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itwillbeall-dwight · 4 years ago

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trials in error

danny "jed olsen" johnson | the ghost face/felix richter; fluff and angst; canon-typical violence; enemies to fwb to lovers to enemies lmao; 5677 words

a/n: did i finish two fics in the same day? yes i did. i’ve had this done since one in the morning but didn’t want to post it them bc no one would see it by the time it was flushed out of the tag bc tumblr hates fic writers for real actually.

my friend booker is to blame for this. they mentioned this pair to me offhandedly but then i turned around and made this, and basically learned 2 things. 1) writing danny is fun, and 2) i have. a lot of feelings. about them.

while i have a couple of long pieces to finish, requests are still open, so if you liked this and would like smthn written, feel free to shoot me an ask!

likes < reblogs, any comments in the tags are appreciated

ao3 mirror in the reblogs!

Preview: “Tell you what.” He folded his arms over the top of the generator, looking the man in the face as he rested the side of his head against his forearm. “You’re still a noob, and I can’t be having anything fun with that. I’ll give you, hm… 10 seconds to run and hide, phone a friend, you know… not die, but after that, you’re all mine. Sound good?” The blonde remained silent, blinking at him in bewilderment. That was as good of an answer as any. “Alright. 10-” “Ah, wait, but what about-” “-9-” He didn’t say anything after that, dropping the wires in his hands and taking off into a sprint, stumbling as he stood to his full height - and oh boy, was he a tall guy - and turned a corner of old cars. Danny chuckled, standing up to rest his ass against the side of the gen, flipping his knife in his hand as he kept counting down. “8… 7… 6-5-4-3-2-1- ok, here we go.”

Another day, another trial. As the fog cleared from his vision, the Ghostface flipped his small knife in his hand, feeling the silent breeze whistle through the tendrils on his uniform. The Autohaven Wreckers was as sorry of a sight as it always was, but one that he’d grown quite accustomed to use as his playground. From the sight of the old garage, he could almost pick out memories of all the times he’d scared the pants off of the poor survivors, which he took more than enough pleasure in doing. Danny looked around, still absently flipping his knife in his hand as he formulated a plan, taking a brief moment to watch the ever-present moonlight glint off of the freshly cleaned blade before he looked up once more, a slow grin forming behind the mask as the game began.

Poor Meg thought he was stupid, thinking she’d lost him at a simple enough loop around a pile of tires, all up until he pulled her off of her generator with a cackle (“screw you, creep” she said as she slammed her fists into the back of his shoulder - changed her tune real quick after he slid a hook into hers). Nea didn’t hesitate in giving him the runaround, powering a generator in his face and slamming a locker door into him for good measure. Danny knew the girl would throw a palette at him if she had the chance - she was the most fun to play with. But he soon lost her, so soon after catching her, but it was that detective asshole that ruined their fun, as he’d shone a damn flashlight in his eyes while he had Nea on his shoulder, finally, enough for her to wiggle free and run off again. And by the time his vision had cleared, the both of them had gone. Danny growled - as much as he enjoyed fun, it was only when he was winning was it any good.

It was while he was stalking around the battered old killer shack looking for the bastard that he saw him for the first time. Blonde hair, broad shoulders, and a fancy suit that just screamed rich, with a touch of “please tear me off or splatter me in blood, both sound great”. A man he didn’t recognize, sat on a generator, eyes darting around as he worked the best he could with shaking hands, clearly on edge about being left on his own to work. Whatever annoyance he had in him melted like hot wax, as he approached, slowly, knowing this guy would be a wonderful victim to mess with. The killer’s fingers curled around the edge of the wall as he watched the man, the way he swallowed and sighed, muttering to himself in reassurance in a tongue that sounded familiar to him, too quiet to tell. The generator got louder and louder, its mechanisms and inner parts in tune as the man worked his magic, almost letting himself smile in triumph as he grabbed another wire.

“Hey there, handsome.”

A voice from behind his neck, raspy and deep, caused him to jump, a spark sending the generator into smoke as he turned, face going white as he pushed his back against the wall.

Oh, he was right. He was going to be fun, all right. Danny chuckled. “Oh, sorry. Did I scare you? Tend to do that. It’s in my… nature.”

The man swallowed, glancing around for any kind of help, seeming to find none as his attention turned back to the killed, speaking in a low, rich voice, though it shook from fear. “Don’t you have… things, to be stabbing?”

“Why, is that an invitation?” He laughed again, leaning up against the generator and crossing one leg over the other. “Nah, I’m just kiddin’. Ain’t it enough to get to know the new neighbours? Haven’t seen you around before, pretty boy. They smuggled you in, huh?”

“I… suppose.”

He hummed, tapping the blade of his knife against the metal of his knife, the clanging making the survivor jump. Oh, bless him - well and truly, it was a mistake for him to get caught up here… but a happy mistake, to be sure. “Got a name?”

“Huh?”

“Like I said, I like to know the neighbours, ya know… real close and personal. A preference. Bit of normalcy. Soooo…”

He remained silent. So he was a little bit smarter than what he’d look like, from the way he was shaking in his rich white boots. Impressive.

“Tell you what.” He folded his arms over the top of the generator, looking the man in the face as he rested the side of his head against his forearm. “You’re still a noob, and I can’t be having anything fun with that. I’ll give you, hm… 10 seconds to run and hide, phone a friend, you know… not die, but after that, you’re all mine. Sound good?”

The blonde remained silent, blinking at him in bewilderment. That was as good of an answer as any.

“Alright. 10-”

“Ah, wait, but what about-”

“-9-”

He didn’t say anything after that, dropping the wires in his hands and taking off into a sprint, stumbling as he stood to his full height - and oh boy, was he a tall guy - and turned a corner of old cars.

Danny chuckled, standing up to rest his ass against the side of the gen, flipping his knife in his hand as he kept counting down. “8… 7… 6-5-4-3-2-1- ok, here we go.”

Curious as it was, he lost the blonde beauty soon after he let him go, instead finding Meg oddly open about where she was, spriting right into his vision. Not that he was complaining; a game was a game, and if the runner decided that she wanted to play tag, then who was he to turn her down? Especially when she was so easy to catch… though as soon as she was hooked, flashlight clicking and Swedish profanities in his ear was enough to make him chase after Nea rather than go after his original chase once again… they were painting a target on their back, and for what? To save the new guy’s skin? He wasn’t an idiot. Just surprised that some of them had the compassion.

Well, they managed to get another generator done, but the two girls were dead, and a soon injured Tapp was surely soon to follow them. A means to an end, it seemed, as his knife plunged into the detective’s side and sent him crashing into the dirt with a grunt of pain, rolling over onto his back with one eye open, the other wincing in pain, the shadow of the killer cast over him in the moonlight as he wiped his blade.

“OK, Detective, we’ll make this real nice and simple.” He crouched down next to the survivor, taking note of how the blood pooled around him as he laid on his back, staring up at him. “Tell me where your new friend is hiding, and I’ll let you live.”

Silence.

“C’mon, it’s not that hard of a choice to make. I’ve heard getting sacrificed is long and painful, like your insides are getting ripped at over and over again until, poof, you’re back again, at that cozy little campfire, only a little bit more traumatised to show for it. Now, you want that to happen to only one of you, or both of you, hm?”

Tapp looked away, seeming to ponder the possibility.

“Self-preservation instincts, Detective. I know you have them.” He tapped his knife into the dirt. Humans were fickle beings, easily swayed when their life was on the line.

The detective sighed, chest shaking from the strain. “Fine. I know where he’s hiding. But I can’t… breathe right, with a knife in my chest, so come a little closer.”

Danny blinked, but surely he didn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve, so he did as he was told, for once in his life, letting his mask get inches away. “Yes?”

A moment of silence, before there was a whisper in reply, backed by the assurance of an idiot who knew he was going to die regardless, as he spat blood pooling in his mouth onto the mask of the ghost almost pressed against his own. “Go fuck yourself.”

He was almost stunned at the bravado, leaning away with a chuckle, though he gritted his teeth through it. “Oh, you’re a funny man. Absolutely hilarious, you know that?” But still, that was as good of an affirmation of choice as he was going to get from someone so stubborn, so Danny grabbed him by the front of his vest and hoisted him up onto his shoulder.

The screaming echoed as the heavens opened up, the Entity surely pleased with her feast for the evening, but he still wasn’t done… oh no, far from it. There was still one more handsome devil to track down. Danny rolled his neck, grinning at the gentle cracks from the strain, strolling more than hunting, at this point, for the well-kept survivor he didn’t know the name of, but was practically dying to know. He almost skipped up the crane, looking out of the window as Rapunzel did out of her tower window, before chuckling to himself and hoisting himself out. Danny tapped his blade against his hand, almost going to begin whistling if not for the angelic cries coming from the hill just close by. A grin overtook him, as he chased the calls of cherubs from the ground below.

He slammed that hatch shut with a satisfied sigh, throwing his knife between his hands as he looked around and arched his neck for the doors. Normally the whelps would just give up at this point, but the guy was new, and probably didn’t know what was best for him. Still, the doors were easily within view, so if he made it out of this alive… well, he wouldn’t, so no promise needed to be made. The killer chuckled to himself, finally settling on wrapping his fingers around the handle of his blade, curling one by one, slowly and deliberately for no one in particular, before setting off to take part in the real game that had begun.

He had no idea how he did it. Perhaps Danny had become too complacent in his work. But that handsome devil slipped past him more than once, enough for him to open up a gate and tiptoe his nice ass into certain safety. The survivor stared at him from inside the gate as he walked past in bewilderment, shaking like a dog in the rain that was just waiting to be gutted, battered old medkit in hand. And while he was stunned, the man swallowed, nodded, and left the trial head high, descending back into the fog as it began to consume the old gas station, leaving Danny to stare into darkness, barely blinking.

Well, that was interesting, wasn’t it?

—

His name was Felix, he’d learned from the pig in the meat plant, having overheard it while she watched him blow the generator out by accident and got cursed out by the familiar bane-of-their-existence Swede. German, from the way he’d spoken to Danny by the generator in their first encounter, high up on the social ladder from the way he dressed (unless he’d gotten all dressed up just to see him? Funny, that would be, but very unlikely), shaken by the fog and with a disposition not unlike a lost dog.

And yet, despite his nerves and cluelessness to the fog, he always seemed to escape him. He didn’t know how he did it, but from finding hatch to evading the hooks, Felix somehow managed to keep him on his toes. Trials were somehow more exciting, knowing there was a challenge, and a chance to catch he who refused to be caught. Danny knew he was going to revel in the moment, when it eventually came - there was no way someone could be better than him, when he was so in his element.

So, after not seeing the man for the entire trial while hunting through the streets of Badham, catching him at the gate seemed like a dream come true. And he was none the wiser, as Danny quickly slammed his hand against the wall next to the lever, making him jump and freeze, pulling his hand away, two bright lights reflecting onto his face. “And so we meet again.”

“S-so we do.” He ran a hand through his hair before it found a place at the back of his neck, quietly taking a few steps back.

“Aht, aht. I wouldn’t run. I’ll just find you again anyways.”

He stopped.

“...You know, I don’t quite know how you do it. It’s like you’re avoiding me on purpose.”

“That is… the point, is it not?”

“Oh, how rude- people come here to see me, surely. I’m a spectacle; call me a master at my craft.”

Felix chuckled - god, he chuckled, though it was riddled with nerves, but it most certainly happened, and sounded great - fiddling with the cufflinks on the sleeves of his suit jacket as his back straightened a little, as if flicking a switch to go from sorry sight to professional businessman. “Well, I… don’t suppose you’d be willing to show me why?”

He blinked. “Are you… flirting with me?”

“Am I?”

Danny wasn’t sure if the question was rhetorical or not, from the way he stood beside the lever at the gate, leaning a shoulder against the brick and folding his arms across his strong, broad chest (the way his shirt was unbuttoned just so was something Danny now noticed, and couldn’t stop noticing, barely tearing his eyes away to meet his gaze again) with an almost expectant look. “You’re... a weird one.”

“I… suppose so. Anyone normal would have ignored you and already run for their lives.”

The killer chuckled. “You’re not… entirely wrong. But I gotta say, I do like that. Among… other things.”

Though his eyes weren’t visible, it was as if the survivor knew exactly where he was looking, coughing and covering his mouth with the side of his fist. How cute was that?

He almost couldn’t contain himself. But he managed, somehow, not sure where this whole thing was going, but more than ready to go along for the ride. “Say… how far are you willing to ask that question, anyway? You really wanna know that bad, huh?”

Felix swallowed, closing his eyes for a moment before looking up again, with his piercing blue gaze, lips parting just so into a coy little smile. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

Danny had never thought a man of such sophistication was willing to whore himself out for freedom, but sure enough, he himself opened the gate to let the German go, almost sad to see him leave (though it wouldn’t be for long), but very much enjoying the view.

He paused. He was supposed to catch him and kill him, wasn’t he? Danny frowned, somewhat troubled, but tried to justify it as returning to old habits in Roseville, as he left the gate, and waited for the fog to consume him again, taking a seat just outside the battered old preschool.

—

It was like the attraction of magnets with twice the force as soon as they saw each other, wasting no time as suddenly Felix’s back was slammed into a tree, a loose and cold gloved hand finding its way up his shirt, sending a shiver up his spine for another reason as he felt lips hit his, with a hunger and desperation he was not expecting but certainly didn’t mind reciprocating, as Danny soon found out. And he wasn’t complaining; he was damn good, for a man with the disposition of a 40-year-old virgin, moving his hands to Danny’s wrist and placing his hand on his waist, which again, he did not mind at all, while the other was still halfway up his shirt. Let the man take the lead, at least for now, because it’s the only chance he’ll get to.

Danny chuckled as a hand moved to grab his ass - quite the eager beaver, wasn’t he? He was practically purring as he pulled away, the survivor trying to follow him before reeling back as he moved to kissing up the side of his neck, listening close to the adorable little whimpers that came out of him as he squirmed in his grip. The killer then went to move his hand out from under Felix’s shirt, finally, casually undoing the buttons of his waistcoat and shirt one by one, taking the time to walk down his chest with his fingers and feel the shaking breaths of anticipation under his fingertips. Oh, the things he wanted to do-

Distant voices were enough to make the survivor crack open an eye, pausing before he began to push the killer’s head off of his neck.

“Hey, hey,” Danny didn’t appreciate the interruption, moving to look up as Felix looked around, like a startled animal, though he still purred in the crudest fashion. “C’mon, buddy, I was just getting started.”

“Quiet.” His voice was low and commanding, still shaking from adrenaline.

And for whatever reason, Danny complied.

He swallowed, listening to the silence of the wind in the barrens of the fog-covered forest and there was another distant call, which upon hearing he began trying to wiggle out of the killer’s grip. “Off.”

“Why?”

“They’re looking for me-”

“And you don’t wanna be seen with me?” He gave a mock gasp of offence, though the grin that was slowly growing larger still remained on his face.“Oh, honey-”

“That’s exactly it. Move, please.”

That was enough to make Danny chuckle, squeezing his hips that he still held, enough to make him yelp a little. “Still so polite. If you want me to do somethin’, hon, you gotta be a little more, ah... demanding, yeah?”

Felix glared. “Alright. Get off. Now.” His voice had an annoyed growl to it, though his voice still cracked a little out of embarrassment, as he pushed down on Danny’s arms to let himself go.

“There it is.” And so he moved, standing back and sliding his hands into the pockets of his cloak. He watched the architect fiddle with the buttons on his shirt to redo them again, rushing to do so and messing it up a few times, mumbling to himself. “Need help?”

He glared again.

Danny laughed, observing how he looked like a kicked puppy as he went back to fiddling with his shirt, pulling down his own mask again to hide what little of his face he had revealed. “You know, I think you’d look much better with it off.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh, that’s not what you were saying with your eyes earlier-”

“You were a lot more tolerable when you were quiet.”

“‘Cos I never had a chance to speak, what, with you all over my mouth.” He shrugged as he spoke, as if it was a nonchalant fact, only smiling wider when he heard Felix try to stammer out a flustered reply, to no avail, choosing instead to simply huff and finish off the buttons on his shirt.

“Regardless, this affair is over.”

“Wait, hold on.”

“What?”

The killer moved his hands up to Felix’s neck, watching the man flinch and hold a breath with a soft chuckle, gently undoing a few of the top buttons that he’d redone. “You normally wear it like this.”

He gently touched at his collar, looking down at his fingers and then to the mask starring back at him. “And you’ve noticed?”

“Hard not to.” He shrugged, tugging at the shirt collar and going to fix up the waistcoat too before his hands were slapped away, which he held up in defence with a grin behind his mask. “So when are we doing this again, sunshine?”

The survivor moved away before he could’ve boxed in against the tree again, taking a few steps towards the direction of the campfire and the voices, though not too far as to disengage from the conversation, perhaps a little unsure how to. “You speak like this will be a regular affair.”

“Well, we had fun, ja?”

“...Are you mocking me?”

“Not mocking, just… appreciating the culture.”

Felix started, smoothing down the arms of his suit jacket with a light scoff of disbelief. “Truly, you’re insufferable.”

“Can't say you didn’t enjoy yourself though, huh, mein Schatz?” He leaned his shoulder against the tree now, folding his arms across his chest, earning him a weak-hearted glare.

“Werde gefickt.”

“Gerne.”

Being outplayed in his own game of native tongues, somehow, Felix conceded, looking down at his cufflinks again. “You’re… not entirely wrong, so ...perhaps a name, so I can find you.”

“Oh, so now you want to know me? What happened to a one-time affair, sugar?”

“When you’re so easy to please, I would be an idiot not to take advantage.”

Danny laughed, shrugging with no retort (though he was uncertain if hitting this pretty boy like a fish was just as good as getting in his pants… that much was yet to be determined). He soon trailed off, swallowing to himself, a lie escaping him as effortlessly as it had always done. “Jed Olsen.”

“Mr. Olsen…” Felix pondered for a moment. “...Ja, OK.”

—

So they’d been fooling around, yeah. Danny had always said he was willing to try it, should an idiot be brave enough, and if it was someone that wasn’t either Ace or David - he was a man with some standards, even with the blood on his hands - but never had he thought about it getting this far.

The sun never rose or set, but people slept and woke as time passed, regardless of the light outside, and that was no exception here. If anything, it was the cold chill of Ormond that awoke him from sleep, though he’d grown complacent in it, realising the teens that called this shithole a home would probably evict him if he so much as dared to complain. Danny still grumbled, attempting to pull the scraps of the blanket over himself, but finding it unable to move. Turning over, he now heard the sound of gentle snoring, the body, next to him sometimes shuffling, but remained mostly motionless, aside from the movements of breathing from his chest. His latest fling, almost his newest obsession… god, he still looked perfect, even now, golden locks of hair falling out of form, the lighting of the shitty little cabin not enough to hide that perfect jawline tickled with stubble in all the right places, red marks down his neck and back from an encounter that had lead them right here, in the bed he was practically renting in the corner of the resort.

They’d gotten a little adventurous, hadn't they? Banter in the trials was one thing, borderline voyeurism in the entity’s forest was another, but here? Letting himself be taken back to the realms to stay, where killers were not technically bound by rules of obedience, with Danny of all killers, a man who loved to bend the rules? Felix Richter was a smart man, that much he knew, but by god was he stupid. Maybe he thought there was a good man still in there, in the Ghostface. Well, that was his mistake; it was almost cute for him to still hold out hope though, regardless of how much disappointment was awaiting him down the road. Danny gently ran fingertips along the sleeping man’s arm, feeling the soft skin underneath his touch, smiling despite himself, only pausing at the gentle stirring he caused, practically freezing with his hand in the air as the architect moved, and slowly opened his eyes, sleepily smiling.

“Good morning.”

“...Hi,” he released a breath he didn’t know he was holding, letting his hand fall into the space between them. “Hardly mornin’, but sure.”

“Close enough.”

“Sure.”

There was a soft, amused hum from the other man, adjusting his position a little to better face him, hair falling out of place just so, like some disheveled Ken doll. “I would ask if you slept well, but-”

“Oh, very well, thanks to you. Really outdid yourself this time; I gotta say, that was almost the most fun I’ve had since I got here… or maybe even before-”

A light shove to his chest made him stop and laugh a little, feeling the slight coldness of metal from a family ring against one pec, and almost wanting the light touch of his hand to remain there, before it hit the mattress with a thump, dangerously close to Danny’s. “You’re a funny one, Mr. Olsen.”

He sat up, resting an elbow on the stained old pillow and holding his cheek with the corresponding hand, raising an eyebrow. “Thought you liked me better when I was quieter?”

Felix stared at him with those perfect eyes of his, and he laughed - like audible silk it was, smooth and defined, with a sleepy smile and everything - adjusting himself with a hand under his pillow. “Sometimes. Sometimes I like to hear you.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ve been told it’s my best quality.”

“Hmm. Is it how you make jokes to deflect, or how you talk out of your ass?”

“...Well, hey now, Princess, ouch-”

As he tried to defend himself, the survivor smirked, somehow braver here than anywhere else (and it wasn’t his persona), quipping back to match him, and as he was talking, Danny paused, watching the way his eyes diverted and how his mouth moved, how he talked with his body and the way he smiled and waiting for a small hum in response, and how Danny liked the way his name sounded coming from his mouth, even if it wasn’t entirely the true one. Almost made him wonder what the real thing would sound like… no, that was too much, right? Couldn’t get attached. He wasn’t attached, was he?

Couldn’t hurt to wait a little more to think on that, before escorting this pretty little thing back to the campfire.

—

So he was thinking about Felix a lot more than was normal for an obsession of his. What started off as a vengeful curiosity had morphed into something else, something so ugly yet so beautiful, foreign to Danny in recent years, or perhaps his entire life. Was this how high school girls felt, chasing after the jocks for a chance to get them off, and maybe start a high school whirlwind romance? Well, he certainly wasn’t a prepubescent cheerleader, but the survivor that had caught his attention seemed just like the squeaky clean Prince Charming that girls drooled over.

And he couldn’t have that. Not at all.

The fog cleared out of his vision slowly, and he opened his eyes, almost rolling them as the field of corn came into view. Coldwind - the rotten fields, it looked like, from the wide expanse of produce hiding his vision. Despite the cards not being in his favour, a game could still be played here, if he played his hand, carefully. And he was planning to. He’d let himself get distracted. But not again.

Getting back into the routine of the hunt was like sliding into a comfortable sweater, blood shedding with no tear from him. Laurie was always a thrilling chase, her determination being almost cute. Quentin was similar, though the boy with insomnia had a lot less appeal than the virgin final girl, to be sure. David, of course, was David - loud, frustrating to deal with, and incredibly annoying. And… Felix. He knew how he felt about Felix already.

As well as he tried to play it, this time, the game was not in his favour, and quite quickly generators across the field were powered, with only a few hooks under his belt. Getting to a gate, it was already beginning to open, three of them already filing into the funnel of the exit. But Felix, he was lagging behind, and without thinking, Danny took a swipe...

...No one escaped death. Not even the man he may have fallen for.

As he wiped the blood from his blade with a gloved hand closed around it, he watched the architect grasp at his side and stumble, leaning a shoulder up against a wooden wall for support.

“Go.” He called to the woman in the blue shirt, standing at the gate.

“Felix, we can’t-”

“I said go, Laurie!”

She gritted her teeth and went to ignore him, running back into the cornfield, but a grip and pull on her arm from David stopped her, as much as she tried to fight against it. Quentin was the last to leave, watching the two of them for a moment before he swallowed, and chased after them, a medkit in hand.

“Alone time, eh? Hon, we’re on a time limit here-”

“Just get it done.”

Danny tried to laugh. But it didn’t… feel right, somehow, even if it was the same as it always had been. As Felix leaned against a wall to support himself and slid down, knees buckling underneath him, he crouched down to meet him. “I dunno… no fun when they don’t squirm, you know?”

“...Jed-”

“Danny.”

He paused. “What?”

“It’s Danny Johnson. My name, I mean. I lied, when we first met. ...Surprise!” Knife still gripped, he tried to do a small jazz hands movement, though it seemed a fall flat. Only hurt more with what came next.

“...I figured as much.”

“Oh yeah? And why’d you set yourself up for failure like that, sunshine?”

“Because… I don’t know. I thought you were like me.”

The killer deflated a little, tilting his head to one side.

“I… maybe, I thought you were playing something up. I always felt… something else, there. Maybe something even you didn’t know about. Under all that ego, Mr Ol- ...Mr. Johnson, there was a man who cared, once.”

He tapped the blade of his knife against the floor. “...Maybe. I dunno.”

“Do you think he’s still in there?”

Danny didn’t reply right away, dragging his blade through the dirt by his feet absentmindedly. He didn’t entirely know, at this point. Normally this would have been the end of their little game - it was over, he had caught him and won - but something was stopping him. The ground shook, reminding him of that first moment where this fascination had started to plague him. “...You’ve done something to me, Felix.”

He hummed, trying to shift where he sat, holding his side where the blood had stained his very nice suit. “Have I?”

“Must have done. Because this isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.”

“That’s the reality of most things, I’m afraid.”

“I hate it.”

The survivor almost laughed, though it was pained and strained, clearly struggling… but was the sliver of it that made it, that small smile on his stupid, perfect face - that was enough, it seemed, to make Danny smile too.

He pulled up his mask entirely, tugging down his hood and fixing his hair with a quick ruffle, feeling the cloth tendrils on his sleeves whip behind him from the movement. The killer took a second to stare at Felix in front of him, before he moved his hand up to his face, watching him flinch. “Hey- relax, baby, I’m not gonna hurt you yet.”

“Yet.”

Danny hummed, cupping his face and wiping away the blood starting to dribble out of his mouth with a finger. “There. You’re a messy little boy, aint’cha?”

A cough, more blood involuntarily spilling out from his mouth now, this time splashing onto his shirt and the front of Danny’s suit. “My apologies. I’ll make sure to bleed less next time you stab me.”

“‘Ppreciate it, babes.”

Though he thought the man would shove him away, he instead seemed to lean into the touch, moving a hand to hold onto Danny’s wrist. “You still smell like cheap cologne.”

“It’s the only thing they sent me here with. ‘Sides, your scent goes away after a while.”

“Gross.”

“The one and only.”

And despite his small smile, of both annoyance and amusement, the third overwhelming emotion behind his eyes was that of sadness. The ground shook around them, but they didn’t seem to care, not until Danny moved his hand away and stood to his feet again, grabbing his knife from the floor and wiping the dirt off of the blade on his thigh.

“Is this it, then?”

“‘Fraid so.”

“...It was fun.”

“Oh yes, it was.” He looked down at his knife, pressing the tip of the blade against his finger and twisting it, the moonlight and bleeding of the ground catching the light of the metal. “...For what it’s worth? You were close.”

“Close to what?”

“Makin’ me a person. Ya know, not a prick, like… an actual loser, with empathy. Almost had me for a sec, hot stuff.”

“Is that why you’re stopping this? Are you scared?”

Danny swallowed down a reply. He took a moment to look down at Felix, who’s eyes had followed him the entire time, making a small ‘call me’ sign with his free hand and forcing a smirk. “If you ever decide you wanna make a mistake again, you’ll know where to find me.”

“...Goodbye, Danny.”

He walked off into the corn, not wanting to see the way those blue eyes stared at him anymore, only stopping at the pained screaming that followed. The shaking of the ground had stopped now. She had come to feast.

As he stood in the middle of cornfield, he looked up at the sky of the farm, overcast and grey, tendrils of the Entity reaching down to claim her prize, and fog swirling around him to take him back, to lay in wait, until the next time.

He was right. His name did sound nice coming out of Felix’s mouth.

#dead by daylight #ghostfelix #the ghostface #felix richter #prove thyself #off the record

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icharchivist · 5 years ago

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Finally could listen to the full aa Osaka Dreamin’ Night Album and MAN!!!

Reminder that it will be available worldwide at Midnight in your country on the 30/10 on Spotify

1) aa Osaka dreamin’ Night is still fantastic. The Music is top notch, the three voices complement each other a lot, Sasara’s verse is fun and dynamic, Rei’s verse is scary and fucked up, and the new one is Rosho’s (and Sasara’s) verse that makes mE SO SOFT I LOVE ROSHO I LOVE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SASARA.... To hear him panic and hear Sasara realize that and do enough for Rosho to not be panicking anymore so Rosho feels comfortable enough to carry on singing,,, i’m so emo the Sasara/Rosho’s dynamic took me by surprise. And the last chorus is fantastic.

2) Tragic Transistor is so catchyyy Sasara’s voice is really on point, it is fantastic. I know lyricwise it’s mostly puns and when you know that you can kinda hear it in the flow and it works so well. The humorous music in between the verse is super fun g o d. Didn’t think Sasara would grow on me that much. (also fuck he namedropped Amemura like you think i wouldn’t notice my boy??). I just love the sound of the brass. And the Diss in the end to the main divisions I cannot get over it. “Matenrou Shinjuku Matenrou Shinderu” I MEAN FAIR.

3) Own Stage took me completely by surprise. I expected nothing of Rosho tbh and everything he brought took me by surprise. The brass begining of the song is SO GOOD it got me hooked. Rosho’s voice is growing on me. The Chorus is far more enjoyable in context than it was in the preview, it feels so smooth (it reminds of a Naruto op/end though but i can’t put my finger on which it annoys me DLJKFD). Shit the brass really drives me crazy i love how smooth it is. And that ending *kisses fingers*

4) FACES is as terrifying as i expected and i love it. I’ve seen people not knowing what to do with this song and it sure sounds like nothing we’ve heard in the saga so far but it is soooo fitting!! Rei sounds threatening! They could just,, have chilled a little on the airhorns it’s hard to take it seriously when they surround super threatening lyrics else. and i find the voice extremely smooth and fitting with this ambiance. Also he keeps dropping elements linking him back to the BB at this point it can’t be a coincidence i hate it.

5) Drama Track’s opinion:

Sasara and Rosho’s dynamic took me completely by surprise but i adore it to pieces. It is fantastic and fun. Never would have expected Rosho to be the one Down To Fight from the two of them. And I love how much Sasara reinforce over and over again how much Rosho is important to him.

Rei of course is the oddball here since he manipulated it all to go his way. It’s interesting to know neither Sasara nor Rosho actually trust him, it’s just that Sasara considers him an asset and argued with Rosho to let Rei in.

Which to me makes it even more hilarious that Rei takes their band song, where Sasara exposes his talents as a comedian and how he uplift Rosho and Rosho’s self confidence, and then in the middle this random dude they barely know sing about bringing a rain of blood and “make you, my naked baby, my slave”.

Like i can imagine Rosho looking at Sasara like “are you still sURE you want him in our team???”

Also it brings a very interesting dynamic bc all the others teams either have a mutual trust, or in the case of FP since none of them knew each other they had to discover each other together even with their mistrust. But here Sasara and Rosho are already a well formed dynamic, they remind me of Doppo and Hifumi in term of closeness (esp with the “anxious/help you out of anxiety” duo) but they absolutly don’t trust Rei. And while Rei’s attempt to use them reminds of Ramuda’s attempt to use the Posse, the personalities are so different and the ambiance so different that it feels like it’ll be harder to do.

Speaking of Ramuda, HELLO RAMUDA IN THE DRAMA TRACK SETTING IT ALL IN MOTION??? And hinting that the Gov is giving a false sense of choice but is really setting its pieces huh. And Ramuda saying he’s going to have an eye on how Nagoya Division form is super interesting.

CONCLUSION:

I love the album, it is amazing. I’m coming out of it at least LOVING Sasara and Rosho. I’m still on the fence for Rei because his motives are fishy and he’s scary, but the idea of the dynamic of two super close people knowingly taking in someone they don’t trust is fascinating.

In term of sounds, I absolutly love the Jazzy tones of the album. It just has a perfect vibe i really love. I love how the song flows too bc we really go from catchy to calm to threatening in a few minutes with those three. They all have a distinct sound but they go well together when they sing together.

So i end up really loving DHP so far in general m an. What a nice album.

That makes me excited for BAT next month rip.

#ichatalks about hpm #ichablogging hpm #hpm spoilers #dhp spoilers

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tae-kun · 6 years ago

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Untitled- Chapter 1: Judgement pt2

Damien: WHAT THE HELL! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!!!

Angie: Woah woah woah. no need for yelling my guy. i mean this is Your Judgement. You’re literally doing this to yourself

Damien: What the hell does that even mean?!

Angie: *looking around* I honestly don’t think i have the time to explain all that to be honest

Angie: Seems like you have some serious conflictions going on my guy, buuut you definitely seem to have a decision made. You just need to fully accept it so we can speed this up

Damien: Accept what?! Going to Hell?

Angie: yup you guessed it

Damien: Why would i accept that! I don’t belong in Hell!!

Damien: I did good! I prayed, i helped people i even... i even...

Damien: Why can’t i remember everything?!

Angie: Well in here you only remember what’s necessary and what you Truly believe

Angie: You were about to tell a lie. A lie that you would commonly tell which is why you can remember parts of it. But a lie isn’t something you truly believe so you can’t remember all of it

Angie: *opens a book on the Podium and searches*

Angie: oo oo see look it *opens the book wide to shows Damien a page* seee Compulsive Liiieeerrr

Damien: no... no there’s no way...

Angie: Dude it’s clear as day *brings book back and continues to read* hmm overly aggressive... repressed and denial of emotions... abuse... sheesh

Damien:

Angie: Over Sexualization... Manipulation... Theft... Violence towards others... Greed...whats this here

Angie: Racism!? Colorism!? Nigga you’re Black!? Your Mom and Father was Black.

Angie: Like do you know the population of darker skins in... like you’re all the same species... like why... who??

Damien: Look ok im sorry! I didn’t mean todo anything i did.. I didn’t know!!

Angie: Bruh come on now. Humans are born with the ability to know right from wrong. How you’re raised can twist and confuse what you might see as good or bad

Angie: But deep down you know the truth. you definitely lived long enough to know what you were doing

Angie: Denial is held up by Excuses and Self Ignorance. And as you can see we hold no corners for that here *smiles*

*The Deterioration Speeds ups, The Room Itself Starts To Feel Cold*

Damien: *puts his head in hands, kneels and begins to panic* I don’t wanna disappear.. I don’t want to go to hell... I don’t want to die....

Angie: *looking down at him* But you don’t truly believe that you should be in Heaven either. All the things you did, all the people you hurt.. You Knew Better.

Damien: *beginning to tear up* i did, i did know better! i was just... i don’t know.. how could i have known... i thought it was ok... i thought i was taught right... i though... i thought....

*The Deterioration Stops for a second, Then continues to Grow*

Angie: Hmm...

Angie: Tell me something Damien

Angie: Do You Love Yourself?

Damien: Do i..love...myself..

Damien: I don’t... i don’t know... *picks his head up and looks at Angie*

*The Deterioration Stops*

Angie: Hmm.. interesting *opens book again*

Angie: *takes a deep breath*

Damien: What?.. What is it??

Angie: A blood donor! Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?

Damien: Huh?.. what are you talking about?

Angie: You’re a Blood Donor. Says it right here

Angie: Seems like you save a lot of lives because of that. How could you go to Hell when you have so many people that would love to thank you

Damien: *whipping his eyes* so does that mean im going to be ok?

Angie: *hovers over to him and grabbing his hands and helping him up* Of course you’re going to be ok *hugs him*

Angie: You’re going to be just fine *pulls back and smiles*

*The Golden Gates Begin To Open*

Damien: So does that mean i get to go to heaven

Angie: I guess so

Damien: *Hugs Angie again* Oh My God.. Thank You, Thank You so much

Angie: i didn’t do anything, believe me when i say there is still a lot more for you

Damien: What do you mean?

Angie: It wouldn’t mean anything if i told you know would it?

Damien: I guess...

Damien: So now what?

Angie: Now you walk past those gates and find your Happiness *smiles*

Damien: ok.. *lets go of Angie and begins to walk past the gate*

Angie: Oh and one more thing Damien

Damien: *turns around and looks and Angie* Yea?

Angie: Whether in Heaven or Hell, Truth or Ignorance, you will find your Peace or you will find Silence

Damien: Huh?

*A Bright Light Flashes Taking Damien To Paradise*

Angie: *looks at The Gold Gate* Humans really need to be more creative about these gates..

Angie: This will be interesting surprise for many

Angie: But what would heaven be without any

*Angie vanishes along side The Room*

The End of Chapter 1

Thank you all for reading 😬

sorry i had to break this into 2 parts... i had to for the gifs...

This is my first time doing something like this so sorry if it seems too wordy or not as funny as the preview i made last week 😅. I’m trying to build everything up properly so this can be something suspenseful, funny, and educational, while still bring in some interesting concepts to give you guys a new twist on things to keep in interesting.

The Name of the story is “Untitled” because i want to secure the actual name first before anyone steals my idea. So for now it’s called Untitled. if this is good enough for y’all i’ll just put this on WattPad or some other reading platform so future chapters won’t take up you’re dashes too much, plus it’ll be on a main platform to do more with. Like i’ll only post preview of the chapters with the link to the main site

or if y’all want to keep them here just tell me, doesn’t matter too much to me

THE HYPE CREATORS:@jinkies-im-black @pendent123 @wanderlustlovechild @b-th3light @lemonysnicketysnacks @cjtolduso @rosellajosephphotos @nixie-319 @battleforthecity @briaarirose @tank-knows @sirlovett @jxvongabxn @xw2-ch @sweettea-and-honeybutter @mellowjellow6 @shakespearedidnothavecumsh0ts @rollerworldisbonkers @jayteesee @lovelykladyk @brianabreeze @eca-law2 @brie-cheeze @cinnabearice @lovethemagicthatisee @misspooh @niggarachi15 @majestic-gee-melanin @liddolalliah @hau-ghty @caramelbunn @stainlessstill @dadinhas-heat @wakandamama @ashleychristina73 @terrablaze514 @beautifulbeckii @mattiekins @aria725 @lostthoughtssince98 @midknyghtwolf @xxi-twentyone @lashaysaurusrex @rosethorn213 @funkdawg99 @shasunshine @datbwanglis @fatboyyogi @allinhishands @therollinstoner @orenthaljane @kittyslove @carringtonhardin @honeyglowingupbeautiful-official @chasingsunlight @1-800-issabae @lisztisjusthere @17mul @tumblytunes @shinyanchorface

THANK YOU ALL FOR HYPING ME UP. But if this is trash just know i place responsibility on y’all. Y’all asked for it so this is how it’s gon be lol

But seriously thank you guys for even showing interest enough to want more. I’m trying to take this project seriously so as long as y’all want it i’ll keep making them until the end.

Also let me know if you want me to keep tagging y’all. I do these chapters every Friday soooo you could just cut that notification on for me and save me time

just putting that out there.. plus i rarely upload too soo any content you see from me is my own stuff, unless im showing support to someone.

But hey, if you wanna get tagged instead thats cool too.

If you guys have any suggestions like the length of the story, or questions on about me or the story just send a ask. I answer most of them on weekends or randomly.

Thank You all once again and i hope to see some good feedback 😬👍🏾

#me

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wakraya · 7 years ago

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Hiveswap: The Theorizening

Having finished Hiveswap, there’s a lot of different things going through my head at once, thoughts, theories, characters, so I’ll try to not mix things together! That being said, as theories tend to be, Spoiler Warning under the cut! Also sadly I won’t be able to post images in it quite yet since they’re not too easily available around right now, will probably have to wait until some Youtube Video pops up with the gameplay/cutscenes. Without further ado!

Grandpa Harley - There’s a lot that has been revealed about Grandpa in the first half of Act 1, before moving to Alternia. He’s an absent father, and his absence obviously affects Joey a lot. She doesn’t like to blame herself for him not being there, and thus channels this as well deserved anger towards him, specially as she cannot relate to him in the slightest with his disdain for animal life. However, I noticed a few things Joey mentions. He’s been coming back home less and less ever since his wife died, and having ‘vacations to the Pacific Ocean’. I don’t know what’s going through that moustached head of his, but Jake didn’t come across the Frog Temple by mere chance, he actively seeked it for years before bumping into it. Where did he learn about it? What’s going on? Also the basement is full of Crockercorp Tools, old, but still present there. Is there some mind control and manipulation going on perhaps? Jane had to bear with the Baroness for a long while before she straight up faded, but Jake just ‘left her’, perhaps Crockercorp things reminded him of his departed sister? For all the hoarding and aimless adventuring we always thought he did, it seems like he does have a goal. That being said, the obsession doesn’t excuse his neglect for his family or being a shitty parent and being absolutely crazy but, yeah. There’s something deeper going on with him, and I’ll be glad to explore this facet of him on Hauntswitch.

A. Claire - She’s dead. From the very first moment you start the game, in the very first room, you get heavy clues that she’s already dead. However, while I thought A. Claire was nothing more than ‘Joey’s Mom’ before, after playing through the game I can’t help but feel there’s something more to it. She had the Key. The Key was a ‘Heirloom’ she stored in her jewelry box? Or did it appear there afterwards? Joey heavily associates it to her, and with Grandpa’s obsession of tracking down the Frog Temple growing stronger after she died, I have to wonder if there’s something more going on with her. How did she die, exactly? What was she hiding? Again, something really interesting to have in mind for Hauntswitch.

Tetrarch Dammek - Wow. I don’t think any of us expected him to be such a dick. Look at that name, too- Tetrarch Dammek. Tetrarch is basically ‘one of four rulers’, and I believe Xefros alludes to there being another 3 Tetrarchs within the resistance. With him gone, the power structure of the Rebellion is shaking, and now Trizza will make her move- They have to make do, and they’re very likely going to have to get Joey to help them. Back to Dammek himself though, Tetrarch is ALSO an 8-Letter title, like Adults on Alternia seem to use. The Tetrarch. Along with his ideals and how he treats Xefros, it seems that he’s living a sort of Highblood Power Fantasy of Leadership and Control to bring Trizza down. If we’re supposed to care about him, Jude/Roxy are very likely going to shove him in the right direction. Maybe without his guns and in an alien planet, he shows his true colors, scared, defenceless, with no one backing him up- And he learns to be a better person before going back to Alternia. I sure hope so.

Xefros Tritoh - Sweet cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too PURE. I fell in love the moment Joey started to talk with him, poor thing has been pretty much brainwashed. It puts in perspective just how shitty Rustbloods REALLY have it on Alternia, and makes me wonder if Aradia’s complacency comes from this too. Like... It’s not just that it’s her thing, she was ‘0kay’ with things, but rather just a... Grim outlook on not being able to do anything about her situation. “That’s fine. It’s how things are.” That being said, Joey came to the rescue quite unexpectedly, I didn’t think she’d lash out against Dammek like that and I’m VERY glad she did! I still think Dammek has a chance of redemption on Earth, but what he’s done to Xefros is intolerable, and I’ll be glad to see his confidence AND his psychic skills develop over time as he journeys with Joey through Alternia to bring down the Empress!

Doc Scratch - We have little information about him so far. There was the delivery to Xefros but that’s about it. That was incredibly creepy. Someone also mentioned the Hint System sounded a bit like Scratch- But I’m not quite sure since I never clicked the ? Button, I might check it at a later date. For now, his involvement seems to be pretty tame, but if he’s pulling the strings behind Trizza, it’s been a nice little cameo so far.

Trizza Tethis - What a bitch. I love her. We didn’t see much about her, but we heard more about how awful she is, and got that one last image at the end. “Wish you were here”, what a piece of shit. Who was she saying it to? The other members of the resistance perhaps?

Axolotl - We actually did get a little bit teased about that! The painting in the hallway had what, to me, looked like Aztec representations of the Grimalkin, the Sloth and the Axolotl, which is very interesting. Foreshadowing? Or perhaps something more? There was also a weird tapestry in the Trophy Room I can’t quite remember, but it could be something really interesting to analyse at a later date.

Biggest Fan - I’m assuming Xefros and Joey are going to see Cridea at the end of the game. Maybe? The only other option I can think of is the Rebel Marshall. I believe they said their biggest fan was a ‘she’, unless I’m thinking wrong, otherwise it could be Fiamet too! (Wait is Fiamet a guy? I actually think I just assumed he was a guy because the Axolotl from Animal Crossing is a guy. God dammit, it could really be anyone huh? What a mess). Whoever it is, given he mentioned it’s a ‘Fan’, I doubt it’ll be another Tetrarch.

Tetrarchs - The leaders of the Rebellion. Dammek was one of them. I wonder if Cridea or Fiamet are Tetrarchs too. Who knows, maybe the Canon Fantrolls are Tetrarchs! That would be an interesting plot twist wouldn’t it? I’m assuming Fiamet IS one, merely based on the fact he has the power of the Green Sun on his side. Too valuable and powerful of an asset to NOT be a leader.

Alternia - We’ve gotten a few glimpses at life in Alternia! Lo and behold, it just so happens that Hellworld is EVEN WORSE than I thought from the canon! Even with Trizza being excessive in her killings, it just feels like absolutely no one cares about Rustbloods and lives of the lower bloods can be taken for like, anything at all. Seems like there are contests that can change people’s lives however, like the music one Xefros and Dammek seemed to want to attend, that would either give them a life of ‘luxury’, or death. There was a comment on how it took SWEEPS for Scythian to deliver something to Rustbloods, which means that apparently you MUST register your caste on literally EVERYTHING online. Another interesting fact, aside from the Stickball sports which seems a mixture of Rugby, Quidditch and Pool, Xefros mentions Rustblood Dead Communion, and also Blueblood posh attitude and crushing strength, making it canon that, yeah, those kind of powers aren’t actually genetic oddities but are commonplace among castes! Of course comparing Aradia’s telekinesis with Xefros’, it’s obvious some Trolls may be better gifted than others, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some outright lack them. Still, interesting.

Jude - He’s still convinced that the figures are behind this, but something the previews and trailers didn’t mention is that he believes the figures are after the portal. In the same vein, on Alternia, the interviews said that Trizza wants to get her hands on the portal too, which after driving Joey and Xefros away is incredibly easy. Seems like the villains of both games are after this thing, whatever it is. I thought Jude would be nervous and shaky and scared, but NOPE, he’s fucking ready, he’s been ready all his life to take those things down, and I think that’s kind of impressive. Still a dork though.

Joey - Poor thing knows nothing about Alternia, and it’s hilarious to see how confused and grossed out she is through the game. I wonder if she’ll have to eat bugs at some point. I hope she has to eat bugs at some point. She’s so pure too. I like how at the end, Xefros blushed grabbing at her, but she just flashed a little, comfortable smile. I ship Xefros <> Joey already, and feel like, given how her orientation has been leaning so far with the paintings and statues in the Harley Household, she’s totally gonna fall in love with some blueblood lady. Watch her blush when Cridea enters the scene.

The Portal - God this fucking THING. Up in the attic I tried to see if I could see the God Tier’s symbol next to the portal, but it was too difficult. I think it was somewhat round? It might’ve been Mind? But I might’ve just imagined things too, who even knows. The portal itself though, I did NOT expect it to be artificial. It’s not just a structure someone found. Jude has Blueprints. And on Alternia, the more futuristic looking version is also built and has Blueprints. Xefros calls it a ‘weapon’ but he also obviously has no idea what it does, meaning Dammek likely has some more idea about it, just like Joey does. Did they build it? was it some attempt to contact both words? Can a built structure actually be a Juju? I have so, so many questions about that thing and I hope the game solves all of them eventually. But for now, there’s just not enough information to determine anything. It’s soooo weird.

Those are my thoughts on the lore the game added upon so far. We’ll see how things go as more things about Hiveswap and Act 2 start to pop up!

#Hiveswap #Homestuck #Upd8 #Hiveswap Spoilers #HS Spoilers #Spoilers #Hiveswap Theory #Theory #Thoughts #Infodump

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my-one-love-is-music · 7 years ago

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Darling, You’ve Just Gotta Believe

So I'm soooo happy to have another installment of the Piano Verse for you guys!

BUT! This one is kind of special because it turned into a collab with this awesome guy who wanted to make some art for this fic! So you can view the art by @universeone-ft here!

It was so much fun to do a collab and I hope there are more in our future! :D

Also on AO3!

Tim let the last notes of the piece he was working on fade into the empty spaces of the practice room that he’d secluded himself in. He let his eyes open slowly, not even fighting the smile that was pulling at his lips. It had been a good day. He had a concert coming up and was a little nervous, but his love of the piano always seemed to override his nervousness or any uncertainty that came with performing. He found strength in the white keys of the piano and the cool touch they left on the pads of his fingers.

A knock sounded on the door of his practice room, nearly startling him. His head snapped to the side and he relaxed when he saw that it was only Steph waiting outside. He waved her inside and she grinned, pushing the door open.

“I found this sulking in the hallway looking lost,” she said before pulling Jason inside by the collar of his shirt.

He grumbled something under his breath and Tim watched as two spots of color bloomed on his cheeks. Tim grinned and turned on the piano bench so that he could face them.

“Thanks, Steph.”

She nodded and pushed Jason further into the room. “No problem. How’s the practicing going? The concert’s coming up right?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow night, actually. I’m just getting some last minute practicing in on this piano duet that we’re featuring. I’m meeting up with my partner later so we can run through it a couple more times before the big day.”

“Just don’t practice too much. You don’t want to overdo it and not have anything left for the actual concert.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m pretty sure that I could play this piece in my sleep by this point.”

“Well, good luck. I’ll be there cheering you on in the audience. And I’ll leave the two of you alone. Don’t get caught doing anything scandalous in the practice room,” she said before ducking out the door.

“Steph!” Tim objected, feeling himself flush at the implications. He heard her laugh before the door slid shut. Tim cleared his throat and glanced at where Jason was standing next to the wall, his own cheeks pink.

“So…” Tim started. “Got lost in the hallway, huh? Funny when you know that I’m always in this same practice room.”

“Shut up,” Jason said gently. “I came to the door, but you just seemed so focused that I didn’t want to bother you. And I know that tomorrow’s concert is a big deal and I didn’t want to do anything that might throw you off.”

“So you were just content to wait in the conservatory halls until I was done? Or were you trying to leave before seeing me at all?” Tim asked, standing from the bench.

Jason shrugged and crossed his arms. Tim smiled and walked over to him, tugging at his arms until his grudgingly let them fall to his sides. Tim wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders and pulled him down for a kiss, lips ticking up at the edges when Jason’s arms wrapped around his back and pulled him close.

“So,” Jason said, breaking their kiss even as his hands began to rub comforting circles into Tim’s back, “are you ready for tomorrow? Excited? Nervous?”

Tim rested his head against Jason’s shoulder and let his eyes slide shut. “I think so. I really like this piece and it’s not the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to play. It looks difficult because there are a lot of fast passages and it’s a duet, but the notes and rhythms are all easy after playing through them a few times. I think you’d enjoy this piece, as much as you continue to try and swear off classical music.”

Jason huffed in exasperation. “It’s classical.”

Tim smiled. As much as Jason had been against classical music when they’d started dating, Tim knew that he was slowly getting him to warm up to it. He didn’t like everything that he encountered, but there were a few pieces that he’d shown him or Jason had caught him warming up on that had captured his attention. And Jason was sweet enough to go to practically all of Tim’s performances no matter when or what they were playing.

And then there were their performances at Treble Espresso.

Ever since their first performance as the Dueling Pianos, the customers at the shop had been begging for more and Kori hadn’t been afraid to rope Tim and Jason into playing more concerts for the local Gotham populace. Their practice sessions gave Tim a nice break from the rigors that conservatory life brought him and gave him some nice quality time with his boyfriend.

“You can keep denying it, but I know that you have a soft spot for classical.”

“Not for classical. Just for you,” Jason muttered.

Tim groaned and buried his face in Jason’s shirt. “You can’t just say that.”

Jason laughed. “Come on, do you still need to practice? Or are you free to come have lunch with me?”

“I think I can step away for a few minutes. I’ll have more time to practice tonight. And if lunch with my boyfriend is involved…”

Jason tugged him towards the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Wait, my sheet music.”

“It’ll be here when you get back. Doesn’t everyone know that this is your practice room?”

Tim pouted. “Yeah, but I’m practicing somewhere else later and I should make sure that I have it with me.”

Jason let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine. I will patiently wait again while you collect your sheet music and pack up your things.”

Tim grinned and gave him a quick kiss before he gently shut the lid of the piano and not so gently stuffed his various papers back into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he went. Jason intertwined their fingers and pulled him from the practice room, barely giving Tim enough time to shut off the lights behind him.

Tim smiled as they stepped out into the sunlight. There was a cool breeze blowing through the air and fall could be sensed lingering just on the horizon with its promises of cool mornings, sweet spices, and warm sweaters. For now, he was more than happy to hang onto the lingering warmth and enjoy what he could of it. Even if that meant appreciating it from the inside because of how much time he spent with his piano.

“How are things at Treble?” Tim asked as they turned the corner away from the conservatory. “I know I haven’t gotten the chance to be around there much this past week with everything.”

“It’s okay. Kori and Roy want you to stop by soon. But they’ll see us when we have our next performance there. Some of the customers were asking about you, too. Wanted to know how things were going. I got some playing time in the other day. Not many people were offering up requests. I think they were satisfied to just sit back and listen to the music.”

“You weren’t giving them any previews of our next show were you?” Tim asked, nudging him.

Jason gasped and placed a hand against his chest. “I can’t believe that you’d accuse me of something like that! Just who do you think I am?!”

Tim laughed. “I think that you’re someone who gets far too excited about music and has a hard time keeping it to himself. Even when it’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Hey, that happened one time. And it was only a snippet of what we were putting together. I’m pretty sure no one even remembered it. Or recognized what the actual song was when our performance rolled around.”

“Uh-huh, sure. And what does that say about the handful of people that came up to us after the show and made a comment about being so happy to finally hear the rest of what you’d been playing in the coffee shop?”

“You can’t prove anything, Timmy,” Jason said, pushing through the door of a small café. “I did nothing.”

Tim shook his head and rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t deny the smile that pulled at his lips whenever he was around Jason. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

Jason grinned. “You love me for my ability to woo you with my amazing piano playing.”

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Tim gave him a quick peck on the cheek and pulled him up to the counter so they could order. He grumbled under his breath, but Tim just ignored him in favor of looking over the menu board.

“I’ll have a club sandwich and an iced coffee. Jason?” he asked, already reaching for his wallet.

Jason put a hand on his to stop him. “I’ll have the Reuben and a coke, please.”

Jason pulled his own wallet free and Tim opened his mouth to protest. He handed over the bills and looked at Tim. “I brought you to lunch. Let me pay for it.”

“But you paid last time!” he objected.

Jason took the table number from the cashier and his change and turned to find an empty table, leaving Tim to scramble after him.

“I also invited you out last time, too. How about this: once you get through tomorrow night and get the chance to relax again, you can invite me out somewhere and I’ll let you pay,” he said evenly, snagging an empty booth near the back.

Tim sat down across from him, feeling slightly floored by how much thought Jason had given for him. Not that it should’ve been that much of a surprise. He’d been supportive since they started dating even if he claimed to be so anti-classical. He smiled instead.

“Okay.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at him, as though he didn’t believe him.

“I’m serious. Okay,” Tim repeated. “We can go to a movie or something. Or order pizza and have a night in. I’ve been so caught up in getting ready for this concert that I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since we’ve had some good quality time together.”

Jason shrugged. “You can’t help it. This is what you’re studying. And it’s probably going to be your future. I’m sure things are always going to get this busy around your concert times.”

“Are we still on to practice for our next Dueling Pianos performance this weekend?” Tim asked as their drinks and food was set in front of them.

Jason shrugged. “If you’re up to it. I’ve got some new ideas of what we can do for our next show. And maybe something Halloween themed when October rolls around. I think Kori had mentioned doing a costume night for Halloween or a nice party for any customers who want to come in. It would be a great opportunity for us.”

Tim smiled and popped one of the chips that came with his sandwich in his mouth. “That sounds like a lot of fun! I think I might have a few ideas of pieces that we can play.”

“That sounds a little terrifying coming from you,” Jason said, narrowing his eyes.

Tim shrugged. “You already know that I have a penchant for movie soundtracks. That’s all that you need to know for now.”

“That has not made me feel better in the slightest, I’ll have you know.”

Tim smiled around his food, gaze never straying from where Jason sat across from him for even a second.

Tim sighed as Jake slammed his hands against the keys of his piano once again. They’d been at this for an hour already and were going through one of their worst run-throughs yet. He could feel a stress headache coming on and he was exhausted. But he knew that he wasn’t about to get out of this rehearsal anytime soon. Not with the way Jake had been acting all night.

“This needs to be perfect! We’re performing this tomorrow for fuck’s sake!” he burst, giving Tim a sharp look.

“Look, Jake-“

“Don’t ‘look, Jake’ me,” he snarled.

“Look, it’s going to be fine. It’s just the pre-concert nerves kicking in. We’ve played it practically perfect every rehearsal before this one. I’m sure that we just need a break and a minute to collect ourselves and it’s going to be fine. There’s really nothing to worry about.”

Tim could already feel his nerves mounting. This was something that had never happened to him before. Sure, it was his first time performing a piano duet with Jake in concert, but every show that he’d ever performed had never made his stomach twist in knots at the thought of being in front of an audeince. He’d always managed to play nearly everything correctly the days leading up to his concerts whether they were with full symphonies, small chamber orchestras, or even solos for competitions or showcases.

“That’s what you think,” he growled, slamming his hands against the keys again before standing abruptly and walking from the stage. The sound grated at his ears and made Tim want to console the piano for the poor treatment and respect that Jake was showing it. No instrument deserved that.

Tim was glad that they had the space alone that night to practice. The symphony had been there earlier that day for their rehearsal, but they wouldn’t all come together again until the next evening before the concert. He just hoped that they could get to a good enough place that would leave both of them satisfied and allow them to sleep that night. Sleep deprivation before a concert wasn’t something that he wanted to experience for the first time. Even if he could play all of the pieces in his sleep.

He reached down and snagged the water bottle that he’d stashed under his piano bench. He took a shaky sip, hoping the water would be enough to settle his nerves that were trying to cloud his ability to think rationally. This wasn’t the way he was used to practicing. This wasn’t the way he was used to feeling around the piano. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever been this uneasy in the presence of his instrument before.

Practicing with Jason, hell, practicing with anyone else never left him feeling like this. It made him wonder what Jake had done to get the other half of the duet. Tim had practiced his ass off for it. Jason had watched him and listened when he was sure that it all sounded terrible. Jason had been the first person he’d texted when he found out that he got it.

The memory made Tim smile and brought back a bit of his calm. He took a deep breath and let it out, allowing the tension to fall from his shoulders. He felt empowered, like they could really do this. They just needed to calm down and take it again, that was all.

“What are you smiling about?” Jake’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up to find him standing next to his piano again. Tim hadn’t even heard him come back in.

He set his water back on the floor. “Nothing. It’s not important. Are you ready to try again? I think that we can really do it this time.”

“Yeah, fine,” he said, sitting down on his bench.

“Hey, Jake.” Tim waited until he was looking at him before continuing. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll get this right tomorrow. I know that we will. We both just need to stay calm and keep focused on the music. We’ve practiced enough. We know it. Now we just have to play it.”

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands over the keys. “Whatever. If that’s what makes you feel better, fine. Let’s just get this right. I don’t want to be stuck here any longer than I have to be.”

“Okay…one, and, two and,” Tim counted off quietly.

The up-tempo notes filled the air quickly. It started off perfectly. Too bad for them, that’s how it had been going all night. They always managed to begin in sync, but something fell apart along the way. Tim just hoped that it would stay together this time. He wasn’t looking forward to the outburst that would no doubt come if they didn’t manage to get through almost the whole piece intact.

If they could just make it to the end, everything would be all right.

Tim just hoped that he wouldn’t be repeating the same thing to himself the next night when they were playing in front of a full auditorium, the entire symphony, and several of the conservatory faculty and funding board.

Tim took a deep breath as he shuffled his music around. A cough out in the audience caught his attention in the silence. His bowtie felt too tight and he thought he was about to suffocate in the white button-down and his black tuxedo jacket.

Everything had gone practically perfect so far. Only someone who knew the pieces inside-out or had a score in front of them would’ve been able to tell when something had been off or gone wrong. But now it was time for the one piece that he’d been nervous about since the night before: Weiner’s Fox Dance for piano duet.

Jason had known that something was wrong when they’d talked last night after his rehearsal. He hadn’t been able to come out and say that it was because of Jake’s attitude. Jason knew that this performance was important to him. Every piano performance was important to him.

They could do this. Tim knew they could do this.

Steeling himself and placing his hands over the keys, Tim looked up at their conductor who was watching him and Jake with a smile on his face. He’d picked them himself. Had gone through all of the piano auditions and picked the two pianists who he thought had performed the best. Tim really hoped they weren’t about to let him down and crush the dreams that he’d had about this performance. If the stories that he’d heard were true, he’d been waiting months, if not years, to bring this piece to life in front of an audience.

With two quick movements, it began. Tim’s upper hand moved rapidly to accommodate the notes. It began as it had every time the night before: they were perfectly in sync. The treble and bass lines matching up how they were designed to in the true manner of a pianist’s duet.

Hums of interest reached his ears from the audience, but he chose to ignore them. He was going to stay in time with the conductor and with Jake even if it killed him.

He grit his teeth as they moved on to the next section, the rhythms becoming more difficult as they hit the off-beats of the faster time signature. He chanced a glance over at Jake and saw him becoming more hunched over the keys. Tim fought down the wave of desperation that began to rise in him. They weren’t even halfway through the piece and he looked like he was ready to fall apart.

“Not yet,” Tim mentally begged. “Please don’t let it happen yet.”

Tim took a steadying breath as they returned to a more familiar motif in the piece. They were close. They just needed to hold on a little longer. His gaze slowly moved back to the conductor who was looking far too proud when they’d only just made it halfway.

Then everything started to fall apart. One of the big things about the second half of the piece was the increasing number of notes that were played off the beat. It created a challenge for the both the pianists to match up the timing with themselves and the conductor.

Jake started to slip out of time and Tim knew that any effort he made to try and keep with him would fail as Jake’s own hands became out of sync.

The smile slowly disappeared from their conductor’s face and his expression became more pinched. Tim kept his eyes on the baton, not willing to see what else he was feeling. He nearly sobbed when they made it to the slower chunk of the song, but even that was out of tempo when Jake came in too early on the treble line.

Tim wanted this to stop. He wanted so desperately to just let his hands fall away until silence filled the concert hall. He wanted to apologize to everyone in the audience. He wanted to apologize to the conductor and even the orchestra because none of them deserved to bear witness to this.

White noise filled Tim’s ears as they played the last several bars. He didn’t even know what notes he was playing anymore. His hands felt heavy when he was allowed to lift them from the keys and let them fall to the sides. He stood numbly when the conductor directed them to do so. He saw more than heard the audience applauding them, but from some of the looks that he could catch through the blinding lights, it was more out of confusion than anything.

The audience was dissatisfied and confused, their conductor was unhappy, and Tim didn’t even want to know what Jake was feeling in that moment. Tim was just really glad that the concert was over because he really didn’t think that he would’ve been able to make it through another piece without really falling apart. He needed nothing more in that moment to just go home and curl up in bed and forget that everything existed.

Tim nearly sprinted from the stage when they were dismissed. He nearly made it to the side door before he was roughly pulled to the side and into a dark room and slammed into a wall. Tim fumbled for the light switch and was brought face-to-face with Jake who was absolutely seething.

“You ruined everything,” he hissed.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tim argued. His sadness was quickly becoming replaced with anger, something he’d rather be experiencing in that moment.

“I’m talking about that shitty performance. That piece was supposed to be perfect and it was complete shit.”

“I’m well aware of that fact! Now, I’d rather go home and try to forget that just happened. That was one of the worst performances of my life.”

Jake pushed him harder against the wall. “I can’t believe he gave that part to you. You ruined everything!”

“Me?!” Tim asked in disbelief.

“Yes! You couldn’t even keep yourself in time with the conductor. The second things got to the more difficult sections you totally fell apart. You call yourself a performer?! You’re never going to be more than a wannabe professional.” Jake pushed himself away and stalked towards the door. “You might want to start rethinking your life or goals because you’ve seriously got no future as a pianist.”

He slipped out the door and left Tim alone. Tim stared at where he’d been, his words ringing violently in his ears. He wanted to go back to the white noise from earlier, because that would’ve been so much better than this new kind of hell. He covered his ears and slid to the floor, dimly aware that he was probably shaking from it all.

A vibrating from his pocket caught his attention and he pulled out his phone to find a text from Jason.

Jason: Tim are you okay?

He watched as another message came through.

Jason: You seemed a bit upset after that last piece.

Jason: I just want to know if you’re okay and if there’s something that I can do.

Jason: Please, Tim.

His phone started vibrating in earnest as Jason tried to call him. Tim ignored it and left his phone to the side. He felt hollow inside and stared at the carpet in front of him. He was dimly aware of the fact that he needed to leave, but he wasn’t ready to be confronted by anyone. He just wanted to be left alone.

After an hour of waiting around inside the concert hall, Tim finally walked through the side door of the building. The sidewalks were empty which he was more than grateful for. He wasn’t in the mood to run into anyone, let alone someone who’d been at the concert.

The walk back to his apartment was lonely. He got a few more texts and another call from Jason along the way, but he ignored them all. He wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. Not in the face of that embarrassment. He knew that it wasn’t his fault. It couldn’t be. But Jake’s voice was still there in the back of his mind, telling him that he was the cause of everything.

Maybe he was right and Tim had done something that had messed them both up. But...their conductor would’ve mentioned it before during rehearsal if that had been the case, wouldn’t he?

Tim stared at where his dress shoes moved across the sidewalk in front of him. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for being a professional pianist after all. Maybe he should just give up and do what his dad wanted him to do and go to college for business or engineering. Something that would give him a ‘real job.’

“Tim!”

His head snapped up in shock. Jason and Steph were hurrying towards him, still dressed nicely from the concert. Tim was dimly aware that Steph was running towards him in heels.

“Tim are you okay? You weren’t answering your phone or responding to the texts that I sent you,” Jason said, searching his face.

“We wanted to make sure that you were okay,” Steph added. “When you didn’t come out after the concert finished, we were worried something had happened.”

“We came over here and when you didn’t answer the buzzer we thought you might not be back yet and decided to wait.”

Tim tried to put on a reassuring smile, but if Steph and Jason’s expressions were anything to go by, they didn’t buy it at all.

“I just need some time to be alone, okay?” he said, skirting past them so he could get closer to his apartment complex. “I’ll text you later, I promise.”

“Tim…” Jason said, taking a step towards him.

“Really, Jason. I’m fine. I’ll text you later.”

Before either of them could put up another argument, Tim pulled his key from his pocket and let himself into the building. He hurried up the stairs to his apartment and leaned heavily against the door as soon as he was inside.

He toed off his shoes and left the lights off as he walked through his apartment, pointedly ignoring where his piano sat in the corner. He didn’t think that he could handle looking at it in that moment. Not when everything was still so fresh and he’d been cut so raw.

Tim pulled his bowtie loose as walked through the hall, letting it fall to the floor with his suit jacket. He unbuttoned his pants and let them pool around his ankles before he reached the doorway to his bedroom, stepping out of them and working on popping the buttons of his shirt free. He let the fabric slide free from his shoulders and arms to the floor before he sat on the edge of the bed to pull of his socks.

He slid underneath the covers and sighed as they offered a comforting weight over his body. He shut everything from his mind and let sleep take him easily, hoping that it would be dreamless and long for once.

Tim blinked his eyes open slowly. When he registered how bright it was in his room, he sat up in a panic to check the time. He got as far as throwing the blankets off of him in an effort to get up and hopefully make it to his later classes at the conservatory when everything from the night before came flooding back to him.

He let himself fall back onto the mattress as all concern about his classes and playing the piano drained out of him. He wasn’t ready to face everyone who’d seen what happened last night. And even if they hadn’t seen it themselves, they would’ve heard about it by now. Gossip rarely stayed in one place long when it came to musicians. He didn’t want any sympathetic looks, he didn’t want to see Steph, and he definitely didn’t want to see Jake. He’d be happy never seeing him again.

The muffled sound of what could only be his phone vibrating caught his attention and he reluctantly pulled himself from his bed. He shuffled over to his door and snagged his pants from where he’d left them the night before, pulling his phone from his pocket. He had several missed calls and texts from both Steph and Jason.

He scrolled through them hesitantly, unsure if he deserved their sympathy or their concern. He left his phone alone in favor of pulling on a pair of sweatpants so he could venture further down the hallway to the kitchen for some coffee.

He froze when he made it to the living room and caught sight of his piano. It was shining in the sunlight: gleaming and as beautiful as ever. The sight of it made Tim’s stomach churn. He couldn’t look at it. He didn’t even want to think about trying to play it.

He picked up his headphones from where they were sitting on the coffee table and plugged them into his phone, jamming the earbuds into his ears. He scrolled through his music as he shuffled into his kitchen and put on the one song that might even begin to help him get through the emotional turmoil that he was experiencing.

The music flooded his ears quickly, breaking through the silence that he’d been living in. He slipped a cup into his Keurig and got a mug ready below the spout before switching the machine on. He leaned against the counter as the music progressed, feeling more and more desperate as it continued.

There weren’t many times when the lyrics hit so close to home, but he was always aware of the big moments when he needed to pull it out. He just wished that for once he could actually bring someone in instead of having to rely on the lyrics of a song to make him feel better.

Before he even realized what was happening, the tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was taking shuddering breaths. He slid down against the cabinets and curled against his knees, desperate for the pain and humiliation of the night before to go away.

His phone vibrated again and caught his attention. It was another text from Jason.

Jason: Tim are you okay?

Jason: I know that you said you’d text me later, but I just want to make sure you’re alright.

Jason: I know what you must be experiencing right now can’t be easy, but I want to be here for you.

Jason: Please talk to me, Tim.

Jason: I don’t want you to feel like you have to shut me out like this.

Jason: I care about you so much and it hurts to see you this way so please text me back.

Jason: Tim, please talk to me.

Jason: I’m really worried about you.

Jason: Steph called me and said you hadn’t responded to her either.

Jason: I’m getting scared, Tim. I need to know that you’re there even if you aren’t okay.

The messages brought a fresh wave of tears as the song reached its climax. He didn’t deserve Jason’s kindness.

Tim gasped when his phone began to vibrate violently in his hand. He nearly dropped it and managed to keep it from sliding out of his grip just barely, but the movements caused him to accept the call.

“Tim?” Jason’s voice rang out.

Tim’s finger hovered over the ‘end call’ button.

“Please don’t hang up on me.”

Tim sighed and let his hand fall to the side.

“Look, I know that you’re not okay. Steph said that this has never happened after one of your performances before and I understand if you’re hurting, but I want to be there for you. Even if I can’t do much more than watch a shitty movie and eat pizza and ice cream, I want to do something for you. I…care about you a lot. I really do. And if I feel like I’m going to break after seeing the way you looked last night, then I can’t imagine what you must really be going through.”

“Jason,” Tim said tiredly. His voice sounded thick and scratchy from exhaustion. Jason could probably tell that he’d been crying.

“Tim…” he said hesitantly. “Please.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Can you talk to me? Please? I want to make sure that you’re okay.”

“Jason,” Tim took a shaky breath. He was already getting choked up and he hadn’t even recounted what had happened the night before. He wasn’t going to get out of this without crying again. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Baby, please…”

“Jason…please just listen. It’s going to be hard enough to get this out.”

He was silent for a moment. “Okay.”

“Last night was terrible. I’ve never given a performance so bad in my life. Or lived through one. I’m not sure what’s true anymore: if it was Jake who threw off the timing or if it was my fault, but…” he took a breath, glad that Jason was listening silently while he worked through everything that had happened. “I just wanted to get out after everything. I wanted to leave and get back to my place, but Jake confronted me.

“He said that it was all my fault that everything had gone as badly as it did. And that I had no hope of becoming a professional pianist. I knew that he was wrong and there was no way that I could’ve messed up that performance that badly, but as soon as he left…as soon as I was alone…”

“Those words suddenly became the truest thing that you’ve ever been told.”

“Exactly,” Tim said, trying to hold back a sob and only managing to cut it short. He placed a shaking hand over his mouth and took as steadying a breath as he was able. “I feel like there’s nothing that I can do. That I’m not good enough and I’m never going to be good enough.”

“Tim…you are an amazing pianist. Ever since I saw you play that first time in Treble Espresso I was blown away by your skill. And it was exciting. You were beautiful. You have more than enough talent to make it as a professional. I know that you can do it as long as you have the drive to keep going. That doesn’t mean that those things that Jake said didn’t hurt and your confidence hasn’t been upset. I want to help you get back to yourself. I want you to still be able to love music and to love playing the piano.”

Silence fell between the two of them. Tim wiped at his tears furiously, trying to get them to stop even as more kept coming. The smell of his coffee finally having been brewed, brought him back to his surroundings and he pulled himself onto shaky legs.

His gaze was immediately drawn to his piano and everything inside of him seized up at the sight of it. He dropped his gaze to the phone in his hand. Took in Jason’s crazy picture and found a small amount of stability in the ocean of emotions that had been his constant from the night before.

“Can you come over? Please?” Tim asked, quietly.

“Of course!” Jason answered quickly. “I’ll be there in 20.”

“Thanks,” Tim said before ending the call. He grabbed his coffee and headed back in the direction of his bedroom, gathering the pieces of his tuxedo as he went.

Tim let out a shaky breath when the knock sounded on his apartment door. He pulled it open hesitantly, stepping back to let Jason in.

“Hey,” he said, quietly, taking the extra time to shut the door so he wouldn’t have to face the reason why Jason was there.

Warm arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him against Jason’s chest. Tim sagged against him, unable to keep up his poorly crafted façade any longer.

“I’m sorry, Tim,” Jason murmured softly.

Tim turned in his arms and buried his face in his shirt, twisting the fabric in his hands.

“Steph told me that your conductor from last night was looking for you. Apparently he chewed out Jake for his performance and wanted to thank you for doing your best even though the circumstances weren’t ideal.”

“I know you’re trying to help, but that’s really not helping right now.”

“Sorry, Tim…I just…I want to help this get better.”

“I don’t know how that’s going to happen. I can’t even bring myself to look at a piano right now, let alone play it.”

Jason shifted against him in a way that suggested he was looking into the living room where the piano sat.

“You may not be able to play it, but I might have just the thing.”

Tim reluctantly followed him into the living room. Jason sat him down on the couch, not intentionally facing him away from the instrument, but in a way that allowed him to sit however he was comfortable. Tim sagged against the back of the couch and looked down at where his hands were resting in his lap. He listened as Jason gently moved the piano bench and lifted the lid covering the keys.

He took a deep breath before the familiar chords started. Tim’s breath caught and his eyes widened. Even though Jason wasn’t singing the words, they came to Tim’s mind easily since he’d listened to the song so many times.

For a couple weeks he’d been pestering Jason to include Serenade for Two in one of their Dueling Pianos sessions, but Jason had always brushed it off, saying they could learn it later.

Tim lifted his head and looked over at where Jason was playing. He was moving slightly with the movements and had his eyes trained on the keys. He had the finesse of someone who’d played the song hundreds of times before and was doing something second nature even as he tried to seem like this was something that he hadn’t spent time practicing.

Tim slowly stood from his spot on the couch and walked over to the piano. He watched Jason for a few more seconds before he found the strength to speak.

“How…” he croaked and cleared his throat. “How long have you been working on that?”

Jason didn’t even pause as he answered. “Since you told me that you wanted to play it and I went home and listened to it for the first time. I know that you wanted to play it together, but I wanted to surprise you with it. I hadn’t figured out when yet, but now seemed as good a time as any. I know that you already know how to play it anyway,” he added with a small chuckle.

Tim reached out hesitantly, wanting to close the gap between them, but suddenly uncertain. He placed his hand over Jason’s once he reached the climax of the song, making him pause. Jason looked up at him and waited patiently.

Tim nudged him to the side and Jason made room on the piano bench for him. Tim took a shaky breath and hesitantly reached out with his hands, placing them on the keys for the chord that Jason would’ve gone to if Tim had let him continue. He gently pressed down and let instinct and memory take over.

Emotions welled up within him quickly: the pain from the concert the night before, his fears that he’d never be good enough, the love that he held for Jason, and the love that he’d almost always had when it came to playing the piano.

Tim’s hands stuttered as he fought to maintain his composure, but he didn’t let the mistake bother him because he was playing and that’s all that mattered.

He finished the song easily, letting the last notes fade into the past. His let his eyes open slowly when Jason’s hand came up to cup his cheek. He let himself be guided until he was staring in Jason’s eyes that were shining back at him.

“Jason…I…” Tim started.

Jason shook his head and gently kissed him.

“Thank you,” Tim said quietly when they parted.

“Tim…There’s something that I’ve wanted to say for a little while now-“

“I love you, Jason,” Tim interrupted, smiling a little at Jason’s expression as it froze.

Jason chuckled. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Jason kissed him again.

“Are you going to be okay?”

He paused. He felt raw and exposed in everything that he wanted, but he knew that it was a start. It would take time to fully heal, but the future didn’t seem quite as foreboding.

Tim nodded. “It still hurts…what happened, but…it doesn’t seem as unbearable anymore.”

“Good, because I know that I’d never forgive myself if I let you give up on this.”

Tim smiled a little brighter and kissed Jason again.

Tim took a deep breath as he stared up at the front of the conservatory. Jason had convinced him to go in for his afternoon classes and he wasn’t sure he was entirely ready to be here, but he had to come back eventually. And it would be better to get the humiliation over with sooner rather than later.

He pushed through the doors and was immediately hit with the comforting scent of old books and yellow sheet music that seemed to permeate everything. It never really made sense why the building smelled like that when only a fraction of the building was used to store music selections, but it was welcome after the night before.

He gripped the strap of his bag tightly and forced his feet to move forward towards the staircase. His theory class was on one of the upper levels and he wasn’t sure who he was going to run into yet.

“Tim?”

He froze and cringed at the sound of his name, turning carefully as he came face to face with Mr. Stewart: his conductor from the night before.

“Mr. Stewart.”

“I was hoping to speak with you this morning, but your friend Stephanie said that you were ill.”

Tim rubbed the back his neck, embarrassed. “I didn’t wake up feeling very well this morning. Upset stomach. But I’m feeling much better now.”

Mr. Stewart smiled gently. “I’m pleased to hear it. I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

Tim opened his mouth to apologize, but Mr. Stewart held up a hand.

“I’m truly sorry that you were forced to experience a performance like that. The times when we practiced during rehearsal would never have led me to believe that Jake could get so nervous in front of an audience that he would be thrown off so badly. I want to thank you for doing everything in your power to try and keep the performance together. I’m hoping to perform the piece again and am looking for another duet partner for you. However, since you have experience with the piece, if there’s anyone you know who would make a good fit, I’m more than willing to take suggestions and have them audition.”

Tim stared at him, mind racing. “I…um…thank you, Mr. Stewart.”

“You’re very welcome, Tim.”

“Wait!” Tim exclaimed as he turned to leave. He turned back to face him with a raised eyebrow. “For the auditions…would it have to be someone who’s studying at the conservatory, or would you be willing to bring in an outside pianist as long as they’re experienced?”

Mr. Stewart’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “I’d have to audition them either way and I might need to get the permission of some other faculty, but if they’re competent and able to perform in front of an audience, I don’t see why we couldn’t make that happen. May I ask who you have in mind?”

“It’s someone who I play with often. His name’s Jason Todd and we perform together at Treble Espresso once or twice each month. He does really well in front of audiences. He doesn’t usually play classical music, but I might be able to convince him to take a chance on this.”

Mr. Steward started for a moment before he smiled gently.

“Give him the audition section that you have and let him practice it. I’ll see what I can do about arranging something with the faculty, but make sure that he’s aware that they might want to sit in on his audition.”

“I’ll let him know. Thank you, Mr. Stewart.”

“It’s my pleasure, Tim. Hurry off to class. I don’t want to derail you any further.”

Tim watched him walk away and felt a new sense of hope bloom in him.

Now all he needed to do was try and convince Jason to do the audition.

#jaytim #molim writes #fic: darling #piano verse #collab piece #woo hoo #new fic

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samuraicats · 8 years ago

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Noragami chapter 74 thoughts!

Soooo, since overall the chapter was really cute (except for the final page) I thought I’d do this because yeah ;)

Firsssst, the Capyper Inari!!!

so those are the capyper Inari! I didn’t know what they were when they first mentioned them hahahah

I’m really thinking this is foreshadowing Noragami’s ending (Hiyori growing into an adult and dont forgetting about them)

does this mean she told yato she saw his past?

and the you get kissed by them, how does it feel to be kissed by someone you hate?

I’m so happy they are in this chapter hahah

you still with that huh? I thought he had overcome that hahaha and what’s with that mask?

this somehow reminded me of team rocket from pokemon XD

this was the worst part of the chapter, she was so rude!! and by the preview of next’s chapter by @sj4iy it seems it was a tramp for yukine to see something in nora’s eyes (something related to god’s greatest secret? or maybe something to infect yukine with it faster?)

Well this is it :D this was a really good chapter but by the looks of it, I think we are gonna get in our ride of pain in the next one D:

#noragami manga spoilers #noragami spoilers #chapter 74 #me rambling #noragami

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therealestvc · 8 years ago

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OITNG Chapter 7

Let's go to the movies Chloe was standing in front of a judge dressed in her best attire, a black dress with her signature boots and her beanie. It had a week since the whole food fight incident, she still had to pay off the money she owed Max, Rachel and Victoria. 'I would've gotten away with it' she thought as the judge was reading off the incidents that she has done now and in the past, she looked into the seating area where her mother was sitting with her stepfather. Max couldn't come but wished her good luck, Rachel had stuff to do but said she would be by her place later if her parents allowed it. Finally after what seemed like an hour, the judge hit the gavel. "This has got to be the worst case of vandalism, trespassing, destruction I've seen in my 20 years of this line of work...normally you would get jail time for this but you should thank your stepfather for this, he has made a deal with the DA for you get to a lesser sentence. 5 years of community service and staying away from any public shopping center for 8 years. You will working on bettering the community along with yourself. Your stepfather says the school you used to go to umm Blackwell academy needs more security guards so you will be following and helping him for those 3 years and the next 2 years helping out at soup kitchens" *gavel bangs* "next case!" The judge says. Chloe's jaw drops as she is released into the hands on her parents, the drive home is silent. She is shocked 'I can't believe I have to spend the next 3 years helping out stepdouche' she thought as the car stopped in the driveway. "You start work on Monday" David says as they get out of the car. "Yeah sure" Chloe says she swiftly walks into the house 'wait til Rachel hears about my punishment'. At Blackwell, today was finally the day that Max and Victoria were going to hang out without any pranks or bets being made. The plan for the two of them is for dinner, a movie and finishing off with a sleepover in Victoria's room. Max packed her overnight bag, hoping that nothing bad would happen during their time together as she texted Victoria saying she was ready. A lot has changed between them after what happened with the mall fiasco, they text frequently now, get coffee every morning discussing about life, and even sit together in class and crack jokes only the two of them know. Max couldn't shake the nervous feeling in her tummy. 'Maybe I like her more than a friend...but no she probably only likes boys' she thought as her phone chimed indicating that she had gotten a text message from Victoria. Victoria:I just have to finish up getting ready, you can come whenever you like. XOXO Max:alright :D Max picked up her stuff and headed out the door, 'let's hope all goes accordingly'. Back in Victoria's, finished applying her makeup. The past few weeks of hanging out with Max at school had been the best since their failed mall trip. Her parents were mad but once she told about who really started the food fight, they understood. She had been feeling some type of way around Max...giggly, giddy, in like? She couldn't describe but it was a good feeling. Her friends had asked her about the newfound friendship between the two, she just tells them about the mall experience..Taylor and Courtney don't say anything about the frequent texting conversations or the meeting for coffee in the mornings, they just pass it off as them bonding. Victoria heard a knock on her door instantly knowing it was Max. 'She is so modest and cute'. She walks over to answers the door seeing Max standing with her overnight bag, 'oh yeah that's right we have a sleepover'. The two go to hug each other, they don't have be weirded out about others finding out that they are friends, since stuff spreads like wildfire in that school. "So are you ready for tonight Tori?" Max asks Victoria as she drops her stuff by Victoria's bed before sitting down on her couch. "Yes of course Maxine, how about you?" Victoria answers then asks back, as she takes one good look at herself in the mirror. "Yeah sure, what movie are we seeing?" She says picking with a loose string on her jeans. "Umm I haven't decided yet...let's pick when we get there yeah? Alright I'm all done getting ready let's go!" Victoria chirps as she picks up her purse and brings along a sweater in case the theater gets cold. The pair walked out of Victoria's room and towards the parking lot, once they reached her car they headed to their dining place. The air was a lot more peaceful this time around from the last time they hung out and the two took notice of this. There weren't very many fancy restaurants in Arcadia Bay, but luckily on the restaurant rating app one of the high rating a restaurant called bon appetité was one the two could agree on. Once they reached bon appetité, they took notice of the outside. It just looked like another two whales but in restaurant form. They walked into the door and took note of the scenery. So not two whales. Their reservation had fallen through, according to the snobby waiter with an awful French accent who said "I'm sorry we only allow high of society here, now leave before I call securrity" it took Max's gentle touch for Victoria not to beat the waiter to a bloody pulp. Victoria rubbed the back of her neck...a habit she had adopted from Max. "I'm sorry Maxine...I guess this isn't what you thought" she laughs. Max laughs too "no it's better, you are soo much more better than those snobby rich folks". The only other eatery in nearby proximity was the pier diner, they had hoped it was still open when they reached it. Yes! It was opened still, the two ordered two burgers with fries and drinks and enjoyed each other's company. They spent the time cracking jokes about the restaurant bon appetité and gave it a bad review. The pier overlooked the Bay, at sunset it was really beautiful the highlight of the colors the sun made a perfect photo opportunity(see what I did there? Errm anyways). Max pulled out her camera and caught the sun as it was about to set, the new camera Victoria got her worked wonders on capturing light. The two finished up their meals, they took a look on the movie website for the theater and saw there was a showing of Annie the 1982 version. They decided on that since it was a classic and had some funny parts. They threw away their trash then headed back to her car, the drive to the theater Max was thinking about the lingering feelings she felt around Victoria...'maybe I should kiss her to see if that will help out'. They finally reached the theater with time to spare before the movie started, they decided to play some arcade games. "You are soooo going down in pacman" Max challenged Victoria as she put the quarters in the game slot. "Oh bring it on" Victoria shots back as she takes her place waiting for the game to start. The game starts, Max's screen displayed Mr. Pacman and Victoria's was Mrs. Pacman. The objective of the game is to see how much on those each player can eat before getting killed. Victoria is lead at first after tickling Max throwing her off. In the end Max managed to get ahead of Victoria and win. Max spent her time gloating about her win, before the voice proctor spoke "THE 9 O CLOCK SHOWING OF ANNIE IS ABOUT TO SHOW, PLEASE GET TICKETS IF NOT AROUND THEN TAKE YOUR SEATS". "I guess we better go get our tickets and go in there" Max says nervously laughing. Victoria nods leading the way to the ticket booth. The two purchase their tickets with snacks then go to take their seats. They take seats towards the middle then wait as the previews to show. Surprising both sing along with the movie..."it's a hard knock life for us! Stead' of treating we get tricked...stead' of kisses we get kicked it's a hard knock life" They both look at each other and laugh. It reaches the movie scene where they sing about going to the movie then watch a romantic flick. Victoria has the feeling to hold hands with Max so she reaches to hold her hand. When Max doesn't pull away she internally sighs. She starts shivering due to forgetting her sweater in the car. Max takes note of this so she reaches her arm around the taller girls shoulder indicating that she wants to give her some warmth. Victoria gracefully takes the invitation of unofficial snuggles, it reaches after the movie scene when they go home and Mr. Warbucks and Grace are discussing stuff. Max decides this is the right time to try and kiss her to get the feelings out the way. She starts by getting Victoria's attention when she does she goes in for a kiss. Her unglossed lips press against Victoria's, 'huh? That helped...I definitely like her ohh no what is she doing?' She thinks as Victoria pushes her tongue against her lips asking for more...she opens her mouth then starts to feel a new feeling kind of hot she can't explain but starts to freak out. She pulls away then standing up. "I-I-I'm sorry...I need to umm uhh use the bathroom" Max says as she rushes out of the theater leaving a confused Victoria behind.

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furederiko · 7 years ago

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A Random-News-Digest to cap off September! Yes, the last one for the last day of the month...

Akira

A few days ago, the anime community was sent into a polarizing frenzy, when a live action Hollywood remake for Makoto Shinkai's masterpiece "Kimi no Na wa." was announced. Following "Ghost in the Shell", and "Death Note", it's a vindicative sign that Hollywood is actively turning towards Japanese titles to make their own versions. One that would usually come in one package with whitewashing controversy.

I'm not here to talk about "Your name." though, but about Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira". Because yes, "Akira" is also one of that classic anime title that Hollywood has been itching to adapt... for soooo many years. Guess what, the title has resurfaced into the spotlight once again. After several directors have come in to develop this project, and then walked out to do other things instead, now Warner Bros is said to be in talks with the one and only... Taika Waititi. The upcoming Thor sequel has certainly put Waititi's name into every studio's attention, so it's not even surprising that WB is trying to hire him as well. After all, WB has been actively snatching Marvel Studios' directors and actors, right?

Of course, Waititi is still 'in talks', so things can always go sideway. He already has a project with Fox Searchlight that's about to enter production early next year, as well as that stop-motion animated movie about Michael Jackson's chimpanzee. If WB really wants to rush this movie into creation, I doubt Waititi will be the man to do the job. I personally would have preferred to see Hollywood simply forgeting about "Akira" all together, but that's just me and my selfish desire of not wanting another anime gets 'ruined' by American hands. Hold on, Waititi is not from US, eh! Oh well...

Tomb Raider

Having been an avid fan of this game franchise, of course I'm curious about its movie adaptations. The Angelina Jolie movies were... likeable (oh, how I was still sooo innocent when the first one came out), but they've also failed in capturing the charm of the series. Will a new version with recently crowned Oscar Winner Alicia Vikander work better?

Go ahead and check out the first official trailer (as well as its... odd accompaniment poster, both released 10 days ago LOL) to get your answer. My spontaneous response? "HUH?". Which was then followed by a frown and a "Meh...". Look, I know this one is more inspired by the 2013 game reboot, yet somehow... I don't think it gets it either. In the end, it feels like it's circling back into an Angeline Jolie's version redux. Particularly through Walton Goggins' character, who just had to be there as the evil super-villain stereotype. Had the movie followed the 2013 game's storyline more... faithfully, perhaps I would've seen it in a better light.

Much like "Assassin's Creed" that couldn't flesh out the game premise into a movie event, I seriously doubt this will do better. The video game adaptation curse is still looming large, and is already clouding this movie. But that's just me. Probably it'll work better for you? Roar Uthaug's "Tomb Raider" arrives on March 16th, 2018. So please stop expecting WB to release "The Flash" on that date...

Charlie's Angels

I did NOT see this coming. According to Deadline, Kristen Stewart is said to be one of two actresses being eyed for the "Charlie's Angels" reboot movie. The other one? Lupita Nyong'o. Before you complaint about Stewart, do remember that she's no longer the expressionless actress we saw in the "Twilight" series. She has made a better name of herself through the indie root lately. And Nyong'o is obviously that famous Oscar Winner, who's been involved with the "Star Wars" franchise and soon to hit the action genre with her upcoming Marvel Studios movie.

The fact that these two names are even attracted to the Elizabeth Banks' project is what intrigued me. I actually enjoyed those two Angels movies in the 90s, when everyone else was crying foul. It was campy and over-the-top, but it was fun and well... sexy. LOL. Hearing Stewart and Nyong'o names totally took this reboot to another level. I mean, could we be seeing a... darker and grittier (as much as I despised on using that word) version of the 70s TV show? I'd be down for that. Perhaps they can add more color with... I don't know, Asian actress Pom Klementieff, Elodie Yung, or Claudia Kim to the fray? I hope we'll be hearing more about the casting real soon, because this movie has officially gotten my attention. "Charlie's Angels" will arrive on June 7th, 2019.

Disney Animation

Disney Pixar released the latest trailer for "COCO" and accompanying poster around two weeks ago. The company also released short previews for three songs from the movie: "Remember Me", "Un Poco Loco", and "The World Es Mi Familia". Admittedly, due to my internet fiasco last week, I haven't been able to check out any of these clips. "Coco" arrives just in time for Thanksgiving, so I'm sure by then I would have seen these trailers. LOL. Of course, if you don't want any part of the movie to be spoiled in advance, then you might want to refrain from these new footages and just wait for the movie to arrive. It's your choice!

Star Wars

Despite various reports suggesting/speculating that Rian Johnson would take over Colin Trevorrow's directorial seat for "Star Wars: Episode IX", Lucasfilm hired a far more reasonable and 'safer' choice instead. Yep, I'm sure you have heard by now that J. J. Abrams is back for his second "Star Wars" movie. He's set to write, and direct the third and final movie in the modern era's trilogy. Sure, Abrams doesn't have a great reputation in dealing with sequels, but he's also responsible for the success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". Problem is, the official announcement also revealed that Chris Terrio has also been hired to write. In case the name doesn't right a bell, that's the guy who wrote Academy Award's Best Picture Winner "Argo". That's good, right? Hold on... he's also the writer to WB's infamous "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice", and the early draft of "Justice League" back when it had those unpleasant behind the scene reports. YIKES!!!

Speaking of WB, it's also another game of chicken with that company. This much-anticipated movie has been delayed to December 20th, 2019, meaning it will open just a week after WB's recently announced "Wonder Woman 2". Oh NO!!! After re-hiring the director with an exceptionally huge raise, I have a feeling WB will be forced to move their sequel away to ensure a big box office turnout. Because seriously, confronting the final entry of a "Star Wars" trilogy, one with a female lead protagonist as well, would be nothing short of a massive risk.

Hellboy

Two first looks of David Harbour's version of Hellboy has been released via the movie's official Twitter account, and also the actor's very own social media. And well... it looks, Hellboy-ish enough, I guess? I'm curious though, since this reboot will apply more conventional prothetics instead of CG, does that mean, we're looking at Harbour's very own physique here? I could've sworn his beer-belly he did NOT look like that in "Stranger Things". LOL.

The bigger news of this movie however, was the song of praises to Daniel Dae Kim taking on the whitewashed role that was supposed to go to Ed Skrein. Kim even took a photo with Skrein to make this announcement credible. Ain't this the way it should've been, casting a Korean-American actor for a Japanese-American charact... wait, hold on? Seriously?! Feel free to call me a naysayer, but while I'm grateful for Kim, didn't this simply mean that Hollywood still do NOT have a clue about the whole whitewashing issue? It's a nice gesture and all to cast an Asian actor for an Asian character. But I beg to question... why not hire someone who is not just Asian, but also ethnically approriate? Do we even have a shortage of Japanese-American actor they could hire? Names like Brian Tee (who is both Japanese and Korean), Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada, Paul Nakauchi (who recently appeared in Netflix's "Death Note"), and even Masi Oka (who is Kim's very own fellow cast member in "Hawai Five-O" TV Series)... all easily come to mind.

I can't help but wonder now, is Hollywood still thinking that all Asians look the same? That's STILL a problem, if you ask me. Oh well, let's just scoff this off by saying that... "It's progress". Just for the record, I don't have ANY beef with Kim, and sincerely think that he deserves a big role in the movies. But seriously though, this situation COULD have been solved in a much better way...

DC Films

WB has recruited another writer to work on "Wonder Woman 2". Dave Callaham was brought on board by director Patty Jenkins, to work on the script with DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. His portofolio includes the 2014 "Godzilla", "The Expendables", and also Universal's "The Wolfman" (assuming the Dark Universe project is still on-the-go despite the result of "The Mummy"). Details about the script is still kept under wraps, but it is expected to take place several decades from the first movie. Jenkins has already teased a Cold War setting for the sequel, along with the debut of Gal Gadot's Diana Prince's invisible jet. As I've stated above, it's currently unclear whether WB will keep this movie on the December 2019 schedule or not. If past moves by the studio is any indication (like how WB sped up BvS' release to avoid the third "Captain America" movie), then highly likely we could be seeing a shift of release date sooner or later. How the sequel will change James Cameron's very-public (and annoying, albeit logical, I should add) criticism about the first movie, is a different challenge on its own.

On a side note, DC Entertainment's President Diane Nelson has confirmed that there WILL INDEED be movies outside of DCEU continuity. It seems the initial plan is changing at WB, as Nelson is now singing a somewhat different tune. "Our intention, certainly, moving forward is using the continuity to help make sure nothing is diverging in a way that doesn’t make sense, but there’s no insistence upon an overall story line or interconnectivity in that universe", she stated. I certainly smell 'Plan B' here, in that if ever the DCEU (which already refers to DC Films and the various TV series, right?) gets out of control again, they could use "The Flash: Flashpoint" to basically erase it and create a whole new one. You know, "New-52" and/or "Rebirth"-style. Movies like "The Joker" origin movie, and probably "Justice League: Dark" and "Shazam" will definitely exist in their very own 'LABEL', which will be named and announced in the near future. Will this approach be better or worse for WB and DC? As I said before, this is basically another one of WB's attempt to copy Marvel (that already had multiple Universes on their own, see the next FIVE categories for direct proof), but for now, let's not judge anything too soon and see how this pans out...

X-Men Universe

Wow, it seems FOX has been infected by the braggish fever of WB. Thanks to a recent success with "Logan", the studio can now talk BIG about their next project. Someone's clearly forgetting how the studio ALMOST dropped "Deadpool", had Ryan Reynolds wasn't persistent enough to create it in R-rated format. Not just that, had the studio forced that movie to be toned down to PG-13, it wouldn't have inspired James Mangold to make "Logan" the way it is now. Thus we would only be getting another round of "The Wolverine".

Anyways, FOX Chief Stacey Snider had a really interesting comment to Dark Horizons regarding Josh Boone's "The New Mutants". She stated, "When you look at films like Deadpool or Logan or the upcoming New Mutants, you’ll see they have their own personality. Great effort has been put into making sure they’re differentiated". A peculiar statement, because one, is she trying to throw a shade towards Marvel Studios? And two, is FOX forgetting about the ultra-mediocre "X-Men: Apocalypse" ALREADY?

She then continued with a more 'shocking' remarks, "New Mutants is about these teenagers who are just coming into their powers. It’s like watching mutants go through adolescence and they have no impulse control, so they’re dangerous. The only solution is to put them in a Breakfast Club detention/Cuckoo’s Nest institutional setting. It protects the people on the outside, but it’s strange and combustible inside. The genre is like a haunted-house movie with a bunch of hormonal teenagers. We haven’t seen it as a superhero movie whose genre is more like The Shining than ‘we’re teenagers let’s save the world". Yikes!!! Okay, not only the recent Spider-Man movie was ALREADY a "Breakfast Club"-inspired movie (so... differentiated how?), comparing the movie to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is a really ballsy and gutsy if not downright over-confident move. I personally shook my head upon reading this news, because the studio is setting the bar VERY high eventhough the movie is still in production. Meaning none of the bigwigs have even seen a finished product! One thing for sure, I'm going to bookmark her comment and actually judge the movie against it when it arrives. Can it actually hold up? I doubt, but we'll see...

SONY Marvel Universe

Another studio, another Marvel movie. This one's VERY interesting though, because no matter how confused people has been about Ruben Fleischer's "Venom", the fact that it's attracting big names to the project, might suggest something big. We know that Oscar Nominee Tom Hardy is onboard to play Eddie Brock, but care to guess who else is being eyed and/or in talks? The super talented Riz Ahmed who might (offensively tbh) and might not become the serial killer Carnage, and another Oscar Nominee in... Michelle Williams. Yes, Williams is currently in talks to play the female-lead and potential love interest to Hardy's Brock. It's still unclear if she will take the job or not, but if it ends up becoming real, then it gives me another good reason to actually check it out when it arrives on October 5th, 2018.

Marvel Studios

Let's start with the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok"! As the release date of November 3rd, 2017 is rapidly approaching (with some international markets set to open in just a few weeks from now), marketing is also ramping up. We got a special Behind the Scene featurette, neat-looking IMAX poster, and also a Chinese one that came alongside an exclusive Chinese trailer containing new footages. Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor Andy Park also debuted the cover for "Art of Thor: Ragnarok" online, to encourage fans to pre-order their copy. This artbook will no doubt contains visual spoilers (like that particular creature from Muspelheim), so do consider that before you purchase one.

The movie also hit a somewhat negative hurdle recently. The issue however, wasn't caused by Marvel Studios, but surprisingly by the Writers Guild of America. Turns out, writer Stephany Folsom's name has been denied by the WGA to be attached to the film, eventhough Marvel Studios already gave her a "Story by" credit. A curious case to be honest, because it's usually the studio who refused to give a writer credit, not the other way around. Folsom openly expressed her dissatisfaction to the Guild that was supposed to be the one protecting her rights. On the other hand, does this mean Folsom's work was so minimum, that WGA thought it's unnecessary to add her name? Let's just hope this won't affect the movie's reception.

***The following could be considered spoilers for movies releasing in 2018 and 2019. If you're avoiding one, please skip the next paragraphs and jump over to the next category instead***

From the set of "Ant-Man and the Wasp", we got a new look for Evangeline Lilly's Wasp, Walton Goggins' Sonny Burch, as well as Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost. Burch looks pretty much like a normal human being, while Ghost has the signature white-suit design as can be seen in the comics.

Meanwhile, more and more cast members are confirmed for the UNTITLED "Avengers 4", which as I've said before, somehow serves as massive spoilers for "Avengers: Infinity War". Paul Bettany was pretty much confirmed to be in the movie thanks to a photo of him as Vision, while Mark Ruffalo was spotted alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. Sebastian Stan and Don Cheadle have also been confirmed through interviews with several outlets. Aside from possibly hinting the possible plot of the movie, Atlanta Filming also spotted two actors on set with Johansson. The first was Captain America's Chris Evans, and the second one was... surprise, surprise... "Captain Marvel"'s Brie Larson. I know it has been common sense among fans, that from the time she was cast, she would take part in this movie. But it's always good to know that it's now confirmed.

The movie also has other intriguing parts of production that might hint further at the storyline. A recent casting call notice for extras, revealed that there will be a 1960s setting in the movie. This was inline with a photo by actress Hayley Atwell, who's dressed up as Peggy Carter with a mo-cap makeup on her face. Bearing in mind her quick cameo in the intro of "Ant-Man", could we be seeing a particular flashback to Peggy and John Slattery's Howard Stark in their early years at S.H.I.E.L.D.? A new actor has also been confirmed to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, has joined the movie in an unknown role. This was strongly coincidental to that Japanese-esque setting we've seen before, so clearly the two facts are probably related somehow.

As for "Infinity War", actor Benedict Cumberbatch teased to Digital Spy that the movie will be huge, considering it's a massive storyline of ten years in the making, involving various sides of the MCU. He's also excited for the project to finally be seen by the world. Now about that, a recent rumor claimed that the D23 and San Diego Comic Con' trailer would be officially released on September 29th, along with the premiere of "Inhumans". It's a little unlikely, considering the growing gap between Marvel Studios and Marvel TV. Moreso, it's more possible that Marvel Studios will release this alongside "Thor: Ragnarok" sometime around October. That will certainly boost attention to the third "Thor" movie. Let's just wait and see.

"Captain Marvel" won't start filming until early next year, but pre-production has already begun. Andy Nicholson has joined the movie as its production designer. Nicholson was involved in "Captain America: The First Avenger" which, similar to this movie, took place in an 'earlier' era. Considering he also earned an Oscar nomination for "Gravity", his inclusion only signaled/confirmed a more interstellar aspect of the story. Here's hoping Nicholson will imbue his Academy Award charm to this movie as well!

Last but not least, That Hashtag Show reported that Marvel Studios is developing a movie for "Power Pack" as part of their next 'Phase'. Jonathan Schwartz is said to be overseeing the project, like he has done with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". To be honest, this source isn't particularly credible for this type of news, as their scoops VERY rarely panned out. Still, this is a somewhat plausible thing, considering "Runaways" (that have had a script since the early Phases), have since been converted into a TV series at Hulu. I won't be surprised if the Power siblings became one of the contenders to replace that now-obsolete project. Of course, do take this news with a HUUUGE grain of salt for now. It's best to just wait for an official announcement before getting too excited over something unconfirmed. Am I right?

Marvel TV

When this post goes up, Marvel's "Inhumans" should have debuted ON TV. If you're still unconvinced to see this mini-series, then perhaps the recent trailer would be able to sway you to the dark-si... er, I mean, to see and follow it. Showrunner Scott Buck Almighty apparently has envisioned this show to be at least 3 SEASONS, so you might want to put that into considerations before making one of the biggest life choices in your life. The general consensus however (including a pessimistic-sounding James Gunn), thinks that it won't even get a 2nd season. Then again, his "Iron Fist" somehow miraculously gets one, while a critically-received Marvel's "Agent Carter" did NOT. And don't forget about Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." that apparently was ALMOST cancelled by ABC, had Disney not interfe... er, I mean stepped in as savior and paved way for the upcoming Season 5. Nothing is really certain anymore when it comes to Marvel TV, huh?

There's good on the other side though. To be precise, the Hulu side. Marvel's "Runaways" has only been getting positive responses until now, and comics creator Brian K. Vaughn has added even more excitement with his recent statement. During a book signing in New York, Vaughn revealed that not only Old Lace the Deinonychus is part of the show, showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage actually did her justice. Of course, him being an official consultant to the series can mean two things: one, his words is NOT objective; and two, the show will indeed be as faithful as possible to the source materials... which he wrote. Duh? Then again, the official images that debuted via Entertainment Weekly earlier this week, already felt and looked LEAGUES BETTER than "Inhumans". So I'm inclined to believe the good buzz might be true after all...

Netflix

Marvel's "The Defenders" burnt me out sooo bad, that I've pretty much lost any interest to see more Marvel Netflix series. Not just me though, because as it turns out, the crossover mini-series is also the lowest rating and/or least viewed of the entire Netflix Universe so far. GREAT GOODNESS!!! Regardless of the reason behind this result, a clear fatigue for a cookie-cutter Marvel TV show can easily be felt.

That's where Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "The Punisher" turned the table and broke the wall instead. Literally. The brutal and violent Rambo-esque official teaser, which was followed by a full trailer later on, seemed to be changing people's negative perception about the Netflix Universe. But is it a good indication that the series itself will be as good? Not really. If there's one positive thing I could openly praise about all Marvel Netflix series, is that they all have GREAT trailers. However, a great trailer doesn't immediately assure a great show, as proven by Marvel's "Luke Cage", Marvel's "Iron Fist", and Marvel's "The Defenders".

I admit, this was indeed a good trailer for Frank Castle's solo story. But did I like it as much as every other people? NOPE. I think it looked okay, and well... I'm still giving this show a pass. I have an odd tinkling feeling that it's going to end up as another carbon-copy of the previous shows. That it will also be a few episodes too long... but with amped-up violence to compensate. Of course, don't let this get you down, because what might not work for me, could very well be your treasure. One thing for sure, the series will be arriving pretty soon (if not November, probably earlier). So we'll definitely be reading the first reactions to it in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the 4th season of "Voltron Legendary Defenders" is set for October 13th debut. You can even already watch the official trailer, that teases more action for both Prince Lotor and Princess Allura. It's unclear how many episodes we'll be getting though. If I had to guess, we'll probably get around 6 to 7, just like what happened to Season 3. After all, there's a possibility that both Seasons were initially intended to be one.

DC Television

I actually don't know where to put this, but since "Watchmen" is part of DC's property, I'll put it here instead. Forget about that Zack Snyder movie! Damon Lindelof is set to produce a new TV series adaptation for HBO. The network has ordered a pilot script from him (who announced it himself), so things are definitely moving forward. I'm personally not looking forward to this, as much as I disliked the Snyder's movie. But I can already sense the divide between the avid fans who are rejoicing, and the other side who thinks this is a bad idea. I have no right to give an opinion here, so let's just see how this pans out, okay!

Super Sentai

Trademark for the 2018 Super Sentai series has been registered on September 25th, and suffice to say, it brought its own twist to the fanbase. Contrary to previous rumor about fairy-tale time traveler, TOEI submitted not one, but TWO titles at the same time: "Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger", and "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger". Nope, this wasn't April's Fool prank or a baseless rumor, because these copyrights are REAL.

There aren't any details about the two titles yet, so many fans and Tokusatsu enthusiasts have been talking and speculating about what this means. Does this mean, we will have two separate shows on the same year, perhaps separated as 25 episodes each? Could it be, one of them is the full yearly show, while the other one is a Web-Series or some sort, much like how "Kamen Rider Amazons" worked for Amazon Japan? There's also another possibility, in that both of them are part of one show. Which makes super sense, because the obvious titles alone pretty much work to 'rival' each other: Police Taskforce and Phantom Thief Squad. Get it? It's the game of cat and mouse between cops and thieves. Something like what would happen if "Persona 4" and "Persona 5" has a crossover.

Recent rumor claimed, that the two teams will indeed be regarded as the 42nd Sentai teams. Patoranger is rumored to consist of Red, Black, and White members, while Lupinranger will be Gold, Silver, and Bronze. They will start out as separate shows that will supposedly air alternately week after week, but when both shows reach episode 20, they will eventually become one solidified story. Not only that, one Lupinranger member is said to be a Patoranger spy (with Red being the most possible candidate), thus serving as the catalyst to combine both teams into one. This means the two shows will exist/intersect in the same world, so crossovers between both titles should be expected to happen more often than later on the 4th quarter.

Again, this idea makes good sense, that it's not even a surprise for me. TOEI has been doing the Versus Movies on a yearly basis ever since "Chouriki Sentai Ohranger vs Ninja Sentai Kakuranger", so this would only be their way to turn that concept into a full-blown series. This year's "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has even implemented this twist, by breaking its 12-members team into two units in its latest parallel arcs. Besides, don't forget one thing! TOEI seems to show high interest with what's happening in US entertainment business. And what's the current rage in Hollywood? Cinematic Universe, like the one famously built by Marvel Studios. Think of it this way, Patoranger and Lupinranger would be their own separate thing, similar to the Marvel Netflix series, or the CW "Arrow"-verse shows. But somewhere along the line, they team up into one crossover, as proven by Marvel's "The Defenders". It's highly likely, TOEI is intent on trying out this route as well, which could be a good or bad thing. Ignoring the fact that "Kaizoku Sentai Go-kaiger" have already, and very successfully I might add, served as a giant crossover show on its own.

To be honest, I've never been a fan of a Police-themed Sentai series. But this report definitely intrigued me to the core. If it is indeed valid, then I would totally check it out. It's an arguably brave and risky albeit not entirely new (remember the Versus Movies!) concept, so I'm dying to see if TOEI can pull it off. I think if TOEI is able to give both shows their own different tone, it would be even much better. I'm sure we'll be hearing more information about these shows pretty soon, so let's just wait and see...

ARIKA

It's a little baffling to think that ARIKA still hasn't made up their mind about their "Mysterious Fighting" game. Why? Because they showed up in Tokyo Game Show 2017, and actually released a new trailer for the event. Hmmmmm. Not long after, the company also expanded the game's roster with a returning fighter, in Doctrine Dark. At this point, I'm pretty sure EVERY original character from "Street Fighter EX" would be included... so why not just call the game, "EX Fighters" or some sort? *sigh*

Pocket Monsters

The Pokemon Company released a new trailer for "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" last week, and well... it offered some of its new content. Aside from confirming that the cover Pokemon is none other than 'Ultra Beast' Necrozma in his Dusk Mane/Dusk Wings forms (it's unclear how it will possess the powers to resemble Solgaleo or Lunala), several mini games like "Mantine Surf" and "Alola Photo Club" have been added to the game. Characters like Hau, Lillie, and the Trial Captains are confirmed to be returning. In the case of the last, some will even be bringing new Island Challenges. You can read the details on Gematsu. Both games will be launched worldwide on November 17th, 2017.

Dynasty Warriors

KOEI Tecmo was present at the Tokyo Game Show 2017, and of course they delivered a new trailer for "Dynasty Warriors 9" while confirming that it will be released in early 2018. So far, this new iteration has been creating conflicting reactions from the franchise's fanbase. Many, including yours truly, is feeling rather mixed about the game in general. Mainly due to the redesign and additional changes (weapons, costumes) given to the returning characters. While it's commendable that the game is trying to be more realistic and historically accurate, unfortunately, it comes at the expense of some of the title's bizarre but fun elements. On the bright side, the open world concept is still an intriguing aspect that I would totally love to try out. Even if to see whether KOEI Tecmo can pull it off or not. LOL.

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Boku Unmei no Hito desu Ep 9

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether the highlight of this drama has actually been Ichiro and Makoto’s relationship

Whether a couple going on a vacation is the ultimate test of their relationship

Whether the “message” was a good spin

The Rule(s):

Totally!

It can be!

Yes!

Analysis:

Jubiemon J: I was pleasantly surprised about this episode! I thought all was lost, but this episode reminded me why I enjoyed this drama in the first place. I really liked how the focus was actually more on Ichirō (who I used to call Yamapi God) and Makoto’s father-son relationship than Makoto and Haruko’s relationship. The twist about the message was great at the end too! There was no unnecessary drama that popped up, just plain, old good comedy and bromance. None of that forced, weird mission like from episode 8! Hooray! Now I’m hoping the finale will finish on a high note. I kind of want Haruko to meet Ichirō too. I would love to see her reaction to him. Hahaha!

Issue 1: Whether the highlight of this drama has actually been Ichiro and Makoto’s relationship

Jubiemon J: The highlight of this drama is definitely the bromance. I can just watch them bicker all the time! This time, Ichirō tells Makoto that he has to succeed in sleeping with Haruko during their onsen trip in order to be able to make sure that he is born earlier. Ichirō also admits to Makoto that he is his son and the two of them engage in a hilarious conversation. The way that Ichirō confesses that he’s Makoto and Haruko’s son is cute and funny! Ichirō asks what would Makoto name his future kid as and Makoto says he doesn’t know. Off of the top of his head, Makoto just decides on “Ichirō” (一朗) because Makoto likes the famous baseball player, Suzuki Ichirō. Makoto also makes sure to emphasize that it’s not going to be the katakana form of spelling Ichirō – イチロー. That’s what the baseball player is often called.

Ichirō buying baby clothes for Makoto and Haruko! Lol!

Ichirō: What’d you name your kid?

Ichirō: You sure that’s your final answer? Ichirō?

Ichirō: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE RIGHT!

Ichirō: I’m your son.

Makoto going the heck?!

Ichirō proving that he’s Makoto’s son with a driver’s license

Mini-sized driver’s license (side note: Look at the precision! The year! The name! The address!)

Because Makoto says he’ll name his kid, Ichirō, Ichirō gets all excited and announces that he is Makoto’s son. Makoto clearly is unconvinced and thinks Ichirō is joking. Ichirō is always sort of joking and playing around anyway. As a result, Ichirō shows Makoto his driver’s license. Lol! Makoto only seems to care that it’s super, super small compared to the current Japanese driver’s license. Makoto keeps prompting Ichirō to explain how he knows so much about the current world if he’s from the future. Ichirō says he has nothing to do all day so he just watches TV and cleans Makoto’s house with a vacuum. Makoto comments how that’s why the electricity bill is so high this month, but then still says he should thank Ichirō for cleaning. Lol!

M: Even if you were my son, you shouldn’t have revealed your identity to me! Defies all the time travel rules!

I: Can’t believe that’s what you care the most about!

I: Huh? You never thought I was God?

M: Just thought you were a weirdo that liked to call himself “God”!

I: Then why’d you listen to me all this time?

M: Because you knew stuff that normal people wouldn’t have known!

I: Tell me how you felt after hearing that I’m your son!

M: Honestly? Can’t believe the driver’s licenses in the future are soooo small! Lol!

Sidenote: Ichirō bitches at Makoto for calling him Ichirō. My first instinct was that this name is probably not that popular or kind of old school/antiquated (ie. Mary, John, Betty, William, Robert, George, Margaret etc – those are still nice names, but more popular in the 1920s). I did a bit of research and the 2016 popular baby names don’t include Ichirō (See here). The top boy names include Ren, Hiroto, Haruto, Minato. Notice how the kanji characters don’t include any of the ones from Ichirō. Then I looked at other websites (See here ; there was no Ichirō. Later, I found this, which shows that in the 1910s, Ichirō was a very popular name. It’s consistently in the top 10.

Another site also proves that Ichirō is more of a historically popular name. If you scroll down that website, it talks about how having 3 kanji characters was prevalent in the olden days and different variations of X-taro or Y-ichirō would arise. The article then suggests some appealing variations of those endings like Kouichirō or Ryuichirō. Given all this information, it makes sense that Ichirō would bitch at his father, Makoto, for half-assing in naming him and giving him a more-or-less plain name.

Suggested variations of Y-ichiro like Ryuichirou)

Ichirō explains that a God told him to time travel to this era to make sure that Makoto and Haruko get married earlier and give birth to him earlier. Makoto gets annoyed because if he and Haruko would get married anyway, there was no need for Ichirō to show up. Ichirō says that Makoto would move at a snail’s pace and then Ichirō wouldn’t be able to finish his research in time to save the world. Makoto is still in denial that he’s his son and asks why Ichirō can teleport and disappear when guests show up. Ichirō says he invented this teleportation device. Lol!

Ichirō also describes what God looks like (old, bearded, long hair type) and Makoto believes him and says that’s what he thought God would be like. Ichirō teases and says no wonder they’re father-son. Ha! Makoto argues that if Ichirō is his son, he wouldn’t be so disrespectful towards Makoto and call him by his name “Makoto, Makoto”. Ichirō retorts that this won’t change after he’s born too. (Lol . . . Makoto the pushover . . . lol.) Makoto says that if he succeeds in the mission, Ichirō will have to call him “Dad” in a respectful way. Ichirō kind of ignores him. LOL!

I think I can probably watch Ichirō and Makoto banter all day. There’s probably more that the two said for that scene, but I can’t recall for now. They’re just hilarious! What I do remember is that Ichirō tells Makoto that he must drain out the onsen’s water to see the writing at the bottom of the pool. If he sees the writing, that’ll lead him to succeed in doing it with Haruko. We get trolled like Makoto because Makoto literally drains out the onsen water.

Seeing the little dialogue on the bottom of this box!

Female: Zutto watashi no “soba” ni ite ne. (Translation: Always stay by my side. ずっと私のそばにいて. Pun: Soba = type of noodles)

Male: “sōsu”ne – (Translation: That’s right (informal). そうっすね/Sōssu ne. Pun: sōsu = sauce.))

Then we think that the writing is from the box that’s holding the soba (a type of noodle). There’s also a cute pun! (Look at the captions in the photos for an explanation of the pun.)

In reality, the writing is from Ichirō. Makoto finds the writing on his bathtub. (Leave it to him to write it in black PERMANENT MARKER.) It’s a cute, touching speech, pretty much saying how much he enjoyed spending time with Makoto and watching Makoto try so hard. (He starts the letter by calling Makoto as Makoto and not Dad. Lol!)

This makes me wonder whether Makoto and Ichirō never really had a chance to bond in the future. It’d be kind of touching, yet sad if Makoto actually passed away when Ichirō was really young. I think in a way, that’d make sense because that’d also explain why Ichirō would really want to come back to the past and would treat Makoto like a friend. Based on the previews, though, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be the case. The preview indicates that Makoto will feel lost and confused after Ichirō ‘s departure. Makoto has lost his memories about Ichirō because Ichirō erases them, but Makoto will likely feel like something has been missing in his life. I get a feeling we’ll get a time lapse and we’ll see Ichirō again or Ichirō will pop by again to surprise Makoto in the past. Haha!

Issue 2: Whether a couple going on a vacation is the ultimate test of their relationship

Jubiemon J: I definitely think that whenever a couple goes on a vacation together (not just a day trip), they are put to a test. There’s a difference between dating someone and travelling with them. Living with someone for a few days or more can be a challenge. Like Makoto’s boss mentions, there’s the difference in sleeping habits (i.e. one person might like to sleep with a lamp on and the other wouldn’t). I agree with Ichirō saying that this is Makoto’s final test. Besides having the two become roommates, there isn’t much else to test their relationship on. (Look at them being all cute here.)

Luckily, Makoto and Haruko are very agreeable and share similar lifestyle habits. They had a smooth vacation! And the bed scene was hilarious!! The two of them had visions from their friends preaching at them. Lol!

Issue 3: Whether the “message” was a good spin

Jubiemon J: I think the message was nicely done as a good-bye letter from Ichirō. I hadn’t expected him to say good-bye that way. Like I mentioned before, we would have expected the message to have ended with that cute little pun from the soba container. I really thought it was pretty sad when Ichirō just said goodbye casually and then Makoto was left scrubbing the bathtub while reading the letter! Kame does a great job expressing his sorrow.

Crying Makoto . . . so sad!

Conclusion: Appeal Dismissed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Cookie (What a relief. A bounce back from last ep’s horrific writing. Phew. Yamapi x Kame saved the day.)

File No: Boku-Unmei-no-Hito-desu-Ep-9 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Boku Unmei no Hito desu Ep 9 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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