#somewhere in the background or in the close vicinity there's a big chance to see it. Is a mess

[twpsyn-who]

Something something soulmate au in which you dream little moments of your future up until you meet your soulmate for the first. The catch? First, you dream only of your future with your soulmate. Little moments of you two together. If your soulmate isn't there, you ain't seeing it. Second, it is a dream. Not everyone is going to remember those. Third, it stops once you meet your soulmate.

Now this but JeanMarco. And I don't know about Marco, but Jean 100% remembers his dreams. It just sucks because more often than not there's more people around so, you know, finding out who's actually the soulmate takes some time on his part. Also he takes notice of the fact that he only sees moments of his time as a trainee. Aka something happens. Cue to Jean spending all his childhood trying to understand what his dreams are trying to say and eventually trying to keep them both alive during Trost.

[thefanficmonster]

Icy Fairytale

Boyinaband (Dave Brown) x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Fluff, Romance, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Falling in love is walking on thin ice in and of itself, but what happens when it's literal? Yeah that's right - two ambitious individuals fall head over heels for one another on the delicate icy ground of a Brighton ice skating rink.

Requested by @onceuponadie Hi! Thank you so much for your request! I'm so sorry for the long wait but I still hope you find the time to enjoy the read! Love, Vy ❤

No matter how hard I try, I can't tie the laces of my skates properly. I can't tell what's wrong with me today but I know something's seriously not right. To be perfectly honest though, I might have an idea or two as to why this is happening to me but I'd rather keep my mouth shut on the subject to avoid the intense blush and the flock of butterflies that will inevitably attack my stomach. And I can't have that many distractions while I'm on the ice.

Oh who am I kidding, my main distraction is always there, either in front of me or by my side. Sometimes even holding onto me for support.

Dave Brown is the name of it.

The name I was completely indifferent to when it was first brought to my attention.

It was a cold rainy day in Brighton, the town I was still on-the-fence about at the time. My trainer had been wanting to collaborate with a trainer from the UK for a while and had finally scheduled and arranged for the two of us to be able to fly out there and meet with him. I thought my trainer was ambitious, but this this new guy was a whole new level of ambitious. I could tell right away he'd be hard to please and I had no issue with that - I am and I always have been a goal-getter; I myself am hard to please and I've often been called an 'obsessed artist' by my trainer so I was beyond excited for this new extraordinary and challenging journey.

I just didn't know that the challenging part wouldn't be the skating.

After a particularly long practice session, once I was finally left alone by my trainers, I stuck around at the skating rink to wind down and feel the freedom of skating how I want and how I know I'm supposed to. Free like a bird gliding through the sky, not bound by any choreography or anyone's rules and opinions. That's when I'm most myself.

And that's when I met him.

The rink was closed and suppose to be reserved for only me and my coaches for the day but him and his friends - now my friend too - Joel probably didn't think much of the notice on the door considering they had waltzed in with zero idea the vicinity was booked.

I was too entranced in my own world to notice their presence by the seats. I only took notice of the fact I wasn't alone when Joel called out to me.

"Are we interrupting? Is this a private session or something? We can leave, sorry for bothering you."

While the other boy was talking, Dave remained silent, blending into the background and not drawing any of my attention to him. And yes, maybe I was supposed to turn them back, tell them to leave and whatnot, but I did the exact opposite.

"Private session's over, you can stick around, it's not a problem." I said, slowly gliding over to the entrance of the rink where the boys were now standing after they finished climbing down the stairs to approach the ice rink.

I stopped in my tracks rather abruptly as to not crash into them, stabilizing myself before offering them my hand for a handshake. "I'm Y/N. Professional figure skater."

I couldn't help but let out a little giggle when their jaws went loose, hanging open in surprise. They were quick to regain their composure, Joel being the one to accept my hand first, followed by Dave, both of them introducing themselves as they did so.

"Cool streak." I casually pointed at the red streak in Dave's hair, "I've always wanted to dye my hair but I'm not allowed to by my trainer."

He scoffed at my remark, "Your trainer? He's got the audacity to boss you around? Does he not realize how lucky he is to have a skater like you to his name?"

I was understandably taken aback by this compliment. I'm used to being given compliments after my performances in competitions, but I've never considered my unchoreographed skating as anything more than mediocre. It was surprising to receive such a positive remark, heartwarming nonetheless though.

"That's so kind of you to say, Dave, thanks." I'm still a long way from knowing how to properly respond to compliments - mostly cause I don't believe them - but I'd like to think I handled that one well. No, I know I handled it well considering Dave, Joel and I have been friends ever since.

As to why they were at the skating rink that day - they wanted to fulfill a New Year's resolution they had made at the start of the year: learning how to ice skate because apparently they were hopeless at it. And yes, they were - they got on the ice with me that day and were dropping like flies. I considered it a miracle if they were even able to get off their asses on their own. I had to pull them up a couple of times - a gesture they paid me back for with lunch afterwards. Following that day, only Dave remained determined to make his resolution count and he kept coming to the ice rink to practice (read: fall and get back up) and learn with my help of course. It's safe to say I've never laughed so much in such a short period of time and never have I ever established a friendship so quickly with anyone ever. I guess being someone's ice skating buddy is a whole different level of a friendship where the rules of a regular friendship don't apply.

I soon came to realize why that was...

Because I suddenly found myself wanting more than a friendship with Dave. It's ridiculous as hell, as all goddamn hell, but I couldn't and still can't help myself. It's these little subtle signs that shine through my behavior, all completely unintentional. The lingering hold meant to keep him stable on his skates. The firm eye contact when I'm trying to get him to focus on his balance. The little touches and hugs all gestures meant to congratulate him on his little wins like falling and managing to get to his feet on his own; managing to make three solid strides without sprawling out on the ice, etc. I must be the worst ice skating instructor ever - as Dave gained more balance and needed my assistance less, I found myself missing the times I literally had to hold him up, his arms wrapped around me and mine around him. I miss the times he held my hand to avoid falling and still fell, sometimes dragging me down with him.

And I'm only gonna miss those times even more after tomorrow because after tomorrow, I'll no longer be in the UK and I'll no longer be there to see Dave's successes and fails. I'll no longer have him be my distraction, the only distraction I've ever approved of and wanted around. I'll no longer have a chance to feed into the temptation of telling Dave what I feel for him. It's a temptation and a fear and excites me just as much as it terrifies me, paralyzes me just thinking of the outcome, especially when I know I won't get my feelings reciprocated. I won't get anything better than a soft rejection from him yet I still want to come clean.

Why, you might be asking - well, it's rather simple, actually. I think he deserves to know how special he's made these last few months. How much he's made me fall in love with this city and the UK as a whole. How much I enjoyed our adventures both on and off the ice. How much fun I had going sightseeing with him as my tour guide.

How much I enjoyed his company and how hard I fell for him in the process.

Today's the last day of 'class' for the both of us but I just so happen to be the only one who's aware of it. Yeah, I've been one hell of a coward and never brought up my inevitable departure despite having been informed over a week ago. Exactly, I had a week to come clean about more things than one, but I chose silence.

And boy did that bad decision come to hit me against the back of the head like a boomerang. A mocking and particularly painful one at that.

Get it together, Y/N. One of these news you'll have to tell him, he has to know you're leaving. And the other...

"Sorry I'm late!" The familiar voice coming in a breathy yell from somewhere in the darkness surrounding the seats awakens me and frees me from my mind's battle with itself. "The rain only makes traffic worse."

Now or never. Don't drag it out and keep adding salt to the wound!

"I'm leaving!" I say, loud enough to be heard clearly despite our distance. Also loud enough to cover up the tremble in my voice. It took a lot of power just to say that one sentence, I wonder how I'm gonna power through having to explain it to him.

"Jeez, did I upset you that badly?" Dave surprises the hell out of me when he steps on the ice, already in his skates which I didn't even notice him put on. I'm not surprised by that to be honest, I'm too caught up in my own thoughts and how I'm displaying them in my demeanor to notice my surroundings.

"N-no, I..." so much for covering up that tremble in my voice, "I have to leave the UK...tomorrow...I'm going back home for a competition and to, you know, get ready for the Olympics...I don't know when or if I'll be back but I was hoping..."

"What? When'd you hear about this? Why so suddenly? Is it that big of an emergency that they inform you literally five minutes in advance?" There are enough emotions in his voice to prevent me from looking at his face, especially his eyes. I'm afraid of what kind of hurt or whatever other emotion I might see there.

I bite the inside of my cheek, "My trainer told me last week...", I admit, gritting my teeth and cringing as my stomach ties itself is several knots that are causing me great discomfort.

There's a pause which I'm assuming is meant for him to collect all his thoughts and properly process them. I'm afraid of what he'll say when he does.

"So I'm the one finding out five minutes before your departure?" He finally asks, the tone of voice he uses making my heart sink a little.

Damn it, Dave I already feel guilty enough, this is unnecessary!

No, no, he has a point and has every right to be upset. Friends don't keep friends in the dark about things like this. About any things really.

Then why do you keep him in the dark about literally EVERYTHING?

This is what I was afraid of - getting the temptation of coming clean. I have nothing to lose after all, I'm leaving tomorrow anyway. I'll lose him one way or another.

"Listen, Dave...", I didn't think this through but I'll improvise it, that's a better option than shutting my mouth and not saying another word, "I was gonna tell you, I really wanted to, but I couldn't...I couldn't bring myself to do it. I still don't want to believe that I'm leaving. I love it here and just the thought of leaving it all behind...it hurts, you know. And 'the more people know the realer it is' is a real thing so I didn't want...." I stop, my voice cutting off completely as I find myself weak on balance. Maybe standing in the middle of an ice rink isn't the best setting for this conversation. "I'm being ridiculous and I'm stalling like a coward." I say that more to myself than to him but I don't let him speak. Instead, I continue my rambling after a brief sigh.

Dave, God bless his soul, stays silent and just looks at me with this curious gaze which is letting me know he's holding back for my sanity's sake, allowing me to take a breather and collect my thoughts before I express them to avoid misunderstanding me.

I inhale, finally ready to start talking, "Alright, here we go...Look, I don't want to end this...friendship between us on a bad note but I don't want it to end with there still being secrets between us so I'm gonna finally say what I've been wanting and not wanting to tell you for a while now. It's on you whether it'll be a bad ending to a good story or not, but I just need to get it off my chest, ok?"

He nods, not at all as hesitantly as I thought he would which is relieving to see, so I continue.

"This is gonna sound pathetic and downright laughable but here it goes - I like you, Dave. The kind of like where I see you as more than a friend and sometimes even wish you would see me the same way as well despite being sure you don't. And please, if you plan on pulling a pity act give me a heads up so I can just walk aw-"

My ramble is put to an end when Dave puts his hand up, pointer finger in the air and almost touching my lips as a gesture to shush me. I am typically one of the hardest people to shut up EVER, but now the words die down on their own as if they are even happy to be put to rest at his request.

"Y/N you are the most talented, most graceful, the kindest and most beautiful and smartest person I have ever met and yet you still also happen to be the densest and most ignorant when it comes to the people around you. You're a people pleaser, I've figured out as much, but goddamn it, you rarely know what a person actually wants. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, this could just be the case with me and an inability to show emotion which I haven't known about all this time, but still - if your dense ass hasn't noticed it yet I'll say it out loud for you and if you still find a way to misinterpret it, I'll spell it out for you in huge neon letters, got it?" He makes something barely alike a pause before sighing, "Y/N L/N, the most densest person in this whole word, you've had me star-struck since day one and I've only been falling deeper and harder in love with you ever since. And you don't have even the slightest clue of what happened to me and my heart a couple minutes ago when you said you were leaving. Believe what you wanna, but words have never crushed me harder ever before and trust me, that says a lot. So, before you go and think you have my emotions figured out, remember that I actually know how to skate."

That's A LOT to take in. It's got layers upon layers of questions followed by answers followed by even more questions that I'm not sure I'm prepared to ask or answer.

So he's liked me since the day we met? Love at first sight? Nah, that shit only exists in movies.

He was hurt by that? I hurt him by not telling him then I hurt him by telling him and I'll hurt him the hardest when I leave tomorrow. How am I supposed to not feel responsible for putting so much pain on him without even realizing it?

And wait - he knows how to skate???

"You can skate? Like, you can can skate? Like, you're not a hopeless case like you've made me believe?" I ask, one of my eyebrows shooting up suspiciously.

Dave goes from looking puzzled to cracking up with laughter within a second after hearing my question, "Oh Y/N, you're so adorable. That's what's got you puzzled the most out of all I just said?"

I narrow my eyes at him, folding my arms over my chest defensively, "Well the rest seems pretty cut-and-dry, if you ask me." I say sarcastically, earning another laugh from him.

It's only now that I notice how confidently he's standing on the ice - as though he's standing on solid, non-slippery ground which is far from the image I have of Dave while on ice. The uncertainty, the lack of stability, it's all disappeared from his still demeanor which now makes a lot more sense.

He smirks at me, "Does it now, densey?"

I frown at the nickname, "Don't call me th-"

He doesn't let me finish, instead presses his lips against mine, the contact making me lose balance on my skates. Luckily, he probably calculated this risk in advance cause his arms wrap around me instantly, preventing me from slipping more than an inch.

"Who needs to be held up now?" He asks, pressing his forehead against mine when we pull away from the kiss.

I keep my eyes closed despite the urge to roll them in playful annoyance, "Oh, shut it."

And he does so by pressing his lips against mine once again.

What will happen once I leave, I have not the slightest clue. Hell, I don't even know what'll happen when we pull away permanently and get off the ice we're standing on. But I do know what's happening right now - I'm kissing Dave Brown and nothing's ever felt this right before.

@waterlilypat @iwillboilyourteeth @insanedeathwish @onceuponadie @loraleiix @smiithys @rottenroyalebooks @goldenstarofthunderclan @cosmicstorm19 @lam-ila @sra-verissimo @marthebeeduosimp

[tsarisfanfiction]

Reward

Fandom: Marchen Awakens Romance Rating: Gen Genre: Friendship Characters: Dorothy, Ginta, Nanashi

Because Dorothy always kept her promises. When Ginta was looking at her like that, anyway.

Dorothy wasn't quite sure what she was thinking when she agreed to his proposition of a kiss if he won. Maybe she just wanted to encourage him to not die, or maybe she thought he was going to die (taking Peta with him or not) and she wouldn't have to go through with it. The only thing she knew she couldn't have been thinking was that he'd forget about it. Nanashi never forgot about things involving girls and him, skirt-chaser that he was.

Still, that didn't mean she was going to actually kiss him. If she did it once, he'd keep coming back to try for more, and his constant butting in with "Dorothy-chan! Dorothy-chan!" whenever she offered Ginta any physical affection was annoying enough already. So she did the only reasonable thing in that situation and denied that she had ever agreed to such a thing. Whatever purpose it may have been supposed to hold was resolved, anyway. Nanashi was alive, Peta was dead, and they were one battle away from winning the War Game. Focusing on Ginta as he got ready for his battle against Phantom was far more important than playing along with Nanashi's silly little fantasies.

It was a long time of whining before Nanashi finally gave up, giving off a highly offended air and sulking ever so slightly until another female caught his eye, and then he was off like a shot, clearly determined to enjoy his victory with his arms full of women and a stomach full of drink. Well, that was the end of that. Nanashi was pushy, but once he gave up, that was it. He'd try for another later, but she knew he'd accepted, however begrudgingly, that there was no kiss to be had as a reward for winning.

Turning her attention back to the younger, much more appealing, blond in front of her, she was startled to see a disapproving look in those big blue eyes of his. She'd expected him to be hung up on either his upcoming fight with Phantom, or even looking beyond that to rescuing Snow from the clutches of Dianna and whatever plot her older sister had in mind.

"Gin-tan?" she asked, a little unsure. What had she done to get his disapproval? Or was it about the law that dictated she had to kill her sister? She knew that still bothered him, although he was getting better at hiding it.

"That was mean, Dorothy," he said, almost pouting in that adorably innocent manner of his. She was taken aback. Mean? What was he talking about?

"Mean?" she asked, tilting her head to one side and putting a finger to her lips in an alluring yet puzzled look, or so it should have been. Nanashi, or even Jack, would have been all over her at that, yet Ginta continued to keep his distance, not appearing to even notice her efforts. So naïve.

"About Nanashi," he clarified, Babbo leaping into the air beside him and nodding sagely, his air clearly supposed to be one of a distinguished gentleman. It was as effective as her own seduction attempts were on Ginta.

"Indeed," he said gravely, his eyes narrowed and mouth curved just so. She'd never met another human like him, let alone an ARM. "He may not be such an embodiment of true gentlemanliness as I, but Nanashi fought more than bravely enough to gain one token of favour from a lady."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dorothy tried, but she already knew it was a losing battle. Ginta was turning those big blue eyes on her and she always melted under them. Babbo was ignorable, and she did just that to the ARM as he carried on blabbering in the background.

"You promised," Ginta rebutted, still adorably innocent even as he was slowly but surely forcing her to do something she had been determined to never do. "You don't break a promise, Dorothy." So he'd either conveniently forgotten about the kill-Dianna thing, or he'd accepted that and had mentally exempted that from the no-kill promise he'd extracted from her. "You're better than that."

Flattery. Oh, for a naïve little boy that didn't react at all to any sort of sex appeal, Ginta knew just what to say to wrap her around his little finger. She sighed, and looked around to check that Nanashi was well and truly out of earshot. There was no sign of the Luberia boss and she couldn't sense him nearby either. Still, she moved closer to Ginta and lowered her voice slightly. Just to be sure.

"If you insist, Gin-tan," she sighed. "But I can't guarantee he'll know about it. I'm not having him chase me any more than he already does." That pout was there again and she held her breath, hoping Ginta wouldn't push any more. The silence stretched, and it was hard to keep from fidgeting. Since when had she been so easily influenced?

"Okay," he conceded after an eternity, before holding out his hand, pinkie extended. "Promise you'll do it before my battle." Oh, this boy was good, and she linked her own pinkie with his with only mental reluctance, before chanting the pinkie promise.

Well, at least she hadn't been forced into making sure Nanashi knew. Now she just had to devise a way to make sure he didn't. If he found out, that would never be the end of it. She could deny anything anyone said, as long as she wasn't caught in the act. The lack of a certain obnoxious blond moments after the agreement indicated that she'd been right to assume he wasn't in the immediate vicinity, but now she had a difficult task. Nanashi might play the fool, but he was not the leader of the world's best-known thieves' guild for nothing. He was difficult to catch off guard, and she'd need to do more than just catch him off guard if she wanted to keep him in ignorance. Bidding Ginta farewell for the moment, she left to plan.

It would have to be while he was asleep. That was the only time there was any chance of him being unaware of his surroundings. But how light a sleeper was he? She'd only have one shot at this. Did she have a Darkness ARM that forced sleep? A quick rummage through her mental catalogue left her with the regrettable answer that no, she didn't. Not one that only caused sleep, anyway, and there was no reason to cause harm to him. It was supposed to be a reward, after all, and Ginta would be upset.

Options were not forthcoming, even after hours of pondering on the edge of the celebrations, careful to keep half an eye on Nanashi's whereabouts. She had to know when he went to bed, and more importantly, to sleep. Ever the life and soul of the party, especially when his fellow thieves were present and pretty women were throwing themselves all over him – why he was so desperate for a kiss from her when he could get one from any number of other females was beyond her – Nanashi didn't retire until much later than Dorothy would have liked, finally succumbing to his exhaustion. She followed a suitable amount of time later, definitely not wanting to appear to be following him, and for once didn't curse that her room was closer to Nanashi's than Ginta's.

The door was shut, unsurprisingly but annoyingly, but his aura was calm and meditative, a state it only entered when he was sleeping. Meditation had the same effect, but she'd never caught him meditating, and it was a risk she would have to take. Reginrave's doors were well made, and it swung open without a sound. She'd put her boots in her room, walking barefoot to make her steps quieter as she approached the bed.

Well, he certainly seemed asleep, and oddly peaceful. Perhaps he was finally at peace now he'd got revenge for his murdered guild mates. His bandana was on the table by his bed, although she saw no sign of his ARMs. They were likely still on his person, or hidden somewhere out of sight. Trust a thief to have the best security for his things. She caught sight of his scarf on a nearby chair, as well as his torn top, and resolved not to linger now she knew he was half-naked. Getting caught in his room now would not end well.

She leaned over him carefully, hesitating for just a moment before placing her lips on his cheek, not entirely intentionally where he'd asked for it earlier, but it was a logical place. His lips were out of the question, and to prove to Ginta she'd done it, she'd put on some lip gloss. Nanashi, if he even noticed the mark, would assume it was from one of the many girls he'd been close with that night.

He shifted, and she backed off, watching with baited breath as he broke into a grin and rolled over, murmuring something under his breath. His covers slipped down a bit to show bare shoulders and she beat a hasty retreat, hoping the kiss had only triggered some dream, and not woken him up. He didn't call out to her as she silently shut the door behind her and made her way to her own, very comfortable, bed.

The next morning came quickly. Dorothy had struggled to sleep, paranoid that Nanashi hadn't actually been sleeping and that she was about to get many awkward remarks when she next saw him, but still managed to freshen herself up so she didn't look so tired. As they gathered for breakfast, she saw that Nanashi hadn't spotted, or bothered to wipe off, the lip gloss on his cheek, and smiled internally. Now all she needed was Ginta to spot it, and everything was over.

"What's that on your face?" Bless Jack, as the boy pointed out exactly what she wanted him to, causing Nanashi to pause and fish around for a mirror. Where he found one she wasn't entirely certain, but he scrutinised his reflection for several moments with a puzzled look on his face before rubbing at it with the back of his hand.

"Seems like I missed one," he said with a chuckle once the mark was gone. "It's tough being popular." Dorothy rolled her eyes but said nothing. There was no reason to draw attention to herself at that moment. She did, however, catch Ginta's eye, and the boy grinned at her, luckily unnoticed by anyone else.

Nanashi didn't need to know where that came from; it would be their secret.

[imaginethiswwe]

Chapter 5: Demon Mania

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Hi guys! I am sorry I’ve been MIA! I saw some requests to be tagged in my chapters and I will do my best to accommodate from here on out. Thank you all so much for your support with this story!

__________________________________

I never answered that text. I know that probably hurt Finn, but I didn’t know what he expected me to say. He was so confusing. He kept saying things that implied one thing, but his actions showed something different. 

I know he was trying to check up on me because Sami was blowing my phone up way more than usual. It’s not that Sami didn’t care, but we had a friendship that we could go weeks, even months sometimes without talking and would pick up right where we left off. 

The last time I heard so frequently from Sami was when Ferg was in surgery and PT and even that wasn’t as frequent. So I knew to hear from Sami this often was definitely not his idea. It was Finn’s way to check up on me. Even though I knew this, I tried to never let on that I did. The truth is, I wanted him to know I was okay. I couldn’t bring myself to reach out to him, but it was comforting to know he was still there, even if it was in the shadows. 

_________________

It’s finally that time of year. The Christmas of wrestling, WrestleMania. WrestleMania week is always full of activities for superstars past and present to attend. Charity events, the Hall of Fame ceremony, the big show itself; and of course I had to attend them all. This is easily the busiest month for me all year. So much media buzz for the company and I had to make sure everything went smoothly. 

It was Friday night, Hall of Fame night. Everyone involved in the company was going to be there. Everyone.

Even though Sami and I both had to attend anyway, he asked me to be his date. Basically, this meant we would sit together during the ceremony.  Thank God. If I had to sit and endure seeing Ferg and Cathy there together, at least I would have Sami next to me for some comic relief. 

-------

I was in my hotel room having my hair and makeup done, I had to be on the red carpet while the superstars would be interviewed, making sure the media stuck to the talking points and didn’t bring up anything that wasn’t wrestling related.

I decided to keep it classic and simple. 

I wanted to feel beautiful, but I wasn’t supposed to be on display. I was a background character on the main stage. I was supposed to make the backdrop beautiful without taking away attention from the Superstars. This was the nature of my job. Something I was used to. It didn’t much matter tonight anyway, the one person I wanted to notice me, would be there with easily one of the most beautiful women on the red carpet.

We were in New Orleans, a city I was relatively unfamiliar with. The buzz in the area all week was electric, enough to make even the most casual of fans excited for what this weekend had in store. I had to pinch myself multiple times to realize this was really my life. 

-----

WWE had called me a car for pickup. When I walked outside to meet the car I was expecting an uber. But WWE had called me a luxury car. It was a blacked out Escalade. A small smile crept across my face. Sure, my personal life was in slight shambles, but my job was amazing. I worked for a company that truly appreciated me. 

When the driver got out to open my door for me I was relieved to see a red beard grinning ear to ear waiting just inside the car for me. Sami, what would I ever do without you.��

“Wow.” He said as I stepped up into the car. “I know you get tired of me telling you how beautiful you are, but this tops the charts. You look absolutely stunning, and you-know-who is going to have to pick his jaw up off the ground when he sees you”

“Thank you, Sami” I started, “Thank you for always being here for me. You are truly the most amazing friend I could have ever asked for, but I’m not sure he’ll even notice”

“Listen Y/N/N, Ferg can be oblivious, but I know him. When it comes to you, he always notices” Sami said back while lifting my chin with his finger and giving me a winning smirk.

We rode to the event laughing and catching up. It wasn’t a long ride, but it was such a nice relief for what I was about to encounter. Not only was this going to be a very busy night for me, but I wasn’t sure how I would feel seeing him. I haven’t seen him since that night at the restaurant with Cathy and his awkward staring. I haven’t directly spoken to him, and honestly, I don’t even know if he’ll want to see me now. But ready or not, I was about to find out. 

______________________

We pulled up to the event, and this time instead of the driver, Sami rushed out and opened my door. He reached out his hand and helped me step out of the car. I smiled at him as he quickly placed my hand on his arm to escort me down the red carpet to where the production team was camped out. He was so proud to show me off. He wanted people to gossip about who he took to the HOF. Even though we were strictly platonic, he loved it. I loved it. It felt good to have someone so proud to be seen with me. 

Heads turned as we made our way down the carpet. I’m not sure if they were looking at me, or at Sami, but I played it off. I wasn’t in love with being the center of attention. As a publicist, I’m always the bridesmaid never the bride. 

When we reached where my media team was, I put on my headset and started to organize my team and set up superstars for their interviews. Sami did a couple of interviews and then mostly hung by my station talking to a few friends as he waited for me to finish up. As each superstar approached the red carpet I had my team hand out the list of questions each media outlet was allowed to ask, and what was off-limits completely. 

Then I saw him.

I hadn’t seen him in months and yet subconsciously I was still drawn to him like he was a magnet. If he was in the vicinity I would somehow find him. 

Was he here alone? Surely, she was not far behind him. 

And then I saw her. She looked gorgeous. Nothing less than I expected. She wore a blue sheer overlay gown with Swarovski crystals throughout. Her hair and makeup were kept very simple, something she pulled off so effortlessly.

She walked closely behind him but never engaged. They were widely known as a couple within the company, but to the public, they still hadn’t officially confirmed their relationship. Finn was a huge attraction for the female fans especially, and if he was confirmed taken, it stood a chance of upsetting them. Never good for business. Cathy always seemed to understand that.

I’m not sure what they thought was going to happen tonight. Would they sit together? One would naturally think so. Wouldn’t that be confirmation to the WWE Universe? Only as much as me and Sami sitting together would. It didn’t necessarily have to mean anything as far as fans knew. 

Finn stopped to do his first interview as Cathy stood in the close distance talking with some of the female WWE staff. While he was mid-sentence he looked up, saw me and smiled without missing a step with the interviewer. He caught me red-handed staring at him, and I could feel my face starting to burn. Now he knew that I saw him. I couldn’t play it off that I never found him. 

Good going Y/N, how the hell are you supposed to avoid him now? He caught you basically undressing him with your eyes. Ugh, look away, go back to work. You’re here to do a job, not worry about the guy you’re in love with who’s here with his GIRLFRIEND

Finn finished the red carpet without approaching me. I think he knew this wouldn’t be the right time or place to talk about our issues. If he even WANTED to talk to me that is. 

He disappeared into the building with Cathy in tow, as the red carpet was just about wrapping up and coming to a close.

_____________________________

As Sami and I walked into the building we found some of our good friends Karl Anderson and his wife along with Luke Gallows.

“Hey Y/N! Sami! How are you guys, it’s been such a long time!” Karl said while wrapping me up in a big hug. 

I had met Karl when I moved to Orlando. He was best friends with Ferg, as they went back years in Japan. His wife was one of my close friends, but we didn’t get to see a ton of each other. 

“Hey, you guys! How have you guys been?” I asked, taking my time to hug each of them.

“Oh, you know us, still kicking ass and taking names. Have you guys seen Ferg?” Karl asked. He always associated the three of us as a trio. Wherever one of us was, so were the other two. Or at least that’s how it used to be. Before she came into the picture.

“Ummm, no I haven’t, I’m sure he’s floating around here somewhere with Cathy,” I told him. I tried not to say it with any kind of tone, but immediately I knew I did. 

“Oh, right, Cathy,” Karl said while giving me a wink. What the hell does that wink mean? Why does it always seem like everyone knows something I don’t?

He continued looking around as I gave them hugs and said our ‘see you laters’ so that Sami and I could find our seats. We were seated in the first row on the left side of the aisle. Great, I thought sarcastically, I have an amazing view of the stage..... and of Ferg and Cathy. This night just got so much better.

_________________________

The show started and Superstars of the past were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Every once in a while I would catch a feeling like someone was boring a hole into the right side of my brain. I would move my eyes, but never my head, and catch Finn just staring at me. Why does he do this? Doesn’t he know it’s extremely uncomfortable? What if she catches him? 

To be honest, I had done my own stealthy investigation whenever someone else would get up. They looked uncomfortable. The body language between the two said something other than a happy couple. 

_____________________

The show ended and Sami let me know that a few of the superstars were going out to celebrate and have a night on the town before they had to buckle down for WrestleMania. He asked me if I wanted to come and of course, I said yes. I could definitely use a drink after this shitshow. 

We went back to the hotel where most of the WWE were staying. I guess it was easier to keep track of everyone if we all stuck together.

I went back up to my room to change into something a little more bar crawl friendly

I headed back downstairs to meet Sami. He was waiting for me in the lobby along with Seth and his girlfriend. The 4 of us headed out to our uber and to the bar everyone was meeting at.

When we got inside the place was crawling with superstars, some who bothered to change, and some who threw off their suit jackets and headed to the bar in their ties. 

We headed to the bar and I waited to place my order. As the bartender approached I opened my mouth to speak when a voice spoke for me instead.

“She’ll have a shot of patron and an Aperol Spritz” the voice said.

I stared straight ahead at the bartender and then nodded my head slowly. I didn’t want to look over and see him. If I look at him I have to talk to him. He’s standing right next to me. So now I have to deal with them at the bar too?

I looked over slowly and tried to smile “thanks,” I said, thanking him for ordering. I didn’t know what else to say, he was just standing there like he wanted me to tip him.

“You’re welcome, been the same order since the day we met.” He said with the biggest grin on his face. 

How can I be so heartbroken by this man, but when he smiles I just want to crawl into his arms and pretend like none of this ever happened?

“Where’s Cathy?” I asked, immediately regretting it. It was really none of my business. I wouldn’t even give the guy the time of day 5 minutes ago, and now I’m asking where his girlfriend is?

“Cathy isn’t here. I wouldn’t worry about seeing her around much anymore” he replied, staring ahead while taking a swig of his beer. 

“Oh, Ferg, I’m sorry to hear that” I looked over at him. I wanted to sound sincere, even if internally I was jumping for joy. 

“No you’re not,” He said, bursting out into laughter. I miss that laugh

I smirked back at him. He was right, I really wasn’t. 

“To be honest, I was hoping you were coming out tonight Y/N/N. You disappeared. I asked you specifically not to, and that’s exactly what you did. You were and still are the most important person in my life. Whether you like it or not. Whether you disappear on me or not. You can’t run. I will still be here when you come back. There’s nothing you can do about it...” He started

“Ferg...” I interjected.

“Please, Y/N, don’t do this to me anymore. It’s like torture. Sometimes when I’m on the road and had the longest day ever, I just want to hear your voice or see your smile, and you won’t even answer. I miss you every single day. You’re my best friend. I miss going to the bar with you and knowing exactly what you’re going to order and that you’re going to get plastered and sing every song they play”

I burst out laughing and nudged my shoulder into his. I couldn’t help it. He was my best friend, and he knew me so well. I reached out my hand and grabbed his. 

“Alright Fergie, you got me. I’m sorry. Someday hopefully we can talk about all of this and understand it from both sides, but tonight.... we drink” I said as I clinked my glass against his and downed my shot. He smiled and nodded his head.

“Sleepover tonight? Stranger Things marathon?!” I asked while he laughed and wrapped me into the biggest hug we have shared in a long time.

“Absolutely, I’ll bring your favorite pillow” he teased while patting the left side of his chest where my head always seemed to fit perfectly. 

___________________________________________________

Tag List: @scuzmunkie @calwitch @nevergone4ever 

[eenefangirlanalysis]

It’s too late to run or even hide. Eddy leads them to the only place he knows they’ll be safe.

His brother’s room.

Viewers have not seen Eddy’s brother’s room since season 3. Eddy’s brother has been an important figure throughout the series. Eddy always mentions him talking about what a glorious person he is. He passed down scams to Eddy, gave him advice, and Eddy always looks up to him. 

Still there was something off about Eddy’s Brother. It’s implied from a comment Eddy makes that he has been gone for some time. His room is boarded up and covered by wall paper. There is no mention of him ever visiting. 

Whenever we’re in Eddy’s house there is this unwelcome vibe. We’re always in Eddy’s room. Remember the episode where Nazz is babysitting Eddy and the kids end up throwing a party in his house? The kids were never welcome in the first place, but don’t you get the vibe that they shouldn’t be there. Every house has a secret. Eddy doesn’t want anybody to find out a secret which he is in denial about.

The reason I say denial is due to how young Eddy was when Bro was around. Bro was presumably kicked out by his parents. Eddy never understood why because he believed Bro to be a good person. Now that Eddy is older he starts to realize that his brother’s persona may have been fake. He wasn’t the person he idled all that time.

Bro’s true nature was staring viewers right in the face the whole time and yet we never picked up on the person he truly was.

When I heard that there was going to be an Ed, Edd n Eddy TV movie back in seventh grade I don’t think I thought much of it. I watched the whole movie and then sat at my computer staring at what I just watched.

Ed, Edd n Eddy is a real eye opener.

Background Side Note: A Picture of sail boats.

Every single screenshot in this movie is wonderfully animated. 

Ed rams into Edd and we get an immense close up of Edd.

Things aren’t going your way is it today, guys?

I feel like this is a moment that says how much Ed and Edd can’t live without Eddy. He guides them through everything. 

Ed and Edd would not be better off without Eddy. If Eddy never existed Ed and Edd would be two boys trapped in their rooms with no understanding of what the world is truly about. Or themselves. Without realizing it, Eddy also made them learn about the values of friendship. 

Edd is a bookworm who love researching. He’s skeptical about different subjects such as love and friendship. His parents never encouraged him to go and explore the world because they imprisoned him in his room. We all know how Ed’s parents treat him. Ed masks a smile trying to look as if he is happy about the world. 

Eddy is the most important person to come into both Ed and Edd’s life because he saved them. And Ed and Edd saved him.

Background Side Note: A Picture of fish

Eddy scrambles down the hallway... wait, down the hallway? I thought his room was right in the vicinity of the living room? 

Their are many continuity errors in all the character’s houses, even the cul-de-sac too. The continuity errors may go along with the turn out that it’s all just stories being told my the Ed’s as old men. They’d exaggerate the details. 

We all have a great memory of the set up of our houses, but sometimes we like to make our stories dramatic.

This was a very traumatic point in Eddy’s life. He has been running away from something his whole life. Eddy always believes running away from fears to be the best option. Mainly due to Bro’s advice, ‘The only way to get it right is to get it wrong.’

Okay, look very closely to the left of the screen.

Recognize the picture?

That’s supposedly the picture of Eddy and Bro’s silhouettes. 

This picture’s permanent home is on the staircase.

If Eddy’s parents disowned Bro why do they still have his picture? 

Many fans have theorized that Eddy’s parents are clueless about Bro’s abuse on Eddy. I don’t believe that’s true. Eddy’s parents are very strict with Eddy. They try to disconnect all communication from Bro. Notice how the addresses on letters are always smudged out? And Eddy has no idea where Bro lives. 

It wasn’t both parents decision when it came to disowning Bro. Eddy’s Mom still regrets having to disown her son while still agreeing that it was for the best. It’s implied that Eddy’s parents still have little communication with him. For example, they had to have been driving somewhere on Christmas Eve night in Jingle Jingle Jangle.

The picture of Bro and Eddy was moved off the staircase and into the back hall is because Eddy’s mother starts to understand why they disowned him. Bro has affected Eddy’s mind even by not being around.

Eddy’s parents are not neglectful. They have made mistakes, but they’re the best parents in the cul-de-sac.

Watch as Eddy goes all Spider Man!

Just as Eddy arrives to the front door he screeches to a halt.

Look very closely at the three pictures place on the wall.

Mom, Dad, and Eddy.

No picture of Bro?

See, there is something off about Bro’s character. Eddy’s Brother never went into full characterization and design until the movie. AKA never thought they’d make a movie or introduce Bro. 

Bro fits so well into the series continuity. Did they know he was going to be a bad person all along? Even without a movie fans knew Bro wasn’t right. There are multiple clues about him not being right in the head such as the set up of his room and the way Eddy reacts to his ‘brother’ in Ed... Pass in On.

Someone is trying to rip the door down!

What is happening? Who is/are after the Ed’s?

The Ed’s are paralyzed with fear not knowing if they’re going to escape this.

The expressions in this show are phenomenal! I think there could be a whole course on the art of Ed, Edd n Eddy. Artists come up with new and different faces for each show.

Eddy takes charge and pushes his friends up the stairs as he runs for them.

See, Eddy always has to think for them. 

Due to the way Ed and Edd have been brought up they don’t think their ideas will be good enough. This is a major difference when it comes to Eddy’s parents. Eddy rarely talks about them. Both of his parents arms are seen in the same season and Eddy’s mother is heard cleaning Eddy’s room off screen in season 3. 

There is a lot to say about Eddy’s family. There's his Grandfather who Eddy was happy to see in Take This Ed and Shove it. Eddy always talked highly of Bro. Maybe Eddy’s parents weren’t around much when Bro was still living with them because they had to work a lot. I’ll talk about that age gap between Eddy and Bro later, but I think Eddy was there second chance. Knowing there was something not right about their oldest son they thought a new baby would help things. 

Ed’s parents are implied to be upstairs hearing all kinds of mayhem while they send Sarah down to punish Ed.

Edd’s parents are never there. 

Eddy’s parents are there. They’re always telling him what to do. He sees them every day. They may not be on his side, but they’re trying to steer him away from the Bro road. Eddy refuses to believe anything they say. That becomes a huge regret.

The door is kicked in the second the Ed’s leave.

The Ed’s are upstairs in no time to make the run of their lives.

This is a great camera angle. The artists also explored more with their camera angles over time.

This scene is so intense. The Ed’s have never been this scared before. When the kids are after them they usually determine that it’s nothing. It’ll just going to pass over. And hiding always helped for them like in the episode Hands Across Ed. They were able to hide from Kevin and Rolf with no problem.

The situation they put themselves into is not going to pass over. Their lives are on the line,

Eddy let’s go of his friends making them do their own running. I like how Eddy puts his friends in front on him. They matter. He is the one at fault when it came to the scam. If the kids want to beat up someone it’s not going to be his friends.

Watch the layout of the background as the Ed’s are running.

There’s the pink table with a picture of someone’s silhouette on the left.

And here’s a blue picture on the right.

Note: The Ed’s don’t go back to their trademark run styles for a few seconds. They’re pumping their arms like how people would normally run.

There’s the pink table again!

And there’s the blue picture again!

The Ed’s world is exaggerated,. Eddy’s hallway isn’t this big. Since they’re in such a big panic the Ed’s cannot think straight. The halls feel longer to them. It’s like in a dream where you move so slowly or are stuck in place. Danger is coming, but you can’t get away fast enough.

Listen to the Ed’s panicked noises and the music in the background. This is unlike any eene episode we have seen before.

And just like that they have reached their destination. 

[forcedapotheosis-blog]

Solstice Ch. II

Whaddup fellas, I’ve been writing a bit and think I can release this stuff without hating myself too much. I really hate tagging it, though. Gloomy Days is probably coming soon, we’ll see about that. No warnings for this chapter, just have fun.

Chapter II

It took them a while to finally reach the Vinsmoke’s ancestral estate as the storm was still growing stronger, howling in the night like a savage wolf. But alas, he didn’t mind. Being able to spend time alone with a woman like her was a blessing, even though she had to concentrate on the sole purpose of not killing them. The streets were in a terrible condition and it had seemed to become worse as soon as the car had left the dim light of the station. The heavy rain hammered onto the car in a staccato that would put a machine gun to shame and even the winds tried their best to lead the vehicle astray. But again, the Goddess managed to surprise him. She was calm, collected, focused and even if the end of the world was approaching, she wouldn’t lose the way nor the control of the car. A damn fine driver, to put it shortly. Other than that, he wasn’t able to learn a lot more about her. Nami was approachable and friendly, no questions asked, but he had the feeling that she willingly held back some informations about her background.

“So, you’ve been working as his secretary for .. how long, now?”, he tried to restart the conversation, having to speak a little louder than usual as the roaring engine of the car fought a losing battle against the terrible storm.

“Around a year now, it’s kinda difficult to find a job with my rather peculiar background.”, she replied, still having her eyes focused on the road .. or whatever she could identify as a road in that play of black and brown that unfolded before their eyes. “Peculiar background? Would you elaborate?”, that sounded rather mysterious but, at least in his eyes, turned out like a load of false decisions when she started her studies. “Anthropology and German as a second language. I mean, I could probably start as a teacher, but I majored in anthropology for a reason, you know?”, now, that explained a little more. Anthropology .. interesting field, I guess, something along the lines of studying human culture and development or so. And not really what I’d have expected from a secretary at all.

“I guess so. Admittedly, I don’t know a hell of a lot about anthropology, but I can see where you’re coming from, at least I assume I can.”, he ignited another cigarette and turned to the side to take a look out of the window. Nothing of note had changed, black in brown with a little wrath of the gods on top. He sure was happy about not having to find a hotel for the night, especially not when forced to travel on foot. For all throughout his life, he had been living in cities, some big, some small, but they always had the flair, they radiated the liveliness of a place inhabited by people.

It was nothing like this.

This whole area seemed just so abandoned, he couldn’t even make out any houses in the nearest vicinity. And if there were some, he was sure that the inhabitants would be as if taken out of the books he sometimes read. Clichéd to no end, mindlessly staring down foreigners and holding back a dark secret. He didn’t consume loads of works belonging to the horror genre, but he was sure that the people here – if there were any – would live up to nearly every trope used.

“We’re close. Are you excited to see your family again?”, her clean voice disturbed the image of degenerated country folks cannibalising each other while sacrificing virgins to dark gods that was forming in his mind. Thankfully. How can she know? My sense of orientation isn't that bad, but in the middle of the damn night, every bit of black and brown looks like the same bit of black and brown two kilometres ago!, he certainly was in awe of her and, even though he knew next to nothing about her, had no problems in trusting her judgement. “Want me to be honest? I’d rather sleep under a bridge than under the same roof as my .. relatives.”, maybe he overstepped his bounds a bit as Nami was employed by one of his brothers, might even be somewhat loyal to him, but he didn’t want to lie to her. And if everything went down as abysmal as he expected, the illusion of a happily reunited family would shatter quickly enough. “Any particular reason for that?”, the estate was finally in sight. The lights on the ground floor of that decade old beast of a house were lit, not caring that normal people used to sleep at this time. Maybe they were actually waiting for their arrival.

“Well, I certainly didn’t have the best possible childhood. And I'd lie if I said that my dear siblings didn't play a huge part in that.”, that was about as far as he wanted to go. It wouldn’t serve any purpose to tell her about the things his father used to do and to say to ensure that his children would grow up the way he intended. And that wasn’t even mentioning the fact about his strange obsession for ancient books and even older languages. Judge Vinsmoke, and that was the only positive thing Sanji could think of, had been a very sophisticated man, well versed in foreign languages and even dead languages (that sounded more like a drunk trying to talk in ancient Greek after he had been hit on the head with a club). For whatever reason.

“I was young when I left my family.”, to that, she just nodded, deciding that it would be better not to dig deeper until he opened up himself. “I deeply respect you for coming here, though. It’s better to give this whole reunion a shot than to live with yourself when the opportunity to do so no longer exists.”, she said, finally starting to park the car. There were three other cars that Sanji could identify through rain and darkness, large, state of the art. It seemed like his siblings had been pretty successful in whatever they did with their lives. He also noted that the cars marked a stark contrast between the modern world and the old ancestral mansion that had been in the possession of his family for much longer than he lived.

So many years have passed and still .. around these halls, I don’t feel well. Just looking at them summons shades of the past, of mother not being able to sleep in here, looking as pale as a ghost. The walls used to sound so .. hollow, as if something was living within them. Faint voices whispering in your ears. I’m not a child anymore, but it still chills me to the bone.

“Are you ready to go, Sanji?”, her clear voice effortlessly broke through his sombre thinking and he couldn’t help but to smile. Maybe people and old stories didn’t lie when they spoke of a light in the darkness that was able to burn the shadows away?

“As ready as I can be, I guess. Please, Miss Nami ..”, his arms slid out of his jacket and he held it towards her. “It’s raining cats and dogs and I wouldn’t want for you to catch a cold.”, to that, she answered with a smile and slung it around her shoulders. The car’s engine finally grew silent and for a moment, he felt lost. Caught in the heavy rain, the hurricane winds trying to yank around the car, the starless sky and a beacon of light, sitting right next to him. But before he could lose himself in that thought, she broke the silence once again, handing over the silvery case in which he stored his cigarettes.

“Pretty sure you’re going to smoke before we get inside, hm?”, she was right, of course. Even though somewhere in his subconscious he had garnered some hope of leaning in on her to get his cigarettes. Opening the case, the subtle smell of dried tobacco hit his nose and put his nerves at ease. I could still flee. Just run into the dark of night and never look back. How ‘bout that?, he knew that he wouldn’t do it, but assuring himself that he could was nearly as important as actually doing it. Without a second thought, he put another cigarette between his lips and exchanged glances with Nami. “Think I’m as ready as I could be. I just .. well, thank you for picking me up. It’s been a very pleasant experience.”, sure, there was the chance that she would consider his words as weird, but not knowing what was to come made him speak out anyway.

Nami answered with a smile and gently put her hand on his shoulder. Even though the touch was as soft as a butterfly landing on him, it nonetheless sent a shiver through his body. By all means, electrifying. “I wouldn’t worry too much if I was you. I’m sure it’s not going to be as bad as you think it will, remember that all of you are adults now. Times change and people tend to do the same.”, and again, she was right. And his conscious mind didn’t have any problem to believe her, but the underlying feelings and memories were still there. She’s got a point. It’s been nearly fifteen years since I have last seen them. Things might have changed for the better. It’s very unlikely that these days will go down as badly as my mind is trying to tell me they will., in hindsight, both of them had a point. Things wouldn’t be as bad as he imagined.

Also, things just might be a little better now, as he was still feeling her touch on his shoulder. He enjoyed it so much, actually, and got soaked in by it that the unlit cigarette nearly fell from his mouth. But nature seemed to have a way to interrupt humans whenever the opportunity arose. Even through the hammering rain, through the loudness of raging winds, both of them startled when a loud thump destroyed the precious moment.

They quickly found the offender, but that didn’t help the startling effects of the sudden noise. Or the effect that the disturber had.

Fuck you, bird.

Indeed, it was a bird. A rather large one at that. From what Sanji could see through the pale light that reached it, coming from the inside of the car, it must have been a crow. Or a raven. Not that he knew nor cared about any difference between these two. What he cared more about was that Nami’s hand had left his shoulder, which now felt empty and cold. But the longer he looked at it, the more creepy it became. Its black feathers seemed untouched by the rain and, besides the noisy landing, the animal seemed unshaken by the winds. Silently staring at the both of them through black eyes. So .. when’s the ‘Nevermore’ coming?, he had never been a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe, but seeing the bird brought back memories long buried of him reading ‘The Raven’. To his delight, Nami broke the silence with the exact same thought. “Sanji, are you, perchance, looking for a lost Lenore?”, she chuckled and it was as contagious as it could get, driving away the shadows, even momentarily the ones he kept to himself.

“Nevermore.”, he said, himself smiling by now. “He’s a tough one, though. Flying through this storm should earn him some respect.”, still, the bird was just standing on the car’s bonnet, silently watching them. Maybe out of slight curiosity, or .. was it judging them? Yeah, it sure is. Well done, Prince Sanji of Dumbass Kingdom. That bird is absolutely judging people.

But as abruptly as it came, the bird left them. With one powerful stroke of his wings, the raven (or crow?) effortlessly soared into the air, seemingly untouched by the heavy rain or the wind's violent play.

“That .. was strange.”, Nami leaned forward, trying to follow the bird’s path, but within a split second it had vanished into the black night. “Did you notice something odd about it?”, she asked, sinking back into the chair and turning her face towards him. “Odd? You mean, besides the fact that it stared at us for no reason?”, he looked at her in perplexity. “Yeah, besides that. The poor thing was crippled, it had three legs.”, his eyes widened at that. Three legs? He didn’t pay too much attention to other parts than the bird’s creepy black eyes. But that was something that you didn’t get to see every day. “Seemed to be holding up well enough, if you ask me. Maybe he’s more resilient thanks to being different?”, actually, the bird was holding up even better than he was giving it credit. Not only had it seemed utterly unfazed and unflinching when it came to wind and rain, it even made its final ascent and good-bye looking perfectly natural, as if it was effortlessly riding on the wind, bending nature to fit its needs.

“Well .. what I wanted to say before that unnecessary interruption: I think that your siblings are already waiting for us. So, one last cigarette and then we head in?”, again, she was right. Confronting them was inevitable by now, might as well get it over with. Sanji nodded in agreement, unbuckled and finally stepped out in the cold and rain. Surprisingly enough, it felt good. After the time he had spent with Nami by his side, his body was in dire need of cooling down. And the weather did provide that, a little too much, actually. Stepping out of the car didn’t really feel like stepping into the rain, but more like taking a shower with all your clothes on. Not a very pleasant feeling, but it did help him in getting his head clear. He didn’t need to hurry, too, since by the time they would reach the door, he’d be wet to his bones anyway, so he took his time walking over to her side and falling into his usual manners. He opened the door and held out his right hand towards her. Nami accepted it and readily let him help her to get out of the car, his fine jacket hanging loosely on her shoulders. Contrary to his shirt, it might hold the water back for a few minutes before it was soaked. He shut the door and both of them began walking towards the dimly lit entrance, a wide door made from heavy and expensive wood. It even had an old-fashioned knocker, too. A sinister little thing, the head of a dog, mouth wide open with fangs that seemed just a little too long and pointy to be on the realistic side of things. In its mouth, it held a thick ring made of rusty iron. Whoever designed this house read too many horror books. Fortunately for the both of them, though, he also seemed to have had some kind of sense regarding practicality. The house’s roof extended a meter or so, so that one might find shelter from the rain when standing next to the door.

The moment of truth had finally arrived and Sanji felt a strange tingling in his stomach. Even though it’s been so long, the bad memories still haunted him from time to time. And there were some wounds that were just too deep and too stubborn to heal. He was pleased to see that the cigarette between his lips still was mostly dry, ready to be ignited. Just a few minutes more .. a little time to enjoy next to the goddess.

But hope was the first step on the road to disappointment.

The moment he lifted his lighter to ignite the cigarette, a loud screeching put rain and storm to shame. The heavy door was being opened and the old, rusty hinges ached under the sudden pressure. It sounded like the metal was being torn apart, and when it ceased, a shadowy figure finally strode into his line of sight. Confronted with that rather small, undefined frame, he felt like Igor had just opened the doors to Dracula’s castle for him. Only that this Igor didn’t have a hunchback. And wasn’t even male to begin with.

“Our guest of honour has finally arrived, I see..”, the voice was definitely female, not as clean or high as Nami’s, but more of the smoky, seductive kind that had appealed to him for most of his teen and adult life. But not this time, for reason that should become obvious in a few seconds. Even though he couldn’t remember all of it, the familiarity of her voice was what made the tingling in his stomach grow wild. All the time, he had prepared to meet them on his own terms, when he was ready to do it. This situation just stomped on his plan and he felt his confidence crumbling in the face of unexpected events. What came next, somehow, made it even worse. “Nami, dear, Ichiji is waiting for you in the kitchen. I think he’s got a surprise waiting for you.”, maybe it was true or maybe it was just a polite way of telling her to go so that his sister, Reiju, might have a minute alone with him. It didn’t matter, the thought of being without Nami distressed him. For a second, he hoped that the secretary would decline, saying that his damned brother could wait a few minutes more, but she was far too polite for that.

“I’ll go see him, maybe it’s important. Sanji, I’ll put your jacket up for drying, is that alright?”, he nodded, forcing himself to smile confidently, even though he didn’t feel like it. A moment later, she was gone and silence fell upon him and his sister. There was so much to say, but he couldn’t decide on what was important and what not.

“It’s .. good to see you, Reiju. You’ve grown up.”, that wasn’t exactly creative or heart-warming, but as neutral a thing as he had to say. And there it was again, a strange feeling of impending doom. He wasn’t usually like this, but since her letter had reached him, it had become increasingly easy to follow dark and gloomy thoughts. “I didn’t believe that you’d really come, Sanji. It’s been so long.”, she said, wearing a strange smile that didn’t extend to her eyes. Somehow, it felt like she was wearing a mask, trying to conceal her true feelings about all of this. “Can’t believe it myself, to be perfectly honest.”, he took a deep draw from his cigarette and exhaled through mouth and nose, not being able to decide if this was good or bad. In fact, he wasn’t even able to look at her for an extended period of time. All the bad memories that haunted him became just so lively again. “We’re all adults now, right ..? It’s not going to be like it used to be.”, to that, she gently shook her head, her pink hair being a rather odd and colourful contrast to the surrounding darkness. “We’ve all become bigger, Sanji. But looking at you, at least trying to conquer your past and make peace with it, I feel that you are one of the rare people who actually grew up.”, that was cryptic and not encouraging at all. Did she want to say that his brothers didn’t change over the past fifteen years?

She sighed silently, taking something that looked like a slighty bigger, black cigarette out of her pocket. “Would you mind me borrowing your lighter?”, he didn’t answer and just handed it over. If she had been any other woman, he’d have given her light, of course. But she was his sister and could surely do it on her own. For the moment, he averted his gaze from her and stared into the black sky. Still, there wasn’t even the slightest sign of star- or moonlight, the thick black clouds all but painted the heavens. Again, he inhaled the smoke deeply and felt his nerves easing when it hit his lungs and the nicotine did its magic. Next to him, he heard her lighting the flame, accompanied by the characteristic swoosh of gas leaving the lighter.

Indeed, he was so distracted by the ominous black sky that for the first few moments, he didn’t even realise that Reiju had grabbed his hand. And then, the stinging, sharp pain arrived.

He let out a deep grunt, instinctively trying to draw back his left arm, but the Vinsmokes were more than met the eye, and it showed again. Reiju had a small frame and the perfect figure for a woman, no hulking muscles, just pure elegance, but she hid steel underneath that. Her grab on his arm was close to a vice, nearly inescapable with only the strength of his own arm to rely on. The crying pain dragged on for a second or two, before she finally let go of him. He backed up a metre or so into the rain, grabbing his forearm. “Have you lost your damn mind?!”, he shouted at her. Under different circumstances, his voice might have reached the people inside the mansion, too, but the storm all but drowned it out. By now he could see that she was holding the small, black thing that had looked like a cigarette in her right hand.

Sanji breathed heavily, still trying to cope with the pain she had inflicted on him while his own resilience tried to match it. What the ..?!, he forced his right hand to let go of his forearm to see the damage she had done. And by what means.

“Have you lost your mind, Reiju?!”, he shouted again, even though a little less furious, now that he had seen the damage. It sure hurt like hell, but the pain was worse than what actually had happened. She had branded him, the damn mad woman. He wasn’t able to clearly make out what it was, but at least it wasn’t too big and wouldn’t cripple his arm or his precious hands, even though the pain was still radiating all over the left side of his body. It was a small thing, relatively fine and shaped, covering a room on his skin as wide as the tip of his thumb.

“You can thank me later, brother. Just keep it covered up with your sleeve.”, obviously, she didn’t even think about answering any questions about it. The fine hairs on his arm had been burned away and, again looking at the shape of the branding, he could finally make out what it was. It looked like a strange type of a very branch, nothing too complicated. Three arms on its left side, two on the right. “If that’s some kind of a shitty freaking joke, Reiju, I’m going to leave right here and now!”, he wanted answers and he wanted the pain to go away (actually, it did cease a little since his fury towards her numbed it).

“Maybe you sh-“, she began only to be interrupted by another, eerily similar to Sanji's own, deep voice. “Sanji, don’t you want to give your little brother a hug? It’s been a long time.”, another shade appeared from inside the house, stepping next to his sister. It was kind of astounding to see that so little had changed about him. Unconsciously, Sanji rolled down the sleeve of his shirt to cover up the branding Reiju had given him. As uncomfortable as a soaked shirt was, the coolness of it was quite adapt at easing the pain of said sign. He hasn’t changed at all. Not his eyes, his hairstyle or his posture. Just the clothes are a little more extravagant. Indeed, the green-haired, muscular man was the exact, though grown up, mirror image of the Yonji he remembered .. not so fondly, to put it mildly. And even though his words were probably intended to at least sound amicable, he didn’t even try to conceal the disdain in his voice when he addressed Sanji. And where Reiju at least tried to put on a friendly, welcoming smile, his brother was just staring at him with a brick for a face, no emotional value to find therein. His slicked back hair only underlined that Yonji was the archetype of a spoiled brat with too easy a childhood. Sanji’s hands, again unconsciously, formed fists.

“You’ll catch a cold if you stay in the rain. Come in, everybody pretends that they want to meet you.”, he stepped aside, doing a mockingly welcoming gesture to invite him into the house, while Reiju kept shrouding herself in silence. What was it that she wanted to say? Sanji had travelled so far. Now he had to go through with it, setting himself in motion, leaving the storm behind himself and, after so many years, stepped into the ancestral estate of his family again.

And just before Reiju closed the heavy door, he heard it again.

Another caw coming from somewhere within this blackest night, a lonely voice raised in defiance of storm and rain and darkness.

[toneelspeler]

Favourite Acting Scenes – Isak’s confession about his ‘thing’ with Even to his friends (6.10/7.10)

A request from the lovely @dahlstrom. I personally dislike the term “coming out” so I try to avoid it.

It doesn’t happen too often that you repeat scenes in television series or films. On stage, it’s possible that you perform the same scene hundreds of times, either in rehearsal or during the show that’s being performed daily. And every time you have to bring in new energy, perform as if it has never happened to you before. This means that every time you act this scene, you get a little more comfortable in it. Now, this is not necessarily the case for these two scenes, although I am sure they’ve rehearsed them: in these two scenes, the story, the content, and the climax are all the same. It’s about telling some friends about something which you have struggled with personally, telling the truth and hoping that they don’t see you in a different light. So what exactly makes these scenes so the same yet so compellingly different? It’s about knowing the context, the background and interaction you have with different people in your life. Although the themes in the scenes may be familiar, it’s through the acting (and very strong writing) that you truly see how Isak sees himself in relation to the others in his friend group, and what kind of reactions he expects when confronting them with this new information about himself.

Let’s take a look at Isak’s relationships with his friends, and here I will be focusing on Jonas, Mahdi and Magnus in particular. These are the people he feels he needs to tell this information to. Jonas is his best friend, and they’re as close as two friends can be: they trust each other, worry about each other, turn to each other when there are some troubles with girlfriends or family members, and they call in third years to beat up people with bottles because they’ve hurt their friend. This is a storyline that has been established since the first season; it’s a bit harder to guess with Mahdi and Magnus. Going off on the Mahdi’s comment in the first episode, Isak has only become friends with him fairly recently, and through Jonas’s Need for Weed. Because David’s appeared within Tarjei’s vicinity before in season 1, I’d like to think Isak and Magnus have known each other for a while but were just regular, not that really close, friends before. Maybe they’ve just started hanging out more during the summer.

In any case, I believe none of these boys are homophobic purposively; it’s just language that they’ve grown up with and never really thought about critically before. Still, words can hurt, and Isak has internalized these words and feels they conflict so much with who he is that he even uses them sometimes to emphasize this. Ha, that word? That ain’t me! But look at that guy! But then, everything changes when Even is introduced and he is truly confronted with how these boys, who have thrown around these words carelessly, will react to him actually being attracted to a boy. Isak has had some experience telling this to Eskild, but was that truly ever going to be a problem for him, a guy who is truly comfortable with who he is and who he is attracted to? No.

In 6.10 Isak’s gone through a pretty terrible week, and really, really needs to talk to someone. He chooses Jonas, who has already confirmed himself to be a wonderful friend by waiting for Isak and telling him to come to him if he needed to.

Now, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jonas has called out Isak’s homophobic comment about the dancer earlier this season: it made it clear to Isak that even though Jonas has used that language before, he doesn’t seem to accept it now when it references someone personally. I think Isak knows, somewhere deep down, that Jonas will be okay with it. So after a weird, extremely bro-ey, conversation about vomiting, the time has come to tell him.

Even though you have a feeling that someone will be fine with what you’re telling them, it can still be quite scary to say it out loud. All of this is because of a person I like. Isak stops eating here, it’s so nerve wrecking that he can’t eat anymore. You see in his eyes that he’s truly nervous about this; he can’t look away, he needs to see Jonas’s reaction. And then, just as he did with Eva, he asks him to guess who it is. Once again, he’s truly hoping that Jonas already knows; he’s seen Even a few times already, more so than the other guys. After a few female guesses, and Jonas trying to get Isak to tell him straight-up, Isak gives him the final hint.

It’s not a girl.

And Marlon’s reaction to this is so good, it’s barely noticeable. You see him giving the tiniest of smiles (ah. Finally), he keeps on eating (truly Isak, cool information but this kebab needs eating), and makes a joke (it’s even okay if you’re attracted to me. I don’t mind.). And Isak is truly thankful for this, for him. He smiles again. And, because Jonas is an observant and very caring person, he knows who Isak is talking about. No explanation needed.

This is where I think the difference lies with the other scene in 7.10: this scene is focused on Isak’s attraction to Even, not necessarily to boys. Jonas makes it all about Isak himself, how he feels, what the deal is with this Even guy. He keeps smiling to him as well. That’s what Isak needed to have this week: not an inquisition about his sexuality, but a conversation about the complicated situation with this guy he’s been seeing.

Isak’s confession to Mahdi and Magnus is also in a different context: Isak needs to tell them personally because the chance that someone else will tell them is pretty big. Also, this wasn’t the situation he had in mind for telling them this. So in this scene, Tarjei uses his ability to wobble his voice again: he stumbles nervously through this confession. Unfortunately, these guys, and especially Magnus, aren’t as observant as Jonas is, so Isak tries really hard to make them understand what he’s saying. Please just get it. I find it so hard to say already, not knowing what you’ll think of me.

Magnus’s reaction is very true to real life for some people: he’s been idolizing Isak for his womanizing skills, so this is information that does change his idea of him a bit. His eyes and mouth almost fall open, his jaw’s almost on the ground. This is the reaction that Isak might’ve anticipated, and this is scary. Fortunately, Mahdi is a very forgiving and understanding person, so he changes the conversation to sexuality, lifting the pressure on Isak a bit. This is a reaction that Isak hasn’t had before, neither did he expect it. He keeps looking around, only coming back into the conversation when Magnus, trying to be cool about it, calls him that awful word. But he’s still the same Isak, and Magnus is still the same oblivious person, their dynamic hasn’t changed. Even I got more game with girls and I don’t even like them. Isak vs. Magnus, 1-0.

These two scenes were heavily influenced by the background of the characters that the actors portray, and they showed that so powerfully in the writing and acting as well. Telling people about your attraction to the same gender, whether it’s homosexuality, bisexuality, or pansexuality, is something that will happen continuously in life, and every time results in different emotions and conclusions. This is realistic: it’s hard with some people, with others, you’re a bit more relaxed. But just as was the case with Isak, maybe it’s a bigger deal inside your head than outside of it. However, it’s your decision to make.

 Previous parts: here.

[babypalms]

This is a capture of the pictures on February 28, 2018 in the Dougherty Garden. At this point in time and still to this day, I’m in the process of removing weeds, sifting soil and repotting new and old plants uncovered during my yearly renovation. I thought that I had to buy more no float mulch but since I started to dig up the plants and soil to remove all the new and old weeds, I’ve been able to recapture the mulch from last year and have acquired the equivalent of several bags of soil.

This is the soil that my little frindly worms create when they aerate the soil in their up and down movement in the soil. On top of that, I have a bunch of Ibis birds that visit the Dougherty Garden on a regular basis doing their bit by driving heir beaks into the soil in search of food. So, the soil is hydrated on a regular basis and full of all sorts of droppings from an assortment of visitors.

This is what my soil looks like after I sift a few shovel fulls of the top scrappings from the  garden soil. I use a shovel and a rake to scrape together the immediate top surface of the garden grow area. I loosen up the soil with the shovel to remove weeds that are difficult to pull out by hand. On ocassion, I use a chemical but that only seems to be efffective for a short period of time. Sometime, it will kill the weed, brown it out but not kill the seeds that are born from the weed.

I use the plastic pots from my coffee for storing an assortment of soil additives that enhance my soil. Some of the items that are in these containers are: potassium, epsom salt, palm tree fertilizer, perlite, spaghnum peat moss, fire pit ashes, egg shells, and coffee grinds. Basically, if it’s organic and decomposes, I’ll add it to my soil. I don’t have a compost pile anymore but when I have something that will decompose, I usually cut this item up into the smallest pieces possible and hand throw them around the Dougherty Garden.

This is a large plastic pot that was thrown out by my neighbor and one that I use for storing my soils and for mixing my soil. It seves many purposes when I’m working with my plants. Most times, I’ll place the plants that I’m working with or repotting in this pot to minimze any soil spillage. I leave spilling the soil to the little ones when they are in the garden.

I’ll add some more pictures to this blog because I remember that I had taken a picture of a shovel removing several weeds.

The top picture shows what I call a vine like weeds that I will use a shovel to remove the weeds instead of pulling them out by hand. I can pull them out by hand but the roots are very strongly imbedded in the soil. I take the shovel and shove it about an inch or two below the weed and push in. You can almost hear the weeds as they are being cut from the soil. It takes a few jabs with the shovel to get all the weeds. I do it this way because I get the whole weed and most of the weed seeds in this process.

I place the complete shovel full of weeds and soil in to what I call a sifter, old plant trays with holes in them that I use for sifting. I made a video of this process (when I find it) which I’ll attach to give you an idea of how I reclaim soil and mulch from this weeding process.

Weeds with Small Yellow Flowers

Vine Type Weed

Weed with Light Purple Flower

Sample of Weeds

Traveling Weed

Vine Type Weed – Strong Roots

Here is an assortment of weeds that are quite common in the Dougherty Garden. The easiest one for me to remove is that of the dollar weed which is easily removed because when you pull it up, it is attached to a lateral root which comes up very easily as you pull it from the ground. if you find one, you’ll find quite afew within the near vicinity. In a grassy area, you need to usea weed and feed fertilizer to control the weed growth. That’s the only time that I use a chemical and it is usually not every year.

As I walk through the Dougherty Garden, over the grassy area, if I notice a yellow or purple flower, I’ll just reach down and remove it before it gets a chance to drop a seed and spread.

Getting back to potting and cutting, which is a daily function at this time of year in the Dougherty Garden, we’ll cover some pictures of the process.

Potted Young Washington Palm Tree

Empty Pot Ready to Pot Plant

Young Washington Palm Tree Seedling

Loosen Soil on Washington Palm Seedling

Place Washington Palm Seedling in Pot

Pat Down Soil in Pot

Finished Potting Washington Palm Seedling

More Washington Palm Seedlings for Potting

Smaller Washington Palm Seedlings

Larger Washington Palm Seedlings Potted

Potted Washington Palm Seedlings Ready for the Sun

DCIM100SPORT

DCIM100SPORT

Typical Leaves of a Washington Palm Seedling

Here are a few pictures of the process of repotting a few Washington palm tree young seedlings. I always have several small plam trees in a variety of sizes in the Dougherty Garden. In the above pictures, I take the Washington palm tree seedlings of assorted sizes and repot them into larger pots.

I’ll remove them from their current pots and put them in my soil container to size up each palm tree seedling to see how I will repot them and into what size container and how many seedlings to put in that one container.

The Washington palm tree is one of my favorite palm trees to grow because it is a pretty palm tree. It grows about two feet a year when planted in the ground but makes a rather beautiful palm tree for a potted palm tree for the patio. I grew it for years before I planted two in the ground in the Dougherty Garden. It helps add to my seed collection. If it gets too big, donate it to a friend who has a large property or place it in the garden recycle container and start with a new one for you patio.

Here is the mother of all my Washington palm seeds. The Washington palm tree has numerous bracts of seeds during the year and I’m always finding seeds below the palm tree in the Dougherty Garden.

Small Unknown Plants with Red Flowers

Large Unknown Red Flowers Plant

I’m still searching for a name for my Unknown Plant with pretty light red color. It’s Springtime and this plant will produce more seeds and seedlings over the year. I just missed a picture with numerous blooms from the prior week.

Partial Mulch Restoration

More Partial Mulch Restoration

Working on the base of the Washington Palm Tree

I have about eight more bags of no float mulch but have been recycling the mulch that I had put down last year. As I renovate each section, I’m able to recoup most of the mulch that I put down last year. because of my age and strength, I do a small section at a time. Pull the weeds, squirt a little weed killer when I’m in the mood and cover the newly renovated area with somke no float mulch.

On the bottom picture, there are a few Iris plants that have spread over the years in this area. I removed all of the Iris plants and repotted them in a large pot to let their roots rejuvenate and then I can replant them in the same area or a new area.

Here is my Pothos plant, of which I was able to obtain a new variant of the Pothos plant that is somewhere in the background of this picture, climbing a Cabbage palm tree. The Pothos plant has a tendency to grow bigger with each new leaf that it produces. notice the difference from the very bottom leaf and the top leaf in the above picture. That is still far smaller than any of the Pothos plants thta I see climbing a palm tree.

And finally, my Touch Me Not plant that has these very small pink flowers. The premise behind these Touch Me Not plants is that when you touch them, their leaves will close up. Apparently, these have not reached that state because when I do touch them the leaves do not curl up below the plant. We’ll see what happens this year.

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Marty Dougherty #greendougherty #yorkville #doughertygarden #doughertypalms #doughertypalms and #palmsofthedoughertygarden #nostalgia #oldies(doowop)music #irishaoritaliano #jobsoutwest #corporateamerica #lifeintheusmarines #afewfunnies

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Dougherty Garden – Today in the Garden – February 28, 2018 This is a capture of the pictures on February 28, 2018 in the Dougherty Garden. At this point in time and still to this day, I'm in the process of removing weeds, sifting soil and repotting new and old plants uncovered during my yearly renovation.