#I can always count on one person in the audience giving me a standing ovation

[akampana]

me making parties outta ships i like

#i love my Chaldea #oh and a bit of a personal rant #I think this goes out to a lot of writers and content creators from fgo esp those with the rareships etc #every now and then I swear I gotta just re-center and remember that in the end I’m doing this for myself #not for anyone else #and that writing about these random things makes me happy #*and drawing #so even if I’m putting on a show for a seemingly empty theater #I can always count on one person in the audience giving me a standing ovation #the most important one #me

[tooktheladdedgbtq]

....and the Oscar goes to.. | Tom Holland X Male!actor reader. 

A/N: this was just something I wrote because I got inspired I guess. Happy Pride everyone!

——————————————

You couldn’t decide whether time was slipping through your fingers too quickly or if this had been the longest night you’d ever experienced.

seconds slowed to a crawl while you tried to gather yourself before it was your turn to take the stage. You were nervous. Not about being at the oscars or presenting for the first time. Not even about being nominated for your leading role in the second installment of a critically acclaimed trilogy. No, you’d been used to these sorts of things, you’d been an actor since you were a very young kid. Starting on television before film, and you even got to hold the Emmy the show had won when you had just turned a teenager.

No, you were nervous about who exactly you’d be presenting to. Of the five nominees and potential winners, only one could cause such an intensive feeling in your chest. Only one could awaken a sense of dread that battled with a feeling of intensive happiness mixed with anticipation, and it was Tom.

You’d known each other for years and had come to fall in love. You’d met as young co-stars on set and eventually grew into an inseparable friendship that progressed into something far more. Neither of you were sure when the feelings started but it felt like they’d always been there and you weren’t exactly complaining.

Your blissfulness with Tom was beautiful but short lived. After almost a year of being official you both agreed to take a break from the relationship. Unbeknownst to Tom you were just agreeing to save face and hadn’t pried for an answer out of fear of being hurt. You just accepted that this was how things were now, and took a step back.

You’d still kept in contact with him. It was hard not to. He was still your best friend. But whether it was the business of work or something a little more awkward, distance grew between you both as the multi-hour long facetime calls and text threads became once-a-week check-ins to just make sure you were alive and okay.

Time had passed, and you didn’t have a clue what you could possibly say to him now. You certainly didn’t want to ruin his special night. But you’d missed him so much and felt like you would implode at the first sign that he’d be interested in getting back together with you. But you also didn’t want to seem desperate or needy if he’d moved on. You didn’t want to slip and say those three words again in the moment.

Father time showed you no mercy as the sand in his hourglass suddenly shifted from a slow-motion drip to a flood. The seconds you’d spent daydreaming of your past with Tom and pondering about the your potential future had passed and left you with little time to gather yourself before presenting. still you shook your hands, arms, and lastly shoulders, putting all your worries aside and waited for introduction from the host.

Before long you’d been counted in to walking on stage, and heard the host over the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, to present the award and introduce the nominees for Best Supporting Actor, please welcome one of this year’s nominees and one of our generation’s greatest talents: Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

The applause erupts from the audience like a revved up engine as you took center but it was nothing compared to the standing ovation you’d receive later on that night when receiving your own award for Best Actor.

You were stood promptly center staged with the towering Oscar statue reflecting onto the black stage floor beneath your feet. Your outfit was alluring and would surely be the next hot topic which is rare for male stars. You looked like a million bucks. Everyone knew it, most of all, Tom.

You smile and wave as you approach the microphone, your teeth shining a blinding white, and wait for a hush from the crowd.

You chuckle lightly as a few hoots and hollers sound out as the cheers subside.

You eye the monitor across the room and start to read, your nerves dying down as your jokes land and laughter echoes around the room.

As you finish the introduction, clips start to show behind you to accompany the names of the nominees as the cameras catch a glimpse of each of their reactions.

You couldn’t help but notice how tough the competition was as each actor was called. Steven Yuen playing a detective in a thrilling murder mystery. John David Washington in a fictional film playing the world’s first black astronaut aiding in the discovery of lovecraftian horrors. Andrew Garfield for his role as a psychotic narcissist and genius businessman. Oscar Issac acting in a sci fi space opera asking questions of existentialism.

Finally, you had to withhold your smile as you called out the last name. He had returned to his Billy Elliot roots being nominated for his role in a astonishing musical romance film. “Tom Holland.” You’d been ecstatic when he’d told you about it as you’d always recommend he tried it again since it made him so happy in his younger years.

You spot him a few rows from the stage, making eye contact with him and wondering if he was thinking about you the way you had done with him earlier. You couldn’t help but notice him squirming in his chair and fidgeting with his hands. Selfishly asking yourself if this wasn’t just about the award but about having you present it to him.

Seeing you here after what felt like an eternity apart and your reunion potentially being the greatest achievement of both your careers. Making it the greatest night of your lives, that is, if you were still together. But you were still best friends. That’s what mattered. So you push your self centered thoughts aside and shoot him a small wave that he returns with a smile and thumbs up. letting you know he was okay and that you could continue as the camera pans back to you capturing your not so hidden giddiness.

This awarded some small oos and aahs from the crowd as your relationship with him had been a wholly celebrated one. especially among your marvel peers.

You’re handed an envelope and statue as the music ends and the applause dies down and you take one final glare into the camera before beginning to open the envelope.

“....and the Oscar goes to,” you take a peek at the crowd and see some of the nominees holding hands with loved ones. others plainly

awaiting your next words with bated breath. The anticipation shone on everyone’s faces. Even those that weren’t nominated. Your not-so-hidden grin giving away the answer mere milliseconds before his name escaped your lips. “Tom Holland!”

Tom shot up with a shared expression of shock and happiness on his face. Pecking his mother on the cheek as she wipes the tears of pride from her eyes. His best mate Harrison gives him a quick embrace and a pat on the back before he moves on to shake hands with the director and smile at everyone cheering him on as he gradually moves toward the stage still completely baffled at the victory.

As he walks towards you in his pink pastel colored suit and brown leather dress shoes you can’t help but swell with an overwhelming feeling of joy having been here to share this career defining moment with him. You thought about how far you’d both come to get here and almost started tearing up remembering all you’d been through together.

He skipped up the miniature steps and blanketed you with both arms. You didn’t want it to end as you hadn’t felt it in a while. You threw your arms around his neck and he tightens his hold around your torso. Before you could even process them, your blunt thoughts spill out as whispers.

“I’m so incredibly proud of you. you deserve this and so much more.” you hear a small chuckle escape him as he responds. “I am trying not to cry y’know mate?” a wolf whistle comes from the crowd as you apologize for being so sappy and before he can tell you off for it you hand him his award and shove him off toward the microphone.

As he takes center stage you stand off to the side to watch him give his acceptance speech. He pauses and takes a second to gather himself before he starts talking straight from his heart with nothing prepared.

“Um, Wow. I really can’t believe this is really happening and I probably still won’t believe it happened tomorrow. Just.. wow.” his words were filled with that charmingly British accent you’d come to love so much.

“First I would like to thank my mother, without whom of course, I would not be here. I would like to thank the academy and everyone who worked on this movie from the producers and camera men, make-up and costumes, to our wonderful writers, composer, back up dancers and vocalists, and of course my friends, my co-star and the director Damien Chazelle.” whom he gestures to sitting in the second row. “I share this with all of you and I can’t thank you enough for awarding me with the opportunity to create something I love so much.”

He thanks the other nominees before turns towards you to end his speech. you felt your heart in your hands when you saw his big brown puppy eyes dart in your direction with an intensive glare of admiration.

“last but most importantly, I want to thank the inspiration for all of the love songs I sung in the film and the reason I decided to take the role. The person standing here on my right.”

Your jaw drops and your eyes widen when his words hit you like a speeding semi. you realize that he’d just called you his muse in so many words. the inspiration behind the love songs in the film no less. Meaning that with every lovestruck note his character sung he was reminded of you. All that time spent worrying if the distance between you two would cause him to forget about you, or if he’d maybe moved on and found somebody else. But no such thing had happened. He was relating his character’s longing in the film to his longing for you this entire time and that made your heart do a backflip.

You blush and cover your still ajar mouth with your fist whilst trying not to pay attention to the crowd who’s attention was fully focused on you.

He takes a deep sigh before continuing. “Y/N you’re not only the reason I took this role, but you’re the reason I was able to play it with such sincerity. You’ve been a unwavering beacon of support throughout my career in general but here you really gave me the inspiration for something special. He faces the audience again as the all follow his words with whispers of how adorable you both were. “from reading lines together in the middle of the night, to keeping me company when i’m on the brink of a meltdown.” It was all true and it only made you miss you relationship more and you found it difficult to hold back your tears.

“Y/N is the kind of best friend everybody needs, the kind of partner everybody deserves, and the person I’m so incredibly lucky to have known for so long. ..and I still can’t believe he never figured out the lyrics were all about him, It was kind of obvious-” the audience laughed you’re so close to swooning as he turns toward you again. “But, with all my heart, I love you, Y/N. Always will.” you feel as if you’re floating.

He shifts to the crowd one last time to say a final thank you before you both walk off stage one arm around one another’s shoulders. You have a short but sweet conversation backstage with him where reassures you that everything he said on stage was true and completely unscripted. He wants to talk more but knows your category is coming soon so he asks for a later opportunity and you agree before returning to your seat in the crowd.

The rest of the night flew by with you winning the award for best actor and receiving the biggest applause of the night. Tom joined in the standing ovation. You thanked everybody involved in making the film, the academy, and squeezed a little joke directed towards Tom that garnered a shared laugh from both him and the audience. You were the last award of the night and after the celebrations it was time to return to your place, where Tom was waiting for you. Wanting to talk about everything that had happened not just tonight but everything leading up to it. He also hoped you’d kept a spot open in your heart for him to return to.

#tom holland x you #tom holland x male reader #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland gay imagine #tom holland x male! reader #tom holland fanfiction

[lillywillow]

Sinners ‘n Saints

Summary: When private detective Steve Rogers is hired to investigate the wife of a client who claims she is having an affair, he discovers some things are not quite adding up.

 Word Count: 2208

 Square Filled: 1940’s AU

 Pairings: Helmut Zemo x Female Reader/ Steve x Female Reader (later)

 Warnings: Infidelity, smoking, drinking, mild language, 40’s slang

Written for @star-spangled-bingo

New York City. The Big Apple. The city where dreams were made. For all her glitz and glamour, Lady New York held some dark secrets. Steve Rogers knew this well from his years of working as a private investigator, covering everything from missing persons to ransom cases.

 One quite afternoon, Steve was pounding away at the keys of his typewriter, taking some time to document some of his toughest cases when a man entered his office. The gentleman’s hair was nicely combed; he was well dressed in a finely tailored suit, expensive Italian shoes and obnoxiously overpowering cologne. He walked over to Steve’s desk and sat in the vacant chair. He lit a cigarette and took a drag before addressing the detective.

 “You are Detective Steve Rogers of ‘Rogers Private Eye Agency’, yes?” He spoke with an accent that Steve couldn’t quite place.

 “I am. How can I help you?” he asked, pouring the man a glass of bourbon from the decanter on his desk. He thanked him and took a sip before introducing himself.

 “My name is Helmut Zemo. I suspect my wife is having an affair...”

 “I see... and what brought on this suspicion?” Steve always hated this part of the job. When spouses came to him with accusations of being unfaithful.

 “It is just a hunch... for now. I would like you to find evidence soon.” Helmut placed an envelope full of cash on Steve’s desk. “Here is half of what I am willing to pay. You will receive the other half when you complete the job.”

 Steve took the envelope and was shocked to see how much was in there. Helmut finished the drink, cringing as the amber liquid burned his throat and stood up.

 “You may start this Friday. My wife will be singing at my club The Baron.” With that, he left.

 The name suddenly clicked in Steve’s head. Helmut Zemo was a wealthy socialite who owned many nightclubs and made it into the gossip rags. There was something that didn’t sit right with Steve about the man; however, he would take jobs where he could.

That Friday, Steve went to The Baron for his night of surveillance. He took a table somewhere in the middle; close enough to see the action for himself but far enough back not to be noticeable. Steve looked around the joint, taking notice of his surroundings.

 The place was classy. The furniture was polished with the highest sheen and drinks were served in the finest crystal. The large stage in front was obscured by a velvet red curtain which would no doubt be drawn when the entertainment would begin. As he scanned, he noticed a lot of high powered men who were rumoured to be part of a crime syndicate. Steve’s attention was broken when the announcer spoke.

 “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage our very own nightingale Ms Y/N!”

 As the curtain went up, the band began to play. Lying on top of the piano was the most stunning women Steve had ever seen. Her hair was done up in curls, pinned back with a diamond hairclip. Her lips were painted sinfully red and the second she opened her mouth, her honeyed, velvet voice poured out. Her black dress sparkled under the spotlight. As she sat up and crossed her legs, the split in her dress moved up, showing off her supple thigh. Men called and whistled at the sight.

 Y/N gracefully jumped off the piano, her dress smoothing down her sides, the bottom pooling at her feet. He could now see the way how nicely it framed her curves; curves that would put Mae West to shame. Y/N made her way into the audience, her hips swaying seductively as she walked. She would place her gloved hand on the shoulder of one of the patrons, fingers running over the length of it before moving onto the next person. As she moved a little closer, Steve could see more of her diamond and pearl jewellery and smell her expensive perfume. A dame like this would certainly have no trouble attracting any man she wanted. When the song ended, she made her way back to the stage and finished up. The crowd burst into raucous applause and gave a standing ovation.

 After the show, Y/N made her way over to the bar. Steve followed, placing himself far enough away not to be noticed. She ordered a drink and while waiting, a gentleman approached her.

 “Hey, doll. Can I buy you a drink?” he smirked.

 “No, sir,” she cooed, giving him a playful tap on the nose before taking her ready drink and heading backstage. The man was about to try further to coax her when his friend grabbed him.

 “Are you crazy?! That’s Zemo’s missus. You want to be found on the bottom of the Hudson with cement shoes?!” The man’s eyes widened and headed off.

 Steve pretended he didn’t hear the conversation and ordered a whisky neat.

 “What’s the deal with the singer?” he casually asked the bartender.

 “Oh, I wouldn’t waste your time with her. She’s only got eyes for her husband. A husband I might add with a mean jealous streak in him,” he said, pouring the drink and giving it to Steve.

 This information made him think. If this information was true, why would Zemo contact him to find evidence of infidelity? Was Y/N the type of woman who liked to play dangerous games? From what he saw on stage, he wouldn’t put it past her. However if this were the case, why would she turn down the gentleman’s offer? Perhaps some things would be clearer in the light of day.

...

 Throughout the week, Steve followed Y/N wherever she went at a distance. She filled her days with perfectly mundane tasks such as shopping, cleaning the house or the occasional trip to the salon. Every interaction she had with men was normal and innocent enough, all conversations at appropriate length. There were no signs of the captivating temptress Steve had observed at the club that night.

 Her evenings were just as ordinary. The most exciting thing to happen was when she hosted a card game with her lady friends. Y/N spent most of her nights alone and when her husband did finally come home, she was greeted by a cold kiss on the cheek. Steve found this rather odd.

 One night, Y/N was sitting at the table with dinner freshly made, patiently waiting for Helmut to come home. The phone rang and she happily ran to answer it. Her expression went from smiling to looking sad as she spoke to the person on the other end. When she hung up the phone, she returned to the table and held her face in her hands crying. Steve assumed that was her husband telling her he would not be home for dinner.

...

  The following Friday, Steve went to the club once more and watched Y/N’s performance with fresh eyes. Yes, she was just as enticing but she was also professional. Steve suspected that this was the act of a strong woman who was trying to keep her marriage from falling apart while doing her job as the sultry nightclub singer. After the show, he noticed someone heading backstage with a large bouquet of flowers, presumably for Y/N. He quickly intercepted them and went to deliver them himself. Steve knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter before going in. Y/N was dressed in a silky robe and taking her hair out of its style. There was a red haired woman helping her that Steve saw around the club.

 “Delivery for ma’am,” he said, holding out the flowers to her.

 “Oh, thank you,” she smiled, taking them from him. “They’re beautiful.”

 “Probably more guilt flowers,” Nat said bitterly.

 “Nat, please...”

 “Oh, wake up and smell the coffee, Y/N! Helmut is cheating on you!”

 “Enough! He gives me flowers because he loves me! I’m one of the luckiest gals in the whole city! My husband showers me with jewellery and imported perfumes and-and expensive clothing because he loves me! Helmut loves me Natasha...” her voice became reverent and Steve wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince her friend or herself. How could he be so wrong about her? This was not a woman having an affair. This was a woman who was trying so desperately to believe that her husband was still faithful to her.

 “Are you still here? Get out!” Nat barked at Steve, going to hug Y/N. He took this as his cue to leave. Maybe he should take a closer look at his employer.

...

 Sure enough, as soon as Steve began to follow Helmut around, the evidence was as plain as the nose on your face. He saw the man with multiple women who were not his wife. He took pictures of them kissing and/or locked in a passionate embrace. Steve felt bad for Y/N and decided to go to her with the photographs.

...

 Steve arrived on the Zemo’s doorstep, taking care to come over at a time he knew Helmut would not be home. Y/N was understandably surprised to see him but invited him in nonetheless.

 “Mrs Zemo, my name is Steve Rogers and I’m a private detective. I... I’m afraid I have some bad news about your husband,” he said, handing her the envelope with the pictures. As Y/N looked through them so many emotions flashed across her face.

 “Did Nat put you up to this?”

 “No... Your husband did.”

 “Wh-what?”

 “He hired me to investigate the infidelity on your end but...”

 “That bastard! First he disrespects the confines of our marriage bed and then he hurts me further by treating me like a common whore?!” Y/N threw a nearby vase against a wall in anger. Tears started flowing down her face

 “Why would he do such a thing?”

 “The fidelity clause... I come from a rich family and owning so many businesses, Helmut was rich too. Our lawyers though it was a good idea to protect our respective assets. If one of us was proven to be unfaithful, they would be able to take the other for everything.” Y/N dropped to her knees.

 “I knew for a long for a long time I just... I thought if I told myself it wasn’t true, wished it hard enough that it wouldn’t come to light...” Steve carefully hugged her. She allowed him to, leaning into his warm touch. “He never used to be like this. I know he loved me once but I don’t know what happened.” Steve gave it some thought.

 “I... I know someone in the paper. If you will allow me, I could give the story to him. He’d approach it tastefully...” Y/N was quiet for a few moments.

 “Do it. I want him to feel as humiliated as I do. I want his name dragged through the mud as he has done with our wedding vows...” Y/N softly removed herself from Steve’s embrace and stood up, wiping her eyes and sniffling.

 “I apologise for making a scene...”

 “It’s alright. I’m sorry for dropping this information on you. My job is to fund the truth not fabricate stories.” Y/N offered him a small smile.

 “Thank you. Steve was it?”

 “Yes, ma’am.”

 “You’ve got a kind heart. I appreciate what you’ve done for me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few arrangements to take care of.” Steve nodded and headed off, hoping that he would see her again one day.

...

 It was the biggest scandals of the year. In the months that followed, it was discovered that not only Helmut was cheating on Y/N but he was also involved in illegal activities; often involving crime syndicates. That was how he earned his fortune. As far as Steve knew, Y/N got everything in the divorce.

 One afternoon, Steve had a surprise visitor.

 “Detective Rogers?” Steve looked up to see Y/N knocking on his door, already having entered the room.

 “Y/N? What are you doing here?” As she crossed the room, he could see how much more confident she looked, like the woman she portrayed herself to be on stage.

 “Helmut owed you a debt and I intend to pay it,” she said, placing the envelope full of money on his desk.

 “I... I can’t accept this...”

 “Please. He hired you to find proof of unfaithfulness and as far as I’m concerned, you found it. You have done your job, sir.” Steve looked at the pay-packet on his desk.

 “I know this is a little forward but... may I take you out to dinner?”

 “I would like that very much. Pick me up at seven,” Y/N warmly smiled.

 Steve couldn’t wait until then. After all that she had been through, a lady like Y/N deserved to be out with a true gentleman.

#ssb2021 #40's AU #Steve Rogers #Female reader #steve x reader #baron zemo #Zemo x reader #Marvel #Marvel fic #Cheating #Singer #Nightclub #Natasha Romanoff #Sinners 'n Saints #Detective!Steve Rogers

[wisteriashouse]

a little jealousy.

pairing: kamado tanjirou x sumiyuri hayami (oc)

genre: fluff; kimetsu academy!au

word count: 7429

remarks: another commission by @hinokami-s​!! honestly this one was a bit of a struggle trying to not make it too kdrama like but also with trying my hand with a new character who i don’t really know, so thank you for challenging me with this! i hope you enjoy it <3

The stage lights dim all at once, adding a dramatic flair as the curtains fall - slowly concealing the scene of a young woman bleeding out on the floor and the man cradling her in his arms. The theatre is hushed except for the sound of gears and wheels turning to move the heavy curtains, the audience still reeling in shock over the twist in the plot and the bittersweet ending.

Well, except one person, perhaps.

“Ooh, is the next performance Hayami’s?” Nezuko whispers from next to him, nearly bouncing up and down in her seat with excitement. She hasn’t been able to concentrate much on the entire series of performances showcased by the other clubs at their school, too distracted by the prospect of the finale. Tanjirou only gives a fond smile and nods. Although he’s a lot more calm than Nezuko is, he can’t help but anticipate the next performance as well.

After all, Hayami is going to be the one performing.

“I’m so excited,” Nezuko gushes. “Hayami showed me a bit of what they were working on a while back, and it was already so cool!”

“Well, she is the president of the dance club,” Tanjirou reminds his sister. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

Even in the dim light of the auditorium, he can see Nezuko’s teasing little smirk. “Of course you would think so, brother, with your massive crush on Hayami-”

Tanjirou puts his hand over Nezuko’s mouth before his younger sister can blurt it out to the whole world. “Shush, Nezuko,” he tries to say, but Nezuko only laughs playfully, looking far too amused for a younger sister who’s bullying her dear older brother. “What if someone hears?”

“All the better! You’d have more reason to confess to Hayami then!”

“Nezuko, I swear-”

All the stage lights suddenly blink to life in unison, nearly blinding Tanjirou and making Nezuko squeal in excitement. “It’s starting! It’s starting! Wait, I need to get out my phone and take some videos for Instagram…”

Tanjirou, on the other hand, simply relaxes back into the plush seat of the performance hall, intent on watching the performance properly. It’s rare that he has free time like today, oftentimes being too busy with school, his part time job or his responsibilities at the family bakery to really enjoy himself like a regular high school student would. But Hayami had insisted, even going as far to offer both him and Nezuko free tickets in one of the front row seats, just so the two of them could have some fun and relax.

Well, when she had looked at him so excitedly, explaining all the different shows the performance clubs would be putting on, how could he possibly refuse her good intentions?

Lights flood the stage, the curtains falling to the sides to reveal a group of performers standing on the stage in various confidant poses, their silhouettes outlined against the glowing backdrop. All around them, the speakers start to blare a song - one that Tanjirou is quite sure he’s heard before, but isn’t entirely sure what it is - and it sends the entire audience into loud cheers.

“Oooh, Really Bad Boy by Red Velvet! I approve of this song choice!” Nezuko cheers, waving her phone in the air as the group breaks into a dance. Squinting against the bright lights, Tanjirou tries his best to concentrate on the performance, but he always finds his eyes roaming the performers, as if searching for someone…

“Sing along with us!”

Tanjirou looks up at the stage in surprise at the familiar voice, and his eyes widen when he sees Hayami standing at the very edge closest to him. There’s striking makeup done artfully on her face and she almost glows under the lights of the stage, a fierce yet ethereal aura radiating from her. The sight is almost enough to take Tanjirou’s breath away.

Just at that moment, Hayami glances down at the front row when Tanjirou looks up, and their gazes meet for the briefest of seconds. Hayami’s eyes gleam like fine cut amethysts, sparkling in the light, her platinum hair swinging out behind her in a high ponytail. And when their gazes meet in the middle, Hayami grins at him - a bright, unrestrained sight that has Tanjirou’s heart skipping in his chest.

“Brother, your blush is showing, you know!” Nezuko calls over the heavy bass coming over the speakers, and Tanjirou instantly clasps both hands over his cheeks, feeling slight heat along his palms. At his mortification, Nezuko only laughs harder, tears nearly escaping her eyes and raising her phone to his face. “You’re so cute, brother! Let me take a photo, I’m sure Hayami would love to see it.”

“No.” Tanjirou tries to make a grab for the phone but misses, and he hears the telltale click of Nezuko’s camera phone. With a long, drawn out sigh, he simply gives up and slumps back into his seat, resigned to watching the rest of the performance. There’s no stopping Nezuko when she’s in a playful mood like this, he thinks to himself with fond ruefulness. Well, he doesn’t really mind it, though…

The performance ends with a bang, and Tanjirou joins the audience in giving a standing ovation as the rest of the performers stream onto the stage for their final bow. And as confetti rains down from the ceiling, gold streamers and coloured paper dancing through the air, Tanjirou thinks that Hayami looks absolutely radiant.

As soon as the performance night is over and the performers have all retreated backstage, the audience begins streaming out of the halls, chattering excitedly about all the different shows that were put on that night. Tanjirou, on the other hand, remains firmly rooted to his seat, his bag held tightly to his chest as if he’s carrying glass with him.

“Hayami’s performance was so cool! God, if I knew how to dance I’d join her club right away - wait, I’m not even in high school yet. That’s fine, that’s fine. It just means that I have more time to learn how to dance,” Nezuko glances back to see her older brother not listening to her in the least, instead dedicating his attention to checking the contents of his bag carefully. Curious, she leans over to catch a glance. “What’s that?”

Tanjirou jumps at Nezuko’s question, before he relaxes slightly, chewing at his bottom lip with nerves. “Oh, nothing much. It’s just… um, some flowers.” Nezuko’s eyes widen in interest. Who knew her brother had a romantic bone in his body? “Zenitsu mentioned yesterday that it’s customary for other students to bring flowers for their friends who perform as congratulatory gifts, so I stopped by Kanae-san’s flower shop after school today to get some for her...”

Nezuko immediately reaches for his bag, and Tanjirou holds it high out of her reach, suddenly feeling embarrassed for no reason at all. “What flowers did you get her?” Nezuko chirps, waving her hands high in the air as she attempts to get a look. “Please don’t tell me you got her a head of cabbage or, god forbid, a broccoli flower. Knowing you, brother…”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Finally giving up on trying to get her hands on Tanjirou’s mystery bouquet, Nezuko only pouts and relents. “Well, since you’ve got flowers to give to Hayami, let’s head backstage! I know a few friends in the drama club who performed today, so they’ll let us in.” Tanjirou frowns a little at how excited his younger sister seems to be in his place.

“It’s almost as if you’re the one giving the flowers to Hayami,” he says. Nezuko beams at him.

“Of course I have to be involved on your behalf, brother!” She explains, her smile all too wide to be innocent, before she leans in to nudge his side and give him a subtle wink. “Just remember to mention me as your wingwoman during your speech on your wedding day, got it?”

Tanjirou groans.

>>>

Backstage is more chaotic than Tanjirou would have thought.

Even though the performance is already over, participants still rush to and fro different rooms, their arms laden with crumpled costumes or props, faces still done with dramatic stage makeup that looks rather strange in the lighting of the corridors. Nezuko leads Tanjirou down to where the dance club’s room is supposed to be, coaching him on how to present a girl properly with flowers with words of advice such as, “don’t do anything Zenitsu-san would do” and “brother, why didn’t you dress up a little for today’s performance”. After reassuring her for the third time that, no, he hadn’t let Inosuke chomp on his bouquet (although the boy had tried to earlier), Nezuko comes to a stop outside an unassuming room at the very end of the corridor.

The paper stuck on the door reads ‘dance club’, the blank spaces decorated with smiley faces and hearts in various doodling styles. He recognises the wink done in purple ink as one done by Hayami’s hand, and a slight smile touches his lips at the sight of it. He’s seen it many times before - left scrawled in the corner of his exercise books when he visits the maid cafe and on post-its during exam periods - so he recognises her handwriting almost instantly.

“Your hair is awful,” Nezuko complains, reaching out to flatten the top of his hair. His hair looks the same as it always has, but it apparently doesn’t quite pass Nezuko’s standards, so he’s forced to stand stock still with his sister trying to fix his hairdo as people walk by. “You could have thought to dress up a little for today, you know?”

Tanjirou frowns, confused. “For what occasion?”

“You, brother,” Nezuko says delicately as she arranges his bangs, “are so dumb sometimes.”

“What do you mean-”

“Unfortunately, that’s the best I can do right now, and we really need to get going before the dance club needs to leave.” Both hands on his shoulders, Nezuko steers him to the door of the dance club before shoving something into his hand. When he looks down, he’s surprised to see himself holding a bouquet of light purple lilies - when had Nezuko taken them from his bag? “Come on, brother! It’s time to shoot your shot! Make Hayami yours! Put a ring on her-”

“I am not proposing, wait, I’m not even confessing to her!” Tanjirou cries, suddenly panicked. Confessing? He doesn’t even know how she feels about him that way! “I’m just giving her some flowers, like Zenitsu told me to do-”

Behind the two of them, the door suddenly swings open.

“Hey, what’s with all the racket right outside our door? If you have something to say, just-” Tanjirou’s wide eyes meet Hayami’s, and for a moment, the two of them simply stare at each other in surprise. Hayami still hasn’t removed her stage makeup, her lips painted crimson red and bold eyeliner only accentuating her clear lilac eyes.

She looks stunning.

“Oh, Tanjirou, Nezuko, I was just about to go find the two of you myself!” Hayami is talking, but Tanjirou doesn’t really hear her words, a deer caught in the headlights and the lilies growing all too weighty in his hands. “I hope you guys liked the performance! We had to rush to change the formations today since one of the members got sick, so I hope it wasn’t too noticeable.”

“I didn’t even notice, that was amazing!” Nezuko smiles, reaching out to squeeze Hayami’s hands reassuringly. “I really loved the performance, and all the song choices! Keep a spot for me in the team when I finally get to high school, yeah? Or better yet, how about you teach me dance? You were so cool today, I really want to be able to dance like that in the future!”

“Oh, it’s nothing much,” Hayami says bashfully, twirling a lock of platinum hair around her finger. Tanjirou catches a hint of a rosy blush on her cheeks. So cute... “I’m sure you’ll be able to do it if you just try!”

Next to him, Nezuko nudges him in the side and gives the flowers in his hands a meaningful look.

“Oh, right,” Tanjirou fumbles over his words, mind seemingly blank. Flowers. “Uhm, Zenitsu said that I should bring flowers as a congratulatory gift when there are friends performing, so…” He holds out the bouquet, and Hayami’s eyes widen in surprise, seemingly noticing it for the first time. Tanjirou can feel his own cheeks burning. “You looked amazing on the stage today, Hayami.”

Hayami looks down at the small bouquet of lilies in his hands for a moment, before she breaks out into an incandescent smile, almost too bright for Tanjirou to look at. “Thank you,” she says, reaching out to take the bouquet. “I’ll take care of them-”

“Darling!”

Right before Hayami can take the bouquet, a taller figure sweeps past Tanjirou with long, confident strides - making a beeline straight towards Hayami - and plops a massive bouquet of red roses into her outstretched hands. “For you!”

He’s tall, taller than Hayami, with dark hair and matching eyes that shine with mirth. His ears are pierced with little black hoops. Tanjirou thinks he’s seen him around a few times before, constantly surrounded by different people while he remains the nucleus of the conversation. Who is he? From his athletic build and height to the easy way he carries himself, light on the balls of his feet… a sports player, perhaps?

“Hey!” Nezuko protests, possibly indignant at watching her brother’s future romantic relations being ruined on the spot, but Tanjirou doesn’t notice, eyes fixed on the newcomer with a furrowed brow. While Tanjirou normally tries to be patient and polite with everyone he meets (save for his first meeting with Inosuke, but to be fair, the boy had thought that Nezuko had stolen something from him), but he can’t help the strange awkwardness he feels around the taller boy. A little rude, but he seems to know Hayami, so…

“Ginjiro, you shouldn’t have,” Hayami lets out a sigh as she looks over at the bouquet. Her fingertips trace the velvet petals. “How much did this cost? A kidney on the black market?”

“Not quite, but close enough!” The boy, Ginjiro, grins wolfishly at her. There’s a sort of… easygoing, unruly charm to him that Tanjirou can’t quite put his finger on, but he can see why the boy is so popular. “Ninety-nine whole Ecuadorian roses! I’m sure you know what that number means, my dear Hayami.”

Hayami rolls her eyes, shaking her head, but she doesn’t look very put off by his blatant flirting, much to Tanjirou’s surprise and slight unease.

“Ninety nine roses… doesn’t that mean eternal love? Usually given to romantic partners…” Nezuko mutters from behind him, and Tanjirou feels his heart drop in his chest. His sister turns to Hayami, eyes wide with shock. “Hayami, don’t tell me this… guy is your boyfriend?”

“No,” Hayami says flatly, just as Ginjiro sings, “Not yet!” and proceeds to laugh merrily as if he hasn’t just declared his intentions to date Hayami in front of them all. To Tanjirou’s shock, Hayami simply sighs and places a hand on her forehead before turning back to him.

“Ignore him, he’s an idiot.” Hayami tells Tanjirou, attempting a smile to lighten the mood. Try as he might, however, Tanjirou just can’t seem to bring himself to give a genuine one in return. “Let me take those flowers from you. I’m really grateful that you made the time to come today, I know how busy you are at the bakery.”

Even as she does take the flowers from him, Tanjirou can’t help but feel that his lilies are dwarfed in comparison by Ginjiro’s scarlet bouquet, crimson red overpowering the delicate lilac. Tanjirou isn’t one to feel ashamed of his family’s financial situation, but in times like this… he can’t help but feel uncomfortable with the wealth displayed in front of him. And for Hayami to not even bat an eyelash, but seem so completely unimpressed...

The gap between him and Hayami seems to grow just a little wider.

“Anyways, I booked a table at the rooftop restaurant you like, just for the two of us,” Ginjiro continues, without giving Tanjirou a single second to speak. “Let’s go hang out, you’ve been so busy the past few weeks… it’s as if I haven’t seen your face at all for months! I am feeling extremely neglected.”

“It’s because I’ve been busy with planning the dance performance,” Hayami retorts with a shake of the head. “Besides, didn’t you just crash the Student Council meeting yesterday just to steal some snacks off me? Don’t lie about neglect, you little ass.”

“What?” Ginjiro puts a hand over his chest, batting his eyelashes so furiously Tanjirou wonders if they’ll fall off. “You know it’s because I missed you, Hayami dear.”

Tanjirou does not know how to act - not when another man is so clearly vying for Hayami’s attention. If he were making Hayami uncomfortable in any way, Tanjirou would have been more than happy to see him off, but Hayami seems to know him, and actually seems… rather close to him.

It makes Tanjirou slightly uncomfortable.

“Oh right, Tanjirou, Nezuko, you haven’t met Ginjiro before, have you?” Hayami says. Stiffly, Tanjirou nods in agreement, but Nezuko pipes up.

“You’re Sato Ginjiro, aren’t you? Captain of the basketball club? I heard Zenitsu complaining about him before, saying that he’s too popular with the girls.” She mutters, folding her arms over her chest and Ginjiro grins widely as Hayami only rolls her eyes. “He’s got quite a… reputation.”

As if trying to ease the awkwardness in the air, Hayami only gives a placating smile, stepping between the two of them. “Right, that’s Ginjiro for you. He’s one of my friends from back since middle school, but he can be overbearing sometimes.” Ginjiro gives a dramatic gasp, acting offended, which Hayami pays no attention to. She then gestures at the siblings, eyes softening slightly as they fall on Tanjirou. “Ginjiro, these are Tanjirou and Nezuko, both dear friends of mine. Nezuko is Tanjirou’s younger brother, still in high school, so you might not have seen her around before. I hope that you all get along.”

That might be a little difficult, Tanjirou’s lips press together uneasily. Nezuko, who’s far more vocal about her opinions, pouts openly. “I don’t want to-”

“Wow, didn’t know that even the middle school kids knew about me,” Ginjiro laughs, and out of the corner of his eye, Tanjirou catches Nezuko making a face. “Only good things, I hope?”

“Hmph, just so that you know, Hayami-” Nezuko begins, but before she can say any more, Tanjirou tugs at her arm lightly, stopping her words in her tracks.

“We should be leaving first, we need to catch the last bus home before it’s too late.” Tanjirou interjects quickly, giving Hayami and Ginjiro an apologetic smile that seems just a hint forced. Nezuko looks like she wants to argue, but a stern look from her older brother has her falling quiet. “I hope you enjoy your dinner later.”

Ginjiro doesn’t seem to notice the tightness of Tanjirou’s mouth nor the reason behind Nezuko’s sulking, only grinning in response. “Oh yeah, we definitely will! The restaurant is a Michelin star that Hayami’s been wanting to try for ages, so I had to tip the receptionist extra to get a reservation. Still,” he winks at Hayami, who only sighs in response, “anything for my dearest Hayami, don’t you think?”

“You’re always like this,” Hayami complains, and Ginjiro laughs, oblivious to the siblings’ discomfort. It feels as though they’re intruding, and Tanjirou would hate to do that if Hayami really did have feelings for her, well, long time friend. Turning to Tanjirou and Nezuko, Hayami frowns a little. “Sorry, I intended on spending some time with the two of you after the performance, but the restaurant’s booking is really, really expensive…”

“It’s no problem.” The words taste wooden in Tanjirou’s mouth but he forces them out, along with the reassuring smile on his face. “I’ll see you next Monday at school, then.”

Ginjiro steps forward, his ever present grin on his face as he extends a hand to Tanjirou. “It was nice meeting you.” As Tanjirou grasps his hand to shake, he swears that Ginjiro squeezes just a little harder than what would be polite. His smile seems more reminiscent of a smirk now. Tanjirou has to bite back a slight wince. “Hope to see you around, buddy.”

He doesn’t sound like he means what he says.

“Let’s go, Nezuko.” With a last wave at Hayami, Tanjirou turns on his heel and walks away from the two of them, Nezuko hurrying to catch up with her brother’s longer strides. Behind them, Hayami bites her bottom lip, wondering what on earth has just happened in front of her earlier. For her own sanity, it would probably be a good idea to keep Ginjiro and Tanjirou very far apart...

“So, shall we get going, darling Hayami?” Ginjiro turns around to look at Hayami, who quickly banishes the pensive expression on her face. Yes, Ginjiro might be an ass and his flirting might be overbearing at times (all the time), but he’s still one of her good friends, and he’s done so much for her too. With a sigh, she can only shake her head. “Don’t bully Tanjirou, okay?”

Ginjiro shrugs airily. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Reaching out, he tugs at her wrist. “Come on, let’s go! They have these artisanal doughnuts that I am absolutely dying for you to try… And of course, it’s my treat!”

Hayami allows Ginjiro to pull her by the hand to his car, but for the rest of the night she can’t help but think of the slightly bitter expression on Tanjirou’s face as he walked away earlier, and how she’s never seen him make such a face before. Slight worry builds up in her as she wonders if she’s done something to upset the ever placid Tanjirou, and Hayami makes up her mind to ask him about it come Monday.

But for now, even the doughnuts don’t taste as sweet.

>>>

Hayami does not get to ask Tanjirou anything come Monday, mainly because Ginjiro does not seem to have any intention of leaving her side and giving her and Tanjirou some alone time. The second her classes are over, Ginjiro appears at the door to walk her to the next, chattering to her excitedly about his new modelling gig and whatnot, and Hayami is far too polite to interrupt when he’s talking about something he’s clearly so passionate about.

It doesn’t help that Ginjiro is suddenly being a lot more…. flirty than usual, with an abundance of sweet and suggestive words paired with a lot of indecent hands that she’s had to slap away. She’s used to this sort of behaviour from Ginjiro, having known him for so long, but today seems more… excessive. Hayami doesn’t know what exactly is up with the boy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can sometimes see a head of chestnut hair lingering behind pillars or around the bends at corridors, but the second she tries to approach it, Ginjiro either steers her attention away, or the person she’s increasingly desperate to talk to vanishes of his own volition. Tanjirou can’t possibly be avoiding her, can he? Worry gnaws at her insides, even as she sits down to have lunch with Ginjiro in the canteen.

What if he really doesn’t like Ginjiro?

Looking down at her food, Hayami chews on her bottom lip. Today morning has killed her appetite completely, to the point she almost doesn’t feel like eating anything. Still, she already skipped breakfast because she overslept, and it wouldn’t be healthy to miss two meals in a row…

Taking her hesitation for dislike, Ginjiro nudges her in the shoulder. “What’s the matter? Don’t like your bento today?” Hurriedly, Hayami shakes her head, moving to pick up her chopsticks.

“Oh, no, no, I was just spacing out,” she says, but Ginjiro only raises an eyebrow, the perceptive little bastard.

“Well, I have some strawberry mochi here for you, if you want something for your sweet tooth,” Ginjiro smiles, picking up the sweet and holding it up to her lips. Hayami stares at him with an exasperated face, but Ginjiro doesn’t let up. “Come on, Hayami dear. Say ahh-”

“Here, have some takoyaki, Hayami,” someone interrupts all of a sudden, and Hayami looks down to see a round octopus ball being put on her bento. Glancing up in surprise, Hayami is shocked to see the very person that she’s been trying to find all day - Tanjirou. If Tanjirou notices how shocked she is, he doesn’t mention it, only sliding into the seat next to her with his usual placid smile on his face. “I made that this morning myself. Try some and tell me what you think.”

“W-Where’s Inosuke and Zenitsu?” Why is she stuttering? “Don’t you usually have lunch with them?”

“Zenitsu had to go for remedials with Rengoku-sensei, and Inosuke wanted to try catching some of the fish in the school pond,” Tanjirou tells her calmly as he sets down his bento next to hers. Vaguely, Hayami wonders if she should inform Aoi about this so that the discipline council can stop the boar headed boy before the fish meet their ill fates, but then decides it’s better to pretend she never knew about it in the first place. Ignorance is bliss, after all. “Since I was left alone, I thought that I should join you for lunch, Hayami.” Tanjirou smiles politely at Ginjiro, who’s wearing an unusually stoic expression. “I didn’t expect you to be here, Ginjiro-san. I hope you don’t mind me intruding.”

“Not at all,” Ginjiro replies before Hayami can. Although he’s still wearing an easygoing smile, it’s one that he wears around prospective business clients he doesn’t like or when he meets with Hayami’s parents - not a genuine one in the least. “Please, feel free to sit with us. It wouldn’t be right of me to be possessive over a girl I’m not dating yet, would it?”

At Ginjiro’s goading tone, both boys’ eyes lock and Hayami feels electricity rise in the air, static prickling along her skin. Awkwardly, she picks up the takoyaki and puts it in her mouth. It does taste good, but she can’t really enjoy the savoury flavour when this is happening right in front of her.

“Right, just as it wouldn’t be to be possessive over friends, like you and Hayami. Don’t you agree?” Tanjirou says calmly, reaching for his sandwich. Ginjiro’s eye twitches at Tanjirou’s provocative words, but he keeps his cool. Hayami doesn’t understand what is going on.

“That’s true, although Hayami and I are more than just friends,” Ginjiro answers. Hayami frowns, opening her mouth to clarify Ginjiro’s words, but Tanjirou cuts across before she can answer.

“Oh? The two of you must be so close that she sees you as a brother, then. That’s really admirable.”

“You too. Hayami always tells me about how you take care of her like how you take care of your younger sister.”

At a total loss to what’s happening, Hayami slumps back in her seat, feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming on. Watching the two of them take verbal snipes at each other is somehow even less pleasant than watching her parents squabble, so she only gives up and shakes her head, letting them duke it out on their own terms.

Men, she thinks with a sigh. Hopefully, this will wear off by the end of the week.

>>>

Much to Hayami’s exhaustion, it doesn’t end there.

As if that little meeting had only spurred on their competitive urge, Ginjiro and Tanjirou both have started acting very differently from what they’re usually like. On one hand, Ginjiro has turned unbearably flirty, constantly dropping suggestive one liners and his hands somehow always finding their way to her in Tanjirou’s presence. On the other hand, Tanjirou has become excessively helpful whenever Ginjiro is around, offering to help her carry books or papers between classes. While his altruistic personality is something that Hayami has always admired, this goes far beyond what she’s used to.

Ginjiro and Tanjirou only act like this in each other’s presences, though, so Hayami works out that there must be some sort of tension between them - whether they’ve fought before or they just don’t like each others’ faces, Hayami doesn’t know. All she knows is that she doesn’t like being caught in the middle of this.

Which is why she will try her best to avoid having both of them meet, instead choosing to only hang out with one of them at the time. Today, Tanjirou has offered to help her clean the student council room (after Aoi had accidentally let this slip in the corridors), hence here they are, Hayami finally getting to enjoy Tanjirou’s presence for the first time in the entire week.

It’s already the end of the week, and Hayami realises that this is the first time she’s managed to get Tanjirou alone… without Ginjiro butting in some way or another.

When he’s not trying to one up Ginjiro at whatever little game they’re playing, Tanjirou’s presence is as soothing as a gentle summer breeze on a hot day. Instead of being overbearingly nice, with those strange half smiles and hard eyes directed at Ginjiro, his mouth is tilted in a slight, content smile as he wipes at the desk with a cloth, pausing occasionally to sweep his chestnut hair back from his forehead.

“Hayami, you missed a spot here,” Tanjirou points at the corner of the window, and Hayami startles out of her thoughts, suddenly very aware that she was staring. Quickly, she hurries to bring her cloth to the area, but finds it too high for her to reach. Her height has failed her.

Moving to stand on her tiptoes, she tries again, the cloth just inches from the spot of dust on the window. Slightly embarrassed now, Hayami turns to Tanjirou and gives him the most pitiful expression she can muster. The boy’s laugh is gentle, and the sound makes Hayami’s heart flutter in her chest.

“It’s no problem,” Tanjirou tells her, moving towards the back of the room. “I’ll just grab a stepladder from the storage room that we can use.”

“Thanks, Tanjirou!” Hayami calls after him, smiling. Right, this is the pleasant, well mannered Tanjirou that she knows.

“Hey, Hayami-chan, cleaning the council room again?”

At the sound of Ginjiro’s voice, Hayami has to bite back a groan, forcing a suitable smile onto her face as she turns around to face her friend. As usual, one of his hands comes up to rest on her shoulder and she has to fight the urge to bat it away. What is he doing here?

“Yeah, I was rostered for cleanup today since I drew the short end of the stick at the last council meeting. And you,” she pokes his shoulder hard with a finger to emphasize her point, “are not supposed to be in the student council room without express permission from a teacher. Who did you get caught by the last time you were in here, Shinazugawa-sensei?”

Ginjiro’s unflappable grin falters a little at that, looking more like a wince now. “That man chased me all the way to the school gates, I swear my ass was black and blue by the time he let me go.” Hayami rolls her eyes. “ ‘sides, I saw you cleaning the windows from the ground floor and thought I’d give you a hand. Aren’t I perfect boyfriend material?”

Hayami scoffs, fighting the urge to smack him. When on earth will he cool it with the flirty lines?

“Perfect pervert material, more like. It’s your own fault for giving yourself such an awful reputation for peeping.” Shaking her head, Hayami busies herself wringing out the cloth in her hands before returning her attention to the window behind her. When she does, however, she spots Tanjirou standing there with a stepladder in his hands, lips drawn into a tight line as he stares down Ginjiro.

He does not look pleased to see the older boy there.

As if noticing him for the first time, Ginjiro raises a hand in greeting before Hayami can intervene, a sly smile growing on his lips. “Hey, Tanjirou! Coincidence seeing you here.”

“Coincidence, much?” Hayami mumbles under her breath, exasperated. Can they please just let off for five minutes and let her clean her windows in peace? Shaking her head, she turns around to face the window so that she doesn’t have to look at either of them. Why can’t she just reach that spot?

“It’s a coincidence seeing you here too, Ginjiro-san.” Tanjirou’s voice is clipped. “I was just helping Hayami clean the student council room today. What are you doing here?”

You’re not supposed to be here, Hayami can hear the underlying meaning to his words. And while she does agree that Ginjiro really needs to stop sneaking into the student council room as and when he likes, Hayami feels like Tanjirou is being a little too hostile towards her friend.

“Oh, I was just coming by to ask Hayami something, but I guess I could help with the cleaning too.” To Hayami’s surprise, the cloth in her hands is suddenly plucked out of her grasp. Turning around, she sees Ginjiro standing there with a grin. “Here, let me help you out. I’m perfect boyfriend material, remember?”

Hayami is about to argue that Tanjirou is right there with a stepladder, but Ginjiro is already leaning forward to wipe at the window without giving her any time to move out of the way. As a result, Hayami ends up caught between the glass panes of the window and Ginjiro’s front, far too close for her liking.

“I can’t believe that for all your height, you’re still shorter than me,” Ginjiro teases in a sing-song voice, leaning over to wipe at the window. Part of her swears that he’s doing this on purpose, the little bastard. Hayami scowls, pushing at his chest with both hands in annoyance.

“Wait, Ginjiro,” Hayami snaps, patience quickly running out. “Get out of the way and let me out before-”

There’s a sudden crash behind both of them, and Ginjiro and Hayami whirl around to see Tanjirou standing there with a tense expression on his face. The stepladder lies at his feet, but he makes no move to pick it up.

For a moment, Hayami wonders if Tanjirou might say something unkind - the look on his face is truly something to behold. Tanjirou’s usually good at controlling his emotions (how else would he be able to put up with both Inosuke and Zenitsu at the same time), but this time, he doesn’t seem to be faring as well at reigning in his emotions. Ginjiro, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to notice just how much he’s managed to rile Tanjirou up, instead slinging one arm over Hayami’s shoulder.

“Right, Hayami, I wanted to ask if you’d like to come over to my house later after this. I’ve got some problems with literature homework, I just don’t get Macbeth.” Grinning, he nudges Hayami in the side. “We can catch a movie after, too. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? It’s a weekend tomorrow, and I’m sure your parents wouldn’t mind if you slept over at my house for the night.”

“I-” Hayami begins to say, but is interrupted by Tanjirou.

“Hayami usually comes over to my house on Friday nights, so I don’t think she’ll be able to go with you,” Tanjirou says tersely. Hayami frowns. She was about to say that herself, sure, but the fact that Tanjirou is speaking for her instead leaves her indignant. Hayami can speak for herself. “My mother’s already cooked for her, and besides,” he turns to her, “Nezuko misses you too. She says she hasn’t seen you for the entire week. Hanako, Shigeru, Rokuta, especially.”

Well, Hayami has been busy planning the next dance performance - it’s competition season for the performing arts, so she hasn’t had the time to go over to Tanjirou’s house as often as she likes. Still-

“Masako misses you too,” Ginjiro interjects, before Hayami can get a word in once more. “You know how my little sister is, she adores you. Besides, you’ve known my family longer, haven’t you? You should come with me, I’m sure you can visit Tanjirou’s family another day.”

At that statement, Hayami can feel her temper starting to rise. For Ginjiro to claim that his sister misses her is one thing, but to bring up their friendship to strong-arm Tanjirou’s aside is a huge no-no for her.

“I-”

“What exactly,” Tanjirou’s voice is completely level, and Hayami nearly has to bite back a shiver at his cold tone, “are you trying to imply here, Sato Ginjiro?”

She’s never heard Tanjirou like that before.

Ginjiro scoffs, shaking his head, that easygoing smile dropping to reveal a face full of seething jealousy. “Look here, Kamado, you’re the one who brought up the topic of family first. As if you weren’t trying to manipulate Hayami into visiting your house for your own gain-”

“Enough!”

At the sound of Hayami snapping, both boys immediately shut up. Hayami’s arms are folded over her chest, teeth gritted, and she pauses a moment to take a deep breath before she starts laying it all on the two of them.

“The two of you have been unbearable this entire week! I don’t care about whatever is going on between the two of you, but don’t you drag me into this! I already have my own issues with the dance performance coming up, and my parents,” she has to fight back tears at this point, the words simply spilling out of her as if a dam has broken somewhere inside of her, “are coming home sometime next week! I’m already massively stressed, and I don’t need the two of you adding on to it! So if the two of you aren’t done with your petty little argument, then I’m leaving first!”

With that, she storms out of the student council room, too angry and tired from her little rant to think too much about what she’s just said. Behind her, Ginjiro and Tanjirou stare after her back in shock at her little outburst, too stunned to respond.

Out of nowhere, the shrill sound of a ringtone fills the air between the two of them. Ginjiro fumbles to pick up his phone, pressing it to his ear.

“Masako? Yeah, yeah… I’ll buy some sushi for you on the way home. You’re hungry right now? Alright, I’m coming…” When he hangs up, Ginjiro gives Tanjirou a look out of the corner of his eye, the air between them so thick with awkwardness Tanjirou thinks he could choke on it.

“Okay, look, man, I shouldn’t have said what I said earlier.” Ginjiro says all of a sudden, words stilted as he fumbles with them. Tanjirou looks at him in surprise for a moment, before he sighs and relents.

“I get it. For what it’s worth, I’m… sorry for what’s been happening the past week.” Ginjiro gives an awkward laugh in response, before moving towards the door.

“Well, I gotta go now, so…” He purses his lips, glancing over at the Hayami’s bag on the table. “Could you take that to Hayami and tell her I’m sorry?”

“I got it.” Tanjirou watches as Ginjiro makes a face, as if he wants to say something, but he apparently decides against it and simply leaves without another word. Once left alone in the student council room, Tanjirou runs a hand through his hair and lets out a long, heavy exhale. What exactly came over him just now?

Regardless of whatever it was, it was still unacceptable behaviour for him, and Tanjirou knows that he needs to apologise. With a sigh, he picks up Hayami’s bag and moves towards the door, intent on clearing up this mess before he heads home for the day.

She’s nowhere to be seen, but Tanjirou has a feeling that he knows just where she is.

Walking out of the school gates, he makes his way towards a small neighbourhood playground nearby. And sure enough, beneath the large cedar tree that flourishes there, he sees Hayami sitting beneath it with her knees drawn to her chest, her chin resting on her knees. Her hair is undone, and slightly messy from where she must have run her fingers through it in frustration.

Tanjirou feels awful, but he continues to step towards her. If Hayami notices his presence, she doesn’t say anything, not even when Tanjirou moves to take a seat beside her, but neither does she tell him to leave her alone. He decides to see that as a positive.

“Your bag,” Tanjirou offers, setting down her bag next to her. Peeking up, Hayami gives the bag a look before she buries her face in her knees again.

“Thanks.” Short and curt. But not… angry. That sends relief flooding through Tanjirou, and gives him the courage to do what he came here to do.

“I’m sorry,” he offers meekly, but his words and intentions are genuine. For a moment, Hayami doesn’t respond, but eventually she seems to relax just a little before she speaks.

“Yeah, I’m sorry too… for blowing up like that.”

Tanjirou winces as he recalls Hayami’s anger on full display. “Well, we deserved it,” he tells her honestly, and Hayami turns her head so that she can pin him with a stare.

“I don’t blame you for being so tense, Ginjiro is unbearable at times and I completely understand that.” Tanjirou can’t help but nod along as Hayami speaks. “But I really didn’t know why you weren’t just… I don’t know, ignoring his antics or whatever! Surely you know better than to play into his hands?”

Tanjirou presses his lips into a line as he thinks about all the times during this past week that Ginjiro has put his hands on Hayami, or tried to monopolize her time, and the same, irksome feeling rises up in him once more. Ah, Tanjirou’s eyes widen in realisation. It was-

When he glances up, Hayami is still looking at him, waiting for an answer. However, Tanjirou can only give a slight smile, and shakes his head.

“Sorry,” he says. “I don’t know what came over me. It won’t happen again.”

“I hope it doesn’t,” Hayami huffs, but Tanjirou can tell that she’s calmed down now. Both of them sit in silence for a moment, until Tanjirou feels something tugging gently at his sleeve. Turning around, he looks at Hayami, who’s glancing away towards the playground where the children are running about, the sounds of their laughter filling the air. There’s slight colour dancing along her cheeks, but Tanjirou can’t tell whether it’s from the light of the setting sun or something else...

“Still,” she begins to say, looking slightly hesitant, and Tanjirou tilts his head to the side as he waits for her to continue. “Still… Can we go to your house for dinner? I mean, it’s like you said, I miss Rokuta and Hanako, and the rest of them as well…”

Tanjirou laughs. “Of course we can. You’re always welcome at my home, remember?” Rising to his feet, he extends one hand to Hayami. “Come on, Hayami.”

Hayami blinks at his hand before she reaches out to take it. Her fingers wrap around his calloused ones, and he hoists her to her feet. “We should hurry. Mother cooked takoyaki and karaage for dinner tonight, so if we don’t hurry, Nezuko and Takeo will eat them all.”

Hayami’s eyes widen at the sound of Kie’s home cooking waiting for her. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” Tightening her hold on Tanjirou’s hand, she pulls him down the road towards his house. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

Tanjirou only smiles, and follows Hayami with slower, steadier steps as she practically skips down the road. Although this storm has blown over without much incident, Tanjirou is more than aware that these affections for Hayami will only continue to grow with the passing of time.

He really should tell Hayami about these feelings that he has for her soon.

#demon slayer #demon slayer fanfic #demon slayer fanfiction #tanjirou #kamado tanjirou #kamado tanjirō #kny fanfic #kny #kny tanjiro #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic

[uwua3]

hi hello yes i love your blog sm !! your writing makes me feel so soft 😔💞💞💞💞 sometimes i even reread my favorites~ (like your tenma and tsumu hcs, so cute i love💘) may i please request friends to lovers hcs of sakuya with someone that loves acting as much as him? thank you so much for giving us top tier content and don’t stop being adorable!!!!💕💕

thank you so much TT you’re sooo cute 💗💘💖💞💕💓💝 i’m so happy you have favorites of mine :O + i love saku so much 🥺🥺🥺 this request makes me super duper happy!!! thank you :D you’re so adorable, anon~ ♡

summary: acting was rebirth for you, and sakuya remained the same despite living hundreds of lives

warnings: abandonment issues, giving up on your dreams

author’s note: the trope for this is moreso past friends > lovers! i adjusted the prompt so that the reader was someone who struggled with their dream of acting and was being held back, similar to izumi/tsumugi! please enjoy this, and know it is okay to give up—it takes strength to do so.

growing up, i feared failure to the point where i gave up on every single one of my passions. now, i don’t have any strong passions, so this type of reader truly healed a part of childhood me. for those who also quit and now have nothing, you’re not late. you’re perfectly on time, this is your life and it’s your decision to find what you love. you don’t need a dream now, you aren’t less than because you don’t have passion. as long as you’re happy, why should a dream matter?

word count: 4,741

music: fallin’ flower – seventeen (the instrumental of this song is what it’d feel like for sakuya in the last scene!), together – seventeen

bloom together (rebirth).

🌸🌷 sakuma sakuya

every actor’s first rebirth is on stage

it’s when the spotlight belongs to you, where all eyes are on you but you’re someone else tonight. you can be anyone you want, the same face but a new name that gives you life

you are reborn again and again as multiple versions extended as an actor, until the clapping takes you back to the stage and you’re taking a bow as yourself

it’s reincarnation, it’s becoming a new person just for a hour for the audience but training months behind the scenes. you’re reborn

yet, you’ve always been you. ever the same, unchanging, just... you

it was closing night of romeo & julius that you wanted to become someone else, just for a moment

a buzzer sounded but the start of the highly anticipated play was a creak. the main lead stepped onto stage and the wooden floorboard creaked, and it was the start of what you thought was the best performance of his life

romeo was living his dream, you could see that even towards the back row. you hung onto every carefully practiced line that he managed to convey naturally, every subtle and grand gesture that aligned with his period–accurate costume, every shift in the actor—no, romeo’s expression upon facing other protagonists and villains alike

it was the blooming of one of the most passionate actors ever to grace the mankai stage

you become one with the standing ovation, tears running down your face as a part of you regrets your own fear. that could’ve been you on stage, performing for hundreds as you take in the applause with a smile. but, you gave up—you never tried to begin with

when romeo bowed, you wished you were beside him. if only you didn’t give up, if only you were as determined as he was

you walked home slowly, as if your own steps wanted to trace back their path to the theatre. you wanted it—the sleepless nights memorizing a well–written script and scribbling notes in the margins, the adrenaline rushing in your veins right before the curtain parted, costume fittings and seeing them come alive in the mirror because it was made for you and you alone

but, did you deserve it after all these years?

your face was stained by the remanence of crying towards the climax of romeo & julius. you were on the edge of your seat the entire time, flinching during the sword fight and mourning alongside the heavy emotions weighing down the atmostphere of the theatre

yet, you felt like that wasn’t the only reason you tried muffling your cries as you roughly wiped the onslaught of tears away, letting out a tired, pitiful mock laugh at your own state. how pathetic, you were crying just like back then

before you left him—oh, you were back at mankai theatre

you blinked at the sign above the double doors, knowing the show was long done now. the poster advertisements were still tacked and framed onto the brick wall. he was the center of it all, swinging his weapon with the precision of a trained knight. the letters of the actor’s name blurred in your vision when you read it

of course, it was him. you knew romeo very well

you don’t know why, but you pushed open the doors and discovered it wasn’t locked. the low quiet excitement that made the air feel like electricity was gone, and all that was left was nothing but the stage. the staff must’ve been gone, most likely celebrating their first closing night for many years to come

you stood at the edge of the entrance, and the stage at the end of the aisle. for some reason, it was as if you knew this theatre like the back of your hand, you reached out to flip a switch on without looking. the circular side floor lights illuminated the pathway, as if you were meant to follow it

who were you to argue with fate? you walked down the aisle, split center between once filled rows. there wasn’t a single opening in sight before, but now, it was empty. you took your time running your hand over the top edges of the seats, feeling the red lush velvet beneath your fingertips

you stopped by the stairs at the bottom of the stage, leading up to place you longed to be ever since you met him. tilting your head back, you released a shaky breath; hesitant, nervous, undeserving

could you let yourself do this, even if it was just once?

when you carefully made your way up, the stage creaked underneath your foot as you stepped on. center stage and all that stood was you, pretending the heat of the spotlight shined upon your frame and an audience was witness to your rebirth

you remembered it, your monologue you had wrote many years ago. you straightened your back, about to deliver the only performance of your life before you heard a voice that spoke just mere hours before

your eyes snapped open, turning your head down towards the direction of the voice and stopped. it was romeo—no, sakuya, at the base of the stage out of costume with his lips forming the shape of your name. he remembered? of course he did, it was so like him to do that

silence passed, as if he was speechless by your presence. sakuya stumbled back when you attempted to say his name, his immediate reaction was to run away. but then, he shook his head, standing his ground as he looked up at you with confusion and disbelief, like you weren’t really there

“why are you here?” sakuya trailed off, unable to form coherent thoughts as you sighed, moving to sit at the edge of the stage. sakuya took a few steps back, staring at you wide–eyed before rubbing his eyes and looking again

“i saw your play, romeo.” you simply said, swinging your legs back and forth with a nonchalant look at nothing in particular despite how nervous you were. it was strange, you never felt this way before around him

it had been years since you last saw sakuya, and he looked grown up now. much older, and more confident in who he was. any other time, he probably would’ve been gone by now. now, it looked like he wasn’t leaving without answers with determination in his eyes

“you’re still the best actor i know.” you admitted honestly, knowing you could never lie around sakuya no matter how hard you tried. there was something about sakuya that made you want to reveal your heart to him

“thank you, that really means a lot to me!” sakuya smiled, lighting up the whole room before he paused, as if he realized you weren’t supposed to be here

“but, when did you come back?” he asked, subconsciously inching closer as you shrugged, refusing to look him in the eye. you knew if you did, you’d come back to the stage all over again

“a while ago.” a moment of hesitation was apparent in sakuya’s halted steps, before he pushed himself up to sit next to you. he was taller now, too (you were always the taller of the two back then)

“you... you should’ve contacted me! i would’ve helped you,” sakuya cleared his throat, adjusting his hoodie collar with a blush as he looked away. “you know, with moving and settling in.”

you knew what he meant, though. you knew that he desperately wanted to ask why you stopped being friends and contacting with him in the first place. you couldn’t bring yourself to answer him, even if he deserved to know why

because you’re living my dream, and i’m too sorry to step into the spotlight with you

you nodded, about to make up another excuse before his hand fell upon yours. his hands were even bigger, with callouses around the base of his fingers and small marks upon his palm. sword practice, he’d laugh about later

“you should’ve talked to me.” sakuya repeated, his head turned towards you as you stare back at him with nervousness. when did he get so close? your legs were practically touching at this point, the warmth from his hand was burning you like he was the sun. sakuya was too bright, you might go blind

“i’m...” pride caught your tongue, making you swallow the long overdue apology you knew sakuya deserved. sorry for never trying to pursue theatre, sorry for making baseless promises of being there for him, sorry for giving up on every passion you’ve ever had because you were too afraid of the possibility of failure. you had too much to be sorry for

you just shook your head and landed on your feet with a thud, about to take your leave and never intending to return again. it was a mistake to pretend like the stage was yours, even for a moment. you promised yourself you’d never talk to sakuya again, but you had a habit of breaking your promises

“wait!” sakuya followed your lead and caught you by the wrist. he was quicker now, too, with a firm, but not unkind, edge to his voice. it was clear; he wasn’t letting you go, but he still respected you as a person after all these years apart. in a way, you were proud of how far he had come even if meant you had to deal with the confrontation

silence, again. you could only hear the slightly audible pant of his breath from how nervous he was. could he feel the beat of your heart from where he was? his hold loosened, but his fingers still kept you close as you looked over your shoulder at him. you couldn’t believe it, you had to look up to fully see his smiling face

sakuya opened his mouth, about to say something before he just pulled you in close for a hug. you nearly tripped into his arms as he rested his chin on your head, giving you a hug just like before. but this time, for some reason, it felt intimate

his arms were wrapped around your waist, moving to rest his cheek on the top of your head as sakuya sighed, like he always wanted to be here again

“i missed you.” sakuya whispered, afraid to break the moment when you tensed up. slowly. you reached up to hug him back as you let your head fall onto his chest. his heartbeat matched the pace of yours, he was just as scared to be here

you gripped onto his hoodie and nodded, not willing yourself to disturb the comfortable silence. any other day, you would’ve told him you did, too, but it felt too personal now to say

sakuya pulled away first before dropping into a low bow with his hand over his heart. his eyes were closed and his voice was loud and clear in the empty auditorium

“so please! don’t leave again, i’ll work hard to give you a reason to stay!” sakuya proclaimed, his truth being presented in front of you as you watched him with wide eyes before settling on a small smile, forcing him to stand back up with a hand on his shoulder

(it wasn’t his fault you had given up on theatre, you didn’t quit because of him, but you didn’t say anything)

“you’ve always done your best, i’m proud of you.” you honestly said and sakuya’s smile lit up the whole room. you knew he was born for the stage the moment he smiled at you

before you two left, you turned to glance at the stage one more time before leaving. maybe, one day, you’d gain the strength sakuya has to be there again

(sakuya returned to the party with an awkward lie no one bothered questioning, claiming he just had to go see a friend after checking to see if the theatre was locked. “it definitely was!”)

(were you guys friends? could he call you a friend after you left? sakuya tossed and turned in bed, before huffing and staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his chest)

(sakuya always saw you as a friend no matter what, but it felt different this time)

you were sakuya’s classmate throughout his childhood. yet, you were always out of reach, in the better upperclassmen classes and had grown up, cool friends. it wasn’t until you two saw the pirate play together and the fire alarm was pulled that he became friends with you

your paths crossed that day and would continue overlapping until you disappeared like the spring sakura, like all the years together were just two weeks before never coming back. sakuya didn’t know what happened, all he saw was an empty school desk before his start at hanasaki academy

(“do you promise to be friends forever?” sakuya asked and you immediately looped your pinky around his, both young and under the falling cherry blossoms with no worries for the future. “i promise to be your friend and your co–star!”)

for the first time in a while, sakuya dreamt of that fateful spring afternoon at recess and woke up wanting to see you again

you found yourself back at the mankai theatre, but this time, with an invitation. it looked different during the daytime. the sun illuminated the old, chipped edges of the building’s sign and age had worn down the place. yet, you still loved it, standing in front of the doors with a fragment of your past dream

you could see it now. standing upon the stage with your name in lights outside for veludo way to see. the costume perfectly fitting your measurements and becoming one with your intent, the rapt attention of the audience upon you as you become another person and deliver your lines with raw emotion, the instant shock to plot twists and the genuine reactions to crucial turning points. you wanted it—

you heard your name again. you turned to see sakuya was sprinting down the sidewalk, slowing down to a reasonable pace as he tried to maintain his breathing in front of you. he skidded to a stop, in his usual pink flannel and spring hoodie, with his bright grin directed at you

but this time, with two drinks in hand?

“i’m so sorry i’m late! i got caught up choosing between some vending machine options, but here you go!” sakuya cheerfully passed you a carton as he let out a hesitant laugh, carefully observing your blank reaction to the sudden gift

“um... do you not like it? i just thought, it was still your favorite...” sakuya coughed, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing at the sheen of sweat already. you didn’t respond for a moment, before glancing at his drink of choice

“you still like that? you really haven’t changed.” you offhandedly commented, ruffling his hair in the process and smiling back. sakuya took in the way you praised him and smiled even bigger. he pressed the bottle to his forehead as a way to cool down absentmindedly as you stuck your straw in the carton

“i’m surprised you didn’t forget, it’s been a while since i had one of these.” you mentioned as sakuya spluttered in disbelief, like that was the biggest joke you ever told

“of course i didn’t! you were my—” sakuya started but abruptly cut himself off, instead uncapping his vending machine drink and taking a swig. you didn’t press the matter further, just tilted your head for a moment before nodding slowly

“you know, i would’ve waited, sakuya. you didn’t have to run.” you reprimanded, your natural older sibling instinct to take care of him coming through. you waited for him to continue but he said nothing

you looked towards him and sakuya was staring at the ground beneath his shoes. he fidgeted with his bottle, a habit he had when he was unsure, before he very quietly said something. you would’ve missed it if you weren’t listening, his words were carried by the spring wind

“i... i was afraid if i was late, you’d leave me again.”

silence. you suddenly understood why sakuya put all his time and effort just to get your favorite childhood drink at the rundown vending machine across town. why he forced himself to run past his limits just to barely make it on time with the same smile as always

sakuya was scared you’d abandon him once again, just like everyone else he loved

you took a moment to take a deep breath in, before stepping towards him and stopping a foot away. when sakuya looked for you nervously, he met your kind eyes and gentle smile as you held your pinky out

“i promised i’d see you again today, right?”

(you promised you wouldn’t leave either, sakuya bitterly thought before shaking his head. there was no reason to think like that anymore)

sakuya nodded as if to convince himself before shaking your pinky again, just like the good old days

you both knew there were conversations that still needed to be discussed but for now, as sakuya unlocked the door and led you towards the stage, they were better left unsaid

from then on, you and sakuya’s friendship bloomed again on the mankai stage

you became a part of sakuya’s life again, like before you left your hometown and moved to a neighborhood far away

you didn’t dream of the stage lights and sold out shows you fantasized about with sakuya in veludo way, you stopped reciting lines to your mirror with a creased script clutched tightly in your hand, you refused to even let yourself think about costume design sketches and unfinished docs left open on your computer

but now, here you were, doing all the things you promised yourself you wouldn’t do again. you became somewhat apart of stage crew, learning how to handle the lights and how to adjust them to the moving actors after pretending not to be interested. you helped sakuya with his lines during every practice by being his counterpart and working together to form the foundation of his best performance every time. you picked fabrics that fit the costumes the best and helped the fashion gang set up. you even helped mankai’s local playwright brainstorm at ungodly hours

you had grown up with a love for theatre ever since the pirate play fire alarm fiasco with sakuya and ever since then, you desperately wished to be on stage. yet, fear held you back. you couldn’t be in front of everyone without shaking and running off. you flubbed your rehearsals no matter how hard you tried and you couldn’t deal with the competition

it was like every inherent part of your own self was holding you back from your true dream to be on stage

so back in middle school, when you realized sakuya truly was serious about devoting the rest of his life to his one true passion with no consideration of the high probability of failure, you knew you had to leave before you told him you couldn’t do it anymore

you left him and sakuya lost his best friend

but, he wasn’t angry with you. sakuya didn’t react in hasty frustration and blame you, it encouraged him to work even harder to be the best actor he could be. he wanted to take over every stage, be every role, just so he could perform for you one day and win you back

he wanted to prove to you that the dream you both shared was still worth living

you became involved with the backstage behind the scenes operations of the theatre industry alongside the director, your passion for acting coming back after endless encouragement and support from sakuya

(when you first met spring troupe, they had heard about you and were wary of how you left sakuya. he had never said anything bad about you, but they all knew enough to piece together what happened)

(it wasn’t until sakuya was doing a short improv scene. he stuttered and smiled fondly when he made eye contact with you, not caring about his obvious mistake, just wanting to see if you were happy. that’s when they realized how much he liked you and accepted you back into his life)

years of suppressed dreams came back as you attended hanasaki with sakuya, spending every waking moment discussing theatre and helping each other with homework. you balanced acting with school alongside your best friend again, but there was still a part of you that was unsatisfied

would you truly never let yourself be on stage with your best friend ever again?

although everything was better than back to normal, it was still different. sakuya was older, taller than you now, and wasn’t the little brother you protected. now, it was like he was your knight in shining armor, doing everything to make sure you were safe like a true hero

you ignored the butterflies in your stomach and the heat of the blush on your face, blaming it on the spring season and the flower pollen. it couldn’t be—of course, optimistic and cheerful sakuya grew up to be the same, just physically more mature than his kid self

maybe that’s what was distracting you backstage, when you became lost in his performance and missed your cues for props. he wasn’t a kid in your eyes anymore, and you knew that

returning to sakuya’s life meant becoming apart of theatre, your love for acting even stronger. but also, your love for sakuya growing day by day

it was a normal day, where you two were walking home from a long day of school. sakuya was rambling about something like a leader’s meeting at 9, but you couldn’t focus. you were very aware of how your fingers kept brushing his

(you wanted to reach out yourself and hold his hand, but what if you were always his older sibling in his head?)

suddenly, you nearly bumped into sakuya when he stood in front of you, leaning down so he was eye–level with you. his concerned eyes were observing your red face, resting his hand against your forehead with a frown

“are you sick? you’ve been overworking yourself at mankai, lately. i hope you’re okay! let’s go—” sakuya comforted, about to pull away before you gripped the collar of his uniform, not letting him go any further

“i like you.”

murmurs spread across veludo way. a small crowd gathered as they caught sight of the pair, whispering about how it must’ve been a street act

you suddenly knew what you had to. you were you, you were in love with your best friend, this was it

“i like you so much, that i want to see you acting on stage everytime. i don’t care if i’m backstage every show, i want to watch you bloom.” you confessed, holding on tighter to his dress shirt as he revealed a hint of surprise in his face. like a professional actor, sakuya shifted to an effortlessly impressive smile as he lowered his palm to yours, running his thumb over your hand

“i like you, too.” sakuya replied cooly, leaning down to give you a kiss on the forehead as you froze. was he serious? did he truly like you back as well? this couldn’t be real—

the crowd applauded at the short but heartfelt performance as sakuya moved to stand up straight, bowing slightly with a thanks towards the audience. you were motionless, fingers ghosting over your forehead with a blank stare

it was all, an act?

sakuya turned towards you, his usual grin back as he ruffled your hair this time. he looked shocked, but not thrown off when he laughed at your surprised expression

“i knew you were such a good actor after all this time! i almost believed it!” sakuya said, walking ahead of you as he continued openly praising you

when he looked over his shoulder, he smiled and you noticed the way the cherry blossoms fluttered around him. he was so radiant that the sun beamed at his presence

sakuya thought your confession was a street act, of course he wouldn’t see you as anything else except his best friend

when sakuya came back to the dorms with a brief description of why he was late for practice, the whole company wasn’t shocked, but disappointed

(“they actually like you! why would they do a street act if they’re not an actor?!”)

(sakuya stopped and widened his eyes. he slapped his hands over his mouth before running to his bedroom in embarrassment. did you actually like him?!)

(sakuya came out half a hour later with new determination in his eyes as he declared he had a plan and needed everyone’s help)

next day, you came into the theatre to set up for dress rehearsal before you realized it was oddly quiet backstage. the hoards of people in the back were gone and it was like the whole place was abandoned. you checked the time, you were early, maybe that’s why

when you peeked behind the curtain, no one was on stage either. you walked out without a second thought, looking to see if there was a notice of some kind

then, you felt it. the heat of the spotlight upon your frame. it belonged to you, you felt a set of eyes upon you as a creak of a floorboard alerted you to the other wing of the stage

sakuya—no, romeo, was standing there with his sword put in his hilt with a swift movement. it had been nearly a year or so since his closing night as romeo, the costume was tighter the more he grew. but, he was just as youthful and valiant as ever as he stepped towards you

before you could ask him what was going on, romeo dropped into a bow with his arm across his chest. in his other hand, was a rose

“i, romeo montague, have fallen in love with you!” romeo declared boldly, even if his hand was slightly shaking around the flower. you stood silent, watching him before romeo stood back up, placing his hand over his heart with the most sincerity you’ve ever seen from him

“when you left, you left as a friend but you return as the love of my life.” sakuya recited, clearly rewriting the lines the night before as he became flustered over his own sentiment. you could hear a set of strings being played in the background as the lighting focused on you two, everything else unimportant to the scene

“i want to be on stage with you! i want to bloom with you, i want to be with you forever as long as you’ll have me.” romeo confessed, the truth spilling from his heart as he got down on one knee. his hand was over his rapidly beating heart, and one hand outstretched still with the rose

“i like you, i love you. please, accept this rose if you feel the same.” sakuya let his guard down, becoming less of romeo but more of him as he looked at you with a bright smile. that was your best friend of many years, just older now

had you always liked him? was this love?

then, you realized: you loved sakuya the way you loved theatre. your love for him may have been pushed aside when you left, but eventually, it came back because it was meant to be. your dream wasn’t just to act with him, it was to love him until your last breath. you love sakuya the way he loves acting

you took the rose, the tears brimming at your eyes from the confession, and smiled. you were your favorite character: yourself, because sakuya liked you

“i like you, too.”

like the first night you met him again on the same stage, sakuya pulled you into a hug as he embraced you. his cheek upon your head and arms around your waist, he leaned back and almost came in for the closing kiss...

before a bunch of overexcited, teasing troupe members busted in from backstage and surrounded the new, happy couple with congratulations and more hugs!

on that stage, you found a new dream: to love sakuya behind the stage, where you were happy

you were reborn, happier and chasing your dreams with the love of your life

#sakuma sakuya #sakuya sakuma #a3! act! addict! actors! #a3! #act! addict! actors! #a3! actor training game #a3! headcanons #act! addict! actors! headcanons #mankai a3! #mankai company #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #sakuya x reader #a3! sakuya #a3 sakuya

[abuttoncalledsmalls]

Take A Giant Step - Chapter 1

Warnings: Alcohol, Drunken Shenanigans, Language.

Pairings: Frankie Morales x f!O/C

Word Count: 1,982

Updated A/N: I have done some re-editing of this fic. So yes, you have read this. It’s just now mo’ better. <3 As always - please let me know if you want to be tagged (or untagged) in further installments.

A/N: I’m gonna try and give writing a series a shot. A quick note - I did use an actual event in my life as inspiration for this chapter. With that being said - please, please, please, please, please do not take someone home in your car that you just met a few hours ago if you feel uncomfortable. Even if your drunk idiot friend offers your chauffeur services to them.

“That’s your third beer in an hour. Don’t you think you should slow down?” My best friend (and boss) turned on his bar stool to glare at me. His blue eyes were glassy, giving away his state of inebriation.

“I think you should let me celebrate tonight’s performance the way I want to. It’s not like I’m the one driving home anyway,” he scoffed. Jeff didn’t intend to come off as a jerk. He was usually the nicest guy in the room, but his less polished side would tend to show itself after a few drinks.

We were celebrating our first sold out performance for our run of The Bald Soprano. That night was nothing short of magical - all of the lights and sound were perfectly called, no lines were dropped, and pacing was on point. The audience loved what they saw so much that they gave us a standing ovation. It was a wonderful feeling to finally see that people were enjoying what we worked so hard on.

After the show, an ecstatic Jeff came over to me in the tech booth and informed me that this grand occasion needed to be observed. That essentially translated to we (mostly him) were going to consume alcohol. As I was his ride for the evening, I knew that it would just be easier to cave into this desire than to fight it. I adored the man, but it was usually so much simpler to entertain these fancies than hear him monologue about my penchant for the unexciting. That is how I found myself at a semi-rundown Applebee’s at 11:30 on a Saturday night.

The bar was quiet at the moment. The bartender was drying pint glasses with a raggedy dishrag while watching the MMA on the television in the corner. There was only one other person at the bar. He was sitting across from us with his head buried in an old, beat up spiral notebook. The only time he would look up was to signal that he was ready for another bottle of Bud Light.

He was donning a navy baseball cap with the logo for the Standard Oil Company plastered on the front. The grey shirt he was wearing looked well worn and a pair of aviators hung in front on his collar. From what I could see he had a strong, prominent nose and large chocolate colored eyes. His beard was a little patchy, particularly on two small areas on either side of his chin.

“You know what would be lovely right now, Maggie? A shot of Jameson. It helps keep the beer company.” Jeff called over the bartender and asked her for three shots of the whiskey. One for him, one for me, and one for “that guy over there”.

The bartender pulled three shot glasses down and poured the shots. She handed us ours and then walked across to the man. When she put the shot down, the capped man looked up and began to open his mouth.

“I didn’t -”

“Courtesy of the gentleman over there.” The bartender pointed towards Jeff and went back to her spot to continue watching the fight. Jeff drunkenly grinned and raised his shot glass. The other man raised his glass as well and said thank you. All three of us quickly downed the whiskey.

“Thanks, man. It’s been a rough day.”

“You looked like you needed it. My name is Jeff Rogers. This is Maggie Lawrence.” I waved to our new drinking partner.

“I’m Frankie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Frankie,” slurred Jeff. “We’re celebrating our play tonight. I’m the director and she’s the production manager. We make theatre. What do you do?”

A quiet wave of embarrassment washed over Frankie’s face. I gave my friend a dirty look. His question clearly upset the man. My production management instincts kicked into gear and I began to start my damage control spiel.

“I am so sorry. He’s -”

“It’s okay,” Frankie said. “Um, I was a private pilot, but, I, uh, recently lost my job due to some stupid shit.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“It happens.” He tried to shrug it off and make it look like it was no big deal. His body language clearly indicated that it was a much larger concern than he was letting on. His eyes swept the room. It looked like he wanted to change the subject to anything else. Thankfully my friend, the eternal extrovert, was able to introduce a new topic.

“You think those fighters get paid well,” Jeff asked looking at the television. The MMA match was in full swing and commanded his attention.

“I don’t think they do too bad. My army buddy Benny is a fighter. He’s not as popular as those guys, but he does pretty well for himself.”

Frankie and Jeff fell into a conversation about different fighters and several upcoming matches. I smiled politely and sipped on my Blue Moon. I had no idea what they were talking about. All I could understand about the sport was that two very muscular individuals were beating the living shit out of each other. However, I will admit that I did enjoy seeing how both of my drinking companions perked up during the conversation. It wasn’t very clear if their camaraderie was inspired by the amount of alcohol assumed or the phenomenon of “male bonding”. I eventually chalked it up to a little bit of both.

Time quickly flew by. I looked down at my phone and was surprised to see that it was 2:00 in the morning. It was late and I wanted to get home. I nudged Jeff.

“Hey buddy. I think we should settle up and head on out. I am sure this poor woman wants to go home and get to bed.” I nodded toward the clearly exhausted young woman behind the bar. She looked at me and mouthed “Thank you”.

“Indeed,” Jeff declared as he slapped his credit card down on the table. The bartender came over to take up the card and run it through the POS machine. By the time she returned, Frankie had already pulled out some bills to pay his tab.

“You can keep the change.” She nodded in gratitude as he adjusted his baseball cap. The three of us walked out into the Applebee’s parking lot.

“Where’d you park, Frankie,” Jeff inquired.

“I actually walked here.”

“The fuck? It’s 2:00 in the morning and you’ve been drinking. We can’t let you walk home. Maggie is my ride. She can take you home!”

I stopped cold in my tracks. What the damn hell? We had only known this man for three hours. Practically the length of a Lord of the Rings movie. Frankie seemed nice, but I had no idea who he was or what was his story. I did feel bad for him - losing his job and having to possibly walk home - but this was a little out of my comfort zone.

“Thank you. That would be great. I only live about ten minutes away”. The parking lot lamp post reflected a small amount of lighting onto his face. I could see tears begin to well up in his big brown eyes.

Goddamnit. I couldn’t say no now. He looked so sad and helpless at that moment. I gave a small sigh and looked down at the cracked cement. I kicked a small pebble to the side in defeat.

“I’m in the white Mustang. I’d be happy to take you home.”

Jeff was already at the passenger’s side and asking if we could go home already. I rolled my eyes and gave a slight chuckle. Frankie smiled and we walked over to my car. We got in and Frankie started giving directions on how to get to his apartment. I was surprised at how clear and thorough he was, but then I remembered that he was in the military. Precision had to have been in his DNA at this point.

My intoxicated friend began to attempt to make conversation as we drove off into the night.

“You know, Frankie - this car we are riding in now is a piece of shit. I tell Mags that she needs to get a new one. This thing doesn’t have A/C and the stereo doesn’t work -”

“Hey! This is my piece of shit car, thank you very much. I don’t see you complaining about it when I have to drive you around.”

“As long as it gets you from Point A to Point B, it’s good. An ‘87 Ford Mustang isn’t the worst out there. It’s a classic.” I looked in my rear view window to see Frankie grin. I quickly looked back at the road ahead and tried to hide a pleased smile.

We arrived at his apartment complex in exactly ten minutes, like he said we would. He took out his wallet and tried to offer me some gas money, but Jeff shut him down.

“We can’t accept that. You’re a cool dude, you know? I like you. We may not be able to get you another job, but I want to do something. I want you to see our play. I would be honored if you showed up.” Jeff took out one of his business cards and a pen. He scribbled what looked to be my name and telephone number on the back of it. Turning to face the back seat, Jeff handed the card to Frankie.

“This is my business card. My number is here. Maggie’s number is on the back. If you call either one of us, we will hook you up with a free ticket. Actually, just call Maggie. She’s better at setting these things up. Also I don’t know if you have noticed, but I am a little tipsy. So I may not remember this.” I shook my head at his honesty. What life choices had I made to end up here?

“Thank you. I may take you up on that offer. Thanks again for the shot and the ride home.” Then Frankie got out of the car, waved at us, and headed into his apartment.

As I was turning out of the complex and onto the main road, I noticed Jeff smiling. He was clearly pleased with himself and reveling in the feeling.

“We’ve done the Lord’s work, Mags.”

“I’m not sure that giving a stranger a ride home and tickets to see Absurdist theatre is what the church means when they ask what would Jesus do.”

“We have changed that man’s life forever!”

“Sure Jeff. Let’s get your drunk self home.”

***

THE NEXT MORNING:

“D’oh! D’oh! D’oh!”

I had just walked out of the shower when I heard my phone ring. Who in the world would be calling me at 10 in the morning? It sure as hell wasn’t Jeff - he was probably still passed out from the night before. I quickly wrapped a towel around my body and ran to the phone. The number flashing on my screen was unfamiliar to me. I still picked it up, thinking that it could be one of my new assistants for my next show.

“Good morning, this is Maggie.”

There was a small pause.

“Hello?”

“Hi. Yeah, this is Frankie Morales. We met last night at Applebee’s and you gave me a ride home.”

--------------

Tags: 

@larakasser​ @absurdthirst​ @yespolkadotkitty​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @wickedfrsgrl​

#frankie catfish morales #frankie x oc #catfish x oc #francisco morales #frankie morales #triple frontier #catfish morales #frankie morales fanfic #francisco catfish morales #abuttoncalledsmalls #takeagiantstep

[sativaaaaaaa]

Writings On The Wall || Wilhemina Venable

||Part 3 to Too Good At Goodbyes||

Here you were, back on stage two years after placing second on America's Got Talent. This time you came along. Not able to accompanied by the woman you were lucky to had called your wife. You leaned your head back and looked up towards the ceiling whilst bringing the locket on your necklace up to your lips. You kissed it softly before hearing your cue to walk out on the star you were very familiar with.

You met the judges with a small smile on your face as the basically showered you with love and admiration.

"Well if it isn't my favorite performer. How has life been treating you Y/n?" Howie asked once you were in the middle of the stage.

"I wish it were treating me better Howie." You said sadly as you looked at him with a small smile.

"I heard about your lost. Everyone here at AGT sends you their condolences Y/N." Heidi said softly before blowing a kiss your way. You joking caught it and put it your pocket for 'safe keeping'.

"What are you going to sing for us today?" Simon asked as he looked up at you.

"Writings on the wall by Sam Smith." You said softly.

"Any dedication to someone this time?" He questioned jokingly.

You laughed before giving him an answer. "Just someone I promised to see in another lifetime."

"Alright then. Best of luck to you." Simon said before motioning you to begin.

You sat down at the shiny black piano that was behind you and set your mic in the stand before adjusting it to your liking. You took a deep breath and began to play the song before singing to the fiery red headed woman you knew was in the crowd.

I've been here before

But always hit the floor

I spent a lifetime running

And I always get away

But with you I'm feeling something

That makes me wanna say

I've prepared for this

I never shoot to miss

But I feel like a storm is coming

And if I'm gonna make it through the day

Then there's no use of running

This is something I gotta face

If I risk it all

Could you break my fall?

How do I live?

How do I breathe?

When you're not here I'm suffocating

I wanna feel love run through my blood

Tell me is this worth giving all up

For you, I'd have to risk it all

Cause the writing's on the wall

If I risk it all

Could you break my fall?

How do I live?

How do I breathe?

When you're not here I'm suffocating

How do I live?

How do I breathe?

When you're not here I'm suffocating

I wanna feel love run through my blood

Tell me is this worth giving all up

For you, I'd have to risk it all

Cause the writing's on the wall

You gracefully played your last chord before the audience gave you another standing ovation. You smiled before getting up with your mic and standing on the star again.

"If I could press the golden buzzer again I definitely would." Simon told you with a wide smile on his face.

"I'd like to play fair this time guys." You said jokingly.

"Well too bad cause you're going straight to the live shows." Heidi said as she stood up.

"Heidi don't you dare." You said as you watched her in shock. She just smiled at you before winking and slamming her hand on the buzzer while yelling no regrets.

You stood there in shock once again. You were lucky enough to get the golden buzzer twice but this time you experiencing it alone, so you thought.

Somehow Wilhemina had made her way on the sides of the stage. Her eyes beaming in pure admiration, slight tears showing how proud she was of you. As you walking off stage with your head down someone cleared their throat. You picked your head up and was met by dark brown eyes that use to be cold, but this time they were warm and full of love.

"Mina.." You breathed out softly.

"Hi Y/n." She said with a soft but warm smile.

You stood there in shock before basically tossing yourself into her arms. She caught you and held you close as you sighed before letting some tears fall. After a while you let her go and practically dragged her out of the stadium. Once you were outside you turned and looked at her again.

"What are you doing here?" You asked as you crossed your arms over your chest.

"I came to be your support system, I wasn't sure if you had one but some extra support won't hurt right?" She replied with a small smile.

"I was gonna get you flowers but the shop didn't have any pansies or daffodils and I didn't want to get roses or tulips cause those are a symbol for love. I mean don't get me wrong I definitely still love you but it wouldn't have been appropriate because you just lost your wife and I'm not trying to woo you into getting back with me or anything. I just thought you would-"

You cut her word vomit short by placing your hand over her mouth as you laughed slightly.

"Okay Mina I get it. You can stop explaining yourself now." You said as you moved your hand from over her mouth. She looked at you in surprise but laughed before making a joke.

"The last time you put your hand my mouth was to kept me from getting too loud at the-" You threw your hand back over her mouth which made her laugh loudly this time as you flushed red as a vivid memory flashed in the front of your mind.

"Since when is Wilhemina Venable this outspoken up such vulgar things?" You joked as you moved your hand away.

"You always had a way of making me act and feel like a completely different person." She replied with a small smile. She looked down at the ground as she lightly tapped her cane against the ground. Your smile slowly went away as you two stood there in a comfortable silence.

After a few minutes you took a deep breath and looked up towards the sky as you held the locket on your chest. You softly whispered I love you up to the sky before looking back at Mina who still hadn't looked up from the ground, presumably lost in her thoughts.

"Hey Mina.." You softly called out. She looked up at you and hummed a response.

"If I risked it all, would you break my fall?" You sang to her which made her laugh lightly.

"Of course you dork." She said as she grabbed your hand and pulled you closer to her.

"Good, cause I fell before and it really hurt."

"Well I'll catch you if you catch me. Deal?" She asked holding out her hand for you to shake. You took it and shook it firmly as you responded to her playfully.

"You've got yourself a deal pretty lady."

~~~~~

word count: 1131

||I rewrote the ending several times and am still not really satisfied with it but oh well, life of an indecisive writer.||

#lana winters #lana winters x reader #wilhemina venable x reader #wilhemina venable #billie dean howard #billie dean howard x reader #sarah paulson #sarah paulson x reader #sally mckenna #sally mckenna x reader #audrey tindall x reader #ally mayfair richards #cordelia goode x reader #cordelia goode #AHS

[ladyanaconda]

Irken of the Opera

After those doodles I made, i couldn’t help myself. I HAD to make this! 

Just so you know, though, this won’t be like my other fics following a linear plot. I’ll just be posting one-shots without any particular as they come without chronological order.

Enjoy!

                                                           -IZ-

Tenn poured her heart into her voice as she sang. Her song’s melodic tones echoed throughout the auditorium, captivating her audience. The glitter and satins in her dress’s lavender fabric almost seemed to glow under the white spotlight. Her hands delicately moved along with her singing in perfect synchrony, conveying more emotion into her performance. 

As the music reached an inevitable crescendo, Tenn knew the cue that the performance was near the end and followed it with her voice until it culminated with a powerful note. 

Tenn returned to the real world just in time to see her public clap their hands loudly and get to their feet in a standing ovation, all of them cheering as roses and exotic flowers landed at her feet. Tenn delicately lifted the gown of her dress and curtsied in gratitude before she elegantly made her way backstage, still hearing the echoes of her adoring public.

It didn't end there, though. All around her, the dancers, chorus girls and workers clapped their hands. Tenn strode through the corridor and towards her dressing room, proudly glancing at her carved name in the door before stepping inside and closing it behind her. 

Tenn’s dressing room was spacious and fancy, and as always, it was filled to the brin with flower bouquets, chocolates and many other lavish gifts from secret admirers. While Tenn accepted the gifts out of courtesy, she refused any advances anyone made. 

She had no time for silly romance, not now when her career is at its peak.

With a relieved huff, Tenn quickly removed the layers of makeup and changed into a more simple dress to relax. She loves to sing, but finds all the costume wearing and dressing up far too stressful. Letting herself fall into the couch, Tenn closed her eyes for a few moments to clear her head.

Bravo! You did spectacularly, my dear Tenn!

Tenn didn’t open her eyes. She merely smiled a bit as her unseen, maybe imaginary mentor praised her, just like after every performance. While she remembered her father’s tales of the Angel of Music quite fondly, she was far too old to believe in fairy tales.

”Miss Sakhak?” Tenn raised her lekku. That voice wasn't an hallucination. 

”Come in.” Tenn said, not moving from her spot even after the door opened and a tall Irken with crimson eyes stepped inside. 

”Exhausted?” he asked.

”What makes you think that? The fact that I am trying to nap?”

”No offense, but you are quite predictable.”

”What do you want, Red?” Tenn asked impatiently.

”I wanted to congratulate you on tonight’s performance. You blew them all away, as always!” Red said, smiling a bit. ”I don't know who your tutor is, but he certainly did a good job!”

Tenn sighed. She wasn't sure of who had provided her with singing lessons; all she remembered was an Irken dressed in a black cape in her dreams, but a figment of her imagination doesn’t exactly count. 

“Whoever he is, he is a great teacher.” she said simply. Red gave her an odd look, but said nothing on the matter. 

“Anyhow, if you need a break, Spork is willing to give you a free night tomorrow. Tak could perform the lead in Mausk.” 

“She’s back? Last time I heard, she threw another fit and left after a sandbag fell on top of her head.” 

Red shrugged. “You know Tak, she hates when the spotlight is on top of anyone that isn’t her.” 

Tenn chuckled. Tak is perhaps the only person she considered a worthy rival, but all her talent is wasted in her self-serving attitude and smeetish tantrums when things didn’t go her way. But in a way, Tenn was grateful; if it weren’t for her fits, she wouldn’t have had the lead in tonight’s performance. 

“Okay, then. I could use the free time for myself.” Red nodded.

“Very well, then. I shall inform Spork in a while. Meanwhile, you’re free to go home for the day. You deserve it.”  

Thanking Red again as he left her dressing room, Tenn shifted on her couch. She’d go home, alright, but first she’d take a small nap. She wouldn't like to fall asleep on the wheel. Better late than never, after all. Besides, it’s not like there was anybody waiting for her back home, anyway.

                                                           -IZ-

Once he delivered instructions and sent most of the dancers and workers home for the day, Red went to his usual spot in the rafters and lit up a small cigarette. It’s supposed to be forbidden, but everyone’s gone home, so it’s not like he’s bothering anyone right now. 

Besides, it’s not like Spork was roaming around like security; he’d rather lock himself inside his office and not come out. 

His lekku twitched when the metal planks behind him creaked. “You’re losing your edge, Pur.” 

The shadow behind him chuckled. 

“Ah, Red. You heard me because I wanted you to. Otherwise I’d already be next to you before you even blinked.” 

Red looked back at his companion. A tall Irken of his stature clad in a black vest and cloak; one might think he was his twin, except his eyes were a shade of purple instead of bright crimson. The defining feature, however, was the white half-mask his companion wore at all times, concealing the right side of his face from view. 

He’s got many names: The Phantom, Opera Ghost, murderer, Angel of Music, but Red knew his real name.

Purple. 

“How’s Miyuki?” 

“She’s coming back to work next week.” Red smiled a bit. “We had a little girl. Her name is Ilk.”

“One of these days, you should bring her. I’d like to meet her.”

“I will if you can spend the whole week without throwing the chandelier on top of the audience.”

“Hey, you should thank me for that! Thanks to that incident, Spork gave you your job back!” Purple countered. “Besides, the only person who got hurt was the guy who was supposed to replace you.” 

Red sighed. He kind of felt bad for that poor fella; it wasn’t his fault. Spork had gone against Purple’s will and fired Red, and Purple retaliated by frightening his replacement in an exaggerated manner. The guy didn’t die, but he quit as soon as he could speak again. 

Red didn’t hate Spork perse, but he’s been coveting his manager status for a good while now. Spork wasn’t fit for the job: he merely shouted orders without fully understanding them, all he cared about is to fill in his pockets. All the workers and performers feared him, but didn’t truly respect him. 

Red’s the one that takes charge and makes sure everything runs smoothly for each performance. He’s the one everybody looks up to for guidance when there’s a crisis or a clash between stars. 

“Miss Sakhak did a spectacular job tonight, didn’t she?” Purple said, tenderly caressing the petals of a blue rose. “She sings like a chorus of songuans from the Imperial Palace.” 

“Indeed. Not even Tak can hold a candle to her.” 

“That’s because I’m a great teacher!” Purple chimed. Red frowned.

“I thought we had talked about spying on people.” 

“Come on, nobody knows about that. Besides, you know there’s only one person I’m interested in.” Purple looked down at the rose. 

“Indeed. Anyhow, do you have any notes this time?” 

Purple looked inside his pocket and took out a black envelope, which he placed in Red’s open hand. “Make sure that he reads it tonight.” 

“Don’t worry, he’s learned to take any notes from you seriously.”

“Is Miss Sakhak in her dressing room?” 

Red turned to his companion.  “...What are you going to do?” 

Purple sighed and ran his hand over his head. “I think it’s time I actually introduce myself, Red. I’m taking her down to my lair.”

“Pur, are you sure you don’t want to just ask her out like normal people do? I mean, I’m not sure she’ll take it kindly that you just whisk her off underground and hold her there against her will.”

“It’ll only be for a few days until she gets to know me better.”

“She can do that on an actual date.” 

Purple tensed up, averting his gaze. “Right, and where do you suggest I take her? I mean, it’s not like I know my way around the city, and besides people would stare at my face…” 

“Pur, I still believe you’re being a bit too drastic. How do you think she’s going to react if you take her underground against her will?”

“I got it covered.” Purple said. 

Red had the feeling that he was lying, but shrugged it off. 

“Just a favor. At the very least make it look like she left home, otherwise Spork is going to have my head.” 

Purple tipped his hat and disappeared into the shadows, his long cape flowing behind him. 

Red sighed. Why do I have the feeling I’m going to regret this?

                                                             -IZ-

Tenn wasn’t sure of how much time she slept. When she woke up again, there was a long silence outside. Everyone must have gone home, even Red. Tenn looked up at her electric clock, which marked 01:19. Yup, it was very late. She better go home. 

As she grabbed her coat and headed for the door, she heard something. 

Tenn….

The irkenette looked around. Who said that? She warily reached out for the knob, but found her door locked. 

“What in Irk?” Tenn battled with the door's handle, trying to force it open. 

Don’t be frightened, my angel. I won’t hurt you. Come to me…

At some point, Tenn lost motion of her surroundings. The voice’s mysterious charm was captivating and familiar, calling her towards the mirror like a siren song she couldn’t resist, as hard as she tried.

I am your angel of music. Come to me, angel of music.

The lights in her dressing room suddenly became dimmer and the atmosphere turned colner. Tenn shivered at the sudden drop in temperature and rubbed her forearms. 

She soon found the reason why: she wasn’t in her dressing room, but she wasn’t in the  corridor either. Instead, Tenn found herself in a dark, dimly illuminated corridor. Tenn sneezed at the strong smell of musk and humidity.

And in front of her was a tall Irken clad in a black cape. She couldn’t see him clearly, except for the violet eyes glowing in the darkness

“Who are you?” She asked warily.

“As you can see, I’m no ghost or spirit.” the Irken said in a gentle voice, taking a step closer. “I am-”

“Stay away!” Tenn yelled, stepping back. 

“Hey, calm down, I’m just-”

Ignoring him, Tenn tried to go back the way she came, but the secret door had closed shut. She pounded on the door with all the strength she could muster. “Somebody!”

“Tenn-!” 

“HELP! REDDOK, TAK, ANYONE!”

Tenn panicked when she felt the stranger place a piece of cloth over her mouth. Desperate, she nailed at his arm, but soon her strength faded away as she saw black holes in her vision. 

The last thing she saw before slipping into unconsciousness was a white mask and those violet eyes looking down at her.

#invader zim #invader zim fanfiction #almighty tallest #almighty tallest red #almighty tallest purple #invader tenn #iz tenn #The Phantom of the Opera #phantom purple #phantom of the opera crossover #PurpleAndInvaderTennRomance #PurplexTenn #romance #humor #one-shot #iz au #invader zim au

[am-imagines]

Legendary Pt. 2 Morgan!Reader

Here we go, guys! Fluffy route for those that want a proud AM.

Warnings: None.

Italic is the broadcast of the game. Something R doesn’t hear but I thought it was a nice touch to the story. I hope you guys like it!

Legacy.

You’ve heard that word a thousand times over the last few weeks. It appeared for the first time when the roster was announced and it has followed you all the way to Australia. They want to know if you can keep the Morgan legacy alive, and you wonder how it can die after the things your mom did.

Nervous energy fills your body while you stand in line for the National Anthems. It seems like forever before you’re ready to start the game. You shake your shoulders and everything is left behind; the doubts, the questions and inquiries about this team or your preparation.

The entire world is looking at you; the stadium is filled to the brim and you have no doubt this World Cup will shatter past audience records. Some people believe in you, others don’t. By the end of the tournament, they will. You’re gonna make them believers.

“Let’s give it all, ladies!” Krash shouts from the goal.

This is your moment.

All the attention is on the USWNT on their first game and you’re gonna take this chance to prove yourself. It’s time to show who you are on your own, and make the Morgan name rise again along with a whole country that is just as hungry for this cup as you are.

     “Number thirteen returns to the field for the USA and I’m sure everybody is           waiting to see if she follows the steps of the great Alex Morgan. Only time          will tell, and it’s time for the first 90 minutes on this World Cup for the dream        team.”

You kick the ball into action and the game begins.

Running on the field is part of you by now, and you turn into a totally different person then. You follow the ball, plan the next pass before it gets to you. You’re not just a player, you’re a planner and have an innate ability to see plays no one else does.

Germany is a tough team; a challenge on itself and it’s almost impossible to crack their defensive line. Not a single ball makes it through them for the first twenty-five minutes or so, but that doesn’t stop you.

You try new things and observe how they react. You analyze their strengths and weaknesses, by the thirtieth minute you have a plan.

“Pick and roll, Press!” You say when she jogs past you.

The term belongs to a completely different sport, but that’s the strategy. Press knows exactly what you’re talking about, and so does Long when you give her the same instruction a minute later. You stay close to each other as you move forward, passing and moving, never keeping the ball too long to be tackled.

It’s a triple threat and Germany doesn’t know how to stop you.

Press moves with the agility you’ve seen in old Tobin Heath’s videos. She creates space between two defenders and Long takes her chances. Her shot is deflected and the ball finds you almost by accident.

Time seems to slow down as you shift your body for the perfect shot. You have just enough space and the right angle so you don’t overthink it. You have a mean left foot and don’t hesitate to use it. When the ball leaves your boot, you have a great feeling and you follow the arch the spheric makes through the air.

    “That’s a goal! Oh, what an amazing goal from Y/N Morgan to open the                 score! An incredible play by the USA finished with a delightful shot. Buckle           your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen! Morgan is back in the building, and            she brought pure magic with her.”

You don’t even know if the roar on your ears is the crowd cheering or your heartbeat going haywire. It doesn’t matter when your teammates reach you and jump into your open arms. That’s all you can do to celebrate.

Two minutes later the excitement of the first goal is forgotten to focus back on the game.

This team is hungry for victories.

You want to win it all; the match, the group, the cup.

It’s a constant grind lived minute by minute. Relaxing too much after a goal can be a lethal mistake; one you don’t make. You’re back on your A-game when the match resumes and you’re still in that mindset after half-time.

Germany adapts to your game quicker than you’d have liked it. Chances are few and far between without a clear look. They win most of the balls in the air and the physical aspect of the game starts wearing you down at the 70’ mark.

If there’s a thing that defines you is that you don’t give up, ever.

You wouldn’t be a Morgan or a part of this National Team otherwise. 

The clock is running out fast so you do whatever you can; run faster, play harder, don’t give up. You draw a foul. It’s not the first one you receive, but you’re going to make this one count.

Take a deep breath, you tell yourself when O’Hara is ready to take the free kick. You call for the ball, and then show the world why you’re a forward. You jump with all your might; timing it as much as you’re able to, and it’s just an inch higher than your mark. It’s just an inch but it allows you to connect a header and the ball finds nothing but net.

      “Goal for the USA! Morgan with her second goal of the match with only a              few minutes to spare on this encounter. The dream of America is more alive        than ever, and I’m sure this game feels like a dream to Y/N.”

You can’t believe it.

You can’t believe it even when the crowd goes wild or when your teammates tackle you by accident before hopping on top of you. You can’t believe it when you look at the scoreboard. You shout “Yes!” as they laugh with you.

O’Hara; Janice, helps you to your feet and you take it all in.

People are jumping up and down in the stands, cheering louder than ever for a team they believe in. You pat the number on the front of your jersey before pointing to the stands. You wear the thirteen because Alex will always be watching your back, and she’s somewhere in that stadium; as proud as a mother can be.

Pinoe subs you out with five minutes left, and if the ovation you receive is any indication, she wanted you to have that moment of glory.

“Great game, Morgan.” Sonnett says as you make your way to the bench.

Exhaustion doesn’t compare to the thrill of your first World Cup game and when the whistle is blown to end the match, you run to meet with the rest of the team.

This is one of those moments you wish you could share with your family. You’ve been on camp for a small eternity, or at least it feels like that, and you miss them terribly.

“Morgan!” A reporter calls when you make it to the tunnel. “Could you answer some questions for us?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Harris gives you a high five when she passes by and then you’re in front of a camera.

“Y/N, what a delightful way to start the tournament, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely. Germany is a really good team. They made us think out of the box and challenged us to find new ways to play when our initial tactics didn’t work as well as we wanted. It was an exciting game and we’re glad to get the win. But, we also understand that this is just the first step, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. We haven’t won the cup yet, and ultimately, that’s what we’re here for.”

Even the post-game interview feels out of this world, and you can’t stop smiling.

“There was a lot of expectations about having you on the field today. Should go without saying that you didn’t disappoint. Two goals for you today, how do you feel?”

“I was fortunate enough to score twice on this match, but it was a team effort. We’ve worked really hard to be the best we can, and it paid off. Hard work, consistency and determination were on the field today. I couldn’t have done that without Press, Long and the rest of the girls by my side, you know?”

“Do you think Morgan is back as some fans call it?”

“I’m proud of being a Morgan and proud of wearing the same number my mom did. I understand people want to see the next Alex Morgan, but let me tell you, I’m not. Mom is a three time world champion. She won gold medals at the Olympics, golden boots everywhere and broke endless records. I’m just starting my journey. But she taught me to work hard and to never give up. That’s what you can expect from me.”

“Thank you for your time, Y/N. Enjoy your victory.”

With one last smile and a wave, you finally make it into the locker room.

***

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too, baby.” Alex says from the screen of your tablet. “You did an amazing job today and I couldn’t be prouder. You are exceptional, Y/N. Don’t forget that.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“You should get some rest now. World Cups are really tough on the body. And hey, I’m always here if you need me. No matter what happens, I’m here.”

“I know. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

You snuggle further into your pillow; tiredness taking over, but you want a few extra minutes with your mom. She’s so close, but camp has some restrictions. You knew it, and this is not too different from college. Still, you wish she could hug you right now.

“Of course, my darling.”

“Love you.”

She waits until you’re fast asleep before disconnecting the call but not before muttering: “I love you too, my sweet girl. Goodnight.”

#Legendary #Alex Morgan imagine #uswnt imagine #BabyMorgan!Reader #fluff route #Next generation

[lilyvandersteen]

How was the concert? I wann hear everything! :)

Long story short: it was AMAZING!!

Putting the rest of this under a read more, because I have a lot of gushing to do, and it will get looooooooooooooooong.

I got to spend most of my two days in London with @perfectanomaly, who is a perfect darling. Thank you, sweetie, for making me feel welcome from the moment I arrived, for making my nerves just melt away, for gently guiding me in the right direction any time I veered off (Yep, I have no sense of direction. At all.) and for the wonderful chats we had. I had a lovely time in London, and that’s in large part due to you. Safe travels home, honey, and I hope to see you again soon!

We met up with another Gleek, @misssnowfoxx, shortly before the doors were to open, and she was dressed as a very cute female Blaine - blazer, bow tie necklace and all. Just gorgeous!

Then, when I was queuing, I met @fionaroleplays and @sarkyblueeyes, both of whom were lovely, and talked to me about their past experiences seeing Darren perform. When we entered the building, I lost sight of them in the crowd, though - sorry for not saying goodbye!

In the concert hall itself, I got to meet @klaineunite, who was very sweet, and introduced me to two other Flemish girls who were sitting with her, and we chatted a bit about Lea because those girls were BIG Lea fans.

The thing is, @klaineunite and I both live in THE SAME CITY. And yet we have never met until yesterday, in London. Isn’t that crazy? Glee definitely brings people together, and I’m so thankful that it does :-)

But, anyway, you want to hear about the concert. Of course. Yes. Getting to that. *Happy sigh* Not over it yet. So not over it yet. I’m still just floating on air and pinching myself to check I’m not dreaming. Wow, that was a wonderful experience. Hands down one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.

First thing I want to say is that because it’s Lea & Darren together, you’re definitely getting value for your money. It’s like two concerts in one, and that’s not counting the opening act, I believe his name was Tom Spade, who sang with a girl called Delia, and their songs were lovely, so that was a nice extra surprise.

So, as I was saying, the concert ran really long. Lea and Darren sang for over two hours, and their energy never flagged, not even for a minute.

Both of them have such a galvanising presence. They had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the first moment to the last. There may have been people there that just came along with their daughters or girlfriends, but by the end of the evening, they were clapping and singing along just as enthusiastically as the actual fans. That’s how magnetic Lea and Darren are.

They started off by singing Broadway Baby, acting it out like they did on Glee, and really hamming it up. You could see so clearly that they were enjoying themselves, those dorks :-)

Then they did Suddenly Seymour. Of course Darren couldn’t recall what episode they sang this in on Glee, and of course Lea remembered PERFECTLY. Down to the outfit! She described the pink top and the skirt she’d been wearing that day on the Glee set, and Darren said, “Huh, was I wearing that?”, which of course cracked everyone up. I’m sure Blaine could pull it off, though :-)

The third song they did together was Falling Slowly and oh, that gave me chills, it was SO GOOD. Their harmonies are so beautiful on that song.

After those three duets, Darren started yawning and said he needed a nap (Ha! I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually DID take a nap!), so then it was just Lea left. And she chatted with us like we were friends, telling us what was in all the cups and glasses and paraphernalia that were on the piano just for her. No alcohol, though she confessed that after the show, she’d have a drink to unwind a little. No, it was tea and cranberry juice and water and a throat spray, if I remember correctly, which she said she all needed for as long a set as theirs runs. I believe her wholeheartedly. It’s a wonder they can keep singing like that night after night - they certainly don’t hold back. They give it their all.

She sang Cannonball first, and oh, she DID sound like a cannonball. Her voice is so powerful. She got the crowd to join in, too, which I loved.

Then she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and the backdrop on the stage actually turned into the colours of the rainbow for that song - it was so pretty. And of course she nailed the song. She said she’d always loved it, but she’d never sung it in public before, so she’d practiced it so she could sing it in London. Just lovely.

And then we got another confession from her: that she was a huge Gleek, just like us. That got a big cheer, of course!

She asked us what our favourite Glee songs were, and she sang a few snippets - I remember a stanza from Poker Face and then a bigger part of Don’t Stop Believing, getting us all to sing along, and of course we did so with gusto!! Yeah, that was a goosebumps moment. And you saw her beaming at the response from the crowd and being so pleased that we were so in the moment with her and singing along. Wonderful.

That segued into Lea singing Don’t Rain On My Parade, and KILLING IT!! Oh, she really went to town on that song, and we rewarded her for that with a standing ovation, which was more than deserved.

Then she told us about being a huge Lady Gaga fan, and how she was sad she didn’t get to sing Edge of Glory on Glee, because it was one of her go-to songs to sing in the shower, etc. And she told a story about her strong connection with her grandfather, and apparently Lady Gaga had written this story for HER grandfather. I didn’t catch everything, but it was a beautiful moment.And then she sang Edge of Glory, and you could tell that it meant a lot to her, that song. So emotional.

As was the next one she sang, Glitter In The Air. Apparently, that’s one out of only THREE songs that Lea got to choose for herself to sing on Glee (the others were Make You Feel My Love and This Time). And she recalled seeing Pink perform this song live at the Grammys hanging in the air from just a piece of cloth, and she remembers thinking, ‘If Pink can do that, I can do anything I put my mind to’. Lea’s performance of this song was just as intimate and goosebump-inducing as it was on Glee, and I just LOVED it.

After that, she sang Run To You, and I squealed excitedly, because those were back to back the two songs I’d really hoped she’d sing, so I was thrilled. I know she can belt like the best of them, but where Lea really touches me is when she makes her voice soft and vulnerable and crystal clear, every note just hitting the right spot, and conveying so much emotion that it fills you to the brim.

The last song she sang on her own was a Christmas song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

After that, Darren came back on stage to loud cheering, and they sang another song of hers, Getaway Car, together. Again, their harmonies give me chills. They sound awesome together.

When the Getaway Car duet was done, Lea left the stage to Darren for a well-deserved break, and Darren sang Cough Syrup. Never one of my favourite Glee songs, because of the whole suicide scene playing out while Blaine was singing it - *cringe*. But hearing it now without any of those marring elements, only Darren on stage singing his heart out, redeemed the song for me. Thank you for that, Darren! Now I have better images attached to that song :-)

And then Darren asked us if we knew the song before we heard it on Glee. I didn’t, and many others shook their heads as well, but Darren said he’d always loved the band Young the Giant, way before he got to sing their song on Glee. Which led him to enthuse about how wonderful it was that Glee mixed up all sorts of music genres, and led him to become more proficient at singing musical songs, for instance, and how he loved that aspect of being part of Glee, and how it had shaped his musical career. “Look at this concert! Where else would you hear a rock song and then straight after a song from a musical?”

That segued into Darren singing Hopelessly Devoted To You. And devoted he was. Oh, he sang that song beautifully on Glee, but during the concert, it was even more heartfelt, more raw. He dug deep, and at times, it felt like intruding on a personal moment. It made tears well up in my eyes.

After that, he sang most of the songs from his Homework EP. Again, I was THRILLED, ‘cause I love those.

It was just Darren and his guitar for both Going Nowhere and I Dreamed A Dream, and during most of that, you could here a pin drop. Everyone was so in the moment, and Darren’s voice is SO beautiful on both of those songs, which have gorgeous melodies and lyrics that really speak to you. Yes, that was definitely one of the highlights of the concert for me. I’ve listened to those songs on repeat for I don’t know how many times, but hearing them live is so much better still.

Foolish Thing was on the piano, and a lot more vigorous than the softer songs that came before, and many people sang along. The crowd was so responsive, I loved that.

Then Darren told the story of how he’d written Not Alone while he was in Italy, and wanting to write a big ballad, and he mentioned that he’d used it for AVPM, which of course got a LOUD cheer from the Starkid fans, and he sang a snippet from Going Back To Hogwarts, and we sang along, that was fun.

And then he sang Not Alone, and oh, SO INCREDIBLE. You could tell that the song meant a lot to him. Again, he poured just everything into it, and it was an outstanding moment, with the audience singing with him and just feeling the vibe. Goosebumps. Truly.

But he topped that with the song that came after, which was Teenage Dream. He asked us not to sing along, and during the quiet part, we didn’t, but as soon as Darren started belting, there were people singing along anyway. I’m sorry about that, but luckily, it didn’t get to Darren, who really gave his all on this song, and it was so stupendous that we ended up giving him a standing ovation. For TD and everything that came before. Seriously, the guy is pure magic and had us all under his spell. So SO deserved, that standing O.

Then Lea came on again, and they did This Time, reminiscing about Glee again, dedicating the song to us fans, and then harmonising so beautifully that I got tears in my eyes again. I’m getting emotional again just writing about it.

The last song before the encore was Don’t You Want me, and they were so full of energy as if it was their very first, getting us to stand up and sing and dance along, which we did enthusiastically.

And then the encore was Make you feel my love. Without microphones, just their voices. An amazing moment, that made us feel so connected and so moved. It was only marred by an idiot shouting something somewhere halfway through.

That was the end, and then I went to my hotel with @klaineunite who was staying there too, and I was still half in a trance. It was so superb that I’ll be reliving it for days and weeks on end. What a wonderful experience. Truly spectacular, and my admiration for the both of them has grown exponentially. Lea and Darren are amazing, and deserve all the praise.

[arizcross]

KHR Idol AU

“For a very long time, in this world the power of music and worldwide level entertainment has brought humanity together.” Starts a beautiful man with smooth yet playful voice.

His skin is pale and flawless – like ivory –, his hair an explosion of soft white strands with very hard to notice lights of an extremely pale violet, his eye shape is sharp and his irises are tinted with the most lovely of purples, under his left eye is a curious tattoo of three small spikes pointing down.  

“For that same reason there are very few of these 'World-Class' idols.” He says as he makes air quotes with his hands.

Now we can see his outfit; he is wearing a black and tight shirt with some fashionable rips, his jeans are black and tight as well, some fashionable rips here and there. Over his black shirt he is wearing a white informal jacket with embroideries of white dragons on the sleeves, his boots are white and with a three centimeters heel.

“This is why tonight is a special night...” He continues.

Now we can see the he is standing in the middle of a TV Show forum. Behind him is a stage submerged in shadows, the spotlight focused solely on the white haired young man that is talking to us. The audience listens with rapt attention to every word he says, wondering what lies in the darkness behind the beautiful host of the show.

“Tonight here, in 'Byakkun's Talk-Back Show', I Byakuran, will present to you the newest of these World-Class Idols!” He finally reveals, the audience making a sound of shocked surprise. “Some months ago he made his artistic debut with his very first single, a very lovely song in english that he composed himself! A song that, allow me to inform you, is in the top hundred Bellboard list! Then he made some awesome collabs with bright shining stars like 'Kyoko', 'Generation X', 'Varia' and, of course, me! Your lovely Byakuran!”

With every fact that Byakuran stated about this new 'World-Class' Idol the audience's mouths open wider and wider, some of the people that already have guessed who Byakuran is talking about have already started to fangirl and fanboy so strongly that they are vibrating on their seats, some are even stomping their feet against the floor with such strenght that it sounds like an earthquake.

“He has also been in the cover of magazines like 'Teenage' and 'Teen Vague'! And, as some of you may already know, he will make a special apparition in the children TV Show, Sun Flower Street!” By now, everyone in the audience is screaming and clapping and stomping, some are even crying!  “From: Arcobaleno Wide World Entertainment Company, To: The World…” Dramatic pause. “I present to you to the lovely! The pure!! The awesome!! 'Tsuna'!!!”

Announces Byakuran the name of the guest artist, the lights turn on behind him and on the stage previously submerged in shadows we see the figure of a lovely young man.

The crowd goes wild.

Tsuna has crazy puffy and fluffy looking chestnut hair, pretty almond shaped eyes with long and dark eyelashes, amber-ish colored irises that shine gold against the light of the reflectors, a small mouth with plump rosy lips, all of this on a lovely heart shaped face. He is wearing a white dress shirt with vertical orange stripes and the last two buttons are unbuttoned, over that he has a dark orange jacket with hoodie, his jeans are tight and standard blue color with some rips here and there, covering his feet are a pair of classic black converse. All in all, Tsuna looks casual and welcoming, as if he is the best friend you have a crush on.

A soft piano music starts to play in the background and then Tsuna soft yet kind of husky voice joins, like a caress to the soul…

Today we live, today we breathe Today we know that we are strong when we are weak Today we trust, we overcome Take every chain that kept us slaves and throw them off

There is a shift in the music and a higher tone melts into the song, a female duet joins Tsuna's voice and the song takes strength.

We're not waiting for permission We defy our inhibition Like our middle name is "fearless" Unafraid

There is a beat... and then the whole audience sings along, as if they all have become a powerful giant.

If we're gonna fly, we fly like eagles Arms out wide If we're gonna fear, we fear no evil We will rise By your power, we will go By your spirit, we are bold If we're gonna stand, we stand as giants If we're gonna walk, we walk as lions

There is moment were the whole crowd, Byakuran included, go into 'Ooh Ooh' as the drums beats, their hands waving in the air. Tsuna smiles at this and finishes the phrase with one more…

We walk as lions

As the drums and the piano keep playing Tsuna's voice once again reigns the song, the two women of the chorus can be seen dancing slowly on the background, lip singing but not really joining again yet.

Today is ours, it's always been Before we face the fight We know who's gonna win We live by faith and not by sight We don't want safe and quiet We don't wanna run and hide

The audience is wild, singing along Tsuna with burning passion, some have already fainted and been took out of the building. Once again the female duet joins Tsuna's velvet voice and the giant sings once again.

This is not an intermission It's our time, not gonna miss it You've already called us fearless Unafraid If we're gonna fly, we fly like eagles Arms out wide If we're gonna fear, we fear no evil We will rise By your power, we will go By your spirit, we are bold If we're gonna stand, we stand as giants If we're gonna walk, we walk as lions We walk as lions

The audience 'Oohs' along with tears rolling down their cheeks. Tsuna then takes the microphone and directs it the audience, silently asking them to sing the next part of the song. No one dared to disappoint the young idol.

Oh, everywhere we go The battle has been won We know you've gone before us So, we take it hard in faith With every step we take We know we'll rise victorious

Tsuna nods towards the audience and gives them a smile filled with pride and joy before he starts to sing along the audience again. The singing voice of the giant inside the TV forum is clear and loud, so loud it seems as if every person in the country is singing along for the world to listen.

If we're gonna fly, we fly like eagles Arms out wide If we're gonna fear, we fear no evil We will rise By your power, we will go By your spirit, we are bold If we're gonna stand, we stand as giants If we're gonna walk, we walk as lions We walk as lions

The audience – with crying eyes and sore throats – 'Ooohs' one last time, their souls have been soothed by Tsuna's singing and their eyes blessed by Tsuna's presence, the audience is grateful to Byakuran and will remember this night as one of the best nights of their lives.

We walk as lions

Finishes the brunette on the stage, the light dims on Tsuna and his crew as the melody ends, finally the shadows swallow the young man's figure again and the audience gives a standing ovation.

“That was ‘Tsuna’.” Joyfully reappears Byakuran in front of the camera. “Thank you Arcobaleno Wide World Entertainment Company, you guys still got it. When we come back from the commercials we will have a nice chat with Tsuna-kun, remember to send me your questions to the show’s Twitter account so you can interview Tsuna-kun too! We will be right back, so please don't change your channel!” Says Byakuran as he winks to the camera.

When Sawada Tsunayoshi was sixteen years old he already had three – part time – jobs. Why? Because his mother was sick and their medical insurance didn’t cover the complete treatment, so Tsuna had to pay for half of the medicines that she needed. The young brunette had already been held back a year, making him repeat his final year of middle school. After school he worked as a waiter in a coffee shop near the hospital where his mother was indefinitely hospitalized... and then it gets tricky, because for his other two jobs Tsuna lied about his age. Three times a week, after visiting his mother at the hospital, Tsunayoshi worked as a waiter at a bar. And two times a week, after visiting his mother and with the help of a simple disguise – a baseball cap and sunglasses –, Tsuna worked as a receptionist at a... at a Love Hotel.

With all of that happening in his life, it is quite obvious that Tsunayoshi didn't had much time to spare in things that most of his peers are interested in, like fashion trends or celebrities, yet there were these small moments that Tsunayoshi shared with his mom, moments where they were alone in the hospital room and Tsunayoshi and his mom would play the guitar – she taught him how to when he was a child – and write silly songs together.

For about six months everything was alright – if we don't count Tsunayoshi's failing grades –, until one night a social worker showed up at the brunette's job at the bar, explaining Tsunayoshi's whole situation to the owner. To say that Tsuna was fired is an understatement. The social worker had also talked with the brunette's boss at the LH, so Tsunayoshi was fired from that job as well.

“I understand your situation, Sawada-kun.” Said the social worker. “But you are still a minor and were putting yourself in danger with those jobs.”

Tsunayoshi was beyond angry and sad that night, he felt defeated and so, so tired. So he did the only thing that could cheer him up in that moment; he took his old, second hand guitar that his mother gave him when he turned six, went to the nearest park to his house and sang the saddest song he could come up with. What he didn't know was that listening to him was Kawahira Shirou, co-founder and president of Arcobaleno Wide World Entertainment Company. 

Why was Kawahira in the middle of the night, in a sub-urban park in the not so big city of Namimori? Because he likes to take – fucking five years – long strolls around the world while searching for what he knows is true talent.Kawahira offered to pay for the treatment of Tsunayoshi's mother as long as the brunette accepted to work for him. 

At the beginning Tsunayoshi wasn't sure, what if these people were into human traffic? So the boy investigated; imagine his surprise when he discovered that the company is actually a legit company that produces and manages World Class Idols. Tsunayoshi called to the number Kawahira had given him and spoke with a woman by the name of Sepira Giglionero, who – after Tsunayoshi explained to her the reason of his call – told him about how Kawahira would just disappear for years in look for new talents for the company. Sepira told Tsunayoshi what he had to do and where he had to go, but before doing anything first the brunette had to speak with his mother, which was part of the deal he and Kawahira had made.

Tsunayoshi told his mother everything, from him having to repeat his last year of middle school to the jobs where he lied about his age, then he told her about Kawahira. He told her about how he was going to go to Tokyo to the main office of the Japanese Branch of The Arcobaleno Company. Of course there were tears, Nana – Tsunayoshi's mother – was sad that her son had to lie to her for so long, but she was – is – also proud of the kind and noble man her son turned out to be. Nana set only one condition for Tsunayoshi to be able to go to Tokyo and start his idol training; he had to properly finish middle school and give her his middle school certificate. Kawahira agreed with the woman's condition and called the man that would become Tsunayoshi's biggest nightmare – his greatest ally, his best friend, the father he needed and deserved but never knew he wanted –, Reborn.

When Kawahira first presented Reborn to Tsunayoshi, the white haired man told the brunette that the raven haired, sharp dressed man was going to be his tutor and that he would help him study for a special exam where in case Tsunayoshi approved it, he would get his middle school certificate. Those weeks were Hell and in Tsunayoshi’s mind Reborn quickly became someone that could put the devil to cry as easily as he drinks his as-dark-as-his-soul coffee. In the end Tsunayoshi managed to pass the exam, Nana granting him her full blessing for the Idol Training, but to Tsunayoshi’s dismay the one that turned out to be his producer and manager was no other than Reborn himself. The sharp-dressed demon called a pair of individuals to coach the brunette: Lal Mirch and Colonello.

Lal Mirch makes Tsunayoshi do a lot of exercise to gain stamina and lean muscle. She makes him run, squat, bench, jump, lift and drag weights as if his life depended on it – and maybe it did, Tsuna prefers to never find out –. She also designs healthy meal menus for him and makes Tsuna drink disgusting protein shakes every morning and night.

Colonello is Tsunayoshi’s dancing coach, he is more easy going than Reborn and Lal Mirch but by no means less spartan in his training. He makes Tsunayoshi dance on high heels, he even makesTsunayoshi walk on high heels as long as he was inside The Arcobaleno Building. He teacunayoshi hot to pole dance, ballet, break dance and jazz. All of this combined with Lal Mirch’s training almost killed Tsuna more than once.

Reborn also takes part on Tsuna’s Idol Training. He becam the brunette’s voice trainer, teaching him how to hit the high notes and how to make guttural heavy metal notes. Reborn presentsTsuna to some of the company’s bright stars, all for Tsuna to learn from his sempai in the Idol World, Reborn s very impressed when Tsuna charms every single one of those crazy bastards – and damn proud as well, but he will never admit it aloud –.

Next

#khr #Katekyo Himan Reborn! #idol au #khr idol au #idol!tsuna #I love the song Lions by Skillet #I think it fits Tsuna #oneshot #some background for the au

[iguana012]

2017 Japanese Nationals: Post competition analysis

Hello and happy new year to everyone! We have all survived yet another intense bloodbath, we have safely arrived to 2018 and we can talk about it now and forever after to our children and grandchildren. Yes, it’s the Japanese Nationals, also known as The Nightmare Before Christmas. As you know, once you get invested in figure skating, specifically Japanese figure skating, you can never enjoy Christmas as you once did when you were blissfully unaware of the existence of this event they call Japanese Nats. This season’s Nats has been feared for a good while as it was shaping up to be the event where people’s hearts would inevitably be broken. The event where the 2018 Olympic team was decided was possibly the fiercest competition in the ladies’ event in Nats history as no less than 7 ladies were battling for only 2 spots at the Olympics and Worlds. Japan ending up with 2 slots for their ladies was one of the biggest sins of 2017 if you ask me. Until the very last moment you couldn’t really guess who’d go and who’d stay home. But make no mistake, the girls who unfortunately had to stay home are much better than some of the other ladies in the world who will go to the Olympics. It’s not hating, it’s just the reality. Meanwhile the men’s event was gonna be a much less exciting and intense event from the moment Yuzuru Hanyu had to withdraw due to the injury he sustained in practice back at the NHK Trophy. However, even if the depth was nowhere near the spectacular last group of 6 from the 2013 Nationals, it still turned out to be a good competition. That said, here’s my personal analysis of the 2017 Japanese Nationals!

THE LADIES

At the beginning of this season, I bet nobody would have thought the Olympic team would be Satoko Miyahara and Kaori Sakamoto. In fact most people, including myself, thought Mai Mihara would be a lock and Wakaba Higuchi would eventually join her. Satoko was recovering from a serious hip stress fracture and couldn’t jump at all as of October, while Kaori had just turned senior and didn’t skate very well in the beginning (4th at US Classic where Marin Honda won, 5th at Rostelecom where Wakaba Higuchi was 3rd). But by Skate America, both ladies were able to put two clean back to back programs and they were 1st and 2nd in the event. Meanwhile Wakaba Higuchi, who started the season with a bang (217 total score at the Lombardia Trophy, two medals in the Grand Prix) started piling up small mistakes towards Nationals and Mai Mihara’s programs weren’t appreciated by the judges as she consistently got some of the lowest PCS among Japanese ladies. Marin Honda wasn’t much of a factor from the very beginning as she wasn’t quite ready for the intense fight for spots. A member of the World team in 2015, 2016 and 2017, Rika Hongo didn’t have much of a chance in front of the new seniors. But in the midst of the Olympic chase, junior Rika Kihira landed three triple axels at Nationals, the first lady to do so since Mao Asada. If she repeats the feat at Junior Worlds, she will officially repeat Mao’s record. 

7. Marin HONDA (SP, FS)

Marin was originally going to do a tango in her SP but changed her mind when she heard a song in the car and thought it was the perfect music for her. So she ended up skating to The Giving by Michael W. Smith and many people loved it. It’s really obvious when a skater loves the music they’re skating to. The emotional connection, as well as projection to the audience is deeper and more natural. 

The program was very sweet and warm but her performance at Nationals was a bit subdued as she kind of skated through the motions and didn’t really connect to the music. All I could think of after the program was, well, that was cute and sweet but it’s not something I’d look at and say wow that’s a complex, multi layered program that would be a hit at the Olympics. She actually maintained focus and got her spin levels this time (something she always struggles with) but a bad landing on the 3Lo (which I think is one of her best jumps) and a step-out / touch-down was costly in a deep field. 

Her FS this season is Turandot, a choice inspired by Olympic Champion Shizuka Arakawa. Marin made no secret out of her wish to compete at the 2018 Olympics and the media fell in love with her, she got a lot more sponsors than the other ladies (Japan Airlines, Ghana and KOSE to name a few); big companies that you usually see attached to names such as Mao Asada and Yuzuru Hanyu. People were more than ready to send her to the Olympics. But that dream couldn’t come true when she skated her long program at Japanese Nationals and popped a couple of jumps. Every time I saw this program I was a bit puzzled at her expression in the opening pose. I’m struggling to find any reason for her to flash a playful, idol like smile to the judges when her music is Turandot. She actually smiles a lot during the program and I found that distracting. Turandot is supposed to be a beautiful but cold princess and any prince who wishes to marry her should answer three riddles or else he dies. The red dress she wore for this program was absolutely gorgeous and as many people noticed, very similar to Yuna Kim’s Turandot dress. 

PROS: Marin has a lot of natural talent. Her skating skills are sublime and she looks like she’s skating on clouds. She has a beautiful face and a beautiful smile that everyone loves and a playful personality that can easily attract cameras. She loves and feeds off the attention she gets. A very charismatic performer with solid basics that could become a real star if she put a little more effort. 

CONS: Marin’s main problem is perhaps the lack of focus. Most of the time, she has trouble concentrating on the things that count and has lost important points just for not hitting her spin levels. She doesn’t have the greatest jumps and her toe picking technique is weird at best, but she gets decent height and beautiful flow. While she is a very skilled performer, she doesn’t have a wide interpretative range and is basically skating with a playful smile even when the music doesn’t require her to do so. She is still very young, is obviously enjoying a lot of love and adoration and will hopefully become more focused as she gets older. 

6. Rika HONGO (SP, FS)

Rika skated the best SP in a while here and got awarded with a 70 score and 3rd place after the short. Her SP is O Fortuna and it’s the same program as last season but I think her performance at Nationals was the best she ever did. She was wearing a beautiful red dress and skated with passion, power and conviction. She opened with a huge, fully rotated 3F-3T combination and you just knew she was in for a fight as she has a habit of underrotating the backend 3T when she’s injured or nervous. Spins aren’t her forte; she doesn’t hit the most aesthetically pleasing positions and doesn’t get a lot of speed. But she was 100% connected to her music (you could even see her lip sync when they showed close-ups) and she communicated very well with the audience. I loved the landing of the 2A right in time with the musical note. The step sequence was amazing; not the best posture and the movements seemed unfinished at times, but it was very expressive and could easily draw you in. She had people cheering and clapping for her from the moment she performed her last spin. Well deserved standing ovation and it was so good to see her so happy. 

Her FS set to the soundtrack of Frida is another gem of this season. Rika hasn’t enjoyed a good long program since Riverdance a couple of seasons ago and while this isn’t as popular as Riverdance, it still fits her like a glove. The 3F-3T was perhaps not as confident here as it was in the SP but she went on to land a beautiful tano 3S. The axis of the 3Lz was completely off and she fell; since falls were so rare in the competition, this one unfortunately stood out. I thought the step sequence was lovely though not as free and convincing as the short. Another fall on the 3Lo and it was clear that she would end up being left behind in the rankings. I also thought her interpretation was absent in the second half of the program as mistakes started piling up. 

PROS: Most Japanese ladies are known for having beautiful movements, soft skating skills and gracefulness but Rika Hongo usually puts out different, dynamic performances that can be equally enjoyed by the audience. In fact she is widely appreciated for bringing a quirky side to skating. Her jumps are big but she doesn’t have a good lutz edge and can sometimes underrotate. Even if she’s not going to the Olympics, she was a constant presence on the podiums and in competitions in the post Sochi era. 

CONS: It’s become increasingly difficult for her to keep up with all the young skaters coming from juniors. She’s not very consistent and has struggled with injuries in the past. Her posture issues are well known and she hasn’t fixed much about her hunched shoulders. She also doesn’t have the best skating skills in the field. 

5. Mai MIHARA (SP, FS)

Can you believe someone many people bet on being on the Olympic team finished 5th at Nationals? It was mostly because of her SP, Libertango, which turned out to be a not-so-good choice for her this season. While the intentions for her to expand her performing range are appreciated, perhaps this wasn’t the right season to experiment. I thought she started the program fairly well here and although her movements were not nearly sharp enough for this type of music, her interpretation was in the right mood. I don’t know if it’s just me or if her jumps have become smaller lately. The 3Lz-3T was smooth as always. She was obviously happy to land the combination but skaters tend to break the mood when the relief of landing the jump shows on their face. Not the fastest spins. That thing she does rolling her hips isn’t the most natural movement for her. The fall on the 2A was really, really unfortunate. That was not the first time she had a problem in the SP (3Lz-3T-boards at the French GP comes to mind) and she instantly got disconnected from the music and skated with a blank face for the rest of the program. The 3F is a great jump for her, lovely transition out. By the time she finished the program, it became clear that she wanted it to end as quickly as possible. 

Her FS, Gabriel’s Oboe, is more in her comfort zone but it still didn’t leave the best impression on the judges. It’s a lovely program and a fan favorite but one has to wonder where things go wrong for the judges to not want to reward it in PCS. Of course it’s the obvious problem of the Japanese ladies getting underscored as a tradition but in Mai’s case that can’t be the only reason. It’s cute, it’s uplifting and heart warming but perhaps it’s a bit too one note? There aren’t any ups and downs, just safe skating from the beginning to the end. She landed all of her jumps but it still didn’t have the wow factor of a cleanly skated long program. It’s not rich in transitions and her upper body movements need work. Aside from the relief of landing her jumps, she doesn’t show much in her expression either. The girl has been through a lot, she deals with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and this disease has kept her out of the second half of her last junior season. She enjoyed some success last season in the absence of Satoko Miyahara and has gained plenty of fans who appreciate the pure style of her skating. 

PROS: Her jump technique is usually very solid and she is known for her effortless take-offs and landings. She also maintains very good flow. She can usually get very high TES and she had an extra jump in the second half of the FS this season. Also known for her consistency. She can only become better and better from here on. 

CONS: She needs something to stand out. Every element of her skating has room for improvement and perhaps she is still searching for her personal style. 

4. Wakaba HIGUCHI (SP, FS)

Wakaba almost went to the Olympics. Almost. She worked very hard to be taken into consideration for the team and if Japan had 3 spots, Wakaba would have been on the team. This is a skater who enjoyed a boost in popularity this season, mostly due to the fan favorite long program Skyfall. No doubt Wakaba has improved in all aspects of her skating from the last time we saw her skate Scheherazade at the World Team Trophy. I would even say she’s the closest to “the complete package” with her powerful jumps and performing skills. She was at her best at Cup Of China where she arguably should have won over a less cleaner Alina Zagitova. But she was not up to her usual standards at the Grand Prix Final and the trend unfortunately continued at Japanese Nationals. 

While I’m not a big fan of her Gypsy Dance SP, she is able to take the choreography and make it her own. She’s very good at projecting to the audience. The shoulder shimmies were surely a hit among skating fans. The program is playful, fun and extroverted just like she is. She gets effortless speed and she is very powerful. The placement of the 2A is a great match for the musical structure but unfortunately she singled the jump here and it ended up becoming an invalid element. She was able to focus for the rest of the program and she landed a gorgeous 3Lz-3T combination - the best among Japanese ladies. She doesn’t get as much distance as she gets height but her jumps are no doubt a wow moment in the program. I still wonder why she insists risking a 3F seeing as she very often tends to take off from the outside edge, but she did it at Nationals and I love the transition out. The step sequence is amazing and not a single movement is left purposeless. That’s a very well choreographed sequence and I can’t help but love the beautiful and natural blend of music and movements.

The FS was a bit more “nervous” than the SP. The thing with Wakaba is that when she’s completely focused on her program and doesn’t let the jitters reach to her, she is a very skilled performer. But when the nerves kick in, her interpretation looks anxious and she disconnects from the music. That’s especially bad in the free because she has showed that she can bring the audience on its feet when she gives a good performance, but when she loses focus and starts worrying about her elements, the program inevitably suffers and becomes a shadow of its true potential. Wakaba skated a careful program at Nationals but when she’s on, she’s electrifying. She gets so intense that if I were judging her and she pointed a finger gun at me, I’d fear for my life. She can also become playful and confident, skating like she knows all your secrets and can always use them against you. The choreo sequence is so great. The split jump into the besti squat is so badass. The part where she walks on the tips of her blades and throws a knowing side eye at the judges; love it. The doubled salchow - not so much. At this point everyone let out a loud sigh as they knew what that meant. The 3Lz-3T in the second half of the program is always so risky; the 3T tends to get much less distance than the 3Lz and is in danger of being underrotated. The spiral after the step sequence is a bit eek - not the prettiest lines there. Love the haircutter at the end, she gets great speed and her free arm hits some nice positions on the notes. 

PROS: Great all-around skater. Dynamic jumps, nice skating skills, decent spin positions though not always the most aesthetically pleasing lines. Great performer; I think she’s been underrated for a while but I’m glad a program like Skyfall gave her the opportunity to shine. She has a distinct skating style, powerful and intense, which makes her stand out from the rest. 

CONS: Nerves. Not saying she totally bombs her programs, but it’s the small mistakes that take away points and performance quality. I think she wanted to go to the Olympics a bit too much and the impatience worked against her. Hopefully it’s a lesson learned and will overcome the small problems in the future. 

3. Rika KIHIRA (SP, FS)

Three triple axels in a single competition. One in the SP, two in the FS. That says it all about this young girl who had a monstrous TES in the free and is turning out to be a force to be reckoned with. As if this event wasn’t intense and high quality enough, Rika came in and threw some of the most effortless triple axels I’ve seen. She’s also improved from a presentation standpoint and is no longer the awkward junior from last season. She missed Junior Worlds last season but this season she will hopefully not only compete but also skate two clean programs and step on that podium.

Kung Fu Piano is an interesting choice for her SP. So is the color of the dress (costume designer Satomi Ito is the real MVP). She’s still slightly rough around the edges compared to other Hamada students but I have no doubt everything she lacks now will come in time. Love the fact that she opens with a layback spin; a bit of a break from the layout monotony. And then the triple axel; it’s like you don’t even know what hit you. She goes into the jump without the slightest hesitation and she lands equally confident, with a lovely running edge out. 13.46 points for that jump alone! And then it’s a 3F-3T combination way in the second half of the program, talk about technical brilliance! A shame about the doubled lutz, otherwise this would have been unreal. It just blows your mind. 

She’s skating to La Strada in her long program, a piece most Japanese fans associate with Daisuke Takahashi’s Olympic bronze medal / World gold medal winning long program. She seems so relaxed, it’s like she’s not about to jump two triple axels in the next few seconds. And then she lands the jumps like it’s second nature and never once breaks the mood of the program. The spins could be a bit faster; she’s not the best spinner around. The axis of that 3Lo was actually a bit scary; I’m glad she was able to stay on her feet. The fact that she doesn’t show any anxiety at all is refreshing. Final TES 79.53. That will be hard to beat once she improves her components and the PCS catches up. 

PROS: Sound technique, triple axels and possibly quads in the future. No doubt a technical prodigy. Already gaining popularity as a junior, can only imagine the hype when she turns senior. 

CONS: Not the best spins, skating skills and lines but I do believe she’ll get there. She’s still only 15. 

2. Kaori SAKAMOTO (SP, FS)

Surprise, surprise! It’s the girl almost nobody considered for the Olympic team. Kaori is fresh off juniors and she’s been slightly inconsistent in the past. However she truly rode the wave towards the Olympics and was the only one to become better and better when it actually counted. It was only last season when she finished 7th in the same competition but went on to get a Junior Worlds bronze behind country mate Marin Honda, who got silver. While everyone else was busy stressing out over placements and scores, Kaori waltzed through this Nationals with the best #YOLO attitude and was even bewildered in the kiss & cry when she realized she didn’t win the competition. Skating last in the free skate was truly the most important test for her and she passed without any problems. Her selection over Wakaba Higuchi was received with little to no protests. 

The SP set to Moonlight Sonata is a good example of a good backloaded program. The jumps kick in as the music gets more intense. And she has the best jumps of all Japanese ladies, so why not show them off using the best method? She gets amplitude as well as distance and you’re left amazed every time she jumps one of those 3F-3T combinations. The best part about her combinations is the fact that the 3T gets virtually the same height and distance as the 3F, making the combo look truly spectacular. She is a decent spinner, but her skating skills are not among the best. She’s not the most graceful skater, and her lines could use some work. Very rough around the edges but she just came out of juniors after all. 

The FS is the kind of program you’ll either love or hate. Skating to the soundtrack of Amelie, Kaori changed the color of her dress to a much visually pleasing red. The program fits Kaori’s quirkiness overall but there are a lot of stops and breaks, two footed skating and not as many transitions. The pantomime is also not the most convincing. The 3F-3T was not the most confident here as the 3T seemed a little bit off axis - a problem she used to struggle with in the past. I wonder if it’s a wee bit awkward having to wave at someone in the audience in the middle of the program. There’s a huge break after the step sequence with a lot of miming and not as much actual skating. The part where she bends over is maybe a bit too much; I didn’t like it when I first saw it and I still don’t like it now. But she gets plenty of time to charge her batteries for what’s coming next. The flutz is often very obvious though she works very hard on her take-off edge. Great response from the audience, they were clapping for her even before she started preparing for her final spin. 

PROS: The best jumps in the business hands down. Great resistance to pressure and a bright attitude that helps her focus on the important things. 

CONS: Not the best skating skills and transitions, not the best lines and a still juniorish performance style. Aside from her jumps, everything else has plenty of room for improvement. 

1. Satoko MIYAHARA (SP, FS)

In a miraculous comeback from one of the most serious (and probably rarest) injuries a figure skater can suffer, a stress fracture of the hip joint, Satoko won her 4th National title and an automatic qualification to the Olympic Games. During her long comeback to competition, she also suffered 2 additional injuries, one in her ankle after she skated at Mao Asada’s ice show in July and another one in September, once again in her already affected hip. She was banned from jumping, especially toe jumps, up until October and for a while it seemed like it was impossible for her to recover so quickly. Mie Hamada suggested they start preparing for the next Olympics in 2022. But the unthinkable happened and she showed up at Skate America in a much improved state compared to NHK Trophy just two weeks prior. And while the technical panel there gave her the benefit of doubt on a few jumps, the general idea was that maybe she was ready to challenge for an Olympic spot after all. 

Many skating enthusiasts enjoyed Satoko’s long program last season, set to The Planets suite and a little bit of Princess Leia, and were hoping to see it again this season considering that her appearances last year were cut in the middle as a consequence of her hip injury. But she showed up with two brand new programs this year, both Japanese themed but in general different from one another. Her SP Memoirs Of A Geisha choreographed by Lori Nichol has quickly become one of the fan favorites this season. While the performance at Nationals lacked that extra spark she displayed at the Grand Prix Final, it is worth noticing how she never lets her jump issues affect the rest of the program and you’re sure to get one heck of a performance even if, knock on wood, she doubles or singles all of her jumps. And this is what happened here; this is the most nervous I’ve seen Satoko like, ever, and all of her jumps had tight landings (including the 2A!), the underrotation was there, it was called, but she more than made up for it in PCS. She knew she let the nerves affect the overall quality of the program and she was not pleased at all. Which is partly why we got the most amazing FS two days later. 

The FS Madama Butterfly is Tom Dickson’s work, and he has wanted Satoko to skate to this piece since forever. But they wisely waited for the right time for Satoko to perform it to its full potential and it happened right in this competition. I’m known to be a Satoko fan so I’ll spare the superlatives for this program - I’ll just say she has never displayed as much freedom, emotional depth and audience projection as she showed at Nationals. It was the most inspirational skate of her career. I feel like this program is less about the actual story of Madama Butterfly and more about her own story overcoming a potentially career ending injury. The scene of Cio-Cio-san’s suicide is included towards the end of the program, culminating with the arabesque spiral in the choreo sequence; but instead of the program ending there like the opera, there’s an abrupt change once she lands her final 2A and it’s almost like she wakes up from a dream or like she is able to change her destiny as “Un Bel Di Vedremo” - an aria that shows Cio-Cio-san imagining the return of Pinkerton - plays once again all the way to the end of the program. So she went through the toughest and most challenging times, but in the end, quoting the actual lyrics of the aria: “One fine day we'll see / A thread of smoke arising / On the far horizon of the sea, / And then the ship appears”. 

PROS: Some of the finest skating skills in Japanese skating, some of the most intricate steps, the best spins (fast, centered, hit the most aesthetically pleasing positions, the layback is to die for), the most refined lines, most purposeful use of arms and body movements in general, the ability to adapt to the changes in music and choreography and last but not least, consistency. 

CONS: The jumps. They’re small, they’re prerotated, sometimes underrotated, they have enough flaws for many people to cancel out everything I’ve listed in the “pros” paragraph. I’d say she needs to work on the technique but the truth is that it’s what she’s always been doing for the past years and there are some serious physical limitations that prevent her from “flying high”; I’ve talked about them in this post so it’s a bit pointless to mention them again here. 

THE MEN 

In Yuzuru Hanyu’s absence, the National title was 99,99 % sure to go to Shoma Uno and the only other question was who was going to step up and claim the 3rd Olympic spot - although even here, Keiji Tanaka came in having done some steady progress while Takahito Mura was losing some of his athletic ability. So Keiji claiming the only spot left actually came to no surprise for me. The competition was overall better than I expected it to be but obviously less exciting and less intense compared to the ladies’ event, which is why I won’t go into much detail with the men. 

Yuzuru and Shoma haven’t competed against each other since Worlds - or to a less official extent WTT - and will only face each other at the Olympics. This is as exciting as it is terrifying IMO. Shoma has never officially beaten Yuzuru in competition, but his chances of an Olympic gold medal are still very high. Although there’s not much of a national depth at the moment, it’s actually the first time two Japanese men have this many chances of taking two of the Olympic medals. Perhaps Tatsuki Machida had more than 50% chances of making the podium in Sochi but it’s way more than that for both Yuzuru and Shoma this time. 

That said, it’s about time Shoma Uno gets his stuff together and sticks to the jump layout he’s most comfortable with because he’s made numerous mistakes this season. I read that’s exactly what he’s planning on doing and I say good for you son. It was long overdue. I can’t say I’m emotionally invested in his programs this season (his long program Turandot is recycled from the 2015-2016 season - with some changes that I’m not necessarily fond of) but they do showcase his strengths: beautiful flow, deep edges, speed, intense looks, some nice gif material worthy slow motion replays and all that. His lack of transitions and richness in crossovers has been talked to exhaustion all over the internet but I’m one of those who think they don’t mean weak skating skills. His skating skills are still strong but as it is the case with many men nowadays, he has to spend a lot of time preparing for the big point getters - the quads. His jump technique isn’t the best; he has more prerotation than the other men, and if he doesn’t do the crossovers and whatever else he needs, he won’t land them / will pop them / will underrotate them / you name it. At the end of the day, all skaters have to adjust to the requirements of the current judging system and if that means sacrificing things for the benefit of other things that are sure to be rewarded, then that’s what they have to do. 

I do have to say though, what the hell was that 2A-4T attempt. Why. Delete it from existence. 

Keiji Tanaka is hot and cold, but he was close to hot at Nationals. He came and did his job, he dealt fairy well with the pressure and landed his quads - that 4T in the FS though damn he just came and threw that DOWN. His biggest issue, as with many other skaters, is consistency. But if he calms down at the Olympics, he can surprise everyone with a good placement. 

Kana Muramoto is such a star; ever since she took the place of Cathy Reed, the new Muramoto/Reed team has been overflowing with charisma. I will be hardcore rooting for them at the Olympics. 

Can’t say much about Miu Suzaki / Ryuichi Kihara except oh crap a Yuri On Ice program at the Olympics (you know they’re gonna get those views) and poor Narumi Takahashi. 

All in all the ladies’ event could have been a separate competition in its own right; those girls are really top level and I expect all of them to expand their medal collection in the next 4 years. Oh yeah and to bring 3 spots back. 

#personal #figure skating #Satoko Miyahara #Kaori Sakamoto #Shoma Uno #Keiji Tanaka #Japanese National Championships 2017

[awed-frog]

What media reactions to the mixtape did you come across? Apart from a few Destiel blogs I 'lurk' on i only came across a non shipper podcast, can't remember the details, but they weren't super pleased. Was just curious about others, especially non shipper view as something 'different'. thanks

First of all, let me say that I mostly don’t understand how reviews work, like, in general. Maybe it’s snobbish of me, but if I’m reading a review I want to either a) get some help in deciding whether or no I should watch the thing or b) understand more about something I’ve loved or hated. That’s it. To me, the fact many professional reviews seem to be simple summaries of what goes down - well, that drives me nuts. Like, if I haven’t seen it, I don’t need you telling me what happens in every single detail. And if I have seen it, then we’re on the same bloody page, aren’t we? For God’s sake, tell me about a scene the director wanted to do differently, explain the symbolism of No theatre that went completely over my head or rant about some problematic issue we’re all wondering about - don’t tell me what bloody happens - who cares about that? I know what happens. Jesus. Maybe I’m too harsh, but I really see this as yet another example of mass media becoming completely irrelevant. I lost count of how many times I checked some review hoping to find actual information about a movie or a show, only to find what I needed in the comments - because, whatever, the person writing the column had been too busy impersonating a 12-year-old kid forced to write about his holidays to actually do his job (‘And on Sunday we went to aunt Lucy’s for lunch…and she’d made roast chicken…and my sister had a fight with mom…and then we went home…’).

(This is not to say I don’t support traditional media - I think they’re super important, if only because people are unreliable and discussions about anything, even movies, can quickly degenerate in trolling, hating, and dick talk. That’s why I’m not really sure I miss IMDb’s forums - unfortunately, they’d become truly surreal.)

That said, I occasionally do check those columns, and in this case, I remember clicking on link after link with a vengeance, wondering what the ‘normal audience’ would make of thie mixtape. And as far as I remember, most of the articles I read didn’t even mention that moment - which was quite a feat, since they painstakingly summarized every single second of the episode without offering any kind of ‘meta’ thought about any of it. One person mused that Cas’ feelings for Dean had always been a bit pathetic, sort of an unrequited crush, so it was a nice gesture of Dean to give him a little gift and make him feel he mattered. A few others spoke of fan service (and the sad thing is, were they wrong? only time will tell). One described the scene without comments, simply adding a (!!) at the very end. Honestly, the one review I can rec you is @studio82a‘s excellent article on Hypable on the use of mixtapes in cinema, because she was pretty much the only one to actually try and contextualize what was going on - all the while keeping it accessible to people who aren’t as obsessed as we are with the show. Kudos!

So, look, I don’t know. It’s likely I have a skewered understanding of what reviewers are supposed to do - but, on the other hand, it also seems to depend on the quality of the newspaper and how much importance they give to popular culture, right? In my view, newspapers (and I’m using the term loosely) should have two kinds of articles: stuff that tells you what happened (in this case, with spoiler warnings) and stuff that tries to explain what it means (in the most objective way possible). When it comes to books and movies, I think media generally don’t understand the importance those can have on people’s lives, and how they can shape our collective mindset, and therefore what they do is this sort of lazy whatever work - you see it all the time in articles covering Cannes, for instance - they’ll normally spend two paragraphs on what Nicole Kidman was wearing, and then describe what her new movie was about and generally give away the ending. And I’m not saying we should talk less about current events or something, but considering most of us seem to be spending six hours a day watching TV, it could be interesting to have a look at what’s going on there from time to time. Like, The Economist published a long article about Star Wars last year, and it deserved some kind of standing ovation - they looked at it from the economic point of view and really outlined how important the franchise is, and what Disney wants to do with it and everything else. It was really well done, and something we should see more often. 

(Of course, Supernatural may not deserve that kind of attention, but I still don’t get why people do that kind of crappy recaps - either point me towards some wiki, or analyze stuff properly and tell me things I don’t know. Ugh.)

#ask #reviews #spn meta #spn review #the mixtape #spn 12x19 #destiel #and the other thing is #the idea of spoiler warnings #is catching up on english-speaking media #but in italy it's a catastrophe #like #the day that hp7 came out #the very day #repubblica and il corriere were like #LITTLE HARRY DEFEATS EVIL AND SNAPE DIES #all caps in the first page #like the bloody daily prophet or something #so i think we don't have the sophistication yet #to say #this is important and this is what you should know about it #and separate that from #more in-depth articles about symbolism and meaning and stuff #then again #italian newspapers mostly suck about everything else too #uuuugh

[alexanderhamllton]

A Lovely Night (2/3) [Lin-Manuel Miranda x Reader]

PART 1

Summary: What happens when Lin’s path and yours cross while trying to make it into Broadway?

Word count: 2,568

Warnings: Alcohol mention and some light cursing. Also usage of some FLS content from 2012 even tho this story is set in 2007 oops. 

A/N: PART TWO IS HERE! This took me and Nat forever to figure out and I’m so glad @down4usnavy decided to help out because her idea was amazing. I really hope you guys like it! Also part three will (hopefully) come very soon!

askbox | ren’s masterlist | nat’s masterlist

“Don’t make me physically drag you outside, [Y/N]!” Natalie barged into your room already dressed up, opening your closet and looking for something for a few seconds, throwing a yellow dress at you.

“I agreed to the party last time, I’m not going again.” You hugged your pillow and resolutely stared at her, ignoring the dress.

“But I saw you talking to a cute guy last time! And this time it’s just a bar, how bad can it be?” Natalie countered, her voice echoing in the hallway as she left your room.

You laughed into the pillow, rolling your eyes. “Yeah, a cute guy who left just as I was about to begin my rant. Total asshole.”

“Exactly!” Sabrina shouted, also already dressed up. She poked her head in your room. “Give the universe a chance to redeem itself. You’ll find that someone in the crowd this time.”

You let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine.” You put on the dress, fixed your hair and makeup, and entered the living room to the cheers from the other girls.

“I knew you’d come through her, Nat” Sabrina grinned, taking your hand and pulling you outside. As much as you loved driving, in a cab you appreciated how you could sit back and watch the view that you could never get bored of. You were wondering how much electricity this city used to light up the neon signs at night when the cab halted and you had to hop out.

From the outside, the bar looked quite generic and non-descript. There was a chalkboard next to the entrance that said ‘Freestyle Love Supreme LIVE!’ You sighed, expecting the night to pass with second-rate live music and mediocre drinks. The inside of the bar, however, was thrumming with electricity. Everyone was talking over each other, clinking their glasses and smiling. One of the men onstage holding a mic yelled something, and laughter rippled through the audience.

“Cool place, huh?” Natalie asked, handing you a drink.

You accepted it and shrugged. “Not bad. Do you know the group that’s performing?”

She shook her head and squinted at the stage. “No idea. They seem to be freestyling, though.” She furrowed her eyebrows, listening intently. You followed her gaze and indeed, they were freestyling. About... Ramen?

“Jonathan, this is your mother!” Your jaw dropped when you hear the familiar voice. The audience laughed with the interaction between a really skinny indian dude and the guy you recognized as Lin. His impersonation was on point, so it was really hard to keep a straight face as he rapped about the dangers of going to a rooftop. But you did. No way you would give him the satisfaction after the dick-move he pulled the other night.

As the show went on, you took a seat on a far away table. As the group on stage introduced themselves, you started to add names to the faces: The indian dude? Utk. The host, Two-Touch. As he introduced the next segment, you were trying really hard not to be charmed by Lin’s crazy freestyling skills.

“Now let’s talk places. What’s your favorite place in New York City?” Two-Touch pointed the mic to the audience, that started to yell random locations such as the GWB and the Met. Your brain ran a thousand miles per hour to find somewhere, something, that would push Lin’s buttons.

“The Imperial Theatre!” You shouted. The eyes of almost everyone there were on you, and that’s when you noticed how loud your voice was. Lin’s eyes grew wider and his lips turned into a fine line before he brought the mic closer to them.

“I’ll take the Imperial.” He said, looking at you like he could poke holes in your skull.

“Okay then! Sooooo… What you know about the Imperial, the Imperial?” Two-Touch started the song and Shockwave brought the beats in the very next second, the smirk not leaving your face as Lin got ready to start his freestyle rap.

The rhymes came out of his mouth in an unbelievable speed. As he spit verses about the Imperial’s history and how many amazing shows ran there, one verse, the last verse, ringed a bell: “But that theater won’t be a symbol of my failure, just a reminder that i can be my own saviour.”

You raised your eyebrows while slow-clapping at him, getting a smile in response. As the show progressed, his verses got better and better. He’d look at you after every rhyme he was proud of, almost like he was checking if you were impressed by his skills.

You were, but he didn’t need to know that.

The performance ended with applauses and cheering from the audience, but you stood there only with a smile, clapping discreetly while the other girls were giving FLS an standing ovation, motivated mostly by the alcohol in their bodies. You, in the other hand, were as sober as always, too distracted to even touch your glass. If Lin-Manuel wanted a game, that’s what you were going to play.

The group came off stage straight to the bar, being stopped a few times for pictures and compliments. They were almost a small gang, but everyone was be able to see they were capable of doing really  big things in the future. As they ordered his drinks, Lin spotted your table once again, taking his drink -and his friends- with him when he decided to approach you.

“Party girl, hey!” He chanted, making your roommates giggle.

“You’re probably the first person that called her that, like, ever.” Sabrina commented, and you slapped her arm playfully, but giving her a dirty look. “What? It’s true.”

“Whatever.” You mumbled for her, before turning to Lin with a fake smile. “Hi, guy that left me talking to myself the other night!”

“Ouch, that had to hurt.” The guy you recognized as Utk had his arm around Lin’s shoulder, the other hand already occupied with a glass of something from the bar. “I couldn’t help but notice you lovely ladies from the stage. Does any of you want to dance?”

Natalie looked at you with like someone who asks permission, and apparently the eye roll you did was understood as encouragement. “See you later, girls!”

“So, I think it’s only fair for me to ask you a dance.” Lin said, offering his hand with a smirk on his face.

“Oh, sadly I can’t because… Because I’m going to dance with Sabrina!”

“Wait, what?” The confused look on your friends face made Lin’s eyebrows rise, but you didn’t stutter.

“Yeah, you promised a dance! Let’s go.” You held her hand, obligating her to leave the half-full drink at the table. “See ya!”

As you pulled Sabrina through the mass of people all the way to the dance floor, you could feel his eyes on your back, and you weren’t sure how that made you feel. But you didn’t care.

At least that’s what you initially thought.

While the beat of the songs made you move your trained body in the rythm, your eyes would always snap back to the bar, where Lin was absently chatting with his friends, but his eyes were on you every once in awhile. You knew because you were checking on him too. Two songs went by and Sabrina was not having any of your games. “Go talk to him!”

“What? No!” You held her hand for a second, and she squeezed before letting go. “I won’t go there, Sab.”

“[Y/N], then go home! He’s clearly on your head by now, you’re not having fun anymore.”

“Of course I am!” You quickly replied, not being able to face her while saying the blatant lie. “Okay, maybe you’re right. I’ll go home.”

“But we’re splitting a cab!”

“Here.” You opened your purse, giving her 10 bucks you gained from tips during the week. “I’ll take the subway, I’ll be fine.”

“Whatever you say. Be safe!”

“Always!” You answered, already leaving the dance floor and heading to the door. The summer breeze hits you, together with the rush of people and cars that never seem to stop in New York City. You walk halk a block before hearing a familiar voice behind you:

“Hey!” You stop walking for a second and look back, not bothering to completely turn around. “Hey, I didn’t get a chance to catch your name.”

“Well you were pretty okay with that the other night so...” You started to walk again, but this time he was right next to you.

“You see, I wasn’t. Like at all, it sucked that I came back to the balcony and you weren’t there anymore.”

“I waited for you but then I had to go home and move on with my life!” You replied dramatically, rising your brows and getting a head tilt in response.

“Waited what? Fifteen minutes?”

“Forty five.” You said, now having the subway entrance on your line of vision and stopping for second, Lin almost out of breath for following your quick pace. “You see, I’d love to stay in the middle of the street and talk, except I don’t. So, if you excuse me-”

“Okay, wait a second.” You stopped mid-motion, taking a deep breath before turning to him again, arms crossed and ready to listen. “First, can you please tell me your name?”

“[Y/N]. [Y/L/N].” You replied, trying to hide a smile that was beginning to grow on your face. You were an actress, you had to keep it together.

“Nice to meet you, [Y/N], I’m Lin.” He replied, offering his hand for the second time that night.

“Lin, I know who you-”

“Please? Can you just… Go with it?” He snapped, and you shook his hand after rolling your eyes. He was ridiculous. “Nice, firm handshake. Okay, so where are you going this late at night?”

“Uh… Home. I live in NoHo so it’s just a subway ride away.” You pointed to the subway entrance by the end of the block.

“No way, me too!” His hand flew to his chest in surprise, and you couldn’t help but feel there was something wrong there. “We can go together, I walked too far from the bar for me to come back anyway”.

“Okay… Will your friends be okay?” You asked, now walking a bit slower than before towards the station.

“They’ll be fine, don’t worry.” You nodded, not noticing you stopped walking to stare at him for a second. “Let’s go?”

As you went down the stairs to the subway station you noticed the lack of people there and mentally thanked Lin for being there with you. Not that you would actually thank him, you were too proud for that. Entering the subway car, Lin motioned for you to take one of the very few empty seats, choosing to stay hanging next to you. Two stops later, the person next to you left and he joined you on the seat.

The ride went smoothly, you made small comments about the other night and that started a whole ramble from his part about the musical he wrote about the neighborhood he grew up and how close it was from being done. You both laughed at how mad he was when you reminded him of the Imperial Theatre fiasco and you had to give him props for turning into a killer freestyle rap. He asked you about what you did, and you explained the whole “small town girl that went to New York to chase her actress dreams and became a barista” cliche. He found it inspiring, somehow. “Since when lattes are inspiring?”

“Since the beginning of time, [Y/N]. God only knows how many times caffeine saved my ass from writer’s block.” You giggled at his answer as the subway announced your stop. How long have you two talked?

“This is us.” You got up and he went right behind you, all the way to outside the station. The night got colder from when you entered the subway, making you hug yourself while walking beside Lin towards your building. You were looking down when you felt his jacket falling over your shoulders. “Thanks”

“No problem.” His smile was translated to his words, and you couldn’t help but smile too.

“So, where do you live?” You asked, turning your face to him.

“Uh, a couple blocks that way, but I can… You know, get you home first.” He shrugged.

“Oh, okay.”

You both walked side by side, not minding the silence. It was a comfortable silence, just knowing he was there and you weren’t getting home by yourself. When you both got to your building, you stopped by the porch and got up the steps as he waited in the sidewalk for you to get in safely. When you opened the door, you turned at him, smiling before he nodded and turned around, back to the same route you walked together.

Your hand hesitated in the doorknob for a few second before turning to the street, looking for the dark haired guy: “Lin!”

He turned to you the same second, the streetlights shadowing his face but not hiding his smile. “Yeah?”

“Your jacket.” You replied, removing the piece from yourself and hanging on your fingers. He quickly walked back to you, taking the jacket from your hands. “And I didn’t get your phone number.”

“Oh. That’s true.” You opened your purse, taking your phone and handing to him with the ‘new contact’ page open. He did the same thing with his. “So… Goodnight [Y/N].”

“Goodnight Lin, take care.” He chuckled before mimicking a hat tip and returning to his path back home.

Little did you know the path was a little longer than you imagined.

Once he noticed you got in, he rushed back to the subway station, you see, he couldn’t miss the last train back to his neighborhood, in Washington Heights.

He would never admit that, but he liked you from the moment he first saw you on that balcony, the neon lights from the building across the street illuminating your features as you gave him sassy comebacks and joined him on his sorrow. He never thought he’d see you again.

But he did, and you were just as bitter, he needed a way to get to know you. So he lied to make sure you wouldn’t refuse his offer to take you home, and boy he didn’t regret it one bit. The moment he got into the subway car heading to Heights, his phone buzzed from the back pocket of his jeans.

From: [Y/N] Got home safe?

He smiled to the text before typing a reply.

To: [Y/N] You see, funny story, I don’t live in NoHo.

To: [Y/N] I live in the Heights.

His bit his lips watching the speech bubble go on for a second before turning into your reply.

From: [Y/N] Please tell me it’s Morningside Heights and you don’t have to cross the city.

To: [Y/N] Nope, Washington Heights.

From: [Y/N] You’re crazy. And i’m going to sleep, text me when you get home safe.

To: [Y/N] Ok. Sweet dreams, don’t let the monsters catch you!

From: [Y/N] You’re insane.

He laughed at your reply before facing the almost empty train. Maybe he was going crazy, but for some reason it didn’t feel scary at all.

#lin manuel miranda #lin manuel miranda x reader #lin manuel x reader #lin manuel miranda imagine #hamilton imagine #hamilcast imagine #hamwriters #my writing #a lovely night #hamilbye

[samjgrasso]

The world’s first LGBT Mariachi: a story that never was

Photo via arcoirisdelosangeles/Facebook

I’ve always been scared to pitch stories. Selling myself has never been my strong suit—if I had a story idea, I didn’t have the confidence to think I could report it, and if I had the connect, I never had a story. So when I pitched a profile of the first LGBT Mariachi of Los Angeles, Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, at my first Big Time Magazine internship a little more than two years ago, I was ecstatic my editor accepted the pitch and assigned it to me, no questions.

I finished the story while I was in California but didn’t receive feedback months later, when I was finishing up my second-to-last semester in college. I’ll be the first to admit that my writing has grown a ridiculous amount in the past year, and that initially when I received the edits I was overwhelmed. So I reinterviewed Mariachi Arcoiris’s director in an attempt to get the process rolling, but I let the story fall through the cracks—I was burned out from school, and from what I can recall, I didn’t send back my edits, though my editor followed up. A month later I checked the magazine’s masthead and found out she had left the publication. 

I was off the hook for the story, but I felt awful—I really wanted this piece to work out, but it didn’t. I thought it was decent, with strong historical and societal context on why an LGBT mariachi is so groundbreaking. I still think it’s decent. It's not the best written, but the narrative itself is so immensely important to share. So I’ve fixed the piece up and I’m sharing it on my blog, because I never repackaged the piece to shop around, but I think the story is valuable itself, regardless of price or merit. 

Mariachi Arcoiris: Paying Tribute to, and Expanding Inclusivity of, Mexican Culture in Mariachi Music

Written in Aug. 2015 by Samantha Grasso

Carlos Samaniego is a self-proclaimed mariachi purist, a stickler to detail. He sits in a bright living room in East Los Angeles, Thursday night after Thursday night, listening attentively to his semi-circle of six musicians surrounding the rehearsal space. 

In between balancing the sound of his own violin arrangements to the ensemble, he stops rehearsal, addresses rhythm and intonation issues with prompt solutions, and counts the group off with a tight, “ONE-two-three.” Samaniego pauses, critiques and repeats. The band plays on.

As the director of Mariachi Arcoiris De Los Angeles, the first LGBT mariachi in the world, Samaniego says he feels the mariachi is already scrutinized for its inclusive take on a century-old Mexican tradition. Strict weekly two-hour rehearsals aren’t overkill—they’re necessary to keep up impressions.

“I feel like we’re always under the microscope in…the mariachi world—they’re going to say things anyway. They’re going to make fun of us, they’re going to talk badly about us,” Samaniego says. “I don’t want them to say bad things about how we play. I want to sound really good, so we can shut them up.”

Mariachi Arcoiris, which is Spanish for Rainbow Mariachi, performed for the first time on Valentine’s Day 2014. With this ensemble, Samaniego sought to create a safe space for LGBT-identified mariachi players. 

This isn’t Samaniego’s first organized gay mariachi—his previous group was a short-lived ensemble initially prepared for a pride week event at California State University, Los Angeles. But this mariachi is his first to actively challenge the masculinity of the mariachi world.

“I wanted a safe haven [for people] who identify as LGBT to perform the music that we so love to do,” Samaniego says. “Here, no one’s going to make fun of me. No one’s going to talk smack…to each other. Nothing about like, ‘C’mon Carlos, check her out, you got to like her,’ forcing that on me. Or…[straight mariachis] trying to ask ridiculous questions…Things that are none of their business.”

Photo via _nataliamelendez/Instagram

To give you a sense of the mariachi environment, here’s a brief: From 1969 to 2007, mariachi enthusiasts in Los Angeles could catch fine-tuned performances by Nati Cano and L.A.’s Mariachi los Camperos at Cano’s restaurant, La Fonda. 

In addition to Los Camperos, Grammy Award-winning and –nominated ensembles including Mariachi Sol de México, Mariachi Reyna De Los Angeles and Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea brought distinction to both the genre and the city. Mariachi music classes offered through the Los Angeles Unified School District, and facilities such as The Mariachi Observatory and Mariachi Heritage Society preserve the tradition with the youth of the city.

Even women of Los Angeles punctuate the mariachi scene, including notable pioneers Rebecca Gonzales, the first female mariachi of Los Camperos, and the late Laura Sobrino, the first female mariachi of many groups in the ‘70s and ‘80s, among other titles. And yet, even with the integration of women in the profession, mariachi itself still holds deeper cultural impressions. In the 20th century, mariachis portrayed a model of machismo: strong, aggressive, prideful masculinity.

“Sobrino admits that being a Latina in a macho mariachi mundo is exactly what propels her to push harder, talk faster, stay a step ahead, stand tough,” a 1995 article from the Los Angeles Times states in a profile about the former director of Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles. 

The article continues: “Again and again she has heard the same refrain: ‘You have no place here. Your place is having babies.’” Samaniego, who has performed in numerous mariachis over the last 20 years, said these ideals of masculinity, of being tough, macho or womanizing, are ingrained in Mexican culture. Samaniego says these impositions from other mariachis in former groups felt uncomfortable and taxing.

“Now there are a lot of women in groups, but even then, a lot of these hardcore traditionalists are like, ‘Women…don’t have the same kind of feeling in the music,’” Samaniego says. He lists examples of this mentality: “Most of Mexico is Catholic, and they’re against homosexuality…Sort of putting a woman in her place, where she needs to serve her man or take care of the children…Old school traditional conservative. These mariachis are just a product of that.”

Samaniego’s skepticism of being accepted by this pervasively masculine mariachi community almost prevented Mariachi Arcoiris from participating in an annual Los Angeles tradition. 

In November 2014, the mariachi was invited to perform at the Mariachi Festival at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. While the mariachi has straight allies, Samaniego says he worried about security of his musicians, including Natalia Melendez, the first openly transgender mariachi in the country. With the support of festival organizers, Mariachi Arcoiris performed at the festival and received an overwhelming ovation.

“I said, ‘Well, I’m really concerned about our safety…I don’t want nothing, no violence, no verbal abuse…The organizer who reached out to me made it clear that we…would be protected,” Samaniego says. “I was told that not until we performed had [the audience] wanted more, like ‘Otra, Otra,’ or an encore…With us it was like they wanted more, more, more.”

While challenging cultural normality, Mariachi Arcoiris maintains the integrity of mariachi traditions with their full-bodied, emotive renditions of songs such as “Ella” and “No Vale la Pena.” They display their pride for the culture with their own personalized trajes, clean-pressed suits embellished with silver and gold, with rainbow flags adorning the belt buckles, rainbow fabric bowties, and rainbow horseshoes pinned to the sombreros.

Still, between preserving the culture and expressing modernity, it’s a balancing act. Samaniego emphasizes being inclusive in his careful attention to masculine and feminine pronouns when selecting songs to perform. While some traditional mariachi songs don’t specify gender, others are heteronormative, or only have men singing to women and vice versa.

“I’ve got to be careful that if I’m going to sing a love song, or a song about betrayal. I’m not singing it to a woman. I need to sing it to a man,” Samaniego says. “To our gay audience, they really enjoy it because these guys—who have grown up seeing and listening to mariachi and have witnessed how the mariachi serenades sings to the girl—they always wanted that. Like, ‘Oh man, they’re never going to sing to me.’ And finally with our group, they get that.”

Though Mariachi Arcoiris is but a short year-and-a-half old, the mariachi’s distinctive mission has already garnered attention from outlets such as L.A. Weekly, Telemundo and NPR’s Latino USA. Even the Mexican American culture museum La Plaza De Cultura Y Artes in Downtown L.A. requested to include Mariachi Arcoiris in their six-month-long exhibit “Corazón de la Comunidad: A Story of Mariachi in Los Angeles.”

Samaniego aspirations to round out the mariachi’s second year don’t fall short of the group’s present success: Mariachi Arcoiris is accompanying Mexican singer Sheyla Tadeo in August, performing at Oceanside’s “Pride by the Beach” in October, and recording their first album. In the meantime, “purists” like Samaniego and avant-garde audiences alike can find Mariachi Arcoiris De Los Angeles performing every Sunday night at Club Tempo in Hollywood, where they’re navigating the celebration of culture among the nuances of self-expression, one guitarrón strum at a time.

“We’re here to perform for everybody, but especially for our community,” Samaniego says. “We’re a mariachi who’s true to itself… We’re there to perform and to put on a good show, and for [Mariachi lovers] to see something they’ve never seen before.”

#lgbtq #mariachi #mariachi arcoiris #los angeles #los angeles music #journalism #longform #california #music history

[theartificialdane]

Galactica, part 225

In this Violet hears news, Max takes a chance, Courtney hangs up, Jinkx is a friend, Bianca is compromised and Trixie enjoys halloween!

Thank you @veronicasanders @samrull and @toriibelledarling for being my awesome cowriters <3

“Yes. Yes. Yes of course Shannel, yes, I can do that.. No, no it’s fine. Yes I’ll confirm, yes. Okay. Yes, bye.”

Violet hung up, her head spinning. Shannel had just called her, telling her that Nina Garcia wanted to see her for a meeting about the spread she had gotten in Marie Claire. Violet was sure the entire thing had been approved by Bianca, had been told it was approved by Bianca, but after the call she wasn’t sure at all. She knew there was bad blood between Nina and Bianca, but she had no idea how much, because even though she had been Fame’s assistant, and that she was dating one of Bianca’s best friends, Violet had never been one who listened to gossip, the woman actually often turning out completely when she was out with Sutan, and the people he considered his family whenever they started talking.

Violet could have panicked, could have lost her mind and started redoing all of her work, but she wasn’t going to. What she had made was amazing, and she was going to convince Nina that she deserved the spread, because she did.

***

Courtney sat in her makeup chair, trying to calm her breathing. She’d been preparing for this concert for almost two months, and now that the day was finally here, and every one of her nails was bitten down to the quick, all she was trying to do was center herself, and nothing was working. She felt like a bundle of raw nerves. Why on earth had she convinced herself that she could do this? Who the FUCK did she think she was?

She chest felt tight and suddenly it was all too much. She jumped up from her seat, jostling the elbow of the makeup artist, stammering out a shaky, “Sorry, I’m sorry,” and fleeing through the green room, where Bianca sat with her family, Lucien, Latrice, a few of the label guys - all of them counting on her. She raced past them, out the back door of the theatre, into the dim alley, where she shivered in the dusk, tears pricking at her eyes.

Why was she such a disappointment? Why couldn’t she do anything right?

*

Bianca stood up, about to go after her distraught girlfriend, but Annette put an arm on her shoulder and said, “Let me go, love.” Bianca nodded and sat back down, handing Annette Courtney’s coat and sighing.

*

“The weather in this hemisphere is just horrifying,” Annette declared, stepping outside and wrapping Courtney’s slim shoulders in her coat. “I don’t know how you survive these winters.”

“You get used to it,” Courtney sniffled. She leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder.

“Now. You want to tell me what’s going on? I’m fairly certain you’re not pregnant.”

Courtney laughed through her tears. “No. I’m not pregnant.”

“Right, so what’s the problem, love?”

“What if I fuck everything up tonight?”

“Well…” Annette smiled, “It wouldn’t change anything, really. It wouldn’t change who you are.”

“I don’t know who I am,” Courtney admitted, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

Annette tucked her hair behind her ear. “Alright. Well, then, let me remind you.” She took her daughter’s hands and kissed them, then squeezed them tightly while she said, “You, my dear, are the headstrong, confident, independent girl who has never in your life backed down from an adventure. You left home when you were 17 because you found a program here in this city halfway across the world from everything you’ve ever known.”

Courtney shook her head. “You’ve got it all wrong, mum. I wasn’t...I wasn’t setting off on an adventure. I was running away.” Her voice broke. She felt so much shame, but she couldn’t bear lying to her mother any longer.

Annette took Courtney’s face in her hands. “Yes, you ran, but you ran towards something new. And look at this beautiful life you’ve built for yourself.”

Covering her face with her hands, Courtney’s voice shook as she said, “It’s not my life. It’s Bianca’s life, I don’t deserve any of this, it’s all because of her…”

Annette grasped Courtney’s shoulders, practically shaking her. “Oh really? Bianca wrote the music on your album? Did she? And sang the vocals? Bianca is getting up there to perform tonight? She’s giving your interviews?”

“No, but she…”

“Darling, listen, I’m not discounting everything that Bianca has done for you. Okay? But with or without her, this is what you were meant to do. And if you think that you don’t deserve it, or that you don’t deserve her, well then maybe she’s not the right person for you. Because you should be bursting with pride right now. Not because of all this, which is amazing, but it’s material. Because of who you /are/. Because you care about right and wrong. Because you are honest, and generous. Because I knew that when you left home, everywhere you went, you would leave things better than you found them.”

Courtney sighed. “You give me too much credit, mum.”

“Well, that’s what mothers do. It doesn’t make me wrong.”

Courtney closed her eyes. She did think that her mother was wrong, thought that she was seeing some rosy version of her that probably didn’t exist. A girl that Courtney wished she could be, but never felt that she’d ever truly been. Maybe if she just worked harder...

Gil poked his head out of the door. “What’s taking so fucking long out here? Annette, this is the longest damn pep talk in history. Courtney, there’s a whole theatre full of people waiting for you to shake your ass and sing some songs. Suck it up and come back inside before you freeze to death.”

“Well, that’s putting it bluntly,” Courtney said brightly, laughing and wiping her eyes. She squeezed Annette’s hand and followed her dad inside. “Fuck, Yara is gonna kill me, I think I cried off all my mascara.”

“I’m sure she can handle it,” Annette replied, squeezing her hand back.

***

As she waited for the lights to come up, Courtney gave herself a final, frantic pep talk. /Own the stage. Be a star. Be someone who deserves this. Be anyone but who you are inside./

And then the music began, and the stage lights hit her, burning her eyes, and adrenaline surged through her veins, and suddenly it all clicked, and everything she’d been working for made sense. And as she sang her heart out, lifted high in the air by two backup dancers, she realized that she was suddenly more herself than ever before. She was Courtney Motherfucking Act. And she was killing it.

***

Max could smell lemon, Ruby somehow always smelling like lemons, her hair in his nose, their legs intertwined. They were on the couch, Ruby snoring slightly since she had gotten home from work, a rerun of That 70s Show on the TV on low.

Max’s arm was asleep, but he couldn’t get himself to move, not when Ruby was there in his arms, soft, sweet, and perfect. He had talked to Katya, the teacher coming up in his friend as she had shown him horrifying diagrams on the internet, telling him with extreme enthusiasm of the inner workings of the female reproductive system.

Max had felt sick through the entire thing, he had considered maybe trying sex, for Ruby’s sake, not because he felt pressured, but because he could maybe consider possible trying it with Ruby. Max had been psyching himself up all day, his back slick with sweat when Ruby opened the door, Max telling himself that he could and would do it, but Ruby had just smiled at him when he had offered to ‘stick it to her good’ like Katya had suggested, and shook her head before pulling him to the couch.

Max wasn’t sure why Ruby liked him, or why he liked her so much, but he was so glad they both did.

***

Adore cheered, shoving her sister hard from behind. “Stand UP, you bitch, she was singing that song for you!”

Courtney had just finished a soulful ballad, and Adore was continuing her annoying habit of demanding standing ovations for every single number. Bianca turned, flashing her sister a dirty look. “Would you let me enjoy the fucking moment?”

“Enjoy it on your FEET!” Adore yelled over the crowd.

“Alright…” Courtney took a sip from the water bottle on her stool, using the moment to catch her breath. “So, for this next number, I need a little help. I’m gonna have to ask one of my oldest, bestest friends to come up on the stage with me for this one…” She looked out into the audience, squinting dramatically, eyes landing on Adore. “Ms. Delano, if you please…?”

“Who, me?” Adore replied, looking around. Alaska laughed.

“Can you please just get your ass onstage?”

“Yeah, okay.” Adore scrambled up the steps. She looked down. “I just...I don’t think this outfit is very…” she ripped open her baggy flannel shirt to reveal micro cutoffs and a halter top, earning a bunch of whoops and catcalls. She milked the moment, batting her eyelashes.

Courtney looked back at the audience, rolling her eyes. “You’ll have to use your imagination here, pretend Adore is wearing something slutty for this character.”

“Type casting.” Adore winked.

“Are you ready to fuckin’ sing or what?” Courtney asked, handing Adore a microphone.

“I’m ready! Let’s go!”

Courtney pointed to the band to cue them and the opening bars of Rent’s “Take Me or Leave Me” began to play.

“Every single day, I walk down the street,” Adore began. “I hear people say ‘Baaaby,’ so sweet… “Ever since puberty, everybody stared at me. “Boys, girls, I can’t help it, baby…”

Courtney tried to hide her grin, since her character was supposed to be glowering the whole time, but it was nearly impossible, watching her friend shine beside her. She managed to (mostly) keep it together, though, at least as far as the audience could tell.

As they hit the final notes, harmonizing perfectly, they managed to sing directly into each other’s faces without breaking down giggling like they’d done in every single rehearsal. “Take me baby...or leave me!”

They held a beat before shout-singing the last lines, “Guess I’m leaving! I’m gone!” and flouncing offstage in opposite directions.

In the wings, they turned around and Courtney caught Adore’s eyes. She was jumping up and down and clapping her hands, blowing kisses. Courtney reached out her hand as re-entered to bow. Adore put her arm around Courtney’s shoulders.

“You know,” Courtney said, “I never really understood why people thought Maureen was the hot one. Joanne is clearly the catch in that relationship.”

“The voluptous, Ivy-league educated woman of color with a full-time job? Yeah, I wonder what you like about her.” Adore rolled her eyes.

“Point taken. But like Maureen, she’s seriously such a twat, right? ‘Oh, I’m an artist, I refuse to pay rent...’”

Adore shook her head at Courtney sympathetically. “Awww...boo…so much self-loathing...”

“Shut up! That describes you just as much as me! More, even!” She crossed her arms.

Adore laughed and kissed Courtney on the cheek, branding her with a bright red lipstick mark. “Yes, buttercup.”

“I hate you. Go back to your seat before this turns into Freudian analysis.”

“Guess I’m leaving…” Adore said. “I’m gone!”

Courtney laughed as Adore skipped down the steps. “Good one.” She turned and walked back to her mark for the next number, turning back to the audience dramatically when the lighting changed. “Oh, baby baby…”

Adore jumped to her feet again, cheering loudly, as the giant video screens began playing Courtney’s “Baby One More Time” video. She nudged Bianca. “Look, B, it’s your favorite video! Stand up!!”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “You’re exhausting,” she replied to Adore, eyes still glued to Courtney, who she could swear just caught her eye and winked. Damn, she was hot up there. Suddenly, Bianca didn’t mind how much her feet hurt anymore.

***

After the concert, there was a small gathering at a local club and Courtney really expected to feel nothing but relief. But to her surprise, despite being exhausted, she missed the stage, and the lights, and the feeling she’d gotten when she was up there. She even managed a lengthy conversation with two LiveNation promoters to talk about adding dates to her tour. Just as she was running out of steam, and losing a patience for both of them talking directly to her chest the whole time, she was rescued by Jinkx, who put an arm around her and deftly guided her away, directing her attention to a conversation across the bar.

“So, see that dude Latrice is talking to? That’s my theatrical agent, David Greenberg. Right about now, he’s telling her that they’re doing another Cabaret revival and he thinks you killed ‘Maybe This Time’ and he wants to get you a meeting with the producers and are you interested in Broadway.”

“Are you SERIOUS?!” Courtney exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Yup.”

Courtney turned and threw her arms around Jinkx’s shoulders, hugging her tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cried.

Jinkx laughed. “You sang the song, honey.”

“Hey, bitch, get your hands off my woman!” Adore called, walking over with her arm draped over Alaska, clearly three sheets to the wind.

Jinkx rolled her eyes. “Which one of us are you talking to?” She pulled Adore’s hair gently.

Alaska laughed. “Good question!”

“You guys are all so mean to me, all the time…” Adore slurred, pouting.

“Oh yeah?” Jinkx asked, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her temples. “Like this?

Adore smiled sleepily at Courtney over Jinkx’s shoulder. “Yeah, so mean…”

Courtney laughed. “Yes, you really look like you’re suffering there. We should host a telethon.”

“A tragic life,” Alaska agreed, giggling.

***

“Ahem.”

Bianca turned from the bar to see Annette standing at her shoulder. She smiled. “Hi, Annette! Great show, huh? Your daughter is amazing.”

“Yes, she’s…” Annette smiled. “It was quite special for us to be here. I’m thrilled that we were part of this. She’s really something.”

Bianca nodded, sipping her wine. “She’s worked her ass off, so seeing it pay off like this...it’s incredible. I’m so proud of her.”

Annette sipped her own drink thoughtfully. “She may need to hear you say that...which isn’t to say that you don’t. She just...seems a little fragile right now.”

“Oh?” Bianca tried to keep her voice light, but her heart began to pound a little.

“I’m not sure why, or if it’s even my place to say anything. Maybe it’s all the pressure of this album, and the expectations. I’ve certainly never done anything like this, so I can’t really imagine, and she’s new to this world, so perhaps it will pass once she sees that she can sustain a career. Or maybe it’s a side effect of being an artist. I don’t really know. But it did seem that her confidence was shaken tonight, before the show.”

“Did I...do you think I’m adding to that pressure? Or--”

“Oh, heavens no, love! I didn’t mean that. I just...be patient with her. I can tell she’s trying to figure everything out, and it may take her awhile.”

“Okay…” Bianca felt slightly rattled. What was Courtney trying to figure out? Was their relationship something that she was uncertain about? She wanted to ask more questions, but didn’t want to ask Annette to betray her daughter’s confidence. So she finished by merely saying, “Thank you.”

“No, Bianca, thank you. For your kindness, and your generosity. We’ve had a lovely time.” Annette pulled her in for a big, warm hug, the kind that is distinctly maternal, and some of her anxiety dissipated, just a little.

***

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, V-LISTERS! Welcome to the holiest holiday of the year!

Obviously Li’l Courtney Act’s record label knows they are onto something with those nude pictures coming out, because they suddenly dropped her next music video, for Kaleidoscope, which is one of our favorite songs on the album. The video is about as millennial as it could get, all gender-swapping, sexuality-blurring, 90’s throwback fashion with a big rave type party situation at the end. I mean we didn’t really get it but she looks happy.

However, Li’l Miss Act explains it herself in this interview in today’s issue of The Advocate, which we’re just gonna post here verbatim because it’s just, so /very./ I mean it’s sort of equal parts insufferable and mildly endearing. WE ARE WATCHING YOU COURTNEY!

Kisses, V

THE ADVOCATE: So tell us about what inspired you when writing this song, and conceiving this video. Is all feels very personal.

COURTNEY ACT: It is! Very much! I think the lines that blur between gender and sexuality are really interesting. I always identified as straight, up until the beginning of this year, really, until I fell in love with a woman and it was like...suddenly I was seeing colors for the first time.

TA: Yeah, we heard B’s good in bed.

CA: That’s not what I meant! I mean I guess that too. (laughter) But, I also realized that any time I was really attracted to a guy, I told myself it was because of their strapping masculinity. Which is a thing we’re programmed to think is desirable, especially in places like where I grew up that have very provincial ideas about gender. But then, when I really broke it down, I realized that I liked these men, not because of their masculinity, but in spite of it. You know, like the football player with the long, beautiful eyelashes. Or this one guy I dated where i was just like, obsessed with his butt. And when I think about him now, like, that was a very womanly butt.

TA: A womanly butt?

CA: Yeah! Like round, and soft, and, you know?...Okay, and my brother--

TA: That was a /terrible/ transition!

CA: I know, I’m sorry. But my brother is a drag queen, and like, he dresses up in these beautiful clothes and becomes, not female but like this idea, this fantasy of what a female is supposed to be, and it’s so intriguing and beautiful, but in a whole new way, and I fell in love with drag watching him, because--

TA: This sounds a little...Flowers in the Attic.

CA: That’s what B says! I don't know that book. We don’t read incest porn where I come from.

TA: Maybe you should, it sounds like you’d like it.

CA: (Laughter) Maybe it would hit too close to home.

TA: This is taking an unusual turn…

CA: Sorry. But back to the video, I wanted to play with gender because I’m thinking about it a lot, because of my own views and how they’re changing. I always thought I had to be a certain way, as a female, and that men had to be a certain way, but I think all of that is kind of being turned on it’s head. And now every day I wonder, am I wearing this because I want to, or because society is telling me I should? Maybe I want to wear a really “girly” dress in one moment, and then more androgynous or traditionally masculine clothing the next day, and that’s okay. And it’s not just clothes, but that’s the most obvious expression, the first thing we see. I worked in fashion for awhile and I’m surrounded by it all the time because of Bianca and it’s just like...there’s so much EXPECTATION and I kind of have a natural need to question things, but also this desire to be easy-going, so that’s always an internal struggle.

TA: So basically you’re human.

CA: Is that what that is? What a terrible affliction. Is there a cure?

TA: None that doctors recommend.

CA: (Laughs) Right. So anyway, as you can tell, I’m in my head a lot.

TA: You don’t say!

CA: (giggles)

TA: We hear your next video is much lighter.

CA: Oh, yeah, Ecstasy. It’s pure fluff. Just a fun dance song. Dedicated to my bestie.

TA: Adore?

CA: Yeah.

TA: Wait just a second. You wrote a song called “Ecstasy” about your girlfriend’s sister?

CA: Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds bad. It’s not ABOUT Adore, exactly. It’s about us TOGETHER.

TA: THAT SOUNDS WORSE!

CA: No! Like, it’s about how we go out dancing together, and the freedom that brings.

TA: I’m gonna call you out here. The lyrics are “I kiss your lips, leave it on your tongue--”

CA: I’m not kissing Adore! We’re kissing other people! Oh god, this is a losing battle, isn’t it…? (cracking up)

TA: I think this is between you and Bianca. I mean, you did kiss Adore in your video.

CA: Yeah, well, Bianca knows that was the only time. And she was there. And besides, Bianca doesn’t get jealous. Because hello? She’s Bianca del Rio.

TA: Ha!

CA: It’s true! She’s been with like, supermodels and Oscar winners. She’s not exactly in a position to feel threatened.

TA: So the rumors are true?

CA: You heard the part about seeing colors for the first time, right? (wink)

TA: And on that note…

***

“Oh god, I’m so full.”

“Maybe we should have stopped three Kit Kats ago..”

“No way.” Trixie shook his head and reached out, his free hand rummaging through the giant bowl of candy on the table. Trixie was laying on the couch, his head in Katya’s lap, his pants unbuttoned as his stomach was beyond bloated. He and Katya had decided to spend Halloween in, Ivan not old enough to go out trick and treating, so it seemed natural for them to not go out, to watch Halloween films and to give candy to the children who came to their door.

Ivan had had a great night, the little guy loving the fact that both of his parents were home at the same time, the fruit he was allowed to gorge on and that he was dressed up as an avocado, through Katya was pretty sure her son didn’t have a concept of the soft felt costume Trixie had sewn for him. There was one minor flaw in their plan though. Katya and Trixie had both forgotten that there were no kids in the building, and so they had ended up with enough candy to feed a whole army.

“Your stomach is so tight…” Katya smiled, her hand gently kneading Trixie’s tummy, her nails scratching his skin. “My sweet little sugar bum.”

“I think you mean sugar belly.”

Katya laughed, and Trixie joined her, his entire body moving as she leaned down to kiss him.

“I love you. I love you so much.” Katya gave Trixie another kiss, quickly catching his lip between her teeth, her hand gliding down to his open pants, her fingers sneaking into his underwear and wrapping around his cock.

“Nnh, nooo.” Trixie whined, the man squirming around.

“No?” Katya smiled, another sweet kiss landing on Trixie’s lips.

“I can’t move.” Katya could feel how desperately Trixie tried to pump his hips, his belly holding him down, her hand moving torturously slow.

“Did my big strong man eat too much candy?”

“No..” Trixie shook his head, and Katya sped up her hand, Trixie's mouth falling open.

“That’s what I imagined.” Katya smiled and grabbed a piece of chocolate to force between her husband's lips.

#galactica #au aag verse #rpdr fanfiction #my fics