#just like... every other profile is a totally normal modern day person and then there's josiah. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

liquorisce · 4 years ago

Text

reading between the lines (High School Years, Ch 2)

pairing: eren x mikasa (shingeki no kyojin) // mild erehisu, yumihisu

rating: t

summary: (modern au) Junior year is difficult, especially for Mikasa, because it turns out Eren’s decided to test the dating scene.

(banter, jealousy... and lots of feelings)

part 1 | read on ao3

A/N: this chapter has been a long time coming (5 years omg), and tbh I have a lovely anon to thank, who messaged me asking for a sequel to hsy, which made me actually want to put down my scrambled headcanons on paper. if you're reading this anon, i'm truly grateful for the push you gave me.

NOTE: although i intended a sequel, this is a COMPANION fic to chapter 1, it is meant to fill up the gaps in the story that the previous chapter didnt tell you. i hope you enjoy :)

Today was not one of Eren’s favourite days, for 2 reasons. For one, the day started off with �� an encounter. Two, today they would be getting the results of their final trig assessment, which Eren knows perfectly well he didn’t have a chance of passing.

The ‘encounter’ happens pretty much without preamble.

…

“… Hey, it’s Eren, right?” He turns around from his conversation with Armin, to see the same guy from a couple of weeks ago, the one who was talking about Mikasa, and her pretty hair. (he wasn’t wrong)

“Yeah?” He does his best not to let the subconscious irritation seep into his tone.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day,” the guy with the oddly horse-shaped face says, “… My name’s Jean.”

“… Nice to meet you,” he says awkwardly delivering his dishonest words.

“… So, I wanted to be straight up with you,” Jean says, cheeks oddly pink. “About Mikasa… and you. I’ve heard some rumours, and I thought it best to address it with you directly, because I really don’t want to cause any trouble.” Clearing his throat, he says, “Are you guys… y’know, together?”

It’s in the way Jean speaks, he thinks, or the way he talks about Mikasa (or even thinks of her?) - it makes him want to ram his fist right in the middle of his ugly face. And because he was too busy clenching his fists to actually respond, Armin says with a laugh, “… Ah, don’t worry, Mikasa is totally single.”

And then proceeds to wink at Jean.

Eren can barely believe his eyes and ears. And once Jean is out of earshot he hisses, “… what the fuck, Armin?”

Armin blinks up at him innocently. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“… You didn’t have to encourage him,” Eren mumbles petulantly, when he admits to himself that Armin did, in fact, say nothing wrong.

“Erm, why not?” He sighs, “Look, I know you… worry about Mikasa,” Armin keeps his tone as neutral and veiled as possible, because worried is definitely not all Eren feels for Mikasa, “… but Jean is a good guy! And if anyone deserves attention from a good guy, it’s her.”

…

ii.

She finds him lurking near his locker, stuffing his crumpled papers in, probably wishing away their existence.

“That bad, huh?” She asks, hiding away her grin at his predictable reaction. Eren has always been predisposed too sulking - whether he was a 7-year-old who wasn’t the fastest on the field or 16-something and having just received his trigonometry results.

“… You look like you did just fine,” he mutters, not having to see the A+ on her paper to know that Mikasa had no problem acing the trig test (or any other test).

“You could just ask me for help, Eren. I could help you out for the retakes,” she offers softly, not for the first time.

He sighs. When he glances at her, dark eyes offering earnestly, he knows she means it without any pride or arrogance, but he isn’t able to suppress the prick of his own ego that has him mumbling, “… the mandatory remedial lessons should do just fine.”

…

iii.

When he shows up for class, he sees only a couple of others unfamiliar faces, so he curses under his breath at his own ineptitude towards mathematics for getting him in this situation and takes a spot at the back of the class.

The Support teacher - Erd, he calls himself, apparently too young to be addressed ‘Mr.’ or any of that - seems just as tired as the rest of them, sighing at the lack of answers, obviously frustrated at the complete lack of interest or gratitude of the teenagers in front of him.

So, 20 minutes into the 1-hour lesson, when the short blonde walks in, out-of-breath and apologetic, the sarcasm in his tone is biting. “You’ve already missed 1/3rd of this class, you might as well have stayed out entirely and practiced your cheer routines.”

Eren watches sympathetically at the visible cringe on Krista’s face and offers her an empathetic smile as she takes the seat next to him.

Later when they’ve been informed that the retake is just an assignment filled with proofs and average difficulty problems that they can do in pairs, he looks at Krista, the only known person in the room.

They weren’t that close, but they had quite a few mutual friends what with him playing basketball and her being part of the cheer team. So, when she says, “… see you at the library tomorrow evening?” with a pretty smile across her pretty features, he grins gratefully.

She doesn’t struggle with trig even half as much as he does. In fact, she seemed to be happy to do most of the work herself and explain her solutions - if he actually had the interest to understand them.

“I don’t understand,” he admits after she solves the 5th problem in a row effortlessly, “you seem to have everything down already. How come you didn’t pass the test?”

Her eyes skittered nervously away from him. “I was… sick,” she mutters. “I couldn’t really focus.”

He eyes her closely, observing the sudden change in her countenance. Usually Krista was all easy smiles, twinkle in her blue eyes. Now, she looks uneasy, unwell almost. Deciding it wasn’t his place to pry, “… Well, I guess I turned out to be the lucky one in all this,” he grins, “… I get to hang out with you and have you do my assignment.”

She rolls her eyes. To be honest, she’d enjoyed the past couple of evenings with him. Eren was easy to talk to, despite being somewhat of an airhead and being completely incapable of anything remotely math related. But regardless, he made her laugh and just about forget what happened the morning before she showed up for this test, with fresh tears choking her throat, and purpling bruises on her thighs.

“I guess you owe me then,” she quips back, smugly.

“… I definitely do,” he says smoothly, green eyes watching her in a way that makes her feel warm. “How can I make it up to you?”

Flustered, because she hadn’t expected his easy response, she mumbles, “… Dinner?” And with red cheeks hidden by her blonde bangs, she whispers, “I like pizza.”

…

iv.

She finds him at the end of the day, on one of the wooden tables outside the basketball court, chin resting in his hands, eyes glued to his laptop.

“… Hey,” she breathes, giggling when startled green eyes flash up to her, body jerking in surprise.

“Damn, you got me,” he grins, pushing his laptop away and leaning up for a brief kiss. She’s happy to return it, and she lets her fingers wind into his hair, enjoying it for a moment longer.

“Mmm,” she mumbles, “I saw you closing that browser window,” she teases, wrestling control of his laptop, “watcha lookin’ at?”

When she manages to open his browser history – much to Eren’s protest – her eyes widen. “Women’s dresses, spring collection??” She waggles her eyebrows at him.

“… It’s not for me,” he grumbles, deciding to make it painstakingly clear before Krista enthusiastically begins to tell him what dress would suit him the most – he knows his girlfriend, crossdressing would be absolutely acceptable, if not encouraged – and he watches her eyes feign disappointment.

“… Boring,” she sighs, rolling her pretty blue eyes, “I don’t see how you’re not curious about how you look in a dress,” – she gasps, hand flying over her mouth, “Wait… was that… a surprise… for me?”

“… Um,” Eren starts, intelligently, because the situation that was already awkward in his opinion, just became even more so. “Well,” he gulps, taking in the sparkle in her eyes, knowing fully well just how much she likes surprises, feeling guilty even thought he needn’t be, “itsformikasa.”

He hangs his head in apparent apology, but more so because he doesn’t want to see the disappointment flit across her features.

“… Oh.”

He chances a glance at her, and there’s no particular emotion per se, and it worries him, because she gets this faraway look in her eye sometimes, and he can’t really tell what’s going on, and they’ve only been together a few months and he’s not an expert in reading her silences –

“I see, is it for her birthday or something?” Her tone is measured, and she’s looking pointedly at the screen.

“Um… yeah.” Eren sighs, wondering what the hell was up with his own reaction. He had nothing to feel guilty about – where did that even come from anyway? – Mikasa’s his… family (or something). Shopping for her was normal. He did it every year. This isn’t something he needed to hide.

“Yeah, it’s next month,” he says, giving her a smile. There was no need for this to be awkward if he didn’t make it so. Besides, it wasn’t like he was buying her lingerie or something! (he brushed this thought aside faster than the red blush crept up his neck)

“Do you think, you could help me with it?” He blurts this out, partially in an attempt to distract the weird atmosphere, and also partially because he could really use the help.

Krista blinks. “Err, yeah. Sure.” She pulls up Mikasa’s profile on Instagram. “Let’s see,” she murmurs… Turtlenecks… Jeans… a ridiculously modest swimsuit that she wore to a pool party two years ago. The sexiest outfit on her entire profile was probably her in her tennis shorts and that had more to do with Mikasa’s undeniably ripped body than anything else.

She looks up at Eren, who’s still looking at her tentatively, green eyes unsure.

This whole thing was silly anyway, she thinks, offering him a genuine smile. He and Mikasa were close (and they lived together, which she did her best not to think about), but this wasn’t a surprise so it’s about time that it came up in some way in their relationship. In any case, she hadn’t felt any hostility from the raven-haired beauty and Eren was usually quite forthcoming about everything, so she didn’t really have anything to worry about.

“So, um, does she have a favourite colour or something?” She’s eager to kill the awkward mood and is grateful to see his shoulders visibly relax as he ponders.

“… Red, I think. Maybe, like, a darker shade. Sort of… maroon, y’know?” He thinks of the scarf he gave Mikasa when they were younger. It was a ratty, yet fluffy maroon thing which she was absolutely terrible at tying, but she wears it everywhere during the winter, even though his father had a bought her a better one at some point.

They peruse their options for a bit, and Krista picks out a deep red number, a shimmery satin one, with slinky straps and a slit that travels up an already high hemline. It wasn’t really a spring dress but more of a cocktail night outfit, and Eren is weirdly embarrassed thinking of Mikasa in it.

He eyes the screen incredulously. “… Somehow, I just can’t picture Mikasa wearing something like that.” He opens up another link, to a denim overall dress, “… now this, she would wear.”

“And that,” Krista retorts, “is why she’s still single. She has an amazing body; she should flaunt it.”

“… What would she wear it to?” Eren asks, unconvinced. (Also, what was wrong with Mikasa being single?) “… Student council meetings? Debate competitions?! I just,” –

“Parties, Eren,” she says, exasperated, “… it’s high school!”

“You know she doesn’t” –

“Drag her to some! C’mon, we’re going to be seniors soon. She’ll thank you for it!”

…

Six hours later, she’s closing up her shift at her part-time job. It’s a job she’d rather keep hidden – from her friends at school and the law – because she isn’t sure what the age policy was in these kinds of establishments. It worked out because it was close enough to home, and between her and the bartender, the tips compensated the poor wages. Plus, the bartender – a slightly older girl named Ymir with a pretty fringe and a sharp tongue – was genuinely fan to hang out with. And she was surprisingly protective of the small blonde, particularly with the rougher customers, whom Ymir scared off quite effectively with her glares.

“So,” she says, as she scrubs the counter clean, “… I helped my boyfriend buy a dress today.”

She doesn’t turn back to see her, but she can hear Ymir’s raised eyebrows as she says, cheekily, “… I didn’t realize you guys were into that stuff.”

Snorting, she replies, “Well that would be interesting. But no, it was for his, um, friend. Or something.” Or something, because sometimes Eren refers to Mikasa as his best friend, sometimes his family, and sometimes it just felt like… something else, basically.

She turns around to look at Ymir, who says nothing, continuing to rinse the rest of the glasses. “Her name’s Mikasa,” she continues, her voice getting oddly unsure, “They’ve known each other forever. They even… live together.”

“… What,” Ymir stares at her in disbelief.

“It’s not like that,” Krista finds herself sounding defensive, “Eren’s dad is her guardian… or something. Has been for some years. So, it’s not like they moved in together…”

She elects to skip the part where Eren’s dad is a doctor with Doctors without Borders and is barely home for more than a couple of months a year. She didn’t like the look Ymir was giving her anyway.

“So… they’re like brother-sister or what?”

“No,” she says, realizing that the word came out more vehement than she intended. But she knows that was definitely not the way Eren saw their relationship.

“… Krista,” Ymir starts, and the blonde can tell by the tone of her voice that she’s going to get all protective on her, “… I know you’re in high school, and… you’re dating – as you should – but you don’t have to waste your time on shady boys.”

At this she laughs because, “Eren’s not shady, he’s a nice guy,” –

“… You could get anyone you want; I mean look at you, you’re beautiful.”

The defense that was bubbling up in her throat suddenly stilled, because there’s something about the way Ymir just said that – called her beautiful – earnestly, quietly, and it made her feel funny. It took her breath away for a very brief second and replaced it with a warm flush that creeps up her neck.

It’s strange, she’s heard it before from so many boys with obvious motivations; Eren’s always calling her pretty, and complimenting her eyes or whatever… But when Ymir said it, and looked at her like that, honey brown eyes, deep with unnamed emotion, all she could do was avert her eyes.

…

vi.

It’s 7pm and the library’s home only to the nerds by now. The librarian is lax (and underpaid) enough to ignore the low buzz of two over-enthusiastic AP chemistry students that grates on Mikasa’s ears.

Ordinarily she’d just plug her earphones in and ignore the world to focus on the assignment at hand. But today she accepts anything to distract her from the scene earlier at home. And even though Armin’s sitting right next to her, supposedly doing his own thing, she doesn’t miss the worried glances he sends her every now and then, which she really doesn’t want to address.

Her feelings for Eren were a well-known secret by now, just as well-known as the fact that he clearly didn’t return those feelings, so she wasn’t particularly in the mood for Armin’s indulgent pity… regardless of how well-intentioned it was.

So, when its 8pm and the librarian is shooing them out, and she bumps into Jean, she’s grateful for the few extra minutes of conversation surrounding absolutely nothing important.

When they continue to the parking lot, their conversation having progressed from awkward conversation starters to an animated discussion on Jean’s tennis form, Armin’s well and truly realized that he has no place here.

After Armin’s said his goodbyes and Mikasa recognizes that she doesn’t mind staying away from home and possibly Eren and Krista in the middle of their 5th round, she asks Jean, “… so do you like Chinese food?”

…

When she walks in a little after 10 pm, cheeks cold from the night air, there’s a small grin on her cheeks, because she’s made a new friend today, whose company she genuinely enjoyed.

But when she enters the living room to see Eren fast asleep on the couch, she finds herself staring in the face of the reality she’d tried so hard to escape. It’s difficult to ignore the ruffled quality of his brown hair, mussed up in a way that could only have been achieved by someone (a very blonde, very beautiful someone) raking their hands through it.

She can’t help the wave of irritation that sweeps through her - so she doesn’t bother to soften her footsteps as she walks up the wooden stairs.

Minutes later, she hears his sleepy voice at her door. “Hey,” he says, and she can hear the smile in his voice, “you were out pretty late, so I left you some dinner. We made pasta, it’s not as good as yours but,” -

“… I ate already,” she says, tone clipped.

“Oh.” He’s quiet, just watching her put her things away, and there’s irrational tears pricking at her eyes, anger, and frustration that she knows she doesn’t have the right to, so she doesn’t turn to acknowledge him. “… Mikasa, are you…,” he clears his throat, “… is something wrong?”

When she says nothing, he sighs, turning, “… Well, if you want to talk about it, you know I’m always here,” -

“… Could you please go over to Krista’s house next time?”

She colours, surprised at herself for her outburst of honesty. But her blush pales in comparison to Eren’s as he processes what she’s saying. “… This is my house,” he sputters, “… I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to want to bring my girlfriend over.”

“Well, it’s not just ‘bringing her over’, is it?”

His eyes widen in disbelief. “… What I do with Krista, in my personal space, is definitely not your business, Mikasa.”

“It is when I can hear it, Eren,” she retorts, as he shuts the door forcefully behind him.

…

vii.

It’s been two weeks since that… confrontation, and Mikasa’s barely spoken to him since.

She leaves before he does, makes sure dinner’s left out on the stove for him, whether he needs it or not, and locks her door when she’s done. And although he’s found himself staring awkwardly at that shut door multiple times, he’s never had the courage to actually knock.

He simply cannot comprehend this situation because despite the numerous arguments they’ve had in the past - it was always him, whining about something like a petty child and sulking till he got his way - she’d never truly been mad at him. And she’d never, ever, gone days without talking to him. And as he stares at the locker next to his (it was Mikasa’s) with a horrible ache in his chest, he is well and truly sure that he loathes this situation.

So, when small hands reach around his waist, enveloping him in a tight embrace, his subconscious reaction is to jerk back in annoyance. “I didn’t realise it was you,” he murmurs apologetically, rubbing her hands softly.

“… Who else would it be?” Krista asks, somewhat thrown off by this mood that had been festering for days now.

“You ask some very valid questions there, babe,” he mutters, a distracted half-smile on his face.

Taking a deep breath (determined to shake him out of his pensive aura), she whispers, “… You know, I don’t have work today.” She leans against him, reaching up to murmur in his ear, “we could hang out at yours for a while, if you want?”

She makes it clear what she means by “hanging out” by the way she presses up against him, and even though he’s responded with fervent enthusiasm to a similar invitation in the past, today he just averts his gaze, awkwardly.

Swallowing the rejection with a graceful exterior, she puts an arm’s length of distance between them. “… What’s going on, Eren? Your head’s been somewhere else all week.”

And before he starts to stay that it’s nothing, just that he has some stuff going on, she says, “… does this have something to do with Mikasa?”

His green gaze jerks up at her, startled with unfortunate honesty. “… I haven’t seen you talk to her all week.”

“…I,” he starts, but his throat closes up, for some reason, unsure whether he should really tell her what happened. He doesn’t want to put her in the middle of something that was clearly between him and Mikasa.

But with every passing second, the guilty look on his face only begins to feed the fears that she had successfully kept dormant all this while. “… Did something happen between the two of you?”

And when he looks into her eyes, bright blues seeping insecurity, he says, hurriedly, “… wait, I hope you aren’t thinking that we,” - he inhales sharply, wondering how he manages so successfully to upset the women in his life - “God, no. We had a misunderstanding, that’s all. She said something, I was pretty rude to her, and I shouldn’t have been.”

“And,” he murmurs, admitting it to himself, finally, “I’ve just taken too long to apologize.”

…

She’s barely finished washing the vegetables for dinner, when she hears the thud of the front door closing loudly.

(She remembers Carla reprimanding him every time, for not being gentler)

Mikasa has managed to avoid Eren successfully these past days, because she knows his schedule, knows that despite his complete lack of organization, he’s fairly predictable. And with his recent interest in a particular cheerleader, he almost invariably never comes home before 8.30 PM. So, when she hears him enter their kitchen at little over 7, she isn’t prepared.

She isn’t prepared because she’s been quite cowardly, saying things that she had no business saying, and then being unable to own up to it, unable to apologize to him. Because she knew that when she looks at him, she’ll feel the way she feels right now - taking in the sight of him, drizzle droplets fresh in his brown hair, as he runs a hand through it, his mouth twisting into an awkward grin. She knew she’d realize that her feelings for Eren were never really much of a choice, they just were.

“… I brought your favourite dumplings from Li’s,” he announces. “And I brought an extra serving of the spicy soy sauce so we don’t have to fight over who gets the last bit.”

…

He’s grateful for the small smile that forms on her face when she accepts the dumplings (the peace treaty as he calls it in his head), and for the small banter that she indulges him in as they eat.

After they’re stuffed with dumplings and inconsequential conversation, he clears his throat, because he remembers he came home early tonight with a certain conviction.

But as she does with most things, she beats him to it. “… Eren, about the other day,” she looks at him earnestly, “… I had no right to demand that of you. I’m sorry.”

And when he’s still quiet, she mumbles quickly, “I don’t know what got into me that day, honestly, I,” -

“Don’t apologise, Mikasa,” he says, a strange disquiet taking over him as he replays her words, “… the last thing I want, is to make you feel uncomfortable.” Or to make you feel like you can’t demand what you want from me.

This is the part that settles into him slowly, that somehow, the one person in his life that he’s always felt he could ask anything of, could demand anything of, and actually receive it without fail… she didn’t feel that she could count on the same from him. And it twisted painfully inside of him.

“I appreciate that, Eren. But honestly, I’ll get used to it… so don’t worry.” She smiles, in that genuine way of hers, small lips, curving shyly, “… and who knows, maybe someday I’ll want to ‘bring someone over’ too.”

She laughs as she does the air quotes and even though he manages a small grin in response, all he can say, without really meaning it, is –

“Yeah… Of course, yeah.”

…

viii.

She takes her frustration out on the cash register. “… Damn thing doesn’t open when I need it to, and doesn’t close when I want it to,” she mutters under her breath.

“You just need to show it some love,” Ymir says, amused, promptly closing the problematic register without any difficulty. “… Go sit, I’ll close up here.”

She does as she’s told, pouting slightly, but she’s grateful for the older girl’s help and understanding. “So… want a beer before I close the tap?” Ymir asks with a wink.

“You need to stop offering underage girls alcohol,” Krista whispers, scanning the room hastily.

The brunette rolls her eyes. “You need to stop with the innocent act every time. You’re a hot cheerleader for god’s sakes, everyone knows what goes on at your high school parties,” -

“Ok ok,” she acquiesces, suppressing the blush at Ymir’s offhanded compliment and deciding that that there was no point in panicking every time they did this, “… but only if you join me.”

“Cheers,” Ymir says, offering her glass to Krista’s and taking a generous gulp. “So, tell me. Boy trouble, again?”

Krista nurses her drink slowly before taking a sip.

To Krista, Eren was a breath of fresh air. He didn’t hover, he didn’t foam at the mouth every time she spoke to another guy, didn’t hound her if she didn’t pick up his phone call.

Does he even care? Ymir had asked her once scathingly, but she had disregarded it, grateful for the freedom she felt in his embrace. Freedom from toxic attachment, from past trauma or unresolved baggage like the one she was destined to carry. When she was around him, she had felt different. Lighter almost, as if this persona that she had created for herself could actually have a shot at happiness after all.

But lately she’d begun to wonder if she’d just been fooling herself… again. She’d begun to question if she had just convinced herself to see the promise of something that was never there.

“… I thought this guy was one of the good ones,” Ymir says, watching Krista closely.

“He is…” she sighs, “He is one of the good ones. It’s just…” she trails off, unsure if she should give voice to her thoughts. “Ah fuck it, I’m just feeling a little insecure, it’ll be fine…”

“… Is this about that sexy flatmate of his?”

She winces, feeling exposed. It often felt that way with Ymir. Like there was no point to any of the barriers she had worked so hard in constructing.

“She is attractive,” Krista admits, begrudgingly. “… I’m only surprised Eren hasn’t noticed that.”

“… But that’s what you’re worried about, aren’t you? That he has noticed that of late?” Ymir narrows her eyes at Krista. “You should just ask him about it!”

“I did,” she states defensively, “… and he said there was nothing,” -

“… Oh, sure there’s nothing. I can’t believe he thinks he can lie to you and get away with it,” -

“Ymir, I trust him, he’s my boyfriend,” -

“But that’s the problem with you. You just trust everyone, and you let them walk all over you. You did this with Reiner and now with,” -

“Ok,” she whispers, “Stop it, Ymir.”

“… Krista, you need to trust your gut about this sort of thing. If your gut is telling you that he’s a lying asshole, then you should just dump his ass and,” -

“… See this is why I didn’t want to tell you about this,” she cries, her voice rising In frustration. Because this is how it’s always been with Ymir, no one she dates is ever good enough, no decision she makes is ever smart enough.

“You’re always shitting on my boyfriends. And I know you were justified about the last one, but,” her voice cracks just a little bit, because at the end of it all, she just feels weak, “… it feels like you’re just taking a massive crap on me as well.”

“I didn’t mean,” Ymir starts apologetically, brown eyes remorseful, “… look, that wasn’t my intention.”

She takes her hand, slowly, lets her long fingers intertwine with Krista’s smaller, dainty ones. The crumpled expression on Krista’s features has her regretting ever opening her big mouth. But she was tired of seeing one person after another, enter her Krista’s life, and undo the progress she was trying so desperately to make.

“… The truth is,” she takes a deep breath, ready to unleash a truth that’s been stifled for so long, she can’t even remember when it first sprouted, “I think you’re pretty fucking amazing. And I see you wasting all your time and your feelings on these stupid boys who don’t deserve you.” The words come out quickly, rushed almost. A sharp contrast to how long they’ve festered in Ymir’s chest, growing and growing until these feelings knew no reason.

Ymir doesn’t look at her, she keeps her gaze focused on Krista’s hand, afraid of what might happen if Krista understands the depth of feeling behind her words. But more important than her feelings, there were some things she wanted Krista to see clearly.

“Did you tell him about your father, Krista? What he does to you when his wife isn’t looking?”

Krista tugs on her hand, a wave of unbridled panic spreading at the mention of her father. “I trusted you with that information, Ymir, you promised you’d never bring it up,” -

“… Did you tell him your real name?”

She can’t answer this question, even though she knows the answer, knows it’s an emphatic ‘no’ - but she cannot answer because there’s an overwhelming lump in her throat, and it’s taking everything from her to barely keep it together.

“… Let go of me, Ymir,” she pleads, and that’s when Ymir loosens her grip.

“… You trusted me to keep quiet about your secrets - and I’m fine with that. I’m fine with doing anything you ask of me,” her teeth grit together, because she doesn’t know, Krista doesn’t know just how much she would do.

“You asked me not to do anything about the fact that your father is hurting you, and it even though it kills me, I listened to you. But now I see you hurting yourself in this farcical relationship with fabricated feelings for some boy who doesn’t treat you the way you deserve, and I don’t know if I can be quiet about that anymore.”

And because it’s grown too large, too much to keep inside of her anymore, she whispers, “I love you, Historia. And if you want me to let go of you, I will. But,” she brushes her lips gently against Krista’s cheek, “… You can trust me with your secrets, and your heart, if you’d let me, because I could take care of you.” She feels a warm tear roll down Krista’s cheek and her heart clenches, “… I could make you happy.”

…

ix.

“… I really appreciate you making time for this,” she murmurs, as she watches him lay the white lilies at her parent’s grave.

He always remembers, without her prompting, because the first time he’d come with her, she’d spent hours crying at their gravestone, telling him tear-filled anecdotes of the dishes her Mama cooked, the bedtime stories her Papa told, the flowers that they used to grow in their garden together (white lilies).

“C’mon Mikasa,” he rolls his eyes at her, “… we do this every year. Why wouldn’t I make time for this?” And why the hell are you thanking me?

She can’t really explain it to him, the possibly childish notion that she thought he might be too busy with his girlfriend to remember the death anniversary of her parents. She regrets doubting him, regrets that of late she’s been so clouded by petty jealousy, that she hasn’t truly appreciated how little he’s changed around her.

“It’s ridiculous,” she confesses, softly, “… you’ve given me everything. A home… A family.” She smiles at him, somewhat blurry. “But I can’t help it, every year on this day, my mind always goes back to that… moment. I lost them… in what felt like the blink of an eye.”

He tenses, as he always does when he sees her upset, or shedding a tear. There is a fundamental part of him that deeply despises the sadness on her features; it makes him feel helpless. So, he does the only thing he can - he wraps an arm around her, tucking her face into his shoulder as she snuggles into him.

“I miss them every day. But you saved me, Eren,” she whispers, dark eyes looking up at him with a gratefulness that he has never known how to accept, and never felt worthy of. “… and now I have you.”

Her voice trails off, almost wistful. “… I guess the world really can be cruel but beautiful at the same time.”

…

When he stops to think about it, he supposes it really is ridiculous it took them so long to get here. And by here he means - Mikasa wrapped securely in his arms, in his lap, on their couch, taking advantage of the privacy they’ve had all along.

He feels her tongue flick against his - it makes him shiver - and he can do little more than just wrap himself around her tighter, and sigh into her kiss. Her fingers make their way into his hair, cradling his head, pressing sweet kisses on the side of his mouth, on his jaw, and on the sensitive spot beneath his ear.

And because Mikasa’s always been a quick study (she’s learnt what he likes, what he’s weak for), he stills her exploration (very reluctantly) before she goes too far.

“Are you okay…?” He whispers, rubbing a thumb along the dried tear stains on her cheek – a reminder of her tears, of knowing the pain that he’d caused her, bubbled quietly within him, having been quelled temporarily by the glorious feeling of having her in his arms.

She laughs, shaking her head, “… I love you. I can’t believe I finally get to say it.” She rests her forehead against his, a happy smile forming on her lips.

“… You could have said it ages ago; you know. No one asked you to keep it inside for this long.” Even though he teases her with his words, his lips drift back to hers, brushing softly, unable to stay away for too long.

“… Well, you never know, I actually might have said it. If it wasn’t for, you know, you having a girlfriend.” He senses the eye roll, the teasing lilt of her voice, but he can’t help but regret the time he wasted. Because even though Krista was a dear friend, and there were no ill intentions there, now that he is here, chest to chest with the girl he loves, he only wishes he’d been here sooner.

“You’re going to use that against me forever, aren’t you?”

She grins in response. “… I have a question though.”

“Shoot,” he murmurs, nibbling against her lower lip.

“… Why’d you guys break up?”

He groans, kissing her jaw testily. “… Do you really want to go into that right now?”

She hesitates, torn between potentially ruining the mood and needing to know what happened. God knows, she had spent countless nights losing sleep over the details anyway. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay, I guess…”

“It’s fine,” he says quickly, realising that if he wanted to set a precedent where she could ask him anything, then it‘s best he starts now, “… She’s in love with someone else. A girl, actually.”

Her eyes widen, not having expected that turn of events. “… Please tell me you didn’t ask for a threesome.”

“What the fuck, Mikasa, of course not!” He pulls back, offended.

“Good,” she murmurs cheekily, “I’ve raised you well.”

“Hmm,” he hums, “Speaking of ‘raising me’, you should probably stop saying stuff like that. Do you know that Connie asked if you were like a ’sister’ to me?”

He grins, seeing the shocked expression on her face. That’s exactly how he had felt when he was posed that question, with a little mortification added to the mix. “… Is that really how everyone sees our… relationship?”

His fingers drift to hers, where they rest on his chest. “We’ve been living together for a while now,” he caresses her knuckles absentmindedly, “Kids our age… they don’t really understand it, I guess. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.”

“My turn: I have a question for you,” he murmurs. This is a question he’s long considered, stopped only by his embarrassment, fielding it from others only to put the vaguest labels on it.

“… What am I to you, Mikasa?”

The question throws her, because even though she’s told him candidly how she feels, that she loves him, she always has, he is asking her, right now, to define their relationship.

The very notion, the expression that flits on her tongue, bubbles up in her heart with an exciting warmth, even though she hopes this is just temporary, that it will grow, that Eren is so many things and will be so many things to her that she cannot possibly define right now - “… My boyfriend, of course.”

- fin -

A/N: i've been really nervous to post em, because its just been so long, and the writer that wrote chap 1 is different from the one that wrote chap 2, and honestly i dont even know if there are inconsistencies. so my request to you, dear reader, is to please let me know if i have made any fuck ups in writing this - or if you have any ideas for pacing, or storytelling that could possibly help me improve.

also there will be a chapter 3 focusing on eremika’s sexual exploration~

#eremika #erehisu #yumihisu #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #shingeki no kyojin #liquorisce fanfiction

33 notes · View notes

uwua3 · 4 years ago

Note

Hello! Sunflowers hold a really special meaning for me so when i read the "sunflower dreams" My heart was so happy!! I havent felt this happy in a long time since quarantine started so thank you for taking the time to write it! It really made my day. If i could request a kazunari x reader where they're both artists that would be amazing. Maybe the reader can be a famous anonymous art influencer? Its up to you! Again thank you so much for writing "sunflower dreams" 💜

i’m so happy i could make you smile ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) it’s messages like these that absolutely make my day! thank you so much for taking your time to even read it, i’m glad to know it touched your heart ♡ i hope you have a good rest of your day—please know all of a3! love you vvv much!!! ｀･ω･)9 i hope this makes your heart happy just like before! thank you, anon, for everything

summary: every time you fell in love, you made a new art piece

author’s note: please smile from this absolutely soft and endearing kazunari fluff! in times like these where negativity is all around us, it’s good to take a break and purposely give yourself happiness. i hope this is a light in your day and makes you experience all the goodness of love! ♡ — concept based on “to all the boys i’ve loved before”

word count: 3,389

music: i like me better – lauv

to everyone i’ve loved before.

🌻🎨 miyoshi kazunari

you created art every time you had a crush so intense, you didn’t know what else to do

no matter how big or small it was, or how long or short it lasted, love is love. even if it was a random stranger you’d never see again or someone you knew for a lifetime, love is love

therefore, there was no exact total. because even if you didn’t remember every single person you’ve made art for, you clearly remembered what it was like experiencing the euphoria of love. the phenomenon of your heart selflessly beating for someone else. the attack of getting hit by cupid’s arrow out of no where. the rush of emotions unlike any other

love was everywhere and you made sure to create something that was a memory of it. that was when you decided to practice art after being unable to recall a person’s face a moment too long

it was your form of a love letter. a picture spoke a thousand words you couldn’t write, and art was the perfect way to convey that. online for everyone to see were your love letters in art form: portraits of everyone you’ve loved

you fell in love again and again, a new art piece posted soon over the years of your life. under the username, to-everyone-ive-loved, a lifelong project was in the works for all of social media to see

unknown to the rest of the world, you were the artist behind the blog “to-everyone-ive-loved” who created portraits from memory

but, you didn’t mean to fall in love with another artist as well

all it took was one comment and you were theirs

it was one of your most recent posts, a finished piece on a stranger you saw. you found yourself in veludo way, the ideal street to find people you’d never forget. after witnessing a sudden street act, only one actor caught your eye that day

you didn’t know his name, but you didn’t need to. you were in love

you immediately rushed home without a second thought, the inspiration and creativity infectious after watching him perform. something about his energy was wildly entertaining and bizarre, like a modern pop song as a person. he was effortlessly trendy, popular, and charismatic just from the few minutes you saw him

the moment he stood up on that street corner like it was a stage, all eyes were on him and he knew it. as you sketched into the day, you remembered the small details clearly. dirty blonde hair with no dark roots in sight, glittering green eyes, wide welcoming smile. he had the face of an actor, that’s for sure

when you posted it right after finishing, you didn’t expect any major attention. on average, your posts got 100 likes or so. while it was an impressive feat, nothing could’ve prepared you for that one comment

kaz-PIKO: i’m in love with your art ♡

as your popularity and fame grew before your very eyes, you clicked on his profile and realized it was him. the actor you had seen earlier at veludo way

you didn’t know what happened, but all you knew was you couldn’t forget this one person, miyoshi kazunari, no matter how hard you tried

no matter where you went, you couldn’t draw anyone else except that boy named kazunari. after scrolling through his entire instablam account, you found out he was an actor for mankai company’s summer troupe. he was a star in his own right, with a stage presence like the spotlight was constantly on him and a heart of gold

this was the first time you ever got so caught up on someone that they didn’t leave your mind. hours became days, and days began becoming a week before you let yourself follow him back

everyone you had ever drawn had never recognized themselves before. it was all because a follower connected the visual similarities between your art and kazunari’s unique traits that kazunari knew you had seen him before

if only he wasn’t a social media influencer with followers reaching the hundreds of thousands. at least, his popularity attracted attention to your profile...

this was a problem, however. because if you couldn’t draw anyone else, what could you do? once again, you stalked kazunari’s blog once again like it was a habit

it was never really a rule to make one love letter per person, but you never had wanted to make another for the same person. until, now

video after video. picture after picture. story after story. you could see kazunari’s face even when you closed your eyes. what about him made you daydream about him constantly? was it his charming voice that could make anyone stop and stare? his intricate piercings that were different every day? his ability to make you feel at home? whatever it was (or maybe it was an accumulation of everything and more), you had to draw kazunari again

when you posted it, you typically didn’t add more to the caption than the date and time. except this time, you felt like all your rules were being broken over someone who had no idea who you were

to-everyone-ive-loved-before: XX/XX/20 (3:33 A.M.) — social butterfly

you watched it upload. it was a piece you had never done before. glowing butterflies of all colors surrounded the center of the masterpiece, a smiling kazunari

hopefully, this would solve whatever feelings you were having and the world would go back to normal. you’d move on, fall in love with someone else, and repeat

it didn’t work, because some time later, you woke up to a comment that made you feel the butterflies in your stomach

kaz-PIKO: like a butterfly, i’ll fly to you, wherever you are~ ☆

and for some reason, you wanted kazunari to find you

you had never felt so motivated to draw before. however, your muse was the same. a beautiful boy named miyoshi kazunari who was slowly capturing your heart without even knowing it. you watched the pages in your sketchbook lessen and lessen. the corners of assignments and napkins and anything in between was covered in doodles. if there was a writing instrument in your hand, something related to kazunari would come out of it

it was a fascination. a fixiation, even. you had only seen one performance before falling in love. was it because kazunari responded that it made you feel like you had a chance?

you wouldn’t admit it, but it was becoming embarrassing with how much you were staring at the few unread messages from kazunari in your dm box. they came in right after you had followed him back, and more arrived when you posted the “social butterfly” piece

what was stopping you from talking to your muse? you knew the answer without thinking: what if these feelings were real?

obsessions and crushes come and go, but... love, love stayed. there wasn’t any possibility you could love someone from afar without knowing anything about them, right?

but, then again... you did know some things about kazunari. you knew kazunari was the best actor of all time, with expressions and gestures the equivalent of art. kazunari was art—in every single way possible. everything about him made you want to draw and draw and draw

you only drew kazunari for a certain time, no matter which stranger crossed your path. people you knew you would’ve sketched simply became passer-bys, and it was all because of kazunari’s sunny smile that you were in love. or, what you thought was love

the more you thought about kazunari’s unread dms, the more you wondered what this was. why did kazunari make you so happy? was this truly the first time you were experiencing... a crush?!

for the first time since that street act, you found yourself in veludo way. while half of you was hoping you’d randomly bump into summer troupe’s moodmaker, the other half was petrified about how kazunari was a real person. a very much popular, recognizable person

it was the weekend, and the burden of university projects was telling you to go back and focus. yet, with a sketchbook in one hand and a pencil tucked behind your ear, you were very much prepared to draw to your heart’s content

as you tried to flip to a clean page, you heard something that made your heart flutter. despite the noise and busy atmosphere of veludo, a distinct laugh was audible above the crowd. when you looked up, your eyes barely registered a deep blue jacket before walking straight into the person

you nearly tumbled to the ground before two hands steadied you, a surprised “whoa!” leaving their mouth before being followed by a gentle laugh. the usual embarrassment didn’t set in until you went to go thank the person, only to stop

oh my god. you had just bumped into miyoshi kazunari, your muse for the past month or so

kazunari grinned, even though it faltered slightly at your wide-eyed expression and awkward silence. he didn’t seem to mind as he adjusted his black top hat, pocketing his phone and confidently meeting your gaze

“i’m so sorry~! i hope you’re okay, i’m kazunari!” kazunari introduced and you realized he didn’t know you were behind to-everyone-ive-loved-before. you quickly adjusted yourself, pretending as if this wasn’t the highlight of your entire week

when you introduced yourself, kazunari’s eyes sparkled with interest as he easily led you into conversation. despite being a bit of a socially awkward artist who preferred being alone over anything else, kazunari was... comfortable. you didn’t feel self-conscious of how you acted, because he readily accepted how you were with a smile

was he like this was everyone or... did he find you to be a work of art, too?

standing off to the side, you finally noticed several members of mankai were advertising their latest play. bright, aesthetically pleasing flyers were being handed out to everyone walking by, and you seemed to look a moment too long before kazunari followed your gaze and suddenly snapped his fingers

“oh! are you interested in theatre?” you really weren’t, but you nodded anyways just to see kazunari’s excitement. he pardoned himself for a moment just to snatch a flyer, returning to show it off with a proud smile

“please come to mankai company’s summer performance!” kazunari’s smile sparkled and before he looked around to see if anyone was watching, he winked. kazunari covered the side of his face that was facing his troupe members, pretending as if you two were sharing some big secret

“plus, i’ll be there. if you come, i’ll make sure to do my very best~” kazunari bargained, even though you already knew he was already planning on wowing the audience with his charisma. you took in his genuine want to impress you and the butterflies came back

“i’ll come.” you agreed without even checking the date or reading anything. now all of you just wanted more & more opportunities as the person kazunari was surprisingly interested in, not as the artist who was basically in love with him

agreeing right away was worth it when kazunari shot you a grateful, blinding smile in return. you stumbled over your words with how taken back you were, but asked anyways, “do you like flowers?”

kazunari’s eyes softened for a moment, his usual energy suddenly gone before returning. he seemed genuinely moved by your question, and you wondered how many flowers it’d take to see him smile again like that

“i do, especially if they’re from you.”

“what kind?”

someone called kazunari’s name, insisting they were going to be late for practice. kazunari shouted back an agreement by telling them to go ahead first, before putting all his attention on you once again

“hibiscus.” meaning delicate beauty

before kazunari could ask for your socials, with his hand already reaching for his phone, you cut him off, hoping your voice wasn’t off

“next week. 7 P.M., mankai theatre. i’ll be there, front row.” you promised and took off, rushing off with a wave as kazunari stared after you for a second before waving back enthusiastically

as you left, kazunari was about to leave before he noticed something on the ground. it was a plain sketchbook, unassuming at first but it was nearly bursting at the binding with how many pages there were

when kazunari picked it up, he was about to flip to the first page before mankai called his name again, impatient this time. kazunari held onto the book and sent one last glance towards your direction before disappearing, hurrying to make sure the director wouldn’t penalize him for being the reason everyone was late

when you arrived home, you instinctually reached for the pencil behind your ear. at the same time, you put your hand in your bag, attempting to feel the familiar edges of your sketchbook

then, after turning your bag inside out and finding nothing, you collapsed onto your desk chair with shock and disbelief

you lost your sketchbook in veludo way the moment you met kazunari. what if he had it?

you drew another piece and stared at your screen, wondering if you should post it. it was kazunari once again with a yellow hibiscus flower behind his ear, the same gentle smile you couldn’t perfectly capture gracing his lips

you typed the caption and backspaced before settling on something that only you and him would know

to-everyone-ive-loved-before: XX/XX/20 (8:01 P.M.) — delicate beauty

you hesitated before deleting the post a second after. maybe, you’d keep some artwork to yourself

kazunari had the sketchbook open next to his bedside, his phone in his hands and your profile open. he could recognize your art style a mile away, and the moment he saw the first sketch after practice, he couldn’t believe it

did this explain why he felt such a natural attraction to you? when you bumped into him, kazunari swore he could see the sparks flying. you made him feel like he was falling in love and you only proved him right when you two talked earlier. he wanted to know everything about you, he wanted to see you again

was this what love at first sight felt like? kazunari giddily typed a message over and over again, the unread messages of his filling his screen

kaz-PIKO: heya!! ★>d(,,･ε´-,,)⌒☆ just wanted to say i LOVE your art fr!!! we should totes collab, you know???

kaz-PIKO: thanks for drawing me btw :0 does this mean you live near veludo? let’s meet up!!!

kaz-PIKO: ,,, i don’t usually say this but, that social butterfly piece was breathtaking. you must really like me, huh? (･ω<)☆ jk haha

kaz-PIKO: no but really, it’s beautiful. thank you, honestly. it made my day, you make me happy ♡

kaz-PIKO: you must be really beautiful, too. i would want to draw you as well. lmk if ur up for that haha

kazunari read back his previous messages, all of them delivered but unopened. he realized how... how open he already was with the anonymous faceless artist, despite never interacting with them

now that he knew what you looked like, it only reassured his intuition that he was rightfully head over heels for you

kazunari typed something before deleting it, closing out of instablam and throwing his phone somewhere on his bed

kaz-PIKO: i was right, you are beautiful. i may have fallen in love, too

some things were better left unsaid. after all, you two had until next week to figure everything out

for the rest of the week, all you and kazunari did were think about the other person. a small part of you was afraid kazunari wasn’t the dream boy you imagined, but he was much more. you noticed he started posting more often and turned his notifications, wanting to be one of the first to see his practice videos and university selfies

you didn’t post any of the art you made of kazunari, making it the longest you hadn’t posted ever. kazunari couldn’t help but refresh your account every now and then, hoping he’d see his face again, as selfish as it was. kazunari wouldn’t know how’d he feel if he saw someone else had your heart

the longer time went on, the more you were certain. every fascination you had with someone was temporary, and you remembered the feeling rather than the person. but, with kazunari, you liked him for who he was. everything kazunari made you feel was new and exciting, but even when that went away, you still liked him

kazunari was your first crush, for real

kazunari liked making people like him. so, your online confession through art wasn’t exactly a surprise. but, yours was different. it was earnest, honest, and everything he didn’t know he was needing

kazunari looked through your sketchbook again and again, tracing over the notes you wrote in the margins and admiring your skill

kazunari liked you, and he was certain he would’ve still liked you even if you weren’t to-everyone-ive-loved-before

when showtime arrived, kazunari was oddly nervous. peeking from behind the red curtain, kazunari could already see you were one of the first sitting front row, just like you said. he had practiced his lines a thousand times and summer was fully prepared, why was he nervous?

before he went on, kazunari ignored the urgency of the mankai staff and quickly texted a message to your profile, hoping you’d at least see the notification this time

kaz-PIKO: i like you, too

(when you felt your phone buzz, you quickly silenced it)

the show moved you to a standing ovation, just like everyone else in the audience. as summer walked out to bow and express their gratitude, you watched kazunari’s eyes search for yours as he tilted his head towards backstage. you nodded, knowing you’d do anything to see this kazunari. actor kazunari, who was on cloud 9 with his performance and glowing from praise

you wanted to see, to experience, to draw, all versions of kazunari

after the applause, you looked around backstage before feeling a hand on your arm, the feeling reminiscent of the first time you bumped into kazunari

“you came.” kazunari breathlessly stated, as if he was surprised. before he could say anything else, you presented him with a bouquet of hibiscus flowers. the same shade of yellow you drew him with

“of course, i wanted to see you again.” you honestly admitted, knowing it made you flustered. kazunari carefully took the flowers before grinning, gently placing then beneath his chin. he looked like a vision, you wish you could’ve asked him to stand still so you could capture this moment forever

“i wanted to see you, too.” kazunari softly said, all the energy of being on stage gone. it was tranquil and peaceful, like you two were the only people in the entire theatre

kazunari took a moment to admire you before realizing something, taking something from behind him and presenting it to you. it was your sketchbook on the bottom, but a smaller version was on top of it, signed in silver sharpie. kazunari’s signature was glittering like his eyes as you took it

“next time, let’s draw together.”

kazunari’s sketchbook was filled with you. anything from small doodles to encouraging messages was found inside, with tens of post-it notes of just thoughts about you. kazunari’s art was colorful and extremely out of the box compared to his usual traditional style. it made you smile

kazunari watched you flip through it, already knowing this was the greatest act of love he could’ve declared this early on. he anticipated for you to reach the end

when you landed on the last page, you saw a note

do you want go on a date with me?

“next time, respond to my dms! that way i don’t have to write everything~!” kazunari teased and you two shared a laugh, knowing everything was going to be okay

“yes.”

“yes...?”

“yes, i’ll respond to your dms. and yes, i’ll go on a date with you.”

eventually, you ended up closing your blog for good. your last post was a picture of you and kazunari, with one caption

to-everyone-ive-loved-before: XX/XX/20 (3:33 P.M.) — to the one boy i love now, i love you

kaz-PIKO: i love you, too ♡

#miyoshi kazunari #kazunari miyoshi #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#act! addict! actors!#a3! actor training game #a3! headcanons #act! addict! actors! headcanons #mankai a3!#mankai company #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #kazunari x reader #a3! kazunari #a3 kazunari

109 notes · View notes

sakura-blossom28 · 5 years ago

Text

Modern Day Romance

Chapter 1

So I gave up on my other Gaara x Sakura fanfiction lol but it just made me sad to write. So I’m writing this one and hopefully, it’ll be a little bit more upbeat since I myself and doing better. I put a lot of myself into this, but I also want to make the best situations for the characters and hope I’ll be in a good relationship one day too! Just trying to speak into the universe through writing and getting my feelings out there as well cause it has been rough the last few months. Thought I was doing better but life always has other plans!

Obviously, this is a modern au, but no COVID in this world cause I don’t want it! lol please let me know what you think! Also planning on the next chapter to be Gaara’s perspective to change up my writing style!

I do not own Naruto!

...

No. No. Too short. Too far away. Swipe, swipe, swipe.

Sakura laid in her bed looking at the eligible bleachers that were in a 20 mile radius. The internet had turned into her only means of dating in the last few years. Having finished her master’s in nursing while working on top of that with her mentor, she finally was ready for a serious relationship. It was harder than she initially thought.

With the start of summer right around the corner, Sakura was finally ready to get back out there. She got out of a very serious one-sided relationship back in the winter, right as she was finishing school, that left her devastated beyond repair, or so she thought, but she pushed through and devoted herself to finishing with top marks. It took a lot of time to get over her ex, but it was worth it. All those endless nights of crying over her textbooks allowed her to do some real digging and showed her that the person she loved with her whole heart was in fact, not good enough for her.

It was strange getting over someone you thought you loved. For Sakura, it was easy getting over him but the hard part was that she lost her friends in the process. They had chosen him over her, and it was finally obvious. That’s what was killing Sakura at the moment.

Earlier that day was Sakura’s day off in what felt like forever. She was so excited to finally be able to spend time with her friends that she woke up early to be able to make plans with them. Sakura text Hinata and TenTen first because she knew Naruto wouldn’t answer and she never really was that close to Neji. She had a beach day in mind, she was so pale compared to everyone else she saw because she was always at work or in trying to get some studying in.

It didn’t take too long to get an answer from Hinata, but unfortunately, both girls were busy that day and wouldn’t be able to see her. Bummed by the news Sakura crawled back into bed not sure what she would do now. The beach wasn’t worth driving all the way there to pay for just herself. She decided to lay in bed for a little while longer hoping that she could think of something fun to do by herself.

When Sakura awoke she lazily was scrolling through her social media accounts and saw something that made her heart drop into her stomach. There on Hinata’s story was her and everyone else already at the beach. Everyone was smiling and having a good time from what it seemed. Sakura even noticed a new girl with red hair and glasses that she had never seen before. Then next to the girl was him.

Sakura made sure after the breakup that she muted everything on social media to help her heal. She also made a strict rule to never look at any of his profiles because it would just upset her more. Their relationship was over and there was no going back. She was getting better. The sight of his name liking things on Naruto’s page didn’t upset her so much anymore, which was a big sign of progress to Sakura. In all honesty, Sakura felt okay seeing his face and seeing this new girl that he was clearly with. She was more upset with her friends. Sure they had been there for her when they first broke up, but this wasn’t the first time that Sakura knew they were all hanging out and didn’t attempt to invite her.

They chose him. Time to let them go, the voice in her mind said.

This old habit had come back to her within the last year. A sign to Sakura about how unhappy she was with Sasuke because that voice always tried to warn her about the red flags, but Sakura was too stubborn to listen. Now it seemed that voice was the only person she talked to anymore.

Why are they doing this? I thought we all could have gotten along once in a while. Didn’t he say I should still be friends with them?

Clearly, they don’t think the same way. You knew your friendship with them had an expiration date. They’re hurting you. We don’t let people do that anymore remember?

Sakura weeded through a lot of unhappy thoughts to get where she was today. She made a lot of promises to herself to be stronger than she used to be. Somehow she lost a sense of herself along the way and she would never sacrifice that again no matter who it was, friend or partner.

She closed the app and went to text her best friend Ino. They were so close and could tell each other everything, but Ino moved away to the city a few years ago and was living life to the fullest in Sakura’s eyes. She had only met Sasuke once and Sakura didn’t reach out when they broke up anyway. Ino just seemed so busy to Sakura that she didn’t want to bother her. She could really use a friend right now.

It seemed like every person she thought of was in a relationship besides herself. Why was dating so hard for her? Everyone else was clearly doing something she wasn’t. She never even had a relationship that lasted longer than 6 months. She couldn’t even go out and meet someone at a bar because now she had no friends to go out with, not that Hinata and TenTen would have gone with her anyway. All their comforting words came back to her when she first got dumped, was it all a lie?

Sakura was the type of person to say something and mean it. If she said she’d help then she would even if it was months down the line, she would always keep her word. Hinata and TenTen promised they would still be friends and hang out, but that only happened once. A few messages now and again, but Sakura definitely felt a weird shift with Hinata one day. It had been months after the breakup and Sakura was having a bad day and tried to talk to her about it, but at the mention of Sasuke and how upset he used to make Sakura because he ignored her all the time, Hinata clammed up and almost refused to believe Sasuke would have done something like that. From that day on, Sakura never brought him up again.

Jumping out of bed, Sakura was already tired of feeling bad for herself. Anger always helped her move forward. If they couldn’t be fair and hang out with both of them, then fine, she would find new friends! No one was ever going to waste her time again! She got herself ready for a day devoted to things that made her happy.

The men in her area left a lot to be desired. For some reason, the only guys who seemed to like her were incredibly short. Her not being that tall herself it shouldn’t have bugged her, but with past dates with guys that were short always turned out horrible for her, so she stayed clear. Any decent guy that she found always seemed to be just too far away or even out of state which irritated her to no end.

The following weeks were a challenge for Sakura. Matching with a few different guys was exciting, but none seemed too interested in her enough to ask her out and they just ended up ghosting her. Some were a bit more forward in just coming out and saying they were looking for a casual fling. At least these guys had the decency to be outright in what they wanted. Sakura respectfully declined each offer.

Finally, after talking to a nice guy named Zaku, things seemed to be looking up for Sakura. They talked for about two weeks before he finally asked her out. The date was pleasant enough, but Sakura just didn’t feel that spark that she craved. Maybe it’ll get better, she thought, but alas Sakura had no such luck.

A week passed after the date and Zaku made no effort in saying he wanted to see her again. It frustrated Sakura to no end. Here she was giving all the effort once and to have nothing reciprocated. Sure there was no spark, but she thought it was a good change of pace after being totally obsessive over Sasuke. She thought maybe the guy would like her more, but this is exhausting. They ended things amicably, but Sakura felt a bit hurt when he didn’t really give a reaction when she said they should see other people.

Since then no one had really caught her attention. Sure she was matching with guys, but once again they would stop talking to her after a few days. Sakura was about to give up all hope and just accept that love wasn’t meant for her when a guy named Gaara popped up on her scene. Now he typically wasn’t her type, but there was something about him that made her want to look at him more.

He was 5’10”, red hair, and had green eyes that were a very close shade to hers. He seemed to be the polar opposite to her. He mostly wore dark clothing but in a very tasteful way. He definitely had his own style and fashion sense which was really refreshing. Gaara wasn’t smiling in most of his pictures, but the last picture of his profile must have been taken by one of his friends at a party because he was laughing with a guy with big eyebrows who had a funny look on his face. He looked so handsome and attractive to Sakura in that picture that she instantly liked it.

She quickly realized what she had done and checked over her own profile to make sure nothing was too embarrassing on there. She tried to think of some cute answers to put on there and some pictures of her over the years. Nothing was that recent because all the pictures from the last year had been deleted. Looking over the pictures she seemed normal enough, but she was worried that Gaara would think she’s too preppy for him to like her. The only thing that stood out to her was her music taste. She did like a few rock bands, so hopefully that would intrigue him.

Sakura hadn’t felt this much attraction for someone in a long time. She looked over his profile and tried to memorize everything. She didn’t even care if he was out of state. Thankfully he was about a 20 minute drive away from where she lived. The only issue she found with him was that he smoked, but maybe he would be considerate and not smoke around her. One picture was him sitting by a window reading a book as he was surrounded by many potted cacti. Sakura could just picture the rest of the room and imagine the two of them spending time together just relaxing.

Don’t do that to yourself. He didn’t even like you back yet, don’t go imagining things, the voice said.

Sighing, Sakura knew the voice was right. She always got herself into a mess thinking about things before they happened. She knew this bad habit caused a lot of problems for herself when she was in a relationship with someone. She built up this imaginary person in her mind and got upset when they didn’t act that way in real life. On the other hand, it did help her to see that the guys she was dating weren’t a right fit for her because she was imagining the bare minimum of a decent relationship.

She was about to turn off her phone and do something else with her time, but she got a new notification. Gaara has matched with you! See what he said.

With her body moving faster than her mind, she opened the message.

Ch 2

#gaara x sakura #Sakura Haruno #Sabaku No Gaara #modern au #fanfiction #fanfic #naruto #Naruto Uzumaki #Hinata Hyuga #neji hyuga #tenten #Sasuke Uchiha #karin #My writing #gaasaku #dating au #online dating

22 notes · View notes

halictus-writer · 4 years ago

Text

Welcome to Seattle (Ch. 4 of 5)

Remus woke early the next morning, feeling energetic. He brewed a fresh pot of coffee and sat down at his table/desk combination to work on his novel. Safely wrapped in an oversized sweater, he opened the window to let the fresh cold morning air in. It wasn’t until he had settled comfortably into a workflow and even lit a cinnamon-scented candle before he remembered that he should probably still be upset over being blown off from a dinner date last night.

Instead, he felt strangely at peace. Going to the Italian restaurant, laughing with Sirius, and eating pizza had seemed to wash away his troubles, and he wasn’t going to complain if it took a surprisingly short amount of time to feel normal again. After writing a chapter and a half, it was time to leave for his breakfast with the girls.

As Remus walked out of his apartment building, he tossed his jacket over his shoulder and almost skipped down the sidewalk–– tiramisu safely in hand–– with joy. Something about the day just felt good.

Walking into the breakfast nook, he spotted his friends already seated at a table.

“Marls! Dorcas!” He greeted them warmly, giving each of them a side-hug.

Dorcas responded with a “Hey, babe!” While Marlene fixed him with a look.

“You,” she said, index finger pointing at his chest, “are absolutely glowing.”

Remus’s cheeks began to turn red, a lingering side effect of any attention whatsoever being directed towards him. His smile stayed in place though. “What, no I’m not.”

“Why do you look so happy?”

“Also,” he drew out the word, talking over Marlene, “I brought you a gift!” Remus handed over the box containing last night’s tiramisu, previously concealed by his jacket.

“Oh my god, this looks so good.” Dorcas said, eyeing the dessert.

Marlene started to close the box again when Dorcas made a noise of protest. “What?” She asked, laughing. “We have to wait until after we eat breakfast.”

“No we most certainly do not, we are adults!” Dorcas protested, and reopened the box.

Conversation flowed comfortably between the three of them, updating each other on the events of the past week. For every minute of serious conversation, there seemed to be two more of random banter, staccatoed with flicking straw wrappers and play-fighting when Dorcas or Marlene wanted to prevent the other from telling a funny story at the expense of her girlfriend. After Marlene all but tackled Dorcas to successfully pass her phone to Remus–– displaying a video of a wine-drunk Dorcas driving backwards in Mario Kart, her face dropping in shock when Marlene’s voice from behind the camera points out that she is in last place–– they got disdainfully frowned at from a tourist family and an old married couple. James would have been proud.

Eventually, Dorcas brought the conversation back to Remus’s cancelled date. “So, Marls is right, you are glowing, and I love that, but tell us about last night. You don’t seem upset about it?”

Remus shrugged. “Well, yeah, I mean it sucked waiting around for the dinner date that never happened, but if it wasn’t meant to be then there’s really no use losing sleep over it, I suppose.”

Dorcas looked mildly impressed by his answer.

“Plus, I salvaged the evening by treating myself to pizza at the Italian restaurant right by my apartment. That’s where your pre-breakfast dessert hailed from.”

Marlene looked at the now-empty to-go box in surprise. “Wow, I love how we just devoured that and didn’t even ask you where it came from. I don’t think I even said thanks?”

“Don’t worry babe, we were doing him a favor. Remus hates soggy cake.” Dorcas stated confidently.

Remus laughed. “You’re welcome,” he said, looking only at Marlene. “But yeah, I wish the waiter knew that about me. I would be totally happy with any other free dessert, but I guess tiramisu is their specialty or something.”

“Wait, hold on,” Marlene paused. “Are you saying you didn’t buy this for us? I’m withdrawing my belated thanks.”

“No, no, wait hold on, but to the other part of that sentence,” Dorcas said. “Are you saying a waiter gave you a free dessert?”

“Yeah, he kind of always does.”

“Wait, is he like, flirting with you?”

“No!” Remus said, assuredly, but his cheeks turned warm anyway.

“He gave you a free dessert. He has given you multiple free desserts? That is definitely flirting.”

Remus wanted to protest this statement, somehow, but all he could come up with was a strangled sort of noise.

Marlene seemed encouraged by his obvious embarrassment. “Oh my god, you’re going to fall in love and make babies with the help of modern science. Your baby is going to like tiramisu and be born with the personality of an old man. Half you and half waiter boy.”

“What’s his name what’s his name what’s his name,” Dorcas parroted, poking him in the arm with each question.

“Absolutely not.” Remus answered. Having already witnessed Dorcas’s impressive online stalking skills, he wasn’t about to give her a name as unique as Sirius. “Besides, uh,” his tone softened, “honestly I think he only brings me desserts because he feels sorry for me.”

Dorcas’s playful smile dropped. “Oh, Remus,” she began, “don’t sell yourself short.”

Marlene nodded with her, but mercifully changed the subject a minute later.

***

Remus shifted in his seat as his phone vibrated once, signifying an incoming text message. He was in his daily meeting with the other writers for the newspaper. They had just wrapped up the business side of the meeting, and had moved on to the fun side: presenting the best (worst?) reader comments from their online stories.

“Okay, okay, my turn,” the room quieted as Minerva spoke up. She was one of the older writers, and had been at the paper for almost ten years now. Everyone respected (and possibly feared) her, but Remus had immediately connected with her after they locked eyes during a lunch break to discover that they were both reading the newest Margaret Atwood novel and sipping Earl Grey tea. “On my article covering the shopping mall that tried to prevent breastfeeding in public, Ken M. wrote ‘aside from being completely unnecessary, breastfeeding encourages babies to objectify women.’”

The room burst into laughter, and Remus took the opportunity to subtly check his phone. Sure enough, it was Roy, the man he had been messaging for the last few days, and had even moved from Tinder’s chat platform to real texting. He smiled, but turned the phone to Do Not Disturb until the meeting was over.

“Ken M. strikes again!” Someone else announced.

“Ken M. deserves his own column, I swear.” A voice from the back of the room chimed in. “This man comments something completely ridiculous on every post. On my piece on updated bus routes he got into an argument with someone else, and I didn’t read all the comments to know how it got there, but Ken M. ended their dispute with, and I quote, ‘God is a ridiculous myth.’”

Remus laughed along with his coworkers, and took a moment to enjoy the fun banter. He loved his job for his career, but also enjoyed the little positive moments that arose from his sudden move to the big city: meeting Minerva, discovering the infamous Ken M., and laughing along with his coworkers during a meeting. His old job had been at a small newspaper where the main source of workplace laughter was Remus silently laughing at the incompetence of his coworkers, not his readers.

As the meeting ended and people began to file out of the room, he pulled out his phone. Roy told Remus he wanted to take him to his favorite restaurant on Saturday night, and Remus happily agreed to meet him in front of the Pike Place Market neon sign at 6:30. The restaurant was a short walk from there, and Remus was glad he didn’t have to awkwardly refuse getting into the car with someone he didn’t know on a first date.

I want the restaurant to be a surprise, Roy had sent, but do you have any dietary restrictions? Remus appreciated his foresight, and answered with, I’m vegetarian, but I eat pretty much anything otherwise! Remus took a moment to smile dopily after receiving a quick response: perfect.

Remus was excited for the date. Roy was very handsome, with curly blond hair, soft blue eyes, and dimples. He was also, if his profile was to be trusted, very accomplished.

***

The date was horrible. Roy kept most of the conversation centered on himself and his many achievements. Remus noticed that his eyes were actually brown, and while Remus had nothing against brown eyes, seeing as he had a pair of them himself, he couldn’t help but feel weirded out by the fact that Roy, or Gilderoy, as he referred to himself in the third person, had taken the time to edit or filter his eye color in all of his online photos.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Remus had already reminded himself over and over that it was just one date, and that even if it was disappointing, he would have a good story to tell later, and he didn’t feel unsafe at all. His friends had his phone’s location, and Dorcas had already assured him that she would “track down and throw from the Space Needle” any man who tried to harm Remus.

Remus tried to muster a polite smile as Roy told him about his obviously fabricated second meeting with Oprah, but his smile completely dropped when he read the front of his menu. They were at a steakhouse.

Their waitress approached, saving Remus from whatever monologue he was about to be subjected to. “What can I get started for you guys tonight?” She sounded bored, which Remus was willing to credit her for, as he understood working in the food industry was not exactly glamorous, but he still stupidly thought of Sirius’s excitement as he waited tables.

Roy had the nerve to try to order for Remus. Remus cut him off and appealed to the waitress. “I’m sorry, I realize you probably don’t get that many vegetarians here, but are there any vegetarian menu items?”

“You’re vegetarian?” The waitress said in surprise.

Remus didn’t expect that response, but he turned directly to Roy as he answered, “yes.”

***

An hour later, Remus was finally free of Roy. The aggravating man had offered to pay for the whole meal, with a public brandishing of his multiple credit cards, but Remus insisted they split it, just to ensure that no one thought he owed him anything. Remus wanted to never see this man again, and if that meant paying for half of a check that consisted of one expensive filet mignon and one cheap side salad, then it was well worth it.

Remus said goodbye in the midst of the Public Market, and then walked away. The last thing he wanted to do was get walked home by the insufferable man and have to listen to him, or worse, have to listen to him invite himself upstairs. As he walked home, he blocked Roy’s phone number, for good measure, and deleted the Tinder app from his phone. He dully realized that if he wanted to deactivate his account for good he would need to redownload the app first, but the symbolism felt nice in the moment.

Composure carried Remus inside his apartment building and up the stairs, but after finally locking his door behind him, he started crying. It was stupid really, and thinking that the idiot he wasted one evening with was making him cry only made him cry harder. His tears were out of frustration more than sadness.

He was frustrated that he couldn’t find a decent man on Tinder. He was frustrated that some asshole took him to a fucking steakhouse after knowing he was a vegetarian. He was frustrated because for whatever reason, he was alone on a Saturday night, again, and he very well may be alone on all future Saturday nights, because his ex-boyfriend decided that he didn’t love him anymore. What was even worse to think about, somehow, was that Remus didn’t even want his ex-boyfriend back. It would be so simple, he thought, to simply miss him, and hope that he would change his mind, and Remus could move back to his little college town and get his old job back at the small newspaper and compromise his life away. But he didn’t even want that anymore. Instead, he had to navigate the world not knowing if there was anyone that he could build a life with, all the while wasting his time on losers like Roy. And he was frustrated because he was hungry, having eaten only a small side salad for dinner.

Fueled by hunger and frustrated tears, he got up, grabbed his journal and pocketed a pen, made a halfhearted effort to wipe the tears from his face, and didn’t bother to change out of his date clothes before he headed out to go eat some comfort food.

He started crying a bit on his way to the restaurant, but it was dark outside and the anonymity of the large city granted some comfort. By the time he got to the restaurant, he was mostly calmed down, and just wanted to eat his pizza in silence, and process his emotions through writing them down in the journal he brought.

It was surprisingly busy at the restaurant for being so late on a Saturday night, and Remus took advantage of that fact to quietly slip into a booth as far away from Sirius’s normal section that he could. Remus didn’t think he would be able to keep up with Sirius’s banter, or familiarity, or free tiramisu tonight. Until he had taken the time to process his night on paper, he didn’t want to have to talk to anyone he knew. After a minute of solitude, a middle-aged waitress approached his table: success. He placed his order and went back to his journal.

As always, he started to feel better almost immediately after he started writing. Once he came to a good stopping point, he paused to look up, and drank some of the cold water the waitress had brought earlier. A few deep breaths later and he was feeling almost like a real human again.

Just then, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

“Hey there.” Sirius’s voice sounded warm, as always, but slightly hesitant too.

“I brought you something, uh, I saw that your pizza just went in the oven, so it’s still going to be a few minutes.” He placed a small platter of roasted green beans to the side of Remus’s journal, and gave a tentative smile.

Remus had a quick fleeting thought of do you think I don’t eat enough vegetables? But, he realized how tasty they looked and how hungry he was. He felt his eyes water slightly as he tore his gaze from the gifted appetizer back up to Sirius.

“Do you feel sorry for me?” Remus asked, suddenly, “because I’m always alone?”

Sirius’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Remus was almost as surprised as he was, for having verbalized the question that had popped into his mind at the moment. He supposed he meant to say alone here, in the restaurant, because that is where Sirius sees him, but it worked in the general sense too.

“How could I feel sorry for you,” Sirius said slowly, “when you look that good, even while you’re upset.” Sirius’s confident smile crept back onto his face as he walked away.

Remus watched him in surprise, and after a few seconds Sirius turned suddenly, instantly locking eyes with Remus. Caught. Sirius winked and turned back around again.

Remus frantically texted his friends. He first had to update them on the horrible date he had gone on, and then the friendly interactions he has had with Sirius over the course of his many visits to the restaurant, and finally what Sirius just said.

Marlene: First of all, Dorcas and I are gonna find this Roy guy and kill him, probably

Marlene: Second of all, REMUS! You gave me sexy-waiter-flirtation-tiramisu! What if he had put a love potion in it or something??

James: I think I’m missing something about tiramisu… is that some kind of euphemism??

Remus updated them on the desserts that Sirius had given Remus ever since he first came to the restaurant. He also started to smile again, almost unwillingly, at his friends’ texts. He remarked how much can happen in a night: excitement about a date, frustration during said failed date, sadness afterwards, spiraling into thinking he would never date again, getting flirted with, and eventually laughing as his wonderful friends tried to cheer him up, cheer him on, and just be their wonderfully unique and crazy selves.

Lily: Remus this is a sign! I said meeting someone organically would be the best, and here we are. You’ve been getting flirted with this whole time by someone you met in person!

Dorcas: She’s right, you should totally go for it! He obviously likes you

James: Come on mate, what do you have to lose?

Remus thought for a second, before responding to his support group.

Remus: my emotional support pizza

James: what??

The group convinced him to flirt back, and Remus silenced the phone before Sirius came back with his pizza. Evidently he had taken over his table from the earlier waitress.

“And here at last, one margherita pizza. Careful, it’s pretty hot, fresh out of the oven.” Sirius fiddled with the notepad he wrote orders in after setting the pizza down. “Um, enjoy your pizza.” He turned to walk away.

“Hey,” Remus spoke up, suddenly. Sirius turned around quickly at the sound. Remus’s eyes crinkled with happy mischief. “You too.”

Sirius laughed and continued his walk back to the kitchen.

***

When Sirius brought the check, Remus carefully penned his signature and a twenty percent tip. He idled for a moment, before flipping the receipt over and writing a string of ten digits. He paused for a second again, before adding underneath in neat scrawl “should you choose not to call, we must never speak of this, because I need to be able to eat margherita pizza here on my really bad days.” On a new line underneath, he just wrote “Remus”.

***

Thirty-four minutes later, Remus received a text message from an unknown number.

“Don’t worry Remus, I would never get between a man and his pizza.”

7 notes · View notes

gamesgotta922 · 4 years ago

Text

How to use a pc gaming headset on xbox 360

Leading 20 Gaming Blogs You Need to Be Following

Twitter is where game publishers, the gaming media, well-known game streamers and entertainers, esports leagues, teams, players and commentators interact with their most engaged fans and with one one more. Some like it wireless. Some favor to go old-college with wires. If you come about to belong to the latter group, you may want to give the Havit HV -MS672 Wired Mouse It could not have a really exceptional optical sensor that can run in the 16,000s, but its maximum of 3,200 DPI need to be sufficient to present you with an exceptional gaming expertise. Its DPI settings can also be adjusted to three other levels with the lowest at 800 DPI. The Havit Mouse also comes with breathing LED light effects which includes 7 circular LED light effects to set the mood in your game.

In this short article I asked 300 gamers what they wanted for birthday and Christmas so I could show anyone interested in acquiring a present for a gamer what the gamer seriously wanted. Right here, on the other hand - pun intended - I speak about how I solve my issues with wrist discomfort right after lengthy gaming and function sessions. It's not considerably of a list if the colossi of gaming news aren't integrated. This very first tier is solely for the gaming community's elder statesmen—the eight internet sites that are normally abreast on what is hot in gaming and are recognized by gamers worldwide to be a trusted source of info in the sector.

PushSquare revolves about the Queen of video gaming, PlayStation. Locate every single news update, information and facts, game evaluations and videos relating to PlayStation in this well-liked gaming neighborhood site. These veteran gamers know how to cook the ideal stew of quirky original content to fulfill your RPG gaming news cravings. The video gaming trend is accelerating its pace leaving behind films and tv. As the Newzoo market place report asserts, the international games earnings will climb to $137.9 billion in 2018 and attain $180 billion in 2021.

These 5 Simple GAMING Strategy Can Pump Up Your Sales Almost Instantly

Comics Gaming Magazine is an on the internet gaming neighborhood magazine that publishes articles and editorials on on the internet gaming. The web page also reviews the most current games and sells gaming merchandise. Subscribe to their magazines to get the most recent details on top rated games. Azreal Llywen or Azzy for brief is a individual of contradictions being brainy and a total idiot at the same time. She is a geek by heart often amazed at science but despairs at the sight of math. That is why her places of experience in gaming are puzzle solving, fighting and flat type games.

May possibly 17, 2016 • Since its founding only six years ago, Green Man Gaming has turn out to be one particular of the best known digital distributor of computer games. The exposure came from offering titles at very reasonable rates. At 1st this was achieved through a distinctive digital trade-back service in which Computer games could be resold at a discounted price tag, but in much more recent years the on-line retailer has also gotten into the organization of promoting genuine keys to digitally distributed Pc games - in some cases obtained contractually with the original publisher, and occasionally with keys sourced from https://elvitra.online/ third-parties, as was the high-profile case final year with The Witcher III.

It will list on the London Stock Exchange sub-industry AIM and is understood to be planning to use the funds to develop its games publishing small business and expand across profitable gaming markets like China and the Middle East. On line video games retailer Green Man Gaming is set to go public with a £100 million float as it eyes expansion in Asia and the Middle East.

For quite some time now, Dell has had its personal well-liked brand of gaming PCs, Alienware, which is properly-known for its high-finish platforms. This enables them to concentrate on releasing more sensible computer systems by means of the Inspiron brand, such as the 5675 model. Equipped with a handful of elements that permit you to play on a 1080p monitor devoid of as well several compromises, it really is a top quality machine, although not exceptional. But thanks to the extreme versatility of Dell solutions, updating the peripherals will not be a trouble over time.

Technological advancements have led the gaming market towards cloud gaming, which includes ubiquitous and hassle-free real time streaming of the game. To encounter this, there are a couple of mandatory requirements - Online access with a guaranteed throughput not much less than 25 Mbps and latency not exceeding 20-30 ms to the cloud. The whole hosting, rendering, saving and restoration of the gaming character is processed on the remote infrastructure.

How do firms fight back although keeping their customers happy? We chatted with Danièle Thillmann, Senior VP of Fraud and Payments at Green Man Gaming. Danièle reveals how organizations can confront the special challenges of a digital vertical. Armed with years of experience in the gaming globe, Danièle shares how gaming providers make a difficult and essential choice: which fraud prevention answer to use.

Did you know that Mobile games now account for 51% of international revenues in the gaming industry followed by Console games (25%) and Computer Games (24%) 62% of smartphone owners install a game inside a week of having their phones and Mobile Games now account for much more than 43% of total time spent on smartphone. Check out our infographic on The State of Mobile Gaming Industry” for newest mobile gaming statistics and trends.

They even host an RSS feed of the most up-to-date jobs from prominent gaming studios. Sources like Gamasutra are invaluable for keeping oneself abreast of the most current happenings in the business, irrespective of whether that's disputes more than developer spend, the hottest reveals from gaming expos, or just the most up-to-date thing that EA has performed to annoy individuals.

These are some of the greatest sites to grab hot-selling updates about your preferred on the web games. Now that you know your way to the gaming paradise, do not wait any longer to pay a stop by to these gripping gaming content material websites. Fextralife is an intriguing site committed to giving articles and reviews on games, fan fiction, guides, strategies and a lot more. Now you know which gaming forum to pay a visit to this weekend with your gaming pals.

Brought to you by the firm accountable for the Planet Electronic Sports Games, Planet Gaming is a fantastic location to get all your esports news. The Globe Electronic Sports Games is one particular of the most prestigious esports events in the globe, and World Gaming brings that similar level of production worth to their blog. Planet Gaming has coverage of a wide variety of esports outdoors the most well-liked games, as nicely as general esports news. The forum is also a good spot to engage and go over esports with other gamers and fans.

Whilst PUBG has discovered a all-natural property in Japan, it is also a international achievement story. It has achieved higher percentages of players in several smaller sized territories, grabbing the focus of 22.5% of Pc gaming enthusiasts in Norway, 21.9% in Australia, and 17.1% in New Zealand. In April 2017, Green Man Gaming appointed former Take-Two CEO, 35 Paul Eibeler, to its Board as an Advisor and hired Sam Bennett, ex-Sony Entertainment, EA and Activision Community Manager and Customer Engagement Head, as EVP to lead its newly formed Buyer Knowledge and Communications team.

Paraxe is a free of charge WordPress Gaming theme that sports a modern day and sleek style, customized web elements, remarkable drop down menu customizations and WooCommerce support. Impress your viewers with a very functional slider that can be enabled on each and every webpage. The WordPress theme also enables you to location a social bar on your header with a wide range of supported sites.

1 note · View note

meganshinsou-tm · 5 years ago

Text

Sugarcoated. (m)

↳ chapter fifteen: extraordinary

❧ genre: pro-hero hitoshi, adoptive siblings, happy ending

❧ chapter warnings: none

[multi-chap masterlist] [previous chapter - next chapter]

"Okay, so," you spoke with a mouthful of pancakes looking at Hitoshi who sat next to you on his laptop, "You're going to be an art teacher at UA? I thought it was a hero school?"

Hitoshi rose a brow, turning his sight from the screen and looking at you, he chuckled when he saw you had a small dab of syrup on your cheek. Leaning over he placed a hand to cup your neck and pull you closer as the tip of his tongue licked your skin clean. You smiled and thanked him by giving him a sticky sweet kiss. He licked his own lips clean as he pulled away and shook his head as his thumb dried his lip.

"It is, but once the second half of the year starts in a few weeks they are implementing more laid back extra-curricular courses. Those kids work their asses off with all their hero courses and the school faculty wants to try and give them courses that aren't so intense and fun, like de-stressers. They are still teenagers, growing into young adults and need to relax every now and then. Even when they're adults and pros they need to remember they're still human and deserve some down-time to indulge in their hobbies."

It made since to give the kids a somewhat normal high-school experience with such courses. Hitoshi told you besides his photography/art course there would be music, cooking, tech, sports and other language courses. He would teach a class for each year. Everyone would start at the same level this year and as the kids moved up in grades they would pick up from where they left off the year before and step up their subject matter and difficulties the older they got, he'd start new with each first year and just make it a cycle. As he talked about his plans for his class and students you couldn't help but smile and feel so happy and proud for him. This was something he was extremely passionate about and you loved how he never seemed satisfied in life, always striving to try different things and reach for bigger goals.

"So, what does that mean for your hero career? You're gonna have a lot on your hands with that teaching job."

"Well having the quirk I have and being the type of hero I am gives me the freedom to pick and choose my jobs for the majority of it. You see, I'm not really a combat type of hero, meaning I'm not who you want to call in during big fights and attacks. I can fight but it's not really my forte. I'm more low-key and undercover, the less you see of me the better I can do my job. I get called out for missions that involve infiltration groups, interrogations, uh –" Hitoshi struggled for another example.

"Like a spy pretty much?" You offered up and took another bite of your food.

Hitoshi nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I guess you can look at it that way. Keeping the details of my quirk hidden is really a must, if the target or villain knows my quirk then I'm really out of luck because they can just choose to not talk to me. That's also why when I do go on missions or take jobs, they're away from here where no one knows me. The work I do here is mostly just research and intel for a few people, gathering information on certain wanted villains and making up profiles for them, I study them pretty much."

You raised your brows and nodded, somewhat smiling. You've never really gotten details before on what Hitoshi does as a hero. You knew he wasn't very well known and liked to keep it that way. He had told you before that he did intense training on learning how to read people, he didn't need you to talk to him in order for him to pin down what kind of person you were. Hitoshi was extremely intelligent and calculated. It made sense that he was used for more undercover and hushed jobs, his quirk was definitely more suited for that type of work.

"So when you say groups, you mean like big villain groups or even terrorists?"

Hitoshi nodded and looked back at his laptop continuing what he was doing.

"Yeah, pretty dangerous people who intend to do large scale attacks that could put a large amount of people at risk. It's my job to help stop them before they can fulfill those plans."

"Wow, you're really amazing Toshi."

Chuckling, your boyfriend made a face as he clicked and leaned more towards his screen, "I mean I don't really do as much as the other heroes so –"

"What are you talking about? Hitoshi, with what you do, you don't save just a couple of people, you save hundreds. You're able to stop things before they even happen, meaning that no one has to get hurt or know fear and distress from what could've happened all because of you. They are able to just go on about their lives and live, because of you. You do just as much as the other heroes, if not more. So yeah, you are amazing and an amazing hero."

Hitoshi was now looking at you, totally silent and taken back. He never really put much thought into what he does and how much it benefits society. His small group of fans didn't know the full extent of what he does besides that he's always called to help interrogate really stubborn big-name villains and always gets them to crack. So besides you, no one has ever made him realize just how important he is - period. Coming from you made it that much better though, you were beaming with pride, all over him. It made him smile so big it hurt.

You smiled back and he reached out for you, his hand cupping your neck again and pulling you closer to him as he kissed your lips sweetly. You smiled as he kissed you with so much gratitude and happiness, pecking your lips continuously. When he gave you one last kiss his forehead rested on yours and he sighed. "Thank you (Y/N), that really means so much to me."

"No problem hero, I'll always be here to shower you with all the admiration you deserve. All those people who don't know you saved them, I'll be the one who thanks you each time for them."

Shinsou smiled and kissed your cheek, letting you finish eating as he went back to his laptop, holding your free hand on the counter surface. After you finished you looked over to see what he was doing, he had a picture pulled up of you from Disneyland with Pooh and Piglet as they kissed your cheek.

"What are you doing Toshi?" You asked, hopping off of your seat and taking your dishes to the sink to wash them.

"I'm editing the pictures from yesterday," he replied with a smile.

You hurried to finish washing your dishes then dried your hands and skipped over to Hitoshi. He chuckled and held his arm up, inviting you to sit on his lap. You stepped on the bottom bar of the stool and lifted yourself up to sit comfortably on his thighs. His free hand wrapped around your waist as he kissed your arm and worked on the editing software.

"The lighting wasn't too bad but it could've been better, and I'm making it look a little sharper, making the colors stand out more."

"That's it?"

"Well yeah, everything else is perfect, especially you. You're genuinely beautiful (Y/N), in every angle and light. I'll never need to edit you if that's what you're wondering."

"Actually that is exactly what I was wondering, thank you for clearing it up!" You laughed and watched as Hitoshi continued. "So what do you plan on doing with these if I may ask?"

"Well I'll print them up and put them in my book with all my other pictures, but this one for sure is going to be printed up on a big canvas and hung in the bedroom, it's my favorite one of you so far. I also may get a smaller size printed too to hang up in my classroom."

Your cheeks blushed and you couldn't help but feel flattered again.

"Don't you think those kids will get sick of seeing and hearing about me and Eri?"

Hitoshi scoffed and shrugged his shoulders as he saved his file and closed the program out. He kissed your arm and pressed his cheek to it, looking up at you. "Maybe but they can get over it. It's my class and I can do whatever I want."

You laughed and wrapped your arm around Hitoshi's back, looking down at him.

"Just don't get too power hungry Toshi. I don't want to have to put you in your place if you come home one day cockier than usual."

Hitoshi chuckled and squeezed your side, "Oh I'd love to see you try!"

"I'm sure you would you perv!"

"Who's the one that offered a blow job just to see a notebook earlier? I think you just wanted an excuse to suck me off!" He replied with a smirk and squeezed your thigh.

You stuck your tongue out at him and removed your arm, leaned forward and placed your elbows on the counter. You grabbed your phone from the spot you sat at and started to scroll through it mindlessly. "So what if I did!"

Hitoshi smiled and kissed your cheek before he checked the time on the microwave clock. "Now, ready to go get our temporary kid?"

"If I can drive the jeep!"

Hitoshi laughed and pinched your cheek, "Only if you can reach the pedals halfling!"

You pulled up outside of a very modern and nice looking home. Putting the jeep in park you looked at it and awed. Hitoshi placed a finger under your chin to help close your mouth and your eyes finally looked at him and you smirked. He smiled back and leaned over to kiss you and asked if you were ready.

"I guess, I'm kind of nervous. Deku and Shouto are like a big deal!"

"Thanks!" Hitoshi replied with a laugh.

"I didn't mean it like that Toshi, it's just I've never met any of the other pro heroes before. Some of the older ones would come into the café but not the new generation."

"I know what you mean sweetheart, I was joking. You'll be fine, Deku is extremely friendly and Shouto is very kind, he may be kind of serious looking but that's just how he is. Now come on, let's go get our kid and go get some food, I'm shocked you aren't trying to eat my arm or something, it's been like an hour or two since you ate."

You rolled your eyes and shoved Hitoshi's face away as he laughed. He got out of the vehicle first and ran around to your side and opened the door to help you down. He pulled your beanie down to cover your ears and tugged the collar of your coat up closer to your face. You giggled as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and walked with you up the walkway to the front door and kissed your head. Hitoshi lightly knocked on the door and you both waited for it to be answered.

Only a few seconds later the door knob turned and the barrier opened, a man with red and white hair split down the middle opened it and gave a friendly smile.

"Hello Hitoshi," his grey and turquoise eyes looked at you and he smiled again, "you must be (Y/N), it's nice to meet you."

He extended his hand and you froze for a bit staring at him, Hitoshi squeezed your shoulder making you blink and blush from embarrassment. Quickly you took Todoroki's hand and shook it rather fast and eagerly.

"Uh – it's nice to meet you too. I'm sorry you're just – you're really pretty!"

Hitoshi turned his face away and started to snicker, Shouto chuckled himself and slightly blushed.

"Well thank you, you're very stunning yourself."

Your eyes widened and you blushed violently and tried to bury your face further into your coat. Hitoshi smiled and pulled you closer. Shouto ushered you both inside and out of the cold, once you stepped through the door and walked into the living room a familiar voice was heard coming straight for you.

"(Y/N)!"

You turned to see an excited Eri smiling big and running towards you with open arms, you bent down in enough time to catch her as she leapt into your arms. Smiling, you held her close and tight as she hugged your neck. When she pulled away you kissed her cheek and she giggled. Hitoshi popped his head out from over your shoulder and she smiled and greeted him. He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Hey kid, were you good?" Hitoshi asked.

"Yes, I helped take care of baby Aito!"

Shouto chuckled and let Hitoshi know that Eri was indeed good for them and was a big help with their five month old baby boy. Hitoshi asked him how parenthood was going for him and his husband while Eri talked you ear off about how cute and chunky the baby was. Soon she gasped as if she suddenly remembered something and she grabbed your face. Your eyes widened as her little fingers dug into your cheeks and you tried hard not to laugh.

"(Y/N) did Sou-Sou take you on a date? Did you make him your boyfriend?"

You nodded with a smile.

"He did, he took me to Disneyland and it was so much fun, I really missed you though and Toshi promised to take us both one weekend."

Eri smiled and looked at you, expecting more information.

"And yes, I did make him my boyfriend, he was practically begging me!"

"Hey, I heard that!" Hitoshi interjected from behind you.

You and Eri giggled until a cheery squeal came from behind Shouto. You looked to see a green eyed and green-haired freckled man. He was decently buff and extremely handsome, a adorable baby bundled in his arms. Your lips pouted and awed at its bright green eyes and curly white hair. It squealed and smiled a messy and slobbery smile and your heart melted.

"Hi there Hitoshi," the man looked at you next and walked over excitedly with a smile, "You're (Y/N) right, I'm Izuku!"

Smiling, you looked at Eri and she giggled, you put her down and she ran to Hitoshi who picked her up as he continued talking to Shouto. Greeting Izuku, you shook hands while looking at the baby in his arms. It bounced and made spit bubbles, making you verbally awe and waved at the child while cooing. Izuku chuckled and pet his sons hair.

"He's so adorable and so happy!"

"You should see him when he's hungry, he turns into a monster!" Izuku chuckled.

"I know someone who acts the same way!" Hitoshi smiled and looked at you.

Your eyes narrowed at the purple hero before they looked back at Aito. "I know this is weird but ... can I hold him? He's the same age as my nephew and he hates being held."

Nodding, Izuku handed you the baby, "It's not weird at all, Aito never meets a stranger he doesn't like. I need to make him a bottle anyway so please be my guest!"

You took the baby with a smile and brushed noses with him. Holding him in your arms you cooed and baby talked with him. You were completely lost in his sparkling green eyes and sweet laugh. Eri scurried out of Hitoshi's arms and ran to you, she tugged you over to the couch and you sat down with her and Aito, playing with them both. Shouto and Hitoshi smiled at the three of you and snuck off into the kitchen with Izuku.

"Thank you guys again for taking Eri for the night on short notice, I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem Hitoshi, we enjoy keeping her and like I said she really was a big help with the baby. Did you have a good time on your date?" Shouto asked and offered Hitoshi some tea.

Shinsou declined and smiled, "Yeah it was great. We barely missed the rain."

"Well I'm glad you had a good time. She seems really nice and Eri seems to really like her, she wouldn't stop talking about how excited she is to have her around." Deku replied as he mixed together a bottle.

"Yeah they really connected instantly, I'm extremely lucky she didn't turn down the job, in more ways than one." Hitoshi spoke with a soft smile and blush.

The sound of Aito crying suddenly filled the living room, making all three men jump and look. They all went to help but stopped as you stood to your feet and started to rock and bounce the baby in your arms, shushing him quietly before softly singing to him.

"Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you'll see into your imagination."

Deku, Shouto and Hitoshi watched in awe as your voice soothed the crying baby, making him coo and reach his hand out to you. You let his little fingers wrap around yours and smiled. Eri herself seemed entranced by your lullaby as you sat back down and she melted to your side, holding your arm and staring at you with her ruby eyes. You looked at her and smiled, then poked her nose as you sang.

"We'll begin with a spin, traveling in the world of my creation. What we'll see will defy explanation."

Izuku and Shouto both sighed in unison and smiled at each other as their son was enamored and captured by your voice. Hitoshi was also just as amazed, he had only ever heard you singing along to poppy songs, mostly fooling around. He could tell you had a nice voice and could keep a tune but he never actually heard you really sing. Your voice was still as soft and sweet as ever but now as you lulled the kids it was melodic and angelic. You were so amazed by all the things he could do and said that you weren't as talented but he quickly learned you were being extremely modest.

"We may need to get a recording of that. Usually he only cries when he's hungry or tired and he doesn't just cry, he screams. You can't get him to stop unless you stick a bottle in his mouth or just let him cry it out, so this is really extraordinary." Shouto finally commented and broke the silence between the three of them.

Hitoshi smiled and nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, she is."

#hitoshi shinsou #hitoshi shinsou x reader #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha x reader #mha x reader #eri #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #friends to lovers #fluff

124 notes · View notes

aboutlouishofmann · 5 years ago

Text

MYP Magazine - Of Time And Truth.

[Original interview here.]

22/07/2019

Interview by Jonas Meyer. Photos by Steven Ludtke

[I skipped the introduction and went straight for the interview]

Jonas:

When the first season of “Dark” was released in December 2017, viewers and critics alike have literally fallen over their enthusiasm. So far, many had not expected such quality from a German production, especially in terms of dramaturgy and visuality. How did you, as a Netflix consumer, experience the series start then?

Louis:

Luckily I’ve been able to enjoy the series as a relatively normal, objective viewer - and that’s true of the current season two. In “Dark” there are several roles and plot-lines, in which my character Jonas does not take part and which I accordingly did not know about from the shooting. During the shoot, I tried anyway to push aside all the other plot-lines and focus only on Jonas Kahnwald. Otherwise, I would probably have gotten pretty confused because the content of the series is so complex.

Jonas:

What is the difference between the current season two and the first one?

Louis:

In Season 1, it’s all about something that happens individually to each character which they have to deal with. In the second season, these characters are much more active, especially Jonas. At the very beginning of the series he is still very passive and in the course of the episodes he has to learn how to handle the issues himself. In the second season, he already knows who he is, what he means and what he needs to do to achieve his goals - and of course, what he has to sacrifice. But all the other characters learn, too, overall, the knowledge of each character acquires in the course of the second season is much larger. In addition, I would say that this second season is also more emotional. Now much more information will be passed on to others which changes their view of the world.

Jonas:

On the platform kino.de there is an episode guide to the first season, in which it is said that a single viewing of the series is not enough to recognize all the contexts and hints: “Often, a short distraction like reaching out to take drink or a look at the clock is enough to miss an important detail." Do you see it the same way?

Louis:

The series is definitely complex, I agree. And with so much information to be conveyed in Season 2 to drive the story forward, this second season may be even more complex than the first one. Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar have always emphasized that with "Dark” they wanted to create a series that challenged viewers in a certain way. By the way, that did not happen until then in Germany - here one tends to play it safe. After the release of the first season, funnily enough, there were critics on the one hand who said that the series was too complicated. And at the same time there were critics on the other side who complained that we were guiding the audience by the hand way too much.

Jonas:

How did you deal with the high complexity, which is created solely within the character Jonas Kahnwald? Is there always an overview, even if you concentrate only on your own narrative thread?

Louis:

Of course we all lost the thread every now and then. But thank God there is Jantje, who has the complete perspective. She knows down to the last detail how, where, what, and when something happens. During the shooting for the second season, we also had a Script Supervisor, to whom you could always turn. In addition, there were special screens on the set, where you could play the entire first season - in the event that you wanted to look, which specific point refers to a scene for which one is just in front of the camera.

Jonas: Lars Montag, director of the Netflix series “How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)”, revealed to us in an interview recently that he has the feeling that since Fassbinder there is actually no German narrative anymore. He said: “All are just trying to imitate Hollywood in any way.” Do you think it requires a special German narrative style - just as the Scandinavians, French or English people attributed to their very own cinematic narrative style?

Louis:

Definitely, no. I think we live in times when everyone is trying to make something special. This alone starts up more and more narrative styles. This can be observed even among the Scandinavians, who are said to have a particularly strong stereotype in imagery and narrative style. The reason for this development is that we all talk more and more international - but that does not explicitly mean that we are more Hollywood-oriented. For me, telling an international story means that we can address viewers across countries by means of certain narrative styles and therefore do not have to reduce ourselves to our local schemes.

Of course, it still needs different narrative in film - but not to emphasize the national location, but to be able to address the most diverse types of spectators. Quite apart from that, there is not one big secret recipe of the Hollywood narrative that you have to use to reach out to people. Rather, I believe that it is much easier today to break out of this Hollywood compulsion - simply because the audience has become much more diverse.

Jonas:

The trailer of the second “Dark” opens with a gloomy, post-apocalyptic landscape in which a destroyed nuclear power plant can be seen. Is it not strange how realistic and quite imaginable such fictional images are when viewed in the context of the current social debate about climate change and impending environmental catastrophes?

Louis:

When talking about the future, there are two main scenarios that seem possible: one is an extremely modern and thriving science-fiction world of flying cars, where everything flashes and shines. The other is just the opposite: a dark scenario in which everything is destroyed - because we humans have destroyed ourselves. In this scenario, nature slowly regains the upper hand and runs us down. With “Dark 2” there was not necessarily the intention to create parallels to this second possible scenario. But it is actually noticeable that these pictures do not seem so unrealistic in this day and age.

Jonas:

You recently appeared in the Arte short film series “Couples” with Dutch actress Hannah Hoekstra. You play a young couple who discusses whether it is appropriate to paint the German flag on one’s face, such as at a game of the national team. He gets mad about it, she does not understand his problem. How do you personally look at this country at the moment?

Louis:

With shame and concern because the most important and threatening topic in the world - climate change - is not taken seriously. There seems to be a kind of change of heart, which is also expressed by the fact that the Greens temporarily lead in the polls. Nevertheless, I always feel stifled when I realize how climate goals are ignored and Germany - which has a certain role model function - fucks it up. I think that’s really sad. I sincerely hope that this green trend will not be short-lived and will continue because we simply have to make sure that this earth is not doomed to destruction in 30 years’ time. When I deal with the predicted, catastrophic consequences of climate change, it scares me. In view of this threatening situation, I do not understand why young politicians are not getting much more involved in Germany. Their job gives them a huge stage! Unfortunately, this stage is only used by the fewest. But now they have the chance to finally speak out truths. But it is only blabbed. If you listen to some of these politicians, you want to shake them and wake them up.

Jonas:

In recent years, you have greatly reduced your social media activity. You could use your popularity and the associated reach to give more space to certain issues in public discourse. Why did you decide to withdraw from the social networks? Don’t you feel like you could’ve made a difference?

Louis:

Of course, with a certain amount of followers and the range involved, it is possible to spread your own opinions and influence those of other people. But for me it has always been difficult to position myself in the social networks on specific political issues. Although it was relatively easy for me in the run-up to the European elections to call with my posts to go to the polls. Otherwise, I’m more careful. I’ve probably missed the chance to tell people my opinions for a long time. By the way, others manage to do really well, which I admire very much. But in my case it was a very selfish decision to delete my Facebook account and withdraw heavily from Instagram.

Jonas:

To what extent?

Louis:

It just did not do me any good. I always had the feeling that I must post something to entertain people. That totally unsettled me and put me under pressure. That’s why I decided to get rid of it. I did not think Facebook was necessary anyway. The decision to stop using Instagram came last year during the shoot for the second season of “Dark”. At that time, I was generally under a lot of pressure. And when there are other components, such as social networks, that add pressure to me, it all got too much. My Instagram account still exists and I post pictures from time to time, but I have to reinstall the app every time because I delete it after each post. In principle, I myself have no access to my Instagram profile. When I want to post something, my girlfriend has to sit beside me because she has the password.

Jonas:

What was the reason that you were so under pressure last year?

Louis:

There has not been any time in my life when I felt more pressure than in 2018 - pressure was my word of the year. That’s because the year before was the craziest and most extreme year I’ve ever experienced, in any way. I have tried to tell myself over and over again, “Louis, 2017 will not be repeated. Take care and get ready! "But I was not ready. 2018 has completely overrun me - due to the extreme expectations, which were suddenly felt from all sides. For the audience, the journalists and the critics, it is a natural fact that you are always good. If you’ve played some good roles, everyone expects you to keep doing your job properly. This matter of course has affected me much more.

Jonas:

How do you feel about seeing yourself on the screen?

Louis:

That’s OK in principle - I really want to see the work I’ve done. But I can really enjoy a movie as a viewer only if I do not have to rate my own work. Overall, I am very critical of myself and therefore quickly dissatisfied. Sometimes I would wish that I am not so hard on myself, because that would make me more free in the way I work. It hampers you a lot when you’re too scared of failure or too much pressure - you realize, pressure is a big issue in my life.

Jonas:

In a few months, the film "Deutschstunde” will start in the cinemas, for which you have taken on a supporting role. In the film adaptation of the novel by the same name by Siegfried Lenz about an expressionist painter, where a prohibition of the profession was imposed by the Nazis in 1943. This repression existed in Germany not only at the time of National Socialism, but also in the former GDR. In some countries, such as China, even today, professional bans are being imposed. How would you react if you were no longer allowed to be an actor?

Louis:

I have never asked myself this question. It makes perfect sense to consider it. I suspect that I have never dealt with the question because here in Germany we are in a very privileged situation where we are allowed to practice what we want as a profession. If that were forbidden, I would be completely at a loss. Acting is what I do best of all activities and what I like to do most. There never was a plan B in my life either - so I would not know what to do with myself.

Jonas:

Can you “not act” as an actor at all?

Louis:

Of course, in everyday life you can stop it. However, every actor is inclined to be a permanently on game, such as with jokes, gestures or certain behaviors. It is easy to express oneself. I believe that in order to give the truth to a person, one must draw truth from oneself. And if you no longer have truths, you can not play them. On the other hand, I have the experience that I always take parts of my characters into my own life or discover new things about myself through them. In other words: through the role, I open a box, which then remains open a bit. As a result, my roles always change a bit for me as well. For example, I feel like through the many sensitive characters that I was allowed to play, I have embraced the sensitive side in myself more - unfortunately I can not find a word in German with which I could better express that. What I mean by that: Had I not played so many sensitive characters, today I would be a sensitive person, but not to the extent that I have become in the end.

Jonas:

Which of your projects has been the most emotionally charged so far?

Louis:

I would say that was “Prélude” by Sabrina Sarabi, which will be released on August 29th. In the film, I play the young piano student David, who suffers from strong self-doubt and feels a huge pressure of expectation - a situation that I can understand very well, as already mentioned. However, with David, he loses control of his life and threatens to break under the pressure.

This movie is the first one I for which I have prepared with a coach. When working with acting coach Frank Betzelt, it was especially about how the energy between the individual characters felt, what these energies wanted and how they influenced the characters. That helped me a lot to dig deep into my role. For example, I have discovered a much greater access to the feeling of anger, mainly to self-rage. I personally did not know that feeling before. Until then, I have never felt the need to be angry, let alone gain access to this emotion.

All in all, during this time I let David’s emotional world come close to me - and literally took it home with me. That put a strain on me not only during preparation and shooting, but also for almost a whole year afterwards.

Jonas:

How exactly?

Louis:

For example, a few months after filming, there was an incident that happened when I was visiting my parents in Cologne with my girlfriend. After watching a couple of episodes of “Babylon Berlin” with Liv Lisa Fries - Liv plays my girlfriend in “Prélude” - I felt an extreme unease in the next morning. I was kind of aggressive and in a bad mood, which kept increasing throughout the day, until I finally just collapsed in the evening. Probably the situation with my parents at home and with my girlfriend on the side gave me such a safe space that I could process all this again. There was apparently no real opportunity to do that before because after the “Prélude” shoot exciting things kept happening. I had the impression that I had dragged this topic for months and only let everything out during my visit in Cologne. But I did not really get rid of it. When I saw the movie for the first time some time later, I was really sad for two or three days and did not know why. So I called Frank Betzelt, who had coached me then. He just asked me one question: “What really bothers you? The fact that you are so sad or that you do not know why you are sad?”

Jonas:

What a clever question!

Louis:

An incredibly smart question! My answer was, “Because I do not know why this is happening to me.” And then Frank said it was fine and I did not have to fight it. The reason for this is that I have grown so fond of the character and thereby experienced the suffering of this young artist even more intensely. We talked about it for a while - and after that phone call it was OK.

Jonas:

Kat Frankie, a singer-songwriter living here in Berlin, wrote the interesting sentence: “People that write sad songs are a little happier.” Is that similar to actors who play sad roles?

Louis:

You can say that the other way around too - look at Robin Williams, who was hilarious in his roles, but must have been extremely sad in his private life and finally took his own life. Basically, I think that actors who play a lot of melancholic roles, also need a certain fascination. And if you have that fascination in general, you have it when you’re not acting as well.

Jonas:

If you ignore the expectations of other people: What is your own claim to yourself?

Louis:

I have a very high standard of myself and I am extremely ambitious.

Jonas:

That means you’re also prone to criticism?

Louis:

I’m trying not to be that. It’s a bit strange to me anyway: I’m really excited about criticism and sometimes find it strange when there’s none at all - especially when I know for sure that there’s something to criticize. At the same time, it is not so easy for me to handle criticism when it is actually voiced, especially if it comes from myself. I wish that was easier.

Jonas:

Are you someone who takes things from peers?

Louis ( smiles ):

Off or on? No, seriously, I think you have to make sure that you can focus on your own work and not get too confused by the hype that is often justified by some of your colleagues. But I also think it’s just right as an actor to keep your eyes open and to be inspired by what’s being done elsewhere. But we should all be in this world anyway, no matter if actor or not.

#louis hofmann #dark netflix #jonas kahnwald #prélude

14 notes · View notes

sakura-blossom28 · 5 years ago

Text

Modern Day Romance

Chapter 2

Here’s chapter 2! I love Gaara, he’s my favorite character so this was really fun to write! Sorry his history is a little long I tried to make it as close to what it really was with it being modern au! Let me know what you think!! Don’t own Naruto!

Ch 1 /

Dating had not come easily for Gaara. He was always alone, aloof, and reserved in showing any emotions. Well, that’s how he used to be. His upbringing had been a real struggle for his family. When his mother passed away during his birth, it put a real strain on the family. Instead of coming together with his father and siblings, they slowly drifted apart. Being shut out by his own family lead Gaara down a dark and violent path. With no supervision and access to their family’s wealth from a famous fashion magazine, Gaara was able to fuel early addictions that his young body could not tolerate.

Gambling had started his descent into his spiral out of control. By the time he was ten Gaara had started placing bets on games and dice in back allies behind the liquor stores in town, but the thrill of winning wasn’t enough. Eventually, he found his way to street fights. He was good of course from constantly fighting for years, but one night he bit off more than he could chew. The pain was unbearable, but that fight, in particular, had knocked Gaara’s brain around so much that something finally clicked. He needed to stop all of this, drinking, drugs, fighting. It all needed to stop.

Only at the sight of his siblings surrounding him with tears in their eyes did it all come together for him. All the times that he thought they didn’t care about him, didn’t he notice the concerned looks in their eyes? When he came home late at night, wasn’t there always some food and pain medicine left at the kitchen table? Seeing his brother and sister in such a state over him made him realize that he had acted cruelly towards them. They were scared of their own brother and he wanted to change that, but how?

He looked over to his father and did not see any emotions of caring in his eyes. More embarrassment at the situation. Maybe some relationships couldn’t change, but as long as Gaara could have his siblings that would be enough for him. He had no desire to attempt to change his relationship with his father, but it might be easier to deal with him if Temari and Kankuro started to like Gaara more.

“You’ve done enough to sully the family name. You will be sent away to learn how to behave like a proper human being. No discussions, you’re leaving as soon as you’re discharged,” his father said in a stern voice. They locked eyes to see who would drop first in a struggle for dominance. Gaara was the first, but he only closed his eyes.

“Yes. I will agree to that,” Gaara said quietly while keeping his eyes closed. His father turned to walk out of the room, but when he heard Gaara’s voice again he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Thank you… Father,” Gaara had not addressed his father with any form of a name since he was about six. Hearing those words shocked Gaara’s father to his core. The room went totally silent with everyone else holding their breath. Their father relaxed his shoulders and said, “Temari, find a suitable program… for your brother,” and he left without looking back at them. That was the first time that Gaara had been acknowledged as part of the family by their father. Yes, this was a change that Gaara needed…

Years later Gaara finished his rehabilitation with the help of his siblings. They had found a wonderful program that focused on violent behaviors and also allowed Gaara to go to school and earn a high school degree. It was a school located out in the desert and it helped Gaara connect to himself and others in the program. He was able to write letters to his siblings and that’s how they repaired their broken relationships and learned to care for each other again. Not only was the staff educated on how to help Gaara emotionally, but they also taught him better ways to channel his anger.

After graduating Gaara returned home. He had picked up the knack of gardening and especially enjoyed cacti. It helped him remember everything he learned. He also took up material arts which was offered at the school. Gaara was not surprisingly good at his new hobby, but he also made his first friend. On the first day of lessons, Gaara had knocked Lee, the teacher’s assistant, around a bit too much, he had so much frustration built up that he lost control. Gaara was so distraught about the whole situation he visited Lee in the hospital. He expected to be run out by the teacher, but when he walked in Guy and Lee all smiled at Gaara. He was so confused, but it felt so nice to be smiled at that Gaara stayed and got to know Lee. On their way out of the hospital, Guy had said something that Gaara would never forget.

“If you hadn’t come and visited Lee to make sure he was okay I would have kicked you off the team and reported back to the school that you might be unable to change, but the fact that you did speaks volumes. You have a willingness to be a good person. Keep working on yourself, listen to your teachers and people will accept you. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it will be worth it in the end when you are surrounded by people who truly love you,” Gui patted him on the shoulder, flashed him a toothy grin and thumbs up and ran off down the block. Gaara hadn’t had any form of affection in years and he craved more.

Being on a dating app was not Gaara’s idea of fun. He barely kept up with his own personal social media accounts, except for his secret page about his small garden. Temari and Kankuro had created the profile for him. Kankuro was a photographer for their father’s magazine and Temari was a designer for the label as well. Most of his pictures on the profile were taken by Kankuro. He often posed for his brother because he enjoyed spending time with his family, even though they all started fighting as the session dragged on. No one could take charge. Their father had every attention to give the company to Gaara after he earned his degree, but Gaara knew that was not the life he wanted to live.

When he walked into his father’s office when he was eighteen, walking tall and had an air of confidence about him, his father was shocked at the man before him. Gaara was calm and spoke from his heart about how he had no intention of taking over the company, but wanted to go to school to become a therapist to help people that were like him. And that’s exactly what he did. His father saw that there would be no changing his mind, and he didn’t have the strength to argue anyway with the shock still rattling his brain that Gaara was this new person.

So here Gaara was sitting in his apartment looking at different girls in his area. Life was going well and Temari felt it was time he finally found a nice girl to pull the stick out of his butt. Gaara had never had a serious girlfriend before. Only casual flings, but they never heald his attention for very long. They normally weren’t a fan of his uncaring facade. Secretly, he was still worried about being rejected like he was with his family so many years ago. Was he willing to trust someone with such intimate feelings to have them leave if they didn’t like what they saw in him? He was only overthinking everything because of his job. Sure he helped people with addiction, but they also had their own struggles with relationships. He was just awful at taking his own advice.

He did feel this was better than meeting some girl at a bar. He didn’t typically go out much, but Kankuro insisted some nights to be his wing-man. It was enjoyable to watch his brother fail at picking up women. Temari was also no help. She only recommended women who were like her and those women happened to be a bit too intimidating for Gaara. At least on these dating apps, he could talk to the women first before deciding if they were annoying or not.

Gaara didn’t have a type, but he did seem to be attracted to women who smiled openly in their pictures. As he was scrolling he got a notification from one of his dating-apps. Sakura liked your picture! Tap to match! He hadn’t gotten a like in what felt like forever. Probably another goth girl who would find him boring once they started talking. With his look of mostly wearing black, Gaara attracted a certain type of woman. He dressed professionally while at work but during his downtime, Temari gave him everything that was off the rack that she thought that he would like. These girls thought he was a fashion guru, but he disappointed them time and again when he admitted that someone picked them out for him and he really didn’t care about labels. They seemed to ghost him after that.

When he opened the app he was met with a bright smile and sea glass green eyes that were like his own, but these eyes were filled with happiness. Gaara’s caught his breath when he looked at this girl Sakura. She was nothing like the girls who liked him before. Sakura was all sunshine and bright colors from her pink hair to her clothes. She was a nurse and enjoyed sweets and being outside. What surprised Gaara the most was what picture she had liked.

It was the very last picture on his profile and the only picture of him smiling. He was embarrassed when Temari insisted that she HAD to put in on. It was a dinner party a few months ago that Temari had thrown to announce her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Shikamaru. Lee had eaten something a little too spicy for his liking and was being his ridiculous self and Gaara just had to laugh at his misfortune. The fact that this girl Sakura looked at his whole profile and liked his picture was thrilling to Gaara. He had to talk to this girl, she seemed different if she liked a guy like him.

His hands started to type out a message before he realized what he was doing and pressed send to match with a Sakura Haruno...

Ch 3

#gaara x sakura #Sakura Haruno #Sabaku No Gaara #temari #Kankuro #shikamara nara #Rock Lee #might guy #modern au #dating au #My writing #gaasaku

19 notes · View notes

dippedanddripped · 5 years ago

Link

Watching Aminé’s “Caroline” music video can evoke vivid high school memories of the days when a freshly minted driver’s license conferred upon its holder the freedom to meet up with friends and do anything �� or nothing. The video, like the song, is bubbly and carefree; it documents Aminé and his friends riding around town in a Honda Sedan stocked to the gills with bananas, lounging around in the grass, and watching each other play video games. In that 2016 summer of #BlackBoyJoy in hip-hop (when Chance the Rapper, Lil Yachty, D.R.A.M., Anderson .Paak, Rae Sremmurd, MadeinTYO, and Desiigner also flourished), “Caroline” went quadruple-platinum and helped make Aminé the first rapper ever from Portland, Oregon to become a national star.

The video for “Shimmy,” the lead single from Aminé’s forthcoming album Limbo, is a collage of Portland-specific flexes, a tribute to how far he’s come. He cheeses for the cameras while flanked by a phalanx of lawyers and dances midfield at Providence Park. He stands, perhaps symbolically, on the roof of Mike’s Drive-In (the burger joint where “Caroline” was shot) and trades the Honda for a speedboat zooming up the Willamette River.

Just as importantly, “Shimmy” is a subtle homage to the heavily gentrified areas of northeast Portland, where Aminé — born Adam Daniel to Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants — grew up. In the video, he meets up with other members of the Portland rap scene plus Yosief Berhe and Jonathan Ressom, his two friends who co-star in all of his videos, to bike en masse down NE Alberta Street. He stops by Kee’s, a popular soul food truck, and heads to Woodlawn Park, his old stomping grounds located a few blocks from his childhood home.

“Woodlawn is the neighborhood that I grew up in,” he tells Highsnobiety over Zoom. “It used to be very much a part of the Black community. It’s kind of turned into a hipster park now, but it’s definitely the first place I got jumped. The first place I had my first fight in. Woodlawn represents a lot of good memories for me and my friends. Like our innocent adolescence.”

Rapid gentrification continues to gut Portland’s Black community, which accounts for less than six percent of the city’s total population. Aminé alluded to the transformation of Woodlawn on his 2017 song “Turf”: “Flipping through my past like I used to flip the phone / They kicking out the Blacks and all the houses getting clones.”

“The gentrification is insane,” he says. “I used to have only Black neighbors. And now my parents only live next to white people. The only reason my parents are still on that block is because, you know, I pay for everything. But it’s not the same for a lot of Black people in Portland.”

His friends Yosief and Jonathan echo this sentiment during a phone interview: “You’re getting chains of dispensaries on the same corners where police would try to nail people for weed,” Jonathan says. “I can go in there, and it’s gonna be a girl in a skirt giving me a dub. Meanwhile, no lie, like six, seven years ago, homies getting locked up doing the same shit on that same corner.”

“People in Portland sometimes have the right intentions,” Yosief adds. “But it really irks my nerves when I go down Mississippi or Albina or through historically Black neighborhoods, and it’s 85 percent white. All the houses have Black Lives Matter signs on the lawn but displaced a bunch of Black families to be there. It’s unfortunate.”

Limbo arrives four years into Aminé’s tenure as a major-label rapper, at a point where he’s established himself, but is still unsure of where to go or how to proceed with his career. “The title came from where I’m at in my life,” he explains. “There are two meanings behind it. I feel like I grew up thinking that once I achieved one level, the next level would be easier to achieve. But as I’ve grown, I’ve come to realize that with every level that I achieve, every level gets harder, just like the game of limbo. It just doesn’t seem to change for me, and it’s honestly made me feel like I’m completely in limbo. I thought the older I get, the wiser I’d get. But I’m figuring it out.”

Bittersweet nostalgia for high school and college years has been a recurring theme in Aminé’s music. In this sense, Limbo picks up where his 2017 debut album Good For You left off. Co-executive produced by Aminé and “Caroline” producer Pasque, it features one song that is entirely dedicated to Woodlawn Park, another to Aminé’s mother. Other songs, including his recent release “RiRi,” wistfully revisit past romances that sputtered. That era, which saw the first, fitful yawns of Aminé’s music career, is fertile terrain for storytelling. “I miss being naïve. I miss hoping, not knowing what your future was looking like,” he told Pigeons & Planes earlier this year. “Just being in your room in college, broke as hell.”

Aminé’s rap career began in the booth of Benson High’s radio broadcasting program, where he and his friends once rapped over Flockaveli beats. “Then we actually realized that Adam was pretty good,” Yosief tells us. He spent summers in New York, working youth camps in the Bronx and holding down internships at Complex and Def Jam — staying with his aunt in Harlem, eating plain leftover rice out of her fridge when food money inevitably got low. After high school, he started putting out mixtapes into a localized scene that Pasque describes as “stuck in the golden age.” Casual co-signs from Damian Lillard (who came to a show) and Kaytranada (who sent free beats) were good omens that also helped him stand out. All the while, he matriculated at Portland State University and lived at home with his parents. PSU is where he met Pasque, and where they made “Caroline.”

“We found out about this classroom inside of the music building that was always left unlocked,” Pasque says. “We had a schedule. I would go to work, and then after I clocked out, I would go immediately to school and work on music all night, basically. And it was like that for about five or six months. And then, eventually, it got to the point where we had a good amount of music, and our manager, Justin, was like, ‘You guys gotta put something out.’ We decided to put out ‘Caroline.’ And after that, it was no looking back.”

“I remember him putting out these little mixtapes, trying to get stuff retweeted, putting freaking fliers on corners, and [getting help from] all our friends in Portland,” Yosief says. “The slow grind. I remember Adam was trending [on Twitter] just in Portland, and it was like a big-ass deal. I remember him having like 1,000, 2,000 views on SoundCloud, to him going like, ‘Hey, this song got two million plays on Spotify, we’re about to make a music video for it.’ All of us still broke.”

Weeks after “Caroline” came out and started racking up gaudy streaming numbers, Vevo offered to fly Aminé out to New York to record a video performance of the single. He was in his senior year, and the video shoot conflicted with a finance final, but he decided to go anyways.

“I literally was told that if I failed this final, I would fail the class. So, I was like, ‘I don’t give a fuck.’ I just didn’t care,” he says. “I hated college. I knew it wasn’t for me, but I still kept doing it because I have strict African parents that I lived with. There was no other alternative for me to live under [their roof] without going to school.”

Aminé’s affable, low-key charm and new deal with Republic Records facilitated his smooth entry into the mainstream. The summer after “Caroline” blew up, Malia Obama requested to meet him after his set at Lollapalooza, and Young Thug called him a “young legend” backstage at a European music festival. “I didn’t even know if [Thug] knew who I was,” he says. He relocated to Los Angeles, where he has lived a charmed life, ensconced in a network of the city’s coolest, smartest, and most famous young artists. Late last year, Issa Rae — who co-starred in his 2017 “Spice Girl” video — asked him to guest star in Insecure as a dumb guy named Darnell. “I moved to LA just because, like, half of the features I get are just because me and the homies are in the studio,” Aminé explains. “Like, I can text Vince [Staples] and he’ll pull up to the studio. Money can’t buy timing. That’s pretty much the only reason I’m here.”

Still, to a great extent, Aminé strives for anonymity rather than celebrity. “When people want to go to, like, 1 OAK, or the club, I’d rather just go to a small bar with a couple of my good friends and chill,” he says. He adds that “normal things” have helped him stay sane during quarantine — like meeting friends in the park with food, or his morning ritual of smoking a joint and walking his 11-month-old goldendoodle Oliver.

This aversion to the limelight extends to his relationship with Portland, where he is something of a modern cultural icon. He doesn’t go out to restaurants with his parents anymore, for the sake of their privacy. He expresses his hope that he could signal boost Portland’s Black businesses and the city’s overall profile in the music industry, rather than don the cape of Captain Portland: “I’m just such an indoor person, and I don’t love that kind of pressure on me. Like, I was never really prepared for this type of career.”

Aminé intends to eventually build a massive compound in Portland, with a studio and acres of land. It’s likely to happen one day — just don’t hold him to it. Public expectations can be dangerous. “The main thing to take away from [this album] is, I’m still just a guy figuring it out,” he says. “I don’t have the answers. And I don’t want fans to look at me for every answer. I’m just a guy, literally. I’m just in limbo.”

Limbo is out August 7 via Republic. Pre-order the record here.

#limbo #Aminé #pdx hiphop artist #portland oregon #hiphop blog #music blog

1 note · View note

pyreo · 6 years ago

Text

Fixing Incredibles 2: stuff I would do

Hey wanna hear some thoughts on what I’d do to tune up a movie I found slightly disappointing? There’s three main aspects I want to deal with which are

1. badly utilised new supers 2. iffy villain motivation 3. third act was a mess

So here’s a few things I’d wanna do to rework some of that

So first off, that’s a lie, there’s really 5 things that bothered me. this should not have been an immediate sequel where no time had passed. they actually had to backtrack on the character development from the first movie to have them do the same character arcs again. Helen’s back on wanting her kids to stay away from dangerous heroics. Violet’s reward for learning to assert herself, a date with Tony, is erased and she has to win him all over again. Bob, in a weird 180 from his first portrayal where he adored spending time with Violet and Dash during his training montage... suddenly struggles with caring for them, though that’s mostly the fault of Jack-Jack’s powers manifesting.

So firstly, I’d do what I always imagined the sequel would be and push it a few years forward. Allow it room to change. Have Violet be a college student with Tony as her longterm boyfriend. Have Dash be a teen who’s still eager to save the world, but needing to learn that no danger is better than stopping danger. And make Jack-Jack a child, still in need of supervision but not a total cartoonish liability who necessitates long sequences of adjustment to discovering his powers, again, a retread we already saw last time. Every character arc was a re-do and the constant burden of dealing with Jack-Jack really slowed stuff down. (this was my 5th thing) Fix this by skipping forward. (Also, Violet’s hero moment being... learning that she has to set personal glory aside and babysit Jack-Jack while everyone else does stuff? Are you kidding me?)

We now have a different angle on Helen’s worries - she’s not just concerned about putting her kids in danger. She acts like it, she tells them not to start jumping at the chance to get into heroism. She tells them to apply themselves in school and get normal lives too, in case it doesn’t pan out. But this feels familiar, because it’s what she said in the first movie, and it’s a front. She’s worried about her kids growing up, becoming adults - Violet basically is one - and how she can’t protect them if they move out. She pretends it’s about their powers to cover this. This also refocuses the movie’s main character arc onto Helen like it’s... supposed to be, instead of putting it on Bob’s learning to parent and accept his wife’s super- importance, because despite being framed as Elastigirl’s time to shine, it’s not her story when she doesn’t embody a change of character. It’s still Bob.

So, those things established:

1. Better villain ideology

Revenge because supers failed to save your parents? Basic. Also not that believable, because the reason the heroes failed to answer Daddy Business’s call is that they’d been outlawed and given new lives as normal people. They could not have come to the rescue; it was illegal. And a superhero enthusiast would have known that. And, hey, ‘criminals shot our dad and then our mother died afterwards of a broken heart’? Are you kidding me? Just have them both get shot, fuck it. Stop this ‘women dying because their man tragically died’ shit. It’s getting melodramatic at that point.

No criminals, no revenge stuff. Have the Deavor’s parents die when they were in early teens. The brother and sister had to support each other as they started to navigate adulthood. This instilled in them the philosophy that’s common to the type of silicon valley startup wizards they parody - that anyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be hugely successful if they try hard, having come from orphans near poverty to multimillionaires.

I want both of them, brother and sister, to be the villains together. You don’t really need to twist that. They both come off as helpful fans who want to put their money to use helping supers get back in the game. After all the biggest complaint keeping supers illegal is the property damage and lawsuits, and what fixes that? Money. They also both believe, as is Evelyn’s motivation for real, that superheroes are actually causing the public to develop dependency on them.

I would set up the siblings as advocates of Randian objectivism in how they work. They think everyone can go from nothing to having everything. They think it’s a personal imperitive to be hard working, to contribute and make yourself a success, without relying on others. They think needing a safety net - superheroes, as a metaphor for social facilities - is a weakness that stops people from taking responsibility for themselves. I want to downplay the ‘tech company who makes tiny cameras’ thing, because that was far too modern day to fit in the 60s, and make it more about sheer money generation and the ability for the siblings to pay off debts and influence public opinion; essentially, that money can get you anything, glossing over the corrupt nature of that by claiming it’s doing the right thing to help the heroes.

Winston still had a childlike adoration for supers as a kid, but it was killed when he grew up without parents who couldn’t BE saved, followed by extremely hard work in the financial sector, dealing with stress, and realising that he worked just as hard, but got no media acclaim, as people who just happen to have been born with powers. Both siblings invest in personal security solutions, aiming to eventually reveal a plan to put superheroes out of business by outpacing them with technology. To use the free market to provide ways that normal people can protect themselves, without becoming complacent, relying on dubious, flawed heroes, without becoming blind to danger because they expect to be saved. Their evil motto is basically ‘don’t expect anyone to save you’, putting the burden of responsibility on the individual to take care of themselves and be solely in charge of their success or failure.

The superheroes, of course, represent altruism, saving people just because they can, just because they were given an ability and can use it to help anyone and anyone they wish. Making no judgements between rich or poor, personal backgrounds, social class... everyone can be saved just the same.

The villains intend to gain the trust of the three main heroes - Mr Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone - and push them into good public opinion by funding everything they do or break. Destruction is paid for, claims are settled. Heroes shouldn’t have to worry about it, they say. What they actually intend is for the heroes to become dependent on their company for money, just as they see the public growing dependent on supers instead of taking steps to protect themselves. They will set up a huge, climactic battle in the most expensive part of the city, after the heroes have been encouraged to ignore the financial cost to their feats. Then they’ll withdraw support, burying the trio in horrific debt to a level they cannot recover from, while also pushing a new line of tech solutions to make money off people’s protection. Technically, they want to help people, but they need to make sure the legal battle for supers will finally crush them out of work so they can get the maximum profit from their products.

2. More cohesive new super team

It’s not that they were bad, I just felt it was jarring after the profiles Syndrome kept on his targets - all supers were completely normal people who happened to have abilities. The new guys were okay, but felt like oddball ideas and out-of-place mutants (the whole point is that supers are being pushed into normal lives and hiding their innate abilities. I dunno how you do that as an owl-man). I would make all the new guys young adults and teenagers.

One, to point out the reality of the situation with supers. The new blood is going to be young. After what Syndrome did, nearly all adult heroes have been killed. I want to point out that, in order to bring back the idea of superheroism, we have to acknowledge that the ones who are going to do that are a generation down. Elastigirl meets them (we’re keeping Voyd obviously, but they’re all nervous youngsters like her, 15-22 ish). Elastigirl get confronted by her protective instinct - legalising supers means all of these kids going into danger. But, through talking with them, she realises how much it means to them, not having to hide who they are. They’re all like Voyd is. They were all shunned, pushed away, and ultimately hid their powers while feeling like absolute shit for being abnormal. There is a very clear real life allegory here. Helen realises that legalising supers isn’t just about throwing yourself into danger. It’s about allowing people to be who they are, and not shame them for something out of their control. They’re unpractised, they’re ashamed of showing their powers to her, and Helen mentally adopts every single one of them instantly.

Helen gets a montage of training her super team to understand their powers better. She sees them become more at home with themselves after an early life full of restriction and even self-hatred. It’s not just about being cool, it’s about your identity, and Helen gets that and stops having reservations about legalising supers again. It’s bigger than her family. And the Deavors arrange and fund this, because they want as many heroes implicated as possible, they want both generations of supers wiped out and to never be able to return. Dependency is a crutch they would say, and humanity needs to learn to survive without it. We can keep Screenslaver as the fake villain setting up the big final battle, and we can keep his monologue about dependency on screens as a metaphor, but devolving into a diatribe against the nature of neglecting your personal success by vicariously watching someone else’s.

3. The third act didn’t fit

We already don’t have the dead weight of baby JJ crashing the pace of the story. He’s a young child, and we’re going to have Edna watch him (she can love it like she does in the movie, Jack-Jack can find her research enriching too). This time it’s Frozone, Elastigirl and Mr Incredible who get taken by mind control. The siblings are going to stage a fight between all three, pretending that superheroes are unstable, liable to turn on each other at the cost of civilian lives. That should turn the public against them for good, while causing massive amounts of damage. They use the Screenslaver persona to set up a showdown in the city, only to capture the three supers and turn them on each other.

Not mind controlled? Elastigirl’s recruits. They just barely manage to escape it. They go to get help from their mentor, only to find the supers gone, and Violet and Dash seeing the carnage on TV and getting suited up to find out what’s going on. The kids get an introduction and team up together, heading off to stop their teacher and parents, new blood vs old guard.

That results in six or seven barely trained supers going up against three extremely experienced ones, while they also have to try to minimise loss of life and property damage. While dealing with the trauma, for Violet and Dash, of being attacked by their own parents and not knowing why. Also, they get backup from Honey. Frozone’s wife. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS MOVIE. She was designed and then cut and that’s a TRAVESTY. She’s already popular, she was a breakout hit, let her be in this. She steps forward, no powers, regular civilian clothes, and helps the kids out with advice from the ground, picking them up when they fall, and huge vocal encouragement. She kicks ass because that’s what she fucking does. She helps direct the crowds to safety, she tells these kids to look at their super suits and believe in what they’re capable of. And it’s her who snags Frozone after his powers get strategically rebuffed, she grabs him and grabs his goggles off and fixes it herself.

With another adult on their side and better confidence the new supers manage to pull Elastigirl and Mr Incredible back to reality too, which concludes Helen’s anxiety about their capability and the passing of the torch. They did it, they were responsible - there’s no casualties and with all their powers combined, they managed to avert damage better than Helen and Bob ever did. The adults realise that the kids can be trusted to handle heroism and Helen is super proud of her trainees-slash-children.

That leaves the actual capture of the villains, which comes down to running from the combined might of all the supers who gradually cut down their ability to escape, culminating in Winston stopping Evelyn from getting away, and having a personal realisation. A resurgence of the boyish glee he once had for heroes stopping the villains. He foils his sister and turns both of them in, willingly, in a weird way fulfilling his dream of saving the day like his idols did.

To round off, thanks to the rehabilitated (and not sabotaged) hero image, and the display of capability the young supers put on, supers are legalised again. Helen and Bob now work as teachers to the kids as part of a new government program to make sure kids with powers learn how to responsibly control them, Helen of course continuing her role as mentor to her massive new family, and Bob finally able to work without restraining himself. The government agrees that encouraging kids to train properly and learn how to avoid risk and costly situations is worth endorsing. Dash befriends some of the other teens in the supergroup and has friends he can push his abilities with, without it being unfair.

Finally, it’s time for Violet to move out, because things must move on. Helen, Bob and Frozone (who gets an updated suit because come on) are accepting that they’ll eventually they’ll have to let others take their place. Violet’s going to move in with Tony and get a normal job, because she still yearns for a normal lifestyle underneath it all, but she won’t be far away and can always answer the call to join the family in the field. They all bid her farewell (”Finally maybe I can get some peace without Dash bursting into my room-” “I can run to your apartment in one minute 28 seconds, I checked!!”) but Helen isn’t worried any more, because she has renewed faith in how well her children have grown up and is accepting they don’t need has as much any more. And besides, she has tons more children who need her too and it’s up to her to help them find their true potential.

Thanks for reading this way too long exercise in figuring out what I wanted from the sequel to one of my favourite films in the world... the original Incredibles was centred around heroes also just being human, who make mistakes and have to grow up and change, and the villain’s fanboy mentality was the antithesis to that. I would’ve wanted a sequel that understood the message of its predecessor in that people have to develop and grow, one aspect of which is letting go, but what we actually got seemed too static and unwilling to move away from what we had already resolved in the first one.

#the incredibles #some creative bogus analysis I guess #this is VERY long I'm sorry??#yeah this is like.. 2.5k words what the fuck

229 notes · View notes

checkpeople1-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Free Background Checks

Do you need an instant criminal free background checks? CheckPeople.com concentrates on criminal background checks, utilizing updated details and integrating all tools of modern innovation. We gain distinct access to details that we obtain from public reports and records.

We offer limitless, instant searches that will save you time and money if you require to locate court records, or if you simply wish to use our background check services to help you locate long-lost relatives or pals! Background check searches have never ever been so easy.

Start your background check look for free, secure your individual security and enhance your knowledge through our user friendly, easy-to-review background checks. If you require an accurate criminal background check quick, we can help.

When you conduct a search on CheckPeople.com, you'll gain instant access to an extensive background check report including:

RAP SHEETS & ARREST RECORDS The rap sheets & arrest records section of your report lists details such as felony records, DUI/DWI records, arrest records, mugshots, criminal records, police reports, convictions, speeding tickets, sexual offenses, misdemeanor charges, active/outstanding warrants, etc.

Our trustworthy criminal background checks can assist keep you and your household safe. Quickly learn whether a prospective date has any kind of criminal history. Even if they haven't been convicted, you'll learn about all arrests and violations from throughout the country. We browse federal, state, city, and county records to guarantee you get the most recent, most accurate information.

One of the most helpful and essential elements of our criminal background checks is the information from our sex wrongdoer database. We understand that absolutely nothing is more crucial than the security of your kids. Our basic background check tool enables you to search anyone who may have contact with your children such as neighbors, instructors, and coaches. Once a person has actually been convicted of a sexual offense, they are required to be signed up in the general public data gain access to system, and will show up in your search even after they have actually finished their sentence.

Do not take any chances. When it's this quick and simple, it's worth learning who you are trusting to be around your family.

CURRENT & PREVIOUS CONTACT DETAILS Your report will include information such as existing and previous addresses, existing and previous email addresses, active and inactive social media profiles, existing telephone number( s) and a lot more!

Some people appear completely normal and safe on their known social networks accounts, however they have other covert accounts that expose another person totally. These hidden accounts are typically invisible to totally free background check platforms, however our search tool has the ability to dig them up.

While it is illegal to utilize our system to get in touch with someone versus their desires, we encourage you to utilize contact details to send invites or thank you cards, look up lost likes, or even reality check a new crush about where they have lived.

Address info can also be used to get information on a property you might be interested in. Looking up the owner can expose judgments, liens, mortgages, and deeds that will help you comprehend what might be associated with the transaction. This details is public for a reason. Now you can discover it quickly and quickly, and feel confident making better notified decisions.

NATIONWIDE COURT DOCUMENTS Our system searches more than 6 billion records from county, state, municipal and federal court houses. Be prepared to see information such as tax liens, existing and previous criminal cases, insolvency filings, personal injury, and small claims lawsuit, family and probate court cases, legal judgements, birth and death records, existing and previous claims and much more!

It can take lots of hours to check out court houses, work with clerks, and eventually find the files you are looking for. In some jurisdictions, you may likewise be required to pay a charge for the service or to make copies. We remove the inconvenience and expense. With our single regular monthly charge, you get limitless searches anytime, from anywhere.

It has actually never been simpler to get one, complete, credible report on somebody. There are complimentary background check services readily available, however you can not rely on that they are searching every public record database, or that they are discovering the current information offered. We make certain our algorithms are ensuring the most in-depth reports possible are generated each time.

INSTANTANEOUS DEEP WEB SEARCH Our exclusive algorithm will search for any hidden social media accounts, current sites, online forum posts, blog sites, present and previous images/videos, and other different content that we'll discover on the deep web. The knowledgeable team behind CheckPeople.com has more than 20 years of experience running successful web companies. We understand how to gain access to even the most hidden info online.

While we respect that some information must remain personal, we believe everybody should have simple access to public records. No one must be able to hide their criminal history or questionable business deals. All of us deserve to find any public information, and now it's as basic as clicking a couple of buttons.

The deep web refers to those web pages that are not indexed by standard web online search engine. The info that will come up during most complimentary web searches exists on what is called the surface web. CheckPeople.com's high-level, instantaneous deep web search reveals more.

PERSONAL INFORMATION RECORDS Prepare to learn current and past profession records, existing and previous relatives and partners, date of birth together with nicknames/aliases, etc. Our objective is to encourage transparency, and supply you with a user friendly tool that will give you comfort. The details our searches discover is already out there. We just make it easier to find.

Our individual information records have actually been used to catch significant others in lies, find criminals passing different names, and much more. Even if you are simply curious about your colleagues, you should have to know who you're working beside every day. You might be stunned to find out that a good friend has actually been lying about their age, or that a prospective date is not really a doctor like they declared. Never ever waste time on a catfish. Always prevent relying on the incorrect people.

Some of your individual details might likewise be public. Be sure to conduct a thorough background look at yourself so that you know what details about yourself are offered online.

#free background checks #arrest records #background checks

1 note · View note

seriouslyhooked · 7 years ago

Text

Scoring Your Love (Part 12/?)

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven,Part Eight. Story also on FF here and AO3 here. Banner by the wonderful @timetravelandfairytales

Modern AU where Killian is a world famous soccer star who has hit rock bottom and been sentenced to the place where ‘football’ legends go to die – America. While here he crosses paths with Emma, an up and coming musician and film scorer who challenges everything he thought he knew and makes him want more than the game he’s always loved. Will be filled with fluff for days, and eventually rated M.

A/N: Hey everybody! Remember how I said there might be some hiccups along the way in this story? Well let’s call today a hiccup. It’ll be okay though, friends, because you know if it was actually really bad I would warn you before hand, but there is some drama today that’s been looming on the horizon for a while. Hope that you guys enjoy the chapter and I would love to know what you all think! Thanks for reading!

“And you’re really sure about this, Jones?” Robin asked Killian as they stood in the team room adjoining the press hall in the stadium. “Because I can talk to Regina. Contract or not, she can’t force you into this.”

Killian appreciated his coach’s concern, and where many people might think that Robin was taking all of this too seriously, Killian knew the truth. The press could be brutal for athletes of his standing, and with his history there was bound to be some awkwardness. To go from one of the most talked about footballers in the world to pretty much off the grid for public consumption was abnormal to say the least. So far, however, the press had respected his boundaries. Over the past few months of the season, Killian hadn’t had to do this and he also hadn’t been hounded by paparazzi or rogue sports bloggers. That was thanks, no doubt, to the power of Regina and her family’s influence, but Killian knew he couldn’t ignore this part of his world forever. For better or worse this was a key element of his job, and the sooner he did this, the sooner he could be done with it.

“She’s already screened the questions, which is better than most of my interactions with the press in the past,” Killian reasoned, his voice lilting with a joking edge as he shrugged his shoulders. “Besides the sooner I get this done, the sooner it’s behind me.”

“And the sooner you can get to your date tonight,” David chimed in as he walked up to them. “But brace yourself, man. There’s a lot of them out there.”

“There always are, mate,” Killian said, trying to portray the overconfident cockiness he was known for as he straightened out his suit jacket and headed through the doors.

Instantly the flashes of the cameras blinded him, pulsing every second as photogs tried to get the perfect shot of Killian. At the same time murmurings of his name, coupled with the most eager of reporters directly trying to talk to him, began. But all of this chaos was to be expected. The press was hardly known for its patience, especially with high profile players like Killian, but before it could get too out of hand, Regina called everyone’s attention back to her.

“Now gentleman, what did I say about manners?” she chided, her voice cool but resolute.

“Hey, there are ladies in here too,” one particularly overeager sportscaster said as Regina chuckled in response.

“There are, but they all knew I meant what I said and they’ll be rewarded for that. Yelling isn’t going to work in my house. You play by my rules or you’re out of here. Got it?”

The quiet that settled in as Killian took his spot at the table before all the microphones was answer enough, and Killian fought the urge to smile at the looks on some of the audience’s faces. Many of the most taken aback journalists were ones he recognized as being on the European circuit, so clearly they hadn’t had the chance to tangle with the Queen until now.

The movement of the conference from there went as well as could be expected. Regina had told him that she needed half an hour of his time, and she ran a tight enough ship to allow that. Just as she promised, she favored almost all of those question-askers who had been quiet at his arrival with opportunity, leaving the others grumbling and frustrated. It provided an interesting dynamic for Killian too, since most of those early questions actually had to do with the game. He was happy to answer those, admitting that he hadn’t stayed on top of his stats as dutifully as he had in the past, but that he was happy with his effort so far this season and that of his whole team as well.

“Killian, what do you think that moving to the American leagues has given you?” one woman asked along the way, and though her phrasing was innocent it struck Killian with a bit more force than the other queries had.

The truth was that this move had offered him so much more than people would ever know. The answer that this fleet of reporters was looking for no doubt had to do with privacy from the press or a clean slate on a new team and both of those were undoubtedly true. But the most important thing that this move had given Killian was a wake up call about his life and what he wanted. He had entered this contract a far more broken man and he was now at the twenty game mark yielding both a perfect 20-0 record and a whole new world perspective. Now the game wasn’t the most important thing to him, Emma was, but strangely enough his change of priorities hadn’t hurt his playing it all, it had only made him better.

“It’s given me everything,” Killian responded evenly, and as all eyes and cameras remained trained on him he expanded the thought. “I left a great team back home, a talented group to be sure, with a city and a country filled with passionate fans. But the culture here is different. It’s not just the fact that Americans call it soccer that makes them unique.”

The press corps laughed at Killian’s purposeful joke, feeding into his ploy to appear charming and put together. Then Killian returned his eyes to the woman who had asked this question and pressed on.

“I honestly didn’t come into this expecting what I’ve found. The love of the game here is just as strong as anywhere in the world, and the emphasis on team as opposed to being the best is refreshing. It’s not about big names and perfect stats. It’s about which man gives his all on the pitch and which man doesn’t. This team is filled with men willing to go the extra mile, and I appreciate that.”

“And what about your personal life?” A faceless voice asked, going against the tone of the conference all-together. Regina was in charge of calling on reporters, but this man had spoken of his own volition and he showed no signs of stopping. “What about the hot blonde you’ve been seen with, Emma Swan?”

In the span of two heartbeats Killian’s world went from normal to doused in anger and a little fear. It enraged him that this man would bring up Emma at all, never mind with descriptors that disrespected all she had to offer, but he was also shaken by the fact that people even knew of her. Here he was thinking he’d done all he could to keep things private between them. The press had mentioned nothing substantial about his dating life either here or at home, as Killian had been checking in every day, but that peace and solitude was broken now and Killian felt terrible and irate all at once.

“Cameras off, now!” Regina said, and immediately everyone complied, live feeds or not. The sound people moved to cut their recordings and the whole operation stopped so forcefully Killian was awed by it even through his anger.

“Now, Who asked that?” Regina yelled, her voice cutting through the large room almost like a blade. “I will not ask a second time.”

As if people were so scared of her that they physically had to move, the crowd shifted and both Killian and Regina could see the perpetrator. Instantly Killian knew that the truce that landed him here had been broken, because this man was familiar. He was a writer for one of the most sordid tabloids back home and the owner of that tabloid just so happened to be Killian’s largest enemy: Gold.

“I think the people have a right to know about -,”

“This is the part where you shut your insolent mouth and listen well,” Regina replied, interrupting the man who clearly had balls to even try to go against her. Now, however, the reporter practically cowered where he stood. “I was very clear with my expectations, Mr. Glass, and even though you work for a dumpster fire of a paper, I let you into my home, into my stadium, with the understanding that you’d walk the line. Since you’ve failed to do that you are now no longer welcome.”

Regina motioned to the security staff who immediately stepped in and escorted the man out. It was a sight to see, and the display of power was almost chilling even if Killian was grateful for it. That being said the damage was already done. Emma’s name was already out there and that was Killian’s fault. Her whole life might be changed because of this and he just couldn’t forgive himself for that.

“You can go now, Killian,” Regina said in a way that was defined but more sympathetic. “I’ll handle this.”

Killian thanked her as he left, knowing that even if Regina was capable of granting a miracle this couldn’t be totally undone. Emma’s name was out there now, and whether he had a hundred reporters looking for the scoop, or just those in Gold’s army, it wouldn’t matter. The small kind of sanctuary he had and the beautiful freedoms he’d indulged in living in LA were gone. There was no more anonymity, and tonight’s date would likely be the last time he and Emma could make such a public outing without interference. The only question was should he try to enjoy the evening and then tell Emma, or should he come clean immediately and deal with the potential fall out? Killian was still grappling with that choice when he arrived at the restaurant where he and Emma were meeting and he was brought to their table where she was already waiting for him.

“Well if it isn’t Mr. Undefeated himself,” Emma greeted when he approached the table, and the teasing in her voice made the heartache Killian was dealing with all the more bittersweet.

Instinctively Emma got up from her spot to meet him, and though she pressed a soft kiss to his lips that was meant for a more casual kind of greeting, Killian couldn’t bring himself to let her go. He deepened the moment, letting himself get lost in Emma and the feeling of this bond between them before reality could settle in again. Losing himself in the kiss, his hands held her close, roaming her body and trying to map out every perfect curve and line about her. Killian felt Emma holding onto him too, meeting him beat for beat, before she finally pulled back, her breathing altered and her eyes wide with curiosity and lust.

“Wow. Well that’s one way to say hello,” Emma murmured, her fingertips coming up to cover her lips like she could still feel the kiss there. Meanwhile, Killian remembered that they were not alone, and as he spared a look around the restaurant he realized almost all eyes were on them. Luckily there didn’t appear to be any cameras, but damn if it didn’t bring the sad state of things barreling back at him.

“Sorry, Swan. I just… needed you.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Emma said as she took his hand and led him into the table, scooting in so they were side by side in the rounded booth. “I’m sure not. That was a hell of a kiss.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Killian asked with a soft smile, even though he knew the answer already.

At that moment the waiter came over, asking them questions about wine and dinner and the like, and Killian allowed himself to get caught up in that even though he was distracted. He answered every query, and paid attention to everything Emma wanted as he usually did, but it was hard to be present right now. He was still reeling from the day he’d just had and trying to figure out what the bloody hell he should do.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Emma asked when they were alone again and Killian met her gaze, slightly terrified of having this conversation even as he took comfort in the fact that Emma knew him so well.

“How did you know I had something to say?”

“Well for one thing you haven’t let me go since you got here,” Emma mused, drawing attention to how close Killian had her. It was an intimate hold but also a possessive one, as if subconsciously he was afraid that she would slip through his grasp. He looked back at Emma, expecting her to be upset, but instead she only smiled as her hand came to cover his. “And I may or may not know about the press conference.”

“You saw it?” Killian asked, feeling himself blanch as he did.

“No. But Mary Margaret did. She didn’t have much to say though, except that my name was brought up.”

“Aye, it was. I wish it hadn’t been. I’m so sorry.”

“It was bound to happen, right?” Emma asked, taking this a lot better than he’d expected. “I mean we’re together, and, well I don’t know about you, but I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

“No, love, that’s not changing,” Killian replied, taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss to the top of it gently. “You know if I had my way this would be a forever kind of thing.”

Emma brightened at his words, looking as if she was about to say more, but then someone approaching the table caught her attention. Killian assumed it was the waiter again, but he never imagined who he’d find when he turned. For there was the devil in the flesh: Gold was here, and sporting a shit eating grin that put Killian’s whole being on red alert.

“Well look what we have here. If it isn’t Killian Jones and his latest fixation. How quaint.”

“What are you doing here, Gold?” Killian ground out, his words more a growl than anything else.

“I see your manners haven’t improved since your move, Killian. What a shame, since your pretty little date here seems sweet as can be.”

The words were designed to make Killian retaliate, but just as he was about to jump up Emma’s grip on his hand tightened. He looked at her and her face said it all: this wasn’t the place to get into a brawl, especially since Emma was in the dark right now, not knowing the full story. Even so, Killian knew he had to do something to get Gold out of here. He just didn’t know how the hell to do it. As he tried to think of something, Emma came to his rescue.

“I’m sorry, Mr….”

“Gold,” the snake of a man replied with feigned charisma. “And no need to introduce yourself, dearie. I know all about you. You’re Killian’s latest conquest, and I can assure you that you are one of many.”

“Did you just call me dearie?” Emma asked, sounding more put off by that than anything else even as Killian’s blood ran cold. “Seriously? It wasn’t bad enough you interrupted our dinner, you have to pull out the creepiest pet name to go with it?”

“Ooh, this one’s got some fire doesn’t she Jones?” Gold replied with a grin that was so sinister it looked like something out of a horror film. “I can see why you like her. Such spirit. Such passion.”

Hearing this monster of a man speak of his Emma and mock the things about her that he loved so much physically repulsed Killian. His whole being was begging to go toe to toe with Gold right here and right now. There was no doubt who would win in a fight, at least one that was fair. Perhaps it was primitive but Killian felt like if he could just beat enough sense into Gold the man would get it and give up, but that wasn’t the case. With men like this there was always a looming trick and some complex strategy. Getting a rise out of Killian would no doubt play into that, so Killian attempted to restrain himself.

“You’ve had your fun, Gold, but you and I both know you’ve already pushed things too far today.”

“Oh Sydney, right. Well he’s just so dedicated to the truth that one. There’s no way to rein him in,” Gold said with a showy smirk. “And we’re all obviously worried for you Killian. What with the drugs and the sex addiction and the -,”

“Enough!” Killian yelled, causing such a ruckus that in the moment thereafter the whole restaurant fell eerily silent. Killian instantly regretted his response in that moment, knowing Emma must be mortified at best and actually scared of him at worst. This was just about the worst thing he could imagine happening right now. At least Gold was quiet though, having flinched at Killian’s outburst. But the devil rallied enough to bid them a final farewell, trying to pretend he wasn’t intimidated even though Killian saw it in his beady little eyes.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Swan. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again very soon.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Emma replied, and with one final look between them, Gold departed, leaving a stale aura of tension in his wake.

The sinking feeling that he’d ruined all the happiness he had with Emma made Killian feel physically sick. Not only had he just publically embarrassed her by causing a scene in front of all of these people, he hadn’t prepared her for the monsters that roamed in the world he’d left behind. She knew only the bare minimum about his past. She didn’t truly understand the vendetta and how it all started. Now, perhaps, she would think it best to cut her losses. After all, who would submit themselves to something like this when they’d done nothing themselves to deserve it?

“We should go,” Killian whispered only just loud enough so that she could hear it. It pained him to think of doing so, but staying here with all these people looking on would only make things worse for Emma.

“No,” she replied, prompting Killian to look at her. In her eyes he saw questions, but more than anything else he saw determination. “If we go he wins, and besides, you promised me a date.”

“You mean you still want to…? But there’s so much I have to say. I should have told you before, Emma, it’s just -,”

Emma broke his train of thought by cupping his cheek and pulling him down for a quick kiss. It didn’t last nearly as long as their first of the evening, but it told Killian so much more than he ever hoped to hear. Emma was trying to tell him that she was still here and that she wasn’t going anywhere, and only when they broke apart and she offered another of her small smiles did his growing anxiety that she would leave him start to fade.

“Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. It’ll all still be there after dinner, and I’m guessing I’ll feel better hearing about it if I’ve had a few glasses of really good wine and some to-die-for pasta first, right?”

“Probably,” Killian agreed, shaking his head at the idea that she could be so certain of him.

“Okay then. Now, tell me about the game. Twenty straight wins – that’s pretty incredibly if you ask me.”

Not as incredible as you are, Killian thought in his mind, but he bit back the words and three other little ones that would give away his whole heart. Instead he stuck to Emma’s plan, trying to enjoy the dinner as best as he could and knowing that whatever came next, Emma and him would be okay. And even though today had been a rough one, there was hope within it too – for today had shown him that the woman he loved was with him in this, and nothing could take that away from him, not even a demon like Gold.

Post-Note: There are no doubt a few of you right now staring at your screen in shock or dismay that I did not include their conversation. I swear I can actually hear some of you in my mind right now, but alas this is where the muse has led me. As you can imagine, this stuff with Gold isn’t over yet, and the next two chapters will actually be rather big ones, so big in fact that I’ve decided I want to try to post them together. My ideal is that in two weeks I’ll post one Saturday and one Sunday, but no matter when they come, please trust in my vision for this story and this couple – Emma and Killian always end up together in the end and it’s always a fluff fest when it’s one of my fics. This story WILL be a fluff fest, and since I have seven more chapters and an epilogue mapped out, there is plenty of time left for all the cuteness I have in mind. Anyway thanks to all of you for reading, and I hope you have a great rest of your day!

30 notes · View notes