#kitchen but that was probably right around that 2.5 age)

[firecoloredwater]

(This got VERY long and accidentally morphed into a fic. The fic starts with Fax's massacre of Lessa's family and her resulting trauma, and also touches on not-quite-real-world climate anxiety, so caution reading.)

I've thought a few times about how I would rewrite Dragonflight if I were going to, how I'd streamline the plot (merge Fax and Meron, to start) and tweak characterization (F'lar can act basically the same if he's, like, 17 instead of 20-something).

But the fundamental crack at the heart of Dragonflight which I've never been able to resolve is Lessa. Because there are two things which are fundamental truths to Lessa.

The first truth is this: she is Lessa of Ruatha. She is the only survivor of a massacre, the last rightful heir to the kingdom, and she raised herself on those truths. She is, literally, a secret princess disguising herself with filth in order to hide from danger as a kitchen servant. But that's misleading, because those fairytale princesses she shares the shape of just want to escape abuse and live in peace. Lessa is actually the lost prince of a conquered land, come home to slay the tyrant that murdered her father and retake her rightful place as king Lady Holder.

The second truth is this: Lessa of Ruatha must abandon Ruatha, in order to become Lessa of Ramoth, of Benden, of Pern, and save the world.

And she can't know why she needs to go, or that she'll save the world in doing so, because if she knew what she was going to do we wouldn't have a full plot of Lessa figuring out time travel and that she needs to bring the Weyrs forward. You can make it a bit better by letting Lessa actually know what a Weyrwoman is, rather than thinking she's probably going to be F'lar's mistress, but she still has no reason to abandon Ruatha, especially not in favor of Fax's son.

I think, to fix it, Jaxom can't be Fax's son.

Lessa was the youngest of a large family. She had several older brothers and sisters; say around eight kids, average 2.5 turns between them, and even if Lessa was only four when Fax arrived, the oldest would have been around eighteen. But I will, for this purpose, say Lessa was ten, and the oldest were in their twenties.

A family that large, with a few kids grown or nearly so, whose hereditary job involves diplomacy, won't all be at home most of the time. They'll be out checking on important industries, visiting allies, sent to a Hall like the noble girls that will someday give Menolly so much trouble, or sent for fostering like those girls' boyfriends. Given the alliance-building use of fostering and Fax's having already taken over several Holds before Ruath Hold, it would be the obvious thing for Lessa's father to have sent one of his teenage sons to Fax for fostering.

Lessa doesn't think about that. She's ten, and she has just watched her entire family be slaughtered. She is hiding in the watch-wher's den, in shock and terrified. She does not think of it until a few days later, when one of Fax's men drags in a mangled body with hair the same color as her brother's, dumps it beside the rest, and declares the job complete.

Lessa's body is there too, of course, or else there surely would have been a search thorough enough to find her. There was a search, but before Lessa they found a servant's daughter of about the right age and description with a face a touch more Ruathan-typical than Lessa's own, and so the search ended.

Lessa is terrified that Fax or his men might realize their mistake. But no one in Ruatha is much inclined to tell Fax or his men anything they might not want to hear. And Lessa, without knowing it, is the most powerful telepath Pern has seen in generations. Even without intention, her desperation to remain undetected is enough to exert pressure on the minds around her.

No one identifies the servant girl. No one looks in the watch-wher's den. No noise that comes from the den sounds like a human child. No one wonders why, in the evenings, someone feels the need to leave human-suitable food near the watch-wher's den, or where it vanishes to before morning.

When Lessa finally emerges, no one wonders where this new servant girl came from. No one questions her soft hands or fancy speech or condescending attitude. They snap at her for being unskilled, and give her the hardest, simplest work, and think no more of it.

It takes weeks, months, for Lessa's shock and horror to settle enough to allow fury to emerge in more than flashes. It takes years for her to work out any plan more specific than survive, and make him pay. It also takes years, though perhaps not quite as many, for her to notice the pressure she can exert on other people without their notice, and to learn to do it intentionally.

By the time Lessa is twenty, Ruatha develops a reputation for being cursed. What grows there grows poorly. What few crafters remain seem to lose their skill. And there are the accidents: rockfalls, impossible fires, drunken fights that turn deadly, all manner of things which can kill, and often do. The more highly-placed a man is (or a woman, though few women can be described in such terms in Fax's Holds) the more accidents seem to find him.

There is weight in the air of Ruatha: the weight of grief, of hatred, of fury, of pain. A constant pricking on the back of the neck; the scent of blood perpetually half-imagined. Healers advise those with poor hearts to avoid Ruatha if possible, or if a visit is necessary, to leave quickly: something there makes the heart race and strain, and given time, a weak one will fail.

But that's not going to stop F'lar!

F'lar is 17, superior, young enough that he has never yet failed, and frantic with terror in his own way. Even a teenage bronzerider outranks all people but more senior bronzeriders (though every bronzerider is F'lar's senior), and F'lar wears both his power and his arrogance like a gaudy cape: he sneers, he orders, he demands, he pushes, and those who are preoccupied with anger and frustration about his attitude--which is nearly everyone he meets--rarely wonder why he demands the things he does, why he is so obnoxious as to stop and ask drudges idle questions about the weather and the upkeep of the Hold.

The truth is, F'lar is arrogant. His father was wiser, but his father is dead, and so F'lar is the smartest man in the world, and never wrong. He considers any behavior other than giving him what he wants to be obstructionism, all people to be his inferiors, and inferior people behaving in obstructionist ways to be the worst possible transgression. As such, he dislikes nearly everyone he meets, and enjoys needling, insulting, and upsetting them. His status makes retaliation impossible.

The truth is also this: F'lar sees the apocalypse coming, and he does not know how to stop it. He has read about how threadfall will consume the planet, and with it all of Pern's people. He knows how many dragons are needed to guard the planet, and how small a fraction of that number currently live. He has watched the Red Star grow nearer, and he has listened to every adult dismiss him with the insistence that it's not that bad, there's nothing to fear, there is no danger coming, and so nothing should be done.

F'lar's father died, and left to him the duty of saving the world. F'lar has never failed before, and he clings to that fact with the same desperation that Lessa clings to Ruatha, and all its recent history.

F'lar is searching for candidates, for the future Weyrwoman and future riders, but he is also searching for allies and scouring every Hold he passes through for its prevailing attitudes and common knowledge. Do the crafters' sons know the Ballad of Moreta? Do the farmers have enough children to weed the fields as thoroughly as they ought? You there, drudge--what do you think of this grass among the paving stones?

He is not pleased by the answers.

F'nor is older, but he calls himself sixteen. He follows F'lar loyally, as a younger brother ought, as a wingsecond must. He goes where F'lar points and does what F'lar asks, and no one questions his motives: as a loyal wingsecond and little brother, he is motivated only by obedience. No one questions, either, when he finds the free time to put on a charming smile and chat with the girls near his age. Did many of the herdbeasts have twins this spring? How has the fishing been; more storms than usual again this turn? That outbreak of illness he heard of in the next Hold over, have the healers gotten it under control yet?

It is true that F'nor is loyal to his father's favored son, and follows F'lar's orders without complaint. That does not make his obedience thoughtless, nor does it mean he lacks his own initiative.

And so they wind through Fax's holds. Here and there, they pick up people as they go: some on Fax's orders, some on F'lar's. Sometimes there is disagreement, in which case F'lar's preference wins, but sometimes things align perfectly, as with a couple they overtook on the road to Ruatha: young man and pregnant wife, with an old runnerbeast and their life packed into a cart. If F'lar insists the young man is a strong candidate (enough that an exception may be made for his age), and wishes to take him to the Weyr, the couple will have to leave all their belongings behind in Ruatha. Fax is hardly inclined to refuse.

The young couple, of course, join the party for their own reasons.

Fax and F'lar do not think of this. F'nor does, and speaks to the couple with smiles and offers to reason with F'lar on their behalf should they find that they hate life in the Weyr. He concludes that they had no plans, that a future in the Weyr is as good as any, and that the common people are rarely inclined to argue with men such as F'lar.

And so the party reaches Ruatha, last of all Fax's Holds, as Fax had hoped that F'lar would find what he was looking for elsewhere and leave before the visit become necessary. Fax keeps his guards close: meat shields in case of accidents.

The visit goes much the same as in canon. Oh, it differs in the details, in the people present and the conversations they have, but Ruatha is still a place of bad food and worse feelings. Fax is tense, irritable, angry, and F'lar loves to needle.

But some details are critical. Gemma, who breaks an argument despite her best efforts by going into labor, is the wife of the young couple. As she is not Fax's wife, this pauses the argument, but does not resolve it, and under the pressure of Lessa's will, it soon resumes.

But F'lar is a dragonrider. For years, he has lived with Mnementh as a presence and pressure on his mind; he is well used to acting only on his own will, and not on the stray thoughts of others. And so it is not him that breaks and initiates a duel. Nor is it Fax, who is less resistant to Lessa's will but deeply fearful of this malevolent place, and unwilling to leave the circle of his guards over insults that F'lar has been provoking him with this entire trip.

It is the young man who steps forward, shaking with his own and Lessa's will, and announces himself as Lokan, a surviving son of the late Ruathan Lord, and the rightful ruler of Ruath Hold.

It is, of course, Lessa that allows her brother to win. Fax is a powerful, experienced figher, and Lokan cannot match him.

But Lessa is there. She drags pebbles under Fax's heel, clouds his mind, and slows his reactions. In the end Lokan is wounded, but Fax is dead, and Ruath Hold belongs once more to Ruathan blood.

F'lar is reluctant to let his star candidate go, but if F'lar were to deny Lokan's claim to Ruatha, Lokan would have to be executed. Besides, Fax was no use to F'lar, and the lord holders that replace him might be, and so F'lar declares the Weyr's recognition of Lokan as the rightful Lord Holder of Ruatha. Fax's men are sent away with minimal bloodshed, though perhaps a few accidents.

Lessa reveals herself to her brother, and Gemma survives the birth of her and Lokan's son. Perhaps he is named Jaxom; perhaps his parents name him instead after Lessa, or Lokan's murdered father, or Gemma's father, who saved Lokan's life years ago.

F'lar seeks out Lessa, to her complete disinterest. But Lokan, while in hiding, was in a completely different sort of hiding than she was. He was warned and spirited away by minor holders, allies of their father. In addition to being much older than Lessa when their family was killed, he still had access to harpers and lessons while in hiding, and he understands politics. He encourages Lessa to go to the Weyr, as a Weyrwoman would wield political power and be able to back Ruatha's recovery in a way no other ally could.

It is a brief day, perhaps two, of relief and joy, before Lokan's wounds develop an infection. Less than a week after reclaiming his Hold, he dies.

His son is only days old, but still the rightful heir, and Lessa will never want to interfere. Lady Gemma becomes regent. As she expected and trained to be Lady of Ruatha while it recovered, she is well prepared despite her grief.

Lessa, victorious and devastated and reeling, follows her brother's wishes to the Weyr, and the promise of power that she can use to protect her nephew and sister-in-law.

She will, of course, find the power to do much more than that.

[mashkaroom]

americans will be like “wow in eastern europe they tell kids that an evil witch will EAT them if they misbehave that’s SO fucked up” as if any kid over age 2.5 believes that this could be a real threat, meanwhile every catholic ever will be like “my parents told me that god hated me and was disappointed in me, and i believed them, so every night age 4-8 i prayed to god to smite me down” sir it is THAT which is fucked up, baba yaga is not out here dealing lifelong psychic damage, my god!

[jordyn-degas]

Can I request Sasuke x reader first time blowjobing him but reader isn’t the one making the first move but sasuke somehow and how did it happen?

sorry sorry super sorry for the late reply - such a bad toothache you cannot believe it ARGHHH - i couldn't even think 😤😤 Uhhhh, that’s a way to tickle my brain and senses that’s for sure 👀 ANYWAYYYYYY - EXCITED FOR THIS TBH 🤩 it's my first stand alone oral scene - let's see how it goes here we go - enjoyyyyy my horny anonnnn 😈

Pairing: Sasuke Uchiha x gn!reader

Word count: 2.5 k

Genre: NSWF - characters aged up 21+

Warnings: MDNI! - smut - oral (male receiving) - cumshot

A strong, perfectly capable Shinobi as you were, with a spotless track record that had the ear of the Hokage, you could easily fling around your finger anyone you desired, yet you found yourself wrapped around the finger of none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

Or should you say wrapped around his dick? If truth was to be told, in all honesty, that is how this entire thing between the two of you started. By complete and utter accident, separate tables, separate bottles of sake and barely recognizing each other after all the years that have passed. Who were you kidding? You knew exactly who the brooding man was. Apparently, the alcohol was probably the only thing able to have an Uchiha loosen up enough to strike a conversation. Realizing who you were in the end, after another bottle of sake and too many stories to count, Sasuke dicked you down that night so good you stayed in bed the entire day after.

Apparently, your skills were absolutely stellar since Sasuke started coming back to the village more often, sometimes staying put for weeks, always with you, practically living together. Six months later, there you were, him sprawled on the couch with a book as you grabbed the grocery list from the kitchen.

“Do you need anything in particular?” you asked placing yourself in front of him.

“Yes.” Sasuke replied simply, his fingers latching onto your shorts and pulling your body towards him. “You.”

“Down, boy.” you chuckled taking two steps back where he could not reach. “After you eat me tonight, we still need dinner.”

“Not really.” he replied as his eyes darkened, a small and arrogant smirk gracing his lips. “If you really need your mouth stuffed that badly, I can help you with it.”

Eyes popping wide open, lips parted in shock, your breath hitched as a blush pinched your cheeks. Sasuke knew exactly what he was aiming for, the innuendos starting about a week ago. You brushed past them with grace but could not help yourself from thinking about it. It was not that you did not wanted, it was simply the fact that you have never done it for any man, not really feeling they were deserving of such pleasure. However, Sasuke? Oh, well, that was another conversation, scenes in which he slides his cock down your throat animating your imagination almost daily. The only fear you had was that of disappointment, of failure to pleasure him as he always pleasures you.

“Breathe.” Sasuke chuckled darkly. “You’ll pop a vein.”

Rolling your eyes, flustered beyond recognition, you rushed out of the house feeling the need of a big breath of fresh air. The simple idea of him wanting it and you doing it was sending jolts of pleasure right down your spine . God, he could be infuriating!

﹥﹥﹥

“I’m home.” you announced walking into the kitchen, placing the bags on the counter.

“Can you come for a second?” Sasuke asked from the living room, detecting a hint of amusement and surprise in his tone. "Please."

Raising an eyebrow, you sighed and made your way towards the room. To say that your jaw hit the floor in embarrassment was an understatement. There he was in all his glory: Sasuke with his head tilted to the side, an amused expression while holding the book you’ve been hiding from him open to a very specific page you were interested in.

“Someone’s studying hard.” he said flicking a couple of signs you placed in between the pages.

“Sasuke, I ..” you tried to say but the voice betrayed you as he turned another page and hummed.

“You should have simply asked, love.” Sasuke said motioning for you to come to him. “I could’ve answered all of your questions.”

Obediently, you approached the man with a horrid embarrassment as his legs opened more than usual to welcome you in between. He motioned for you to bend over him slightly, his lips latching onto yours, a soft kiss electrifying your senses before his teeth pulled a bit on your lip, wanting, full of desire. When Sasuke was in the mood, the entire air was shifting, able to feel his want all over your body, hairs raising and goosebumps engulfing you from head to toe. His sexual magnetism was so effortless it always had you weak in the knees.

“Reading about how to give a blowjob?” Sasuke hummed pulling slightly back, his gaze meeting yours with undeniable lust. “I’m impressed.”

“Stop ..” you whispered. “It was a curiosity.”

“You’re embarrassed for no reason, love.” he spoke so softly it surprised you deeply, a smile gracing his delicious lips. “Are you still curious?”

“Yes.” you replied a bit too quickly, nodding, stomach flipping with anticipation and he chuckled lightly.

“Are you willing to kneel for me?” Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow knowing very well how you would usually put up a fight before he could fully subdue you.

Before he could even finish the question, you dropped to your knees, the arousal with which you left the house still there, raging. Sasuke smirked, your eyes quickly noticing the outline of his cock through the pants, hardening more by the second.

“Are you so eager to ..” Sasuke asked leaning forward until his nose brushed yours faintly, hand grabbing your chin, fingers squeezing lightly your cheeks and your lips parted with a sigh. “ .. show me how you can suck my cock?”

An innocent, unwilling moan slipped past your lips hearing his words, his chuckle following right after, laced with arousal. Your body trembled as Sasuke’s back hit the backrest of the couch, pants slipping off his body revealing the pair of boxers in which the dick that always drove you over the edge was painfully caged. He enjoyed this image terribly, the way you waited completely clueless, such an innocent face it was unbelievable, even after he knew very well what you could do in bed. Sasuke had an itching feeling that there was not much to teach you, always such a good student when it came to him. The look in your eyes gave it all away. You were more than ready.

Wasn’t he always right? As if the instinct guided you, palms resting on his knees before slowly making their way up, fingers grabbing the waistband of his boxers tightly as if wanting to rip them off, pulling them down while licking your lips. God, he adored how you always looked at his cock as if it was the best thing that has ever happened in your entire life.

When you released his throbbing member out of its material cage, it came out in all its glory, slapping against his pelvis deliciously. You took a moment to admire it. Long and thick before your eyes, knowing it could reach places in which no other man has ever went before, curved slightly upwards just enough, the perfect form to rub your most sweetest spot, protruding, small veins pulsing in arousal, the most obvious one running from the base of the shaft and stopping right at the tip. Lips parted slightly, mouth watery as beads of pre-cum leaked from the tip, length twitching slightly as you came even closer.

“Look at you.” Sasuke let a low growl rip. “You’re already drooling without even a taste.”

The corners of your mouth spilled a bit of saliva but you could not care anymore. You imagined and fantasized about this moment for quite some time, wandering if it could fit, if YOU could make it fit because you wanted it whole. A gentle hum resounded in between the two of you as you bit your lower lip seeing how his hard cock begged for the attention of your mouth. Fingers wrapping softly around the base, lips hovering over the tip causing Sasuke to inhale sharply and clench his teeth. The anticipation was absolutely killing him. Slowly, the tip of your tongue wanted to explore it in its entirety, letting it run up the length of his cock, from the base to the top.

"That's it." Sasuke shuddered at the touch. "Show me what you've been studying so hard for."

Eyes turning darker with lust, your lips kissed the tip, the saltiness of pre-cum tickling your taste buds, before enveloping your teeth, mouth in a perfect "O" shape as your hand started moving up and down. Your gaze snapped up to Sasuke that had his lips slightly parted, half-lidded eyes, chest raising up and down faster as seconds passed by. The moment you lowered your mouth on his throbbing shaft, a groan ruptured from his lungs and you moaned at the sensation, tongue wrapping around it in motions neither of you thought you knew. Saliva being spread along his cock, the hand wrapped at the base pumping into your mouth as you lowered your head more and more by the inch.

"You don't have to .." Sasuke tried to say but his head snapped backwards hitting the backrest as you could feel him deep in your throat. "FUCK!"

Muscles contracting around him, a sinful moan bouncing off the walls as you proudly met his expression, jaw dropped, licking his lips with hunger. Tears started forming in the corners of your eyes and you pulled back, removing him from your mouth with a delicious pop, hand beautifully working him, spreading your saliva and pre-cum from top to bottom. You took him in your mouth again, wanting to feel him as deep as possible, allowing your tongue to caress and explore each ridge and vein. Bobbing your head up and down at an even pace, enjoying every single bit of what his delicious member had to offer. He was squirming under you, cock twitching wanting to feel more of you, hips slowly raising unwillingly. Obliging, mouth swallowing the hardness entirely, your nose brushing his pelvis before pulling back. Not giving yourself time to breathe properly, you went in again finally adjusting to the way Sasuke's long, hard and heavy cock fitted perfectly inside your mouth and down your throat.

"God, you're perfect!" Sasuke said breathless, weak tone betraying the usual confidence, as he watched a string of spit connecting the tip of your tongue to the tip of his cock.

He could not believe how all your usual innocent demeanor flew out the window, a gaze filled with lust even darker than his. What truly impressed and pleasured him was that you didn't needed his help at all. It looked and felt as if it was not your first time at all. When you uttered the next word, he swore he could cum right there and then.

"More." you demanded, finger twirling the saliva string before putting it into your mouth and sucking it clean.

Sasuke knew exactly what you wanted and loved the fact that you knew it yourself without a single push from him. You always wanted more when he fucked you senseless every night and that was the case here as well. It was your life's pleasure to be dominated by him, to let him use you as he saw fit.

"P-please .." you pleased leaning in to lick his cockhead that was spilling pre-cum in anticipation.

Sasuke obliged without a single word, only a vicious grin, sign of planning to ravage you as always. Biting your lower lip, his palm made its way at the back of your head and pulled you closer, fingers grasping softly hair strands. A sneaky grin curved your lips dangerously before licking your lips, opening your mouth and letting your tongue roll out. Wanting to take him, you leaned in but were abruptly stopped as Sasuke held your head in place, teasing your tongue with the tip. A whimper slipped causing him to chuckle.

"So impatient." he clicked his tongue. "Craving my dick so much?"

You nodded with a slight desperation, eyes pleading for it, to taste it again and again.

"So fucking good." Sasuke purred.

At first, Sasuke pushed his cock along your tongue, making his way into your mouth slowly, lifting his hips further to slide down your throat. Not being in control had him go even further than anticipated which caused you to shut your eyes.

"Eyes up here, baby." he commanded. "You're doing so, so good."

Your eyes snapped wide open, boring into his as he pulled back and doing it two more times prepping you in his own way for what was about to come. The next time you felt his cock sliding down your throat was through only one sharp trust that left you to gag and choke. With the sounds and the scene before him, Sasuke almost blacked out. He guided your head up and down his length, twitching every single time it hit the back of your throat before picking up the pace. The intensity of his hips mercilessly thrusting into your mouth and the speed with which he fucked your face had the eyes roll into the back of your head, moans vibrating throughout both of your bodies almost sending him over the edge. Sasuke mercilessly rammed his cock into your mouth, slamming the back of your throat with each thrust, tears gracing your beautiful eyes, spit trickling from the corners of your mouth, down his length and on the carpet.

"Fuck, baby! FUCK!” Sasuke moaned as never before nestling himself into your throat, feeling it contracting as your tongue playfully twirled around. "Your mouth was made to take my cock."

Your muffled moans massaged him all around, the dominance of the moment and the praising making you feel dizzy, not wanting for him to ever pull out. Sasuke brought his other hand to your head, now both holding it as he began fucking himself with the help of your mouth. Everything about it was messy, sloppy, degrading and absolutely dirty as the squelching of your saliva being shoved back into your throat by his cock was mixed with the groans and moans you two allowed to escape. When the constant twitching of his shaft graced your mouth, you knew he was about to cum and your tongue started darting over every single bit of skin.

"F-Fuck!" Sasuke groaned loudly as the way your tongue rolled around his cock while he fucked your pretty, little mouth was bringing him to the edge, stomach clenching and vision tunneling. "I-I'm gonna .."

Feeling as he was about to pull out, you locked your jaw around him, the sudden gesture having Sasuke lose all sense of reality and shoot all of his warm, sticky cum down your throat, filling up every inch of your mouth. Raising your head after he pulled out, Sasuke was eyeing the ceiling, chest raising up and down faster, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as he came down from his high. With a satisfied smile, you swallowed his cum with proudness and crawled up into his lap, his fingers trailing up and down your spine.

"Good then?" you asked placing kisses along his jaw.

"Fucking perfect." he sighed deeply. " But .. where did you get that book from?"

"Oh, that?" you chuckled. "Kakashi gave it to me."

Sasuke held back a laugh - That explained it.

[babyiamperfectforyou]

IT'S YOU

Chapter 5

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Word count: 2.5 k

Warnings: Coarse language

A/n: Hey everyone, how are y'all? We had decided to post this a few days ago, but couldn't. Anyway, here's part 5, enjoyy.

Xoxo,

G and M

Previous part l Next part

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

That was all the invitation he needed. He could not leave her in such a state, what if she wanted help at night? She lived alone. He liked to pretend that it was the only reason he couldn’t leave her alone, just so he can justify his actions.

Even though he wanted to stay, he didn’t want to do that without her permission and now that he got it, he wanted nothing more.

As much as he wanted to sleep in the same bed as her, he knew that it wasn’t the right thing to do. He thought about sleeping in another room or even on the little couch in the living room but the idea of her needing help at night caused him to stay in the same room. So, he decided to sleep on the floor. He took a few throw pillows and the blanket from the couch and lay down.

The calm breathing pattern coming from the bed made him realize that she was in deep slumber.

He looked up at Y/N’s sleeping figure. She looked so at peace; she looked beautiful. He thought about what his best friend Niall said to him when he came to his promotion party.

“Mate, are you that stupid to let her go? You both seem really into each other”

Thinking back , Harry realized that he was more of a coward to deny his feelings towards her. He knew that she wouldn’t be interested in him and that she would probably be in a relationship. Why fool himself?, he thought.

But now, he realized that he had been stupid, for deliberately avoiding the fact that his heart beat frantically whenever shes around him,the way the mere touch of her fingertips made his breath hitch. In that moment he realized that it had always been her.No matter how cold he tried to act towards her, no matter how hard he tried to forget her, no matter how many times he tried to deny having feelings for her,she’d find a way back to his heart.It had always been her.

But he suddenly shook the thought away from his mind; she is not interested in him, she doesn’t even like spending time with him, she said so herself for god's sake. He knew that he had messed up the opportunity to be with her, if there even was one.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t remember when he had drifted off .

—--------------------

The sleep wasn’t really comforting, especially on a cold floor without a bed. He woke up early in the morning when the first rays of the sun hit him. He folded the blanket neatly and put it, along with the pillows, back on the couch. He went to the bathroom and washed his face. She was still sleeping when he came out. The gentle rays of the sun were caressing her face. He thought of waking her up but decided not to.

He walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and suddenly had an idea: surprise Y/N with a breakfast!

Without wasting any time, he got to work and in no time, a delicious array of food items could be seen on the dining table.

He was about to get orange juice from the fridge when he heard a knock on the door. He had an intuition that it would be the mailman or Jenna, but he was proven wrong when someone called out, “Oii…Y/N/N… open the door…”

Eyebrows furrowed, he walked towards the front door and opened it, only to find a man about his age. He wasn’t as tall as Harry, but had a toned body. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black skinny jeans. His eyes were blue and he had jet black hair. He wore glasses and had a sharp jawline. Harry did not like the way he called out to Y/N using her nickname. Who was this strikingly handsome young man? What is his relationship with Y/N?

“Um, who are you?”, the man asked.

Damn, he had a deep voice. Hiding his sudden self-doubt, Harry replied,

“ I am a colleague of Y/N’s, who are you?”

“Colleague? Um, is there anything wrong?Where is she?”Harry did not like that the man completely disregarded his question. With a frown on his face, he replied,

“No, I mean she’s alright now. I had to drop her home last night, she sort of fainted. I had to stay here to make sure she’s-”

Harry couldn’t complete the sentence because the man had gotten inside by then,

“Passed out ? Where is she? Is she okay now?” he asked Harry and did not wait for an answer. The man rushed towards her bedroom.

“Y/N/N… Hey, where are you?” Harry did not like him calling her by her nickname, at all.

He followed the man to her bedroom.

He was seen shaking her awake. He brought his palm to her forehead to check if she had a fever. The touch he shared with her was way too intimate for Harry’s liking. He came to the conclusion that this unknown man was there frequently, by the way he was going around in her house.

Y/N stirred awake and when he saw the man grinning at her, she chucked a pillow at him,

“Why did you wake me up, you idiot?”Harry could see that she was smiling, a genuine smile. It was directed towards the mystery man though, that smile was not for him. His face fell.

“What are you talking about, bubs? I was just making sure that you weren’t dead”, he teased her.

“Now come on, it’s a busy day, you want to get to the office on time, don't you?”He helped her sit up.

Harry scoffed when he heard the man using the nickname, and Y/N suddenly turned towards the source of that sound.

“Oh, hi, I thought you had left yesterday ” she chuckled nervously.

“Um yeah, I was about to leave…So,uh…see you later, I guess.” He said, face devoid of any emotion.

“Mate, you didn’t even introduce yourself to me, that’s kind of rude…” The man turned to him with a smile and Harry just wanted to knock him out.

" I am Harry, Harry Styles. I work with Y/N.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, so this is Harry” the man looked over to Y/N with a knowing smirk, which didn't go unnoticed by Harry. Y/N shot him a warning look and turned towards Harry, who looked irritated.

“Um, Harry, this is Dan, sorry, Daniel. We've been…”

Oh. So they both call each other by nicknames.

She couldn’t complete the sentence , Harry had stormed off saying,

“I gotta be somewhere, Y/N, see you in the office. We'll catch up later, mate. Bye”.

“Harry, wait…” she called behind him and he walked towards his car as if he did not hear that.

She was really confused by the way he was acting. Everything seemed okay last night.

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

Harry was scared, to say the least. He was scared that she'd introduce that man, Dan, or whatever his name was, as her boyfriend. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to take it if they were together. He knew it was rude to storm off in the middle of a conversation, but he didn't know what he was doing. He knew he should not have done that and decided to apologise to her, once she got to the office.

—----------------------

"What just happened? ", Dan asked, confused.

" I have no idea, he seemed really angry. " She walked towards the living room, Daniel trailing behind.

Her mood was suddenly ruined by Harry’s behaviour. She did not know what made him angry but she wondered if Dan had said anything to him.

She walked into the kitchen to make breakfast only to find that Harry had already prepared it.

Toast, scrambled eggs, juice, freshly cut fruit…

For some reason she felt guilty for making him prepare breakfast, even though she didn't exactly make him do it.

“Wow…He made all this? I was starving…” Daniel picked up a toast without bothering to use a plate.

“What the hell Dan, stop being childish, why can't you use a plate? Act a bit mature for your age” Y/N muttered, annoyed at the way he was eating.

Dan gasped dramatically and placed his hand on his chest.

“One day with your perfect boy and now I'm an immature child? Thats rude Y/N/N”

He fake cried and wiped an imaginary tear from his face.

“Stop the drama. Do whatever you want.” She smiled.

“Yeah, that’s my girl” Dan laughed.

“And, he's not my “perfect boy”” She said, doing air quotes with her hands.

Even though she tried to look annoyed, she miserably failed at the attempt.

“And he's not a boy” she added.

“Woahhh stop right there… I don’t want to hear any dirty details from last night..Nuh uh.” Dan covered his ears with his hands.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Nothing happened last night. He bought me dinner and dropped me home. We talked a bit and after that … I don't remember anything after that.”

She tried to recall what else happened. She knew that there was nothing she needed to worry about, Harry maybe arrogant or obnoxious, but he was still a gentleman who always respected other people’s boundaries. Why did he stay over ? Did he sleep in the same bed as her? Is he angry with her for making him feel like he should stay the night and look after her? Or did Dan say something to him?

“Y/N/N…hey.. Are you okay?” Daniel asked.

“Did you have any arguments with Harry or something?” She asked him.

“What!No, of course not.He told me that you weren’t feeling well last day and then i came in. Nothing happened.”

“I don’t know why but I felt like he was pissed off or something. Maybe it’s something else. Sorry for assuming, Dan.”

“Wait, so he was okay till you went to sleep yesterday and you guys didn’t talk today… He was annoyed only after I came in, so there’s only one possible explanation, he might be jealous” Daniel shrugged with a smirk.

“Stop it Dan, he doesn’t have feelings for me, I am so not his type. You know, you and Jenna should start a youtube channel explaining conspiracy theories or some shit, you both share the same brain cells.” She huffed.

“Because we’re both observant! Unlike someone. Speaking of Jenna, we all should go out again sometime. It's been a while since I've seen her.”

“Yeah sure, we can arrange that” she smiled. She loved spending time with them both, they had the best memories together. They were the most important people in her life.

“Maybe we can go out this weekend? But you'll have to pick me up and drop me back as a punishment for crashing my car, speaking of which, have you brought it ?” She asked him.

“As if I don’t drive you anywhere”, he scoffed.“And yes, I've brought your precious car back.”

She laughed and flipped him off.

They ate together and he left after that. He told her to thank Harry on his behalf for the delicious breakfast.

She was getting ready for office when she thought about what Daniel said.

Could Harry be jealous? No way in hell, he’d never have feelings for her, could he? She was not his type, maybe he likes someone like the women he flirted with in the office, women who were considered beautiful, curves in the right places, toned body… He’d never look at her that way, she was pretty sure about that.

—-------------------------

Y/N reached the office on time and was met with Jenna’s angry eyes. She gave Y/N an earful for skipping meals and at last, she promised Jenna that she’d never do it again.

She was overall in a good mood.

Jenna texted her a couple hours later, asking her to go with her to get a coffee. She finished the pending work and left her office and walked towards the hallway where Jenna said she’d be waiting.

She decided to pay a quick visit to Harry’s office to thank him for the breakfast. She also thought she could subtly bring up why he’d left in a hurry this morning.But, she was disappointed to see his cabin empty and remembered him saying this morning that he had to be somewhere. A part of her wanted him to be jealous even though she did not want to admit that to anyone or herself.

She walked towards the hallway, but did not see Jenna and went straight to the cafeteria to find her in their usual spot.

“I got you your usual since you were late” she said and held out a cup of coffee.

“Thanks, Jen, I actually had gone to see Harry but he wasn't there. Did he come to the office this morning?” she asked.

“No, I was about to ask you about the same. You guys were together last night, weren't you? Didn't he say anything?”

“No, but he did mention this morning that he had to be somewhere and then he left. I didn't think it was true though. But now I think it was.” She mused.

“Wait,in the morning? He stayed over at your place last night?”

“I told you he bought me dinner and dropped me home”

“But you didn’t tell me he stayed the night! Did something happen? Oh, I'm glad you both finally came to your senses. God, the guy is so whipped.”

“What! No, nothing happened! I swear to god you and Daniel are both crazy, there is nothing going on between us! He was getting on my nerves too..ughh…” she was annoyed.

“Daniel is here?”

“Yeah I forgot to mention that, didn't I ? He came early in the morning to give my car back. He told me to tell you that it’s been a while since he saw you and that we should go out sometime”

“Definitely. Is he free this weekend?”

“Yeah, I guess, I'll call him later and let you know.”

“How’s Daniel by the way? All good? Did he interrogate Harry? I know he’s so protective of you.”

“He’s good. Actually, it was Harry who opened the door, i was knocked out when Dan came. I don’t know what happened but he left soon after that.”

“Are you guys talking about Harry Styles, by any chance?”

Aria Bennett’s voice cut their conversation.

“No, we weren’t. Why?” Y/N said quickly, even though she was sure Aria might have heard most of the conversation.

“Well, I don’t know if you've noticed, but Harry didn’t make it to the office today, neither did Fabiola. I mean, I always thought he had a thing for her, she is smart, beautiful and innocent. They’d make a good couple” She giggled and walked away.

Y/N felt a lump forming in her throat, he did say that he had to be somewhere else. Would he have gone to see Fabiola?

—-----------------------

Thank you for reading! Feedback is appreciated ☺️❤️

Masterlist

Please let us know if you want to be tagged in the next chapter.

Taglist: @mendesblurb @violetsandfluff @reveriehs @a-strange-familiar

[mishasminion360]

Space Age Love Song, Ch. 4

A Mandalorian x O/C Fic

Warnings: Language

Notes: Din and Sara play 20 questions.

You can now keep up with this story on AO3 as well! My username is SwiggitySwagNightmareStag. Happy reading, all!

Ch. 4: Answered

Sara left Din to eat breakfast in privacy. He couldn’t very well stuff his face with the helmet on, and he’d made it clear that he wouldn’t take it off in her presence, so, while he remained in the kitchen, she took her scrambled eggs and bacon into the living room. Alone again, naturally.

After they’d stuffed themselves silly, Sara washed and dried the dishes, and then practically dragged the Mandalorian back into the living room, eager to learn more about the intergalactic anomaly that was Din Djarin. She shoved him (gently, of course) onto the couch before curling up on the other end.

“Okay, here’s how this is going to work. You ask a question, I answer. Then I ask a question and you answer. See? Easy. Care to start us off?”

Din leaned back and folded his armored arms.

“Ladies first.”

“I see that chivalry is a thing on your planet, which I’m assuming is...Mandaloria?”

“Close. It’s called Mandalore. Does that count as your first question?”

“Sure.”

“My turn, then. What planet am I on now?”

“This is Earth, my friend. The only populated planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. As far as we earthlings know, anyway.”

Milky Way Galaxy? That was a solid 2.5 million light-years from his own. He had no idea he’d come so far, and he would be utterly amazed if he discovered that he hadn’t completely burned out his hyperdrive.

“And what galaxy is Mandalore a part of?”

Sara’s second question put an abrupt end to the calculations he was doing in his head. And he was honestly grateful for it.

“The Andromeda Galaxy.”

Sara let out a low whistle and started doing some calculating of her own.

“How the hell did you manage to get all the way here? Aren’t our galaxies, like, a crap ton of light-years apart? How did you get here so fast? How long have you been traveling to get here?”

“That’s more than one question.”

“Shit, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Did you want me to answer all of those now, or...”

“No, no. Rules are rules. You go ahead and ask your next question.”

“Alright. Where’s my ship?”

Sara looked past him to the back door and he attempted to follow her gaze.

“It’s, uh, in my backyard. In a crater. You came in pretty hot there, Din. Your ship’s a little banged up. It was on fire when I first found it, but I managed to put most of it out. There were a lot of flashing lights and alarms going off. I don’t know my way around alien technology, so I can’t tell you with any certainty if it’ll still run. I can say that it appears to be all in one piece. I think. I hope.”

Dank Farrik, Din cursed to himself. One problem after the next. If the Razor Crest Sequent was nothing but a pile of scrap now, this would be the second ship, and the third home, he’d lost.

“How did you end up here, Din?”

Once again she managed to rip him out of his own head. There was something about the way she said his name that had an almost soothing effect on his anxious mind. Something he liked.

“I....that is a long story.”

Sara crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch, getting comfy.

“I’ve got time.”

Din sighed. Where to begin? He didn’t even have all the details fleshed out himself, so how was he supposed to explain the situation to another?

“Mandalore was attacked by...well, I don’t know, to be honest with you. Just some random squadron of thugs. They appeared out of nowhere, demanding the king.”

“The king? Of Mandalore? You and your people have a freaking king?”

“You’re looking at him.”

Sara instantly went rigid. For once she was at a complete loss for words, and completely at a loss for what to do with herself. She’d never been in the presence of eminence and everything she knew about royalty she’d learned from Netflix and Disney films.

“You’re a....should-should I bow?”

“Please, don’t.”

Sara nodded for him to continue. Her face was expectant, excited. She was hanging on his every word as if his story were the edge of a cliff. She clung to his tale for dear life.

“Right, so, they came looking for me and I still don’t have any idea why. Needless to say that my people weren’t just going to surrender me to some unannounced, unknown individuals, so they chose to protect me in case this squadron turned out to be a threat.”

“Which they did, I’m guessing?”

“They were armed, but they were few and inexperienced. They couldn’t take my planet by force alone, but they could still cause some significant damage while trying. I didn’t want to see any of my people hurt because of me. Our clan had already been divided for far too long, our home nearly lost, I just wanted to choose a course of action that would keep the peace.”

Sara cocked her head to the side.

“You ran, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I thought if I could lure them away I could figure out their intentions. Or, at the very least, fly long enough to ditch them in hyperspace and return home.”

“And you never found out what they wanted?”

Din shook his head. This is the part of the story that still remained a mystery to him.

“No. The second they caught up to me they opened fire. I was able to make a few light speed jumps without taking any serious damage. But....well, you know the rest. Here I am.”

“And you don’t know where these creeps are now? Is there any chance that they may have followed you here?”

He had frightened her. He could see it in her eyes. Din had basically just admitted that he may or may not have just led a band of violent ruffians to her home planet.

“If they knew where I’d landed, they’d be here by now. I think I effectively gave them the slip.”

Sara sighed, a little too loudly, in relief. One spaceman was about as much as she could handle at the moment; she didn’t need more showing up on her doorstep. Especially not the dangerous kind. Din, at least, seemed gentle enough.

“They’re still out there searching. I’m sure of it. But I can’t just lay low forever. That’s never been my style. Especially not when I have people to protect. I left Mandalore in good hands for now but, king or not, it’s the only home that I have. I don’t....I wouldn’t know where else to go.”

Without even thinking, Sara leaned across the sofa, closing the little space between them, and grasped both of Din’s gloved hands in her own.

“I promise you, Din Djarin, I will do whatever it takes to get you home safely. Anything within my means.”

For a few silent moments they simply sat hand in hand, and time was irrelevant. It wasn’t until she heard Din swallow audibly that Sara realized that she was probably making him uncomfortable and she reluctantly released her grip.

“May I ask a question?”

“Sure,” Sara croaked. “I’ve asked, like, what, 10 in a row by now? So much for ‘rules are rules’, huh?”

“Why did you help me?” Din asked, his voice the softest she’d heard it yet. “Why do you keep helping me? I have nothing to offer you in return.”

Din seemed to have a lot of trust issues, whether that stemmed from past personal experiences or just the Mandalorian creed, so Sara wanted to supply him with an honest answer. There was the logical honest answer, or the honestly honest answer. In the end she decided that the former would take a shorter amount of time to explain. And it would be far less depressing.

“Well, the easiest answer is that I’m a nurse, Din. And as a nurse I took an oath to help those in need. I intend to fully adhere to the terms of that oath even beyond the sanctity of hospital walls. You needed help, I gave it. Simple as that.”

Din saw it the second the warmth left Sara’s eyes and the hazel orbs grew distant. They shone with something sadly nostalgic, like two unreachable distant stars.

“And, quite frankly, you’re the first person, other than myself, to set foot in my house in a long, long time. I didn’t want my houseguest dying on me.” She disguised her sadness with a chuckle. Just barely.

Din suddenly found himself eager to ask her more questions, practically burning for it. Though they’d only just met, just opened up to each other, he knew that there was something that bonded them. A sensation that he couldn’t quite place, but that he knew all too well. He had to steel himself against this unbidden desire for knowledge; time was of the essence.

“Sara, would you take me to my ship?”

***

“Dank Farrik! Son of a Mudscuffer!!”

“Are those good alien words I’m hearing?”

“No, they’re kriffing not!”

“That one was a bad one, too. Got it.”

She stood just outside the ship’s open doorway, arms crossed and fighting off a childish grin, when she heard his angry, booted feet come thump thump thumping down the ramp. She turned to meet his gaze and, even with his helmet hiding his face from her sight, she could tell that he wasn’t amused in the slightest.

“I like the way you curse, Mando.”

He stared her down for a minute before trudging off. Yep, definitely not amused.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Sara called sprinting after him and snagging him by the arm. How could he move so fast with all that armor weighing him down?

“Can you fix it?”

Din heaved a heavy, frustrated sigh.

“It’ll take time. And parts. Neither of which I have.”

“But you can fix it. See, there’s a silver lining to this situation,” Sara said, punching him playfully in the arm. He didn’t respond, only stared, his helmeted face surveying her blankly.

“Look, you’re welcome to rummage through the old barn for spare parts,” Sara offered, gesturing to the decrepit old structure behind Din. “My gramps was a bit of a tinkerer, so he let a lot of tools and miscellaneous crap pile up in there over the years. My guess is if you need it, it’s in that barn. And whatever I don’t have, the hardware store will.”

Sara flexed her arms, giving him her best Schwarzenegger impression and a one way ticket to the “gun show”.

“I’m not too shabby when it comes to fixing up things myself. I’ve got my grandpa to thank for that, too. We’ll have your ship back in orbit before you can say ‘E.T. phone home’.”

“Why would I say that?”

“It’s...oh, never mind. Anyway, that being said, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need. It’s no trouble.”

Din started to protest, but Sara shushed him with a finger to his helmet, pressing it to where she assumed his lips were hiding underneath.

“I want to get you home, Din. Home to your family. But I also want to make sure that you’re fully healed and well rested before you go. This is ‘nurse Sara’ talking, and she is not to be trifled with.”

Then the Mandalorian did something unexpected. Something wonderful. Something Sara had begun to assume it impossible for him to do.

He laughed.

And it made her heart beat a little faster.

“Fair enough,” Din said. “And...thank you. Again.”

“You’re welcome,” Sara responded. She said it so softly that she wasn’t even certain that she’d actually said it out loud.

“Can I check out that barn now?”

Sara folded her arms and nodded, suddenly feeling like a mother sending her child into a Toys ‘R’ Us unsupervised.

“Knock yourself out. Better sooner than later, while you still have daylight.”

He turned and left her without another word. But he walked away slowly.

And Sara was left to watch him wander, the sound of his laugh still echoing in her ears. It may have been unfair to assume, but she figured she’d never hear such a sound coming from the stoic Din Djarin. Now that she had, it became the only sound she wanted to hear.

@just-another-dumb-artist @mamacitapascal @grimeylady @rav3n-pascal22 @obsessivelysearching @insomniamamma @cixrxb @mandolydian @lv7867 @calliedjarin @mando-pamine

[mst3kproject]

Light Blast

What’s this?  A death ray movie in which we actually see stuff get death rayed?  Aw, man, that might disqualify it for MST3K right there!  Fortunately for us, however, Light Blast was directed by Enzo Castellari, who brought us Escape 2000, and it stars Erik Estrada. Estrada was never on MST3K but he was on pretty much all the 70’s cop shows they kept referencing, including Mannix and Police Woman, and Mike and the bots would never have let him forget it.

So what do we want out of a death ray movie?  I dunno, some faces melting like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark would be cool, and Light Blast apparently read my mind on that count because we get the first melting face action before the ten minute mark! A couple of young people go to have sex in a boxcar (this scene includes a real classy upskirt shot, just three minutes in) while the bad guy tests his death ray, and in the fine tradition of kids just trying to bone at the beginning of movies, they get zapped.  Meanwhile, somewhere else, Erik Estrada in a speedo takes down a couple of bank robbers by hiding a gun inside a roast turkey.

This is gonna be a weird movie, isn’t it?

Sadly, Light Blast never again rises to that height of absurdity.  Evil Professor Yuri Svoboda has a death ray, and has decided to hold the city of San Francisco hostage for the princely sum of:

Was that even a lot of money in 1985?  According to dollartimes the conversion rate is about 2.5, so that would be $12.5 million today... still seems a little low for a major city.  Anyway.

To show he means business, Svoboda death rays the announcer’s box at a demolition derby.  Thence ensues a series of extremely uninspired car chases and a scene in which Estrada is repeatedly kicked in the avocados by a woman dressed as a nurse (I liked that bit).  Eventually he puts the pieces of the puzzle together, and never even bothers to tell us what the finished picture looks like before running off to what looks like it’ll be the final Power Plant Confrontation.  No such luck.  Svoboda escapes again, and Estrada has to chase him down to the final final confrontation.

There are two things here Castellari seems to really like. One is digital clocks, which are frequently the focus of the death ray for some reason.  The other is men staggering around on fire, filmed in the type of loving slow motion that turns this agonizing death into a moment of over-dramatic hilarity.  Remember in the Making Of Documentary for Return of the King, when Peter Jackson acknowledges that Denethor falling off the top of Minas Tirith while on fire is ridiculous?  Enzo Castellari is definitely not that self-aware.

He is also fond of car chases.  There are three or four of them in Light Blast and they’re competent, I guess.  They’re definitely better than the budget version you sometimes see in really cheap movies, in which the camera turns to watch one vehicle pass by, then repeats the shot with another.  There was probably a storyboard and so forth.  But they’re still pretty monotonous and mostly just look like people driving around with no sense of a destination or a narrative.  Instead, the movie tries to add interest by giving them ‘gimmicks’.

In one of the chases, Estrada doesn’t want the villain to know he’s being followed, so rather than using his own vehicle, he just hops into random people’s cars and makes them do the following.  In one he shows his badge and tells the driver he’s a cop. In another he tells the woman driving that he’s playing a practical joke on a friend from college.  Astonishingly, he never gets slapped or shot.

In another, he steals a race car in order to chase down Svoboda, who is fleeing to a boat from which he plans to death ray the entire city or something.  This chase includes two separate shots in which Estrada jumps the race car over some obstacle in his way, again filmed in slow motion.  In neither was there any sort of ramp to get the car off the ground. It’s like that scene in Speed where the fucking bus somehow jumps over a gap in the highway except they did it twice and slowly to give the audience time to think about how stupid it is. Then Estrada jumps the car again onto Svoboda’s boat, which has already left the dock, and somehow manages to stop on a dime rather than falling into the water.

I recognize that movies are not bound by the laws of physics, but those that get away with breaking them do so by walking a fine line. Things have to look possible. People running away from explosions looks like it should work, and very few of us have ever been in a position to find out what it’s actually like first-hand (partly because those of us who have probably didn’t live to tell about it).  The car jumps?  Nah.

Wikipedia includes a couple of reviews of this film that have been translated, not very well, from Italian.  They’re kind of hard to understand but they do seem to fixate on the preponderance of car chases.  They also reference another staple of 80’s action movies, which is excessive police brutality.  Estrada shoots a whole bunch of people, breaks into a power plant and a funeral home, steals cars, causes a dozen accidents and untold property damage, and bullies his girlfriend into risking her job in order to get him the information he needs.  Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.

Other clichés drift by.  The villain gives a pretty classic monologue all about how he Showed Those Fools At The Academy and how his death ray will make him supreme ruler of the world and he’ll bring about a new age of peace.  There’s a bit where Estrada and his partner, the Tall Guy (these characters do have names, I just don’t care) sit down at the kitchen table and put together what they’ve learned… but instead of some exposition to tell us, the audience, what that is, we get a Ryan And Shane Look For Forrest Fenn’s Treasure montage but without the irony.  We can just barely hear fragments of voices through this, as the characters talk about it… enough to tease us with what they know and we don’t.

I dunno, it’s possible the audience is supposed to have already figured this stuff out and I just wasn’t paying attention.  I was pretty bored during most of this movie.

During the montage, the bad guys sneak up outside Estrada’s house (which is on a boat?  I think?) and open fire, basically shooting everybody but Estrada himself, who escapes completely unharmed.  His personality-deficient girlfriend isn’t so lucky… but she was only in this movie so it would have a part for Estrada’s real-life girlfriend Peggy Rowe. This bit is right up there with The Phantom Creeps as a perfect example of why Women In Fridges is screenwriting for hacks.  Estrada is already determined to get these guys.  He already cares about the people they’ve killed in the past and the ones they plan to kill in the future!  He is already frustrated by his failures to catch them!  ‘Making it personal’ is completely unnecessary!  Did the writers really think her death would add anything, or were they just trying to fill up their Action Movie Cliché Bingo card?

In the villain’s evil monologue, Svoboda reveals that apparently Estrada killed his wife?  I guess she was the mortician?  This doesn’t help, because I don’t think Svoboda actually knows that Estrada’s girlfriend is dead and even if he does, she wasn’t his target. His henchmen were after Estrada and Tall Guy.

Then there’s the ending, which is in no way a ‘climax’ and barely even counts as an ‘end’.  Remember I said Estrada jumps his racecar onto Svoboda’s boat?  This knocks the death ray over and it melts Svoboda himself.  Estrada watches this, then basically just shrugs and walks the fuck away.  So… that was it?  No confrontation?  No fight? Just a failure to properly secure the superweapon?

Isn’t the rest of the boat gonna melt now, too?  In previous uses the death ray seemed to melt things over a fairly wide area.  Isn’t anyone worried about that?  No, we’re just rolling the credits?  Okay, fine. At least the movie’s over.

Is there anything nice I can say about Light Blast? Well… I guess it passes the Bechdel Test.  There’s a bit, completely irrelevant to the plot, where two women who work at the police station discuss perfume.  It’s as if one of the writers had read about the Bechdel Test and shoved that in there just to pass it, without bothering to think about what the point of the ‘test’ is.

For all I’ve bitched about it, Light Blast isn’t a full on disaster.  It’s merely a mediocre 80’s action movie.  What makes it so damn disappointing is the wackiness of that early scene with Estrada in his underwear and the gun in the turkey.  That bit has the same effect as naming your movie Hercules Against the Moon Men – it gives the audience the impression that you have a sense of humour, and then the rest of the film can be nothing but the slow downward spiral of realizing that you were, in fact, serious.  Even then, it still could have been fun if the writers and director had kept up that kind of cheese throughout but no… Light Blast couldn’t even be bad enough to be good.

If any of you MSTies reading this are aspiring film-makers, let this be the lesson for you: the introduction of your main character sets the tone.  Do that wrong, or in a way that doesn’t match the rest of your movie, and you’re sunk. And if you only have one interesting or funny idea, for love of Apearlo put that at the end of the movie, not the beginning!

[silvensei]

In This Mad Machinery

A human and an android swap bodies, resulting in identity crises, existentialism, philosophy with the boys, and fun!

Detroit: Become Human | gen | 20k | rated T | introspective comedy/sci-fi

Chapter 3 (2.5k words) | [AO3 link] | [first] | < prev | next >

- - - - - - - - - -

A bell chimed above the door as it swung open. A portly woman turned around from the counter, a practiced yet warm smile and greeting at the ready. When she noticed who her new patrons were, she paused and propped a hand on her hip. “Well, look what the cat dragged in!” she teased amicably. “Hank Anderson! Haven’t seen your face ‘round here in ages!”

“Sorry, Bel. You know how life gets in the way,” Connor said, parroting Hank’s briefing from the car. “Is the usual still on the menu?”

“Aw, hon,” she laughed, “joshing as always!”

Connor smiled. He had no idea what that meant.

Fortunately, she turned her attention to the other member of his party. “As much as it’s good to see an old favorite, new faces keep the business going. Name’s Ysabel.”

Hank waved. “Connor.”

“Well, Connor, want a menu? It’s just your typical array of diner classics, but with enough pizzazz to knock your socks off, guaranteed!”

“Oh, no, thanks, ma’am, just a coffee for now.”

“Two cuppa joe and a patty with the fixin’s.” She waved them off and adjusted her apron. “You boys go make yourselves comfortable, y’hear?”

She left for the kitchen. Hank ushered Connor into the diner proper, over to the rows of red booths with black and white marbled tables. With windows on two sides, natural light filled the space. Only a handful of other tables were occupied, people chattering amongst themselves. It wasn’t terribly spacious, but in the way that it felt cozy rather than claustrophobic.

Hank settled in a corner booth, his back to the wall. “She seems nice,” Connor commented, sitting across from him.

“Bel? She’s more than nice. She’s probably the closest thing to an angel I’ve got.” His head turned to look out the window, letting Connor notice a momentary bout of erratic flickering in his LED. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, but she still makes this place seem like a mother’s kitchen. Just home recipes abound. And to top it all off? She don’t take shit from no one.

“One time—” he laughed, “—One time, ages ago, Jeffrey and I came by for lunch just pissed off. An easy drug bust flipped right around and left us with nothing, sending us right back to the drawing board. One officer was so furious she quit that morning. So we came in here, fuming, cussing up a storm, just miserable bastards looking to drown our frustrations in some good ol’ comfort food; it was too early for booze, but hell, did we come close. Bel came over with absolutely not the right thing, like soup and salad or something. I’ll admit, I was a bit of a hotheaded prick back then—”

“‘Back then’?”

“Watch it, boy,” Hank warned with a grin. “Anyway, I snapped at her, saying I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this, we didn’t want this, how hard was it to grill a fucking burger, I didn’t even have my coffee yet, and so on, and she shut me up by throwing a glass of water in my face. It was nearly empty already and didn’t have ice, but it was enough to do the trick. Then she said, ‘If starting over is so easy, why don’t you kids stop bitching and suck it up?’ Then she walked away.” Hank rested his chin in his hand, the smile still on his face. “It was the literal smack to the head that I needed. She gave us the soup n’ salads on the house as an attempt to get us to eat healthier. The coffee was free, too, but it was mostly hot sauce to get back at me for yelling at her.

Connor’s own smile had only grown. He wasn’t entirely sure why; it seemed like an involuntary response. “If that’s not the definition of a guardian angel, then I don’t know what is.”

“What can I say? You really do need a friend around who’s not afraid to knock some sense into you.”

Connor leaned back, sinking into the red cushions. This was comfortable. Natural light diffusing through the windows; fun conversation with the white noise of other discussions over quiet music he couldn’t place; the ever-present aroma of a kitchen hard at work; a pleasant warmth from the sunlight (without the radiation). He would like to come here again.

With such fond memories, though, why hadn’t they come here before in the six months Connor had known him? He decided to ask.

Hank continued looking out the window. His expression shifted into something Connor couldn’t interpret, but the brief red light gave him some clues. “It just seemed a bit boring to bring an android to a restaurant, y’know? You don’t really eat and all….”

“You boys gossiping over here?” joked Bel, sliding two mugs of coffee onto the table. Connor jumped; he hadn’t heard her approach. Or maybe his ears did, but his attention was focused elsewhere. Bel laughed. “Late nights at the bar making you jumpy?”

“Ah… not so much anymore,” Connor improvised. “Some late nights on the job, if anything.”

“Oh, I’d bet. Between homicide and android rights cases, you two are probably set on work for the next couple years.” She fished around in the pocket of her apron.

“Where did you hear about our casework?” asked Hank.

Bel found her target and deposited a couple small cups of thirium into the bowl of half-and-half creamers. “All over the news, hon! You’re really paving the way for androids in the work force. Setting the bar pretty high, too, while you’re at it.” She smiled before whisking off to other tables.

“As nice as ever, that Bel,” Hank commented. He inspected one of the thirium cups and asked, “How is this compared to plain old creamers?”

Connor’s hands hovered around his mug. He lacked his infrared temperature sensor, his unfamiliar tactile senses only told him ‘hot,’ and he couldn’t even remember what a fourth-order differential to estimate heat loss through radiation looked like. He’ll just give it a minute or two to cool. “I’m sure thirium doesn’t taste pleasant, but because the android program recognizes it as essential to mechanical function, it won’t register the taste. It’s just used like a nutritional benefit.”

Hank’s nose scrunched for a moment as he regarded tainting his sacred drink. Then he shrugged, poured one in with a stir and downed a gulp. He stared past Connor, eyes narrowed as he critiqued the taste. There was a smattering of yellow in his LED. “Mmmmm,” he soon hummed. “0.12 calories.”

A snort of laughter caught in Connor’s nose, which turned into a short bout of coughs. The tickle it left in his nasal cavity was completely alien. “Shit,” he choked out. Hank was much better at containing his reaction to just a smirk. “I don’t like how involuntary that was.”

“Hah. Welcome to the club.”

“And hot off the presses!” Bel swept over to them once again, setting a platter in the middle of the tabletop. “Did the onions myself! It was such a treat to break out the cheddar patties again, too; they just go to waste when you’re not around.”

Connor sat mesmerized. He and Hank had gone to many—if not most—burger joints in and around Detroit, but the hamburger in front of him was the tallest, most layered sandwich he had ever seen. Two burgers, flecks of cheddar dripping from them, overflowing with caramelized onions, roasted peppers, mushrooms, slices of some other cheese, lettuce, pickles—is that macaroni? A sharp kick to the shin snapped him from his trance long enough to thank Bel and send her off. “Lieutenant!” he hissed. He leaned forward to keep his voice down, regretting the full whiff of that savory, melty scent he got. “Do you know how many calories are in this?!”

“With this head of yours, I do now, yeah. And no way am I telling you, impulsive programming be damned!” Hank set a devious grin in his borrowed expression; this mischievous image of his doppelgänger made Connor uncomfortable. “Give it a try. I can guarantee it’s delicious.”

He knew he shouldn’t. It was unhealthy, grease-laden, and caloric. As if the burger wasn’t enough, the bed of beer batter waffle fries that coated the plate with accompanying cups of barbecue sauce could’ve been a meal on its own. It also smelled incredible.

It was technically a command from Hank, he realized, but without a HUD of objectives, it was nothing more than words. Nothing binding about it.

But it smelled so good.

He picked up the burger, leaving in the steak knife skewer holding it together. Before he could second-guess himself, he took a bite. There was a crunch from the brioche, a different crunch of the onions, then too many to distinguish, each with its own flavor that he had no previous reference on which to base any categorization, but together, it was splendid.

His instinct was to isolate and analyze each individual component, but without his tech, it was just a bombardment of information. By the time the taste stopped overwhelming his senses, half of the burger was gone.

Hank was swirling the coffee around in his mug, expression dripping in ‘told ya so.’ “A goddamn culinary masterpiece, right?”

Connor took another quick bite (getting mostly onions and macaroni) before he replaced it on the plate. He wiped off his hands on a paper napkin to buy processing time. “Lieutenant,” he said. “Hank. I still disapprove. But I understand now.”

“Fuckin’-A right!” Hank took a bite out of a waffle fry. “Listen, I get that you guys don’t need to eat, but it wouldn’t kill ya every now and then. CyberLife at least could’ve built in better taste buds. All I’m getting is calorie count and salt content, not any of the finesse.”

Trying a fry for himself, he noted the tang that he deduced as saltiness. Though not the main dish, they were also quite good. He took another. “It’s not vital to androids’ function—”

“And it’s not ‘vital’ to come and eat out like this. It’s just fuckin’ delightful.”

That is true. Much of his existence these days isn’t spent out of necessity. He didn’t have to pet Sumo, but it made him happy to do so. Munching on a third fry, he realized that humans were the same, except with more of a sensory benefit, like the fluffiness of Sumo’s fur. Why weren’t they the ones with compulsive programming? It seemed like they would need it more, what with all these distractions that can physically affect their mental state. “Ohh…,” he realized, “no wonder addictions are such an issue.”

“Now— hold on, now, how’d you jump to that conclusion? Like, yeah, but—” Hank’s LED began blinking. He flinched from something before raising his eyebrows. “A call from Jeffrey. Now this’ll be interesting.” He hesitated before he looked around the room. “I, ah, should probably take this elsewhere, ‘case it’s on the down low.”

“Tap the temple to answer,” Connor advised as Hank slid out of the booth and went to the door.

Connor crunched another fry, one that was extra crunchy. He should probably pay Bel soon and get a box for the rest, should they have to leave in a hurry. If only he knew how much two coffees and a—shit.

He picked up the untouched coffee. It was barely warm now. Unhelpful one-track human brain. Can’t even set a reminder in the background. He took a sip. It didn’t warm him or anything, but it tingled his tongue in a sort of dry, sharp way. Coffee was bitter, right? He didn’t think it would be this bitter, but Hank did like his coffee black. Despite complaining he couldn’t taste much, Hank’s mug was completely drained.

He spotted Bel this time as she approached. “Could I get a box for the rest of this? It sounds like we might have to leave soon.”

“Always off to save the city, you two are. I’ll get this all wrapped up in a jiffy!”

“And how much do I owe you?” Connor asked before she left with his plate. He was pretty sure Hank’s wallet was in his left pocket.

Bel cocked a grin. “Hon, has it really been so long you don’t remember?”

He paused. “Got two coffees this time.”

“Oh, silly me, that’s true! How’s an even ten bucks sound, then?”

Connor couldn’t help a small frown. “That seems a bit low….”

“Nah, call it a ‘welcome back’ discount.” Her expression lost its teasing edge, becoming something warm. “It’s good to see you again, Hank.”

While he liked the woman, if the conversation was going to turn sentimental, he wasn’t sure how well he was going to keep up his act. “It’s good to see you, too, Bel,” he replied before bringing his cold mug to his lips, hoping to end it there.

“And I hope you kept your talent for parenting.”

Connor almost choked. “What?”

“You were always a good father.” Bel was looking over his shoulder, off down memory lane. “Cole was the brightest kid in the county. But while more tragedy has befallen you than I would wish on anybody, I still hope Connor’s lucky enough to be in the same kind of care.”

“No, sorry, Connor’s not my son, he’s a detective—my coworker—not to mention an android.”

“Which means he might need it most, eh, sugar?” She shifted her weight and her gaze, looking back at him. “Sure, he looks what, twenty-five? Thirty? But isn’t he a new model? He probably ain’t even three yet, and he’s been deviant for way less than that. A father figure to show him the societal ropes sounds perfect to me.”

He felt like a process or ten had stalled. Fortunately, Hank returned to the table, so Bel took his plate and left with no more than a wink.

“Jeffrey wants us at the office today,” Hank said. Connor blinked and took a breath, trying to not focus on Bel’s inanity. (RK800 androids were the most advanced—hot off the production line immediately—he didn’t need—)

“Specifically, he wants me,” continued Hank, “so technically, he wants you. Said it shouldn’t take long.”

Connor cleared his throat. “So why didn’t he call me directly?”

“He did. A few times.”

Startled, Connor quickly dug out Hank’s phone. The screen lit to two missed calls, one new voicemail, and some new emails. “Oh….”

“Not so easy when it doesn’t directly invade your brain, huh? Now can you forgive me for not texting immediately?”

“I thought we were supposed to be unraveling the secrets of existence, Lieutenant, not dissecting your communication and dietary habits.”

Hank laughed. In Connor’s opinion, it didn’t sound right with his voice, but it made him smile nonetheless. “So, are we both going or just me?” he asked.

“I dunno, what else am I gonna do?”

Connor hummed. “It’s Saturday, right? Markus might be home.”

“Markus? As in rA9 Markus?”

“If CyberLife keeps this up, he’s bound to hear about it sooner or later, so why not tell him now? He usually checks in on his human on the weekends.”

Hank shrugged. “Might as well, I guess. Gives me something different to do. Where’s he live?”

“Around. Don’t ask me, you’re the one with the GPS today.”

Bel returned once more and set a cardboard box on the table. “Well, boys, it was my pleasure!” she boomed. “Y’all better come back soon, alright?”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Hank said with a smile as he stood. “Wonderful coffee.”

“Aw, c’mere!” She pulled him into a hug, something that didn’t fluster Hank at all. When the embrace broke, she held him by both shoulders and said, “Oh, Hank, he hugs like you already!”

The real Hank’s eyebrow twitched. “What…does that mean?”

“Nothing, nothing!”

Connor avoided their eyes until he found a ten and some ones in his wallet and handed them to Bel. He picked up the box and used his free arm to give her a quick hug. It was warm. Nice. “Thanks, Bel.”

“Anytime!”

[next >]

[ayakashiramblings]

Could I get the dawn faction reacting to an mc who is the 'aggressive mom friend'. Takes no bs, isn't afraid to give a verbal lashing, will glare if you don't use a coaster in their home, but will also ask if you've been eating because you look too thin and them will proceed to cook you a full meal, will see a hole in your clothes and immediately mend it, will jump to your defense in a heart beat. "Shut your mouth and eat these cookies I made for you." Essentially.

Them with an Aggressive Mum Friend MC: Dawn Faction

Yura

We have entered a dark age with the arrival of Mom!MC.

Good-bye Yura’s diet. How MC hides his stash, god knows. 

Like, the size itself should have given it away?

Yura considers making himself look even younger.

Accidentally turns into a baby.

Still can't get his treats because somehow MC has created posters all over town warning vendors not to give any sugar to this poor boy.

Cries. 

Tries to pull the 1000-year-old card before succumbing to pettily pasting drawings of sugary confections like hexes around the house

She draws over them. Nothing will get through her iron heart.

This Cold War only ends when Yura finally sniffs out something sweet brewing in the kitchen.

That’s right, MC had baked up a storm using all natural ingredients and cutting the sugar levels.

Yura now has a regular baking session with MC… and several sugar sessions when he thinks MC is not watching.

Ginnojo

Bless him. He’s an obedient angel that willingly goes along with MC’s advice/instructions/orders.

The least problematic out of the whole faction… other than the fact MC has to cook up meals meant for 15 army men…

… Always having to accompany him on the vigilante actions…

… Where he has to wonder how in the world is MC carrying several packets of nuts, fruits, veggies, a whole chicken and a portable stove….

… Not to mention sewing equipment… meant for clothes AND medical stitching... 

… Like she even fashioned make-shift armour, HOW?! Sure, she dumps it unceremoniously on him but dang!

Helping him organize the books…. 

Albeit very roughly that each time she shoves a novel into a shelf that is probably labelled, colour-coded and even numbered, the customers have to wonder if they forgot to pay or something.

Is on the grapevine with stall vendor, constantly checking out for shady characters that Ginnojo would check out.

Will fight Kagemaru (when has he not, though?) if that spider-woman ayakashi were to dare insinuate that MC is an elderly mother or something.

MC just stands back supplying all the weapons from her bottomless tiny reticule until she reminds them that it is midnight.

Probably the one who invented saving the world before bedtime. Ginnojo finally sleeps well in a finely pressed bed MC makes sure nobody touches with a whole barrier.

Koga

Good god, here is the Daddy.

 … Wait, I didn’t mean it THAT way…

Seriously, he is the only one that will balance the MC.

Will help MC relax and lighten her load along with Aoi because she does get high-strung nagging and looking after them.

This includes disciplining the boys with a considerably lighter punishment, talking with them, or just assisting MC with the rest of the chores.

She doesn't really have to do much for him honestly because he has his life mostly together (except for certain issues, hint, hint) which is why she is an expert at jumping to his defence… against himself.

Before he even thinks of doing anything remotely stupid or suicidal, she’ll always be there throw and smack him down with her own cost-benefit analysis (yes, she does it with fancy hand-lettering, washi tape, and all of that jazz).

Tackles him into a suffocating hug that even Kuro is taking notes to execute next time.

There’s even a list of every single back-up plan just in case something goes awry.

Has a chart of all the best Ayakashi that would be most compatible with the line of action.

Koga, for once, is kind of liking being told all the outcomes because, hoo damn, she is fine when she is losing her mind.

Why, Koga? Why?

Kuya

He isn't going to sleep that much because he meets his nightmare dressed like a daydream.

Or is it daydream that looks like a nightmare?

Either way, MC is E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.

You thought her weapon is only used for Wraiths?

“KUYA! YOU HAVE SLEPT HALF THE DAY AWAY! GO OUTSIDE!”

“KUYA, YOU HAVE BEEN OUTSIDE TOO LONG! GO INSIDE!”

Regularly rants with Aoi over Kuya.

However, she is also the same girl that will cook up a storm and even replicate Oji’s special omurice.

Where Kuya fails to pay attention (which is usually… 54.9% of the time), she helps him beyond than what is necessary, how can he stop her (unlike him bickering with Aoi)?

Is in charge of his schedule so that he still has his precious naps where she offers her lap as a pillow but also gets out and does more than just sit there and for once, she might see him getting inspired to write on-the-go.

Considering how the stuffing of his pillow keeps escaping, he is willing to just venture out and patrol, with the occasional treat of ice-cream.

Even reads Ginnojo’s books aloud as a sort of storytime session and for once, he will actually remember the tales because it was done via audio and MC’s voice is pretty when she isn't shouting at him to move and tugging him by the wing so that she can sweep the verandah.

Aoi

The novel of the year. A slow-burn mum-ance that started from an intense parenting competition to become the most spiritual experience ever. 

So yes, MC and he got off to a pretty rocky start.

He cooks 15 bowls of cutlet rice, she criticizes the sauce and proceeds to decorate all of them like a Pinterest mum.

Ginnojo doesn’t get to eat but he does get a free show.

She makes her own cleaning supplies, he criticizes that she missed a spot (like that fleck of dust bunny in that crack) and proceeds to pick at it with the hugest magnifying glasses and smallest brush and dustpan she has ever seen.

Gaku steals the rest of the equipment to clean his tools space.

There is that subtle child comparison competition going on between them.

“Hmph, at least Kuya wakes up to help plate the food for 35 minutes instead of 30 minutes.”

“Wow, just like how Oji has been taking 2.5-minute breaks instead of 5 and cleans the rim of the front vase.”

They both cry together when one of their sons has accomplished something super monumental. 

“WOW KOGA ISN'T DRINKING LIKE A FISH AT DAWN?! “

Eventually, they start arranging the cutest parenting sessions where they share tips, help co-parent and of course, complain whilst doing everything for their families.

[zukalations]

TOP MANIA - Asumi Rio

TOP MANIA! was a 2017 Kageki feature where Top Stars and Top Musumeyaku talked about their work routine during performances. Asumi’s was published in the August issue.

TOP MANIA - Asumi Rio

Before the performance

Pre-show schedule: Arrive at the green room 2.5 hours before curtain 1) Tidy up my dressing table 2) Do my stage makeup 3) Stretches and vocal exercises 4) Breakfast Final preparations

I arrive at the green room 2.5 hours before the performance begins. Right after that I change into a tracksuit and tidy up my dressing table, and start doing my stage makeup. After I do my warmups, I eat breakfast, set my hair, and finally put foundation on my hands and put on my lipstick...done! I can go on stage now! (laughs)

1) I start out with tidying up my dressing table, sharpening my eyebrow pencils, that kind of thing.  After the performance, I’ll always be talking to everyone about how that day’s shows went, so before I know it it’ll be time to leave the dressing room...so most of the time I’ll have to leave it in a mess when I go home (laughs).

2) Formerly, I used to take ages at it, so Miya [Rurika]-chan would keep telling me ‘you’ve been doing your makeup forever’ (laughs), now that I have been given this position, the amount of things I have to do has gone up, so I’ve become way faster at it. But in the end it still takes me a long time to do the foundation of the stage makeup. My goal is to make it look as if I have masculine angles to my face, but still with a sense of translucence.

3) My stretch routine is sort of like yoga, and it’s meant to make it easier for me to breathe. My vocal exercises are done with the idea that I’ll be my own doctor, so I do it carefully while listening to how my voice sounds that day. It’s something I put together when I was ken-9 by mixing up a lot of vocal exercise methods I had learned from various teachers, and I still use it now.

4) At home I just eat some yogurt and then leave. But just that won’t give me enough energy to get through the day, so I’ll eat white rice and miso soup sprinkled with a seven-spice blend from the Violet Kitchen. No matter what the show, I always have that! It really warms me up and it makes me feel like I’ve ‘switched on’.

Something that you have to have on your dressing table I always put 4 little ducks, like you put in the bathtub, on my dressing table. During my pre-debut performance, when everyone from the class below mine decorated my dressing table, they put them there, and now no matter what the performance I always bring them along. When I get there in the morning, somebody will always have arranged them so they’re all in a row, or facing each other like they’re all friends, and so on, so it’s really calming.

During the Show

Something you have to have during a show Eye drops.During a show I’ll be trying to make my eyes sparkle, but using them that way ends up drying them out quite a bit, and if I start crying it’ll wash my contact lenses out, so eye drops are a must-have!! Also, spare contact lenses (laughs).

The beverage you drink during a show Water! Volvic water! I feel like flavored things will leave a taste in my mouth, so I always drink water!

What you focus on during quick changes Since I have total faith in the costume staff, I always have a really calm and relaxed feeling...the only thing I due is hold my arms out. Sometimes I’ll be too relaxed and by the time they’re doing up my buttons my eyes will be closed (laughs). Of course, sometimes there will be a day where it’s like ‘these laces just won’t fasten!’, but I always try not to get flustered, so I’ll laugh it off with them and say “sometimes there are days like this, hahaha.”

Your favorite moments onstage During a play, when I can feel my character’s emotions welling up within me. During a revue, the parade. When I come down wearing the feathers, I can see the faces of everyone else in the troupe welcoming me...I like that moment a lot. But there’s also the prologue, when the audience is applauding, or when people cheer...there’s too many to say (laughs).

How far can you see into the audience? When the spotlight is on me I can’t see much at all, but at other times I can see even the second-floor seats. I’ll think things like “Oh, maybe that’s a student group.” When I go out on the silver bridge, I can see faces clearly up to around halfway back on the first floor.

After the performance

The first thing you do after a show If I sit back down at my dressing table I won’t budge from there, so I go straight to the office and check on the recordings of portions of the show I had been concerned about. And then I’ll chat with the other members of the cast.

Does the role you’re playing have any effect on your daily life? I think it probably affects me a lot. When I was playing Bill in ME AND MY GIRL I would try to get people to spoil me, and when I play twisted characters it brings out my dark side… It changes what I decide to wear and the expressions I make. When I look at old photoshoots, I’ll think ‘I was making that face because I was playing such-and-such a role.’

Bonus round

Moments that make you really feel like an otokoyaku When you’ve been doing it for around 15 years, I think most people feel like being an otokoyaku is normal and don’t really notice it… But I think maybe it’s because I’m an otokoyaku that I feel ‘I have to protect them’ about the musumeyaku, and wanting to be ‘Ladies First’, and feeling like they’re so cute… Also, when people say that my voice is really low, or...oh!! When I always have to shift the songs down 3 keys at karaoke! (laughs) Recently most of the singers have higher voices, so even for songs by male singers I usually shift down 2 or 3 keys.

[ravenqueensspecialboi]

Title: Baby Makes Three Pairing: DaiSuga Word count: 1378 Rating: G Trigger Warnings: N/A AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17410430

Five months ago, Koushi and Daichi adopted a baby girl named Risa. Coming home from work one day, Koushi realizes that he has everything he could have ever wanted.

A pinch hit gift fic for @macbeth-macdeath as a part of @haikyuusecretsanta.  I hope you enjoy the fic!

Fic under the cut!

Leaving the library while the sun was just beginning to set was Koushi's favorite part of opening shifts. Sure, opening shifts meant that he had to leave the comfort of his home earlier than he'd like, but coming home at 5:30 meant that he had all evening to spend with his two favorite people on the planet: Daichi, and their adopted daughter, Risa.  

Having been high school sweethearts, then college sweethearts, then husbands, Daichi and Koushi had known that they wanted children for a long time.  They agreed that they wanted a girl, and that they wanted to adopt her young.  One day at the library, coworker and longtime friend Michimiya Yui had told Koushi about an old underclassman of theirs from Karasuno who was looking for a couple to adopt  her soon-to-be-born child.  

"Without being too nosy," Koushi had asked, "did she say why she was putting the baby up for adoption?"

"She and her husband decided that they weren't ready for a child," Yui had told him.  "They said that down the line they'll probably want kids, but right now's not the time."

When Koushi had told Daichi about it that night, Daichi had been enthusiastic about the prospect.  Daichi and Koushi had reached out to the underclassman and her husband, and arrangements to meet were made.  By the end of the meeting, the adoption papers were signed.  Baby Risa had been born on December 20th at a healthy 2.5 kilograms and with a small amount of black hair.  If pressed for the top five days of his life, seeing Risa in the hospital for the first time definitely ranked in Koushi's top two.  It was right up there with seeing Daichi walk down the aisle at their wedding in New Zealand.  A month later, the adoption papers finally went through and Risa came home with them. That day, there hadn't been a dry eye in sight.

Five months in, Risa had been fully integrated into their lives.  Daichi ended up taking paternity leave from the high school he worked at to be with Risa during the day.  He was taking the first year, and Koushi would take the second year until they could get Risa into a daycare.  It was a system that worked for them.  Koushi took on opening shifts at the library, so he would make breakfast for Daichi in the morning, then come home and cook dinner and take care of Risa at night. Daichi would watch Risa during the day, as well handle other chores around their house.  They would trade off who got up to take care of Risa during the night, which usually resulted in watching replays of the Japanese volleyball team's games and pointing out her Uncles Shouyou and Tobio whenever they appeared onscreen.  It was a good system, especially since Daichi was a natural with kids; having two siblings who were almost a decade younger had its benefits.  Nine times out of ten, he could get Risa to stop crying almost instantly.  Koushi would have been jealous if he hadn't mastered the ability to make her laugh at almost anything he did.

Koushi arrived home and pushed the door open with a quiet "I'm home".  To his surprise, he didn't hear a response from Daichi. Koushi kicked his shoes off at the genkan, leaving his bag near the door.  He made his way to the living room.  Just as he stepped inside, he froze.

Late afternoon sunlight filtered in through the windows of the living room, bathing everything in a gentle golden glow.  On the floor, Daichi sat with his back up against the couch and his head resting against the arm of the couch.  He was sound asleep.  Koushi's reading glasses sat lopsided on his face and a children's book rested on the floor next to him.  Daichi held a swaddled, sleeping Risa in his arms.  He must have been trying to get her to nap and managed to lull the both of them to sleep.   The sunlight hitting the back of Daichi's head illuminated him, making his hair look lighter than it usually did.  

The more Koushi watched his husband and their daughter, the more his heart swelled with love and adoration. It was a picture perfect scene, even if Daichi's mouth was gaping and he was snoring lightly.  Koushi snapped a quick picture on his phone before he crossed the room to his family.  He dropped to one knee next to Daichi.

"Dai, honey, wake up," Koushi whispered as he gently shook Daichi's shoulder.

Daichi let out a small snort as he jerked awake.  Koushi's glasses slipped off his face and bounced to the floor.  Koushi laughed under his breath as Daichi scooped the glasses up and placed them on the table.  Koushi sat down next to Daichi and leaned forward for a kiss.  Daichi obliged him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm home," Koushi said.

"Welcome home," Daichi replied with a chuckle.  "When did you get back?"

"Just now.  How long have the two of you been asleep?

"What time is it?"

"About five-thirty."

"About forty-five minutes then," Daichi said.  "We were reading."

"I can see that," Koushi teased.

At that moment, Risa shifted in Daichi's arms.  She yawned, signaling that she was awake.

"Hello, Risa-chan," Koushi cooed as he lifted Risa out of Daichi's arms.  "Did you and Daddy have a good day?"

Risa blinked slowly, her soft brown eyes bleary with sleep.  Koushi pressed a kiss to her head as he rocked her back and forth.

"We did," Daichi said.  "She's been exceptionally well-behaved today."

"Is that so, Princess?" Koushi asked.  He wiggled his finger in front of Risa's face, earning a sleepy laugh from the baby.

"True story, she even ate some solid food today."

"She did?" Koushi exclaimed.  He held Risa up and grinned at her, "Risa-chan, I'm so proud of you!"

Risa, more awake now, let out a shrill giggle at being lifted.  Koushi cradled her against his chest, reveling in the moment.  Daichi wrapped his arm around Koushi's shoulder and pulled him in close.  They watched Risa as her giggles subsided and her eyes wandered around the room, finally landing on her play mat.  Koushi unwrapped her from her blanket, then shuffled on his knees over to her play mat. He set her down, then returned to his spot next to Daichi.

"They grow up so fast," Koushi sighed.  

"How young is too young for volleyball lessons?" Daichi asked.

Koushi let out a quiet snort as he pressed his shoulder against Daichi's.  It was a conversation they'd had a few times, but sometimes important conversations were worth having.

"Anything under the age of three, probably," Koushi said.  "But as soon as she can run, we're giving her a volleyball.

"She'll make a fine wing spiker one of these days," Daichi mused.

"Please, she's going to be a setter just like her father," Koushi scoffed.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Daichi said, getting to his feet with a stretch.

As Daichi wandered into the kitchen, Koushi shuffled back over to Risa.  He stretched out next to her and watched her reach for the toys dangling above her head.

"Just you wait," Koushi whispered to her, "your Uncle Tobio and I will make a setter out of you yet."

"If you're done brainwashing our daughter with setter propaganda, can you start dinner?" Daichi called from the kitchen.

Koushi rolled his eyes. He gave Risa's stomach a tickle and got to his feet.  He walked over to the kitchen, passing Daichi who was on his way back to the living room with a bottle for Risa.  Daichi caught Koushi by the waist, pulling him in for a quick kiss that Koushi happily returned.  They pulled back after a minute, and Koushi watched Daichi cross the room and scoop Risa up.  She babbled softly as Daichi held her close.  

A wave of utter adoration washed over Koushi.  Watching his two favorite people on the planet, Koushi realized that he had everything he could have wanted.  A wonderful husband, an adorable baby girl, and a lifetime to shower the two of them with love.  Koushi wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

[mad-madam-m]

How do you see next season of Tiger & Bunny? What do you think should happen?

OH MAN LET’S TALK BECAUSE I HAVE IDEAS, OKAY.

A friend of mine did ask me about this before and I had a whole long response to it (all of which still applies, BTW), but hey, you gave me half a chance to talk about this show so I’m gonna take it.

This got SUPER long, which I feel isn’t too surprising because I crammed in literally everything I could think of that I want to happen and I’m sure I’m still missing things.

But yes, God, talk to me about what you want from the next season of this show because I could go on for literal HOURS about it. Possibly days. I have a problem.

Series spoilers below, fairly be ye warned!

Seriously, the thing I want to see more than almost anything else is dealing more with the fact that Barnaby had his memories manipulated for twenty years and there is a non-zero chance that he may know more about Ouroboros than even he knows. Like I am 100% dead serious, I have been thinking about this for months, lemme tell you about it.

So this is after The Rising, so probably what, 2-3 years since the end of the series? And my headcanon has always been that the longer Maverick is dead, the more his powers start to fade, so anybody who had their memories altered that hasn’t already broken the block is starting to get back the memories of what really happened.

And whose memories did Maverick fuck with the most? Barnaby’s!

And who was Maverick working with for 20-30 years before he died? Ouroboros! *jazz hands*

Let’s say Maverick was having a meeting with people from Ouroboros in his house a couple of years after he took bb!Barnaby in and bb!Barnaby walks in and overhears some of their plans. No big deal, Maverick just wipes his memory and puts him upstairs in bed, and assures everybody else that the kid won’t remember a thing and they’re all good to go.

Now, decades later, Ouroboros is moving one of their people into a political position, like they’re running for mayor or governor or they’ve been named the new chief of police. Doesn’t matter. And one of them—could be a fixer-type figure, could be the person actually being moved into the position of power, again, doesn’t matter—finds out these memory manipulations are fading and that people are remembering things they shouldn’t remember. 

And the person who is moving into the position of power is one of the people who was at that Ouroboros meeting with Maverick that Barnaby walked in on all those years ago. So they realize that if Maverick’s power is fading, they have a Big Problem because the McFucking King of Heroes and Media Darling, Barnaby Brooks Jr., knows about their involvement in this organization and if he reveals that, they’re kind of screwed.

So they’ve got someone low-key keeping an eye on Barnaby to see if he is remembering anything, and they find out yes, he is. Probably something like remembering a birthday dinner that he thought Maverick took him out for when he was young but it turns out it was Aunt Samantha. And so Ouroboros realizes it’s only a matter of time before he remembers them and they set out to fix this.

And by “fix” I mean “blow up Barnaby’s apartment with him in it.”

So the heroes are sent to the site of the explosion to help evacuate other people from the apartment building while the fire department is trying to control the fire, and Kotetsu knows when he hears the address that that’s Bunny’s building, but it’s not until Agnes tells him privately that he finds out the bomb was actually in Bunny’s apartment and Bunny hasn’t been responding to his communicator.

He handles this news slightly better than Barnaby would have if their positions were reversed, but not by much.

They get to the building, Kotetsu goes after Bunny and finds him unconscious and buried under rubble in his apartment, but he’s alive. He gets him out of the building and down to an ambulance and is torn between going with Bunny (because it’s Bunny) and staying to help out the others (because he’s a hero and he’s supposed to be helping people right now).

And of course all of his friends yell at him to go with his partner, to trust them, they’ve got this; besides, Barnaby is going to need him.

So Barnaby wakes up in the hospital twelve hours later to see Kotetsu passed the fuck out in one of those hospital chairs in what looks like the most uncomfortable position ever. And then he wakes up and he’s like BUNNY! and scrambles upright and they do That Look, you know the one, the soft goddamn “I miss you/I love you” look they have:

(I literally can’t even with this show, I can’t. THESE WEREN’T EVEN MY ONLY OPTIONS FOR SCREENSHOTS.)

ANYWAY the other heroes are also there by this time, Barnaby tells them all what he remembers about the apartment exploding and they figure out that someone probably wants Barnaby dead, although they have no idea who and why. And initially Barnaby’s like “I’ll just get a hotel room,” Kotetsu is like “NO. You should not be staying alone right now. You should be staying with one of us until we figure out who’s trying to kill you.”

And Barnaby thinks about it for 2.5 seconds and goes “Then I guess I can stay with you.”

And that’s how Barnaby ends up moving in with Kotetsu because if this damn show gave me accidental baby acquisition, amnesia, single dad, enemies to lovers, and breakup/makeup (TWICE), then by God, they can give me roommates and forced bed sharing.

(Does Kotetsu go back to the exploded apartment and rescue everything that he can that he knows is important to Barnaby? Of fucking course he does, which is how Barnaby ends up with a box containing the Christmas tree pin, the picture of his parents, the robot toy, and the singed stuffed rabbit.)

So the entire big storyline is Kotetsu, Barnaby, and the other heroes trying to figure out who wants Barnaby dead and why, while Ouroboros is moving forward with their own plans without the heroes’ knowledge.

And throughout all this, Barnaby and Kotetsu are trying to figure out how to live with each other in Kotetsu’s little apartment, when Barnaby’s never had a roommate and it’s been close to 10 years since Kotetsu was sharing his space with anybody (let alone someone who’s as compulsively clean as Barnaby is), and Barnaby is dealing with random memories resurfacing at inconvenient times.

I still have not decided if I want Kotetsu’s powers to start fading again, because on the one hand fuck no, but on the other hand, it does make for some delicious angst and pushes him back to that question of “what do I do if I lose my powers completely?” (And who knows, maybe this time around he would actually talk to Barnaby about it instead of hiding it for months on end.)

OTHER THINGS the series would include, if I had anything to say about it:

- A Rock Bison episode, which would also involve flashbacks to high school with how Kotetsu and Antonio met, plus teenage Tomoe and some more very unsubtle parallels between her and Barnaby and how Kotetsu has A Type.

- A Sky High episode with A HAPPY ENDING YOU ASSHOLES, GIVE KEITH A ROMANTIC PARTNER AND 50 DOGS *slams fists on table*

- Kotetsu dealing with the fact that Kaede is a teenager now (probably 14-15, depending on timeline), who’s probably learning how to drive and is looking seriously at what she wants to do when she finishes high school. Probably at least one somewhat heart-wrenching conversation between him and his mom where she talks about how it felt for her when Kotetsu was that age and possibly a little bit about his father. (Give me some more goddamn Kaburagi family feels, okay, Sunrise, just fuck me up with them.)

- A subplot that is Barnaby and the other heroes doing their level best to get Kotetsu enough points to be King of Heroes at the end of the season, without Kotetsu or Agnes figuring out what they’re doing.

- Kotetsu going to the orphanage with Barnaby and helping out with the kids there.

- KOTETSU BIRTHDAY EPISODE. Please please give me an episode that’s the reverse of episode 5, where it’s Barnaby low-key freaking out over what to get Kotetsu for a gift because it has to be perfect and he’s got nothing.

- I literally just finished reading Sakakibara’s manga last night, so maybe an episode or a mini-arc dealing with some of the anti-NEXT sentiment. We got some of that in the first series, but it would be interesting to see it brought out a little bit more and seeing the heroes having to deal more with that (and maybe some non-hero NEXTs as well).

- A flashback episode showing how all the main heroes became heroes.

- Kotetsu and Barnaby cooking fried rice together please I am begging.

- Barnaby going with Kotetsu to Oriental Town to visit his family when they’ve got a few days off (or maybe they’re told to get out of town for a few days because of all the Ouroboros stuff), with Barnaby learning more about Tomoe and being quietly supportive of Kotetsu the way that Kotetsu has always been supportive of him.

- I would love to see more of Barnaby and Kaede interacting because I really think they would get along swimmingly.

- A girls’ night out/guys’ night out episode split between Fire Emblem, Dragon Kid, Barnaby, and Blue Rose and Origami Cyclone, Sky High, Rock Bison, and Kotetsu. (Conversely, this could happen while Barnaby and Kotetsu are out of town, and just focus on the other heroes, but I would really like to see Barnaby being friends and doing stuff with the others, not just Kotetsu.)

- I don’t know how everything would shake out, but it would end with Barnaby just…staying in Kotetsu’s apartment rather than moving back out, his picture of his parents joining the row of photos Kotetsu has on his shelves, and them drinking champagne together on the front steps of the apartment building, side-by-side.

- Okay I mean obviously my shipper heart wants it to end with a kiss and a marriage proposal but I feel like the previous point is more likely.

Seriously I just want everything from this series. Throw the kitchen sink at me, Sunrise, my body is ready.

[one-of-us-blog]

The Chicken and the Egg (TGP, Episode 24)

Today Eli is forced to watch and recap The Chicken and the Egg, the final episode of The Golden Palace.  In this installment, Blanche entertains the idea of having another child with a random boyfriend, while Roland uses his martial arts mastery to teach the local elderly community to lay down some street justice.  Will the final chapter of the show serve as a fitting conclusion to this epic saga?  Keep reading to find out…

Well, here we are!  I don’t quite know what to say before I dive into one last recap, as I want to save my thoughts on the project in general for my very last post.  With that in mind, let’s do this.

Buttocks tight!

Episode written by Mitchell Hurwitz, directed by Lex Passaris

Sophia enters the hotel lobby declaring that “It’s gone.”  Chuy guesses that she is referring to her short-term memory, but Sophia ignores him and wonders aloud who the Mexican is.  She says that her purse was stolen by some thug and blames the Bush economy.  With a few more questions, she reluctantly reveals that the purse was stolen while within Rose’s now also-stolen car, which Sophia “borrowed” without asking.  Additionally, the thief might have gotten pretty far since Sophia had just filled up the gas tank using Rose’s credit card.  Roland considers teaching a self-defense seminar at the hotel to deal with these situations, and casually mentions that he has a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do.  Blanche is all dressed up and demanding compliments as she has a hot date with Bobby Lee, a cattle baron from Austin.  Her daughter Rebecca is also coming to visit Blanche’s (shudder) birthday, so we have all the pieces in place for our final outing!

We cut to Blanche and Bobby Lee in the hotel lobby, and he wastes very little time in sitting Blanche down to propose.  He wants Blanche to agree to be his wife!  Oh, and he also wants her to agree to have his children.  Say what now?  She attempts to pump the brakes, but he says that he knows she is older than she claims.  Still, breeding is his business and Bobby suggests letting the doctors worry about the details.  She simply has to say “yes,” and caught up in the moment, she does just that.

Blanche soon makes an announcement to her friends about her engagement and receives congratulations.  She then announces her plan to have a baby and receives mockery.  Sophia calls her a fossil, and Rose suggests that perhaps that ship has already sailed.  Like, way back in End of the Curse.  Rose also speculates that this is all a result of Blanche’s hatred of birthdays, but Blanche says that this is something that Bobby Lee wants and she “owes” it to him to try.  Gross.  Blanche also points out that medical science has come a long way, and she could potentially have another woman’s fertilized egg implanted.  Roland reminds Blanche that she should really consider adoption, and then probably laughs and laughs in his head as he remembers that he is totally off the hook with Oliver, or whatever that little burden’s name was.

Roland dons his Tae Kwon Do garb and prepares to instruct a class of elderly women on the finer points of kicking a man in the balls.  Someone hurls a bottle of estrogen at his head and he shames a masculine-looking lady, so things are really off to a great start.  Roland attempts to bond with a student names Sylvia, who mentions that she enrolled because she wants to put her bastard husband through a window for calling her frail.  To get down to business, Roland reveals that Chuy will be playing the part of the “attacker” in class, and he enters in a padded suit, snarling like a bear.  It takes the old ladies approximately 2.5 seconds to swarm and beat the shit out of him.

Blanche has checked in with Bobby Lee about the possibility of adoption and says that he (predictably) has no interest in caring for someone he didn’t help to create.  Rose wonders where Blanche will find someone with a compatible medical history to give her an egg, and at just that moment her daughter Rebecca shows up.  They hug, and Rebecca says that Blanche can have anything she wants for her birthday.  Blanche only has her sights on an egg.

After having a presumably uncomfortable conversation with her daughter, Blanche tells Rose that Rebecca didn’t agree to her request right away and will have to think things over.  Blanche insists that she isn’t as old as everyone seems to think she is, and Rebecca shows up again to mildly rain on her parade.  Blanche doesn’t want to be lectured, but Rebecca says that although she doesn’t think any of this is a good idea, she is willing to give her mother what she wants despite her objections.

Blanche seems to be having a rough night, tossing and turning in bed.  Unable to sleep, she goes downstairs and discovers that she is super pregnant with a huge belly!  Actually, Rose says that she went to the clinic with Blanche, and she got pregnant too!  The two show off their enormous midsections and Rose complains about all of the morning sickness, varicose veins, cravings, and back pain that come along with pregnancy, and that they had both forgotten about.  The surprises keep coming as Sophia is pregnant too, maneuvering her own belly around on a wheeled contraption.  The trio somehow manages to gather at the kitchen table, where Sophia gives Blanche a good kicking for talking them all into this mess.  Blanche says that she didn’t mean that “anyone” can get pregnant, but it’s too late, this scene has already gone off the rails; Roland is pregnant too and experiencing some major mood swings.  We aren’t done yet, folks, Chuy has a bun in the oven as well!  More specifically, he is carrying his bun in his backside for the sake of a dumb joke.  Blanche apologizes profusely to everyone…

…and then a worried Rose wakes her up from her dream!  Can you believe it?

The parking attendant from the neighboring hotel shows up with Sophia’s purse, and everyone realizes that Sophia actually just accidentally valet parked Rose’s car.  Unfortunately for the attendant, Sophia and her gang of newly-trained Tae Kwon Do grannies choose this moment to wander in, and they all swarm Sophia’s “assailant.”  Blanche needs to talk to Bobby Lee, who arrives at the hotel at just this moment.  She is about to tell him that she doesn’t want to have a baby after all when he breaks down and admits that he is sterile.  Both parties continue to insist that they are not old, but Blanche says that perhaps they can accept that they are “approaching middle age” and still have some fun together.  Bobby Lee throws out a parting reference to his freezer full of bull semen, and leaves.  Rebecca then comes downstairs, and Blanche tells her that she was right.  Rebecca says that she just wants Blanche to be proud of the person she is, and they hug it out in the show’s final embrace.

For one closing scene, we find Chuy fleeing into the hotel elevator to escape the gang of violent older women that Roland has unleashed on the world.  He almost makes it to safety, until Rose foils his plan.  The very last image we are ever to see in the Golden Universe is that of Chuy being descended upon by the angry mob.

The End.

I have to say, while this is the final episode of the series and I’d like to go out on a high note, I kind of wish that this episode and the previous one had been swapped.  I know I enjoyed the wacky antics of Roland policing vacationing young adults and Chuy building a giant burrito, but the pregnancy dream sequence in this episode just seemed silly without actually bothering to be funny.  That, plus I feel like the whole angle of one of the girls (specifically Blanche) lamenting her lost youth and reproductive capability was already done by The Golden Girls, and done better.  Bobby Lee seemed like kind of a creep to me, and it also seemed weird that Blanche was ready to marry a character in the very first scene in which he was introduced.  It wasn’t a total loss, as I kind of enjoyed the idea of a gang of pissed-off grannies wandering the streets of Miami and stirring up trouble, and I liked that the show’s final message was that you should love yourself just the way you are, so I’ll leave things with that very positive thought in mind.  Still, I’m giving The Chicken and the Egg a rating of 3 poofy hairdos out of 5.

I can’t believe that I have written my final recap for this big, crazy project, but I’ll still return one more time to share some final thoughts on the series and what One of Us! has meant to me.  But before then, you can still treat yourself to one more recap from the real powerhouse of this duo, as Drew will soon be sharing his thoughts on the most recent Bond film, SPECTRE.  Until then, as always, thank you for being a friend, and for being One of Us!

[starryeyed-char]

Rewind

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! To celebrate, have another installment of the Klance YouTuber AU!

The stuff below is kind of important, so you should probably read it so you’re not confused.

This fic is set during Keith and Lance’s three year anniversary which is chronologically the latest of the series (and is actually six months away from Christmas), but almost the entire thing is a flashback to their six month anniversary (which is very close to Christmas), and that’s chronologically the earliest except for the fic where they literally meet for the first time (which is the anniversary they’re celebrating). So essentially, this is mostly a flashback fic, but not entirely. And anniversaries are a thing.

I figured I should probably have something that clarifies how long they’re together and also assures the many people asking that a proposal fic is going to be a thing eventually.

Got it? Good. I hope you enjoy!!!!

Lance was sitting on the couch early in the morning, editing a video. He wanted to get it done and posted now so he could spend the rest of the day with his boyfriend.

This thought had just crossed his mind when he felt arms wrap around his shoulders from behind, and someone leaning on him. “Happy anniversary.” Keith's voice was still slightly rough from sleep.

Lance looked up with an almost reflexive smile. Keith was standing behind him, still in his pajamas and bedhead sticking up in all directions. “Aww, babe, you should go back to sleep! I was gonna make you breakfast in bed.”

Keith laughed softly, burying his face in Lance's neck and kissing the skin there. “Is it a crime that I want to spend as much of the day with my boyfriend as possible?”

Lance rolled his eyes, but he was laughing, too. “It is when it ruins my plans to do something nice for you.”

“To me, it looks like you were editing a video.”

“Yeah, so I could spend the rest of the day with you,” Lance said. Keith smiled, and leaned down to kiss his cheek again, but Lance turned his head at the last moment and captured his lips with his own. “Please, Keith, you always come first.”

“I know that,” Keith told him, then smirked. “Now, are you gonna make me breakfast or what?”

Lance snorted. “Sometimes I think you just stay with me because of my excellent cooking.”

“Let's go make breakfast together, then,” Keith said, with an eye roll.

“You can't even make toast without burning it,” Lance replied, but he allowed himself to be tugged into the kitchen. “But I love you anyway.”

“Love you, too.” Keith's smile was wide, and Lance felt something warm settle in his chest. He didn't get to see smiles like that quite often enough.

2.5 years earlier

Lance was in love.

He and Keith had only been dating for upwards of five months, but he was in love.

And he'd known for some time too, known almost as soon as he met him that he was absolutely gone when it came to Keith Kogane. Lance always grew attached to people quickly, and then found letting them go was near impossible.

But with Keith more than ever. It wasn't very long after they started dating that Lance found himself picturing the future, the first time he'd ever let himself think ahead in a relationship.

Lance was very much the dreamer, always had been. He knew what he wanted since he was a little kid. Big family, with kids, a dog, a backyard with a pool and a white picket fence. A fairy tale ending.

And sure, those childhood dreams had been altered a bit with the whole YouTuber thing, but Lance was also decidedly not a quitter. He still wanted all those things.

And he'd begun to realize... he wanted them with Keith. Now every time Lance daydreamed about the future, about his happy ending... Keith was a part of it.

So, yes, Lance was most definitely, hopelessly, wonderfully in love with Keith.

He just hadn't quite said it yet.

He wanted to. More than anything in the world, pretty much. Lance always had a hard time keeping his mouth shut in the first place, and especially when it came to Keith he found that his filter disappeared, that everything came spilling out even if it was something he'd tried to hide.

And Keith didn't care.

But he'd done his best to keep this one locked up, because he was sure Keith wasn't as quick to be head over heels as Lance was. They hadn't talked much about Keith's family, about his past yet but... Lance had a general idea.

In Keith's shoes, he wouldn't have been quick to love someone either. He'd be too afraid to lose them.

But it was kind of ironic that way. Because for that exact reason, Lance was in the same boat.

He worried that if he said just those three little worlds, he could bring their whole relationship crashing down if Keith wasn't ready for them yet.

And Lance most certainly wasn't ready for that. So, he waited.

Waited, and wished that he could just say the phrase casually, whenever Keith did those little things that made his heart seem to miss a beat. Like snorting at the end of a laugh, or when his eyes got that sparkling, focused look in them. The way he smiled at Lance, like they were the only two people in the entire universe.

A knock sounded at his door, shocking him out of his thoughts. He rushed to open it, revealing a bashfully smiling Keith behind it.

His nose was slightly red from the cold, scarf wrapped around the lower part of his face. “Happy six months!” Keith said, wrapping his arms around Lance to practically tackle him with a hug.

Lance grunted, then grinned. “What, no gift?”

Keith stepped back immediately, annoyed pout on his face. “You know we decided that since our six month anniversary is so close to Christmas, we'd only get each other one gift for both. And this is my first Christmas with your family, and I'm not going to seem like an asshole by not having a gift for you then!”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Keith, my family already thinks you're great, they don't care when you give me my gift!” But he was already trying to push down the butterflies because Keith was worried about what Lance's family thought of him.

And... and Keith had said first Christmas together. As if there would be more.

“Anyway,” Lance continued. “Speaking of gifts, are we going window shopping or what?”

It was after a considerable amount of this that found them sitting in an Italian restaurant. Keith was rubbing his arms to get rid of the lingering chill, and Lance was thinking about the jewelry shop window they'd passed.

He'd noticed Keith glance at the engagement rings, but neither of them mentioned them. It was too soon for that, especially if Lance was too insecure to even say 'I love you.'

Keith looked up at Lance over his menu, smiling softly. “I assume you want to split an order of garlic knots? And a pizza?”

One day, Lance told himself. Maybe not any time soon, but I want to marry this boy.

The thought surprised even him.

“What?” Keith asked, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear nervously. Lance realized he must've had some sort of goofy, lovestruck smile on his face. “Is there something—”

“No, no you're fine,” Lance said quickly, schooling his expression into something more casual. “Just... lost in thought I guess.”

He tried to think of something to change the subject, but his mind was going completely blank. Should he just... say it? No, that was obnoxious. And in a public place? Absolutely not, because then Keith might be uncomfortable, and that was the last thing Lance wanted.

Luckily, he was saved from continuing by the waiter coming around to take their order, and he was able to start a real conversation.

Things didn't really start going wrong until two girls were seated a few tables away from them.

“Honestly, I don't even know why we're friends with her, still,” one was babbling. “She's so—”

“Hey,” the other interrupted, pointing over at Lance and Keith. “Isn't that the YouTuber you watch all the time?”

Lance's mind went blank once again, body freezing. He loved his fans, but he really did not need to deal with them right now.

“Oh my god!” the first girl practically shrieked, shoving her chair back and rushing over to their table. “Are you— you're Lance McClain, oh my god, I love your videos? They're so relatable, and you're so funny! Can I get an autograph?”

“Uh... sure!” Lance said automatically, with a smile. She supplied a pen, somehow, and he signed the napkin she held out to him. “Sorry, wasn't really expecting to see any fans here!”

“I can't believe I'm actually getting to meet you,” the girl gushed, while her friend rolled her eyes. “I've been watching you for, like, ages! Can I get a picture? No one will believe me otherwise.”

“I guess,” Lance said slowly, beginning to get irritated. Couldn't he just spend his anniversary with Keith in peace? “But um... I am a little busy with— uh...”

He trailed off, unsure how exactly to introduce Keith. His fans knew he was bisexual, but they had no idea that he had a boyfriend, because Keith wasn't comfortable showing up in any videos. At least, not yet, anyway.

“Your friend can be in the picture, too!” the girl said, waving a hand as if to dismiss his statement. “Actually, I don't think I know you? What's your channel?”

“Oh, no, I— I'm not a YouTuber,” Keith told her, somewhat awkwardly. “I'm just... Keith.”

“He's my boyfriend,” Lance blurted, not sure if he should regret just outright saying it or not after Keith blushed and ducked his head. “And we were kind of in the middle of something, so if you could maybe—”

But the girl hadn't listened past the first statement. She gasped dramatically, loudly, and then started talking very quickly.

“What?! Really?! I never would've guessed. I mean, sure, in your videos you've said your bi, but I always thought you were just lying about it to get more attention!”

Lance sighed. He'd heard this theory several times, and he glanced at Keith with a look as if to say, Can you believe this girl?, but Keith wasn't looking at him.

He was looking at the fan, eyes hard. It was almost a glare, but not quite.

Keith was angry that she'd said that, then.

“Besides, if you were going to date any guy, I always thought it'd be Hunk. Not gonna lie, I ship you two!”

“Hunk is with Shay, though,” Keith said, voice tight. Anyone more observant would've taken that as a warning to shut up. But this girl just kept on going.

“Well, that's true. Honestly though, a small part of me was hoping you were still single. We're not that far apart in age, you know,” she said, winking at him. “Some girls would kill to get to kiss you. Hey, do you think I could get a picture of—”

“No,” Keith said flatly, now flat out scowling at her. “I think you should leave us alone, because it's getting really annoying.”

The girl stepped back, carefree grin dropping off her face. “Oh.” She blinked, and then had the audacity to turn to Lance. “Your boyfriend's kind of rude, isn't he?”

Keith's eyes went wide, and he turned to stare at Lance. He looked terrified that he'd done something wrong. “I'm sorry, Lance, I didn't mean to—”

Now Lance was angry.

“No, don't be sorry, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he assured him, though Keith still looked uneasy. “He's right. I know you're a fan, but you're being extremely impolite. I hate to do this, but I think it'd be best to just go back to your table.”

She did exactly that, with a sheepish frown and her face bright red.

Lance let out a slow breath, and opened his menu again. “So... dessert?”

The rest of the night felt awkward, strained, and Lance didn't like it. It was supposed to be their anniversary, for crying out loud. It was supposed to be special, and yet... because of that girl, he felt like everything had been ruined.

When they headed back to Lance's apartment, it was mostly in silence. He didn't know what to say, and whenever he tried to start a conversation, Keith would barely answer. Just one word responses.

Lance was beginning to get the feeling that he blew it.

He stopped in front of his apartment door, before going inside, turned to Keith, and forced himself to meet his eye. “Look, I'm... I'm sorry about that. I totally get it if you're mad at me. Hell, I would be, too.”

Keith's gaze snapped up, and he stared back at Lance, confused. “What? Why would I be mad at you?”

Lance blinked.”Because that one fan basically ruined our six month anniversary? It's all my fault. I should've known better than to go to such a public place... I could've just cooked you dinner here or something, or—”

“Lance,” Keith cut him off, eyes softening. “You don't have to be sorry for the actions of your fans. I knew you were a YouTuber before we started dating, I knew what I was signing up for. And it didn't ruin our anniversary.”

“But... I could tell you were uncomfortable. You're really not mad?”

Keith sighed. “I don't like having a lot of attention on me, especially not from strangers. But again, that's not your fault. So no, I'm not mad. Honestly, I thought you were annoyed at me.”

Lance was taken aback. “You? Why on earth would I be upset with you?!”

“Because I was so rude to your fan?”

“No, she deserved it! You were completely right in saying that to her! Just because I'm a YouTuber doesn't mean I can't have some privacy,” Lance told him.

“But... but she's still a fan,” Keith said, wringing his hands. "And I just dismissed her. What if she complains about you online, or something? It could hurt your reputation, or your channel! You're not mad at me for that?”

Lance shook his head again. “Keith, I wasn't even worried about that. I was worried about you. You're always going to be more important to me than my channel, or my fans. And I need you to know that.”

“But your channel is your job!” Keith protested. “I know how much you care about it and your fans, and I don't want you to feel like you have to let them down for me!”

“I care about you too, Keith,” Lance reminded him. He paused for a moment, just a moment of hesitation. And then— “I love you.”

Keith's beautiful eyes went wide, expression unreadable save for shock. “You love me?” he echoed quietly.

“Of course I do,” Lance said, his own voice going soft. “And you have no idea how long I've been wanting to say that.”

“Me too,” Keith whispered. “God, me too. I love you, too.” He threw his arms around Lance's neck, all but crushing him in a hug.

Lance laughed, a bright, happy sound, and wound his arms around Keith's waist, holding him close.

Keith pulled back for just a second, and their eyes met once before closing. Then he was pressing their lips together where they stood, just inside Lance's doorway.

They were a perfect fit.

Present

Lance yawned, and glanced down at the sleeping form of his boyfriend happily. 

Another successful anniversary had come and gone, and he couldn't help remember that day years ago when he took the first step after realizing he undoubtedly wanted to be with Keith forever.

They'd moved in together after a little less than a year of dating, and had moved to a different apartment later on that was a better fit for both of them.

Lance knew Keith loved him just as much as he loved Keith so... why was he still scared?

He knew that a part of him thought he didn't deserve someone as good as Keith, but he wasn't about to let him go, either.

Lance had lived a very fortunate life, all things considered. And he knew Keith's had been pretty rough, lots of foster homes before he eventually wound up in a good family.

They were both the best things that had ever happened to each other. And they'd said as much, on multiple occasions.

He reached into his pocket, fingers closing around the small box from the jewelry store as he lifted it out and hid it carefully in his beside drawer once again.

He'd been carrying it for a while already, but the right time hadn't come just yet.

Another anniversary had come and gone, and even though Lance had bought the ring, he still hadn't been able to ask.

“Soon,” Lance muttered to himself, as he climbed into the bed beside Keith, and wrapped his arm around him.

Because he'd known for a long time that he wanted to marry this boy. He just needed to find the perfect moment.

[foodcircleams]

Food Waste Around the World Episode 5: Israel

Food Waste Around the World is a Food Circle’s project aimed at providing information and raising awareness about food waste. The project is designed as a series of interviews with students coming from different countries with the aim of understanding how this issue is tackled and perceived around the world. This is made possible thanks to Sapient, the mother company of Food Circle, which every year offers internships to students from all around the world creating a unique multicultural environment.

Today we speak with Coby from Israel!

Hello Coby, thanks for participating in ‘food waste around the world’. To start with, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and where are you from?

Yes, my name is Coby Babani. I'm part of Sapient Social Environmental Enterprises. I'm very passionate about different topics such as digital democracy, food waste, and sustainable energy. At Sapient, we have several projects covering these topics. I really like working with people that work as a team and have the same goals. In this way, we can move forward together in creating more sustainable solutions for different challenges that our society is facing.

I was born originally in Tel Aviv, 41 and something years ago. I lived in South Africa between the age of 2 and 5 because of my parents' work. And then, since when I went back to Israel, I always had the desire to leave the country. Finally, almost 20 years later, I moved to the Netherlands where I studied economics and then business. Then, I started working in an NGO first, and I did some of my own things later. Eventually, I started all these projects and found all these amazing people like you to work with.

Wow, what an interesting story! And going back to your country of origin, Israel, do you know what is the food waste situation there? Is it a big issue?

So apparently, there's 18 billion Shekels worth of food wasted yearly in Israel. Converting, one Euro is about somewhere between four and four and a half shekels. So if we divide it roughly to four, it's about 5 billion Euros worth of food that's wasted every year. And in tonnes, (1 tonne is 1000 kilos) there's 2.5 million tonnes of food being wasted in Israel every year. So the situation is quite grim. Israel is a westernized country like Europe and the United States so likewise the amount of waste generated is quite high. It's a very Americanized country, so people like big things and everything is found in very big packages, there's a lot of consumption culture and throwing away food is not such a big deal. There's a lot of restaurants and cafes and so on, and especially in Tel Aviv, people are going out a lot and the more people order food outside, the more food gets wasted as well. So it seems like the problem is big, but it also seems like there are some people trying to do something about it in the last few years.

Okay, so you think that mainly the problem is at the consumption level, or are you also aware about problems at the production level?

We have a lot of agriculture and farming. We do have a lot of cows to produce meat and eggs. There's a lot of meat that has to be produced in Israel for it to be Kosher for the Jewish people, for the people are religious. It's not the biggest part of the population but it is a part of the population. There's also a lot of Arabs and they need Halal. So maybe that also keeps a lot of the meat production within Israel. We do have probably imported meat but I think most of it comes from Israel. Also, we're very good in milk, cheese and egg production. Beside that, Israel is very famous for the Jaffa oranges which are exported worldwide.

We are also experts in irrigation systems, in particular, this way of dripping very small drops in your crop and saving water that existed for like 40 years and it's sold all over the world. And because we develop that system, it's very easy for us to create good agriculture as well for crops that usually do not grow in Israel like bananas and avocados. The country presents various climates, from the mountains to the desert. And because of that, we grow everything, dates, cucumbers, tomatoes and so on. The problem is that to arrive at the supermarket shelves, the food has to comply with several standards. Of course, some markets deal with a bit more substandard food so some it gets sold. But there is in the end, a lot of production that gets lost and remains in the field. Another problem is the value of food, which is easy to get and it's cheap, so people throw it away like everywhere in the West. So I would imagine that in Israel, the percentage of food that gets wasted at the consumer level is the highest like also in Europe and other Western countries.

Right, and could you notice any differences between Israel and the Netherlands where you lived already for a while now?

So probably many things have changed in the last 20 years, but something that I’m pretty sure that didn’t change much is that in Israel we go to the supermarket by car and we have big fridges so we buy a lot of stuff that often ends up at the back of the fridge and is forgotten. Here in Holland people mainly have small fridges and go to the supermarket by bike. But generally, the approach is very similar. The food is cheap, it's easy to replace it. It's very accessible. So it's not valuable enough and it's very easy to throw away.

Yes, sadly. I know that you have been missing from Israel for a long time, but who do you think is really driving the attention or raising the awareness about food waste issues there? It is something done more from the government side or is it more like NGOs or communities that are taking action?

So from the research that I did for this interview, I discovered that the work is done mostly by organizations of food waste fighters, like here in Amsterdam.  They try to create pressure, they want the government to take responsibility but the government is very slow to follow up, it is busy with many other issues as the Israeli Palestinian situation, economics and so on. The people that are currently there on the top, they probably don't care enough about social issues. So it's very similar to here.

There's one NGO called Leket Israel. They work mostly with gleaning and with poor families. Gleaning is a practice described in the Jewish Bible for which food producers have to leave 10% of their food on their field and let poor people come and collect it. Currently, this happens anyway because of supermarket standards, so part of the production is always left in the field because it is not compliant. This organization (Leket) goes with volunteers in the field, they gather all the food and they distribute it to poor people. In addition, they claim that the government is not doing enough and they're trying to create pressure and raise awareness on the topic.

Another interesting initiative is undertaken by an organization that created a tent that you put in your backyard and that produces biogas out of your food waste. It is based on the principle of anaerobic digestion where microorganisms in anaerobic conditions (without O2) ferment food waste producing Methane as a byproduct. This Methane is taken directly to your kitchen and can then be used as cooking gas so you can have your kitchen off-grid.

Yeah, that's a super cool solution! So you said that the main drivers of actions against food waste are the organizations but do you think it's gonna become a priority eventually in the government's agenda or you see this topic still far from becoming a priority?

It seems like some people in Israel, from what I understood, would like the government to have a bit of a more social approach, which is less focusing on money more focusing on society and the environment. If these people arrive at the top then yes, also food waste is going to become a priority. In general, the political situation is not very stable, indeed in the last two years, there were like three elections because nobody could create a government.

Besides politics, innovation could be another big driver. Israel is a startup nation. The whole country is like one big Silicon Valley, everybody's working on solutions. And some people work on solutions for sustainability. So I would imagine that more and more solutions will come out from Israel, because in the end, waste is useful, and it's possible to create income from this food instead of wasting it.

Okay. And at last, what do you think would be the most needed action to tackle the food waste issue? What is the most urgent next step to be taken and from who, the ‘top’ or the ‘bottom’?  

I think that governmental action is the easiest way to influence and change stuff, especially acting on the education system. Then, NGOs and organizations need to put more pressure, they need to bring more solutions from outside instead of also maybe not only creating their own but just copycatting solutions from Europe. Overall, I don't think there's one solution that will work, everything needs to happen together. The innovation sector has to come up with solutions that make fighting food waste economically beneficial. At the same time, kids at school should be educated about the value of food and also adults, finding the right way of communicating such messages.  In addition, the government should disincentive companies in producing food waste or incentive them in using food surplus through proper legislation. So yes, maybe the government should actually take the first step setting the conditions for change and then be followed by all the other actions.  

Yeah, it makes sense. Okay. That would be it, thank you very much!

Thank you for having me!

[digging-holes-in-the-river]

Interestingly, I’ve had a couple dreams lately that revolve around “my landlord has invaded my house in some way, and I can’t stop him from doing it because he’s my landlord”.

In one dream a few months ago, my house had another section in the back, and my landlord was looking to rent it out. IRL, my house is... 2.5 stories, I guess? There’s a main floor, a second floor, and a loft. Anyway, in this dream, my portion of the house had 3 stories, but there was also a door from the 3rd story leading into the first floor of a different segment of the house. (I live on the slope of a mountain, so this actually makes sense.) That other segment had 3 floors, so the entire house was 5 stories tall.

Anyway, in the dream, that segment had been empty the entire time I lived in the house. But now my landlord was looking to rent it out to two or three women around my age, who all worked down in Boulder. They seemed like nice, responsible people, who would be calm, quiet housemates; I didn’t have anything against them personally. But I really didn’t want to share my house, and I was trying to convince them not to move in. The 4th and 5th stories had some serious structural issues (which is why that section had been empty for so long), and the landlord had been working on it, but the floor on the 5th story still had some weak points. I managed to convince the women not to move in unless my landlord did some necessary repairs first.

In another, very recent dream, it was Thanksgiving weekend, and my landlord was hosting a big party for his family and friends. He ran out of space in his house, so he let them into mine. And I think he told them to stay in the kitchen (they had sleeping bags and stuff) so they wouldn’t be bothering me, but there was a bit of pressure for me to give up my bedroom so they could have a proper place to stay.

I didn’t want them in my house at all, particularly without my permission being asked first. And I think I might have been hosting some people too, so I needed more space and was less prepared to deal with the stress than usual.

In the dream, I kept thinking that this was super annoying, but that also, if I were a less neurotic person, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But because I was so upset about them invading my space, I kept yelling at them and starting fights and asking them to do everything a certain way so they wouldn’t mess up my kitchen, and the whole thing ended up being really stressful and unpleasant for everyone.

I’m not sure why I keep having dreams about my landlord invading my personal space! My landlord is super nice, and has never even walked up to my house and knocked on my door, because he doesn’t want to bother me. (On the other hand, he doesn’t mind me stopping by and visiting (he lives in the house right next to me), so I usually knock on his door to deliver the rent.)

So I don’t think these dreams are a reflection on my landlord; they’re probably just a reflection on my own neuroticism and my dislike for having my space invaded.

[pickalilywrites]

Dead Man Walking: 1 | 2 | 2.5 | FFNet

Word Count: 6,034

~

Their mother cried a lot. No, not their. Her mother cried a lot. Eren was dead. Did death automatically disqualify him from being a son? Death nullified marriages; perhaps it did the same thing to do with other types of familial relationships. Then again, maybe she was thinking about this far too much. It's funny. She only cried once after hearing the news, her mother bawling her eyes out after getting a call from the temp agency, but she hadn't shed a tear since that afternoon. She stood as still as a statue when she saw her brother's corpse while her mother wailed, crying about how it couldn't be because he had been alive just earlier this morning so this was impossible – Mikasa, you saw him leave the house! He was breathing and this can't be true! You know this! – which left her to deal with identifying the bodies and the sympathetic glances of their neighbors.

There came a point when Mikasa was tired of hearing her mother's crying. She wished Eren were back in his room, knocking his stuff around and mumbling about how their mom was so dramatic. At least then she knew it would end.

Maybe that's why she snapped that morning. A parent should never have to arrange their child's funeral, but leaving it to their other child to bear isn't that much better. She shouldn't have to know what kind of flowers to pick for the bouquets, which room to book at the funeral home, or whom she should notify about the funeral. Every time she turned to her mother, she'd find her crying at the kitchen counter. Why was she crying so much? Why did she cry all of the time? Crying wouldn't solve anything. No amount of tears would bring Eren back to life. Her sadness didn't excuse her for all of the times she wronged Eren, made him do things he never wanted to do like take that damn job that fateful day. So why was she crying all of the time? Why couldn't she…

"Shut up." The words left her mouth before she realized she said them. Her voice was hoarse from talking to all of those people on the phone, booking dates and times and ordering flowers and caskets and things that nobody should be ordering at the age of nineteen. "Would you shut up? You cry all of the time. You always do this. You cried when he was alive and now you cry when he's dead. You cry like you didn't do anything wrong. You cry like it'll fix all of your problems. You cry, you cry, you cry, and it has never and will never make anything okay. Eren is dead and he'll always be dead and no amount of tears you shed will ever change that so shut up, shut up, SHUT UP." She had never raised her voice at her mother, not that she could remember. She almost felt bad for yelling at her, almost apologized for it, but she bit her tongue. It was exhilarating, being this angry. It reminded her of someone. It reminded her of Eren.

Her mother looked up from where she sat, her head out of her hands for once. She didn't look mad or even shocked that Mikasa had yelled at her. If anything, she looked almost happy for the briefest second until she realized the voice yelling at her did not belong to her son. It wasn't before long that her mother sank her head back into her hands and she cried again. Her shoulders heaved but she no longer made a noise. Mikasa couldn't tell if this was better or worse than before.

Not being able to bear being in the same room as her mother, Mikasa got up and left without another word.

Eren had gone to funerals but going to his own funeral was an entirely different experience. It was weird seeing people from his high school here and realizing just how few friends he had. In fact, most of the people attending were friends of his family but no one he actually cared for. It was even stranger that seeing his mother cry made him feel guilty. He was used to seeing her cry, especially since he was the reason she cried about ninety percent of the time. Even now he was the reason she was sobbing, their next door neighbor patting her on the back but offering no words of comfort because there is nothing to say that will make someone who lost their son feel better. He'd never felt guilty making her cry before but now seeing her bawling her eyes out and knowing he was the reason why made him feel like a monster. Eren wondered if it would at least be comforting to think that it was probably the last time he'd ever make her cry.

An arm linked through his and he turned to see Petra beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Ah – yes," he stuttered, surprised at the question. His voice was shakier than it usually was and he was surprised when he realized tears were running down his face. It wasn't that he was particularly sad about dying – he was still feeling numb about the whole reaping situation – but it was more like the atmosphere was weighing against his whole being and the realization of how empty his life was and now seeing his mother cry was wrecking him inside. "I just – it's weird, you know? Do you always do this? Go to the funerals of people you reap?"

She shrugged. "Not normally. I've gone to a few every once in a while but it's not something we make a habit of. Reaping isn't a personal thing so we don't usually get involved with funerals and such." She swept a lock of her ginger hair behind her ear and tilted her head. "Do you think that's cruel?"

It made sense but her words sent a shiver up his spine anyway. He didn't think he'd ever get used to reaping. How do you end someone's life like that and waltz away like nothing had happened at all? But he lied anyway. "No."

A smile flickered across her face. "Liar," she hummed. "Sorry if you think it's weird going to your own. It's just customary to have you say goodbye to your old life. This might be the last time you see everyone."

He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that too much. At first it seemed like a kindness, being able to revisit his past life and the people he loved one last time, but it was so cruel too. He'd get to see them one last time only to have it wrenched away from him. It was like dying twice.

The pair wandered around the funeral hall, observing as people mourned and paid their respects to his ashes. (Petra had explained earlier that morning that Eren's family had decided to cremate the body since the little vending machine incident had left his body a little, er, a bit difficult to present.) He noticed that Petra would subtly steer him away from his family, as if she didn't trust him to avoid them herself despite the warning she had given him the moment they had walked in. The thought of speaking to them one last time and revealing that he wasn't truly dead was tempting but he wasn't sure they would take it too well. What would he even say if they did believe him?

As they passed by a floral arrangement that the rest of the reapers Eren would be working with had picked out for the funeral ("Well, I actually picked them out," Petra said, "but Hanji came with me and Levi paid! The little blue ones are forget-me-nots. Do you like them? "), Eren spotted a familiar figure standing nervously in the corner, balled up tissues clenched in her fist.

"Sasha?" The words were out of his mouth before he could even think and he felt Petra tense up beside him.

His former coworker whipped her head around to see him, a confused look on her face. Sure he had gotten the wrong person, she began to scurry off to another corner of the room but Eren bounded over and grabbed her by the wrist, ignoring the panicked "Don't!" from Petra as he slipped away.

"Sasha!" he repeated, relieved to see someone he actually liked at his funeral. Despite only knowing her for half a day, he was touched that she had even bothered showing up but seeing the bubbly brunette with tearstained cheeks made him feel horrible. Realizing that she was staring him in horror and that she no longer recognized him because his reaper form was completely different from his appearance from when he was alive, Eren began to stumble with his words in an attempt to hide his identity. "Er, you're Sasha, right?"

The girl sniffled, still clearly confused. "Y-yes." Her voice was thick and heavy, as if she had been crying all day. "I'm sorry, but do I know you? I can't really remember ever meeting you…"

"Ah, that's right, we've never met!" he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand to shake it even though she didn't offer it out to him. He pumped it a little to enthusiastically. "I'm, uh, Eren's high school friend. We had lunch together the day he, er, passed and he mentioned you. He said it was nice that he was able to meet someone so easy to work with on the first day of his job. He said he looked forward to working with you more."

"He…He really said that?" she whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes and he cursed himself for saying the wrong thing but she suddenly burst into a small smile. Wiping her tears away, she sniffed and said, "God, I feel bad for even feeling the tiniest bit happy right now but I really am glad you told me that. He was the only person who didn't think I was a joke at that place. I thought it would be weird if I came here though because I only got to meet him for half a day."

"No, it's not weird! I bet he'd be really glad you came!" Eren stammered. And he really was glad that Sasha had come. It was a little horrible to admit, but she was proof there was someone who genuinely liked him and didn't just come out of guilt.

"Thanks…" Sasha said, a small smile on her face. She looked apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"My name?" Eren repeated. Here was when Eren knew he fucked up. He didn't have a backup identity to fall back on in this kind of situation. Did Petra and Erwin prep him on this? He was sure that they might have but so many things had happened to him in the past week that the only thing he really remembered from any of their conversations was that he was as dead as a doornail. Now he was standing there like an idiot while Sasha stared at him, wondering if her new acquaintance was crazy.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Petra. She always seemed to be at his side nowadays, always popping in to save him at the last minute or stop him from revealing any secrets. "Kuklo, there you are!" she said, her lips in a thin smile. It was scary seeing Petra angry. It was even scarier but she wasn't the type to scream and shout like his mom. Hers was a calm and contained anger, which was so much more terrifying. She turned to Sasha and gave a more genuine smile. "And who is this?"

"Sasha Braus," Sasha said quickly, holding out her hand and pumping it a little too enthusiastically after Petra took it. "I was a coworker of Eren's before he…before he…" Her eyes were welling up with tears again and all Eren could do was stand there awkwardly, not knowing if comforting her would be the wrong move or not since he technically just "met" her. She looked up, blinking back tears. "I'm so sorry. I barely knew him but I feel so bad that he's…he's…"

Petra looked at her sympathetically and wrapped her arms around the girl, allowing Sasha to rest her head on her shoulder. "Hey, it's fine. You're allowed to be sad," Petra said softly, patting Sasha's back. Sasha didn't pull herself away. Honestly, Eren couldn't blame her. Petra gave off the sort of warmth you'd associate with a mother. "Kuklo said Eren would have been glad to know you came, right? If Eren mentioned you at all in a positive light, you know he meant it. That boy didn't lie about things like that, so I'm sure he really valued your company in the short time that you two knew each other. Kuklo knew him better, the two were friends and I only got to meet Eren occasionally whenever he came over, but he was very honest." She briefly glanced back at Eren to see if he was listening to what she was saying and Eren gave her a quick and subtle nod, making a mental note to remember that Petra would be the older sister to his new Kuklo persona.

This only seemed to make Sasha wail harder. "This is all my fault! If I had only convinced him to eat lunch with me, he never would have died!"

"Hush, hush," Petra said calmly. She dug around her purse and pulled out a small pack of tissues. Pulling one out, she handed it to Sasha. "Dry your face, sweetie. None of this is your fault. You didn't do anything and you couldn't have stopped this. Sometimes life just happens." Petra may have claimed not to frequent funerals very often, but Eren had the sense that she had a lot of experience comforting the deceased's friends and loved ones.

Sasha hastily wiped her face, blowing her nose with the tissue before crumpling it and shoving it in her pocket to throw away later.

"Take the rest of the tissues too," Petra said, handing the packet to Sasha. "Don't thank me! I have plenty more in my purse."

"You're so nice," Sasha sniffled, blowing her nose again.

Petra smiled kindly. "You can just call me Petra. Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so," Sasha answered. The way her nose was running made Eren think she was lying, but Petra seemed to think it was okay.

"I'll leave you two alone then," Petra said, giving Sasha another pat on the shoulder. As she passed by Eren, she stopped to grab his arm. Even though her stature was like that of a modern day fairy, she had an iron grip. Eren was pretty sure the blood in his arm had stopped flowing. "Don't wander," she whispered to him before letting go and disappearing into the crowd.

He shivered but Sasha didn't seem to pick up on Petra's hostile vibes. It was for the better he supposed, but, fuck, those reapers could be terrifying. Shaking it off, he turned to Sasha again and found that she was mostly dry-eyed although her eyes were horribly red as was the tip of her nose. "Sasha," he said quietly. "Eren really did like the time he spent with you. He told me he was planning on having lunch with you tomorrow. And that he felt bad for blowing you off that day but that you were, you know, really cool and everything." God, he was terrible at this and horribly awkward. He couldn't bear to look her in the face, sure that she'd only gawk at him but he looked up to see her slightly teary again, but her lips were pursed like she was trying to stop herself from smiling again.

"You're a really good person," Sasha said.

The earnest way she said it made him feel guilty about deceiving her but there really wasn't anything he could do. If he told him who he really was, it would seem like a cruel joke or she'd think he was insane. The best he could do was shrug his shoulders like the loser he was and give her a final parting pat on the shoulder. He'd probably never see her again after this but he hoped that he had made her feel as if she had an impact on his previous life and that he – Eren, anyway – valued their friendship. "I should probably get going. My, ah, sister worries a lot. But it was really nice meeting you, Sasha."

She gave him a shaky smile. "You too, Kuklo."

Eren felt terrible leaving her there in the corner, surrounded by other grieving people that she didn't really know at all. He was deeply touched that she came and part of him wanted to run back and invite her to the diner he went to a few days ago, knowing that she had a deep appreciate for food and would enjoy all of the delicious pies served there. Petra would probably scold him though and he didn't really want to find out what she was like angry. Or Erwin. His stern eyebrows clearly were a sign that he was not a man to be crossed.

He found Petra and Erwin chatting with someone. Eren couldn't tell who it was because the man's back was turned but it looked an awful lot like his…

"Dad?"

All three people turned to look at Eren. The man, definitely his father who he hadn't seen in months, looked at Eren with confusion. Erwin and Petra were sharing glances that said they needed to fix things and fast before Eren fucked up even more.

Eren cleared his throat. "Did you call dad, I meant," he said, fidgeting a little bit and looking over at Petra. He hoped she'd play along and that his father wouldn't notice his slip up. "I forgot to tell him I'd be here with you."

"I texted him," Petra answered without skipping a beat. "Professor Jaeger, my brother Kuklo. Kuklo, this is Professor Jaeger. He was Eren's father. He teaches philosophy at Shiganshina University where Erwin and I work." Huh. What a small world.

Eren was surprised to see his father dry eyed and calm. He had always been a serious man, kind of detached at times, but Eren never considered him to be unemotional. A parent should cry at their child's funeral, Eren thought, even if they were a naturally composed person such as his father. Professor Jaeger simply shook Eren's hand as if it was any other day and he was meeting a stranger under normal circumstances. "Thank you for coming," Professor Jaeger said solemnly. "Miss Ral, you never mentioned you had a brother."

Petra shrugged. "I don't think it ever came up," she said apologetically. "He used to live with my parents but he's moving in with me in a few days. I told him that Erwin and I were going to attend your son's funeral and he wanted to pay his respects."

"Ah, well," Professor Jaeger said, shifting his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I appreciate you all for coming here. It's very kind of you."

"No need to thank us. You are a coworker and it's important that we not abandon you in this tough times," Erwin said. Like Petra, he seemed to be used to funerals and conversing with the mourners. Eren couldn't imagine being this calm about it. "Although, I did just hear about it in the obituary and thought the last name was purely coincidental. I don't recall ever hearing you talk about Eren."

Something about Erwin's comment stung and Eren was about to angrily turn to the man and ask what he meant by that statement. It was insensitive and rude, prodding a man about details like that during such a tragic event. Petra must have sensed his irritation because she gripped his wrist tightly, giving him a stern look when he turned to glare at her for stopping him.

His father didn't seem at all disturbed, only mildly surprised. "Is that so? I suppose I was far too busy to ever discuss my personal life with colleagues," he mused. He was busy. It was an explanation he used all of the time. He couldn't be bothered to make his son's sports games because there was important meeting he had to attend. He was too swamped with grading to have dinner with the family. He couldn't make it to the Christmas party because he needed to prep for next semester's classes. It had always seemed like a valid excuse at that time but it was strange for Eren to hear that he couldn't mention his son even once. His father didn't even seem ashamed that he had forgotten to mention that he had a son.

"I suppose that happens sometimes. You're a very busy man after all," Erwin responded. Whether or not he felt it was an appropriate answer, Eren couldn't tell. That man had an unreadable face most of the time. Even when Erwin smiled Eren felt as if he were hiding something.

Petra tugged on Erwin's sleeve, motioning towards the benches.

"We should probably sit down before all of the seats are taken," Erwin said to Eren's father. "Your other guests probably want to give you're their condolences as well."

"Thank you again," Professor Jaeger said, nodding. "Kuklo. Very nice meeting you today despite the circumstances."

"Likewise," Eren said but he had to choke out the words. He wondered if his father could hear the hollowness of his words but the professor turned before Eren could examine his expression. Petra was now steering him toward the seats furthest away from his urn of ashes.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, sitting down by his side while Erwin occupied the seat on his other side.

"No." He considered lying but Petra could read people like a book. Maybe living after death gave you more insight to people's true feelings. There wasn't any use in lying anyway. It wasn't like telling Petra he was okay when he wasn't would make anyone feel better.

He wouldn't consider Petra to be chatty. She's talkative, yes, but that was only because Erwin wasn't a big conversationalist. He only said what needed to be said. Petra normally carried conversations, filling in gaps of silences with questions or telling Eren about her day. She knew when silence was necessary though and this was one of those times. She let him be alone with his thoughts, allowing her quiet presence to be enough. Erwin was also staying silent although Eren had a feeling it was because he was just lost in his own thoughts, maybe thinking about that mysterious figure that slipped those folders under his apartment door in the early mornings, instead of out of consideration.

The rest of the benches began to fill up. He never really thought about what his funeral would be like when he was alive, but he was surprised that so many people came. There were people from his high school classmates, people who barely talked to him when they were alive, bawling their eyes out. A few of his teachers were there too, all of their faces solemn with a few of them shedding tears. Sasha was sitting a few rows down from him, still crying and blowing her nose with the tissues that Petra had given her. At the front were his mother and father sitting a noticeable distance away. His mother was sniffling and red-eyed but she wasn't sobbing like she normally did after a fight with him. Mikasa was sitting by his mother's side, stiff as a statue, and Eren wondered how she was holding up. She was always fine and he couldn't remember her being anything but that. Even when she was sad or angry it would be a calm, controlled sort. It was difficult to tell if she was crying or not since she was sitting to still and Eren wished she would turn around or move, some sort of sign that would tell him how she was feeling, but she just remained there unmoving.

A man obscured his vision, pushing past him but didn't excuse himself. Eren looked up to his face and thought it was strange that the man's expression was bored rather than one of grieving. It was only when the man sat down next to Petra that Eren realized he must be the other reaper. It couldn't be Hanji because the clothes Eren were wearing right now were Hanji's. (Petra had come over earlier that morning to deliver them, saying it was Hanji's way of apologizing for not being able to make it to the funeral.) Hanji must be about Eren's size and this man, judging from how he looked compared next to Petra, was kind of, er, short.

"I thought you said you had work today," Petra murmured as the raven-haired man slipped in beside her.

"I wanted to see the new kid," Levi answered, looking over Eren from the corner of his eye. Eren tried not to freeze up at the man's steely gaze. "He looks like a brat."

"He's a good kid," Erwin said, patting Eren on the back. "Kuklo, this is Levi. Levi, Kuklo."

"'Kuklo,' huh?" Levi sighed. He must have known that Petra gave Eren that name because he turned to raise an eyebrow at her and the woman only shrugged as if that was the only name that had popped up into her mind at the time. Levi didn't offer out his hand to shake and Eren was kind of relieved. He knew that first impressions were often incorrect, but Levi's eyes were kind of scary. It was like he was perpetually glaring at everyone. "How are you liking your funeral?"

"I-it's alright," Eren stammered, wondering if Levi should be talking like that in a place where other people could overhear. Erwin and Petra seemed pretty relaxed about it though and Eren took a quick look around to see that everyone else was too busy mourning to pay attention to the people around them.

"I see you've found a dress shirt to come in," Petra said to Levi, pleased. She frowned when she saw the rest of his ensemble. "Although you're still dressed in your jeans."

"Eyes up here, Ral," Levi replied. He turned to Erwin. "Hanji told me you permanently banned them from funerals."

"It was a necessary precaution," Erwin said grimly. He looked as if he was remembering an unpleasant experience, probably having something to do with why the Hanji person had been banned from funerals in the first place."

"Weird. I'd imagine Hanji'd do anything to go to another funeral. They love these things," Levi mused. "Maybe they're hiding somewhere in the back."

"Disappointed?" Petra asked, prodding him in the side. "They always put the 'fun' in funeral, don't they?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that."

The priest walked in at last, standing at the side of Eren's ashes and ready to begin the service. Eren couldn't really pay attention to the words that he was saying. He imagined it was the usual crap anyway. That he was a great person, too young to die, so much he could have accomplished, his life cut tragically short. Being here was like an out of body experience. Maybe it was since his old physical form, the ashes of it anyway, was sitting at the front of the room. People always said death was cold and harsh. He'd probably feel the same way if someone he loved died. His grandfather died when he was too young to remember so he couldn't say for sure. He could pretty much deduce what it was like from what the people around him were like. They were either dark and brooding, thinking about their own mortality, or sad and grieving like his mother. Whenever the priest mentioned the name "Eren," his mom would wail and it seemed to grow every time. It was starting to give him a headache and soon he found himself standing up and leaving, knocking into Erwin's knee as he made his way out.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Petra was about to stand up and follow him outside but Levi grabbed her arm, shaking his head. "Don't."

Eren didn't hear if she protested or not, he just left. Screw being dead, he needed air. He was gasping for it when he finally made it outside, not caring that the door hadn't fully swung shut before taking a deep breath. He never went back inside. He had never been lie to himself but he kept muttering about how he would slip in again, finding a time to do so without disturbing the service, but really he was just too scared to be in that room and hear his mother crying again. (Would it even be rude if he disrupted his own funeral? He would think not but he remembered Petra mentioning how funerals were more for those who were left behind rather than the people they were being held for.) Every time he moved turned towards the door, a voice in the back of his mind whispered how it would be best if he stayed outside. What difference would his presence make? The only thing he did when he was alive was piss everyone off, sometimes even on purpose, and surely his new afterlife self would hardly be the same. Even as he convinced himself that he was making the right move by staying a way, he knew he was only doing this for himself. He could think up a million reasons about how staying outside away from the funeral would keep him from accidentally revealing his identity instead of it being a convenient way for him to forget that those ashes in there belonged to him, that he was dead, and that he needed to get over his life.

The words "it's not fair" pops up into his mind again, the very same words he said to Petra the first day that he met her and she told him he was dead. It wasn't fair that he had to be at his own goddamn funeral and surround himself with people who didn't give a fuck about him when he was alive. It wasn't fair that he had to come back and hear his mother cry because of him another time. It wasn't fair that he'd never get to speak with his family ever again. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair.

And it still wasn't fair that, when the doors to the funeral home finally open, his mother and father didn't even give him a passing glance as they stiffly follow the attendant bearing the ashes. As Mikasa walked by, he found himself reaching out towards her, extending his hand so that it almost brushed her sleeve, but someone put a hand on his shoulder to draw him back.

He turned around to see Erwin standing behind him. The man shook his head ever so slightly. He had the briefest of smiles on his face and the sight of it made Eren shiver.

He couldn't bear being there anymore. It was torture enough just dying. It was just cruel to force him to attend his own funeral. "Please," he whispered, his voice choked and raspy. "Please. Let me go." Go where? He didn't know but he would rather be anywhere but here.

Petra put her arms around him and he was grateful when she pulled him out of Erwin's grasp. "That's enough," she said. It was the same sort of comfort she gave Sasha, Eren realized. Her warmth consumed him, the circles she rubbed on his back so soothing. "Erwin. Let's take him home."

"No, not back there," he begged. The thought of the shadowy figure returning every night, the secrets that Erwin kept from everyone, were too much for him to stand. Despite the clutter, it reeked of loneliness and death. "Petra, please."

"Then you'll stay with me," she said without hesitation. Levi and Erwin exchanged looks but she ignored them both. "It's fine. We have a spare bedroom. You don't have to go back there."

He didn't now if Erwin was against it. He didn't look at him. He just saw Levi sigh. "Make up some excuse to the kid's dad if you want about why we're all leaving early. I'm driving both of them back to Petra's." He was already walking, pulling out the keys from his pocket to fiddle with in his hand. He looked back. "Are you coming, kid?"

He looked hesitantly at Erwin who gave him a nod. Reluctantly, he followed Levi and Petra back to his car. As they drove off, he took one last look at all of the funeral guests. Classmates, teachers, relatives. Sasha, Mikasa, his mother, and his father. All of those people saying goodbye to him one last time and he'd never be able to do the same. Maybe that was the worst thing about funerals.

He was in the spare room in Petra's house. It was small and cozy with the furniture already in place – a bed and a desk with a computer on it. Only the bare essentials were there. Levi was grumbling about how it was really his workroom that he hadn't consented to these rooming arrangements but Petra rolled her eyes and pointed out that the grumpy man hardly slept at her house anyway. ("You have your own apartment!" she said while he frowned.) He lay on the bed. The mattress was kind of stiff and the blankets so pristine that he felt weird like he was staying at an inn, albeit a very clean one, but he preferred it to Erwin's couch at least.

Staring at the ceiling, he thought over the events of the day. Some of it he really didn't mind. Seeing Sasha, for example, or the bouquet from the reapers that proved that at least the undead soul snatchers weren't as heartless as one would expect them to be. But there were things that would haunt him. His mother crying, Mikasa sitting stiffly as she sat in front of his ashes, and…

"Why didn't my dad ever mention me?" he wondered aloud. He had intended to just say it for the sake of it, not expecting anyone to answer and forgetting Petra was even in the room. She wasn't one to simply keep quiet during questions like these though.

"Some people are just really private about their lives," she replied. "Erwin's a lot like that. Your dad is probably like that too."

It was weird to hear her talk as if she knew about his own father than he did. Then again, maybe she did.

"Do you think…could you tell me about my dad?" he asked. The words sound so strange coming out of his mouth. He had always been content with his relationship with his father but thinking about it more made him feel like he knew nothing about the man at all. He had always assumed that his father left him alone because he wanted his son to grow up to be independent but maybe he had just never wanted to spend time with him.

Petra was quiet for a moment, deciding on whether or not sharing information about his father would be beneficial to anyone. She smoothed out a wrinkle on the bed sheet. "We'll talk about this tomorrow," she said. She stood up to leave, moving towards the door. "You went through a lot today. A break would be good for you. Just rest here and come down for lunch later, okay?"

That wasn't a yes but it wasn't a no either. It was a consideration though and it was better than an outright rejection, he decided. "Alright," he replied.

She had already gone though; disappeared behind the door she closed shut and leaving him alone with his thoughts for the rest of the afternoon.