#you can trust me i won't judge you. i'll even perform it on both of your kidneys if you want

[ssawboness]

Heyyy!!!!! So uh i was wondering if you got that kidney implant yet!!!!! I hope you're recovering well !!!!!! Do you happen to still have the old kidney????? I have use for it!!!!!! Love Love Love!!!!!

P.S. I also need to borrow some fishing line if that's alright!!!! If you have any disinfectant that would also be so wondafyu!!!!!! Love Love Love!!!!!

🐚 anon

OH JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHY AM I IN THE LORE NOW

[melodic-haze]

☆ — DEMO TRACK: bottom!Robin (HSR) x top!Reader

☆ — GENRE: NSFW

☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: Semi-public sex (it's in a venue green room), reader has a cock/strap

Can't believe that my first post is Robin thirst (I say that when my acc theme is literally her 💀) but I REALLY can't stop thinking about fucking her in her private dressing room LOL

Like imagine she calls you in or smth as a form of "distraction" from "pre-performance jitters" with both of you knowing FULL WELL that she isn't nervous in the least. She's even acting the part: her eyebrows furrowed, a hand lightly tugging on the fabric of your clothes as she's asking you to stay with her

"I don't think I'd be able to get out there and sing without your help." Her eyes look at you as if she were pleading, though you've spent enough time with the singer that you easily spot the tiniest glimmer in that alluring sea of green, "Won't you care to stay a little while longer..?"

Doesn't really take long for it to go from simply talking and hanging out to bending her over on the table. All it took was a squeeze here, a graze there, and suddenly neither of you can keep your hands off each other

Could be that she's laying down on her back, legs spread and on your shoulders as you move your fingers in her to find that sweet spot that has her singing your favourite song made just for you on the fly. Could be that she's facing down as you use her wings as handlebars to keep her upright and she can see herself and her perfect image get absolutely RUINED and railed by none other than you on the mirror and her insides just clench at the sight

Her appearance is absolutely MESSED THE FUCK UP right now (the hair and makeup people are Stressing) but Robin really can't bring herself to care. Not when her brain's gone to who knows where. All that's important right now is chasing that high until she--

You hear a somewhat urgent knock on the door, your efforts stuttering at your moment's intrusion, "Miss Robin? We need to set you up in five."

You don't see or hear your pretty little angel respond, though judging by the dazed-out look on her face it's clear that.. well, it's not as if she's so dazed out that she can't begin to process the current events—it's more like she doesn't want to process it.

Apparently whoever it was didn't take the hint because the staff's voice rang past the door once again, "Miss Robin? Are you there?"

You eventually see her sigh resignedly, her eyebrows furrowed genuinely this time as she cleared her throat and answered awkwardly, putting all her strength into making sure she doesn't sound like some fucked-out mess.

"Yes, I'm fine! I'll be there on time," she let out a seemingly good-natured laugh to sell the charade, though the corners of her mouth twitched the slightest bit.. before she bit her lip as she slowly grinded herself on you. "Though careful there—worry like that and-- mm.. I might think you like me."

You hear the staff member stutter past the door before footsteps begin to scurry away. With the way your lover was just moving, you'd have thought that she wanted to continue.. but she pushes herself off of you and pulls up her panties with a small apologetic smile.

She tells you that as much as she really wanted to continue, she shouldn't. She has a job to do, and being late or skipping on a show just wouldn't do! She promises to finish things with you when she's done, and that promise comes in the form of cleaning her slick off of you and leaving a lingering kiss.. before asking you to help her with getting her appearance back to looking AT LEAST presentable LMAOOOO

It takes you both more than five minutes and the staff are baffled but it's not like you can explain it 😭😭 so have fun with the scrutinising stares 🫶

Robin's got better self-control than me I would've died if I had to perform while bricked the fuck up LOL. But trust me when I say that it's worth it when she gets off the stage and she pounces at you and begs you to finish what you started bc she deserves it as a reward after a hard day of work, right?

[apinchofm]

Ooh, okay, so unpopular opinion! I respect people who are fans of Penelope and Polin, and even though I'm not on that train yet, I trust the writers will bring me around, like they did with Anthony. I also agree that maybe there's some fatphobia involved with people hating Penelope, or not wanting any sex scenes, or having sexist double standards when it comes to, say, comparing Anthony and Penelope's actions. And tbh, I've only seen a glimpse of the hate Nicola and Luke get for basically anything (their looks, performance, chemistry, behaviour off-set), and it's pretty bad (only got into this fandom, so I didn't even catch the hate Simone or Charithra got, which I assume was a lot worse). It's like they're not even going to give the actors a chance to pull a great, convincing romance/performance.

HOWEVER, it seems like people on the other spectrum are going to complete opposite direction and saying Penelope did NOTHING wrong, which also irks me. Like, you want complex, three dimensional characters, but you're unable to admit that Penelope did significant harm to Marina and Eloise? I don't think Marina or Eloise are fine, because they were hurt by Penelope's actions, and that matters. Marina, who is of lower class when compared to Penelope, which very much matters here because she lacks the security aristocrats do, nearly ended up killing herself, and was incredibly lucky Daphne helped her located Sir George's family otherwise she'd be homeless. But even then, she is now isolated outside town in what looks to be an unhappy marriage ("Not all of us are guaranteed fairytale endings.") Because of the scandal LD caused her, it looks like she'll not be able to return there anytime soon, and it also looks like nobody from there has been writing to her or calling on her (Penelope and Eloise weren't anyway, and we can assume the Featheringtons also weren't because Penelope had to ask Colin how she was. FWI I know we don't see Eloise and Marina interacting, but there was a scene in the pilot script where they and Penelope were all hanging out as friends, so I accept that as canon). Like, there were just so many other ways Penelope could have made Colin aware she was pregnant without involving the rest of the town. People saying she wasn't wrong in that area because it was just the truth are the same people who are say, "I'm not being a bitch, I'm just being honest. Honest about the fact I have nothing nice to say in general." And people hating Eloise for being a bad friend and "not accomplishing anything unlike Penelope", when she was literally trying to do that all season with her feminist work, and was only stopped because Penelope betrayed her! So what, when Eloise tries to do accomplish something worthwhile, she's judged for being reckless and inconsiderate of her family and going against societal values of being a good submissive lady? But when Penelope does the same, she's considerate a badass? Also, since Eloise was warned against doing so by Penelope many times (only to really prevent her from finding out she was LD and not out of any concern for her safety, let's be honest), but was ignored, Penelope had every right to tattle. It's also like saying, "Do what I tell you to do, or I'll punch you in the face. You won't? Okay, I punched you in the face. Don't be mad." While Eloise, unlike Marina, has a Bridgerton get-out-of-jail-free scandal card and does not seem to have to face any long-term consequences, she's now lost both her friends Penelope and Theo, and good luck getting her to trust anyone else again with her secrets or trying to do anything worthwhile.

I can accept that Penelope is a nuanced character whose actions had both good and selfish intentions, and were never maliciously planned out, but I can also accept that she deeply hurt people along the way and should own up to that. I can also accept that Eloise and Marina are also flawed characters who definitely didn't notice Penelope's inner turmoil, but I can recognize that Marina was going through incredible struggles that would never come close to Penelope's, so it's understandable why she wouldn't. I can also accept Eloise is still growing up and learning, at a slower rate than others, but she's still doing it, and perfectly capable of improving. There's also a difference between a bad friend and a straight up Brutus as well, haha.

I don't know, I'm actually interested in what they'll do with Colin and Penelope's season, but idk, it seems like whenever there's a fandom some people just straight up refuse to acknowledge when fictional characters fuck up. Also, leave the actors alone! We can judge them on whether or not they're bad when the season actually comes out.

I'm somewhat interested in season 3 too! But yes, lets discuss the whole Penelope can do no wrong. Yes, there is fatphobia when it comes to discussing her which is horrible and wrong because she is beautiful.

I personally find Colin and Penelope quite bland compared to Kathony and Simon/Daphne at the moment, which is why I was hoping for Benedict's season first to see some growth, but we move.

She's basically, by a lot of fans, given a LOT of leeway in the same way characters who have done lesser actions. Edwina gets dragged for being upset that her fiance was in love with her sister but Penelope is out here insulting everyone and their mother for coin. The misogynoir against Marina is disgusting. People call the Queen all sorts because she's black. The racism toward the Sharmas. A lot of these fans see being black or brown and slightly flawed as a worse sin.

Also, she is insulting people who actively care about her. I would understand if she was just dragging the Cressidas and even Portia. But Marina was only Penelope's friend, aside from Elosie. She literally wanted to marry Colin because that meant she would get to still see Penelope! She did nothing to tease or outright hurt her. Penelope could have told Colin herself if she was so concerned, but she did it in a way that destroyed Marina's life. That's objectively cruel. I don't care that she cried in a garden about it.

Let's discuss Eloise. Eloise was not a bad freind. She was upset, rightfully because she found out Penelope had been telling the whole of London her family business, to the point of straight-up insult and ruin. Eloise could have been done for treason. Colin was heartbroken. Marina tried to k!ll herself. Her reaction was mild compared to what Penelope had done to her and her family.

Yes, she's flawed and nuanced but I would like her more if people stopped pretending that she did all this to be benevolent or witty. She has hurt the people and that is why I do not like her. The writers are going to have to work double-time!!

Do they want me to stan a racist?? Is that it?? Nah, not here.

And yes, leave actors alone - it screams unemployed and sad.

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 5 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Guardians

Helloooo! Did you think I was done? No!

My PhD thesis chapters were approved last week, so have some celebratory meta. I haven't seen the latest Season 4 episodes, so do forgive me for not being up to date.

Welcome to the next part of my analysis of the basic concepts of Miraculous Ladybug. Today we are talking about Master Fu, Order of the Guardians and how little everything here makes sense. I highly recommend reading previous parts to fully understand this one, but I'll try to quote most parts of earlier posts.

Order of the Guardians

Order is an international and ancient organisation (New York Special showed us the guardian from North America and he was dressed like Su Han). Presumably, Miraculous jewels were created by these people. Guardians are responsible for the preservation of jewels and knowledge about them. They also distribute Miraculouses to worthy people around the world to combat mostly magical threats, but sometimes jewels are used against normal threats too. It's implied that Master Fu used Miraculouses during WW2 when he was in Paris. Perhaps he performed some spywork with Marianne, but the magical nature of his interferences was discovered and he was forced to flee, before returning to France many decades later.

Why does the Order need so many people to take care of a 3 Miracle Boxes? If its only purpose is to preserve knowledge, keep magical secrets and distribute Miraculous jewels then wouldn't it be more logical to have Master-Apprentice system? It's much easier to keep magic knowledge a secret and train a few people in martial arts than doing the same in the self-sufficient temple full of people, keeping in mind that a good part of them are teenagers and children, who are bad at keeping secrets. Also a single person can travel around the world much easier to give out Miraculouses. Imagine that we have a few active guardians traveling the world with Boxes. What do other people at the temple do in the meantime? They teach the next generation about the powers of each Miraculous and Mirakung Fu, but besides that?

Master-Apprentice system gives us more personal conflict between Fu and his mentor and makes his relationship with Marinette and Adrien more nuanced. In this scenario Fu accidentally caused the death of his Master at 14 because he wasn't careful. It makes sense for him to take on only 1 or 2 students if this is how things were done with Miraculous Guardians. This Wang Fu is very cautious and protective, he spent the majority of his life afraid of hurting someone else and never took an apprentice as a result. But now he is ready to try again, since he is not getting any younger and he likes these 2 kids. He wants them to succeed. Maybe Master Fu, becomes the father figure for Adrien in this situation and a guide for Marinette. Just think about it. This way writers avoid the need to develop all these extra characters (Su Han) and traditions related to the Order. All inconsistencies I mentioned before and later in this post are gone now! Hell, even memory loss and the changing of the Miracle Box shape could make more sense. We also raise the stakes post-amnesia, if it happens of course (the whole Season 3 finale didn't make sense, so stay tuned for my next meta). Marinette and Adrien are on their own now, there's no one who can give them answers. It's very fun scenario, which has potential to be brilliant. Any thoughts on that?

The existence of Order of the Guardians is not quite a secret, at least it wasn't in XIX century China. Master Fu in "Feast" says that guardianship was considered "a great honor". It implies that people who lived close to the temple of the Order knew about Miraculouses and what exactly guardians did for the greater good.

The existence of other Miracle Boxes around the world makes sense from a real-life perspective. Writers have the ability to create many stories set in the same universe and use them for merchandise and an almost unlimited amount of content. Judging by the unholy amount of specials in production, this is exactly what the creators are going to do. It probably won't go down well, but who knows?

However, it doesn't work in our main story. The main conflict is Paris-centred. Gabriel's motivations revolve around Emilie's resurrection and Season 4 gives us more reasons to suspect that Adrien's mom wasn't as wonderful as everyone says. Hawkmoth still remains the main villain of the show and most likely it's going to stay that way. There's no point in moving the main story to different places for the sake of introducing more Miracle Boxes from around the world. Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't needed to fight something halfway across the world unless Hawkmoth also changes locations.

LB and CN are centrepieces of this franchise. They brought success and money to ZAG. Creators constantly need to remind the audience that this new piece of media with new characters who will never be mentioned again is connected to Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Writers have to come up with reasons to include our heroic duo into the story even if makes no sense.

New York Special had to introduce American Heroes whose names rarely come up in the fandom because people stopped caring about them or their stories shortly after the release of the Special. I barely saw any content dedicated to them. In order to bring LB and CN into the story, you have to include Hawkmoth too. Gabriel suddenly needs to get his hands on the Eagle Miraculous and goes to USA. Marinette and Adrien suddenly have a class trip to New York. Unfortunately, their presence in this story is required only to expand the world of Miraculous and attract fans of the show, so that they could keep an eye on new content related to newly introduced characters.

In the end, it's not their story. Events of the special don't affect main story of the show and the development of the love square is merely an illusion, because Adrien and Marinette are no closer than before. In season 4 LB and CN are growing apart and their test of trust in NY Special doesn't matter. Perhaps, some people don't see it that way and it's their right, but I find it hard to see NYS as a valid contribution to canon. I mean, even people in large portion of the fandom state in the tags on AO3 that "specials are not canon", "specials didn't happen" or "ignores both specials". It speaks volumes about continuity and preferences of your fandom.

Shanghai Special didn't give us more information about the Order, which is located in China, history of Miraculous jewels. We still don't know much about how Gabriel and Emilie found Peacock and Butterfly. Maybe, Marinette's family had connections to Miraculous jewels. Maybe, Adrien does some snooping and discovers research his parents made while Gabriel is away. All of these are relevant to the main story. However, we got something much different in the end.

Marinette chases Adrien across the globe and they make new friends. Fey becomes Ladydragon and now has a direct contact with Marinette through her uncle. Gabriel's desire to get his hands on the Prodigious comes out of nowhere. Apparently, he had been planning this trip for years, presumably even before Adrien was born. It probably happened at the same time as Agrestes found 2 Miraculouses. He bought bracelet-key (which is also a Miraculous apparently, but its Kwami is a Guardian of the Prodigious and they existed separately for a very long time - and let us not dwell on this mess) from some shady mafia boss, who can easily find out just who Gabriel really is (fashion designer billionaire) and use this information to blackmail him. This Special didn't answer important questions, but it gave us a new superhero character.

The real question is whether Miraculous as a project will survive long enough for writers to create content for every minor character they introduced in all specials. This is only a beginning after all.

Miraculous is not a global show and it can't be globalised in a way that makes sense, at least with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the centre of action. Case closed.

Mirakung Fu

I liked the idea of Mirakung Fu introduced in "Furious Fu". It makes sense and things rarely do in this show. Miraculous grants its holder superhuman strength, stamina, endurance and ability to fight. This means that essentially transformed heroes are guided by magic in combat. There's nothing personal in the way Miraculous holders fight. You can predict their moves and learn how to fight this magic guidance, which is what Su Han does.

However, if the holder has any special training, skills or knows any martial art in their civilian life then they become more dangerous opponents during transformation because now their fighting is a mix of magical moves and their personal knowledge, tricks and style. Therefore, Adrien and Kagami as skilful fencers have more chances of winning against someone who knows Mirakung Fu than Marinette, for example.

Memory loss

At the end of season 3, we find out several things:

apparently, now Miracle Box can change appearance to suit its guardian;

when Guardian passes down the Miracle Box to someone else, they lose memories not only about everything related to Miraculous, but also about pretty much everything in their life (Fu doesn't recognise Marianne, instead he experiences the love at first sight)

Master Fu trains Marinette to be the proper holder and next Guardian off-screen. He says that her training as the holder is complete in "Feast" and wants her to become the next Guardian. Fu told her lots of things, and yet, he never mentioned the fact that he would lose his memory after relinquishing the box, nor the fact that Marinette would lose her memory afterwards. She finds out about this from Wayzz after the battle with Miracle Queen and the letter that Master Fu gave her. That's not proper training! How on Earth do you forget to mention this memory loss? How?

Master Fu's amnesia is a convenient plot device that removes him from the narrative almost completely. That's mostly all there is to it. Why? Because it doesn't make sense.

Fu was around 7 or 8 when he started his training. The disaster at the temple happened when he was 14. He stated that his training was never complete, which means that he never passed any magical ritual, never swore an oath or was bound by some kind of spell that made him subjected to the rule of memory loss.

Miracle Boxes belonged to the order, not Fu. Their design reflected their country of origin because these Miraculous were made and kept in China. They were just standing there on the shelves not magically bound to anyone in particular. When Feast attacked, monks just tossed Wang Fu the miracle box and grimoire. No one at the temple lost their memory after Fu took the box with him (Su Han is the proof). Su Han not only remembers Fu and his mistake but everything that happened that fateful day as well. In "Furious Fu" Marinette explains Su Han that Master Fu lost his memory in the very first conversation they have. However, after Ladybug and Chat Noir fight Su Han on the roof and escape with the Miracle Box, the latter searches for Fu and attempts to take his staff from him. In this scene, Su Han acts like Fu knows very well what is going on and who he is.

Su Han should be aware of the memory loss rule as the Celestial Guardian. He remarks on the different shape of the Mother Miracle Box and calls her "incorrect", which means that Su Han should have been able to easily tell that previous Guardian lost his memory and the Miracle Box is now bound to someone else. But he doesn't say anything. Moreover, since Su Han is supposed to know about amnesia, he seemed awfully chill about forcing this 14-year-old girl in front of him to give up the box and her memories. Hell, Chat Noir wasn't on board with this. But we get zero reaction from Su Han.

During the first conversation between Marinette and Su Han, he doesn't ignore what she is trying to say, instead he actively comments on every word. Even if Su Han didn't listen when Marinette told him about Fu's memory loss, than he still should be able to understand that Fu doesn't recognise him, because of common sense and the "incorrect" shape of the box. But nothing of the sort happens. Because writers apparently forgot that "memory loss" is supposed to be known to everyone in the Order. On-screen it looks like Su Han is not aware of the "amnesia rule".

"Furious Fu" makes the concept of memory loss a plothole no matter how you look at it. Just like "Timetagger" and "Chat Blanc", as well as "Kwamibuster" this episode is not consistent within itself. It does not surprise me, however.

Grimoire and Guardian Staffs

Let's talk about the Miraculous Grimoire. Good things first.

There are no illustrations of Miraculouses in camouflage. Kwami can't read its contents, only guardians can. Certain elements are written in riddles as an additional precaution. The book contains only the information people have learned so far, which means that Miraculouses have more unexplored potential ("Mr. Pigeon 72"). It describes powers of each Miraculous, provides information about weapons, has instructions for potions that don't make sense (see previous parts).

Unfortunately, everything is about to go downhill from here.

Guardians are taught how to read the writing in this book. They can read it just like people learn to read texts in a different language. This means that one can read Grimoire like any other book (you don't need to consult some guide to decode each letter or word). Master Fu proclaimed Marinette an almost fully trained Guardian. He should have taught her how to read the Grimoire then (he doesn't know the code very well, but he knew enough to understand the general meaning and content of the book according to "Collector"). He didn't. We don't know why. He shows her powers of every Miraculous but doesn't teach her the code.

Master Fu knows that Grimoire now belongs to Gabriel Agreste. He knows that it's dangerous for someone else to have it. If they knew how to read the Grimoire, they could discover all secrets of Miraculouses and harm Ladybug, Chat Noir and other heroes. It's very important to keep the information about the code top secret because Fu is not the only one with the source material.

What does he do then? Master Fu proceeds to write a French translation of Grimoire for Marinette, a translation that he doesn't even need. He carries it with him at all times on a tablet (without any precautions) just like the Miracle box after "Feast". Naturally, it means that in "Miracle Queen", Gabriel and Nathalie easily managed to get their hands on the tablet and Miracle Box. It allows the plot to happen, sure. But it doesn't make any sense.

"Furious Fu" created another curious plot hole. It will probably be ignored, of course. Su Han has a staff with a magical compass that allows him to find any Miracle box, but not the Miraculous jewels for some reason. How does the staff work? Can it locate the box without the Miraculous? If yes, then it seems useless. What's the point in the ability to locate an empty box? If it can locate the box only with the Miraculous jewels inside, it implies that the staff can track the location of every Miraculous too. So, Su Han could just locate the Butterfly and Peacock without any problem. But he talks about reassigning Ladybug and Black Cat to adults and defeating Hawkmoth like locating the Butterfly is not possible. This situation makes the Guardian Staff a simple plot device that creates plot holes and its only purpose is to explain how Su Han found Marinette.

Also, I have a few more words to say about this. Master Fu had a Guardian Staff that was never mentioned before. I wonder why? That's because the staff didn't exist before "Furious Fu" was written. Writers just went: "Do you know what would be cool? If Fu's cane was really a secret Guardian Staff with a compass all along that he decided to keep even after he lost his memory? It would make people wonder whether Master Fu is faking amnesia, and everyone will definitely call him an awful mentor after this even though we kind of tried to make him a good and responsible person."

Fu didn't give it to Marinette and didn't mention it to her. Why? When he gave up his memory, he should have written about this in his letter at least. Why did he decide to keep it? He can't use it anyway now.

Please note how in the flashbacks Fu didn't take any staff with him when he escaped the temple. Su Han seemed to know how Fu's staff looked like. It means that Master Fu didn't make this staff himself, because it belonged to the Order.

Su Han wasn't even surprised that Marinette didn't have the staff as the current Guardian. Was she not supposed to have it? He never questioned the fact that the former Guardian without memories has the staff. Su Han actually returns this staff to Fu after he is deakumatized and Fu acts like they have never met before. Why did Su Han gave the staff back when he knows what it is and to whom it should belong (to him or to Marinette as the current Guardian)? The staff is useless in the hands of the civilian. Does Marianne know about its secret? We'll probably never find out, unfortunately.

Guardian Staff of Master Fu has a compass too and therefore this also makes it a plot device, just like Su Han's staff.

[caye-otome-translations]

100 Days Princess Event - Royal Prince Stage Episode 02 (Translated) 

Quick Links:

Events Page

Prologue

Previous: Episode 01

Next: Episode 03

Louis Howard’s Route

Byron Wagner’s Route

Giles Christophe’s Route Episode 02 Part 01/05

Giles: “MC, do you want me to help take you home?”

When I looked behind me, I saw Giles there offering me a bottle of water.

MC: “No, I'm fine. Thank you for the water.”

MC: “...Do I really look so drunk that I shouldn’t go home by myself?”

Giles: “No. You’re talking clearly and behaving well, so I don't think you’re that drunk.”

After he spoke, Giles lightly caressed my cheek.

Giles: “Still, I’m worried about you.” *Top Left Picture*

MC: “...”

His eyes stared at me with warmth, and my heart began to slightly throb.

(The reason why I get so excited whenever he looks at me like this… is because I love Giles.)

This wasn't the first time he looked at me so tenderly.

(Judging by how he looks at me, I think Giles feels the same way as I do.)

(But we can never confess our feelings… because we must avoid any scandals.)

Giles: “Do your cheeks still feel a little hot…?”

MC: “...I’m fine, I should be calming down soon.”

The heat in my body seemed to rise even more, and I instinctively averted my eyes.

MC: “Thank you for your concern. ...I'll get a ride from my manager.”

Giles: “Yes, please do that. That will give me a peace of mind.”

Giles’ hand left my cheek, leaving behind only a lonely feeling.

Giles: “I would like to help you more…”

Giles: “But there are a lot of people here, so we would immediately be misunderstood if someone saw us.” *Top Right Picture*

Giles Christophe’s Route Episode 02 Part 02/05

Giles: “But there are a lot of people here, so we would immediately be misunderstood if someone saw us.”

MC: “...You’re right, we need to be careful.”

I felt frustrated with my relationship with Giles right then, as it seemed we never could move forwards or backwards.

But I buried that feeling deep down and forced a smile.

***

The next day, I shot a scene of the drama with Giles…

I decided to take a break and sat down in a chair a little far away from the shooting location.

(I wonder what other scenes we would have to shoot together in the future...)

I flipped through the script I received from the crew earlier.

That’s when I saw that there was a scene where the heroine kissed her fiancé.

(My fiancé… Giles!?)

Giles: “MC, is something wrong?”

MC: “No… it’s nothing.”

Giles: “If that’s the case, then why do you look so flustered…?”

Giles sat down next to me and looked at my script.

Giles: “Ah, is it this scene?”

Giles: “Did you not know that there was going to be a kiss scene when you accepted the role?”

MC: “I knew. But I didn’t know who it would be with.”

Caye: “Now I’m nervous because that scene will be coming up soon…”

(I wonder if I can do this properly.)

As I lowered my head in anxiety, he smiled.

Giles: “Oh, I see now. You’ve never done a scene like this before.” *1st Middle Left Picture*

MC: “Yes…”

Giles: “It’s understandable that you’re nervous. But…”

Giles: “I’m honored to be your first kissing scene.” *1st Middle Right Picture*

MC: “...”

*princess check*

Giles Christophe’s Route Episode 02 Part 03/05

Giles: “Oh, I see now. You’ve never done a scene like this before.”

MC: “Yes…”

Giles: “It's understandable that you’re nervous. But…”

Giles: “I’m honored to be your first kissing scene.”

MC: “...”

He gazed at me with a shining smile and I looked away out of embarrassment.

(I already feel uncomfortable with just him looking at me like this, how am I ever possibly going to be able to handle kissing him...)

(I can’t be shy, though. I need to play my part well.)

As I was deep in thought, his fingers gently cupped my chin and lifted it up.

MC: “Giles…?”

Giles: “It will be okay. You can rest assured that I won't bite you.” *2nd Middle Left Picture*

Giles: “Besides, we will only be pretending to kiss.”

MC: “What? Is that so?”

Giles: “Yes. In this scene, you pretend to cheat.”

Giles: “Like this…”

Giles smiled and leaned in…

MC: “...!?”

I held my breath as Giles stopped at the tip of my nose.

Giles: “If we both lean in like this and angle our faces away from the camera a little, it will look like we’re kissing.”

Giles: “Although we might be asked to bring our lips a little closer together for the actual shot.”

MC: “...I didn’t know fake kissing was so complicated.”

(I thought he was going to really kiss me…)

Giles removed his fingers from my chin as I focused on my frantic heartbeat.

Giles: “If you feel so uneasy about shooting the scene, how about we practice?” *2nd Middle Right Picture*

MC: “Practice…”

Giles: “You don’t know how to do a kissing scene, right…?”

Giles: “So why not practice with me until you get the hang of it?”

Giles Christophe Episode 02 Part 04/05

Giles: “So why not practice with me until you get the hang of it?”

Giles: “I’ll be happy to meet with you.”

(Should I practice kissing with Giles…?)

I couldn’t give a straight answer when he looked at me with that seductive gaze of his.

Giles softened his expression.

Giles: “I’m just teasing you.” *3rd Middle Left Picture*

MC: “Ah… okay.”

(He had looked so serious that I thought he meant it. But...)

Even though he was just kidding, I was still worried if I would actually be able to perform well in the scene.

(Giles had meant it as a joke...)

MC: “Giles… It’s just a pretend kiss, but if I were to really ask you for practice, would that be a problem for you...?”

When I cautiously asked, Giles looked stunned.

Giles: “That… I wouldn’t mind if you really wanted to.”

MC: “That’s a relief...! Then, can I ask that of you?”

MC: “I'm just really worried about it as it is… and I want to be able to do it properly when we shoot it.”

When I looked up at him, a smile appeared on Giles’ lips.

Giles: “You’re really sincere about your passion for acting.”

Giles: “That’s what I like about you...” *3rd Middle Right Picture*

Giles stopped and covered his mouth with his hand…

Giles: “But do you really trust me to stop kissing you once we start…?”

*princess check*

Giles Christophe Episode 02 Part 05/05

Giles: “You’re really sincere about your passion for acting.”

Giles: “That’s what I like about you...”

Giles stopped and covered his mouth with his hand…

Giles: “But do you really trust me to stop kissing you once we start…?” *Bottom Left Picture*

The strong wind rustled the trees and drowned out Giles’ words.

MC: “Giles? Did you say something just now…?”

Giles: “No, it’s nothing.”

Giles lightly shook his head, and his frustrated expression turned into a soft smile.

Giles: “We can practice on our next day off.”

MC: “Please…! And thank you.”

Giles: “You’re welcome.”

***

That night…

When I got home, I was so exhausted that I just fell onto my bed without changing my clothes.

(What am I going to do? We will be practicing the scene soon...)

(A fake kissing scene usually has nothing to do with the feelings of the heart…)

But the person I would be kissing was Giles, who I just so happened to have a crush on.

I pressed my heated face into my pillow.

My TV suddenly turned on automatically according to the timer I had set on it.

(Ah… It’s that time already.)

When I lifted my face up from the pillow, the nightly news program I always watched had started.

Giles: “‘Good evening, everyone. Today's opening news will be given from in front of the studio.’” *Bottom Right Picture*

(It must be tiring to do this right after shooting the drama…)

(But I'm glad that I am able to see Giles on the news program I watch often.)

After Giles became a news anchor on the program, I have been looking forward to it even more than usual lately.

I had even set a timer for when the program would be on so I could always watch it in time.

(But Giles has always been mainly active in acting.)

(Why did he take on the job of a news anchor…?)

As I watched the TV, I became drowsy.

Eventually, I fell into a deep sleep.

***

A few days later, Giles and I both had a day off from filming…

We visited a building owned by the production company to practice our acting.

Giles: “It's been a while since we’ve used this place.”

[talesofsonicasura]

Erase The Future

One of the things I work hard to improve is writing characters established from many different series or genre. Mainly, I focus on characters who are quite difficult to write for new writers due to lack of information about them or the type of personality they have.

This little fic of mine involves one such character, Urizen from Devil May Cry. Warning: Contains minor spoilers!

Summary: Demon King Urizen has crushed every challenger to his hellish throne with pure unmatched power. To him, nothing could stop him from claiming his power and title as the Ruler of All Hell. Until a rift of time and space drops him a little gift... And turns world into a crash course dummy.

Two brothers with hair of snow and eyes of ice. Both separated by tragedy and doomed to face it once more. Cursed to spill their own blood continuous to the floor. When the tree of blood grows is when it begins. The tree's downfall is where their lives would end. Their fate can be challenged to change if intervened. An outside source to show both what they were too blind to see.

This single savior was born of misfortune and death at their first breath. Abandoned for being born inable to see and cast out in the worst of nature's disasters...A dangerous blizzard in the coldest tundra. Through kindness of another let the soul grow strong. A titan of champions is what they become. Though failure to this task was prominent promising a fate far worse than death.

Yet… To the heir of a frozen kingdom, Dyna Crown Fleur, the results were worth a cursed fate. For kindness and mercy, was long overdue for both tragic souls.

Qlipthoth, a demon tree that grows in the Underworld. It feeds on the blood of human life to blossom a single fruit that when eaten, crowns a demon the Ruler of Hell with boundless power. This tree currently rose at the center of Red Grave City and grown vastly from the millions of lives it slaughtered. Deep within the tree and sat on a makeshift throne, was a colossal devil covered in brambles and thorns named Urizen.

Power, absolute power is what this very behemoth sought. Yet, he was about to learn power came in many forms and so did Karma. The vast grove and network of blood filled vines began to shake within the Qlipthoth's center. Amongst the blood pool, the devil covered in deathly gray plant life light flashed immensely confused amongst the multiple hollows on his body. "What is this? This...power I am sensing." A gravelly voice from the devil as he lifted his hand up.

To him, this strange energy was...pure. Unlike the taint familiar with demonic power of all kinds, what he was sensing felt...calming. Not that of angels but of harmony, silence and peace. It was enticing to his senses that the devil couldn't help the urge to tear off the thorns covering his true form just to feel on his own hide. He needed to see what it was.

With a wave of his hand, the pool of blood at his feet began to change forming a mirror reflection of a different part of the Qlipthoth. Bright blue shined when a single line appeared above one of the roots before forming a large emerald tear. A rift in time and space was what the massive devil realized. Yet, what stepped out of it before it closed had him bewildered. It was a human woman.

She stood around 6'2 with forest green hair, skin a soft light peach and eyes a pure clear and crystal aquamarine. The woman wore a thick dark velvet winter dress decorated with elegant gold vine like embroidery and the emblem of a crown wearing animal, a golden wreath around her neck with a small rainbow jewel held at the center and the biggest oddity was the lack of footwear.

While Urizen didn't care for those lower than him, he could see the vast beauty of the human female. What really grew his interest was her walking. With every graceful step she took, plant life from grass to even flowers grew on the Qlipthoth floor. He could feel the blood from those sections fading as if the plants were absorbing and purifying it. They were becoming normal human plant life by the pure energy that was coming from her.

"Very interesting. What are you to purify even the Qlipthoth with mere touch and bewildered me so? Bring her to me." Urizen spoke as vast insect like chittering echoed through the blood tree. The woman only known to herself in this world as Dyna traversed the vast expanse of the blood channeling growths around her. Despite the gruesome and hellish landscape around, she was not afraid.

"A tree...no a grove that feeds on the life essence of others. I can feel the very souls trapped in these brambles cry out in pain. Wallow in sorrow no more with every step I take. Let your souls finally slumber as new life blossoms forth." Her voice soft and sweet like pure honey as more of her vibrant plant life covered the Qlipthoth floor with each step she took.

Her blue eyes caught the vast amount of moving gray around her. Inhuman beasts that held the form of an ant crossed with both spider and human easily in her sight no matter how fast they scurrying or well they hide. Beady red eyes, thorax covered in blood red jewels, jagged pincer like maws and thin scythe like claws. "I know you are there. My eyes are much sharper than others. It'll be better if you show yourself." Dyna spoke stopping as the large insect creature landed in front of from above.

It was a bit larger than her in height and grotesque but she still remain unbothered by her unnatural guest. "You are a worker just like a colony of Combee. Your species must provide substance to this tree. Honestly, it's a poor job considering the many remnants of the souls trapped in your home's woodwork and state of your hierarchy. Judging from you not attacking me, you're here to lead me to whoever rules over this current colony." Dyna questioned as the insect nodded its head.

"Lead the way then please." She said as the creature or Red Empusa guided her to Urizen's throne. The very devil himself was watching her as the insect demon lead her through the tree. He was impressed by what he had seen so far. She easily deduced the Empusa's nature and reason, the Qlipthoth's basic way of growth and remained undeterred by the hell around her. He cleared the image as Dyna walked into the room.

The Empusa immediately scurried off afterwards not wanting to stay anywhere near the tree demon's range. The woman looked up at him as Urizen could see her form far better than from his blood mirror. Those eyes of hers were beautiful up close. Pure uncut aquamarine that even diamonds couldn't hold a candle to the clear hue. Faint accents of gold by the corner of her eyes merely enhanced the elegance. He'll get a better look after seizing her for himself.

"You must be the one who planted the seed for this massive vampiric tree. Quite cheeky to have it bloom in the middle of a human settlement. Urizen, or should I say the Devil of Vergil Sparda?" Dyna questioned as those words had Urizen get onto his feet. The tendrils of his body snapping a bit from the Qlipthoth as blood spilled to the floor while the devil stood at his full height glaring down at her.

"I never gave you my name or my origin. Who are you human?" Urizen hissed in annoyance as if the name burned. Ignoring his hissing, Dyna took out a strange ball from her dress sleeve. It was half red and half white with a button outlined by black stripe. She tossed the sphere in her hand repeatedly as if she was juggling it. She didn't even look away from him still performing the act. "My name is Dyna Crown Fleur. For why I am here… I here to stop this devastating tree from growing any further. Tragedy must come to an end and if it means defeating you…"

Dyna grabbed the sphere out of the air before facing it as Urizen with a glare on her face. "Then I won't hold back." She declared voice firm and strong. The devil chuckled before sitting on his throne easily amused. He produced a blood red crystal in hand before reconnecting his tendrils to the devilish tree. "Very amusing. Dyna Crown Fleur, show me just how you will defeat me." Urizen mocked. The little sphere in her hand was a mere toy to him.

"Your aura is nothing but a phantom cloaked by putrid life of the thorns protecting your body. That blood red crystal merely an extension of dauntless darkness. To throw life and mind at you now will get me nowhere so instead. I'll have my confidant shatter your barrier first!" Her cryptic words had him baffled but...he realized that little ball was NOT a mere plaything.

"Pyros, prepare for battle!" She tossed the ball into the air as a flash of light shot forth. From the light materialized a creature Urizen never seen before. This creature was a bipedal white tiger covered in crimson striped fur, its chest was gray with a white cross like pattern, large tufts of crimson fur around the muzzle, shoulders, legs, a tail with a ring of spikes around it, yellow and verdant green eyes, large fangs and claws and a belt of pure flames around their waist.

"Incineroar!!!!" The beast howled unleashing a pure shockwave of power from its pure battlecry alone. To Dyna, this creature was her Incineroar Pyros, a Pokemon she grew up with from her homeland to survive. "What kind of creature is this you summoned to dare challenge me!?" Urizen growled clearly thrown off by Pyros' special ability: Intimidate. Intimidate weakened the attack power of every opponent Pyros faced so the fact Urizen felt threatened had proven the ability had work.

"Incineroar, the Heel Pokemon. His species will refuse the orders of those they don't trust with pure nonchalance. However once presented a decent challenge, they are relentless. Pyros, give him a mere taste of your nature with Fire Blast."Dyna ordered. The Heel Pokemon opened his mouth full of flames before hurling a massive star like cross of it at the demon king. A blood red barrier immediately materialized around Urizen but even the demon had to shield himself from the intense flames as it crashed into the shield.

Blueish green lights brighten greatly noticing the large spider web cracking across the surface of the stone and his barrier. "Darkest Lariat." Pyros burst from the flames like a spinning bullet to Urizen's view and hit the barrier with a powerful lariat. The barrier immediately shattered from the brute force of Pyros' attack. Even the crystal supplying the barrier exploded from the immense power the Incineroar unleashed!

'What kind of power is this?!' The devil couldn't help but think. This Incineroar, manifested enough power to overload his barrier but another strike to destroy his magic crystal at the same time. His half breed brother couldn't even crack it unlike this burning beast! Then came insult to injury.

"Fury Swipes." Pyros' claws glowed white as the talons grew into long blades. The Incineroar didn't hesitate to repeatedly tear his claws through Urizen's armored hide and scratching up the devil's exposed mouth like an angry cat. The tree demon roared in pain swatting at Pyros but the Fire/Dark type easily dodged returning back into battle position in front of Dyna with a wild grin on his face. The demon king immediately sat up not caring about snapping off his thorn like tentacles from the tree itself again.

The cat scratches over his face and tears through his hide revealing multiple glaring orange eyes upon her form. He was absolutely furious. This human woman was mocking him in his own throne room. His fury ignited upon the mischievous grin that grew on Dyna's face. It exploded when the woman had the audacity to SING an insult to him.

"I am the tallest of mountains. I am the roughest of waves. I'm the toughest of terrors. I am the darkest of days. I'm the last one that's standing. Don't try to stand in my way. Cause I've been up against better. Just take a look at my face. Causing if you're messing with me, I am a dangerous weapon. I am the sharpest of blades. I'll cut down in a second." Her sweet voice destroying his precious silence with pure sass.

"I see the part that you tried to hide. That you are merely a scared babe behind a monster of a lie. The fact that you aren't as strong as you think on the inside. To remove half of yourself was your folly. Absolute power you say? No, that's the humiliation that made me merry and jolly!" Dyna taunted as Urizen howled in absolute rage.

Multiple tendrils sprout from the Qlipthoth around her slithering like angry snakes around the livid demon. "You've managed to infuriate me more than that damn treacherous spawn I dare call brother. A queen must know to never disrespect their king! I'll tear your summon in half before I claim my first generation with your bloodline, my dear Hell Bride and soon to be Queen of Hell." Urizen declared. He flinched when both trainer and Pokemon merely chuckled.

"Hold back Pyros. I'll take it from here." Dyna spoke as the Incineroar stepped back and she took a step forward with eyes closed. He flinched once more as the woman opened her eyes. "Cause I was born in this pain. It only hurts if you let it." They were a pure glowing cyan as if burning with pure power yet...he thought he saw sadness for a moment.

"So if you think you can take me then you should go and forget it." He lashed out a few of the roots towards her at lightning speed with a snap of his fingers. Cyan light enveloped the attack tendrils before she waved her hand away. Those glowing roots we're slammed into the Qlipthoth wall hard enough for each to snap in half. "After all this time your back for more. I won't stop until THEY know my name. So I'll take what's mine and start this war. I'm coming at you like a tidal wave."

He didn't hesitate sending more roots at her. Yet she continued to cut them down with no effort. She was doing the same thing he did to his half breed brother and every single insect that dared to challenge him. She made him feel helpless.

"When everything you know has come and gone. You are at your lowest and I am rising higher. Only scars remain of who I was. What I find in the ashes, you lose in the fire. When there's no one left to carry on. This is a illusion, open up your eyes and… The pain persists I can't resist. But that's what it takes to be infinite."

That same cyan light snaring him and every Qlipthoth root he was controlling at the moment. "Psychic!" They were immediately slammed into the walls of the throne room with enough brutal force that his tendrils exploded into blood upon impact and Urizen shattered his throne underneath his own body.

The Devil picked himself up and glared heavily with glints of fear now exposed. More of his armored hide had shattered now revealing half of his beastish azure face with multiple piercing eyes, monstrous fangs and short crown of jagged horns. Green eyes going from fear to pure surprise at the soft smile she now held. A smile that held no malice.

"Now I can see some of your beautiful face from that ugly mask you wear. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. That beauty for me is the person under the shell of armor they use to hide their own weakness. Their true self in many terms." Dyna spoke softly for it was enough for the Devil to blink.

She had immediately disappeared once he did only to reappear right in his face hovering softly in the air. That same cyan light bathing her body as she floated daintly before him. 'Is she part fae? No...not even faes hold such elegance, grace and so much raw power. No, it must be a goddess that stands before me.' Urizen thought as he unconsciously reach his hand out to her.

"So look around you and tell me what you really SEE. You live a lie and that's the difference between you and me. I have the power. Let me show you what it's it all about. It's only me and you- Who is gonna save you now?"

Dyna laid a hand on his crown of horns and everything around him just...stopped. Then came flashes of memories... and the unknown pain to follow. Her eyes reflected those scenes from the human half, half breed brother, weak women that fueled his weapons and the human whelp whose limb was missing but also those he wasn't familiar with. Then these odd sensations slammed into him from every single one. These odd things hurt him somehow with every death or wound that he caused but none scathe his body.

It stopped when a gentle touch pressed his forehead and eyes widened upon the sight. Dyna Fleur Crown had laid a kiss on him. His mind went blank. This woman made no sense. She threatened him, had her beast shatter his barrier and scar him, she brought him down to his knees, searched his memories and forced new ones with this strange pain for each one. Now, she had the audacity to kiss him.

He blinked in response only to see her on the back of her fiery beast Pyros. A soft smile on her face and the same for the Incineroar. "V, Dante, Nero, Trish and Lady. Your human half and the ones you have harmed the most. Urizen, Devil of Vergil Sparda, I will give you a single warning. If you feast on the fruit of this hellish tree, then it will be me you shall face instead of your brother. And unlike him, it won't be a fight. It will be your true downfall. Reflect on the past once more." Was all she said before Pyros burst out of the throne room.

The Incineroar soaring across the tendrils with fire exploding from every pounce and step. She was gone just like that as Urizen could only stand in silence. The woman didn't make a worthless threat. She held the power to back up her declaration not just her beast alone. "Dyna Crown Fleur... could have ended me with a flick of her wrist. Forced these strange irritating sensations onto me even now… Yet spares my life…" Urizen spoke using his tendrils to repair his broken throne in seconds.

Multiple exposed eyes staring at the scars covering his form's broken armor from his throne's blood pool. "Summoner from another plane… Wielding of a beast of intense flame… Eyes that mirror my past… Power far more pure than an archangel… And beauty matched with cryptic knowledge…" He sat on his repaired throne how in thought. "Who are you… Dyna Crown Fleur?"

And that's it! Yes, I crossed this little story with Pokemon to show just how different Dyna and Urizen are. Urizen who only relies on his own power and himself versus Dyna who not only is powerful on her own but works with her Pokemon to overcome any challenge.

For Urizen, the goal of this fic is for him to realize the same that happened to dear old Sparda. To find his own reason to fight for the sake of others, his own justice.

Dyna's origins is related to a Pokemon that will relate and revolve around the Part 2 DLC for Sword and Shield, Calyrex the Crown Pokemon.

Dyna- A term or prefix often use to mean power. Ex: Dynamo, Dynamic, Dynamite

Fleur which is French for Flower.

Dyna Crown Fleur, the Crowned Flower of Strength.

Song used: Infinite from Sonic Forces

[flowers-for-flamingos]

S3E5 No Time like The Past Review Part 1

Okay, so I heard that people loved this episode and I heard that people hated it. I personally loved everything other than the fact that I think they rushed through this episode. I would have loved a two or even three part episode that revolved around this plot and it's consequences.

But since I can't have that, I'm giving you a multiple part review. I have a lot of comments on this episode and cannot fit everything I want to discuss (with visuals) on one page.

This probably won't be the only episode I have multiple parts to because I love these next few episodes. But I'll go through it all later, let's start, shall we?

I'm pretty sure I said it before, but I'm gonna say it again. I feel like season 1 Raps would have smiled and just made Crowley think she had no gripe about it. This Raps shows her irritation openly, on more than just this episode. (She showed it with Feldspar in the previous episode.)

I love that you can see her progression and how betrayal and her adventures have changed her, but at the same time I hope that maybe this will be brought up (hopefully by Eugene) and explored further. The world has changed Rapunzel, and I don't think she realizes how much yet.

Eugene brings up an excellent point here and I agree with him, but I want to take a step back.

Imagine you've only ever had one or two friends in your entire life. Then one of them completely flips on you and claims she hates you and never wants to be your friend again.

You still care about your friend, and you know that something else is going on, something much deeper than a hatred for you. And maybe you aren't ready to give up on them.

Another point I need to make is in the season 2 finale, when the crew thinks Eugene has betrayed Rapunzel, Cass told Rapunzel not to give up on him and to believe that Eugene was still good. It disappointes me that Eugene doesn't (or didn't) think about Cass the way she thought about him.

But, I also see that Eugene, having had to deal with betrayal and loss of trust quite frequently when he was younger (whether he did it to someone or someone did it to him), could have a hard time hanging on to Cass. When he was a criminal he couldn't have friends without betrayal following close behind. So I think Eugene is trying to give advice based on his experience. Especially since he's witnessing the reactions of people when he betrayed them in Rapunzel.

I understand both sides of this argument. Eugene makes an excellent point, but Rapunzel's is equally just. How this problem was solved was not my favorite outcome however.

I love how they animate the hourglass in this episode, especially the reflections of the characters in it. It's gorgeous, and I wish we knew more about it's origins and how it was placed in the castle.

No wonder Eugene has to use all those facial creams every morning. But LOOK at him. His little ponytail and his outfit are fantastic. Sean Gaimbrone does an outstanding performance as teenage Eugene. He's great!

Also, I love the nickname he gives on top of the nickname. The way he calls him Burnsie just adds to that teen Flynn Rider persona.

The fact that Lance actually helped Eugene come up with his "smolder" is great. A true bro.

These two are so comfortable in their sexualities and it's not even made to be a joke. They fist bump and move on. (They have a bro handshake!) Okay, and correct me if I'm wrong but did Eugene take his ponytail out for this? (Please don't say I'm wrong)

Who let their sass child walk around town and judge people like that? But I do like that they showed us what little Varian looked like and knew we all would be wondering anyway. (Give the people what they want)

Baby Max is one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

This is one of my favorite things about this episode: how they switch back and forth between how we see Rapunzel and Pascal and how everyone else sees them. It's humorous and also reminds the audience that they aren't actually themselves. Kids watch this show, too, and sometimes plots like this are confusing.

Okay, this is something that I've been thinking about since the start of the episode. Without Rapunzel going back in time, I think some things between Lance and Eugene would be very different than they are in the present. (I'll elaborate on this in a minute) Same with some of the towns folk and guards. Pete would of had the mustache rather than Stan had it not been for Raps trying to escape. And I feel like Max's hatred and commitment to finding and catching Flynn Rider is built because of Raps as well. This is why I'm not all that upset with the ending.

Okay, part 2 will be coming out real quick.

[punkscowardschampions]

Ali & Ro

Ali: Soooooo Ali: How'd your date go? Ro: I'm not sure who you meant to send this too, but perhaps try again? Ro: You can't mean me Ali: Coy, that's how you're playing it, I see Ali: Solid choice 😉 Ali: You and Drew musta been agonising over coffee options then Ro: What are you talking about, Ali? Ro: It was just a coffee stop for everyone, rehearsal fuel Ro: You know full well I've never been on a date Ali: I know full well that was just a ploy for some alone time with you Ali: and not yet but it is so clearly on the cards! Ali: I'd start dropping hints now, otherwise who knows where you'll end up Ro: Don't be ridiculous? Drew isn't remotely interested in me like that Ro: Why would he be? He has his pick of girls at school, and beyond the gates, too I'm sure Ali: Because you're you and he should be so lucky Ali: A bombshell with brains to boot Ali: Yeah, he's got a rep but he's being uncharacteristically sweet with you so, taking him at face value Ali: Anyway Ali: What do YOU think of him? More importantly Ro: Oh no no, this isn't a transformation story whereby I take off my glasses or get my braces taken off finally and am suddenly considered good enough for the protagonist Ro: Besides, I'm not even smart, just a hard worker Ro: Most importantly, he's always sweet with Meena so it's hardly uncharacteristic Ro: Other than knowing him as her kind older brother and Caleb's friend I really don't, know him that is Ali: Oh hush ignoring the fact that art is always a poor imitation of life and not the other way 'round Ali: He's love interest #1 at best, potential to be more if he sticks to his lines Ali: You're the loveable protagonist, silly Ali: Hmpf, fine. Would you like to know him better then? Ro: Of course, like I said, he's kind and sweet and Caleb's proven himself to be a good judge of character Ro: I just fail to see why he'd be interested in getting to know me, beyond being civil to me for the aforementioned reasons of mutual connections with important people Ro: He's Drew Goldsmith and I'm me Ro: We're incompatible given even the little we are both aware of concerning each other Ali: Well, I dunno about that, I think he's a fool and my evil plan is working 😏😂 Ali: Because he fancies you Ali: Potentially Ali: This stuff can defy usual logic, for better or worse, opposites CAN attract or repel in the case of humans Ali: But he wants to find out, I know this practically for a fact (of course, I haven't asked, don't worry) so its up to you to decide if you do too Ro: I have no idea what you believe you possess in terms of knowledge about his attractions or intentions but I highly doubt you're right in so far as him fancying me Ro: Sorry to say Ro: He may look like Connla of the Golden Hair but I am by no means a fairy maiden Ro: If only I could be noble born, never grow old or indeed never die Ali: Have you forgotten what happened to the last person to question my omniscience, sister? 🤔🍄💀😉 Ali: And have you also forgotten who and what you are, 'just because they told us too Ali: Cannot believe what I'm hearing here, I refuse to! Ro: of course I haven't Ro: but perhaps I should try and grow up, or at least be more realistic, when it comes to this Ali: Never! We do live in those green and pleasant hills after-all Ali: Won't stroke his ego as hard as to say UNLIMITED pleasures await but Ali: Everyone is positively like a silly child when it comes to love Ro: It isn't love though and therein lies the issue Ro: Simply a silly crush on my part and polite interest on his Ali: It rarely is at first sight Ali: and there's nothing polite about how keen he is Ali: See where it takes you, that's all Ali: he's clearly going to be hanging 'round jam seshs' and the like as long as you're about so whatever it will be, its inevitable Ro: I thought it would be, the whole charade of fireworks when our eyes collide and butterflies in my stomach. Everything clear and definite Ro: I'm afraid of whatever this is Ali: That's just horniness Ali: You just have better restraint than romance novel writers, is all Ali: Its aright to be afraid, its new and unknown Ali: Here be monsters Ro: Well that is comforting, especially if it ensures I won't fall as hard and fast as those heroines do Ro: particularly if I'm destined to do so alone Ro: Okay...but what if the monster is revealed to be me, in his eyes anyway, what if he gets to know me and doesn't like what he discovers Ali: Sure it was the corsets, poor girls could barely breathe, makes swooning all the more likely, those dastardly dandies! Ali: Then he's as bad, and ignorant (and MORE scared of the unknown than you feel right now), as every explorer who wrote natives off as savages Ali: You are far from a monster in every sensible definition Ali: Misunderstanding maketh monsters Ali: So that'd be on him, can't control other's perceptions but he isn't going to think you are, there's just no reason to Ro: I know you're right but Ro: I just suppose I wish I could control something Ali: I know Ali: Well, one thing you can control is your yay or nay to whatever he's offering up Ali: Not suggesting you have to make the first move, or put it all out on the line, 'cos he definitely will Ali: #gentleman Ro: That much is definite Ro: We should call another rehearsal, allow you to guide my vision to where yours currently reside so I'm not blindsided Ro: because I'm just not seeing what he wants with me Ali: Absolutely Ali: I'm really feeling the whole band thing too Ali: Are you enjoying it? Ro: Unexpectedly so, yes Ali: Right? I think everyone is Ali: Its something Ro: I've never played in front of that many people outside of a recital setting, I thought I'd mess up but it wasn't like that at all Ro: And everyone there seemed really into it Ro: Who knew there was so much respective talent surrounding us? Ali: Mess ups are more than welcome but you're flawless Ali: Me me me! 😊 Ali: Toying around with the idea of doing some local performances Ro: Flawless was you and Caleb Ro: I've never heard your voice so complimentary in a duet before, don't tell Marlene Ro: Oh? I think the others would be into that Ali: 💕 Ali: Might get her so raging she'd have to join us to prove you wrong Ali: I know it probably sounds a bit soon but like you said, performances are so different to practice and whatnot Ali: People would vibe Ali: There's all the places I've done solo, they'd be chill, and you know Suggs? Left School this year gone Ali: He's having a big Bday party for his gf and he's asked if I could do something Ro: Terrifying as it'd be to make a possible enemy of her, she's a very good bassist Ro: Very true, and too much practice can make it sound too rehearsed which clearly isn't what you're going for with this Ro: I heard Caleb talking to Drew about potentially performing at the restaurant so he'd be excited for sure Ro: Hm...I'm not certain I know who you mean but a gig's a gig Ro: Would he be alright with you bowing out as a soloist? Ali: She is Ali: She's gonna come around on her own tho, I know her Ali: She's just pouting Ali: Understandably, I'm not being as glib as I sound, just, we weren't right Ali: Exactly! That would be chill, you've gotta come thru with me just to get food, it's delicious and its beautiful Ali: Yeah, of course, one person can only rock out so hard solo Ali: Even if that one person is me Ali: Like, Bowie had a band, ya feel? Ro: I trust you and your intuition Ro: When's the party? Ro: I need to mentally prepare Ali: ✌ Ali: we've got 2 weeks to prep, assuming he doesn't get his arse dumped Ali: awkies, want us to play you out honey? 😂 Ro: Funeral march for his ego Ro: If the stars are good to me I'll make 2 weeks of wishes Ro: Should suffice Ali: Brilliant Ali: I'll check our charts Ali: Pull out some eyelashes if necessary Ali: The stars will fall and align for us Ro: I have faith Ro: Have you told the others yet? Ali: I haven't actually, I'll drop it in the group chat later Ali: Seeing Caleb tonight so I'll discuss the finer points with him then Ro: Good idea Ro: Oh yes, I'd forgotten it's your date night! Ali: As long as he hasn't we'll be fine 😋 Ro: Have you done his chart? If not he has perfect eyelashes to steal Ali: Not yet Ali: Been getting quizzed myself by his Ma Ali: Fair 'nuff but no time to sneak in so hey Ms Cavante, where was Caleb born and at what time exactly? #witchgirlproblems Ro: How very unfair Ro: Tonight could be the night Ro: I've already got the cards out here, questioning myself Ro: The spread's favorable for the party to go well for us as performers Ro: [Sends her a picture of the tarot] Ali: Knew we'd ace it but with the fates on our side we CANNOT fail Ali: are you asking about the Drew sitch? Ro: Perhaps Ali: I got you Ali: Keep it between you and the universe 💖 Ro: OH what are we going to wear for our first performance? Ali: THE BEST BIT Ali: We need to plan! Ali: Maybe shop! Ali: I think the party is a masquerade ball (how sweet for a hapless stoner, right?) Ali: We could run with that Ro: Well now I'm enthused Ro: Pencil me into your diary please Ali: Absolutely Ali: I think we could make better masks than we could ever find Ali: or makeup looks Ali: we will workshop this Ro: Agreed, you could create something amazing overnight Ali: We could go out and forage fresh flowers for it Ali: that would look beautiful Ro: Yes! Oh my god, we have to Ali: Perfection Ali: I'll see what the others want too Ali: Maybe we could go a galaxy glitter/paint moment on the guys but I feel like Meena would fosho want in on this floral faerie moment Ro: If you need me to start pressing any of the flowers let me know Ro: I'll make time Ali: You're an 👼 Ali: We can do it over lunch Ali: in between practicing Ali: Such busy 🐝s Ro: I don't mind I like to stay busy Ro: Do you think Drew will come to the party? Ali: Same tbh Ali: I bet he will Ali: And not to show off his musical prowess, bless him Ro: Do we need a name to perform under if we don't just want to be called 'Ali's band' by the host? Ali: Fantastic point, I don't want to be THAT lead singer Ali: So much to think on, oosh! We'll have to put the feelers out in the group chat Ali: should be something we all vibe Ro: I bet the boys will have some interesting ideas Ro: You should speak to Tommy as well, he's learn so much stage stuff at school Ro: If we're going to do this might as well make it look professional I think Ali: Agreed Ali: As long as he doesn't want to choreograph a whole girl group dance routine for us Ro: Imagine! Ro: I'd have to hide behind the piano Ali: Shy yet sultry keyboard girl prerogative Ali: I'll crowd surf my way outta there Ro: How long of a set are we going to play? Ro: There's so many potential covers not to mention the originals you and Caleb both have written Ali: Oh man Ali: we could do 20 like an opener but we are the main act, as it were, but its not that hardcore Ali: I think we could put together a 60 Ro: I hope we can all agree between us Ali: we will Ali: oh, could you cover for me with Ma tonight? Ali: she's not my bestie rn Ro: Of course Ro: I have a rare night free of any babysitting duties so it'll be simple Ali: Good, you deserve a break from the little demons Ali: I hope a book and a bubble bath are on the cards after you calm down the dragon Ro: They are indeed Ro: Perhaps I can suggest the same for her Ali: Perhaps I'm just giving myself away as twisted but that is a hilarious mental image Ali: Her grumpy face peeking out of a bubble beard Ro: Ali don't that's going to stay with me when I do get in the tub Ro: Oh no Ali: 🙊🙈 Ali: I can only apologize Ro: Cleansing that from my thoughts immediately Ro: Are you coming home at all or just straight out to see Caleb? Ali: If I do, catch me creeping up the stairs Ali: She's not been this pissy since Lachlan Ali: She's so SURE Caleb is like that and its just Ali: hilarious Ali: imagine Ro: Once she gets to know him better she'll change her mind Ro: She has to Ali: She SHOULD but will she? Ali: Stubborn old goat 😂 Ali: He's not going anywhere any time soon so if she wants to pine for Marlene that's on her but Ali: 🤷 Ro: I'll start counting cars to wish on just for her (and you), hold my breath, dig out my baby teeth, everything Ro: She just doesn't want to be a grandmother yet is all, it's no slight on Caleb personally I don't believe Ali: My vagina my choice, Mama Ali: Bless her Ali: It'd be fine if she threw out the same level of concern at...oh, idk Ali: Bea and Fraze Ali: 🙄 Ro: If she could secure us all same sex relationships she would, undoubtedly Ro: Likewise, if there was any feasible way to show Bea concern that she'd allow it'd be done Ali: When your kids don't have the good grace to be gay #gutted Ali: Yeah Ali: I need lessons on how to be a bad bitch, clearly Ro: Please don't take any lessons from Bea Ali: Its okay, I don't think she'd be willing to teach me Ro: Very true Ali: Best kept secrets and all that Ro: Speaking of, I've just received a text and must go Ali: Say no more Ali: run baby run 💚 Ro: Have fun tonight Ro: Bluebeard and I will try not to miss you too much Ali: Aww, I'll be home for snuggles lads Ali: wouldn't wanna get pregnant Ali: Laterz Ro: See you soon xx

[existentialstatesofmind]

Jealousy is an ugly thing

Clare: still thought it was a weird situation but she was embarrassed that she'd asked Dakota those insensitive questions in the first place. "Well at least you knew he was around." She said finally, not knowing what else to say. She just couldn't understand a father not wanting to spend time with his kids. Why had they had so many if he was too busy with his job to be bothered? Maybe Clare was a little spoiled. She was the baby of the family and if there had been anything wrong with their family all along, her parents and big sister had hidden it from her well. Now all of a sudden people at church were gossiping about her 'perfect' family falling apart. Clare had found that out because Jesus Club was praying for them and Clare hadn't even asked them to. She didn't want everyone else at school to find out so why was she telling some boy she wasn't even sure she could trust? Clare sighed. "Thanks. You're right, my dad wouldn't just abandon me. He's been acting really weird but it's fine. They probably won't even get a divorce. It's against our religion. I'm probably worrying over nothing." Of course if she really believed that, Clare's stomach wouldn't be churning over the idea of one of her parents moving out. Of having to go back and forth between two houses until that arrangement stopped working. Then she'd have to pick one of her parents over the other or more likely, they'd decide for her. Clare did know kids with divorced parents, and according to them, shared custody never worked out. "They've been married for twenty years." Clare said making it clear that her parents waited a couple of years before they'd had Darcy and they hadn't been teenagers either. Maybe her parents were secretly hypocrites, she wasn't sure yet, but not about that. At least she didn't think so. "Well maybe your sister will be able to adopt kids but being 24 probably makes the situation a lot harder to swallow." Clare listened to Dakota talk more about Emi. "Wow, is she fluent in English too?" Clare asked curiously. "Impressive." She laughed. It was actually kind of amazing that Dakota and his family were turning their lives upside down to accommodate Emi and make her feel at home. "So do they cook meat differently like chicken? Or do they mainly eat vegetarian dishes in addition to noddles and rice, and of course sushi. I like tea, it would be interesting to try some different flavors. I believe it about the grease." Clare chuckled. "Honey bread sounds good." She was puzzled when a different teacher, the one Dakota called Sensi, came in the room to talk to their teacher about seeing Dakota less than five minutes ago. Dakota had been talking to her for longer than that and Clare had been with him the whole time before they'd gone to class. Her blue eyes widened when a boy who looked a lot like Dakota was dragged into the classroom. Clare's eyes darted back and forth between the two. They were obviously brothers judging by their conversation and she could see how Emi would get confused. They were nearly identical. She smiled when Dakota said the other boy was his twin. When his twin jumped out the window and Dakota went out after him, Clare gasped and shook her head in disbelief. She turned away and looked up at the board. She'd almost forgotten she was supposed to be taking notes. Clare finished writing them down and read back over them because she really hadn't been paying much attention. She looked at Dakota when he came back and listened to him explain to the teachers that he and his brother took stunt classes. She couldn't imagine being part of a big crazy family like Dakota's. "What are you going to do with those skills, get a job as a stunt performer?" Clare asked Dakota when he sat back down. She grinned picturing seeing him in some action movie jumping out of a burning building or something.

Kota: listened to Clare talk about her family and smiled at her. "See there's that positive thinking." he rubbed her back and chuckled a bit. "Keep thinking positive and things will be ok." he assured and looked at her. "Plus if something goes bad, you're more than welcome to come over my house, though it's a bit insane." he admitted. "Kota, how are your siblings?" Monica asked. "Eh, Dom and Ash like confusing mom and unintentionally Emi. She gets frustrated when they do that, but she's been holding her own. She calls them 'things' now. Dom is Thing One and Ash is Thing Two. Even when they tell her 'I'm Thing Two not One.' she tells them she doesn't care and if they wanted her to address them with the appropriate name, they'd stop matching." he stated honestly. "I think it's been pissing her off more though." he shrugged and looked at Clare. "Well, she kind of has to be. Her mom doesn't know Japanese too well and as she grew up her dad would speak to her in Japanese while her mom would speak to her in English so it wasn't really hard for us. She still prays before dinner by saying 'itadakimasu' which is a one word prayer asking for the food to be blessed, much like when people say Grace.' he explained. "She's also teaching us the customs. She had us all get a pair of Zori shoes since she's learning how to walk in them, I fell twice. We're lucky she let us wear them in the house." he chuckled a bit. "They're wooden and look like they're on blocks. She even made us buy yukatas for a firework festival she found out about. She said I have to wear sandals with them and I hate them." he explained. "But I did buy some sneakers and my sister got a few pairs of high heels." he stated honestly and nodded when she mentioned the food. "Yea, they cook meat differently. We had Dimsum which is made with chicken and vegetables. They're rolled very much like dumplings and steamed. They have chicken nuggets like we do, but other than that all their meat is cooked differently. They don't have Turkey though, no pork-chops like we have they only have boneless, bacon is expensive there so she's never eaten it, and the chicken as well as pork is all stir fried with noodles and soy sauce or something. It's rather healthy since there's no grease. They also eat skewers a lot. There's hardly any fat on the meats that they eat." he explained. "Even when you make the pork chops which are called Yakisoba, they're boneless and buy them with the fat cut off. Emi was shocked when she first seen they had fat on them and asked what it was. Um, they have steak too." he explained and thought for a moment. "Just don't ask me about the teas. They have about 100 different flavors it seems and it's all so hard to remember." he said honestly. "They have canned tea, hot tea, coffee, soda, non carbonated sodas which I need Miso Soup." he sighed. After dealing with his twin he looked at Clare. "No we were both bullied in Middle school so we took the stunts class to get away from bullies as well as Martial Arts. I'm a black belt now so I mainly help teach it." he explained. "I don't really know what I want to do when I graduate yet and I don't know if I'll still have Emi. If I do have her when I graduate, I'm going to get a part-time job, move into our own house and just let my aunt know." he said honestly. "It's been a week and we don't have anything from her. No messages, no calls, nothing." he explained. "Luckily Emi came with instructions such as her telling me what she likes when she's sick." he added.