only a matter of time

[mincedoaths]

00:04─0───────────────────────────────────04.35

જ⁀➴Love's gonna get you killed ╰┈➤But pride's gonna be the death of you, and you and me ╰┈➤And you, and you, and you and me ╰┈➤And you, and you, and you and me ╰┈➤And you, and you, and—

dependent multi-muse blog for invictus; penned by clow.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴:

╭─────── Track 34: Luminary ⏯ Olubunmi “Bunmi” Adisa. ⤷ B-rank. ⤷ Kardinal. ▹main alterego account: ⌞ oluminateme ⌝ ▹burner account: ⌞ d4rks1d30fth3m00n ⌝

╭─────── Track 35: Phoenix ⏯ Ajay Gupta. ⤷ A-rank. ⤷ Valerian. ▹main alterego account: ⌞ therealajaygupta ⌝

╭─────── Track 38: Goodfella ⏯ Joaquin Aurelio Liu. ⤷ B-rank. ⤷ B.Y.O.H. ▹main alterego account: ⌞ yourpaljoaquin ⌝

╭─────── Track 44: ↪ TRACK TITLE MISSING ⏯ Suman Arsiwala. ⤷ C-rank. ⤷ N.E.S.T. ▹main alterego account: ⌞@professor_arsiwala07⌝

[multimuz]

⎯⎯⎯ Ⅲ.

Sab was already pissed off by the time the bus dumped him four blocks from his usual stop, but walking was still faster with pedestrians packed this thick like canned mackerel. No way these people gawking at the sky were actual New Everwickers. Locals would've ignored it and kept moving. Sab shoved between two eediats taking a picture in the middle of a red‑light crosswalk, causing traffic to stall.

His dress shoes snapped against the hot pavement, as if the floor were lava, and his stomach dropped when he saw how jammed the next stretch was. Sab needed a breather, so he carved out a tiny pocket of space beside some guy taller than him, wearing a dark mask over the lower half of his face. A mask in this heat? The thrill of Manhattanhenge dragged the sick out of bed too?

Despite his reservations, the guy was here first so Sab asked if he could loiter for a bit. The man's expression flickered neutral before the smile returned. Even with half his face covered, Sab could tell he was probably some kind of model. A small crowd hovered around him, stealing glances like he was a landmark.

"Plenty of room? Really?" Sab said, dripping sarcasm as he tried to turn and immediately got shoved forward. Maybe the man was a glass-half-full sort, the opposite of Sab Lenworth. "If you think this is spacious, your landlord is robbing you blind."

He kept his eyes on the horizon, waiting for any gap he could slip through before the crowd sealed again. The stranger nudged him. Sab shot him a raised eyebrow, the universal message of do you mind?

"It's as good as it gets with a phone camera like yours and mine," Sab said, dry, still scanning the crowd. Why were they pressing in even tighter? "I don't care about taking photos, but hey, if you do, knock yourself out. Empower your creativity... OK, is this a hot spot or something? Why are people moving closer?"

[mincedoaths]

Bunmi’s eyes widen at the — random and completely unreasonable —  attitude the stranger lobs in his direction. His practiced warm smile morphs into something much more tense and strained under the mask; head shaking almost imperceptibly, silently overcome by rage and disbelief.

In an attempt to compose himself, he blinks rapidly, fighting an internal battle to not say the most scathing thing he could to the man in the business slacks who had the audacity to ask to squeezed in next to him and then bitch about it.

Years of media training were the only thing that held his tongue; he wasn’t about to throw away a twenty year career to clap back at a some mid businessman who was so ill-bred he probably embarrassed his mama on a daily basis.

Letting out a soft and breathy canned chuckle, Bunmi lightly jostles the other man’s shoulder with slightly more force than necessary, but not enough to look like anything more than a friendly shove. Like rough housing between friends. Like he didn't want to square up and see the other guy tuck tail and run. “ Hey now, it’s not like I begged you to come out to meet me here. May I remind you that you talked to me first? ”

By the look on the other’s mug — sour and bitter — Bunmi guess that perhaps the businessman had got caught up in the crowd on his way to or from work. Sucks to suck, but it wasn’t like it was Bunmi’s fault huge crowd showed up to watch the sun set. Blame the New Everwick Tourism Department for managing to come up with another overhyped tourist trap. Dude should have checked the calendar before stomping on over like every single person here coordinated to ruin his day specifically. Talk about an ego.

The other man was still droning on about something, but Bunmi’s already tuned him out as the sun nears the horizon. He pulls out his phone — a still unreleased model in a white shell with gold accents, a promotional item custom made just for him — when he notices faces in the crowd looking in his direction reflected on the phone's screen. He tunes back into the other guy’s yapping in time to hear something about people moving in.

Bunmi looks to the left and right and realizes that a crowd has started to form around him; a mix of people sneaking glances or blatantly staring, some whispering, some pointing.

After a beat, someone in the throng of people finally pipes up, “Luminary?” At the sound of his moniker, his head turns in their direction without consciously meaning to. In that split second it's like an unspoken truce has just been broken and the crowd surges forward.

Ruh-roh. He’s been made.

Bunmi is acutely aware that right now is not the time to create some sort of incident in the middle of Manhattan. Not after all the trouble Shika got into. Not when Jaylen's also made headlines by landing himself in the hospital.

Focusing on his desire to protect his career, Bunmi snaps his fingers and creates a platform only large enough to fit him and uses it to lift himself up a few feet off the ground. The crowd oohs and ahhs. He should get the hell out of Dogde, but would be really be The People's Darling if he didn't give them a little bit of fan service?

Magnanimous as always, Bunmi removes his hood and mask to show his face. The crowd begins to scream in excitement. He laughs and begins to make the construct rotate slowly with a flick of his wrist.

He’s done a ninety degree turn when he finally spots him — the business man — surrounded by the crowd.

Based on the distance the rest of the herd was keeping between themselves and him, Bunmi could tell that his audience were absolutely under the incredibly wrong impression that this random guy was with Bunmi. Fuck.

He could see the headlines now. “We’ve been knew!: All the signs that Luminary was rollin' with the LGBT” “First Siren, Then Luminary: Which Celestial✧Clubs™ member will soft launch their new beau?” “OPINION: Luminary didn’t deserve to get outted, but can we all agree that he’s actually a terrible person for abandoning his date?”

Goddamn it. He couldn’t just leave him there now. David would have a conniption, and at his ripe age that might very well kill him.

Groaning, Bunmi unzips his hoodie and the crowed erupted again, he ignored them this time. Tossing the garment over the man’s head before creating another light construct in front of him, Bunmi extends a hand towards him. “ We gotta go. Now. ”

[mincedoaths]

{ ray panthaki. cis man. he/him. } well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, [ suman arsiwala ]! you haven’t changed one bit since the last time i saw you. are you still working as a [ nku lecturer and part-time n.e.s.t. volunteer ]? oh, you are? well, i don’t mean to overstep, but don’t you think that with your [ divination ] and [ c ] score on the f.b.a.i. assessment, you could become a steward? aw, come on, don’t be that way! i could see it now, your name in lights, rubbing elbows with all those people on realhero tv [ and super♡hearts ]… everyone already calls you [ the provident ], anyway! look, just take this card and think about it, okay? just don’t let them know you’re a [ 44 ] year old who has [ a blink-and-you-missed-it moment where you can swear you saw something moving in your peripheral view, dark brown eyes crinkled up in a playful expression after their owner told a joke you didn't understand, the iridescent sheen of oil floating in a slowly evaporating rain puddle, the slight static buzz of a voice coming through a payphone speaker ] listed as your interests on alterego. what, didn’t think i had an account? please, everyone has one these days!

001. General.

name: suman arsiwala

nickname/hero alias if applicable: n/a!

faceclaim: ray panthaki

age/date of birth: 44, July 7th

gender & pronouns: cis man, he/him

orientation/marital status: demisexual/gray ace, single

distinguishing features: large, dark brown doe eyes, long lashes, dark, full beard, unnerving knowing smiles, always dressed smartly

occupation: nku lecturer and part-time n.e.s.t. volunteer

power: divination

height: 5'10

place of birth: essex, england

family: father ♰, mother ♰

current residence: Upper East Side, Manhattan, NKC

002. Iconography.

character inspirations: doctor henry philip "hank" mccoy / beast (x-men), rupert giles (buffy the vampire slayer), aaron hotchner (criminal minds),

character tropes: Gentleman and a Scholar, Agent Peacock, The Chessmaster, Moral Pragmatist, Strolling Through the Chaos, Renaissance Man

zodiac sign: cancer sun leo rising leo moon

mbti: entj-a

positive traits: charming, charismatic, efficient, organized, practical, logical

negative traits: enigmatic, uncommunicative, nosy, pragmatic, calculating, distant

likes: reading, knowledge, talking to other people, conspiracy theories, video essays, old books, card games, books (thrillers/mystery/detective stories), the sound of antique typewriters, the smell of jasmine, mandarin orange, pomegranates, classic jazz and blues

dislikes: invictus (more the way he became a brand rather than the man himself), underachievers, incredibly straight-laced people, electronic music, people who randomly stop walking in the crowds when he's walking to/from work

fears: not living life to the fullest

habits: laughs easily, openly staring at others, smiling knowingly (what does he know? he'll never say~), has an oral fixation so if there's something he can pop in his mouth he will be doing that

hobbies: people watching, striking conversations with random people, playing chess with the elderly at central park, bird watching, collecting old books, going on wikipedia, hitting random article and reading for hours, eavesdropping into other people's conversations

pets: none!

003. Extras.

bio:

parental death tw

will provide a link soon but:

He has had his permutation since he was a baby

No one believed that his power was real until he predicted the deaths of his parents in a car accident.

He spent one year at an orphanage in Essex before being adopted by a wealthy family in NKC who adopted him to save their marriage.

Because they viewed him as more of an investment than a son and he was aware of this, he is not close with this adoptive parents.

They are very generous with their money so he was able to go to a good school and basically do w/e he wanted so he is appreciative of them. But they don't really reach out to him regularly so gives them the same energy back.

He enjoys his work as a professor but it's more like a hobby than a job.

wanted connections:

tba~

004. Memes:

[retrocausalities]

[5.17.2022]

jaylen picks up his right away when he sees the name "🌞" flash on his screen. he winces, the angle and torque was not ideal, and his still-healing leg gives him ample complaint. still, he re-positions himself on his hospital bed and opens the text. it's been two days, but who's counting? bunmi ( and the rest of the guys ) probs have more to do considering jaylen's off the grid, so he tries not to psyche himself out when he texts back.

JAYLEN: oh :~( sorry to hear that mate JAYLEN: was it our mouthpiece again?

he meant the crew's smooth talker: the one who could sweet‑talk a wall but still butcher a sentence on the regular. whatever flavor of chaos they were serving today.

JAYLEN: lol u know im not really good with ae JAYLEN: sure thing capn :~) JAYLEN: oh cool thx JAYLEN: yea haha miss u

[mincedoaths]

bunmi → 💜🐢💜: no, not this time actually lol bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] shika got in some trouble bunmi → 💜🐢💜: it wasn't one of the boys bunmi → 💜🐢💜: something with one of the girl but we gotta look out for each other yknow? bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] don't call me captain lol dai might get mad 🥴 bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] i miss you too bunmi → 💜🐢💜: we all miss you too bunmi → 💜🐢💜: how long until they let you out of the hospital? bunmi → 💜🐢💜: or are me and the boys gonna have to plan a prison break?

[mincedoaths]

⌜ " How did we get here, when I used to know you so well? " ⌟

— post status: ⌜ PRIVATE starter for @desvus ⌟ — location: ⌜ the soma medical center in manhattan ⌟ —timeframe: ⌜ early afternoon ⌟ — content warning: ⌜ hospitalization of children ⌟

In the Soma Medical Center’s pediatric wing’s playroom Ajay crawls through a colorful transparent tunnel to chase after a gaggle of children who laugh and squeal as he struggles to get his body through the child-sized passage. He lightly pounds on the walls of the tunnel and growls as he finally manages to figure out how to scoot closer to them. The child immediately in front of him shrieks gleefully and tries to scurry away, their large reptilian tail swings wildly and Ajay bumps their head on the top of the shaft to avoid getting poked in the eye. He can tell the kids at the front of the line have exited the tunnel from the sound of their shoes slapping on the tile floor.

The girl ahead of him struggles to exit, finding difficulty to maneuver her limbs from a crawling position to a standing one. Ajay wait patiently behind her but makes sure to shake and smack the tunnel so she can’t tell how close he is. Once she manages to untangled herself and exit the passage he waits a few second before rushing after her and scooping her up in his arms. She yells again in delight and a chorus of voices join her as he pretends to take bites of her shoulder and arm while making exaggerated chomping noises. The girl’s giggles shake her body causing some of the keratin to dig into his skin; he doesn’t react, swinging her in a wide arc through the air until she’s breathless from laughing.

“ You’re a zombie now too! You gotta help me get the others. ” He exclaims loudly before setting her down. She nods and giggles before rushing forward towards mimicking the same loud “zombie monster” noises he had been making earlier. Ajay beams at her, smiling so widely there is a persistently ebbing ache in his cheeks.

While he normally hated when people compare his power to the fictional undead, it was different with kids. They didn’t call him “zombie” to dehumanize him like other adults did—the unsettling aspects of his permutation were lost on them, they just thought he was cool. He still tried to avoid the association as much as possible (if there was one thing grateful to Scotty for, it was the Phoenix branding)—but the children at Soma’s pediatric wing were a special case.

Sure they also drawn to him because of his work as a steward, but they also unfortunately understood being treated like they were inhuman due to their permutations. He’d happily be referred to and act like a zombie if it meant these kids saw themselves in him, if it gave them hope for the future.

His reverie is disturbed by the rapid clicking of a camera shutter and his smile wavers as he forces down a scowl. He hated that this visit had to be a photo-op, but it wasn’t like he could just randomly show up at the medical center whenever he wanted. The Riel of it all also made things difficult.

One of the children, a young boy with raptorial forelegs tugs at his hand, “ Are you done playing? Did you get tired? Mommy says you should sit down when you got tired. ”

Ajay smiles at him and shakes his head, he crouches so he’s at eye level with the boy and is about to respond when the PA assigned to him that day calls out his stage name. “ Mx. Phoenix? Scotty called, they need you back at HQ. ”

Some of the older kids interject in disappointment followed by a refrain for the younger ones who take a minute to understand what’s being said. Ajay is quickly mobbed the group who chaotically take turns giving him hugs between pleads for him to come back to play soon. He knows his next visit will have to be carefully bargained for but he promises to return shortly nonetheless.

Once he manages to extract himself from dozens of little hands and claws, he walks over to the PA, hoping for a brief but they only smile apologetically and tell him Scotty asked them to stay behind with the photographer. Ajay rolls his eyes but makes sure to pat them on the shoulder and thank both them and the photographer for their hard work.

He turns when he gets to the door to give the kids one final series of farewells that are returned in earnest; their sing-song goodbyes following him as he makes his way down the hallway to the elevator.

Ajay pulls out his work phone from his pocket, opens up the messaging app, and scrolls down to Scotty’s contact. Annoyingly there’s no recent messages from the older man. Grumbling, he presses the call button for the elevator and opens up his email. Noting. Of course.

The elevator dings and Ajay steps forward without looking up, busy drafting a wall of text he intends to send his manager. The doors close behind him and he turns to take a step in the direct of where he remembered the elevator’s button panel being. He hits send and finally looks up to press the button to the main lobby and spots a achingly familiar face on the reflective metal doors of the elevator.

Riel.

There’s a rushing sound in his ears and he feels as his heart begin to pound. He quickly averts his gaze by looking down, his body feels like it was on fire, he felt sick, he feels the telltale prickle of tears gathering in his eyes—God fucking damn it, Scotty.

Sighing heavily, they finally look up at their ex-fiancé. “ What are you doing here? ”

[waywardlegacies]

A rush comes over her as she as takes a seat, her cheeks a little flushed from having her moment of introductions. Still in shock and nerves to what she had just confessed about herself to everyone and the cameras. With one hand, she fans her face trying to cool herself off, for now was the spotlight from the very beautiful Benny. Another fellow N.E.S.T member that she had seen in passing but had never really had a full conversation. At times she had heard their voice but when he began to speak and she could certainly hear the chimes of a British accent seeping through, her head defiantly perked up, along with her interest. Maybe it was just her guilty pleasure of watching Bridgeton, but Viola was a little more interested on what had to be said.

Unknowingly, her head is slowly bobbing along to every word that Benny is saying. Even though at times it seems like he was a little bit jumpy, though this seemed to be a self awareness, as he mentioned that he was a little bit scattered brain...though rather curious to why he said at times. Hearing that he was a professor of theoretical physics was rather interesting. Certainly, the way that he was publicly talking, jumping around with the occasional click and laughter here, was most rightfully screaming professor energy. Though perhaps one of those professors that you would have to make sure that you were awake and alert in order to keep up with the rapid movements of his energy and pretty fast notetaking skills.

A little bit of her peaks over to Rosalind....lowkey wondering her reaction. Two beautiful people. Two beautiful minds. That could certainly be a match there based on it alone. Viola pauses for a moment, wait had mother asked Benny to be here as a third to create the work place romance trope or something in hopes her or Rosalind would be paired with them? Either way....Viola wasn't complaining all that much. After all...the reason why she was on the show was to help N.E.S.T...not catch feelings or something like that.

Though Viola did happily admire it. Trying her best to keep up with the energy that Benny was certainly projecting, with a hint of nerves that was obviously creeping in. And ahh, there it was again him admitting that he was normally better at public speaking. It was kinda nice to have others actually admit their nerves. Honestly, it made people a lot more human and honest.

As Benny coughed to break the silence about any questions, Viola raises a hand lightly, a little proud that some of her classes were starting to pay off. And honestly, she only knew about it and the romantic tangent that had been related too it, otherwise it would just be another concept that would have gone a little over her head. If mother was going to send someone else from the N.E.S.T then Viola was going to do her part to help show them in the best light. "So as a professor of theoretical physics would you say the type of love you are seeking it something like quantum entanglement or would that be a little too drastic a love?"

[mincedoaths]

Suman nods his head at Sabryna, acknowledging her with a gentle smile when he spots her raising her hand. He notes a light flush on her cheeks with mild curiosity—perhaps residual shyness from her turn in front of the other contestants. He was unsure of what type of marching orders Vaimiti had given her and Mercedes Salazar, but he was certain they would not interfere with his own.

If anything, their presence on the show would only work to his benefit—he didn’t have to worry about accidentally leading someone on anymore.

His eyes widen at her question, a bark of pleasantly surprised laughter escaping his lips, which he quickly covers with a hand. He chuckles a little, mouth still concealed, the smile lines around his eyes creased as his eyes twinkle with gaiety.

How charming. He can see why Vaimiti picked her.

“ Oh, no—that’d be a little too intense for me, honestly. ” He responds, finally lowering his hand and shaking his good naturedly, the grin still splitting his face. “ While I think the concept is certainly romantic—connecting with another so closely that you basically become one—I think I value my independence too much to get into something like that. I also think I find myself more attracted to those who are dedicated to their own goals or crafts. ”

As he speaks, he brings up his right hand to stroke his beard, his gaze drifts to the side as he thinks. “ I think a certain level of… hmmm, separation between yourself and a romantic partner is necessary to adequately support one another. So that one of you can stay strong in the others time of need. ” He concludes, nodding to himself before his eyes shift back to Sabryna. He smiles at her again, his crinkling up into eyes dark crescents. “ That was a good question, thank you. Your professors must be quite fond of you—but I’m sure it'd be harder to be unaffected by you. ”

[stcsis]

who? Mercedes Salazar & Suman Arsiwala[ @mincedoaths]  where? Amboy Road, Arden, NKC   when? May 02, 2022  

As soon as Rosalind had been told the theme of her first date, a burst of amusement had settled on her chest. Fate, if it exists, seems to favor her to some degree, if the theme is anything to go by. While she tends to run on a relatively tight budget, she still occasionally chooses to visit antique shops all across New Everwick out of curiosity, if nothing else. In an ideal world, where she had enough money to splurge while continuing doing what she loves, most of her furniture would probably be antiques. As it is, her apartment is an eclectic, yet tasteful, mix of old and new, entirely based on what she has managed to find at a good price over the years. 

She arrives first to the date spot, of course she does. First to arrive, first to introduce herself, and first to leave. Even if they were staggering their exits, it makes sense she is still the first one to arrive to her first destination, even if it does mean she has to stand and pretend to not be awkward for a while. Usually, she would use the time to read a book or two on her kindle app, but the show-provided phone didn’t have the app, so all she could do was sit in a bench right at the beginning of Amboy Road and wait. Elbow pressed against her thigh and chin in hand, Rosalind idly watches the passerby’s and the camera crew setting up, all while wondering who she had ended up matching with. It would be nice if it’s Sabryna or Keegan, she thinks. She values their friendship greatly, so she doesn’t think the date would be awkward if that were the case, and admittedly, she does have very pretty friends so as long as it wouldn’t make things awkward in the long term, she doesn’t think giving it the good old college try would be a bad thing. 

Humming under her breath, she taps her fingers against her cheek rhythmically as she waits, sounds coming to a stop as she hears another car approach and raises her head in its direction, eyes keen on trying to see who steps out of it. As the car comes to a stop, she hurries to stand up and runs her hands over her outfit as if trying to wipe away any creases. Once that is done—  and after giving a quick look to make sure everything is in place— , she begins moving towards the car, slowing down as the door opens and Benedick steps out. 

Huh. Somehow she didn’t expect for it to be the very pretty Manhattan branch N.E.S.T. volunteer. Still, at least it is a semi-familiar face. 

With that in mind, she waves with a smile and finishes her approach. 

“It’s good to see you,” she admits with a small grin. “Even if I am a little surprised. Did they tell you what our date is going to be about?”

[mincedoaths]

As the car pulls up to the antique shop, Suman is surprised to see Mercedes get up to greet him by the car. He smiles, one eye brow quirked up in an unspoken question behind the car door’s window pane. Laughter trickles out of his mouth as he sees her slow down when he reaches for the handle and pushes the door open.

A cluster of wind chimes hanging near the shops front door clink together as he steps out, and he snorts, looking away from Mercedes to glance at the groupings of shells, glass, and metal dancing in the wind. His eyes crinkle cheerfully, before returning to Mercedes.

Standing up fully, he takes a moment to adjust his clothes before reaching out his arm to offer Mercedes a handshake.

He licks his lips and then opens his mouth to speak. “ Likewise. Makes us comrades in more ways than one. ” He answers her question with a knowing look, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“ And, yes, they did let me know, ” Grinning widely as he says this, Suman pulls out a crisp white envelope from the inside breast pocket of his jacket and presents it to Mercedes.

“ I take it they already gave you your funds, but you can have mine as well. ” He gently, but firmly hands her the envelope, his expression shifting to grim seriousness.

“ I’m on a strict no-buy challenge for the rest of the month so I need you to keep me on the straight and narrow. Even if I find a book in there I really want. No matter how much I beg—even if I get on my hands and knees in front of you—You have to look me in the eye and say ‘Benedick, no.’ ” He declares somberly, his gaze dipping down to the envelop and then back up to Mercedes.

He stares at her for a beat, the morose expression still on his face, until a corner of his mouth starts to twitch upward, then the other.

Not too long after, an aborted puff of laughter escapes his lips suddenly. He lifts a hand to cover his mouth but the smile was obvious in his voice. “ I’m being serious! I’m not above making a fool of myself if I find something I really want—but I’ll get told off by my friends if I come back home from a dating show with nothing else to show for myself but a stack of books ”

[retrocausalities]

The afternoon meeting with Scotty had left Keegan rattled. It had been the same tired script — his low-leveled mission completion stats, negligible social media gains, petering engagement metrics — followed by the usual line about “needing to work on opportunities” and “limited options with your digital footprint” whenever Keegan had asked about getting more minutes on RealHero TV. The last time he’d appeared on-screen this week, it was the back of his head in a blurry clip, assisting Phoenix in taking down bank robbers on Ninth Street.

The meeting was wrapping up with the familiar promises — keep grinding, stay patient, your time will come. Five years and counting, your time will come. Keegan had thought they were done when Scotty went quiet, glanced at his phone, and frowned. Then he gave Keegan an unsettling once-over with a slight smile, not the big reassuring grin that had kept the worries at bay.

“ You’re not going to be too busy with missions in May, Atlas. ”

“ Oh! I don’t know— ”

“ I do. You won’t, because.... ”

That exchange replayed in Keegan’s mind as he swayed with the other commuters on Line 2 toward the Bronx. The train lights flickered as they slipped through an underpass. He was about to turn off his phone before the motion sickness kicked in — catching up with the last season of The Miraculous Marathon were not worth puking over, especially when production somehow missed a clairvoyant in the cast — when his curated RSS feed exploded with notifications.

He opened it, bracing for another round of his failed Durapeak®️ livestream hate clips. But the alerts weren’t about Atlas.

They were about Phoenix… and Flare.

Phoenix had been the model hero ever since RealHero TV caught their first big, unplanned takedown when they were an unknown to any of the steward talent agencies. Without them, Keegan knew his presence in Valerian would barely ripple. But Phoenix must have given the good word to the higher-ups, as for the past two years, Keegan had been called up to support them in their missions. That was Phoenix. Steady, generous, maddeningly kind that made Keegan believe in heroes.

And Flare… Zaya. Keegan’s childhood school friend, if he stretched the definition. More like someone he’d admired from afar — the way a freshman idolizes a senior who seems impossibly untouchable. She’d always had ambition, confidence, drive. He’d hoped she might acknowledge him once he got into Valerian too, but…

Keegan blinked. He’d been staring at his screen without absorbing anything. He forced himself to focus.

Then he dropped his cracked iPhone onto the train floor. It hit with a heavy thud.

Ajay and Zaya were rumored to be dating.

He argued with himself about calling Ajay. First, the source was Appelle-Moi, a notoriously messy gossip site. It could be faked, people made up dating rumors all the time. Second, Ajay might still be working — they usually texted when they wrapped up. Third, Keegan wasn’t sure he could ask about the videos of them and Zaya laughing together without sounding like a jealous, jilted lover — which he absolutely wasn’t, obviously. Not.

Phoenix was his closest friend, and they had gone through so much. Ajay had even broken off an engagement before Keegan was even in the picture, and he dealt with the scrutiny of superstardom with tired eyes even if he clocked in without fail, every time they were called. In the eyes of the public, Phoenix needed Atlas for supporting their permutation, the same way Stitch once had. That was the story on the outside, but no one knew that Ajay had let Keegan stay at their three-bedroom Bronx apartment after Keegan’s own place was destroyed in a Level 7 Crisis.

In the two years they’d been partnered on Valerian’s orders, Keegan got to know more about Phoenix, but there were still things he dared not ask. For example, he didn’t know if he’d been invited to stay in what was supposed to be a home for two… and those warm glances, those quiet words of encouragement — were they just Phoenix being a good teammate? Was that all?

By the time he reached the apartment — home, he wanted to call it, even though Ajay paid for practically everything, even though Keegan argued he wanted to pay more — he felt mentally wrung out. He stepped inside, kicked off his green and silver sneakers, and noticed a soft light glowing at the end of the hall.

“ Ajay? ” he called, carefully.

To his surprise, Ajay rounded the corner. One look at them, and every question Keegan had rehearsed about the rumors vanished. Ajay looked hollow, like someone had drained the life out of them.

“ Hey — what’s wrong? ” Keegan asked, shrugging off his backpack and moving toward them.

Then he saw it. Ajay’s phone clenched, white-knuckled tight in their hand, looping gifs of Zaya leaning in close to their face. Over and over. Underneath it, thousands of reactions courtesy of the users on AlterEgo.

“ What happened? ” Keegan asked, steadying his voice. Someone had to stay grounded or they’d both get swept away. “ Do you want me to go with you to HQ…? We can sort this out. ”

[mincedoaths]

Ajay’s heart plummeted to the pit of their stomach at the sight of Keegan's face, then sped into overtime when they saw his eyes dip down to the phone in their hand. A flush of embarrassment rose up their neck and they quickly hid the phone behind their back. They cringed as soon as they realized what they had done, feeling like a child caught by a parent looking at something they shouldn’t at the internet. Their mouth opened and closed like a fish, excuses and explanations dying in their suddenly parched throat before they could form on their lips.

Keegan was talking to them in a slow, steady voice, like he was trying to calm down a spooked animal, like he was trying to talk Ajay off of a ledge. Ajay’s mouth audibly clicked shut, their top and bottom teeth clinking together with the force of the motion. Clearing their throat they stiffly squared their shoulders.

“ It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Just some bullshit internet rumors, you know how it is. ” Keegan absolutely didn’t know how it was. Couldn’t know. He had been allotted the gift of anonymity that Ajay never had the chance to even try for. But it was a blessing, someone as sweet and kind as Keegan wouldn’t be able to handle the type of media shitstorm anyone with even the smallest semblance of fame had to handle at the height of this godforsaken hyper-connected era. And the less he knew, the better.

“ Like I said, it’s fine, Keegs. It’ll blow over once people realize there’s no truth to the gossip. ” They muttered, eyes wide, their hand gripped so hard around their phone the metal shell creaks. “ Just wish the rumors weren’t about me and fucking Flare, y’know? ” They let out a chipped forced laugh followed by a grimace. Get it together.

Clearing their throat once more, they slipped their phone into their back pocket and rolled their shoulders. Turning on their heel they stomped towards the kitchen sink, Ajay turned the handle up for cold water, cupped their hands under the stream, and splashed a handful of water on their still burning face. Sighing they grabbed a clean glass from the drying rack that sat beside the sink, filled it with water, and drank the contents in a couple of large gulps.

Placing the empty cup upside down in the sink, they placed their hands on the either side of the basin and hung their head. Why did it have to be Flare of all people?

Sure, Ajay knew there were people who “shipped” them and Flare together for years now—but those people were crazy! People “shipped” him with almost every single person he’d so much as stood next to: Adhara, Trixie, Keegan, fucking Silver Meridian, and even Hieronymus! Huge age gap be damned ( what the hell was ‘toxic age gap yaoi’ ??? ). And it had only gotten worse after Riel had—nope. That was a can of worms they were absolutely not going to open tonight.

Groaning, the threw themselves dramatically onto the kitchen island, pressing their hot cheeks on the cool granite. The scenes that were being passed around AlterEgo playing in their brain; years of ogling and smiles Ajay hadn’t even been fully aware that they were doing. Like god forbid they glanced at a beautiful woman once or twice or occasionally found her bluntness kinda funny when it wasn’t directed at them? Cringing at that last thought, they turned their head to bang it on the countertop.

But that was ultimately the problem, wasn’t it? It wasn’t like any of the other rumors because—though it pained them to admit it, even just internally—Zaya was kind of their type…

“ Keegan… ” They bemoaned despondently. “ What am I going to do? ”

They regretted the words as soon as they uttered them. Yeah, great thinking, genius. Ask your crush to help you disprove dating rumors about you and someone else, great idea. Keegan was so kind he’d probably agree to he; he had already agreed to help the moment he’d stepped through the door and saw what kind of state Ajay was in; switching into that hot first responder mode like he already knew exactly what had happened and how to deal with it—Ajay raised themselves off the counter in one smooth motion, summer breaks practicing The Undertaker’s technique with Ashish finally paying off.

They turned to Keegan and took in his expression. Had he seen the videos? Did he know? Ajay should just ask. Make it casual. It wasn’t a big deal.

“ It’s not a big deal, right? ” Their voice cracked on the final syllable. Cool. Cool. Cool. Totally nailed it.

This day couldn’t get any worse.

[retrocausalities]

📨 | JAYLEN & BUNMI

[5.15.2022] @mincedoaths JAYLEN: so bored here after pt :~ / [...] JAYLEN [unsent]: miss u| JAYLEN: miss u and the guys lol JAYLEN: hows practice goin lately

[mincedoaths]

[5.17.2022] bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] omg i'm so sorry i just saw this ૮꒰ ྀི >⸝⸝⸝< ྀི꒱ა bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] sorry, jay, i've been busy putting out fires ૮꒰ •̯́ ༝ •̯̀˵꒱ა bunmi → 💜🐢💜: sorry, jay, i've been busy putting out fires 😔 bunmi → 💜🐢💜: do me a favor and stay off social media for a while, yeah? [...] bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] david's off his rocker and it somehow just keeps getting worse 🫠 bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] i wish you were here bunmi → 💜🐢💜: but don't worry about it, okay? we've got it under control so you should just focus on getting better 💪🏿😤 bunmi → 💜🐢💜: [unsent] i'll come visit you soon 👨🏿‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏿 bunmi → 💜🐢💜: me and the boyz will come visit you soon 🫂

[imanniewan47]

She exhales through her nose, amused despite herself, and stands up so she can look for a recycling bin. Her cup is just melted ice at this point, and she needs something to do with her hands.

“Mask moths,” she repeats, scanning the area for the restrooms. There are usually trash cans near those. “Not. Literal moths. It’s a euphemism. My friend Jun prefers it over ‘cape chaser.’ Sounds less aggressive. More drawn‑to‑the‑light, less trying‑to‑climb-the-nearest‑steward-like-a-tree? Or something.”

She waves a hand vaguely.

“And if no one’s chasing your cape, you're fine,” she adds, spotting a set of bins a few yards away. She starts walking toward it, assuming he'll follow. “But hecklers are terrible. People who go out of their way to put people down are just. Bored. Or jealous. Maybe both.”

She shrugs, stiffly, because this isn't the time for childhood memories, thank you. "Good on you for not letting it get to you. If you want to be a more accomplished hero, you've got to have thick skin. De-escalation won't get you on RealHero TV, but who cares? That's all fake anyway. If it's helping people, you'll be fine."

She means it. He just has that vibe.

The kind of person who probably smiles while being rained on.

The kind of person who walks through life with a little cartoon sparkle over his head.

The kind of person who can flex in public and somehow not die of embarrassment on the spot.

Speaking of --

She glances at him, then immediately looks away before her face betrays her.

“Anyway,” she says, absently, as she reaches the bins and tosses the cup and lid into the right slots, “Who's Ronnie? Motivational coach? Life coach? Gym hype-partner? Someone who puts notes in your lunch box telling you to believe in yourself every morning?”

But then something else he said catches up to her.

“Wait,” she says, turning back to him. “Your permutation only works if people believe in you?”

She squints, trying to wrap her head around it. Because now she’s thinking about him flexing again -- God help her -- and the sticker still stuck to his cheek, and the way he looked genuinely misty‑eyed waving at those kids as data points. She'd never get anything done if her abilities ran on sincere emotion rather than an interest in biology, mythical creatures, and being able to run away from her problems at full speed.

“So what does that mean, exactly? Like, if someone doubts you, your power just shuts off? Or is it more like a dimmer switch? Do you have to know that people believe in you or is belief conceptually enough on its own? Or -- ”

She stops herself before she starts sounding too pushy. Like that ship hasn't sailed.

“Sorry. I'm not trying to pry. It’s just interesting.”

She pauses, fingers tapping lightly against her thigh as she realizes that she is interrogating this poor man by the trash bins. She picks a random direction and starts walking away, assuming he'll follow again.

As she walks, her brain chews on what he said: a belief-powered permutation, the potential for emotional feedback loops, the mechanics of it all. She doesn't get to talk to people about how their abilities work. It's a dangerous line of thought in the wrong hands. But Joaquin just told her. Unprompted! He probably has to disclose the nature of his permutation (does he?), but it does make her researcher brain perk up like Miso when he hears literally any sound coming from the kitchen.

She forces herself to refocus on to the topic at hand before she whips out a mental whiteboard and starts trying to take his power apart layer by layer.

The original topic. The one she brought up even.

He thinks the Cleaner is avoiding him.

Of course he does.

“Right,” she says, nodding slowly. “He’s avoiding you.”

Surprisingly it's not actually that hard to believe. If she was more of a thieving asshole, she'd probably avoid Joaquin too. He's just too nice. It just doesn't --

The logic doesn't quite click. Not in her gut. She exhales, long and slow.

“Just. Be careful, okay?” she says, which is absolutely not what she meant to say. Is there an exit somewhere around here? “Not because I’m worried. I’m not. Obviously.”

She gestures at his whole person. “Maybe don’t lead with the flexing next time. Save that for the kids. But maybe keep the stickers?" she shrugs, giving him a brief smile. "They’re a good look.”

[mincedoaths]

Joaquin smiles at Anna, somewhat confused by her reaction but happy that he hadn’t come off as some kind of arrogant gasconader. His mouth falls open slightly at her explanation of the word ‘mask moths.’

“ Oh, you mean admirers… ” Heat rises up to his cheeks and he’s forced to look away. She wants to know if anyone ever propositions him at the get-togethers. His brain sputters to a halt and then tries to restart itself; belatedly he thinks that his ears are probably bright red. “ Um… ” What would be the correct way to answer a question like that? ‘Actually, you’d be surprised at how many people hit on me in front of their kids?’ No. No way he could say something like that to Anna.

But would saying nothing be misrepresenting himself—?

Joaquin cringes when he hears Anna incorrectly surmise that he doesn’t have any… enthusiasts. It would be better to say something than be a liar by omission.

He turns back to face her and is startled to see that she has begun to walk away from him—his instinct is to follow but he’s unsure if he’s been dismissed. His body swivels in her direction and twitches in multiple false starts as he internally debates on whether or not he’s meant to follow. He makes eye contact with a group of mom’s hovering nearby who enthusiastically motion to him to follow Anna by waving their hands in the air and mouthing 'Go.'

He bows awkwardly at them and bounds after her, catching up after a few strides due to their height disparity.

Joaquin listens attentively as Anna continues to speak, nodding his head and humming along in response. He valued her willingness to offer him advice as someone who had had managed to make a name for herself without the help of a talent agency. His smile wobbled at the mention of RealHero—bad memories resurfacing like sand buried shipwrecks at low tide—but it returned tenfold to hear Anna discount the show so quickly.

He’s beaming at her, smile lines at the corner of his mouth creased deeply with the force of his delight. He’d always suspected that Anna had no interest in fame, unlike many other stewards in the indie scene, but the confirmation brings a spring in his step. They hadn’t really had a chance to talk one-on-one like this before and he was curious to know her thoughts on the industry, what her goals were for her career as a steward.

“ Um, would you like to—? ” Joaquin starts to say at the same moment Anna begins to talk again. He grins and motions for her to continue, feeling embarrassed about almost interrupting with a question while she still had more to say.

He is viscerally unprepared to hear her voice say Ronnie’s name, anxiety sliding down his back like a cold bucket of water—the giddiness from before washed away by a remorseless typhoon. “ Ronnie? Oh, that’s—um… ” His eyes dart away towards the shadows in the tree line, sweat gathering on his brow as Anna begins to list possible connections. “ Ronnie, is, he’s not, um— ” He blenches at her last guess, eyes wide, his eyes flick back towards the sidewalk, looking for an exit plan. “ No, um, he’s— ”

The sudden switch in topic and the bewilderment he picks up in the tone of her voice pull his attention back to her face. He blinks at her, surprised. Did she really not know? “ Yes. I mean, as far as I know at least? ”

The exact parameters of his permutation were mystery that even his designated proctors didn’t fully understand—his power initially being categorized as simply ‘enhanced strength’ until he managed to prove that it was something else. Or what it his father’s last name that gave him the luxury of disagreeing and being heeded?

He grimaces as Anna continues to as questions in rapid succession; some of them striking still healing wounds with pinpoint accuracy. It’s not like she could know about that, she was just curious.

“ Don’t worry, it’s totally okay! ” He said, finally finding his voice again. “ But yeah, um, I guess I don’t know for sure that it works the way I think I do. Ronni— ” Red alert, red alert! Divert! “ Uh, some people I’ve spoken to about it think it could be a sort of placebo effect? But as far as I’m aware, if I’m friends with someone, and they’re in danger I gain the strength to protect them? ” ‘ Like those stories of moms who can pick up a car to save their babies! ’ “ Like… those stories of mothers who get an adrenaline surge and can lift cars off their children? ” His eyebrows furrow slightly, unsure of himself as he repeats someone else’s explanation of his power.

Anna starts to move again but Joaquin knows to follow this time, taking short but quick steps to keep up with her pace. “ It’s fine, I don’t mind! Um, whether the placebo theory is correct or not, I find it helps if I tell people how it works. Like, uh, we both have to agree to the rules for it to be real, if that makes any sense? ” He was floundering and he knew it. His explanation was probably causing more questions than it was answering. He should change the topic.

Like always, Anna is two steps ahead of him, probably sensing his ineptitude and giving him an out.

He’s smiling again, but it’s softer this time, his heart warmed by her sincere concern for him. “ I promise not to talk any unnecessary risks, Anna. Promise. ” Without thinking too much about it, he reaches his right hand towards her, fist closed except for an extended and crooked pinkie finger.

He’s blushing lightly at the mention of the stickers, he had completely forgotten about that—had they been there the entire time?

[stcsis]

Sarah empathizes Ajay’s concern, deeply, but she knows that for as much as she thinks she understands what it is about, she doesn’t have the experience needed to truly understand what they are going through. It’s not only because their own permutations are drastically different. It has to do with… Well. There is a weight to being an A rank steward. She has seen it first hand on the people she is close to. A weight that comes with the entire city, perhaps even the entire world, keeping their eye on you and waiting for you to slip up. Humanity is all well and good for steward until they seem too humane. They are symbols more than anything, PR creations not meant to step outside the role given to them, and while Valerian also assigns roles to their C rank heroes, they don’t do it on the same level as they do with their B and A rankers. They are the face of the company, and that face cannot be too human, because if they are, the hero industry will lose some of their sparkle. So she can’t really understand the pressure he is under, but she can distract him from it and offer as much of a shield as she can. 

“Why did you have to go on and say that,” she groans playfully, using her elbow to tap him on his side a couple of times. “Haven’t you seen Saturday morning cartoon’s, man? Every time someone says ‘it can’t get any worse’ it does get worse!”

She is whining playfully, trying to distract them from whichever heavy thoughts have settled over their brow, but at the end she can’t quite manage, she notices. Not when their next words give her a hint of what they are worried about. Yeah, the article is an issue, and one that will likely haunt him for a bit, but she invited him out because of it, not in spite of it… Not that he knows, so she guesses his concerns are valid. 

“Ajay,” she begins slowly, her usual overemoting gone as she looks up at her friend with a serious expression, a hand raising to fall on theirs and squeeze reassuringly. “I promise I know what I am getting into. I asked your PR team permission for a reason. And really, her fans like me well enough! The smarter ones know I helped her get out of that PR mess during our time as a ‘team’ of sorts, and the less smart ones either shipped us a little or thought we were a pseudo-Batman and Robin group. I am not likely to get into the crosshairs at all. I might be popular with my fans, but I am not important enough for her fans to react too much.”

Silently, she thinks its silly to think that fans would see her as a threat, when it’s pretty obvious Ajay and Zaya are way out of her league. She is good enough to be friends with A rankers, but that is because the world will always need a comedy relief character amongst the champions. She is not good enough to be thought of in any other way.

[mincedoaths]

The sudden prod of Sarah’s elbow at his side and her gentle chiding draw a genuine chortle out of Ajay. He ducks his head and turns away from her face to stop a full blown guffaw from escaping his lips as he feels her continue to nudge at him as she speaks.

Grinning, he nods, “ Yeah, no, you’re right. That last thing I should do right now is invite any more misfortune by, like, speaking it into existence, or something. God forbid. ” Something about the absurdity of the concept pulls another series of chuckles out of him and he turns back to face her; a wide smile pinching at the apples of his cheeks.

Bathed in the warm glow of Sarah’s convivial presence, Ajay felt some of the stress he had been carrying for the last couple of days melt away. Camaraderie bubble up like carbonation in his entire being, a childlike giddiness Sarah had a knack at exhuming no matter what kind of catastrophe he was currently enmeshed in.

He’s trying to come up with a quip of his own to keep the lighthearted banter going when he’s started by the feeling of her hand cupping his. His eyes flick down in time to see her give him a gentle squeeze before returning to meet her gaze.

She was closer than he had expected, looking up at him with her large, brown eyes that sparkle in the setting sun. He feels a flush of heat spread across his face and his lashes flutter in surprise. Woah.

Flushing, he leans back slightly, blinking rapidly trying to figure out if that had been a subconscious activation of her power or if his brain had chosen the worst possible time to remind him that his friend was strikingly beautiful. His gaze dips involuntary down to her lips then back up to her eyes as she continues to speak.

His eyebrows furrow, the edges of his lips dipping down as a lour overtook his features. He didn’t like the way she was talking about herself, self-deprecation proponed as fact. To an extent, he could understand her point of view— but it was limited by her own experience, or lack there of.

He turned the hand still held in hers and return the squeeze from earlier. “ Hey, I get that you’re trying to make me feel better, but stop selling yourself short, okay? You just need the right push, alright? ” He meant it, genuinely. Sarah was on a shortlist of stewards whose potential Ajay felt was being squandered by Valerian in favor of egomaniacs who were one scandal away from self-imploding.

“ I serious, okay? You’re better than half of the narcissists I have to deal with on the daily. ” Flare included. “ Honestly, if things had been even just a little bit different; if you had been scouted earlier—who knows? I might have been your Boy Wonder. ”

[mincedoaths]

⌜ " Don't see the light inside my head now... I need to see you in my window... " ⌟

— post status: ⌜ PUBLIC self para for @invictushq ⌟

— location: ⌜ silver lake, arden, nkc ⌟

— timeframe: ⌜ day one of filming super♡hearts / the air date of episode one ⌟

— content warning: ⌜ none! ⌟

[ START OF ENTRANCE SEGMENT ]

A HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE PASSES IN FRONT OF SILVER LAKE MUSIC STARTS ONCE THE CARRIAGE REACHES THE FRONT GATE OF HEART♡LAND AND THE DOOR BEGINS TO OPEN.

FADE TO CLOSE ON CARRIAGE DOOR IN SLOW MOTION AS CONTESTANT #6 “BENEDICK” begins to step out. Focus is too soft for us to see his feature clearly. Following from behind we see that he is dressed in white linen dress pants, a matching jacket with sunglasses.

DISSOLVE to WIDE SHOT of Benedick walking up to the gate FOCUS on foliage in the foreground.

BENEDICK IN VOICE OVER: It might be naive, but… if I’m honest, I’m looking for forever.

CUT TO REACTIONS FROM OTHER CONTESTANTS as the main gates of the mansion open to reveal our first clear look at Benedick who lifts a hand up to remove his sunglasses. A gust of wind ruffles his loose curls in SLOW MOTION as he tucks spectacles into the front breast pocket of his jacket.

WIDE SHOT ON Benedick as he walks towards his name tag hung from the flower arch. Pulling it free he turns to the other CONTESTANTS.

BENEDICK: Guess this is me.

CUT TO INT. - BENEDICK’S TRAILER

Benedick sits at a table with INTERVIEWER.

TEXT POPS UP ON SCREEN: Describe yourself in one word.

Benedick purses his lips and tilts his head to the right. After a beat, he looks back at the interviewer.

BENEDICK: Steadfast.

CUT TO EXT. HEART♡LAND - ROSE GARDEN

BENEDICK makes eye contact with all other CONTESTANTS currently present and offers a close mouth smile before heading to his seat.

CUT TO INDIVIDUAL SHOTS OF OF CONTESTANT ONE “ROSALINDA” AND CONTESTANT FOUR “VIOLA.”

Benedick takes a seat next to Viola who offers him a polite sitting curtsy in his direction. He lets out a melodic laugh before beaming brightly at her, his dark eyes crinkled and sparkling with cheerfulness.

MUSIC FADES OUT CUT TO EXT. HEART♡LAND - SILVER LAKE

Benedick sits on a chair with his back to the lake.

TEXT POPS UP ON SCREEN: Did you recognize any of the other contestants?

Benedick laughs and looks down. Bringing a hand to his lips before he looks up, he grins good-naturally at production.

BENEDICK: Yes, you could say that. But I wouldn’t exactly say we know each other. It’s not an unwelcomed surprised though.

DISSOLVE TO INT. - BENEDICK’S TRAILER

TEXT POPS UP ON SCREEN: What are you looking for in a partner?

CLOSE ON Benedick who takes another moment to consider the question. He lifts his hands from his lap to clasp them together atop the table. His runs his thumb over a simple gold ring on his left index finger.

BENEDICK: It might be naive, but… if I’m honest, I’m looking for forever. I’ve spent so much time dedicated to my studies and one day it just hit me that… I’m lonely. I have my family and friends whom I love very much, but I can’t help but feel like there’s something missing. Someone missing. I’m otherwise very satisfied with how I’ve chosen to live my life — but, I can’t help but feel like I’d be happier sharing this with another. I want someone to be there in all of life’s little moments, who is dedicated and driven, who will stand by my side through all life throws at us.

CUT TO EXT. HEART♡LAND - ROSE GARDEN

Benedick is holding his metal name tag in both hands. He chuckles to himself before slipping out of his jacket and clipping it on his undershirt.

TEXT POPS UP ON SCREEN: What do you think a partner can find in you? BENEDICK IN VOICE OVER: Devotion. Friendship. A person who will always be there. No matter what.

WIDE ON ALL CONTESTANTS

[ END OF ENTRANCE SEGMENT ]

Suman’s eyes track butterflies flittering through the garden as they wait for contestant number six to enter. He briefly wonders if he should strike up a conversation with Sabryna Verspa, who is sitting to his left, but he ultimately decides against it. He was sure production would prefer that he hold off on that until after the self-introductions. Instead he moves to shrug his jacket off his shoulders and folds the fabric into a neat bundle that he places in his lap.

Leaning back in his chair, he shoots a sideways glance at the other three candidates sitting father to his left. He knows number one, Mercedes Salazar, another one of Vaimiti’s—but two, “Lysander,” and three, “Miranda,” are strangers. Lysander is a complete unknown, but Miranda looks vaguely familiar in a way that has him feeling mildly irritated that he cannot place a name to the face.

Shouts near the entrance signal the arrival of the next candidate. Flicking his eyes back towards the gate, he straightens up in the chair and readjusts his jacket. His eyes linger on the new face for a minute or two but their features do not trigger any sort of memory. Another stranger. Probably for the best.

He gives “Ferdinand” a warm smile and a soft ‘hello’ as they take their seat. And, finding that he can’t stand the idea of siting in silence for another five to ten minutes, he inclines his head slightly in their direction to try to match gazes.

“ It’s a good thing the weather cleared up in time for filming, right? It’s a beautiful day. ” Suman whispers at the lower register of his voice.

He licks then parts his lips in preparation for softball question when the PAs start shouting again. His eyes snap to the entrance, then back to Ferdinand whom he offers an apologetic look, and politely disengages to focus on the newcomer.

A shocked bark of laughter escapes his lips; genuine surprise as Vesper Morwood saunters in, a gentle breeze ruffling the fur around their face. He supposes that Valerian must be trying to give them a big push because Bat Person didn’t exactly strike him as the type that would have volunteered to be on Super♡Hearts on their own accord.

He subtly shifts his gaze to his left and then his right to gauge the response of the other contestants. He’s surprised at how excited Ferdinand is at Vesper’s arrival. Huh.

Vesper seemed like a sweet person but he wouldn’t have thought a C rank would illicit that sort of response.

To his chagrin, the next contestant is a familiar face as well but thankfully not someone he actually knows. Their name escapes him but he recognizes them as a former athlete. Someone he’s seen before but not big enough for him to remember their name… A former Perlympics competitor, perhaps. Interesting.

Was the theme of this season average people mixed in with minor celebrities?

He doesn't have much time to speculate further as now that “Perdita” and “Orlando” have arrived, the producer announces that they’ll finally begin with the self-introductions.

As the others ahead of him step up one-by-one to the flower arch, Suman makes sure to ask each person at least two questions. He pays close attention to the personal details they choose to share about themselves, genuinely enthralled; fascinated by what information each candidate deems paramount in order to put their best foot forward.

After some time, it’s his turn to make the trek to the center of the rose garden to the accompaniment of polite clapping.

He begins, beaming brightly at the group. “ Hello, everyone, nice to meet you all. ” Ducking his head slightly, he turns it in the direction of the metal nametag pinned to his chest and taps it with his index finger. “ Name’s Benedick, but you can call me “Ben” or “Benny,” if you’d like. The other nickname is available, I suppose, but that would not be my preference. ” He says with a laughs and looks up at the others through the fan of his eyelashes with a smile before straightening up again.

“ Hmmm, where to start? ” He muttered, bringing a hand up to gently press his fingers to his lips and then runs the digits through his beard. “ Well, I'm forty-four, so that makes me the oldest one here. Or rather, the oldest so far—but I’d be very surprised to learn that any of you are older than me. ” He says, winking in Ferdinand, Perdita, and Orlando’s direction.

“ He/him pronouns for me, and I believe my zodiac sign is sign is Cancer? Truthfully, I’m not too knowledgeable about those type of things, but a lot of my students get really into it. I was born in Essex, but I’ve lived in New Everwick since I was five; so personally I would say I’m English by birth but my heart belongs to the NKC. Still got a bit of the accent tho… ” He says the last part quietly, a honeyed peal of laughter escaping his lips.

“ Um… what else? Oh—Because of my work, I would prefer to stay in Manhattan, but I'm open to discussing the possibility of relocation… ” He smiles at Miranda as he says this, recalling that she had mentioned being from Louisiana.

“ Oh, wait! ” He exclaimed abruptly, snapping his fingers at a sudden revelation, eyes round as he turned to address the group as a whole. “ My apologies! I haven’t said what I do for work, have I? ” Disbelieving laughter bubbles out of his mouth and he runs a hand through his hair. “ Sorry, sorry! I can be a little scattered brain at times… ”

Clearing his throat, he gives the other candidates a sheepish grin. “ I’m a professor of Theoretical Physics at NKU. Started off as a guest lecturer but I work there full-time now. Additionally... ” He shoots a quick glance at Rosalind and Viola, eyes crinkled up in amusement. “ I'm also a part-time volunteer at N.E.S.T.—but usually only at the Manhattan branches! ” He said in a playful playacting fashion, hands raised in mock surrender.

Chuckling he lowered his hands, a smile still spread on his face. “ There’s probably a lot more that I should say, but I’ve been overthinking the self-introduction since the moment I learned I was going to be on the show… I’m usually better at public speaking, I promise, but it’s not everyday you find yourself in a situation like this. ”

His eyes dart away from the other contestants and he coughs subconsciously into a closed fist. “ Anyway, are there any questions? ”

[multimuz]

public starter - open

where: manhattan, nk

when: may 30, 2022

cw: none

It's crowded as hell, and sources say it'll only get more crowded as the years go by. Manhattanhenge is something that feels like it's fake, like a conspiracy theory or psy-op made for social media stories and keeping people distracted, because of how buzzwordy it sounds. But it's on the bucket list all the same, and if the timing is perfect, why miss out on the opportunity? On the curb of the street, there's an opening to squeeze in, but only if the other person's willing to share.

"Hey, mind if I stand next to you?"

[mincedoaths]

As the sun continued in its descent, the crowds excitement was palpable. Bunmi, for his part, was just happy to be doing something that didn’t include two to three unwanted tagalongs. He’d only managed to sneak away because he’d promised main bodyguard that he’d do a personal video call for their niece’s quinceañera.

Subconsciously, he adjusted the position of the black cotton mask that covered the bottom half of his face and pulled on the drawstrings of his jacket’s hood. Shifting his footing he tried to get the best angle of the setting sun. Amused, he wondered how much his fans would freak out when he posted photos of Manhattanhenge on AlterEgo.

The thought is cut short as a voice at his side asked a question. His smile faded and he wanted to respond with a pithy, “ Yes, actually, I do mind ”—but there was still a chance that someone in the crowd would recognize him, despite all his precautions. Plus, with all the infighting currently going on between him and the boys, there was no way he was going to be the one caught slipping.

Taking a deep breath to center himself, Bunmi forced a canned smile to crinkle his eyes believably. Tyra was full of shit and smizing wasn’t real.

Turning to face the interloper, he was pleasantly surprised to see that at the very least they were pretty cute. Small victories and all that jazz. Shrugging, he stepped slightly to the side and inclined his head in acknowledgment, “ Nah, go ahead. Plenty of room. ”

He knew he should probably leave this interaction at that—the less he said the less likely it was that anyone would identify him among the other voice in the crowd; but he rarely had the chance to interact with people where he could pretend he was just a regular person.

Playfully nudging the stranger with his elbow, he asked a question of his own. “ So, you actually think this thing is worth all the hype? I heard this was a good spot to get some nice pics but now that I’m here… feels like people are making a mile outta a mole hill. ”

[imanniewan47]

Anna makes no attempt to stop him stumbling through his explanation -- the “get‑together among friends,” the hopeful “I posted about it online,” the realization she wasn’t here for him. She is not built for this level of earnestness and has to bite her lip to keep from smiling back. This is how he gets people. He’s so earnest, it’s almost disarming. Almost. She’s still fresh off of being clowned in the group chat about following one awkward steward with a nice smile; she’ll be damned if there's another.

She blinks, taken aback, when he asks if she’s worried about him. Is she worried? Sir, you just spent ten minutes letting a six‑year‑old put stickers on your face. You still have a sticker on your face. But he looks so genuinely touched that she can’t bring herself to correct him. She will. But, like… she doesn’t have to right now.

Then he calls her “Miss Anna,” – gross -- thanks her, declares himself “practically invincible,” and flexes.

Flexes.

He --

It’s a sequence of events that makes Anna want to look around for a camera. She watches him flex, sees the instant embarrassment flicker across his face, and has to look away to keep from laughing or expiring on the spot in mutual humiliation. He did not just— oh my god, he did. He absolutely did. In public. In front of me. Incredible.

Out loud, she says, truly fighting for her life, “So do you do that at all of your get-together-among-friends, or is this, like, the deluxe package?”

She shifts her drink in her hand.

“For the record, I wasn’t worried. I was just asking.” A beat. “But good to know you’ve got a whole… support network. And, uh --” her brain stalls, “Biceps.”

She regrets that last word immediately. Were she able to physically reach out into the air, grab it, and shove it back into her mouth, she would. God, to have that ability. It slips out before she can stop it, and she compensates by taking a much too long, aggressive drink – only the gross watered-down part now, karma works quick -- still staring off to the side. She’s not sure what her face is doing – which is A Problem – but she gives them both a moment before continuing.

This is just deeply, profoundly Uncool of her. She prides herself on being unshakeable, and he’s out here knocking her off center with nothing but sincerity and bad timing. How dare.

She clears her throat. She needs to get her footing back before she says something even worse. “What I meant was that some people get weird at public events. You know. Mask moths. The problem management is saying doesn't exist." Which she is being exceedingly cool about after her run-in yesterday, she should be congratulated. Look at how well she can only panic about one thing at a time. "Thought maybe you dealt with that.”

She shrugs. “But if you’re fine, you’re fine. Clearly.”

[mincedoaths]

Anna was magnanimous as ever, smoothly sidestepping his fo paux with an ease he couldn’t help but envy. “ Oh, no, I usually only do it when someone asks, ” He replied, letting out a laugh that came out sounding a little too self deprecating even to his own ears. “ It’s mainly the kids who like it. ” He quickly tacked on.

He nodded as she continued speaking, a grin on his face growing wider as she expressed her confidence in his abilities. “ Yes, I’m not very… ” He struggled to find a word that wouldn’t paint him as someone only interested in fame. “ …accomplished as a steward, yet. But having an established group of people who will cheer me on will help if I ever get signed with a talent agency. ” He laughed and then cringed, realizing that was probably the worst thing he could have said.

“ What I mean is, um, with my power I have the potential to be very… ” He paused, chewing on his bottom lip as he tried to find the right word. “ Useful to the people of New Everwick. I work out because it helps me look the part, I guess... ” His words trailed off inelegantly, the explanation didn’t come out as eloquent as he would have hoped.

He knew he lacked the quick wit that most respected stewards seem to innately possess, but he was trying to work on it. It also probably didn’t help that he was talking to Anna, who was more perspicacious than he could ever hope to be.

At a loss as to else he could say to clear things up, he averts his gaze to the carousel. A handful of children waved at him from atop of their painted animal mounts; warmth bloomed in his chest. It didn’t matter that he fumbled with his words as long as they believed in him. He returned their greetings cheerfully with both hands, beaming up at them with slightly misty eyes.

Anna cleared her throat and pulled his attention back, his smile wobbles a little at her statement.

“ Oh, um, I’m not afraid of bugs and I don’t wear a mask so, I’m not sure that’s a problem I’ve ever dealt with? ” His reply is more like a question, his head tilted to the left in confusion. He wasn’t sure why the topic had turned to clothes moths. Maybe it was a joke he didn’t understand? Not wanting to come off as even more of an ingénu that he most like already did, he decided to commit to shifting the conversation back to his career as a steward.

“ As for hecklers, ” He paused, thinking back to his previous get-together. “ When I was first starting out there were some, yeah. Mainly because some people don’t think my permutation is real, and it did upset me greatly, at the time. I almost thought about quitting because if people don’t believe in me, my power doesn’t work” Ah, no, he shouldn’t make it sound like he’s weak-willed. “—But then Ronnie told me not to let those type of things get to me, and so I took that to heart and changed my mindset! There might still be some these days but I’ve learnt how to “roll with the punches! And so, I guess I don’t really notice anymore? ” Did that make him sound too pigheaded? He should talk about something else.

“ Um, normally I don’t get into fights— ” Did that make him sound ineffective? Uncool? ” I mean, like, I’ve read online that deescalation is usually a better option so I generally try to do that... ” His words faded out feebly. Okay, so maybe talking about himself was the wrong choice.

Clearing his throat, he tried again, hoping he would find his footing, “ Um, about “the problem management is saying doesn't exist” do you mean the cleaner guy? I haven’t personally run into him or seen an attack, but I believe that he exists because people are getting hurt. He might be avoiding me, maybe? ”

[waywardlegacies]

Scoffing hard as  Phoenix admits that he used his head to come up with his quips. “Makes a fucking change that someone actually uses their brain then.” Which was pretty damn rare in this day and age, with the number of idiots that she had to deal with. Phoenix being rather easily in her top five. The first time, she might have missed the redness that crept upon their cheeks. But she catches the innuendo a second time. Coyly, she smirks, clicking her tongue at them, her voice mockingly low,”Always knew I could get a rise out of you, Phoenix.” Purely meaning that she could easily get under his skin. Nothing else at all.

By now, Zaya had learnt certain airs and graces made production crap run with less freaking headaches. And it was the art of a compliment. Not that she offered those greatly. But she knew the value she herself over those who worked behind the scenes. The workers were the people who were there to make her look good. If the power of an unmeaningful smile and thumbs up meant there would be less fuck ups and her shoots could run quicker. Then fuck it! She’d try to be a little bit nicer. "Finish that thought...I fucking dare you." Knowing that they would not call her bluff. If Ajay was actually using that single brain cell they harbored.

She takes much offence as he scoffs at her niceness. Only to roll her eyes at them. Fuck them! Phoenix was not one of the people who would make or break her. What allegiance did she have to warn him to be nice? Fucking nothing. So that is what she would give them. Fair was fair. Just because they were in her ranks didn’t mean he was on her level. Not a fucking chance.   

Zaya knew that she was only winding herself up, but it was mental preparation for the next push. Two Valerian A Rank Stewards head of the Under Armour’s new Durapeak line, how good the two of them looked. Even though Zaya knew that she would be the only hot stuff for this shoot. Besides the point, deep down she knew that they would push for her and Phoenix to be presenting more together. 

Outsiders would say that she was only winding herself as this pent up frustration starts to build and she shouts. But to her, this was mental preparation for the next bullshit push that was going to come their way. It always starts lightly. Two Valerian A Rank Stewards, leading the Under Armour’s new Durapeak line and how good the two of them are paired together. Even though Flare knew that she was the one who would be carrying this photoshoot and sales, besides the point, deep down, she knew that this was just going to be the ammunition for more reasons for them to be a pair. She thinks fucking not. She would bite back harder if she needed too. Flare was proud of the image she had sculpted, she was always known for working solo, why the fuck change up a good thing.

With her robe tossed to the side, she adjusts her hair over her shoulder, knowing fully well the team would be all over her for touch-ups and making sure that a hair was not out of place. Fixing herself a little up in the mirror. And it was right there, and then she catches it, the redness that spilled against their face, with averted eyes as if Phoniex was a bashful school teen. Catching them red…faced?

As they got out their seat, she presses her lips together hard, fighting the laugh that threatens to spill out yet the amusement was already written all over her face. Her eyes drag over him slowly as she is aware of the colour in their cheeks. It was almost worse that she is trying not to laugh. As she lets out a quiety breath through her nose, looking away for a moment, shaking her head as she can not unsee that his cheeks now matched his sneakers. As she looked back towards them, it only seemed more patronising but the amusement curled into the corners of her mouth. Seems like Ajay’s discomfort was going to be the reason Zaya would be smiling through the shoot. Stepping even more so into his face. And there didn’t seem to be a fire that she had expected. All she could see were the tiered eyes, unmotivated and just plain old sad. No wonder why people had called them Zombie at times. She could kinda get why. Not that she would be stupid enough to call Phoenix that… right now at least. Time and place was key for certain nicknames. Now wasn’t the time to be pissing them off. Now was more about winding up and getting under their skin to elicit some kind of reaction or rise from them. 

She keeps her voice low, whispering in his ear, "“Like I said I know I’m hot. Thanks for the validation." Then a light shove on the shoulder creating some distance between them and partly missed off about being called ma'am, a nickname that she fucking hated. Though letting Phoenix know that? Not a fucking chance!

Turning around, so she was the one in front, knowing very well that she would be the one to carry this photoshoot. But she was uninspired by the deflation of his voice, Phoenix is going to be the one to mess this all up. "Fix your shit Phoenix," Zaya says through gritted teeth. "Check your fucking self. Best fucking foot forward...or should I say leg?" Considering the outfit choice that had been made. "Don't be upset just because I pull the look better than you." Zaya mockingly teases, this time with a wind up wink. Maybe this would get something worthy out for the camera. Moody and brooding could work but tired and uninspired. Not a chance in hell.

[mincedoaths]

cw: brief reference to self harm

Shambling close behind her, Ajay snorted at Zaya’s comment. Was she actually trying to be nice? No. No way.

They’d more readily believe that the the online conspiracy nuts were right and the fucking aliens were coming back that year than buy that Flare was trying to cheer him up. It was far more likely that her remark was meant as an insult for someone not currently in the conversation.

For a brief second, they considered trying to figure out who she may be referring to but think better of it. Flare wasn’t exactly known for her affability. It’d be easier to guess who she isn’t talking about. That would be a rather short list; only one name really came to mind.

They’re distracted, idly wondering if Zaya and Trixie were even really friends or if they’ve formed some sort of hot, mean girl coalition whose sole purpose was to create havoc and strife among all of Valerian’s ranks when her next word hit their ears.

Okay, so she had noticed and was just waiting for the most optimal time to strike. Okay. Cool. Cool. Great. Awesome. That was totally awesome and not completely mortifying and awful.

They flicked their gaze up to the heavens, hoping against all odds that some god would take pity on them and open a giant chasm in the earth and swallow them whole. No dice with that option either.

Flare lets out some sort of quiet noise that pulled Ajay’s attention back to her. They’re surprised to see her looking away and shaking her head. They squinted, annoyance smoldering back up despite the embarrassment.

The upturned corners of her mouth when she turned back to face them confirmed their suspicions.

She was doing this on purpose.

When she stepped back into their space they focused on keeping their expression as detached and neutral as possible. They weren’t sure gray rocking would work on someone as self-centered as Flare, but it would be better than letting her control the entire pace of this interaction.

Their plan faces to an intimidate obstacle when she leaned in even closer and they began to internally panic.

At this point they’re way past annoyed at themselves; but that doesn’t stop the hot rush of heat that climbs up their neck as the puff of her breath touched the shell of their ear.

They’re weighing the pros and cons of causing some sort of medical emergency by biting off their own tongue when she shoved them. They blinked down at her, annoyed, but she was already walking away. A final aggravating proclamation thrown casually over her shoulder.

She winked at them and they glared back, standing up straighter, and squared their shoulders. Using their height to their advantaged, they caught up and walked past her in handful of strides, making sure to lightly shoulder check her in the process.

“ Like I already said. Let’s get this over with. ”

Walking forward at the same rate so that she’d be forced to noticeably pick up the pace to catch up, they made their way to the set. They nodded at the crew and gave their warmest smile. “ Thank you for your hard work. I’ll be at your service for today so just let me know what you need from me. ”

Standing on one of the the markers, they spot a monitor facing so they can see the camera’s point of view from the set and grin.

Ajay knew that in a head-to-head modeling challenge, Zaya would win every single time. She simply had more experience and confidence than Ajay could ever hope to match—but he was physically larger than her and could therefore take up more space in the frame.

Bouncing on the balls of his feet to test how high up he could go while still being in-frame, he turned his attention away from the screen to look at Flare. “ You coming, or what? "

[retrocausalities]

CONTENT WARNING: Sonny continues to be a grade-A asshole. Warnings for strong language and elitism !!

All people are a series of shifting masks, faces aging in real time, like a grotesque slideshow. Sonny read about cellular turnover once, in some glossy health mag displayed on the calacatta paonazzo marble table in his office. You can’t be in pharma without paying respects to the anatomy of your constituents, can you? Cells die, cells regenerate, sometimes in four days flat. People are like that — contradictory, no spine, just reacting to whatever force hits them.

The community clown flips his smile to a frown. And nobody asks why. Nobody asks why the clown cries. Sonny knows. He’s the guy who made it fucking happen. That’s what being The Guy is. Ripple effects. Luxury liner cutting into open water. Baby whales, get the fuck outta the way. Daddy Titanic’s in motion.

BYOH Boy clears his throat, trying to flex alpha with no dawg in him. His siblings can do better. But Sonny? He’s above that, certified Sigma. The posturing doesn’t land when your net worth could buy a network. If money’s the problem, money’s the solution.

You don’t need to be a Division President of a multi‑billion behemoth to figure that basic shit out.

Sonny slides his hand into his suit. Two rings only — he’s not gaudy like the new‑money asswipes flashing three, or fuck forbid, four. Green flashes under his fingers. Crisp Benjamins, more than this guy would ever see doing charity gigs, fold into a fan. Sonny whips them out, slaps them gently, deliberately, against BYOH Boy’s face. Gotta keep societal cogs turning.

“There. Paid in more than full, plus... You’re welcome. Buy your crew dinner on me at a nice place for once, my dawg.”

Sonny’s words spill fast as he lets go of the cash, sharp, no rebuttal space as hundreds flap mid-air like park pigeons. His sunglasses slide down the bridge of his nose as he leans in. He doesn’t wait for acknowledgment — his hand’s already reaching, fingers clawing stems, bouquet half‑formed in his grip. This is how Real Moguls make moves.

[multimuz]

⎯⎯ Ⅱ.

Tien feels damn foolish preeing the bashy Bring Your Own Hero guy from two park benches away. If En, Lennie, or Worthy knew, they start teasing. Crushing on the guy they briefly spoke to while he fulfilled their BYOH request was pathetic, nuh true? Tien can't even recall why they'd even send out a request, maybe it was for restocking at the restaurant during a dinner rush.

But back then it did feel a real emergency, months ago, and @yourpaljoaquin was a true hero for stepping up. And man wasn't hiding himself or nothing like that, it was real easy to find his alt on AlterEgo and what was Tien's simple idea of raising their pal's follower count lead to "creepin," as Lennie said, stush as xe could be. Coo pah dah one yah, as if Lennie wasn't keep check pon Sangrienta from RealHero, and everyone acted Sab wasn't some AxiaL groupie.

At least Tien wasn't buying into RealHero's stewards. More product than people, them. Even the authentic ones weren't into being people, no, they wanted to be legends, all that korouchi. Honest living was what Tien was after. As honest as one could be carrying a copy of Bas' I.D. and helping Sab fudge their claimed household income with the rest of the... family? Group? System? Aren't they just all Bastiens at the end?

Tien's restless leg shakes up the park bench some, which is a feat since these things are bolted down. A mother with her child is cutting her eyes at Tien that they self-consciously stand up. Aw cho. Sitting back down would be another crassis, so Tien searches for another bench within observing distance, and there happens to be one across the plaza. Aw cho. Holding in a breath as if it'd make them invisible, Tien powerwalks by Joaquin's setup, hoping to meld into the flak.

But then some rawtid guy starts demanding shit from Joaquin. Ay wot? Who's this bastard? Then he slaps Joaquin's wonderful face with a bunch of paypas.

"Ey! Stop!!" Tien blurts because they've never been good at the chilling, that's Topman, or socializing, that's on Fout to Siks. Realizing too late what they've shouted, all Tien can think they would like Bas to show up and reabsorb them.

"You ap-pologize to this good fellow, right now, you."

[mincedoaths]

Mere seconds passed in the time Joaquin finished speaking and Sonu Naik decided to slap his face with a small stack of money. Joaquin recoiled almost immediately when the bill made contact; mouth falling agape for a split second before his face crinkled up in irritated disgust.

“ What are you—? Money’s gross, dude! That stuff is covered in who knows how many germs! ” Joaquin scolded, leaning back and away from Sonu as the other man proceeded to carelessly drops the wad of cash to the ground.

He watched the bills drop while pouting, eyebrows furrowed at the center of his face. Joaquin was about to make a comment about littering when the Naik heir made a sudden grab for the bouquet still in his hands. Joaquin let out an incredulous “ Hey! Stop that! ” before raising the flowers high above his head.

“ I think you’re confused, sir, this isn’t an official BYOH event! ” He half-shouted, hoping—perhaps in vain—that maybe getting louder will help get his word across better. “ And I don’t want your money! ”

Joaquin took a step back, trying to create distance between himself and the older man when he heard a voice call out from somewhere behind Sonu.

Turning his head towards the shout, he made eye contact with a familiar looking person, but he struggled to find a name. Their face looked like one of the workers at the Gristedes where he bought groceries, but he wasn’t sure. Their face looked right, but Bastien’s hair was different. Had they changed their hair and he just... didn't notice? A real friend would have noticed.

His stomach sank. This was someone who had come to support him and he couldn’t even be sure if he’d met them before? How cruel. Was he really all that different from—

“ What the fuck? Who the hell do you think you are? ”

Another voice cried out from the growing crowd of onlookers snapping Joaquin back from his thoughts.

“ They’re right! Apologize to Joaquin right now! ”

Some of the people who had been hovering around the carousel had also begun to turn their attention to the scene unfolding before them. Joaquin noticed a few had their phones out and pointed in his and Sonu's general direction.

” You should be ashamed of yourself! What would your father think? ”

[stcsis]

who? Sarah Smith & Ajay Gupta [@mincedoaths] where? Annual Queens World Film Festival, Queens, NKC  when? May 14, 2022 

After the oddity of the first night at the Film Festival, Sarah had gone out of her way to try and get more positive press for the event. It seemed to be working, with how the ticket sales were steadily increasing, but even then, she wanted to end the week of movies with a bang. Metaphorically, of course. Her plan for that had required multiple stages, from convincing Ajay to go to the closing ceremony with her to convincing his PR team that this was yet another good opportunity to humanize him. Normally, she wouldn’t bother going through his team, as he was old enough to make his own choices, thank you very much. But Ajay, the sweetheart that he is, had accepted her offer to appear on her stream of the night, so she wanted to make sure his sweetness wouldn’t get him in trouble for some silly reason or another. It worked because what she had told the PR team was true: the public had loved her collab with Ajay and how it humanized him, and reminding them of it would create a wave of good press before the next few reality shows he was slated to be in began airing. 

Of course, her motivations were a little more selfish than getting Valerian good ratings. Sarah simply wanted to spend time with her friend, and stick it to his haters.

“Ready?” She asks, glancing up at Ajay with a small grin as she gestures to the venue at the other side of the street. “Or do you want a moment? I know you are probably used to all this, but it is still nerve wracking every time.”

[mincedoaths]

Ajay idly watched the crowd that had gathered around the Flushing Town Hall. There were more people mingling around the entrance than would fit inside the venue and if he had to guess, most of them probably had not reserved a seat for the screenings. Here for another reason then.

Taking a deep breath, they nodded, and turned to look at Sarah. “ Yes. I mean, ‘no, I’m good.’ It can’t get any worse, right? ” He replied and winched internally. It had come out harsher than they intended and Sarah didn’t deserve anything but pure admiration from him at this point.

He knew she was just trying to cheer him up after the disaster that was that Appelle‑Moi article and the social media shit storm that had followed. She didn’t know that the only reason his team had approved this venture was because they thought that Ajay being seen with another woman might help slowdown the speed in which people online were talking about “Flarenix"— And he certainly didn't have the heart to tell her and potentially taint an aspect of their friendship. Especially not now when things with Keegan had gotten awkward.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea of being known as a celebrity who was routinely spotted hanging around beautiful women, however — but it definitely beat being romantically linked to fucking Flare of all people. As he silently brooded over the events of the last two weeks, a realization suddenly struck him.

Reaching out, he gently put a hand on Sarah's shoulder to get her attention and asked, voice low and serious, “ Sarah, are you sure you want to be seen with me right now? There’s a chance you might get some backlash since Fl—that woman has crazy fans. I’d feel terrible if you to get caught in the cross hairs. ”