing it ask-style, though, I'm just gonna answer them because I love me a questionnaire. There are a ton, so most of them are under the cut. I found the questions here.

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

I’m not a cereal eater these days because milk doesn’t really agree with me and I don’t like soy. Back in the day, though, it was always more cereal than milk.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

Not especially but I don’t dislike it either. It’s one of those things I just don’t think about.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

I collect bookmarks so I usually just use those. I did use a wedding invitation a few weeks ago, though.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

Tea-wise, I only drink peppermint, so that’s just a teabag and water. For coffee: if it’s just instant at home, I go two sugars and a dash of milk.

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

Yeah, because I’m pretty sure my eyes are different sizes - they’re definitely not the same anyway - so if I do one of those excited grins, my right eye scrunches up in a weird way that the left eye doesn’t and I hate it.

6: do you keep plants?

I keep a plant. It was a wedding favour from a wedding I went to at the end of October. It’s a succulent and I’m pleased to report that it’s still alive.

7: do you name your plants?

Nope.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

Writing. It’s the only one I’m good at.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

I’m constantly singing or humming to myself, which is weird, because tuneless humming is the worst noise in the world for me.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

Side, usually.

11: what's an inner joke you have with your friends?

“Now kiss.” - @tansy-c​

12: what's your favorite planet?

I’ve always been drawn to Jupiter - I’m a Sagittarius so maybe that’s why.

13: what's something that made you smile today?

My cat when she did one of those half-flops so she was half on her side and half on her back with her two front paws hanging in the air. She’s the cutest, ok?

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

Books everywhere. Comfy chairs. And I would bring a shit ton of merch with me so she’d just have to deal with that.

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

Apparently, the sun makes a full rotation once every 25-35 days. And there I was thinking that the sun just hangs there doing nothing.

16: what's your favorite pasta dish?

Spaghetti bolognese. Classic.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

I’ve always wanted to go blonde but my hair is pretty dark and it would be too much work to maintain for my lazy arse.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

Can’t think of anything with my friends but when I was 12 I said in front of my whole class that James Cook first came to Australia in 1901. Which was only about 200 years off.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

Nah. I had one in my early teens but it was full of the same teenage angst as everyone else’s and now I can’t be bothered.

20: what's your favorite eye color?

Blue or green.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that's been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

I’m not really a bag person (shoes, though...). I just have a massive black one with a patch of furry leopard print on the front. It fits all my everyday stuff: book, notebook, 65 pens, water bottle, phone, charger, wallet, sunnies. You know, the basics.

22: are you a morning person?

No.

23: what's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

AO3. Just fic after fic. Also food.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

My bff. I’ve told her many a thing while drunk; she probably knows more about me than I realise she does.

25: what's the weirdest place you've ever broken into?

...I’ve never broken into anywhere.

26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

I have more than 20 pairs of shoes at last count. The only ones I wear regularly are just my black ballet flats because they’re useful for everyday wear.

27: what's your favorite bubblegum flavor?

Grape.

28: sunrise or sunset?

Sunset (sunrise is too early).

29: what's something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

My bff while drunk is pretty adorable because she forgets that there are some things she probably shouldn’t say out loud.

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

Yes, twice.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

I hate socks. They’re ugly and they feel weird. I would rather have freezing feet than wear socks.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

I’m actually a 90-year-old granny on the inside so I’m never out later than 12am.

33: what's your fave pastry?

I mean ... is any pastry really bad? I’ll eat any and all pastries but I am fond of a blueberry Danish.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

I got a stuffed Babar for my third birthday and I still have him today. His crown is pretty much non-existant and his trunk is bent to the left because I used to carry him around by it. And my cousin ripped his arms off once and my grandma had to sew them back on. But otherwise, he’s looking pretty good for his age.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

I am an editor. Loving stationary is in my DNA. There is no feeling better than opening a new notebook and starting to write with a brand new pen.

36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now?

Something quiet and mellow. Maybe a slow Reba McEntire song.

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

It’s currently half and half. I was in the middle of a massive clean out when I got spectacularly busy with work so I just sort of dumped all the stuff I hadn’t got to wherever it fit. I’m looking forward to getting back to them. I’m aiming to be cleaner.

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

Humming, as mentioned above. People who don’t signal when they turn or change lanes. Slow walkers! Someone save me from slow walkers. People who don’t know how to properly use the tools and programs their job requires.

39: what color do you wear the most?

Blue, but no particular shade.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you?

For my 21st birthday my mum bought me a love heart pendant with diamonds in it. I’ve worn it every single day since.

41: what's the last book you remember really, really loving?

‘Kings Rising’ by C.S. Pacat. I’m sure there have been more recent ones, but that was my automatic response.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

I’m not one to sit in a coffee shop usually. I do catch ups with my bff at a Gloria Jeans but we only go there because it’s halfway between each of our houses, not because of the atmosphere. They recently redecorated the place, so the seats are new and comfier now.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

Probably my brother, but that was when we were kids.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

I ... don’t remember ever feeling that. My brain is hard to stop. There’s always something to think about.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

Yeah, usually, but they often align with my head so that helps.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

Some aquatic mammals escaped from the zoo. It was otter chaos.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

Artichokes. Blegh.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

I was pretty scared of spiders as a kid. Still scared of them. Needles (as in injections and vaccinations) give me panic attacks, though.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

I do because I’m old school like that. These days I’m only trying to buy physical copies of things I absolutely love. The last CD I bought was ‘Flicker’ by Niall Horan.

50: what's an odd thing you collect?

I collect bookmarks. Not sure if that’s odd, though.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

Every time I hear ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran now I think of my high school best friend, because it was her first dance song at her wedding (the one I got the plant from).

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

I like the one of the guy looking over his shoulder at his girlfriend looking at him in horror.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

I’ve seen Rocky Horror but that was years ago and I don’t think I remember enough to comment. The songs are good. Who doesn’t love the Time Warp?

54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

My aunt, when her mum died.

55: what's the most dramatic thing you've ever done to prove a point?

Probably Googled. Not dramatic, but it’s the easiest way to prove things these days.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

Just really cute things they do, especially if they’re not typical of their age.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

I always start grinning like a lunatic when I Bohemian Rhapsody starts. And yeah, dramatic reenactments are a must. It often makes me think of Glee, though, because it was used in Season 1 when Quinn gives birth to Beth.

58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

Honestly, I’m probably the vodka aunt. I have no class when I drink, because I try really hard to stay classy.

59: what's your favorite myth?

I always liked the one about Hades and Persephone.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

I’m not a huge reader of poetry but I want to read more. I’ve always really like the Romantic poets. My absolute favourite poem is ‘The Lady of Shalot’ by Tennyson. I first read it in my early teens and I’ve read it a number of times since then, and what I love is how my reaction to it has changed as I’ve aged. When I first read it, I thought it was incredibly romantic. Now I think it’s unbearably sad.

61: what's the stupidest gift you've ever given? the stupidest one you've ever received?

One year, for the work Kris Kringle, I gave someone a dragon statue. But not a straight-up good one; it was cheap and trying so hard to look good that it was pretty ugly. In fact, it was so bad, that it came back around to being cool again. I don’t think I’ve ever received a stupid present. If I have, I’ve blocked it from my memory.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

No, but orange is my juice of choice.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

I’m in a constant state of wanting to reorganise my books by genre but there are so many and I have so little time that they just stay where they are. But at least I know where they all are so I guess in that way they’re organised.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

Very pale blue, because the sun is so bright it’s basically white.

65: is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with?

Some old work friends because I haven’t seen them since I started working from home.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

Something delicate, because my head is small, but vibrant in colour.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

Lazy. They make me want to sit around and just do nothing.

68: what's winter like where you live?

Pretty wet, in recent years, but it doesn’t get crazy cold. I think the coldest it usually gets during the day is about 10-12 Celsius.

69: what are your favorite board games?

We have this game called Talisman, which I love because you can play as different characters and you get different abilities and different positives and negatives depending on what you play.

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

No.

71: what's your favorite kind of tea?

Peppermint.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it?

I’m a chronic note-taker but my memory is generally pretty good. I was one of those kids who never had to study to get As because I just always remembered stuff.

73: what are some of your worst habits?

I’m a terrible procrastinator.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

Kooky and fun, and always creative and thinking outside the box. They’re extremely loyal and hates saying no, even to a situation they have put themselves in.

75: tell us about your pets!

Her name is Lizzy (yes, as in Bennet). She’s a cat. She’s just turned 3. She’s a grey tabby with white and caramel bits. She’s super inquisitive and not scared of anything (except loud cars and the vacuum), sometimes to her detriment. She is the cutest cat in the world. She likes cuddles, but only on her terms. Under-the-chin scritches are her favourite kind of scritches. She loves to play and run around. Her favourite toy is a little horse that was actually mine (it was a Christmas gift when I was about 7); I gave it to her as a kitten to distract her when she was being naughty and then she adopted it. We’re convinced that she was the bully of her litter.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't?

I probably could have been doing some more work when I started this but now it’s after 6pm and my day has ended.

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

Neither?

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

The Indifferent Club but edging towards Hate now.

79: what's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

My bff crocheted me a Babar for my birthday last year. That was pretty awesome.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

Ugh. They’re baby pink because that’s the colour they were when I was born. Repainting is too much effort because my furniture is too bulky to move. The colour is the reason my parents decided this would be my room, which is totally unfair because it’s the smallest bedroom by a mile and I’m the oldest.

81: describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

Geez, that’s too much effort for this late in the day. I dunno. Brown, like tea-stained water?

82: are/were you good in school?

I was. Academics have always come naturally to me.

83: what's some of your favorite album art?

I have no idea. I don’t really pay that much attention to it.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

I would love a tattoo - I know where and what it would - but the needle-phobia is standing in my way.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

I don’t read them, but C.S. Pacat has just started releasing a series of comics and she’s maybe my favourite author so I’m reading them.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

Sure, because as a writer, I love things to have a theme. But I don’t think I own any.

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

Harry Potter, obviously, and ‘A Single Man’.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

I really like Impressionism and Romanticism

89: are you close to your parents?

To my mum, I guess, but there are definitely things I know I would never tell her, even though I’ve told my bff. My dad annoys me most of the time. My bff says it’s because we’re too similiar but I don’t like thinking about that.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

I’ve lived in Melbourne my whole life and it’s a pretty good place to live, all things considered. I love that’s it’s cultural and academic and more intellectual than, say, Sydney. Also, great coffee and food.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

Nowhere.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

Drown in cheese, every time.

93: what's the hairstyle you wear the most?

My hair is pretty long right now and it’s super annoying and it’s hot so I’ve been doing one of those half-ponytail things, where you just do a ponytail but don’t pull it all the way through the last time.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

One of my friends who I went to uni with, and he helped get me my first job in publishing and we’ve worked together a lot over the years. We’ve known each other for 10 years.

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

It’s my birthday this weekend so that’s happening. I’m hanging out with some friends on Saturday and then I’ll be working on Sunday.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

I usually just do them quickly to get them out of the way.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

The last test I took said I’m an ISTP; Sagittarius; Ravenclaw.

98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

I was 14, on a school camp. No.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

‘She Used to Be Mine’ by Sara Bareilles. ‘You Will Be Found’ from Dear Evan Hansen.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

The future, because the past is somewhere I’ve already been and there’s no point in going back.

[latestnews2018-blog]

Mahira Khan and Co. talk ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/mahira-khan-and-co-talk-7-din-mohabbat-in/

Mahira Khan and Co. talk ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’

The popular Pakistani actors, including Mahira, Sheheryar Munawwar, Mira Sethi and Amna Ilyas, star in the movie that follows a young man on a quest to find his true love

Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawwar, Mira Sethi and Amna Ilyas are an irrepressible bunch. Every time they come together, be it on a shoot or a promotional event, they create a stir with their easy camaraderie and animated stories.

It is this very positive energy that these popular Pakistani actors are expected to bring to the cinema screens in their latest feature, 7 Din Mohabbat In [Love in 7 Days], which follows a young man on a quest to find his true love.

Gulf News tabloid! sits down with the four stars for a freewheeling interview. Here are excerpts:

What was your first reaction when you heard the film’s title?

Mira Sethi: I thought it could’ve been better. Period.

Amna Ilyas: I had mixed feelings. Firstly, I thought it’s a very familiar title so it might work, but I was also worried that it could be criticised. Today, though, I’m confident that it sounds sweet and kind of grows on you.

Mahira Khan: I had mixed feelings, too. I fought for it for a very long time. In fact, we all did. We were, like, “Hum dharna daal dein ge!” (we will stage a protest). In the beginning, whenever I got asked about the film, I’d say, “Oh, it’s still untitled!”

Sethi: Mahira actually has a good story about an alternative title.

Khan : Should I tell it? OK, so, at one point while we were doing a scene, there’s a very funny dialogue that a character in the film says, “Main ne kaha tha, bhabi chalu hai!” [I told you, the sister-in-law was a sly one]. It instantly hit me as a potential title for our film — ‘Bhabi Chalu Hai’!

Wouldn’t that be derogatory?

Sethi: Chalu doesn’t mean anything offensive, does it?

Sheheryar Munawwar: Honestly, my reaction was also mixed. But then I thought the marketing people must have had their reasons for coming up with this one Mahira Khan and Co. talk ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’, so I’d better do my job and let them do theirs.

Ilyas: Also, Sherry [Shehreyar], it [the title] goes with the story.

Can anyone reveal the film’s genre — is it a rom-com or supernatural thriller? It’s rather hard to tell from the trailers.

Sethi: Magical realism.

Munawwar: Really? I’d say it’s a quirky comedy.

Khan: It’s a comedy, but to categorise it would be tough for us. Let’s say it’s a comedy of errors. Saat din mein mohabbat karni hai [We must fall in love in 7 days]. As intriguing as this challenge is, it triggers a series of comic situations, beginning with Tipu [Munawar’s character] venturing out to find love, and how Mira comes in, and then Amna comes in, and so on.

Ilyas: I’d say it’s a situational comedy, with some funny characterisations. You won’t find any slapstick here.

Mahira, you’ve done light stuff before in your films Ho Mann Jahan and Bin Roye. But here you are clearly stepping out of your comfort zone. Is it fair to say your character Neeli is a departure for you?

Khan: I hope so. And I hope so for all of us. Because, you see, a good film, or a good script, helps everybody. When Humsafar did well, every single person associated with it shined. Its DoP [Director of Photography], Shehzad Kashmiri, went on to become a huge director. So, a good and successful project just blesses everybody. I hope that the same happens with all of us.

Comedy is a difficult genre. Did you have to improvise a lot?

Ilyas: Meenu [Gaur] and Farjad [Nabi] are the kind of directors who welcome suggestions with an open mind.

Khan : Yeah, they’re very open to improvisations. I’ll tell you another thing, which I realised when I did Khalilur Rehman Qamar’s play, Sadqay Tumharay.

Munawwar: I was going to quote exactly what you’re going to say just now. I remember you telling me to never add or subtract from the script.

Khan : Yeah. So, I learnt this from Khalilur Rehman Qamar. I hope that one day everybody gets to do a script by him. I remember when I read the script [of Sadqay Tumharay], it was so tough; there were long monologues, my character had her own little way of speaking, which was difficult to adopt. So I asked him if I could make it easier for myself. And he told me, “A script is like [a religious text]; you can’t admit any changes to it.”

And once I began to enact my scenes, I realised that if I had changed a single word or pause, I’d have changed the soul of it. So, you should never attempt it; you don’t know what the writer is doing with it.

Sethi: Ultimately, the script is a baby in the heart of the writer. If we are too far from it, then it’s being mean to him.

For their first film, ‘Zinda Bhaag’, Meenu-Farjad dug into the subculture of Lahore’s neighbourhood. ‘7 Din…’, on the other hand, seems to offer more of Karachi, in terms of native humour, slang, and even music (Sindhi folk, Sufi etc). Do you agree?

Khan: Well, it’s set in Karachi. But Karachi is so cosmopolitan. In Mira’s character, you’ll get a little bit of Punjabi, as well as a British Asian.

Munawwar: I’d say, the setting is neutral, because they [Meenu-Farjad] insisted that we don’t put on big accents.

Sheheryar, there’s this small, behind-the-scenes video on your twitter profile where you and Mahira are seen making a strange sound. Were you doing a voice exercise?

Munawwar: No, no, we were just having fun on the set. (To Mahira) You remember we played cats and dogs? One of us was the dog, the other the cat, and we had to chase each other.

Khan: Really? When was that?

Actors are known to perform animal exercises.

Ilyas: Yeah, I know about this.

Sethi: As for my character, I didn’t do any such thing but when I’d go home, I used to keep talking like her [Princess Sonu], who’s a desi from Bradford, and speaks in heavily accented Punjabi.

Khan: I haven’t seen much of Mira’s work in the film, just two things, and I remember I was standing in the dubbing studio begging the directors to put those in the trailer, and they were, like, “No, this is our punchline.”

Sheheryar, your look in the film is perhaps the most prominently different. Who designed it?

Munawwar: We did a look test, and tried out different things — with moustache, without moustache etc.

Do you guys have any combined scenes?

Ilyas: There’s one actually, but it has no dialogue. We’re just there, all of us, in that scene.

Sheheryar, what was it like being the only male protagonist in a female-led cast?

Munawwar: Yes, it’s a female-led film, but because we had rehearsed before, what I really liked was that nobody felt inhibited. There was a very healthy culture on the sets.

Sethi: See, when you’re working with big actors, there’s a certain hesitation, so to say; with Sherry it was all so cool. For instance, in one scene, he was supposed to twirl me; I am not a very good twirler, so he taught me how to do it. He was very sweet and told me to just block out everyone present on the set, in my own mind. He’s genuinely a wonderful costar.

Khan: Sherry makes you very comfortable.

Ilyas: Well, he was not comfortable with me.

Munawwar: I’ll tell you why. On our first shoot together, Amna walks in on the set… and then she comes up to me and goes, “What are you doing?” I say, “Nothing.” The next minute she’s asked me to come for a walk with her, and I can’t stop wondering why. Anyway, she begins to narrate an incident from the past where she bashed up a friend of hers, and how she punched him hard in the ribs. All this, on the very first day of our shoot!

Who’s your all-time favourite comedy actor?

Sethi: I love Robin Williams’s work. From among women, it’d be Bushra Ansari.

Ilyas: I like Beo. Internationally, I’d say, Jim Carrey.

Khan: Jerry Lewis, and Bushra Ansari. This lady is just so amazing. The funny bone in her is specially carved for sure.

Munawwar: I really like Woody Allen.

What is your one important takeaway from this film?

Sethi: My takeaway is that I should probably do more comedy than serious.

Munawwar: Does it have to be a personal thing?

Ilyas: The fact that I made some great friends.

Khan: A sense of happiness.

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Don’t miss it!

‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ is out in the UAE from June 14.