#the little chat bubble will pop up every like two minutes but thats it
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im14andivebeen14foramonth · 9 days ago
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WARNING for stuff in the tags!!
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ppersonna · 4 years ago
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swipe right - jjk | m
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“ i wanna ruin our friendship. we should be lovers instead. i don't know how to say this, cause you're really my dearest friend “ - jenny, studio killers
♡ summary-  after a horrible breakup, you sign back up for tinder and ironically match with your best friend, jungkook. a date for fun is harmless, right?
♡ genre- best friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, jk is a minecraft streamer, brother namjoon, brother-in-law jimin, namjoon is kind of a himbo stay at home dad ngl, ex-boyfriend seokjin (mentioned but doesnt show up)
♡ word count- 9k
♡ warnings- mentions of a bad breakup (smh seokjin wtf??), penetrative sex, unprotected sex (u know the business folx), oral sex (m receiving), teasing, SO MUCH BODY WORSHIP, jk is a simp, slight dirty talk, lots of just talking during sex yall it happens, creampie, cum play, praise praise body worship praise, did i mention body worship, tit-fucking, cum eating, i think thats all.
♡ a/n - helloooo and thank you for your wait for this fic! i’m so happy its done and i loved writing it! it’s a little bit different feel for my usual style of writing (smut-wise) so please tell me your thoughts! i didn’t use dom/sub themes OR a daddy kink LMAOOOO praise me please. i hope you enjoy!! pls feel free to comment, chat, message, carrier pigeon, email, mail, WHATEVER U WANT, me. i love u babies. thank you to @kimtaehyunq​ for the sexy banner. and for @xjoonchildx @ladyartemesia​ @untaemedqueen​ for the writing support and idea generation. i would be nothing without my council. and thank you to my beta editors @hobi-gif and @ughseoks​ and @hongism​ for the perusal and help in writing this!
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Jungkook is the person you call when your world falls apart.
He answers, voice raspy from the late hour, and the second he asks you what’s wrong, the downpour of torrential tears you’ve been holding back finally escapes and you’re sobbing through the phone that you just lost the love of your life—that he left and with little effort on his part, and a lot on yours.
Jungkook listens to you—his heart aching deep in his chest at hearing the utter heartbreak that’s clear in your voice. You’ve never been hurt like this, and he’s desperate to hold you, to make it go away. He wants to drive over to Seokjin’s house and throw a left hook into his stupid, handsome face for making you feel you weren’t worth it.
Because if there’s anything in the world that Jungkook knows, it’s that you’re worth it. You’re worth everything. Add up all the money and all the gold in the entire world, and it still doesn’t meet a fraction of what you’re worth to him.
“Where are you?” He asks as he cradles the phone against one arm and pulls on his jeans.  
You sniffle. “Jungkook, it’s 3 am.”
“So? I was up playing Minecraft,” He lies. “Where are you?”
You can’t help but laugh the tiniest bit, a sliver of warmth wrapping itself around your raw and exposed heart. Like a balm to a flesh wound. It doesn’t heal it, not yet.
“I’m at our park.”
Jungkook smiles as he grips the phone back in his hand. The park. The place you and Jungkook spent your childhood playing make-believe games, and formative teenage years loitering around smoking clove cigarettes to look cool.
“Give me five minutes, okay?”
You nod, even though he can’t see you. 
“Okay.”
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Jungkook arrives with two minutes to spare. His beat up Nissan that he insists is “vintage” and “priceless” idles next to you.
He can see you through the darkened glass of your car—your mascara is running down your face, tears streaked through your flawlessly applied makeup.
You still look so beautiful.
And it angers Jungkook that all that time you spent looking good for Seokjin meant nothing to him.
He motions for you to come over, pats the passenger seat next to him and smiles as he watches you open the door and slide into the security of his familiar car.
“You cleaned your car,” you murmur as you notice a severe lack of McDonald’s trash.
He sniffs haughtily. 
“The trash added character.”
Jungkook doesn’t give you a chance to respond. Instead, he’s unbuckling his seatbelt and pulling you as close to him as he can get you. The instant his arms wrap around your body, the floodgates open again and your once-quieted tears turn back into full-fledged sobs.
“I loved him,” you gasp through the pain in your throat.
He rubs your back, pats your hair gently, soothing you the way he has for years now. Through every breakup, through every family fight with your older brother Namjoon, through all the mean girls in high school. Jungkook is the north star—always consistent, always guiding you back to safety.
“I know, babe,” he sighs. “You deserve someone who’s going to treat you right, who’s not just going to give up when things get hard.”
You choke back a cry against his Patagonia hoodie and bury your face further into the crook of his neck. He smells like Old Spice and the shampoo he uses, along with the smell of laundry soap you buy for him—he uses dish soap when he runs out and nearly broke his washing machine last time.
“I thought he was the one. I’m so stupid.”
Jungkook swallows hard. Tonight is about comforting you, not about feeling sorry for himself that you’re his best friend and not his girlfriend. He can’t help but think of what kind of life he would give you. He knows it’s one that wouldn’t end with you crying in a parking lot at 3 AM.
“You’re not stupid, you just loved him. And there’s nothing stupid about loving someone, even if it doesn’t work out,” he sighs as he cradles your head against him. It feels right having you there, pressed up against him and seeking comfort from the solace of his arms.
“Let’s go get a milkshake, yeah?” He asks as you pull your head up and look at him with sad, glassy eyes.
“Yeah,” you nod after a moment of staring.
Jungkook’s eyes sparkle with love, with hope. It makes the desperate, alone feeling inside you—disappear. Jungkook presses a soft kiss to your forehead and then starts the shaky ignition of his car, that takes three cranks of the key before it turns over.
He sends you a look, a laugh evident on your face.
“Don’t even start,” he warns. “The engine is fine.”
“Whatever you say,” you snort as you wipe an errant tear from your face.  
“It’s a certified classic car! I could get millions for this baby!”
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As the weeks pass, the pain of losing Seokjin becomes further and further from your mind. You can get through the day without crying anytime you see something that reminds you of him and even start flirting with others without feeling like you’re cheating.
You just still haven’t reached the point where dating someone else even feels possible. You’re terrified of allowing someone close to you, letting them into a place where you’re inviting them to possibly hurt you. You’re not sure your heart is ready for it. 
“I think you’re just scared,” your older brother Namjoon states as he warms up a bottle of milk in boiling water. 
He cradles his new baby in one arm while the other works at the bottle of milk. 
“I’m not scared,” you huff. “I just don’t think it’s the right time.” 
Namjoon sighs and hands the gurgling newborn baby off to you and readies the bottle for you to feed your new niece, Jisoo. 
“Look, Seokjin sucks, okay? I know you two were together for some time, but in the end, he wasn’t the right one for you. There’s someone out there who is the right one for you. You know how many shit frogs I had to kiss before I got my prince?” 
You make a face as you feed Jisoo, who happily sucks and gazes at the lights above. 
“You call Jimin a prince?” 
Namjoon sighs dreamily as he watches the baby and thinks of his husband. 
“The dreamiest prince,” he breathes, eyes closed in bliss. “But back to your problems. I think you should get back out there. Go on some dates, meet some people. No one is telling you to fall in love and get married tomorrow. Just go have some fun.” 
You allow Namjoon’s words to mull through your mind. What could be the harm in joining a few dating sites, perhaps spending some time at the gym or grocery store flirting with someone cute?
“Fine,” you say. “I’ll think about it.” 
“Good. I can’t be the only one giving our parents grand-babies. Soo needs a cousin.” 
You smile down at the tiny bundle in your arms and imagine a future where you have a baby of your own. 
“Okay, I’m not trying to get knocked up, Joon.” 
“Whatever,” he sighs. “Help me choose a wall color for me and Jimin’s new master bathroom.” 
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Tinder’s changed since the last time you used it, years ago. It’s gone from any semblance of dating to strictly an app used to get laid. 
It’s discouraging swiping through all the obvious fuckboys. Sure, a quick and easy lay sounds great, but you’re also trying to go out and enjoy real, traditional dates, and it seems none of these guys want to step foot outside of a bedroom. 
The swiping left becomes almost monotonous. You’re sitting on your couch, watching some documentary about serial killers, when a startling profile pops up on your Tinder feed. 
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The picture that pops up is... Jungkook. You can’t stop the bubble of laughter that leaps from your chest. His profile is so authentically Jungkook that you’re swiping right before you even know it. 
Your brain doesn’t even comprehend what a match with Jungkook means, really. You’re still laughing as you click on the bubble to message him and send him as many laugh emojis as you can. 
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“Hey guys, what’s up, Kookie here with another Let’s Play Minecraft video for ya. Be sure to like and subscribe if you enjoy this kind of content.”
Jungkook’s headset is firmly wrapped around his head, mic next to his mouth and hands at the ready on his mouse and keyboard. He’s set and in the zone. 
The game is well into play when the familiar chime of his phone goes off. It’s a Tinder notification—he can tell by the sound. He can’t help but roll his eyes, wondering what sort of boring conversation he’s meant to have with a girl who will probably ghost him, anyway. 
He lazily lifts his phone and glances at the notification, before dropping it back to the desk. 
His hand freezes on his mouse as he finally comprehends what he just read. 
He just matched with YOU. 
His best friend. 
His secret, lifelong crush. 
He sputters something into the microphone and stops recording his game, wildly grasping for the phone and unlocking it. 
YN: 😂😂😂😂 is your bio a Minecraft pickup line?!
He pauses, attempts to collect his thoughts, before desperately typing on his screen. 
JUNGKOOK: Why? 😉😏 did it work?
You spend the rest of your night jokingly flirting with Jungkook, sending GIFs and emojis in between the silly lines you’re using on each other. 
Right before you’re about to head to sleep, Jungkook sends one last message. 
JUNGKOOK: What if we went on a date lolol. Haha jk. Unless?? 👀👀👀
Your thumbs hover over the keys to your phone. 
A date with Jungkook? Even though you matched with him, you’ve never thought of a date with your childhood best friend. 
YN: alright, it’s only fair since we matched 😝 show me how you treat these tinder ladies
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“I have a date with Jungkook tonight,” you tell your brother, Namjoon, over the phone. 
Over the crying of your newborn niece, you hear Namjoon splutter in confusion. 
“You what!?” He nearly screams. “Jeon Jungkook? Like... the annoying kid you’ve been friends with since fourth grade?”
You huff. 
“He’s not annoying! He’s my best friend. We ironically matched on Tinder and
 Well, why the fuck not? Nothing serious is going to happen. We’ll go out and have a story to tell about how incompatible we are.”
Namjoon doesn’t reply. Instead, you hear him speak to his husband. 
“She’s going on a date with Jungkook,” he says over the muffle of his hand on the receiver.
There’s a shuffle, and the dulcet voice of your brother-in-law, Jimin, comes over the line. 
“Girl,” he starts. “What the fuck?”
You chuckle as you move about your closet, trying to decide what’s appropriate to wear on a date with your best friend. 
“It’s nothing!” 
“Mm-hmm,” Jimin tuts. “You know the boy is in love with you.” 
“Okay, Chim, you’ve been spending too much time cooped up with my brother. It’s affecting your grip on reality.”
“Sure, honey. I just tell it like it is. Don’t break his heart.” 
You roll your eyes. 
“I won’t break his heart because there’s nothing there, Jimin.”
“I’ll be expecting your call later.”
“Yes, dad. Love you guys.”
“We love you too, sweetheart. But really, don’t break that poor boy’s heart.”
You open your mouth to retort yet another reassurance that there’s nothing to break, but the line goes dead.
“Fucking Jimin,” you mutter as you throw your phone to the bed.
You can’t allow yourself to think that Jungkook might have feelings for you. It’s totally out of the questions. He’s your best friend. The guy who shoves Cheetos up his nose to make you laugh and falls asleep during every movie night with his face in the popcorn bowl. He’s just Jungkook. This date is just a funny way to hang out.
So, why do you care so much about what you wear?
You’re still standing in front of your closet, attempting to find something respectable to wear. It doesn’t matter that the last time Jungkook saw you; it was with mascara streaming down your face and a hoodie from Namjoon’s college swimming days and ripped leggings. Jungkook has seen you in nearly everything you wear, so your indecisiveness gives you pause.
Do you want Jungkook to be attracted to you? Do you want to do your best to look as presentable as you would for a normal date?
The thudding of your heart tells you that maybe you’re more interested in this being a date than you’re allowing yourself to believe.
You shake all thoughts off. 
No, you won’t allow yourself to overthink a night that should just be fun.
You settle for a fitted and simple summer dress, tights and heels. Simple, easy, respectable but also showing enough cleavage and sculpt of your ass to ensure you look more dressed up than not.
Perfect.
With one last look in the mirror, you’re ready.
JUNGKOOK: I’m outside!
ME: See you soon!
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Jungkook taps his foot anxiously as he sits on the bench outside your apartment. His tight black jeans feel like a second skin on his legs, and the black button-down shirt he’s tucked in makes him rethink his choice of outfit.
Is he too casual?
He’s never really worn something like this around you. This is what Jungkook wears when he wants to seduce. This is what every girl he’s desperately wished was you got to see. The girls who swooned over his messy hair, the way his jeans display his toned thighs, the peek of skin at his throat.
Maybe it’s too much.
Maybe he’s afraid he’ll scare you away.
Maybe he’s afraid you won’t like it.
He’s given no chance to ruminate anymore because you’re exiting the building and walking straight towards him.
He doesn’t think he remembers how to breathe.
It’s as if you walk towards him in slow motion. Angels chorus around him and the setting sun sparkles on your face like a spotlight. There’s nothing in the world anymore, nothing but you.
You’re the most beautiful human he’s ever seen in his life.
“Hi,” you smile as you approach him.
He continues to stare, eyes traveling over the soft curves of your cheeks and jaw, trailing down to the way your dress clings just right to each dip of your body. His throat goes dry.
You are without a doubt the girl of his dreams. 
“Jungkook?”
It pushes him out of his reverie, eyes widening as he realizes he’s been staring at you for maybe a few minutes too long to play off as normal.
“Hey!” He coughs, attempting to right himself.
“You okay?” You ask, eyebrow lifted in concern.
“Yeah! Yup! Totally! I’m okay—a-okay, absolutely great.” He internally slaps himself.
“You clean up nice,” you smile as your eyes elevate up and down the lean form of his body.
“Oh?” He asks, taken aback. 
In his daze, he never even realized what you’re thinking about him, rather only how intensely he was thinking about you.
“This must be the Jungkook that all the girls in college couldn’t stop begging me to hook them up with.”
His cheeks flame with sudden embarrassment, hand moving to the back of his neck to rub it awkwardly. 
“Ha, yeah,” he swallows. “You look r-really nice too. I don’t think I’ve seen you in a dress since your brother’s wedding.”
The smile that he’s rewarded with nearly knocks him on his ass. “Thanks! It’s fun to dress up cute again. Jin hated this dress.”
A stab of pain eeks its way into Jungkook’s heart. Seokjin. God, how he hates that man.
“Well, uh, you can wear whatever you want with me!” He assures. 
You loop your arm around Jungkook’s, saddling up to his side as you look at him expectantly.
“Well, are we going?”
Jungkook can’t help but smile at the sparkle in your eye, the way you peer up at him with those soft, cherry lips. He wants to capture them with his own, kiss you until you don’t remember Seokjin’s name ever again.
But he resists.
“Let’s go!”
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You never thought you’d admit it to yourself. You never even thought it could happen. 
But the date is everything you’ve ever wanted, and more. 
Jungkook is still Jungkook, still just as silly and easy to talk to as he always is. 
But he’s also charming. Flirtatious, even. He holds doors open for you; he rests his hand on the small of your back as he guides you towards your table at dinner. He feeds you bites of his dessert and lets his eyes linger on the way your lips look wrapped around his fork. 
Jungkook treats you the way you’ve always wanted to be treated. Like someone he wants to cherish for the rest of your combined lives. Someone he wants to take care of, build a future with, enjoy life with.
And as much as it thrills you, it absolutely frightens you. 
It’s when you’re walking down the small river trail together that Jungkook slips his hand into yours and laces your fingers together. The once-steady beat of your heart becomes erratic. He continues chatting—as if holding your hand was a subconscious act for him. He’s knee deep in a story of his Minecraft server when you stop walking, causing him to pause. 
“What’s up?” He asks curiously. 
Your eyes glitter with anticipation, with fear, as you stare at the gorgeous man before you. He looks like a full course meal in his tight jeans and he makes you feel like a princess. You can suddenly see doing life by his side—no longer his platonic best friend, but as his lover and lifelong partner. 
You say nothing. Instead, you simply close the space between you two by grabbing the buttons of his shirt and tugging his lips onto yours. 
“Wha—oh, mmmmmm.”
Jungkook is still for a second as he battles the surprise, but jumps into action and cups your face with his hands, deepening the kiss by pushing his tongue past your lips and swirling it around your own. 
Your bodies press close together. He can feel your breasts against his chest and he desperately wants to rip the dress off your body and worship you like he’s always wanted to. 
As soon as the kiss started, it’s over. You’re pulling away with eyes wide with fear.
“I’m sorry, I—I need to go,” you stammer awkwardly.
Jungkook’s heart drops to his stomach.
“What? We were going to get ice cream?”
You can feel tears building in the corners of your eyes. You’re so confused, so unsure of what you’re feeling. You want to stay and kiss Jungkook until you’re clawing at the clothing on his body, pressing kisses to the firm column of his neck. You want to run far away, too scared to admit it to him you’re sure you could love him for the rest of his life.
You can’t lose that friendship. You can’t risk everything you love about Jungkook. He’ll only hurt you the way every boyfriend ever has.
“I don’t really feel well,” you swallow hard as you lie. Jungkook always knows when you’re lying.
His body stiffens.
“Okay, let me walk you home.”
You shake your head, already moving away from the man.
“It’s fine. We’re nearby. I’ll just run or something.”
He opens his mouth to protest, but you’ve already turned face and started running the direction away from him.
Jungkook watches, misty-eyed, as the girl of his dreams runs further and further away from him.
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You’re sobbing as you finally reach home, out of breath and confused. The phone call to Namjoon is quick.
“Yo,” he says cooly as he answers the phone. His tone changes when he hears your whimpering sobs on the other end.
“Joonie,” you whisper. “I fucked up.”
“Oh god,” Namjoon quickly shuffles and calls his husband over, before putting the phone on speaker.
“What’s happened, baby?” Jimin’s sweet voice asks.
“I—I kissed him,” you sob, holding yourself close in the comfort of the elevator. 
Namjoon and Jimin look at each other with knowing looks.
“We’re on our way over.”
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Jimin knows the first order of business is to stop the crying. He places sleeping baby Jisoo in your arms, which quiets your whimpers enough as you cling to the tiny baby. He knows your weakness is sleeping babies.
Namjoon looks on anxiously, hates seeing his little sister upset and with no way to make it better.
Jimin’s been asked to take the lead on this, because he knows his husband's response is to cry as well—he gets emotional anytime he sees her cry. Namjoon agreed, knowing Jimin was better suited for the conversation.
“Tell us what happened,” Jimin asks quietly. You’re rocking the baby gently, sobs turned to sniffles. “Did something go wrong on the date?”
Your eyes peer up at your brother-in-law’s, a wounded look that makes Jimin feel sad. Namjoon clenches beside him, and Jimin lays a hand on his lap to soothe the protective brother.
“No,” you whisper. “That’s the thing. It was an amazing date.”
Jimin watches you curiously, but remains silent to let you continue.
“We had dinner, and we played arcade games and we walked around. And he was so
 fuck, he was perfect. It was like dating the guy of my dreams.”
Jimin nods knowingly.
“And it surprised you how much you liked him.”
“Yeah,” you sniffle. “At the end, he was holding my hand and just talking about normal, stupid Jungkook shit, but this time it felt like more. Like, I felt in my heart that I wanted to be the one he always talked to about it. I wanted to be the one he came home to at night.”
Jimin pats your cheek lovingly, the care for his sister-in-law clear in his gaze. 
“You don’t just like him, honey. I think you might even love him.”  
You pull baby Jisoo tighter into your grasp and nod, pathetic tears slipping down your face. 
“I just left him. Like, I ran away from him like an asshole.”
Namjoon grunts and takes a spot next to Jimin. “If he loves you, which I’m sure he does, he’ll still be waiting for you.”
Jimin nods and rests a hand on his husband's back. “But you better have one hell of an apology.”
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Jungkook doesn’t answer your phone calls. He doesn’t respond to your texts, snapchats or Instagram DM’s. He doesn’t even look at the TikToks you sent him! It’s becoming infuriating to get in touch with him.
You take matters into your own hands and storm to his apartment after work, the rising tension in your shoulders and stomach full of rocks an indicator of your anxiety about the future of this relationship.
Jungkook opens the door wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweats. All the carefully crafted words exit your mind at light 
speed and you’re left gasping, wide-eyed at the chiseled body of your best friend.
“Can I help you?” He asks, tone flat.
Ouch.
You push past him into the apartment you know so well. “Yeah, you could start by answering your phone.”
Jungkook rolls his eyes and closes the door, then heads back towards the large gaming setup in the living room.
“My apologies for not responding to the girl who literally ran away from me on a date.”
Your cheeks heat uncomfortably as you stand in the center of his living room, arms crossed over your chest. 
“Jungkook, listen. I’m—”
“Please,” he shakes his head as he sits down at the impressive gaming chair. “Save the apologies. I get it.”
“You don’t get it!” You say, exasperated. “You don’t get any of it! That’s why I’m here.”
Jungkook narrows a look at you then stands from his chair. Slowly, he makes his way towards you and stands inches from your face. The proximity of his bare, toned chest to your body makes your throat dry.
“No, you don’t get it.” His voice is threateningly quiet, completely different from his usual chipper tone. 
“Jungkook, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” He quirks his head sarcastically, and you’re struck by the sharp lines of his jaw. “Sorry for running away from the date? Sorry for going on a date? Sorry for making me feel like I had a fucking chance when you kissed me?”
You swallow hard and open your mouth to reply, but he cuts you off.
“I’m sorry too. For giving myself way too much hope that this could ever be something. I’m sorry for myself for thinking you’d at least respect me enough to reject me politely.”
“You always had a chance!” You can feel tears building in your eyes and Jungkook feels his heart pound in his chest like a drum.
He scoffs, a harsh and mirthless laugh. “Clearly not.”
“I just—,” you start. “I never saw you like that before and suddenly you became everything I’ve ever dreamed of. It was like getting hit by a train, Kook! Suddenly my best friend turned into the man of my dreams.”
He shakes his head, stepping back away from you.
“I really find it hard to believe you,” he whispers. “I can’t let myself hope.”
“Jungkook, please,” you beg as tears start slipping down your face. “Please believe me.”
“Just leave,” he sighs. “I hate making you cry.”
You want so badly to wrap yourself in his arms, cry into his chest like you always do when you’re hurt. But you stand still, frozen in your shame and embarrassment of hurting your best friend so badly.
“I’m sorry,” you murmur, before you spin around as quickly as you can and leave Jungkook’s apartment in a flurry.
He watches as the door slams behind you, eyes full of sadness and regret. As much as he wants to believe you, have faith in every word you said, he can’t allow himself to get his hopes up again.
He can’t watch you run away from him again.
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“Welcome back to Kookie’s Wild Weekly Walkthrough!” Jungkook cheers as enthusiastically as he can through his microphone. “The weekly segment where I react to your Minecraft worlds!”
Jungkook needed to dive back into streaming to take his mind off of you. He hasn’t left his apartment in days, only subsisting on takeout and coffee. At least he was making more money and his subscribers didn’t seem to mind the up-tick in content.
“Tonight I’ll be walking through a creation sent by,” he squints at the username. “‘Kookiesgal95’ Aww that’s cute.”  
He readies the content and starts his camera as he watches the YouTube link. His subscribers love his reaction videos—it’s a highly requested segment.
The video starts off easily, a generic Minecraft world that looks like a park.
“Hi Kook.”
The voice that reverberates through his headphones makes him pause the video quickly, wide-eyed with recognition.
It’s you. He’d know that voice from a million others. 
Shit. He’s going to have to edit so much of this clip. He’s staring at the screen as if he’s just seen a ghost.
Unsteadily, he clicks play again and watches as you lead him through your Minecraft creation.
“I wanted to recreate something for someone very special in my life.”
Jungkook doesn’t even bother to react to this anymore. This entire video is going to be worthless—there’s nothing he can say.
The video pans around the Minecraft setup and he can see what looks like handmade swings and merry go rounds.
“It took me a really long time to do this and an embarrassing amount of help from some twelve-year-olds on the internet.”
He laughs and is stunned by the wet tears rolling down his cheeks. He hadn’t realized he was crying.
“I re-created a park that is really special to my best friend and I.”
He feels his chest tighten and relax. The park. 
“This is the spot where he held me when my dog died when I was nine. I still miss that dog.”
The view is on a spot next to a blocky oak tree. Jungkook remembers that day, remembers your heartbroken sobs as he whispered words of comfort to you. He misses that dog, too. 
“This is where he and my brother got in a fight when we were eleven, because my brother called me a stupid-head. My best friend has always been protective of me, even from my own big brother.”
He can still remember pushing Namjoon around after hearing him call you names. He pushed Namjoon over and threatened to use his “big muscles” if he did it again.
The camera pans to an enormous structure, rather sloppily made, of a slide and monkey bars.
“This is where we first shared a joint in high school. I coughed a lung up and he ran down the street to a gas station at ten pm to get me a bottle of water even though I told him I was okay,”
The memory of the bewildered 7-11 employee plays through his mind. The man watched as a very stoned, very out of breath, Jungkook paid for a bottle of water in coins.
The video continues playing, moves towards what appears to be a parking lot made of cobblestone blocks.
“This is where he held me when my world fell apart.”
The break-up. The way you cried and cried and cried in his arms and he held you as if you were the only thing left on Earth. 
“This is where he reminded me I’m worthy of love, that I’m not broken. This is where he held me like I was delicate, but treated me like I was unbreakable.”
His tears don’t stop. Jungkook feels his heart thundering in his chest like a summer storm. 
He can hear your sniffles through the recording of the video—you were crying too. It pans around to the swing set.
“And this is where I’ll tell him everything, tonight. Where I’ll tell him how deeply I love him and how I want to make him the happiest guy in the world. In all of Minecraft and beyond. I hope he comes.”
Jungkook doesn’t even bother turning his camera off.
Instead, he’s running to change out of his three-day-old clothes and bolt out the door.
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The creaky, rusty metal of the swing set is deafeningly loud in the silence of your park.
It’s dark, just a few street lights around to illuminate the perimeter, but it’s otherwise only lit by the moon.
It’s getting cold. You shiver in your hoodie and kick at the dirt under your swing. 
Maybe he didn’t see the video. Maybe he wasn’t going to show.
Maybe it was too late.
You spent hours working on the Minecraft world, staying up at all hours of the night to build and craft a poor re-creation of this park. The twelve-year-olds on Reddit had been invaluable and Namjoon definitely made fun of you for your creative assistants. But it had all been worth it. 
“Fuck,” you speak out loud to no one, as you try to warm your hands in the pockets of your sweater. “It’s cold.”
“You should have brought a jacket.”
The sudden voice from behind startles you. You hop off the swing and whip around to face  down the intruder.
Jungkook.
He looks so good. He’s wearing a thick coat and tight jeans. Your eyes take a delicious journey from head to toe.
He can’t help but preen at your blatant appreciation. He enjoys knowing you’re attracted to him, at least physically.
“You came.”
He nods and takes a nervous step towards you. He’s still far away, more than an arm's-reach away. You’re desperate to bring him closer, to pull him tight against your body and wrap yourself around him. You never want to be without his gentle touch again.
“I felt pretty compelled to come after you made all this in Minecraft for me.” He cracks a wry smile, a boy-ish grin that makes your heart flutter.
“It took me twenty-five hours and some teenagers to help.”
He laughs, a beautiful sound that warms you. “I’m sure they were ecstatic to help.”
You chew at the inside of your cheek, nervous at what he thinks about your in-game confession.
“Did you mean it?” He asks. He steps closer—one more step.
“Every word.”
His eyes are searching yours for the truth, desperately diving into the depths for validity.
“Why did you run away?” Another step.
You swallow hard, heavy tears brimming in your eyes.
“You went from being the silly best friend to being the person I could spend the rest of my life with. It all hit me. It’s always been you.”
One more step and now he’s just within your reach. If you stuck your hand out, your fingers would graze the soft puff of his coat, the delicate skin of his neck. 
“I’ve always felt that way about you. I never thought you’d feel the same.”
You smile softly, timidly. “It just took me a little while longer to realize it.”
All at once, Jungkook closes the gap and holds you gently by your cheeks. His thumbs wipe at the moisture under your eyes. 
“I promise to never make you cry again,” he whispers reverently. 
“And I promise to never run away from you again.” 
Jungkook smiles at that, cradling your face like you’re the most expensive and precious jewel. 
“Can I kiss you again?” He asks, somewhat unsure of himself. 
“I would like it if you would.”
As Jungkook presses his cold, plush lips to your own, you make a promise to yourself to never go a day without kissing him again. 
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“I can’t believe you’re in my bedroom,” Jungkook murmurs as he kisses at your face. After the park, Jungkook loaded you into his priceless Nissan and scurried home. You could hardly keep your hands off him as he drove you back to his place—reaching and caressing the spots on his body you’re dying to become familiar with. 
“I’ve been in your bedroom before,” you remind him as he tugs up the hoodie you’re wearing. 
“God, don’t be so semantic when I’m trying to fuck you,” he says before throwing the hoodie to a corner of the room. “You know what I mean.”
Jungkook kisses you again, all lips and teeth and tongue. He kisses you like you’re the last breath of air, and he’s greedy for every bit. He grips your hips, not too tight, and brings your body against his. You can feel him grow in hardness in his too tight, and it feels like bliss. 
Teasingly, you grind your hips against his, making him shudder with desire.
“I want you,” he whines as he nibbles at your lip. 
“Really? I couldn’t tell.”
He opens his eyes to level a look at you, pulling his mouth away from yours. 
“You’re such a little smartass.”
His hands become feverish on your jeans, tugging apart the button and flicking down the fly. He pushes them down quickly, and you kick them off carelessly. 
He can’t stop looking at you in your bra and panties, standing at the foot of his bed. 
“Holy shit, okay, this is happening, right? Like, this is real?” 
You smirk, pleased with Jungkook’s obvious excitement. 
“Let me prove it’s not just a dream.” 
Softly, you spin Jungkook around and push him down to sit on his bed. He complies easily, eyes wide and excited. 
“If this is a dream, would you be able to feel this?” You ask as you unbuckle  his belt and open his jeans. He doesn’t reply, simply watches you as you tug his jeans down to his thighs. 
His cock strains hard against his tight boxers, and you run a teasing finger over the obvious bulge. 
“Oh fuck,” he breathes. 
“Feels pretty real, huh?”
“Y-yeah.” 
Your delicate hands gently tug at the waistband of his boxers and easily work them down enough to free the length of his cock. It springs out easily and your eyes widen at the impressive size. You assumed he would be at least average, but you’re looking at something definitely more. 
“Oh wow,” you whisper. “You’re fucking huge.” 
Jungkook grins. “All for you, baby.” The cockiness is palpable. 
One solid grip around him wipes the presumptuous smile off his face, replaced with a gasping, shuddering moan. 
“How about this? Not a dream?”
He struggles to find his voice, instead he’s gulping for air like a fish out of water. 
“That’s what I thought,” you whisper before settling into a position on your knees. “I’ll admit, I’ve dreamt about this too. I always felt so ashamed for dreaming about sucking my best friend's cock.”
You press soft kisses to the head of his length, teasing the sensitive areas at the tip before kissing up and down the length. 
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
His evident desire for you encourages you, and your tongue swipes at the crown of his tip and swirls around it gently. 
“Oh my god.” His eyes shutter closed and you trace the veins in his dick with your tongue. 
“This h-has to be a dreeeaaaaam,” he whines as you make an exceptionally long stripe with the flat of your tongue. 
You pull off for a moment, humming. He springs his eyes open and watches as you reach behind your back and unsnap your bra. Your breasts escape with a bounce and his eyes widen, nearly bulging out of their sockets. 
“What the fuck,” he whines. “You have the most amazing tits.”
He reaches out to grasp them and you slap them away playfully. 
“Not yet,” you smirk. “Still trying to convince you you’re not asleep.” 
He sucks in his breath and puts his hands back to the bed to steady himself, eyes never leaving yours (except to stare at the luscious curves of your body). 
Grasping your breasts in both hands, you smash them together lightly in an elaborate show of what Jungkook wants most. You lean over his body and place the throbbing thickness of his cock in between your tits, allowing him to feel just how soft and warm they are. 
“Shit!” He yelps, grabbing his sheets in a tight fist. “Are you really tit-fucking me right now?!”
Slowly, you lift your body up and down, allowing his cock to feel each stroke of your breasts. You nod at his question and continue to pump up and down. 
“Still dreaming?” 
He whines and shakes his head, already feeling so close to the edge. His cock is slick from your teasing licks and the pressure of your tits surrounding him had his mind spinning with desire. 
“Ahhh, I’m so fucking close,” he warns.
You continue, speeding up the friction and pressure of your strokes. 
“I want you to cum on me, Kook,” you whisper encouragingly. “Cum on my tits, please?”
Jungkook feels like he’s a wire about to snap, and your thick, sultry voice and incredibly perfect breasts are the snips that breaks him apart. 
“Oh, shit,” he grunts. “Gonna paint your titties white, baby.”
His moans echo around the walls of his bedroom, small gasps of pleasure and your name escaping his perfectly plump pout. 
His hot load splatters on your chest, and you stroke him through each pulse of his cock. You’re slippery with his seed now, and when you pull away from his spent length, you make a show of rubbing in his cum over your chest.
“Okay, definitely not dreaming,” he says in a daze as he watches you lift a wet finger to your mouth, popping it in to clean it off. “Who knew you were so fucking kinky?” 
His confidence grows as he catches his breath. He can’t believe he’s sitting on his bed with you on your knees, breasts covered in his load. You’re suckling the cum off your finger like it’s his cock, and he’s desperate for more.
“There are lots of things you don’t know about me,” you shrug. 
Swiftly, he grabs you gently by your bicep and pulls you close, sucking at your lips until you’re both standing. 
“I plan to find out everything.” 
Suddenly, you’re switching positions and Jungkook is pushing you down into the bed. You lay flat in the center, body relaxed and eager for your best friend.
“What are you doing?” You ask. He’s still standing at the end of the bed, watching you get comfortable. Once he’s satisfied that you’re lying exactly how you want, he settles himself by your feet.
“Worshipping you,” he says as he lifts an ankle and presses gentle kisses to your calf. “Showing you how much I adore you.” More kisses, soft and sweet. “Showing you how I plan on treating you for the rest of your life.” 
He takes his time, lavishing your legs with his mouth. He kisses and sucks at any spot, sexual or not. He mouths at the roundness of your knees, your firm hamstrings. He presses his love into the skin of your thighs, mouthing his praises with each kiss. 
He reaches the dip of your hips and he gently kisses your exposed skin as he tugs your cotton panties off you. 
“I have loved every inch of you since before I can remember,” he praises as his lips skim over the mound of your cunt. “And I don’t plan on stopping soon.” 
Your body feels like it’s on fire, as if Jungkook lights a match at every spot his lips press against. Your eyes close, and you allow Jungkook to continue his pious worship of your body. 
He teases around your folds, kissing your labia ever so gently—making you gasp. He doesn’t linger long, only kisses you enough to stir the licking flames of heat in your belly.  
He kisses at your stomach, gently nibbling and laving at the softness there. You try to hide from him, try to hide your insecurities of your body in his thorough exploration, but he moves your hands. 
“I know you don’t like this part of your body,” he murmurs. His voice is so soft, so pure and sincere. “But I do. I love everything about you.” 
His tongue swirls around your belly button, making you gasp at the ticklish sensation. 
“You’re so pretty. So perfect.” 
He continues upwards, lips now trailing to your full breasts. He takes his time there, licking and kissing and flicking at your nipples with his tongue. It feels exhilarating—Jungkook’s mouth feels like everything you want it to feel like. His tongue is warm, and he bites with just enough pressure to make your back arch off the bed into his embrace.
His hands explore, taking stock of every millimeter of skin he can find. He wants to memorize every freckle, every bump, every scar and line. Your body is his paradise, and all he can think of is you, you, you.
One hand travels down your body as he moves his lips up your neck. It snakes down your stomach and deftly slides over your soaked core. You whine as you feel his fingers part your folds and dip into the wetness.
“So wet,” he says out loud, verbalizing every tantalizing detail of your body. “So perfect.”
His lips are finally at your own and you kiss him passionately, tongue swirling around his as he slides his two fingers past your clit and into your drenched hole. You gasp against his mouth, eyes widening as he slowly scissors his fingers into you and pumps slowly. It’s almost teasing, the way he fucks his fingers in you. Slow, firm movements with his powerful hands.
“Jungkook!” You gasp. He doesn’t reply, instead he bites at your lip and tugs, then trails his hot mouth back down to your nipples. He can’t get enough of your breasts and the slightly salty taste of him still lingering.
“You feel so good,” he says as he speeds his fingers up minutely. “So tight and wet for me.”
Your hips writhe in need. He’s giving you what you need, but not enough. You need more, more. You want to feel him, all of him, spearing you open.
“Please, Kook,” you groan. “I need you.”
He laughs softly against your nipple and sucks extra hard, letting it pop out of his mouth audibly.
“And I need you, my love.”
“Fuck me, please.” You’re desperate, thighs quaking from the slow teasing. “I want you to fuck me, Jungkook.”
Chills shudder down Jungkook’s spine and he’s powerless to say no, not when you demand it so well.
“With pleasure,” he agrees. He pulls his fingers from within you and copies your move, sliding them into his mouth to suck your essence off. 
He’s never looked sexier. His eyes are dark chocolate pools of burning intensity, and you feel your breath become shaky as you watch him clean his fingers with precision.
After he’s deemed his fingers sufficiently clean, he settles himself between your legs. Easily, he lifts your hips and shoves a pillow underneath, elevating you to a more comfortable position. He grabs your legs and tosses each over his shoulders so they’re higher in the air. 
“I’m going to fuck you so good, baby,” he promises as he rubs the tip of his cock on your soppy slit. “Condom?”
You shake your head, appreciative of his question but desperate to feel him completely.
“Birth control. Regularly tested. Haven’t had sex in a while,” you blurt out. “You good?”
He nods in agreement. “Same. Well, except the birth control. But, I’d take it if they made it for men.”
“Jungkook!” You whine. Your best friend is so easily sidetracked. “Please, can you fuck me?”
He grins. “Tsk, someone is impatient.”
A low moan is rumbling in your chest as he continues to rub his thick cock at your entrance.
“I swear to god, you’re the biggest tease.”
“Oh, I’m definitely the biggest.”
Before you can react, he’s pushing past your entrance and sliding deep in your walls. Your position makes his cock feel deep, and he bottoms out and stills there, eyes closed in bliss.
“Holy shit,” he gasps. “This is absolutely the best pussy I’ve ever felt.”
You wiggle your hips as you get used to the sensation of the delicious stretch.
“Please don’t tell me how many pussies you’ve felt when you’re balls deep inside of me.”
Jungkook turns his head and kisses at your legs resting on his shoulders, lavishing them with his praise once more as he keeps his cock buried inside your tight heat.
“Yours is the only one that matters. The only pussy I’ll ever be in for the rest of my life.”
“That’s a good answer,” you smile. “Now, fuck me, lover boy.”
Jungkook winks and grips your hips with his hands. He swiftly pulls out, enamored with the way his cock is already covered in your creamy essence, then eagerly pushes back in. He sets a pace and soon the sound of skin clapping on skin echoes around the room.
“Oh god!” You’re moaning loudly, unabashedly. You’re thankful that Jungkook’s old roommate, Yoongi, moved out to live with his boyfriend Hoseok months ago. He’d definitely complain about the noise for months. “Fuck, Jungkook, you feel so good.”
Jungkook fucks into you with ferocity, speed and power gradually rising as he feels his core tighten with the coming anticipation of release.
“Mmm, you look so fucking sexy like this,” he murmurs. “Getting fucked by your best friend’s fat cock.”
He moves a hand from your hip, trails it up your body to squeeze at your breast, before he’s cupping your face once again. His hips snap against yours and he loves the way your mouth utters little squeaks and gasps with each deep thrust into you.
“God, my beautiful girl,” he groans. “Can’t wait to cum in this pussy, shit, you got me so fucking close.”
You open your mouth desperately and Jungkook easily slips his thumb in. You latch on quickly and suck, tongue swirling around the tip like you’re sucking another cock. It nearly sends him over the edge and the speed of his hips matches his desperate need for more.
“Fucking hell,” he bites back. He can feel his belly tighten, driven further and further to the edge by the constricting wetness of your cunt. 
He pulls his thumb out and moves it down to where his cock spears into you, allowing your spit to swirl with his thumb around your clit. Your core tightens around him at the added stimulation and your back arches up in ecstasy.
“I’m so c-close, Kook,” you plead, as if begging for mercy. “Please, I want to cum so bad.”
The speed of his thumb increases, and he watches as your face twists in pleasure and desperation. 
“Cum on my cock, baby, let me see you fall apart. Show me what I’ve dreamt of for so long.”
A high and wanton cry ripples out of your body as he savagely increases his speed, both his cock and thumb working overtime to drive you towards your end. The butterflies that erupt in your lower stomach make your moans louder, higher. You’re so close, closer than ever. It’s building to an incredible crescendo.
He can tell you’re close—he sees it on your face as your back arches and your fists grip his sheets.
“You look like a fucking angel, baby,” he whines as he soaks in the vision of you writhing underneath him. “I bet you cum like an angel, too. Let me see it, let me see.”
With just a few more swirls of his thumb and his deep, hard strokes, you’re soaring over the edge into a pool of nothingness. Your cunt pulsates wildly around his length, milking and stroking it with your tight walls. You throw your head back, moaning out his name at the top of his lungs, letting his neighbors know just who fucks you so well.
“Holy shit,” he gasps, hips stuttering as he fucks into your juicy hole. “That was so fucking sexy.”
You grip his forearms, holding onto him tight and encourage him to go harder. “Cum inside me, Kookie, please. I’m all yours, make me yours.”
His heart feels like it might burst in his chest. He’s always wanted you to say it to him, to hand over your love to him like he does so easily to you. It’s all so much, so overwhelming, and the feeling of your hot cunt still fluttering around him sends him reeling into his own completion. 
He spills into you, warm seed coating your walls and pooling inside your womb. He fucks himself through each throb of his cock until he’s sure he’s drained every ounce of himself into you.
Your legs slip off his shoulders easily, and he gently pulls himself out of you. He falls beside you, panting with exertion, and wraps an arm around you.
After a few silent moments of catching your breath, Jungkook pulls you in close to him until he can koala-cling to you, arms and legs both wrapped around your body.
“Mine,” he whispers as he kisses your head. “All mine.”
You return the favor, clinging to your best friend—boyfriend—like he’s your only lifeline.
“All yours.”
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“So, you’re telling me, you got together because of Minecraft?” Jimin asks, pointing a fork in your direction. It’s been months now since your grand virtual declaration of love for Jungkook. Months of bliss and romance, laughter and companionship. 
You were right all along. Jungkook is everything you’ve wanted in a man and more.
You’re sitting at your brother’s expensive dinner table, enjoying a meal with his family with your boyfriend at your side.
“Yeah, Jimin, I guess that’s what I’m saying,” you retort as you roll your eyes. “Minecraft and Tinder.”
Baby Jisoo is awake and in your brother’s arms, but she’s whining and wiggling to leave him.
“What’s wrong, Soo?” Namjoon asks with a pout on his lips. “Why don’t you want daddy anymore?”
Jimin snorts at his husband and you hold out your arms for your baby niece. “Come here, baby, I know you want auntie.”
Namjoon dutifully hands over his daughter, sulking that he’s been picked over for his sister. 
You cradle the baby in your arms, expecting her to calm once she’s there, but she continues to fuss. She’s thrusting her arms out and nearly crying, reaching towards Jungkook who’s busy chowing down on Jimin’s homemade ramen.
“I think she wants you, Kook,” you murmur. He looks at you, then to the baby, then back to you, before he wipes his hands and face clean with a napkin.
“Oh, okay,” he whispers, slowly taking the baby from your arms with your help. “Hello, ma’am.”
Namjoon and Jimin laugh. “She’s a baby, Jungkook, not an elderly woman,” your brother teases.
Jungkook doesn’t listen. He’s too busy cooing at the baby in his arms and playing with her tiny hands. Namjoon turns his attention away and looks at you.
“Guess I won’t be the only provider of grandchildren for much longer.”
You playfully glare at him and turn away to watch your boyfriend. Watching Jungkook interact with your niece makes your heart swell, your soul sing. He’d be a perfect father.
“I swear, if he teaches her how to play Minecraft, he’s banned from the household,” Jimin grumbles. “This is a No-Nerd-Zone.”
Jungkook cradles the child and rocks back and forth, singing her a soft, made-up song, before he looks over at you.
“Hey, I want one of these,” he smiles. “Can we have one?”
You lay a hand on your stomach, a soft bump not quite visible yet. It’s only been one test, the lines faintly indicating ‘positive’ on the stick. You wanted to make sure, get confirmation before you spill the beans.
“Sure, Kookie.”
He grins and leans over to kiss you, before turning his attention back to the baby. “Okay, Jisoo, now let me tell you all about the Endermen.”
Jimin groans. “Oh my god, do not give Minecraft facts to my infant!”
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© ppersonna - 2021 - do not repost on any site, or translate without express permission from author.
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gale-gentlepenguin · 4 years ago
Text
ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 34
Man these parts are getting harder and harder to churn out. A lot of plot points converging and real life ramping up. Hopefully you all enjoy this. Please comment your thoughts on the chapter. And if you really liked it, Reblog it. Thats the best way to get others to see it. Also, Please let me know your thoughts. Your comments fuel me.
(Master Post)
_____________________________________________________________
Masquerade surveyed the classroom. Her former classmates now her masked servants. It was fitting how they were all silent. Before, they listened to her because she told them exactly the things they wanted to hear, now they listened because she had power over them. It was kind of poetic in a way.
She looked across the classroom, she realized that there seemed to be more people missing than she initially realized.
“We are missing someone. Aside from Marinette, who is missing?”
The controlled classmates looked amongst themselves. Trying to figure out who was the one that was not in the class.
“Is it ChloĂ©?” Miracular inquired, trying to answer her master’s request.
The akuma looked around.
“Huh
 Oh yea, she isn’t here. Well she isn’t important. I was thinking someone else.” Masquerade answered. She looked to her most recently made akuma servant.
The Bubbler, the akumatized version of Nino stood motionless. As if he was not registering what was going on.
“Bubbler? Do you know who is missing?”
The multicolored akuma said nothing. Not even looking in the direction of the mask maiden.
“Bubbler! I order you to answer me!” She commanded with fiery rage.
The akuma turned to face his master, now responding.
“Adrien is missing.” The bubbler answered, his voice robotic and as emotive as a speak and spell.
“So, Adrien isn’t in the room. What a shame. I was planning on turning him into my handsome little knight.”
Masquerade thought for a moment.
Has Adrien been akumatized? Lila wasn’t sure she had ever seen or heard about him getting akumatized. She knew that the class had pretty much gotten hit at least once or twice at some point from what she had heard and read from the ladyblog. But if that goody-goody Marinette hadn’t been akumatized, Adrien likely hadn’t been akumatized either.
“Alright my servants! We have a new mission. I want you to lock this school down! No one is allowed in or out. Anyone you find, bring them to me. If they can be akumatized, then they are joining our cause.”
“Time breaker. Guard the perimeter outside of the school. Anyone outside of Ladybug and Chat noir trying to get in. Tag them, but only if they are suspicious of what’s going on. Stay hidden otherwise.”
“Timebreaker nodded and began skating out of the room in a rush.
“Horrificator, once Timebreaker is outside, seal all the exits in the main building.”
The masked monstress nodded and sped out of the room.
“Dark Cupid, Stoneheart, Princess Fragrance, Miracular and Reflekta. I want you to split up check all of the rooms and bring me potential akumas.”
The five akuma nodded and made their way out the door.
“Gamer and Robostus. I want you to hack into the airwaves. I want access to every Electric device in Paris when I give you the signal. But make sure to be subtle. I don’t want anyone to know about us until I tell you.”
The two nod and start working to get that ready for her.
She focuses her attention to the bubble making akuma that was giving her problems earlier.
Considering how hard it was to break him down, it was understandable. She had saved him for last for a reason. Because he was the hardest one to crack.
He was a relatively calm individual, able to keep a level head. But even he had his weakness. His confidence. Once that was shaken, seeing his entire class taken, knowing his girlfriend was under her control, he couldn't resist another moment. In a way, it was the most satisfying charm on her bracelet.
“Now Bubbler, you are going to go and locate Marinette and Adrien for me. Put them in a bubble and bring them to me. Help that girlfriend of yours.”
The bubbler nodded yes despite severe shaking. Seems even now he is trying to resist the control of the mask.
“Troublesome, but it is only temporary. He will break soon enough.” Masquerade mused to herself.
She looked at the near empty room with contempt. This was hardly a place where she could exact her vengeance. It was so
 lame. Though a thought occurs as she realized who she had left standing at attention without orders.
“Evillustrator, I have a special request for you.”
________________________________________________________
“What is this?” ChloĂ© screeched. “My daddy bought me the best phone plan in the city. How can I not have service right now?!”
The nurse felt a chill run down her spine. Could the akuma block out phone signals? Is that why there is no attention being given to the school? How could they call for help? How would anyone know of the akuma attack? Would Ladybug and Chat noir be able to help them?
The nurse started to feel herself going pale, she was just supposed to be a school nurse. Worst thing she needed to deal with was a scraped knee or give a kid an ice pack. Now she has a woman that collapsed on the bed and an akuma that is somewhere in the school. She had just moved to Paris a few months ago. It was her dream to live in the city of love, get her career going, find a nice guy, and just live the good life. But no one told her that supervillain attacks would be so personally connected to her situation? She had heard about this crap in New York and in America. But Paris? It was too much. What if Ladybug and Chat noir didn’t fix everything? What if this was where her story ended. What if

“Hey!”
The nurse turned to her attention to the voice. It was the brash blonde teen that was complaining.
“You look like you’re going to pass out. Just a heads up, I am not taking care of you.” ChloĂ© commented.
Angela felt her face heat up with annoyance.
“Listen you brat. I don’t have time to deal with your attitude. I have a woman that is out cold from exhaustion in a building with a hostile akuma.”
“Good, at least you aren’t going to faint. I don’t need any more whinny women fainting on me”
The nurse paused, did the girl say that just to help her not succumb to the grim situation?
Chloé started making her way to the door.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“You already got your hands full with the annoying assistant. I need to make a call to daddy. So, I am going to head out the building and try there. Try not to get ripped apart by an akuma, I still need more ice when I get back.”
Angela blinked. This girl wasn’t scared of the akuma. She was actually going out to do something reasonable. If she could call for help, it would mean that this whole thing blows over.
“Okay, I’ll stay here. Be safe.”
“Yea whatever.”
Chloé headed out the door.
Angela felt a ghost of a smile grace her face.
‘Maybe that girl isn’t a complete brat after all.’
__________________________________________________
The shapeshifting sentimonster growled as it smacked the locker. It lost both primary targets. And worst of all, Ladybug appeared to make this even harder. Masquerade needed to hear about this.
“Master, Marinette and Adrien have escaped my sight.”
The sentimonster heard a sigh of disappointment from the other end.
“It is fine SimularĂ©, They wont be able to escape the school anyway. They will be found soon enough. If anything, this is a blessing in disguise. Having them be the last targets will have them bare witness to how devasting it will all be.” Masquerade answered. “Any news on Ladybug and Chat noir?”
“That’s the other bad news. Ladybug arrived, I am assuming that’s how Marinette managed to escape, and ladybug also took Adrien away as well. No sign of chat noir. But if you know one is here, the other is likely soon to follow.”
There was a brief moment of silence, as masquerade mulled over the information she had received.
“Actually, that works out well for us. Meet up at my location, I have the other students out looking for them, I need your power for something more important.”
“Yes master.”
SimularĂ© shifted back into its phantom form, moving quickly down the hallway to obey her master’s request.
Just as it left, Ladybug popped out of a nearby locker. Relieved it didn’t notice.
“That’s not good, Masquerade likely got everyone in the classroom.” The red heroine said aloud.
She activated her communicator and tried to contact chat noir. But there was no sound.
“Damn it. No signal. Lila likely cut the communication as soon as she realized it.?”
“No worries Buggaboo, I happen to be on site.” A voice called out.
Chat noir jumped out of another locker to reveal he was there.
Ladybug felt a bit of relief at her partner’s appearance. She could tell he felt the same. Better a situation with two heroes.
“Been here the whole time?” The spotted heroine asked her cat crimefighting comrade.
“Just arrived a few minutes ago, I figured something was up, so I decided to take a quick peek. Cat curiosity and all that.”
“And you assumed it was with Collùge Françoise Dupont?”
“It seemed like a solid guess.”
“Considering the track record, that is reasonable.” Ladybug conceded.
“Ever wonder why it is always this school and never any of the other schools? Paris is a big city. You would think Hawkmoth would decide to branch out to the other schools in the city.” Chat noir inquired as they started walking down the hall.
“I assumed its just a coincidence.”
“Shot in the dark, maybe he has a kid that goes here. He is pretty old” Chat noir dissed.
“I can’t imagine anyone that would want to date Hawkmoth.” Ladybug joked.
“What about the blue lady? She seemed crazy enough.”
“And now that image is burned in my mind. Thanks kitty.” Ladybug sarcastically commented. “Despite the mental scarring, I am glad you got here. Seems a repeat offender got herself an upgrade in the akuma powers department.”
“Lila.”
“How did you know?”
“I was reading the ladyblog, Alya did great work on that article.” Chat noir praised. He mentally applauded his quick thinking.
“Right, kind of the reason I felt the need to keep an eye on this place. But sadly, I was too slow.” Ladybug responded a tad gloomy.
“Hey, don’t sweat it. We will finish this akuma before lunch.”
Ladybug heard a footstep from the end of the hallway.
“Get down!”
Ladybug tackled the cat hero down. Just narrowly avoiding a neon pause symbol, which now suck on the wall.
“Looks like Lila has been busy.” Chat noir noted as he turned his face to the direction of the attacker.
Ladybug looked at the akuma. The white mask covering her friend’s face. Lady Wifi was back.
“Alya
”
The two heroes got into a fighting stance and prepared to take down this controlled akuma.
________________________________________________
The halls were empty and lifeless as the two visiting teens made their way cautiously down the halls.
“Oddly quiet in here.” The fencer commented. “What do you think Luka?”
“Well last time we entered a place with an akuma in it, it was brimming with armored minions. Maybe this akuma has more stealth?” The Musician commented. “So, I don’t think you will be fighting as directly as you are use to Kagami.”
Kagami nodded at that, not exactly happy or sad regarding that remark. Her plan was to see if she could help her friends get out of the building, grab her textbook, and get out. She wasn’t really that interested in fighting a superpowered foe at this moment in time.
The two ceased speaking when they heard approaching footsteps.
“Someone’s coming.” Luka noted.
The two duck into the nearest room.
The two stayed close to the door as they listened to the sound of the approaching figure.
Kagami dropped to the floor silently as to check and see if she could get a visual.
She could only see what appeared to be costume boots of a larger figure. Which made the expert fencer believe it was not friendly.
The figure stopped, looking at the door. The two teens felt their neck hairs stand on edge as they did their best not to make a sound.
After what felt like an eternity, the figure passed the door without checking. Once the sound of his footsteps could no longer be heard, they let out a sigh of relief.
“That was way too close for comfort.”
“Agreed. I would prefer a direct confrontation next time, much less nerve-racking. “
The two carefully open the door and exit the room.
“Seems we found the akuma.” Luka commented. “Now we just need to avoid it and.”
“You mean akumas.” Kagami corrected.
“Akumas?”
Kagami tilted the boys head to look in the same direction she was looking, and sure enough she saw a rather large rock like creature walking the halls.
“Oh
 well that is bad.”
Kagami pushed him back into the room and closed the door. Locking it before the rock giant could notice them.
“I’m surprised.”
“By the fact there is an 8-foot-tall rock beast outside?”
“No, by the fact you didn’t try to fight it.”
“I don’t have a weapon.” Kagami replied flatly.
Luka raised a brow at the comment, unsure if the fencer was serious or not about fighting that thing if she had a foil.
“Is something wrong?” A third voice came from behind them.
The two teens turned around, preparing for the worst. Though they were relieved to see it was just an old janitor
 in a Hawaiian shirt. Despite his odd dress, he did give off a kind aura. One of a trusting old grandpa.
They noticed that the room seemed to be a sort of teacher’s lounge, with a small counter with a sink and cabinets. As well as a fridge to keep food cold and stored. A place in the school where teachers would come to get a quick coffee or store their lunch.
“Oh good, you aren’t an akuma.” Luka sighed with relief.
“An akuma?” The old man asked.
“Yes, it is very dangerous out there right now. There are multiple villains outside. I would recommend staying put while we go out there and help handle things.” Kagami explained.
“Quite bold of you to go out there against those monsters.” The man responded.
“Don’t worry, we will be careful. We just need to make sure we can get as many people out as we can so Ladybug and Chat noir won’t need to worry.”
“Ah, how selfless of you. You both seem quite capable for ones so young.”
“You’re very kind, but we are just doing what we can. Our friends are out there and they need our help.”
Kagami goes to the door. Checking to ensure the coast is clear again.
The old man pats the musician’s shoulder.
“I am sure you two will figure a way to help your friends.”
“There are too many outside this room.” Kagami grumbled. If only I had a way to fight them.”
The mysterious janitor smiled.
“Say
 I did happen to see Ladybug earlier.”
The two teens turned their attention to the old man.
“You did?” they asked in unison.
“Yes, she happened to drop something while rushing. Would you two be so kind as to return them to her when you see her.”
The two of them glance at each other and shrug. The old janitor might be senile.
“Sure
 We can give it to her.” Luka assured the old man, trying to remain polite.
The old man moves to a closet, where out of view of the two teens, an elaborate chest with the symbol of the guardian’s decorates the top. He quickly gets two smaller boxes and closes the closet.
“Ah! Here they are.”
He hands the two a small box each. Their eyes go wide.
“They seemed important, so I didn’t want to just leave them on the floor. But I have a feeling you two will take good care of them.”
The two teens were engrossed by the boxes in their hands. They recognized them immediately. These were the boxes Ladybug used when handing out miraculous.
“Where did you find
?” Kagami tried to question, but noticed the old man was no longer there.
“He’s gone
”
“Actually, I am over here.”
The teens look in the opposite direction they were looking in order to see him at the end of the room getting a snack from the fridge.
The duo decided that maybe this old guy wasn’t all there after all and figured it would be best to go somewhere and utilize the ‘gift’ they were just given.
“Stay in the lounge where it’s safe okay?” Luka asked politely.
“Of course. I am not paid if I am not working.”
The two teens checked the door again, and once the coast was clear. They both slipped out of the room.
After he knew they were out of sight, the old man chuckled.
“The senile routine works every time.”
“Master, you really cut it close with that one.” A small turtle creature exclaimed as he popped out from the closet.
“The universe works in mysterious ways Wayzz. What are the odds that there would be an attack on the school the very day I decide to hide out as a janitor?”
“Considering the frequency of akuma attacks, very likely.”
“True, but how about running into two individuals that Marinette had picked to be heroes.” Fu followed up.
“That is quite a coincidence.”
The guardian pulled out his phone and noticed he didn’t have a signal.
“It seems I can’t get a signal to notify her of the reinforcements I sent her way. Likely it would be the same on her end. So, it is a good thing I acted in advance.”
Fu moved to the closet where he kept the miraculous.
“I can’t help but shake the feeling Ladybug and Chat noir will need all of the help they can get.
“Don’t worry master, I am sure Ladybug and Chat noir will be successful.
“Let us keep an eye on things. They might need another ally to turn the tide.
________________________________________________________
“I am guessing you are also familiar with what’s inside here?” Kagami inquired as the two stealthily moved in the hall.
“I may be familiar with it.” Luka commented.
Kagami contemplated the statement. She figured out the truth.
“Seems we both have used a miraculous then?”
“It appears we have. Though I am not sure Ladybug will be thrilled that someone knows I have helped her.”
“I understand the sentiment. Though lets simply agree to keep it between us.” Kagami answered. “Friends do keep secrets like that if I’m correct.”
Luka smiled at the comment.
“Your secret is safe with me.” Luka assured.
“As is yours.”
The two found the locker room and quickly moved inside.
“Coast is clear.”
The two opened the boxes and as they did two magical creatures appeared in front of them.
A floating creature with multiple spikes appeared in front of the fencer, while another floating creature that resembled a cobra stood in front of luka.
“It is a pleasure to see you again Mistress Kagami.”
“It’s been too long, Longg.” Kagami smiled. Happy to see her kwami friend.
“Hello Luka, itssss been a while.” The snake kwami greeted.
“Happy to see you too Sass.” Luka fist bumped his kwami.
The kwamis stop and turn to see the other kwami there.
“Does Ladybug know about this?” They both ask in unison.
“We will inform her after. Right now, there is a lot of danger.” Kagami exclaimed. “Ladybug needs our help.”
The two kwami nod and prepare to fight.
“Consssider us accomplissses.” Sass answered.
The two teens put on the miraculous.
“Sass! Scales Slither.”
“Longg! Bring the storm”
The two teens transform into their heroic alter egos.
Kagami shifting into the dragon miraculous hero Ryuuko, and Luka changing into the Snake hero Viperion.
The two stop to glance at the other.
“So, what should I call you.” The snake hero asked curiously.
“Call me Ryuuko. And what about you mister snake?”
“Viperion is what I am going with.”
“Fitting.”
“As is yours.”
The two give a nod of comradery before making their way out of the locker room. They had to go help Ladybug.
__________________________________________________
Ladybug dashed across the hallway, avoiding pause symbols being flung at her by the conniving akuma.
She slid underneath one of the symbols and preformed a daring slide kick to knock Lady Wifi off balance.
While she was unstable, Chat noir charged and used his baton to make contact with her white mask. Believing it was the obvious weak point.
“Got it!” Chat noir exclaimed triumphantly. The strike of the staff knocking Ladywifi a good several meters. Before lying flat on her back.
“Wow, that is a tough mask. I thought for sure that was the weak point.” Chat noir commented.
Lady Wifi stood up robotically.
“There must be a way to snap her out of it. Unless Hawkmoth is learning from his mistakes.” Ladybug hypothesized as she got up from the ground.
“Well I got nothing.” Chat noir shrugged.
Another set of footsteps approaching caught the hero’s attention. The recognized the multicolored bubble maker the moment they saw him.
“Nino
 You too?” Chat noir said under his breath.
The Bubble maker used his bubble wand to summon two large bubbles to capture the heroes. Bringing back flashbacks of their first encounter with the bubble akuma.
Chat noir and Ladybug expertly slide between the gaps of the attack, resulting in Lady Wifi getting hit with the large bubbles and being sent flying into the wall via bubble prison.
Chat noir lunged at the Bubbler, his quick pounce pinning him down before he could attack.
“Maybe I can destroy his mask with
”
“Wait Chat noir!” Ladybug called out.
Chat noir paused.
“What if your cataclysm doesn’t free him?”
“And then I am left without the power before a recharge.”
“Exactly. We need to hold off on using our powers right now.”
Chat noir wanted to save his friend. But he knew his partner was right. They needed to conserve their powers before facing Lila.
The Bubbler managed to get the cat hero off of him with a burst of strength. Knocking Chat noir to the ground.
Lady Wifi had gotten free from the bubble attack and was now blocking the other entrance.
Ladybug and Chat noir moved back to back, Ladybug facing the ladyblogger turned mindless akuma slave and Chat noir facing the akumatized DJ.
“Any ideas, Buggaboo?”
“Seems they can’t adapt. They are pretty much mindless slaves. Which makes sense since Lila wouldn’t want them to think for themselves.”
“So you’re saying their movements are simple.”
“Which means they are exploitable.”
Chat noir felt relief watch over him. He knew Ladybug had a plan.
_____________________________________________________
“EWWWW!” ChloĂ© screeched in disgust. The front entrance to the school had been covered in a pink slime.
She wiped her hand on the cleanest section of wall she could find. This was not her day.
“What is with this nasty gross akuma? First, I can’t call Daddy to come and pick me up. I can’t even post about it! How will Ladybug know to save me? Or better yet, get me the bee miraculous so I can help her save the day?”
Chloé decided to try another exit, since she had no plans of sticking around without knowing if she was going to be given a miraculous or not. Plus, she did say she would call for help, and doing that would make her look good in potential hero points.
As she was walking, she bumps into something in the middle of the hall. Which was bizzare since the hall was clear.
“Ouch, right on my bruise. What the hell is
”
Chloé felt her anger shift to fear when she watched as the empty hall now contained a familiar akuma.
“Sabrina?”
The akuma turned to her, her face covered with a white face mask.
“Eww. Your akuma form looks even tacker than before.”
“Take potential akuma to master.” The akumatized Sabrina stated in an emotionless tone. Repeating the order, she had been given.
“Oh no you don’t! Sabrina, I order you to listen to me!”
The akuma ignored the blonde’s command and slowly walked towards her.
“Sabrina
 I am warning you. I am going to yell at you over this later if you don’t stop right now.”
ChloĂ© started slowly backing away. She wasn’t sure of what to do.
“Listen
 if you stop right now
 I’ll uh
 let you take a pick of one of my old sweaters.” ChloĂ© bargained, not intending to let her pick one of the ones she actually liked.
Chloé felt her hand touch the sealed door, and knew she was at the end of the hall. She was boxed in.
“This is so unacceptable.” ChloĂ© stated, preparing to get captured. But a flash of Red and Black came out of nowhere and kicked the akuma hard to the wall.
“Ladybug! I knew you would like save me!” ChloĂ© jumped and hugged her savior.
“Im not ladybug.” The heroine spoke.”
Chloé released the hug as she examined who her savior was.
“Who the hell are you?”
ChloĂ© had never bothered to learn the names of any of the other miraculous heroes. She sometimes forgets chat noir’s name.
“Ryuuko.” The dragon heroine stated calmly, almost regretting saving ChloĂ©.
“Did Ladybug send you? Cause it would have been better if she got me to help.”
Ryuuko decided to ignore Chloé’s comment.
“Now we need to leave before she
 Where did she go?” Looking at the dented locker that no longer had an akuma lying on the ground.
Suddenly the akuma popped out of nowhere about to strike from above with her tonfa and steal Ryuuko’s powers, but was stopped when a small harp smacked her face.
“She appears to have invisibility.” A voice called out.
The two turn to see the snake hero as he caught his harp on the rebound.
Chloé took a moment to look over the snake hero. She had to admit, he was pretty cute. Not Adrien cute, maybe she would start learning the names of the other heroes.
“Quick thinking Viperion.” Ryuuko thanked the snake teen.
“Just following your lead.” Viperion responded. The two giving eachother a respectful smile. They both seemed to have gotten used to working together.
The akuma got up. Its white face mask making the akuma’s expression unreadable. But its body language exuded rage.
“Seems we aren’t going anywhere until she is taken care of.” Ryuuko said as she stared down the akuma.
Viperion turned to chloé.
“You need to go and get to safety.”
“Okay!” ChloĂ© says as she runs off.
“How come she didn’t give you any sass?”
“Because I already have him.”
Kagami had to admit that was a clever response.
“Not what I meant, but Chat noir would love that joke.”
“I will be sure to tell him it later.”
“Stick to playing guitar. You’re a better musician than comedian.”
Before they could get off anymore banter. The akuma went for another attack.
________________________________________________________
SimularĂ© entered Ms.Bustier’s classroom.
“I am here.” The ghostly sentimonster announced.
“Excellent.”
The sentimonster looked up to see that the classroom it was expeciting to see had been altered into what appeared to be a rather glamourous throne room. The windows covered by white curtains with the design of an akuma in black. The platforms and stairs had been altered to be marble. And at the top, where Lila’s desk once was was now a golden throne akin to something one would see in a castle. Though despite the impressive change in the classroom it was still being designed. The akuma known as the evillustrator was still creating more furnishings for the room.
“Simulare, I have an order for you.” Masquerade stated as she sat on the new throne. Clearly confident in her position.
The sentimonster approached her master. Stopping only a few feet away.
“I want you to create a mirage over the school. Since Ladybug is already in the school. It would be best if you made sure no one notices whats happening here. I don’t need any additional heroes popping in yet. Let’s handle her before making things public.”
Simularé nodded.
“Understood. But what should we do if she
”
“I have everything under control. Just follow my orders.”
Simularé ceased her questioning.
“As you wish master.”
The sentimonster shifted into her Volpina form and headed out of the classroom.
“She is getting arrogant in her power. If things do go south, I will need to step in.” SimularĂ© said to herself. But for now, she knew she had a role to play.
_____________________________________________________________
And that ends part 34.
Seems things are REALLY heating up. Will Viperion and Ryuuko be able to help Ladybug and Chat noir?
Will Ladybug and Chat noir be able to get through to their brainwashed friends?
Will Masquerade's gambit be enough for her to get her vengeance?
Whats Simularé's deal?
Find out by staying tuned and sharing. Remember Reblogs help content creators and if you do enjoy my content, the support really does help
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doodlebeeberry · 4 years ago
Text
Waitin' For A Minute, Till' The Sun Sees Through My Eyes
in which Bubble adopts a dying rose bush
debut of the alliance! or the rest of them anyway lol
bit of a slow chapter but sometimes thats just how it goes
ch 2/?
AO3
The Yoyle Needle was absolutely massive , standing taller than any other building in the city, making it a good landmark to orient yourself with, particularly when you spent most of your time there anyway. It had seemed a bit intimidating at first, all things considered, but after a while, it simply blended into the background. It became normal.
As it’s base came into view, Bubble spotted her friends clustered on the sidewalk near the door. Ruby and Book sat on the edge in the midst of a heated thumb war, Ice Cube playing referee. Pencil and Match leaned against the wall, spectating. Ice Cube piped up, though what exactly she said was lost on her as Ruby threw her arms up and cheered, seemingly victorious. Match glanced in Bubble’s direction and smiled, waving.
“Hey Bubs!”
Everyone turned towards her as she approached.
“Hoi goirls! Hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“Nope,” Ruby chirped, snatching her Shirly temple from the tray. “we just got here!” She plucked the cherry off the top and popped it into her mouth, tossing the stem over her shoulder and into the street as book passed Ice Cube her cherry cola before sipping her own apple juice. Match took both the iced coffee and iced tea, passing the former to Pencil, who gave them both a small smile of thanks before sipping it.
“I still down know how Gelatin learned to make any of this stuff,” Pencil said, looking at the crude drawing of Gelatin on the cup, “I don’t even think I’ve seen him in a kitchen before.”
As much as she liked his drinks, Bubble was equally curious. Back in his steakhouse, she simply assumed there were chefs preparing the meals while he milled about the restaurant talking to customers, but the drink stand he’d opened when they moved put a hole in that theory. Every Wednesday, when it was her turn to get the morning drinks, he would spend several minutes standing by the window chatting with her idly after she’d ordered before turning around for mere seconds and returning with the drinks. She could see straight to the back from where she stood, which was empty with the exception of Gelatin himself, who, when pressed, only ever answered that he was “just that good”.
Taking the remaining strawberry lemonaid and sipping it, she decided, perhaps, that she didn’t want to know. She tossed the empty tray in the nearby bin.
Bubble sipped her lemonaid, halfway through the cup when Ruby piped up
“So, what’re we doing today?”
“Pencil and I are, like, going downtown to look for a camera”
“What do you need a camera for?” Book asked.
Pencil swirled what little coffee was left in her cup
“We’re gonna start a vlog series, ” She replied, “Don’t want our fans to miss us too much.”
“Oh, wow, neat! Ice cube and I are gonna try baking yoyleberry pie again.”
Ice Cube smiled as Book said her name, glancing at her with soft eyes as she drank the last of her soda. Pencil glanced between them, smirking.
“Just don’t, like, make a mess of the kitchen again”
“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad.” Book replied.
Match scoffed.
“Like, as if. There was flower everywhere for, like, a week!”
“It was only a day , Match, and—”
Ruby stuck herself between the two, cutting them off before they could jump at each other’s throats
“What about you, Bubble? What’re you up to today?”
Bubble jumped at her name. She hadn’t been focusing on the conversation, finding herself studying the droplets of condensation on her cup run down and land on top of her hand. The sorrowful little rose bush was burned into her mind, a pang of odd guilt chiming in at the thought. Perhaps she shouldn’t have left it behind, she thought, not when it so badly needed help, but—
She shook it off, turning to Ruby.
“Woil, I wointed to do some gardening, but oim not sure
”
“Why not?”
“Oi need to move a plant woith thorns and”— Bubble glanced away—“I dont wonna pop.”
She sipped the last of her lemonaid as Ruby smiled.
“Oh! If thats all, then I can help you out!”
“Roilly? But aren’t you busy?”
“Not really,” Ruby shrugged, “and I like helping you garden anyway!”
Again, Pencil smirked at the two of them as Bubble beamed wide.
Noon had hit by the time Bubble returned to the alleyway, this time with Ruby in tow. Despite the sun’s position the area was still cast in a cool shade by the buildings towering on every side. They stopped just in front of the withered old rose bush, crumpled at their feet. Somehow its seemed even worse for wear then before.
“Yeah, that doesn’t look good,” Ruby said.
Bubble hummed, kneeling down and inspecting a leaf. “It’s not getting enough sunloight over here. Oi wanna move it, but—”
“Say no more!”
Ruby knelt down and reached for the pot, scraping her hands a bit in the process. Pale brown roots caught Bubble’s eye as she began hefting the plant into the air. They stretched between the sidewalk and the pot.
“Roiby wait! Your gonna break the roots!”
She paused. A sprinkle of soil fell from the pot and into the large crack in the ground the roots had dug themselves into.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Its ok.”
Ruby returned the pot to its place over the hole.
“So what do we do now?”
“Hmmm, well”—Bubble stood up, Ruby following suit—“if we had a shovel, oi could try digging them up.”
“But I thought you hadn’t brought all your gardening stuff here yet?”
Turning back, Bubble peered around the corner, scanning the abandoned buildings carefully. A restaurant, a shipping outpost, a toy store stood across the street, flanked on the left by a pharmacy and on the right by a—
“Oh! That plant shop moight have some!”
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qdtquietdownthere · 6 years ago
Text
Day 8- Swim, clay and personal space.
Day 8
Today is going to be a busy day and I wake up and put on my swimming costume before doing anything else. 
If that isn't a wild start to a Tuesday, I don't know what is.
I get the tube to Victoria (one stop before my usual Pimlico) and head to the Queen Mother Sports Centre to go for a swim. It is odd getting off here. There have been major delays on the railways and the space is buzzing with frantic energy. Everyone is passing through. No one seems to stop. I down a coffee from cafe-disgusting-Nero before my swim. It is interesting wandering in a mad sea of people who are rushing. I like to guess what job they have and I wonder what they think I do when they look at me. If they look at me. There was a man on the tube this morning swearing at his laptop. I wondered what his day was going to be like. It is funny taking the tube every morning and being in this transient space. It gives me energy and I feel part of the crowd, but it is also so transient and so isolating. A swelling day population and I'm just one of them. As I walk towards Pimlico however, and towards the pool, the swell of people calms. I sit outside the pool and wait until 10am as I sip my coffee before I go in. I am enjoying sticking to the timetable as well as I can, This is the little bit of structure surrounded by unknown activities. 
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The pool is quite this time in the morning. There are maybe only 5 people in the pool and we are all spread out. Absolute luxury. At first I notice how calm and clean the pool is. There are sheets hanging on the wall which contain workout guides. One for strength, one for cardio and there is one sheet titled ‘silver’ for elderly people. This one looks the most used, and 4 out of 5 of the people swimming today all have silver hair. This is inviting for me as the pace is relaxed. Im not ready to try and fight for a place in the pool. My last experience in Stoke Newington pool was not pleasant, whereas this is already a great experience. I stay for 45 minutes until the local schools start playing on the flumes and distracting the tranquility of the unified breast strokes happening in our orderly lanes. I hear two elderly men in the slow lane laugh with each other. Up until this point I have only spoken to two people today, and that makes me feel a little sad. Most other days I would have spoken to many people by this time. Swimming is also a lonely sport I feel, it is easy to be in your own head. Running for example, keeps your eyes busy and you get to smile at other runners. It is so easy it is to be out in the community, doing an activity in a shared space, but still lack engagement with another human. Later on in Tesco on Lupas Street I wait to pay for my nut bar and notice that the line for the tills run by a real human cashier are almost twice as long as self service. Never have I seen this in another supermarket before. A simple chore is buying food, but for older people, lonely people, it might be the little interaction they get in a day. 
After swimming, and sporting a beautiful chlorine barnet, I make my way towards Thames Bank centre. I pop into a few charity shops on the way. In both there are lots of young people, both working and shopping. Its nice to see some 20 somethings and when I buy a dress (which I now regret buying) we have a little laugh. Its nice to have this, and its interesting how the demographic has changed.  
Like the market at the weekend, it is wonderful to look in a charity shop and see the identity of a place and area. I think charity shops, and a sharing of items and style is a wonderful way to get to understand a place. There is a great book titled ‘the Comfort of Things’ (2008) by Daniel Miller in which the author, and anthropologist, goes into a London tower block to speak to people about their belongings and asks the owners to tell their stories. It is a wonderful and deeply personal book which unifies through difference, all around a backdrop of belongings. Charity shops for local areas remind me of this. I find comfort in buying something which has its own story. 
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Thames bank centre is hosting ETAT (Encouragement through the arts and talking). I turn up a little early and walk into a room full of chatting, and laughing and there is clay everywhere. I walk in and have to introduce myself to everyone in the room. Everyone is elderly and they are all chatting away while deep into their clay. There is some confusion about who I am. I am there to come along to the class and do the chair exercises. This however gets misinterpreted that I am leading the chair exercise sessions. I don't really understand and go along with it. This has been the best approach to most of the activities. I start making clay into an underwater theme and then, luckily, like an act of god, the chair exercise instructor turns up and I'm off the hook. It makes everyone giggle. 
I am overwhelmed by the sense of community in the room, and once again this free, easy and non comital environment. The space is like a loud living room with clay everywhere and people come and go. Like a living room exactly. There is a range of ages, though I hear the oldest is 97. Once again I am the youngest, but this is something with invigorates me today, excites even. I feel like it is a space I would come to completely by myself. I sit next to a lady who I went on the Warwick trip with and we laugh about her attention to detail while making her ceramic tile compared with my botch job attempt. Yes thats right, I am an ‘Artist’. I speak to Jane and Karen (Who runs CAVE in Pimlico) about ETAT. They are far reaching and busy people. Pimlico million was set up by Jane who shows me videos and photos from events, exhibitions and footage of her singing at SouthWest Fest. They are currently preparing for an art show and ETAT have even recorded an album. However I am told that the album has a parental advisory because many swear words are sang throughout the song
. Again, the eldest member is 97. I'll just leave that there. What is apparent is how both Jane and Karen, and everyone for that matter, are connected to the community. They seem completely involved in its development. They make it feel this way just by  simply knowing everyones name. There is power in naming.  
Im a little anxious when I meet Jane and Karen, because I am nervous to be seen as a threat to existing services. It has been a challenge explaining why I am coming along to activities which haven't seen a new, or young, member in many moons. I stand out. I feel like a cultural probe at times. However, I'm also there for me. I am interested and excited by these activities and interactions separate from the schedule, the blog, and the cash to eat breakfast. 
We begin chair class in the corner of the huge room. There are around seven of us, all with a mixture of abilities. Emily who is in a wheel chair, a woman with dementia, Barney who is a Chelsea pensioner and wont stop laughing and then me who is giggling along with the energy of the place. We dance to music in our seats which are arranged in a circle. We play volleyball and Barney throws a mean punch. Its fun and I'm happy. I loose track of time and have to run out. 
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Later on in the day, after a visit to Victoria library, I head over to the London Mayor’s Parlour to observe the council meeting of the health and wellbeing board. Im early and then I'm late and then I'm lost. Being lost is hard and I wonder what this residency would be like without a phone. Even more, without a schedule. It makes me see even clearer the obstacles in leaving an area where you grew up when you don't have the funds, the ability or the confidence to leave. It is easy to ‘other’ the next streets across the busy road. It is then easy to other the next community, the young teenagers, the refugees. I wonder how much of a knock on effect this inability to access certain spaces shapes us. Urban geography shapes us. 
The streets as you leave Pimlico become busy with suits and men who are walking like they mean business. The buildings get taller and it becomes striking that you have left pimlico. Again, the city scape, the gardens and the design of Churchill Gardens and the surrounding area give you a sense of a village. It is protected. I am desperate to draw this- desperate to map it out. 
I eventually arrive to the building I need to be at. In the foyer but the woman at reception tells me the meeting was last week. The only one today is on transport. I feel a little embarrassed but mainly because I'm a bubbly sweaty mess and everyone is in navy blue suits, not sweating and cool as a business man shaped cucumber. I ask to use the toilet but she says no, so I leave. 
It Is nice walking back to Pimlico and towards the library. I don't need a map anymore and that gives me confidence and a sense of belonging. I know where streets are and have a sense within me like a homing pigeon for the library. 
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The day takes a turn and while waiting outside the library in the sunshine I get a personal call with some bad news. I am outside the library in Pimlico, but on the phone feeling very emotional. I am here in Pimlico but I'm transported into my life in Tottenham, in Edinburgh. I wish to be in these places now. I try and clean myself up to go into knitting, but when I walk in I notice only two people sat in the space outside the toilets,  knitting at speed in complete silence. It is not the right space for me at this moment. This is the only time I have felt an overwhelming sense of being in a place which isn't mine. I want someone to talk to who knows me and I want to be with my friend. I crave something normal in an abnormal situation and after abnormal news? For the rest of my night I isolate myself. I get off the tube at one point to isolate myself. To be in control. Its demanding giving all the time during the residency. I am always trying to bring energy. It takes energy to walk into a room, to try and engage someone, to listen to long stories, to listen to upset and to ideas you don't agree with. Even the stories which are happy and interesting, it takes energy. I know I bring energy to what I have been doing. I bring a genuine interest and care and a giddiness to talk and connect. I wonder how much I have given of myself. I told the women who I sat with at choir how nervous I was to sing and walk into the room, and it was in this activity which I felt most happiest, and most transformed when I left to go home. I wonder if I should have gone into knitting but be open and honest about how I was feeling and what had just happened to me merely 3 minutes before. How would this have felt? With action research I am aware of mutuality and transparency. It has been this. But I wonder if I had pushed it a little further, and let go of this need to make people feel good and happy and just talked about me, how would this change the residency and my interactions? I wonder if this had happened just before choir, would I have gone in? What is it about knitting club which meant that in that situation I couldn't walk in and be with the sadness I had just received? I believe it was the intensity of the situation, and the fact it was only two knitters sat in the library space. Even more so after this, I celebrate how all the activities and groups I have attended are relaxed and casual. One doesn't have to commit to a 5 week course going every Thursday night. Life happens. 
I am someone who recharges my batteries alone and I don't want to talk about hard subject with strangers. I know how to self sooth, how to get back the sunshine. I feel bad I didn't go in but in this moment it wasn't right. It has also shone light on the need for flexible activities in a community which inevitable will encounter childcare problems, ill health ect. Its about designing a service which despite all of what life can throw at someone, the service will continue to be outwards reaching. I think there is value and need for creating something which can be someones fall back. That in despite of sadness, loneliness or not feeling like leaving the sofa, one doesn't feel lonely and isolated from the culture and happenings of the community.
I go home and have a bath, watch some Netflix and I draw a quick drawing of a lobster. I also listen to Stormzy. Lots of Stormzy. 
1 note · View note
designationpinknoise · 7 years ago
Note
Can I please get Drift,Rodimus,Brainstorm,Megatron and whirl. with an organic SO who has eye powers like in Kagerou daze?
Okay! I love the Kagerou daze series! my fav character is Ene, hope you don’t mind them being female? I’m used to writing for girls.●◆●◆●◆●◆●◆●◆●◆
Drift: stealing eyes/mind-reading.
Drift was very curious about his girlfriend, even before asking her out. from her love for exploring, to her upbeat attitude and smile was addictive, And nothing ever seemed to bring (Y/n) down!
Or so Drift thought, as he wandered passed Ten who seemed with someone, the swordsmech thought nothing of it, until he saw (Y/n) leaning against the wall, eyes glowing red as Ten continued chatting with her.
“I never seen them live, are they any good?”
“Ten
”
“Really? I might consider it, ever hear of Trocadero?”
“Ten?”
“Oh yeah, they’re awesome!”
Drift hummed and continued on his way to Swerve’s then stopped glowing red eyes?! he immediately back tracked; and froze, when he saw his girlfriend’s eyes glowing like two red rubies! instead of their normal (y/e) color! She noticed Drift staring and blinked her eyes went back to normal color.
She looked horror-stricken and took off running with Drift in hot pursuit which is pretty dumb of her; considering her boyfriend can turn into a sports car. he caught up to  her, and drove to his hab-suite for answers... needless to say Drift was disturbed when he learned about the Medusa ritual, he avoids (Y/n) for a little bit.
then comes back because he missed her. and realized if the other person hadn’t sacrificed themselves, then Y/n wouldn’t be with him and he would be alone.

That and, now that Drift knows she can read minds. he can tease her, with all naughty thoughts he wants.~ and no one would-be the wiser.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Rodimus: concealing eyes
Rodimus was stumped with his human, one minute she standing in front of him staring having a staring contest.Next thing he knew she disappears! well to his optics anyways,
his thermals scanner could see her along with some weird bubble thing.was she using some sort of cloaking field generator?
He shook his helm no, humans don’t have that sort of tech! He pouted and slowly reached over and tapped the “bubble” like it’s soapy counterpart; it popped and he could see (y/n) clearly along with her glowing red eyes, instead of the usual (Y/c).
“now, I’m no expert on humans. but, I know they don’t have red eyes
or turn invisible”
“I’m a ghost.”
“Yeah, and I’m the princess of Canada.”
“I’m serious! sort of
if only I hadn’t jumped.”
Rodimus was still skeptical as his girlfriend explained her story, her family was abusive and ignored as she was the result of her fathers cheating and one day Y/n had enough.
she just wanted to go away to disappear. so, she went to the highest place in town and jumped.
But, she wasn’t alone an old man. a complete stranger followed after her, he saved her that day. but, at the cost his own life

“Then I woke up on bench in park nearby. I didn’t go home that night or the next” (y/n) frowned as Rodimus stared at her with a frown “So, you really think you’re a ghost?” Y/n went to yell at him.
only for a pair surprisingly warm metal lips suddenly pull her into a heated kiss before pulling away “you taste and feel pretty alive to me.” The (y/hc) face turned bright red, matching her eyes before disappearing again
Rodimus snickered and made mental note to ask if her little trick can make bots invisible too?■â–Č■â–Č■â–Č■â–Č■â–Č■â–Č■â–Č
Brainstorm x mute reader: Deceiving eyes
Brainstorm thought he was going crazy! he swore up and down that he saw Magnus’s and Nautica’s Holo-avatar walk passed him in the last half hour but, he just got of the comm with Nautica.
The femme swore she was with Magnus at Swerve’s, and they weren’t using their avatars! So,then who the hell was?
it was probably the twentieth time he’d seen them pass when he finally got a look at these phantoms.
Brainstorm then noticed the difference in details..The hair, was (y/c) the clothing was same, but had (y/fc) hoodie tied around their waist and their eyes were glowing red!
His first thought was a Decepticon snuck aboard! But, the more he kept looking, the more familiar this mystery person was to him.
“Y/n?” the Nautica double froze as Brainstorm curiously approached them “That is you isn’t it?” the scientist asked curiosity rousing inside him. the girl shook her head “I know it’s you, there’s only one organic on this ship.” He stated she would’ve got him but, if it weren’t for the red eyes and hair!, Now how she got her hands on an avatar projector Brainstorm would like to know!
The illusion disappeared as he scanned her body only for the blue and white mech found no projection tech on (Y/n)! Brainstorm blinked as she grinned turned into Whirl’s avatar. stuck her tongue out at him and ran with Brainstorm running hot on her heels.
When he finally caught up to (Y/n) it took Brainstorm a few seconds, to realize his girlfriend was feeling lonely and wanted his attention. Maybe after a little loving he’ll ask about her abilities later. ⇒⇔⇒⇔⇒⇔⇒⇔⇒⇔⇒⇔⇒⇔⇒
Whirl: Immortality eyes
Whirl was actually happy for once why? because (Y/n) The cute A.I. chick living in that earth crummy earth computer, finally accepted to be his girlfriend! He even had Perceptor work on this hovering orb projector so she wasn’t just stuck in the computer anymore!
She can form a holo-avatar and roam around the ship when she wants, though there was a downside; she couldn’t form her legs, they sort of faded into shiny shimmery pixels past her.

uh what did Ratchet call it? Timbits!
no, Tibia that’s it! so she just sort of floated around instead walking.
Not that it bothered Whirl though the others were a little weirded out by it.sometimes for shits and giggles she’d hover up behind them, Her red eyes glowed gleefully. just to see how long it would take before they realized the digitized girl was behind them.
The copter bot and his girlfriend had a good laugh hearing Rodimus scream like a little femmeling as he shouted.
“where did you come from?!” and in an instant Whirl stopped laughing and paused that was good question

Where did (Y/n) come from? sure, he heard that earth had AIs. but, not as advanced or “alive” as his girlfriend, there was always something he couldn’t shake off about her. So, one night he asked.
that’s how he learned about the Medusa legend, her and her classmates murder the lost of her body and waking up in this one. “So, you’re like me?” his claw gestured to his body his yellow optic dimmed as she thought it over.
“I suppose
”
“Do you ever miss it?”
“My body or earth?”
“Both
I guess.”
“Earth? I’m gonna have to say no, humans are douchebags! And My memory is a little fuzzy. but. I recall having some sort of terminal illness. caused me to blackout a lot. So, not like I had all the time in the world.”
(Y/n) said with a shrug
That was first time in a longtime,that Whirl felt something other then anger
Empathy.

â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
â™Ș
Megatron: Petrify eyes the half Medusa girl.
Megatron was stunned when he walked into the medbay and saw the stowaway Skids had found in the vents. The woman looked up at him equally surprised
“(Y/n)That’s not possib-I
 How are you still?” his optics scanned her face from the odd scale like patterns on her cheeks, Red eyes and long hair . First-aid looked between them “You know her?”
The ex-warlord nodded he explained that the two of you met on earth, when she was just child no older then 13 that was over 50 years ago! Rodimus jumped in on this; staring her directly in the eyes as the human looked up at him fearful.
“she definitely looks good for a sixty year old granny! are you sur-
”
“Yes! I am sure she
Rodimus?”
“_”
“Rodimus stop playing around!”
Megatron grabbed his shoulder and the flame colored bot, fell to the floor stiff like a statue still in his leaning position First-aid quickly scanned him.
Megatron looked on concerned when suddenly! Rodimus jumped to his feet confused and horrified before looking at the woman.
“m-monster.” and ran out of the medbay “she put him in stasis!"First-aid said showing Megatron the results; the two bots looks at the woman berth staring forlornly at the direction Rodimus ran to.
her hair wiggled in agitation before glancing at them, then averted her eyes as both mechs cautiously approached her, as Megatron spoke up.
"Why did you do that to Rodimus?”
“I didn’t mean to! he called me names and he got to close! 
and.”“You were scared, hmm. How did you do it? you have no weaponry or tech that would’ve.”
“I just looked at him! my
eyes they’re special like my mothers and grandmother
I’m not a monster!”
The following weeks were rough, Rung and Magnus had come to see the so called “Monster.” only to deem her non-threatening; all she did was put Rodimus is stasis, it’s not like she did it on purpose!
Besides that ability could come in handy with their more rowdy crewmates. though, that went over like a lead balloon with Megatron.
who was obviously fond of the little Medusa, she had explained her heritage and ancestors curse to the ex-warlord, It definitely explained why she hadn’t age much is 50 years “How old are you by the way?” he asked while the sat in his Hab-suite reading.
“196, I age one year every ten years.”
“Well that’s good to know.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because now I can court you without "robbing the cradle” as you earthlings say.“
Y/n eyes widened a looked Megatron straight in the eye accidentally freezing him "Nath ah amaig!” she heard Rodimus scream and saw him frozen mid-step holding a data pad “oops.”
23 notes · View notes
comicteaparty · 6 years ago
Text
April 25th, 2019 CTP Archive
The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on April 25th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Castoff by Star Prichard.
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Chat:
RebelVampire
COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!
Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Castoff by Star Prichard~! (https://castoff-comic.com/)
Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!
QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?
im probably going to go with frankie's introduction. this scene fulfilled several things for me. first, it explored more of the world in a super natural way that makes complete sense to the story and gives you a better picture. second, i super love frankie. he is a great character deserving of hugs. third, i enjoy how frankie joining the party works out. it felt like so logical how everything played out despite the difficulty in getting another person to join the party naturally.
just overall though i love frankie's addition. i think his personality is a great balance to vector and arianna's personalities since both are not the friendliest of sorts since one is super shy and the other super grumpy. and i feel like frankie perfectly fits the triforce
keii4ii
That triforce analogy is great and I agree
RebelVampire
another scene i really enjoy is the one where arianna captures vector. i love the lighting on the pages because it is so ungodly ominous and really sets the mood. plus, its the first major time we get to see magic and it looks amazing (edited)
but on the frankie train, i also enjoy how he offers vector something that arianna cannot. which is knowing what its like to be feared and kind of one-of-a-kind. cause i think this makes for a beautiful friendship between the two that offers vector more emotional support in a way than arianna can't. not to mention, one of my other fave scenes is the one where vector stands up for frankie against arianna and says nah my dude, hes coming with us. that was such a significant character growth for vector that hit me right in the feels. and i think it works cause of how vector clearly empathizes with frankie, so it all ties together
mathtans
Little one seems calm in her crib now. Hiyo, and awesome to have another creator who's a teacher. ^^
RebelVampire
hi math
mathtans
I made it through 5 of the chapters. My favourites in general through that is probably the "Wait, What" moments, just because I tend to use them myself... there was the one with Zera, about Arianna's full name, and then with Arianna, who did it about Frankie coming along with them. (Also, a hint that they're related? Hmmmm.)
Zera and Arianna that is, not Arianna and Frankie.
Good point about the Frankie and Vector similarities, incidentally. I wonder if the "Frankie" name is a riff on "Frankenstein"?
There's also the fact that "Vectors" can refer to small organisms like mosquitoes that carry diseases. I feel like there's stuff going on with names.
RebelVampire
nope arianna and frankie are related now. new head canon
arianna was also a robot this whole time
mathtans
It would explain how she died.
RebelVampire
you know what, i didnt draw the connection between frankie and frankenstein
thats a good catch math
and very fitting for the character
mathtans
Though I admit my own feelings about that are Arianna's got amnesia or something, which is why she can't be tracked.
Just kinda occurred after the dramatic reveal.
Also, since I teach math, I was already suspicious of the name "vector".
RebelVampire
QUESTION 2. The comic’s central character, Vector, has many mysteries surrounding him. What exactly do you think Vector is? Why is Vector seemingly able to do powerful magic beyond any mage? Why does Vector make everyone become almost possessed and panicked, and why are Arianna and Frankie exceptions? Why do you think Vector is wanted for treason? Is Arianna right that it’s a trumped up charge to get rid of him? If so, why would Alveria want him silenced? How do you think Vector wound up with Ms. Robins? Last but not least, what might all this have to do with the prologue’s opening scene?
mathtans
I got this. Vector's the guy who was tied up in the prologue, they were trying to use him to do crazy magics... and he wasn't the first, since it's implied there's others. But with him it went wrong and the magic ended up inside him. Arianna was that girl peeking at the door when it happened, so she's okay with the crazy eye thing, and it's why they thought she died. They want Vector back to undo the magic stuff, hence "treason" in order to get everyone interested.
Also, for Vector... coo coo kachew, Ms. Robins' son, Jesus loves you more than you will know. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
RebelVampire
math no XD
i also agree at least that vector is the guy from the prologue
and he got all the magic trapped inside him
and is now super magic baby
he is the living essence of magic
and the voice hes been hearing is the soul of magic
RumSoakedChicken
^^^
mathtans
Maybe it was a big plan to try to bring magic to the other parts of the world that went very bad.
RumSoakedChicken
but perhaps the yellow eyed one recieved a part of the magic
since i bleieve there was a lot of light paths coming off
and he was the first one we meet
mathtans
Speaking of which, massive props to starting things out with the failed radio-like device at the start. To put us into the frame of mind of magic. Sets the scene real well and acts as a misdirect later when you realize it's not worldwide.
There was actually a bunch of sneaky stuff then, like the mention of "Feron" ages and ages before it came up again. (Honestly, if the creator hadn't pointed that out, I'd have missed it.)
RebelVampire
i really need to go back and examine the prologue closely.
mathtans
I meant this part: https://castoff-comic.com/comic/chapter-1-page-8/
RebelVampire
ah. that is smart. good catch in details!
actually i take my theory back. reexamining the prologue, i dont think vector was the guy tied to the chair. but i do think hes basically an aspect of pure magic. and i agree that given all the light balls coming off the event, there are probably more of vector's kind out there(edited)
but since vector is an aspect of magic, thats why he has the effect he does. like maybe yellow magic is the magic of fear
vector was a yellow lantern all along
mathtans
Oh, that's an interesting idea. I like that. Since magic is colour based in this world.
(Zera is Green Lantern?)
RebelVampire
yeah see this is just an origin of the lantern corps story.
but i think vector being an essence of magic ties in all the dots. but rather than the voice being the soul of magic, maybe its the guy who probably got killed during that event.
mathtans
So how is Arianna red if zombies are supposed to be black lanterns...
RebelVampire
though if there are more vector's, youd think theres be more wanted posters. unless vector is the only one they never found
cause shes not a zombie probably
mathtans
There was no picture of Vector since he was just a wee one at the time. And I think it was said he was the only one with no image. The others they had pictures for. So if they weren't found, they're probably in hiding.
Probably amnesia. Zombie is a fun thought though.
RebelVampire
i mean its not impossible for her to be a zombie.
mathtans
An amnesiac zombie?
RebelVampire
another point for why i love vector and frankie's relationship though, if we go through this vector is magic theory, it means he and frankie are polar opposites. making their friendship more beautiful
best of both worlds i see
i can respect that
mathtans
That's pretty cool, actually. Do you ship them?
RebelVampire
i dont think i ship vector with anyone yet cause vector has to do some character growth first.
mathtans
Fair. (I think all I can ship is Arianna and Sonja. And the latter seems to have a thing for Zera.)
I do like Arianna's nickname habit.
kayotics
Popping in late to say Arianna is my fav because I’m a sucker for angry girls
mathtans
Hi kay. Cool. She seems to have had a harsh childhood.
RebelVampire
i wonder what her nickname for zera would be
maybe raccoon
cause of the dark circles
mathtans
She seemed to know him, from Zera's mental flashback. She was saying things were his fault. So maybe "jerkface".
RebelVampire
that is also plausible
actually tbf, double plausible
cause i doubt shes gonna be happy to know hes the reason shes wanted
whereas if he had just left it alone everything would be fine
and only vector would be the wanted man
mathtans
Yeah, puts a wrench into her plans. Whatever those are.
Maybe she's trying to find out her true identity. What with the amnesia.
(I should fix this broken record.)
RebelVampire
the plot twist is zera was what she wanted to steal back all along
QUESTION 3. Besides Vector, Arianna herself has some mysteries surrounding her. Who exactly is Arianna? Is she the real Arianna Marcel, or did she steal the name? If the latter, why would she steal it? Who is the real Arianna Marcel to Zera? What do you think will happen when Zera catches up with Arianna in his quest for truth? How do you think Arianna wound up on the streets as she mentions regarding her past? What do you think Arianna is after in the capital, and why was it taken from her? Ultimately, how do you think Arianna’s quest to retrieve her stolen property will interfere with her taking care of Vector and getting him home?
arianna is probably that person whose name got covered up by the speech bubble on that one page. and i think arianna took the name out of sorrow for missing who im just gonna assume is her sister. cause she desperately wished she was the one who was dead
mathtans
All you other Arianna's are just imitating so won't the real Arianna please stand up, please stand up...
I'm not sure which name coverup you mean, but I think it is clever how the art does faded bubbles for when someone's half unconscious or when someone's talking over someone else.
I do feel like Arianna's the real one though. And that she was the one spying in the prologue, as I said.
RebelVampire
i will try to find the page im talking about
the alternate is that she is the real arianna and the one who dies was her sister. i dont discount that
given the same last name i assume siblings tho?
in regards to the relationship between zera and her
mathtans
Tempting. Could be cousins.
RebelVampire
https://castoff-comic.com/comic/chapter-5-page-11/
that page bottom right
so there is clearly someone else with the marcel named that exists or once existed
mathtans
Ahhhh! So that's the mystery sister.
(Incidentally, been reading Chapter 6 in the background here. Elves are colour-coded too... makes me wonder if it's personality based or what.)
RebelVampire
i think when zera catches up to arianna hes gonna have a my life is a lie conflict and realize that whether shes the real one or not, he was never told everything about the death. cause the death of the real or fake arianna i think has a lot to do with why she was on the streets
i did get the impression the auras were based on personality
like arianna is super angry therefore gets the red magic
i feel somewhere it was mentioned real arianna's aura was pink?
which is why i do think this arianna is the sister of the real arianna. that apparently zera didnt care about at all. for shame zera. especially cause if i knew there was another marcel id be searching for that one to make sure there were no shenanigans
mathtans
Yeah, Zera said pink. Which is close, which is why I think she was just mentally tweaked a bit. Also, Arianna's eyes do the red glow thing, and I don't think that's necessarily true of others doing casting?
Starfish
Okay I’m back from class Will have to leave again in a bit but I just caught up reading everything and I’m enjoying all the theories
mathtans
Yay class! Next comes the grading. What a life. ^.^
Starfish
Ehehe, I’m technically an assistant teacher so no grading for me~
I’m an assistant ESL teacher in Japan- my part of teaching is mostly “get the kids to practice their English” via games and stuff
mathtans
Fair enough. Didn't mean to vector us off track. ^.^ Incidentally, I originally thought that maybe Vector's power didn't work on Frankie because he only had the one eye, so the eyepatch was saving him. Until the whole metal revelation.
biab
RebelVampire
ya know tbf that was a decent theory before the metal reveal.
im sticking with our arianna being fake and think shes after something of the real arianna's. like a magic gem or something. i do think down the line arianna is gonna have to pick which is more important: the thing she was trying to get or vector. and i think shell be a good person and pick vector cause shes growing and learning its not cool to sacrifice ppl for your aims
on a side note i hope we get to meet her merc company
im interested to see them(edited)
mathtans
Maybe they have gem boasting nights out. "Mine's bigger" and all that.
RebelVampire
i hope thats true somewhere in the comic's world XD
mathtans
It might be why people are annoyed at the elves.
Heh, "Best Friends plus Arianna", nice one. Made it to Chapter 7.
RebelVampire
i found it interesting that even the elves freaked out at vector. cause the minute they appeared that was the largest question on my mind. if theyd be effected or not
QUESTION 4. Of course, there are a few other mysteries present within the story. Do you think there is any story related reason only some continents in the world have magic? Why do you think Frankie, a machine, was created? Further, what is Frankie doing in Kardia in the first place? How do you think Frankie might help or hinder Vector and Arianna getting back to Alveria, especially since he’ll be aiding criminals? Back in Alveria, why do you think General Brisse was so critical of Zera? Do you think he might know something the others don’t? Overall, what do you think will happen once the characters are back in Alveria? Who will side with who on this matter?
i do think the lack of magic might be related. but i kind of think maybe its the opposite to what was already stated. and that the ppl in the prologue were trying to monopolize magic so they could be the superior country
mathtans
I think Frankie coming to Kardia is related to his injuries. Like he escaped from his creators or something. That's why they couldn't fix him and he had to do it himself.
Hmmm, maybe there's some big magic/tech war going on in the background and only the General is in on it. The magic people are temporarily undefended what with Vector having most of the magic bottled away, hence why their shield is only around their castle and not the whole capitol, and why they want Vector back - or dead, if that would spread the magic around.
RebelVampire
i considered that as a possibility. cause usually magic and tech are at war. and weve already seen evidence that magic users think tech is dumb cause how silly of ppl to want things that magic can already do.
but also math how dare you suggest frankie has such a tragic past
hes too innocent for that
and i have to go weep in the corner for him now
frankie was probably created with not good intentions. i mean i could pretend he was meant to test the legs of tech and see how far they could go. more likely they just wanted a robot assassin
am i the only one who things brisse has something to do with arianna's death? cause he seemed really critical of what is actually a good lead to finding a criminal he super wants. and i mean it could just be the last name thing, but i still get the impression he knows something
mathtans
Aw. I feel like all the characters have tragic pasts though. And when Frankie told his story, I did wonder why he had to fix himself up... like, did he maybe even kill his creator? And repressed the memory along with the defense personality?
I think Brisse is just pretty focussed and has probably read Zera's files. I could be wrong. Though it reminds me of Terran. I like him as a secondary character. Good puns, and good plans for circumventing things that aren't technically against the rules.
RebelVampire
yes i appreciate him having a loose interpretion of what he should and shouldnt do
i hope the creator isnt dead just for the story potential tbh
for frankie
cause thats just what they need
frankie's creator showing up to say "hey frankie what up"
and frankie can be like "oh noooooo"
mathtans
Twist, Frankie's creator is a zombie.
Still thinking about side characters actually, the scene between the bookstore woman and the priest was nice. Kind of superfluous at first glance, but it gave Vector more backstory and added more to the world.
Also confirmed not-dead.
RebelVampire
yeah i was intrigued by that scene. but tbf as a character ms robins is useful cause she can give us insight into whats going on in the capital outside of the royal guard
cause surely shell see the wanted poster at some point
and go wtf
maybe even try talking to someone
get thrown in jail
tell vector if he doesnt show up theyll assume she did the treason
i took that from happy to sad
very quickly
mathtans
That's a very good point. I hadn't considered that.
Maybe she'll meet them as they're approaching the city.
RebelVampire
yeah she could also be a key ally in helping them
cause for sure i think itll be obvious to the guards at a point theyre heading back to the capital
mathtans
She does seem very overprotective. I wondered about her reaction initially, as Arianna didn't seem so bad. Then, of course, she proved to be self-serving.
RebelVampire
after they get frankie his own wanted poster
mathtans
Wanted... for cuddling.
RebelVampire
wanted for being a great dude
mathtans
One other thing I want to mention before we wrap up is I dig the art style on the characters. I'm not quite sure what it is, the larger eyes or the hairstyles or some mix? But I like it.
Just don't get Frankie wet. He's like a gremlin.
RebelVampire
yeah i really love the art style as well. although what sells it for me is the magic. that magic circle in the prologue was beautiful with how it glowed and made me eager to see more of the magic.
but i might just be a sucker for magic circles
before we close out i do want to say i think zera will join forces with the main trio at some point
mathtans
Oh, I dig magic circles too. Big Nanoha junkie over here.
RebelVampire
cause zera does not seem like someone whod look at shady stuff going on and be like "im ok with this"
mathtans
Zera does seem to have a conscience. I think they'll butt heads first though.
RebelVampire
oh for sure
i hope terran finds something interesting in zera's file
like zera has a side career as a juggler once
mathtans
He finds... a magic square!
(Hey, if colours can vary, why not shapes. )
RebelVampire
ya know what, despite that being a joke thatd be very interesting
COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!
Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Star Prichard, as well, for making Castoff. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Star Prichard’s efforts however you’re able to~!
Read and Comment: https://castoff-comic.com/
Star’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/castoff
Castoff’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/CastoffComic
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cyjprojectarchive · 8 years ago
Text
blurry | bambam
prompt: inspired by bammie’s instagram selfie hot dayum could i not contain myself, so i made an imagine abt it B) here it is if ya wanna get attacked by our bamchinja. c;  group: GOT7 pairing: bambam, you genre: fluff words: 3185 note:  sorry theres so many spelling errors its currently 3:18 am and im tired as heq ill edit this tomorrow thanku ㅠㅠ
“Dude, you got this.”
“Yeah, well, what if I don’t? Our asses are on the line here,” Bambam’s worried tone reverberates from your phone’s speakers. You have it on loudspeaker mode because you were in the mood for some mint chocolate ice cream. You just got home from classes today and boy was it scorching hot outside. 
“Yes, you do. And no, they’re not. You’ve been practicing nonstop for this comeback, Bam, I think you have it all down by now,” you repeat a little louder than usual as you open the freezer and take out the pint of sweet and cooling treat. 
Setting it down on the kitchen counter, you cap the lid off and start digging in with your spoon. “And why are you so nervous? You’ve never asked me advice on how to handle stage fright ever since we knew each other,” you comment through the melting of your favorite dessert inside your mouth.
“Are you eating ice cream from the pint again?” He suddenly asks, a tone of amusement lingering in his voice. You automatically hug the thing of ice cream closer to your stomach, eyes peering at the phone resting near you. “How’d you know?”
“Just a hunch.” You can just hear him shrugging smugly.
“You wish you were here,” you retaliate, scoffing as you take another scoop. You make sure he captures the sound of you scraping the soft and gooey substance of sweetness. You know you should be encouraging him right now, but teasing the boy you’ve known for quite a while now is always a treat in its own way. 
“I do. I do wish I were there,” he agrees somewhat seriously. You’re unsure whether he was talking about having ice cream or something else, but you brush it off, not wanting to think about such complications right now. 
You put the spoon down and attempt to bring the previous conversation back. “Really, though, Bam. You’re going to do amazing, as always. Don’t worry too much about it, alright?” You tell him earnestly. If Bambam had never asked for any reassurances with you before, maybe this time he really needed it. 
A slight pause occupies the air until you hear him exhale shortly on the other end of the phone call. “You’re right, you’re right. That makes me feel so much better. Thanks, fam,” he answers with a hopeful tone. 
Shaking your head, you protest, “No problem. And don’t ever call me ‘fam’ again, fam.”
“Would you like to be called something else then, hmm?” There he goes, back to his usual zany self which you can’t help but blush about

Did Bambam just make you blush? 
“I would like you to call me when I’m not busy enjoying my ice cream,” you tell him, going back to eating your lunch for the day. 
“You didn’t even start eating ice cream when I called you in the first place!” Bambam interjects and you soon chuckle at his predicament. You hear a few conversations bubbling up in the background, even recognizing Yugyeom’s whining to one of the hyungs, maybe Jinyoung, you’re not quite sure.
You move your position to the couch, setting down your phone on the coffee table. You hear a distinct voice referring to Bambam and he responds, but you’re too focused on your ice cream to eavesdrop. 
“I have to go in a few. What’re you going to do afterwards?” He finally addresses you. You ponder his question until you realize you’ve forgotten something really important. 
“Shoot! I have a major presentation for my History class tomorrow!” Spoon hanging in midair, you slowly place the ice cream pint next to your phone, feeling guilty of even opening it up. 
“And you haven’t started on it yet,” Bambam muses. You groan in agreement and slap your forehead lightly. “No, because I thought it was happening next week.”
“Too distracted with me, huh. I have that effect,” the boy on the other end suggests, a smirk almost evident in his voice. You laugh mockingly, but the anxiety in you keeps rising. “Guess I have something to keep me distracted while you’re performing,” you conclude, probably feeding his ego even more. 
“That’s good, then, at least it’s not another guy,” he jokes and you roll your eyes. “Whatever, snake,” you shoot back. 
“Anyway, I got to go, we’re shooting in a few,” he tells you, almost begrudgingly. “Hey, I really appreciate you answering the call.”
You smile at his genuine reply. You rarely see this side of Bambam whenever you guys are together, or even just talking on the phone. You feel a sense of warmth in your heart, and you honestly don’t know what to make out of it. But you don’t let it get to you- not yet.
“Of course. You know I’m here,” you mutter softly. 
“And me too,” he chimes. Another voice, presumably Jaebum, informs him about getting ready, so you anticipate Bambam’s good bye. “Now I really need to go. I’ll message as soon as possible.”
“For sure, Bam. Good luck! You never fail to do your best,” you add, making sure he’s still reassured. Bambam thanks you again, and the call ends.
Now, onto cramming that damned History presentation.
Adding a few finishing touches here and there, you finally have a decent 10-slide presentation for your class tomorrow morning. Stretching your arms upward, you let out a relieved sigh, yawning in the process. Making sure that the file has been saved to your laptop, Google Drive, and USB, you turn your laptop off and trudge your way into the comfort of your bed. 
The digital clock on your nightstand reads 11:24 pm and you feel quite proud for completing a procrastinated project before the day ends, roughly speaking. You ease your way into the duvet, grabbing your phone to the side for a late night session on a few of your social media accounts. 
You go to your Messages and remember Bambam’s call from earlier. You wonder whether the performance was a success- it probably was, and Bambam just had cold feet, but you already texted him two hours ago complaining about History being your worst subject ever and how lucky you are it’s your first class of the day. You type a new text, informing him of your success nonetheless and hoping he had a fun time today as well. 
Before you can hit the send button, a chat bubble appears on Bambam’s end first. Your eyes widen at the screen and your lips part in surprise. 
“What the
” You utter under your breath, hands suddenly sweating at the sight of your phone, Bambam’s selfie showing on the bright screen. You squint your eyes to confirm what you’re seeing is right. 
You hit backspace on your keyboard and type a new message with quick and shaking thumbs. 
Wrong number, headass. 
He reads it immediately and your heart skips a beat. Your eyes cannot seem to focus on anything else other than the blurry selfie of a jet black haired K-pop idol. You find yourself mesmerized at his cerulean contacts and drawn to the straight and full pink lips. Breath hitching, you mentally urge yourself to stop giving in to your thoughts. 
Undeniably, Bambam broke every puberty challenge out there, and not a day goes by without you reminding him that- much to his satisfaction. But you complimenting him was always out of good faith as good friends, nothing more and nothing less. 
However, recently, things have been a bit blurry between the two of you. It doesn’t help that his constant teasing makes you more conscious of the type of relationship you guys are slowly developing. 
And this selfie isn’t helping.
lmao what do you mean that is supposed to be sent to my best friend
You share a room with Yugyeom. Just show it to him in person lmao
not himmm, my OTHER best friend. u. anyway, like what u see? ;)
WTF are you talking about, you never send me selfies before??? 
aww is it that bad, b? :,( it’s just a lil smth to motivate u with ur presentation. hows that going for u, btw?
Again, with the weird ass nicknames, Bam lmao? And you’re just a few minutes too late bec I’ve finished, but thanks for trying.
Also, no, it actually looks really good. :)
pshhh u like itttt bb ;) oh, hey thats great. u should go 2 sleep by now.
and really? don’t play me, bb :,(
It does! Your face is blurred, so it’s perfect.
wow bye
You chuckle to yourself at the playful conversation. Typical Bambam, but you still can’t help but be confused at any underlying message of all this. Or maybe there’s not any and your mind is just running irrationally due from the emerging crash of the caffeine. Maybe that’s it.
You think of sending him a meme- of himself, might you add- until he follows a new text. 
blurred like our relationship, right
Dropping your phone to the side, you bring a pillow pushed to your face and scream into its plush surface. You feel the heat coming off of your cheeks, chest heaving in and out as well. What was that all about? Has Bambam been aware of the unusual tension you, yourself, have been feeling towards him the past couple of weeks? Why is he speaking up about it now?
that was stepping out of the line of being corny. i’m sorry lol
You notice that he was trying to play it off cool, but now that you’ve gotten a signal from him acknowledging the uncanny stage of your relationship right now, you wanted to go all out. With Bambam, you need to know whether he’s serious about this or not. 
You retreat the pilow away from your face, flustered at the suddent flight response you just pulled off. You certainly cannot be this embarrassing once you confront him, that’s for sure. But realizing you might have been absent for a while, you gingerly take a hold of your phone and type a new message with a plan. 
When are you free, Bam? 
You need to discuss this to him in person. You need to see it in Bambam’s eyes. You see the typing animation show on and off as he’s probably contemplating on what to say to you too.
i’m free for a few hours after our morning radio interview
Perfect. I’ll meet you at the cafe near my university at 12. Sounds good?
yeah yeah ofc 
Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Bam.
you too. uhhh good night?
Good night to you too, Bambam. :)
“Headass, over here!”
A guy in stylish clothing, together with a black cap, black sunglasses, and black mask whips his head towards your direction. His tall stance and sense of fashion already singled him out from the lazily dressed college students surrounding the cafe right now, including yourself.
You end up sleeping three hours later after your conversation with Bambam, different scenarios of your meet up today forming in your head, some with good outcomes and others unspeakable. You couldn’t believe that you were able to set up a “date” with him with the intention of confessing the uncertainty you have in regards to affectionate feelings towards him. 
He walks over to the corner of the quaint little shop, a cold drink already in place before his seat. You don’t see his expression quite well, seeing that his whole face is covered with different kinds of masks, but you hear him chuckle as he relaxes in front of you, inspecting the drink shortly. 
“You know me too well,” he finally says, lowering the mask to his chin so he can take a sip of his favorite drink. You grin at your accomplishment, chugging the iced coffee you bought for yourself as to keep your nerves from taking over you- which was ironic since you’re gulping down more of what keeps you shaking right now.
“How was the interview?” You ask nonchalantly, watching his every move. Bambam glances up at you and nods his head, “It went really well. More enjoyable than your presentation, that I could say.”
Glaring daggers at him you counter, “Shut up.” He cackles at your response, and then the two of you instinctively easing into your normal conversations of mundane stories and brutal banters, almost forgetting about the original reason of you meeting him here.
But you didn’t mind, not one bit. You missed his physical presence. Just seeing a hint of his crinkling eyes from the shade of his visor is enough for you to feel comfortable around Bambam. He genuinely is the best person you know. You both never have to think twice about saying something potentially wrong, because the other would just use it at their advantage but at the same time turn it into an inside joke between the two of you. 
There was something that he declared which made you stomp your hand down the table in rejection. He chortles at your dramatic expression and casually lays his hand on top of yours. Your face quickly realizes this as you retrieve your hand back to your sides, squeezing it tight to stop it from trembling at the sudden contact. 
Bambam notices your discomfort and coughs awkwardly. “Sorry, sorry. I ruined it, didn’t I?” He admits, looking down in frustration.
“No, no, Bam it’s not that,” your attempt in fixing the matter at hand was futile, and you wish you have more time to stall, more time to just have mindless fun with the best guy friend you’ve ever had in a while. 
But seeing that your stomach churned and jumped in itself after a simple touch of your hand, you had to tell him how he’s made you feel. Or else you’re going to go nuts.
“What are we, Bambam?” You blurt out, eyes fixating on the empty cup of beverage sitting idly on the table. “And don’t make it out as a meme, ‘kay? I’m asking it seriously,” you follow up with a scrunched face, making sure that Bambam knows you’re done with fooling around. 
You peek at his face and he seems to be smiling shyly, hand that was once touching yours now scratching the back of his head. You find yourself wishing you never took it back. 
Shaking your head, you whine at your inner frustration. “I
 I think I like you, Bam. And I don’t know why I’m saying this now but recently, you’ve been saying weird stuff to me that gets me all flustered and red and you can’t see that because we haven’t seen each other in a while, but when we do I try to suppress it just because I don’t you to think I’m weird or something like that but our conversation last night messed me up big time, and now I don’t know if suppressing it is going to help anymore and I just -”
You stop yourself from losing air in your system as you inhale and exhale. Your hands have been clutching themselves tightly on your lap and you let go to feel the blood pumping again. You’re afraid to look up and see a confused Bambam staring at you, but before you can contemplate any further, you hear a soft laughter resonating from him. And it wasn’t that of mockery, so you slowly turn your head to reveal a blushing adolescent boy before you, hands covering his eyes under a pair of expensive sunglasses.
 “Aw man, you beat me to it. Why do you always do that to me?” He complains cutely. You titl your head in confusion. 
“I was supposed to confess first. Do you know how ashamed I feel right now?” He takes his hands off his eyes as well as his sunglasses and you finally see his eyes. Glistening in hope and anxiety all at the same time, but the beauty in them never left. You are taken aback, but you try and keep it together as he gulps down and stares right back at you. 
“You always beat me to things, but that doesn’t mean I won’t confess anymore. Yes, I’ve been trying to get your attention more frequently because I’ve
 developed feelings for you, and I didn’t know how to handle them other than be more annoying than usual.” His assessment of the situation makes you giggle, and it prompted him to keep going. 
“I was really happy I got to talk to you when I was feeling hella nervous yesterday. It made me confirm my feelings for you and that you make me comfortable in whatever situation we’re in. The selfie I sent you last night was just me trying to see if you kind of feel the same way, and I honestly didn’t know what to expect from there.” He brings his hands on the table and plays with them mindlessly, biting his lip as he looks down. 
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel frustrated by the way I’ve acted, I’m just a dumb adolescent boy who doesn’t know how to handle his feelings well. But I was honestly really glad we got to hang out today, you know I missed you a lot. So, I’m sorry if this ruins everything
” he trails off, seeming to want to say more but his tongue prevents him from doing so.
You keep your eyes on him, not exactly knowing how to respond correctly. He gives you a full minute to contemplate on your own before he looks back up at you, pausing with his hands and smiling sheepishly. “Any response from you would be great right now.”
“Shoot, I’m sorry,” you say, lips in a tight line. You think for another few seconds before finally making up your mind. “C’mon, let’s take a selfie.”
“W-what?”
“C’mon, Bam. You have a better camera than mine, so go get your phone!” Your tone was firm but encouraging at the same time. He hesitates for a second but complies nonetheless. You scoot next to him, your arm slightly touching with his. You falter a bit, but you feel Bambam relax with your touch and you smile as you move in a tiny bit closer.
He positions the phone at the perfect angle and you see him trying out a few different expression before his thumb presses over the button. Your smile grows wider at the sight of him assessing himself, but you quickly peck the soft surface of his cheek and beat him to taking the selfie. 
Without waiting for his response, you snatch the phone away and inspect the picture. Content with the image, you show him the screen. 
He looks at with his eyebrows furrowed, but immediately understands and reveals a goofy grin. You nudge his elbow playfully before resting your head on your shoulder, already feeling at ease with your position.
“Not so blurry now, huh?” You ask him. He pats your head in response and squeezes your shoulder reassuringly, the touch of him making you want more.
 But for now, this is enough.
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saviormysticmeme · 8 years ago
Note
ummmm..... I LOOOVE YOUR WORK ≧∇≊ YOU ARE SERIOUSLY SUPER TALENTED! Are YOU A GENIUS???? Sorry for caps...Ž-`If you don't mind, may I request an hc about the RFA + minor trio mistaking mc's twin for mc? Maybe they see her twin with another guy, so they ask mc about it or something... I just love love love your writtiiinngg~~~ I can write whole page! It's all so good that I they're all my favorite! (®Д` ) Sorry if its unclear/bad grammar... ByeïŒˆăƒ»â—‡ăƒ»ïŒ‰/~~~
RFA + MTrio React to Mistaking CM for MC
Omg pls you guys are feeding my ego so muchAnd don’t worry about your grammar!! Grammar is the hardest part of any language, I cry when I speak anything other than English cause “How do say this” 
Ok anyways
Some of these are going to be those totally clichĂ©Â â€œSecret Twin” scenarios that are kind of angsty but I’m gonna try some more lighthearted ones too because I feel like the “I SAW YOU WITH ANOTHER MAN IM LEAVING YOU!!!1!1!” “Babe thats my twin” scenarios have been used quite a bit and I don’t want to pump out something that’s already out here
If you decide you want those scenarios instead though then let me know! Because if you just happen to reallllly like that specific case then I’ll do a short drabble focusing on that
Also sorry in advance for the Choi twin ones, I just feel like they would know about MC’s twin and I the writing for them isn’t up to par with the others but I didn’t want to postpone posting for much longer because of it.
Ok I talk too much lets go
Yoosung:
He’s walking by a cafe near campus when he sees you sitting across from another guy
He stops dead in the side walk and stares in the window
At first he thought you were maybe just..discussing something? With some guy? Who you never told him about
?
No he didn’t think that at all his brain went straight to the worst but he couldn’t bare to think it so he came up with every excuse in the book.
MC’s a spy and they have to kill this guy
He’s a new RFA recruit???
He’s a dealer and MC’s buying drugs
MC is secretly a vampire and just trying to eat this guy
Every thought bubble he had was popped when you leaned over the table and planted a kiss on the mans cheek
Yoosung heard his heart-
rrrng rrrrng rrrrng rrrng
He was going to say breaking but apparently his heart rings when broken?
He looked at his phone and your Caller ID was up
“Huh?” He looked from his phone to the window, where ‘you’ were still sitting and talking with the strange man
He answers the phone, voice a little shakey “H-Hello?”
“Yoosung? Hey! Sorry to call but on your way home can you grab soup. I’m feeling like soup for dinner tonight.”

.
“Yoosung?”
“MC
how are you doing this?”
“
Doing what Yoosung?”
“Are you a vantrilaquist?”
“Yoosung pls just what the fuck are you talking about”
“I’m staring at you through a window having coffee with another man
but you’re on the phone with me.”
“1. Yoosung that’s creepy that you’re staring at two strangers 2
”
His phone beeped and he looked down to see you sent him a picture of you sitting on the couch with a controller in hand, soda on the table, blankly staring at the camera.
He snapped a picture of the ‘you’ in the window and sent it back
“Yoosung that’s my sister and her boyfriend you egg”
“Your sister???? What???”
“I told you I had a sister!”
“NOT THAT YOU GUYS WERE TWINS”
“I assumed when you met her you’d be with me
not that this would happen. This is some TV style mess.” You chuckled, feeling a little guilty. Reflecting on it, you probably would have been upset too if you thought a look a like Yoosung was putting the moves on someone else “So

soup?”
“Yeah babe of course, what do you want?”
Jaehee
She was at the cafe making -cue Savior Meme going and making a post about Jaehee owning a musical theatre instead- a new brew when you walked in
She sees you and casts a warm smile and a “Hey Honey”
The person Jaehee thought to be MC cocks their head, slightly confused, but brushes it off as Jaehee being a very friendly Barista
The copy cat you stands at the counter, waiting about a minute before Jaehee realizes their presence at the spot
“Dear, what are you doing?”
The customer furrows their brows and responds slowly, somewhat confused “Ordering coffee
”
Jaehee chuckles, amused at you playing customer. She just shakes her head and walks over to the register
“Alright, what’ll you have?”
“I’ll have an iced Mocha with extra cream no sugar.”
Jaehee scribbles it on a cup and gets to work making the drink “Weird choice for you. Didn’t think you were a fan of  mocha, you always seem to prefer vanilla”
“I do?” 
“Yes silly, you always ask for French vanilla flavoring.”
“I ne-” Before your clone can respond though, Jaehee has finished up the drink and handing it over
As ‘You’ take the drink, Jaehee leans over the counter and plops a quick kiss on your cheek
‘You’ are frozen on the spot
Jaehee opens her eyes to see why you’re suddenly so frigid towards her, but when she opens them she can’t help but glance behind you and see
YOU??
“MC?” Jaehee jumped back looking between you and your look a like.
“MC?” Your twin turns to you, face still flushed from their sudden kiss. “Is this the surprise you had for me??? A super friendly barista??”
“Surprise???” Jaehee exclaimed, still looking between the two of you. “Wait you’re not MC???”
Finally you stepped in to clear the confusion
“Jaehee! This is my twin 
. CM. CM, this is my new Cafe that I run with my girlfriend!”
“Girl..friend.” CM turns to look at Jaehee, at the same time the two of them realize everything that just happened concerning the confusion.
“I am so so so so so so so so so sorry” Jaehee can not stop apologizing no matter how many times CM says it’s ok.
Zen
It was  opening night for his new show
He was pumped
Sure because of the show, but also because you had shot him a text earlier that day that you were going to bring your sibling. 
Zen had yet to meet anyone in your family, so he was excited that you were going to start introducing him to them. It showed how ready you were to spend your life with him and that just made him giddy.
So after the show was over he couldn’t wait to find you
He scanned the crowd and eventually spotted you in the crowd with a bouquet of roses
MC is so sweet he hummed to himself
That was his sole moment of calmness before the storm
He watched as his coworker walked up to you and started chatting you up. Zen was on the other side of the auditorium, trying to push his way through the flock of people set on congratulating him, so he couldn’t run to your rescue as fast as he liked.
He was frustrated but he knew you could handle yourself
At least that’s what he thought until his fellow actor’s hand found it’s way to your hand, where the thumb gently brushed back and forth. 
Zen’s face turned red, and the shade only grew deeper when he saw his douche bag scene mate’s mouth turn into a cocky looking smirk.
He found superhuman speed and agility to push through the crowd and end up right behind you, where he wrapped his arms around you tightly and pressed a long kiss to your cheek
“Honey, there you are.” Zen sounded so sweet while his blazing red eyes stared daggers into the green ones of his coworker.
“Zen? This is your girlfriend?”
“Yes, this is my girlfriend MC.” Zen squinted at the guy. How dare he pretend not to know, Zen only pointed out MC every time she came to a show. Every time she picked him up from rehearsal. Every time-
“You said your name was CM” The Actor turned a confused stare to the person in Zen’s arms
“I-” They tried to say but
“CM?” Zen questioned, he spun them around only to realize “You’re not MC.”
“No I’m” Cm tried to say
“Zen!” You interjected as you ran over to the 3. “Sorry, I had to run to the bathroom. CM thanks for holding the flowers. Speaking of which, Zen I see you’ve met my twin”
Zen’s face turned bright red with blush this time
He turned to his fellow actor and CM and started apologizing profusely 
Jumin
He knew you had a brother
.or
a sister? 
or both?
He lied he had no clue, he just knew you had some sort of sibling.
He was unaware it was a twin
A twin who worked as an assistant for a company but was looking to switch, so when they saw C&R was hiring a new chief assistant, they threw an application in
So here is Jumin, just sorting through some applications when he sees
“CM PlayerPants” 
He smirks at the paper, seeing all the information filled out is yours. Your home address, the general store you lived near, your school, graduation, etc.
Your picture was even you, just you in a suit and looking very hot professional
Now lets face it you and Jumin did some kinky shit sometimes
Sometimes your love life together involved role playing
Jumin was surprised at how much effort you put into this, but he wasn’t going to spoil it. 
He types in the phone number, it’s not your usual cell number, what did you get a prepaid phone just for this?
He was in awe with your dedication
Rrrng rrrng rrrng
“Hello?” Your voice answered
He couldn’t hide the smirk on his face “Hello there, Kitten.”
“I-I’m sorry?”
“Oh my bad” He corrected himself “Hello there, Ms. Playerpants. This is Jumin Han from C&R calling about your application”
“Oh! Uh, Hello! Yes, what can I do for you? Does it need any clarification?”
“Oh no no no, I think I read you loud and clear.” He lazily flipped through the pages of the resume in front of him
“Oh..ok. Is this about the position then?”
“Yes” A smirk found it’s way to his lips “Speaking of which, what is your favorite position?”
“Excuse me? I don’t think I understand?” The voice on the end was clearly taken aback. Damn, you were making him work for this.
“Well I figured I’d give you a say in the matter tonight since you put sooo much work into this. So Kitten, tell me, what would you like to do tonight? Maybe I’ll buy some toys on the way home an-”
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU????” Click.
Jumin just stared at the phone confused. He shrugged it off because his desk phone went off, and when he answered it was his father calling him to a meeting. Jumin resolved to just handle whatever happened with you when he got home
After a long work day he came in the door to see you waiting for him. “Hello Kitten.”
“Hey Babe, how was work?”
“Good, aside from this strange phone call I made today” A small grin on his face
“Oh?” You cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes,” He purred as he walked over and started rubbing your shoulders “I thought I had found a new assistant”
“OH!” You exclaim, jumping up and remembering something “I forgot to tell you this morning! My twin is applying for the chief assistant job, it completely slipped my mind.”
“Your
twin?” Jumin cocked his brows now
“Yes! CM!”
“C
.M” Jumin was quick to catch on to his mistake “Oh my god”
Seven
Lets face it
You guys may be sick of hearing this but 
He knew
Of course he knew
He stalked the ever-loving-shit out of you
He saw photos of the two of you together
He insists on you and your twin joining him and Saeran out for lunch all the time
You guys have the certified Twin Club in his brain
The 4 of you spend so much time together Seven can tell the slight difference between your hair and your twins. How your twin is about a centimeter taller. Your eyes are a little more wide.  He knows. 
Which is why he isn’t caught off guard when your twin and you show up in the same room
He’s not confused when he sees CM out kissing someone 
He knows
He loves it
#TwinSquad
V
His eyesight is so bad he has mini heart attacks once a week thinking he sees you out in public holding hands with someone else
Over time he stops freaking out, he starts to recognize you easier, which means he can play ‘Spot the Blurry Difference’ a little better when you two aren’t together
Until one day he’s on set doing a photo shoot for a Modeling company that requested his help
And he sees
MC? With a headset on ordering some people around to do this and that.
The voice is the same. He knows MC’s voice damn well. 
And that is MC
“MC..” V quietly calls out but with no answer.
‘MC’ Disappears into the crowd of models
What the fuck. How could you not tell him? He was a little hurt you never shared your work life with him. Was this where you were when the two of you weren’t together? Did you think he wouldn’t be impressed because he usually focuses on more artsy photography??? Did he say something??? MC please why don’t you love hi-
“Hey Hun!” 
MC!? V whirled around to see you, but you were talking to one of the models, very flirtatiously he may add. Your hand on their arm and a sweet, sweet smile on your face as you looked at them. He could see that much.
He felt his heart break a bit, how could you pretend not to even see him?
No. No this couldn’t be you. 
Jihyun Kim trusts and loves you and refuses to believe you’d be evil *cough*LikeHowHeTrustedSnakeBitch*cough* 
He marches well marches as good as you can while visually impaired up to ‘MC’ and taps them on the arm.
MC turns “Can I help you?”
“I’m sorry, but you look extremely like a friend of mine. Her name is MC-”
The set director in front of him suddenly seems much more friendly “Oh! That’s my twin! Wait, are you V?? MC mentioned they were dating a photographer I didn’t realize it was the one we hired for today! Oh, I’m sorry, Hello I’m CM!”
Relief. So much fucking relief on V’s heart.
Vanderwood
Neither you nor Vanderwood were aware that Seven was being devious today
He had been scarce all day, leaving the two of you to go through the day in overall peacefulness. You guys had spent a bit of time together, but eventually you got up to start cleaning and doing some chores.
Yep that’s all normal
Until you suddenly walk in the door you did not leave out of
“MC?” Vandy stared at you as you looked at him, then walked straight back out the door you just came in
Then you walked in the door he thought you originally left from.
You crossed the room and into the hall, out of site. He was left a little slackjawed and confused
Then you entered from the door he just saw you enter from. Wait what
“MC how-”
You giggled and ran out another door
Only to come back from the hall
“OK LITERALLY WHAT THE FUCK”
His outburst made you jump
“Vanderwood wha-”
Two doors behind you silently opened, and two almost carbon copies of you peaked their heads through and shushed Vanderwood
He was speechless and just violently pointed trying to get you to turn around, but by the time you did the copies of you were gone
“What in the fuck-”
“Vanderwood what is-”
“Yeah Vanderwood why-” An MC copy asked running in from the hall
“What’s going on?” Another one said coming in from a room
“What the” You looked around and Vanderwood was rubbing his eyes like crazy trying to get whatever form of psycho out of them. 
Upon further inspection, you realized one of your clones didn’t look like you aside from the fact they were wearing your clothes and had on a wig that looked like your hair “Seven?”
“You got me! Lucky~~Aha~!” Seven cheered pulling the wig off
“So who is-” Vanderwood looked to the last copy
“Oh, I’m CM! I’m MC’s twin. 707 asked if I would help him out with a little prank and I couldn’t say no” Cm giggled.
You all had a good laugh
Except Vanderwood
Saeran
Ok, you guys might hate me for this one
But
I feel like he also knows
I feel like Seven has told him, and dragged him out on the #TwinClubDates
There’s no way Seven wouldn’t constantly talk about you 4 being goals
He takes group pictures of you guys all the time
He shows Saeran photos of CM constantly asking if he and Saeran look more alike than MC and CM
Buuut
Even though Saeran knows, he’s totally fucked up before
I bet he’s accidentally kissed CM before when MC’s in a spot then leaves only for CM to be left standing somewhere close to where Saeran last saw MC
He’s definitely had to play the “Which one am I dating” game when you two first started going out. And he has failed and accidentally grabbed Cm’s hands, causing you two to giggle despite Saeran’s obvious saltiness
I’m sorry. This one is really weak but I don’t really have any ideas for it because I feel like Saeran wouldn’t make a big slip up since he’d know MC had a twin cause of Seven. 
485 notes · View notes
viralhottopics · 8 years ago
Text
Brian Eno: Weve been in decline for 40 years Trump is a chance to rethink’
The revered producer has been at the centre of pop since the days of Roxy Music. But dont ask him about the past hes more interested in how to reorder society
Brian Enos new album is called Reflection, and what better time to reflect on an astonishing career? Or careers. Theres the first incarnation of Eno as the leopardskin-shirted synth-twiddler who overshadowed the more obviously mannered Bryan Ferry in Roxy Music. With his shoulder-length hair and androgynous beauty, there was something otherworldly about Eno. He was as preposterous as he was cool. So cool that, back then, he didnt bother with a first name.
After two wonderfully adventurous albums he left and Roxy became more conventional. There followed a sustained solo career, starting with the more poppy Here Come the Warm Jets, progressing to the defiant obscurity of his ambient albums and on to commercial Eno, the revered producer behind many of the great Bowie, Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay records.
There is Eno the visionary, who helped conceive a 10,000-year clock and invented an influential pack of cards called Oblique Strategies that offer creative solutions for people inapickle. There is Eno the visual artist;Eno the activist, tirelessly campaigning for a fairer world; and Eno the philosopher, endlessly thinking of ways in which to bring thisnew world about.
We meet at his studio, near Notting Hill in west London. It is a mix of the minimalist and maximalist. Minimalist in its big white empty spaces, maximalist in the numerous books carefully filed away (library-like sections for African, Asian and European art), old-fashioned hi-fi equipment, a parked bike, and his own Rothko-ish artworks.
Eno, now 68, could not look more different from the louche glamour-puss of the early 70s. As his music became more pared down, so did he. The head was shaved, the makeup washed off and the feather boa dispensed with. Nowadays, he looks like a stylish academic.
His assistant asks me to join Eno athis table. Ill just be 40 seconds, finishing off my lunch, Eno says. He takes a mouthful of fruit salad. Just 30seconds now. There has always been something fastidious about him. His interviews tend to be 45 minutes long precisely. One journalist said that Eno had interrupted their chat to play him an Elvis Presley record that lasted two minutes and seven seconds, and then added two minutes and seven seconds to the interview sothe journalist wouldnt be shortchanged. At the same time, Eno loves to embrace the random. As a producer, he encourages artists to pick up Oblique Strategies cards to alter the path they are taking. Itell him I have brought a pack with me in case we find ourselves struggling. He smiles, flashing a gold tooth. That will be just the job, I should think, he says.
Roxy Music in 1972, with Eno at front. Photograph: Brian Cooke/Redferns
Eno talks slowly, calmly, eloquently. He would be brilliant on Just a Minute no repetition, hesitation or deviation. His voice is as soothing as his ambient music. He was christened Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno. You might assume he was an aristocrat, but his father and grandfather were postmen. And my great grandad actually, he says enthusiastically when I mention it. And my two uncles.
Did he ever think that was his destiny? Well, I did go into communications, didnt I? He laughs. Youre a sonic postman? Yeah! I help people communicate with each other in one way or another. When I was in my mid-30s, and my mother and father were living in a house I had bought for them with the proceeds of my music, my mum said: Dad and I were talking. Do you think youll ever settle down and get a job? Hahahhaha! She said: You could get a job in the Post Office. In the office! You know, not trudging delivering mail.
Eno decided he didnt want a regular job when he saw the effect it had on his father. He did shift work. It was a three-week cycle, mornings, afternoons and nights. I realised years later he was in a permanent state of jet lag because his eight-hour work day was shifting every week. I remember him coming home from work and sitting at the table; my mother had just put the food down and he fell forward, asleep. I thought even if I have to turn to crime, I wont get a job; the horror of being that exhausted and doing your work just to keep things going; the lack of freedom inyour life.
His Belgian mother had spent the war in Germany building planes in a labour camp. Eventually she returned to Belgium at the end of the war. It took her three months to get back. She arrived in Dendermonde near Brussels weighing five stone.
He has been talking quietly and beautifully about his parents. So it comes as a shock when I ask where his string of first names comes from, and he explodes. God, are we going to do any interesting questions? This is all bollocks. I mean Im not fucking interested at all in me. I want to talk about ideas. Can we do any of that?
He picks up one of the Oblique Strategy cards, and bursts out laughing. He shows it to the two women in the studio. Hahaha! How about that? Hahahaha! Take a break!
Take a break, they echo. Hahaha!
Arent they brilliant? Eno says. Fancy that.
The more they laugh, the smaller Ifeel.
Shaping the future: Enos Oblique Strategies cards. Photograph: Brian Eno
Eno says he hates talking about himself. Im not interested in that personality aspect of being an artist. Its all based on the idea that artists are automatically interesting people. I can tell you they arent. Their art might be very interesting, but as people they are no more or less interesting than anybody else. And Im really not at all interested in talking about Brian Eno. His ideas, however, I think have something to recommend them.
So what is Brian Eno working on at the moment, I ask. Im interested in the idea of generative music as a sort of model for how society or politics could work. Im working out the ideas Im interested in, about how you make aworking society rather than a dysfunctional one like the one we live in at the moment by trying to make music in a new way. Im trying to see what kinds of models and and structures make the music I want to hear, and then Im finding its not a bad idea to try to think about making societies in that way.
Could he be more specific? Yes. If you think of the classical picture of how things were organised in an orchestra where you have the composer, conductor, leader of the orchestra, section principals, section sub principals, rank and file the flow of information is always downwards. The guy at the bottom doesnt get to talk to that guy at the top. Almost none of us now would think that hierarchic model of social organisation, the pyramid, is agood way to arrange things.
In other words, he says, society should be built on the more egalitarian model of a folk or rock band, who just get together and do their thing, rather than a classical orchestra. Cant you see, he says with the passion of a visionary, if you transpose that argument into social terms, its the argument between the top down and bottom up? It is possible to have a society that doesnt have pre-existing rules and structures. And you can use the social structures of bands, theatre groups, dance groups, all the things we now call culture. You can say: Well, it works here. Why shouldnt it work elsewhere?
He has called himself an optimist. In the past. I ask him if he still is, post-2016. Yes, he says, there is a positive way to look at it. Most people I know felt that 2016 was the beginning of a long decline with Brexit, then Trump and all these nationalist movements in Europe. It looked like things were going to get worse and worse. I said: Well, what about thinking about it in a different way? Actually, its the end of a long decline. Weve been in decline for about 40 years since Thatcher and Reagan and the Ayn Rand infection spread through the political class, and perhaps weve bottomed out. My feeling about Brexit was not anger at anybody else, it was anger at myself for not realising what was going on. I thought that all those Ukip people and those National Fronty people were in a little bubble. Then I thought: Fuck, it was us, we were in the bubble, we didnt notice it. There was a revolution brewing and we didnt spot it because we didnt make it. We expected we were going to be therevolution.
He draws me a little diagram to explain how society has changed productivity and real wages rising in tandem till 1975, then productivity continuing to rise while real wages fell. It is easily summarised in that Joseph Stiglitz graph. The trouble now, he says, is the extremes of wealth and poverty. You have 62 people worth the amount the bottom three and a half billion people are worth. Sixty-two people! You could put them all in one bloody bus then crash it! He grins. Dont say that bit. (Since we meet, Oxfam publish a report suggesting that only eight men own as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people in the world half the worlds population.)
Eno himself is a multimillionaire, largely because of his work as a producer.He wouldnt be one of the 62, would he, I ask. I certainly wouldnt be, he says with a thin smile. No, Im a long way off that.
He is still thinking about the political fallout of the past year. Actually, in retrospect, Ive started to think Im pleased about Trump and Im pleased about Brexit because it gives us a kick up the arse and we needed it because we werent going to change anything. Just imagine if Hillary Clinton had won and wed been business as usual, the whole structure shed inherited, the whole Clinton family myth. I dont know thats a future I would particularly want. It just seems that was grinding slowly to a halt, whereas now, with Trump, theres a chance of a proper crash, and a chance to really rethink.
Reflection is his 26th solo album, and his first ambient release in five years. Does he think there is a particular need for its soothing qualities at the moment? Well, I think this is quite a good time for it, he says.
I am not sure I get ambient its pleasant but dull; nice to have on in thebackground while you are working. Thats exactly what I want it for myself, he says, delighted. I do a lot of writing, and one of the ways I have of writing is by starting to make a piece of music of that kind and then, while Im carrying on writing, Im thinking: Theres a bit too much of that and not enough of this. So I go in and fiddle around with ita bit. I keep adjusting the music until its helping the writing, and then I adjust it less and less.
I had read that he initially made ambient music to help him when travelling, because he was frightened of flying; that it was supposed to be a kind of audio Mogadon. No, not Mogadon. One of the things you can get from music is surrender. From a lot of art, what youre saying is: Let it happen to me. Im going to let myself be out of control. Im going to let something else take over me. And thats what he wants to happen with this music.
That desire to surrender is interesting because, in many ways, he seems so controlled. I mention the interview with the Elvis song. Well, thats fair, isnt it? Its controlled but not controlling. You asked me whether Im controlling. Thats different to whether Im controlled. I think controlling would be if I said to the interviewer: Im taking some time out of the interview to play you something, but fuck you, Im in control here, so piss off. I didnt say that. I said Im taking some time out of the interview to play you something, but since you didnt request that, Im not expecting you to lose that time. Of course, I work in a role that could be seen as a controlling role as a producer. But, in fact, Im not that kind of producer. What I want to do is make situations where were all slightly at sea because people make their best work when they are alert, and alertness comes at the moment when you feel youre on the edge of being out of control. Youre not alert when youre settled and you know exactly what youre doing.
Ah, the collaborations. Much as Iadmire Eno the thinker and activist, like most of his fans it is Eno the collaborator/producer I love. And this is what I have really been looking forward to talking about. Like many middle-aged pop enthusiasts, I owe a huge debt to Eno. He has shaped so much of my favourite music from the first two Roxy Music albums, to Bowies Berlin trilogy and Talking Heads Remain in Light. Just as fascinating is his ability to mentor the more obviously commercial Coldplay and U2.
Eno with David Bowie and Bono at the Meltdown festival in 2002. Photograph: Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage
Who has he enjoyed working with most? Pause. Probably Brian Eno! Hehehe! I keep returning to him. No, really, I say, which collaborations does he look back on with most satisfaction? Idont look back much, to be honest. Whenever I look back at music, I think how I could have done it better.
Is there nothing that makes him think, God, I love that? Well, I suppose every collaboration continued because I liked doing it. Some of them are funnier than others
Which ones? Erm Uch. I dont want to talk about this. I so dont want to talk about this. And again, an explosion. Look, weve got a few minutes left. Lets talk about something good.
Thats controlling, I say.
Its not controlling. Its just fucking boring. I have to keep myself awake. Im tired.
I dont understand, I say I dont even know what is so fucking boring that you are refusing to talk about.
I just dont want to talk about history. All that shit! You can find all this in other interviews Ive done. Ivebeen 40 years talking about other people Ive worked with. No, sorry. Imjust not interested.
Doesnt he think the idea that the interview should be entirely about the present and what he may do in the future is a bit unreasonable?
But you can do research, he says. And calm, measured Eno has turned into irascible Eno. Thats your job! Research! You can look through thousands of interviews Ive done where Ive talked about all of this. Thats your job! You get paid for it. I dont get paid for this, by the way!
I get paid to ask people questions, Isay.
OK, well, youve asked me and Ive said I dont want to answer them. Thats a fair deal, isnt it? I know what you were after, he says, and I dont want to go there. I dont want to go intoa historical gloss on my career because that is not where my thoughts are right now. Im thinking about something as were talking that were not talking about and I dont want to lose it.
What is he thinking about? That piece of music Im working on in there which I have been playing today and making changes to in between interviews.
Was he thinking that I was asking about Bowie?
I know you were.
Well, I kind of was and wasnt.
Well, you kind of were, he mocks.
No, I say, I was thinking of any number of the great collaborations, including Bowie.
Im not interested in talking about any of them. And I think it would be considerate of you to say: He doesnt want to talk about that, so there are plenty of other things he could talk about; hes quite an interesting guy. Then he tells me exactly how Im trying to trap him. I could ask him a million other questions, but I know because this would make a headline, so Im going to fucking ask him about that.
I think thats unfair, I say.
All right, sorry, that is unfair, Eno says.
Weve spent most of the time talking about politics.
Only because I asked you to, he replies sullenly.
OK, were going to have to have to wrap this up now, the publicist says.
I dont want to wrap it up on a badvibe, Eno says, talking fast and breathing heavily.
But weve ground to a halt. Im not sure that even his Oblique Strategies could help us now.
Im sorry, he says. Im very tired today because I didnt sleep last night. And I knew I was going to be ratty, so Im sorry about that. But I really dont want to spend the rest of my life Im now 68, so I might have another 15 to 20 years left talking about my history. So, given the little time Ive got left on this planet, I would really love to focus on some of the new things Im doing.
What new stuff have we not talked about that he would like to talk about, Iask. Silence. I point to the serene orange lightbox image in front of us, and ask if thats a recent piece of work. Yes, thats one of my new pieces. Yes, this is stuff Ive been doing for hospitals, he says. I was invited to make some of these for rooms where people are spending a long time in stressful situations. With that he calls the interview to an end.
Reflection is out now on Warp.
Read more: http://ift.tt/2jRv5YU
from Brian Eno: Weve been in decline for 40 years Trump is a chance to rethink’
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qdtquietdownthere · 5 years ago
Text
Day 10- Baked Beans for breakfast and an afternoon of volunteering.
DAY10
Crack of dawn and the amber sun sits low on the horizon. 
I walk the streets looking at my feet. The pavements are not quiet, like I had expected. They are busy, but a different kind of busy, they are suit busy. People flocking to work. 7am streets are not my streets. 
I walked past Regents cafe earlier in the week, it looked proper London to me. A proper greasy spoon cafe with those seats which are bolted to the floor and each other. My Grandad ran a cafe a long while ago, and I will aways remember that smell of bubbling vegetable oil. Everything cooked from one pan. Honest food. Mums comfort food, but grandads. We used to call my grandad ‘grandad Pops’ because he drank lots of pop. They kept shelves of cans and 2litre bottles of pop in their garage. Proper British, wipe clean table cloths, chips and a can of pop. Thats what the cafe looked like when I walked past.
Today it is hectic, there is a long line and a woman shouting with the deepest loudest voice i have ever heard. There is a menu behind her, which looks like chefs specials, these include eggs Benedict and fish cakes. No one seems to be ordering these. Maybe they are for a different crowd. The most popular seems to be toast, black pudding, beans, chips and bacon. There are plenty variations of this, and everyone seems to know their order by heart. I go for beans, toast and mushrooms. This place seems like an institution. I put up an instagram about it and friends from Leeds and Glasgow tell me they have been there. I like my breakfast and its deliciously cheap. I feel comfortable and curious, so I'm not sat with my head down, I'm just watching. I have learnt to just sit and be and watch since starting the residency, which is a great thing. It is also a place I wouldn't walk into if I had to choose where to eat breakfast. This has been a fundamental-ditch avocado on toast. Im sure these places exist in Tottenham, and I'm sure there are delicious places to eat, i just wouldn't go. Now, well I would go.
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I wander along to the market, which is still asleep when I get there. Its mainly food places. Japaneese burgers, falafel and a giant fish stall. There are a few locals chatting to the fish monger and I shout at someone “that looks good” but i don't get much interaction here. The wider area is very connected though, lots of coffee shops and charity shops. Once again, it is an area which feels like a little village.
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From here I decide to go wander around a new estate and fall asleep lying on the grass in the sun as I watch the jumbo jets come in to land. The space is social, green and alive with movement. Parks for people to hang out and lots of benches. There are a few bee hives and i notice the area has received an award for this. Each flat seems so unique yet they are all identical. This is apparent in Churchill Gardens. The unified individualism of the flats.
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I am anxious about volunteering this afternoon. I will be doing food distribution with Mike and ‘Helping the Homeless’. It is one of the best things I have done so far in the residency, despite me being initially, but internally so cautious. I think I am cautious because I'm scared to upset anyone. I don't want to be seen as this young girl rocking up for one session then fluttering away again. Its present, it is serious and the rates of homelessness is increasing. The amount of people relying of food banks is increasing. The food distribution comes out from a tiny little shed hidden in the corner of a housing estate. Its a beautiful housing estate, which once again cuddles around a lively, and busy playground. On one side of the estate is a building completely covered in tarps and scaffolding. Its being turned into luxury flats, despite being in the same square as a community reliant on a food distribution service. Im in shock. I am also, and once again in shock of the contrast. Walking to meet Mike i took many wrong turns and saw many beautiful streets and beautiful people. The streets smelt like flowers and perfume and everyone seemed to be living as it was a Saturday afternoon. This was happening just around the corner. I am saddened and in disbelief. 
Walking in to start the afternoon I meet wonderful Mike who shakes my hand very nicely. He is wearing high vis and is the centre of attention. Surrounding him are several people; Dolly, Charlie, Dee, Naomi, Claudio and an Irish man who speaks so fast I don't catch his name. He wishes me a happy life in his soft Irish accent many times and talks about his times living on the streets near Stonehenge. He also asks to inspect my hands and tells me I need to stop biting my nails. While speaking to him and hearing the sadness in his voice I am caught up by a worry about what to say. His world is so different from mine and I worry anything I say would seem stupid. Later Mike and I have a good conversation about how to cope and deal with listening to stories and information which is heavy. We've just got to be human. I find this day valuable on so many levels. 
Mike and I load a trolley full of several bags of food. They are bursting with fresh veg, fruit and nuts. Mike tells me that the work he does is not voucher based but based on real needs. Each household is only entitled to visit a food bank three times a month, at which most of the food on offer is purely tined or dried food. This isn’t good enough. I ask Mike how he works out who needs the food and how he reaches these people in the community, especially when they can be hard to find. He answers very simply “I just know my community”. Something which really sticks with me. 
We push this really heavy trolley along main streets towards Churchill Gardens. Mike uses a walking stick, which is unbelievable given that he is basically pushing something the weight of a large elephant along the pavement. The first stop we make is to deliver food to an elderly gentleman who's wife recently passed away. He doesn't leave the house much anymore and Mike tells me he often gets caught chatting to the man for a while. I wait outside out of courtesy but wish I had gone in with Mike. Eventually he reappears despite the elderly man showing him photographs of the grandchildren and asking mike to stay for a cup of tea. I cant help but think of the importance of Mikes role in this gentleman’s life as both a means to eat and as social interaction. This is the theme of the next few deliveries. Social isolation due to illness and age and confidence which prevents an individual leaving their house. One woman never answers the door and I cant help wonder if she is inside but is unable to come to the door for whatever reason. We leave the food on the doorstep. We end the deliveries on Churchill gardens with a family who thank Mike and give me the warmest Hello. 
Mike is everywhere in the community and even while we are gone for delivery he is getting phone calls every two minutes. He giggles so much and talks about all the groups and initiatives he has set up. I ask about younger people in the community and he names a few places and people who are doing wonderful things for them. Yet they are still no where to be seen to me. Yet again I haven't been with any young people since church or choir. I cant help but see the need for young, energetic people to help Mike, or simply interact with other people in the community, for everyone sake. The separation of age is continuously apparent.
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We spend the rest of the afternoon sat on the plastic chairs chatting in the sunshine. We sort 50 black bin liners of crisps into the shed and blabber away as people come and go. It is an inclusive space once again. It is run by the community so there isn't this separation between user and service. The people helping are service users, yet there is no distinction. I forget this and ask Naomi if she lives close by, to which she answers with the story of how she got to be someone who was homeless and how she got to be someone who both uses the service and hangs around with Mike. This is empowering and I value this anonymity. I feel valuable in the conversation, as just another person bringing my experience into the chat but not being defined by it. We talk about so many things while mike goes back to visit the first elderly man to spend more time looking at his pictures of the grandchildren. 
This experience is brimming with generosity and inclusivity. Once again, it is about being a local and a regular. At its core it is about being someone who is guided by human connection and friendship, be it fleeting or permanent. I walk away from today with a further confidence in myself and in the power of one individual deciding to take action and make a change. So often before doing this project I would have overthought how to engage and make a difference in communities, including my own. I would have almost been crippled by trying not to upset anyone, make something effective and change driven. I always believed in the power of simply talking but todays experience set it in cement. The food distribution service isn't just about getting the most vulnerable and forgotten people in our community food, it is also about building a community and having a laugh and being validated through being given a space to talk and be listened too. 
I walk to the tube station and bump into Mike who is having a natter with the newsagent. I go home and have an ice cream and a swim in the pond at Hampsted Heath. 
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