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prettywarriors · 4 years ago

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Ok ill bite whats the worst mg series

alright, whats the worst magical girl series in your opinion?

Thanks you two for letting me do some yelling. The obvious guess would likely be one of the recent edgelord shows right? Magical Girl Site or something similar? But nay I say, for while MGS and Day Break Illusion and such and what not generally tell you what to expect right away. Don't like super violence and suffering? Watch something else is the clear message from the get go. One of the bait and switch series then like Madoka or maybe Yuki Yuna? For what faults they may or may not have, at least these series do something and are interesting, even if you're not huge on what goes down in the series. A parody then? They range from affectionate to banned in New Zealand but regardless of quality and their feelings for MGs, it's a parody. It's a joke and shouldn't be taken seriously (plus they're usually short so you can just forget about them forever).

So what makes a series terrible then, I am sure you are asking. IMO? Setting expectations for an interesting and enjoyable series, and then dashing them to hell.

Come with me below the cut, as I talk about Key Princess Story: Kagihime Eternal Alice Rondo!

Spoilers abound so if you care about those for a 15 year old series, click away.

Background: Kagihime was a 4 volume manga that ran from 2004-2006 that was picked up for a 13 episode anime adaptation near the end of its run. The manga is created by a pair (Kaishaku) who you may know for making Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto. Kannazuki no Miko, and Steel Angel Kurumi, and the anime had a script written by the same writer (Mamiko Ikeda) for Tenshi Ni Narumon who also did some script writing for Princess Tutu and Seven of Seven. The anime also had 6 character music videos which are fairly simple but a nice addition to the series for the main girls. Discotek has been publishing the anime in the states in recent years, and the manga was brought over by *squints at book spine* Dr Master Publications.

The Premise: Girls transform and enter weird outside of reality spaces to fight each other with giant keys to take each other’s stories to create a third Alice In Wonderland story.

Well, an off-brand Alice story written by Alternate L. Takion, rather than Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson, that while the series uses all the aesthetic hallmarks of the tradition Alice, the little we see of the in universe Alice story is clearly different. Which is fine, at the end of the day, it’s still about someone who loves the Alice stories and wishes there was more, and even makes his own fanfiction version. His? Oh yeah, while the girls do all the fighting, the main character is Aruto, a teen boy who loves Alice, and for reasons we don’t know till late game, can enter the liminal spaces that the ‘Alice Users’ fight in. He chases a girl who looks like the Alice he sees in his story, who is named Arisu, and gets roped into this fanfic battle royale. He is also the older brother of the very needy Kirihara, who also ends up being and Alice User. As does Kirihara’s bff Kisa. To round out the group of enemies-turned-friends-who-will-work-together-to-collect-the-Eternal-Alice-without-having-to-fight-eachother group is a young genius researcher Kirika who wants to know more about Aruto’s connection that allows him to enter the spaces where the girls fight.

Then there’s all the other girls, some of whom still have real importance to the story and some who have a few panels or 2 scenes total. But with a whole bunch of girls to design, the creators reached out to a whole lot of other people to have them create designs! Eventually the battle gets down to the last few girls, there’s a confrontation with the guy running the whole thing, and while the anime and manga vary quite a bit the whole time, in both version Aruto ends up with Kirihara. Oh and Arisu was created by Aruto’s super imagination powers.

The Promise: Here on is subjective, particularly with what I personally saw as potential from this series. because I need you to understand how much I want to like this series.

~Alice in Wonderland themed: I know some people aren’t alice fans and that’s fine you do you but as a big alice fan this is great. We have a few alice episodes and themed characters amongst series like CCS and MGRP, and even Alice themes in other series like Tweeny Witches and Alice 19th. But damn it I am down for Alice series.

~Giant Keyyyyyyyys: Yeah yeah Kingdom Hearts but these keys are much more staff like for a lot of the characters which ads and air of elegance rather than the KH ones that for me at least feel well designed for big ol props rather than actual weapons. We also get...

~Weapon variety: It counts as a key if it’s a thorn whip that can be shaped like a key right? How about a giant pocket knife? Crossbows can also be keys. Hush. And we have this variety because

~Guest Artists: For magical girl series where we have a variety of outfits designed by different people, we have Kagihime, Uta~Kata, and uhh I guess Magia Record? But that’s a mobile game with a hella number of characters and with how mobile game works I wouldn’t count it just because it’s less the intent of the series to have variety and more the nature of having lots of girls. (Precure doesn’t count because unless I missed a memo each season’s set is still by one designer). If a series isn’t about a team and therefore doesn’t need cohesion, bringing in other artists is a great way for variety and new looks.

~The long term goal: Fighting with other people who love the same piece of media you do in hopes of creating new material that will be viewed as official? That’s just fandom nowadays. But it’s a legitimate interesting concept, and opens up so many doors for a message for the series, be it ‘what you create is no less valuable than the canon work’ or ‘it’s hard to let go when something you love doesn’t have more to it but you can still love it for what it is’ or ‘bond with the people who like the thing you like ya idiot instead of fighting about it’. The concept is interesting and there are so many narrative ways you can take this.

~Gays: Between the anime and manga, we have at least 5 wlw. Is it a magical girl series without some gays? (side note- the manga had a short thing where the MC wears a girl’s uniform and is pretty comfortable in it and while there is no way this was the intent, between that and the emphasis on the stories that live in girls and how the fight zones have no men, I’m just saying, Trans girl Aruto.)

~Greater Fairy Tale Premise: We meet a Little Match Girl based MG who is obsessed with Andersen rather than the Alice books, and touch on a Sleeping Beauty character in the manga. The manga at least implies that classic stories and fairy tale authors uh. Live on in a liminal space as immortals with world warping powers within that world and there could be opportunities for other girls in the real world to fight for Little Mermaid 2: Electric Boogaloo.

The Good: Everything has positive points, no matter how bad it is.

~Character Designs: Some of those looks slap. As do most of their weapons.

~Backgrounds: I have a strong opinion on backgrounds in anime that can be easily boiled down to old watercolor backgrounds good, modern filtered photos as background bad, and as a 2006 series, this might not be Memole nice but they’re quite attractive.

~Splash Pages: Easily my favorite thing after the designs, each chapter’s title page for the manga just has a character standing in a setting. Which is not everyone’s thing I’m sure but it’s a nice simplistic way to let the characters breathe imo. Even if at least some of the settings were deffo traced. But that’s how backgrounds work to some extent? If I ever get to the Met again, I am tracking down this exact photo, but here is a likely candidate for an example.

~Different Versions: I do not understand the need to make an adaptation that tries to be a 1:1. Kagihime had the same ideas and characters and did some of the same beats but very much had a different finale story and a lot of changes in the middle (like the Alice cops in the manga). Again, not something everyone probably wants I’m sure, but I very appreciate this, especially since the Anime kept good pace with the number of Manga chapters (reading the manga again while watching the anime at 3.8x speed just now was very interesting to see the different interpretations of events in a different medium.)

The ‘Fine’: Yeah.

~Anime Visuals: Look 2006 was still early enough into digipaint that I will give it a total pass on these. The colors are too bright but in a very bland way, the lineart is nothing interesting, and the faces are. Iffy. But it’s not total garbage to look at (probably helped by backgrounds and character designs...) it just came out in an era where not enough people knew how to stylize things to account for the weakness of the tools of the time. (It was 4 years earlier but I feel Kagihime is the polar opposite of Chobits with its painfully bland color palette while still being just. Flat. Sorry for the drive by Chii.)

~Music?: There sure were songs. Obviously, they are nothing to me.

The Bad: CW for.... somehow all the big things to an extent.

~Fanservice: Look, I am fine with fanservice, especially for a series that’s, ya know, not targeted at kids, big Mai Hime fan here even if I would recommend skipping the panty thief episode. And honestly the series generally isn’t fanservicey, at least by the modern standards of having the camera choosing under the skirt rather than an over the shoulder shot like I’ve seen plenty in other shows. Even the sexier outfits like the rose whip dominatrix aren’t bad BUT. When the girls fight. One takes her phallic key and drives it into another girls chest between the boobs while the loser cries in pain and then her book comes out and when the victor rips out pages, the loser’s clothes also rip. It is very SuperS Amazon Trio assault metaphor-y. There’s also a bit of fanservice with the sister becauseeeee....

~Incest: If you read the premise up there, first wow good job because I’m sure not re-reading that, you might have noticed I said MC ends up with his sister. As someone who is a big mythology fan and watches plenty of anime, I have a decent tolerance for your obligatory ‘oh we’re siblings but actually cousins so our feelings are okay’ or whatever the fuck Citrus has going on I don’t know that series and I don’t vibe BUT. I have limits and boy did this series go beyond that because multiple episodes are dedicated to the sister being in love with the brother? And the brother returns her feelings but knows that they are wrong so he put everything he likes in his sister into his version of Alice who, of course, physically manifests as Arisu who he creates accidentally with his uh. Magic imagination powers. But again in both versions MC still ends up with his sister. Hey, at least the manga eventually said the boy was adopted when the sister was like, 3, so if nothing else no blood relations? The anime did not ad this. -_-

~Under Utilized Characters: Arisu’s gradual revelation that she has no childhood memories because she isn’t a real person is so interesting and they don’t do nothing with it but also? That’s the kind of thing I personally would love to dig into and Kagihime, while touching on this world shattering revelation, easily loops back to So Anyway She Should Fight For The Man and to hell with developing a life or personality outside of what has been written for her. The rest of the main 5 were 2 note characters which. Could be worse? The most interesting character ends up being the child genius who accidentally murdered her childhood bestie (and/or lover? depending on version) and her coming to terms with that (the friend is alive but the version changes how and why she thinks she’s dead). Then the villain has the motivation of ‘i lost my creativity and now have become an immortal living outside of normal space and am getting girls to fight each other because that’s like a story so I’m still relevant right?’. But shoutout to the anime for then taking death of the author literally. The numerous other girls are canon fodder outside of like. The manga version of the dead gf and the little match girl.

~Battle Royale: This is not a thing I have an issue with generally. Again, but Mai Hime fan, I need to read MGRP 11, BUT by not developing the non-main girls there is no emotional connection which makes them just canon fodder and that’s boring as sin for a royale system. The initial main character fights revolve so much around the MC guy being there that they fall flat, and the 2 or 3 final battles in both versions still feel without any stakes. Also for a royale thing most of the characters don’t actually die, which cool! Neat! Except when they do? Some nobodies and a somebody are murdered (at least in the manga) and the tone never feels like it’s supposed to be upping the stakes, it’s just. Some people are dead now. And do you want to guess which of the main characters died?

~Gays: Oh boy the best friend of the brother-complex sister is in love with her and (in the manga) dies. She does apparently get better for the last chapter but the death itself is only felt by the rest of the cast for a page or two before we go back to feeling sad big brother wants to kiss his mentally generated sister clone rather than his actual sister u_u. Bury your gays is nothing new, but I wonder if it was also intended to be justified because Guess Who Is Creepy and a bit Perverted? Oh look the lesbian keeps the used swimsuit of her beloved and manipulates events to get an indirect kiss and when she sees the sister trying to strange Arisu for a moment she decides to do it for the sister? It’s not good. You want bad gay rep in a magical girl series, well here ya go. We also had a nobody in the first(second?) episode whose story pages reveal her having a kiss with a girl, and then we also have the prodigy again and- in the manga- her. Uh. childhood lover who she thought she killed but the girl has been wiping her mind over and over so prodigy remembers ‘killing’ the friend and not the she’s alive so she can keep? fucking with her? Toxic!

~Sexual Content: But wait you say, you already covered fanservice! Ah but that is sexual content for titilation. This is sexual content for dramatic backstory! The red riding hood character was sexually assaulted, another character was manipulated into sex first as a teen and then more often to ‘get into the publishing industry’, and the same writer forces some aggressive kisses on the MC. None of it is gratuitous which is nice, but also, was it necessary? Not making a new point for this but read riding hood’s dog was also murdered so unnecessary animal death gets tossed on in there.

~Male Lead: You can have a male, non magical character as the main character surrounded by magical girls. This is not how to do it. If I can make a vicious and hopefully not understood reference, Aruto is basically Tate from the Mai Hime Manga. If you understood that, I am so sorry. If you didn’t, congrats! Don’t read the manga. Or do and send me asks about the iconic final page of the first volume (18+). Anyway, this dude is boring, everything revolves around him, BUT I’ll be generous and say at least this isn’t a harem series? It looks like it out of context but it’s just a triangle with a fun attached scientist and token lesbian.

~Premise: They didn’t make good use of it. The initial goals of ‘take other girls pages from their soul books because if we get enough we unlock a third alice book’ is good! And then we add the twist that that was never going to happen and either if we get all the pages we can grant a wish, or these fights are just happening for the amusement of and asshole. Either way, yeah okay I guess. But at no point do we ever achieve this forbidden wish granting book and the asshole just. Lives. Nothing happens to him. His peers don’t even dunk on him. The only real changes from the beginning and the end of the series are: the siblings are now chill with dating, and the scientist lady won’t turn into a child in magical spaces. Oh. Yeah.

~Why did we make this adult a child sometimes?: I think we know why. Stop trying to get those types of folks to watch your already meh series. I also could have sworn at points in the past looking up images for this series I’ve seen extra art for Yuuri the Thumbelina-y Alice User that seemed like it would fit alongside anything by POP. You know, the Moetan guy. If you don’t know, god I wish that were me.

Wrap Up: I have definitely forgotten some points and am well within my rights to ad to this whenever I remember more points but uh. Yeah.

Listen you want an alice themed battle royale with nice outfits? Rozen maiden is right there. Battle Royale magical girl series that’s good with fanservice? Mai Hime. Series with different outfits while being based on a classic story? Pretear.

Hope anyone who read all of this at least got what I was saying, even if they don’t agree with it. And thanks for reading because whoops.

#why do ya'll let me write so damn many words #thanks ya'll for letting me write so many words #kagihime eternal alice rondo #long post #text #not fashion #whoops 3k words

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spine-buster · 5 years ago

Text

the storm before the calm (f. andersen) | 3

A/N: I continue to be baffled by the response to this fic. It’s overwhelming! Keep those canon questions coming!

TW: mention/explanation of EDs, EDNOS/OSFED

While alone in his hotel room one night, after most of the guys had left to go to a bar, Fred decided to conduct an in-depth search of Aleida Casillas. He knew there were a lot of things she wasn’t telling him, and that he couldn’t really trust the word on the street from girls like Serena. So he went digging.

The first links that came up were fashion related. Things she wore to events put on by the Toronto International Film Festival, by Toronto Life magazine, by various other institutions in the city that always liked to have charity galas and fundraising parties so people with money felt like important, morally conscious philanthropists when they wrote $10,000 cheques for their tables. There were a lot of pictures. And she looked beautiful in all of them. Stylish and classy and just plain good. Everything fit to perfection. He could see why she was a model – at least an apparent model – even though she never talked about it. Her body was to die for. People went under the knife to look like her.

Other articles appeared from her past. There was a photo of her as a teenager, posing in her school uniform, the kilt and blazer in full effect. There was a family photoshoot when Hello! Magazine did a ten page spread of their newly renovated mansion in Rosedale, another spread from when their dad celebrated his 60th birthday party at the Shangri-La, and modelling shots from her Instagram profile and designers’ Instagram profiles.

World-renowned cardiologist, Dr. Felipe Casillas, and his wife, plastic surgeon Dr. Leonor Casillas, invite us into their home!

Youngest daughter Aleida, 17, who was just recently accepted into the University of Toronto’s faculty of music, poses with her older sister Alejandra, 21, recently accepted to the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine, are pictured above. Alejandra is keen to follow in her parents’ footsteps and enter the medical profession. “It’s important to me to carry on the legacy that my parents have established in Toronto,” she says.

Aleida, for her part, loves music. “I think if Aleida could sing every day, she would,” Leonor laughs. “She has been playing piano since she was a child. Aleida is far from a doctor, so it’s only natural for her to want to pursue it instead of medicine.”

Fred was irked at the comment. He clicked on other articles and read on.

Aleida Casillas, 21, poses front row at Alexander McQueen’s London Fashion Week show. Casillas has just graduated with a degree in music. “Perfect for serenading,” she flirts into our camera.

Click.

Toronto socialite and all-around beauty Aleida Casillas knows a thing or two about fashion. After attending Branksome Hall with up-and-coming designer Genevieve Jones, the daughter of renowned cardiologist Felipe Casillas and plastic surgeon extraordinaire Leonor Casillas knew it was a no-brainer to support the designer as she launched her first collection. She does, after all, have all the best connections. Who wouldn’t want to attach themselves to Aleida?

Click.

TDOTDIRT.com: Aleida Casillas is hot – we all knew that. But did we know she’s fuckin’ smokin’ hot?

Check out her tits in her newest modelling shoot for Genevieve Jones. Those nips poking through? Nice. And let’s not get started on her ass…

Aleida is probably the hottest girl in Toronto. Too bad she’s got a stick up her ass.

Click.

Aleida Casillas sits front row at the Genevieve Jones fashion show after modelling for the brand.

Click.

Aleida’s tight body—

Click.

Equestrian pursuits have always been a passion for the Casillas family. Dr. Felipe Casillas, the cardiologist responsible for the successful quadruple bypass of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, brings us to the horse farm where his family’s horses are kept. Left, Dr. Casillas’s youngest daughter, Aleida (15), poses with her horse Concordia.

Click.

Who wouldn’t want to slap Aleida’s tight ass—

Click.

TODIRT.com: Sent to us from a reader: If ANYONE ever runs into Aleida Casillas RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!! That girl is the BIGGEST BITCH in the city of Toronto. She thinks she owns the city cause her family is rich! I PERSONALLY saw her ruin a date right in front of me by FLIRTING with the guy IN FRONT OF THE GIRL!!!!! She’s a heartless bitch!!!!! And she thinks she’s such hot shit because she’s in magazines and models and is popular on Instagram, but NOBODY LIKES HER!!!!!

Click.

Aleida Casillas keeps her Cuban roots close to her heart. She returns to Havana every year, where her family is one of the few who own a historic mansion in Miramar, to return to the place she has such find memories of.

Click.

If u check the insta of @aleidacasillas she posted a story of her at the leaf game. she’s def in the wag section. is she dating someone on the leafs?

Who?

omg aleida casillas is at the leaf game. basically confirms she’s dating someone on the team.

Who is this girl you guys keep talking about? Is she a known bunny?

Aleida Casillas is one of the biggest socialites in Toronto. These anons are reaching. If she was dating a Leaf, we’d know about it. Trust me. She’d make us know about it. She has no shame.

Um okay?

Click.

Lock.

He was left more confused than when he had started – at least somewhat. There was so much to know about her, so much that she was already telling him but so much he still needed to know. More than anything, he didn’t know how he didn’t know her before this. How it had to come to finding her crying in order to know who she was when she was already in the public eye and there was so much to find out about her.

He sighed.

He unlocked his phone again.

You have horses? he typed and sent off the message. He had no idea how she would react.

I have one horse, Mars. I’ve had horses.

Who told you?

I googled it

You must have found out a lot then

Nothing as important as what you tell me when we’re alone

God, he didn’t expect that to come out like it did. He was a grown man who wanted to hide beneath the covers.

Well aren’t you a lucky boy

I didn’t mean it like that

I know you didn’t

My attitude doesn’t come through via text. Sorry.

What are you up to?

Why haven’t you told me about your family?

Because I don’t think they’re very proud of me

I don’t think I ever lived up to their expectations, but my sister did

And that’s created tension

At least to me

They try to hide it but I know they’re disappointed

I doubt they’re disappointed in you

You’re successful

No I’m not

Not like them

Fred stared at the message for a long time – probably too long. Because before he could begin typing out a message – what he would say, he didn’t know – she’d already sent something again.

Go to bed Fred. Big game tomorrow.

God forbid people find out I’m the one to keep you up, right?

***

Fred watched intently as Aleida walk into the café. She was dressed in tight black pants, a tucked in black turtleneck, and a stylish brown plaid blazer. Her hair was styled in loose curls and it bounced so effortlessly, like she was in a shampoo commercial. Jewelry dripped off of her. On her neck, a multistrand pearl necklace hung over her turtleneck, the diamond clasp holding it together shining bright in the light. On her ears, pearl studs. On her wrist, stacks of Cartier Love bracelets she had obviously put on recently. On her fingers, a large emerald cut light green amethyst on a gold band on one hand; an equally as large emerald cut pale pink morganite ring on a gold band on the other.

He shivered thinking about how much money she was wearing. Why she was wearing so much money. She approached the table and set her purse down on it – a Birkin, naturally – obscuring the view of what was on their table from the rest of the café-goers. “Thanks for getting a table at the back,” she said, not even saying hello.

It was a point of pain for Fred that she was averse to being seen with him in public, unless it was at the backs of restaurants or cafes where very few people would see them. He tried to not let it get to him, but it was proving hard. “Yeah, no problem,” he said absent-mindedly. “Why are you all…” he didn’t finish his sentence, instead deciding to do jazz hands to signify how dressed up she was. Not that she didn’t dress up all the time – it was mostly a statement on the jewelry.

“I met with my friend Genevieve,” Aleida revealed, sitting down in her seat. “You must have heard about her in your readings.”

“The designer.”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “We did some new shots of her new pieces for Instagram, which is why…” she held up her hands, jingling her fingers like he’d just done, and motioned to her necklace. “Clothes are hers. Jewelry is mine.”

“You didn’t want to go home and change?” Fred asked.

Aleida’s brow’s furrowed. “Why? Do I not look good?”

“No! No no! You look incredible—”

“Then why would I change?”

“I – forget it,” Fred shook his head. “How are you?”

Aleida shook her head slightly. There were a few moments where it looked like she was going to say something, but she didn’t. She’d stop herself. “I’ve been thinking about the stuff we talk about,” she began, getting right into it. No formalities; no small talk. “And I don’t…I don’t know why you’re still here.”

Fred was perplexed. “What do you mean?”

Aleida sighed. “I’m just not…” her voice cracked slightly. “I’m not a good person. And you are. And I don’t know why you’re sticking around when it’s so obvious we’re like fire and ice.”

“Aleida, when are you going to get it through your thick skull that none of that matters,” he said, reaching over the table to hold her hand.

This time, there was no flinching. But she did tug away, and there was a sharp intake of breath as his hand refused to let go, even after being dragged further across the table. “Don’t do that,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“Why not?”

“Because if you do, I’ll melt into you.”

Fred’s heart skipped a beat at her words. “What’s so wrong with that?” his voice was soft.

Aleida shook her head again, like she was trying to deny not only Fred but herself too of the nonsense that was coming out of her mouth. “I can’t…I can’t…”

“Why not?”

“I can’t corrupt you.”

Fred looked at her like she was crazy, because she was really sprouting some nonsense now. He didn’t know where she was getting this from – where her mind would go when she was alone and overthought things – but if this was the result of a mind too active to think rationally, he didn’t like it. “You’re not corrupting anyone,” he stressed.

“I’m too much for you.”

“Maybe you’re just what I’ve been looking for.”

Aleida continued to shake her head. She was stubborn – he had to give her that. And quite hard-headed. “You’re looking for balance. You said so yourself,” she said. “I can’t give you balance.”

“Who are you to tell me what kind of balance I need,” he said back to her. “Maybe you’re the balance I need.”

“Fred,” she stressed his name, “you don’t understand. I’m not in a good place emotionally and I haven’t been for months – some would argue years – and –”

“Aleida, stop it,” he said firmly. The stubbornness and hard-headedness were hard to get through but he could be that right back at her if she was going to be like this – putting herself to blame for things. “I’m going to be in your life whether you like it or not.”

“But why? Why?” she demanded.

“It’s not obvious to you? I like you, Aleida. Can’t you see that?”

She looked at him, bewildered. Like he’d just grown another head. “You like me?”

“Of course I like you,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You honestly think I don’t?”

“You – you mean you think I’m beautiful,” she attempted to correct him.

“No. Well – yes – that too – but besides that. I like you. However you present yourself to me. However you are. I like you.”

Aleida looked mystified. Like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Like it was a foreign concept that someone could like her and want to be around her willingly without bringing her beauty into it. He wondered what made her think this way – what made her think the only reason people stuck around was her beauty. “Listen, Aleida—”

“Aleida?” a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

All the emotion drained from Aleida’s face as she violently tugged her hand away from his grasp and hid it underneath the table. She looked up and noticed an all-too-familiar face at the waiting area of the bar. Fred looked behind him to see a woman walking towards them. Dressed impeccably – much like Aleida – except with less jewels draping off of her, although he still noticed similar Cartier love bracelets and a gold necklace. Fred figured she didn’t come straight from a modelling shoot. Although, the more he stared at her, the more he noticed similarities between the two women.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked, a nice smile on her face. She had beautiful, clear skin; long dark brown hair slicked back into a ponytail with a trendy headband; full lips painted with a neutral pink. “Didn’t think I’d run into you here after you didn’t answer my text this morning! I thought you might have dropped by the clinic.”

Fred looked between the woman and Aleida. Aleida caught him staring, and when she did, she knew she would have to explain. There was no way getting out of it. “This is my sister Alejandra,” she explained quickly, with no enthusiasm in her voice. “Alejandra, this is Frederik.”

Alejandra. It took a second for Fred to realize that she was Aleida’s sister. But after taking another look at her, and noticing their similar facial structure, noses, cheeks, and lips, he wondered why he didn’t see it sooner. He cracked a polite smile. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.

“So this is Frederik Andersen,” she smiled, shaking his hand. “You look different without your goalie mask on.”

Fred chuckled slightly. “Yeah.”

“Sorry if you get that a lot. When my husband found out Aleida somehow befriended you it was a big shock to us all.”

“Oh, that’s no problem,” he said. His eyes flashed to look at Aleida quickly, who looked more nervous and uptight than usual. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Aleida has told me a lot about you.”

“Did she tell you she was supposed to come visit our clinic this morning?” Alejandra slightly laughed, shifting her attention back to her sister. “Where were you?”

“I had a shoot.”

“A shoot?”

“With Genevieve.”

“You had a modelling shoot with Genevieve.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, alright,” Alejandra accepted Aleida’s excuse nicely enough. She didn’t put up much of a fuss. “Mom was wondering if you’re still coming to dinner Wednesday night. She didn’t get a text back from you.”

“I’m coming.”

“Fred, would you like to join?” Alejandra asked.

Before Fred could even breathe – before he could even entertain the notion of getting dressed up, going to Aleida’s parents’ house, meeting them and interacting with them for an entire night like Alejandra was proposing – he noticed Aleida’s eyes bulge out of their sockets at Alejandra’s question. “Fred has a game Wednesday,” she said quickly, answering for him.

“Oh…okay then. Next time,” Alejandra nodded, smiling politely again. She focused back on her sister. “Did you eat today? Since you were supposed to come for breakfast.”

Aleida tried not to glare at her sister. “I’m trying to eat right now.”

“No foam latte for Alejandra!” the barista called out, placing a large takeout cup on the bar. Fred, Aleida, and Alejandra looked towards the cup before looking back at each other.

Alejandra smiled at them. “Guess I better get going – Oliver is waiting outside anyway. It was really nice to meet you Fred,” she said, extending her hand one last time.

“You too.”

“I’ll have to have you over for dinner or drinks sometime, whenever Aleida lets me,” she winked at them. “Take care.”

Fred watched as she walked out of the café, meeting with a man waiting that Fred could only assume was her husband Oliver before the continued down the street. He looked back at Aleida, who was already looking down at her empty plate, not bothering to watch her sister. “So that was Alejandra?” Fred asked.

“Doctor Alejandra Casillas-Rowe,” Aleida said her full name pretentiously, rolling her eyes.

“She was nice.”

“I guess.”

“You look like her,” Fred commented.

Aleida finally looked him in the eye. She snorted at his comment. “She looks like me. She made herself look like me.”

Fred didn’t want to get into it. There was obviously something there that he didn’t want to get in the middle of. Relationships between sisters were notoriously…complicated. He figured this was no different, especially considering the way Aleida was and what she had already told him about Alejandra living up to their parents’ expectations and Aleida not.

Instead, Fred reached under the table to hold her hand again. This time, she didn’t tug away.

***

“This is the big boy who was looking for you that one time,” Frank, the drummer in Aleida’s band, purred as he was introduced to Fred at Aleida’s house during a “gathering” she was having. He eyed Fred up and down even as he spoke. “A very, very big boy.”

“Stop scaring him,” Aleida giggled, pinching the skin on Frank’s forearm.

“Didn’t you?” Frank quipped.

“Apparently not,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Fred added.

“You are. And believe me, that says a lot,” Frank said.

Fred felt Aleida snake her arm around his bicep. He tried not to shiver at the contact – at the fact that for the first time, it was her that initiated the contact. “He’s gotta meet everybody else. We’ll be back.”

Frank scoffed playfully. “But he’s a tall glass of water and I’m not done drinking!” he complained, giving Fred yet another up-down.

“Goodbye Frank,” Aleida whisked Fred away.

As Aleida began introducing Fred to everyone, he made sure to keep track of their names and their instruments. There was Frank, the drummer; and Celeste, the saxophone player; and Malakai, the trumpet player; and his twin brother Marcellus, the trombone player; and Oscar, who played guitar on a vintage archtop; and Gina, the bassist, both double bass and electric; and Aleida of course, the pianist and singer. As he met them, they all gave him knowing looks.

These were the members of Aleida’s band, The Havana Cats – her second family. They had been with her since she was twenty, when they all met magically one night at some bar downtown and realized they all played instruments and had a nagging desire to start some form of band as a means to relax from stressful university workloads. And they did – they formed a band and jammed in rented out studio space or in someone’s garage. But then they got good. Really good. And then Marcellus got the bright idea to book them a gig. And they played it and did really well, so the owner asked them back. Again. And again. And again. And then they incorporated themselves into a business, and got booked at bigger clubs and more exclusive events thanks to Aleida’s name, and soon enough, they were booked a lot.

And they stuck together.

Most had day jobs – Malakai and Marcellus worked for the same financial securities firm, Gina worked as a web designer, Celeste as a music teacher, and Frank as waiter in an upscale restaurant – but their real passion was the music. They were booked most weekends, at either private events, galas – like where Aleida had performed the same night she met Fred – or the odd jazz bar in downtown Toronto – like where Fred had watched them last.

Genevieve was at the party too, tall and statuesque, with an air of grace about her that Fred immediately felt the minute he was introduced to her first. They made polite small talk – she asked about the team, he asked about her being a designer – before the band came over all in one go. That was when things got hectic. But despite everybody being there, treating Aleida’s townhouse as if it were their own, eating all the food on the island and playing all the music from the speakers, Fred knew that Aleida was surrounded by people she loved, and people that loved her.

There were moments when Fred would watch Aleida and he knew she was happy – that the smile on her face and the slight crinkles of her eyes were signs of pure, true, genuine happiness as she was surrounded by them. There were moments when their eyes would meet across the room and she’d wink at him and he’d wink back, and he knew she wasn’t playing a game – that the wink was a genuine, deliberate act on her part to flirt in front of people she was comfortable with. There were moments when she’d come up to him sitting at the bar and she’d stand in between his large legs as he sat on a barstool, and her body would be dangerously close to his, and her fingertips would graze his thigh or he’d bring his own hands up to lightly touch her hips or lower back or backs of her thighs and a blush would overcome her cheeks, and he knew she wanted to be there – that she wanted to be close to him, physically close, and that her guard was down, which was why she was even doing all of this in the first place. She must have taken the conversation at the coffee shop to her heart, because there was no fighting, there were no stupid excuses, and there wasn’t any confusion about the feelings shared.

Fred was seeing the happy Aleida. The true Aleida. What Aleida could look like. What Aleida was like, at her core. Without…everything else around her.

It was the most attracted he had ever been.

The band began to argue about whether or not they should jam out a few songs. Oscar had already picked up the acoustic guitar sitting in the corner and was strumming random chords. Celeste was offering songs. Malakai was shooting them all down. Fred’s hands were cold as Aleida had walked away from him, leaving him unable to touch her and feel his fingers burning as he did so. He watched her kick Frank off her piano. A Steinway Model D Concert Grand, it cost over $150,000. Most people didn’t even have them in homes, because of their size and the fact that it was a concert piano meant for a giant stage, but Aleida did. It was her baby. And it wasn’t for fooling around with. So Genevieve was explaining to him.

“Aleida’s a treat, isn’t she?” Genevieve was quiet as the band continued to argue. The sound of a few quick piano chords filled the room.

“She definitely is.”

“You know, Fred, it’s really telling that you’re still here.”

Fred gave her a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s a fire inside of Aleida,” Genevieve explained. “Not many people are able to handle the heat.”

Leave it to a fashion designer to speak in metaphors. What was the fire supposed to represent? Her personality? Her issues? Fred wished Genevieve would just say what’s on her mind. “I know she’s going through a lot, and she’s maybe been through a lot, but I’m able to look past the front she puts up with people,” he explained.

“I know you can. That’s why I’m saying it’s telling you’re still here,” she clarified. “It’s telling, because a lot of people know about Aleida, and they think they know her just because they see her or hear stories about her, but I’d hazard to guess it’s only the people in this room who know and understand and can see the true her.”

“So what’s that got to do with her fire?”

“Most people just feel the burns. Only some people can see the fire, Fred. And you’re one of them.”

Before he could respond, the familiar sounds of a song he knew all too well hung in the air and distracted him, making him focus instead on Aleida sitting behind her piano and on Oscar strumming the guitar notes. John Mayer. He watched as she closed her eyes and continued to sing, her voice deep and jazzy and soulful all at once. Everybody in the room became mesmerized listening to her. Oscar helped sing the second stanza, then it returned to her.

She and Fred locked eyes.

“Don’t say a word, just cover and lie here with me, cause I’m just about to set fire to everything I see…”

A shiver ran up his spine.

***

When everybody was gone, Aleida found herself nestled into Fred again. He had to be a gentleman about it. Despite being touchy feely all night, he had to ask to touch her before she agreed, and his hands were so soft and delicate as he did; and when he wrapped his arms around her, she couldn’t help but melt – do the exact thing she was scared of doing when she spoke to him at the coffee shop. But she found it harder and harder to say no to him, harder and harder to be so hard and difficult with someone who was only so easy and delicate with her.

And so as she looked into his big blue eyes, and felt the scruff of his beard along the backs of her fingers, in the depths of her mind she knew he deserved better. Explanations.

“You okay?” his voice was barely above a whisper.

Explanations. He needed more explanations. He needed to know what happened to her. What she had been through. Other things that made her the way she was.

So she was going to tell him.

“I had an eating disorder – well – I – I had trouble with food, and I had trouble with my body for a long time, because people paid more attention to it than they did me, and it really fucked me up for a really long time, and I think it’s the other major reason why I am the way that I am today,” she said, finally.

Fred’s eyes stung upon hearing her revelation. He had never known anyone with an eating disorder, even though he knew the brain was a tricky and complex thing. He wanted to be more understanding – not just for his sake, but for Aleida’s. He assumed that she had probably told very, very few people about it – and a part of him wondered, knowing the relationship with her family, if she even told them. As much as it was painful for him to hear, and as much as it probably took a lot for her to tell him, it was a privilege hearing it. It meant she trusted him. “Aleida…”

“What I had was an EDNOS – but now they call it OSFED,” she kept talking, needing to let it all out now that it was out in the open. “It started my last year of high school…basically the day I turned 18 and was legal. I wasn’t anorexic or anything – or bulimic – and I didn’t really binge eat often. But I was obsessed with my body because everybody else became obsessed with my body. I would think about everything that went into my mouth and how it would affect my body and how it looked. Like, if I ate a kale salad would my stomach still be flat? If I ate a donut would my boobs get bigger from fat? It was all in an effort to maintain the beauty that people were so fixated on, because I was convinced by everybody around me that it was the only thing about me that mattered.”

Fred’s mind was racing a mile a minute, thinking about what she had to go through at such a young age. He wanted to punch every single person who was responsible for making her feel the way she did; for making her think she was only beautiful and not anything else – a real, three-dimensional human being with needs and wants and emotions just like everybody else. “How long have you been sick?” he asked.

“It went on for a couple of years before I got help. It was the worst kind of psychological torture. You have no idea. But I finally told my parents – well, my dad, the one who isn’t a plastic surgeon.”

Fred’s mind began to race again, thinking about everything she had to endure. The pain and suffering of being in a body she had a bad relationship with; the constant guilt of trying to nurture herself with food but fighting an internal battle with herself wondering if it was worth consuming; the harassment from people around her who only focused on the least important part of her; the self-hatred; the loneliness; knowing that everybody around her was obsessed with the one thing she didn’t want them obsessing over, and judging her over the one thing that didn’t need to be judged. He was at a loss for words, and a loss for actions. “I’m so sorry,” was all he could say.

She smiled meekly at him. “You’d think that a doctor who sees Felipe Casillas making an appointment would know better, but apparently not. The first doctor told my father it was a privileged disease,” she continued to confess. She noticed Fred’s eyes go wide at what she had just said. “He told my dad that I had been a bored teenager, and a bored adult, and if my dad gave me something to do, I would grow out of it.”

“That’s horrible,” Fred commented.

“I know. I’m pretty sure my dad tried everything in his power to get the guy’s medical licence revoked,” she said, slightly smiling. “I’m okay now, if you’re wondering. But it was a struggle for a really long time.”

“You’re so strong,” Fred blurted out, the filter between his brain and his mouth non-existent. “You’re so, so strong.”

Aleida didn’t know whether to believe him. She didn’t know if she was strong. She never thought about it. Other things, unfortunately, preoccupied her mind, and her strength and how she overcame something like that never took precedent. She almost let it destroy her. Maybe it did.

There was nothing left to say. Fred and Aleida knew there was nothing left to say. Words exhausted them – he knew he didn’t exactly speak much, but he didn’t need to. Aleida’s words – the more important words – hung in the air around them. They continued to just stare at each other, his blue eyes and her hazel eyes communicating things that didn’t need to be said with words.

Then, Aleida moved closer.

And closer.

And then, she kissed him. And he kissed her back. And it was soft at first – like everything else to do with Fred, Aleida thought. And then she kept kissing him. And kissing him. And kissing him. And he kept kissing her. And kissing her. And kissing her. And soon Aleida didn’t know where her lips started and Fred’s began. And she didn’t need to guess what he tasted like, because he slipped his tongue into her mouth. And he didn’t need to guess what she tasted like, because she slipped her tongue into his mouth too. And they kissed.

And they kissed.

“Aleida?” Fred’s voice mumbled against her lips as they caught their breath.

“Hm?”

“You have to start doing things that make you happy.”

She made sure she was looking him directly in the eye. “I already am.”

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yoontopia · 5 years ago

Text

𝟯𝟮. “𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂” | 𝗷𝗷𝗸

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader; genre: fluff, sort of idol!verse; words: 2.8k

warnings: none ; rating: G

Part of the ‘100 Ways to say I Love you’ drabbles

author’s note: had to throw the long hair and tattoos in there, i couldn’t stop myself

You lay in bed staring blankly up at the ceiling, head void of thoughts. You could smell the barbecued meat despite your closed bedroom door, the deliciousness wafting in and making your stomach grumble. You know you need to get dressed and head downstairs soon, but the exhaustion from the past week is settling in and you cannot bear to move.

You hear your mother calling for you and you shout back in response that yes! you’re coming, for the guests will start arriving soon. Being back home after almost five years of being away at university halfway across the world had your parents throwing a very informal barbecue for the neighbours living on your street. It had been about a week since your return and your parents had been so excited that they had been treating you like a prized possession. You wondered how long this treatment would last, before your mom would start shouting at you to carry out your shares of household chores.

Sitting up in your bed, you looked around your bedroom. You had grown up here, spent your childhood and teen years here, but had moved away at the ripe age of eighteen, and never looked back. Your room, therefore, had remained immortalized, peeling posters of whatever rock bands you’d been obsessed with stuck on the wall. A small desk stood under the window, stacked with your old textbooks, the wall next to it covered with taped photographs of you, your family, and your childhood friends.

Smiling slightly to yourself you got out of the bed and made your way to the photo wall, looking at each picture carefully. Most of the photos were of you and your best friend Jooyoung, who had moved away for university herself. While the two of you had headed your separate ways after high school, you’d kept in touch, often video calling each other and giving out life updates. Jooyoung, in your opinion, was your soulmate, someone who’d been there for you since day one, who knew you inside and out. You missed her terribly and were almost sad that she wouldn’t be here today. Unlike you, however, Jooyoung visited home often, attending university a mere three-hour drive away.

Your eyes travelled to the other photos, some of you with your parents, of your old cat whom you terribly missed, until your eyes landed on one particular picture, which had been crinkled with time. It was a photo of you and Jooyoung at a lemonade stand out on your driveway, accompanied by a skinny boy with a mop of dark hair falling over his forehead. You frowned slightly staring at the boy’s face, memories flooding in. That’s right, Jooyoung and you were part of an inseparable trio during your school years, the third leg of which was made up by one Jeon Jungkook. Nerdy and geeky and video-game obsessed, Jungkook had lived across the street from you and you and he had spent many years being attached at the hip. This was, however, one of the only photos you had left of him.

At the ripe young age of fifteen, Jungkook had moved to Seoul on his own, having been scouted by some entertainment company. You remembered laughing at him with Jooyoung when he’d told you what had happened and had warned him that he was about to get scammed. But it hadn’t been a scam, and Jungkook had moved to Seoul and you’d never heard from him again. His emails had dwindled after a while, and once you’d moved away and gotten busy with your own life, you’d forgotten all about him. Your mother would occasionally give you updates over phone calls that he’d been training to be put into a group, that he’d debuted, that his group had gathered decent popularity in the country. Your mother had spoken with quiet pride, talking about Jungkook as though he was her own son. It made sense, you supposed, he’d been quite close with your parents, just like you’d been close with his.

You’d left Korea around the time he’d debuted and had never bothered to check his group out, partly due to not wanting unwanted memories to return. Jungkook had all but cut you and Jooyoung from his life and you needed no reminders of that fact. Their international popularity wasn’t very high, but if your mother was right, everybody in Korea with a working internet connection knew who they were. You supposed it was a flex, being a childhood friend to someone sort-of famous, but you doubted famous idol Jeon Jungkook even remembered you. You wondered if you’d even recognize him now, some seven years later. He was probably rich, and you were a struggling unemployed graduate moving back home to start your job search. Two completely different worlds. However, in your small, sleepy town full of fishermen and farmers, even famous Jeon Jungkook would have a hard time being recognized. This place was literally filled to the brim with the elderly.

Your mom calls for you again and you yell back that you’re coming. Walking over to your dresser you changed out of your sweatpants into jeans and a striped sweater. Shoving your feet into your bedroom slippers you took a deep breath before heading downstairs, pulling your bedroom door shut behind you.

You padded downstairs and joined your mother in the kitchen where she was busy setting plates.

“Need help?” you asked. Your mom smiled at you and handed you a bag of cutlery.

“Please put these out,” she said. “Forks in one cup knives in one cup.” You nodded and sat down on a stool near the kitchen island and began sorting the cutlery.

People were beginning to arrive, and you could hear them greeting your father who was busy cooking up a feast in the front yard barbecue.

“Where’s Seungwoon?” you asked, wondering where your little brother had gone off to. Your mother looked at the clock near the stove.

“I sent him to get some extra drinks. You kids will need drinks,” she let out a soft laugh. “I keep forgetting you kids are all basically adults now. I stocked juice yesterday, but I realized you’d probably need alcohol too, so I sent him to buy some.”

“You sent an eighteen-year-old kid on a booze run?” you snorted, and your mother laughed along.

“He was eager, so I put him up to it.” She said and you laughed. It felt nice, being back home, hearing your mother’s laugh in person.

“How many people did you invite anyway?” you asked, leaning to look outside. It was a bright sunny day, the sweltering August heat shining through the kitchen window.

“Not too many,” she said, putting some bread in the oven to warm. “The Sungs’ next door, Sooyeon and her husband are coming, although Jooyoung isn’t home, I’m afraid,” she looked over at you apologetically and you sighed. “She’s interning and working through the summer and couldn’t get the weekend off. They work her to the bone, but she really sticks to it. Let’s see… a couple more families that you probably don’t know, they’re new on the street, moved in three or so years ago. They don’t have any kids.”

“So there is nobody my age!” you said in surprise. “Seungwoon didn’t need to go get alcohol just for me and him mom, I can drink the juice.” Your mom laughed at your outburst and looked at you, hands on her hips.

“They Jeons’ are coming, and they have two fully grown kids who will need to be fed and watered,” You stopped sorting forks and looked up in mild shock. Your mom smiled knowingly. “Junghyun’s back for the weekend and I believe so is Jungkook,” she sighed as she said that. “Boy he must be a true Seoul child now – I wonder if our cheap countryside liquor and food is up to his current tastes, I haven’t seen him for years, unless its on TV of course.”

“So, you just want everything perfect because we’re having a minor celebrity over?” you asked glumly.

“Can you blame me?” she exclaimed. “You’ll see what I mean when they come, he’s different. People from Seoul are just different. I bet he drinks some fancy overseas brand of beer.”

“He’s not from Seoul,” you snapped. “He’s from here and if he looks down his fat nose at our country bumpkin ways, I’ll sit on him like I used to.”

“I’d like to see you try,” your mother grinned. “He’s had his growth spurts while yours seem to have forgotten you.”

“I’m short because grandma is short!” You exclaimed, but only half annoyed. Your mother laughed again and changed topics. The rest of the time was spent in you setting out plates in a pile and mixing the dressing into the salad and bringing out the napkins for people to grab. Your brother returned shortly after, and you helped him unload the soju and beer into the fridge. Then you resumed your seat at the kitchen island, scrolling through your phone while your mother had you taste everything to make sure it was edible.

“Stop fussing mom,” you said, at last. “Everything tastes good, and dad’s barbecue ribs are always a hit.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just excited you’re back,” she sighed. “It’s nice to have some help in the kitchen like this, just us girls.” The two of you shared a smile. Just then, the doorbell rang. Your brother opened the door. You turned to see who it was, and a smile split on your face.

Jungkook’s mother came in first, holding a bottle of wine that she put down next to you. She gave you a big smile and you let out a little squeal and jumped up to give her a hug.

“Oh my! You have grown so much!” she said laughing, pulling you in for another hug. The two of you were so busy catching up that you almost didn’t notice a tall figure entering after his mother. When you looked up, you finally saw him, and you had to exercise great control to stop your jaw from hitting the floor.

Because right there, talking quietly in the entrance to your house to your little brother, was Jeon Jungkook. You wouldn’t have recognized him off the street. He was tall, broad, wearing a well fitted black sweatshirt and black jeans that were ripped at the knees. A pair of expensive sunglasses were tucked into the front of his sweater. His hair was long, falling into his eyes, and curling around his ears, which had been pierced in multiple places. The silver of his hooped earrings shown every time he moved his head. You blinked – was that a tattoo peaking up from his sweater and curling around his neck?

Forcing yourself to turn your attention back to Mrs. Jeon, you laughed awkwardly at whatever she had been saying, only hearing half of it. Suddenly feeling small and awkward, you turned back to your phone and buried yourself in it. Jeon Jungkook had gone out and come back looking like a walking magazine cover and you still looked like you did at fifteen, only now with two degrees to your name. You tried to tune everything out as you scrolled twitter, hoping that you’d suddenly become invisible to everyone around you.

“Guk!” his mother called affectionately, and you bit your tongue trying not to curse out loud. “Look who’s here!” You heard him walk over, could smell the faint cologne as he approached his mother.

A soft voice said your name in mild surprise, and your chest constricted because you hardly recognized his voice either, which had deepened in the last seven years. You locked your phone hesitantly and turned in his direction, trying to meet his eyes.

Round brown eyes blinked back at you, containing the surprise that his voice also held. You gave him a small smile in greeting.

“Hey Jungkook, how’ve you been?” you asked, hating how meek your voice sounded.

“Kids, go upstairs,” your mom said from her spot at the stove, not bothering to even look up. You suspected she felt as small in Jungkook’s presence as you did. You sighed and got off your seat slowly and beckoned for Jungkook to follow you. He did.

Once in your room, you sat down on your bed and Jungkook awkwardly took a seat at your desk chair.

“So,” you started, letting the word drag out. “A singer, huh?”

The tips of his ears went red, to your surprise. You’d expected confidence, even cockiness. He rubbed the back of his neck almost shyly.

“You know?” he asked. You shrugged.

“My mom’s a fan,” you said truthfully, snorting. “I’ll be honest though; I’ve never checked out your music.”

“Ouch,” he said, and to your surprise, a look of genuine hurt crossed his face. But you blinked and it was gone. “How are you?”

“M’fine,” you said slowly. “It’s weird being back, but I’m getting used to it. I’m done university and now I gotta job hunt y’know.”

“Right,” he said, sounding impressed, and you didn’t know why. “What was your degree in?”

“Dual major in biochemistry and pharmaceuticals,” you said. His mouth opened and he looked genuinely stupefied.

“Woah that’s like, cool,” He said, and you let out a small laugh because he sounded genuine. “So, you’re like an academic.”

“Kinda?” you said. “It doesn’t feel any different though. I’m unemployed for now.”

“I always pictured you doing well at school and stuff,” he said, still sounding awed. “It’s a good look.”

“A good look?”

“Dunno, science? It’s a good look, it suits you. It looks good on you.” You blinked. Nobody had put it that way before.

“What? That’s such a weird thing to say,” you said huffing out a laugh. The tips of Jungkook’s ears went even redder.

“I’m just saying I always pictured you being successful,” he said softly. You frowned.

“Are you serious right now?” you asked. He looked at you, head tilting in a heartbreakingly familiar way. “Who’s the more successful person in this room right now? Aren’t you like, a millionaire?”

“I only finished high school!” he told you and you gaped at him. “I never got to go to university, so I think it’s cool that you got out of here and did all that all on your own.” His sentence ended in a mumble. The two of you sat there in silence after that.

“Was it hard?” you asked after a while. He looked up at you in question. “Was it hard giving it all up?”

“Yeah… I guess,” he said. “But what part of life isn’t hard?”

“Was it worth it?”

“Yeah,” he said and this time there was no hesitation, which had you smiling. “I did miss all my friends though.”

“Like me,” you joked

“Like you.” He said simply, and the smile slipped from your face.

“You stopped keeping in touch,” you whispered.

“Keeping in touch made me sad,” he said quietly. “I was homesick a lot back then, and all I wanted to do was run away and be able to go to school with everyone again. Your emails and updates made me sad and homesick.”

“I’m sorry that’s not what I—” you started but he cut you off with a knowing smile.

“I know, but to a fifteen-year-old it felt like the end of the world.” You stared at him.

“Yes, but now you’re like… you,” you said at last, finally letting yourself sound impressed. “Don’t you have a gaggle of fangirls throwing themselves at you? I swear that’s what happens to good looking famous boys.”

“You think I’m good looking?” he asked, his bashful expression disappearing replaced by a small smirk. You swallowed but decided to play nonchalant.

“Have you looked at you?” you gestured at him and his smirk widened.

“You’re still so cute,” he said simply. Your cheeks suddenly felt a tad too warm. You were about to ask him what he meant by ‘still’ when you heard your mom calling you both down for drinks. You stood up.

“C’mon,” you said and walked to the door. When you looked back you saw Jungkook still stood near your desk, staring at the photos taped to the wall, a small smile playing on his face, his hand on a certain crinkled picture. “Guk.” The nickname slipped out accidentally.

He looked over at you, and you tried not to blush under his gaze. You still couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that this man was the same boy who beat your brother at every video game and who you used to sit on when he annoyed you and who you and Jooyoung had bribed into putting on a full face of his mother’s makeup at thirteen. But as he approached you, you couldn’t help but feeling that maybe he hadn’t changed all that much after all.

“Let’s go I’m hungry,” he said. “Hey, do you guys have any juice?”

You couldn’t help it. You laughed.

#jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook x reader #bts x reader #jungkook fluff #jeon jungkook fluff #jungkook fanfic #jeon jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenario #bts fanfic #bts #jeon jungkook #jungkook #jjk #writing #jjk drabbles

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lovemesomesurveys · 4 years ago

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Can you say you are fully happy right now? No. My mental health and my mood and everything has just been extra bad lately and I thought it was bad enough as it was. I haven’t felt truly happy in a very long time.

Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? No.

Is there someone who stopped talking to you for no reason? Yes.

Did you ever get called horrible names like (whore, skank, bitch)? Only jokingly with friends.

Where did you sleep last night? In my bed as usual.

Ever slow danced with anyone? No.

Ever cried in public? Yes, but only a few times. I don’t like crying in front of people.

Ever feel safe in someone's arms? Yes.

What would you do if you were pregnant? I can’t get pregnant, so.

Are you afraid of letting anyone in? Yes, very much so.

Do you like cuddling? I don’t have much cuddling experience to be honest.

Ever cry in school? No.

Who is the last person to send you a message on facebook? My Nana. She sent me a photo of her Christmas tree she put up.

Do you look decent when you wake up? I don’t look decent ever.

Have you ever been given roses? No.

Had a long distance relationship? Nope.

Does it bother you when people never answer their cell phones? If I need to get ahold of my parents or brother for something and they don’t answer, yes.

Do you care what happens in politics/your government? I mean, yes. It affects all of us so we should care at least somewhat.

Ever been called babe/baby? Yes.

Have you ever witnessed someone else engaging in a sexual act (not necessarily sex)? No.

Where did you get drunk last? It was at my hotel birthday party 7 years ago. I had an awful experience with alcohol and I decided I was over it. I haven’t drank since.

What’s your relationship with the last person you texted? He’s my brother.

If someone went through your pictures, would they find a dirty one? Nope.

Do you want to see anyone right now? No.

Have you ever fell asleep in someone’s arms? When I was a kid.

How long does it take for you to fall asleep at night? It really varies.

How many pillows are on your bed Twelve lmaooo. I only use two, though. I just love throw pillows.

When’s the last time you cried? A couple of days ago. It was one of those days where I was just on the verge of tears all day and literally anything could open up the floodgates.

Is it cute when a guy buys you flowers? Sure.

Will things change in the next month? I don’t see anything major happening.

How did you do on the last test you took? Pretty sure I did well.

Have you ever wanted to tell someone something but didn’t? Plenty of times. Are you afraid to grow up? I mean, I’m 31, and sometimes I still don’t feel like I’m grown up. <<< Saaaaame. But also yes.

Are you busy tomorrow? Nope.

How long have you had the shirt you’re wearing? A few years.

Do you give out second chances way too easily? Yes. I give out many chances.

Has anyone told you that you’re amazing? Eh, something like that. I’m most definitely not and I’m sure they realized that.

How many black shirts do you own? A lot.

Do you think you will be in a relationship three months from now? Nope. I honestly can’t imagine myself in a relationship. I definitely don’t see it happening anytime soon at all.

How come you’re not going out with the person you like? There isn’t anyone I like in that way.

When you feel cold does eating warm food help you feel warm? Yeah.

Do you want to diet? I need to be on a high protein and caloric diet.

Are you a patient person? Nopeeee.

Are you unsure about your feelings for someone? No.

Who did you last hang out with? My family. It’s been a few years since I’ve hung out with anyone else.

Would you take $40,000 or a brand new car? $40,000, please. What song are you currently listening to? I’m not listening to any music right now. I’m listening to an ASMR video, as per usual.

Are you happy with your relationship? I’m fine with being single.

Who was the last person to smoke something other than a cigarette or weed in front of you? I’ve had friends in the past smoke a vape in front of me.

Does anything on your body hurt? Of course.

If the last person you kissed were calling you right now, would you answer? No. I would be shocked and curious, though. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen or talked to him. It would be so out of the blue.

In the run of a week, how many times do you straighten your hair? Zero.

Are you mad at someone right now? No.

Last thing someone gave you? My brother bought me food last night.

Who woke you up this morning? I haven’t gone to sleep, yet.

Who is your favorite family member on your mom’s side? My mom.

What do you do in your spare time? I have nothing but spare time nowadays...it’s sad. Lol. <<< Last few years, but same.

Who was the last person you were under a blanket with? No one.

Where is the last person you kissed? I have no idea.

What was the last thing you ate? Ramen.

Which of your friends is the most likely to get pregnant right now? I don’t have any friends.

Do you remember the meanest thing the last person you kissed ever said to you? He didn’t ever say anything mean. He said things that were hurtful and upsetting, but not things directed at me in a mean way if that makes sense.

What does your last outgoing text say? “Whaaaat. Of course. :/”

Have you ever been called prince/ princess? Yes.

Waiting for something? I’m looking forward to giving my family their Christmas presents.

Have you kissed anyone when you’re single? Yes.

What are you doing this weekend? Same stuff I do everyday.

Could you go the rest of your life without smoking a cigarette? It’s been 31 years, so I certainly could. <<< Same again. I have zero interest.

Have you ever kissed someone who was in a relationship? No. Where is your biological father right now? At work. Where is the biggest scar on your body? The vertical one down my entire back. How late did you stay up last night? I’m still up at 8:33AM... :X

Have you had your birthday this year yet? Yes, back in July. You had to kiss the last person you texted, would you? No, that’s my brother. What would you call your body type? Underweight. Are you a morning person? Kind of since I’m often still up early in the morning. I’m not if I’ve gone to bed and have to get up early, though. Have you ever been to Target? Countless times. Do you like iced coffee? I’m a hot coffee gal year round. It’s so much better. When is the next time you’ll be at work? I don’t have a job. Has anyone ever hacked your accounts before? Yes. Could you ever be friends with someone that broke your heart? I tried to be. It’s definitely not easy and ultimately didn’t work out. Ever made a prank phone call? My friends and I did that before in middle school. We were dumb. Does your mom vacuum early in the morning, when you’re sleeping? No. Have you ever been in a car accident? No, thankfully. Have you ever been in a fist fight with someone? Nope. Or any kind of physical fight. Have you ever seriously hurt anyone by mistake? Not physically. Have you ever had stitches? Several. Name a time when you had to be strong. Numerous times. Certainly not these past few years even though some might think that. I’m weak. Have you ever dealt with a divorce or parents fighting or any kind of abuse at home? No. Have you ever lost someone close to death? if so, how many? Three. Have you ever had any volunteer jobs? Yes. Have you gone through a lot emotionally growing up? Yes. Has a boy/girl ever cheated on their boyfriend/girlfriend for you? No. And I wouldn’t want that. Do you want to see someone this very minute? Nope. Are you happy with the way things are going? Absolutely not. Are you a forgiving person? Yes. Maybe too forgiving at times. Do you have to check in with your parents before you go someplace? I didn’t have to as an adult, but I still did (I say did cause I never go anywhere anymore unless it’s with my family, but if I did I would). That’s just how my family and I are, we let each other know what’s going on. It’s not asking permission, it’s just letting each other know. Like my brother, who’s 21, will be like, “Hey, I’m hanging out with so and so tonight. We’ll probably just grab something to eat” or something like that. Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to? I don’t have any friends. Describe how you feel about your life in the past month using one word: Frustrated. Would you like to go back and change any part of your life? A few things would be nice. When will your next kiss be? I have no idea. Not anytime soon, I know that much. Last person you saw other than your family? My doctor. Will tomorrow be better than today? It’s still too early to say how today has been. Are you feeling guilty about anything right now? A lot of things. What’s going through your mind right now? I’m getting hungry. I’m tired. I have to call my doctor and reschedule my appointment. When’s the last time you had fast food? Last night. Do you believe that there’s good in everybody? Not everybody. Is it okay if you kiss people when you’re single? If they’re also single and consenting, sure. When was the last time you saw someone attractive? I see Alexander Skarsgard on my dash pretty often, ha. What was the first thing you did when you woke up? I haven’t gone to sleep, yet, remember?

Think back eight months ago, were you single? Yes. I’ve been single for several years. What do you carry with you at all times? I always take my phone and wallet. Depending on how long I’ll be gone I’ll take my medicine, too. Oh, and in today’s world I always have a mask and hand sanitizer. Are you okay with the life you live? There’s a lot I wish were different. Do you have a Tattoo? Nope. What other piercings would you get other than the ones you already have? I don’t plan on getting any more. Did your last kiss take place on a bed? Nope. I think it was in his car. Have you ever been to Disney World? No, but I’ve been to Disneyland a few times. If so, how many times have you been? Does grammar and capitalization mean anything to you? Absolutely. I’m big on proper grammar. Are you good at wrapping gifts for others? I’m not the greatest, but I still enjoy doing it. Do you have a dirty clothes hamper in your room? Yes. Do you enjoy big holiday dinners? Yes. We haven’t had one in years, though. Is your vision good? With my glasses, yes. ha. Is your present hair color, natural? Part of it is. I’m sooo overdue for a dye job. It looks awful. What was the last thing you ordered online? Christmas presents. Have you ever worn color contacts? Nope. Or any contacts. The idea of putting them on and taking them off freaks me out. If you have a significant other, how long have you been together? I’m single. Where are your parents as of now? My mom asleep, my dad is at work. Do you follow a certain religion? Yes, I’m a Christian. Do you have any family members who live out of town? Yeah. Do you consider yourself short? I am. What room are you in? Mine. Do you listen to any country music? Yeah. Do you ever watch Lifetime? Very rarely. Would ever consider having children in the future? Nope. Have you ever lived on a farm? No. Do both of your parents have jobs? Yes. If you had the chance to move to a completely different state, would you? Ummm. Maybe. What is something you’ve always wanted a boy to do for you? Commit? What food are you craving right now? I’m already thinking about Wingstop for dinner lol. How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa? Like 7 or 8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed? Numerous times. Do you have a friend you can tell stuff to and you’re sure they won’t tell? I have my family I can do that with. Would you ever get someone’s name tattooed on you? If I did it would be a loved one who passed. I don’t plan on ever getting any tattoos, though. I’m too big of a scardycat. Does your family have family picnics? No. If your doctor said you were pregnant, what would you say? I’d say you have my chart mixed with someone else cause that’s impossible for a couple of reasons.

#personal #text #survey #surveys #long survey

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ptersparkers · 6 years ago

Text

mall date

summary: you don’t want to spend time in a mall. neither does tony stark. ergo, you go on an adventure that leads you two to become much closer than you think.

a/n: ahhh i’m so happy you guys liked the young tony fic from my ‘the adventures of y/n stark’ series! here’s more young!tony for you all.

warnings: some swearing.

masterlist / tagslist

The last thing you wanted to do was hang out with your stepmother and stepsister at the mall for the day. Alas, your father had begged you to take them because of external complications (that’s what he called it) and said he’d owe you a huge favor. As if he didn’t owe you multiple ones already. But you loved him despite getting married to the Wicked Witch of the West and her daughter.

It was nearing eleven in the morning when you three entered the space on a Saturday. You weren’t sure why your stepmother, Alexandra, thought it would be a good idea to shop on a weekend when all the high school girls raided the most popular stores and when the boys bought too much cologne. She looked at the younger children in disgust before pulling you both into another high-end store to shop for clothing.

You felt quite out of place. You and your father weren’t the most well-off and how your father married Alexandra, a wealthy woman, was unbeknownst to you. You were convinced she had put a spell on him but as long as you didn’t have to interact with her or your stepsister, Ally, you were happy.

The racks of clothing, you had concluded, could probably pay for your college tuition. The shoes on display weren’t your style and could equally set you for the rest of your life.

The department store was fairly big and you found it easy enough to get lost in the store. Besides, it’s not like either of the two women before you were paying any attention (not that they ever did).

So, you wandered around the aisles, looking aimlessly at articles of clothing out of sheer boredom. It wasn’t until you had found a head poking out of a coat rack that you felt like your day was turning around.

“This is an unusual place to hide,” you commented before gazing at the coats around the person who hid in between the jackets.

“This is an unusual place for a woman to be shopping,” he replied, gazing at the sign that said ‘Men’s Coats.’

“Your point? I can wear what I want,” you said, sliding a hanger to your left to cover his face. He gasped in surprised and lost his footing, which resulted in him trying to grab onto the fabric and pull himself together.

The stranger eventually stepped out from the coats and looked around before straightening himself.

“Touché,” he replied.

“What were you doing in there anyway?” you asked.

“Hiding from my parents. Not really in the ‘shopping’ mood’,” he said while making quotation marks with his fingers. “I was planning on staying in my bedroom all day but they had other plans.”

“Don’t I know it,” you said, rolling your eyes before resuming to look at the jackets. “My father begged me to take my stepmom and stepsister to the mall. And for what?” The stranger chuckled when you angrily slid the hanger, not finding a coat you liked.

“The name’s Tony,” he said, holding his hand out for you to shake. You eyed his hand and raised an eyebrow at him before shaking his hand.

“Y/N,” you replied. “Can’t say that it’s normal for me to meet strangers who hide in coat racks.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I don’t usually meet strangers in a mall.”

“Touche.”

“So, why didn’t you want to bring your, who was it, to the mall?” he asked as you walked through the department store.

“Too picky,” you said as you walked towards the shoes. “I don’t particularly like coming here anyway unless I know what I need and shopping isn’t my definition of a good time.” You pulled a pair of white heels from a rack and held it in front of Tony. “Are these cute?”

Tony shook his head and put them back. “You can do so much better than this store. Trust me when I say these brands are what everyone’s wearing and you, Y/N, don’t look like someone who would be caught dead wearing something other people are wearing.”

You thought for a moment. “Okay, that’s true. I usually go thrift shopping but Ally just had to duck her head in here.”

“Stepsister?” You nodded. “Ah. Siblings are complicated. I can’t imagine step siblings. Well, I can’t imagine siblings at all.”

“You’re an only child?” He nodded. “Well, before Ally came into my life four years ago, so was I. I can’t tell if we don’t get along because I have no people skills or if she just sucks.” Tony laughed and watched as you pulled out blouse to look at.

“She probably just sucks. I mean, we’ve known each other for ten minutes and I already feel like we’re best friends.”

“Who says we aren’t?”

Tony watched as you put the blouse back and crossed your arms in defeat. It was as if, in that moment, a light bulb went on in his head because you saw as his face lit up with a realization.

“How about we get out of here until someone starts looking for us? I highly doubt your stepmom’s gonna be looking for you if she’s shopping and I highly doubt you want to stay here waiting for her,” he proposed.

You didn’t need any more convincing.

“Okay, let’s go before someone notices.”

Tony walked out of the store and you followed suit, not caring which direction you went in. The mall seemed much more packed than when you had walked in thirty minutes ago and blamed it on the young teenage population who felt like they needed to have the latest styles and technology.

“I hate the mall,” he uttered when a group of girls bumped into him without apologizing.

You chuckled. “Me too. I only come here if I want frozen yogurt.”

“The mall is a breeding ground for teenage angst. It’s there teenagers go to die,” he said.

“I think my hopes and dreams were crushed here when my dad refused to let me get my ears pierced when I was nine,” you said as you passed the ‘Claire’s.’ “I don’t really see the appeal of walking around the same place every single weekend.”

Tony looked at you with a smile. “I’m happy to know you hate the mall just as much as I do. Did you know that this is the biggest mall in New York?”

“Huh, I didn’t know that.”

Tony smirked. “This means we have a bigger chance of getting lost and not running into people we don’t want to see.”

You sighed gratefully. “It’s like you read my mind. Sometimes I need a break from my life and forget everyone I know for a couple of hours. I can’t walk into the kitchen without my stepmom needing to know my business.”

“I know the feeling,” Tony said while rolling his eyes. “My old man’s got no time for me and tries to make up for it by forcing his way into my life. It’s cool, I don’t need him, but I don’t think he knows that yet.”

“Well my dad’s a good man but I don’t know why he ever considered marrying Alexandra,” you said. “He’s not the gold digging type because her financials weren’t disclosed until after the marriage. It was when she proposed a prenup did he realize just how rich she really is.”

“Ouch,” Tony said. “Rich people can be the absolute worst.”

“Oh, do you have experience?”

“Let’s just say I have my fair share of opinions and most rich people are the same,” he said. “Do you want a pretzel?”

You looked at the different choices. “You know what, Tony? After the day I’ve had, I’d love a pretzel.”

The soft baked good was in your hands in no time and you linked your arm with Tony’s, peacefully walking in a random direction while happily chewing on the pretzel. There was no rhyme or reason to your outing with a stranger you met thirty minutes ago, but in that short amount of time, you two had brought each other unexpected joy to an otherwise dull and boring shopping trip.

“How old are you anyway?” you asked. Tony took a bite of his pretzel and looked down at you.

“Twenty one. Why do you ask?”

You shrugged. “I dunno, just curious I guess. For all I know, you could be thirty and look really young.”

Tony gave you a look. “And how old are you?”

“Nineteen,” you said without skipping a beat.

“You’re a child,” Tony said before tapping your nose with the pad of his index finger.

You scrunched your nose and Tony thought that was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

“I’m turning twenty next week,” you said, feigning an annoyed expression. “So I’m not a baby.”

“Your birthday’s next week, eh? Well, we should do something special right now.”

“Right now?”

“Of course. You know, just in case I don’t see you next week.”

Neither of you wanted to think about what would happen when you two parted ways and resumed your lives apart from each other. You cleared your throat and threw away the remaining trash from your pretzel with Tony following suit.

“What kinds of things do you like to do, Y/N?”

You put your index finger on your chin as you thought for dramatic effect. “Well, I’m a sucker for photo booths and anything cheesy as long as I get to laugh at myself. Window shopping’s cool too,” you said with a shrug.

“I’m gonna make this day the best damn early birthday you’ve ever had,” Tony declared.

You let out a chuckle. “Okay there, Casanova. First let’s find a photo booth.”

To your luck, you didn’t need to walk very far to find one that wasn’t being occupied. You went to insert a few dollars in the slot, but Tony insisted that he pay for everything today since he probably wouldn’t be seeing you on his special day. You argued at first, but that made Tony want to pay for you even more. You sat inside the dark booth and watched as Tony closed the curtains behind him when he sat down.

“Okay, how does this thing work?” Tony asked as he fumbled with the buttons and red the instructions.

“I think we have to pick our borders first,” you said, looking at the different frames. “Ooh, I like the yellow one!”

“Yellow one it is,” he said with a smile. “Okay, next step is to press the button. Wait, the red one or the green one?”

“Uh,” you said, leaning your chin on Tony’s shoulder to peer at the instructions in front of him. “The green one. The red one’s for cancelling pictures.”

“Aren’t you a smart cookie.”

You leaned back and fanned yourself. “What can I say, Tony?”

“Okay, what poses do you want to do?”

“I know I want to do one where we put our middle fingers up to the camera,” you said. “We have two more pictures, right? Well we can do something cheesy. Like a pinkie promise.”

Tony gave you a look. “What are we, twelve?”

“I’ll be thirteen next week.”

You both laughed.

“Okay, what about pose number three?”

“Surprise me.”

Tony hit the green button and it counted down from five. You both tried your best to look serious in the camera while putting up your middle fingers. The camera flashed and you both scrambled to hold onto each other’s pinkies when the be t flash went off. Completely unaware of what the third photo was, you awkwardly posed when you felt Tony’s lips press against your cheek, leaving you with a surprised expression when the camera flashed for the final time.

You both hopped out of the booth and waited for your pictures to print.

“We look so cute,” you commended while looking at the third photo.

“You don’t look like you want to die,” he said, referring to your surprise in the third photo. You let out a laugh and tucked the photo in your purse.

“I bet you say that to all the other girls.”

“What other girls?”

You smacked Tony’s chest and he linked your arm in his once again. You looked at your watch and saw that you had been gone for nearly an hour and Tony was your bewildered expression, wondering what you’d do next. But to his surprise, you didn’t say anything about the time.

“Tell me about yourself,” Tony said. “What were you like as a kid? I bet you were a cute kid.”

“I was the cutest kid on the playground,” you huffed. “Well, I don’t really know what there is to say. I was a pretty mundane kid growing up like how typical suburban kids do. My mom left my father and I when I was eight and I haven’t heard from her since. But my dad and I managed just fine for a few years until, you know.”

“Suburban, eh? I wouldn’t loved to live in the suburbs.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well,” he began, “I grew up in Long Island but spent a lot of time in Manhattan and New York City for my father’s work. It always felt like I was growing up too fast with a lot of expectations. I never really liked those.”

“Me either,” you replied. “Alexandra, my stepmom, hates that I’m not like her kid. She hates that I love science instead of the arts. She refused to go to any of my tech conventions growing up so so usually has to find my own way to those things.”

“My dad’s kind of the same. I mean, he has all these expectations but isn’t around to see them come to fruition. I think he wants me to be a younger him but that’s not for me.”

“What about your mom?”

Tony smiled. “She’s a gentle woman. Very kind, very soft spoken. Always tried her best to help me on my homework when my father wasn’t around. I don’t think I could ever hate her.”

“Same with my father,” you said. “Why he married...her, I will never understand.”

“Sometimes I feel that way too. Is it wrong to think that about your biological parent?”

You thought for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. Family doesn’t have a set of rules everyone follows closely. The people you were born with are just human, like the rest of us, and that means they’re going to make mistakes and act on their own free will. That doesn’t mean you have to forgive them either.”

“Damn. Y/N. Are you sure you’re nineteen and not in your wise years?”

You laughed. “I don’t know, Tony. I’ve figured that it’s best to keep people who you want close and everyone else at bay. You have the family you were born in, but you can also choose who you let in.”

“I’m gonna be honest and say that before meeting you, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten as close to someone so quickly.”

“Ditto,” you said, looking up at Tony with a genuine grin.

“You guys are too cute,” a woman commented. “Reminds me of me and my husband.”

“Oh,” you started, “we’re not-”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Tony interrupted. “I’m the luckiest man alive.” You raised an eyebrow as he kissed your temple. He looked down at you and sent a wink your way, which made you blush.

“Y/N, is that you?” you heard your stepmother ask.

“Oh, fuck me,” you groaned as you attempted to hide yourself in Tony’s chest.

“Evil stepmother?” he asked. You nodded silently.

“We’ve been looking for you for fifteen minutes,” you heard her shout from a fair distance away.

“Do you trust me?” Tony asked. You looked up at him.

“I did the second I left that God awful department store with you.”

He smiled and let go of your body to cup your jawline with his hands, leaning in to press your lips onto his. Your eyes fluttered closed when you felt his lips move against yours and he let his thumbs rub soothing circles on your cheek. You gripped the opening of his jacket, desperate to pull him closer and he seemed to feel the same when he let his chest pressed against yours.

Tony was the one to pull away first and you whimpered quietly at the loss of his touch. You opened your eyes to see him already looking back at you.

��Your lips are soft,” you said before pressing a quick kiss to his lips once more.

“What was that for?” Tony asked with a grin.

You shrugged, your grin equally as big. “That was for me.”

Tony kissed you once again. “That was for me too.”

***

Taglist:

@kath94210 @sessi03 @olliekookie @edgyhargreeves @simonsbluee @meraki--me @sleep-i-ness @amourski @zaynjawy @katiemcrae @captainlarsonn.

#tony stark #my writing #mall date

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abbie-writes-stuff · 5 years ago

Text

epiphany//euphoria - iii

@silentwhispofhope, stupid-gracie, slutlanna976, julimelodi, itsjustgoobi, a-single-bun, katsukisprincess, theamazinghana, domtamaki, teerama

Word Count: 1k

Week 5

You said the flowers you bloomed were beautiful.

On a sunny, Friday morning, Mina proposed a trip to the mall with the entirety of class A.

Originally, (Y/N) didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay at home, isolated, but when that idea of warm sunshine and laughter flickered across her mind, she couldn’t refuse. In an attempt to grasp that small beam of normality again, she agreed only an hour after Mina suggested the small getaway.

It was now a soft, summer morning. The (H/C) haired girl was currently sitting on the couch in the main lounge of the U.A dorms besides Bakugou (who was forced to go) and Kirishima while waiting for the others to join.

Minutes ticked by as the class slowly flooded into the common area in groups until the entirety of Class A were together.

(Y/N) clung to Ochaco as they headed for the district shopping mall, making extra sure to stay as far away from Shouto as she possibly could.

“What are you planning to buy today?” (Y/N) asked Ochaco hastily, trying to appear casual despite it being evident she was avoiding the dual-haired boy.

“I don’t really plan on buying anything,” commented Ochaco. “Unless I see something I like, of course!”

(Y/N) nodded distantly, trying to muster up an encouraging smile.

Only a month ago, she wouldn’t have to pretend to be so…

Blinking away those riveting thoughts, she stares at the concrete pavement she was walking on.

I’m going to be happy today.

I’m going to have fun.

⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋

“Let’s go to the food court,” suggested Shouto.

The class had split up into their own little groups the moment they had arrived at the mall and for a while, (Y/N) had stuck with Tsu and Ochaco. That is, until she lost them. And just her luck, the one who had found her was none other than the man of the hour, Todoroki Shouto.

“I’m not that hungry though,” she retorts lightly.

Shouto casts her a sideways look, arching an eyebrow.

“I haven’t seen you eat in the past week, (Y/N).” The (H/C) haired girl held her breath. “Don’t tell me you’re dieting.”

(Y/N) paused for a moment, a bit shocked that he didn’t realize her faltering health, but a bit pleased he didn’t. The less he knows, the better it’ll be for both of them.

“No, idiot,” she retorted teasingly. “If you’re really that deadset, let’s go get pretzels.”

Without waiting for a reply, she sped ahead giddily, enjoying the temporary bliss.

Skipping along the pretzel stand and ordering two, she hands Shouto one and contently chomps down, relishing the flavor. She hasn’t eaten properly in such a long time, it seemed like heaven despite it being merely a soft pretzel. It wasn’t big, but it was the first time in weeks (Y/N) was at peace.

At peace with others.

At peace with herself.

“Any stores you really want to go to?” asks Shouto beside her.

“Ah, actually, yeah. I want to go look at some room decors, it’s gotten a bit bland in there.”

It’s gotten scary in there.

“Are you looking for a full redecoration?” asks Shouto as they leisurely make their way to the store.

Shaking her head no, she looks around the open mall. Kids were running about as parents tailed them with soft, loving smiles. Couples scattered across the mall, hand in hand as they lean into each other.

There was so much love around (Y/N), yet she couldn’t feel any of it. She wanted to, and for a moment she did, but when she thought back to the boy walking beside her, her mood dampened.

(H/C) locks fell across her face, hiding her away from him as she became shy again. She could feel the flowers pushing up, but only so softly. Soft enough for her to resist. It was like they pitied her.

She didn’t want to be pitied.

The two walked into the large store mindlessly, looking around for things they probably won’t buy.

A few minutes passed of blank walking before (Y/N) saw something in the corner of her eyes.

“Shouto, look at his!”

(Y/N) beamed at the small, vintage camera. The brand was obviously high-tech but the appearance was old and familiar. It looked simple, homey, something that the girl had longed for quite a while.

The dual-haired boy stands beside her quaintly, observing the age-old camera she held in her hands.

“Isn’t that a bit too old?”

“Are you kidding?” she reels back jokingly. “Look at the brand! Of course it’s not old, it just looks that way. Which, by the way, is exactly why I want it.”

Shouto stares at her blankly, a pondering look passing through his heterochromatic hues before nodding.

“Whatever makes you happy.”

Grinning like a baby, (Y/N) rushes to the counter, forgetting about her room decorations. She didn’t need to spend so much money on a new room, not when she has a new gadget. It was simple but she liked that. All the memories she could save…

She’ll capture the fleeting happiness in the pictures she’ll take. She’ll hold onto them. And she’ll love them.

⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋⇋

Click

The shutter went off as the group stared at the girl behind the camera. They had all gathered back together for dinner and as they ate and chat freely, (Y/N) thought it was a good moment to take a picture, and a good moment it was.

The picture had everyone in the photo, their faces light and happy. The vibe was soft and nostalgic, a sort of contemptuous resonating within the small frame.

(Y/N) smiled fondly at the camera, pride swelling within her. The whole day, the lilies never came up. Maybe she jinxed it and the next second she’ll be doubling over in pain, but right now, she’s happy.

“Eat,” Shouto said sternly as he pushes the plate of pasta (Y/N) had ordered towards her.

Chuckling in fear, she nods before picking up her fork.

He acts like a mother, she thinks playfully.

“So I take it you’re liking that camera?” Ochako asks from beside her, chomping on her pepperoni pizza.

Nodding gleefully, she tucks it back into her bag as she resumed eating.

Looking around, a small sense of pride swelled up in the (H/C) haired girl.

Peace.

It’s something she hasn’t felt in a long while and just for a while, she hopes that it’ll stay.

decided to give everyone a break from all the angst haha

taglist: @silentwhispofhope, stupid-gracie, slutlanna976, julimelodi, itsjustgoobi, a-single-bun, katsukisprincess, theamazinghana, domtamaki, teerama

#shouto #todoroki #shouto todoroki #shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki x reader #shoto #shoto x reader #shoto todoroki #shoto todoroki x reader #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #mha x reaer

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ukulelecal · 6 years ago

Text

Work of Art

In which you see Calum at the Louvre...and then again at the grocery store.

Warnings: none

Pairing: Calum Hood x Reader

Requested By: Anonymous

“can I suggest a 5sos request (possibly Calum) where say you're a stranger and happen to be visiting the city they're currently on tour in and you both make eye contact but thats all and then weeks later after tours over you run into him again in the pet isle in a store and he can't believe it's you, you're all he's been thinking about“

“Ok I'm the same anon who submitted the CalumXStranger meeting one and like hear me out I have more details I've pictured them to be in Paris, specially spotting each other at the Louvre and Cal would tweet something like "how can a stranger be more beautiful than any painting in the Louvre" and idk I've been listening to a song by Sabrina Carpenter called "Mona List" and the song just fits this so well I'm in love thank you“

Requests are OPEN!

*Gif not mine*

Calum loved Paris.

He loved the sights, the food, the people, the language. He loved everything about the city, about the whole country. It was always one of his favorite stops on tour.

This time around, the guys happened to have a day off during their time in Paris, and they fully intended on spending the whole day sightseeing and indulging in some French culture. Calum was ecstatic to explore the city, even though he had been there before.

You had similar plans.

Your friend was spending the year studying in France, and she convinced you to come visit her for a week or two. You were a tad hesitant at first, just because it was a big trip to make by yourself, but you did miss her dearly, so you agreed to come.

Your friend, Tess, was studying in Lyon, but she promised that you two would go to Paris, per you insisting it wasn’t a trip to France unless you got to see the Eiffel Tower. She agreed, and today was one of the days you were going to be spending in Paris. The plan for the day was mostly to play it by year, but there was one thing on the agenda; the Louvre.

Tess lead the way, and soon enough the intricate building came into view. Your eyes widened as you took it all in. If the outside was this beautiful, you could hardly imagine how breathtaking the art on the inside would be.

“Have you been here before?” You asked Tess as you made your way inside, hopping in line to buy tickets.

“Yeah, I’ve come a couple times,” she answered, shrugging. “Still haven’t seen everything, though. I doubt I ever will.”

You snorted, shaking your head. You knew the place was huge. You would need multiple days to see it all.

Once you made it through the line and got your tickets, Tess quickly took off towards wherever the Mona Lisa was, babbling about how surreal it is to see it in person. You only half listened, the rest of your focus on taking in the sights around you. Just being at the Louvre was crazy, and you wanted to take it all in.

You finally reached the room where the famous painting was hung, and just like you would have figured, there was a big crowd around it, everyone trying to get a glimpse. Tess sighed from beside you.

“Just wait behind them, we’ll get up there,” she mumbled, and you followed her instructions, stepping behind the people at the back of the crowd.

You glanced around at the other paintings as you waited, pulling your phone out to snap a few pictures. You took small steps closer as people left, the people behind them filling in the space at the front.

Calum was at the Louvre, too.

He was with the guys, Andy, who was having an absolute field day taking pictures of everything, and a few other people who were touring with them. Calum was quiet for the most part, mostly just trying to admire the art and occasionally pose for Andy’s pictures when he asked.

Then, he saw you. And he couldn’t look away.

You were just a stranger, standing there, trying to get a close look at the Mona Lisa. Somehow, you managed to be more beautiful than any piece of art in the whole museum. You were a work of art on your own.

The moment your gaze turned to him, Calum’s heart skipped a beat.

Your eyes locked, and your breath caught in your throat.

He looked familiar. You had definitely seen him somewhere before, but you couldn’t quite pinpoint where. No matter what, he was gorgeous. Like, really gorgeous.

Before either of you had the chance to do anything, to approach the other or even smile, Calum was being dragged away by Luke, forcing him to tear his eyes away from you. You watched him walk away for a moment, before forcing your eyes back ahead of you.

It almost seemed like the rest of the art Calum saw in the museum was ruined for him. It was all still amazing, but it just couldn’t compare. Not to you. He knew he was probably never going to see you again, but he just couldn’t get the image of you out of his mind.

As for you, you were just trying to figure out where you knew him from. Was he famous? Did he live near you and you had seen him around town before? You had no clue, but it was bugging you.

You finally stepped up to the barrier in front of the painting, staring at it with wide eyes. It was beautiful...but that mystery man definitely wasn’t bad either.

Later in the day, Calum was on his way back to his hotel. They all needed to rest up after a long day of sightseeing, before their show tomorrow. He slipped his phone out of the pocket of his jeans as the drove, opening Twitter and starting a new tweet.

“How can a stranger be more beautiful than any painting in the Louvre?”

He hit send and dropped his phone in his lap, gaze averting out the window. Paris was all lit up, Calum almost squinting at the brightness of it all.

It was beautiful, but still not as beautiful as the one piece of art he saw at the Louvre. You.

…

It had been about a month and a half since you got back from France, with your camera roll full of photos and memories to keep forever. It was a great little vacation, but now you were back to everyday life. School, work. Not sipping coffee at a Parisian café.

It was a typical Saturday. Since you didn’t have work, you needed to go and run the errands that you had been putting off for way too long. You were running pretty low on food, both for yourself and for your dog, and you had been meaning to go to the bank for a while now.

After you gave a good petting to your dog and reminded him that he’s a good boy and that you love him, you headed out the door. First stop; grocery store.

You made the drive and hopped out, immediately heading towards the pet aisle once you were inside. Dog food was the first thing on your list.

That’s when he saw you.

He was out shopping for a new leash for his dog - the one he had was pretty old, starting to wear away - when he spotted you, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as you browsed the bags of dog food, searching for the brand you usually buy.

He could barely breathe, doing a double take to make sure it was actually you. After all those weeks of him trying but failing to push the image of your face out of his mind, trying to forget the stranger he was convinced he would never see again, but here you were, standing right in front of him again. He couldn’t believe it. You were just as beautiful as he remembered.

Before he could even think about his actions, he was walking up to you and tapping you on the shoulder. He didn’t even think about how crazy you were going to think he was, how weird this was going to seem. He didn’t really care, either. You were actually here.

You turned towards the source of the tap on your shoulder, eyes widening slightly when you saw who it was. The boy from the Louvre.

You had figured out who he was the second you got back to your hotel after your day in Paris. You were boredly scrolling through social media when his face suddenly popped up on your feed. It didn’t take long for you to determine he was Calum Hood, bassist in 5 Seconds of Summer. It was definitely cool that you saw him, but you didn’t really think much of it. It’s not like he was going to remember you specifically or anything.

You were starting to question that now.

“Hi,” he breathed, running a hand through his curls. He paused for a moment, as if trying to think of what to say. “Okay, you’re probably going to think I’m insane, but I saw you, last month in Paris. At the Louvre.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. How could he possibly remember you, of all the people he probably saw and met there? It kind of made you feel special.

“Yeah, yeah, I remember you. By the Mona Lisa,” you replied, slowly nodding your head in recollection.

He smiled, bright like the Eiffel Tower at night, and oh boy, did he have a nice smile. It was real, and he was so glad that you actually did remember him and weren’t running away from him.

“Yes, that room.” He averted his eyes for a second, before bringing the chocolate brown orbs back to you. “I just wanted to say...I saw a lot of art that day, but you were definitely the prettiest work of art there.”

Heat rose quickly to your cheeks, and you smiled sheepishly, looking down at your shoes. It was cheesy, beyond cheesy, yet flattering. Your heart was pounding so loud in your chest you were afraid he could hear it, and you found yourself wanting to see more of him.

“That’s sweet,” you mumbled, bringing your gaze back up to him. He grinned, mentally cheering because you didn’t make fun of him for the stupid line.

“What’s your name, dear?” He asked evenly, head tilting slightly to the side. Your heart skipped a beat at the pet name, suddenly wanting to throw yourself at him and never let go.

“Y/N,” you replied, stickinging your hands in the pocket of your jacket. “What’s yours?” You already knew the answer to that, but it didn’t matter.

“Calum,” he said. He looked around the store for a moment and then looked back to you. “How about, we finish shopping here and then I take you out for lunch, Y/N?”

You grinned, nodding your head quickly.

“I would love that, Calum.”

He smiled in response.

“Meet me by the doors when you’re done, then.”

With that, you parted ways, finishing up your shopping and then meeting him at the front doors.

You still needed to go to the bank, but that was just going to have to wait for another time. You had other plans.

A/N pt. 2: i would love to write for yungblud so send requests for him lol

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dxmedstudent · 6 years ago

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Dx’s Dating Tips #3 -The Profile

This post is about profiles as a whole - the bits and bobs that may not necessarily be in your blurb. Funnily enough, I started these posts months and months ago when I was still actively on those sites. Guess it took me a long time to hit my drafts and publish them, but I think it’s still useful.

Fill in the most useful fields, but don’t wory about listing every minute detail. Some dating sites really seem to go into incredible detail, because data is currency for them. But think carefully about how much information you are putting into your profile, and whether it’s going to look overwhelming and cluttering and hard to read. For example, you can put your hobbies, but stick to things that are most important to you, rather than something you tried, once. But this also means you really should spend some time making your profile actually complete and worthy of being read.

And yes, this also means try not to overstate how much you do things. If someone decided to date you because they thought you liked rock climbing as much as they do, they’ll probably be pretty bummed when they discover you tried it once, took a selfie, then hated it and would never want to try again. Being genuine about what you enjoy is key to finding people with similar interests or people who will respect you for yours.

It also means don’t understate things you do, either. If you smoke and drink, own it. Both those things might be dealbreakers for a lot of people, but you need someone who is compatible to you. For example, lots of people who like to go out drinking want partners who will share that experience with them, whereas people who don’t enjoy that particular pursuit might not want to spend all their dates being dragged round a club with their new SO and their friends whilst they all get plastered. Personally, I’m happy that the guy I’m seeing also doesn’t drink much, and doesn’t smoke; both would be dealbreakers for me, and equally, I wouldn’t want to feel like the ‘stick in the mud’ partner who doesn’t have fun. So I looked for someone with a similar definition of ‘fun’ to me. I heard of couples where one partner pretended not to smoke for the longest time because they knew their SO didn’t want to date a smoker, and I just found that to be such a sad deceit. Give prospective partners an honest chance to see if you are for them. I was quite open early on about my shifts, and my current sightly nomadic lifestyle in medicine; I talk quite a bit about work when dating, it turns out! Really, I want anyone who dates me to know what they are getting into; I don’t want them to feel tricked. Anyhow, despite all my talking about death and medicine, and having less than ideal timetables it seems I can’t put everyone off, and I’m truly honoured to have met someone for whom those parts of my life are part of the deal.

Be honest about your attributes, including things like your body type and height. Yes, it’s silly if someone will only date men over 6ft or women under 80kg, but nevertheless, you’ll want to look for people who will love you for who you are, rather than resent people for wanting something else. It’s pointless to argue with people about what they have decided are their preferences. So many men obscure their height on dating sites because they fear women won’t date a short man, and really tall guys say that women only really want a man who’s somewhere between 5ft 9 and 6ft 2 or so - above or below that, apparently people get put off. But if a woman’s that judgemental they’ll just probably get dumped after the first date, so ultimately lying is still pointless. I personally didn’t care about height at all; some people I met didn’t list their height at all and it didn’t faze me (yep, they were short, no, that’s not the reason there wasn’t a second date). But I think people being honest about their height, particularly if they are pretty short, or pretty tall, is a pretty brave, confident thing to do. You deserve someone who accepts and loves you for whoever you are.

This also includes things like whether you’ve been married or have kids by a previous relationship. Again, if someone isn’t prepared to deal with that, then they aren’t right for you. These are the kinds of things that work best if gotten out of the way early on, because the later you leave revealing big things like this, the more people will feel like important things are being concealed from them. This also means being honest early on (I’d say during messages or around the first or second date) if you’ve just recently come out of a breakup; be prepared that other people might want to take it slow because they aren’t sure if you still have a lot of issues from your last relationship, or they might want to wait until you have taken some time to think and heal after your breakup. For example, one guy mentioned his ex turning up uninvited to events during messaging. He effectively invited me to join his gaming group on a date, having told me that his ex still plays with his gaming group. Now, if I’m dating someone yes, I’d love to meet their friends after a while, but intitially you just want to get to know a person by themselves. I don’t want high romance, but I don’t really want to turn into ‘one of the boys’ after the second date, either. And no, I don’t want to meet their very recent ex at these get togethers, nor do I want to replace her in his gaming group that soon; it all came across as likely to cause drama and hurt to everyone. I thought he would make a genuinely good friend, if I had the time to pick up new friends but I couldn’t see it leading to anything more. He agreed that he still had things to process, and I really hope that he has taken that time, and found that space and that he meets someone lovely. A few guys confided in me that they’d only recently got into dating after long breaks from dating or after a breakup and I don’t think it makes you less dateable, as long as you can make it clear that you are now ready to date and are serious about it, and have gotten to the point where it won’t massively hamper your current dating. Alternatively, if all you want to do is dip your feet in, and you don’t want anything serious then it’s good to be honest about that too; because there are lots of people who are happy with that.

If you’re in an open relationship, be honest. And no, it’s not an open relationship unless your current partner is aware and OK with you seeing other people, and all prospective new interests are also aware of the situation. Keeping anyone in equation in the dark is wrong. Yes, that might eliminate a lot of people, since a lot of people aren’t into that, but lying is not cool, and implicating people in things that would make them uncomfortable is also wrong. Be warned that if you have no photo, or have really blurry obscured photos, everyone is going to assume that you’re either cheating or on the run from the police. I came across one profile where the only picture was the dude in a literal balaclava. I don’t know how he thought he’d attract a woman with a photo that reveals none of his face, but who knows, maybe he got lucky.

Don’t lie about things like whether you want to get married, have kids etc. This is where acting in good faith comes in; tell people the truth, not what you think they want to hear. You need to find people who will want the same things as you, and people can’t do that if nobody is honest. Now, this is the real world, and a lot of people can’t necessarily fit their feelings into a neat ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to those questions. If you aren’t sure, it’s OK to be honest about that; many people just want to see where things go, and that’s perfectly fine. Some people like the idea of these things, but really want to focus on meeting someone right first. Others are pretty sure that they want to be married in like, 2 years, tops, with a kid on the way. Personally, people who are super-keen to marry or have kids soon kind of scare me a little, even though I want those things, because I very much want to take things at whatever pace things come, so I struggled to know exactly how to put that across in my profile. Lying also makes things more difficult for everyone. Some people want casual relationships, but struggle to find others who are open about it. Meanwhile, lots of people who really just want casual setups (and mainly, well, sex) absolutely pretend that they are interested in much more, because they think people won’t give them a chance if they don’t go through the performance of pretending to eventually want a relationship. The thing to remember about people who lie is that it’s easy to promise the world if you have no intention of delivering. So it’s worth bearing in mind that if someone is talking about marriage and kids on like date 3, they might be very, very keen, or they might just be counting on the fact that’s what you want to hear. I wish I could tell you it was easy to tell the two apart. Having seen enough people get hurt by people who claimed to want one thing, but clearly wanted another, I have a hard time trusting what people write in these particular boxes until you really get to know a person.

I don’t think stating how much you earn is important, in fact, I wouldn’t. If you earn a lot of money, the last thing you want is someone who’s sought you out just because they thought you were rich. And yet, a lot of guys post pics next to shiny cars, mention how much their brand new house cost, and write about their summer homes and salary. Some of them even write explicitly that they aren’t into uh... people who are trying to take advantage of that. But that’s no use if your profile just reads like one long advert about how wealthy you are. I don’t know why people who are wealthy often feel they have to make it obvious, but it’s really not necessary. If you want someone to love you for who you are, not your money, then don’t hide behind your wealth, or use it as bait to attract people. If you emphasise only what you bring financially, you will attract people who value you only for that. The easiest way to avoid that is just to be discreet. I didn’t mention what I do or what I earn explicitly in my profile at all; only that I work in healthcare. I love and respect my nurses and physios; any man who’d date a doctor but not a nurse isn’t someone I want in my life.I’d never lie about what I do, but I didn’t think there was anything to be gained by boasting about it. I want someone to date me and find it cool that I happen to be a doctor, rather than someone to be dating me because they think doctors are smart, or rich or the kind of girl their parents want etc.

If you’re really stuck, I’d say that it’s a good idea to take a look at the profiles of people of your gender, to see what other people do, and work out which cliches to avoid. Looking at other profles of any gender can be a great way to see the difference between an interesting profile and a dull one. You’ll find that the more you look at profiles and date, the more you’ll build an idea of what you like (and want) and what you really don’t. I started out fairly neutral and doing my best to be forgiving, but found that I gained strong opinions on what makes a good profile after perusing so many of them.

#dx's dating tips #dx dates #dxdates

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the-digimon-tamer · 5 years ago

Photo

Chapter 23 - Visitors Not Welcome is out now on FanFiction.Net and ArchiveOfOurOwn! Check them out with the links or find it after the break!

Title: The Tamer v2.0 - In HIs Name

Fandom: Digimon

Rating: T

Synopsis: In the next adventure of the Digimon Tamer, the lives of Juri, Rika, and Henry change forever when digimon begin crossing over into the human world. But it’s all just a story, right? Just a book series by an author no one has seen in a long time. Why are they here and can they save their world before something worse follows the digimon?

The Tamer v2.0: In His Name

Chapter 23: Visitors Not Welcome

Everyone screamed as they felt themselves pulled down, up, back and forth in an endless void of swirling colors and blinding lights. A few times, it felt like they were drowning in water. Other times, it felt like they were suffocating from air. And sometimes, it just felt like standing on solid ground. Through it all, Kazu screamed, “What the hell is going on!?”

“Language!”

“Really Henry?”

“I’ll do what the hell I want! You’re not my mother!” he spat out.

“Where even are we?” Rika shouted out.

“The space between worlds!” Takato’s voice rang out in the endless voice, “This gate is a little sloppier than my usual ones. Give it time! It’ll get better. Probably. We should land whenever we get there.”

“Land where? All I see is bright lights!” Terriermon shouted back.

“Maybe there?” Juri pointed at what looked like a floating piece of land. As soon as she said that, they all found themselves flying towards the ground at break neck speed. Or falling. The perspective was just plain messy at this point. And as quickly as it started, it subsided as they gently rolled into a mound of sand in the desert. Rough, coarse sand blowing straight into their clothes and battering their face as it struck them. Then the wind died down and they were able to gather their bearings.

Juri dusted herself off, coughing as she tried to get sand out of her mouth, “Is it always like that? If it is, then I don’t want to do it anymore.”

“Only when you’re crossing the boundary between worlds,” Takato answered, poking his head out of the sand and trying to clear it out of his hair to little success . Rika scoffed, “So all the time is what you’re saying.”

He clicked his tongue, “I didn’t say that at all. Ah! Home sweet home! It’s a lot dustier than I remember. Andromon, how long was I gone for?”

Andromon spun his limbs and his neck to remove the sand from his joints, whirring and beeping grotesquely. Once he finished, he scanned around the desert, “Information: The Digimon Tamer’s last recorded sighting in the Digital World was...Error. Time dilations detected, unable to verify passage of time since last sighting.”

“Oh that’s bad. That is very bad,” Takato frowned, retrieving his digivice from his pocket to examine it carefully, “Okay, better be quick then. We don’t want to spend too much time here.”

“Hold up! What was that about time…dials…whatever?” Kazu asked quickly. Takato put a hand over his eyes to block the sun and started scanning the horizon, ignoring Kazu’s question. Kazu called again, “Takato?”

“I thought I already explained this Kazu. Time’s become convoluted,” Takato answered back, “We may have been here for about a minute, but that doesn’t mean time is flowing the same back in the human world. Days, weeks, months, years could’ve passed. And we’re a few days behind Makuramon in that world. Who knows how far behind we are here! Or how far ahead we are! We could be here before Makuramon arrives, which gives us an advantage but it’s not like we know which is which.”

“Okay, that hurt my head,” Leomon grumbled. Frustrated, Terriermon shouted, “Are we going to just sit here and talk about this or are we going to go find Calumon already? This heat is killing me and I don’t like sitting around here doing nothing!”

“Terriermon’s right. We should get moving,” Henry agreed solemnly, wiping his brow, “The sooner we get out of this heat, the better. Where to first?”

“If I had to guess, that would be a good place to start,” Rika pointed off into the distance. Somehow, in the confusion of their arrival, they all missed a giant glowing orb of light over the horizon. It was almost like a second sun, but closer to the ground and nowhere near as blinding. Takato took a good look at it and asked, “Hey, Andromon. When were you going to tell me about the big glowing light in the Digital World that wasn’t here last time?”

“Answer: The light was not present during departure for the human world. This light is unknown at this time,” Andromon answered flatly, staring at it intensely, “Optical Zoom at 50. Moving figure spotted. Unable to identify at this time.”

Kazu pointed straight at it, waving the flag in his hand, “Well I say we go that way! I betcha Calumon is right there.”

Rika raises up her digivice “What about our digivices? I mean, it can detect and identify digimon when they come from the other side, right? Why wouldn’t it be able to find Calumon here?”

“Maybe?” Takato examined his own, “My old one broke and I can’t still figure out how this specific model works. It’s like…going from a computer to a calculator.”

Rika cycled through the options on her digivice but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. In truth, she hadn’t done much to experiment with the digivice since she got it. It usually just set off alarms whenever something happened and powered up Renamon when she swiped cards through the card reader. And from the looks of it, neither Henry or Juri had either. Renamon folded her arms at their hesitation and grunted, “We’ve been sitting idle for long enough and I’m not hearing any better ideas. Let’s go…and everyone stick together. The last thing we need is to get separated from each other in a dangerous place like this.”

“Hang on!” Kazu shouted aloud to stop them. He reached into his bag produced a collapsible pole that he reassembled and a piece of cloth that he mounted on top. With a firm shove into the ground, he shouted, “This is one small step for ‘mon! One giant leap for ‘mon kind!”

“Alright! It’s picture time!” Kenta added happily, waving a digital camera in the air excitedly, “Come on guys! What are you waiting for! Kodak moment for our first time in the Digital World.”

“What is he talking about?” Leomon looked at the rest of them in confusion. Rika closed her eyes, “It’s a thing people do in our world. They take photos of every little thing to make memories of whatever. It doesn’t matter how unimportant it is.”

“Oh don’t be like that Rika! This is important! It’s our first time in the Digital World! Come on!” Juri cheered excitedly, taking hold of the poor girl and dragging her over to the flag. Rika wanted to protest but saw Renamon already perched atop the pole. Rika couldn’t believe what she was seeing, “Not you too, Renamon!”

“I’m curious Rika. Besides, I get a pretty good view from up here. I can scout for danger while our photos are taken,” Renamon answered flatly. Rika sighed in defeat and went along with getting their pictures taken, watching the others assemble beside the flag. Kenta took his time with each photo: first everyone, then just the humans, then just the digimon, the girls, and finally just the boys. Once they were done, Kenta excitedly started examining the pics only to groan, “Oh, what? What happened to my pictures? They’re all fuzzy and blurry.”

“That’s never happened before,” Takato called out, snatching the camera to see for himself, “I definitely remember Dizzy’s computer worked fine. I wonder what happened here?”

“Well we are in another world. Maybe it’s messing with the electronics?” Henry assumed quietly.

“That sucks. I brought this camera for nothing,” Kenta sighed in defeat. Kazu picked up the flag and declared, “Don't worry about it. We got a lot more stuff to do. Let’s just bring home some souvenirs while we’re here!”

“What souvenirs? There’s nothing but sand for miles,” Kenta pointed out quietly. He marched along with them but sounded entirely annoyed by the loss of his photos. Rika decided now would be a good time to message her mom. She was probably worried sick about her already and started typing her message. She pulled out the D-Terminal and opened the lid. To say it was like nothing she’d ever seen would be an understatement. It was like a crammed keyboard and screen but it ran like it was a brand new computer. Still, part of her was just a little excited to think that her dad used to be one of the characters in her favorite book and that this was his D-Terminal. Without even thinking, she started typing aloud as she spoke, “We made it and we’re all okay. We’ll message you more later.”

She wasn't sure which of the contacts were her mom so she simply hit send all. She closes the lid once the message was sent and noticed everyone was looking at her with the biggest of smiles. It was creepy in how unnerving it was, “What?”

“Just admiring how much more you’ve been opening up lately,” Juri answered, folding her arms behind her back as her smile widened. Rika grunted, closed her eyes and put the device away, “Whatever. Let’s get going already.”

“Leomon, is the entire Digital World like this? Just miles of desert in every direction,” Juri asked her partner aloud. Leomon grunted, “No. I don’t know where this is but I’ve seen a lot of the Digital World: vast oceans, thick forests, steaming jungles, high peaked mountains, frosted glaciers, and more. The whole of the Digital World is as varied and diverse as your world I imagine. Unless I’m mistaken in thinking your entire world is just one big city.”

“Yeah, I guess that would be silly if the world were just one big desert,” Juri giggled quietly. Takato pocketed his hands, “Don’t be too sure of that. There are lots of worlds that only have one kind of environment, if they have any at all.”

“And how would you know that?” Kazu rolled his eyes in disbelief. Without skipping a beat or even cracking a smile, Takato answered, “Got stuck outside reality for a while - it was an abstract void of nothingness. Took me forever to find a way back to the Digital World. Went through a lot worlds in the process. One with naked giants trying to break down a wall, another where the whole world was flooded and dry land wasn’t a concept, another where the only light came from a fire that everyone was really anxious to throw themselves into so it would burn a little longer. That world was…different. Also, does anyone else feel like something is off?”

“We’re in another world goggle head! What part of this isn’t weird?” Rika snapped at him. Takato laughed, “You have me there. No, I was thinking about how…I don’t know…it feels like your world still. Like we never left.”

“Well you said that there were two versions of our world sitting on top of each other. Maybe this is the same thing?” Kenta reasoned quietly. Takato’s eyes widened and he spun around to face him, “Say that again.”

“What?”

“Again! Say it again!”

“I was just saying that maybe there are two digital worlds sitting on top of each other,” Kenta repeated quietly. Takato slapped a hand to his forehead, groaning in disbelief, “Of course! Of course! I’m an idiot! Henry! You’re dad said he invented digimon! But the Digital World is infinitely old! UNLESS! He didn’t build this Digital World! He built another one with his friends. And it started to intersect with this one! I’m an idiot! How did I miss that? It’s no wonder nothing makes sense! There aren’t three worlds sitting on top of each other! There are four! Not just two human worlds with conflicting histories and realities! Two digital worlds! That’s what all of this is!”

“He’s doing that thing where he’s not making sense again,” Kazu scratched the back of his head in confusion. The rest of them nodded in agreement but Terriermon chimed in, “He may not be talking sense but he‘s got more sense than any of us when it comes to this stuff. I say we keep listening to him and maybe we’ll all make it out of this okay!”

“So basically do what my parents did back when they were our age?” Rika took the chance to shoot him a dirty look. Takato frowned at that, throwing up his hands defensively, “Your mom has issues with me. Actually, so did a lot of them. That’s alright.”

“Wait, I thought you said you couldn’t remember much,” Kenta pointed out. Takato smiles back, “Yeah, but being in the Digital World is helping to make it easier to remember things. It’s like...oh! It’s like when you have a horrible headache that finally goes away for the first time.”

He said that with gleefully, and Terriermon commented, “Wow. That bad, huh? It’s no wonder you do crazy stuff some times.”

...

Juri had no idea what any of them were talking about. It was so confusing. But being in a strange new world like this was kind of exciting. And she was eager to learn as much about it as she could. So she looked to her partner, “Hey Leomon. What can you tell us about the Digital World?”

A big toothy grin came across his face and he beamed at her “What would you like to know Juri?”

“Anything, really. I don’t know a whole lot about digimon. A lot of what I do know is just from what’s been going on,” she answered sheepishly. Leomon beat his chest proudly, “I will be happy to tell you any and all tales that would suit you, Juri. How about I tell you the story of the fallen hero? Or perhaps a tale of the Royal Knights? Stories of monsters and villains. I can even share a little history, but that’s not really my specialty.”

“A story sounds nice. What was that one about the Royal Knights?” Juri asked excitedly. She noticed Leomon begin breathing heavily with excitement as he began, “The Digital World has been home to many a hero in its time. But the Digital Knights were among the greatest of these heroes, gathered together by Imperialdramon during a dark time to help strike back and bring order. Of these heroes, one rose to become their leader: Alphamon, the Knight of the First Seat. In his absence, the Knights are led by Omegamon or some say Omnimon. And there were many strong digimon in their ranks: Gallantmon or some say Dukemon, Dynasmon, BanchoLeomon, Magnamon, UlforceVeedramon, Crusadermon, Examon. Together, they served to enforce order in the Digital World at the behest of its one true ruler: a being they call the king. That which is sublime, they preserve. That which is weak, they protect. That which threatens, they destroy. Some call them the first heroes of this world. But, as with all heroes and all unions, it was only a matter or time before they were driven apart - some say it started with The Great War, the war that threatened to tear our world apart. Each had their own ideas on how to end it, and their unity was tested by it. It broke, as they turned on each other. Some say they slew each other, others say they went into hiding - knowing their struggle was threatening to destroy an already fragile world. Whichever it was, they haven’t been seen in a long time as a result. It is said though, that they will reveal themselves when the Digital World needs them most, doing all they can to save it before disappearing again. In my time I’ve seen at least two: Magnamon and Imperialdramon. If I live long enough, I would like to see more.”

Kazu threw his arms behind his head, “That’s lame. They only show up when you’re already screwed. What’s the point?”

Juri didn’t agree. If anything, she felt the story was kinda sad. What would cause these heroes to turn on each other like that? “So...what was this war thing that drove them apart?”

Leomon sighed, “No one can say for sure. It was so long ago that few digimon remember what the reason even was. The few who did are either dead, in hiding, or no longer with us.”

“Isn’t that a fancy way of saying dead?” Henry looked back, joining the conversation too. Juri looked ahead to see the rest of the group looking back at her and Leomon. She was t sure when that had happened but she was embarrassed to suddenly be the center or attention. Leomon was much more welcoming of his listeners and answered, “Not at all! Life and death is different for digimon compared to you humans. I understand that human life ends upon death. But for a digimon, and all digital life really, that is much more complicated.”

“Yeah, you guys reformat or something, right?” Henry asked aloud, “I remember that part from the books. The weak lose their memories, but the strong can retain their memories and part of their personality, right?”

“That is only if our data is able to disperse freely. It takes time but it can coalesce back into an egg. But for others, that isn’t the case. You noticed I absorbed Indramon’s data when I defeated him. He is dead but not dead. It would be more accurate to say we became one. He is in me or rather, I have absorbed him into my being. We are one entity, sharing thoughts, knowledge, memories, and skills. However, I am the dominant personality. If you’re still following me.”

Juri’s head spun in confusion at that annoying explanation. If it even was supposed to be one. Rika must’ve understood it though because she asked, “Wait, does that mean you know what the Devas were up to? If you have his memories, why don’t you tell us? Renamon! Why didn't you tell us?”

”What else was there to add that we didn’t already know?” she replied matter of factly. Rika raised an eyebrow, “How would we know that? So does that mean you already knew?”

Renamon shook her head, remaining stoic in her answer, “Not at all. In truth, I’ve learned nothing I didn’t already know. Well, besides WarGreymon perishing. That is a serious loss to all the Digital World. And also explains why the devas were in such a panic. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing I could have shared that we didn’t already know. The devas are looking for the catalyst, there’s some kind of danger coming that scared them and the Sovereigns, and they were desperate enough to try and break the barrier between worlds.”

“Is that why digimon started showing up in our world?” Henry asked, looking over to Terriermon. Terriermon’s ears perked up, “Hey! You brought me to your world. That had nothing to do with me.”

“Many digimon knew there was a great danger coming, so we scrambled to become stronger. We turned on each other. How we ended up in the Real World is something I can’t answer though. For me, the gate just appeared and I felt a calling to you. You were looking for a strong digimon partner and i was the strongest there at the time,” Renamon said to Rika, her expression as unreadable as ever. Than didn’t help Rika from looking like she was trying to hide the biggest scowl ever. After an uncomfortably long silence between them, Leomon offered, “To be entirely fair to Renamon, I don’t think any digimon outside the sovereigns really know what’s going on.”

“The sovereigns. If I remember from the show, those are Azulongmon and three others, right?” Kazu asked excitedly, “So are we going to go meet them? Cause dude, that’d be so awesome to get to see those guys in real life! I even have his card! Do you think he’ll sign it?”

He excitedly produced his deck and scanned through it before holding up a card for them to see. On it was an azure dragon with long flowing white hair, wrapped in chains and curling in on itself. Upon seeing it, Takato snatched the card from him, “This was him! Azulongmon! That’s his name! Right! And Zhuqiaomon, the vermillion bird of the south! And there was...um...Ebonwumon! The tortoise of the north! And Baihumon, the tiger of the west! These guys are the protectors of the Digital World! It’s all coming back now! They were...I...uh...oh...”

“Spit it out gogglehead,” Rika snapped at him, “You keep doing that thing where you get excited and talk a mile a minute. Don’t also start pausing for no reason. What is it?”

“Sorry,” Takato shook his head, trying his hardest to avoid eye contact with them, “Renamon, you said WarGreymon was gone, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“What happened?” Takato murmured. Renamon shrugged and looked at both Andromon and Leomon. Both shifted uncomfortably, but the silence said more than words could. Then Leomon added, “We wanted to tell you. We just...weren’t sure how to.”

Takato gave no answer, sheepishly handing Kazu his card back and continuing walking ahead without them. Kazu shouted to get his attention but he didn’t even look back, “Hey! Takato! What’s with him?”

“If he is who he claims, then it’s no surprise,” Renamon folded her arms, “The Digimon Tamer had a partner of his own. WarGreymon - one of, if not the bravest digimon in the Digital World. The two were close to each other in a way that can’t be put into words. Until The Digimon Tamer vanished. WarGreymon stood guard in his absence. If he is The Digimon Tamer, it can be said that he is truly alone now.”

“Why is that?” Juri asked. Renamon started walking after him, “I will explain as I walk...or rather, Leomon can since he was there. My knowledge is second hand.”

Leomon grunted quietly, “She is right, The Digimon Tamer is truly alone now. You recall that conflict I mentioned, yes? The Great War as it’s called. It didn’t just threaten our world. It threatened all worlds. The Digital World. The Human World. All other worlds. A long time ago, perhaps before even the sovereigns themselves, there was a race called the Digital Agents, but they had other names. Today, we refer to them as the Ancients. Although he seems insistent on calling them the Guardians. From atop their holy bastion, they looked down upon the lesser life forms of this world and others - sworn to observe and guide only when needed, for the Ancients had one thing that no other race could. They could see the ebb and flow of destiny: what was, what is, what could be, what must be, what can’t be, and what must not. But something came, something out of the cold dark outside their purview. What it was is forgotten today but the Ancients waged a war against it. A war so devastating that it spread across other worlds like wild fire. In the end, the war destroyed countless worlds and altered the very fabric of reality. The only survivors of that long forgotten war were The Digimon Tamer and his partner WarGreymon. Everyone else perished. And now, with WarGreymon gone, it would seem that The Digimon Tamer is the last. One can only wonder what that kind of isolation does to a mind.”

“All the more reason to keep up with him in case he does something really stupid,” Renamon added, hurrying her pace. Juri’s eyes were fixed on Takato now, wondering what exactly was going through his head. He always became uncharacteristically quiet when something was bothering him. And he was very quiet right now.

They continued on towards the bright light in the distance in silence after that. Well, mostly silence as Kazu and Kenta chatted excitedly about what exactly they’d get to run into in the Digital World. And soon, they found themselves getting passed by a dozen small glowing balls bouncing along the ground, “What is that?”

“They look like tumble weeds. Digital tumble weeds? Is that a thing?” Kazu said aloud, watching them bounce along. Andromon finally spoke, “Information: These are data fragments from deleted digimon that haven’t reached Primary Village, coalescing into barely sentient entities with barely any will of their own.”

“Oh, that’s so sad,” Juri said quietly, watching the balls bounce along and wondering just who they were before they became this. Could they think? Could they feel? Were they even aware that this is what they were? It didn’t help that Renamon added, “This is the Digital World and that is its only real law: the weak die, the strong live. Don’t feel too sorry for them.”

“What happened here?” Takato asked at just above a whisper.

“Where are they going anyway? There’s no wind,” Kenta pointed out, adjusting his glasses to see what lay just ahead of them. Andromon pointed ahead, “Observation: they’re probably fleeing from that.”

They followed his pointed finger to see Takato still walking with his head down. And just ahead of him was a digimon whose body was made of bright orange flames. It slowly stomped towards him, spreading out his hands to create two burning flames as he shouted, “Who are you and what are you doing in my domain?”

Takato didn’t answer. In fact, he didn’t even seem to register Meramon was there. He just kept walking right up to it. Guilmon had already rushed ahead to growl at him but that didn’t stop either of them from walking towards each other. Rika groaned, “That idiot! What is he doing? Renamon! You have to help him before he gets himself killed to that Meramon!”

Meramon. Juri looked ahead at the digimon and wondered just why Takato was ignoring it. And that was definitely annoying the digimon more. Just as Meramon raised his fist to deal an attack, Renamon and Guilmon dashed ahead, “Pyrosphere!”

“Diamond Storm!”

Both attacks took Meramon by surprise and he instead moved his arms to defend himself, “You fiends, attacking me with your numbers. You won’t beat me with such tactics!”

“Takatomon!” Guilmon called out to him, rushing at the boy and sliding between his legs to throw him onto his back. The boy didn’t even register that he was was on his partner now as the digimon started retreating back to the others - leaving Renamon alone to deal with Meramon. Guilmon slid to a stop beside the others and Rika scolded him, “What’s the matter with you Gogglehead? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Takato didn’t answer and was still spaced out. Henry waved his hands in front of his face and even snapped his fingers to get his attention, “He’s definitely out of it. Maybe we should leave him be for a while.”

“Leave him be? We’re in another world where the first person we met tried to kill us and he wants to...do whatever this is!” Rika shouted out angrily, “You know what? Forget it. Well take out Meramon on our own! Renamon! Kick some of this sand on him to douse his flames!”

“Excellent idea, Rika!” Renamon complied, whipping her tail along the sand to kick up a small cloud of want at Meramon. The digimon roared in disgust, covering his eyes, “More cheap tricks? You won’t get me with that! Learn to fight with honor!”

“I take offense to that,” Renamon spat out, charging straight into Meramon and kicking him across his jaw, “Take this!”

The digimon staggered back in surprise, angered that she’d gotten the drop on him, “Grah! You think you’re so strong! Take this!”

He threw a fireball at Renamon, who managed to leap over the attack and kick more sand at Meramon. Watching the fight play out, Terriermon couldn’t help but state, “I’m all for watching a good fight, but does anyone else think it’s kinda one sided? I mean, Meramon hasn’t even gotten a hit in.”

“And here I thought you would’ve wanted to join in,” Henry murmured. Terriermon shrugged at that suggestion, “I don’t know, I still might if Meramon gets a lucky hit in. If, Henry. If. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s going to anytime soon,” Kazu folded his arms behind his head just as Renamon got another good kick in, throwing Meramon onto his back. The fiery digimon lay on the ground, holding his hands up in defeat, cursing at them furiously, “You fiends! You’ve defeated me! Just go ahead and finish it already! You…you…dirty, vile cheaters! Using cheap tactics like that.”

“We’re not finishing anything,” Renamon answered seriously, offering him a hand to help him stand up, “As for cheap, you’re the one who attacked a defenseless human boy who didn’t even realize you were there. Now stop your whimpering and tell us why you attacked.”

Meramon became defensive, “You entered my territory! All I wanted was a little peace and quiet, but you crazy digimon keep coming here trying to pick fights. I don’t care if you want to fight each other until you’re all dead just do it away from me! But if you’re so insistent on fighting me to the death, then finish it already so I don’t have to deal with this conversation.”

“I ALREADY SAID WE’RE NOT DOING THAT!” Renamon said more loudly, but it still didn’t seem to register with Meramon. Juri looked at Leomon in confusion, wondering if all digimon were like this. Her partner shrugged back, just as lost as she was. Then Terriermon provided another observation, “Talk about melodramatic. Look buddy, we’re not going to kill you! We’re looking for one of our friends. A little digimon named Calumon. He was taken by a monkey called Makuramon. Have you seen them?”

“Wait, so you’re not here to kill me?” Meramon looked up at them with a raised eyebrow. Rika scoffed, “Are you kidding? We’ve been saying that!”

“He’s kinda slow, isn’t he?” Terriermon turned his head. Andromon shook his head, “Negative. Meramon’s speed is within acceptable parameters for his type. Renamon simply moved faster than he could.”

“It’s called a joke buddy, learn what that is,” Terriermon frowned in disbelief. Meramon pushed himself up, dusting the dirt off himself before answering, “Well, I haven’t seen a monkey ever. And I don’t even know what a Calumon is. Is that a baby digimon?

“I mean…you’re not wrong,” Terriermon answered, earning himself a smack from Henry, “Be nice.”

“What? He is kind of an odd ball,” Terriermon said in his defense. Henry just sighed, covering his face in disbelief at his partner’s own disregard for polite behavior. Juri giggled a little though. It was nice that the fighting was over, especially since it seemed like the only thing that got hurt was Meramon’s pride. Then she looked over at Takato who still appeared to be stuck in a daze. All this had transpired, and it seemed like he hadn’t noticed.

She could feel herself shaking, worried for him. But then the shaking didn’t stop. In fact, it seemed to be getting stronger. Kazu asked, “Is there an earthquake?”

“Not an earthquake, a stampede,” Terriermon said as his ears perked up. He pointed off into the horizon towards a small dust cloud and a beam of light coming towards them, “I can hear it! It’s coming from over there!”

“What is that?” Kenta asked, adjusting his glasses to get a better look. Juri felt her digivice beep again and examined it, watching an image come on screen of what looked like a dog covered in rocks with a plant for a tail, “Jagamon, a vegetable digimon that are known for migrating in large herds. Is that bad?”

Leomon explained, “Only if we get stampeded. Maybe we should move. Meramon, is there a safe place nearby where we could hide?”

“Sure, I’ll just invite you in,” Meramon began with an insincere tone, “It’s not like I said I want to be left alone. What’s with all these visitors I’m getting today? Forget that, JAGAMON! IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER, I WILL DESTR-Wait! I SAID WAIT! Uh-oh! AARGH!”

His threats fell on deaf ears as he was summarily run over by the stampede. Renamon leapt back to Rika’s side before she could be trampled by the horde of digimon and warned, “We should get out of the way.”

“Good idea,” Henry said, already turning to run out of their path. Henry, Terriermon, Juri, Leomon, and Guilmon carrying Takato all moved to one side of the stampede. Rika, Renamon, Kazu, Kenta, and Andromon retreated to the opposite side. Both groups could only look on at each other and the stampede of Jagamon as they continued streaming past in some kind of collective panic. In fact, when Juri concentrated on what they were all saying, it sounded like they were all screaming, “Run away! Run away! Run away! Run away!”

“What are they running from?” Juri asked Leomon, following the stampede back to see the pillar of light inexorably advancing towards them. Leomon pointed at it, “Likely that. It’s a data stream. They became a lot more frequent in the Digital World lately. We’re not entirely sure what they are beyond the fact that they just pull you to another part of the Digital World. Only it’s entirely at random. Don’t worry. Based on its path, it’ll go right past us.”

Juri traced the path with her own eyes, uncertain of Leomon’s assessment and gasped. It would miss them. It would also hit the others. And they didn’t even notice because they were too busy watching the Jagamon run past to notice, “GUYS! RUN! DON’T LET THE LIGHT HIT YOU!”

Rika shouted something back but it was hard to hear over the roar of the stampeding Jagamon. Juri pointed at the light and shouted again, “LOOK OUT FOR THE LIGHT!”

Rika shouted again. It was no use. They couldn’t hear each other. And then they started bickering - at least that’s how it looked from where she was standing. Henry tried his luck next, “Guys! Look out for the light!”

It was still no use. And then, like some kind of cosmic prank, they finally realized the pillar of light was coming straight at them. It was too late for them to run from it, and too late for Juri or the others to do anything to help them. All they could do was watch in silent terror as the light sucked them up into the sky. Leomon frowned, “Well. That’s bad.”

“We need to go after them!” Juri declared pointing at the pillar of light as it continued on. Before she could even try to run after it, Leomon grabbed her by the shoulder, holding tight despite her protests to chase after it, “I understand how you feel Juri, but that’s not a good idea. If we jump into the light, there’s no guarantee that we’ll go where they went. It’s better for everyone if we don't.”

“We can’t just leave them!” she protested. Leomon nodded, “I’m not saying we abandon them. I’m saying we look for them the old fashioned way. It’ll be easier to start from where we know we are than it will be for us to chase after them and getting just as lost.”

Juri felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. They'd only been in the Digital World for an hour and they were already separated. Takato was out of it. Half of them were lost, some place else in the Digital World. She hoped this wasn’t a signal of things to come.

#Digimon Tamers #Fanfiction #Digital World #archiveofourown #Fanfiction.net #Adventure #Action

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steve0discusses · 6 years ago

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Yugioh S2 Ep4: How to Go on a Date Without Actually Going on a Date

Ah, summertime! Love is in the air, can’t you feel it?

Well uh...thunderclouds. I guess. It’s ominously pouring rain. It’s as if the show has turned in it’s squeaky swivel chair said to us “look, we’re giving you a date episode...but don’t you be gettin’ any ideas!” and then swiveled right back around to face a blank wall.

I’m sure that they will put in some sort of cute backdrop...eventually.

While mopping the gross purple floor and talking about Joey’s nuts soap opera family.

Y’all did they get reference for this shot? I sure hope so. I sure hope that in some animation studio in Japan, two dudes fumbled together to assemble this particular formation, and then a third dude was like “Perrrrfect, now can you hold that for five minutes for me so I can draw it out?”

(read more under the cut)

So here and now, suddenly inspired by the very romantic tableau of threatening rain and thunder, Yugi sees an opportunity to fill out that bucket list, as it is the end of the world and all. So, he cracks his knuckles, remembers the advice from his Grandfather, wisely decides to forget that advice, and stumbles through the absolute weirdest way to officially ask out the girl you’ve been unofficially dating since you were like 10:

...

Start over.

So...he goes up to Tea...starts asking her out--but then makes it into a blind date with the ghost in his body? Because he’s...concerned about Pharaoh?

OK kid.

It’s just very Muto in that not only does he ask this girl out in the pouring rain, probably hoping for a lightning cue that thankfully never came, but this date can only be done through the medium of a very sad dead guy.

And even Tea wonders “I talk to Pharaoh kind of a lot, what the hell are you going on about?”

But what do you do, girl? Looks like you got stuck on a date trap with a dead dude! At least he has the better butt!

Now, you might say “Rach, he didn’t use the word “date” so this isn’t a date.” but y’all must’ve had a very different high school experience than I, because, unless forced to go to a socially obligatory dance, High Schoolers generally never say “lets go on a date,” they make sneaky date traps.

This is universal, the classic “I REALLY need your help with something I can easily accomplish myself. Meet me at the mall, although we could do this probably right now at school. Don’t bring Joey.”

So, Yugi either has a lot of trust in Pharaoh, or he’s seeing this as a clever way to avoid the actual dating part of dating Tea.

Dude...he’s on to something here. This is an ascended level of friend-zoning. Here I was thinking Yugi was pretty worthless with that puzzle, and then he just BAM unlocks it’s actual, true potential with the ultimate dating dodge. Like, Tea can’t even be mad. He’s on the date even. But also--*not on the date*--gets to enjoy the fun stupid stuff-- *doesn’t have to do any boring stuff*--Goes on a date--*but can’t call it a relationship if it wasn’t hypothetically with yourself* like this actually a pretty great set up and at first I was like wow, what an idiot, and now I’m like 5 paragraphs later and low key jealous I can’t do this Schrödinger's Date nonsense myself.

Anyway, despite how awkward he made it, Yugi is SUPER excited about this date. It’s ALMOST as if he’s going on it himself--which again, he is not. He’s just fretting in a mirror going all “Pharaoh’s gonna freakin love this. I love setting up my friends! Especially when they share the same body as me! Hahaha don’t think about it!”

But apparently Pharaoh was totally sleeping when Yugi was talking to Tea (and probably is whenever Tea shows up, lets be real) because he has no idea that Yugi has done this.

First off--Yugi’s art on the wall.

Ok, glad we all saw it together.

Second off, I love the motif of “kid is going on a date, so he throws everything he owns onto his bed and throws on the other half his closet to make the most ridiculous joke combo” because here it means Pharaoh has to wear the same weird ass outfit.

Y’all I cannot believe this anime is doing this three-way I just cannot. It’s been like a full season building up to it but it still feels VERY sudden.

And, as you know, I have a superpower that makes me immune to shipping, I dunno...maybe it’s because I grew up with the nuts Harry Potter era of ships (freakin Snape/Lily)? Or maybe that I come from the era of Kingdom Hearts-style romance twists (whooo will he eat ice cream with)? I feel like I can’t throw too many rocks at this ship because I know when my house is glass. Especially since I enjoy shows that are bonkers, I’ve seen some weird ass dating stuff that didn’t make me bat an eyelash. I watched Season 2 of Seaquest where at least 2 people accidentally ask out their own Mother. I would double check, but it was so awful Netflix pulled it (or trust me I’d be recapping that show, too)

Personally, I have never wanted to date a ghost but I guarantee other people have thought about it. And, youknow, if it’ll make the 2002-era tweens that were super excited about this ship happy, lets get these kids on a date and get this over with. With the Pharaoh that died at hell knows what age, was reborn so hypothetically you could also argue he’s only like a couple years old, and was mind wiping up until basically a couple weeks ago. Whatever, it’s a new season, he’s a new boy, just, don’t think about it, sit back and enjoy it for what it -- HOLY CRAP

What fake-goth funeral date are you going to here!? Wow. This is...This is a bad choice of clothes! It’s the middle of the day! Other people are in shorts. He is wearing so many chains from his neck, to his bracelets...also he still has that massive bike lock chain on - the one that went through a FIRE.

And does his shoes have freakin studs?

At least neck belt is still here.

I’d say he doubles as a stage tech but with those 7 bangles he’s got on, he would make too much noise. He’d sound like a freakin wind chime.

Anyways, Yugi switches places and Pharaoh freaks the Hell out like he’s been pranked. I wish it were a prank, y’all, I wish it were. But this is actually happening on this television show where the only other legit romance we saw was Pegasus macking a ghost.

MAN ghosts gets a lot of action in this show.

Now, this anime gets a lot of flack, but it does do one thing, and that’s make me appreciate something I forget a lot of the time when I see character designs in pictures rather than in motion. And it’s that that character design’s aesthetic includes physics. Sometimes--like very often in Yugioh--the aesthetic is mostly about those physics and what all these separate pieces do when they move.

In Yugioh, the designs are a hot mess. I can’t say they aren’t. But, there is a reason why he has all those moving bangles--it’s because he holds cards a lot and that’s where is camera is. I guarantee, when jacket comes back it’ll be flowing in the wind 100% of the time. Every single one of Yugi’s weird bangs can sway around like a weather vane.

So, while this looks not great from the get go, by the time you’ve watched Yugioh for a while, it all comes back together somehow. That’s the thing--that’s what Yugioh proves, it’s that no matter how freakin weird and abstract your design is, if it has the right physics, you’ll have a good time, and that’s an aesthetic all in itself that can’t be described in photo caps.

BUT

but

but, it’s still hella fun to roast Yugi for it because like--look what he’s wearing.

First stop on their date: a diner of lies that gave us no anime food. Just some nondescript milkshake. Every time we see a diner and I don’t get to see anime food my heart shrivels a little smaller like the Grinch.

Yo I assumed the neck belt was attached to the belt-shirt before--but I guess not. Oh man was belt shirt a turtleneck the whole time??? A belt TURTLENECK?

Tea decides to pull out her idea. The idea that Yugi asked her to give Pharaoh--that she could have just...given...straight to Yugi...but here it is. Here’s the big Tea idea.

Tea suggests “Listen, you don’t know who you’re going to be, but that’s true of everyone” which kind of ignores destiny and prophecies and the end of the world, but she’s gonna be a dancer, OK? And because Pharaoh hasn’t seen very much of the world, and is as impressionable as a newborn lamb, he just soaks it right up.

And so they decide not to go to the Museum because Pharaoh’s not feeling it. Probably also has a sixth sense that the museum is currently staffed by the most boring Millennium Item.

FYI this is exactly what my local Dave & Busters looks like floor to ceiling. It’s a real disappointment. It has only 1 DDR machine and one off brand DDR machine, unlike this place.

Yugioh has more diversity than most Anime I’ve seen, but it’s still a work in progress. Also, it’s hard to spot but keep an eye out for this guy’s fringe moccasins.

...Someone brought their briefcase to the arcade? Wh...why?

This whole episode is a whole lot of why.

WHAT?

Everyone just kinda watched this go down?

Again, I’ve never actually played DDR at an arcade because it’s always taken by two sweaty high schoolers who are sweating like ALL OVER the handlebars, and I’m just like...I could ask them to move or...I could not touch their sweat? So, long story short, if DDR involves elbowing each other in the face, this is news to me, and I have been missing out.

Long story short, she wins. We actually get to see Tea use her one and only useful skill--dance fighting. We’ll probably never see it again. Glad they gave us a very long narcissistic Tea dancing montage while they were there. Wish it was done to ska, but you can’t have everything.

And right when this settles into a romantic sunset I start to worry because we’re getting VERY close to a non-vague situation. The show senses this too and just, out of no where, pulls any distraction to get them away from said sunset.

Y’all how do you even manage to draw a spike mullet with dreads?

And here we all thought we’d get through this episode without cards!

JK, you were absolutely right for thinking that.

In her defense, he did try to elbow jab her in the head.

Anyways, after seeing Tea tear through Johnny Steps, Pharaoh feels like maybe he can handle whatever crazy thing happened to him 5000 years ago. He decides “Lets go recklessly open that Pandora’s box!”

I just noticed his second belt has a fanny pack on the butt for his cards.

Well, that was...still vague somehow. Good. Got me worried there for a second.

Next week, on Yugioh:

Bets on how long it takes for the show to never mention this date again and immediately forget these two were an item, I’m betting at the very beginning of the next episode? Are we going to get the same exposition but for the second time--will I even have anything to recap? In the dark is Yugi just a pair of swinging arms?

#yugioh #yugioh recap #s2 ep4 #yugi muto #tea gardner #johnny steps #so many belts #so many bangles #the other day it came to my attention that the tag for yugioh is ygo #and that is the most 00's thing I've ever heard #hell did that happen #obligatory date episode #would you even date a ghost #if the ghost shared the same body #as your most awkward freind

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topweeklyupdate · 7 years ago

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TØP Weekly Update #54: COVER ME (7/13/2018)

Finally, after months of solid drought, the barren wasteland known as the TØP fanbase has finally been blessed with rain. And not just a gentle sprinkle; it’s been a consistent heavy downpour, a veritable flood. Even before new music, this week gave us new content from the group every single day. There will probably be something new out by the time you’re done reading this. So let’s not waste any time! Here’s your week in Twenty One Pilots news.

This Week’s TØPics:

Your Band Is Back: Trench Coming This October

“Jumpsuit” and “Nico” Released

New Logo/Theming/Everything

Josh Speaks

And SO. MUCH. MORE.

Major News and Announcements:

This time last week, I was certain that we would be getting new music on the 6th because it was my birthday. Turns out, myself and many others in the Clique read a little too deeply into Clancy’s promise that “everything would be different” by morning. We did not receive new music on that date, which, for the record, was way earlier than most reports had pegged. The fanbase wanted music ASAP and interpreted the letter to fit that, and anyone who said the band lied about when music was coming was just not being honest with themselves.

Things were different starting last Friday. On the one-year anniversary of their departure, Twenty One Pilots directly reached out to their fans for the first time, not through the wide platform of social media, but with an email message to their mailing list.

The message only consisted of the subject line “ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING?” and a gif of an opening yellow eye, with images fitting the iconography of the Dema site flashing under the eyelid. The Clique basically lost their minds at this direct contact, so much so that major publications like Billboard finally started to report on the long gestating speculation. Everyone was excited to see the eye open over the course of the day, bringing everything full circle and culminating (presumably) with new music.

That... didn’t happen. Rather, dmaorg.info was restored after being down for only a few hours, and this gif of torches was added onto the site. This indicated that Clancy had escaped Dema, and the Clique promptly set about assuming that the next day would mark the band’s full return. Further, the name of the gif, “they_ca_ntseeFCE300″, seemed to confirm what people would be speculating ever since Josh dyed his hair nearly two years ago: the next era’s color would be yellow (specifically, FCE300) to symbolize hope and light pushing back against the dark.

The next day brought with it another update from Clancy (and the general concession among the Clique to stop expecting new music every night and just go to bed). In one of my favorite bits of attention to detail so far, Clancy’s latest journal was messily handwritten on a scrap of paper, due to the fact that he had successfully escaped Dema and was now traveling through- big shock- a region called “Trench”. The writing itself is kinda rambly and generic (so I can relate), with Tyler Clancy marveling at how much he loves being in the trees being alone out in nature. That said, I do love that there is a definite story being presented, with Clancy experiencing changes, taking action, and going on a real journey through this world that Tyler’s created.

On the back of the paper, however, is something much more interesting: a blown-out image that, when reversed, revealed a dead body. That was creepy enough as is; far more creepy was the Clique’s CSI-level discovery that this ripped photo fit with several other dmaorg.info images in a giant puzzle. Who was this man? Was this a random poster that Clancy grabbed as he escaped, or are we supposed to take it as a metaphor? Was it a random citizen of Dema? A bishop? Clancy himself? Blurryface? So many questions.

Twenty One Pilots truly made their mainstream return on July 9th, when they posted a second video of a half-opened eye, not just for hardcore fans, but on all of their social media platforms. This return was accompanied by a total overhaul of the band’s general branding: a new yellow-and-black ||-// logo was revealed for the new era, while the old “silence” banners and even the website subscription box were covered up by bright yellow tape. Billboards featuring the logo on this yellow tape aesthetic sprang up in cities all around the world, from London to Toronto, Berlin to Melbourne, even an entire building in São Paolo. The boys were back.

On Tuesday, Twenty One Pilots again returned to social media to post a second video. The eye, now about 3/4 open, depicted even more of this medieval battle, now with the addition of the Watchers on the cliff throwing... something (rocks? rose petals?) into the air. Instead of generic white noise, this clip was scored by a muffled but still obviously crunchy bass line. As radio stations across the country began to tweet about a major alternative release coming Wednesday morning (with a few even mentioning they were from Columbus), we finally knew that we were going to be ok....

New Releases:

And then I was not okay.

Early Wednesday morning, Twenty One Pilots dropped two singles and announced the names and dates for the next album, Trench, and tour, Bandito. My prediction from last week was 100% correct, and you all may thank and validate me in the comments below like and subscribe. “Jumpsuit” is our main single with a full cinematic music video, while “Nico and the Niners” is the more lore-heavy low-key song for the fans. I’m going to pull back from fully going in on picking apart every sonic and thematic element of both songs and save that for (hopefully) a less busy week, but you know I gotta write about their first new music in two years. Cause that’s what I do: I write too much.

Guys, “Jumpsuit” is a straight-up banger. Featuring a killer driving bassline, some of Tyler’s most impassioned screams, and a truly devastating bridge, I have not tired of this song one bit in the last few days. It takes me on a complete emotional journey in just four minutes every time, and it does so mainly through its soundscape (there’s only the hook, three couplet verses, and that damn bridge). It’s so, so, so, so good, potentially (dare I say it) the best sonically arranged and produced song the band has ever released.

So... what’s “Jumpsuit” about? Well, a lot of things, but in a word: pressure. Again, the lyrics are super vague, I think deliberately so. Clearly the song is about the singer feeling pressured by others into taking a path that he does not want to travel down. That bridge, delivered in an eerie detached falsetto, shows Tyler pushing back even at his weakest point, stating that he will not submit to what others want him to do unless they “grab him by the throat, tie him down, and break his hands.” Certainly you can argue that this is about the music industry. The “breaking his hands” line is killer in that context, as it signifies that the industry can’t control him without taking away the things that makes him valuable to them in the first place, his artistic ability and freedom. You can also say that it’s just playing straight into the concept, with Clancy breaking away from the bishops’ control. But the deliberate vagueness of the lyrics means that the audience can apply the message- and the empowerment of that killer bassline- to whatever struggle they are facing. That’s pretty darn rad.

The music video, directed by “Heathens” and “Heavydirtysoul”’s Andrew Donoho, is sick. Tyler (looking extra fly in his new yellow hooded jumpsuit) attempts to flee from this creepy Red Riding Hood old dude on a white horse (Nico?) through what is certainly a Game of Thrones filming location while other figures in yellow duct tape jumpsuits look on from the cliffs above. Tyler is captured by the bishop, who “smears” him by putting the black Blurryface makeup on his neck. Tyler is freed briefly from the bishop’s control when the other yellow-clad figures throw yellow petals down on him, but he is chased down knocked out or killed. The others flee the scene, save for one very handsome looking drummer boy... Oh, and there’s a bunch of intercut clips of Tyler on the car from “Heavydirtysoul” for some reason.

Besides those “Heavydirtysoul” scenes, which truthfully don’t connect much to the story of the video beyond artificially welding it onto the end of the Blurryface Era, this is one of the band’s best videos yet. It totally fulfilled all of my expectations of a more epic scope for this era, from the gorgeous Iceland setting to the dope as hell costumes to the implication that the story might continue on from this point. And there are tons of little Easter eggs, from brief flashes of the nine bishops to possible cameos from the Josephs and Duns. We don’t really know for sure if Tyler is playing Clancy or if the red dude is Nico, but it will certainly be fun to continue to fill in the blanks as we move forward and (hopefully) hear more from Tyler directly.

“Nico and the Niners” is a weird track, but one that I still absolutely love. In some ways, it’s a more traditional tøp track, with some of the raggae elements found on Blurryface and a rap verse to fit all of Tyler’s lyrics in. But in other significant ways, it’s a totally different path for them. For starters, just look at that title: it’s very explicitly about this album’s concept from top to bottom, with Tyler singing about fleeing Dema and its bishops’ control and even heavily referencing “Jumpsuit”; there’s clearly going to be a great deal of thematic cohesion in this project. But there’s also just the general vibe of it: just as “Jumpsuit” was a heavier rock song than anything we’d yet seen from the band, "Nico” is way more laid back, its repeated references to being high and even its visualizer of assorted shrubbery making it a potential stoner anthem (whether that was Tyler’s intention or not). Regardless, the song is brimming with character and hooks, and it’s already grown on me significantly in just a few days.

Oh, and one more thing: this song lives up to its Dema-referencing title and content by being cryptic af. The track is littered with reversed audio in the instrumental bits, including the “we are banditos” snippet from dmaorg.info and another sample of someone who sounds a lot like Josh saying “We will leave Dema at true east, renounce Vialism [the bishops’ ruling philosophy, alluded to be Clancy in an earlier journal].” I swear, if all it takes for Tyler to make all this stuff is a year break, he should do this after every album.

With all that new music, the fact that we finally have a name for Album 5 almost got lost in the shuffle. Trench was a popular guess over the last few days thanks to dmaorg.info, but it’s good to finally know for sure. Graphic designer Brandon Rike from the Blurryface Era is back again, revealing a cover featuring a badass-looking vulture/falcon/whatever, some new logos (including the return of FPE!), and some more yellow tape that appears to be covering the names of the rest of the album’s songs. Not too much else to say at this point; we’ll just have to wait until some of that tape gets peeled off between now and October 5th.

Finally, let’s talk about the Bandito Tour. It bears mentioning that, amidst the otherwise overwhelmingly positive positive atmosphere of the band’s return, this tour name received the most general opposition from fans and non-fans alike. The fact that “bandito” was probably going to turn up in a lyric from two decidedly white dudes was already enough to put some folks on edge, but the idea of an entire tour of predominantly non-Hispanic tweens flooding arenas and calling themselves banditos was enough to turn a few people against the band. And look, I get it- I hear “bandito” and the first things I think of are John Wayne Westerns and Speedy Gonzalez, and I get why a lot of fans might feel uncomfortable with that. But, to be fair, the band hasn’t used any of those stereotypes and banditos is a word for outlaw used in a number of Romance languages. Perhaps most interestingly, there’s not yet any evidence that the word even appears in the album itself. So far, the only appearance of “bandito” is in a coded message on dmaorg.info and in reversed audio in “Nico”. If this does turn out to be a name meant to only make sense to the most hardcore of fans, it is almost redeemed (I mean, I still think the name is a little silly, but I’m already in presale).

So, with that out of the way, let’s actually talk about the tour itself. It will be an international arena tour- even if the band’s sound is not going in a pop direction, they still clearly feel confident that the Clique will show up wherever they go. The first show will be hosted in Nashville (their first arena concert in that market) on October 16, not even two weeks after the release of the full album. What a baller move, and much preferred to the Blurryface rollout where we didn’t hear most of the songs on the record until nearly two months after the album release and they didn’t play near me for even longer. The boys will tour the U.S. until November 21, even playing arenas in a few markets that they’ve never played large venues in before, and then hit up Australia and New Zealand in December.

The most objectively interesting leg will be in Europe from January through March. Not only will the band play their first arena shows in markets like Moscow, Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Central Poland, and Manchester, they will return to markets like Dublin and Glasgow they’ve been absent from for years. Most exciting, Twenty One Pilots will play their first shows in Bologna and Stuttgart and venture into the countries of Ukraine, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal for the first time ever. Needless to say, the rabid fanbases of all of these regions are super excited, and I’m super excited for them!

Other Shenanigans:

While Tyler has continued to stay silent (much as he has since mid-Blurryface Era), Josh immediately jumped back on Twitter with a standard Josh joke and even resumed his morning workout Snapchats. On Thursday, Josh even called into BBC Radio One with Annie Mac to give a quick interview about the new era. He didn’t provide a ton of information, but it was just a delight to hear our kid’s voice again. A few tidbits of info:

Josh reported that he was calling from Trench, I hate him.

The sick bass riff on “Jumpsuit” was born from soundchecks toward the end of Emotional Roadshow. He says that, as a result, it sounds closest to the Blurryface sound, serving as a good transition into the new era. (If this is what he thinks is close to Blurryface on Trench, this album’s gonna be nutter butters.)

Both Josh and Tyler are really nervous about the elaborate rollout, both out of the usual fear that no one stuck around and out of wariness of severely disappointing people when they hear the actual music (so far, so good...)

Trench continues to have the “diverse” sound of the previous records and also was designed to be played live.

Josh also tuned into Apple Music’s Beats 1 for an interview with Hanuman Welch. This conversation was less about the new album and more about the “hiatus”. More tidbits:

The band views collaboration as a “sacred” thing, and while they’re not against it in the future, it has to be done in a context that makes sense and not merely for marketing purposes.

The band has never used the word hiatus because they’ve been working. They drew back from the spotlight to allow themselves some time to recharge, but also because they were worried of oversaturation (particularly after the Grammys pushed them into that next-level pop culture sphere). Rather than make a bunch of social media posts that didn’t mean anything just to stay relevant, the band decided to draw back, focus on music, and in the process “thin the weeds” of fans who weren’t the diehards.

For the last few albums, the music has come from a specific personal place the band was at while write, whether it be a spiritual journey with Vessel or tackling insecurities on Blurryface. Josh says the same remains true with Trench, but notes that there will be a little more fleshing out themes by working on a specific story with this one (he still says it’s not really a concept album, but ok).

Believe it or not, we are not done. While the boys were blazing a brave new path forward, another bit of content reminded us of where the band came from. Greg Wells, the producer who made Vessel the masterpiece it was, gave an hour-long interview to Billboard’s Pop Shop Podcast. He mainly speaks about getting started in the industry back in the 90s and working on the mega-blockbuster Greatest Showman soundtrack, but he does talk about Vessel for a bit approximately forty minutes into the interview. I won’t give the exact time-code, not because I’m lazy, but because the entire interview is worth listening to. Greg just seems like a rad dude. His laid-back nature and the seriousness he takes with his craft really shine through; he and Tyler must have gotten along just fine.

Community Spotlight:

The Clique took some heavy losses over the last year, as a great deal of old fans moved on to greener pastures. But that just left room for a whole host of new fans to rise to the occasion and help us get through that long drought. Today, I wanted to give a shout-out to GingerSheep and Stolen Potential, two Clique vloggers that have really kept the fanbase informed and uplifted and have been working their butts off reporting on the daily content. I know how long it takes me just to research and write one of these- I can’t imagine the work that then goes into filming and editing on top of that nearly every day. Hats off to you, good sirs. Make sure you all check out their channels if you haven’t already! But, you know, don’t stop reading these. I have bills to pay with all the Tumblr money I’m not making.

Well, that wasn’t too much, was it? If you made it all the way to the end, mad props. See you next week for a slightly tamer week (probably).

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

#twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #josh dun #trench #jumpsuit #bandito tour #nico and the niners #hiatus #dema #top weekly update

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girlsguidetogettinghigh-blog · 6 years ago

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The Guide

The definitive run-down on staying safe while filling the chop bowl, written for my sisters everywhere who just want to get cooked.

The following is a composite of general wisdom, links to information that you will find helpful as well as guides to installing and using encrypted communication applications so we can all safely get crooked. This is just a general guide however, common sense and trusting your gut will always trump my anecdotal advice. The technical aspect is apt, I have a student loan that proves I’m somewhat competent.

First and foremost, with the advent of it being publicly known that most if not all of the Vegetable Australia groups have been compromised, a lot of the availability is gone. Scammers have successfully exploited this gap and now I have heard stories from multiple women who have been ripped off blind. This really gets my panties in a fucking knot so I stole most of this guide and rewrote it with a woman’s touch.

The critical advice I give to all of you girls, is know your state laws regarding drug use and possession.

This is a very simple and easy to understand page outlining the laws in New South Wales. Searching google will result in similar pages for the other states. Knowing your rights is exceptionally important, regardless of if you’re up to mischief or not.

If you’re an inexperienced user, the Psychonaut Wiki has a brilliant page on just about everything you need to know. Ranging from usage, effects as well as medication interactions.

Another page that offers plenty of information, secondary to the first I have linked is the Erowid General Page. The first page I linked is essential knowledge, the second is additional homework. Learn your stuff ladies.