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godofsexdrugsandrocknroll · 4 years ago

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Jaune’s Father: “If nothing else, be kind. Kindness costs you nothing, sport”

Weiss: *From underneath many blankets, peeking from behind a comforter* I’m truly sorry, Arc. I had meant to assist you in your dust theory paper, but I’m not feeling terribly well.

Jaune: *Scratches head* Hey, no worries Sn- Weiss. Do you need anything? A hot compress?

Weiss: *Is glad she has a comforter for a shield as she blushes in embarrassment* How! *Coughs, in a normal tone of voice* Excuse me. How did you...

Jaune: I have seven sisters, Weiss.

Weiss: *Nods meekly, still embarrassed* A hot compress would be lovely. I feel awful.

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

Yang: *Blinks* Is that vomit boy?

Blake: *Reading* You could try calling him by his name.

Yang: You could try acknowledging his existence. *Blake glares, feeling a little guilty*

Cardin: *Walking by* He needed a warm compress.

Yang: What for?

Cardin: *Feeling kinda humbled, a bit envious* Nothin’ serious.

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

Jaune: *Taking box* Thanks Coco, you’re a lot less scary than Poppy said you were.

Coco: *Lowers her shades* Oh, did snookums slander my good name?

Jaune: *Feels his neck get hot* U-uh, no! Just that you were kinda protective of, um, *lifts box, almost drops it and gives Coco a heart attack* this. Sorry. But really, thanks, it’s really nice of you.

Coco: *Clutching her heart, waves him off* Just tell that leggy blonde she owes me some serious cuddling.

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

Professor Peach: It’s not often I get students actually interested in my hobby.

Jaune: Well, we are all teenagers.

Professor Peach: *Laughs* True enough. Hmm. *Side eyes Jaune* Well, the same can’t be said for you, young man. *Sees Jaune about to protest* I think what you meant to say is you’re all aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses. Sometimes the future is so bright and shiny to your classmates that they forgot the everyday. It’s quite nice to see that isn’t the case with each of you.

Jaune: *Opens and closes his mouth, shuffles awkwardly*

Professor Peach: *Smiles softly* You have nothing to be embarrassed of, Jaune Arc. Here *carefully hands his request over* exactly as you requested. Have a wonderful day, child.

Jaune: *Nods quickly and walks off*

Professor Peach: And days like today, Rosalie, are why you do this job. *Happily hums as she gets back to work*

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Jaune: Okay, look, I’m just asking which--

Beryl: *Sighs dramatically* And I’m telling you, kitten *Ignores Jaune’s protests* that they’re all mondo good.

Julie: Like, Bea-Bea’s right. That one *pointing with a fuchsia nail* is just the sweetest thing in the world, will just have you feeling warm and happy inside after.

Cissy: Plus it has just...mmm. Ouch! *Is swatted by Beryl, playfully* You bitch. Anyways, that one right there is just cute and total *squeals* overload. Can’t go wrong with it, it’s a classic.

Beryl: Then that one is probably the safest bet, because who doesn’t love a puppy?

Jaune: A puppy? *Beryl nods* Well, uh, thanks. And I promise I’ll get them back to you by tomorrow. I’ll also see if Ren’s interested, but, uh, maybe keep your semblances ready?

Cissy: *Raises hand* Uh, I haven’t activated mine yet. I’ve just got Nemesis.

Beryl: *Slings arm around Cissy’s shoulders* Don’t worry, kitten, between My House and Julie’s Spit-Spot, plus our weapons we can handle Valkyrie if she gets in a mood.

Jaune: *Deadpan* She was benchpressing one of the academy’s washing machines the other day. No aura.

Julie: We’re good at running away.

Beryl: *Scandalized* Julie!

Julie: Cute boy or not, no way am I getting my face rocked by that monster.

Jaune: *Shrugs, collecting stuff to leave* Um, I don’t know if it’ll work but maybe fill your bags with syrup. Might work as a distraction if Mt. Nora erupts.

Beryl: *Flatly* Really?

Cissy: *Flips platinum blonde hair* I saw her drinking it right out of the bottle once before Lie stopped her.

Beryl: *Sees Jaune’s gone, giggles* Somehow I think kitten got the better end of the deal. *Speculative* Shame he’s super taken.

Julie: Uh, what? Isn’t-

Beryl: Oh you sweet summer child, never change *Ruffles Julie’s hair*

Julie: Ack! Stop!

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Jaune: Thanks headmaster! This is all really great!

Ozpin: *Working at desk* No need to thank me, mister Arc.

Jaune: Uh, yeah I do. You didn’t have to allow me to do this, but you did and it’s really neat of you.

Ozpin: *Smiles* Well then, you’re welcome. Enjoy.

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

Ruby: You definitely came to the right girl!

Jaune: *Looking at his haul* I’ll say. You’re sure you’re okay with helping? I kinda saw the looks you were giving Crescent Rose back at the forge. *Teasingly* You sure you don’t want some alone time with your baby?

Ruby: *Blushes the color of her cloak* S-shut up! She’ll be fine without me, I was just thinking of trying out some custom dust ammo is all! *Very seriously* I don’t have a problem! You have a problem!

Jaune: Riii-iiight. *Ruby puffs cheeks out, teasingly* Like you don’t have a cookie problem?

Ruby: *Points dramatically, very loud* THAT... *Slumps and sighs* please don’t tell Yang I have a nightly plate of chocolate chip.

Jaune: *Laughs* No problem, Ruby. You know me. How can I turn my back on the girl who actually talked her team into not killing me when I told them I cheated my way into Beacon?

Ruby: Yeah, yeah. So get those babies ready, vomit boy and watch Ruby - I am totally a pro at this and all things wonderful - Rose do her magic!

Jaune: Will do, crater face!

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

Jaune: *Grins* Thanks Cardin. You know, when you’re not being all racist and pushing people around you’re actually a really nice guy.

Sky: Ooooh. What a compliment. The kindness just gently caresses your face like a butterfly’s wings, huh Cardin?

Cardin: *Scowling* Shut it, Sky. I’m still trying so that’s totally fair.

Jaune: I, uh, didn’t mean it--

Cardin: *Rubbing neck* I know dude, no worries. Got a date with my girl coming up and it’s our anniversary, so it’s just a little extra. And don’t worry about paying me back, this is like the very least I can do for you after everything. *Jaune’s about to protest* Nope. I know we’re cool, but I was a huge douchebag. I mean it.

Jaune: Well thanks. It means a lot. *Leaves*

Russel: *Reading motorcycle magazine* You don’t have a girl, bro.

Cardin: *Frowns* I know.

Dove: You know you don’t have to help him out like that. You’re only hurting yourself.

Cardin: *Wipes face with hands, flops on his bed and stares at the ceiling* Yeah, well, too bad for Cardin fucking Winchester. If Jaune’s happy, I’m happy. I wasn’t joking when I said he deserves better than me. *Rolls on side to stare at wall.*

RDL: *All staring at their leader, all of them sad*

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Jaune: *Cheerfully* I’m back!

Weiss: *Very grumpily glaring at Jaune from beneath her covers, only her eyes visible, her voice is acidic* It’s quite fine, Arc. It’s only been two and a half hours. I know you have better things to do, so don’t bother acting like you were looking forward to coming back to deal with me.

Jaune: *Winces* Yeah, sorry. I was getting the hot towel when I kinda realized that you’ve probably been dealing with this all by yourself. *Weiss growls* It’s just, I remembered how you said you and your Dad don’t really talk and your little brother’s a, a snot, I think you called him? *Weiss feels embarrassed, but says nothing while staring at Jaune* Just hold on.

*Weiss does but when he comes back in the room her eyes go wide in shock*

Jaune: I-I just have a lot of sisters. Four older, three younger and they all have different things they like when they’re on their period. Saphron’s just happy if I’ll bring her things and Coral just wants me to leave her alone. Peri always wants cuddles and movies and *blushes as he realizes how much he’s talking* I just thought instead of whatever you usually do, you might want something more? Just to try something new?

Weiss: *Stares at several hot compresses, an expensive looking box of chocolates, a small boquet of blue Glory of the Snow’s, a stack of films, several unhealthy but delicious looking snacks and a stuffed polar bear with a top hat*

Weiss: *Wide eyed, completely taken aback* W-what?

Jaune: I-I-I don’t mean to assume anything, but I’m guessing you didn’t really have anyone who tried to make your period any better?

Weiss: I have a butler, Klein, who would always check in on me but never, well I never thought to ask for more. *Very softly as she stares at the rolling entourage of goodies* It never occurred.

Jaune: Okay, well, um, how about I bring this in?

*Jaune does, Weiss watching as he sets the flowers near her bed with wide eyes and gratefully accepting the compress, bringing it under her comforter and sighing in relief*

Jaune: We’ll have to set it up on your scroll, but I did bring movies to just so you have something fun to do today. There’s a family film with an apparently super cute actor, another that’s a cute animated movie that’s a staple of everybody’s childhood except mine apparently, *Weiss snorts, watching the covers* and one about a puppy finding his way home--

Weiss: *Eyes glued to the case, speaks immediately* That one.

Jaune: You sure, I checked the fam--

Weiss: *Eyes not leaving the box* I’m certain. *Flushes* Please?

Jaune: Sure. Just let me set this up.

*Jaune also hands over the chocolates, which Weiss stares at curiously and much to her delight, brings over the bags of snacks and she clutches the bag of cheesy poofs to her, very much wanting to try them for the first time*

Jaune: Okay, that should do it. So you’ve got your Cheez-E-Poofs, I grabbed a few sodas, juices that I thought you might like *quickly* but I also got water! Um, here. *Hands Weiss the stuffed animal, which she stares at and brings close to her face, loving how cute it is and how soft it is* Oh, Ruby helped me dip some strawberry’s in chocolate if you wanna try them later. There’s normal ones too.

Weiss: *Touched and doesn’t know what to say* I-it’s all so...umm, thank you. You really didn’t have to.

Jaune: *Scratches the back of his head, looks away* No problem, Weiss. I’m used to stuff like this, so...I’ll go. *Looking very embarassed* You’ve probably had enough of me talking you to death, so I’m just gonna go across the hall--

Weiss: *From behind her bear* Stay. *Jaune stares at her, blinking in surprise* You were going to offer, but you...back home the most I ever got were the occasional visits from Klein. But having someone to be there sounds very nice and I’d like if you would. Very much. I certainly won’t eat all of this anyways, so...please?

Jaune: *Nodding rapidly* Sure. Right. Yeah, I just didn’t wanna assume or impose or *watches Weiss’ eyes light up at the cheesy snack she just tried* I’ll sit.

*Jaune sits next to Weiss’ bed and they watch the film, eat snacks and after the movie, Weiss tries the strawberries as the second film starts. When she wakes up after falling asleep, she discovers the mess she’d made of the comforter is cleaned, Jaune had gathered up her snacks and placed them in a box. Her flowers now have a vase and the bear she had placed on his shoulder is on her pillow*

Weiss: *Smiles and hugs bear tightly*

~~A week later~~

Weiss: *Exasperated* Where is he?

Yang: *Balancing a pencil on her nose on her bed, ignoring her homework* Who?

Weiss: *Notices Berry B. Cold on Yang’s stomach and shoots forward like a bullet, snatching him and hugging him to her abdomen* You know who you bum, Jaune!

Yang: *Grinning like the cat who ate the canary* Oh-ho, finally acknowledging him by his first name after all this time, Weiss Cream?

Weiss: *Blushing* Quiet you.

Ruby: Leave her alone, Yang. But, uh, I don’t really know where he is.

Weiss: Nonsense. I may have missed the chance to help him with his paper but at the very least I can at least explain some of the theory to him, give him better than what Beacon’s textbooks offer.

Yang: Oh yeah, sure, sounds fun.

Weiss: *Bristling* E-even if it’s a boring subject, it is useful. *Hugs bear tighter* And he needs all the help he can get and--

Blake: *Walking in* If you’re talking about Jaune, he’s way too busy Weiss.

Weiss: I beg your pardon?

Yang: Yeah, you didn’t know?

Weiss: *Irritated* No Yang, it’s why I asked you in the first place.

Yang: *Flatly* Oh. I thought you were joking. No, I mean it, don’t look at me like that! Seriously, vomit boy’s been busy the last couple days.

Weiss: *Confused* But why?

Yang: *Staring* Seriously? I mean, he got that whole thing together for you.

Weiss: M-me!? Is that...but he said he was used to it! I-I knew he was talking about his sisters, but he said Ruby helped! H-he...

Ruby: Yup, I did, but I didn’t know Jaune was making them so you could have a nice, comfy that-time-of-the-month. I thought he just wanted a strawberry snack! That he’d finally been enlightened. *Sighs*

Yang: And that whole spread wasn’t just free, he went around and traded a lot of favors to get it together.

Weiss: *Gaping* H-he...what? He traded favors, just... *Uncertain, squeezing her bear while looking distressed* You didn’t know? He hasn’t done that with any of you?

Ruby: Nope!

Blake: Gods no.

Yang: Dad’s sweet like that for me when it’s bad-bad, but if Jaune offered I’d definitely turn him down. *Gives Weiss a look*

Ruby: Yeah, and all I need is my Non-Descript Winter Holiday lights and my guns ‘n ammo mags plus my scroll and I’m happy. *Shrugs* I get really crabby so I prefer being alone.

RWY: *Staring at Blake*

Blake: My ex did it for me once. Never again.

Weiss: S-so he did all that, just for me? Because I was miserable?

Yang: *Sighs, flops back on her bed* I don’t know why you’re so surprised. Ask his team. Jaune’s actually a pretty nice guy. He aimed Neptune in your direction back at the dance even though anybody with eyes knew he was kinda bummed the whole night. After you started talking with him after and started sharing, I think he just wanted you to have, y’know, some normal stuff that we all enjoy because our Dad’s aren’t asshats.

Ruby: Yang!

Blake: *Sees Weiss looking at her, looking upset* He’s been Coco’s personal shopper for the last week, he’s been dodging Nora since Ren agreed to a date with each of those girls from Team SNLT because she is pissed, he’s been doing odd jobs for Ozpin all week, he’s been doing a lot of work outside for Peach and I think he’s also been in the laundry rooms a lot. That stuff wasn’t just free. Plus he’s had to do all his usual leader stuff and his homework.

Weiss: *Gapes, hugs her bear and her eyes drift to her box of treats and she purses her lips* B-but...that’s so much, just so I...

Yang: Um, he likes you Weiss. Even if he stepped aside for Neptune, he’s not gonna just poof whatever he feels for you away just because he doesn’t have a chance. Then he sees you feeling like shit, knows just how bad it is because of all his sisters and gets it in his head that you deserve the princess treatment. *Stretches* He offered for Pyrrha once but she just went really red, yelled ‘NO!’ and apparently pushed him through a wall.

Weiss: *Sits on bed with her knees pulled up, hugging her bear while hiding a wobbling lip as she realizes and RBY just sighs*

~~Four days later~~

Yang: *Grins* Called it.

Blake: Yes, because it was such a mystery that this was gonna happen after Weiss had it spelled out for her that Jaune still has it bad for her even if he was trying to get over her. I’ll admit I still don’t understand the way Weiss thinks or why Jaune would put himself through all of that just because Weiss was having a bad period when it was clear at the time she wasn’t even thinking of him that way, but c’mon Yang.

Yang: *Hand out*

Blake: *Rolls her eyes, puts Lien in her hand* Child.

*Meanwhile Weiss stands on her tiptoes, arms around Jaune’s neck and enjoys kissing her boyfriend*

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Two things: One, I headcanon Cardin as gay and occasionally having a thing for Jaune if it isn’t entirely obvious. Two, I don’t want my Tumblr to be nothing but crack/lewd. I’d also like some occasional romance/wholesome content. This isn’t the best, but hopefully it’s not quite as bad as I think it is towards the end.

#rwby #jaune arc #weiss schnee #white knight #jaune x weiss #rwby oc #d'awww #team rwby #this is what happens when you let a drunk type

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truecrimeweekly · 4 years ago

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Eric “The Olympic State Bomber” Rudolph

So this week's post is going to be a bit shorter than normal because after days of researching, I couldn’t find any more information and it all became repetitive. I did find this guy extremely interesting though, so if anyone can point me in the direction to find some information about his childhood and what not, it would be greatly appreciated. Since this post will be short, I may do another bonus post this week, so we will see. For now, let’s get started.

Eric Robert Rudolph, better known as The Olympic Park Bomber, was born on September 19, 1966 in Merritt Island, Florida. He was one of Robert and Patricia Rudolph’s six children. Rudolph was known to have some very hateful views. He was extremely racist, homophobic, very against abortion, and anti-government. Rudolph dropped out of high school after completing the ninth grade and became a carpenter. Rudolph’s father passed away in 1981, when Rudolph was only fifteen, from cancer. This passing traumatized Rudolph. After his father’s passing, Rudolph’s mother moved him and his siblings to North Carolina. When he was eighteen, he attended a Christian identity compound in Missouri with his mother and two of his siblings though he later claimed he did not follow that faith. Instead, he identifies as a Roman Catholic. After completing his GED, Rudolph attended two separate semesters at Western Carolina University. In 1987, Rudolph enlisted into the US Army, he served two years before getting kicked out for smoking marijuana.

In 1996, the hate in Rudolph’s heart finally got the best of him. On July 27, he planted a backpack containing a bomb in Centennial Olympic Park. The explosion killed one and killed over 100 people. A security guard named Richard Jewell was wrongfully suspected for the attack. Jewell was not cleared until 88 days until after the attack and Rudolph would not be captured until much later. In January 1997, two bombs went off at an abortion clinic in Sandy Springs in Atlanta, Georgia. The explosions injured seven people. One month later, another bomb went off at Otherside Lounge, a lesbian night club, injuring four people. A second bomb was found in the club before it went off. Another abortion clinic was hit, this time in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed a security guard and seriously injured a nurse. Unlike the time bombs used in the previous attacks, this bomb was set off by a remote control. This attack made Rudolph the prime suspect after his truck was seen near the clinic prior to the bombing.

Rudolph was a skilled outdoorsman and hid in caves and mountains to avoid the police. Because of this, Rudolph would not be caught until May 31, 2003, when he was spotted rummaging through a trash can behind a grocery store in North Carolina. After his capture, Rudolph made the FBI's top ten fugitives. Though he plead not guilty in 2003, two years later he plead guilty to all four bombings in a plea deal in order to get out of the death penalty. Instead he received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. During his trial, he apologized only to the victims of the Olympic bombing. He claimed his goal was to “ confound, anger, and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the people” for its pro-abortion stance. After his trial, Rudolph issued an eleven-page statement where he ranted about abortion. He is now serving his sentence in the federal maximum-security ADMAX prison in Florence, Colorado.

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time-to-write-and-suffer · 3 years ago

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I wouldn't mind that post on VNs!

So I was gonna write three different lists, but then after writing the first part I realized this is very long and takes a while to write and nobody cares anyway so I’ll just post my recommended list only. Well, I mean, you asked, but I doubt you wanted all this lol. Thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about this stuff, though. Hope you enjoy my ramblings!

An explanation for what this list is: Sometimes I know a game isn't perfect in many aspects but I still had a genuinely good time playing it, hence why I'm recommending it. Also I should mention that I could talk for hours about some of these games so if anyone’s curious about more of my thoughts, let me know.

Alright, now that that's out of the way ...

How to Take Off Your Mask / How to Fool a Liar King / How to Sing to Open Your Heart (f/m): This is a trilogy of smaller, single-RO games where you can take one of two routes depending on how you act, and they’re all interconnected where you get to meet and interact with the previous games’ characters in the sequel games. I went into this expecting very little but what I got blew me away with how funny, charming and cute the games were. They don’t take themselves too seriously, at one point an angsty male character monologues deeply about some shit, and another one just slides into frame and starts mocking him. It was so fucking funny, holy shit. Also, a central theme is literally racism against catgirls? Which is monumentally stupid, and probably the games’ main flaw, especially in the final game where it pairs up a catgirl with a catgirl racist, but that one still ends with a literal bisexual queen literally making a man her malewife because she fell in love with his cooking, so like ... It speaks for itself. My favorite game of the three is the second one, where you get to play a punchy fake catgirl and romance a pink-haired prince. And honestly, all the female protags in these games are lovely and a breath of fresh air, and the male characters are fun and not abusive assholes either. There’s full Japanese voice acting, and two out of three female protags are literal catgirls who pepper in “nya” and “mya” into their dialogue, and it’s just treated as a quirk of their catgirl race. I AM NOT KIDDING. Yet somehow it never comes off as cringe, because it doesn’t take it self too seriously. These games are just cozy. That’s the only way I can describe them. Cozy and hilarious. Play them yesterday. Dream Daddy (m/m): Man tumblr did this game dirty. This is just a cute, wholesome daddy dating simulator with gorgeous art. Coming out on Top (m/m): So you know Dream Daddy? What if it was EXTREMELY, MAJORLY NSFW? Though I realize how bad the comparison really is, the only thing these games have in common is that they’re gay dating sims and don’t have an anime art style and oh, yeah, they’re both really well-written. Or at least, extremely funny. COOT (heh) is DDADDS’ horny older cousin, and I first encountered the game on a lesbian letsplayer’s YouTube channel. Yes I watched a lesbian play a gay porn game and it was GOOD. I was there for the cringe and fun and got surprised by how genuinely funny and sometimes actually touching the game was. I can’t give it my universal endorsement because it’s not a game for everyone, as I said, it’s extremely NSFW and the menu theme literally includes the singers screaming “SEX SEX” at the top of their lungs. There’s more to this game than the porn, but there’s just so much porn. It can be censored in the settings but it’s unavoidable. However, I still think it’s worth a look just because of how funny it is and how charming the characters are. If you don’t want to play it yourself, at least watch Anima’s playthrough of it. It hasn’t aged super well in some spots but I still go back to it every now and then. Akash: Path of the Five (f/m): This game markets itself as a more “professionally produced” western dating sim, and that’s accurate in some superficial aspects. The game is pretty poorly written, but it’s absolutely gorgeous and has really good English voice acting by actual professional voice actors. The premise is quite self-indulgent, but I genuinely respect that about it. You play as the only female elemental in a village with only men, and all five of your classmates want a piece of you. It’s clear the writers have put some thought into the lore and worldbuilding of this world, but barely any of it comes through in the actual writing and plot, which is basically just a vehicle for you to get together with your boy of choice. The ROs aren’t very well-developed either, and the plot is the same in every route with only minor variations depending on which guy you pick, up to the point where the protag has the same voice lines in some parts regardless of which guy she’s talking about. It also has one extra half-route that’s so bad and pointless I genuinely wonder why they wasted resources on making it instead of spending a bit more on the writing/adding some variations to the main plot. So why am I recommending this game? Well, it’s pretty, and it sounds nice. This game is a himbo, gorgeous but dumb as rocks. Enjoy it for what it is. I know I did. Get it when it’s on sale, I think if I hadn’t gotten it at half-price I would’ve felt a bit more cranky about it. Also Rocco is bae. Mystic Destinies: Serendipity of Aeons (f/m): Yes that’s the full title, no I don’t know what it means either. You may have noticed how most of the games so far I’ve enjoyed because they don’t take themselves too seriously? Well, this one does. It takes itself SO FUCKING SERIOUSLY. Like, way too seriously. It’s a little embarrassing at points because baby, you’re an urban fantasy dating sim. Calm down. But the game has gorgeous art and 3 out of 5 routes are very good. The last route, the one with your teacher, is both the most problematic yet somehow the one that breaks down the very concept of a dating sim within its own narrative (yes, this shit gets fucking META) and it got so wild at the end that 1) I still listen to the soundtrack for that route and 2) I still remember it to this day despite finishing it ages ago. My favorite route is Shou, he’s a sweetheart, but the mindfuck route is so buckwild that I think the game is worth playing just for that. There’s also a route that’s like a neo-noir mystery? I Do Not Know. This game is many, many things and it does them so sincerely and tries so hard, you can’t help but respect it. It doesn’t always stick the landing but man, just let this thing take your hand and wax poetic at you for a bit. Also get this one at a sale because it’s very expensive to get the full version. I got it for 9 bucks on itch.io and I felt that was a fair enough price, I’d say I wouldn’t have minded paying more for it because there’s a lot of content to enjoy and/or be baffled by. Arcade Spirits: This one’s a bit more weird from what I recall, and I honestly couldn’t tell you much about it, but I remember having a very good time with it and recommending it to a friend when she was going through some tough times and she said it made her feel better. I remember it making me feel better, as well. This is a VN about an arcade and the ROs are wonderfully diverse, with very real human conflicts that get explored in each of their routes. It can get quite existential and heavy at times, but in the end it’s a kindhearted game that I think everyone can enjoy. The main character was also, how you say, mood. It’s a game about getting possessed by a video game and then learning self-love. Ebon Light (f/m): This one’s free/name your own price on itch.io so go play it. It’s a weird plot where you play as a girl who ate an elven relic? And then the elves kidnap you because you’re the relic now. All the ROs are extremely pasty (like, literally white, as in literally the color white) dark-haired elves, except for one, who’s an extremely pasty blond elf, so ... diversity? I honestly don’t know what this game is aside from unique. I used to be a bit put off by the art style but now I think it contributes to the general atmosphere. It’s a weird game that technically doesn’t do anything groundbreaking but still left an impression of “huh. weird” in my mind and I think more people should play it. The ROs are all pretty generic dating sim archetypes but done well, with bonus points to Duliae who’s just a massive creep and I love him, and also Vadeyn who’s the only bitch in this house I respect. The worldbuilding is honestly a bit buckwild and I can’t give enough credit for how unique the elves’ culture is in this game. Definitely give it a go. Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds / Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms (f/m): These two are newer releases of an older Japanese visual novel. I wouldn’t call it a dating sim, it’s ... it’s more of a super depressing historical fantasy epic with some minor romance aspects awkwardly wedged in. It’s seriously some of the heaviest and most grimdark shit I’ve ever played in a VN/otome. I don’t understand why it’s a dating sim, it doesn’t read like one, it’s just historical fantasy based on real world events with characters based on real people, and they kill and they die and they grieve and they suffer. The games are literally about the downfall of the Shinsengumi, there’s no way of avoiding everything going to shit and you get to watch and be in the middle of it all as they struggle to stay alive and relevant in a world that doesn’t need them anymore. And there’s the protag in the middle of it all, being useless and submissive and bland just the way the usual otome protag is. I don’t think these games are necessarily fun, and the romance is certainly a lot more downplayed and deeply problematic just based on the age differences alone with some of the men, but the sheer amount of horror and sadness in these games make them stand out above its peers. It’s like watching a war movie. Since most of the characters are based on real people, they feel like real people instead of the usual otome archetypes, and they are so, SO flawed, it’s interesting to just watch them deal with the shit the world throws at them. It’s an Experience, and if you’re up for it, I think it’s worth the time. Cinderella Phenomenon (f/m): This game is free on Steam so go get it. You play as a really, genuinely shitty princess who gets cursed to be poor and forgotten and she has to help one of the ROs break his fairy tale curse so that she can learn about being a good person herself and return to her normal life. This game doesn’t look like much, but it has a genuinely well-written main character who’s actually at the center of each of the stories and in the overarching plot instead of just being around to make eyes at the real protagonists, aka the love interests. Aside from the main character, my favorite part of this game’s writing is how each route slowly but very smoothly expands upon the overarching intrigue. If you play them in a certain order, you get more and more info revealed to you that you didn’t see in other routes, gaps are filled in as you find out more about what actually happened and why, but every route also stands on its own as a full experience and none is more canon than the rest. There’s also some really heavy emotional parental abuse explored, which I found quite potent at times. The romances themselves were alright, I think Karma and Waltz were my faves.

#eff plays

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mostly-megan · 4 years ago

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I Read The Triple Frontier Early Draft Script

And I have several thoughts on it. @frannyzooey Told me to, so I’m going to go down the line of points I thought were interesting and notes on the characters. It’s all going to be below the cut so we don’t bother the people who don’t care.

It was clearly a very early draft, but I still think it’s interesting to see how the characters changed over time.

Important note: Everyone except for Benny and Tom is only referred to by their nicknames, no real names. So I keep that up to keep from getting confused.

I do not link to the google doc with the script, but you can dm me if you want the link privately.

Warnings: Mentions of violence, suicide, and sex; mild gore; character death; racism

Story:

Pope during the drug raid learns from a teen in the gang where Lorea keeps his money

Redfly, Benny, and Cat are in North Carolina and keep turning down bs military mission

Pope shows up on Redfly’s stoop, stays with his family, and he tells him about the heist

Redfly seems to agree, but only because Pope is asking and not for the money

The “ You were shot 5 times for your country and can’t afford a new truck” scene is here bit for bit

They go meet Ironhead at one of his support group speeches to convince him to join. He begrudgingly agrees.

Cat and Redfly talk at the fight about the job and both reluctantly agree since the other will do it

Cut to South America running through surveillance, we learn that there are two gun towers, ground sensors, machine guns, and several guards

Pope’s informant is Lorea’s sugar baby(?), Yovanna, who gave him a pic of the money in the office a few weeks prior

The plan is to hide in one of the maid vans and make their way in and out with the money

Everyone is distrustful of his old intel, so they do their own surveillance

Getting caught in rain on heist day, they wait in the jungle for the guard rotations to resume, almost catching hypothermia

The heist vibe is the same, but this time they find the money is not there instantly

Redfly and Cat try to call the mission, but Benny and Pope insist on getting the money

Benny gets shot(grazed?) in the face and wants to say fuck it, but Redfly reminds him it was his idea

Pope blackmails the guard in the video room and gets the tape before killing him

While Cat, Benny, and Redfly grab the money, Ironhead is shot badly and they have to tape his mouth to keep him quiet

This is when Redfly snaps and decides they go out blazing

Lorea’s guards are outside waiting for them, but the boys literally blow up the front of the house and make a run for the river behind the house with a raft waiting

Lorea’s personal guard shoots him

Kidnapping Yovanna from her apartment, they get her money, passport, and visa to her Redfly grills her and seriously debates killing her, but instructs her to get to Australia

After essentially holding up the airstrip workers, they see the news of the break-in on TV and weigh 8 tons of money

Cat argues it’s too much weight, but agrees it will probably be fine

During the flight, Ironhead dies from his wound

Helicopter crash is the same

Pope goes in solo to speak with the farmers and they actually almost kill him before Redfly shoots way too many of them

They get pack animals from the farmers, load up the money and Ironhead, and start climbing

At some point, Cat insists they bury Ironhead because taking a body with them is going to start causing way worse issues

They camp at the burial spot, Pope voices how he blames himself for the death

The trek up the mountain is the same, including dumping some of the money and memorizing the coordinates

Getting to a port town, Cat gets sick from exposure, so they rest a few days

The local gang leader figures out who they are and uses his gang of kids to confront them

They shoot their way out and grab with guns and the money backpack on the way to the car

Benny drives and they almost flip the truck

They literally ALL get shot, but still make it to the boat and get away

The boys all agree to donate all the money to charity, in honor of Ironhead, and almost literally head off to the sunset

Characters:

Redfly

All-American late 30′s white guy; genuiniely wants to be a good person, but seems too wrapped up in the Army life

He’s the main character and most of the story is his POV

He is still with Molly and the girls, and we actually get a nice scene with them in here

He legitimately snaps once Ironhead is shot and doesn’t come back until after they bury him

He seriously almost kills Yovanna and sounds like he regrets not doing so

Says the words to her “After you sucked him off? You were lying there, playing with him- And you asked ‘What’s your real name? Where are you from?’-What did he say?” and I disliked it

Yovanna tells him that Pope thought he was so honest and he hates knowing he is not that person anymore

Pope

Mid-30′s white guy; way more of an instigator and really manipulated his friends to join him

They never give a reason why he wants to get rid of Lorea

His argument for committing a crime is that America was founded on crimes and it’s not different them the war crimes they committed under orders

Seems embarrassed about his relationship with Yovanna and it’s implied he actually told her his name, but he told her Redfly is the most honest guy he knows.

Calls some indigenous South Americans “Indians” and says they “don’t even know what century it is”

When an informant runs late, he says it’s because they run on Latino Standard Time

He saved Ironhead’s life once in fire and that is how he convices him to come, so he blames himself solely for his death

He literally brought cigars with them for after the heist. They smoke them once they are in the boat

They made Pope the asshole we don’t like, which is understandable, but upsetting

Catfish

Laid-back mid-30′s white guy who now trains Benny and works as a Private Investigator

He still is the main joker and sarcasm, but they really make sure we remember how dark his past is

There is a scene played as a laugh where he gets annoyed waiting for a cheating couple to fuck, so he holds them at gunpoint, tells them to strip and kiss, take the picture, and then tells them he’s sorry, but they should just get a divorce. It comes off terrifying and gross.

He seems to really distrust Pope and is closest to Redfly

He barely speaks Spanish

The Special Forces Museum put up a statue of him, the only living operative to have one, and his wife tells him to retire then because there was no topping that

When they argue about the weight limit, Cat says “Oh, I’m sorry, I missed you going to flight school.” And I appreciate that line.

Benny

Early 30′s white fighter

He’s described as being all or nothing and prone to manic depressive behavior and “prone to pills”

Redfly thinks he’s too old to go pro in fighting and Benny is v offended

He’s the only one to cry over Ironhead’s death

He still uses his “fuck you” money for a fire

He seems to have the most med knowledge and is the one checking for hypothermia, gives the “reason” why Ironhead dies, helps nurse Cat when he’s sick

He’s mostly played for laughs and it’s sort of a waste

Ironhead

Grizzled, but generous 55 year old white vet

He is literally the father figure here and is called that often

He is not related to Benny, but he seems to have a very soft spot for him as the youngest

He somehow served under Redfly?

He gave up running and gunning to mediate and help newer retirees

In the support group, his speech details all of the horrible things that he’s seen and had happen to him, this is supposed to be the reason why the younger soldiers listen to him

One of the group admits to almost committing suicide the past night and Ironhead say he will not tell him not to do it, just that he will not do it tonight and they all recite not tonight, it’s actually touching to “see” them all taking heart in what he is saying

He only agrees to help Pope because Pope once saved his life in combat and he told him he owes him. This scene is described as a father sadden that he can’t get through to his son, but says yes to keep an eye on them

In the “what will you buy with your money” scene, he says he will donate it to charity. It’s quickly followed by Benny excitedly saying he wants a Ferrari and Ironhead affectionately looks at him and says, “That’s a nice car, Ben!” Which made my doubting heart melt...

He the entire time gives the boys reminders to preserve their humanity and is the one who tell Redfly it’s good he let Yovanna go

When he’s shot, they say that the wound was through, meaning that the bullet entered and exited. But, when he dies, Benny says the bullet must have shifted and nudged into his heart. And I’m really annoyed by that clear mistake....

I genuinely did like this version of the character, not more than OUR Will, but I liked him

Lorea

His intro to the movie is literally leading the police in a high-speed chase in his yellow Lambo

He brings a business partner to his mansion during the boys surveying his house and they see his personal guard shoot the partner and cut off his head so it fits in the trunk of the car

I had to learn that, so now so do you

He has a thing for exotic birds and has to bring in several shifts of maids to clean up after them

He comes off here as way more of a rich wimp

Yovanna

Lorea’s sugar baby/girlfriend who sleeps with Pope and gives him info

She used to be a beauty queen

The script says Redfly is her type and she says out-loud that she wants to watch Pope and Redfly fuck.

She taught one of Lorea’s birds to say “Hello, Beautiful” and lets that bird get loose in the mansion so she can get the pic of the money for Pope

I genuinely liked her character, too

My Review

I prefer the actual plot and planning of the final movie. The plan and surveillance here slowly fell together smoothly, but ultimately made far less sense.

But, I think they felt like actual friends here. They interact with each other instead of around each other

But this version is racist and kind of gross, so I’d take kind of boring any day

4/10, please do not make me read again

Tagging because you guys seemed interested: @frannyzooey @mandoplease

@krissology @pedropasscals (thought you might like it)

#triple frontier #excuse me while i go rewatch the movie #i only genuinely rooted for ironhead in this #and sometimes cat and benny #redfly bored me as usual #weird script review

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soyouareandrewdobson · 4 years ago

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Alex ze Pirate Mini Review 2: Underappreciated and how Sam should deal with an abuser.

Last time I gave a general overview of how Sam is treated by his “friends”. Now I want to give a more specific example, that will also show how Dobson’s storytelling abilities are not really all that good, particularly when it comes to pacing or building up any sort of conflict.

You see, for the most part Alex ze Pirate is just a collection of stupid artwork (not even concept art, just random artwork Dobson makes of his characters dressed as something random) and one page strips with a stupid punchline, with Sam most of the time being the receiving punching bag.

There have however been a few individual, short stories over time. And when I say short stories, I mean short. As in 15 pages for a very cheap set up, a few jokes and a punchline. Those include stories such as All that Glitters (where everyone except Alex breaks into a fortress to steal something), The Wish Fish (the only halfway okay story of them all because it is just meant to be comedic) and Best Laid Plans. However, near the end of the initial run of AzP, Dobson did a three part story (partly) focused on Sam in that format, which started off with the chapter I want to talk in this post: “Underappreciated”.

As you can see, the chapter starts off following some basic rules of storytelling in comics. Two establishing panels for the location at which the story takes place initially and showing what Sam’s duties are. Nothing really bad yet. The only thing that sticks out being just the fact that a) Sam does not have his own bedroom and has to sleep in a useless outlook and b) he sleeps in his regular clothes. But hey, nothing to get upset about initially, perhaps he just prefers it like this at the moment. But with the next two pages…

The problems start to show. Page three establishing that Atea herself is just a cunt who can’t even have the basic decency of wishing her “friend” a good morning or giving him a thank you for bringing a morning beverage as she has other selfish priorities on her mind. Like wanting to lick the shower water of Alex’s skin.

Also, go fuck yourself Uncle Peggy. As in, get both your arms ripped off, shoved up your butthole with those hooks and then get hanged on those stomps like a chandelier. I wouldn’t even mind the fact here that Peggy left a mess, if the face he makes in the last panel was not obvious of the fact he left the bathroom like this on purpose and that he is rather happy of making Sam’s day extra miserable by the fecal matter he left behind. Combined with any previous strip of the comic showing that Peggy for no reason likes to get the boy in trouble and even wants to see him die, this just shows once more of how much of an asshole he is. If the last panel just showed him with a groogy hangover look, obviously unaware of how much discomfort he brings unintentionally to Sam, that would be one thing. But intentionally making Sam’s day miserable despite the obvious fact the boy is the first one to do anything around here, while making one of the worst drawn “HAHA, I am such a rascal faces” I have ever seen (and I have seen shitty anime en mass) makes me hate the character more than Dobson intented.

And then there is page 5…

And it is in my opinion the saddest page in the entire comic arc, even compared to the “heartbreaking” stuff Dobson wants to pull up in the last third of it. Because though it is meant as a joke, the general execution is too cruel, crossing into “dude, not funny” territory and showing just how little the crew cares for Sam. Talus, Sam’s “best friend” not even aware he is around, everyone stealing Sam’s food with that stupid “Yoink” sound (seriously, I wish the characters would get punched in the vaginas each time they make this sound in any of Dobson’s strips) and then leaving Sam behind with smug faces, ready to do whatever they want to do, while he, likely stinking of feces and not even having showered properly, has also to clean up after those pigs, who can’t even eat in a proper manner ( hey Atea, use a fork instead of holding the bowl) and silently. I mean, they are pretty much pigs when the noises they make are loud enough, they make the font of the writing change randomly into whatever Dobson has on his computer with every sound. Not to forget the mess they leave behind. And they call Sam the Slob?

Anyway, on to the next page…

And who the heck left their Hello Kitty toy in the bathtub? Also, I hate the way Alex’s face is drawn in the lower left corner. Something about the eyes in relation to the shit eating grin just looks off. Less “smug” and gleefully awaiting whatever she plans next and looking more like Dobson when someone tells him his opinion and reasoning for it is bad, but he can’t yell back at them because they are part of a minority and so he has make a “good face” to a bad situation, while internally he is already imagining how to strawman them in some fake news worthy facebook post.

And then we get to page 7. Which features the WORST addition to the “Alex ze Pirate” canon Dobson has ever thought up. An embodiment of what is wrong with Dobson when it comes to inserting internet culture related stuff into his own work. Ladies and gentlemen… the lolcat pirates

Yeah, those Hello Kitty rejects who ironically look still more like a proper cat than Spot in Danny and Spot, are essentially one of the worst jokes Dobson has ever created. Because they are a joke without a punchline. See, all there is to them is that they are sentient cats, that speak in a manner associated with lolcat posting. And that is the “joke”. Their speech pattern being based on a dumb internet meme that was popular at the time Dobson drew this page. It is like if you portray an Asian by making them talk with a shitty racist accent and that supposedly counts already as comedy. It is not funny, because there is nothing really done with it in context of the story. Like no one addresses the weird way they talk. Also, with the font Dobson uses, it is just an eyesore to any reader and the text gets aggravating the more the captain of the cats talks. It shows why lolcat pictures only had very short sentences accompanying the pics, cause reading more than 8 words written in this manner tingles a part of your brain that makes you want to shout “English motherfucker, do you speak it”?

Don’t get me even started on how the joke would get lost to anyone unaware of lolcats and how dated the joke already was back when the page was posted, which is one of many reasons why comic artists should just in general avoid memes in their work, if they hope for it to pass the test of time. Instead let me just point out the fact that though Alex said “All hands prepared for casting off” on the previous page (which is also a very unnatural way to give the order “Everyone get ready! Take off in 10 minutes”) not all hands are on board, seeing how Uncle Peggy is missing on this page (and spoilers) many pages of this afterwards. Weird. I thought he would be onboard the moment Alex mentioned they are going to hijack a ship full of pussy. Lastly, this is Alex being a “badass”? Taking over a ship full of little furballs you can defeat with a laserpointer, a squeaky toy and catnip? Sam, this is not just “almost” embarrassingly easy, this is literally on a level similar to stealing candy from a baby. That is mentally handicapped. And without supervision. In a candy story.

At least it turns out there is genuinely something worth stealing on this ship. Otherwise all Alex would have accomplished on that very day would have been animal abuse for the sake of entertainment. Though now it also gets me thinking: A place called Katsville, the revelation that the captain is supposedly the child of a high ranking military feline within the sea force of an entire species of sentient cats… how exactly does the world of Alex ze Pirate function? Look, I do not want to get into too much detail about this point here yet, because it is a bigger issue with the worldbuilding (or rather lack thereof) of this series in general, but what is the “consistency” when it comes to races and species in this world? See, One Piece for example is overall a very “cartoonish” and fantastic world (more cartoonish than what Dobson creates on average) when you think of the fact there are fish men, giant seacows and seamonsters, sentient furry creatures, islands in the sky, sentient weather phenomenons etc next to humans. And while Oda does not really spend time elaborating in very high detail how his world works, the sheer abundance of those elements and how they were established pretty early on in the story and are revisited constanly, with the cartoonish flavor and humor of One Piece on top of it, makes those oddities feel organic and a part of the world.

Not so much in AzP. Here over 90% of the time any character not related to the crew is some generically drawn human, in a very generically human setting with jokes just not cartoonish enough. So the world of AzP feels more “realistic” and less oddish, making then things like Talus, the lolcat pirates and once a giant sea dragon that looked like Elliot’s rejected cousin

Stand out like a sour thumb that looks like this

But I digress. Lets see what makes Sam, who just seems bored and wants to end his miserable life/drink his sorrows away, throw the cat captain against the wall.

Okay. Sam’s overall reaction makes it clear, the locket is important. So “kudos” for establishing this and in doing so also create within a moment a bit of intrigue for the reader. After all, why does this locket get such a reaction out of Sam, who we know so far as more happy go lucky or deadpan in parts, instead of looking genuinely distraught. Heck, the fact he even tells Alex to shut up when she commands him around should highlight how out of character finding this locket truly makes Sam.

Then there is Alex’s reaction to being told to shut up, which she takes with as much dignity as someone telling Dobson to just stop fawning about underaged lesbians in a toddler show.

Jesus Christ, she faces being told she looks like a guy with more grace than that. I mean, isn’t she used to being told to shut her trap? Cause if I were her parents, I would have told this entitled redheaded whinner a few times over the course of her childhood to shut up.

Scum sucking cabin boy… said by a butt ugly whore who would genuinely suck scum off if it means she can finally get laid instead of being mistaken for a man. By the way, with that angry face she makes in the first panel, I can totally see why others would mistake her for a dude. She just looks unpleasant and not in a funny way like that red panda girl from Aggretsuko. See, when she gets angry, it looks hilarious and cute because of the contrast to how the character looks ordinarily. This is just Alex looking even more unpleasant as usual.

Now, before I continue with the next pages, I like to point out the face Sam makes in the upper panel and Sam’s overall body language in the last one.

It is obvious that Sam is meant to be in a state of mind where he knows for what he is getting yelled at and where he genuinely reacts in a hurt manner. His body shaking, his head tilted down, not saying even a word. You would expect that the next page of this comic would be a follow up. Seeing Sam, who is pent up, lashing out in some way. Either for example by justifying why he said it, getting sad, angry, perhaps even violent in that situation. After all, so far the way this story has been structured, a lot of emphasize was put on the fact that Sam is treated not well and that finding this locket actually has an uncommon effect on him. Heck, even the title of this chapter hints on the idea, that we should get some sort of huge reaction out of Sam now on the next page, as this is supposed to be Sam’s story.

Instead it is just Alex grumbling and grinding her teeth, unable to comprehend that someone finally told her something every reader with more than 20 braincells said when reading this comic series. And this in my opinion is from a structural point, one of the biggest missteps in this story. Obviously, this is supposed to be a comic about Sam, based on title and him being the one character in it with the most emotional aspects so far. And it is also obvious that this is not just meant to be a silly gag comic but supposedly one with emotional weight. So, where is that weight so far, aside from the panels showing Sam being miserable because he gets the short end of the stick by his friends? Sorry to hijack this thing here now with my own ideas, but if I had writen this story, page 12 and 13 would have actually been an immense turning point for me in the dynamic so far. Why I would have let Alex shout at Sam for insubordination, I would have made it more than one panel of Alex calling him scum and also end likely with Sam, who obviously reaches a limit the longer she goes on about it, end punching her in the face, perhaps even knock out. Show truly just how far Sam is pushed emotionally at this moment, keeping it however ambiguous if he hit her because of her words hurting or because of something else, in doing so focusing also the attention to the reader back on the locket.

As an aftermath of this, Alex would (if not knocked out) hit Sam back, much to Atea’s and Talus horror, later implying additionally that Sam left because of being hit by whom he thinks is not just his captain but a “friend” (oh yes spoiler, Sam is gone in the next chapter) or the next page would be of Alex waking up back in her hideout from having been knocked out. Atea and Talus informing her what happened, her deciding to deal with Sam later on after recovering (who accompanied everyone back on the island temporarily) only for the last page showing Sam deciding that he is leaving the island, ending the chapter on Sam in a small boat slowly drifting away from the island. You know, something to give the chapter the feeling that the “shut up” moment is an emotional turning point in this story and that there might be something bigger going on that resulted in Sam deciding to leave, without having him however go full Meg Griffin as in the Family Guy episode “Seashell Seahorse Party”, chewing Alex and the others out for the way they treat him. Cause honestly, as much as I like for Alex, Atea and Talus to be chewed out and face consequences for their actions, doing so would likely just be (like in that Family guy episode) a pointless fillerbuster in the bigger picture of things, as no real consequences would come out of it.

Well that and just like the writers of Family Guy, Dobson is just equally loathsome and thinks he can write whatever sick joke he wants and can on his characters, basic decency or consistency in writing be damned.

But back to the comic, where things just “end” as shown here instead of any real emotions boiling up and a cliffhanger that may genuinely beg the question what is going to happen next to anyone involved in this thing.

Cause really, by the time it is night and Sam says it is time to go, you are not surprised he wants to go, even if he did not have a genuine emotional outburst within this chapter. After all, who wants to stay with “friends” like this, with Talus and Atea not even trying to cheer him up and instead ignoring his obvious need for comfort in this uncomfortable way, as if they are a bunch of racists trying to look away as someone beats a black person in front of them into a pulp. The only question you may ask yourself by the time the last page is hit, is who that generic looking girl is, whose picture has been photoshopped into the locket.

Something we may not find out by the time the next chapter and part of this review hits, but will get to eventually. Until then guys, in order to end on something happier, funnier and just genuinely more pleasant than what this story presented to us so far, have something silly and Super Sentai related here for the sake of childish entertainment.

youtube

#Andrew Dobson #alex ze pirate #webcomics #syac #tom preston #abusive female heroes #abusive heroes #atea #talus #comics #cartoons #this sucks #storytelling 101 #adobsonartwork

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

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Mickey Mouse Birthday Shortstravaganza!

It’s Mickey and Minnie’s Birthday! It was 92 Years Ago Today everyone’s faviorite mouse came in on a tide of whistling, romance and animal abuse and swept into America’s hearts and wallets. Okay I am a day late on this, I had a busy day, but hey a belated celebratoin’s still good right? Right? Eh i’m doing it anyway. Anyway since then he’s been one of animations most iconic characters, and while out of the classic power trio I vastly prefer donald and goofy, they still woudln’t be around without Disney’s big cheese and having not seen a ton of Mickey’s shorts, I felt I owed it to the big eared one to take a look at a bunch of his shorts for his birthday and see how I liked em. If your curious about my previous Donald Duck marathon, it’s CLICK THIS LINK. Unlike last time all of these shorts are on Disney+ as more of Mickey’s library is on there and one or two of these were added recently, as Disney tends to add a few a month. I do wish there were more on there.. but unlike with say the handful of shows they haven’t put on there, i’m a bit more forgiving here. For one thing, YouTube has all the shorts available from various uploaders and DIsney hasn’t touched them despite Plus’ launch. Given like most companies Disney usually has their bots a cirlcing for their content, this has to be delebrate on there part and it’s a good gesture from the company. So while not in crisp HD like the Plus copies, or as easily avaliable, you can find any short that’s happened. So the shorts not all being up at once isn’t an issue like most of the shows that are absent on Plus.

They also heavily need to cherry pick their library as some shorts simply haven’t aged well or have offensive stuff. With the exception of “The Beach Picnic”, which has a racist caricature of native americans via ants.. yes really, most of the shorts are fine to show kids, and have aged pretty well. And as my last marathon showed some shorts.. just haven’t. While not you know racist, seriously why is the Beach Picnic on there?, “Donald’s Penguin”, while utterly adorable at first, ends with Donald trying to murder a baby penguin with a shot gun. No amount of content warnings is going to get past one of their beloved icons pointing a shotgun at a baby. While Disney’s self conciousness can be silly, the splash edit and not putting the Darkwing Duck episode “Hot Spells” on plus for instance, this is one time when I can agree with them: if someone is curious about a paticuarlly offensive short or a propoganda one, youtube exists. But given Plus is trying to be all ages and dosen’t have censoring they have to be careful what they put on there, and I can respect that. I don’t think anyone’s crying a river over the fact that the goofy short where his reflection keeps saying “Hey Fat”, over and over while he struggles with his weight isn’t on Disney Plus and thankfully never will be. But seriously get rid of the “Beach Picnic”. It’s not a good short and you already have one batch of native american stereotypes with “Peter Pan”, I don’t think racist ants are the hill you want to die on disney.

So yeah, this time all of these are from Disney Plus, and since I watched them all at once, their in Watch order rather than chronological like last time. So with all that out of the way...

After the cut

1. Steamboat Willie (1928): It’s All Fun and Games Until Mickey Strangles an Innocent Duck Starting from the obvious source, Steamboat Willie was the start of Mickey’s career. And it’s.. okay. The animation is fantastic and the first half is pretty good: Theirs a pretty good gag with one of the cows. But the finale, with Mickey abusing various animals just isn’t that funny A LITTLE rattling of an animal for comedy is fine.. but the things Mickey does here are just sociopathic> And yes I know it was the 1920′s, but even in that lawless, racist, sexist time, they knew better than to strangle a duck, or, in the moment that puts it over the top, remove suckling pigs fromt heir mom and then play a pig’s teats like an insturment to make it squeal musically.. I assure you I did not make this up. That actually happens. The pacing is also fairly slow at points, with some gags dragged out, though that can be chalked up to having no way to edit the damn thing, so that part I can forgive more. What makes up for it, like I said, are some good jokes, and some gorgeous animation. Decades later and while clearly made a long time ago, it still looks vibrant and really pops even in black and white. It shows just how talented Disney was and how far the company could go with this medium. One last thing to note is Mickey’s Early personality. While he’d retain trickster aspects at times, here he bounces between the loveable jolly mouse we’d come to know for the rest of his career who sometimes has a wild streak.. and a total asshole who strangles a duck. It’s just intresting to see such a diffrent side of him, most of which would end up going to Donald over time. Overall the short is decent, not the best of Disney’s catalogue but worth a watch for the historical significance despite it’s shortcomings, pun unintended.

2. Thru the Mirror (1936): That Was a Weird One This was easily my favorite of the bunch and as of now, my favorite Mickey Mouse Theatrical Short. Part of it is that it’s entirely bonkers; The film STARTS with Mickey , sound asleep, some how astral projecting as his soul, his spirit or whatever lead shis body and having been reading Alice Thorugh the Looking Glass, goes into a mirror world. But instead of encountring evil goatee mickey, he encounters a bunch of living objects and a bunch of fun set pieces for jokes ensue. He dances with playing cards, fights an army of them, has a sword fight with the king after dancing with the queen which.. no Mickey, bad mickey, your in a relationship and so is she. Bad Mouse bad. It is entirely fucking insane, even including a living nut cracker which.. words can’t.. look

They.. they had to know how this looked right? did the director have a ball busting fetish? I mean okay if he did, nothing wrong with that, but maybe don’t put it in your children’s cartoon. That being said it does eat the shells which I find creative. And that’s what really makes this one pop. The creativity. Not a single minute is boring, every minute has something intresting going on, but without throwing too muchi n your face. It’s just a wonderful short and one that like Mr. Duck Steps out, i’ll be rewatching a LOTTTT.

3. Mickey’s Rival (1936): Mortimer: The Original Bro From the same year we have disappointment. Having grown up with the disney classic House of Mouse, I was a huge fan of Mortimer. So when I first saw this, I was happy to see where he came from.. then justifably blocked it out of my mind till this review. While I love mortimer, I love Mickey having a sleazy rival and one diffrent than Pete who has different goals and tactics than the big guy. But his debut just has him as an obnoxious snickering bro.. which to be fair is who he is, but without the venre of charm his later version would have. Mortimer just spends the short being a pranking douche, and blatantly hitting on Minnie in front of Mickey while their on a date. Which even in an open relationship is a no no, so he has no leg to stand on.. metaphorically. He also walks weird in this one because, and this is true, he’s carying 9 volt batteries in his pants. Yes really. That’s the level of Douche we’re dealing with. Someone so up their own ass they carry batteries int heir pocket instead of money or a mask or children’s trading cards like a normal person or a me. What makes it frustrating is Minnie just swoons over the guy. And not like “Awww he’s so funny”, I mean romantically then has the gaul to say “your just jealous” when Mickey is understandably fuming over the jackass who swooped in, pranked him, is hitting on his girlfriend in front of him by teasing a bull, and in general is just the worst. Yes.. yes he is. Justifably. Jealousy is an ugly emotion but there’s a line between some dude bro like Mortimer getting mad your friends with someone you could be in a relationship with, boy, girl, neither, both, whatever your into, and Mickey getting mad his girlfriend is chuckling all over her ex who agian, crashed their date and treated him like garbage and is very transparently hitting on her in the middle of it. It’s also just not a very funny short, outside of the bit pictured and tha’ts more for the sheer aburdity of Mortimer elctifying his pant for a really dumb gag about stealing people’s pants button. He’s very lucky we didn’t see Mickey’s Epic Mickey is what i’m saying. But given he’s a frat bro, the 1930′s version granted but a bro nonetheless, he’d probably find that hilarious until he noticed the sheer size and scope. Overall a forgetable, frustrating short. The one bright spot is mickey and mortimer’s cars which have faces and stuff and look neat.. otherwise it was just a waste of my time and the only good thing it did was bringing Mortimer into our lives. And that ain’t nothing.

4. Mickey Down Under (1948): ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

This is a quick one.. because this one was a vacum. I mean I can at least say for Mickey’s Rival it’s interesting.. i’ts not good but it’s interesting. this is just.. Mickey farts around with a boomerang with his dog and then pisses off an ostrich. There’s not really a lot of consequence or intrest is what i’m saying. I can’t even find a good opening to make a letterkenny joke. No one got close to fucking an ostrich here. It’s telling by the fact theirs no gif’s of this one that no one cares and it baffles me this is one of the ones Disney chose to gussy up for D+ release. But still no donald messing around with a robot?

5. The Band Concert (1935): That’s More Like It. Okay scooting back a year we have the band concert. This is my third time watching this one and it’s a delight. Like the last one I don’t have a ton to say.. but it’s more because this one is just so good rather than because it wasted my time. It’s got a fun concept and the breakout performance from my boy donald duck as he constantly fucks with the band’s performance by either getting in their faces or hilariously pulling Flute’s out of thin heir. I miss that gimmick for donald, his love of pulling objects out of the either via magic and shenanigans. They should bring it back. Also his shenanigans remind me of opus and that’s never a bad thing.

Also Horace takes off his shirt. For the Ladies. A Classic for good reason.

6. On Ice (1935): Donald is a Bastard Man Another great one from the same year. This time around we have what i’ve come to call a Mickey and the Gang Messaround. This is back when Donald and Goofy were supporting characters, so generally each of the big three do something, usually coming together for the climax. In this case Mickey tries to help Minnie with her skating, with him adorably following her around with a pillow before showing off for her, just really sweet stuff. Goofy’s bit is hilariously dumb, as fitting my boy, as he feeds fish tobaco to get them to spit into a spitoon, and tries to club them, with predictable results. While not the most enivrionmentally friendly just the sheer oddness, the fact it sort of works minus him actually clubbing them, and one of hte fish smacking him in the face all make it work. The only bit that reallyd osen’t is Donald and pluto... it was present a bit before but here illustrates why I really dread Pluto based shorts. While I don’t hate the dog, he’s a dog I love dogs, most of the gags in his old shorts, and even up to mouseworks are him either being blamed for shit that’s not his fault, a pet peve of mine, or being tourtured in some way...

But dosen’t work at all now. He puts the poor dog on skates and then laughs at him and even sings a song mocking the poor dog, before justifably nearly ending up going over a watterfall, then ending up clubbed in the head. Good. I love donald but good god is he unsympathetic here.. and for some reason they teamed the two up again for more shorts! Why. It’s why I don’t get why Pluto was the star of his own shorts: if this is all they had.. why do it? Was the 30′s, 40′s and 50′s equilvent of a micheal bay audience really that into dog abuse? So yeah otherwise a good short but that segment drags it down. not Donald’s best work.

7. Clock Cleaners(1937): This is a Great One Not much to say on this one. It’s pretty good, has some fun set pieces, and some great jokes from all three characters. Mickey deals with a seagull, donald effs with a main spring and Goofy fights some statues. All good clean fun. My lack of brevity is more because I don’t have any jokes rather than this genuinely being bad. It’s pretty good.

8.. Mickey and the Seal(1948): More Pluto Torture Porn!

This one’s more of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is really cute, as a young seal ends up going home with mickey after he visits the zoo to feed them fish. On the other hand.. it’s mostly Pluto chasing after the seal, Mickey being kind of a dick to pluto and not getting he clearly saw SOMETHING in his house, and then teasing him at the end despite him having been right. That being said the ending, with the seal brining back all it’s buddies to mickey’s house, is fricking amazing. ALso the seals in this unvierse who aren’t antrho can speak. That.. that raises a lot of questions I don’t think disney can answer.

9. Ye Olden Days (1933): Jaunty Dueling Music Now this.. this was a fun one. Mickey and Minnie head to Medivil times, proving that the current shorts tendency to jaunt to various settings isn’t a new thing, and it’ sjust a much of a fun change up here as it was there. Mickey, a wondering minstral, ends up trying to rescue Minnie after her father throws her in a dungeon for not wanting to marry Prince Dippy Dog, who hopes she can learn to love him. I can’t tell if he’s genuine or a dick here. But it’s fun, especially the part where, after Minnie declares she loves mickey which.. it’s been a few hours slow down, they decide on a duel and thus sing some ragtime, 1930′s getting ready for duel music that’s just catchy. if X Of Swords ever gets a movie, I want to use this song. Just.. really good stuff. A fun short with some great gag,s a great concept, and my boy goofy as the villian. What’s not to like? Alright one more.

10. MIckey’s BIrthday Party (1942): Big Chicken Breasts We end on another all together now, Mickey and the Gang Messaround that was a great note to end on. I did watch another short, Pluto’s Birthday party.. but it was both more of a Pluto short and more Pluto torture nonsense, so yeah, skipping that one, as I ended up one short of my 12 goal because I can’t count, apparently. So Mickey gets 10, but this one’s a good note to go out on.

Minnie throws a suprise party for mickey which almost turns into a live sex celebration as Mickey clearly is a wee bit horny going in. But it turns into a fun dance party, with Donald throwing out razzes like a good buddy, Goofy making a cake, and some fun gags with a piano they all bought him. It’s a really good short. That’s the problem with Mickey Shorts and doing all D+ ones: There just isn’t the weirdly offensive stuff to talk about there is. He’s not a bad character, but there’s a reason in every short that features all three, Donald and Goofy easily outshine him. Mickey’s not a bad character, but when not in trickster mode, there just isn’t a lot for him to do. It’s why the comics reinvented him, much like they did for donald, into a plucky detective/reporter who reguarly sovles crimes. He’s not bad, and as seen with Ye Olden Days and Thru the Miror, his blank slateness cna be put to good effect and house of mouse gave him more of a personality, but here he’s just the bland good guy to Donald’s loveable scmap and goofy’s loveable dumbass. It’s an issue comedy has to this day: having a lead whose just.. not as intresting as the rest of the ensemble. There is weirdness to note, as Donald dances with Clara Cluck> That’s not the weird part, he and daisy took a while to be etched in stone. The weird parts are 1. Donald wearing a sombrero and smoking a cigar, and 2. Clara’s MASSIVE boobs.. yes really. Clara Cuck has giant breasts. Like actual boobs that sway around while she dances with donald. it’s.. bizzare. Not terrible, who doesn’t like big chicken boobs but just.. really really weird to see ina Disney cartoon.But yeah it’s jus ta fun note to end on.

And that was MIckey’s Birthday special. I enjoyed it even if I had less to say than I thought. If you liked this review, you can comission your own for five bucks, just hit up my pms or my discord , avaliable on request. You can check out my ohter disney reviews in the disney tab on my blog and until next time, ther’es always another rainbow.

#mickey mouse #minnie mouse #donald duck #goofy goof #clara cluck #hoarace horsecollar #clarabelle cow #mortimer mouse #mickey's birthday #classic disney shorts

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go-redgirl · 3 years ago

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Eli Steele: De Blasio's shameful racial profiling of Asian students

I was setting up my camera to film a rally on the steps of Tweed Courthouse in lower Manhattan when a disheveled middle-aged man clutching an odd assortment of papers to his chest stopped and stared at the gathering of parents and community leaders.

They were there to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ongoing attack on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), the sole gateway to one of New York’s nine specialized high schools. Their hand-drawn signs read, "Stop picking on Asian kids!" "Fix failing schools!" and "Keep the test!" The disheveled man began to yell aggressively and I turned, to lipread him: "You Asians take all the spots at these schools! Only eight blacks got into Stuyvesant High, only eight! You gotta give us blacks a chance, that’s all we’re asking for, man!" I turned my camera to capture him but he saw me and fled.

Later, as I reflected on this incident, I thought of that frosty November morning in 2013 when I waited outside a Brooklyn voting center for the de Blasio family to arrive and cast the votes that helped elect the father mayor of New York City. I was filming my documentary on multiracial Americans, "How Jack Became Black." There was an excitement in the air as people around me praised de Blasio’s multiracial family.

They believed such a man was a harbinger of better racial relations and they loved his campaign stance against racial profiling. They could not have predicted that de Blasio would leave office eight years later as one of America’s most egregious racial profilers.

Why had de Blasio and his education administration racially profiled Asian children? Was it because these youths took the American dream seriously and burned the midnight oil? Was it because their parents — many of them immigrants and impoverished — squeezed every penny to see that their children were prepared to take the test? Or was it simply that they were different, Asian and an unpreferred minority?

If 54 percent of the 4,262 eighth graders that passed the SHSAT had been black instead of Asian, there is very little doubt that de Blasio would not have charged the test as "structurally racist." In fact, he likely would have praised the test.

Wai Wah, the charter president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Greater New York, and her friend, George Lee, showed me the tweet sent by de Blasio’s education chancellor, Meisha Potter, after the students received their test results. Potter found it "unacceptable" that so few blacks were admitted to specialized high schools and said that it was "past time for our students to be fairly represented." The implication was the test was racist. FLORIDA WILL REQUIRE SCHOOLS TO TEACH CIVICS AND ‘EVILS OF COMMUNISM’

Wai Wah and George pointed out that Potter failed to congratulate the students who had studied for years and passed the exam. They also noted that Potter had neglected to pay respect to the other 19,266 students who similarly sacrificed but did not pass the test. The only thing that mattered to Potter was "our students," a label that included only Blacks and Hispanics.

Potter was only following the path forged by de Blasio, who spoke of the need to "redistribute wealth." Like previous educators, she ignored the reality of favoring equity over merit, a reality that cost many black and Hispanic neighborhoods its gifted and talented programs over the past several decades. When blacks and Hispanics had access to these programs, they took the same test that de Blasio disparaged as racist and dominated Brooklyn Tech from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Not one of these bureaucrats from de Blasio and Potter to the previous education chancellor, Richard Carranza, asked the obvious question: why had "too many" Asians passed the test?

Asking such a question would have forced de Blasio to examine what influences and behaviors made certain students successful. He would have quickly discovered that there was nothing "Asian" about their successes — after all, far more Asians failed the test than those who passed. He would have also discovered that it was their steadfast belief in the American Dream that drove them to take chances on their talents, a path followed by countless successful Americans.

Also, to look at the humanity of these Asians would have forced de Blasio to look at the root causes driving the terrible inequities that plague the nation’s largest public school system. Instead, it was easier for him to racially profile and scapegoat Asians for these inequities.

The racial biases of de Blasio and the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) establishment, rarely got much attention in the press. These folks promoted equity to the level of a top societal moral virtue where representation by race trumped merit. Having lowered themselves down to the inhuman level of race, they see race in everything and therein lies their bias, a bias that extended beyond Asians to blacks and Hispanics.

Rather than empower these demographics with the tools of equality by strengthening the schools, de Blasio believed he could racially engineer blacks and Hispanics to parity at the expense of Asians. That is how little faith he had in these demographics to agent their own fates. At the same time, de Blasio derived enormous political capital for appearing to champion the downtrodden while conveniently ignoring the long history of horrific oppression suffered by many Asian communities in America. It was this bias that allowed de Blasio to racially profile an entire class of people for the way they looked.

I thought about how this ugliness was taking place in 2021 as I traveled to the far end of the Brooklyn borough to visit the Ni family. Sam, an immigrant shop owner, welcomed me into a home that married the American Dream with cultural memories of the China that Sam and his wife left behind. I asked their children, Zoe, a seventh-grader studying for the SHSAT, and Leo, a ninth-grader at Hunter College High School, what they thought of all this anti-Asian discrimination — a Brooklyn educator had recently called the people like them "yellow folks."

After several shy answers, Zoe answered with the truth ignored by many educators: "People aren’t numbers. There are real people in these statistics. There are real people who are losing out on opportunities. And it is upsetting to me to know the reason is merely race."

Sam, a reflective and thoughtful man, revealed later that he had heard of Martin Luther King’s dream in China and that is part of why he came to America. Through a translator, he said, "In China’s cultural revolution, students were classified as ‘being of red five category’ or ‘being of Black five category.’ Why? It’s not anything to do with the individual student, but with his family background, with other external factors. In New York, even the entire United States, education, concerning race matters, it’s actually like China’s Cultural Revolution, not looking at the student himself, on who studies well and who doesn’t, but throwing up a mess of race and family background identity, to judge what kind of person you are. I think this is going backward in history."

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Sam also had words for leaders like de Blasio: "What they want is to use their views to remake and control the world as they want, and not let us free people, competing freely, under a system of equal opportunity, create a brilliantly multi-colored world. So what they are doing, to take their ideas to control the world, that's, in a certain sense, actually very much like communism, totalitarian communism."

Sam revealed to me that he had recently thought of immigrating to another country. He left the paralyzing class divisions of China only to find his children on the wrong side of racial divisions in America. But then he seemed to let that thought die down — at least in America he has the unbridled right to fight the injustices affecting his kids and he has fought.

As I rode back into Manhattan, I thought of what George Lee told me on the issue of representation. He blamed the ongoing racial divisions on critical race theory that, for him, was a "political ideology of race war, racial hatred." He wondered out loud how one Asian could represent another Asian, or a black another black, for that matter. He explained that nobody looks like him or thinks like him so how can he represent another Asian? He then continued, "If an Asian gets into Harvard, does that Asian take courses on behalf of an Asian who did not get in?" He looked at me with the twinkle in the eye that one often has when revealing a racial absurdity: "There is no such thing as representation by race. This whole language of representation is basically saying that Asians or whites or blacks are mutually substitutable."

That was the very thing that de Blasio fought against when he campaigned for Mayor of New York. He knew the evil of racial profiling was that people were not seen as individuals but as members of a race. He had heard blacks complain that they should not fall under suspicion because they were black and lived in high crime neighborhoods. They protested that it was unfair and that they were more than their race. Yet de Blasio betrayed this lesson in humanity when he racially profiled the Asians his entire time in office, leaving many black and Hispanic students worse off than when he took office.

In many ways, the disheveled man who yelled at the Asians at the rally was a sad symbol of de Blasio’s education legacy. That man had been poisoned in the mind to believe that Asians somehow had monopolized all the power and that is why he demanded that they give blacks a chance. But there is nothing the Asians can give him. There is nothing a race can give. Only the individual can give or take. That man will sadly never rise above his current station as long as he thinks that way. And that is why de Blasio failed so miserably on his campaign promise to uplift the schools. Eli Steele is a documentary filmmaker and writer. His latest film is "What Killed Michael Brown?" Twitter: @Hebro_Steele

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mindfulwrathwrites · 5 years ago

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Powered (Excerpt): Meet “Cute”

The first appearances of two of our main cast!

Words: 1,931 Warnings: Alcohol use, classism

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...

Lupe was having the luckiest bad day of their life, and if it didn't let up soon, they were going to collapse from the stress.

First, it had been the flooding—an event that easily could have killed a dozen people or more, but from which Lupe had escaped without getting so much as a toe in the water. Then it was getting trapped in the swanky office building, where they were sure to get caught and arrested, only to see on the news that the only thing stopping them from leaving was some weirdo up on the roof. And then, it was ARCOM's killer robot and its—handler?—which had almost shot Lupe dead on the spot but decided not to at the last second, instead chasing off after the weirdo in the mask and opening, however unintentionally, Lupe's escape.

So Lupe had hidden in the stairwell in case the Division showed up before the water cleared (they hadn't), and had taken the back-alleys and underpasses out of downtown in case the regular cops were looking for them (they weren't), and was now holed up in a booth at the back of the one Powered bar in Albuquerque, accompanied only by the tinnitus ringing in their ears, nursing a gin and tonic and supposing they ought to feel relieved.

They didn't.

An acrylic nail tapping on the table brought them back to the present. Their favorite bartender, Jess, was standing table-side, rainbow dreadlocks bright against dark skin.

"Starting to pick up in here, honey," she said. "You might wanna start thinking about heading out, before you lose all your elbow room."

"You can't just let me out the back again?" Lupe asked.

"I'd love to, except Cindy's working tonight, and she's been looking for an excuse to fire me."

"Is Cindy the racist one?"

"Take a wild guess."

Lupe winced. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know. Is it okay if I finish my drink first, or. . . ?"

"You got time. I'll get you a lemonade to go so we ain't just kicking you out. On the house."

"Are you sure? You don't have to."

She pressed a hand to her chest and sighed hugely. "If I don't, you might leave us a bad review."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," they said.

"It's a joke, we're already drowning in bad reviews from normies. Zero stars, service was terrible and it was full of mutants, I felt sooooo threatened when everybody got mad at me for calling them slurs."

Lupe snorted. "Has that happened?"

"Weekly, honey, weekly."

"I'm sorry."

She grinned. "It's all good. They never stick around too long." She tapped her nail on the table again, and a breath of blue flame rolled up the back of her hand. "Lemme get you that lemonade before I forget."

Lupe gave her a lazy, two-finger salute as she moved off. They sucked down a few good gulps of their gin and tonic. Maybe Jess had gone a little heavy on the gin, or maybe it was just that Lupe hadn't eaten in almost twenty-four hours, but it was hitting them harder than usual. They checked their pockets for change and found about four dollars—and since they were getting kicked out before they could get another drink, maybe they'd go get a burger, instead. As they stuffed the cash back in their pocket, somebody pulled up to their booth.

"Mind if I join you?"

He was white, mousy, and freckly, with short-cropped brown hair and a midwestern accent. He was wearing thick-rimmed glasses, a green flannel over a band T-shirt, dark jeans washed a few too many times. He had a drink in each hand.

"I—I was actually just leaving, sorry, it's all yours," said Lupe, scooching outward.

The guy's face fell. "You were?"

"Yeah, it just—I just have to—" They cast around for Jess, but she was nowhere to be seen. They didn't need the free lemonade, anyway; they should get out of here while they could, before this poor guy put a foot in the wrong place and got electrocuted.

"I guess I have to drink both of these, now," he sighed, looking down at the two drinks. One was a beer. The other was clear and bubbly and had a slice of orange in it.

"Well," said Lupe. They fidgeted. "You weren't—you didn't—did you. . . ?"

He offered the cocktail to them. "It was supposed to be for you," he said hopefully.

Lupe fidgeted some more. The room wasn't too crowded yet, and one drink couldn't hurt, especially if it was free. Jess was up at the bar now, busy with a large group of young women that had just come in. Lupe gestured to the other side of the booth.

"I'll save you from the spare drink," they said. "Just be careful where you put your feet, I run at a pretty lethal voltage."

The guy stopped halfway to sitting down. He stared. Lupe shrugged.

"No wonder you're back here all by yourself," the guy said faintly.

"Yeah," said Lupe. "It's fine if you—"

The guy slid the rest of the way into the booth and pulled his feet up after him, sitting cross-legged. With one finger, he pushed the cocktail across to Lupe.

"It's a Tom Collins," he said. "You struck me as the ginny type."

"That—that's a nine-dollar drink," Lupe objected, torn between being flattered and gravely suspicious.

"Yeah," said the guy. He gestured to his own. "And this is a three-dollar beer, split the difference."

Lupe struggled for words. They looked from the cocktail to the guy and back again. They swirled the tiny straws around in case it stirred up any suspicious white powder, which it didn't.

"What did you say your name was?" Lupe asked the guy.

"Zach," he said. "He/him pronouns, if anybody's counting."

"Oh—oh," said Lupe. Something fluttered in their chest, a sigh of relief. "I'm Lupe. Um. They/them."

"Pleased to meet you," said Zach. "I'd shake your hand, but—"

"Yeah, don't—don't do that. So, you—so—you're . . . Powered? I mean, Watt's, it's sort of—it's not like they card you, and if that's too personal, obviously, you don't have to answer, I just. . . ."

"Barely," Zach said, amused but taking pity. "Just enough to make my normie friends nervous."

"Do you mind if I ask what it is?"

"Eh, sure. You showed me yours, I'll show you mine."

In the blink of an eye, he was gone—into thin air, without so much as a puff of smoke or a flash of light. Before Lupe had gotten done being surprised, though, he was back, scrunching his nose like he needed to sneeze.

"That's not barely," said Lupe, astounded.

"No, it doesn't work like you think it does. For example—cameras. It doesn't work on cameras, for some reason. I'm like a reverse-vampire or something. And it gives me migraines if I hold it for more than a minute or so."

"Ohhh, yeah, that—that's not great. I guess it's fun at parties?"

"It's the best at parties," Zach said viciously, grinning. "I hate parties. And now nobody can make me stay, because as soon as nobody's looking, I can literally disappear."

Lupe chuckled and had a sip of their cocktail. It was mild and delicious, like a carbonated gin-lemonade, and there was no hint of a salty Rohypnol aftertaste. Maybe, they thought, this guy really was just being nice.

"Silver linings?" they said. "I don't know, I haven't been to a party in . . . Christ, probably twenty years."

Zach sucked in a breath through his teeth, wincing. "Yeah, what with the voltage and everything, I guess that's probably a little fraught. Don't worry, you're not missing much. Parties suck."

"But bars don't?"

"So long as there's no parties going on in them."

Lupe stirred their drink, being careful not to touch the table. At the bar, Jess was entertaining the group of young women, lighting their drinks on fire with her fingers (to their great delight). Zach watched them, amused, his chin on his hand, his beer untouched.

"Um," said Lupe. "I um. Look, before, um . . . I appreciate the drink, and the—the company, but I just want to make it clear that I'm not really, um, interested in—in—not that you're not—but I'm, sort of, very asexual? So—"

Zach turned back to them, startled. "What? No, no, that's not what this is about. I'm straight."

"You're what?" said Lupe. Their face went hot. "Oh, no, of course, right, I just—"

"Not that you're not a good-looking guy—sorry, person. You're just not my type."

"No, yeah, same, but I just kind of . . . forgot about straight people. Hahah."

"You don't get out much, huh," said Zach, with that same amused-pity look from before.

"I'm homeless, I'm always out," said Lupe, and then realized that it was a top-tier idiot thing to say.

"Holy shit, seriously?" Zach said. "You don't look—okay, you kind of do look homeless, but I figured that was just a fashion choice."

"And you don't look like an ignorant dick, but here we are," Lupe retorted. Maybe they'd had a little too much to drink. Whatever. A remark like that deserved a little snappishness.

Zach winced. "Okay, I deserved that," he said. "But—man, that's rough. Do you need a place to stay, or something? I could put you up at a hotel for a couple of days, or—"

"Don't, just—don't," Lupe sighed, holding up a hand. "It doesn't work. Unless you can find a hotel that doesn't use keycards, it won't work. Just—forget I said anything."

"Are you sure?" Zach pressed. "You could stay at my place, if you needed to. Not forever, I'm kind of already maxed out on roommates, but for a while. Until you get—"

"Get my feet back underneath me?" Lupe filled in. "Sure, I just have to find a job where they don't require you to touch any computers, machines, or other people. Oh, and it has to be no-experience-required, too, and no high school diploma, and not need a physical address or an ID or a phone number, and and and. It won't happen. Trust me."

Zach stared at them, full-pity, looking like a lost puppy in the rain. Lupe shook their head and muttered in Spanish under their breath and looked someplace else. The pity was always the hardest to take.

"Well—do you want dinner, then?" Zach asked. "I could buy you dinner, at least."

"I don't want your goddamn charity," Lupe snapped. A bolt cracked off their wrist and earthed in the center of the table. Someone shrieked. Zach froze, whey-faced. The smell of burnt lacquer rose in a plume. Lupe ground their teeth and took deep breaths and waited for the whine in their ears to soften. Before it did, Jess sidled over.

"Hey, honey," she said. "Hate to butt in, but I think it's about time for you to be heading on out."

"Yeah," said Lupe. They abandoned the rest of their cocktail and got up, dizzy. "Sorry about the table."

"Don't worry about it. You ain't hardly the worst thing that's happened to a table in here."

They faked a smile, nodded to her, and headed for the door. Despite the crowd, a wide path opened for them. Every eye in the place watched as they went.

#29 Feb 2020 #w:powered #sci-fi #nonbinary character #asexual character #superpowers #alcohol /#classism /

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diegoh4rgreeves · 5 years ago

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Butter Peekin

Story Summary: Reader is a music director of the Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy. One day the main cast initiate a lunch break together only to have David Castañeda and reader unable to find them at their supposed meeting spot. Reader and David decide to spend their lunch break together with ice-cream and they start to feel a connection. They’re so into their time together that they run late back to work. Their coworkers tease them over it, including Gerard Way! The next day, David asks reader out on a date and gets their number. This prompts reader to try and kiss him until they get cock-blocked by Tom Hopper. The day after that, David kisses reader just days before their date.

Pairing: David Castañeda x Fan

Chapter: 1/1

Word Count: 3,263 words

Warning: Fluff

A/N: I referenced a podcast David was recently a guest on (x). I was originally going to make this a drabble that ends when the lunch break does. Then it just got so cute. I couldn’t stop typing! I hope you all get the same warm and fuzzy feelings I did when I wrote this. Also I made this gender-neutral hence the lack of details for the reader and referring to them in they/them pronouns. Enjoy!

The ice cream shop on Queen St. E is cramped, just as any other place in downtown Toronto is. The whole colour scheme is pale yellow and primary blue; some walls are painted one colour or the other. There’s a chalkboard with the specials written on it.

Out of all the places you could have been hanging out with your celebrity crush in, you never thought it would be Ed’s Real Scoop.

“A butter pecan on a cone, and whatever they’re having.” A tall and built man with a beard signals the ice cream shop server to you with his wallet. He is wearing cargo shorts, a grey sweatshirt, a cap, socks, and running shoes.

You never thought of David Castañeda wearing something like this. He’s Diego Hargreeves in the Netflix series, The Umbrella Academy! Diego wears leather clad and swings knives at targets. Then again, David is David. The actor must be different from the character. Also, he wore this same outfit in an hour-long podcast you so watched in the summer. The podcast happened when he was in Thailand.

Now, he’s filming for season 2 of The Umbrella Academy, which gets you out of your day job. You are a music director on the show and that pays your bills. David and you are acquaintances, or so you think.

You shyly smile at David and thank him for offering to pay for your ice-cream. Then you tell the server your order of choice.

As the server prepares both your ice-creams, you look the opposite direction of David. David and you get along in the studio. You’re just used to seeing him with the rest of the cast and crew. You only have this alone time with him because theoretically the rest of the main cast ditched you both. You all originally planned to have lunch together. David and you failed to find them once lunch started, so David decided to take you out for ice cream.

Just as you are accepting this silence between David and you, he lets out a laugh. You look up at him and can’t help but to laugh along. His smile and his laugh are so cute and contagious. You just love his teeth. “What, what is it?”

He takes a moment before laughing again. “Okay, I wanna tell you something and you have to promise not to laugh. You swear?”

You giggle. “No promises.”

He beams up at you. “Y/N, please. This is top-secret info, okay?”

You hold your hands up and let out some incoherent sound. You weren’t sure if to say Okay or Fine.

I promise probably would have cut it. You let it go. He’s still smiling so hard.

“Okay…” He begins. “So, you know that I was born in Mexico, right?”

“Uh huh.” Of course, you know that. You’ve only googled him a hundred times.

“And that I went to high school in LA.”

You nod again. God, you really hope that David doesn’t know about your big crush on him.

“Right, so I could speak English fluently then. I just couldn’t pronounce certain words. Like, butter pecan!” He shudders. “Why do people say it like pikahn? That sounds so bougie!”

You actually remember hearing him tell that fun fact in the podcast. You’re not sure how to react to something you’ve already heard before. You decide to tell him another fun fact. “You know that you can say pee-can.”

He looks at you in amazement. “Wait, really!? Why didn’t anyone tell me that?” He looks the opposite of your direction and mutters the other pronunciation for his favourite ice-cream flavour. Then he looks at you and laughs once again. “Pee… can. Can of pee.”

You choke out a laugh. Right now, he’s just as fun-loving and weird and gross as he is to you with the group. You wonder why you were so nervous and anxious just a few seconds ago. He’s such a lovely human being with good energy. You decide to confess something to him. “I actually listened to the podcast you told the butter pikhan story.”

He beams up. “Oh really? What did you think of it?”

You’re oddly relieved at his response. Come to think of it, why did you think that watching the podcast would be a bad thing? “Well, I mean… the butter peekin story was great.” You realise you didn’t let him finish his story. He used to pronounce butter pecan as butter peekin. He chuckles anyway. “Can I… be honest about the podcast guys though?” You ask.

David smirks. “What is the tea?” He makes a sizzling noise.

You roll your eyes and laugh. “Can you ever give a serious answer to anything?”

“Sorry,” he laughs.

“No no, it’s fine! It’s entertaining.”

He gives you one last smile before the server calls you both for your ice-creams. David walks to the end of the counter where the cashier is. He takes out a $20 bill for both your ice-creams and he puts some of his change in the tip jar.

“Do you wanna stay here or take a walk on Woodbine Beach?” He takes a lick of his butter pecan ice-cream.

You give him a puzzled look. “What about fans? They’re going to stop you and ask for your autograph!” You take a lick of your ice cream and accidentally get a big chunk of the frozen treat in your mouth. You let it melt inside. You like the numbness on your tongue.

He leads you both out the shop and you passively follow him. Then he rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Y/N, you flatter me. First you watch my podcast and now you believe I have fans.”

You spit out your ice cream from a burst of laughter. You didn’t even care he pointed out the podcast. His self-deprecating humour reminded you why you love him so much.

“You okay there?” He chuckles.

You scoff and roll your eyes. “Yeah, thanks, David.” It was your turn to be sarcastic.

“Here, I picked up some napkins.” He pulls some out of his shorts pockets. You let out a hand with the assumption that he’ll hand you the napkin. Instead, he stops you both on the sidewalk outside the shop and he wipes your ice-cream covered lips with it. This might be the closest you’ve ever gotten to him besides a hug. He’s touching your lips and it’s great, even though he’s not touching them with his lips.

He lets go. You clear your throat and thank him.

It feels like a movie moment. You think that you should let the tension last as the streets had their usual noise of honking cars and beeping bus stops. In that sound, he’d think of kissing you. Instead, he picks up your conversation from the ice-cream shop. “So, what didn’t you like about those interviewers from the podcast?”

“Hmm?” You look at him as you try and adjust to a new conversation topic. “Oh right.” You’ve processed what he said. “Well, call me a social justice warrior, but I thought they were so politically incorrect, you know? Like… after you said the butter peekin story and you called an old friend a coconut. They thought that was racist? Seriously?”

David rolls his eyes. “Yeah… I was confused by that.”

“You seemed it!”

“I wanted to ask them how was that racist, and they just said that we weren’t gonna get into it. I mean, I couldn’t really do anything after that, you know? I didn’t wanna cause a scene, especially in my big break!”

“I thought you didn’t have fans.”

He opens his mouth and leaves it hanging. “Touché.”

You chuckle. Gosh, does he have such a good sense of humour. You look at him with a serious look. “There is another thing I wanna point out about those guys.”

“More tea!?” He grins. “Damn Y/N, I never took you for a gossip girl!”

You guffaw. “Wow okay! So that’s how you see me now?”

He chuckles. “Maybe… I like it anyway. You’ve got spunk and don’t take shit from anybody.”

You blush. David paid you a compliment and you’re trying so hard to see it as a friendly comment. “Yeah, well…” You play off your bashfulness with an exaggerated hair flip. “You know you love me.”

He lets out a hearty laugh, and that only makes you feel overwhelmed. Have you always been this funny? Does anyone else laugh this hard at your jokes?

You’re having such a good time with him that you never mind the talk about the podcast anymore. Who wants to rant about two white guys when you’re with the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen!?

David and you take a stroll on the beach. It isn’t until you’re walking on it and feel the cool air from the lake that you felt how hot it was outside earlier. The beach really soothes you. David and you are still on a sugar high from the ice-creams, and you rush finishing them so that the sand doesn’t rush up on your treats from the wind. You’re laughing so hard as he slurps his cone and tilts it up. It’s probably a disgusting view to the people around you, and that makes it more entertaining for you.

David turns around to see if anyone’s looking at him. There does appear to be an irritated family sitting on some lawn chairs. He looks at you. “And you thought I had fans.”

You hold your stomach from laughing. “Don’t kill me!”

He smiles along with your laugh. When he finishes his ice cream, he rubs his hands to get the crumbs off. He pulls out his smartphone and gasps. “Uhh… Y/N.” He shows you the time. “I think break was over looong ago.”

You gasp. “Oh fuck… You have some missed calls too!”

“It’s okay! We’ll get an uber.”

“Yeah?” You check with him. “Will it cost much?”

He slings his wrist and purses his lips. “It’s on me, it’s fine.”

“You already paid for ice-cream. Let me split this with you.”

He shrugs. “Okay. Whatever. We’ll figure it out. Let’s just get back now!” David opens the Uber app on his phone and starts ordering a ride. You both wait at the parking lot of the beach together until your ride’s here.

David and you come back to the studio in a panic. You only see the main cast and crew laugh at your dramatic entrance of running inside. David and you freeze as you look at them. You’re especially worried over what Gerard Way thinks.

“Why are you guys running!?” Emmy Raver-Lampman looks like she’s about to cry from how hard she’s laughing. You’re quite embarrassed by that. You’ve also had a bit of a crush on her. Now this woman with goddess-like features and long curly hair is seeing you all sweaty and covered in ice-cream stickiness and you’re heavily breathing.

“Yeah, you’re late, you’re late.” The 16-year-old actor with a page-boy haircut lets out a chuckle. Aidan Gallagher is like his character, Five, in real life. He’s stoic.

Robert Sheehan, the tall and scrawny man with the messy brown hair, green eyes, messy black eyeliner, and funky and colourful clothing chimes in. “David and Y/N sittin’ in a tree…”

“Honestly, where did you guys go?” The short girl with the brown hair and button-like eyes cuts in. Yes, this is your idol since tweenhood, Ellen Page. “We waited for you.”

“Where!?” David yells out.

This gets everyone to bicker over the original plans of where to meet up at lunch time. Before this can go on, a tall and burly man with long dyed-red hair and bright blue eyes cuts in. “Alright, guys. David is back. Now you can film again!” He looks over at you. “Well Y/N, you don’t have to work again for another while, unless there are scenes you can add music to right now.”

You nod your head. “Yes sir. I’m on it. Sorry we’re late!”

He rolls his eyes and laughs. “I don’t even wanna know what David and you got up to.”

This gets the cast to make scandalised faces at David and you. “As I said!” Robert calls out. “David and Y/N sittin’ in a tree!”

“Robert!” Gerard calls out. “Go back to filming.”

You lose David in the crowd of the main cast, so you don’t get to wave goodbye and thank him for a fun lunch break, which had a surprisingly pleasant and wholesome ending.

—–

It’s the day after. You enter the lounge room of the studio. You put down a box of doughnuts on a table there. On top of the box, you leave a sticky note. It reads, Sorry I was late yesterday. I got an assorted range. Hope you all enjoy these. -Y/N

You take one last look at the box and then turn around to see David. This makes you jump up. You didn’t expect to see him in. In fact, you didn’t even hear anyone come in! “Hey David.” You let out a breath.

He looks at you all confused. “Did I scare you?”

“Kind of. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Oh, my bad.” He chuckles. He looks over you and takes notice of the box of pastries. “What’s this?”

“Hmm?” You turn around to see what he’s looking at. “Oh.” You turn around back to him. “Just an apology gift for yesterday.” You laugh nervously.

He nods. “Can I split the money with you since I wanna apologise too?”

“Are you mocking me?” You scoff.

He laughs. “I mean I do feel bad about yesterday actually and I don’t wanna be late again from getting a box of doughnuts. So…”

You shrug. “It’s on me. You did pay for the Uber.”

“Thanks.” He nods.

You nod back. You’re not sure what to say next. “I should probably head to my department.”

“Yeah, sure. But first…” He looks down at the ground and then back at you. “I just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun yesterday.”

Your heart warms up and you open your mouth. You know that you should say something. “Yeah. Me too. I mean, I had a lot of fun too. With you.” You clear your throat.

He smiles. “If you… ever wanna do this again some time, I’d be down.”

You cannot believe what you’re hearing. You have been asked out by other people in the past year, and you were just irritated. You could sense the bad vibes from those people. David though, he reminds you of your crushes back in high school. You are purely excited. “Yeah. Yeah definitely.”

“Something longer than a lunch break.” He smirks.

You giggle. “Yeah, I hear that. Do you want my number by the way?”

“Oh.” He beams up. “Right, yeah. I was going to ask for that next.” He chuckles and takes his phone out of his jeans pocket.

You smile and accept the phone. He has the page for you to add your name and number on. You type everything in and hand the phone back to him. “Okay, text me at your own will.”

He laughs. “I will. I might call after work actually. Is that okay?”

You open your mouth and wanna exclaim something. You remember to play it cool though. You just love phone calls so much. They’re so intimate and they’re one of the few old-fashioned things you value. Instead of freaking him out, you simply nod your head.

He smiles one last time before saying bye and heading out the lounge room.

You know that you won’t see him in another while. He’ll be working the whole day, and so will you. You look back and forth to your side and then to his direction. You want to kiss him. But is it too soon? You don’t know, but you decide to go in for the kill. You head out the lounge room only to be stopped by Tom Hopper, the tall and muscular actor with the buzzed haircut. He shows you a photo of his babies that his wife just texted him. He’s British. It’s 1pm in England. You go along with his excitement and compliment his babies on how cute they are.

You’re in your apartment after a long day of work. You decided to stay in at the studio for your lunch break. You ate a sandwich you brought from home and watched a few finished scenes of The Umbrella Academy. You brainstormed which songs would be fitting for all of the scenes you watched today. There was a meeting for it afterwards.

You change into your comfy clothes at your apartment and get a sense of relief. You prepare some food and plop on the couch. You turn on Netflix and watch the TV show of your choice. You can’t really get into what you’re watching though. You’re too busy mindlessly munching on your food and zoning out. You wonder if Tom cockblocking you was a good idea. Chasing after David for a kiss would have definitely been a desperate move. You also try to justify your decision with the fact that you’ve known David for a while now. There are romantic implications. Maybe he wants to kiss you too.

Before you can ponder on this, you hear your phone quickly vibrate. You pick it up and see a text letting you know that it’s David. You beam up and immediately save his name and number on your phone. You text him “Hey!” He texts and asks if it’s okay to call you right now.

You text a thumbs up emoji. You anticipate the call as you look at the text thread. Your phone gives longer vibrations this time, which shows that you’re getting a call. You pick it up. “Hello?”

“Y/N.” There’s that sexy deep voice. “Hey. How’s it going?”

You can feel your heart fluttering. You’re relieved that you didn’t kiss him. It would have scared him off. Tom cockblocking you made all this worth it.

—–

You see David the next day at work. You’re both in the lounge room before your times to start. You’re the only ones in the room and smile at one another as you walk in. “So, I guess we just awkwardly look at each other before Friday?” You quip. Friday is your date with David. You’re getting dinner and plan to go back to the beach.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He smirks. “That or…” He looks away and sighs.

You furrow your brows. “Or what?”

He walks over to you from the coffee machine and holds your face. He rubs one of your cheeks with his thumb and leans in. He eyes the room before touching your lips with his.

You’re quite surprised over this. You still close your eyes and go along with it. He tastes like the black coffee he just made and sipped. He smells really good from his body spray and you get a whiff of his shampoo. He must have showered before coming here. Your lips are so relaxed on each other until he presses harder and holds your waist to lean you in. You wrap your arms around his neck. You both sigh in the kiss until he decides to let go.

He looks at you and rubs your cheek with his thumb one last time before pecking your nose and walking out the room.

You are stunned. Much to your luck, he also had an urge to kiss you.

#the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy fluff #the umbrella academy fanfiction #tua #tua fluff #tua fanfiction #diego hargreeves #diego hargreeves x reader #diego hargreeves fluff #diego hargreeves fanfiction #david castañeda #david castañeda fluff #david castañeda fanfiction #david castañeda x reader

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itsabirditsabatitsaflyingrayson · 5 years ago

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Monday

6:30 am, Wayne Manor. Nine-year-old Dick Grayson is the only one awake. The sun is just starting to think about rising as Dick climbs out of his second story window. He's done this a hundred times before in the six months he's been in Wayne Manor, and it only takes him about ten seconds to get to the roof. He sits up there, watching the sunrise. There aren't any sounds up here, except maybe the faint chirping from trees down below. It's very lonely, but a good kind of lonely. Like all there is is himself and the rosy, endless sky. Like everything belongs to him, or maybe like he belongs to it. He sits there, simply enjoying his existence, and for once he is completely still.

7:00 am, the kitchen at Wayne Manor. Alfred is awake by now, but he's off somewhere else in the house doing Alfred things, so Dick is free to climb up onto the counters and get himself a bowl of cereal. He thinks about leaving without writing a note for Bruce, but decides he isn't that irresponsible. B'll freak out, and so will Alfred, in a very calm and composed way. (Unless he already knows, you can never tell with Alfred.) He writes his note on a Post-it and sticks it on the coffee maker where he knows Bruce will see it when he wakes up.

7:30 am, somewhere on the outskirts of Gotham. Dick does a handstand in an ancient apple tree that stands all alone on a hill that looks too green to be real. School at Gotham Academy starts at eight fifteen. It takes about fifteen minutes to get there from Wayne Manor on the winding, genteel roads by car. Running, jumping hedges cutting through private property, it takes about ten. But if you want to have fun with it, if you explore the the gentle, rolling hills with their pockets of solitary mansions and breathtaking(ly expensive) gardens along the way, it takes about an hour. Dick doesn't care much about people's private property. The rich of Gotham seem to have way too much of it, anyway. And what they never saw couldn't hurt them. Dick has turned running through elaborately cared for grounds and climbing on mansions without being seen into an art form. Once upon the time the world was Dick's playground. Now Gotham is. He misses traveling with a deep yearning. Haley's would have been in Paris this time of year. Paris is his favorite city. But now Dick is learning, slowly, how to find the excitement of discovering new places, new worlds, even while confined to a single city. Dick doesn't know of many places so blatantly separated into rich and poor. Most cities do, of course, have nice areas and less nice areas, but there's usually at least some transition. Gotham has no transition. Within the city proper all is decrepit and falling apart, everyone is poor, everything is dirty. But on the outskirts it's completely different. The landscape is all rolling hills and dotted with the manors of the disgustingly rich. The streets of Gotham belong to Robin, and they have taken Robin to be their own. At night he dances over grimy rooftops, and swings from their crumbling gargoyles and decrepit fire escapes, unearthing their dirty secrets. And once in a while, he finds a beautiful one. He's pretty sure that that Dick Grayson will never belong in the world of the upper class, but he has come to feel as though, maybe, he can learn to enjoy it. This land of the super wealthy is foreign to him, but that is what makes it exciting. Dick does a quadruple summersault, jumping from the tree, and runs. He has spent a bit more time there than he had intended, looking for apples (because he knew for a fact that the people who own it won't bother to pick them) and he there's a door in a hedge a little ways ahead that has a magical look to it.

8:20, Gotham Academy Dick is a whole five minutes late. He rushes in to class, muttering quick apologies to his teacher, while the other children all jeer at him in a very civilized manner. The rich of Gotham are almost all painfully civilized. Dick's teacher gives him a scornful glare for half a second and returns to the lesson like he doesn't exist. Dick's teacher hates him. With a passion. Dick isn't sure if this is because she, like most people in Gotham is racist/classist/whatever-ist and he's a gypsy circus brat, or because he gets bored and just cannot sit still, or because he asks questions she can't answer, or because despite all that, he still manages to be top in his class of kids all two years older than him in everything except english. It's probably a combination. Dick sighs and tries to concentrate on what she's saying, but instead ends up wondering how far he can tip his chair back before he falls backward. Really far, it turns out. He never falls but his teacher glares at him again and he tilts upright. He's trying to be good, honest.

12:00, Gotham Academy Cafeteria It doesn't take Dick long to spot his best friend, Barbara Gordon. She's two years older than him and one grade ahead. Her father is the police commisioner, so she's here for her safety. She looks almost as out of place here as Dick does, and would get bullied almost as much, except that she's seriously scary when she's mad. Dick may be Robin, but he's also a nine-year-old who looks way younger, the perfect target. Even as Robin he's not really scary . Awesome, but not scary. And he has no way to defend himself without compromising his identity. Besides, he doesn't hurt kids. Babs, though, has neither of these reservations. She once punched Derek Thompson for picking on Dick, and gave him a black eye that lasted over a week. Dick sits at Barbara's table and they chat about mostly nothing until the bell rings.

3:45, Gotham Academy Bruce and Alfred come to pick Dick up from school. Dick isn't sure why they both have to come, but they always do. Bruce is furious at Dick for going off to school on his own that morning. He gives a long lecture about safety, and letting adults know where you are. Personally, Dick thinks he pretty much won every safety argument for all time when he finally made Bruce give in and let him become Robin. And Dick had let Bruce know where he was. Alfred doesn't say anything, but his eyes twinkle just a little, so Dick knows he knew all along.

When they get home Dick suddenly jumps up onto Bruce and hugs him. Bruce tenses up like he always does, like he doesn't know what a hug is, and Dick thinks it's kind of adorable. "Thanks," Dick says. He's not quite sure why he says it, what he's thanking bruce for. Thank you for taking me in? Thank you for giving me a life as Robin? Thank you for worrying? Maybe he just says "Thanks" because he's not quite ready yet to say, "I love you". This new world with Bruce and Alfred and Babs, with rich Gotham and poor Gotham, it's a strange one, but he's beginning to think it's his. Haley's Circus will always be home, but they say home is where the heart is, and when your heart is broken, you can keep it in more than one place.

#My stuff #fic and fic-like things #Dick Grayson #old fic

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miachanelparker · 5 years ago

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Retail Therapy

INVOLVED: Tyler Carter and Mia Carter TIME FRAME: Friday, March 13th, 2020 LOCATION: Shopping Center; Houston,Texas SUMMARY: Tyler takes Mia to go shopping for some new bras, due to their pregnancy.

Tyler moved into the store with Mia, his hand on the small of her back as they entered. He looked around casually, his other hand resting in his pocket. “Bra’s?” he questioned to be sure as they moved further into the department store.

Mia nodded her head at Tyler as she walked alongside him, “I really need some to measure me” she thought idly as sipped on her hot honey citrus mint tea from Starbucks. She grabbed Tyler’s hand before she reached in her pocket for her phone dropping his hand, she looked at the size that she was now in her notes before she tucked her phone back into her Gucci sweatpants.

Tyler rubbed her back gently as they moved towards the women’s lingerie section. “Alright, we can find someone to do that,” he said thoughtfully as they moved closer and closer to the department. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out, looking at the caller ID. It was his mom. He slid it back into his pocket without answering it, grimacing a little. “We have to go see my parents,” he said sighing out deeply. “Ma keeps blowing me up.”

Mia drank some more of the tea, it helped settle her stomach for now, so she was happy about that. She could use more sweetener though. As they entered the lingerie department, she nodded her head at him. Hearing his phone, she continued to mind her business as she walked up towards a woman she thought worked in the section. “I told you” she stressed looking back at him, as she adjusted the Chanel bag on her shoulder.

Tyler moved with Mia swiftly as they entered the lingerie section. “Excuse me,” he said to the woman working the section, trying to get her attention. He looked at Mia, chuckling softly as he drug his hand down his face now. “I know, I know,” he said, shaking his head.

“And it doesn’t help you are ignoring her calls” Mia said to him tilting her head as she pursed her lips at him. “The next free day we have we are going” she said to him seriously. She turned to the woman again and she said “excuse me” getting her attention fully. “Hi” she breathed out “I am in desperate need of being resized” she said to the woman “and to search for some new comfortable bras” she said. “I am expecting, and I think I’ve outgrown my older ones” she told her.

The woman turned around to the couple and she smiled “okay” she told her as she removed her measuring tape from around her neck. “Okay, no problem we can get you sized and found you some bras that work well for you” she told her before she gestured for them to go to the fitting room for more privacy. “My name is Bethany by the way” she told them both. “How far along are you?” she asked.

Tyler sighed out. “All she’s going to do is cuss me out,” he said knowingly. “Alright, this weekend,” he said thoughtfully, though he knew what he was in for with his parents, really his mother, and he knew it had a lot of ass to kiss. As they approached the women, he nodded slowly alongside Mia.

Mia felt as if he were lying but she said nothing back to him, him stalling would only make it worse that was obvious. And to be honest she wouldn’t claim they shouldn’t be cursed out because they should be. What they did was wrong. She took another sip of her drink as they walked with the woman to the fitting room. “Here” she said handing Tyler the cup knowingly as she raised her arms. “I’m just 9 weeks” Mia told the girl with a smirk.

Bethany turned to face Mia once they were inside and she smiled “awe” she said in response to her. As Mia raised her arms up for her, she used the measuring tape to measure out her bra size before she asked “what were you wearing before” curiously.

“About a 46 double D” Mia said softly having just read that on her phone, after taking a photo of her bra tag on her phone.

“Okay, I am measuring you at about a 46 triple D or E rather” Bethany breathed as she dropped the tape. “So, your cup size has changed” she told her. “Were there any particular bra styles you were looking to get?” she asked her next.

Tyler stood there, hands in his pockets as the woman measured Mia and he nodded slowly, biting his lip. 46DD to a 46E was a jump but Tyler wasn’t opposed to it at all. He loved Mia’s breasts, Mia’s whole body truly. As the woman finished measuring Mia, Tyler stepped behind her, pressing his chest to her back, his free hand on her stomach protectively.

Mia nodded her head a hiss leaving her lips, if that were the case what size would she be once their child was born. She sighed to herself as she rested her hand on her full hip before she grabbed her drink from Tyler sipping some more tea down. “Uh” she said to hung up on her bra size. She looked at him before she shrugged “I don’t know really, something maybe with less padding and a little more support” she said to her seriously.

Bethany nodded her head at the woman “okay, will do” she said to her as she moved into sections that carried her size. “We don’t carry many styles in your size, they’d have to be ordered” she told her politely. “Sorry about that” she added “but we do have some bras in store, that are lightly lined that I think you may like and all the neutral colors come in your size” she told her as she picked up a black one showing Mia.

Tyler pursed his lips as the woman explained to them the options in Mia’s size. “Is there any particular reason you don’t care more selections in this size in the store? The world is chock full of women of all different sizes,” he huffed out, irritated.

Bethany looked at the woman and she frowned slightly “I am not sure why sir, it’s just a known policy and fact” she said to him seriously as she looked to Mia now. “But again, we can order it here in store and have it sent directly to you” she told them both, looking between them. The tall lighter man’s aggression scared her not to mention his appearance.

Mia slyly placed her hand on Tyler’s chest trying to calm him down knowingly, he got upset easily and it didn’t bother her, but she knew it bother others who didn’t know him. And the girl’s face said it all as she looked at him frighteningly. “I can get neutral colors” she told the girl needing something right now. The bra she had on right now was annoying her, not to mention she was spilling out of the top and you could tell it through her shirt, she didn’t like that.

Tyler looked down at Mia as she placed her hand on his chest and he puffed it up some, as he returned his eyes to the young woman as she answered his question. “Policy?” he scoffed. “Bullshit,” he said next before he grew quiet, silently seething. He did not play when it came to Mia. Not even a little bit. “Alright we are going to get about 4, then I’m taking you to a professional boutique,” he told Mia before his voice raised a little, “where they carry all sizes all the time.”

Bethany looked to Tyler as he got angrier in her opinion and began to curse at her about the situation. She sat the bra back down and backed away from them a bit not knowing how to respond in this situation, obviously he was a thug of some type maybe even a drug dealer by the looks of things. How else would two black people be able to afford things like Chanel and Gucci?

Mia looked back at the girl offering her smile before she turned and looked at Tyler slowly, her eyes wide. Oh goodness, she thought to herself then. She took a long sip of her tea and she turned back to the girl, Mia pulled the cup from her lips and she said “I would prefer to black ones and two tans ones in that bra” she said maintaining her outwardly nice attitude. She could apologize for him, but Mia knew that would upset him more, so she just carried on instead.

Tyler watched as the white woman shrouded away from him and he rolled his eyes. This racist bitch, he thought to himself before he turned and walked away, leaving Mia to it; but he didn’t stray too far, just over to the shoe section as he eyed a fresh pair of kicks.

Nodding Bethany, grabbed what Mia asked for and she moved to the cash register to ring her up for them. Glad the man had walked away, what did the nice lady see in him? “Boyfriend?” she asked her.

Mia tucked her lips away as the girl grabbed all four bras and when she moved for the register Mia followed. She looked to see Tyler was gone, but you couldn’t miss him standing over near the shoes from where she was. At the woman’s sly comment, she corrected her proudly “husband” she said to her.

Tyler picked up the shoes, eyeing them closely, turning them in various angles to see if he really liked them or not before he decided that he didn’t. He sat them back down before he looked around, spotting Mia over at the register. He walked over, standing behind Mia as he pulled out his wallet and dropped his black card on the counter, staring the woman in her eyes.

Bethany looked at her as she began to ring her up and remove the sensors “husband?” she said shocked. “Wow” she breathed slyly as Tyler moved towards her and she looked at his card and then up at him. “May I see some ID” she asked him sweetly as she came to the total “two thirty-nine” she said “and ninety-six cents” she breathed looking at them both again.

Mia looked to her sitting the cup down, she narrowed her eyes at her only slightly before she moved to reach in her bag for her wallet. When Tyler showed back up standing beside her, she tucked her wallet back away and she looked at Tyler slowly as the woman asked for some ID.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at the woman as he pulled his ID out of his wallet, tossing it in the woman’s direction irritated. He licked his lips slowly, looking down at Mia with a look before he looked back at the woman, sucking his teeth.

Mia rested her hand on Tyler’s back as he pulled out his ID for the woman surprised that he actually did it without putting up a larger fight. She took another sip of her drink nearly finishing it now as he paid for the bras.

Bethany looked to the ID as the man tossed it and she checked the both out, taking extra-long to make sure it all checked out before she handed it back to the man. “Card machine is right there” she pointed to him swiftly as she wrapped and bagged the bras up for Mia, handing it over.

Tyler shifted on his feet, biting his tongue to keep from lashing out at the woman. As she handed him the cards back, he shoved his credit card into the machine before he looked down at Mia once more. He had, had it. “What's your HR managers name?” he asked the woman curiously. “Be a doll and write it on the receipt along with their direct work line,” he told her.

Mia continued to stand there quietly, she looked off in the distance as the girl flipped the card a thousand ways before handing it back. She gripped Tyler’s shirt lightly, please don’t let this end in security being called is all she could hope for. When he went on to ask the girl for her HR managers name and number, Mia grabbed the bag and held it in her hand. She wished she could be apologetic, but the girl was an ass for what she was doing.

Bethany looked to Tyler as she waited for the transaction to process when he asked for HR’s name and number, she furrowed her brows. Interestingly, he raised his voice at her and cursed at her and felt the need to get her in trouble. “Not aware of it sir” she said back to him cutely. As the receipt printed however she handed it over to him and said “but you have a nice day” easily as she moved from the counter and walked back to the section she was tending to before they bothered her.

Tyler’s jaw clenched at the girl’s purposeful aloofness and he nodded slowly as he placed his hand on Mia’s hip, gripping it tightly. He read the girl’s name tag, Bethany, he’d remember that. It wasn’t hard to get some attention in a store like this. Tyler took the receipt and his card, out of the machine, slipping both in his pocket before he placed his hand on Mia’s back, ushering her towards the door as they passed items on shelves and racks, he began snatching them off and tossing them everything and knocking things down. Surely the manager would come running.

Mia looked to Tyler and when he chose to walk away, she commended him subconsciously. Good. She moved for the exit bag in hand, drink in the other and she only looked back when she felt him leave her side. “Oh, my goodness” she breathed as she turned looking at him fully. “Tyler” she said with no real effort to stop him in her voice, it was a mixture of disbelief and a desire to just go. “Tyler” she breathed again all while pushing the door open with her back, moving out of the department store.

Tyler looked at Mia and he knew she wanted to leave but he had to say something, anything. Uh, was it really worth it? Looking at Mia as she moved out of the store, he sighed deeply. He would let it go for now, but if he caught Bethany in the streets, it was on. He moved for Mia swiftly, making one last stand and pushing over an entire rack as it passed it before he moved out of the store with Mia.

“What was that?” Mia asked him as he finally walked out to join her “you only proved what she was implying” she said looking back to make sure security wasn’t head for them. “Why do you get so angry so quickly?” she said tossing the cup in the trash as she stepped down moving for his car, looking back again.

Tyler licked his lips slowly as he walked beside Mia, now outside of the store. “I was trying to get the managers attention,” he huffed slightly. At Mia’s question he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t like people fucking with you,” he told her truthfully.

Mia looked to him as he spoke and she licked her lips, she looked back again so unsure of what would happen if someone came and pursued them. “You have to control that” she said to him seriously as they moved for his car, moving closer and closer to it. She stopped him, her hand resting against his chest as she gripped his shirt. “Look at me” she said “we don’t live in a society where you can do that” she stressed. “Something could happen to you” she said looking up at his eyes intensely. “Calm it down” she breathed “I am okay” she said.

Tyler pulled his keys from his pocket and hit the button, unlocking the G-Wagon as they drew closer. As Mia stopped him, he looked down at her as she asked. He bit his lip hard and let out a deep sigh with a nod. “I have to protect you,” Tyler said. “Rather that means scaring a little white girl or busting some heads,” he told her, gazing back into her eyes.

At his words she tried to keep her serious stance however she couldn’t help but chuckle at him. She shook her head and looked back into his eyes knowing he was serious “I know” she said softly, she leaned up pecking his lips. “And I appreciate that baby, I do. But it’s not just you and I anymore” she reminded him. “I fear for you when you aren’t near me baby. People already have their judgement made up; I don’t want to give them more to grasp onto” Mia said lovingly. His lifestyle scared the hell out of her now, every waking minute he left her to do whatever it is he did she feared he wouldn’t return. The streets had no love for guys like him and their age, it was dangerous. And everyday life of a black man wasn’t far behind that.

Tyler licked his lips slowly and he sighed once more. She had a point but that just meant he had to protect her twice as hard. “Okay baby, I’ll chill,” he told her easily. “But you don’t have to worry about me. It’s not like I be on the corner slanging,” he told her chuckling. “I don’t even really slang like that. I let other people do it and just collect bands. Work smarter not harder.”

At his words she gave him a knowing look, it would take some getting used to comprehending his occupation. Mia walked backwards towards her side of the car; she sat the bag in the backseat before she moved for her door. “I worry anyway,” she said.

Tyler moved with Mia, opening her the door for her and he offered her his hand, helping her into the truck. “I know baby,” he said softly. “I’ll chill, promise,” he told her gently, pressing a peck to her lips.

Mia nodded to Tyler as she climbed into his car and got situated. As he leaned in for a kiss, she met him halfway. “Thank you” she said softly. She would never understand how much he was on her mind and how much she prayed for his safety every day, more so than ever. There were so many chicks she knew via Instagram or of celebrity status that lost their loved ones all the time. Rather it had to do with drugs or not, people were angry and bitter nowadays and jealousy was costing more people in Tyler’s status then the occupation that brought them the fame. She loved him and she knew she couldn’t keep him safe, but she tried very hard.

Tyler closed the door behind Mia after she was situated and he moved around to his side of the truck, hopping in. He quickly started up the car and backed out of the space, before he was cruising out of the parking lot. He tapped the screen on the navigation system in the car as he came to a stop sign. He found the directions to a boutique that specialized in bras before he hit navigate. As the directions loaded up, he continued to sit there, looking over at Mia, he said, “I’m sorry for embarrassing you and causing a scene.”

Mia looked over at Tyler as he turned on the navigation system and began to travel to the next destination. “It’s okay” she told him quietly “don’t apologize babe. I know why you do it, I just think you have to dial it back” she said. These days she has a short fuse. How could she judge? “I appreciate you going out of your way to accommodate us, after everything” she said to him, looking away. The thing with Asia happened, she gave him his time frame and that was that.

Tyler reached over, his hand resting on her thigh easily as he moved down the street, following the directions. He looked over at her briefly and he nodded slowly. He knew he was a little rough around the edges with his looks and all of his tattoos, but he honestly was just chilling, until someone fucked with Mia. Which people just loved to do for some reason, making him want to reach for his piece. “It won’t be easy, but I am going to try my best to keep a more leveled head.”

Mia nodded her head at him “thank you babe” she said softly. She rested her hand on his and on his stroking gently. She licked her lips, thankful that her stomach was settled for now. She adjusted the seat and got comfortable unknowing how long it would take for them to get there. He didn’t have to go this far but she understood why he was doing it. Four bras would do for now, but the bra thing did annoy her to death in Paris and she guessed they just needed to handle it now.

Tyler nodded at Mia before he looked back to the street, making his way to the boutique. After about 45 minutes they arrived at the specialty store and Tyler parked in the small lot, looking around curiously before he got out and moved around to Mia’s side. He opened her door, offering her his hand.

Mia rested in the car with her arms folded over her chest as she slept in the car beside Tyler. After ten minutes or so she realized that they had a long drive and honestly her eyes fell heavy on their own and ultimately closed. So even now as he pulled up and parked, she rested tiredly underneath her seat belt.

Tyler looked at Mia sitting there asleep and he chuckled softly to himself as he leaned into the car and kissed her lips. “Wake up sleepy head,” he told her softly.

Mia felt Tyler’s lips brush against her, and she shifted herself lightly as she moved to wake up. “I’m tired” she whined to him gently looking at him with sleepy eyes. However, she unfastened herself and moved to get out of the car, grabbing his hand she stepped down before she reached back to grab her bag placing it on her shoulder. She leaned into him her bottom lip poked out as she wrapped her arms around his midsection, hanging off of him like a child. All this pregnancy had amounted to so far if her sleeping, peeing, and throwing up.

Tyler smirked at Mia as she whined at him and got up. He held her lovingly as she grabbed her things before melting into his side. He closed the far door and smiled as he dropped a kiss on her forehead, leaning her into the boutique. “Hello, hello,” he said as they entered.

Mia continued to hug him to her for dear life as she rested silently, all she needed was a few more minutes with her eyes closed. However, as they walked into the building she leaned up a little looking around “hi” she said quietly, Mia got cranky when woken up lately but she kept it at bay. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault how she felt. She tucked some of her long hair behind her ear, still sporting a middle part and she moved to find her size idly taking the merchandise in.

Tanya came around the counter, smiling at the couple as they entered and greeted her. “Hi, how y’all doing today?” she asked as she moved for Mia. “Did you have any questions or need help finding anything today?” she asked. “We’ve got a buy one, get one half off special going on right now on our bra’s and our panties are five for twenty,” she explained to Mia sweetly.

Tyler guided Mia into the store as the perky, up-beat woman came around the counter. He followed Mia over to her size range and released her and allowed her to search for what she wanted. Looking around himself, he picked up a nice red lace bra in Mia’s size and held it up to her with a cheesy smile.

Mia looked to the woman as she spoke and she sighed softly “good, yeah I am looking for bras in a size a 46 triple D” she told the woman as she rested her hands on her full hips. At this point Mia was too tired for words and she looked over at her husband with a smirk “you like that one?” she asked him knowingly. “Is that even my size?” she asked curiously.

Tanya could see that the woman was tired, so she offered her a seat. “Would you like to sit down?” she asked politely, pointing to the plush chair. “46DDD,” she repeated with a nod as she turned to a wall, gesturing to it. “This entire wall would be your size,” she said with a bright smile. “We have bras with padding, no padding, underwire, no underwire,” she took a breath before continuing, “we also have maternity and nursing bras, as well as bandeaus and corsets,” she explained.

Tyler nodded his head. “I do,” he told her, still smiling. “Yes, it sure is,” he said with an even brighter smile, he knew Mia was tired, so he hoped his antics would keep her up just a little longer. He knew once they got home, he would just be carrying her to the bedroom because he wouldn’t want to wake her up again after this. As the store clerk explained what they had and pointed out the options, Tyler began picking up a few bras for Mia thoughtfully, grabbing her 5 of each type.

Mia looked to the woman nodding her head at her “I am actually pregnant” she told the woman. “And my size has changed” she informed her “so I was looking for something comfortable” she told her. “Maybe some with and without underwire” she told her before she noticed her husband and she bit down on her lip. “He’s picking some out” she pointed to the woman with a chuckle. “Thank you though” she said. He liked the red one and it was in her size so that clearly meant they were getting it however she looked at the large quantity and said “babe” with a chuckle “do you think I need all of those?” she asked. “I am sure they are probably going to get larger when the baby arrives… you know breast feeding and stuff” she informed him.

Tanya stepped out of the way as the man began picking up items and she chuckled at how many he was gathering. She looked at the woman and she smiled. “Awe, how many weeks are you?” she asked sweetly as she admired the rock on Mia’s finger. “Beautiful,” she said as she pointed from her distance.

Tyler gathered the bras in his large hands before he stopped and turned to look at Mia. “Bigger?” he asked, his mouth salivating a little and he slurped before swallowing hard. He blinked slowly, clearing his head before he said, “I’d rather you have too many then too little and if we need to, we’ll just come back and get a bigger size when the time comes,” he said thoughtfully.

Mia turned back to the woman and she chuckled “I am only 9 weeks” she clarified before she told her. “But the body goes through so many changes in the early stages, it’s crazy” she breathed. She didn’t know if the woman knew from experience and perhaps if she did, she didn’t have the same issues but for Mia she knew she could tell subtle changes often. Mia looked at her ring finger and she smiled “thank you” she said politely. “My husband is so thoughtful, isn’t he?” she asked the woman as he continued to pick up items and she chuckled. “Okay” she replied easily to Tyler as he moved, it was refreshing to have a man who handled his business and took care of his family. She really loved him for that. “I suppose that makes sense, I’d need nursing bras and stuff too in the future” she shrugged.

Tanya said sweetly, “oh! That’s so wonderful,” she said cupping her hands under her chin as she nodded along to Mia’s words. “I have two little ones at home, girl, I understand.” Looking back at the tall man, she chuckled once more. “That he is,” she said before she looked at Mia once more. “Let me know if you two need any help,” she said as two more people entered the store and she greeted them happily.

Tyler nodded slowly. “I grabbed some,” he said holding up the hand that contained the nursing and maternity bras. “Do you think we should grab more?” he asked thoughtfully before he moved to the counter, piling what he had picked up down. He turned to Mia once more before he asked, “panties?” as he walked over to where they resided.

Mia nodded at the woman “thanks” she told her again before she moved over to her husband. This was going to cost them a pretty penny not that they had very wise spending habits as of late. She blew tons of money in Paris. “I don’t think so baby, that’s enough,” she told him, where was she even going to put all these bras now? They have to have their own section in the walk-in closet at this point. “Panties,” she repeated back to him “might as well” she shrugged as she followed him, trying to keep up. “I am going to sit down” she informed him, his long legs carried him further and quicker. She sighed as she finally did, rolling her neck.

Tyler moved for the panties and he looked over the various options, biting his lip. He picked up a couple of thongs and boy shorts in her size, for his own viewing pleasure before he began to grab her regular underwear, along with some maternity one, where the front elastic stretched with her stomach. After he had what he felt she would need, he placed them on the counter as well, waiting patiently.

Tanya helped another customer but looked back at Tyler and Mia occasionally so that she could help them check-out whenever they were ready. So, when she looked over her shoulder and saw Tyler standing at her counter, she excused herself and rushed over. She began to ring up and bag the items one-by-one until she was finished, applying the bulk discounts and all. “Your total will be two thousand, four hundred and two dollars and seventy-nine cents.”

Mia rested back on the chair and she licked her lips as she looked around the place, it was a great spot and she was glad that he had found it. As she looked for him and saw him at the counter she smirked, thankfully. Let a yawn fall from her lips and she covered her mouth thinking about the work she had to finish when she got home.

Nodding slowly, Tyler pulled his wallet out without a problem and slid his card from his wallet, handing it over easily. Money was no object to Tyler when it came to Mia and their baby. Two grand was nothing, he made fifteen times that daily.

Tanya took the card from Tyler and swiped it easily before she handed it back to him. The receipt printed out and she placed it in the bag, along with a few cards for the boutique before she handed the bag over with a bright smile.

Mia moved to stand up finally moving over to him as she looked at the total with wide eyes as she looked at him. She couldn’t believe he’d spent that much on her for some undergarments at that. She leaned against him gently resting her hand on his back as she smiled at the woman as she handed the bags over. “Thanks again” she told her as she reached her hand out “want me to carry something?” she asked him.

“Thank you,” Tyler said as he took the bags and he looked down at Mia as she leaned into him. He smiled, kissing her forehead, “no I got it,” he told her as he wrapped his arm around her body, leading her out of the store.

Mia nodded as she continued to lean against him “I don’t know why I am so tired all of the time” she stressed even as a yawn left her. She closed her eyes for a moment before she told him “I just need a quick nap” she said softly.

Chuckling Tyler said, “you’re creating life 24/7,” gently as he hugged her close. As they got out to the car, he opened her door and helped her inside before he placed her bags in the back seat. “Just a nap,” he repeated her with a knowing smile.

At his words she smirked at him, it was a fact but still. “I know” Mia said in response as she moved to climb up in the car with his help. Once she was in, she sat her bag aside and buckled up as she got comfortable again, folding her arms over her chest before she yawned again.

Tyler climbed into the car himself and quickly moved out of the parking lot, heading home. “You hungry?” he asked her softly, reaching over to rub her thigh as he moved down the street.

Mia looked at Tyler and she smiled widely her dimples caressingly deeply as she looked at him. “Yes” she sang out to him happily. Food, sleep, and sex ruled her life right now. “You know I’m hungry babe” she said tucking her lips in.

Tyler glanced over at Mia and he smirked, his hand gripping her thigh as he chuckled. “What you want to eat?” he asked her lovingly.

Mia batted her lashes and she smiled saying “chickfila” easily to him. She was addicted and had been for a minute now, way before the pregnancy.

Tyler smirked at Mia. He knew it. He was honestly already headed there; it was just down the street from them now. He pulled into the parking lot and said, “I was already headed here,” with a smile. He moved into the line and began the wait, though the line usually moved pretty swiftly.

He knew her so well; he probably knew her order without thinking. It was the same thing every time a number 3, 12 count nugget, large fry, large lemonade and sweet tea mixed. Mia shifted in her seat blinking heavily, she could wait to eat and then fall asleep on their car ride home. “You know why I want?” She asked him.

“Of course, I do,” Tyler told her smirking. As they pulled up to the window, he ordered for her. “Yeah, get I get a number 3, 12 count with a large fry, well-done, and a large lemonade and sweet tea mixture?” he asked, taking a breath to make sure they had it correct before he ordered for himself. “Can I also get the spicy deluxe sandwich with a large fry, also well done, and a strawberry lemonade, extra, extra chick-fil-a sauce in the bag as well.”

Mia smirked at him and nodded her head as he ordered her them both. She ran her hand down her hair gently, allowing it to flow down to her lap. She shifted again in the seat before she said “thanks baby” sweetly to him, he had been a trooper despite being in the guest bedroom and in the doghouse right now. She could respect him doing what she asked and actively honoring her wishes. It might have been time for him to come back into the room now, not that he hadn’t snuck in previously anyhow. At least he was trying to pretend he was obeying.

Tyler nodded as the worker read the order back to him and he said, “that’s it,” as he was given his total. He pulled around the corner and looked over at Mia. “You’re welcome babe,” he told her lovingly, his hand giving her thigh another squeeze before he released her and reached into the glove compartment, grabbing a twenty out of the wad, to pay for their meals. He looked at the wad before he shrugged and handed it to Mia. “Spoil yourself.” Pulling up to the window, he handed the guy behind the window the twenty.

Mia licked her lips and she looked down at his hand and said “I think it’s time for you to come back in the room” lovingly as she stroked his beard with her long acrylic nails. She licked her lips again before he reached over her to get some money out and when he handed her wad of cash over, she smirked at. “Okay” she said in her baby soft voice as she unraveled it and stuck the thick stack of cash into her Chanel bag. Mia was about to blow another bag honey, no hesitation.

Tyler took his change back from the guy before he dropped it into the center console and pulled forward. He grabbed the bags of food readily and thanked the woman before he handed Mia her bag. He grabbed the drinks and placed them into the cup holders before he pulled off. Reaching inside of his own bag, he grabbed a few sauces and gave them to Mia knowingly. He pulled out of the lot and began making his way to their home.

Mia looked at Tyler as he handed her bag of food and she accepted it. Moving to pull items out of it to eat. As she accepted the sauces happily having popped two waffle fries into her mouth, she chewed happily around her mouth full. Mia cracked the sauce open and began dipping nuggets in it, tossing them back like they were nothing. And every now and again she’d toss a waffle fry in the sauce and into her mouth.

Tyler moved down the street, reaching into his bag every now and again to grab a fry and pop it into his mouth hungrily. He cruised the remaining distance to their home, and he pulled into the parking lot, wilding up the levels until he pulled into his designated space beside his motorcycle. He parked and slid from the car, bag of food in hand. He moved around to Mia’s side, opening her door.

Mia tossed eight nuggets back easily, and she more than halfway down with her fries too as he pulled up to the parking garage. She wanted to finish before she got out, she pouted a little as she ate down two more nuggets and she finished her fries fatiguing her mouth before he rounded to her side of the car. “Babe you have to get the bags,” she said, stalling as she finished the last two nuggets in her box and then closed it all stuffing the trash in the bag.

Tyler chuckled softly and he nodded as he opened the back door and grabbed the bags. He collected them all in one hand, with the food, and he returned to Mia with a smile. “Ready?” he asked her.

As he moved back to her side, she licked her lips and nodded her head at him as she grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car. Mia grabbed her cup and Tyler’s cup before she closed the door with her hip as began sipping down her drink thirstily moving towards the door to their condominium.

Tyler chuckled softly at Mia and he moved with her to the lobby. He placed his freehand on her lower back, moving to the elevator with her easily. He pushed the button and the doors opened immediately. Stepping inside he hit their floor watching as the doors closed. “You going to be knockeddd,” he said knowingly, rubbing her back.

Mia moved through the lobby, her exhaustion already setting in now that she was nice and full. She licked her lips as she moved into the elevator and she looked at him with a smirk on her face. “Hush” she told him softly as she leaned into his side with a smirk as they rode the elevator up.

Tyler chuckled softly as he held Mia close and he whispered, “so I can really come back into the bedroom?” He had been dying sleeping on the guest bed, it wasn’t as soft and comfortable as their bed. Plus, he tossed and turned most of the night without Mia’s warm body by his side, which is why oftentimes, he found himself sneaking to cuddle up beside her anyway. Reaching their floor, the doors opened, and Tyler moved out of the elevator, down the hall to their door. He swiped the card and opened the door for Mia, King scampering and sliding across the hardwood floors to get to the door and greet his parents.

Mia looked at him and she nodded “yes, I miss my husband. And his belly rubs. And his cuddles late at night when he rolls over after waking himself with his own snore” she said with a pout on her lip before she chuckled. “We shouldn’t be sleeping apart anyway, that’s not what married people do I am sure” she said to him on a more serious note. “I am over the Asia thing. You said you would handle this stuff and I need to believe you… to trust you on that” she said. As they moved into their home she looked at King and chuckled, sitting the stuff down in the kitchen she picked him up and cooed “mama’s baby” she said as she held him to her chest, kicking her shoes off in the process as she toed them off one at a time.

Tyler bit his lip. He did not snore. Absolutely not. Okay, maybe just a little. “I don’t snore,” he said with a laugh and a playful scoff. “It’s not,” he said growing serious as well. “I miss you too Mia,” he said truthfully. “It’s already handled,” he told her. As King slid across the floor, scuffing it a little, Tyler groaned. “Oh buddy,” he said, shaking his head. Closing the door behind them, he sat Mia’s bags down on the counter for now. King barked softly, happily, his tail wagging as he lapped at Mia’s face.

“You missed you mama huh?” Mia asked the puppy as he licked at her face and she looked down at the floor. “Daddy is going to get you” she said holding him up to her face as she looked in his eyes. “You have to slow down” she reminded him as she kissed the top of his head gently. She moved past the items and said “I will take them to the guest room for when I make my vlog” she breathed out as she moved through the kitchen and up where their room was with King in her arms. When she finally reached the room, Mia rested him on their bed, before she dropped her sweatpants and climbed in bed with just her boy shorts and t-shirt on. She got into bed and she didn’t bother touching anything, she didn’t even touch her hair or put it up before she got under the covers snuggling their dog and closing her eyes tiredly.

Tyler shook his head as King stole all of the attention and he pouted slightly, still eyeing his floors. He would have to buff them out then put down a coating to prevent more scratching. King continued to yap and wag his tail happily. The puppy hated being home alone in the big place. He still couldn’t work the steps by himself, so he was always stuck on whatever floor they left him on until they got home. “I’ll take them up take them up for you babe,” he told her as he moved to wash his hands before he opened his bag and uncovered his sandwich, biting into it hungrily. He watched Mia ascend the steps and he called out, “I’ll be up soon,” though he knew she would be long sleep by the time he arrived.

Mia allowed King to cuddle up near her chest as she got comfortable. Adjusting the pillows how she wanted them and in a flash she was asleep. Rather King moved or not she was good and sleep for the day, she would probably get up a little later and eat something maybe force a little sex on Tyler though she didn’t have to do much but mention that to him and she knew she’d get it. But for right now, sleep.

Tyler ate his sandwich and fries quickly before he tossed all the trash. He washed his hands and grabbed her bags, moving up the steps swiftly. He moved into the guest bedroom, hanging all of the new bras in that closet for the time being. With that done, Tyler moved into the bedroom with a bright smile and he toed off his shoes and climbed into the bed with his wife, his hand on her stomach as he pulled her close, cuddling into her thickness and warmth.

#thread #thread: retail therapy #thread: tyler amari

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kyle-valenti · 5 years ago

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As the Sun Sets the Moon Rises (3/?)

chapter 3 (michael pov)

Now that their children are thirteen years old, Jim and Michelle Valenti had decided that the boys might finally be able to be alone for a weekend while they take an out of town honeymoon vacation. Michael can’t help but doubt that the parents think he and Kyle are actually mature enough, attributing the trust more to the fact that both he and Kyle had goodie two-shoes for friends. Not that their friends are available for the weekend anyway. Max and Isobel are busy on some fancy Hawaii vacation that the Evans’ pulled as a summer surprise and Kyle’s sidekick is grounded or something. Kyle’s angry mumbling about it hadn’t been clear.

It only takes until Sunday morning for Michael to be the most bored than he’s ever been in his earth life, as far as he remembers. Usually in the summer he has at least one of the parents to entertain him, if not Max or Isobel, and now he’s irritatingly alone. He’s cycled through every video game he likes, all the movies, even all the stupid summer homework and he’s tired of swimming in the heat and trying to bike down the same damn roads he knows too well. On his way to grab cereal he spots Kyle on the living room couch, splayed out and staring at the ceiling.

Changing his mind about breakfast, he decides Kyle might be useful in creating some sort of fun. Whether or not that meant trouble… “I have an idea.”

“Please don’t.” Kyle replies without even sparing Michael a glance.

“Do you want to see if the ceiling will change colors the longer you stare at it, or do you want to actually do something?” Michael huffs. “Let’s take the four-wheelers out. All we gotta do is load them in the truck.”

Now Kyle spins to look at him, eyebrows raised and face scrunched up. “Are you stupider than I thought? Mom and dad would kill us. Neither of us can even drive.”

“If you want to be a baby about it, I’ll just ask Max.” Michael throws back at him, taking a dig at the not-so-hidden jealousy Kyle often had, but it doesn’t work this time. Kyle scoffs instead. “Yeah, there’s no way Max Evans is going to break the rules of someone else’s parents.”

“Fine, I’ll go by myself,” Michael decides. He shouldn’t have bothered trying to include Kyle in the first place, even more proven by the fact that he has to stop when Kyle laughs. “You can’t lift the four-wheelers into the truck by yourself.”

Which he can , but he can’t let Kyle know that. “ Ugh , what’s your price?”

“Month’s allowance.”

“A month ?”

“If we get caught by Dad’s police coworkers we’re going to be grounded for longer than that,” Kyle argues. “A month minimum.”

Weighing it out shouldn’t be hard considering Michael knows he’s being an idiot, but he’s stuck on the idea now and stubborn. More than anything, he doesn’t want to let the idea go and have Kyle be right about it being stupid in the first place. Huffing in agreement, he tries to ignore the way Kyle smirks, and says, “Fine loser, come help me with the bikes.”

While they are fairly strong for their age, Michael still has to covertly use his powers on the other side of the four-wheeler to help them lift the bigger than remembered vehicles into the spare truck their dad didn’t use often. The first left their arms shaky, the second even worse. Kyle looks at the four-wheelers with some surprise as Michael shuts the bed door, and the second he takes the keys out of his pocket Kyle steals them.

“Hell no!”

Kyle gives him a look. “Tell me you even know or care about one traffic law and I’ll give them back,” Kyle shoots at him, eyebrow raised. “Alex’s dad has already taught us some stuff.”

Unable to admit the truth with his pride intact, all he does is roll his eyes and let Kyle take the driver’s seat as he now a little nervously slips into the passenger side. Sure, he’s more than able to stop them from getting into a crash, but the logic Kyle has that they might get stopped starts to sink in.

Luckily their parents had taken their Mom’s car and the patrol car had been dropped off at the station, so the spare truck they’re more or less stealing isn’t stuck in the driveway.Kyle puts the keys in, checks his mirrors, and then bites his lip as he tests which pedal is which. Once that’s settled, they leave the driveway. The ride is a little bumpy and they probably have started to strip the brakes, but nothing explodes as they carefully roll through roads. It’s early enough that most of the Roswell citizens will be on the opposite side of town in church where either the good catholics went or the racist protestants visited. Religion surviving in a town rampant with science fiction still struck Michael as odd, but he didn’t think he’d ever have an unbiased take on God.

Miraculously, they manage to get out to the dunes with no trouble, other than a hard swerve when Michael and Kyle got into a music radio argument. Summer desert air is beautifully calm when he steps out of the truck and he feels excitement rising. Even Kyle’s lost the scowl over their brief fight and is grinning as he helps Michael pull the bikes out of the truck. Despite the fact that the weight of the bikes feels even heavier coming out than they had going in, they manage, just with Michael much more nauseated at the unusual spike in use of his powers. Worth it though, the second he slips his legs around the seat and feels the bike rev up, buzzing with the same energy that’s constantly a force around him. Slamming the gas pedal with a happy yell and shooting across the rocky mountain with the carelessness only a telekinetic alien can afford, he relishes in the feeling of the wind whipping through his curls. How had he let Kyle make him doubt this plan? He was a genius.

They’re in an unspoken chase the second Kyle accelerates right next to him, both giving each other the same look after catching sight of one of the monument-esque rocks on a peak in the near distance.

“Winning my month back!” Michael shouts, but all he gets in response is a smirk as they both gun it, whipping around various cacti and shrubbery.

“Try it!” is the shout back, because Kyle’s found a shortcut through the brush and now he’s the one flying up the incline of the larger mesa to reach the top before things go wrong. The incline is too steep for the way that Kyle’s bottom left wheel takes an unseen hole and within seconds begins to flip itself over vertically before Michael has time to mentally push it as far away as possible, only barely catching Kyle from still slamming against the rock with too much force. Stopping his own bike too quickly to be natural, he ran over as Kyle is coughing and barely keeps from throwing up himself.

“Kyle-- shit,” he swears, doubled over. “Kyle, can you move?”

Slowly sitting up, pain clear on his face, Kyle stares at Michael and then the smoking bike about thirty feet away. “What the fuck , Michael?”

===========================

What was worse than their parents finding them in the hospital-- Kyle had started coughing up blood and Max wasn’t exactly available-- was definitely the morning after. All night before bed their mother had yelled and ranted and then told them to sleep. Which Michael was fairly sure Kyle hadn’t slept anymore than he did. Their father still hadn’t spoken to them at all since getting back into the town. Now they'd been called to breakfast but Michael couldn't imagine trying to eat. At least Kyle had the whole injured act thing to play up, even if they all know it won’t work. He still tries, though, not that Michael blames him.

“We’re sorry--,” Kyle starts.

“No quiero escucharlo,” their mother angrily interrupts him. I don’t want to hear it from either of you.

Michael tries to give Kyle a small shrug, but Kyle still won’t meet his eye. Another reason why Michael hadn’t slept, the worry over his alien identity being known by yet another person…

“Dejame, Michelle,” Jim told her, and shaking her head she pushed away her plate and left the room while mumbling what were surely choice words.

Maybe for Kyle, maybe for himself, he weakly looks up to their Dad and weakly argues, “I knew I could protect us. Kyle’s blood was just a tooth knocked out...”

“You weren’t even a little careful,” he responds finally, deep voice somewhere between angry, disappointed, and fearful. A powerful three punch combination that makes Michael want to run from the table or see if there’s an alien somewhere out there who had a grasp on time reversal. “Ignoring that someone else could have seen you. Ignoring that. I told you before that Kyle wasn’t supposed to know to keep both of you safer.”

“You told him I couldn’t know?” Kyle asks, his eyebrows furrowed with annoyance. Michael kicks him under the table. Kyle kicks him back and adds in a glare before turning back to their dad. “Isn’t he supposed to be my brother, or are there more sibling secrets?”

Jim Valenti gave a deep sigh. “Of course not. Look there are dangerous people who live in this town, not just visit it, and the less people who know are better no matter who they are. I didn’t even tell your mom at first.”

More than likely from the glare just barely mollified, Kyle isn’t ever going to let his father keeping a secret with Michael go, but that’s not Michael’s fault for once. Kyle’s still the first one to speak again, mainly because Michael is too busy hoping that the ground will swallow him up from the guilt he’s currently suffocating on.

“So he just has random powers?”

“I’m an alien,” Michael answers, only for Kyle to roll his eyes and look at their silent dad and then back. This time Kyle seems to realize Michael isn’t just being a jerk. “Seriously.”

“Like… Star Wars?” Kyle asks, eyes wide and at a loss.

Michael groans, wishing Kyle’s friends had better movie taste. “I mean I can’t disprove that, so sure why not.”

“Shut up, it just came out,” Kyle shoots back, only briefly glancing at their dad who eyed the ever so “disrespectful” language and tone. “Okay but… I mean you were found with Max and Isobel, right? So are they... too?”

Their dad starts to shift and Michael almost pauses too out of protectiveness, but there’s not much of a point. Both Max and Isobel are terrible liars and Kyle is irritatingly persistent when he’s curious about things. “Yeah. Different powers, though.”

Whatever Kyle is thinking while he sits in silence isn’t immediately apparent from the way he’s frowning, almost to the point where he looks like Isobel trying to read someone, but then he interrupts whatever their Dad was about to say to cut the tension and glares straight into Michael’s eyes. “I can throw fine, can’t I?”

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#michael guerin #kyle valenti #guerenti bros #atsstmr #roswell new mexico fic #rnm fic #my work #mine

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kpoptimeout · 6 years ago

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My Top 10 K-Dramas of 2018 - What’s Yours?

2018 is ending soon and K-Dramaland has once again brought us so many goodies this year. As per our blog’s tradition [For 2017 faves click here], below are my Top 10 favs of the year (my faves in alphabetical order so it might not be yours so please don’t judge)

My only specific criteria this year is that the show must have had started in 2018 to be considered a 2018 series (Hence, Hwayugi and I’m Not A Robot were in last year’s list and honourable mentions)

Lawless Lawyer (tvN)

Every year we have a few stellar Korean legal dramas and Lawless Lawyer is one of them. Starring veterans Lee Joongi and Son Yeji, the drama details a gangster turned lawyer who used unorthodox techniques to win cases and a lawyer-childhood friend-love interest who got into trouble for attacking a judge. After his return from the military, Lee Joongi has acted in many internationally well-received dramas but “Lawless Lawyer” is the first since his return to gain massive commercial success within South Korea and becoming one of the highest viewed dramas on Korean cable channel history. Son Yeji was also able to show her acting chops and shed her pretty girl image through this drama. It is understandable why this drama did well - it was action-packed, had a well-plotted storyline and also the right laughs at the right moments. If you love an amazing legal drama, go watch Lawless Lawyer already!

Memories Of The Alhambra (tvN/Netflix)

You know it’s nearing the year’s end when tvN drops another high budget and experimental drama with a star-studded cast to steal you and the critics’ hearts. This year it is Memories Of The Alhambra, which is an ambitious project jointly produced by tvN and Netflix. Following the success of jointly produced Mr. Sunshine which also made the list, the two studios teamed up for an even crazier project - instead of the guaranteed tear-jerking historical drama they went for a sci-fi/fantasy thriller exploring virtual and augmented reality and business in the digital age. You know they are taking this project seriously when they got the writer for “W” (the Lee Jongsuk and Han Hyojoo hit about the collapse of a comic book world into reality) Song Jaejung to write this screenplay. The show with top cast featuring Hallyu stars and veterans Hyun Bin, Park Shin Hye, and EXO’s Chanyeol with exhilarating graphics and filming in Grenada has been topping online and domestic Korean viewership since its broadcast on December 1st. If you enjoy creative sci-fi adventures with Asian leads, this is the drama for you!

Mr. Sunshine (tvN/Netflix)

One of the first tvN and Netflix collaborations, Mr. Sunshine was an unsurprising hit starring world-famous Korean actor Lee Byung Hoon and South Korea’s favourite young actress Kim Taeri. Other main cast include skilled and popular actors like Yoo Yeonseok, Byung Yohan and Kim Minjung. Throw in the historical Joseon setting and the imminent colonisation by foreign powers, you have a recipe for an awards-sweeper and crowd-pleaser! Besides a plot that easily draws in audiences, the set designs, colour grading, music, and costumes are all phenomenal and is a feast for the senses. My only knit-picking critique is it seems unrealistic that a Korean man can rise to as high a rank as Lee Byung Hoon’s Eugene Choi character in the racist 1800s United States no matter how brilliant Eugene Choi was. But besides that, if you love a historical epic with romance and war, this is the drama you would enjoy!

Ms. Hammurabi (JTBC)

This drama sees Go Ara and Song Dong Il reuniting in their father-daughter/mentor-mentee like dynamic following hit dramas Reply 1994 and Hwarang, with Go Ara being an idealistic former music student who dropped out and self-studied to become a judge, and Song Dong Il being the old geezer and life mentor who only managed to become a judge later in life. They are joined by INFINITE’s L being a by the books judge who likes Go Ara’s wholesome character. The drama is exceptionally touching, not only for its realistic depiction of life as judges in civilian law countries but also as a reflection of people chasing their dreams in different stages of their life. The drama also expertly deals with real-world issues like gender discrimination in the workplace, prejudice to marginalised groups and the issues that come with an inflexible hierarchical structure in South Korea. While there is romance between the leads, this is shown subtly and naturally, without it becoming a distraction to the engaging storyline. If you enjoy a thoughtful drama about society with great acting, this is a drama you would enjoy.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty (JTBC)

Maybe I am slightly biased because I loved the webtoon but I think My ID is Gangnam Beauty is one of the best Korean rom-coms of the year. First I thought the casting was spot-on - ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo perfectly encapsulated the cold and awkward Do Kyungseok and Im Soohyang was able to display the insecurities of Kang Mirae even after plastic surgery well. The drama does a good job of touching on Korean society’s toxic beauty visual standards - it still makes the female lead insecure even after she gets plastic surgery and she gets ridiculed before and after plastic surgery. Meanwhile second female lead Hyun Soo Ah, played by Jo Woori, also struggles as a natural beauty due to fears of people no longer liking her should she ever fall below their expectations in any way. This is a thoughtful drama that does not just demonise characters for the sake of drama but gives us lots of food for thought about why people act the way they do regarding appearances. If you like a drama that is fun and cute but also has a good message, you should check out this drama!

My Mister (tvN)

There are dramas where you skip some scenes because you want to get to the main point. There are some dramas where you want every second of it. My Mister was one of those dramas you watch every second of. It was that good. While many Kdramas still having idealistic female leads who slowly get jaded and turn badass only near the end/are always protected by men and never turn badass, My Mister finally does the move of making the female poor but super resourceful, brilliant and cynical, and already super jaded to begin with. Played by top singer and actress IU, the female lead Lee Jian reverses the usual female lead tropes by slowly learning to see some good in the world and learn to dream following a life of extreme poverty and hardship. The other highlight of the drama is the male lead played by talented actor Lee Sunkyun, whose relationship with his brothers and mother, as well as his crumbling marriage with his wife provide a lot of food for thought on the meaning of family and life. By acting as a mentor of IU’s character while also being saved by IU from lots of drama unknowingly, we see two broken souls learn from each other to be better people. The drama also showcased how romance is not the only meaningful love that exists between communities. If you love an insightful slice-of-life drama with realistic intrigues, betrayals, and character development, you would love My Mister.

Radio Romance (KBS2)

Honestly at this point HIGHLIGHT’s Dojoon is just nation’s drama boyfriend and he continues to pick the good scripts as we can see in Radio Romance. The drama is simple - the assistant writer played by Kim Sohyun’s radio show might get cancelled and she manages to somehow get the top radio star played by Dojoon to host her show. Shenanigans happen and romance blossoms. It is stereotypical but done well, with the right amount of twists and just knowing when it should bounce back from the laughs and side stories. If dramas are all dishes, Radio Romance is like that cheesecake that tastes sweet and light, not so filling that it will you sick. It is the dessert you would always go for to feel good. If you like to watch something that makes you feel warm inside, this is the drama for you!

Something in the Rain (JTBC)

I am usually not super into “the younger dongsaeng has a romance with noona who he knows growing up all of a sudden” stories but there was something special about Something in the Rain. When I first began watching this drama, it did not feel like watching a regular Kdrama at all and more like an indie film from the West. There is a feeling of emptiness at the beginning, possibly to signify the resident noona and veteran actress Son Yejin’s unsuccessful love life. There was a lot of dialogue and cuts and it felt like watching a documentary about the lives of the characters. But it was this formatting of Something in the Rain that makes it feel so genuine. The pace of the leads building up their romance was steady and natural. Hence, it made issues they faced feel all the more real too. If you enjoy a realistic slice-of-life portrayal of romance, you would love this drama!

The Guest (OCN)

When I saw the trailer I already knew this was some scary shit. Following its many successful thrillers last year, OCN decided to dive in the more horror side of a thriller in The Guest. To fit this aesthetic, the drama was broadcasted only at 11pm instead of primetime but still had massive success and rightly so. The acting by the three leads Kim Dong Wook (man who can see ghosts and the future), Kim Jaewook (the cold, exorcist priest), and Jung Eunchae (a detective who does not believe in the supernatural) is phenomenal, making their team up to catch criminal possessed by ghosts all the more exhilarating. The actors who play the possessed are also amazing, making for most of the scares in this drama. If you enjoy a mystery and the horror genre, this is the Kdrama for you!

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (tvN)

Being the most searched Kdrama on Google in South Korea this year, it would not make sense for What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? not to make this list. The drama revolves around the successful but extremely narcissistic company vice chairman played by Park Seojoon and his capable no-nonsense secretary played by Park Minyoung, with the latter quitting after paying off family debts and not being in the mood to work for her annoying boss anymore. The whole process where Park Seojoon tries to retain his secretary of course blossoms into romance etc. etc. One of the reasons this drama did so well was that not only did it have a strong and capable female lead but Park Seojoon defied expectations in his role. As another Kdrama based on a webtoon, original webtoon readers felt like he was not similar to the male lead and were not sure how he would handle the role. But Park Seojoon did a fantastic job, to the point I wanted to bang my head on the table or slap his character whenever he did narcissistic shit. If you want a high-quality rom-com with some unorthodox twists, this is the drama to watch!

Honourable Mentions:

100 Days My Prince (tvN): The fourth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history starring EXO’s D.O and Nam Jihyun, the drama details the marriage between a noblewoman on the run and a crown prince who lost his memory during a failed assassination attempt.

Are You Human? (KBS2): With the actual development of AI in recent years, more Kdramas have embraced the topic of robot-human romances. Seo Kang Joon and Gong Seungyeon star in this story involving a bodyguard and the AI of a chaebol masquerading as the real chaebol who is in a coma.

Still 17 (SBS): A drama involving a 30-year-old man who doesn’t want to grow up due to trauma (Yang Sejong) and a woman who wakes up after a 13-year coma so acts like a 17-year-old even though she is 30 (Shin Hyesun).

Welcome to Waikiki (JTBC): A comedy-drama starring rising actors Kim Junghyun, Lee Yikyung, and Son Seungwon who run a failing guesthouse called Waikiki. Oh, and there’s a single mother and a baby in this crazy mix!

What’s your Top 10 K-Dramas of the Year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and may the drama sharing begin (and the road to more excuse for holiday procrastination!)

Also, if you want to check out underrated K-Pop songs of 2018, here are the lists for idol songs, artist songs, and OSTs!

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