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pocketseizure · 4 years

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Disneybound

Case #0180602. Statement of Ted Nakamura, regarding a strange experience at the Haunted Mansion attraction in Disneyland, California. Statement recorded directly from subject on June 2, 2018.

Jonathan takes the statement of someone whose memories may not accurately reflect the events of his childhood. He then has a short conversation with Martin and learns something (perhaps not so) surprising about Elias.

The events of this story take place after Episode 103, "Cruelty Free" (the one in which Jon reads the statement of a farmer in New Zealand with a monster pig).

( This story is also on AO3. )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jon cast a level gaze at the American sitting on the other side of the table. He was fit and clean-shaven, and he appeared to be in his early thirties. He wore a wide grin and a bright red shirt depicting Minnie Mouse posing in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Jon sighed and pressed the record button of his tape recorder.

“Statement of Theodore Nakamura – ”

“Call me Ted, please. Or Teddy, if you like. All my friends do.”

“Ted Nakamura, regarding a strange phenomenon he experienced at the Haunted Mansion attraction in Disney World – ”

“Sorry, but it’s ‘Disneyland.’ Disney World is the one in Florida.”

“In Disneyland, California. Statement recorded directly from subject on May 25, 2018.”

“This is exciting! I love the detail you’ve devoted to authenticity. The tape recorder is a nice touch.”

Jon grimaced. “Statement begins.”

A hint of uncertainty crept into Ted’s smile. “I’ve never done this before. Is there a protocol? Maybe some sort of standard introduction I should start with?”

“Just tell me about the incident you came to report. You can start whenever you’re ready.”

“All right, I’ll start at the beginning.”

Ted clapped his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. Jon watched as his eyes made a brief circuit around the densely packed shelves arranged in disorderly rows at the rear of the room before finally coming to rest on one of the objects jammed between the accordion folders and cardboard boxes. He’d witnessed this process often enough that he could pinpoint the object of the man’s attention – a cloudy snow globe with a tarnished metal base. It wasn’t connected to any of the cases on file in the archives, merely something Gertrude had brought back from one of her travels on a whim.

“I guess you could say that I’m not the sort of person who would be the star of a Disney movie,” Ted began. “I’m not an orphan, and I had a happy childhood. My mother was an architect who moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles during the construction boom of the 1980s, and my father went to business school at UCLA and never left. His family is from Seattle, and they made some money in real estate in the 1990s. We’re comfortably middle class, but I went to one of the big public schools in Orange County.”

He paused, seeming to expect some sort of reaction. When it became clear that no such reaction was forthcoming, he continued.

“Even in LA, where everyone tries to stand out, high school was all about belonging to a group. I didn’t have any interest in the grandstanding of my school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, and I didn’t have the looks or the talent for the student theater club, which is where a lot of kids like me spent a year or two on their way out of the closet. Mostly I kept my grades up and my head down as my circle of friends from middle school gradually went their separate ways.

“My mom worked from home, and she made sure our house had the first high-speed internet connection in my neighborhood. I don’t mind admitting that I spent a lot of time online. I posted an embarrassing number of bad stories about cartoon characters on LiveJournal, and I eventually ended up being invited to join a popular Disney fan community moderated by a friend of a friend. All the people I spoke with on the comm were strangers, at least at first, but we gradually got to know one another as we responded to each other’s posts and comments.

“Between one thing and another, we somehow managed to figure out that most of us were the same age. Oddly enough, a lot of us lived in SoCal, so we decided to meet up over the summer at Disneyland. Everyone showed up, and we had a great time. We met again the next summer, and then again after my senior year.

“Nothing bad happened, but I stopped updating my LiveJournal after that. I went to college in New York, got a job in the city, and fell out of touch with most of my online friends.

“I moved back to LA four years ago, not that I do anything glamorous. I manage the back end of a tech company’s website and intranet, mostly database stuff, but I still have an IG account. I started it just for fun, but I joined early and picked up more than a thousand followers in less than a year. Someone suggested that it would be cool for me to visit to Disneyland and post photos, so I thought, why not? Like, I love Disneyland!”

Jon cleared his throat. “And what is this ‘strange incident’ you came to report?”

“Hold your horses, I’m getting to it. It’s important that you know my background, right? What I’m trying to say is that I’d only been to Disneyland three times before. It wasn’t a major part of my life. But it was a good part of my life – that’s important.”

Jon nodded in acknowledgment. “Very well, then. Duly noted.”

“Disneyland was considered to be a little seedy when I was in high school, but it’s gotten fancy in the past ten years or so. It used to be that you could just walk in, but these days you practically have to make an itinerary. So I did some research, got a group of people together, and we went and saw the sights. Everyone wore an outfit to match the style of a character, and we took a lot of pictures. The photos were so popular that I hit 5k followers in less than 24 hours, can you believe it? Everyone and their sister is into DisneyBounding these days, but picking up that sort of following from on-location fashion photos was still a thing you could do in 2015.

“Like I said, I had a happy childhood, but no one ever paid me that sort of attention. It was such a dopamine hit, you have no idea. Or maybe you do?”

Jon grit his teeth. “Please continue with the statement.”

Ted laughed. “Pushy, aren’t you? But that’s all right. It’s weird, but I feel like I can tell you anything. Has anyone ever said that to you before?”

“You’re not the first.”

“Maybe it’s the librarian thing you’ve got going on – or archivist thing, sorry. Puts me right at ease. And I appreciate that. If there’s an adult who willingly goes to Disneyland for fun, especially someone like me, people tend to think that’s creepy. The therapist I was seeing at the time called it ‘Peter Pan Syndrome,’ of all things. I never went to another appointment with her again, but that’s beside the point. What I’m trying to say is that I kept going back to Disneyland, usually with friends but sometimes with my boyfriend, who I met on Insta. We bonded while sharing theories about the Haunted Mansion, which is… Well, it used to be my favorite ride in the park. It still is, I guess, but I can’t go on it anymore.

“It took me long enough to get here, but this is the part of my story that should interest you. The reason I like the Haunted Mansion is because it reminds me of my mother, who passed away from a heart attack while I was living in New York. It was very sudden, completely out of the blue, and I never got to say good-bye. I never cared about the Haunted Mansion when I was in high school – we all thought it was cringe for some silly teenage reason that probably involved how awkward it would be if we were in the dark with each other. It wasn’t until I visited the park again as an adult that I finally went on the ride. When I did, I had this sudden flashback to a childhood memory.

“I must have gone to Disneyland with my parents when I was young, because standing in the dark and listening to the music made me recall being on the ride with my mother. This was during the lead-up, before you get in the Doom Buggies and begin the ride proper. I remember being absolutely terrified by what I thought was an endless maze. I felt like that line, after it entered the building, lasted forever. Kids can be like that sometimes, but my memory of this is crystal clear – the corridor genuinely didn’t end. I felt like there were people all around us, there had to be, but somehow it was just me and my mother, alone in the darkness.

“And then I remember that this terrible thing appeared out of nowhere. I’m not sure how to describe it. It definitely wasn’t a person in a costume, but it was too realistic to be the projection of a cartoon, and it was talking to us in voice that sounded like laughter and crying at the same time. Like it was hurt, but it found its pain amusing. Meanwhile, the walls kept stretching, and as they got taller I started to see awful things in the gaps between the ceiling and the floor.

“My mother held my hand the whole time. She kept whispering to me: ‘It’s going to be okay. You are brave, and you are strong. Nothing in here can hurt you.’ Just that, over and over, until the ride was over.

“When we finally got out, I ran straight to my dad, who knelt down on the pavement on the other side of the gate and hugged me. He and my mother both patted my back as I cried. I was so relieved to be outside again that my tears wouldn’t stop.

“My dad seemed confused by how afraid I was. This didn’t occur to me until I started thinking about it much later, but isn’t it strange that he didn’t understand why a young child would be frightened by a scary ride?

“I moved back to LA almost immediately after my mom’s funeral, but Dad became a little distant with me. We were both grieving, and it must have seemed callous to him that I was posting shots of myself at Disneyland on social media right after Mom died. Really I just needed a break from the move, from my job, from mourning, from everything – and I guess a part of me felt like my mother would never die as long as I kept returning to that memory of her holding my hand in the Haunted Mansion.

“My dad eventually moved on and married a younger woman. She would probably be my evil stepmother if my life were a Disney movie, but she’s actually a princess, and I adore her. I spend more time with her than I do with my dad these days, but I’m trying to do better. I thought I could reconnect with him if I took him along with me on a visit to the park, but he turned down my invitation. He told me he enjoyed my photos, but that he had never been to Disneyland and had no interest in going. Too many screaming children, he said.

“That was a surprise to me, so I told him about my memory of the Haunted Mansion. While I was talking, his face went completely pale. I don’t mean that as a figure of speech – it was like all the blood had been drained from his skin.

“He insisted that he had never been to Disneyland with me and my mother, but then he told me something strange. When I was about five years old, we went to visit his family in Seattle. My grandfather had just taken on management of a property in Capitol Hill, one of the old Gothic Revival mansions that used to be common there before the neighborhood gentrified. It was an old house, almost as old as the city itself, but my grandfather was having trouble finding potential buyers. The property had been designed by the student of a famous British architect by the name of Robert Smirke, and he wanted my mother to come take a look. Do a walkthrough, point out any potential areas of interest and value, that sort of thing.

“According to my father, my mother had a bad experience in that house. She refused to talk about it with him or anyone else, and she never went back to Seattle. She took me along with her on her tour of the property, and I was apparently just as upset as she was when we came out, even though my dad says we spent less than ten minutes inside. If I thought this place was the Haunted Mansion, and if the ride at Disneyland evoked such a strong memory, it makes me wonder – what did we see in that house?

“I checked with my grandfather, and he said the property never did find a buyer. The only person who seemed seriously interested was a British woman by the name of Gertrude Robinson. Shortly after she made inquiries, the place burned down. Imagine my surprise when I ran a search and learned that this Gertrude Robinson was employed by an institute dedicated to paranormal research.

“So,” Ted concluded, meeting Jon’s eyes, “I gave you my statement. I hope it will be useful to you. I was wondering what you could tell me in return.”

“Not much, I’m afraid. As you can see, we’re still in the process of organizing our records. We’ll investigate to the best of our abilities and contact you if we learn anything.”

“I would love that, thank you. Well, you have my information so…”

“We’ll be in touch. I believe I see my assistant Melanie hovering around. She used to have a large following on social media herself. I’m sure she’d be happy to show you outside.”

“So you’re from LA,” Jon heard Melanie say as she held the door open. Ted directed his dazzling smile at her, which she returned before allowing the door to slam shut behind them.

“Statement ends,” Jon muttered as listened to their conversation growing fainter. He ended the recording and leaned back in his chair.

“Any thoughts you’d like to share, Martin?”

“Oh, I, um,” Martin stammered. “I didn’t want to interrupt the, you know. The statement.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he emerged from between the shelves.

“It’s fine, Martin. It was a relief. To know that you were listening.”

“I’m sorry, I… What? It was?”

“I’ve never been good with people like that.”

“People like… Wait, excuse me?”

“People who are so…” Jon made a vague gesture to illustrate his point. “Sunny. Bright. Content. When someone comes here to make a statement, they’re usually upset.”

“Ah, right. I can see what you mean. But he looks like he just got back from a trip to the happiest place on earth.”

“The happiest place on earth?”

“You know, Disneyland Paris.”

“Disneyland Paris? They finished construction?”

“A few decades ago, actually.”

Jon sympathized with Ted Nakamura’s father. Between the crowds and the relentless sunshine, he couldn’t imagine a more ghastly location, and by this point he considered himself something of an expert on cursed geography.

“I don’t suppose we’ll have to go there ourselves to investigate,” he said, making an attempt to smile. He failed. His muscles were still tense from the process of taking a statement, and his face felt frozen.

“Really? You… want to go to Disneyland Paris? I suppose I could come too, I mean, if it’s not…”

Jon was alarmed by how red Martin’s face was becoming. Did Martin want to go to a theme park? Jon didn’t know much about Disneyland – or Paris, for that matter – but his childhood had been unusual, to say the least. He’d never asked, but Martin’s family couldn’t have been much if he had nowhere to sleep but down here in the archives. Perhaps he could use a vacation. Perhaps they both could.

Jon turned to face his assistant. “Martin, I…”

“Did someone say Disneyland Paris?”

Jon frowned. “Does this conversation interest you, Elias?”

“I heard you were planning a trip. You really must go sometime. It’s fantastic, quite the experience. I went myself, back in 1996.”

Elias made a quick series of taps on the screen of his phone before holding it out in front of him. Jon and Martin leaned forward to get a better look.

In the photo, Elias was posing next to someone wearing a Mickey Mouse costume. He wore an aloha shirt over denim shorts, and he was grinning from ear to ear. The camera had caught him in the act of pulling a tall man with a square jaw and a severe expression into the frame. The image quality was poor, but the man seemed far too pale for the summer sunshine.

Jon’s frown deepened. “And that is…?”

“Oh, this is Peter. You’ll meet him soon enough, I’m sure.”

“Do you, um. Do you go to Disneyland often, then?” Martin asked.

“Just the once. Peter lost a bet, you see.”

“Right.” Jon couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had a bad feeling about this.

“I wouldn’t mind going back. We could all go together, make an office party of it. It would be fun. You do know what fun is, don’t you, Archivist?”

Martin’s eyes darted between Elias and Jon. “I don’t think it’s safe to…”

“Come now,” Elias interrupted. “Would you have any reason not to?”

“China.”

“Excuse me?”

“China. I need to follow up on a statement, something Gertrude was looking into before she traveled to New Zealand.”

“Excellent. I’m glad that’s settled. I’ll leave you to your preparations, then.”

“Damn it.” Jon clenched his fists on the table as Elias left. A trap had been set, and he’d walked right into it.

“Don’t feel bad,” Martin said, oddly perceptive. After everything they’d been through, Jon was coming to appreciate that about him. “At least we know that Elias is still human. He likes Disneyland, after all.”

Jon wasn’t convinced that a fondness for theme parks qualified someone as being ‘human,’ but what would he know? He had to admit that Elias was right about one thing – it would do him good to get out of the archives.

“Are you really going to China, then?”

“I suppose I am.” Jon removed his glasses and rubbed his forehead.

“I’ve always wanted to go someplace like that, somewhere far away,” Martin said, his eyes darting to the tape recorder on the table. “I’d like to hear about it. If you don’t… If you don’t mind, of course. Maybe I could, I mean, we could go out for a coffee together. After you get back.”

“All right,” Jon replied, replacing his glasses. That would be rather nice, actually. “After I get back.”

#The Magnus Archives #Jonathan Sims #Martin Blackwood #Elias Bouchard #Haunted Mansion #full episode format #canon compliant #ghost stories #my fic

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ego-driven-one-wing-angel · 4 years

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All Ya’ll Suck - Be Nosey Q&A

THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. But a promise is a promise lmao~ So here’s all 50

What’s your sexual orientation?

Demisexual

What are you obsessed with right now?

Final Fantasy and my cats. 😭

Ever done any drugs?

I’ve been offered but no.

What piercings do you want?

I want my triple Helix done so bad.

How many people have you kissed?

A BIG FAT 0

Describe your dream home.

I’ve always been in love with tiny homes. So I would LOVE to have something similar to an Eco pod in Scotland. With a hot tub, a giant forest background, small enough for me and my cats and maybe my S/O. It’s almost like a studio apartment but just shoved in the forest and I would enjoy it 100%.

Who are you jealous of?

Probably anyone in a healthy, committed relationship? I’m not much to be envious of others, but when I see couples that are just perfect for another, it makes my heart sink a little because I want that.

What’s your favorite show to binge?

Supernatural, House MD or Criminal Minds.

Do you watch porn?

I’ll admit, I’ve seen some hentai. BUT I SWEAR IT WAS FOR THE DAMN PLOT. I also read this Yaoi NSFW manga a few years back, and honestly, I should have guessed it was NSFW because it was wrapped in plastic so you couldn’t look inside. I bought the first two novels, and honestly, they love story in it is probably one of my favorites. 😂

Do you have a secret sideblog?

I DO. It’s a House MD blog.

If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

Hmm. I have no idea. Scotland for their eco pods? But also I want to go to New Zealand so bad.

What’s one of your fantasies?

Becoming a multi-millionaire writer with a PhD in Forensic Psychology. And having one of my books turned into a tv show or movie and flipping the bird to everyone in high school and middle school who thought I couldn’t make it.

Do you have/would you get your nipples pierced?

Ouch. No. I don’t have them pierced but I don’t think I ever could. I give props to those that went through with it because anytime I think about a needle coming for my nipple I kind of want to pass out.

How would you spend a million dollars?

Buy an ECO POD. That’s it. Maybe a couple of Louis Vuitton handbags to match my other ones, but that’s it. I’ll probably give the rest to my mom and she could buy herself the beach house she’s been wanting the past three years.

Are you in a relationship?

Nope.

Do you follow porn blogs?

No. Sorta. Well, kind of? This particular blog doesn’t post straight porn, but it does add a few aesthetic NSFW photos and gifs occasionally. Like more Witchcraft and Dark aesthetics.

Are you angry with anyone right now?

Myself. And maybe my math teacher. I just took a math test and it was timed so I only had an hour and a half to take it. I didn’t get to answer like 4 questions and it brought my math grade down 🙃

What tattoos do you want?

Oh man, I want a lot lmao:

I want a small, american traditional cat just below my ankle.

A watercolor fox on my thigh

A pair of angel wings across my back

A star wars lightsaber on my finger

A watercolor Captain America shield on my hip

I want Cloud’s buster sword and Sephiroth’s masamune down both sides of my thighs

And a little bee or paw prints behind my ear

If you could change your name, would you? What would you change it to?

Probably Katherine. That name has been my pseudonym for years. So it’s almost like a second name already.

What is something you’re obsessed with?

Pens. I’m one of those people that have a million pens and markers. I blame the art side of me, but I just like the idea of new office supplies.

Describe your best friend.

Rambunctious, ambitious, always knows how to make others smile. Halo-obsessed, classic Capricorn, and absolutely LOVES chicken nuggets.

Tag someone you think is hot.

@/SebastianStan

Who are five of your favorite bands/musical artists?

Gorrilaz

Queen

Billie Eilish

Melanie Martinez

St. Vincent

What are three places you want to travel?

Scotland

New Zealand

Brazil

Describe your perfect Friday night.

Drinking my Dad’s Mexican hot chocolate, playing video games, and sitting with my cat all sounds pretty good to me.

What’s your favorite season?

WINTER

What’s your pet peeve?

I have this thing where my ears like die when people scrape their fingernails on walls. OR Styrofoam rubbing against cardboard. GROSS.

Who is the funniest person you know?

Me. Or my mom. We both have the same sense of humor.

What’s the most overrated movie?

Fight Club. I watched it and was just flabbergasted on how much traction this movie has? It’s okay but not cult classic type of hype.

Tag someone you want to talk to but have been too shy to message.

@ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS

Do you like paper books or ebooks better?

Paper books. I own a kindle and it’s just not the same. I have over 1,200 paper backs and hardcover copies of books. I can open my own library at this point. And I have four boxes of books that sit in the corner because I ran out of bookshelf spaces.

If you could live in a fictional world, what world would you pick?

Probably Final Fantasy 7 or Ridley Scott’s Legend.

If money was no object, what would your wardrobe be like?

Probably full of Calvin Klein sweaters. I already have about thirty but they’re the comfiest and softest sweaters I own.

What’s your coffee order?

I like a classic caramel frap with two shots of espresso.

Do you have a crush on anyone?

Sephiroth. But in real life? No.

Do you still have feelings for any of your exes?

I’ve never had an ex lmao.

Have any tattoos?

NO BUT I WANT SO MANY

Do you drink?

I’m a social drinker, so I only have wine or mixed drinks when it’s a party. I don’t like drinking by myself.

Are you a virgin?

Yes.

Do you have a crush on any of your mutuals?

Not really. But I don’t know much about any of you 😭

How many followers do you have?

I just got a whopping 126. But this account is new so getting that much in about three-four weeks is pretty good to me!

Describe the hottest person you know.

Like someone I know personally? Because that’s what I’m going for:

Skin like olive, baby blue eyes, white teeth accompanied by a set of dimples. Dark, curly hair that fits past his ears. Perfect skin, perfect smile. He’s a good friend of mine and we all call him hottie because he makes the girl’s swoon.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Watching Nanny Shows on youtube. I don’t want children nor do I like children, but watching these shows is like crack. I can’t stop watching them once I start.

Do you read erotica?

I write it. So take a guess.

(yes.)

What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?

I’ve been on very little dates as is, but there was a story I never told anyone because it’s disgusting and embarrassing. But this guy whispered in my ear he wanted to wear my underwear and I deleted his number the moment I went home. I try not to kin-shame, but on a first date? Super weird.

How many people do you follow?

I’m not sure, like 78 I think now?

If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick?

Sebastian Stan. I love him so much.

Describe your ideal partner.

Probably just as much as a nerd as I am, sweet, compassionate, likes to stay in and play video games during the weekend. I’m not picky.

Who do you text the most?

My best friend.

What’s your favorite kind of weather?

Rainy or snowy!

Oh I DID IT! ALL 50.

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cynicallystiles · 6 years

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Beach Sunrises: Ruin

Author: @cynicallystiles

Warning: Mostly angst, but hey there’s slight fluff at the end. Cursing, embarrassment, yadda yadda.

Pairing: Shawn Mendes x Reader

Summary: While on tour one day, Shawn sees a woman watching the sunrise by herself. Thinking that he’ll never see her again, he tries to forget as he goes on with the rest of his day. But, serendipity seems to have other ideas…

Notes: Yo, this is hella late. But, like I’ve been so busy adjusting to college and I’ve already had a minor emotional breakdown this week! But, I persevered (for now)! But, this is hella long and I actually maybe like it? ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT AFTER THIS FOR THE SERIES. PLEASE REBLOG OR COMMENT if you like it! I always welcome messages and asks about my work! Enjoy!

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 10 Part 12

Words: 10,435

First P.O.V.

You know, I wasn't all that sure at first about Nick letting me use him as a distraction. It felt wrong...like, really wrong because I didn't know where it was gonna go or if I was ever gonna get over Shawn. And Nick is the sweetest guy I've ever met. So that made it feel triply wrong. But, he insisted and I'll admit that it didn't take me much convincing.

I mean, how often do incredibly sweet, funny, smart, and attractive guys give you permission to use them as a distraction? And without expecting it to become more than that once you've healed up some. Not a lot, that's how many.

It's true, he didn't push me to make it a real relationship. He lets me set the pace and respects my decisions. When you're with a guy that amazing...it's hard to set boundaries for yourself on whether or not you're really ready to start a new relationship. Which is why I didn't mean to elevate us to a couple...it just happened.

I can't say that I mind because I love being with him. It was easy to become close to him and forget about Shawn. But, people finding out about us was kind of my fault. I've been so out of my shell lately and more confident that I don't really keep all my secrets that guarded. If someone wants to know something, I'll happily tell them if I feel like it.

So while we were in New Zealand, I had been asked to go on the radio show The Edge NZ and I asked if Nick could come along. At the beginning, it was more about the documentary and when it'd be coming out and what everyone could expect. Stuff like that. Then, they wanted to play a question game that I, unfortunately, agreed to.

It was a game they invented for Shawn a few years ago called Please, Have Mercy on Me. In his version, they attached electric clamps to a shirtless guy and every time Shawn refused to answer a question, the guy got shocked. Well, I just felt really bad about getting someone else shocked so I insisted that the clamps go on my index fingers. I'm not scared of a little electricity.

The questions are a mixed bag of random facts about me that people want to know and more personal and intimate questions that they thought I would be reluctant to answer. I was in such a carefree mood that I slipped up toward the middle of the interview.

"Alright! We'll start out with an easy one...what is your worst habit?"

I clear my throat and lean closer to the microphone. "Ummm...I pick and scratch a lot."

"What do you mean by that?" He inquires.

I shrug. "Like...I pick at acne a lot, which is why I have scars. And my legs itch a lot after hair removal so sometimes I'll literally scratch until I break skin...it's really bad," I chuckle.

"Sounds like it! Onto the next one...how old were you when you lost your v-plates?" He questions.

"Oh, man. Straight for the dirty details," I laugh. "Okay. Um...seventeen," I admit.

He chuckles, "Late bloomer are ya?"

"Just really picky. Should've been pickier, to be honest," I confess.

He ponders my answer before moving on. "That seems like a good segway into...what is the number of sexual partners you've had?"

"Three," I say simply.

His eyebrows shoot up. "Just three? You're twenty-two, correct?" I nod and remember that it's a radio show so I say yes. "You've only been with three people. Wow, that's just hard to believe," he rambles.

"Why's that?" I quirk my eyebrows at the comment.

He shrugs. "Nothing, it's just that there are people younger than you who probably have a really high number and don't answer the question," he informs me.

I nod my head slowly. "People with high numbers at young ages are usually serial hook uppers. Not that I'm judging...I'm just saying that my number is low because despite what some people say," I take a deep breath, "I am serious about that part of my life."

"Roger that," he says clearly uncomfortable at my icy statement. I look at Nick who is trying to contain his amusement at me snapping on the guy. I shoot him a playful glare as the guy continues. "I gotta say, this game isn't very interesting if you don't get shocked."

I shrug as a confident smile comes to my lips. "I'm an open book," I challenge.

"Maybe this one will get you...who is the rudest celebrity you've ever met?" He leans forward in anticipation.

I relax further into my chair as I look at Nick. "I dunno...that one over there could definitely use some manners," I giggle. He chuckles at my antics. "But, in all seriousness...I've only met like a handful of celebs and no one's really been rude to me, per se. If I had to pick someone that was the least nice, I would probably pick Camila Cabello."

"Ooo, juicy. Do tell why," he insists.

I roll my eyes. "There's not much I can say. I met her once for like three seconds and she barely acknowledged my existence," I inform him. "She was a little preoccupied so I can't blame her."

"I think you're the first person to answer that question."

"I'm not looking for drama but I'm not backing out and getting shocked by a fetish toy," I laugh.

He nods appreciatively. "Fair enough. This one might get you shocked," he giggles excitedly. "What's the oldest lover you've had?"

"Twenty...four?" I say with a look of concentration as I do the math. "No! Babe, you turned twenty-five in March right? Yeah? Okay, twenty-five. Final answer," I chuckle.

The room falls silent as everyone has surprised and amused looks on their faces. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"Twenty-five...why?" I ask as I look at Nick, genuinely not knowing what everyone was gawking at. But when I see a look of nervousness on his face it hits me.

"You just asked Nick to confirm his age...which means you've hooked up with him recently!" He laughs and my face turns red.

I swallow and lean closer to the mic again. "Next question, please," I say lowly before bursting into laughter.

"I think we all know the answer to this next one...who was the last celebrity you kissed?" He smirks.

Too late to go back now. "Obviously that snack sitting over there," I chuckle.

"Alright and last question coming up...what celeb would you love to hook up with?"

I scoff. "Easy one...Ni-"

"Ah! Besides your boyfriend over there," he challenges.

My eyes flick from the interviewer to Nick. They both look genuinely curious. I swallow the lump in my throat as I take a deep breath and release it. "I'm gonna have to plead the fifth on that one...so go on and shock me," I say as I close my eyes and wait for the pain.

It actually didn't hurt that bad because it was the first one I didn't answer. So the voltage was on low and it felt more like a tiny little zap. Anyway, news of my interview slip up spread like wildfire throughout both of our fanbases and I didn't mind at all.

There's no reason to be ashamed of the fact that we're together in whatever way. We're both adults and we can do as we please. When we all got back to the states, it was really interesting. Like, I was surprised by the fact that people were actually not prying that much into our relationship or the nature of it.

I have to say we did have one weird experience while we were in Seattle, Nick's hometown. On a day off from Hailee's shows, he took me to the Space Needle since I'd never been. While we were waiting in line, a fan literally started yelling across the distance something about 'mom and dad'. I turned to Nick with a bewildered look and we both couldn't contain our laughter. Fans are super weird, but also super awesome.

August came quicker than I expected. It's hard to keep track of time when I'm so busy with work. But, also because I'm enjoying all my time with Nick. Sometime in April, he had gotten an offer for an amazing movie role. They shot some of the scenes before he left with us on tour, but he has to go back at the end of August to finish it.

At the end of July, I was contacted about doing another interview. This time, it was for The Late Late Show. And I have to say I'm pretty freaking excited about it. James is hilarious and I wouldn't want to do my American interview debut with anyone else. I was supposed to go in on some day during the first week or so of August. I'm not really keeping track of specific dates.

So, I get there sometime in the morning to shoot the interview. Which I was really shocked for some reason to find out that it wasn't actually filmed at night. Like, I just could not wrap my head around it. I arrived in a car with Nick and Hailee. As I got out, I moved to kiss Nick goodbye.

"I guess I'll see you later," I grin at him.

He quirks an eyebrow at me. "Um, no. We're staying," he chuckles. "Didn't anyone tell you that I'm the second guest and Hailee is performing?"

"I guess not...this is even more exciting then!" I squeal as they get out of the car and I walk hand in hand with Nick to the lot.

Once we checked in, they separated us all to get our hair and makeup done. The nice people did my makeup simply and put beach waves in my hair. We got to wear our own outfits so Nick wore something chill like he always does. Basic jeans rolled up at the bottom to show off his boots and a plain tee under an unbuttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up. There's something sexy about how down to earth he is.

I'm kind of the same as him in that way. I like dressing up when the occasion calls for it, but most of the time I just want to be comfortable. So I wore light blue, high-waisted ankle skinny jeans and some simple black and white sneakers. I also chose a loose, white, and hardly see-through tank top that barely outlined my black push-up bra. My shirt has a cool watercolor painting of a mom and baby gorilla and the front is tucked into my jeans.

I wasn't told about anything special happening besides an interview and maybe participating in one of his games. But, I was still on edge because James is notorious for bringing up embarrassing things.

They've already put us all in our own dressing rooms which is driving up my anxiety. Nick is to be announced first in the Orange Room, then me in the Blue, and lastly, Hailee in the Red as the musical guest. I'm pacing around, unable to relax when I get a text.

Nick: Quite pacing! You're gonna make a rut in the floor lol

I quickly respond.

Me: How do you know I'm pacing?

Nick: Because you're you😜

Me: Ugh, you're annoying...

This is taking too long. I open my door and check the hallway to see if it's clear. When I find that it is, I sneakily run down the hallway and lightly knock on his dressing room door. He opens it, full celebrity smile on and then sees me.

"Y/n, I didn't know you got a job with The Late Late Show," he teases.

I roll my eyes at him. "Har, har," I mock him before quickly looking around. "Are you gonna let me in or not?"

He squints at the ceiling in concentration as if he's thinking really hard about it. I scoff, turning around to leave when he grabs my hand and pulls me inside. Once the door is closed, his hands find a home just below my ears as he leans down for a lingering kiss.

All of my jitters melted away right into that kiss as my hands grab fistfuls of his shirt and he backs me up into the door. It amazes me how he can always make a kiss feel both electric and soothing at the same time. One of his hands finds the small of my back and applies pressure.

I hum into the kiss as we make our way further into the dressing room and fall onto the couch. My hands pull him back to me by the nape of his neck before gripping the roots of his hair. His hands wander under my shirt and his fingers make my skin burn everywhere they graze. We both completely forget about everything else but each other.

Until a knock sounds at the door.

We break apart and look at the door. The knock happens again, this time louder. Shit. We both look back at each other and burst into laughter as he gets up quickly and we move to the door. I stand behind it as he cracks it open, a shy and mischievous smile on his face.

"Nick! What's up, buddy? Took a minute to answer...we thought you might've been kidnapped," James jokes from his place on stage.

I hear Nick laugh nervously. I can't help but mess with him as I quietly lean up and place a kiss on the fingers that are on this side of the door. He wiggles them before moving them higher on the door where I can't reach.

"Uh," he chuckles, "yeah, sorry about that I was just doing some relaxation techniques to get rid of some nerves."

There's a pause and a little laughter from the crowd so I can assume that James is making a funny face. "Relaxation techniques, huh? Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"What, uh...what do you mean?" He asks, clearly guilty.

"You've got a bit of lipgloss smudged on your lip, mate," James points out.

I don't have to see his face to know that he's gone beet red. Biting my lip to contain my laughter, I let my head fall forward and it bumps the door. I lift it back up quickly, my laughter just barely being contained.

Nick clears his throat. "Oh, really? Man must've gotten messed up when I was eating that sandwich a minute ago. I'll have to go redo it now...see ya later," he laughs as he slowly closes the door.

As soon as the door is closed, I take the opportunity of James introducing me to open the door and run down the hallway at full speed. Just as I can hear him finishing up my intro, I can see the assistant about to knock on my door. I skid to a stop right in front of her and rush inside.

Not a second later, there's a knock. I open it up and rest against the doorframe nonchalantly. Although, I'm panting like crazy from the sprint. "Oh...hey James! How's it goin'?" I begin the little rehearsed spiel, but James has other ideas.

"Y/n! You, uh...you seem a little out of breath there," he snickers.

I clear my throat and take a final deep breath to subdue the panting. "Nah, I'm good. Just doing some jumping jacks to work out my extra energy," I explain falsely.

He eyes me suspiciously. "Y/n, you are aware that we all just saw you run into your room before we knocked? Yes?"

"Oh, um," my eyes widen and then I scoff playfully. "You caught me! I had to go to the bathroom since my dressing room doesn't have one...I'm a little offended, James."

He doesn't take my bait to change the subject. "You've got a little..." James says as he touches his upper lip with his finger. I brush my thumb over where he's indicating and feel the smudged lip gloss. "Anything you want to tell us?" He raises an eyebrow comically.

I make an over-exaggerated thinking face before looking back at the camera innocently. "Not that I can think of...I really should do some of those jumping jacks though! I'll see you out there," I wave as I close the door slowly while he tries to continue talking.

A short time later we come out to the stage for the game that we're supposed to be participating in. "Alright, ladies and gentleman! Tonight's game was a bit of a challenge to figure out because we seem to have a diva among us," James teases as he unsubtly nods his head to me.

I mock being offended as Nick chuckles beside me. "I'm sorry that you have such a limited selection, James," I joke back. Nick 'ooo's' beside me and it's James' turn to mock being offended.

"Well, we can't do a riff-off..."

"Because neither I nor Nick are singers," I point out.

"And we can't do Nuzzle Whaaa?..."

"Because I know you're gonna make me stick my face into something that I'm scared of! The last one I watched had snakes!! Nuhhuh," I shake my head as a shiver runs through me at the thought.

He chuckles and continues, "So that leaves...Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts!"

"I have a really weak stomach, but it's a good thing I'm honest," I laugh.

"But there's a twist! We're doing a couples' edition just for the two of you," he announces.

My mouth falls open in shock and amusement. "Ohh," I chuckle. "I can't wait to hear the rules," I say sarcastically.

The crowd roars and we go sit around the table.

Third P.O.V.

Ever since Shawn saw the photos of y/n and Nick together, he's been a moping mess. He's been obsessively following everything he can about her for the past few weeks. And to make matters worse it's his 22nd birthday, which he thought he was going to be able to spend with her.

So, when Shawn read the tweet about her and Nick and Hailee all being on The Late Late Show...of course he stayed up to watch it. James started out by introducing them as this summer's hottest trio and then singularly introduced them. Shawn knew it wouldn't be easy to watch them even be next to each other. But to have them be so blatant about their relationship threw him off.

She was obviously in his dressing room and they were doing god only knows what before the introduction. What makes Shawn's teeth grit and his skin hot is that she doesn't seem to even be remotely hurting anymore. How could that be? She told him that he was only the second serious relationship she'd been in and yet he was the one devastated.

They dated for six months, they were intimate, and the second Shawn fucks up...she jumps into bed with Nick. He just can't fathom it. As he continued watching the show, they got to the game segment of Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts. But, it's a couples' edition so the rules are a little different.

As they settled into their seats and took in the items in front of them, James explained the rules. "So, how it works is I'll ask each of you a question about the other and if you can't answer it you have to eat what I've chosen...you'll get to ask me questions about my wife and my family in return..."

"Sounds easy enough," she speaks enthusiastically as she shimmies her shoulders excitedly. She looks at Nick adoringly and he returns it. Shawn's stomach twists in its place.

James interrupts their loving gazes. "But! All of the foods have an aphrodisiac spin...and if either of you doesn't want the other to answer...you can eat the food for them! But you only get to save them once."

Both of their faces contort in a strange mix of disgust and intrigue as they chuckle. With one final look at each other, they turn back to James. "Bring it on, man," Nick challenges.

The questions start out sort of easy, but both y/n and Nick are determined to beat James at his own game so they're being pretty honest. "Guys! This game is no fun if you don't eat something gross!" James whines.

"Well," she quirks an eyebrow up sassily. "I guess you'll have to ask harder questions.

James nods approvingly. "Well, alright then..."

He spins the table, trying to choose what to give Nick to eat. He positions the oyster juice in front of him and he scrunches his nose as the smell hits him. Shawn smirks to himself. He hopes he has to drink it.

"So, Nick...out of these animals, which is y/n not afraid of: crickets, turtles, frogs, or spiders?" James asks.

Nick starts laughing nervously. And y/n looks down at her lap as she laughs uncontrollably. Her animal fears are the strangest ones Shawn has ever heard of, but he knows the correct answer. James notices her wheezing in laughter and he begins to do it as well.

"Uh..." Nick says, "I'm gonna have to go with turtles. Who's afraid of turtles right?" He asks jokingly as he looks at James. She slowly raises her hand and James points to her. "Really?" He shakes his head as he picks up the cup and takes a disgusting sip. He shakes his head at the taste as he sets it back down. "Please get her back for that."

She giggles as James turns the table to have the strawberry and salmon ice cream in front of her. Her smile fades and she visibly gags. "Oh! This is gonna be worse than Charlie's reaction if I have to eat that!"

"This one might get you in some hot water if you answer...how many of Nick's movies have you actually seen?" He giggles maniacally.

She blinks for a moment before answering. "I believe I've seen five," she admits. James' face goes still.

"I can't believe you answered that," he says in awe.

She shrugs. "If you think that's gonna get me in some hot water then I'd hate to hear what you think will start a fight," she chuckles.

The game continues and she still hasn't eaten anything. Nick and James have had their fair share. All Shawn can think about is how he wouldn't have to eat anything because he knows everything about her. "Nick, I think it's time to get her don't you think?"

"Yeah, I agree," he nods with a silly smile. Together they agree to set the honey covered crickets in front of her.

She frowns in distaste. "Ugh, two things I hate."

"You what?? You hate honey?" She nods at the same time Shawn does from his living room. "You are weird! This next one will get you, I know it will...is Nick the first celebrity you've hooked up with?"

She takes a deep breath. Looking between the crickets and Nick. Although, Nick already knows the answer. It's a matter of whether or not she wants the world to know. She shakes her head at the crickets and opens her mouth to answer. Shawn and James are on the edge of their seats.

"Well-"

She's interrupted by Nick reaching over and grabbing a cricket and throwing it in his mouth. He grimaces as he chews. "Nick! What the hell was that?? We were finally gonna get her!" James exclaims.

"Actually," he says as he swallows, "she was gonna answer and I don't think she should have to. So now I can say that I've eaten a cricket covered in honey!"

James frowns. "I have one last question for her...and you just used your only save. She'll have to eat or tell the truth," he rubs his hands together excitedly.

"Go for it..." she says nervously.

He has the evilest smirk on his face and she knows he has a question that will get her. James turns the chocolate covered chili peppers in front of her. She frowns as she lets out a little whimper.

"So, y/n...back at the Grammy awards over a year and a half ago when you attended with Shawn, he kissed you when he won his category..."

Her eyes widen and her nervous demeanor turns into uneasiness for a whole different reason. "Oh, god," she mumbles before covering her face, clearly knowing where this is going. Shawn almost chokes on his water at the mention of his name.

"...who...between Shawn and Nick is the better kisser?" He finishes and throws the card in the air in triumph. She's still as a rock as she contemplates her choice. In her mind, they're so different but are equally good. That might be a little lie...

She swallows hard. "Am I allowed to say neither?" She asks shyly.

"Depends on your reasoning..."

She picks at her nails in her lap as she avoids everyone's eyes. Nick's, James', the audience, hell even the camera. "Um...because I feel like they were the same on the level of good, even though they're so different..." she says quietly.

"That's bulls**t. I don't believe it one bit...one of them has to be just a smidge higher than the other," James challenges, an amused smirk on his face.

She clenches her jaw, clearly not happy about the question. Steeling herself, she quickly reaches up and takes a bite of the pepper and chews quickly. The crowd bursts into chaos as she chews and James is losing his shit.

"Oh my god!!! YOU ATE THE F*****G PEPPER!!" He wheezes in between laughs. When she swallows, she chugs her milk with a pained expression. Nick claps beside her, clearly not phased by her not wanting to answer. He knows deep down that she's still not over Shawn, and he's okay with that. He can't blame her for not moving on quickly from her first real love.

The segment cuts out for a commercial. Shawn leans back in his seat. So, Nick knows about them. He didn't think y/n was the type to disclose that if it wasn't important. As Shawn thinks about that, the show comes back on and they come down the stairs to the couch.

Nick sits closest to James and y/n sits on his left where his arm is slung around her. His thumb is lightly tracing patterns on her exposed shoulder. First, they talk about the new movie Nick is working on and then they throw in some questions about Hailee's documentary.

Of course, the questions shift back to their relationship. "So...when did the two of you actually first meet?"

"It was at a, uh...a birthday party," Nick answers and y/n nods with a smile.

James furrows his eyebrows. "Might I ask, whose birthday party?" Shawn has a feeling that James already knew the answer, he just wants to see them squirm.

"It was Shawn's," she says plainly, no emotion in her voice. Either she really had moved on or she was covering up something. Shawn couldn't tell which. But as he watches the screen, he finally gets a good look at her shirt. He couldn't see it before because of how high the table seemed next to her, but he could see it now. It was the tank top he bought her from their trip to the Toronto Zoo. His heart aches at remembering that amazing day.

James nods thoughtfully. "Ah, Shawn. He's a favorite here on The Late Late Show...and if I'm not mistaken...it's his twenty-second birthday today," he says theatrically. She bites on her bottom lip hard and briefly, looks down at her lap before pursing her lips together. "Do the two of you want to give a quick shoutout in case he's watching?"

Nick says a polite 'Happy Birthday' and then all eyes turn to y/n. She closes her eyes momentarily and she opens them as she lifts her head up and smiles politely. "Happy Birthday, Shawn! I hope you actually remember this one," she says that line with biting sarcasm and a hint of shade.

There's a twinge of old guilt that flares up in his heart at her words. He's apologized for that and she accepted it. She's clearly just upset that everyone keeps bringing him up. James notices the ice in her remark.

"I would say that it's getting hot in here but clearly you have enough shade to keep us all cool," he jokes and she laughs at her own pettiness. "I have been meaning to ask...what happened between the two of you? You haven't been seen together since the week the music videos released and your interaction on Insta has been nothing but crickets...pun intended, y/n," he chuckles. "Did you have a falling out or?"

She flips some hair off of her shoulder and slightly leans into Nick for support. He tightens his hand around her shoulder and it makes Shawn sick. He's supposed to be the one giving her support in interviews, not be the reason that she needs it from another guy.

"No...we didn't have a falling out," she lies. "I know that comment might have seemed like we're on the outs but the truth is..." she shrugs dismissively and if you look closely you can see the sadness in her eyes. Her eyes flicker to the camera momentarily as her fingers play with the word on her necklace anxiously.

"People get careers and they don't always have time for each other and they grow apart. With both of us having time-consuming ones like being a rock star...” she smiles wistfully to herself as she continues, “or following celebrities around the globe...it's doubly hard to make time for each other. It's sad but it happens," she explains. "But, I still love him and I'll always be his biggest fan no matter where either of us is. Shawn, I wish you all the best and know that I'm always rooting for you," she finishes as she looks at the camera.

Shawn smiles sadly as he listens to her words. Her words sounded practiced at the beginning. But as they progressed, he could see the struggle in her eyes under the shine of the tears that want to drip. She blinks to conceal them but that doesn't stop Shawn from seeing how much pain she's really in. The softest quiver in her voice when she said she still loves him struck something inside of him.

He wants to hope that she was trying to say that she wants him back. But, she has Nick. So, Shawn turns the TV off and goes to his room. He takes his ring off and tosses it on the dresser as he always does before going to bed. But, this time it bounced too far and slid between the wall and the dresser.

Sighing, he walks over and pulls it away from the wall slightly. When he reaches down to feel for his ring, he also finds a hard plastic case. He retrieves them both and looks at the cracked case under his lamp. His heart begins pounding in his chest as he sees the familiar handwriting on the CD inside.

For Shawn,

With Love, Your Muse

He immediately grabs his laptop and puts it in before waiting anxiously as it loads. After a few agonizing minutes, the window pops up and he clicks play while turning up the volume all the way. Within the first two strums of the guitar, he knows exactly what song it is. Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur. She always joked that that could be their song because of how he took care of her the night they met.

Shawn's heart beats heavily as he watches the video. It's clearly her handiwork. The pictures and small clips tell a story. Their story. Or more of her perspective of the relationship. What Shawn could tell from the way she edited it was that she was in awe of him. And also that she was insecure at first before he opened her up.

From that very first night all the way up to including some from her last week in Toronto. It started out mostly of just pictures she took of him when he was asleep or not looking or screenshots of his snaps. Then as they got closer, there were video messages from Shawn, clips of him talking about her...the works. Then when the summer festivals came there were more pics and vids of the two of them having fun. Falling in love.

He felt the tears form in his eyes and he didn't try to stop them as they rolled down his cheeks. How could he have been so blind? She loved him back the whole time. She was just afraid that something exactly like what he did would happen. The last few videos and pictures were from the music videos and her week with him and his family. Some of the pictures were when they both weren't looking and he knows that Aaliyah took them. She looked so happy and at home with him.

The video began to fade to black. As the last ten seconds of the song played, a small note from her was displayed. He paused it so he could read it.

No more hiding. Not from you, not from the world, and not from myself. I am completely and stupidly in love with you, Shawn Mendes. Please, don't make me regret it.

His heart literally stopped in his chest for a few seconds. She must've been working on this before the interview happened. The case is cracked and was behind his dresser. He assumes she threw it and forgot about it.

His mind races as it tries to put together the puzzle pieces that are her. The video...the Euterpe necklace...the questions she wouldn't answer in interviews...the shirt from one of their dates...Nick letting her not answer that question...what she said for his birthday just now...click.

She hasn't moved on. She's still in love with him! Which means that there's a chance he can still get her back. He just has to act quickly before she and Nick become permanent. He already has the perfect plan forming in his head and he'll be sure to work out the exact details on his flight.

Within a few days, he arrives at the Sunset Hotel. He walks up to the front desk to find Xander scrutinizing a log book. Shawn clears his throat and he looks up as his shoulders jump.

"God! You have to stop showing up unannounced like this," he says. Though he clutches his heart in surprise, his tone doesn't suggest any actual contempt for Shawn.

Shawn shrugs as he moves closer and leans his elbows on the desk. "I can still get her back," he announces with determination.

"Wow, straight to the point. No small talk...no 'hi, Xander. How have you been?'...nothing," Xander teases.

He sighs in return. "I'm on a schedule. I can only get her back if I move fast. So are you gonna help me or not? Your input is vital," he reiterates.

"Shawn," he sighs, "I told you I'm not playing wingman for you anymore..."

Shawn is about to argue when a voice catches both of their attention. "I'll help." They both turn to find Anna standing there shyly.

"Really?" Shawn's eyebrows shoot up and she nods. "You hate me, though. You never wanted me to be with her," he reminds her.

She shrugs with a look of shame. "Yeah, but I hurt her far more than you did. I know that she still loves you so I want to help. I want her to be happy," she says quietly.

"Okay, thank you," he answered. "Xander, if Anna is on board then surely you can help too?"

Anna nods and they both look at him with pleading eyes. "Don't make me regret this, Mendes," he conceded. "You either, Anna."

They both cheer silently as they all lean in together for the details of his plan. "Okay, so first things first...I need all the footage and photos of y/n that you can find. I'm talking baby photos and home videos straight up until as recent as you can get...steal them from her Insta page if you have to," he instructs.

"What are you gonna do?" Anna asks curiously.

He takes a deep breath as he runs his hand through his curls anxiously. "I have to make a couple calls to get a few more people on board...hopefully they say yes."

"And if they don't?" Xander ponders out loud.

Shawn shrugs as a look of urgency crosses his face. "They have to. The plan doesn't work without them," he admits.

As they break to do their respective tasks, Xander lets Shawn stay in y/n's room to make the calls. A few hours later, he has everyone on board except for one. The phone rings as Shawn paces her room waiting for the last piece of the puzzle to pick up.

It finally stops ringing as someone answers, "Hello, this is Hailee's phone." Shawn's breath catches at the voice he hasn't heard in person for months. "Hello?" She asks again as if maybe he couldn't hear her.

"Uh...yes, is Hailee available?" He asks, slightly lowering his voice in an attempt to disguise it.

There's a pause. "No...she's doing a soundcheck right now. Who is this?"

He clears his throat before sighing. "It's...Shawn..."

"Why didn't you just say so," she responds, her voice less enthusiastic than before.

"I didn't want to upset you...I didn't think you'd answer Hailee's phone," he says honestly.

Silence fills the line. "Y/n? Listen, I can call back-"

Something shifts around the microphone as if the phone is being moved and then it clears up with a new out of breath voice. "Hey, Shawn. It's Hailee, what's up?"

“Hailee? Is that you?” He double-checks.

She lets out a small laugh. “Yes...y/n said you were on the phone so I took a five. This is Shawn...right?” She giggles nonchalantly.

“Yes! Sorry, I’m just a little caught off guard...” he explains.

“Why would you be caught off-guard? You called me, remember?”

He sighs. “Right. I did do that. I just wasn’t expecting y/n to pick up your phone-“

“Did you need something or not?” She asks slightly irritated that he interrupted soundcheck to ask about her.

He clears his throat. “I did. I need your help to get y/n back,” he says determinately.

She scoffs. “Why the hell would I help you do that? I saw what you said in that interview...plus she’s happy now! Why on this Earth would I help you rip her away from that?”

“Because you know just as well as I do that she may be happy with Nick, but she doesn’t love him,” he answers. There’s a long pause on her end so Shawn continues. “You and I both know the brave and strong front she puts up. She looks happy and together...but she’s not. Nick is nothing but a distraction-“

She interrupts him frustratedly, “Enough, Shawn! Jeez...you’re wrong. She is happy with him. Maybe even precisely for the fact that he isn’t you. And you just can’t stand that you’re not the one who does it anymore-“

“Hailee, I would bet you everything I have including my life that if you look at her closely...you’ll see it. Pay attention to what she wears, what she says...what she does. Because I saw her interview a few days ago. She’s miserable. And so am I...so just...watch her and if you don’t see it then fine. But the plan doesn’t work without you,” he pleads.

She swallows the lump in her throat from his words. Was she really so willing to believe that her best friend was magically okay overnight? And that she had gotten over Shawn that quickly? It’s naive but she’s unwilling to admit that he deserves her back.

“My five minutes are up...see you around, Shawn,” she sighs as she hangs up the phone.

Shawn’s grip tightens on the phone but he wills himself to have hope. Hailee loves her. She will look out for the signs and when she sees them...it’s only a matter of time.

First P.O.V.

In the blink of an eye, the end of August finally arrives and Nick has to go back to LA to finish the movie he started. It’s our last day together, which Hailee gave me permission to take the day off of work for. So, we decided to walk around Las Vegas and be silly tourists together.

The whole day was amazing and it couldn’t have been more perfect. As the hours ticked closer to the time that he’d have to leave, I could feel myself dragging my feet. At the hotel, I watched as he rounded up all of his stuff that was intermingled with mine.

“Do you have to go right now?” I whine like a child.

He chuckles as he walks over and pulls me off the bed into one of his amazing hugs. “Sorry, babe. But, yes. If we want the movie to premiere next year, we gotta finish it by Christmas,” he mumbles into my hair.

“I know. I know. But, I’ll see you in LA for my birthday right?” I say as I nuzzle my head further into his chest and smell his intoxicating cologne.

He pulls away and retrieves something from his bag as he replies, “Actually...I wanted to give you your present early. That way you can wear it on the occasion.” He smiles that goofy lopsided smile that makes me melt.

My eyes widen as he holds out a velvet rectangular box. As my fingers click the lid open, my mouth parts in awe. “Nick...it’s beautiful...” I whisper.

The inside of the box displays a dainty silver chain that is home to a small ruby heart. “Please tell me this wasn’t expensive...” I warn him.

“Well, I can’t lie to you so I won’t say anything...” he teases. I playfully push at his chest before my awed expression dulls. “What’s wrong?” He says, the small smile never leaving his features.

I try to find the words, but I can’t. Or I can. I just don’t want to. I look at my feet in guilt as my fingers do what they always do when I’m nervous. They trace the letters on my necklace that hasn’t left my neck for any longer than a shower.

“Oh,” I can hear the slight disappointment in his voice. “It’s a good thing I kept the receipt...” he tries to joke.

I look up at him with eyes glistening. “I’m so sorry, Nick...” I begin but he shakes he shrugs his shoulder as he waves his hand dismissively.

“It’s fine, y/n. It really is,” he tries to downplay the hurt in his voice.

Grabbing his hand, I squeeze it and his puppy dog eyes meet mine. “It’s not fine. I tried to let go...I really did. You make me so so happy, but-“

“But, you don’t love me. You love him,” he finishes.

I nod as a tear escapes and leaves a warm trail down my cheek. “I really wanted to be with you...because you are the most amazing guy I’ve ever known...there’s just...something about being with Shawn that’s...different,” I explain with a wavering voice. “And I wish I didn’t...” I shake my head as more tears flow, “but, I love him. And I never stopped.”

Guilt and shame wash over me. I should’ve never agreed to use him. He deserves more than that. I let my gaze fall to the floor as I cry. I expect him to just walk out the door. But, he doesn’t. Instead, he wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head soothingly.

“I knew when we started this that there was a possibility you’d go back to him. I don’t blame you for anything,” he assures me. “But, I’m glad I got to be with you for the time that I did. I don’t regret it and neither should you.”

I look up at him as I sniffle. How can he be so gracious about this? Before I can say anything else, he delicately places his lips on mine. They linger, just barely pressing against mine as I feel the warmth from him. As he parts from me, my breath staggers just a moment. Then, he places an even longer kiss on my forehead. I close my eyes and try to contain my sadness, replacing it with all the happiness I had because of him.

His lips leave my skin and I keep my eyes closed as I hear him gather his things. My breathing picks up in a jagged pace and soon I hear the door close. I clamp my hand over my mouth as I open my eyes and find him gone. It was the right thing to do. That’s what I keep telling myself as I make my way back to the tour bus.

As soon as I enter, Hailee takes notice of my state. “Aw honey. It’s okay...you’ll see him in October...” she soothes as she hugs me.

“No,” I shake my head as I wipe at my eyes. “We broke up...”

She audibly gasps as she looks at me with worried eyes. “Why?? You guys were so happy!”

I flop down on the bed and hug a pillow. “Because I’m still in love with Shawn, and it’s wrong to keep using Nick like that,” I confess.

“Bu...” She silences herself as her brows knit together. “I have to go make a call real quick...will you be okay for like five minutes?”

I nod silently and she leaves. I’m so lost in my own despair that my brain didn’t register her strange behavior. In the following months, I still didn’t pick up on all her sketchy mannerisms. Making secret phone calls, not letting me answer her phone anymore...October rolled around and it got even worse.

We were trying to prepare for her LA show and she just kept being more and more secretive. Disappearing and acting jumpy. I chalked it up to the fact that my birthday coincided with her show and maybe she was planning a surprise for it. Someone should have told her that I usually hate them.

It’s the day of the LA show (also my 23rd birthday) and I’m running around making sure all of the photographers and camera crew have their assignments. This show is an important one because it’s the last one of the tour, so the show is going to be next level amazing.

Hailee bumps into me as I round a corner. “Oh! Hey, I was just looking for you!” She exclaims. I barely look up from my clipboard as I hum in acknowledgment. She snatches it from my grasp.

“Hey! I was just finishing that list for the show!”

She gives me a knowing smirk. “Delegation is a thing that’s allowed, ya know,” she informs me. I open my mouth to counter but she continues. “And before you argue, that’s not a request. Let someone else finish the list while you get changed and relax a little,” she demands politely.

“Why would I need to change?” I quirk my eyebrows in suspicion.

She looks up innocently. “No reason...just put on something nice! Now, hurry!!”

Groaning, I turn around and walk to the dressing room to do as she says. I find a black satin dress with a light purple flower print on it. The thin straps create an apron neckline and it’s backless, while the hem goes to my mid-thigh. I match it with a pair of black heels that have straps that criss-cross around my calves.

I do simple makeup and my hair is still wavy from earlier today when I curled it. Annoyed, I walk back out to the side of the stage where Hailee has begun her introduction. I try to grab the clipboard from someone but they tell me Hailee said I’m not allowed to have it.

I cross my arms as I watch her pump up the crowd. “I’m glad y’all are having a great time!! Before we get started...” I hear her say and my attention snaps toward the stage. She looks at me and I shake my head vigorously. “It’s someone’s birthday!! Let’s all welcome her out onto the stage for her surprise!”

With no other choice because of how loud the crowd has gotten, I stride over to Hailee. “This better not be anything extravagant,” I warn under my breath before smiling and waving to the crowd.

“So some of us, her friends, have put together a birthday video for you! You’re gonna sit here and watch the screen and we have a special guest coming in to perform a couple of songs to open for my show!” She cheers.

I roll my eyes and press two fingers to my temple. She holds the mic in front of me and I take it. “Well, then. Let’s get started! We’re on a tight schedule,” I chuckle.

“Roll the clip!” She shouts as she takes the mic away from me and stands offstage. Someone brings out a chair for me to sit on to watch the screen that comes down at the back of the stage.

Everyone goes quiet in anticipation as the lights dim so the screen can be seen more clearly. I twiddle my thumbs in an anxious manner as the screen finally lights up. A smile comes to my lips as a picture of me as a newborn in the hospital comes up. In the background, I can hear someone playing a very slow rendition of Happy Birthday on the piano.

The picture glides away and is replaced with a collage of baby photos and home videos that keep progressing in age. I giggle at some silly ones and my eyes start to water from nostalgia. The song begins coming to an end as the pictures shift into me at age 20. I clap and stand up as I think the video is over because the song is. But, Hailee points at the seat as an indication that it’s not.

My brows knit together as a guitar starts playing while the video leads up to me turning 21. The song sounds extremely familiar but I can’t place it. Not to mention it sounds way clearer than if it were on the screen. After about 25 seconds of strumming, a voice begins to accompany the guitar and the screen displays pictures and clips from my 21st birthday on. Starting with the Insta vid that Shawn took of me that morning.

Oh my god. My worried eyes flash to Hailee and I can see her holding her clasped hands in front of her lips in anticipation. I knew that I knew the song. Of course, it was one of Shawn’s. It was hard to place because it’s never been on an album. He only plays it live: She’ll Be the One. My heart is having trouble beating as I watch the screen.

All the photos and videos from the karaoke bar, the selfies we took later that night...the ones from the diner and so on. The lyrics of the song get to, “But, how can I not try...” and my muffled ears hear the crowd go nuts. I turn to the other side of the stage. Oh my god.

Shawn slowly walks out, playing the guitar and singing into a mic hooked around his ear. Immediately, my breathing flutters irregularly and my skin shivers. I turn back to the screen, trying to find a normal breathing rate, but he walks until he’s right next to me and gets on his knees in front of me. The crowd is going wild as he continues the song but I focus my stare on the video.

It was getting into pictures that he took of me, ones I usually didn’t notice. At the Grammys...his album release party...the summer festivals...and all the snaps in between that he saved. I clench my jaw and press my lips in a hard line in an attempt to not react, but he’s right in front of me.

This isn’t what I was expecting. Yeah, I’m still in love with him. But, who the hell is he to come out here and make a public spectacle of his apology? I’m not ready for this. I can’t even react right now. The drums and electric guitar kick in and I get the same quake in my heart that I always do when I hear it. He stands up and moves to a mic stand as the song ends. Oh, but he’s not finished yet.

I send a hard glare toward Hailee, but she doesn’t seem to mind. He begins playing an electric guitar and I have to fight the smirk that wants to appear. I shake my head and pointedly look at the screen because I can feel his eyes watching me as he begins singing. This fucker thinks he’s clever. What song did he pick to win me back? Ruin.

It fits perfectly with the video as it goes into all of our secret coupley photos and videos...and then behind the scenes footage of the music vids...the weekend of the Grammys when I was sick...our week in Toronto with his family. The middle of the song hits and it’s accompanied by a silent clip of the interview that made me leave. I hear the slight waver in his voice as my time with Nick comes onscreen.

I venture a small glance in his direction. Sure enough, his eyes have never left me. I feel the hard lump forming in my throat and it’s as if I’m reliving losing him all over again. I’m not the only one. His eyes are shining as the light hits the tears in them. The bridge begins and the crowd is chanting the lyrics with him. It’s a haunting experience.

As I continue watching him instead of the screen, I see the seriousness and passion in his eyes. The veins in his neck and arms protrude as he literally sings his heart out to me. I slowly stand up and take a few small steps toward him as the song winds down. His eyebrows furrow curiously at me and I swallow as I take a steadying breath.

“Not tryna ruin your happiness at all...” he beautifully sings the last lyric and the venue goes deadly silent. He hands the guitar to someone and takes the mic off the stand, making his way to stand a foot away from me.

My lip trembles as I breathe unsteadily. I can feel my eyes glossing with warm tears that want to drip. He slowly brings the mic to his lips as he holds my gaze. His breath is heavy from singing and he swallows dryly. Just when I thought he couldn’t surprise me more...

“I’m done hiding you from the world. I am completely and stupidly in love with you, y/n y/l/n. Please, take me back...” he begs. His deep brown eyes search mine intensely. I haven’t seen them up close in so long.

My mouth falls open as I choke on the breath I was holding. The entire venue loses their minds. I can’t believe he just confessed his love for me in front of everyone here. This will definitely end up on YouTube, so probably the entire world will see it.

I stutter as I try to respond with something. Anything. But, I feel the speed of my breathing accelerate while my heart pounds furiously. I don’t know what else to do, so I turn around and run. Running certainly isn’t going to help my breathing but it’ll help me get away from that situation.

I can hear Hailee awkwardly take over the stage and begin her set. I’m not even sure where I’m running to. At some point, I shed my shoes and grab my purse as I call an Uber quickly. It arrives as soon as I’m out on the street and I slide in, slamming the door quickly.

Everything is just too much, so I tell the driver to take me to the one place where I know my mind can slow down.

Third P.O.V.

Shawn hurries after her offstage, but she’s quicker than he thought she could be in heels. He finally finds them discarded in the dressing room and her purse is gone. His hand grips the roots of his chocolate curls worriedly. It’s late and she shouldn’t be out on the streets by herself.

He can’t do anything but think about the look on her face when she saw him. Surprise mostly. A little bit of pain. But, the rest was confusion. He knows he has a lot to explain and apologize for. Maybe he should’ve thought through the public romantic gesture a little more, but his heart was in the right place.

Hours go by as he looks for her everywhere he can think of. The entire night has past and he’s exhausted. Not from the lack of sleep, but the lack of not knowing if she’s okay. She’s not from here, so there’re only so many places she can go...and then it dawns on him.

It doesn’t take long for him to get an Uber to the last resort guess at where she would be. As he gets out and makes his way down toward the waves, he releases a breath. The small silhouette of her hugging her knees to her chest is illuminated by the tip of light from the rising sun.

Shawn takes off his shoes and slowly walks toward her, feeling the sand in between his toes. Before he reaches her, she stands up and stretches her arms out by her sides. Her fingers dance through the wind as she tilts her head back and soaks in her surroundings. He can’t help but take a picture.

He speaks softly as he approaches her, “I’m glad this part of you hasn’t changed.”

“I knew you’d find me,” she states simply as she lowers her arms and sneaks a glance at him.

He comes to a stop facing her at a respectful distance. “Is that so?” She nods, a tiny glimmer of a smile on the corner of her lip. “I can leave you alone if you’d like,” he offers.

“I think I’ve been alone enough already,” she sighs as she turns and looks up at him. He admires the way the rising sun shimmers off her skin. She admires the way the shadows of the previous night outline his statuesque features.

They stand like that a moment, gauging each other. And then Shawn breaks the silence, “I’m sorry. For everything. For the interview...for not coming after you immediately...for putting you on the spot like that...especially when I know you’re with Nick and I don’t want to be a bad-“

“I’m not,” she corrects him.

He stares at her with a quizzical look. “Not what?”

She releases a puff of air from her nose in a silent scoff. “I’m not with Nick. We broke up in August,” she informs him.

“You...I mean...why?” He stammers.

She closes the distance a bit before replying, “Why do you think?” She asks rhetorically. Shawn dares to let his features light up the tiniest bit. “You’re really gonna make me say it?”

“Mhm,” he hums as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. He gazes intently into her eyes. There’s so much she can see in them. The hope, the adoration, the love, but also a tiny bit of fear. Like if he didn’t make her say it then she would slip through his fingers again.

She notices how his eyes try their hardest to not look at her lips, but she has no qualms about her gaze flicking to his as she licks hers. “Shawn Mendes,” she begins teasingly, “I am in love wi-“

That’s all she can manage to say before Shawn is grabbing her by the small of her back with one hand and pulling her flush against him as his other hand finds its home just past her jaw and under her ear. His lips connect with hers and she’d expected it to be fervent after so long apart but it wasn’t.

It was the opposite. It was tender and slow. Almost as if he pressed too much that her delicate lips would shatter beneath him. It filled her up with warmth nonetheless. The kind of warmth that spread to her toes on that chilly October morning with the wind nipping their noses.

But neither of them moved. Her hands had reacquainted themselves with his neck and the roots of his hair easily. He didn’t want to break her, but she had been hollow these past few months. While he tried, Nick couldn’t fill the hole that was meant for Shawn’s touch. And now that she finally has the smallest taste of him, it isn’t enough.

She pulls him against her further, as if it were possible. And each tug of his curls tightens his grip on her skin. She deepens the kiss by swiping her tongue along his delicious lips and he eagerly responds. Soft moans and slight giggles escape their mouths and dance in the air between them as they continue to act as if they’re the only ones in the world.

And so they stood like that, drinking each other in after months of being in the desert while the sun finally rose over the horizon.

Tag List: @imagine-that-100 @hufflepuffshawn @luke2k18 @thewhinersoldier

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furederiko · 6 years

Photo

Lots and lots of news to catch up folks! Unfortunately, despite my desire to post more (I kept getting distracted by this and that since the start of the month), this is inevitably the first and also last Random-News-Digest for October...

(Images courtesy of Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Marvel TV/Hulu, LEVEL-5, The Pokemon Company/GameFreak, and CAPCOM. Taken from Official Trailers, Official Sites, and Entertainment Weekly.)

Pacific Rim

The much anticipated sequel "Pacific Rim: Uprising" released its first full-length trailer earlier this month (October 6th, to be precise), and well it... felt similar but also different? Unlike many people in the North American region, I'm among the few who thought the first movie was okay... but not as mindblowing as those people claimed. I guess, robot fighting giant beast... can be considered a norm for Japan afficianado like yours truly. We get that on a weekly basis through Super Sentai and Ultraman. That's probably why I didn't feel as big of an excitement when I saw this one too. In fact, somehow I'm inclined to agree with both Birth.Movies.Death and Collider, that likened this to two other big franchises: "Power Rangers" and "Transformers".

But still, if this movie IS your thing, then don't let some subjective comparisons bring you down. John Boyega is leading as Jake Pentecost, with the charming (but can't seem to find his groove, relegating him to be bland supporting character in like... every movie) Scott Eastwood shadowing as his Jaeger partner Nate Lambert. Other new actors include Cailee Spaeny as young hacker Amara, Tian Jing, Adria Arjona, and Burn Gorman. Charlie Day nerdily returns as Dr. Newt Geiszler, and Rinko Kikuchi is back as Mako Mori, who seems to be taking over his adopted-father commanding role this time around. By the way, please don't expect Charlie Hunnam character to be in this movie. LOL. From the hands of Stephen S. DeKnight, "Pacific Rim: Uprising" arrives on March 23rd, 2018.

Star Wars

Aaaah, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Winning the battle of trailers (against Warner Bros, who previously released one for their upcoming team-up movie) earlier this month (October 9th. Yeah, I kept track), Lucasfilm stole every attention through a cool looking poster, and a neat official trailer that pretty much riled up everyone in the world, fans and non-fans alike. Hey, the brilliant editing of this trailer got me highly interested, so indeed it was the winner of the not-really-a competition.

Part of it was due to the Porgs, to be honest. A creature specially created by director Rian Johnson for the movie. Seriously, that shot of Chewbacca and the little planet Ahch-To native screaming together, instantly numbed down plenty of weak hearts. The reason why they are headlining this post. LOL. That's not all. This movie will be the last appearance of the late Carrie Fischer as well, a swan-song to her General Leia. So it's clear that Lucasfilm consciously honored her with this trailer. If anything, I believe that would be a great reason to see this movie. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" arrives on December 15th, 2017.

Somewhere else, Ron Howard has completed his work on that Han Solo spin-off. And he has personally (via instagram and/or Twitter) revealed its official title: "Solo: A Star Wars Story". I actually prefer 'Han Solo', but I'm not complaining. It's still short, easy to remember, and follows the pattern of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" nicely. Beside, it might also meant to describe Han's solo adventure (get it?), before he met his lifelong partner Chewbacca. Before Chewbacca ends up with Porgs, that is. LOL. You can expect this movie to arrive ontime on May 25th, 2018.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Gear up for a speedy adventure in ultimate velocity. Tim Miller's big screen adaptation of SEGA's initial mascot has moved from SONY Pictures to Paramount. Miller is still attached as executive producer, and his buddy Jeff Fowler as the director. This time around, Neal Moritz has joined the party as the other producer, alongside Toby Ascher, Dmitri Johnson, and Dan Jevons. The movie remains to be a hybrid of live action and CG animation.

As far as I know, SONY hasn't had good success with their animated projects lately, while Paramount has fared better. So this move might be a good thing. Of course, there's still that video-game adaptations curse to put into our concern. It's looming not just Hollywood, but even other countries like Japan. But you know what? If the team can at least produce something along the line of "The Angry Birds Movie" (which was highly enjoyable, albeit not doing so well with critics), and are able to keep the characters faithful to the source material, I'm totally down with it.

Dark Universe

Oh NO. Bill Condon's "Bride of the Frankenstein" has been officially delayed!

This news was a bit of a bummer, especially for several few (like me) who somehow curious to see what Universal would do next with their Dark Universe. Sure, "The Mummy" was a seriously flawed movie, and that it should and could have been WAAAAAY better. But is that hard for me to see more of Russel Crowe's Dr. Jekyll? Anyway, "Bride of Frankenstein" was already in pre-production, set for a February 1st start, but the crew has been dismissed. Good thing is, the movie has NOT been cancelled so far, but only postponed temporarily. Meaning, it might still be released somewhere late 2019. Just not in February as it was intended to be. It also doesn't mean that it's a sure thing though. Oh well... we'll see.

Akira

New Zealand director Taika Waititi confirmed to IGN (October 10th) that WB has indeed approached him to work on a Hollywood "Akira" adaptation. As it turns out though, the deal is not yet set in stones, at least for now. Waititi still has an array of projects on his sleeves, not including the potential of a 4th "Thor" movie that has been making the rounds through the internet lately. One which I'm sure is totally happening some time after 2019.

The director however, didn't hesitate to offer his thoughts on the movie. He said that IF he does take the job, then it will be based on the original 6-volume manga, and not the popular classic 1988 animated movie. More importantly, he would definitely be looking for Asian leads. "Yeah. actually Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent. Yeah, I'd probably want to take it a bit back more towards the books.", he confirmed. That's reassuring, isn't it? After seeing the latest "Thor" movie under his guidance, I have complete confidence that Waititi would be able to bring an anime to life in a grand but personal way. Let's just hope his vision is inline with WB...

DC Films

Aaaaah yes, WB. The one studio that never ceases to amaze me.

Remember that time when I used to be soooo confused to why many people are calling their recent DC movie adaptations as DCEU and not DC Films? You don't? Don't worry, I forgive you. It was posted in January 2016 anyway, and I'm too lazy to look for it to provide a link. Anyway, as I've long suspected, DCEU was NEVER the name of this movie universe that began with the dull and boring "Man of Steel". It's nothing more than a fan-made term! LOL. To be more specific, it was courtesy of Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly back in July 2015. Beside, surely I wasn't the only one who remembered that CW Special thingy with an over-excited Kevin Smith and bashful Geoff Johns, right? The branding "DC Films" was used heavily in that TV special, so it's clear that's what the bigwigs have always wanted to call it.

What's baffling to me, is that WB also NEVER tried to openly correct this, to the point that even I have started using the term despite my initial reluctance. Ouch. As for how this truth was finally revealed? Through a thorough article released on September 29th by Abraham Riesman of Vulture. Go ahead and make a detour to read that fine article, because it's truly an eye-opener. Ironically, reading this article gave me a clear mind of what went wrong with DC Films, and why its movies just didn't work for me. As I've suspected, WB has indeed been the culprit, by being bullish and ignoring the advice from DC Entertainment. And I'm not even kidding here. The studio greedily wanted to copy Marvel Studios, a studio developed by people behind the comics, yet ridiculously refused to accept feedbacks from DC Comics. Well, DUH?!! No wonder "Man of Steel", "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", and "Suicide Squad" could never reached the heights of their respective source materials. They were given to people who did NOT understand the comics from the start. DC Comics was sidelined, to the point that they turned head towards developing TV shows instead. It wasn't until "Wonder Woman" that Johns and the folks from DC Entertainments were given the reign to provide input and assessment. Look what happened to that movie!

Could we be seeing the same result with next month's "Justice League" then? There's no certainty about that, but one thing for sure, Zack Snyder is no longer directly involved since Joss Whedon came in to tackle the movie's reshoot and post production. Apparently Whedon even cut the movie from a rumored 3 hours duration to mere 121 minutes! Yep, that running time has indeed been confirmed, officially making this title as the shortest DC Films movie to date. Naturally, the response to this was easily mixed (some segment of the 'DC fans' just can NOT change, huh?), which was relatively understandable considering this movie has not one nor two, but FIVE major characters to put in the spotlight. SIX if Henry Cavill's Superman is included. Can they all be given a proper screentime, alongside Ciarán Hinds' CG antagonist Steppenwolf, and those hordes of supporting cast (assuming they haven't been cut off) in such a limited duration? Let's just wait and see. I can only hope this does NOT mean WB is planning to release another 3-hours 'Ultimate Edition' later on. They HAVE done that before, haven't they? TWICE. That's like giving audience a major reason NOT to watch this movie right away.

For now, here's a new and possibly final trailer (actual one, not quick TV spots... expect loads of that fairly soon) to help you decide whether you want to see this or not. I know I won't, but don't let that stop you from going. "Justice League" arrives in less than 3 weeks on November 17th.

"Shazam!" has found one half of its leading actor! Zachary Levi, the actor formerly known as "Chuck", and has appeared as Fandral the Dashing in the "Thor" series, as well as the mischievous Flynn 'Eugene Fitzherbert' Rider in Disney Animation's "Tangled" and its TV series, is set to portray the hero form of young Billy Batson. This news hit the internet not long after director David F. Sandberg confirmed on a Reddit thread, that the movie will be released in April 2019. I think Levi has the right personality, but probably the body to portray Shazam. Naaah, that can be tweaked.

It remains to be seen if this movie will be in the same continuity to "Justice League", considering New Line Cinema is in charge on this. Not to mention, that article above HAVE mentioned and confirmed that there WILL be movies outside of the unified universe. I have a inkling feeling that "Shazam!" will be a stand-alone series, but as always, we'll see.

One last thing! Remember how Joe Manganiello was cast to play the super-villain Deathstroke, and was meant to show up in both "Justice League" and "The Batman"? It seems both ideas have been scrapped, leaving his poor Deathstroke without a home. But that's where Gareth Evans swoop in. Yes, according to The Wrap, the acclaimed director known for his gritty and bloddy "The Raid" series, has entered talks to develop a stand-alone Deathstroke movie. Well, how cool is that? Of course, in talks does NOT mean that it's a done deal. But it's a fitting marriage, if you ask me. Manganiello gets to play his version of Slade Wilson, the movie can be a gruesome R-rated assassination flick, and it can even exist outside of the continuity. So no need for unnecessary call-backs to the "Justice League" characters, am I right?

X-Men Universe

F**K continuity! That might be the message that FOX was sending through the first official trailer of Josh Boone's "The New Mutants". In particular, to a certain segment of audience who can't seem to stop complaining about that massive lingering issue that's been plaguing the studio for a loooong time. You know, folks like... yours truly *grins*.

So there you have it, a very HORROR-styled X-Men movie, inline with the director's promise. Ooookaay, I get that FOX badly wants to 'differentiate' itself to Marvel Studios, but is this really a good way to work with this particular material? I can't really answer that. It didn't come close to what I've expected, and I'd be a huge hypocrite if I say I can finally ignore its whole continuity angle. THAT part is still bugging me, because I'm literally confused to where and when this takes place in the X-Men universe. So much of wanting something akin to "X-Men: First Class", huh? I'm not even sure if I like this or not, because it tried to be creepy and spooky but... it did not. Sure, I'm a fan of that supernatural Netflix show that has a bunch of kids encountering creature from a dark realm and all. But an X-Men movie that feels like a copy paste of it? Hmmm... hold on, now that I think of it, this DOES feel inspired by that "LEGION" TV show. That could be the reason why it feels strangely... repetitive. "The New Mutants" arrives on April 13th, 2018. Here's hoping the 2nd trailer would do... better.

"Gambit" is moving forward! That's a surprise, huh? I actually thought the studio would eventually shelve this title after numerous delays. Nope, because Gore Verbinski has been hired to work on it, and Channing Tatum is still very much attached as titular character Remy LeBeau. From the looks of things, "Gambit" might also exist in its own separate continuity, inspired by the success of "Deadpool" and "Logan". FOX has even given an official release date! Yes, this movie will be released on February 14th, 2019. That day was initially booked by Universal's "Bride of the Frankenstein", but now it's an empty slot for superhero movie. "Deadpool" did wonders in the same week last year, can "Gambit" fare the same or even better?

Speaking of the Merc with the Mouth, "Deadpool 2" has completed principal photography. Ryan Reynolds hit his personal social media to thank everyone involved. In the spirit of Wade Wilson's character, obviously. Josh Brolin was mentioned in the post, as it should be, because the actor had almost turned down the role, if it wasn't due to a certain personal persuassion. Not surprising, because an actor of Brolin's calliber has the tendency to go with indie drama, and was already involved with Marvel Studios at the time. Director David Leitch got a mention, but sadly Tim Miller didn't get one. That's a shame really, because if Miller didn't go all out to make the first movie, this sequel and potential more wouldn't even existed. Miller doesn't have any hard feelings, and has since moved on to other grand projects instead. I guess all's well ends well, right? I hope so. "Deadpool 2" will arrive on June 1st, 2018.

I'm not done. There's one more project on the horizon, and it's a spin-off for "Logan". Dafne Keen's X-23 was a standout in that movie, and it's safe to say she has inherited the legacy of Wolverine from Hugh Jackman. So it's natural that she's being eyed for her own solo movie. Director James Mangold shared this news to The Hollywood Reporter, confirming he's currently writing a sequel for Laura. Mangold referenced director Patty Jenkins and her success with "Wonder Woman" that led to this step. Indeed, my sole hope for that DC movie, was that it paved way for more female-led comic book adaptations, so I'm glad that ended up to be the case.

IF, and it's a big if, this X-23 spin-off gets made, producer Hutch Parker admitted that it will have its own tone or genre not similar to "Logan". But you know what? FOX is being ambitious lately, always trying to be one-upping WB in terms of doing things 'different'. That's why I'm positive this spin-off WILL be made. Just look at "Gambit" as the best example. Beside, unless FOX eventually decides to re-cast Wolverine (since Hugh Jackman has approved of that), they can only rely on Keen as the successor, right?

SONY Marvel Universe

Eventhough many people are still doubting this project, the Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off "Venom" has actually begun production. The movie even had its own official Twitter account, created to boldly announce this news just last week. We can see Tom Hardy among other guys there, presumably the director Ruben Fleischer. No sign of Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, or Jenny Slate who were said to be in talks for the movie, nor Reid Scott and Scott Haze. But I guess it's enough to prove the doubters that this movie is definitely in the works.

Additional detail has been revealed as well. This time, courtesy of Andy Serkis, whose The Imaginarium studio might be involved as motion-capture consultant. Apparently, Hardy would be portraying Eddie Brock, but his Venom form will be achieved through motion capture CG. Serkis' work is phenomenal though, as proven through how realistic Mark Ruffalo's Hulk has become, so it looks like we can expect more of the same for this movie. "Venom" is expected to be released on October 5th, 2018, which is less than a year from now. Do you think it will be a success? Hmmmm...

Marvel Studios

Let's start with "Thor: Ragnarok" first. The movie opens in North American this very weekend, but has already landed in international markets since Wednesday last week. Go ahead and read my Non-Spoiler Review if you somehow don't believe me.

Reviews from various critics have also been published in pretty much every entertainment sites you could encounter in the internet. Had this Random-News-Digest was released much earlier (prior to last week), I would've gladly detailed some of the responses. Whether it's the early social media responses, or the actual full-length reviews (two weeks ago). However, doing so now while every site has already published their own digest, would be too redundant. So I'll stop right here and give that a pass. For the record, the movie started at 98% on RottenTomatoes (October 21st, 2017 01:20AM local time) when the first 47 critics submitted their scores. It has fluctuated since then, but just like the other Marvel Studios releases, I'm predicting it will end at above 80%. It's really fun and Hela Good, so it would make sense...

Second trailer (but actually the first full-length one) for Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" has been released on October 16th. It was dropped without any warning, startling pretty much every Marvel fans on the planet. A new fancy poster was also released online on that same date. If you haven't seen both, then what are you waiting for?! All signs are indicating that this is going to be a special movie, and well... I think every scenes in this trailer only amplified said notion. Those entertainment journalists weren't kidding when they compared this to a 007 movie, because it DOES feel like one. Direct comparison to DC's Batman was also inevitable.

Quite surprisingly, the Prelude Comic for the movie revealed something more interesting. Remember how "Iron Man 2" somehow hinted at the location of Wakanda? Many seems to think that it was a continuity error, but as it turns out... it's NOT. Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa had already received his rights to use the Black Panther suit... the same time Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark came out as Iron Man in his first solo movie. Black Panther's appearance in last year's "Captain America: Civil War" was NOT his debut outing. That's T'Challa's 8TH year already! It might also be the same reason why Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger somehow has his own gold-colored suit. Daang it, this movie is going to be grand. "Black Panther" arrives really soon on February 16th, 2018, so you better mark that date!

Possible new details for "Ant-Man and the Wasp" MIGHT have been revealed. Specifically, its time setting among other Marvel Studios releases. If this report is to be believed (grain of salt please, because this kind of report usually does NOT pan out), the movie will take place over a very short period of time following Paul Rudd's Scott Lang's breakout from The Raft. Remember that ending of "Civil War"? Yep. Stuck in house-arrest, Scott will spend most of the first arc with his daughter Cassie, played by Abby Ryder Fortson. Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne on the other hand, will be busy finding a way to rescue Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. It looks like they might be on the run as well, presumably from Randall Park's Jimmy Woo. If I'm getting this right (again, assuming the source is credible), the theme of the movie will no longer be about heist. Of course, things might play out very differently, being just a rumor and all. So let's just wait for the first trailer to get the answer. Hopefully soon, because turns out the movie had just wrapped production!

Actor Ben Mendelsohn, is said to be in negotiations to join Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel". According to Variety, Mendelsohn is being approached to play the main villain. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck apparently had him in mind for the role, which led them to arrange a meet up. If the movie is indeed about the war between Kree and Skrull, that means highly likely he will be playing a Skrull Leader. But I digress. Again, this type of obvious speculation can sometimes be... red herring at best. He could always play a Kree gone bad, right? Mar-Vell himself, or, even Yon-Rogg, the Marvel supervillain who's responsible for Danvers' Kree powers. Until we have official announcement from the studio, all we can do now is speculate. "Captain Marvel" arrives on March 8th, 2019.

Untitled "Avengers 4", a movie that writer Jim Starlin has called out to be "delightfully different", continues filming. That means, more and more details as well as actors are confirmed on set. As usual, this could be spoilery, so if you're avoiding one, stop right here and skip to the next category. Still here? Okay then, let's go.

Remember how Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton has been rumored to be taking a new moniker in the movie? Well, there's a photo of him sporting this new look, partially confirming this report. Apparently, Scarlett Johansson will also have her own new hairstyle. Letitia Wright's Shuri has also been spotted on set, alongside Boseman's T'Challa, confirming that she will be in the movie as well.

Meanwhile, during a promotional tour for "Ragnarok", Mark Ruffalo shared to Cinema Blend that his Hulk will have his own three-part character arc. The character re-inventing, which is a collaborative effort with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, has already begun in "Ragnarok". It will then continue in next May's "Avengers: Infinity War", and seemingly concludes in "Avengers 4". Does this mean Ruffalo will be ending his appearance as Bruce Banner by then? It's hinted that way, though I badly sure hope NOT. I would love to see him and Chris Hemsworth's Thor teaming up for more galactic adventure. Trust me, I'm sure you'd totally want that after watching "Ragnarok".

Speaking of future movies, "Avengers 4" will mark the end of Phase 3, and also a long-running arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will serve as a conclusion, but not exactly the end of MCU. Feige confirmed this to Uproxx, by saying that the studio "will go places beyond that. And, of course, we have ideas of where we go beyond that. But, really, it is all good stories.". Even director James Gunn affirmed that the report of "Avengers 4" being the 'grand finale' of MCU was highly overblown. "It’s the end of one long story & the beginning of another", he stressed. He might be stepping back from doing a potential 4th Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but that doesn't mean his working relationship with Marvel Studios will end after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". After all, his "Vol. 3" (its first draft might have been completed, by the way) will be wrapping the current "Guardians" franchise, while also serving as one of the important movies to kickstart the next story arc. Kind of like, "Ragnarok" then...

Last but not least, Marvel Studios held a not-so-secret (it's public secret really) massive photo shoot earlier this month. It featured most if not all major actors, directors, and also producers who have been involved with the studio, quite possibly to commemorate the Studios' 10 Years Anniversary. Several big names like Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, and even the Russo Brothers have even shared some quick scenes from the event through their social media. Will us, the fans be able to see the result of this event, alongside the official timeline of the movies, as promised by Feige himself? I'm sure, but who knows when. Perhaps, sometime around next year, in Marvel Studios' very own Comic Con? *grins*. Hey, it doesn't hurt to dream BIG, right?

Marvel TV

Marvel's "The Inhumans" is close to ending its first (and possibly ENTIRE, due to the huge loss it's causing IMAX?) season run. Just two or three more episodes, I think. I can't say that for sure because I'm not even bothered to follow the show. LOL. That means, the 5th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is just weeks away from starting.

Indeed, during their panel at the recent New York Comic Con, Marvel TV announced that the new season will start on December 1st, 2017, with a 2-hour premiere. Actress Natalia Cordova-Buckley has also been promoted to series regular before hand. Her Yo-Yo has always been a fun addition to the show, both in character and as person of color, so it's a great thing to know she will mostly be around now. Too bad we couldn't say nor haven't heard anything about Juan Paulo Raba's Joey though. Such a wasted potential right there.

The NYCC panel included several details that teased some fun changes in the new season. First, the team has been abducted by aliens, and are placed in a space station filled with all kinds of aliens. Ian de Castecker's Fitz will be the only member on Earth, which could lead him to work together with Nick Blood's Lance Hunter somehow. The two Brits had fun chemistry back then, so it would nice to capitalize on that. There's time travel twist in place, a horror/sci-fi vibe, and the return of the Inhuman Monolith in form of Obelisk too. Those who expected S.W.O.R.D. however, would be disappointed, because the space organization won't be featured. I doubt Marvel TV has the rights, anyway. The Kree on the other hand, will definitely show up. Does this mean, the season will be tied to "Captain Marvel"? Hmmm.

For the time being, I'm still on the fence of following this new season. Unless it's a final season, in which I will literally force myself to watch, I'm not sure I have extra patience and time to spare for a long 22 episodes that leads to... nowhere, not Knowhere. It still depends on the trailer though, because if it manages to capture my attention, then... the rest is history.

Take for example, Marvel's "Runaways". Its first teaser that was officially released during NYCC week was just okay, but the air of mystery it exuded was enough to grab my attention. Its follow up trailer was even better, by showcasing the lead character's various abilities. And then there's that positive reaction from its initial screening. These are the kind of buzzes that snatch everyone's attention... in a good way (looking at you, "Inhumans"). Anyways, the first three episode of "Runaways" will premiere on November 21st. Don't be surprised if Hulu doesn't drop every episodes at the same time like Netflix. This is just the way they roll...

Meanwhile, Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" will air weekly on Thursday night, as part of Freeform's Winter lineup. The show doesn't have a premiere date for now, but I'm guessing Marvel TV is pending the announcement until after "Runaways" hits the road.

Netflix

Joining the array of new Marvel TV shows, Marvel's "The Punisher" will also arrive in November. As it turns out, the Jon Bernthal's leading series was supposed to come out early October, but it has been delayed in the wake of the terrifying Las Vegas shooting tragedy. Not just the series, the NYCC panel was also pulled from schedule, to respect the victims. This new series will now debut on November 17th, 2017. Do check out the new trailer to wet your early Thanksgiving appetite. You are free to choose your allegiance (Marvel TV or DC... who is releasing a movie in the same date) when the day comes.

Meanwhile, Finn Jones' Danny Rand (with better hair-cut) will at long last show up in the 3rd season of Marvel's "Luke Cage". EW even has the official image to back up this news. Looks like we might be getting a discount "Heroes for Hire" show we've always wanted after all. Which is nice I guess, because the chemistry between Jones and Cage's Mike Colter was undoubtedly strong in Marvel's "The Defenders". It was one of the highlights of that disappointing mini-series.

Things are looking good with the 3rd season of Marvel's "Daredevil" as well. Vincent D'Onofrio has been confirmed to reprise his iconic role as Wilson 'Kingpin' Fisk. Considering Marvel TV actually went all out to announce this, that means we can expect him to be more than a mere cameo (Season 2, anyone?). Hmmm... is it just me or Marvel TV is desperately trying to attract audience to COME BACK to their shows? Hmmm... can Loeb, the man of many excuses, be trusted this time around? That remains to be seen. One thing for sure, "Daredevil" will join "Luke Cage", and definitely the 2nd season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones" in 2018.

Have you seen the much-anticipated 2nd season of "Stranger Things"? I was actually going to talk about this series in preparation of its release, but I guess I'm a little late for that am I? LOL. I have only seen the first episode so far, and though it was mostly set-ups, it's definitely as good as the 1st season. If you're a fan of this supernatural thriller, then you might want to visit Netflix' official Youtube channel and check out some of its weird promotional materials as well. There's one to celebrate Friday the 13th, and also one featuring... Nose Bleeds. Yikes!

If you haven't had the chance to watch the new season though, you might want to refrain from seeing its Final Official Trailer. That's NOT a good trailer IMHO, because it literally spoiled soooo many things happening in the later episodes. Even the mystery of Eleven's whereabout was easily revealed, just like that! Unless you're among those folks who's okay with spoilers of course. But even so, just watch the season instead. All 9 episodes have already been made available since October 27th anyway.

DC Television

"Titans" have found its Beast Boy! And it's a Disney alumn. Well, technically that is, considering Ryan Potter voiced lead protagonist Hiro Hamada in Disney Animation's "Big Hero 6". Potter actually publicly campaigned to play Batman's third Robin Tim Drake (after Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd) in the movies, something more inline with his role in Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas". But looks like DC saw him fit as Garfield 'Gar' Logan instead. Hmmmm... I would actually prefer to see the Japanese-American young actor portrays, I don't know, someone like Amadeus Cho in Marvel Studios movies... but sometimes we can't expect too much with casting. I wish the best for Potter nonetheless.

Super Sentai

We got more rumors surrounding the 2018 Super Sentai series, "Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger" and "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger". Courtesy of the ever-informative Dukemon, of course. Since we haven't gotten its official look, reports surrounding both titles have been changing and shifting by and by. One rumor claimed there will be 7 members between two teams, with the usual colors of Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Green, Black, and White. Latest one said that Lupinranger will consist of LupinRuby, LupinSapphire, and LupinEmerald, while Patoranger will Include PatoFire, PatoWater, and PatoThunder. That's Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Yellow. Whoops? That can't be right. LOL. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has Kyutama, so the collectibles for both titles will be in form of COINS. A nod to "Kamen Rider OOO" then? Hmmm....

Professor Layton

International version of "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy" has been released for the Nintendo 3DS. Layton fans who have been waiting for one since the Japanese version was released on July 20th, and somehow couldn't purchase it on Smartphone (either due to preference, or space limitation), can now begin their puzzle-solving spree right away. LEVEL-5 celebrated this by releasing a special launch trailer, depicting the characters, main cases, and also main features from the game.

But if you think this spin-off is the extent of the franchise, then you're mistaken! In an interview with License Global magazine, senior Vice President of Marketing and Licensing Simon Waldron shared that there are two major releases arriving in 2018. The first was none other than another Professor Layton game, set to be released in Summer 2018. Since Nintendo 3DS is reaching its final years, it's most probably being developed for Nintendo Switch. As for the story, I suspect it will be a direct sequel to Katrielle's adventure, especially if we put into account the overwhelming response to that Global Puzzle Hunt marketing. I totally would LOVE to be involved in another one of that.

The second project, was what completely stole my attention. A 26-episodes TV anime series is being developed to start broadcasting next year! How cool is that? *grins*. Of course, there's a common concern that video game adaptations are plagued with bad reputation, and this news doesn't escape such concern. Even the anime adaptation of "BlazBlue" and "Gyakuten Saiban" were generally... sloppy and disappointing. I sincerely hope Layton will not be affected by this curse. On the other hand, the "Inazuma Eleven" and "Youkai Watch" series rangeg from above average to actually really good. Those are the other big titles produced by LEVEL-5, as extensions and/or alternatives to the video games. That gives me hope that Layton will be as good, if not better. Can't wait to hear more details about this one!

Dynasty Warriors

As has been promised by producer Akihiro Suzuki, the release date for "Dynasty Warriors 9" was announced on October 26th. The new open-world styled iteration for the franchise, will arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 8th, 2018. Several special editions have also been announced, like the "Treasure Box", "Ikkitousen Box", and also "Digital Deluxe". Visit Gematsu to read more details about them.

Pocket Monsters

Several new trailers have been released by The Pokemon Company, to raise awareness and hype for their upcoming "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon". The two titles that have been confirmed to be the last core Pokemon games released on Nintendo 3DS, once again marking the handheld console's imminent retirement. My oh my, how quick time flies by, huh?

The first trailer came with a startling tagline, "This is Not the Alola You Know Anymore". It indicated that the region have gone through significant changes during the gap of years following "Pokemon Sun & Moon". In fact, producer Shigeru Oumori and director Kazumasa Iwao shared to Famitsu, that the new scenario for this new titles is said to be twice the volume of "Sun & Moon"! An English-language version were also released several days after, to provide ease of understanding for international players.

Three new Ultra Beasts; Adhesive, Assembly, and Burst; were revealed through a follow-up second trailer. The more important reveals however, was the 'Ultra Wormholes', as well as 'Ultra Megalopolis'. These new games will allow players to use Legendary Solgaleo and Lunala to travel to another realm! The Megalopolis also heralds the arrival of several new characters. Dulse, Zossie, Soliera, and Phyco who are part of the 'Ultra Recon Squad', will appear early on in the game, altering the core of the story. They are pretty much people from alternate reality! These are first in the Pokemon franchise, that I'm not even sure how to feel about their addition.

Another trailer unveiled special new additions to the game. There are Z-Crystals called Solganium Z and Lunalium Z, that led to new Z-Moves called "Searing Sunraze Smash" and "Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom" (get it? SSS, and MMM... Sun and Moon?). They are exclusive for the new Necrozma Forms, the Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma. Rotom will also received its own Z-Move called Z-Power, that will allow a second Z-Move to be used in battle.

I think we can expect more trailers coming very soon, ahead of the games' November 17th release. There are rumors of new Alolan forms, and also possibly new Pokemon to be added in these game. Let's just see if they do pan out, okay?!

Marvel vs. Capcom

"Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" has been released. And the response to the game was... mixed at best. Having seen the Story Modes and Ending online (hey, that's what Youtube is for, right?), I can personally attest this. Those complaints are totally not exaggerated, because the game feels and mostly looks... unappealing.

CAPCOM can still count on the arrays of DLC characters, to boost the reception for this title. Following Black Panther, Sigma, and Monster Hunter (all of them released on October 17th), three other characters of the "2017 Character Pass" have been confirmed. Complete with their designs, as datamined from the game's data.

Quite surprisingly, all three are coming from the Marvel side: Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Venom. Exciting characters, but even I would argue that Winter Soldier is nothing more than a clone of Captain America and/or Chris Redfield, Black Widow could very well be a clone of Gamora and/or Jill Valentine, and Venom... is well Venom, a brutal version of Spider-Man. I can't help but wonder why CAPCOM doesn't use more colorful characters like Ant-Man (NetherRealm has already gone one step ahead by debuting DC's shrinking hero Atom), Vision, or Scarlet Witch, among others. Oh well, perhaps they are being saved for the "2018 Character Pass", inline with the release of "Infinity War"? Here's hoping...

Street Fighter

Sixth and final Season 2 DLC character for "Street Fighter V", has been released. As has been rumored, and speculated over and over again, it's indeed Guy's Bushinryu master Zeku who debuted in "Street Fighter Alpha 2" many years ago. Nope, let me correct that... FORMER master. Apparently he resurfaced after starting his own ninja group, with his own fighting style as well. The character has already been released on October 24th, but here's his reveal trailer anyway, in case you've somehow missed it (like yours truly)...

Zeku's arrival felt like an after-thought now, because there's an even bigger news from the franchise. CAPCOM will be releasing "Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition" early next year! Yes, the rumor and report based on fan's datamining discovery as well as listing on online stores have been confirmed, by none other than executive producer Yoshinori Ono himself. To be released on January 16th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and PC, this updated version will add various new contents like Arcade Mode (with numerous endings, if the latest report is to be believed), Extra Battle, Gallery, new V-Triggers for every characters, and more. The 12 DLC characters from Season 1 and 2, will also be included as unlockables in game. Best of all, true to their initial promise for this series, players who own the original "Street Fighter V", can obtain their upgrades free of charge. This is a great opportunity to those who have been interested in the game, but decided to postpone their purchase due to various reasons (bad launch reviews, to name one?). They can get everything, all in one package now.

In a way, CAPCOM might also be using this release to prepare for Season 3 of DLC characters. You know, the one rumored to contain fan favorites like Sakura Kasugano, Sagat (there's an icon reserved for him in the datamining result), and some others. It's not confirmed for now, but that's certainly the general assumption among fans. Let's just wait and find out if that's the case when the "Arcade Edition" hits the market next year. For now, you can watch the official announcement trailer and start preparing for more "Street Fighter V" in the future...

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