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lovethisletters · 4 years ago

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The Bat & The Lantern || Batman x Reader

Hi, lovely! I had so much fun writing this (I'm not gonna lie, I was quite nervous at first, since I don't know that much about the whole green lantern universe, but guess it turned out...ok?) so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and to be honest, I would like to revisit this story again in the future!

Little disclaimer: The reader is a Human green lantern but similar to star-lord she lived the majority of her life in space, that's why she's so oblivious as to whom Batman is, also this takes place during Dick Grayson early years as robin (12-13).

Word count: 2233!!!

Summary: Reader is a new member of the Justice League...but Batman doesn't seem too happy about it.

Keys: Y/S/N: Your Superhero Name | Y/N: Your (real) Name.

Hal Jordan was your friend since you joined the green lanterns (which it was barely 3 or 4 years ago)

Basically...you were "new"

But that didn't stop your fellow green lanterns (?) From seeing all your potential.

Everyone is convinced that with the right training and perseverance, you will become one of the greatest green lanterns of all time.

So, it didn't take long before you proved yourself to be capable enough to join the big leagues.

More specifically, The Justice League.

Hal was the one to introduce you to his companions.

The Amazonian, the human looking alien, the speedster, the other Alien not so human looking, the half robot; everyone was so nice to you since they met you.

Everyone except...The grumpy bat.

When you first introduced yourself, he didn't even bother to be as welcoming as the others.

He just stood there, looking all big and serious that you almost thought it was a statue or the poor guy had catatonic lapses or was way too shy or socially awkward to approach you.

You felt bad, so you approached him instead.

—Hi! I'm Y/S/N...—You said enthusiastically before being abruptly interrupted.

—I know, I heard your introduction already—His voice so devoid of any kind of emotion that you may as well had been talking to a machine.

"Scanning complete, Batman"

A voice inside his cowl informed him, it sounded like an older man with a British accent.

—Thank you, I'll check it later.

That’s when it hit you…the reason why he was watching you so intensely and standing so incredibly still: He was scanning you.

Fucking. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

You stayed there, your face paralyzed with surprise and anger, without knowing very well what to answer; you didn't want to cause a scene on your first day, but this man was just so rude; That is not an appropriate way to receive a new member. yes, it is normal to have suspicions, but you would appreciate if he had the decency to let his suspicions be known when you weren't present.

—she just introduced herself and already on with the paranoic behavior, Bats? seriously? —Hal stepped in your defense.

—this is a routine procedure; I'm just being cautious.

—He was like that at the beginning with all of us too, don’t worry he’ll warm up to you in no time—Wonder woman whispered in your ear after watching your uncomfortable expression.

Ultimatedly you decided to listen to the amazonian and let that one slide, “is normal to be wary of new things anyways” you repeated yourself.

As the months passed you have grown quite frustrated. Between all the missions and meetings even though you felt your relationship with the rest of the team grow closer and they began to trust you and respect you; your relationship with the Batman stayed pretty much the same.

Yes, there was a bit of progress….a bit.

He was bit more talkative to you, a bit more “friendly”, a bit more trusting.

But it was always just a bit never actually fully a teammate to you, your relationship felt more like distant coworkers.

At the beginning it didn’t worry you too much, until your lack of communication started to mess with your performance in the missions, sometimes something completely bizarre and unexpected would happen and because both of you didn’t know each other very well, the mission would take the double amount of time to resolve since you couldn’t coordinate at all.

One time he almost ran you over with his batwing…

The whole thing was kinda funny looking back on it but at the time you were furious (rightfully so)

In his defense, he didn’t knew you were there…I mean…you basically where standing in his parking spot (not that you knew there was such a thing, most members could fly or at least jump really high, so you kinda always forgot he couldn’t…and to be honest you didn’t know his exact powers)

—Sorry—was all he said as he got out of the strangely shaped flying vehicle and directed only one glance at you to make sure you where ok before entering the building, always maintaining that characteristic calm and cold demeanor.

One day you entered the hall of justice earlier than usual only to find an unexpected guest sitting in one of the empty chairs his gaze fixated on a book, he was wearing a rather colorful suit of some sort matching his green mask, then you realized when you were close enough…he was a C H I L D.

You panicked, why was a child here? Is he some sort of mini spy? How was he able to get through the security system? Did he touch anything dangerous?

This and many more questions ran through your mind, the child noticed you were looking at him and only gave a polite nod as a greeting before returning his attention to his book.

Perhaps a school trip that you weren’t aware of was taking place and this kid strayed from his class? Perhaps he was looking for one of your teammates to ask for a photo and got lost and decided to wait here for his teacher? That will explain why everyone wasn’t here in the meetings room, perhaps they were busy giving the (hypothetical) group of children a tour?

—Hey kiddo! Are you lost? —you began the conversation in a friendly tone before kneeling down a little in order to appear less imposing…after all he was a child you didn’t wanna scare him.

He looked at you so incredulously.

You could almost hear him think “ma’am wtf are you doing???” through his expressions.

—What’s your name?

—Ummm…uh…Robin?—He spoke like it was something obvious while signaling the “R” symbol on his chest.

—Robin, uh? What a pretty name! tell me Robin…why are you here? Are you lost?

Poor boy he was so confused, you didn’t know who he was? Didn’t any of the members told you about him? And more importantly…Why where you talking to him like if he was a 5-year-old?

—No, ma’am…I’m just waiting for Batman.

“Batman? Was he a fan of Batman of all superheroes?” It surprised you a bit, usually kids tend to like superman or wonder woman more since they are nicer and charismatic, and Batman was the opposite.

—Sorry Kiddo, I don’t think he’s one for photos, perhaps you could ask the others some other time! — you began explaining trying to dissuade the kid while guiding him towards the exit.

—He’s not here for photos—smooth as ever…the Bat was behind you.

—He’s my sidekick.

Your jaw dropped, a sidekick? He’s a CHILD! You knew superheroes had sidekicks, but you never knew they were that young!

Before you could even begin to protest, Batman ignored you, looking down at the child and instructing him to collect his things.

—Hurry, you’ll be late for class again. — He said before disappearing behind the door that led to his parking spot.

Robin quickly followed, hanging his backpack over his shoulder before stopping in his tracks directing an apologetic smile towards you and saying:

—Don’t worry miss, I can take care of myself! — He must have noticed the concern on your face before leaving.

Since that day your routine changed.

You would wake up earlier, many times you’ll be the first to arrive to the Hall of justice, and even have breakfast flying on your way there all for one thing: Robin.

Once you learned he was Batman’s sidekick you couldn’t help but worry over that poor child, “what if he gets hurt? Is he eating/sleeping/resting properly?” you just couldn’t help yourself.

At first it was just checking on the kid by just…seeing him in the morning and greeting him casually but there were times he wasn’t there, and you would panic internally and there was no other way to calm your anxiety until you would ask the Bat about the child.

He would always replay shortly: “He’s at home” “He’s at school” “He’s busy” and your conversations always would end there.

One day that Robin was there however, instead of your usual ‘greeting nod’ he started talking to you.

He asked you all sorts of things (that weren’t compromising to your real identity ofc) “What’s your favorite color?” “What music do you like?” “What’s your favorite movie?”

And it started from there.

The conversations with Robin grew not only more frequent but also more personal (as personal as someone with a superhero lifestyle can be), to the point it had become a routine for you to come early and talk to the boy, sometimes you had breakfast together or even helped him with his homework before the Bat would take him to school.

Perhaps it was because you didn’t have many acquittances here on earth, but Robin became family to you.

And family takes care of each other.

It had been a rather difficult and spontaneous mission; Lex Luthor was starting to act a little bit fishy (more than usual) using his connections and money Luthor had been acquiring/robbing very specifically concerning items all over the US, his next objectives: a Radion sample being investigated in a secret laboratory in Star city and a Dionesium sample...contained in the Wayne tower laboratories...

The team decided to split to put a stop to Luthor’s minions and his plan.

The Bat insisted the rest of the team should go to Star city, telling them that he and Robin could handle it, but everyone was immediately against it: Luthor had already collected relatively powerful items and being the intelligent motherfucker he is, probably transformed some of those items to give to his goon’s so they might have a chance in harming any of the members if they were to interfere.

Ultimately, the team agreed you and cyborg would accompany them to Wayne Tower.

Robin was stoked, he would get the opportunity to fight alongside you! But Batman…not so much…he kept trying to lose the two of you on the way there; fortunately, cyborg put a tracker on the batwing, he wasn’t going to get rid of you that easy.

Upon your arrival, you could spot several men (armed like if they were military but with a much more upgraded equipment) already leaving the building, carrying two tanks (presumably full of that substance Martian Manhunter had mentioned before) and heading to a truck without any plates.

Long story short: you organized a plan as quickly as you could but…something went wrong…Cyborg and Robin were supposed to create a distraction while the two of you recovered the tanks without damaging them, since the properties of the substance within remained unknown.

But something went wrong: You and Batman failed to coordinate and so you were spotted by the henchmen, they started aiming their weapons at the two of you, initially you thought a force field generated by the power of your ring would be enough...oh no, honey, you’re so wrong.

Sonic weapons were able to not only break your concentration quickly, but also made your ears bleed! One after another you kept re-making the fields, but the sonic waves so deathly and loud just kept coming.

You don’t know how but you were able to stand your ground long enough to make cover not only for Batman and allow him to get the tanks back safely but also for the rest of your team and give them a slight advantage to take down as many of Luthor’s minions as they could.

And then…you passed out.

You woke up at the infirmary in Justice Hall, your head a mess and wrapped in bandages, you had broken your arm because that shit inside a cast too for some reason…and…your ring was gone!

Panic!

No, never mind it was on the nightstand next to the chair in which batman was sitting on.

WAIT…next to the chair in which batman was sitting on?!?!?!

—How are you feeling? — you didn’t know if it was him suddenly talking or the genuine concern on his voice that startle you, so you just nodded slightly while he approached you.

—Can you hear me properly? —Surprisingly you could, but you still were a bit taken aback by his presence.

—I…—Before responding your brain reminded you of the fact that you didn’t had your ring on, hence your secret identity was revealed to Batman. Your hands practically flew to your face in embarrassment. You didn’t know why but without your mask you felt naked and vulnerable.

He noticed.

His gaze studying your pained expression before he let out a small sigh.

—I came here…to thank you…and apologize— hesitantly his hands moved to the back of his cowl.

—You not only put yourself in danger for Cyborg and Robin, but you also concerned yourself with my safety even when it was probably my fault that we ended up in that situation —He admitted pressing a hidden button loosing up his cowl before finally taking it off and reviling the most gorgeous man you’ve had ever lay your eyes on.

—And for that I thank you and apologize…sincerely—Such sudden action left you speechless for a while, Batman not only had thanked you and apologized, but he had entrusted his identity to you.

—I think-…I think we started with the wrong foot; you know? —You finally were able to respond, breaking the silence that filled the room and surprising him slightly by your sudden declaration.

—Let’s start again…Hi! I’m Y/N—You imitated the same friendly voice tone you first used to talk to him.

The lips on the man in front of you curved forming a subtle almost imperceptive grin.

—Hello, Y/N, I’m Bruce…Bruce Wayne.

♡♤♡♤♡♤♡♤

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IT. TOOK. SO. LONG. Sorry :c

I had a bunch of ideas for this request but ended up going with this one since I wanted to expand on their beginning, I’m still trying to figure out a way to write Bruce and this was my first attempt, so…sorry if it was…bad :c I’ll try harder next time!!!

Any errors you might see, please let me know; English is not my first language so I’m trying to improve.

In the final scene I wanted Bruce to show he recognized the Reader as an equal so that’s why he took it off…still I felt like it could improve.

♡♤♡♤♡♤♡♤

I will forever thank you if you go check out my other profile: @aileysmirnov where I post things about my OC: edits, one-shots, imagines, art, etc. If you like Greek mythology and the bat family maybe you would get to be a little bit fond of her as much as I am!

Anyway! Thank you for reading!

#batman x reader #batman hc #batman #batman imagine #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne #batfamily #green lantern #justice league #batfam #fanfic #batman fic #dick grayson #robin

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idwithoutthesuperego · 5 years ago

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6 + 1

SUMMARY: This were the 6 times you really wished you had kissed Harry’s lips. And time the one time he kissed you. A Harry Styles x male reader fic because there aren’t enough of these around.

Tags: Harry Syles x male reader; angst; fluff

I said i’d fucking do it. Might make a malls series out of it, not sure yet.

~~~~~~~~

The first Time you really wished you could kiss The Harry Styles was, well, after he became your crush. Teen years and all, who could resist the pop sensation of 1D? Not you, that’s for sure. All it took was watching a goddamn talent show on TV to develop a crush on a curly haired boy with a dimpled smile who you would never know.

But you could dream, literally. After your diehard crush left the show and became part of band, you dreamt of it. And you had an embarrassing dream where you kissed the boy. You blame the YouTube videos really.

Nonetheless, it was an impossible crush, idealized at best. That’s what you told yourself.

~~~~~~~~

A year later, you were dragged to yet another social event that you really wasn’t a fan of. It was on a very fancy estate that belonged to a media CEO your father was friends with. The kind of event where you had to go to have lunch, listen to some live musicians, pretend to like everybody, kiss some ass, be up to date on everything from politics to the personal lives of the present. It was just a tiring afternoon altogether.

What you didn’t predict on your tiring plans was that your father’s friend, was also a friend of the agent of a particular band that the crush you still hadn’t gotten over was on. Luckily, you dressed to impress on these occasions. Maybe fate was on your side and you had a shot?

Arriving at the lunch party, you and your parents were immediately lead to the host, and you lost a good hour saying your greeting to many of the present. Since most of the people were a little older than you’d like, the conversations tended to drag on. Only when you heard one the guests comment on one of the performing band’s name your head did a whiplash.

After a while you found them, they were there with their agent who was introducing them to many influential people. Even if the boys weren’t very comfortable. And Harry was there too of course. You wanted to go and introduce yourself, but that would be way too awkward. So you decided to just keep some distance and wait for the universe to save you from yourself.

And yet again it happened.

You were on phone, pinning over the boy a few feet away to your friend, when you heard the voice you only knew from music and TV beside you. Lifting your head, you saw that Harry looked like a deer in headlights when a man you recognized was inquiring him about many subjects you were pretty sure were internal secrets from SyCo. You doubted he knew any, and couldn’t believe someone would do it so blatantly in public.

So you stepped in, right between Harry and the old man.

“Hey, Mister Stone, long time since we last saw! I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I have to steal Harry here, we have some urgent business we need to discuss right away.” You said, giving Harry a wink and a chance to leave.

“Yeah, that’s right! I had forgotten it, we need to leave right now.” Harry said with that deep voice of his.

“Oh, hello (Y/n), but of course, if he had already made plans with you, I’ll take my leave.” The man left without question.

You guided Harry to a more secluded place you knew, where there was a bench near a small lake, having been there way too many weekends for this kind of parties.

“Thanks for that.” He started. “I really didn’t know how to run away from him.”

“No problem, these people are crazy sometimes. Just don’t let them smell the fear in you and all should be fine.” You responded with a smile.

He returned it, and damn seeing it up close his smile was even better. “You could have come sooner you know?”

“Complaining to the people who save you mister Styles? Not very British or polite of you to treat your hero this way is it?” you teased with a smirk.

“No, that’s not it!” He quickly responded, waving his hands. “I saw you earlier, when I was with the boys, it’s just that… you could have said hi before.”

“Oh… you saw that… Well, that’s embarrassing.” You averted your gaze, making him chuckle.

“And are you gonna properly introduce yourself? You know my name, so I should know yours.” He offered giving you a sympathetic look, which only made you blush a little.

“(Y/n) (L/n), nice to formerly meet you.” You said, extending your hand.

“Harry Styles, but you already knew that.” He said with a smile.

When you shook his hand, you swore he held it for way too long, and when you were going to let go of it, he kept holding your hand. Boy, you were definitely blushing and in heaven. But these things never last, and his vibrating phone ruined it.

“Sorry, I have to go; we are going to play in a few. Are you going to watch?”

“Sure, I might know a few songs.” You probably knew them all.

“Here.” Harry handed you his phone. “Give me your number so we can meet later. Never know when I might need rescuing.” He gave you a wink.

And that was the second time you really wished you could kiss Harry Styles.

You watched the show. But you never got to meet him after it, their agent ushering the boys out because of some appointment they had later on.

~~~~~~~~

That night you a text message that read:

Hey, it’s harry, bummer we couldn’t talk after the show… but we can text Going to put your name as (y/n) my hero x

- H

That was the third time you really wished you could kiss Harry Styles.

~~~~~~~~

Over the next two years, you and Harry had only grown closer, but unfortunately, not physically, as you wished. You still had a massive crush on him. And you both talked nearly every day. But through texts, voice messages and video chats. One Direction was always on never-ending world tours and interviews and whatnots.

And you, well, you had been forced to join the family business, had your university classes, and a very demanding schedule that you didn’t really like. The both of you had met here and there, but only for a day or two every year, when both of your schedules permitted.

It would soon be your 20th birthday and you what you really wanted was to have a day off, go to a gay club, and maybe have the guy you liked with you. But you knew that was impossible. Just imagining the headlines on the papers could already give you headaches. If your father even let the papers run to tell the truth, he would probably wrap it up and just kick you to the street, saying you died in some accident. Or worse, they only were the accepting kind in public.

Harry knew, not that you had feelings for him, but that you weren’t straight, he had already admit not being exactly straight himself, but the impact of admitting it to the public, well, management had already said it was a big no.

When the date came, you sneaked off from the big party that your parent threw you to answer a call from Harry. He was all sweaty and tired, probably had just ended a show and really needed some rest if your math was right, but he called to wish you happy birthday, to tell you everything would be alright and it would get better.

That was the fourth time you really wish you could kiss Harry Styles.

~~~~~~~~

Later that year, One Direction announced a hiatus. And you thought that maybe it was finally it, your chance. You could tell harry how you felt now that he was going to build his own career. You were even prepared to face the consequences with your family.

He told you himself how he would be able to be his own person, do stuff he liked, make his own choices, how happy he was. And you were so happy for him. But along with the news, came the news that he was starting to see a girl, a model or whatever.

That night you cried yourself to sleep. And hated yourself for spending three years liking a guy that you talked to everyday, who became such a big part of your life, one your best friends, and not admitting it. And you hated harry, because you pretty sure he knew how you felt, even if you hadn’t admitted it. But all that you really wanted before you finally got to sleep in the midst of your tears, was him to make it better.

And that was the fifth time you really wish you could kiss Harry Styles.

~~~~~~~~

After that you both slowly fell out of contact. You started making excuses about classes that you weren’t really taking, exams that you had already taken, you even began working more on the family’s company, making a name for yourself and earning quite some money.

Harry went on to become a solo artist, released his first album. Went from your crush, to your best friend, to the guy you probably even loved, to a friend, to a guy you used to talk.

When his second album was released, he only sent you a ticket and backstage pass with the message:

I hope you haven’t changed your number and this is still (y/n) my hero

Can we talk?

- H

You never replied to it, but took a plane and went to the show anyway.

During the show you became certain, time had not fully mended your broken heart. You still felt an ache looking at him, listening to his voice, seeing his smile. But neither of you had said a word to each other in three years, since you congratulated him on his first album, so you owed it to Harry to at least listen to what he had to say. It was not as if he knew why you had stopped talking to him.

After the show you went to meet him backstage, a member of the staff leading you to Harry’s room. Absorbed in your own thoughts, you didn’t even knock, just let yourself in, only realizing what you did after you slammed the door shut.

He was the first to speak, startled by your bursting in. “Hey (y/n)… You are here.” He got up from his chair, taking a step into your direction.

“Hi Harry.” You gave him a half smile.

“You look nice… I didn’t know if you were really coming. You never answered my text.”

“Yeah, about that, must have forgotten it… But you look nice too. The new hair looks good.” You gave a genuine smile, your hand rising to feel it, but you stopped yourself.

“That’s a lie.” He said calmly.

“What do you mean?”

“The text, you didn’t forget it (y/n). I still know you, I know when you are lying to me, I always knew.” He said looking deep into your eyes, voice firm.

“Is that what you wanted to talk about Harry? You called me here to call me a liar?” You defended.

“No. I asked you here because I missed you, and there is something I needed to know!” He sighed, tiredness showing in his voice. “I have been wanting to ask you something for the longest time, it just keeps me awake at night, so I need to know.”

“You could have called.” You spat, crossing your arms. You weren’t really sure if you had said that to him or to yourself.

“Would you have answered?”

“I… don’t know…” And that was the truth. “I missed you too you know? Like, every day…” you laughed bitterly. “You were my best friend, and not talking to you was so fucking hard... What do you want know Harry? Ask away, apparently I can’t lie.” You looked at him for answers, what could he want after all this time? It had been over four years since you two fell out, you were pretty sure there was nothing more left of your friendship to savage. You wish there wasn’t, at least it wouldn’t hurt looking at him.

“(Y/n), look me in the eyes and tell me truth, did you like me? Did you ever like me? Not like as your best friend, but really like me?”

And “well fuck” was all that you could answer. It was such a clear and quick response to an unexpected question, that no further answer was needed. And that made Harry smile till his dimples showed.

“Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?” He took another step closer to you.

“Really Harry? For someone who can tell when I’m lying you are pretty daft. Since when? Since fucking always.” You started pacing the room. “Since we first met. I had a crush on you before, but when we became friends and I got to know you, I started to have real feelings for you.” You were angry and it all just started spilling out. “And it only got worse, but you couldn’t date a guy because of one direction’s management. And when you became solo I was gonna tell you, I was gonna fucking confess my heart out! But you said you were dating a girl you never mentioned before.” Tears started to appear at the corner of your eyes. “So that’s why!”

“Oh…” He stared dumb folded at you.

“Oh?! Is that all you have to say Harry? I expected at least a verbal rejection.” You half yelled, balling your hands into fists.

Harry got in front you, grabbing your hands and stopping your pacing. “Do you still like me?”

“I just really want to punch you right now. If that’s why you are asking and holding my hands?”

“No you don’t. I know you’d never punch me.” He said with that smirk that you hated yourself for finding so cute right now. “I’m asking because I also liked you. I still do, never really stopped you know?” He said intertwining your fingers. “Since you saved me from that creepy old man. Why do you think I saved you name as ‘my hero’ on phone? I had the biggest crush ever on you. But I didn’t know if you liked me. Even after you said you were gay, I kept thinking that I had no chance, because we could never see each other. So I just… I settled with having casual relationships…” He shrugged.

Your tears were now flowing, so Harry caught them with his thumb before continuing. “When we stopped talking, I assumed you had found someone. But I couldn’t get over you… That’s why I called you here.” You could see tears starting to appear on his eyes as well.

“I couldn’t get over you and that stupid smile of yours either, you know? Or over those eyes” You said laugh bubbling from your chest.

“I’m so fucking happy to hear that.”

And looking at him smile at you after all that was said right there between the two of you, that was the sixth time you really wish you could kiss Harry Styles.

But this time, when Harry saw you looking at his lips, his hands left yours and cradled your face, his eyes slowly closed and you could feel his breath nearing yours. This time, it was Harry who kissed you.

The meeting of your lips was everything you wished for and so much more. It was both soft and delicate like you always wished, but also a little rough with desire. You could literally feel the knots in your stomach, your hands going to Harry’s waist. Both of your lips soon opened way for your tongues, looking to explore each other’s mouths, it was a fight for dominance, a longing to recover the lost time. Both your and his hands began mapping your bodies while you breathed the same air. It was like dancing to a silent song you always knew but never heard. It was perfect.

When you parted, both breathless and cheeks tinted pink, looking into Harry’s green eyes and stupid dimple smile, you knew. He felt the same as you. And for now, that was all that mattered.

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

Comments, likes and shares are deeply appreciated!

#harry styles #harry styles x male! reader #harry styles x male reader #harry styles x m!reader #x male reader #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #angst #fluff

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yakocchi · 5 years ago

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Be My Princess Social // Yakov Chernenkov, Season 1, Episode 1

// The Great Prince of the Country of Ice

o wats this, self-indulgent crap?? haha the joke is that all the translations i post are self-indulgent crap, thank you for coming to the press conference

This is going to be part of a translation of the Yakov Chernenkov route for the Be My Princess Social Platforms (GREE, Joshige, Eternal Kiss, etc.)

I figured this should be… relatively all right given that it seems like Voltage is done with BMP Social games forever in terms having English versions. tbh kinda surprised no one ever took the task of doing it. publicly at least? i searched a bit, found nothing. if someone already did it pls tell me lol …..but i guess something like this is a stan’s job to do, right (ﾟ▽ﾟ*)

idk, we’ll see how this goes… only did 1 ep as a test run to see if i feel like doing this rn lol this is lengthy endeavor

Image-heavy!! Please credit if you take any of it, thenk u (･ω･*)

Intro & Legend

This route is similar to Zain’s in that they wipe just about everything from the Paid version (the one with Sergei and the Anastasia backstory…lol that was wild thinking abt it) and start anew with the character. But Yakov is different from all the other BMP1 characters in that they also changed his personality almost completely. This is reflected in his profile when they change his blood type and age from the Paid version (B → O, 25 → 31)

If you’re familiar with the Social Zain route, you can kinda see through his bits how they changed him. A BMP fansite master describes him as “high-handed, but charismatic - a person with the character of a king” which sums it up better than anything I could ever think up

So I guess it would be a good idea to not carry over expectations from the Paid app route to this route because that’s just a recipe for disappointment lol. i know a lot of people like the Yakov from the Paid route, so I wanted to put that out there. It’s a shame bc that character is effectively “gone” but… the yakov i stan is the social one, so if that had to happen so my 2d man could come into existence…well…

thank u for ur sacrifice

➤ are my own commentary.

➢ are the choices that pop up. For the most part I have both (iirc I don’t have one near the end bc I forgot I was trying to pick the wrong ones on purpose lol). Note that all my wrong answers are from the original version’s text and thus they may have been changed for EK. Correct answers are labeled with ❆

➼ at the end of a line signals that the choice text has “ended” and it returns back to the general text. The general text resumes on the line that begins with a ➼. This is mostly just for organization on my part - the docs I type+format these on get very, very annoying to scroll through, so

Bolded dialogue reflect the screencaps.

I hope you enjoy some part of it! ( ´◡` ) Thanks for reading

Episode 1 // The Great Prince of the Country of Ice

➤ Interestingly, the original title they used for GREE and Joshige is The Cold, Rational Prince of Sanct Sybil Kingdom. I dunno why they would change it except maybe it was too long for the title card to look pretty lol

When I opened the door at the sound of the chime, there stood a man wearing a gentle smile on his face. Taking note of my presence, he places his hand to his breast and gracefully bows.

[Zain]: “You must be Miss Kara Go. I am Zain, the personal steward of Nobel Michel Castle.” [Zain]: “As promised, I have come to pick you up.” [Kara]: “Y-Yes. I am indeed Kara Go.” [Kara]: “To go out of your way to come here - thank you so much.” (Am I really… not just dreaming here?) Pulling a letter out from my pocket, I recall the events over the past few days that had led up to today.

I had torn the seal of a blank-white envelope that had no written return address, and my eyes widened in shock. “I want you to become an exclusive designer.” In the enclosed message - along with a bit of contact information, the end of the letter had been signed by Nobel the XIII, the lord of Nobel Michel Castle. (This must be some sort of mistake… A-Anyhow, I should try to verify it.) Thinking that, I call the contact number on the letter…

But, indeed - the letter was not a mistake, and they spoke to me about wanting to have a proper consultation about the position. I was told that Lord Nobel wanted some time to talk in-person with me, and eventually the promised day where I felt that my dreams were coming over the horizon… finally came. (Even when it’s finally here, in front of me of like this, I still can’t believe it…) [Zain]: “Thus, His Grace awaits. Let us depart.” [Kara]: “O-Okay…” With a spring to my step, I get onto the limousine with Zain.

(It would’ve never crossed my mind that I’d be going to Nobel Michel Castle for a second time.) (And on top of that, I’ve been called here in terms of being a designer of all things…) I was pretty nervous the time I had come here for Jean Pierre’s errand, but now I’m even more nervous compared to that day. I felt my heart noisily thumping as I waited for Lord Nobel, and eventually the parlor door opened.

[Zain]: “My Lady, we must deeply apologize.” [Zain]: “His Grace’s conference is going longer than expected, so it seems you will have to wait a few moments longer.” [Kara]: “I see…” [Zain]: “Since you took your most valued time to come here― Would you like to take a look around the castle gardens until the conference is over?” [Kara]: “Castle gardens… you say?” [Zain]: “Indeed. Several varieties of the rare flowers we raise are currently in bloom– so if it pleases you, I can guide you around.” (You don’t get the chance to tour the Nobel Castle gardens everyday.) [Kara]: “Then, if you may.” [Zain]: “Very well. Shall we go now?” With Zain as my guide, I get to visit the castle gardens.

[Kara]: “Wow… it’s absolutely stunning.” [Zain]: “Thank you. Everyone who visits these gardens tend to voice similar sentiments about it.” The courtyard stretched over a vast space, and it was a feast for the eyes even with a simple glance. (In a way, it’s as if I’ve been sucked into a fairy tale.) As Zain explained the parts and features within it, I was completely enamored by the beautiful garden― When an teenage boy clad in a butler’s uniform comes running to us from the castle.

[???]: “Zain! So this is where you were.” [Zain]: “…Theo, you are before a guest.” [Zain]: “I must apologize, My Lady.” [Zain]: “This is Theo, who is training in this castle as an apprentice steward.” The boy called Theo – at being scolded by Zain, straightened his posture accordingly.

➤ i can’t believe bmp2 stans denied us from having the wacky family sitcom a theo route would have smh my head bro

[Theo]: “…I am Theo.” [Kara]: “I’m Kara. Nice to meet you, Theo.” [Theo]: “M-Mhm…” Theo, whose face still held remnants of childlike youth, averted his eyes shyly. Then Zain, who had witnessed all of this, lightly presses the boy in a gentle tone. [Zain]: “Theo, did you have any matters to discuss with me?” [Theo]: “Ah-, right! I was sent by His Grace to relay this message to you.” [Theo]: “He urgently wants your input on something, so you gotta come to the conference room.” [Zain]: “His Grace does?” [Zain]: “But, right now…” His eyebrows knit together, as if troubled. With a smile I turn to him. [Kara]: “I’ll be all right by myself. Though while I wait, may I take a look around the garden?” [Zain]: “Yes, of course.” [Zain]: “I apologize for being unable to guide you around myself for now– but if you could meet with me afterwards…” [Zain]: “Can you wait just a moment?” [Kara]: “All right.” Sounding apologetic in his words, he then goes with Theo towards the castle. (Being the exclusive butler to Lord Nobel must be quite the busy job…) I thought about that as I took a stroll around the calm gardens, sunlight beaming… When―

[Man]: “Please, at least, once more– Please consider thinking about it…!” The cries of a man at his wits’ end cut through the silence of the courtyard. (Is something going on…?) Looking in the direction of the voice, I find three men standing from the other side of the building. The shouting from earlier seems to have come from a man who looked slightly older from other two, and said man also seemed to be desperately calling for something. [Man]: “…The state of the administration right now still is unstable.” [Man]: “If we act too carelessly, the balance of the three nations could collapse once more!” [???]: “…I have long past made a decision.” The words that had answered the aggravated man were bound to a terribly icy voice. As this man stood with his back facing me, I was unable to see his face; but from pitch alone he seemed to be a young man. With his long, platinum-blond hair having been pleated into a single braid, he silently rebuffs the rage of the older one.

[???]: “Even if you did indeed manage to chase me all the way here― Decisions are not something to turn back from.” [???]: “That is all that need be said, so I shall leave first.” [Man]: “…Yakov–Sir, why are you this impatient?!” [Man]: “It can't be that you don’t realize that now is a crucial time for the country, is it…?!” In pure exasperation, the older man grabs onto the man called Yakov. But in doing so, a man in a butler’s uniform that had stood across from him swiftly yanks the man off.

[Butler]: “What are you thinking in that head of yours, grabbing onto someone of his (Yakov’s) status?” [Butler]: “Even if you get imprisoned for disrespecting the state, this is an inexcusable situation you’ve found yourself in.”

➤ so the term he uses is specifically for lèse-majesté, which is the fancy term for insulting the ruling sovereign, monarchy, ruling state, etc. etc. but i didn’t want to just throw in that term bc i felt like it’s not… very common? idk i feel like the bmp mc wouldn’t know what that is granted i guess you could do the galaxy brain take and be like “she doesn’t know what that term is and that’s why she couldn’t piece together that yakov is royalty”

[Man]: “Urgh…!” The older man was then pinned to the ground, and as his arms were confined behind his back, he groans in pain. The moment I see the expression on his face, a cry spills out from my lips.

[Kara]: “Ah…!” [Yakov]: “…!” Hearing my voice, the platinum-blond man whips his head around.

His eyes, peeking out from behind his long bangs and deep blue like the sea, then sharply leveled at me. [Yakov]: “…What is your business?” [Kara]: “Uh…”

(What should I answer with?) Menacingly asked to speak, I…

➢ I’m unable to say anything. ➢ “He’s in pain.” ❆

➢ I’m unable to say anything. (This person… has an awfully intimidating air to him.) Unable to say anything particularly impactful, I only turn my eyes to the man held to the ground. ➼

➢ “He’s in pain.” [Kara]: “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you’ve gone too far… He’s in pain.” [Yuri]: “Of course. It’s only natural for it to hurt when you’re bound down like this.” The man in the butler’s uniform answers me with a smile plastered on his face. (What the-… He’s smiling, but it’s honestly quite frightening-) [Kara]: “B-But… if you end up injuring him, that’d be terrible, no…?!” While paralyzed with fear, I managed to raise my voice at him. ➼

➼ With that, the platinum-blond man shifts his eyes to the man in the butler’s uniform. [Yakov]: “―Yuri, release him.” [Yuri]: “…” At his words, the one called Yuri immediately relinquishes his hold.

➤ Yuri’s name might actually be Urey, as one of Ivan’s Birthday Event routes note how Ivan’s wolf Urey and butler Yuri have the same name (by coincidence). But the JPN version always spells it as Yuri so I’m just used to it. Not that you should really be taking the app’s romanization as official though given they have stuff like “Lewis” (Louis), “Jean” (Jan), and the occasional “Robert” for Roberto ( ´_ゝ｀)

As the older man staggers back up from the ground, the blond man speaks to the two of them. [Yakov]: “Do not start trouble in the castle grounds of other kingdoms.” [Yakov]: “ ―Regarding what happened here today, I shall overlook it this time. Good?” [Yuri]: “Understood.” [Man]: “…My sincere apologies.” As the two men lower their heads, the man called Yakov then directs his piercing gaze towards me.

[Yakov]: “Forget what you just saw and heard here. Not a word to anyone.” With only those words to me, he leaves with the other two following behind him. (That “Yakov” person, and “Yuri” too… what terrifying people.) Alone in the garden, I was completely petrified to the spot from the overwhelming pressure those men had left me with.

[Theo]: “―Miss Kara, here is where His Grace’s been hanging o– awaiting your presence, rather.” Afterwards, Lord Nobel’s conference had ended and Theo had come to take me to him. While heading to the parlor where His Grace was waiting, Theo’s innocent self causes a smile to crack my features. [Kara]: “Just ‘Kara’ is fine, Theo. On that note, you don’t have to speak so formally with me.” [Theo]: “Uh- But…” [Kara]: “I’ll be more at ease and less nervous that way.” [Kara]: “Besides, I’m in a similar situation as you.” [Theo]: “‘Similar’?” [Kara]: “I’m only a rookie designer.” [Kara]: “So like how you’re an apprentice butler, it’s kind of a similar position.” [Theo]: “Gotcha…” At my explanation, Theo, apparently happy about some part of it, breaks into a smile. [Theo]: “…I get you. Then- When we’re together like this, I’ll be sure to do it.” [Theo]: “Since only super-distinguished people ever come to this castle, I get pretty stressed out.” [Kara]: “Hehe, I’m feeling the same too. Just entering this castle makes me anxious.”

[Theo]: “Right?! Lord Nobel and Zain treat me really well so it’s all right for now, but…” Theo wore a smile that was quite fitting for a young boy like himself. Calmed by his pure sincerity, I enter the reception room.

[Theo]: “…Your Grace, I have brought Miss Kara Go.” [Nobel]: “Thank you for your hard work.” [Nobel]: “Kara, sorry for making you have to wait on me when I was the one who called you up here.” Lord Nobel wears a merry smile on his face as he kindly welcomes me. I bow my head down in gratitude. [Kara]: “I am, indeed, Kara Go.” [Kara]: “Thank you for inviting me to such a meeting.” [Nobel]: “You don’t have to greet me so formally,” [Nobel]: “as the truth still stands that I was the one who summoned you today. I just wanted to talk with ya about something.” [Nobel]: “―So, Kara, do you know of the country of Sanct Sybil?” [Kara]: “Yes. I’m only knowledgeable with news and info that’s been reported to the public, but…”

Sanctis, Sybil, Versurk― Those three countries had united into one, and the resulting nation is apparently called “Sanct Sybil” from what I’ve heard. With this as my sole knowledge of the country, Lord Nobel speeds up the conversation.

[Nobel]: “Then I’ll cut to the chase.” [Nobel]: “The truth is that Sanct Sybil is planning to join the Nobel Michel Alliance.” [Nobel]: “As they’re still a new nation, they’re searching for talent both inside and outside the country.” [Nobel]: “In pursuit of capable individuals, the prince of Sanct Sybil has come to me for some guidance, so…” Cutting his own words short, a smile then markedly graces his features.

[Nobel]: “Kara, you are to be the exclusive designer of Sanct Sybil Castle.” [Nobel]: “I thought that I’d like to go see you work there.” [Kara]: “Uh-…” (I’m… going to be the exclusive designer… for a royal castle?!)

[Nobel]: “Besides yourself, I’ve been in talks with other talented folks in all sorts of industries.” [Nobel]: “It’s only the designer position that’s yet to be decided.” [Nobel]: “I personally wanted to recommend you, but… what do you think?” [Kara]: “Um… I’m truly grateful to be able to have this conversation with you, but…” [Kara]: “Since I’m still new to this, I don’t have any achievements to show for anything.” [Kara]: “Knowing that, why did you call on me for this…?” I can’t hide my own utter confusion from his sudden invitation. Voicing my bewildered thoughts with that question, the corners of his lips quirk up into a smile.

[Nobel]: “I learned about you through a list I asked from Jean Pierre.” Lord Nobel, upon consulting with the prince of Sanct Sybil, requested Jean Pierre to produce a list of designers with promising futures. (Jean Pierre himself put me on that list…) [Nobel]: “Certainly, you don’t have any prior accolades… but within the multitude of applicants, I saw your design sketches,” [Nobel]: “and I was considerably charmed by them.” [Nobel]: “I grew delighted just from simply looking at that design.” [Nobel]: “And for that reason I wish to bring you to Sanct Sybil, a nation newly born into this world.” [Nobel]: “I think that a person full of zeal like yourself is necessary for such a place.” [Kara]: “Your Grace…” [Nobel]: “By all means, please consider it for me.” (I’m simply unworthy to be having this sort of discussion…)

At Lord Nobel’s invitation, I…

➢ “Give me some time.” ❆ ➢ “If it is all right with the other party…”

➢ "Give me some time.” Having heard all of this from Lord Nobel so far, the feeling of wanting to give it a shot comes to me. (But…) [Kara]: “…Could you give me a bit of time to think about it?” [Nobel]: ”Of course. You should go ponder it a great deal before coming to a decision.” ➼

➢ “If it is all right with the other party…” [Kara]: “If it is all right with the other party, I feel that I would like to accept this offer.” [Kara]: “However…” There’s an uneasy feeling in my heart about it, and my words drift off. Then Lord Nobel, as if he understood my thoughts nods his head once. [Nobel]: “It’s all right if you don’t rush yourself to a decision.” ➼

➼ [Nobel]: “Can you give Zain an answer a few days from now?” [Kara]: “Understood.” Putting my answer on hold for a moment, I depart Nobel Castle.

(The chance to be the exclusive designer for a royal castle won’t ever come by me again, but…) (While Jean Pierre is having a hard time, I can’t just leave him like this.) Turning down the offer to be dropped off at my apartment, I head towards the office of Jean Pierre.

[Jean Pierre]: “Oh my, is that ma petite?” [Kara]: “Pierre!” Not expecting to meet him like this, I’m surprised to see him here. As if he had sensed something about me, he smiles.

[Jean Pierre]: “…With a face like that, looks like you got something to talk about, hmm?” [Jean Pierre]: “Instead of standing around outside to chat, please just come on in.”

Pierre unlocks the door to his office and I come inside. [Jean Pierre]: “You somehow came all the way here… Could it be that you had talked with Lord Nobel?” [Kara]: “…Yes.” [Kara]: “I received an invitation to work as the exclusive designer of Sanct Sybil Castle.” [Kara]: “But for someone like me, who has no experience nor achievements, to take up such a grand job is…” [Kara]: “I don’t really have the confidence that I can do something like that.” [Kara]: “And on top of that, I want to be further taught by you…”

[Jean Pierre]: “What are you saying?! Is this not a good thing? This is your big chance!” He looks at me with a serious expression. [Jean Pierre]: “In that list I submitted to Lord Nobel, there were also designers that had prior achievements.” [Jean Pierre]: “Despite that, I was convinced that you would be the one to be chosen.” [Kara]: “Why… is that?” [Jean Pierre]: “From your designs, I feel this power to them.” [Jean Pierre]: “There are some parts that are rough around the edges, but there’s this energy, one that can completely transform people, hidden within!” [Jean Pierre]: “Lord Nobel definitely sensed that too, I bet.” [Kara]: “Ah…” (Thinking about it, Lord Nobel did say something along those lines…) (He said that the designs- from simply looking at them, he grew delighted…)

[Jean Pierre]: “Please believe in yourself.” [Jean Pierre]: “I, as well as His Grace, would never recommend someone who we’d feel couldn’t do the job.” [Jean Pierre]: “I believe in your potential, ma petite.” [Kara]: “Pierre…” Even though he himself is in a difficult position, he’s so firmly supporting me in this. With my heart overwhelmed with such emotion that I couldn’t speak, Jean Pierre smiles. [Jean Pierre]: “I’m also going to use this moment as a source of encouragement for myself, as I plan to work hard as a designer once more.” [Jean Pierre]: “One day, no doubt in my mind― the offices of Jean Pierre will be restored!” [Jean Pierre]: “And that’s why, ma petite… without worrying about these offices, please just go and try what you want to try.” [Kara]: “…Thank you!” (I can’t let this chance from Jean Pierre and Lord Nobel just pass me by.) Urged on by Jean Pierre, a smile appears on my face as my chest is enveloped in this determination.

―That night. Resolute in accepting the offer of exclusive designer, I contact Zain as soon as I return to the apartment. [Kara]: “Concerning the aforementioned position of Sanct Sybil’s designer… I think that I will accept the invitation.” [Zain]: “Thank you very much. I think that His Grace will be quite pleased to hear that.” In a soft tone - As if thinking for a moment, Zain continues to speak. [Zain]: “If I can be honest with you, the prince of Sanct Sybil himself is actually coming to stay at the castle for official business.” [Zain]: “Normally, we would hold your interview over at Sanct Sybil, but…” [Zain]: “Since the prince will be coming over, how about you two introduce each other here at Nobel Castle instead?” (Is that so?) (Even if Lord Nobel is recommending me, it could become a situation where the prince of Sanct Sybil is not too impressed by me.) [Kara]: “I see… If you could reserve some time for that, that’d be great.” [Zain]: “Then, I shall make the proper arrangements and contact you again.” And with that, it was decided that I would meet the prince of Sanct Sybil.

A few days later―

I’ve been called to Nobel Castle once more. While having a spot of tea with Lord Nobel and Theo, I bow my head again. [Kara]: “―Thank you for granting me an opportunity like this.” [Nobel]: “Ohohoho.” [Nobel]: “At any rate.. you’ve become quite resolute about this.” [Kara]: “…Yes. Your Grace has given me words of immense appreciation, and Jean Pierre has also encouraged me.” [Kara]: “I think, as a designer, I want to take advantage of these chances given to me.” (But… with no achievements of my own, I wonder if the Prince will approve of me…) Anxiety running through my heart, Lord Nobel smiles while stroking his beard. [Nobel]: “I also have hopes for you, Miss Kara.” [Nobel]: “I believe that, surely, the prince of Sanct Sybil will indeed require your power.” [Kara]: “Thank you…!” When I beam at Lord Nobel’s kind words, Theo then cuts into the conversation.

[Theo]: “So Kara… really is a designer, huh.”

[Theo]: “But… if it were possible, I was hoping that you’d become the designer for this castle.” [Kara]: “Hehe, thank you.” [Kara]: “I think that I definitely wouldn’t be able to be the designer for Nobel Michel, but I hope one day I’ll be able to make clothes for you, Theo.” Replying to Theo with a smile, Lord Nobel watches us with a gentle look on face. [Nobel]: “Ho ho, looks like you two have become quite close.” [Nobel]: “As I thought, Kara, you seem to have this charm that just mellows out everything around you.” He laughed heartily when there came a knock on the door. [Zain]: “Please excuse the interruption,”

[Zain]: “For I have brought Prince Yakov of Sanct Sybil.”

➤ “op are u just making excuses to post caps of zain as much as possible” perhaps PERHAPS if im gonna need to break down the blobs of text, zain is nice to look at

(Ah…) I get up from my chair, and face the doorway nervously. But at the next moment, my eyes instinctively open wide. (That, person…) The figures that followed behind Zain were two men I was familiar with―

The platinum-blond man with the air of intimidating beauty, and the man in the butler uniform who had worn a smile on his face―

The people I had witnessed in the courtyard days before.

[Prince Yakov]: “―As I have heard that you have found a candidate for the designer position, I have come.” [Prince Yakov]: “Your Grace, I give you my humble gratitude for granting my request.” [Kara]: “Eh…” [Prince Yakov]: “…” I inadvertently let out a small cry of surprise, and the Prince finally meets my eyes. For a split second his eyes had widened, but almost immediately after it shifts into a sharp gaze. (A person like him is the prince of Sanct Sybil, of all things…)

Steeped in the shocking reality of it all, I stare dumbfounded at Prince Yakov―

➤ now part of me was thinking, do people really need all the screencaps of when he makes the -_- face but honestly him doing the -_- face for half of his portraits on this route is part of the experience

To be continued…

(Letter)

➤ so uh this might be a crapshoot in terms of placement bc there’s diff letters based on the special story you choose, and also i forget where the last few letters go loool but that won’t be a problem until later

From: Yakov Title: (untitled)

…So you are the designer recommended by Lord Nobel? If you come to my country, you will be treated to the finest hospitality. Therefore you should not ponder over unnecessary matters and just bring yourself here. Good?

―Yakov

holy fucc idk why this is more tiring to translate than other stuff. maybe bc this is a slow route where we have exposition and non-romantic chara development we have to tread thru first. also lol translating the bmp writers’ style seems like more work? vs stuff like cybird? idk it’s hard to explain. i’m not a super big fan of what i have rn…. in fact i’m like wtf what is this incomprehensible garbage i made... but i’m too tired to do revisions rn…… aye… but i’ll definitely look over it again in attempt to give it more clarity+readability so yea. there’s nothing’s “wrong” in terms of the literal meaning per se - it’s more like i’d like to make it flow better and actually follow grammar rules instead of cheating with dashes and line breaks hahaaa

anyway guess ill see u at the next part when (if?) i bother to do it. hrmmm i should try to make the chunks larger given that this story is 15 eps + 3 special stories (with ~3 variations for each story) + epilogue but fuuu ill get there when i get there

Next Episode…

“If you wish to hear of my tastes - you will have to ask me in a more alluring voice.”

yea thats rite im hitting u with the azn drama cliffhanger. well now i have to do this translation or else this would be mean….. this is a psychological effort to get me to not leave this unfinished

Again, thanks for reading!

#be my princess #yakov chernenkov #bmpYCS1 #yea thatll be my tag for this shit so feel free to block it #bmp

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dolewhipwishesandcastledrea-blog · 6 years ago

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Dole Whip Wishes and Castle Dreams

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When you have the time however, and don't mind the possibility of some brisk climate, this is a nice time to go to Disney World. It is not really a sluggish interval anymore because of the nice success of the Dole Whip Wishes and Castle Dreams Disney free dining promotion, but if you happen to've ever been to Walt Disney World on the top of the summer, you'll really get pleasure from these weeks in the parks. The crowds are quite a bit lighter.

The Disney Eating Plan includes one counter service meal, one snack and one table service meal for each particular person in your social gathering for each night time of your stay. So when you keep five nights, you will have 5 snacks, 5 quick service meals and 5 table service meals. They don't expire until midnight of the day you try of your resort, so that you may need to schedule your flight home for later within the day so you can get pleasure from a celebratory meal with your family earlier than you head dwelling.

The plan does not embrace suggestions for your waiter or waitress so you'll need to issue that into your costs to your table service meals. Since free eating is such a popular promotion, you will want to start making an attempt to get reservations for your desk service meals as soon as you guide your trip. You may call 407-WDW-DINE to make restaurant reservations.

In 2009, the Free Disney dining plan promotion will probably be accessible for stays between August twenty first and September twenty seventh. However you'll have to act quick if you haven't booked your journey but, because the promotion ends on July 26th, 2009. You must e-book your Magic Your Means package deal by July 26 if you would like free eating.

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tristala · 6 years ago

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Thoughts on Sofia the First Part 3:

Season 3

Cedric Be Good

It was a pretty fun episode with more Sofia and Cedric bonding. Basically, the Amulet just messed with Cedric for the day. Did he build his flying machine? Seems like it. Winifred’s adorable, being small and hiding in a pocket watch. Goodwyn’s not there to stop them this time.

Sofia obviously brightening up when Cedric asked her to help him do nice things. The song’s engaging and their little dance was a delightful treat. It was evident that he’ gonna fail though and he did. Good for him. No, really, good for him. The iron fists part was ironic too. And the end was sweet.

The Secret Library

This episode gave me another dose of nostalgia. That gondola ride was very charming, and quiet for the audience to take it all in, a rare luxury for a children’s show. Seeing most of the disney princesses’ places reminded me of fond memories when I grew up watching them. The design of the book is beautiful as well as the library.

I’m a bit bothered that Sofia’s been given the position. She like what? Ten? But at least like Tilly joined and guided her on her first quest. Merida not being fond of the signing parts are also good. While I like musicals it’s refreshing to see that she didn’t sing or even sang along. I guess this will be another role in Sofia and I’m fine with that.

Stormy Lani

While I appreciated the animation, outfit changes and the friendship, I did not really like this episode. Suspending disbelief is a thing but I could not suspend my disbelief any longer. There were too many questions. Lani suddenly having the ability to control the weather? Where did that come from? Did she just received them? Does her parents also have them? Are those powers only limited in their island? Too many I say. I’m sorry that I don’t tend to like Lani episodes. Hope there’ll be more of her.

Lord of the Rink

One of my favorites. They finally switched the typical girls can’t do boy’s things just because they’re girls. We need more for the boys. Hugo while he only seems to have a proper appearance in one episode per season, has good character development. I also love all of the skating outfits. Good excuse to have magic skates cause they live in a fantasy world. I feel like Hugo has come to a full circle as well as his friendship with Sofia. His classmates were supportive too, James in particular. Their skating finale was also fun to watch with the help of good animation.

Gone With the Wand

I finally got to see Cordelia. She has a good design and her voice is perfect. I saw a tweet from Craig saying that she’s younger but I’m getting older sister vibes from her. I also never thought that Cedric would have a niece who admires him but here we are. Calista annoyed me a little but who stole the episode were Sofia and Cedric.

Sofia is such a sweetheart, I bet she was really excited to let Cedric know of her surprise. I was hoping that Wormwood would be the second guest but the moment the mother and daughter entered I knew it was going to be the niece. Cordelia, taking things can be a phase but you should still do something about it. Discipline her.

Merlin was thankfully, nice to Cedric even when he messed up his words. The whole tour was fun and the Dragon Claw wand’s design is pretty neat. I just facepalmed when Calista revealed that she took the wand and took the jewel. I also was disappointed with Morgana’s personality. I’m sick of narcissistic villains. Whatever. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief on Cedric getting captured either. It would’ve been so much better if they animated the centaur grabbing Cedric’s wand. But I do like Sofia scolding Calista and telling her that she just wanted her friend to have a special day. The way they defeated Morgana was fine with me but what I didn’t like that Merlin gave her the hat.

“Eh no no, the girl didn’t take it. I gave her the hat.” No

“Turns out all I need to do is ask. Which is what I’m going to do from now on.” NO DON-

It undermines the actual lesson. It seems to imply that she’s going to expect people to give her the things she asked for. He didn’t tell her that even if no matter how nicely she asked, not everyone will give her what she wanted. At least Cedric was recognized by his hero. *Mutters* Loveable dorky fanboy.

Dads and Daughters Day

It was alright for the most part. The travel outfits are gorgeous, especially Amber’s and Hildegard’s. But the crucial part is the famous step-dad problem. I know I’ve already said this but Amber is growing up so well. Her telling Sofia and Hildegard about step-dads is amazing.

“That makes him Sofia’s step-dad, and step-dads are just as real as dad-dads.”

And last but not the least, Roland and Sofia.

“Sofia, it doesn’t matter whether I was your dad when you were born. I’m your dad now, and that makes me your real father, and you my real daughter. Now and forever. I love you Sofia.”

THIS MADE ME CRY DAMNIT.

Hexley Hall

A Cedric and Wormwood episode. Cedric looked shocked and bothered to discover that a princess was trapped in the very amulet he has tried to get the past years. Finally, I got to see Hexley Hall and I was not disappointed by the least and Cedric got a new stylish coat! Wormwood just straight up insulting Cedric in front of Sofia is saddening but I guess when you live with a guy for decades who fails at almost every time, you kinda get sick of it, especially if you’re a raven who’s used on various spells as a test subject. But why didn’t he notice his friend’s improvement over the past year?

The moment I saw Grimtrix I immediately knew he was a villain. I mean, the way he acts too nice is a dead giveaway. His voice and design are perfect by the way. I don’t know about anyone but the more I think about the purpose of the stairs, the dumber it got. Maybe if they showed that it’s a security feature it would have worked for me but nah. The other animals were alright, Wriggley being the most interesting. The song was going smooth until they got to the chorus. Something about it irks me.

Sofia’s “Of course he makes mistakes, everyone does.”

and

“Don’t you see when someone is your friend, you accept them, flaws and all.”

It took 3 seasons but the royal sorcerer and his raven finally understood each other. Wow, Wormwood actually said sorry and didn’t want the break up to happen. I love the teamwork between the three of them and Cedric’s glee when he got the weasel. Though I find it hard to convince myself that a small bulldog can beat a grown man, not mention a sorcerer in a tug of war. Maybe people like sorcerers don’t exercise much.

“I hope you all learned never to underestimate my master again. I certainly did.” Aww Wormwood.

Wormwood getting back together with Cedric was squeal worthy.

“But you’re perfect for each other.”

“Yes indeed, the perfect team.”

Adorable.

#Sofia the First #Sofia the Fandom #StF #Mah Posts

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pcurrytravels · 7 years ago

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Thoughts: New Orleans (Part VI)

Upon disembarking from the boat, we saw that the Audubon Aquarium was still open for another thirty minutes. Given that it was only around the corner from Spanish Plaza, we quickly walked over and, despite being repeatedly told we’d only have twenty minutes, just went on ahead and took a look around…………only to leave fifteen minutes later. Having been to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Aquarium of The Bay in San Francisco, maybe I just wasn’t judging it fairly. Or maybe I was, because those two blow this one out of the water (pun not intended……but it’s still pretty funny that I used this phrase to describe an aquarium of all things).

One thing the Audubon Aquarium has going for it is being themed around aquatic life in The Americas. There were sections dedicated to nautical life in and around the Caribbean, the Amazon, the Arctic, the Great Lakes and of course, the Mississippi. That’s also where things stop being interesting pretty much. It’s very small, which is odd because the building looks so large from the outside, and the only exhibits that really caught my eye were the piranhas, the catfish (mostly because I’ve never seen live catfish before) and the albino gator. I’d honestly suggest skipping this one entirely, unless you’ve never been to an aquarium before.

Anyway, my phone was dying, and I was musty anyway, so we went back to the hotel room to recuperate. I took a shower, charged my phone and relaxed for about an hour before heading back to the French Quarter. There were about two hours before the Haunted History tour began, so I grabbed some more beignets from Café Beignet as a snack before we hung out on Bourbon again for a little bit.

Even though the history, culture and food were all a higher priority for me than nightlife, I do regret not really taking part in New Orleans nightlife. On Bourbon alone, there’s just so much variety in the nightlife. There’s many different options available, from jam-packed party bars no larger than a booth (see: Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop), to bawdy strip clubs (see: Rick’s Cabaret and Hustler Hollywood), to classy, historical cocktail lounges (see: Old Absinthe House), to tacky, touristy daiquiri shops (see: Tropical Isle and Cat’s Meow) to small live music clubs (see: Bourbon Heat and Funky Pirate), there really is something for everyone there (compare this to The Strip in Vegas where you’ll be treated to an endless amount of mega-clubs, poolside day-clubs and “ultra” lounges that all require one of your limbs to get in, all charge a kidney for drinks, all have disturbingly similar décor and all play the same music). And that’s just Bourbon. I saw a number of venues that caught my interest in not only the rest of the Quarter, but Marigny, CBD, the Warehouse District and the Garden District as well.

I was honestly having a blast just walking down the street and looking in the window of the various bars and lounges; it was only 6 P.M., and they were all already in full swing. I heard so many styles of music. Jazz (be it Brass, Dixie, BeBop or Smooth), R&B, Funk, Bounce, EDM, Blues, Zydeco, Hip Hop, 70s and 80s throwbacks, Top 40, Rock, Ska, Caribbean, Latino…..you name it, they got it. Of course that’s to say nothing of the BEAUTIFUL happy hours and drink specials all over the place. I learned my lesson about having a few drinks before walking around in the heat the hard way on the Cemetery tour, so I refrained from taking part this time, but boy oh boy was I tempted. Let the good times roll/Laissez les bon temps rouler indeed!

Okay, let me take a look at my smartphone watch again. Oh, it’s 7:30 already!? Well then, let’s head on down to Reverend Zombie’s Voodoo Shop for the Haunted History Tour!

There’s a number of ghost tours in New Orleans, all of which varying in quality (based on what I’ve been told anyway), but I could already tell we had picked one of the better ones. Both the shop and the sidewalk in front were overflowing with people. There was a long line, which would be broken up into groups of twenty or so for each tour guide. The sun was setting on the Quarter, and with Sarabelle as our guide, we were off.

Our first stop was in Pere Antoine Alley. It was here where our guide gave us the rundown on investigating ghosts and the supernatural, complete with plenty of witty banter. Yes, Sarabelle was VERY funny, and the humor was a nice touch indeed, even though it didn’t really help make the stories any less horrific.

Moving on, Pere Antoine Alley is along the side of the St. Louis Cathedral; so-named as a dedication to Antonio de Sedella, a beloved Capuchin friar who served as parish priest from 1805 until his death in 1829. Now, local lore states that said alley is haunted by a friar, but whether it’s Pere Antoine or someone else is up for debate. Said alley was also the location of a funeral procession for the six, executed leaders (whose corpses were left to rot in front of the St. Louis Cathedral for WEEKS, mind you) of the brief rebellion which took place against the Spanish Inquisition, wherein another friar known as Pere Dagobert loudly sang the Kyrie. It’s been said that during the early-morning hours, or whenever it’s raining, you can hear the sound of the Kyrie, sometimes accompanied by the sight of a Capuchin monk in this very alley.

From there, we walked down Chartres to Hotel Provincial. Old-timey, quaint, elegant and VERY haunted. What’s the story behind this one, you ask? Apparently, a portion of it served as a military hospital during the Civil War………yeah. I’m pretty sure we all know that war-related injuries tend to be the sort that require surgery and sometimes even amputation. I also don’t think I need to explain the horrors of surgery and amputation in the 1800’s. Basically, anyone who knows the backstory of this place and chooses to stay there on purpose is crazy.

This site in particular is very susceptible to a paranormal phenomenon known as time-warping (I personally think the FQ as a whole has a predisposition towards that actually, but more on that later). Our guide alerted us to a number of reported instances where guests took the elevator, only for the doors to open to the sight of an 1860’s era hospital. People have also reported seeing confederate soldiers writhing in pain on the floor, mysterious blood stains on towels and bedding and even women in mid-1800’s clothing standing on the balconies, likely apparitions of the soldier’s widows.

I feel that I had an experience of my own just walking past; see that photo above? Yeah, I was standing perfectly still for it, and it still came out blurry AF. I took about ten photos of this place and ALL of them came out like that. Maybe my phone’s camera was just acting up. But then again, the lens of a camera is much more infallible than the eyes of a human. Also, while I am very much a believer, mind you, I think I need to give the skeptical part of my brain a bit of thanks. After all, our next stop of the tour was Louisiana’s very own gate to hell the infamous mansion on the corner of Royal and Gov. Nicholls. Widely referred to by locals as merely “The Haunted House,” this was once the home of a demon in the shape of a woman known as Delphine LaLaurie.

Another character you all may know from American Horror Story: Coven; like Marie Laveau, many liberties were taken with her story (the scenes filmed in or around her “house” actually made use of the Hermann-Grima House……..not that I blame them one bit for not using the real thing). That being said, in regards to her story and what really happened, it’s actually pretty difficult to tell where the legitimate facts stop and the sensationalized scandal begins as it is.

As you can see, I did provide a link to a video that gives a basic rundown of what happened, but truthfully speaking that’s one of about twenty different versions of the story I’ve heard over the years. Long story short, she was a local celebrity who threw lavish parties in a big gray house on Royal Street during the 1830’s. Suddenly, a fire broke out in 1834 and it’s revealed that she’s a madwoman engaging in extreme mistreatment of her slaves. The whole town is outraged (yes, you read that right, Delphine was regarded as a special kind of evil even by the standards of antebellum-era Louisiana) and she skips town in the dead of night as a result. Shortly after she left, neighbors began to report hearing screams and cries from the empty house at night; claims which still persist to this day.

The news reports from the era which regard said event are in one of two categories: a highly scandalized and exploitative version of events as seen in the New Orleans Bee, or a brief rundown that gives very little detail as seen in the Times-Picayune. In each version of the story I’ve seen and/or heard, the only details that remain consistent are a young slave girl jumping to her death after LaLaurie chased her around with a whip for brushing her hair too hard, the house fire, said fire being started by a slave who was chained to the stove, a horrific sight in some room on an upper floor, and the LaLauries fleeing shortly afterward. Beyond that, the details widely vary.

In our tour guide’s version of the tale, we were told that the slaves were never seen at the parties, which contradicts what I read previously about how each party seemed to have a different set of slaves; each individual slave rarely ever being seen more than once. And that’s only one of many discrepancies. Honestly, this is a story that was highly sensationalized from the get-go, and it’s only gotten even more exaggerated and over the top over the years, so you can’t get mad about it when the actual truth of what happened has simply been lost to time.

After the events of 1834, Madame LaLaurie was never seen or heard from again. General consensus is that she fled to Paris, but it’s been speculated she may have been hiding out in either Mobile, Alabama or some town across Pontchartrain like Slidell or Covington under an assumed identity. There’s even evidence which suggests she may have discretely returned to New Orleans at some point, if the nameplate and possible burial vault in St. Louis No. 1 says anything. After all, she really did love her house.

Over the years, the house has been used for many different purposes. At first, it went through a revolving door of owners, none of which staying for more than a few months. There was one man who mysteriously turned up dead in the house actually. In the 1870’s, it served as a segregated school for black girls (…….I would say something witty here if I wasn’t rendered speechless), only to shut down a year later thanks to numerous girls complaining about getting scratched and bruised by “that woman.” After that it’s been the location of a number of establishments, most notably a music conservatory, a furniture store and a saloon; all of which quickly failed (gee, I wonder why). In the 1890’s, most of the mansion was converted into apartments; first as low-income tenement units, largely occupied by Italian immigrants and briefly a homeless shelter before becoming luxury apartments in the 1950’s, although the first floor would still be occupied by a revolving door of businesses until the late 20th-century when it was reconverted to a mansion. The revolving door of owners persisted; Nicolas Cage bought the home and started living there in 2007……shortly before his career tanked and he went bankrupt, leading to foreclosure in 2009. Just a coincidence? Could be……but it’s not like this house has had a good track record with any of its tenants over the last 180 years.

These days, it’s owned by an oil tycoon from Texas who hires interior decorators and caretakers to furnish and maintain the house but otherwise does nothing with it. Basically, the “Haunted House” just stands there looking pretty (in the eeriest way possible) and that’s it. Then again, what with past business tenants and residents reporting apparitions of naked men in chains and frightened children pleading for help, a dubious black liquid oozing out of the walls and even the vengeful spirit of Madame LaLaurie herself roaming around, would you want to stay there? Let alone enter?

I tried to take a few pictures but night had fallen, and they all came out way too dark to see anything. As did most of the pictures I had taken after this point ( although I did catch some strange, green and/or blue colored mist within said darkness in a few of them......makes you wonder). In terms of lighting, aside from Bourbon Street and the vicinity of Jackson Square and the French Market, the French Quarter is VERY dark at night. It really did feel like I had stepped back into the 1800’s, and was also why I abstained from going there at night for most of my trip. Not trying to get drunk down there alone, lest I either get mugged or unsuspectingly walk into a time warp of my own.

Whilst spooked by the darkened Quarter, we came upon an unassuming Creole townhouse at 823 Orleans, one of many homes in the area fronted by a gallery held up with poles that are adorned with decorative, protruding trimming of sorts, named “Romeo spikes” in the local lingo. However, they’re anything but romantic; there’s a very gruesome story behind how they got that name, and this property is where it took place.

The story goes that one night, the man who owned this house wanted to take his family to dinner, but his daughter claimed to not be feeling well, so she stayed home while he and his wife went about their way. Upon arriving at the restaurant, he realized he forgot his wallet and quickly went home to retrieve it, only to find his daughter in bed with her boyfriend. Startled, the boyfriend quickly ran out and jumped over the balcony……..only to get stabbed in the hip by one of the spikes. Not able to support his weight, the spike ripped through the entire side of his abdomen, pulling out his intestines in the process, before he fell to this death. It’s alleged that sometimes a shadowy figure can be seen dangling off this gallery from afar, only to vanish if one takes a closer look.

After that, we took a little break. I talked with Sarabelle for a little bit, particularly asking about the Gardette-LaPrete House, only to learn that the tale of a sultan and his harem moving in, only for them to get massacred a few weeks later, is totally fictional (sad face). There’s no news reports of such a thing happening nor is there any record of a sultan ever living at the property. Even then, I still have to ask how such a story came about in the first place. I doubt such a tale would just sprout out of thin air, but moving on, during the break I walked over a block to Bourbon only to see a rowdy second-line in front of Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop.

While tapping my toes to the second line, I peered inside Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop for a moment. Built in the 1770’s, and one of the few structures in the Quarter that survived the 1788 fire, it was originally a blacksmith shop (obviously) that also doubled as a base of operations of the pirate Jean Laffite for a time. Currently a bar, evoking an old-timey feel, it’s lit only by candles, and is also very haunted. Granted, it’s utterly packed with people so not a good location for investigating, but it has long been claimed that the spirit of Jean Laffite himself can be seen blending in with the crowd, only to disappear when spotted; in addition to being the hiding place of a demon who wanders around with disembodied red eyes.

After our little break, we then headed over to the Voodoo Spiritual Temple on 826 Rampart. In a bit of more recent history, we learned about the couple who resided in the upstairs apartment ten years ago, Zack and Addie. They first garnered attention during Hurricane Katrina, being two of a handful of people in the French Quarter who didn’t evacuate. They’d assist in cleanup efforts, would provide food and other necessities to those in need and helped prevent the various businesses in the area from being looted.

As soon as things went back to normal in New Orleans, things immediately went downhill for the couple. They’d regularly binge on drugs and alcohol, going on to argue and fight as a result. This all persisted for a year until one night where Zack committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the Omni Royal hotel. In his pocket, a note was found that pleaded with the authorities to go back to his apartment and check on his girlfriend (***WARNING*** very graphic details ahead).

And that they did, they entered the apartment, only to find that no one was there………until they checked the kitchen. Inside the oven, they found arms and legs. The pot on the stove contained a human head. Inside the fridge was a large bag containing a torso. Zack had killed, dismembered and attempted to cook Addie. Although cannibalism was widely speculated, a suicide note found in the apartment suggests that Zack was trying to think of a way to dispose of her body and turned to cooking it as a last resort.

The apartment has remained unoccupied ever since, although it is available to rent, and the resident priestess of the Voodoo temple downstairs does offer tours. Apparently, no one’s even bothered to change the stove and the refrigerator ever since that grisly incident took place (…….*shudder*). It’s theorized that a sort of demonic entity has long lurked the premises, and said being is what ultimately drove Zack mad. Even I couldn’t shake the feeling of something with evil intentions staring at me from the darkened windows of the upper floor apartment.

Next, we were taken to a gallery that has paintings of a blue dog on display. Although the artist claims that they were painted as a tribute to his dead dog, it’s widely believed to be a depiction of a creature from Cajun and/or rural Louisianan folklore known as the Rougarou. Like a cross between a werewolf and a wendigo, it is a beast that wanders the swamps and the bayous, and if bitten, you will become one yourself. Granted, there’s no real haunting (or even much fact) behind this one, it’s likely just a story Cajun elders told children so they’d behave, but it was still neat to learn about either way.

Our tour concluded in the alley on the other side of St. Louis Cathedral, known as Pirates Alley. One of many alleged hangouts of Jean Laffite, it’s said that his ghost wanders this location as well. With the lighting on the Jesus statue in the cathedral’s courtyard casting an ominous shadow on the backside of the building, it was here where Sarabelle bid us adieu. From there, well, we were hungry, so we made our way over to Café Maspero.

Café Maspero was delicious, if not necessarily mind-blowing. I had appetizer-size bowls of both gumbo and jambalaya, and it did feel good to finally try these two dishes I have long been fond of in their place of birth. My mom ordered a muffaletta. I had a bite and I honestly just thought it was too much going on, but she liked it. Once we were finished and I washed it all down with my Voodoo Doll daiquiri, we then made our way back to the hotel to rest up for our last day in New Orleans. And I honestly didn’t want to leave.

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olmopress · 5 years ago

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The end.

week 13: Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin, “Remediation”

Maghada Kingdom, Northern India. Somewhere around 2500 years ago:

I feel you Sha’

All beautiful things must end, and so also my smart-ass blogposts have to.

SAD

But I don’t know maybe you can pool some kind of financial resources and grant me a salary to write you reviews on stuff. It’d be cool, and I’d be constantly on strike to try and negotiate a better wage because

But anyways.

Before we start this last ride about digital media, I have a kind message addressed to my dear friends Bolter & Grusin

No for real guys. Don’t get me wrong here, your paper is great and you sound like chill dudes, but

DUDE

your points are SIMPLE, and we’re all grown ups with an education. You DO NOT have to state and re-state the obvious and make multiple and equally obvious examples

LIKE, WE GET IT

Instead NO, it takes these two little bitches something like

THIRTY PAGES

to get to the main point of the essay.

But oi, maybe I get it. Maybe you were writing for some whiny-ass professor/boss who gave you a nasty word count, or maybe editorial draconian policies by the journal forced you to do this. Boh. I don’t know. Don’t wanna antagonize her but reading you kids was a tour de force.

BUT LET US NOT GET DISTRACTED LIKE WE DO ALL THE FUCKING TIME

Bolter and Grusin’s article does something quite simple: it attempts to set theoretical lineaments to the three concepts of immediacy, hypermediacy, and remediation. Very cool.

The ‘core’ of the whole essay is something pretty much like this:

Our [sick-ass neurotic] Western culture is fixated on both immediacy and hypermediation. To achieve the first, we [very reasonably and not at all pervertedly] paradoxycally construct hypermediated environments. But we do also the reverse [again great reasoning abilities here]: in going all-in for hypermediacy we tend to rely on seemingly immediate devices. All this media push-and-pull is fucking bipolar implies a logic of remediation, in which the emergence of every new media generates reciprocal ‘borrowings’ and incorporations between the new and the old.

Now Bolter. Grusin.

DOES MY PARAGRAPH LOOK THIRTY FUCKING PAGES LONG?

B & G: No

GOOD. THEN WHY THE HELL YOURS DOES?

Fucking academics, man. They drive me crazy.

So the point is that this logic of remediation is based upon the mutual dependence of contradictiory determinations (the fact that immediacy depends on hypermediacy). And well, what is it if not another episode of my highly acclaimed sit-com series

“What famous philosopher is featured in this paper?”

Our guest star today is a boy you’ve already seen in this post.

Oh yeah baby, keep those antithetical determinations struggling with each other!

And so yeah, “Immediacy depends upon hypermediacy,” and very much like an original synthesis that transcends thesis and antithesis,

“the desire for immediacy leads to a process of appropriation and critique by which digital media reshape or ‘remediate’ one another and their analog predecessors” (314).

From this point, B. & G. write words upon words to disscuss the concepts of immediacy and hypermediacy, constructing what they define a “genealogy” of the two concepts. But they means this in a very specific way. Is another guest star of “What famous philosopher is featured in this paper” coming to join us?

OF COURSE

but surprises don’t end here, because

IT’S A RETURN!

Oh yeah, your favorite bald philosophical sex symbol is back to tell you that by saying “genealogy” he means

“an examination of descent” which “permits the discovery, under the unique aspect of a trait or a concept, of the myriad events through which—thanks to which, against which—they were formed” (qtd. in 315).

Therefore Bolter and Grusin investigate the way in which these two concepts have been shaped by cultural discourse over history. Which is all fun and leisure, but not really that important to us.

One thing I did want to talk about tho is the political aspect of immediacy. So let me get this straight. When discussing VR, B&G write:

“All these enthusiasts promise us perceptual immediacy, experience without mediation. They expect virtual reality to diminish and ultimately to deny the mediating presence of the computer and its interface” (317).

Now, you have been blessed enough to encounter some Marxism in your life, you might be reminded of the crucial concept of ideology. An ideology is a set of beliefs shared by members of a society – or imposed upon them – that naturalizes artificial relationships and norms inside that community. The thing about ideologies, though, is that they are not immediately visible. They are, to borrow from B&G, transparent, because they are designed to be invisible and to provide a sense of immediacy in social dialectic. Moreover, the stronger an ideology is – the more rooted it is in culture – the less visible it is. We could say, for instance, that Mark Fisher’s concept of Capitalist Realism works as a very transparent ideology.

Rest in peace, comrade.

But going even deeper, it seems to me that this whole transparency thing is very totalitarian. Like VR is kind of totalitarian, because it seeks complete and utter control over your body and senses. Totalitarianism is like a transparent interface. It is a form of cultural VR. Or rather, ideology is a form of virtual reality.

And, oi, B&G make it clear enough that this works also when individuals have personal freedom. Sure, they’re talking about digital media, but still look at what they write:

“For if immediacy is promoted by removing the programmer/creator from the image, immediacy can also be promoted by involving the viewer more intimately in the image” (324).

That’s DEEP bruh.

Now let’s move on. So immediacy is essentially the dominant regime for much of the history of Western culture. Or at least ever since the Renaissance. It is the dream of being able to produce objects that trick us into believing that what we see is real. Fine.

Hypermediacy is sort of like its nemesis. It is the cultural regime of fragmentation, indeterminacy, multiplicity, heterogeneity and pretty much also of deliberate and explicit artificiality.

IT’S VERY POSTMODERN

VERY META-

It’s culture that is aware of its mediated nature, and breaks that suspension of disbelief stuff that makes you care for characters created by someone else.

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See this at work in one of the greatest moments of digital media history.

Bolt ’n’ Grus have a lot of superfluous stuff to say about it, but unfortunately for them I am very postmodern too and my attention spans are short and so I’ll jump to remediation.

Remediation is B&S’s killer application. All their money is on this nice idea. The idea is that one of the defining characteristic of contemporary digital media – or rather, a phenomenon sparked by the emergence of them – is the fact that media represents other media in them. This, they say, can happen in four different modes.

1. Transparency: digital media highlights and re-presents an older media without any trace of irony or critique. This is like when you go search for that old album you really like on Apple Music. The platform does not ‘comment on’ the music. It just allows you to experience it by reproducing the older vynil/CD medium.

2. Emphasis on difference: digital media underlines and renders particularly evident the difference between itself and older media. Kinda like an improvement of older media through digital tools. This encompasses all the ‘expanded’ stuff you can get. Like library guides on our our library’s website. They are text-based like a physical library guide would, but they also have nice little video tutorials which improve them. Through the digital.

3. Refashoning: an ‘aggressive’ form of remediation that tries to refashion older media entirely while still signaling its presence and therefore retaining a sense of multiplicity. Here artificiality is explicit and discontinuity is visible. It is kind of like a new media collage. Something like this, perhaps:

youtube

4. Absorption and incorporation: the fourth and final mode is one in which discontinuity is minimized, because a media has entirely absorbed one or more characteristics of another one. Thus, we sort of come full circle, in the sense that absorption is superficially quite similar to transparency. Note that absorption works in both directions. Therefore you have it both in film through CGI and in videogames through cinematic cutscenes.

Our reading for this article ended with Bolter and Grusin saying that at the present moment (which for them is 1996, but non importa) all mediation is remediation, in the sense that “each medium or constellation of media […] responds to, redeploys, competes with, and reforms other media” (345). Which is also a way to offer a new connotation to the concept of media environment.

Now, sadly

WE ARE DONE.

It’s been a hell of a ride. I mean a hell. But also a ride. So we’re kind of even. It is time for me to bid you farewell; remind you to have protected sex always; assure you that, no, you won’t have panick attacks for the rest of your life (it’s the oppressive and ultra-competitive educational system’s fault); and re-assure you that, eventually, the dialectic of history will complete its cycle, unveil the inherent contradictions of capitalist societies, and prepare for the advent of a millenary communist civilization.

This come from Amazon, lol

Everything will turn out well. We will be fine. One day Donald Trump, Matteo Salvini, Boris Johnson, Marine Le Pen, Vladimir Putin, and Jair Bolsonaro will all rot in hell. We will probably have to deal with the catastrophic consequences of climate change brought about by capitalism but we’ll come out of this with a stronger, more inclusive, and more just society. Our dreams will come true and we’ll all become badass human beings who will be pillars of a reformed, humane society.

Enjoy the ride!

Today’s culture is a celebration of our struggles to become great and revolutionary individuals. Enjoy that too.

Coldplay - Lost!

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William Blake, The Angel of Revelation (1805)

Adieu!

Image Sources: GIPHY, metmuseum.org, thenewpolis.com, micciacorta.it, amazon.com

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vacationsoup · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/my-guide-to-some-of-the-best-local-food-to-sample-during-your-stay/

My guide to some of the best local food to sample during your stay

As I’ve got older, I have realised that food is a really important part of being on holiday. Of course you want some great places to eat out (see my blog on eating out recommendations), but cooking and eating quality local food really makes holidays memorable. It’s also a great way to make sure your pounds really get into the local economy, an opportunity to experience something new and meet the locals.

Norfolk is famous for its Cromer Crab, Asparagus, Samphire and of course Colman’s mustard which has its home in Norwich. Since moving here in 2013, I have tried to seek out some great local food that I would definitely put on the menu if I were staying in one of our self-catering barns.

SneakyElbow / Pixabay

We have an allotment on site for guests, which Grandad Terry regularly tends. Guests are invited to pick whatever is in season. It won’t be enough to sustain you during your stay though, unless you come in July in which case you can feast every day on courgettes, potatoes and raspberries. Once we get some more chickens and we can figure out how to keep Mr Fox at bay, we should be able to pop some of our own gorgeous eggs in your basket too. For now the girls on the farm down the road are supplying us!

Off site, first on my local food list would be The Tacons. It’s a little farm shop run by friends in the nearby village of Rollesby. They sell most seasonal veg, as well as local milk, Norton’s Dairy soft cheese; eggs; honey; quality charcuterie; cakes and fruit. If you are coming for Christmas this would be a great place to stock up on some fresh Christmas vegetables. Come in April and May and they grow the most delicious Norfolk Asparagus – they even have an open day in May to celebrate all things asparagus. The Tacons open all the time and doesn’t seem to ever get busy or sell out. They also run pick your own in the summer months for fruit like strawberries, which is always lovely for the kids.

DagnyWalter / Pixabay

Slightly further afield is Truly Local in Stalham. This shop is a real success story for Norfolk food and local produce. They only stock food that is from a 35 mile radius of the store and still manage to keep going, even though there is a Tesco’s pretty much on its doorstep. It’s bigger than the Tacons and sells a wider range of produce, but less veg. Bread, preserves, beer and meat can be found here as well as local crafts – ideal gifts and souvenirs.

For meat, I’d recommend Chapman’s butchers. I always order one of their reasonably priced ‘Norfolk black free range turkeys’ for Christmas. This family butcher is in the neighbouring village in Martham and sells a nice range of local meats, including venison and free range Blythburgh pork, from Suffolk. Their sausages are pretty good too. Some of their meat is now on sale in Winterton's Post Office. Welcome to the countryside.

Neil Sea Fishing

For fresh fish and shell fish we head a few miles south to Dabs n Crabs in Scratby. Here you can also arrange sea fishing trips on the Sea Quest, which depart from Great Yarmouth harbour. Neil went on a trip earlier this year for a friend’s birthday and caught a large Thornback ray.

For local beer you can try local Norfolk Brewery, Woodfords. They deliver via mail order or you can arrange a brewery tour and stock up in the shop. Or for a day out Wroxam Barns is a good option for beer, condiments and local fudge. Its cafe and 'junior farm' are also worth a visit. For lovely local apple juice you can try the East Norfolk Trading Company which is available locally. They also press our apples every year.

If you are staying with us Blakes Bakes, Artisan baker, Andrew, makes your arrival cake. You can always contact him directly if you’d like to order any more cakes during your stay – or to take home. 07748664739

You could also try the wonderful Norfolk Gin, available in our local post office.

The great news is that the local food scene here is definitely on the up and it’s always lovely when our guests tell us about places we don't know about. On the list to discover is the road side fudge seller or a chap that sells fish from one of the little cottages, also in the same little fishing village, Sea Palling. I am a keen baker (and often put fresh bread in our welcome basket) so I am keen to check out Norwich’s secret baker under the coloured market too.

#BroadsNationalPark #HolidayInWintertonOnSea #Norfolk #VacationInWintertonOnSea #VacationSoup #WintertonOnSea

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eastonkennedy-blog · 8 years ago

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Touring || Easton & Josh

What: @joshskitchen gives Easton a behind the scenes tour of Mitchell’s SpoonRest. Friendship ensues.

Where: The SpoonRest

When: March 12th, 2017

Easton grew bored of the art show rather quickly. He could only take so much social interaction before his anxiety grew to unbearable levels. So he'd shot Josh a text wondering if he wanted to hang out at some point. The text he'd received back had been affirming, but warning that he was at work at the Spoon Rest. The cellist had always been curious about the bed and breakfast, but since his last conversation with the owner hadn't gone well, he'd been almost timid about setting foot there. But dammit, he wanted to see his roommate. Easton squared his shoulders as he entered the grand Edwardian or Victorian home and wandered into the dining room. He gave Kwan a quick greeting and asked if Josh was around. He forced himself not to look the man appreciatively up and down as he spoke about bringing Josh out in a moment. The cellist nodded his thank you and headed to sit at one of the vacant dining tables to wait for Josh to appear.

Josh had been helping Mitchell with different things all morning. He wasn’t in the kitchen all that much since they needed to make sure everything was perfect in all the rooms for the upcoming bookings. He was in the middle of changing some lightbulbs when he got Easton’s text. Even if he was surprised he was glad to have his roommate texting him and wanting to hang out with him. Josh grinned when Mitchell came looking for him not too long after the last text exchange with Easton. He went downstairs to find his schoolmate looking great in the purple jacket he was wearing while Josh was just wearing a shirt and jean. “Hi Easton,” he greeted as he sat in front of him “How was the exhibit?” he asked in his usual cheery tone.

Easton gave a relieved smile when Josh joined him. His last conversation with Kwan had been tense at it's best, so he was just happy to see a friendly face. "Hey," he replied back, adding a little wave on the end with his good hand. It took him a moment to register his roommate's question, and then it took him another to think of a decent way to explain how he felt about the exhibit. "The art was good. But I didn't care for the schmoozing," he said finally. "Art shouldn't be about who you can flirt money out of..." was all he tagged on before sitting back down and gesturing for Josh to join him at the table.

Josh joined Easton and listened to his answer, not all that surprised when his roommate didn’t elaborate on his answer. “I understand that, I am not good understanding and appreciating paints all that. I believe is easier with photography. I agree to some extent. In the end, we all end up selling our art,” he said with a small smile. “Can I offer you something to drink? Or perhaps a snack,” he said with his usual calmed manner.

Easton kept his knowing smile to himself. While Josh was typically a mellow person, when you lived with someone long enough to tended to learn their inflections. After well over six months, the cellist felt he knew the culinary student's tone well enough to hear the tiny up tick when he mentioned 'photography'. But Easton chose to keep that to himself. "You know I won't turn down anything you've made, Josh," he jested. "Nothing alcoholic though as far as the drink goes, okay?"

Josh smiled when the offer was accepted but his smile got a little brighter at the comment “One of the many reasons why I enjoy having you as my roommate, is nice to have friends who trust your abilities in the kitchen,” he said in a playful voice before adding, “I must disappoint you this time, I haven’t cooked. Mitchell made the snack and food for today.” He tried his best not to tease Easton since he knew his friend was still coming to terms with feeling attraction for the professor. “Nothing alcoholic, I promise. Do you want to join me to the kitchen? I could show you around.”

Easton just gave the other man a quiet smile and a laugh. Trusting someone with his diet was a big step for him. But after how long they'd roomed together, he didn't think Josh would ever pick or make something outside of his guidelines. The cellist gave his friend a narrowed glance. "He's not letting you cook?" he asked pointedly. If that was the case, he'd be more than happy to bring yet another confrontation to Kwan's doorstep. "I wouldn't mind a tour," he said affirmatively. "Do you enjoy working here?" he asked, needing to be certain that Josh had found the right place for him.

Josh shook his head at the question “He does, but not all the time. There’s a lot of things to do around here and he wants me to learn as much as I can. He can teach me to cook when I have class with him in the next semesters,” he explained with a small shrug, the smile still in place. With a slight nod, he stood up and waited for the taller man to follow “You will like the place, is very homey,” he said as he led Easton to the kitchen first “I do. There’s always something new to do and learn. The people who stay here are always really friendly and it feels nice to do something so they have a pleasant staying.” Once in the kitchen, he moved to one of the fridges to check what they had for the day’s menu “Are you in the mood for fruit parfaits?” he asked when he realized only the desserts were finished for the day.

Easton could understand that Kwan might want to teach Josh the very basics of hospitality first. But the cellist highly doubted that's where his roommate's passion was. He was a chef at heart, not a hotelier. However, he'd quickly learned to keep those kinds of thoughts to himself. He wouldn't do anything to damper Josh's enthusiasm for the position, or threaten it by going to Kwan himself. "Homey?" he said skeptically as he rose. "What is this place...? Victorian?" he wondered. Growing up with parents who were in advertising made it so he'd lived in far more modern accommodations. The grand arches and flipping lines were lovely, he could admit that, but what he really enjoyed about the place so far was how clean it was. Any knicknacks were well kept and no dust bunnies cowered in corners. He followed Josh through the space and into the heart of it all. The kitchen was obviously loved and used often, though the chrome still gleamed as if new. Easton kept his hands in his pockets to stifle the urge to leave a finger print or two behind. "I wouldn't mind one if your boss is alright with it?"

Josh nodded “Yes. Mitchell’s idea is to make the guest feel comfortable and at home. Most people who visit us are not looking for a detached and cold attention. I am sure that is why they come back. They feel welcome here,” Josh explained what he had noticed so far even if his boss hadn’t explained it with so many words. He could see how much he worked so the people visiting the rest were always as comfortable as possible. “It is Victorian. I don’t know much about it, but it has been mentioned a few times in some conversations with Mrs. Briar and her daughters.” Josh smiled when he noticed Easton seemed pleased by what he had seen so far. He didn’t blame him and wasn’t so surprised either since he had felt the same way the first time he visited the place. “I am sure he won’t mind, especially if it’s for you, “ he said in a slightly cryptic voice as he handed the fruit glass to Easton and moved around to get a Parfait spoon and handed it to his roommate along with a pristine white embroidery napkin.

Easton wasn't sure if he shared that assessment of the space. While yes, it was impeccably and comfortably decorated, he couldn't help but to feel being scared of touching anything. However, that might be his own misgivings about Mitchell showing through. It was equally likely that the man didn't mind one bit of an expensive painting or bit of china was broken by careless handling. He crooked an eye brow when Josh mentioned the name. "Mrs. Briar?" he asked, hoping for more information. Easton kept his hands in his pockets as he wandered the kitchen as his roommate worked. Instead of an eye brow, this time, his whole head tilted. "What does that mean?" he asked as he was handed the treat.

Josh had expected Easton to ask about Mrs. Briar. If he had learned something about his roommate these past months it was that he didn’t like not knowing about certain things. He liked to be informed and he was curious even if he didn’t show it so often. “Yes. The staff here is small. She’s the lady who helps keep this place tidy. Her daughters help too. It’s not a big place and Mitchell doesn’t need more staff for now. It’s just us,” he explained with a smile. Josh shrugged as he guided his roommate to the lounge. “I think he likes you. He certainly finds you interesting and I suppose he enjoys talking to you,” he said simply as he sat in one of the comfortable chairs, inviting Easton to take a seat as well.

Easton nodded as understanding came. There was no way Kwan could have handled all the work that goes into running a bed and breakfast and his work at Mousai. The man would have burned out in a week. "I suppose that means you guys get to know each other pretty well then?" he wondered. He'd never held a job before, even part time. So he wasn't sure how that kind of dynamic worked. He nearly spit the spoon out of his mouth when Josh said Mitchell liked him. The cellist cleared his throat. "Considering how our last conversation ended, I highly doubt that, Josh," he said, finally. Not wanting to tower above his roommate, he took the seat he'd indicated.

Josh kept on smiling “I wouldn’t say we get to know each other that well, but it does give us a chance to talk some. She asks about my classes. I ask how things were the days I wasn’t here or about her daughters when they aren’t around. She tells me some stories of her youth sometimes and asks about my family. All that while we work,” he explained the dynamics without being able to hide how comfortable he felt. He tried his best not to laugh at Easton’s reaction. “If you believe Mitchell is the kind of man who dislikes someone out of one bad conversation, I believe you will have a good surprise when you get to know him better. He enjoys talking to people. And I don’t think he will dislike you for a small conflicted conversation.”

Easton gave his friend a fond smile. "Still. Sounds like you're well on your way to becoming friends," he said. At moments like this, he wished Josh's easy going and understanding nature would rub off on him a little. He'd like the chance to make a friend that easily. The cellist ate more of his parfait, humming a bit when he reached a berry. "How about multiple bad conversations?" he offered with chagrin. "And I wouldn't characterize that last conversation as 'small'," he tagged on, using air quotes to emphasize the word.

Josh gave a small nod “I suppose that’s a possibility. It’s easier to make friends when people is willing to listen. It’s a two ways street. Some people don’t let anyone in and it’s hard to become friends even if you try and talk to them about everything,” he said with a slightly sad smile. “I still don’t believe he doesn’t like you anymore.” He chuckled “You have strong opinions but you’re not a terrible person. I doubt anyone would rule you out as a friend or something else just because of your opinions and if they do, they didn’t deserve your presence and time at all,” he said trying to cheer his friend up.

Easton hummed a little as he considered Josh's words. "Even when people are willing to listen, they don't always like what they hear," he mused. He knew that from very real experience. But with that happening so often, he was beginning to wonder if it was how he was saying things that pissed people off. The cellist ate another slow bit of his parfait. He gave his roommate a long look after those last few words. "...thank you."

Josh shrugged “We can’t please everyone. Not all the people we talk to will like what we have to say. We probably won’t like what they have to say either, but it is then when tolerance becomes an important feature. Especially between friends,” he said in a hopeful voice. It had been a while now since he had felt the need to tell Easton he had been seeing two professors because he didn’t want his friend to think he was a hypocrite, but at the same time he was afraid that would cause their friendship to end. He smiled when Easton looked at him, as if he was trying to make sure he was serious “You’re very welcome, Easton. I believe people will realize you’re a nice guy after they see past the first impression.”

Easton nodded and finished up with his parfait. "You're an optimist, aren't you?" he said with a bit of a smile. A part of him wished he could be that way. But too much of his life recently had been rough and stressful to have that kind of outlook. The cellist gave the culinary student a chagrined laugh. "I'm pretty terrible at first impression, huh?"

Josh laughed a little “I suppose I am. Is not the first time I’ve heard it. Professor Brockway made it sound as if it was a flaw once. Do you think is a bad thing?” he asked as he crocked a brow curiously. “You’re not that terrible. If it makes you feel better, I’ve seen worse. I believe you have a strong personality, that’s all. And not everyone takes that as a positive trait.” He noticed the cellist had finished the dessert and he smiled “Did you like it? I can take that back to the kitchen and then I can show you around if you want. The rooms are pretty cozy and they have a nice view of the mountains,” he offered as he stood up.

Easton simply shrugged one shoulder. "Brockway's a smart guy. He and I are alike in a lot of ways. Being optimistic can be both bad and good," he said. "Optimism can get in the way of the reality of things. But, then again, so can pessimism," he explained. It was a difficult line between the two. And walking it was a challenge in and of itself. "As far as my personality goes, I can't change that. I wouldn't want to even if I could," he added with a huff of a laugh. He nodded at the question. "Sure. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this place," he said, standing up.

Josh shouldn’t be surprised Easton and Malcom got along. As his friend had said, they were similar in some things, but he hoped Easton wouldn’t let his past make his a bitter as the professor seemed to be. “I understand that, but at the same time I don’t believe it should be pointed out like that, I might be optimistic but I’m not stupid. And it looks like people believe that optimism and just being a nice person overall make us naïve or dumb, that we let that positivity get in the way and we lose the real perspective of things. But as you said, same happens with negativity. Fatalist probably struggle more than optimists.” He shook his head as he took the empty cup from Easton’s hand “You don’t need to change your personality, people need to learn to see more than appearances.” He started to walk to the kitchen to put the cup away and then turned to look at his friend. “Okay, come on, let’s go upstairs and I can show you the rooms there and then we can go see the suites. We just have two on the little cabins outside.”

Easton automatically put his hands up defensively. "I've never said you were stupid, Josh," he stated. The exact opposite was true. Of all the people he'd met at Mousai, Josh was likely the most honest and purely genuine. Very few people had the courage to be kind and courageous the way his roommate had. At the odd memory this situation brought up, Easton chuckled. "You're a bit like Cinderella from the new live action version of the story," he mused. The words Josh spoke shot an arrow through his heart. People rarely, if ever, saw past appearances. The cellist pressed the meat of his palms to his eyes to disguise the emotion in his gaze before Josh could see it. When his hands moves, the same considering glance was on his face. No worry, no issue. And he avoided the topic of people seeing past appearances with quick efficiency. "Lead the way," he said shortly instead. "Sorry if I'm not...." he hesitated. "Sorry if I'm not a great conversationalist."

Josh reached and squeezed Easton’s arms gently, offering a smile “I know you didn’t. I didn’t mean you, but other people do. It’s a common generalization” he explained. “Cinderella? Now this one is new. I can deal with that one, but I most likely wouldn’t want a prince charming,” he joked. He noticed the reaction on Easton and it caused him to nibble his lips, considering if he had hit a sore spot with the comment but unsure what to apologize for. “Okay, come on. And don’t worry, I know you don’t talk all that much but I enjoy your company nevertheless,” he said with a smile. As they walked, Josh considered if he should ask or not about Mitchell, he had noticed certain interest from both sides but he wasn’t sure if it still was a very touchy subject for his friend. “May I ask you something very personal?”

Easton was sure he did a poor job of hiding his shock when Josh touched him. Any kind of physical contact wasn't something he was used to anymore. He gave his friend a nod in understanding. "Yeah. You know... the whole 'have courage and be kind' thing," he explained. "Why not?" he asked in reference to Josh not wanting a prince charming. The cellist gave his friend a grateful smile as they continued walking. "Uh oh. That sounds ominous..." he groused teasingly, trying in his way to lighten the mood. "We've been getting into pretty personal stuff already so... sure. Ask away," he encouraged.

Josh pulled his hand away and only smiled, hoping he didn’t make Easton even more uncomfortable. “That, I can relate to. My Abuela always told me to be like and my mom reinforced it. It’s not an easy quest, but it’s satisfying most of the times.” He laughed softly at the question “Princes are boring. Too posh,” he chuckled “I like real people better. Simple and happy people,” he shrugged “Would you like a prince?” he asked with a smile. “You are right, we have, but as I told you last time, I prefer to be sure before asking things,” he took a deep breath as they headed upstairs “Did Mitchell make you change your mind about getting involved with a professor?”

Easton kept following Josh through the big house. If he'd been here by himself, he had a feeling he'd get lost in a second. "Have there ever been times when it wasn't satisfying?" he asked curiously. "Sounds like you're thinking about a particular simple and happy person...?" he lead, wondering if Josh would take the bait. He hummed as he considered his answer. "If the prince were more than just charming, maybe," he said. He'd almost expected that question sooner. Easton took a long breath in through his nose before speaking. "My mind's not changed, no," he said. "But that doesn't mean the thought of it isn't tempting. Mitchell is... different," he added, hedging as he tries to figure out what else to say.

Josh leaded Easton through the hall to the first door, opening it to invite his friend inside to check the room “A few. Some people are too untruthful or bitter. But I don’t blame them. We never know what people had been through that lead them to be that way,” he said as he moved to open the curtains so more light filled the room. “No one in particular, but I’m not going to lie and pretend there aren’t people like that catching my attention so far.” Josh smiled at Easton’s answer, he had suspected before that his roommate probably was a romantic behind the so serious exterior “What else is what you’re looking for in your prince charming version?” He couldn’t help his smile to falter slightly when the cellist said he hadn’t changed his mind, but his lips quirked up slightly at the second statement “He is very different than all the other professors here. That is for sure. And he’s insanely good looking, so I understand the temptation,” he teased.

Easton walked in and spent a moment looking around. It was easy to see Mitchell's hand in the decor. It had him curious if the man had used a designer or if he'd done all the rooms himself personally. "The rooms are bigger than I thought they'd be," he mused. At the word 'bitter', he paused for a moment. "Like me?" he asked. When the topic shifted back to Josh's interest, the cellist crooked a brow. "Really? Who's caught your attention so far?" he asked with a little grin. He shook his head and shrugged. "All I really want is someone who gets me, I guess," he said, though he knew the answer wasn't all that descriptive. Easton's brows came together in concern when he saw his friend's smile go blank for a second. "Are you okay?" he asked, worried that something might be wrong, or that he'd said something wrong. It sure as hell wouldn't have been the first time. "Looks are one thing. I can't deny that he's..." He honestly didn't have a word for it. 'Attractive' seemed so over-used. "But he doesn't... shy away from me like everyone else does."

Josh nodded “Everyone gets surprised about that the first time. Mitchel did a great job with the decoration so the rooms didn’t look small or packed with things,” he explained with the same words his professor had used. “You’re not bitter. You are upset, but that is okay,” he said honestly “We all deal with things differently. Sometimes I feel like I am too okay after what happened to me and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing,” he said more like thinking aloud. He felt a small blush creeping up his face “I’m not sure you would like to know,” he said as he turned to look out through the window. “I suppose we all want someone like that. I’m okay,” he said as he smiled again. “Physical attraction is the first step. It does sound like him, he rarely shies away from anything. I think that you are not like the rest, looking for his favors, makes you all that more interesting to him. Because he can see you’re different too.”

Easton gave Josh a curious look. "He designed everything himself?" He couldn't stop himself from asking. And he had faith that his roommate wouldn't prod him too much about his wanting to know more about Mitchell. The cellist let out another breath as he spun in place. "I shouldn't be upset though, right? What do I have to be upset about beyond this?" he asked, lifting his scarred hand to indicate that's what he was talking about. "Everything else in my life is ideal." He was very well aware that he shouldn't let things get to him. When Josh avoided the question, Easton narrowed his eyes, both in suspicion and in teasing. "You're into a professor, aren't you? That's why you asked what you did earlier?" he asked, no heat or anger in his tone. "I'm not the type to take advantage of people," he said. "You know him well enough to be saying that?" he asked out of pure curiosity.

Josh gave a small nod “Everything here goes according his directions. He had a very clear idea what he wanted of this place,” he smiled. He winced slightly at the tone “You have all the right to be upset for what happened to you. I am sure it’s not just how your life changed with the accident. It’s normal to assume you are still in pain with your recovery and you struggle with accepting the changes it brought. You probably should know how admirable it is to see you work hard to be here. And how much of a delight it is to listen to you play. Against all odds, you’re proving you have more talent in a scarred hand than most of your classmates. That’s something to be proud of, even if you’re upset for the difficulties.” There was so much Josh could tell Easton about why he admired him, but he certainly hasn’t had a chance until now. He sighed and looked away once more, not wanting to and I’ve noticed your slight interest in him.” The next part caused him to frown “Does it mean that feeling attracted to a professor and look for their attentions immediately means you want to take advantage of their position?” he asked confused. “I spend more awake time with him than with you, and we are roommates. He is a great convesionalist, and as I said before, I am a good observant, so I can assure you he finds you quite interesting

Easton gave an impressed hum. He knew the man had that in him, but he hadn't been sure he'd have wanted to take the time. Now he knew differently. At Josh's speech, the cellist stopped in place, almost startled. "How are you always like this?" he wondered. "All... understanding and shit?" he added on as clarification. Talking about student/professor relationships nearly always got him worked up, so Easton made sure to take long, calming breaths in order to think about what he was about to say. "No. But that kind of thing doesn't have to be intentional. It could happen accidentally, very easily," he said. "My thing with cheating... in any aspect of the word... is complicated," he admitted.

Josh could tell that Easton had expected that answer, which only confirmed what he suspected already of his roommate and Mitchell spending some time together so his friend didn’t seem surprised with the explanation of Professor Kwan wanting things to go his way. Josh couldn’t help to laugh at Easton’s comment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, is just that you’re not the only person who asked me that. And to answer, I don’t really know, it must be a gift," he offered a playful grin with his answer, trying to lighten the mood. He nodded in understanding and considered if he should be honest and tell his roommate he believed he had reasons to think that way but that not everyone was so careless, but he was still afraid of what reaction he would have. “I’m sorry to hear that. I wish there was something else I could say or reassure you that not everyone is like that, because it’s true, but I can tell you won’t believe it until you get the chance to experience it.”

Easton sent Josh a soft smile. He'd meant every word. "It's very strange how you and I get along. Normally, I'm not a big fan of that optimistic stuff," he admitted. Maybe it was the fact that they were nearly total opposites that made their new found friendship work. "I know not everyone's like that. But even if it's not done intentionally, the risk is still there. You know?" he asked, hoping Josh truly did. He felt strongly on this one thing. And he doubted even his avid interest in Mitchell would change it.

Josh returned the smile, “I suppose it’s because I’m not pushing with lots of smiles, sunshine and rainbows or tries to impose my positivity,” he said with a slight shrug, really appreciate how their friendship worked and how they both were always honest and direct with each other. “I understand the risk could happen. I can tell you by experiences that school is the last thing some professors talk about, though,” he said nervously.

Easton ran his hand over the graceful back of one chair as they continued talking. He quirked a brow at that admission. "You've had a lot of conversations with the professors that don't involve school?" he asked. Most of the time, if he struck up a conversation with one of the teachers, it started with some assignment or class room issue. The rest of their talks were idle chatter about the weather, or resolving some previous argument.

Josh let out a small sigh and responded with a nod “Yes, quite a few. I’ve gone out with some professors and we talk about a lot of things, but never about school,” he said looking at Easton, waiting for the reaction and hoping it was not a really bad one.

Easton added a confused tilt of his head to his quirked brow. "You've gone out with them? Like... on dates or... am I mishearing things?" he asked, needing clarification as soon as possible. His views on this particular topic were widely known, but he didn't want to ruin their slowly growing friendship. The cellist had too few friends as it was.

Josh swallowed and licked his lips before answering “I don’t like the word dates since that mostly means something more serious, but I’ve been seeing them in a more than friendly matter,” he finally admitted with a slight blush creeping on his face.

Easton paused completely. He'd had a gut feeling that Josh had been leading up to this conversation the entire time. It's why he'd brought up Mitchell first, to gauge his reactions. The cellist had to admire that tiny bit of meticulous planning, even if it wasn't intentional. "More than friendly... that implies you've been fooling around with one, or more, of them..." he lead.

Josh unconsciously, started to fidget with his own fingers at the assumption. With a deep breath and a quick nod, he confirmed Easton’s suspicions, “Is just kissing considered fooling around? Because nothing else had happened. We have talked and kissed and talk most than anything else,” he assured. “Yes, two of them, actually.”

Easton watched his roommate closely. He recognized the nerves in Josh's movements, but he couldn't help feeling a bit incredulous. The fact that the culinary student was fooling around with a professor, with two even... For him, that was concerning. "Yes," he said, answering directly. He'd held out some hope that Josh would understand his reasoning behind his rule about professors. He'd even hoped his roommate agreed. But that obviously wasn't the case. He didn't want to close off his body language completely, but he shoved his hands into his pockets and curled his shoulders in unconsciously. "Look," he said, swallowing back his discomfort. "I may not agree with it... but... it's a free country."

Josh held his breath, waiting for Easton’s verdict and he couldn’t help the surprised expression on his face when his friend didn’t judge him as hard as he had thought, but instead, tried his best to act natural. Josh had lived with Easton for months now, and he probably didn’t know him all that well, but he could tell his roommate was trying not to shut him off. He sighed and offered a small thankful smile “I wanted to tell you because even if I agree to some extent with you, I didn’t want you to think I was a hypocrite,” he looked at his friend and chewed on his lower lip nervously, “I was worried you would be mad at me.”

Easton rocked back on his heels as Josh continued to speak. "I'm not mad," he stated, probably more harshly than was warranted for this situation. Sometimes, he just couldn't control his tone. "I just... don't get why you'd take that risk," he explained, this time doing all he could to soften his tone. "This is why you asked about Mitchell, isn't it?" he had to know.

Josh tried not to flinch at the immediate answer. He kept his eyes down, feeling unsure of what to say at first. “I didn’t plan to take the risk and I did not expect to do something like this either,” he explained with a soft sigh. “Sometimes, things just happen. And as much as we deny we feel attraction to someone is not always that easy.” He looked up at his friend with a small frown on his face, “No, that was not why I asked. I asked because I noticed you are different with him and I suppose I wanted to reassure you about it. It’s not wrong if you feel attracted to him and if you decide to pursue more than a friendship with him, I’ll be on your side.”

Easton curled his hands inside his pockets so his blunt finger nails dug into his palms. He didn't like that suddenly Josh couldn't, or wouldn't, look him in the eye. His roommate's body language made it obvious that he was physically preparing for some sort of attack. The cellist hated that that was what people thought of him. That he'd automatically lash out at every little thing. "Some of us don't feel instant attractions," he said. A part of him couldn't quite believe that was the reason Josh asked about his... thing... with Mitchell. "Nothing is going to happen between me and Mitchell Kwan."

Josh sat on the bed and looked at Easton with a nervous expression, “It wasn’t instant attraction. When I started spending time with them I wasn’t thinking on things going further. But the more I got to know them…” he trailed off and rubbed his palms on his jeans as he did when he was anxious. “It’s very confusing, that I have to admit,” he said with a shrug. “Okay, that’s fine. Nothing has to happen. You can just be friend, but I think is good you get to meet more people who doesn’t judge and can see how interesting and nice you are.”

Easton let out a long breath. He could feel the tension in his shoulders pull and strain. "Like I said. It's your business what you do with the professors," he said, lifting a hand to rub at his own opposite shoulder. He was still a bit bothered that Josh didn't seem to care about the academic cheating that could happen, but he forced himself to remember that not everyone worried about that kind of thing. "I'm really not nice, Josh," he said, letting out another quiet breath.

Josh gave a small nod and tried to smile. “Okay, you are right, it’s something that shouldn’t concern anyone but me and them,” he agreed and tried to let the subject go, hoping it hadn’t damaged his friendship with Easton all that much. At those words, he looked at his roommate in disbelief, “You are nice. You have strong beliefs, and there is nothing wrong with that. You might not be nice to everyone from the first moment, but once you get to know them, then you are nice, and a good friend.”

Easton knew his beliefs and convictions were strict. And they were that way for a reason. The cellist didn't enjoy making mistakes. He doubted anyone did. And he hated having to learn from them even more. He was aware that that was a necessary part of life, but that didn't mean he had to like it. So he did all he could to prevent making mistakes. At Josh's words, he gave a quick nod, not entirely believing them. "Are we... okay?" he asked, wondering if his vehemence had scared his roommate off at all.

Josh offered an honest smile, slightly brighter than the last one and nodded “Of course we are! I have no reasons not to be okay with you, I understand we see some things differently, but I also believe there are more things we agree on,” he said as he stood up. “Do you want to see the rest of the place?” he asked with going back to his usual cheery mood.

Easton was far more used to people being put off by his words. Josh's good nature was a rare treat. He returned a small, though still small as was his norm. "Okay. Good," he said. He let out the last tense breath, something he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His shoulders relaxed along with it. "Sure," he agreed. "So... do you think you'll want to go into the hotel business after your internship?" he asked, heading back to calmer, easier topics.

Josh nodded along, noticing how it wasn’t just him who was nervous about the topic, but he was glad they could look past this difference and keep being friends. “Okay, let’s go, I’ll show you the rest of the room and we can go to the suites right after.” He guided Easton through the hall “I don’t know yet, but now I can consider it as an option too. Before this, my main focus was just the kitchen, but I think I could do that and something more, finding the right people and place, of course.”

Easton tucked his hands back into his pockets as he followed Josh out of the first guest room. "There are suites too?" he asked. He knew the house was big, but hadn't anticipated it having the space for a suite or two as well. "I'm going to admit something strange to you, but... I kind of want to act like Gordon Ramsey on Hotel Hell and move stuff just to see if it's as clean as it looks," he said with a tiny laugh at the absurd urge. He nodded at Josh's statement. "Options are always good," he mused.

Josh offered a grin “Yes, they are two, but they are outside, two small cabins,” he explained. Josh couldn’t help himself from laughing “You could do it, Everything here is clean as a whistle. Mitchell’s standards are very high and Mrs. Briar has been the only one who could keep up,” he said amused, remembering how clear the lady had been when she explained Josh how to clean everything that time he helped her. “They are, and I hadn’t considered too many until now. What about you? Are you thinking of pursuing and administration career with the courses you’re taking?”

Easton furrowed his brows. "Cabins?" he wondered. He didn't think the grounds were extensive enough to have cabins added on to the premises. But then again, he hadn't done much exploring before Josh had offered to give him a tour. He chuckled along with his roommate at the statements. "You can't go wrong with having high standards," he said agreeably. "Still... I bet if I looked hard enough, I could find something," he teased. The cellist shrugged and let out a long suffering sigh when his business courses were brought up. "I really don't know. The classes are boring as hell, but they keep me occupied. I'd probably work for my parents if business is my only option," he said.

Josh confirmed with a nod, “Yes, the two small cabins outside are the suites,” he explained. “I agree on that, but people would not believe how high Mitchell’s standards are,” he said with a mysterious little smile, subtly referring to how Easton had caught the hotelier’s attention. “I invite you to try. I will cook anything you want for you for a week if you can find something out of place or a speck of dust in any room of your choosing,” he said with a bright but daring smile. The sigh caught Josh’s interest as they moved back downstairs, “I find that surprising. The few times I’ve seen you studying you appeared to be really interested. May I ask what is your parents business about?”

Easton kept following Josh as they moved through the bed and breakfast. He let himself appreciate the well decorated rooms and hallways. The space was comfortable while at the same time stately. It had the soft, lived-in feeling mixed with an air of importance. The tone in Josh's voice had him looking over at him suspiciously. It sounded like there was a second meaning to his words, but Easton decided not to question him about it just yet. "Anything I want, huh?" he asked with interest and consideration clear to hear. "What room is the rented out the least?" he asked, an idea popping up in his head on how to get what he wanted. "You're mistaking interest for focus, I'm afraid," he said with a shrug. "My parents work in advertising."

Josh smiled in affirmation “Absolutely anything,” and then he couldn’t help to laugh softly at the question. It was obvious Easton underestimated Mrs. Briar’s pulchritude. “I’ll take you there,” he said with a slight shake of his head as he guided his friend to the lately vacated room. “Is it that terribly boring then?” he asked curiously. “That sounds interesting. Do you like it?”

Easton gave his friend a smile. "Have any idea on how to make sushi?" he asked. He was aware of the kind of difficulty level he was asking for when it came to sushi, but he figured Josh was up to the challenge. With that particular food as the wager, the cellist made a mental note to be extra vigilant in finding some sort of mess in the room. He hummed quietly as he considered how to answer. "Excessively boring," he admitted. "Do I like advertising? I don't know... I could probably come to like it. There's still an aspect of art to it at least. Even though I can't draw or use any illustration program on the computer to save my life!"

Josh ‘s face lit up at the mention of one of his favorite dishes to cook “Of course I do! I might even let you win just for the fun of cooking sushi more often,” he said with a smile. “I’m sorry to heart. I’m sure you can do some other things than just drawing, and you could also ask for advice to someone from the Visual Arts department. I’m sure Desmond will be glad to give you some ideas,” he said as he opened the door of the room where Easton could start his inspection.

Easton rolled his eyes at Josh's enthusiasm. A part of him had hoped he'd found something the man wasn't good at making. But obviously, he was wrong. Josh's good mood was infectious, bringing out a grin on the cellist's face as well. He gave a shrug at his friend's apology. "Do you know if Des has ever used computer equipment to design labels or book covers?" he asked. Immediately upon entering the rarely used room, Easton moved to the corners, looking for dust bunnies.

Josh laughed again at his friend’s antics, especially when he saw Easton moved to around, decided to find something to win their bet. “I’m not sure, but you can always ask. If he doesn’t know, I think he is more qualified to point you on the right direction to get help on that,” he said as he moved to sit on the bed and wait for Easton’s verdict.

Easton shook his hands at his sides, getting rid of any residual tension like he would as if he were about to perform on stage. He knew this wasn't a performance, but that didn't mean the excitement of getting what he wanted wasn't there in this situation. His immediate search under the television cabinet didn't bring up any results, so he moved on. "I'll be sure to do that," he said in response to him talking to Desmond about computer illustration. "Have you found anything grossly unhygenic in any of these rooms?" he asked just offhandedly.

Josh waited patiently for Easton to look around, chuckling at the slightly excitement he could already recognize on his friend since he had seen him perform before. “I think Desmond will be glad to help in any way he can,” he said. Easton’s question caused Josh to laugh again “Fortunately, I have not. I don’t do much cleaning and when I have done it, everything is normally untidy,” he answered with a slight shrug. “I am sure Mitchell could provide some other stories, though.”

Easton laid his entire length out on the floor in order to check under the bed. He had a sinking suspicion that he wouldn't find anything quite as easily as he wanted, but no one here would argue with him being thorough. He pushed himself into a push up before kipping into a standing position. The cellist raked his good hand through his hair as he moved on to the closet. "Really? Nothing?" he asked, needing to be sure that Josh wasn't simply forgetting something. As he moved to open the closet door, he narrowed his eyes at his roommate and turned to face him. "Is there a reason why you keep bringing him up?" he asked point blank. "Beyond the fact that he's your boss, I mean. Most people in hospitality hate their bosses," he mused.

Josh was highly amused of Easton’s determination to find something to win. He could tell his friend was starting to get frustrated of not finding anything. “Nothing at all,” he answered shaking his head. He smiled brightly, “I brought him up because he knows absolutely everything about this place.” He laughed softly, “It’s hard to hate him. He has been nothing but kind to me and I’m learning a lot from him. He’s a good man and I could even say I consider him as a friend and mentor.”

Easton gave his roommate a long, considering look. "You consider him a friend even?" he asked. He'd obviously not had a lot of experience with bosses himself, but through friends he'd heard that many of them rarely befriended each other. It was easier to keep a professional relationship instead. He narrowed his eyes when he couldn't find anything just yet. "I'm debating if I should take off my white shirt in order to wipe at corners now..." he threatened playfully.

Josh smiled “I do, he has been nothing but kind and friendly to me. Perhaps is because this isn’t entirely a job and he is acting more as a professor than as a boss.” He stifled a laugh at the way Easton narrowed his eyes and looked around, “You could do that. I’m certainly not going to oppose to the view,” Josh joked with an innocent smile and a shrug.

Easton kept looking. He wasn't deterred by not being able to find anything right away. He knew he had to be extremely thorough. Carefully, he shifted the vanity away from the wall to check if there was anything stuck or crammed behind it. At Josh's comment, he looked at him in surprise and chuckled. "Are you flirting with me, Josh?" he asked, teasingly as well. He shifted the vanity one more inch and saw a piece of paper slide down the back. "Aha!" he exclaimed, straining to reach the scrap.

Josh laughed “I’m not, but it is no secret you’re attractive and I don’t think there is one person who would refuse to look at you shirtless,” he said still smiling, enjoying how they could joke so easily without it being uncomfortable. At the excited reaction, Josh pushed himself off the bed and looked behind the vanity. “Okay! You won. And that just makes me realize I will have to help Mrs. Briar to move the furniture when she is doing the cleaning,” he said in a good mood. “When should I cook for you then?”

Easton leaned back up with the paper in his hand and a triumphant smile on his face. He did love it when he won. As he considered what and when he wanted Josh to cook for him, he studied the piece of paper. "Hey look," he said, moving to stand with his roommate. "This has a phone number on it. I wonder who's..." he mused. He'd always been the curious type, but even if he had the urge to, he knew calling a random number out of the blue was odd. "And I think you should cook me breakfast one day," he decided. "Will that work?"

Josh looked surprised at the paper, a playful smile on his face “Do you think someone would leave that for Mitchell?” he asked with a slight tilt of his head, “Should we tell him or perhaps call?” he suggested. He laughed once more at the request of breakfast “Are you flirting with me, Easton?” he asked in the same playful tone Easton had used before. “That sounds perfect to me, just please let me know what you would like.”

Easton let out a surprised laugh at the insinuation the phone number was left for Mitchell. He handed the paper over to his roommate with a shrug. "My first instinct was to call, but if it was left for Mitchell, we should probably just hand it over," he debated. "Could be private, right?" he threw out there. Another quick laugh escaped him at Josh's words. "You know what I meant! We already live together," he groused lightheartedly even as he felt a stupid flush of embarrassment creep up the back of his neck. He hadn't quite realized how his words could be interpreted until his question was put back to him. He gave Josh a nod. "I already know I want buckwheat pancakes," he stated.

Josh accepted the paper with a confused expression, “I believe that if it was private or important they wouldn’t had left it there. Unless someone was trying to flirt with Mrs. Briar,” he joked. Easton reaction cause him to laugh more carefree, “I know, but I couldn’t just let this chance go. I don’t get to tease you all that often,” he said in a lighthearted tone. “That sounds perfect! Anything else you would want to add? You should take advantage to have a chef’s apprentice to your service for free.”

Easton tried to hold back his laughter, but it escaped as a quick, almost breathless thing. He hadn't met the illustrious Mrs. Briar. However, he imagined her as a strong, stout woman with a kind face but who was also very no-nonsense. The thought of a random guest in Mitchell's hotel flirting with her was more amusing than he'd thought it would be. He glared lightly at Josh's ribbing. "I did say I wanted sushi before..." he mused. "Is there such as thing as breakfast sushi?"

Josh was happy to see his friend laugh like that, even if the joke had been silly. It certainly made him feel more comfortable around the usually serious cellist. He considered the question while he rolled the small paper between his fingers. “I suppose we can change the bet terms this one time. You worked hard to find this,” he pointed out moving the paper in his hand, “You were even willing to go shirtless to win,” he added with a smile, “Therefore, I would be opposed to cook breakfast and lunch for you. It doesn’t have to be the same day, or just for yourself,” he offered with a gentle smile.

Easton just rolled his eyes. It did feel nice to have the kind of friend who ribbed you back from time to time. And he was especially glad that Josh could hear when he was being serious versus when he was joking around. That probably came from nearly a year of living together now. "Yeah well... I'd go shirtless to win mostly anything," he admitted with a chuckle. "Nah. I'm going to be selfish and keep your cooking all to myself," he stated definitively and with a bright smile. "Let's just keep it at breakfast. I'll have you cook me lunch the next time I win a competition between us," he tagged on, a bit of his usual arrogant nature coming through.

Josh smiled “I would have to be insane to complain about seeing you shirtless,” he added with the smile still on his face. “Okay! I just hope I don’t disappoint you. I’m certain you will find a way to win next time too,” he said with a cheery tone, “The best part is that we both win because getting the chance to cook for my friends is always a win to me.”

Easton kept laughing at Josh's admission. "You won't," he assured his friend as they left the room he'd won his bet in. "You always have this good attitude, don't you?" he asked with an amused look. "I worry that if you ever met West, you two would have a 'nice guy' competition," he mused. "Now... show me the rest of this massive house. You promised me a tour."

#joshskitchen #para: touring

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brokenbutterfly12 · 8 years ago

Text

I didn’t forget my drabbles! I’ve just been rather distracted with cosplay/costume commissions, event planning, and fighting this cold to stay away.

Lord Hikoki, Part 2 (Part 1)

Being in her guest room, she couldn't help feeling uneasy. This certainly wasn't what she was expecting. It was unusual being this...pampered. “Well...I guess I should just enjoy it while I can. I hope Grandfather isn't too worried about me...I know the cold weather is gonna start soon.” She opened the hallway door to let the light in. However, she was surprised at the person about to knock. “Oh! Lord Hikoki.” Taking a step back to bow.

He stood there quietly, watching golden hair falling over her shoulder. “I just wanted to thank you.” He kept still, letting her stand up straight. His chocolate hues didn't hide the disappointment in himself. “I should have known he was possessed, and called a monk instead.”

She shook her head, “You only did what you thought was right. I just happened to have the right herbs Lord Hikoki.” Remembering earlier, “Oh, I'm sorry I yelled at your guard. I didn't mean to-”

“It's fine. Jun needs a good yelling at once in a while.” Giving her a gentle smile. She was still so tense around him, keeping herself small and confined. “Tell me, have you always been able to produce fire like that?”

Tucking her hair behind her ear, her bracelet shifted around her wrist. “Yes. My mother taught me years ago.”

“Was your mother the demon?”

She kept her eyes away, “No, she was human. She was a sorceress in my old village. Father was the demon, but he didn't create flames.”

“Hm.” He gave a subtle tilt of his head. “You are certainly unlike any demon or human I've met.”

“Well, I'm not really human or demon. I'm both.” Chou looked somewhat concerned, unable to smile since she was in this palace.

He shook his head. “No, I suppose you're not.” Seeing the servants coming, “It looks like your hot bath is ready. I will see you tonight.” Giving a small bow, he turned to leave.

Chou gave a deep bow in return, watching the two ladies who would help her clean up for tonight.

Later that evening, she was finished being prepped and ready. Chou was taken to the room where the others waited for her. Her head felt pulled in weird places with her hair tied up with fancy combs.

“There you are! Looks like you can clean up nicely. Come! Sit here.” Chou gave a nod, sitting across from Hikoki. “Tell them we're ready to eat!”

Watching them serve their food, she kept her eyes on her plate. Being careful to use her best table manners, she was almost mute from uncertainty aside answering questions from Headmaster Daiki.

“Drink more, this is a celebration!” He was certainly an energetic man, already finishing a bottle of sake alone. Chou found it hard to believe this was the same man who laid ill in his bed early afternoon. Looking into her own cup, she was three drinks in. The sake was sweeter than others she tried, and she felt she'd be rude refusing a drink. “Tell me girl, where is it do you get all these herbs? I know you trade regular with the villagers.”

“I travel all over. I can't remember each one, but I tend to stay near the middle of the island M'lord.” Finishing her forth drink, she felt herself finally relaxing some.

“Now, no formalities from you young lady.” Waving his pink index finger at her. “Hiko! Take the girl on a tour of our castle! Show her our gardens! Pretty ladies love pretty flowers!” Waving for another bottle as dancers came in.

“I think you've had enough to drink, father.” But he still stood up, looking to the flutter maiden. “Would you like to see the coutyard?”

“I uh...yes please, Lord Hikoki.” Seeing him offer his hand, she took it to stand. “Thank you.” Noting she was feeling quite warm from the sake, fresh cool air would do her well.

As he walked her in the garden, there were countless flora to see. The small breeze felt wonderful against her cheeks, unsure if she was actually stumbling her steps or not. She saw the butterflies, holding her hand out as they flew to her. Hikoki watched her curiously.

“How do you do that?” He stopped next to her, watching the bugs follow her command.

She looked away, a little embarrassed. “It just happens. They've always followed me since I was little. Father said it's why they named me Chouko.”

“Butterfly child.” He gave a nod. “It's beautiful.”

She would have been blushing, had her cheeks not already pink from the alcohol. Chou looked up at him. “Th-thank you, Lord Hikoki.” Watching the butterflies again with happiness.

He shook her head, “Just Hiko is fine.” Noticing a butterfly in her hair, he gently took it out. “That's the first time you smiled since you came here.”

She noted his compliment, looking down all nervous. “Oh. I-I guess so.” Noting his formalities starting to go, it helped her stay calm. When the butterfly fluttered out of his hand, the other insects went back to their nearby bushes. But he kept his hand near her face, fingers brushed her cheek gently. “Hiko?”

Tucking loose hair behind her ear. “Sorry. You must be tired from today.” Guiding her to the middle of the garden, they sat on the floor mat. “I used to sit here with my mother often.”

“She must have been beautiful.” Looking to the sky, she noted the sun nearly gone behind the mountains. Stars started peaking out one by one.

He gave a nod, “She was. But I lost her a few years ago, she was very ill.” Looking towards the sky, his expression pained from the memory.

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Looking to him, “I lost my parents years ago myself from a demon attack. But you seem close with your father. You're lucky.”

He gave a small scuff, “He drinks, has a new woman every night in his bed, and is always working. But he's all I have.” Looking down at her, he noted her shivering. “Are you cold?”

She looked away, rubbing her arm. “I-I tend to get cold easily.” Taking off his outer robe, he draped it over her shoulders. “Does this help?” Seeing her nod, Hiko wrapped his arms around her. Taking in her scent, it was a mix of oils and sake. “Chouko.” Saying her name somewhat slow.

“Yes?” Speaking quietly, she kept her eyes on the stars.

He looked back to the stars as well, “Are you...happy?”

“Happy?” Feeling his head nod against her. She seemed quiet for a long minute, finally speaking again. “I guess so. Are you happy?”

“...I'm not sure.”

Feeling the warm fabric over her, she wrapped it better around herself. She started looking up again before feeling one of her hair pins caught on the robe. Letting out a huff, “I dunno how girls can have these in their hair all the time.”

Hikoki had to chuckle, “I hear it's not easy. But it's something they get used to.” Reaching up, he carefully took each pin out for her. When the last was in his hand, her hair fell behind her. “Better?” Seeing her nod. Laying on his back, he invited her to lay against him. She did so, looking up at the sky with him. “Tell me, do you normally sleep under the stars?”

“If I can't find a place to stay for the night, yes.” Giving a hesitant nod. “I travel often, so I don't always have a roof over my head.”

“Don't you get cold?”

Pausing, she gave a nod. “Yes, but I can usually make a fire. It's not too bad. Sometimes if the weather is too cold, grandfather will get me.”

“Your grandfather?” His tone was amused. “The elder must be stronger than he gives to travel around looking for you.”

Chou let out a lighthearted giggle. “Grandfather is someone different. He's a powerful demon who decided to look after me.” Noticing his shift, she rested herself on her elbows. “He tends to act more like a protective father, but he prefers I call him grandfather for his age.” Looking at him from her stomach, her hair fell over her shoulders.

Looking up at her, “You sound lucky. Having someone strong to look after you.” His fingers twirled some of her hair, “Though I'm surprised he isn't with you now.”

She shook her head, careful of not letting her hair be pulled. “He doesn't normally join me when I go to villages. He's a bit intimidating, and has his own duties to take care of. He's kinda like a demon version of your father. But bigger, and more teeth.” Starting to let out a yawn, her eyelids felt heavy.

He noticed her yawn, giving a smile. “I'm sure you'd like to sleep in a bed tonight.” Sitting up, he watched her get on her knees before sitting upright. “Do you think I'll ever meet this demon grandfather of yours?”

Looking at his expression, she gave a small smile. “For your safety, I hope not. He's a little too overprotective, I'd worry he may scare or hurt you.”

His grin made her stomach have butterflies. “I'll keep that in mind.” He got to his feet before offering his hand to her once more.

Hiko walked her to her room, keeping her arm hooked in his. As she opened her door, she took his robe off to give back to him. “Have a good night, Lord Hiko.”

Taking his robe back, he gave a nod. “Good night, Chouko.”

As he went to turn away, she called to him, “Lord Hiko?” Seeing him stop to look back at her fully, he gave her a quizzed look. “You can just call me Chou, if you want.”

He gave another nod, “Very well. Good night, Chou.” He turned away, now leaving to head to his own room.

Closing the door behind her, she looked at the bed that was waiting for her. Carefully untying her belt, she seemed to struggle a bit before finding the right knots in order. She laid the kimono carefully on the floor before changing into her own freshly cleaned clothes. Now in bed, she let herself fall into a deep sleep. A servant walked by, checking on her. Seeing Chou was asleep, she walked in quietly to gather the kimono. She stared at the demon girl a moment, lips pressed before heading back out.

#outofwings #drabbles #Chouko #Lord Hikoki #mini stories #cut for length

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rapunzel-withthegoodhair · 8 years ago

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summary: there’s not much time for working through a nasty break up while you’re on the road touring. at least, not in a healthy way... pairing: gerald x ofc (x) rating: n. s f w, language, explicit sex status: complete, read my other g eazy fics here

I left my mind in Soho I left my heart in NoLa And I'mma live like a king if it kills me I'm a kid, seven sins couldn't thrill me This never gets old, cause I'm unstable Never say die, I'm fine, I'll play the piper, whatever the price I lost my mind in LA I lost my heart in...

Fuck it, I never had a heart

February 2016

Of course she knows who the fuck G-Eazy is. But this is the hottest strip club in the Chi and Delphi works the VIP Lounge. She knows the name of every rapper that rolls through because it’s her fucking job to know. If she’s honest, she’s a bit sweeter on the NBA players. They tend to be cuter and tip way better. But hell, she’s not complaining over $800 in one weekend when the big names show up.

Half his crew is already annoying the fuck out of her before she’s even on her pole. They’re loud. Spilling drinks and laughing over stupid jokes made at the expense of her girls. But she’s been doing this for almost two years. Delphi knows how to keep a straight face and put on a show. Climbs nearly all the way up the pole and twirls slowly, upside down. Snakes her way down at a torturous pace. Weaves her way back up. Does a full split and carefully rolls her way back to the floor.

It’s hard to ignore Delphi’s routines. Somewhere along the last two years, she really fell in love with pole dancing. And it shows in her performances. The girl doesn’t smile. Doesn’t put on the ‘little doll’ act. Doesn’t try to skate by on her looks and flirtatious charm. She steals the stage as an athlete you can’t take your eyes off of.

But even as his eyes never leave her body, she can tell he’s somewhere else. One, two, three, four sips of Jack straight out the bottle. Finally, she stops trying to keep count. Their eyes seem to penetrate each other through the smoke. And even she has to admit, he’s got a way about him that makes her just a little bit curious. Why are you so anxious to get to the bottom of that bottle, baby? Why do your eyes look so cold and empty? So mean and lonely all at once?

The guests really aren’t supposed to touch the girls. But this is VIP. And she’s heard rumors about their crew dropping 20 grand in one night. When he singles her out for a private lap dance upstairs, she’s not about to tell him what he can and can’t do. As far as she’s concerned, the $50 bills he’s slipping into her bikini say he can do whatever the hell he wants.

The weird part is that he doesn’t. Where most guys are groping and pushing the second they get her in a private room...he’s still sipping his drink. Letting her do as she pleases. His hands roam, of course. Over her stomach as she lays back in his lap. Up over her rips. Along her neck and into her blonde hair.

His nose against her ear, his breath warm and heavy with whiskey, this feels almost...sensual. Just work, she reminds herself. Just another tip. Still, she sighs as his large hands drag down over her hip and then back up to squeeze her waist.

Heels finding the floor, she bends over for him. Arches her spine to press her ass right in his lap before slowly crouching down on the floor. Her hair flips back as she spins around, hands finding his thighs and dragging over them. Pushing them apart for her to crawl between. Tipping her head back, Delphi’s slender fingers play over his belt a bit. Her eyes search his, trying to gauge whether he wants a blowjob without actually ruining the moment by asking.

Thankfully, he seems perfectly aware of her question and answers by dragging his fingers into her hair. Tugging gently, he pulls her back up and into his lap. Feeds her from the bottle of Jack still in his grip. A generous bit spills past her lips and down her chest. The giggle that slips free of her throat is genuine as the alcohol tickles over her cold skin.

It’s that little noise that seems to make him finally snap. With a firm tug, he pulls her flush against him. Sets his bottle aside and leans to lick away the whiskey dripping over her soft, lightly tanned skin. His long fingers drag up her back, feeling for the strings of her bikini and tugging at them in a way that falls somewhere between practiced and drunk.

A soft gasp melts into a sigh as his mouth finds a breast. Closes around her nipple and sucks gently. She’s not used to foreplay of any kind. At least, not at work. You’re not supposed to fuck in the VIP rooms...but everyone knows that’s the point of the VIP room. Typically though, the sex is over before it really begins and she’s no worse for wear. Walking away a few hundred dollars richer.

This...this is kind of nice. He gets her bikini bottoms undone and money falls across the floor. But she lets it stay there for now. Keeps her focus on him because she can tell it’s what he needs. Drags her fingers through his hair, does her best to ignore how fucking nasty it is, weighed down with sweat and grease. The vulnerability in his drunken brown eyes makes up for it though. His touch caresses over her cheek. Traces over her lower lip. His gaze having such a hard time focusing on her and still intent on studying her in the dim light of the private room. She could swear he’s looking at her like he knows her. Like he has a thousand things he wants to say to her.

She tries to guide things along, reaching down between them to undo his jeans. And he lets her this time. Lets her tug him free. Seems to finally let all his questions go as she strokes along the thick, hard length of him. His head tips back, eyes closing and she leans to kiss his temple. Nuzzles a bit as she guides him very slowly inside of her.

His jaw sets, brows knitting together as the pleasure grips him with an unexpected strength. Delphi gives him a moment to adjust to the feeling of being inside her, before starting to rock in his lap. Normally, she’d rest her weight on her knees and fuck her client into next week. Get this over with as soon as possible. But that feeling like he chose her for a reason, like he has a weight pressing down on and splintering his chest, haunts her. All the unasked questions in his eyes, the anger and the pain, kick something alive inside her. Something besides the compartmentalizing, cut throat little sociopath she becomes in the club. Something empathetic and nurturing and almost maternal.

Her spine rolls slow and gentle in his lap. Fingers gripping the side of his neck for leverage, until he takes her touch as an invitation. Her brows arch when he leans forward and buries his face in her neck. His fingers digging into her hips. His gasps slipping into whimpers. And maybe she’s imagining it...but these don’t sound like helplessly lost in pleasure whimpers. They sound like as if he’s fighting tooth and nail against tears.

The streetsmart hoodrat from south Chi that’s always alive and well inside her snarls in disgust. Man the fuck up, that girl says. Damn, no wonder whatever girl you think of when you look at me left you.

But the girl his big, sad brown eyes have woken up simply wraps her arms around him. Cradles him close as they rock and grind together. Smooths his hair back, despite the gel and sweat weighing it down into his eyes again and again. Gently lifting his chin, her nose nuzzles at his own. Lips catching his pretty mouth in a soft kiss.

Without warning, his grip tightens and before she even processes the shift, Delphi is laying on her back across the booth table. Leaning over just enough to get a better angle, his thrusts become firmer. Somewhat faster. Pushing so deep it makes her eyes roll back. He’s so fucking big, she’s really not sure she’s ever had anyone this deep before. Losing her breath on each thrust, she reaches out to grip the edge of table. Her moans trill up into high pitched cries that fill the room and over power the loud as fuck music that pulses through their bodies.

Reaching down between them, he rests a large hand on her stomach. Stretches a thumb down to press into her clit. And all the while she can feel his eyes watching her, full of hunger and a desperation to make her see stars. To make her completely fucking unravel for him. Nobody has ever turned her out like this. Not in the club. Not at home. This feels way too god damn personal to be anything but and her suspicions that he’s looking at her but seeing someone else seem to be confirmed.

Between the music and her own near-screams...she’s not sure she hears him right. But she swears in the heat of the moment that he mumbles something along the lines of “I really fucking loved you, baby girl...”. She wants to give him what he needs. To reach up and cradle his jaw and tell him she loved him too. Still does. But as her mouth opens, the only thing that rips free is a scream and her body arches like a bowstring pulled tight with a waiting arrow. Every muscle tenses for a moment and somewhere in the back of her mind she notes the way his hips grind so hard to hers it nearly hurts.

For a long string of moments, he lays over her, panting and sweating. Until finally, he starts to get up.

They avoid each other’s eyes as they get dressed. Delphi does her best to ignore the weird, slightly gross feeling of his cum and her own soaking wet between her legs. Though she figures she can deal with it for a few minutes. Still, she chastises herself for not digging a condom out of one of the many hiding places the little packets get stuffed into.

Before he can slip out, she grips his wrist gently. Studies his eyes and hopes to see something steadier there. Any sign that he’d gotten what he needed. But he only looks more broken. Swallowing, she keeps the observation to herself and pulls him down into a somewhat tender, but very tired and slightly messy kiss. To her surprise, he returns it.

‘Thank you.’ His kiss says. ‘I know you gave me your best...even if it wasn’t quite enough.’

Their noses nuzzle one last time. Eyes brushing across each other, she feels more exposed than she ever has while dancing naked on stage. He steals a last kiss and squeezes her waist. She picks up her $760 off the floor and heads to the bathroom to clean up.

The experience plays over and over in her head, easily the strangest she’s ever had while working at Dolce. A part of her hates the not knowing. Who the hell was he fucking back there? What did that girl do that was so god-awful? She shakes her head and tries to remind herself that it doesn’t matter. That a tender heart is the best way to get herself in trouble around here. Even if this is the nicer side of the city.

A few drinks at the bar and she’s up on stage again. Just barely catches his tall frame and broad shoulders slipping out into the cold air of 2am in Chicago. The second he’s out of sight, she pushes him from her mind and moves on.

But when she finally cashes out at 4am, there’s a $3,000 tip waiting for her.

#g eazy fanfiction #g eazy imagine #geazyedit #g eazy #g eazy edit #my graphics.#my writing.

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