#i think the photos themselves came ouy really well but my face is....

[cheeriochat]

STOP I LOOK LIKE A DOORRRRRKKKKKKKKKK WHY IS MY FACE LIKE THAT

i have pretty chubby cheeks so whenever i smile my face becomes a sideway oval like this

[fruitcoops]

I combined two asks for this one since they fit so well together and it’s quite long. Thanks for the suggestions! Credit for Sweater Weather characters goes to the incredible @lumosinlove​!

TW for mild panic and self-blame

Prompt 31: “He’s not answering his phone”

Prompt 45: “It’s bad again. It’s really, really bad again”

“He’s not answering his phone.”

“Still?”

James slipped his cell phone into his pocket. Remus�� eyes were trained on the floor, as they had been since his arrival. “Look, Loops, you remember what he was like before. You know him better than any of us. I think—I think you might be a little too close to this, though.”

“Too close?” Remus snorted without humor. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Loops, c’mon.” James sat next to him on the couch, but Remus refused to make eye contact. “Remus. You know how Sirius deals with his problems. He shuts down and pushes everyone away because he feels like he has to be perfect all the time, even though we tell him every fuckin’ day how much he means to us. It’s just—with you, he doesn’t do that.”

“He’s never like that with me,” Remus muttered. James remained silent. “Not—not since the airport. He promised.”

And, shit, if that didn’t just break James’ heart. He wanted to be angry at Sirius: who gave him the right to cause his loved ones so much stress? That day at the airport, leading a shaking and shell-shocked Remus away by the shoulders, had been once of the worst of James’ life. “I know, that’s why I’m worried about you.”

“36.” Remus’ voice was so quiet that James almost missed it.

“What?”

“I called him 36 times while he was at All-Stars and he didn’t answer a single one. He swore he would never do that to me again.” Remus let out a trembling breath and James placed his hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Fuck, I’m not even angry, I’m just scared.”

“Me, too,” James confessed. Sirius’ instinct to run may have helped him survive for the first twenty-odd years of his life, but it wreaked havoc on his new support system. “Do you want me to try again?” Remus shook his head. “I can call Coach and see if he’s at the rink?”

“I already sent him a text, and Moody,” Remus said, running a hand through his hair. There was a gentle clacking noise and Hattie appeared around the door with her head cocked to the side. She wagged her tail and trotted over to them, then rested her head on Remus’ knees with a low whine. “Hey, babycakes. James, you don’t have to stay here with me.”

“I want to.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I know what this feels like and I don’t think either of us should be alone right now or we’ll both worry ourselves into a spiral.”

“That’s fair.”

They sat in silence for a moment. James had knocked on Sirius’ door in the hours after the photos were released until his hands and feet when numb from cold, and he wasn’t looking forward to trudging through parks all afternoon to track him down. He knew he would never understand the urge to self-isolate and couldn’t blame Sirius for his shitty upbringing, but he wished his best friend had a better way to deal with his feelings.

He was about to suggest turning on the radio to distract themselves when Remus’ phone rang, startling them both with the volume. Remus scrambled to answer, his eyes wide. “Sirius?” There was a low buzzing noise on the other end and he frowned. “Dumo? Are you—who?”

Sirius? James mouthed. Remus nodded. Thank god. He leaned back against the couch and let out a long, slow breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding. If Sirius was with Dumo, he would be safe. He kicked himself a little for not thinking to check there as well, but they had no time to waste on self-pity.

“Pots and I will be there in twenty,” Remus said. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Pascal.”

James’ had the car running by the time Remus got his shoes on and let Hattie into the backyard. “I’m driving,” he said before Remus could protest. “You get to take deep breaths and focus on not strangling your fiancé when we get there, okay?”

“Got it.” Remus reached over and stopped James’ fingers from tapping on the steering wheel. “If you’re driving, you’re not allowed to freak out either.”

A knock on the front door startled Pascal Dumais out of his algebra-induced haze. He had been a decent student in school, but Adele’s math homework was a whole new level of confusing that he was not nearly prepared enough to review with her. There was another knock, harder and more frantic than before, and he frowned. The team always called before they came over, and solicitors rarely stopped by.

Adele raised an eyebrow, but cleared her stuff off the table and headed up to her room as Dumo went to the door. “Bonj—oh, mon fils.”

“It’s bad again,” Sirius said quietly. He was blinking fast and his hands flexed like he wanted to reach for something. “It’s really, really bad again.”

“Come inside.” Dumo opened the door the rest of the way and led Sirius into his office, away from any possible disruptions or unwelcome eyes. He had total faith in his family’s ability to comfort and support, but this was not the first time Sirius had come to him for help. He needed space to work through whatever was going on. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” he croaked, swallowing thickly. “I wish I did, but it came out of nowhere. I was just thinking about how lucky I am now and then I remembered that I left Reg with them and he got hurt because of it.”

“Sirius, look at me,” Dumo said gently. “When did this start?”

“An hour ago? Maybe two?” He shook his head. “Time is…hard, when I get like this.”

“What did Remus say?” Sirius remained silent. “Mon fils, did you tell him what’s going on?”

“No.”

“Why?” A murmured answer. “Pardon?”

“He has enough to worry about. His parents are visiting in a week, and he hasn’t been sleeping, and he’s stressed about the Knights game—”

“Arrête.” Sirius’ jaw closed with a snap and he looked up with guilty eyes. “Remus loves you, of course he’ll be worried about you.”

More misery darkened Sirius’ face and Dumo reached for his hands. “Fuck, I left again. I promised I wouldn’t do that.”

“Has he called?”

“I put my phone on silent. The ringtone…” he gestured vaguely at his ears. Headache.

“Hold on while I get you some water. I’m going to call Remus and tell him where you are, alright? Just so he knows you’re safe.” Dumo stood up, but paused by the door. “He’s going to want to come and see you. C’est bon?”

Sirius sniffled. “Ouais.”

Celeste was waiting for him in the living room with concern etched all over her beautiful face. “Il est bon?”

“Oui, mon amour. Thinking about Regulus and his parents again.” Dumo kissed her forehead and she held him tight around the chest. For all her softness, her love was fierce. “He didn’t tell Remus where he went.”

She made a heartbroken noise. “That poor boy. Should I call?”

“Non, je vais.” Dumo let her go with one more kiss and dialed Remus’ number. He had barely lifted it to his ear when the line connected.

“Sirius?”

“Sirius just showed up at my front door.”

“Dumo? Are you—who?”

“Sirius. He’s having a rough time and mentioned that you didn’t know where he was, so I figured I’d call.”

“What happened? I was taking a nap and when I woke up, he was gone. James has been here for half an hour. We couldn’t get ahold of him. Can we come over?”

“Of course. I think he needs you more than me right now.”

“Pots and I will be there in twenty.” There was a moment’s pause on the other end, where Remus’ anxious breathing crackled. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Pascal.”

“Anything for my boys, eh?” Remus laughed weakly and the call ended with a click. Dumo made sure to keep his ringer on as he put his phone back in his pocket and went to get water from the kitchen.

“Is Sirius okay?” Adele asked from the doorway. “He seemed upset.”

“He’s feeling better now, mon chou. He just needed someone to talk to.”

Adele tugged the end of her braid, an old habit from when she was younger and tried to grow her hair out like Rapunzel. “Are he and Remus fighting?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Good. Remus makes him happy.”

Dumo smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Oui, he does.”

Eighteen minutes and three glasses of water later, Sirius had calmed down enough that his chest didn’t hitch with every inhale. The rapid knock on the door startled them both; Dumo saw some of the guilt return to his face and made a mental note to kick Orion Black in the back of the knees the next time he showed his face. Sirius was a good man down to the bone and he deserved to be able to live without regret over things he couldn’t control.

“Sirius?” His shoulders sagged as Remus’ voice floated in from the hall and Dumo patted his forearm.

“In here.”

Remus appeared half a second later, flushed from the cold, and nearly collapsed against the doorframe when he saw them. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay,” Sirius confirmed, but his tone wobbled on the second word and he scrunched his nose up. Remus crossed the room in three steps and wrapped him in a hug, squeezing his eyes shut as Sirius buried his face in his neck. “I’m sorry.”

“You scared the hell out of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not angry.”

A strangled huff punched out of Sirius’ chest and a tear trickled down Remus’ cheek. “I know. I know you’re not, and I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Dumo stood up walked silently into the hallway, closing the door behind him with a nod to James. This conversation was not for anyone else’s ears.

[errthel]

Route Two : Model Lucien (5)

Hello, wassup, yup, I don't know what other word to use- bonjour. That's it. So um, I hope you like Model Lucien... bcs he pretty hot cute

As always, a big thanks to @tri3tri for creating such wonderful yandere stories, my heart hurts, and for letting me and many others create stories based on her stories and AUs.

Alrighty so let's get to it.

The next day was tame and relaxed for the (h/c) haired boy as he continued on with his classes. He aced the chemistry test, did well in dancing and magic history all was doing alright-

"Luciiiiieeeennnn! You look so handsome in the photos!!!" Brier said skipping into Lucien's classroom right after the bell indicating lunch rang

"Ha?"

Brier showed his screen to the clueless boy, swiping each photo where Lucien looked hot as shit very handsome. The rest of his classmates congratulated him, patting him in the back, complimenting him, encouraging him, as he teared up and pouted.

"I look better than that photo..."

~

The black haired man looked at his phone in absolute awe, his son's magicam on full display.

Splayed on his latest post, a boy, with the most beautiful (h/c) hair, expressive (e/c) eyes, smooth pale skin, fine bone structure, pink lips, his slim body hidden by fine wool pieces signifying the autumnal season.

He wore a three piece suit consisting of a suit jacket, vest, and a pair of tailored pants. The wool was in a warm brown wool with a lovely. houndstooth pattern. He casually sat on a white chair with intricate patterns on it. Casual his pose may be, but God did it fit him.

This was the first time Neige has seen the boy in the post, but he was beyond curious, who was he? Where did he come from? If he was this handsome, no doubt would he have seen him earlier as a child model.

Lucien, that was his name, nothing in the description of the post said anything about where he came from.

"Mira, reschedule my schedule. I'm visiting RSA."

~

The blonde haired man, who finished a small workout, was checking his magicam while drinking apple juice from his friend's hometown.

His search didn't go far as he dropped his phone in sheer surprise.

His hands stumbled to snatch his phone off the floor, checking again truly showed that this boy was truly, truly like the epitome of beauty.

Vil, looked again at the boy who surprised him so much and studied him like a scientist does to his specimen.

(H/c) colored hair that was as silky as the finest silk, (e/c) eyes that gleamed like gems, pink lips that curled up into a smirk as he wore a black suit that fit perfectly. Vil couldn't help but remember from years ago, a special person. The potato from Ramshackle Dorm, the messy beauty who helped him out during his third year of high school.

Was he her child? There was only one way to find out.

"Mira, reschedule my schedule. It seems I'm going to RSA." Vil said seething a bit at the end

Vil typed in some numbers and brought the phone to his ear.

"Oui?"

"Rook, we're going to RSA."

~

Lucien looked at the envelope of cash Noel gave him and his eyes almost popped out of its sockets. Counting the money, he was able to deduce that what he had received was a staggering amount of money. They were currently in the ever busy Modeling Clubroom.

"Noel-senpai! This must be a mistake!"

"Eh? Is it not enough?"

"What? No!? It's too much for a high schooler to have!"

"Oh! That's your share, you were really popular you know, say, why don't you buy a phone and make a magicam with that money. I'm sure you'll be able to get more."

"That's not the point!"

A knock disrupted the two students as they looked at the culprit, Asher stood there clearing his throat.

"Heyya Lucien-chan~ you got some guests."

"Eh?"

"My, my, you look so much more beautiful in person Lucien-san."

"Hmph! I'd say there's a clear difference between a photo and the real thing."

"You must be Monsieur Lucien! Ah such beauty! I shall call you Le Prince Inattendu!"

"Who are these???"

~

(E/c) eyes observed the seemingly neverending grey sky that blanketed the Valley of Thorns. Those eyes looked soulless as they looked out to the distance from their window.

The owner of those eyes wore a soft nightgown made with what can only be imagined as the best silk money could buy. She sat on her comfortable window seat staring off at what ever caught her eyes on the palace grounds.

A knock on her door didn't faze her ministrations as well as the creak of the opening door.

"Your Highness, His Highness was worried that you didn't eat breakfast." her most trusted maid said with a deep bow

The queen reverted her eyes towards the maid and wondered why she still served her and not Bellatrix. Honestly she could have chosen to serve Bellatrix instead and have a friendlier and cooperative mistress, like a dog itching for attention.

"I'm not in the mood to eat any time soon."

"Then I will have your lunch be delivered to your bedroom Your Highness." swiftly replying, she left the (h/c) haired woman to let her further enjoy her peace

"..."

Glancing off into the distance, she saw in one of the many palace gardens, Bellatrix holding what seems to be a tea party.

Typical of her, after all she was rather childish and longed for praise and showers of compliments and if she couldn't get it from Malleus, she would have to get it from her fellow noble ladies of the Valley of Thorns.

"My love. I had heard that you didn't want to eat."

Ah, the person she least wanted to see.

"..."

"Please don't be like that my dear, it hurts me that you aren't talking to me." Malleus walked closer and closer to her sitting figure, trying to get her to at least talk

"..."

Malleus gripped her shoulders as he tried to get her to talk, saying words of endearment, cooing at her, he tried everything.

Dejected, he walked out of the room-

"I want to talk to my children, not you..."

~

Sharp (e/c) eyes stared right into the lenses of the camera, a hint of eye liner to make it a bit more mysterious. The owner of those eyes contorted his body to accommodate the two older models who was also staring into the lenses.

Clapping and praise came from the blonde haired man who stood beside the photographer, his enthusiasm was synonymous to what the whole room was feeling as they all, in their own ways, were at awe with the three attractive creatures in front of them.

The blond model was stationed on the left of the youngest and was exceptionally beautiful, no, a better word would be gorgeous. His energy and appearance gave a mature and somewhat devilish look to to the man. He was dressed in a lavish suit in a daring deep red color, his hair was slicked back to show off his perfect skin and structured face.

The man posed the right of the youngest was in an opulent deep yellow suit that rivalled the blond's deep red suit. He had an air of regality to him as he looked at the lenses. His dark hair was tousled and gave him a youthful look. If the blond model capitalized on immortal maturity, then this black haired one focused on giving the appearance of staying forever young.

The youngest drew a fine line in the middle of the extremes the men beside him were displaying. He had the aura of a mature man, with his suit being in a traditional dark blue color, inside the body of a teenager, which was shown through the fashion forward way in which his suit was constructed. His hair was unchanged from his usual style, the fringe staying to cover up his little secret.

The photoshoot went on for another hour and they soon started to finish up. Lucien, exhausted, accepted all the praise that was given to him with a bit of embarrassment. Neige clapped as he went closer to the boy, only to be stopped by Vil, who held Lucien's wrist.

Vil gave a charming smile before leading Lucien to a secluded table, far from any prying ears.

"Lucien, that's your name isn't it?"

"Mhm, Vil-san, why did you bring here?"

Vil stared hard into those eyes that shined as bright as the eyes of that girl from two decades ago, they were shrouded in a mysterious veil, Vil spotted it the first time he saw him in person and immediately became anxious. He was impressed with how well he hid it, but Vil wasn't idiotic enough to not see through it, he was Vil Schoenheit after all.

"Just a small question, I am wondering if you know anyone going by the name of (M/c) (L/n)? I realized that you both had the same surnames, so I was curious." polite and short

"... I don't think I ever came across someone who goes by that name."

"Is that so? I see, then good job today, you weren't half bad." Vil said as he left, not before his eyes trailed to look at Lucien's eyes

I hope you liked the little MC part =), so I just wanted to bring in some characters from the Valley of Thorns and others will have their own parts in the coming chapters so we won't focus too much on Lucien, to my chagrin.

Anyways, thanks for reading♡

Edit, I edited (Y/n) to (M/c) because while Y/n means Your Name, I don't think people like using themselves in these kinds of stories so instead I changed it to (M/c) to make it less akward, I hope you don't mind.

[austarus]

Wells Boys x Reader May The Best Wells Win

**These gifs are made by me, please credit if used.

***Also, I'm not dead! This is the last complete draft I have in my drafts box until Thanksgiving and Winter Break. I'll promise I'll be back, I'm just super sick and stressed out with Uni and my premed course work. Apologies for the delay, now enjoy the fic :)

“Cisco, it’s so precious,” you gush, sitting beside the mechanical engineering genius as you two sift through various screenshots and fan art on the Cortex main monitors. “When did you say the game was being released?”

The three men honestly had no idea how to respond. None of them were getting any form of attention from you today, coincidentally the one person that they were hopelessly pining over. Regrettably you were unaware of their hidden affections, oblivious to the true meaning to their actions towards you. Sherloque was quietly sipping his tea, Harry had his arms crossed with a little glare, and HR was twirling his drumstick around as per usual. All while you and Cisco continued to gush over the small virtual creature. Yamper, is what they heard you coo out with heart eyes and all. A virtual creature from the world of Pokémon that attains the body of a corgi with electric type attributes.

“He is pretty cute, but I’m just saying my money’s still on Bulbasaur,” Cisco quirks an eyebrow at you with a goofy smile, searching up on a separate monitor. You roll your eyes at him and shake your head, “Should be out by November 15. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Pre-ordering the game and spending every waking second on it?” You rub your hands together with a smile gracing your lips.

“All-nighters included?”

“All-nighters included along with lots of snacks and fizzy drinks.”

“I taught you so well.” Cisco does a little gasp rests a hand over his heart, faking a tear to wipe away like a parent proud of his child. You gave Cisco a big hug before going back to Pokemon surfing for this new game release.

A glare washed over the Wells men at the hug. All three men shared a look of annoyance and rolled eyes at the next set of Yamper photos, this time mini comic panels were included. You were practically in a whole other world because of the dog-like virtual creature. The Wells men reluctantly huddled together in the side lab, a moment of silence passing through them as they looked to one another with blank looks. They neither liked nor tolerated one another yet must play nice for your sake. They find themselves in the same predicament: you were too distracted to be whisked away by one of them.

“All right, I think we can agree here that ‘Yamper’ is our common enemy,” Harry speaks up with a sigh, as three sets of blue eyes glanced back at you. “And it’s only logical for a temporary truce until this Yamper incident blows over.”

“Oui, though ‘e may be virtual, mon cher ‘as rather become infatuated instead of seeking out moi. Such a shame, ‘owever-”

“Hold on there Frenchy,” HR stops the Frenchman. “No one said she’s seeking you out, my handsome friend. If anything, I’m the one that she enjoys coming to whenever she needs to have a good heart-to-heart conversation or for some Jitters outings. Therefore, a point goes to me.”

“Wrong,” Harry roughly shuts HR down as Sherloque mutters to himself about his disgust for the bitterly caffeinated beverage, “neither of you are worthy enough to be in her presence. If anything, I’m the most practical person she comes to whenever she needs advice or wants someone to spend her downtime with. On top of that, I’ve known her longer.” The dark-haired E2 man smirks in triumph, much to HR and Sherloque’s chagrin, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark-washed jeans. He does a little head tilt to accompany his smirk, “Ball is in my court.”

“I’ve got deductive skills, intelligence, and charm. Qualities all women desire-”

“-The only thing you have is that piling debt of alimony to all your exes.”

“Low blow, hardhead.” HR whistled lowly.

“Shut it, you mindless fool.”

“Not mindless, creative and optimistic. I’m not a sourpuss like you.”

“At least I still have my company and my earth as a home.”

“-Wow, rude much? Or are your bedside manners as good as the dirt in hell?”

“-Yet, you ‘ave your daughter running ‘alf of it. And you got kicked out of the council. It seems that your genius brain couldn’t keep up with the dark matter.” HR and Sherloque has spoken at the same time, the latter going for a hard jab. Well, more like a stab instead of a jab.

Harry ignored the dark matter incident comment. “That council was toxic, and you know it. Unlike you two, I’ve got combat experience, especially with metas, so that means I can protect her the most.”

“No woman wants to be with a blunt mallet with raging anger management issues or with a man who can’t keep it in his pants whenever he sees a version of his ex.” HR snapped in a low voice, a little smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“What did you just say-”

“Qu'est-ce que tu viens de me dire?”

Before either man could throw any fists or random objects in the lab, a whooshing sound and red electricity cracks through the air. Harry, HR, and Sherloque found themselves thrown into opposite walls of the Time Vault, one by one. The pebbled interior jabbed at them at the moment of impact before roughly landing on the cold ground. They opened their eyes with an ache reverberating through their body and a groan leaving their lips. HR’s drumsticks had clattered onto the tiled flooring, rolling slightly away from his body. Sherloque's fedora had flown off his head while his cup of tea remains broken in the other room. Lo and behold, the last man they expected to see stood right before them in all his smug speedster glory.

He calmly watched each man gather their bearing and rise to their feet.“I’d say neither of you are the better candidate for my sweet little kitten,” the genius speedster spoke with a condescending tone.

Eobard Thawne with the identity of this earth’s own Wells smirked mischievously at the Frenchman, the novelist, and the war veteran. “My reasons?” He speaks, when they all gave him murderous glares and rude, yet questioning looks. “They aren’t really of your concern. Just remember," he raised a taunting index finger in the air, "that I’m smarter, faster, and stronger than you three combined.” The dark-haired genius emphasized those three key words as if to engrave them in the air that he’s the superior one that would win your heart. Each word directed towards each Wells, knowingly attacking each of man's weakness.

“Don’t kid yourself speedy,” HR stammers out, both drumsticks now in a tightened fist. He's stood up against Savitar, why couldn't he do the same against Reverse Flash? “She’s not into villains. You lucked out, so beat it before BA shows up with Iris and the Team.”

A low whistle leaves Eobard’s lips along with a little laugh, raising his hands up in mock defeat. “Oh, very threatening.” The smug expression and raised eyebrow gesture never leave his face.

“The moron’s right on this.” Harry had already pulled out the miniature pulse rifle (a pulse pistol, if you will) that he always keeps on him. He was blindsided once by Oliver’s Earth-X doppelganger, never again would that happen. Keeping the energy-filled gun pointed at the speedster, "You’re the last one she’d ever want to see or get with. Or have you forgotten exactly what you've done to her friends.”

Sherloque adjusted his cap and remained silent, observing and analyzing the speedster in front of him. He had heard so much about this Wells... Thawne. Stone-hearted, analytical and highly intelligent even from his original time period. A true malevolent strategist to benefit himself, yet he's heard whispers of how his demeanor would melt away when it came to you. However so much pain and underlying anger remain with the individuals of team flash. You wouldn’t choose him surely… Would you?

“Is that so? Well I guess that decision is up to her, isn’t it?” Eobard laughs sinisterly, cocking his head to the side with eyes sparking to life with red. “May the best man win.” The futuristic speedster speeds away with his crimson lightning licking the air. His mocking laughter echoes through the room.

[glitchinthesystemspiderbyte]

[47] Glitch in the System - Dos Amigos

By E.

Please check out @illegalanger‘s awesome illustration to pair with this story! 

Friends happen.

“This Lúcio guy’s a big deal here,” Sombra mused as they passed another advertisement for Synaesthesia Auditiva while strolling arm in arm with Widow down a side street in Rio de Janeiro. Their mission in São Paulo had gone off without a hitch - a day early in fact - leaving them with plenty of time to explore the port city. It was far enough away from their mission and they’d stayed low key enough that neither was particularly worried about being exposed, and they allowed themselves a brief excursion.

“Quoi?” Widow asked, flicking her sunglasses down just enough to peer over the top of them. Her large, floppy hat obscured most of her face, but Sombra didn’t need to look to see what her expression was. She hated the heat, complaining about it as much as Sombra assumed she must complain about the cold.

“Lúcio,” she replied, pausing to tap at the poster as another couple passed by them on the crowded street. There was a variety of nationalities touring the city; Sombra had heard English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German already, her brain translating what she could and ignoring the rest as background noise. “I didn’t know he’d become such a big name.”

“This is his home,” Widowmaker replied, shrugging. “Seems logical.”

“Yeah, but names fade fast. I wonder why his lingered?” Sombra shrugged, turning from the photo.

“He appeals to the music aficionado as well as the young rebel, I suppose,” Widowmaker shrugged. She tilted her head ever so slightly as Sombra pressed closer, reaching for her hand, regarding the proximity of their bodies in horror. “It is so hot,” she complained, stepping to the side and allowing Sombra to take her hand by the fingertips only.

Sombra winked and raised her eyebrows. “Aye cielito, a city for lovers.”

“A city for those with more tolerance for sweating.” They paused by an upscale restaurant advertising authentic Brazilian cuisine. “Perhaps this will be cooler.”

“I could go for lunch,” Sombra agreed. With an exaggerated bow and wave of her hand, Sombra gestured gallantly for Widowmaker to enter the building first. The sniper rolled her eyes, breezing past her and into the restaurant.

The inside was cooler, but far from air conditioned. It was dark, the only lighting coming from within floating green orbs hovering over their heads, casting a soft glow over the table.  The lack of harsh lighting likely contributed to the lowered heat index, but the ambient temperature was still well above the 18C Widowmaker found tolerable.

“What is this, London?” Widowmaker complained, pulling off her glasses and setting them on the table. She glared at the hostess when they entered, Sombra quickly saving face with a witty joke about the weather as they were seated. “There is no temperature control at all. Anywhere.”

Sombra relaxed in the booth, pulling out the handheld dummy computer she used to hack in public. It drew far less attention than protecting a hard light screen into thin air from her fingertips, even though the device itself probably hadn’t held a charge since 2070. Bystanders simply assumed the light was being generated from it, not the cybernetics under her skin. “I thought you didn’t feel?” she said, fingers tapping over the bright surface.

“The cold, ma belle,” Widow replied, lips pursed in discomfort. “I can feel the heat.”

“Lo siento, mami,” Sombra said, grinning. “I am in my element here.”

Widow opened her mouth to speak when their waiter appeared with a round of water and fresh fruit, and they ordered their lunch - moqueca de camarão for Sombra and salpicão for Widow - settling back to wait for their food in the small reprieve the indoors offered.

“At least one of us is comfortable,” Widow said, sighing in resignation as she took out an elaborate red fan. Tilting her head, she watched as Sombra tapped away at her interface. “What are you doing?”

“Research,” she replied evasively. Her curiosity left unsated, she’d managed to upload Lúcio’s personnel file without too much effort, and was skimming over it for anything interesting. From what she could see, the man was a model for social change: born and raised in a poor favela, he came from nothing to make himself into a star and a beacon for social change. He seemed awfully fond of overblown optimism, which Sombra generally would assume to be a cover for unscrupulous activities, but after a brief dive into his information, she was surprised to find that there wasn’t a whole lot of questionable intel on the guy at all.

Well, she thought to herself after a moment, that probably depended on who you asked.

She pushed further in, digging through his public records to his private ones, and while there was no indication his parents had been killed, it seemed he had endured a similar childhood to Sombra’s own.

“It’s odd,” Sombra said, flicking through the data with one outstretched finger, “how similarly the omnic crisis affected us.”

“You and this pop star?” Widow asked, sipping at her water.

“I wouldn’t really call his music pop.”

“You and this unreasonably enthusiastic musician?” Widow clarified, fan swaying beneath her chin as she fought against the waft of hot air that assailed them every time the front door opened.

“Yeah. It just…” she paused, frowning to herself. It wasn’t often she found herself identifying with celebrities. “We both got screwed early in life and ended up responding in a very similar way.”

“Yes,” Widow agreed, nodding somberly. “He became a superstar revolutionary, and you became an internationally-feared hacker that ruins the lives of those in power.”

“I said similar,” Sombra replied grumpily, thinking not for the first time that everyone but Mexico seemed to have forgotten what she did for her people.

Widow continued slowly fanning herself, reaching out to take Sombra’s hand in hers as they sat in silence, Widow languishing and Sombra continuing to read until their food arrived. It smelled lovely; rich with spices and obviously made with fresh ingredients from the nearby market, reminding Sombra how hungry she was and recalling memories of home. Widow began to eat with the pointed decorum through which she did all things, and although her stomach protested loudly, Sombra let her plate sit while she continued furiously perusing the information on her screen.

“Oh,” she paused, fingers hovering over the screen as she stripped away layer after digital layer from Lúcio’s file. “This is interesting.”

“Yes?” Widow asked. Their waiter came back over to ask if they needed anything, and she dismissed him casually with a flip of her hand, seeming to remember herself belatedly and offering a weak ‘thank you’ after the fact.

Sombra didn’t notice. “The Vishkar,” she said, smirking. “Looks like my girl Satya and her Architech pals did more than just level a few favelas when they came to town.” She scanned down farther on the dossier, barking out a laugh as she read. “Well then. They were using supersonic sound tech to control the people. Sound tech, Widow.” She laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. “What garbage.”

“I do not understand?” Widow said, continuing to work at her food.

“Supersonic sound tech controls people by depriving them of their senses. It’s a borderline human rights violation disguised as humane crowd control. We’re talking some Moira-level abuse of power here,” she leaned over her computer, eating up the data faster than the lunch cooling on her plate. “And this Lúcio guy fucking stole it.”

“Are you becoming a fan, Sombra?” Widow asked, the corners of her mouth rising into a wry smile.

“You know how much I love an underdog.”

“Oui. Easier to extort.” Widow smiled. Sombra threw a napkin at her.

Leaning back in the booth, she picked up the tablet and perused his data some more, digging farther into the superstar’s past, looking for any dirt or black spot on his record and finding none. Lúcio, it seemed, was as squeaky clean as the image he projected - a rare trait for someone who existed in the public eye. Something about all that limelight usually revealed one’s flaws sooner or later. Far from losing her interest, this lack of questionable activity just made Sombra more curious.

She frowned, moving into known contacts, and it was there her breath caught in her throat.

“Mateo?” Sombra said under her breath, eyes scanning the screen as quickly as she could take in the information projected upon it.

“Pardon?” Widow asked, looking up from the table.

“Nothing, I,” Sombra paused, deep in thought. “It seems as though Lúcio and I share a mutual friend.” Mateo Velasquez, a high ranking member of Los Muertos and someone with whom Sombra was very familiar, seemed to have shared quite a bit of correspondence with Lúcio Correia dos Santos back during the revolution. Perhaps “Matty Peligroso” had given young Lúcio some tips - or vice versa.

“You don’t say?” Widow said, bemused. “The similarities grow.”

“I’m going to send him an email,” Sombra exclaimed, deciding her course of action as abruptly as she ever did. “I want to talk to this guy. Get a feel for Brazil’s favorite singing revolutionary.”

“An email,” Widow said, gingerly stabbing a carrot with her fork and raising it to her mouth. “I hadn’t realized hacking had become so blasé.”

“Occam’s Razor, cielito,” Sombra replied, quickly typing out a letter before putting her tablet away and finally starting in on her lukewarm meal. “Sometimes the easiest way into someone’s personal life is simply to ask them to invite you.”

“I thought you preferred complicated plans,” Widow commented.

“Only when the mission’s boring otherwise,” Sombra replied, smirking at her.

“What is your goal in this particular endeavor?” Widow asked, gently wiping her mouth with a napkin and resting her silverware on her plate.

Sombra shrugged, stirring the vegetable and shrimp stew around on her plate before taking a healthy bite. “I don’t know. Blackmail him into writing you a love song?” Widowmaker rolled her eyes so hard Sombra worried she might strain them. “No goal, really. He’s interesting, and influential, which are two of my favorite traits in a mark. I just like having famous people in my pocket.”

“Like Katya?” Widow asked, and Sombra didn’t have to look at her to see the smirk across her face.

“Are you ever going to let me live that one down?” Sombra asked.

“Likely not.”

Sombra smiled, picked up her fork, and started in on her meal. “Like Katya. It’s been a while since I made a friend.”

Widowmaker raised an eyebrow, leaned back in the booth, and ordered guava pie for dessert as Sombra picked her way through her first course.

Sombra’s wrist vibrated as she was shoveling another bite into her mouth. “Ha!” she exclaimed in triumph, looking down.

“What?” Widow asked, her second bite of pie hovering before her lips.

“He emailed me back,” Sombra replied, grinning in self-satisfaction. She’d only made it halfway through her dinner, and didn’t seem inclined to set her enthusiasm aside for long enough to finish.

Widow regarded her for a moment. “And you are certain you do not simply want his autograph?”

Sombra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure,” she said, clicking on the email. Her eyes scanned over the response, and her expression darkened as she read. “Oh, that little…”

“Yes?” Widow prompted, one thin eyebrow arched in a perfect picture of reserved curiosity. Sombra flipped the tablet around and projected the screen so Widow could see.

“Hey there, fan!” she read, leaning on the table. “Thanks for hitting me up. Your support means the world. Keep on supporting your friends and loving yourself and I know we can make the world a better place. We’re all in this together.”

Widowmaker sat back in her seat, passing the device back to Sombra. “I do not understand the problem.”

“It’s a canned auto-response.”

“Yes. And?”

Sombra huffed. “No one auto-responds me, Widow. No one.”

Widow picked her drink up, the small plastic straw eluding her lips twice before she finally secured it between her teeth in graceless frustration. “And so,” she said, “now what? An elaborate hacking spree? Blackmail him for a back stage pass?”

Sombra waved her hand dismissively. “Oh come on Widow. I don’t care that much.” She looked down at her wrist and pressed her fingers against one of the chips she’d had implanted. “We should go though. I have to be somewhere in fifteen minutes.”

Widow finished her drink with a loud final slurp that made her cringe. “Why?” she asked, quickly scooping up another bite of pie as Sombra was standing up.

“Lúcio is going to be at A Casa do Café in twenty.”

Widowmaker paused, giving up on dessert as she gathered up her belongings, casting a curious glance at Sombra. “You said it did not bother you.”

“No, I said it didn’t bother me that much. I’m not going to blackmail the kid,” she shrugged. “But I’ll totally put myself in a position to conveniently meet him.”

Widowmaker regarded her incredulously, exhaling in a long, slow show of disbelief.

“I told you,” Sombra replied, offering Widow her arm. “No one auto-responds to me.”

A Caso de Café was small, cozy, and not at all crowded - a fact surprising in its own right considering how congested tourism was in this area, and made even more unusual knowing of the superstar’s imminent arrival. They’d arrived about five minutes before he usually showed up based on GPS and anecdotal reporting, and Sombra was prepared to have to contend with an entourage of fans in his wake.

Instead, five minutes later Lúcio ambled in wearing a simple grey t-shirt and jeans with nothing but a spring in his step to accompany him. Sombra frowned, guard up immediately: celebrities didn’t just wander around in the public unattended, but as far as she could tell, that was exactly what Lúcio was doing.

Curious, she thought, stepping in line behind him.

“The regular!” the man said as he stepped up to the counter, grinning and leaning against the brushed brown wood. He looked completely at home and utterly unlike any of the powerful people Sombra was used to shadowing. No palpable air of self-importance; no expectations of special treatment. Not yet at least.

“You know we have other options, right?” the woman behind the register replied, smiling with a familiarity that didn’t show the typical wide-eyed stare of a fan. Sombra filed it away, slowly relocating Lúcio into a new category in her internal rolodex of personality types. She supposed, given all she’d read, that it wasn’t terribly surprising all things considered.

“Why deviate from what you know you like?” he replied, arms wide as his grin. Sombra got the feeling this wasn’t an unusual argument, and that Lúcio had probably alternated through a good variety of “regulars.”

“Fine, fine,” she said, waving him off with a casual huff and turning to prep his order.

Sombra saw her chance as naturally as a snake strikes a passing rodent.

“That reliable, huh?” she said, offering a disarming smile and making no indication she recognized him. In the brief five minutes she’d witnessed, she’d wager Lúcio didn’t put much stock into his own fame, and the typical gushing fan might not be the best persona to adopt. Prepared to play the part, she shifted her position subtly from one of devotion to detached amusement, and raised an eyebrow in anticipation of his response.

“Same thing every Wednesday,” he said, smile growing impossibly wide and fueled by authenticity Sombra found both unusual as well as disarming. “You find something you like, you hold onto it, you know?”

Sombra smiled easily, not having to put on airs as much as she was accustomed to. It was a perfect segue, too. “Yeah, there’s a bakery in Dorado I’m pretty fond of. Same thing every day, except when I really felt like shaking things up,” she shrugged, grinning, “at which point that just became the new regular.” The best way to establish empathy with someone was to show you understood them. It could fall flat if you judged poorly, of course, but Sombra very rarely misstepped these days.

“Ain’t that just the way it is,” he laughed as her story found a buyer. “Dorado, huh? I’ve got friends there. What brings you to sunny Rio?”

“Wanted to head somewhere other than Tulum,” she said, “and my girl over there wasn’t feeling like a trip to the states.” She gestured with her chin at where Widowmaker sat, wide-brim, hat casting her face in shadow, sunglasses obscuring her eyes. She peered over them, eyebrows arched uncomfortably as she held a menu in her hands, glancing over the items she had no intention of purchasing. “My friend Matty P recommended Rio, so I figured I’d head south for a change of scenery. He has a good taste in vacation spots, although you’d be hard pressed to get her to agree,” she joked, jabbing a finger over at Widow and watching Lúcio’s face closely, hoping her dart hit its bullseye.

It did.

“Matty P?” Lúcio asked with a shock, standing up from where he was leaning against the counter, eyes bright with interest. “Velazquez?” “Yeah. You know him?”

“Mateo’s my boy!” he laughed. “What a small world. We used to play soccer together whenever we were in the same place. He was a mentor of mine.” His expression flickered somewhat from a state of pleased curiosity to more critical intrigue. “You don’t have to answer, but ah...are you Los Muertos?” he said, voice dropping and cutting like a knife with the sudden intensity behind it.

Sombra hesitated for long enough to imply internal struggle, and perhaps regret before she spoke. “Ah - yes. I was, for a time. During the LumériCo debacle. I left shortly thereafter.” She smiled and shrugged. “They fought for the people, but gang life wasn’t for me. I did my part and left when my family felt safe.” The lies fell from her tongue with ease, likely because they were laced with truth. The best fabrications were built on a foundation of reality, after all.

Lúcio’s eyes widened and he looked ready to reply when the woman at the front counter called his name. “Lúcio!” she said, setting his drink on the counter. “All set! Sorry for the delay - latte machine’s been on the fritz for a while.”

“Not a problem. Thanks!” he said, wrapping one hand around the cup and gesturing to Sombra. “Let me get your order?”

Sombra smiled, surprising herself at how genuine it felt. “You don’t have to,” she said, offering the obligatory denial expected by society.

“Nah, come on, let me,” he said, not a hint of uncomfortable masculine dominance in his voice. “One revolutionary to another.”

Sombra laughed. “Fine, fine,” she said. “But I’d hardly call myself a revolutionary.”

“I dare say Mexico would disagree, ah…” he paused, clearly looking for her to introduce herself.

“Sofia,” she replied easily, the name slipping from her lips before her brain caught up with her choice, and she was shocked at the persona she had chosen. Sofia was her mother’s name; a name she chose rarely, when she needed to tap into genuine emotion. It was easier to do when she associated herself with her childhood memories, before all that manipulation and control had really taken hold.

In hindsight, she supposed it was appropriate.

“Sofia,” Lúcio grinned, sticking out his hand. Sombra reached out and shook it warmly, and let the barista know what she wanted to drink. “Do you want to sit for a bit? I’ve got some time to kill before I have to be back at the studio. Your girlfriend’s welcome to join,” he said, nodding at Widowmaker. “I don’t want to interrupt a date.”

“She wanted some time to read. I think she’s tired of my yammering, anyway - she’ll probably consider a distraction a blessing.” She laughed, watching Widow’s eyebrow raise in confirmation of her words.

“All good!” Lúcio laughed warmly, gesturing to one of the booths. “Pick a spot. My butt’s met them all at one point or another, so I’m not picky.”

Sombra chose the one by the window, half to keep an eye on her surroundings and half because the sunlight made her feel comfortable. She cast one more glance at Widow, tucked away in a corner and doing what she could to make her own shade, before settling into the plush red booth with Lúcio.

She’d prepared herself for the inevitable awkward silence of two strangers meeting for the first time, but Lúcio launched into conversation before the dust of their meeting had begun to settle.

“That’s so wild you know Matty. How did you meet?” he asked, hands clasped as he leaned over the table. Sombra watched his features carefully for any signs of disingenuous intent or overblown self-importance and she found not a single iota of either. He seemed just legitimately interested in her experiences. It was a refreshing change from her usual interactions, and honestly one she wasn’t entirely prepared for.

Luckily, this particular experience wasn’t one she had to make up.

“Grew up together,” she said, remembering the first time they’d met as viscerally as though she were reliving it. “Both war orphans trying to make it on our own. He was fighting with a dog over a tossed enchilada by a garbage pit, and I broke them up.”

“So you helped him get his dinner?” Lúcio asked, his brown eyes interested and sympathetic.

“What? No, I punched him in the face for kicking a dog and held him down until the mongrel ran off with his food.”

Lúcio laughed; a soft, genuine sound that made Sombra smile. “I feel you. The kids in my favela would have street hockey competitions to determine who got to stand first in line when food was handed out. It got brutal - hard to eat with a broken nose even if you’re on the winning team, you know?” He shook his head. “The things we did to survive back then. It’s a wonder we made it at all.”

“You’re not wrong. Feels like I watched more friends fade away than crawl to the top. Los Muertos may not have been perfect, and they certainly engaged in some questionable tactics, but we watched out for our own. We made sure our people weren’t dragged back down when LumériCo decided to use them as their personal bankroll.” She felt a pang for Miguel and the trauma they’d shared, willing the guilt she still nurtured back below the surface before it overflowed on the marbled countertop between them.

The flicker of emotion she must have shown clearly didn’t pass as quickly as she’d hoped, because Lúcio’s expression changed in kind.

“Sorry if this is a rough topic,” he apologized. “I didn’t realize I’d have so much in kind with a chance encounter with a stranger.”

Sombra held back a snort of laughter at that. “No no, it’s fine. Just recently had to say goodbye to a dear friend,” she said, deciding to use her real pain to her benefit. “Member of the same crew. Nerve’s still a bit raw is all.”

“Sorry Sofia,” he said, smile lopsided and sad. “Trust me - I get that. I watched a whole slew of my friends get mowed over first by Omnics, then by the Vishkar.”

“Strange way to bond, isn’t it?” Sombra said wistfully, referring to both their childhoods and current situation.

“Sure is,” he replied. That awkward silence hung over them again, threatening to descend in the wake of their unexpected kinship in tragedy. Then, as suddenly as the conversation had faltered, they started laughing.

“You ever think you’d even survive, let alone join a corporation-busting gang?” Lúcio asked, practically giggling.

“Not any more than I’d bet you thought you’d end up an international superstar,” Sombra answered, grinning without an ounce of false enthusiasm.

“You see my sweet beats though?” he asked, pointing at the amps on his hips. “Vishkar tech. Stole it right from under their noses.”

Sombra wiped tears away as she laughed until her stomach hurt. “Perfecto, take the tools they used to oppress you and hit them back with them. Literally. Great feeling, isn’t it?”

“Sure is. What’d you grab from LumériCo?” he asked.

“Almost all of their corporate funding data,” Sombra replied, not even worrying about slipping too far into her own past. She was having too much fun relating to another person, someone not Widowmaker, and someone capable of meeting her step for step emotionally. For as deeply important as the sniper was to her, sometimes she needed someone else to speak with.

She hadn’t expected a lark like this to end quite this way, though.

They talked for another half hour, about anything that came to mind - life on the streets, in the shadows and in the spotlight; staying true to one’s own beliefs even when they were challenged by those in power; emotionally unavailable girlfriends and Lúcio’s long-standing crush on some esports star he refused to name.

The time flew, and after a while, Sombra forgot she’d begun this interaction for any purpose at all.

“Ah, snap!” Lúcio said, looking at the hard light watch on his wrist as it buzzed loudly. “Gotta fly.” He pushed his seat back and paused, looking at Sombra intently. “It was nice talking with someone that gets it. I meet a lot of people, but not a lot of people I can really feel, you know?” He looked sheepish for a moment, not at all like a man who commanded crowds of thousands and singlehandedly toppled the Vishkar regime in his city. He just looked like a normal guy excited to have met someone new. Similar, in fact, to the way Sombra was feeling at that moment as well. “I don’t know how often you get down here, or the next time I’ll be in Dorado, but you wanna get together some time?”

Sombra stood up, nodding. “Yeah, that’d be great. Be nice to have an international friend.” The word she used so often felt odd in such a context; the context it was intended to be used in rather than the facetious way she applied it to the people she blackmailed.

Lúcio grinned back, clearly glad she’d accepted. “Here’s my personal number. Get in touch with me any time. I have a lot of downtime between shows and a lot of people say I’m addicted to texting, so.”

Punching his number down into her own device, she looked up and raised an eyebrow. “No fanmail auto-responses?” she asked.

“No auto-responses.” He held his hand over his heart. “Promise.”

“It was nice to meet you, Lúcio,” Sombra said, holding out her hand.

“Likewise, Sofia,” he said, taking it warmly in his own. It was still strange hearing her mother’s name used. It felt nice. “Keep in touch?”

“Absolutely,” she agreed easily.

Waving at the baristas on his way out, Lúcio made his way from the cafe and off to wherever his schedule was taking him next.

“Are you ok?” Widow asked, stepping up behind her as Lúcio left. Sombra jumped, not expecting her, still lost in her own reverie over what had just transpired.

“Yeah,” Sombra replied, brows furrowed as she parsed through the emotions flying through her brain and shook off the persona she’d adopted. Or perhaps the reality she’d returned to - she wasn’t sure. “I think I just made a friend.”

“What kind of friend?” Widow asked, eyes obscured by the sunglasses she refused to shed even inside, but Sombra assumed they were probably narrowed suspiciously.

“Like the real kind,” Sombra replied, surprising herself at the admission.

Far from the sarcastic jab she expected from her, Widow smiled. “Good, cherie,” she replied, leaning forward to place a kiss against her temple. “I think you could use one.”

“Yeah,” Sombra nodded, still somewhat baffled as to what had just occurred. For the first time since Miguel’s death, she felt as though the full weight of the guilt she’d been holding inside had lifted. There was no secret mission to succeed at; no ulterior motive to satisfy. She had experienced a pure human interaction like she hadn’t felt in years, and...well, she felt good about it. “I think I do, too.”

*Read from the beginning or check out our intro post! All stories tagged under #glitchfic. Table of contents located here.

[cleareyedinparis-blog]

le 13 décembre 2017

I’ve been staring at the ceiling a lot. thinking about my life. depression will do that to you. and I’ve been spending way too much time inside my tiny apartment. but I managed to make my way outside last night to take pictures of my neighborhood in Paris. with all the holiday lights up. and I am so glad I pushed myself out the door. the holiday lights were gorgeous. the wintery weather wasn’t too too cold (and I was dressed for it). the photos turned out well, I think. and I had some kind of surprising interactions with strangers.

people do kind of look at you when you’re walking around with a big camera taking pictures of everything. especially since I am in a essentially completely residential neighborhood. and I have to kind of put away my self consciousness about that and just take photos. luckily, I get absorbed in what I am doing and can ignore them, for the most part. I like to lean against buildings or bollards (the british term for those posts that prevent cars from coming up on the sidewalk) and just take pictures of what I observe.  at one point, as I was leaning against the corner of a building to take a picture of a store across the street I hear, through my music playing, that there is a woman talking to me. and I turned my head to find that she was standing quite close next to me. she leaned over and asked to see a photo I had just taken. she was very sweet, and very drunk. I was charmed by her smile and her openness. I took out my earbuds to listen to her babble at me. “vous êtes photographe?” (/“you’re a photographer?”) she asked me. and I answered “oui”. I showed her the photo she had asked to see and she said my photo (of a graffitied storefront shutter) reminded her of this advertising campaign for a super high end sneaker. where they took photos at Pont de Bir Hakeim and something something about graffiti. pausing in her explanation to say, “je suis vendeuse de chaussures” (/”I am a sale associate for shoes”). and then commented on how crazy it is that you can have amazing high end photos to advertise designer sneakers. I asked her if she had had a good night. and she answered that she had. and asked me the same, in that excited almost breathless way of drunk girls with whom you have just made a new best friend. and I said “oui, c’était plutôt sympa” (/”yeah, it’s been pretty nice”). she asked to take a picture of me with my camera. and. making potentially the dumbest decision I have made in recent months because I wasn’t thinking very clearly, I handed her my expensive Canon camera and let her take a photo of me. she swayed back and forth a little bit (remember, pretty drunk). and took a couple photos of me. her fingers lifted and spread into the air in front of the flash for one, while she was trying to hold the camera. after the third shutter click I snatched my camera back (at this point having come to my senses that maybe this whole thing was not the best of ideas). she asked me to show her the ones she had taken. the first having the weird shadows of her fingers over my face, and I said “oh je ne sais pas” (/”oh, I don’t know”) when she asked why that was. my lack of french camera/photography terminology and her being drunk making for a literally impossible conversational task. the last one came out kind of decently. I mean, you can see the terror of “omg don’t run off w my camera please” in my eyes, but besides that it’s kind of a lovely memento. she told me that she had tried to get a bit of the holiday lights behind me in the photo. and damnit if she didn’t succeed. I admit that I was impressed by her drunk photo-taking skills. I wished her a good night and she wandered off. and I kept that warm and fuzzy feeling of having had a beautiful fleeting connection with a stranger. 

I continued my picture taking up and down the main street with lights. heading back towards my apartment. I was standing still to take photos of more storefront holiday decorations and a group of a few older couples stood across the street. pausing to talk amongst themselves and to watch me take photos. they then crossed the street, passing behind me, and one of the men came up behind me and literally said “boo” into my ear. which, wasn’t as creepy or scary as one would think (though I do wish he hadn’t done that bc um why scare random women at night in the street?). but I did kind of turn around when they said something like “oh that should have scared her” bc I didn’t have much of a reaction. so I took an earbud out, shrugged and pointed out that I had had earbuds in. they laughed and I went back to my picture taking. their chatter amongst themselves and noises of interest about my photos going on behind me as more background noise. until I finished my task, wished them a good night, and crossed the street to continue on my way. 

overall it was a pretty lovely evening capping off a not very good day where depression really got me down. whenever I go out into the city, even if it’s only in my neighborhood, the magic of Paris manages to lift me up. and for that, I am forever grateful. 

xx Clare

p.s. holiday lights are always magic too.

[p101recaps]

Broduce 101: Episode 10 (Quick Livestream Recap)

This post contains spoilers. 

We go straight up to the Regal Chair of Doom for the elimination opening.

There are a few hair changes! Minki is dark haired again, while Sanggyun had an ashy blond dye job and a trim.

They’re not sure what the cut off is because of the rumours and the doubt BoA’s script had provided last episode.

Hyunbin ambitiously wants to be first, and the trainees laugh their heads off at this proclamation.

Entrance pose time!

Pledis trainees come in by imitating Nu’est maknae Minki’s disjointed shoulder trick.

Little Lee Woojin does the thigh touching move from sexy concept song Open.

MMO trainees, Daniel and Jisung, dance to Sistar’s Touch My Body. It makes me feel low key bitter because my girls :(

RBW Lee Gunhee did some hip swinging.

Extra as hell, Fantagio Ong Sungwoo brought a bag with him to recreate his now iconic moment from the work out episode.

WH Creative Seo Sungyhuk did some of IKYK choreo. Cutie

YGK+ Kwon Hyunbin did the robot.

Popular WinkDeep boys Maroo Park Jihoon and C9 Bae Jinyoung did twin moves

Ardor and Able hilariously recreate a reference to Noh Taehyun’s viral stomach scratching picture.

Starship Jung Sewoon did the world’s tiniest Nayana gesture.

CUBE chicks do a Twice Knock Knock reference.

OUI Donghan did a weird dance move on the floor. 

Only top 20 gets through. So this rumour was right. It’s like Mnet’s playing two lies one truth lol

BoA gets ajumeoni claps as she enters. That dress looks like something from Red Velvet’s closet though.

Fanservice to soothe the pain begins with cute dorm footage.

Snack time is abound in the dorms once again. One trainee carries what looks like a fuckin mountain of cup ramen across the room at some point.

They reveal a bit of first week footage with the HOTSHOT boys depositing their luggage in the waiting room. Sungwoon’s massive show insole falls out and he gets embarrassed, all ‘When did this come out??’

Sunghyuk has a bit where he comes into to visit his hyungs and gets scolded for his informality. He gets visibly scared by Jihoon’s sternness, leaving with his tail between his legs until Ong-ssi calls him back.

Ong-ssi: Why’d you come in here?

Sunghyuk (looking like he may cry): For...no reason.

All the hyungs: Oh, that’s good! :D I’m glad you came to see us!!! :))

Sunghyuk almost passes out in relief when he realises they were teasing him lol

There’s a cut of how the boys all pull out make up to touch up when production staff calls for a break, yanking out their compacts and pat-patting away at their faces.

Jisung eomma is the funniest of all of course, whipping out the compact with a flourish and patting his too red lips to blend them out.

Ong-ssi puts on a few dozen coats of tinted lip balm and gets ticked off by staff for the red lips visible across the hall 

Jaehwan touches up Baekho’s nose for him 

Another cut is product placement for face packs, its a sponsored bit (you can always tell when Samuel’s acting, bless him) but they play around well with the differently coloured mask creams.

Sungwoon gets 101 written on his face by his dongsaengs, Jihoon makes himself up like a panda while Baekho gets a beard. He’s very pleased with it. A universal cutie.

Deffo more natural PPL than the herbal supplement.

There’s a cut of early morning shower singing from vocal kids RIP FNC Yoo Hwiseung, getting screentime once he’s been kicked.

Sad practice shots with Jaehwan’s acoustic guitar backing and singing of Nayana. I ALREADY FEEL BAD FOR THEM FUK U MNET

Cut to more cheerful trainee time.

Noh Taehyun once again has to heatedly defend himself because of his stomach clip after already having to clarify he’s not a crybaby. He claims the clip was from after a rehearsal sesh, and he was hot and sweaty so, “I WAS FANNING MYSELF I WASN’T SCRATCHING MY TUMMY EVERYONE!!”

CUBE kids explain their initial awkwardness. Their company wanted them to be clear hyung-dongsaeng on the show, but they were friends while they were trainees earlier. This means Seonho can’t use banmal with him anymore and has to remember to call Guanlin hyung. It doesn’t affect Lai Guanlin, but Seonho is still adjusting lol 

Minhyun likes sweet boy Seonho, but the younger kid keeps hugging him and is really fond of skinship. 

Minhyun: It’s like he’s my girlfriend...he needs to dial it down a bit.

Seonho: It’s just because I love my hyung???!

Daehwi gets a stool to stand on for his individual bit, and is mildly indignant about it. He doesn’t think he’s that short and pulls out massive insoles from his shoes before also ratting out Sasuke Uchiha cosplayer Bae Jinyoung’s use of insoles.

His friend is not happy, and has to reveal his own massive foam shoe inserts.

Bae Jinyoung: They’re only 2cm!!

Staff: Only because you’re pressing down on them like that.

Auntie Jisung, true to form, mentions Daniel’s night talking. 

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me!!” - Kang Daniel, probably.

Red lip tint fans Daniel and Sanggyun get called out for their always pink lips, and Daniel gets his own back by pointing out that Yoon Jisung also always wears tons of it. 

Kang Daniel called my boy with his ludicrous pink lips an ajumma!!

Sewoon loves his awkward wink edited with post its on his face and the Jaehwan and Sewoon vocal ship continues to sail.

Hosts Auntie Jisung and Ong Sungwoo for basketball manga oppa times

Ong-ssi: Why are you here? Did you trainees only come to have fun here on the show?

Auntie Jisung: Yes. I did. 

They chant ONGSUNG ONGSUNG ONGSUNG for themselves. New comedy MC duo, I loaf

Speed quiz is first up, with sexy waves from OngSung MCs.

Showtime team do okay, Samuel flips onto his back to act out samgyetang. I died. How do you even think of that.

IKYK: Moonbok hard carries. He’s so pretty but that hairstyle...a topknot and scarf wrapped around his head..I wear my own hair like that for house cleans. Taedong quivers for a bit  when he gets his word, before dancing The Boys for SNSD. 

Open: Daniel does a piss poor imitation of Baekho, who laughs like a baby the whole segment. Seonho gets Ahn Junyoung (the P101 main producer) and wavers for a bit before yelling, ”Ah! PASS!” 

Oh Little Girl: Ayn Hyungseob has apple hair! He struggles to convey swag, imitating Baekho and Daniel to no avail. His team finally gets it only because Lee Euiwoong hears Noh Taheyun say, ‘Ah, Hyungseobie definitely has none of this at all!!’ 

Never: Lai Guanlin passes because he doesn’t know the word...twice; he can’t read Hangul well and the words are too difficult. One of them is an old fashioned Korean flute like?? It’s a hard word and how do you act it out? Poor kiddo

IKYK team wins this segment. 

Next game is a game where duos come forth from each team; one trainee does an elephant nose spin, and then runs to apply lipstick on his waiting teammate.

My heart soars at Sanggyun and Jisung representing Showtime

Sewoon falls multiple times and when he gets to Euiwoong,  he keeps shaking. Euiwoong gets more and more impatient and Sewoon finally gets shoved by an annoyed hamster.

Jisung veers off and falls like fifteen times before getting to Sanggyun. After, Sanggyun looks at himself and thinks it’s sort of sexy. “You look pretty!!” says excited Auntie Jisung, gleefully.

BNM Jonghyun has a scary determined look throughout.

Kim Yongguk can’t even spin straight, falling over every two spins like a new born puppy. He crawls to Kenta, who waits patiently to have his whole face attacked viciously with red lipstick 

Kenta, when the trainees go into splits and Yongguk is still stabbing his cheeks with lipstick: WHY? WHY??

Lee Daehwi remains perfectly, characteristically competent, calmly dabbing on Wartortle GodJonghyun’s lips like a seasoned make up artist. 

Yoo Seonho gets to draw again on a caring hyung picked by him, so he picks Daniel

Jaehwan picks Emperor Hwang for redoing the segment. Jaehwan runs lopsided and dementedly fast to draw on his hyung, frightening poor Gunhee on the sidelines.

Seonho applies eight hundred layers of red on Daniel’s mouth lol

The next game is team jump roping and posing for a photo 

This was hilarious - you have to look them up, I died laughing at their faces mid air. These are the pictures I’m getting blown up and signed if I ever see them in person. 

Open team wins overall, and receives the PPL face packs.

After this dose of healing (this is what Jonghyun calls the segment, with another of his ha ha HAs) cuteness, we go back to elims.

The rankings from last episode are finally revealed for the highest ranking from the live audience. To no one’s surprise, Daniel won the 220,000 benefit.

1 and 20 to be revealed last for the suspense

Jung Sewoon ranked 19. 

Woodam and Donghan have a depressingly self aware discussion about how they know they’re lucky to have this far.

Joo Haknyeon is 18. The boys are all shocked but he’s had awful press lately. He’s losing grace swiftly, and this is his first time falling out of top 11.

BNM Im Youngmin has fortunately made it at 17, despite the (totally undeserved) hate he received. He even apologised, for some reason

CUBE Seonho was 16, he almost fell out his seat with shock as his name was called.

Ren, Hyungseob and Jaehwan all make it in succession.

Minhyun’s apparent ‘mistaken’ reveal of his rank was at 12 but it’s Pledis Kang Dongho at 12. The trainees all imitate Baekho’s Boy in Love head bob lol

Pledis Minhyun makes it at 11. He’s handsome on the big screen, and sings at BoA’s request. All the trainees have a shim koong.

Lee Daaehwi at 10. I’m grateful he stays top 11 though a cutie 

MMO Yoon Jisung makes it at 9!! YES HE’S BACK IN TOP 11 I LOVE MY AUNTIE!!

So do the trainees, they’re all more excited than he is at his rank, there’s a veritable swarm as they congratulate their eomma.

Samuel’s having a breakdown from nerves.

Auntie Jisung’s ugly crying is slightly muted this time - his company must have scolded him. Daniel is super relieved his hyung’s back in top 11, and Jisung thanks people for supporting him and his dream.

Ong Sungwoo is safe at number 8. BoA asks him to do his Ong-slate bit, which of course, he does with every bit of over the top acting he can.

Nation’s leader Angel God Jonghyun dropped to 7, but at least Wartortle’s safe.

Good shot of the empty Nu’est seats as Jonghyun thanks the voters for supporting him and his fellow Pledis trainees.

Brand New Music Park Woojin makes it to 6! He still has an eye patch on, I hope he’s recovering well. BoA asks him to do his famous snaggle-toothed smile. A cutie.

Samuel’s proper freaking out but he makes it at 5. He thanks all his Showtime hyungs by name but forgets Jisung, adding him last when he realises. Jisung, my drama queen, pouts in mock offence 

Goodness, you can really see the relief on Samuel’s face when he sinks into his chair, my poor kid.

BoA calls out Ha Sungwoon and Bae Jinyoung for the next two possible ranks

Ha Sungwoon can’t stop yelling in shock for being in the top 5, he just screams endlessly. When the camera points at him for the shot right before BoA announces his name, he thinks it’s someone else in his row because he really wasn’t expecting it.

ME NEITHER MATE THERE IS SOME FAIRNESS IN THE WORLD I LIVE FOR THIS RISE

Bae Jinyoung is 4. The two pick voting helped him climb back up, WinkDeep sails. In celebration, he does the aegyo bit from his intro.

Sungwoon makes it at number 3 (more slightly muted screaming)

I’m that tear waterfall pokemon gif, and so is he, sort of. This caught me off guard but I love being wrong about this sort of stuff.

Popular kids, teen pick Jihoon and noona pick Daniel for top two. 

Daniel and Little Woojin exchange non-forced reassurance as they wait for his rank to be announced.

Sidenote while watching the livestream: That Cha Eunwoo kid is in a lot of ads for a rookie. He’s rather handsome.

MMO Kang Daniel ranks number 1. It’s his first time, he never thought he’ll be Jihoon’s rival, but he’s deeply grateful. 

Which puts Park Jihoon at a safe 2. He thanks his fans for their continued support. His consistency has been incredible, he’s never left the top of the pyramid. 

Last trainee for the cut off at 20. These shots of my eliminated talented boys makes me sad.

They draw out my pain by showing the ranks from 35 upwards, and having the trainees speak as they get booted.

Bye little maknae Lee Woojin, star vocal Park Woodam, RBW meme Lee Gunhee and musicial kid Kim Yehyun

All of I Know You Know got booted. My sweet boy WH Creative Seo Sunghyuk cries. The Vibe knight boy Taedong and blond pretty kid OUI Donghan are composed. They must have all expected this.

Oh, Donghyun. His BNM trainees look like they’re going to cry as he asks the voters to support them.

Sanggyun spits some sugar coated bitterness, Noh Taehyun and Takada Kenta are graceful.

Visual dark horse Moonbok, who got played by Mnet the most, leaves the show too. He really speaks very prettily. 3

BoA says this isn’t the end for their careers. I wish I can be that optimistic.

Yuehua Lee Euiwoong doesn’t make the cut. You can see Hyungseob’s face fall.

YGK+ Kwon Hyunbin is eliminated at 22. He says a nice ment too, but lasting this long considering his background and skillset is just miraculous.

It’s between Kim Yongguk and Lai Guanlin for rank 20. 

Honestly, I’d never have guessed this in a million years. Kim Yongguk, maybe, because of his lack of clear broship, but Cube chicks must get a lot of their hype from teenagers. 

Lai Guanlin makes it by the skin of his teeth. 

We have to say goodbye to Arctic Fox Kim Yongguk. This feels so unfair, he had such a nice, melancholy tone. 

Daniel leads the ending salutations to the national producers.

Last voting period opens, and it’s one pick. This season has been super makjang for real. Far out.

We cut to a new day, the top 20 trainees have gathered for final evaluation mission. BoA reminds them this is the final, debut mission for the live broadcast finale.

The trainees will be split into two teams to perform one of two songs, Super Hot or Hands on Me. I’m keen to hear these songs, the composers are really well known. The choreography has to be created by the trainees themselves.

Harvey Mason and his team created Hands On Me, the demo sounds like a laid back jazzy track that will probably go the IKYK way (hashtag bitter).

Ryan Jhun, who composed Nayana and EXO’s Love Me Right, my favourite EXO title song by far, wrote Super Hot, which is more funky, fast paced. 

I take a minute to thank Mother Mary for the lack of EDM. Let’s hope it doesn’t jump out on me when I hear the full songs.

Positions depend on rank, with low ranking trainees picking first and the higher ones possessing the ability to replace them if they want the position.

Im Youngmin’s penalty for leaking spoilers is that he has to take what’s left over, so he picks first and can be replaced.

Seonho ambitiously displaces Haknyeon for sub-vocal 3 on Super Hot, pushing him down to 4.

Hyungseob pushes Joo Haknyeon further down to 5 lol

Then Daehwi pushes him to rapper 1

Jonghyun comes in to shove him to the other team, as vocal 6 for Hands on Me.

Dead. His fellow trainees seemingly have no faith in him at all. 

Jaehwan takes his rightful place as main vocal for Hands on Me.

Sewoon had picked sub vocal 1 on the same song earlier, wanting to sing with Jaehwan. 

Minhyun continues to be a Joseon level strategist by pushing Sewoon to a different team. Samuel moves him back but to a lower vocal position. 

Daniel changes Sungwoon’s team from Hands on Me sub vocal 1 to Super Hot but promotes him to main vocal  on there so it works out well.

Everyone on Super Hot understandably wants to be centre considering the timing of the mission and they all sing the main chorus line to compete. 

Samuel has to create the choreo and formations as the strongest dance trainee. His teammates come up with a bunch of unhelpful suggestions and he’s stressing out again.

Ong-slate opens on Hands on Me discussions.

They’re discussing leader, Ong-ssi surprisingly nominates himself and receives the position.

Again, everyone wants to be centre and audition with the ‘killing part’ but they don’t show centre pick.

We see the eliminated trainees crying at the eliminations again before next week’s trailer and ranks. 

Below is a comprehensive list of this week’s rankings. I’ll post the entire set this time, because we’re down to only 20 :(

Kang Daniel 

Park Jihoon 

Ha Sungwoon 

Bae Jinyoung 

Kim Samuel 

Park Woojin 

Kim Jonghyun 

Ong Sungwoo 

Yoon Jisung 

Lee Daehwi

Hwang Minhyun 

Kang Dongho 

Kim Jaehwan 

Ahn Hyungseop 

Choi Minki

Yoo Seonho

Im Youngmin 

Joo Haknyeon 

Jung Sewoon 

Lai Guanlin