DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hollywood U. This amazing game belongs to Pixelberry! :)


My responses to your reviews:

227. (16/09/17) MiraMaria: I'm glad you liked it! :)

226. (16/09/17) MiraMaria: You are the second person to make that guess! :P And, sadly, it is an incorrect guess :( While Marie Claire has shown poor budgeting skills (Clash at Sunset) in the past, she has improved since then and has great budgeting skills (Orchid Theater) today :P

225. (15/09/17) CatsRtheBOSS: [A.] I feel the same way about the bodyguard help quest! :) [B.] That's quite a while! :D [C.] Good thing you like slow burn, because NYTMC 1... definitely fits into that category! XD [D.] The impersonation scene was SO much fun to write! :D Oh, that (not-so-exciting) spark sphere chapter... :D I'm glad that NYTMC 2 gave you a new perspective on it! :) [E. to G.] One hundred percent canon? Wow! :D If you're armed with red stickers, prepare for a dramatic showdown with the person you use them on! :D [H.] Hmm, this is not the first time I've been suspected of being Thomas Hunt... I sense a pattern... :D Wow... even more than your own MC?! O.O I'm honored by your high opinion of Marie Claire! O.O And I love Mischief, too! :) [I.] Hmm... *reads what you said very closely* Oh, so the way they are now is perfect? Okay, then! :D Platonic, friends-only relationship it is! XD [J.] I find it REALLY interesting that you said that Thomas is hard to understand, and that you're much more confident in Marie Claire's feelings about Thomas, because NYTMC 1 (which is much longer than NYTMC 2) is written from Thomas' perspective. This means that I'm either doing something very wrong... or something very right... with my writing of Thomas' feelings XD (I hope it's the latter! :P) And yes, Chapter Twenty-Three ("Pegasus") was a very important chapter with regards to Marie Claire's feelings! :) I'm so glad you noticed! :D [K.] While he did that partly out of guilt, if you read NYTMC 1 closely (which I know you do! :D), you'll notice certain scenes where Thomas is very perceptive of her feelings :P [L. to M.] Hey, being excited about NYTMC 1 is totally fine! :D With my current outline, there are quests where the other freshmen (Addison, Ethan, Bianca, etc.) are involved... but not always when Thomas can see them :P [N.] Very high praise indeed! :D But... is Thomas even capable of giving a perfect score? O.o [O. to Q.] A hint? Sure! :) The final line starts with an ellipsis :D So maybe something you previously thought of fits? :) [R.] Yes! I liked that part was well! :) Thomas' honor compelled him to say everything that he had to say, since stopping early wouldn't have done justice to Marie Claire's incredible journey. And again, yes! :D It was VERY important to me that Thomas defend her at the hearing because he respected her, and NOT because of any romantic feelings :) [S.] Looks like you've scored a point in the "Spot the Subconscious" game! :D Like you said, that line perfectly sums up Thomas' relationship with Marie Claire... and he was completely oblivious to that fact XD [T.] Thank you so much! O.o It's an honor to hear that my writing inspires people! O.o As for other story ideas, I'm not sure if I'll write this, but I have a very amusing fanfic idea where the "you're on academic probation" scene goes VERY differently :D [U.] Again with your "I'm actually Thomas Hunt" suspicions? I'm telling you, stop being so suspicious and just enjoy the story of how I came to know- uh, I mean, how THOMAS came to know Marie Claire XD [V.] Aww! :) [W.] Hooray! :D And I'm looking forward to that as well! :P [FINAL.] I am so, so thankful that you took the time to answer my questions! O.o Thank you very, very much! :D And good luck spotting the subconscious! :P

224. (11/09/17) Guest: Hello there! :) One of the reasons I tend to be very secretive of my outline is because it can be modified at any time. There were quests that were in my original outline that never made it into the story itself... and, conversely, there were also quests that were NEVER part of my original outline that are now IN the story! :P

223. (10/09/17) rysaspirit: [A.] His forgiving her, or his trying to, will be quite significant in his interactions with her in the chapters that follow :D [B.] Ah, before the Fairy Kingdom Formal chapters, then! [C.] Aww! :) [D.] I really liked those chapters as well! :) [E. to G.] Hooray! :) [H.] Thank you so much! :) And you like Mischief as well? Yay! [I.] I remember that! I was frustrated with my OWN story's lack of romance, because I had so many THINGS I wanted to write... so I thought I would indulge myself XD But some very wise reviewers helped me realize that the romantic things I wrote didn't make sense for where the story was :) But it was a relief to write something more overtly romantic, at least for a little while! XD [J.] You make some really good points! Thomas was very deeply affected by Marie Claire's betrayal, even though he was trying to tell himself (at first) that it didn't matter :( As for Marie Claire, I'm glad to see that you can see hints of her own feelings! :D It's REALLY hard to show any of her feelings towards Thomas because, since he's oblivious, the narration has to be (mostly) oblivious as well XD [K.] I had some students play a prank with the orchestra's sheet music to justify their extraordinarily long waltz :D Did you listen to the music I mentioned in the author's notes? That was the music I was listening to (and the music they were dancing to), and the dreamy, romantic music made me feel like I was floating while I was writing! :) It was so much fun to finally let them have a REAL conversation... and while they were dancing, no less! XD [L. to Q.] Interesting thoughts about the ending! :) I wish I could say more, but for now, thank you very much for satisfying my curiosity! It's really cool to see things from your point-of-view! :D [R.] Wow... you're using such nice words to describe that chapter! :) :) And I'm so glad you noticed that line! :D It was that very line where Thomas' feelings about the hearing shifted and he was just like, "You know what? I AM going to say something!" It was a very important line in that chapter, so your pointing it out makes me really happy! :) [S.] Yay, yay, yay! :D You're the first person who mentioned the serving guy! This is kind of a weird thing to be excited about, but I was laughing SO MUCH when I wrote the scenes that mentioned him, so I'm really happy that you mentioned him! :D :D And, of course, Thomas' and Marie Claire's heartfelt conversation was wonderful to write, too! :) [T.] That's so sweet! :) I first started writing when I was about eight years old (I wrote poetry), but I grew to eventually prefer prose and novel-length work :) [U.] Thank you! :D [V.] Wow! That is one VERY high score! :D [W.] Yay! Glad you've seen it! :) [FINAL.] Thank you so, so much for answering my questions, and indulging my curiosity, and... and just caring enough to actually write all of this! O.o I wasn't sure if anybody would actually read and try to answer my questions, and the fact that you went through them and answered ALL of them is just... O.o Hearing your thoughts (and compliments, hee hee!) on various aspects of my story... I appreciate your words so, SO much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D :D :D

222. (10/09/17) Guest: I... have no idea when your last birthday was :D but I'm happy that you've been reading this story for that long! Thank you so much! :)

221. (10/09/17) RS: You're welcome :) The problem with writing a realistic story is that it often can go quite slowly! :P I remember that I used to have a scene where Thomas and Marie Claire held hands very briefly, but I deleted it because it was too romantic XD (But I definitely agree with you that I wish I could write more romantic things in the story! XD)

220. (10/09/17) pikapika: Hahaha, you and I both had the same idea for that new technique's nickname... the smear! XD If you think I'm Thomas Hunt, who am I to contradict you? All I'll say is that I'm glad to hear that you think I'm writing myself- uh, I mean, writing HIM, in-character! :D


Chapter Fifty-Two: Day 39 (Thursday) – Fraternity (Level 18)


One of the disadvantages of being a professor was that you couldn't refuse to meet with students who had a legitimate reason for wanting your time... even when said students were a group of miscreants who got into all sorts of questionable shenanigans together on a regular basis.

Ethan's rather short e-mail – for a smooth-talking agent, he was a rather succinct correspondent – only said that he and a few other students wanted to meet with him because of a matter of school policy, which he took to mean that they had some crazy scheme that they wanted to involve Thomas in.

After hearing polite, but clearly excited, knocking on his door, he raised his voice to tell them to come in... and suddenly, his office was filled with familiar, babbling freshmen students who, while accomplished in their own right, were somehow reduced to chattering with each other like geese when they converged in a group.

It was all well and good that Thomas decided last night that he would at least make an honest effort to forgive Marie Claire – but it was quite another thing to know, now, that he was inviting two members of the Silver Circle, Marie Claire and Ethan, into the private sanctum that was his office. Not only that, but they intended to influence him on a matter of school policy.

This could very well be another initiation task for Marie Claire... or perhaps a joint task for both of them as full-fledged members. Anything is possible.

Once Marie Claire, Ethan, Addison, Crash, and Lisa were all standing side by side in front of his desk, Thomas leveled a gaze upon the person who was, without a doubt, the ringleader of their next fiasco.

"Marie Claire," he almost sighed, "what disaster are you planning this time?"

She didn't seem even the slightest bit put off by his less-than-enthusiastic welcome.

"It's not a disaster, Professor Hunt! We have a fantastic idea for the university!"

"Is it the five of you graduating early so that I have a moderate chance of salvaging the rest of the freshman class?"

"Careful, Professor Hunt!" Marie Claire laughed. "Those are fighting words, and I'm still carrying around..." she reached into her purse and waved something at him, "...these red stickers from yesterday, so you'd better watch out!"

Thomas was about to reply, but Addison beat him to it by elbowing Marie Claire in the side.

"Marie Claire!" she hissed, and not a very quiet hiss, either, since Thomas could hear every word, "we're trying to get Professor Hunt to do us a favor! Don't threaten to assassinate him!"

Her eyes widened.

"Oh, right!" Marie Claire stuffed the red stickers back into her purse. "Sorry, Professor... I guess the bloodlust hasn't quite gone away yet..." She gave a sideways smile at Crash, who grinned back and punched a fist into his other hand.

"Anyway..." Ethan cleared his throat, trying to gain control of the situation, "Professor Hunt, we're here to request your approval for a new fraternity that we're trying to establish here at the university. I have all the official paperwork here..."

A sheaf of papers was placed on his desk.

"...and I think you'll find that everything is in order. We have many reasons for starting a fraternity, namely, to create an environment of equality and-"

"If," Thomas spoke at last, "your papers are in order, then I'm certain that I can read your charter and discern your reasons for myself."

After gesturing for them to sit on the small couch in his office, Thomas turned his attention to the paperwork they brought him.

Because, he thought sarcastically, I didn't have enough paperwork already.


The official charter was impeccably written, and, from his meticulous work in the past, he could tell that most of it had been done by Ethan, though he could see traces of the others in the values that were the cornerstones of their future fraternity. The documents in front of Thomas spoke of equality and inclusivity, leisure and responsibility, friendship and camaraderie, with membership being determined by merit alone.

Thomas wasn't falling for it.

As much as he wanted to believe that his students simply wanted official permission to start a group dedicated to good values, Thomas found it very suspicious that Marie Claire and Ethan were trying to form a student group exactly one week after her only seven days after her initiation task had taken place.

If they're making merit the only standard which students have to meet to gain entry, their fraternity will be known as the group to join if one wanted to surround oneself with talented people, making membership more desirable...

"You'll see, Professor," Ethan piped up from the couch, "that all of the necessary filings are there-"

Not taking his eyes off the paperwork, Thomas held up one lone finger at him, indicating that he ought to be silent.

...and once they have a pool of talented students within their members' grasps, the Silver Circle won't hesitate to poach them from what would have been individually-determined, well-earned careers.

Not on my watch.

Thomas straightened up, and seeing that he was finished reading their paperwork, his students moved to their original positions in front of him, looking like a row of excitable ducklings shifting from foot to foot. Ignoring their eager looks, he shuffled the papers carefully before sliding them across his desk to Marie Claire.

"No."

"What?!" Marie Claire squawked in surprise. "What do you mean, 'no?!'"

While Ethan, Addison, and Crash frowned in disappointment, Lisa joined Marie Claire's protest – and, while her objection to his declaration was limited to an emotional complaint – "Professor, you can't just say no!" – he was mildly impressed that she refrained from making infantile threats or stamping her foot like a child.

Perhaps she's learning.

"If you were listening, you would know that I can, in fact, say no, If you want to engage in repulsive debauchery and drunkenness – which are the main activities of all fraternities – then that is unfortunately your prerogative, but you won't be getting my approval to do it. Now," he pointed impatiently towards the door, "get out of my office."

Predictably, Marie Claire objected, saying that the fraternity would help the university, which almost made Thomas laugh, because there was no conceivable way that another group of foolish students partying together in an otherwise useless house could help Hollywood U in any way, shape, or form... but apparently, she disagreed.

"Hollywood U has a reputation for being the best of the best – it's like we're an ivory tower, looking down on everybody else."

He wanted to comment on her audacity to include herself in her "best of the best" comment – but since Thomas had pretty much called her that at her hearing, he was glad that he had managed to recall that inconvenient fact himself, rather than have himself be unceremoniously reminded of it by his gleeful students.

"Being the elite isn't a bad thing, but elitism is. Our fraternity wants to teach its members acceptance and cooperation, because while Hollywood U has a reputation for being the elite, we also want people to see our humanity, our values. We're more than just our careers."

Thomas blinked. That was not what a member of the Silver Circle would say. It looked like they hadn't had time to indoctrinate her yet... which meant that maybe this was an honest venture with no insidious motives.

Still...

"While you may have a point, Marie Claire, you are far too naive if you believe that a fraternity will magically transform the university from the inside out."

Before she could retort, she was elbowed in the side for the second time since entering his office – this time by Ethan. Seeming to trust that he had a plan, Marie Claire stayed silent – though she did pout as she rubbed her side with her arm.

"Professor, the thing is," Ethan said triumphantly, and Thomas imagined that this was how Ethan sounded when he was about to convince a reluctant party to agree to terms that were more in his favor than in theirs, "you have to approve us."

Belatedly, he remembered the university bylaw that fully supported Ethan's statement – that after meeting certain prerequisites, the university had no choice but to approve the creation of a new fraternity or sorority. However, there was no guarantee that Ethan knew that...

"Says who? There's no rule making me."

"As a matter of fact, there is, and you know it."

...except that this was Ethan, of all people – the same person Thomas had approached to test his fellow agent classmates, and the same person who remembered the university bylaw that had bought them time during Marie Claire's hearing – and it was practically a given that he would have read every single piece of literature available on Hollywood U policy before gathering everybody else for this meeting. He therefore wasn't surprised at all when Ethan quoted the section and subsection in which this particular university bylaw could be found.

He shook his head in mild approval. "I should've expected you'd come prepared, Ethan."

Ethan smiled, but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by Crash making one big jump and flinging out his arms in an unbridled gesture of victory. "Ha! Ethan, one... Professor Hunt, zeeeeroooo!"

Thomas growled and narrowed his eyes at Crash – who, very alarmed, held up both of his palms in the universal gesture for peace. "I'm shutting up! I'm shutting up!"

Good.

Turning his attention to the other members of their group, he said, "While knowing that particular university bylaw is a point in favor of your proposal, you know that the practical, academic, and moral requirements of that same bylaw – ownership of a sufficiently large house for fraternity purposes; a minimum 3.0 GPA; and a proven interest in aiding the local community – must be met by all founding members... which I assume are the five of you?"

They nodded, and Marie Claire piped up, "No sweat, Professor Hunt! We'll have those requirements down before you can blink – you'll see!"

Oh, really?

In response, Thomas stared at her flatly... and made a very deliberate blink in her direction.

And she, of all things, actually laughed merrily. "I never knew that even a blink could be so sarcastic!"

...And this meeting has gone on long enough.

After reminding them ominously that any damage to the university's reputation would result in the destruction of their dreams of creating their lofty fraternity, Thomas herded Marie Claire, Ethan, Addison, Crash, and Lisa to the door of his office, closing the door firmly after they departed with effusive thanks.

Settling back behind his desk, he shook his head.

Only Marie Claire would think of establishing a fraternity one week after she was almost expelled.

And, if he gave a tiny smile at his student's daring, there was nobody there to witness it – except for the stuffed, one-eyed magpie on his side table that Thomas was suddenly very, very glad that none of them had noticed.


Later that day, Thomas sent his students an e-mail summoning them to the lecture hall – and when they arrived, they looked as cheerful as... well, as students who had unlimited school funds to pay for whatever special effects their movies required. All around him, conversation was buzzing as they excitedly told each other what they had already accomplished so far, using grand hand gestures used to portray the spectacle that their movie was sure to have.

After greeting all of them, Thomas went straight to the point.

"From the childish attempts I've been seeing in this classroom to out-do each other's descriptions of your respective movies, I assume that you've been enjoying burning your way through the university's funds as if there was no tomorrow?"

One of the special effects majors, Solbert Surrime, exclaimed, "You won't believe your eyes when you see our movie, Professor Hunt! Marie Claire came up with a scene that'll blow your socks off!"

Meanwhile, a few seats away, Bianca shrugged indifferently. "I haven't really paid attention. It's just money. Whatever."

He was unimpressed with her nonchalant attitude, but it actually worked in his favor.

"That's good. Because it's gone. You are all bankrupt, effective immediately."

Suddenly, the room seemed even quieter than before, and Thomas could almost hear them thinking that they hoped they heard him wrong. Of course, one of his students was more vocal than the rest, as usual.

"Wait, what?!" gasped Marie Claire in horror. "But... our movies aren't done! What are we supposed to do if we have no more money?!"

Thomas raised an eyebrow in her group's direction. "You should have thought of the money when you were ordering... what was it? Light-reflective foam plasma, and a prototype at that?"

"But we needed that plasma!" protested Solbert. "How were we supposed to film a fake volcano without using plasma?"

Actually he could think of a few movies that managed to simulate volcano eruptions without using ridiculously expensive technology, but he didn't mention any of them.

"Well, you did film a fake volcano using plasma, which accounts for the your account balance. All of you," he waved his had carelessly at the five group leaders in the room, "blew through the allotted funds faster than I could have ever imagined."

And Thomas wasn't even joking about that part - Bianca, for example, had ordered a full-sized champagne fountain for one of her scenes - at least, he hoped that champagne fountain was for the class project itself and not just for the enjoyment of the crew - and she had only permitted extremely expensive vintages to be used. The result was, most likely, a very delicious, but essentially grossly wasteful, fountain that Thomas hardly imagined was integral to their movie's plot.

Still, Bianca didn't seem all that bothered by Thomas' news.

"No problem for my group. My dad has a ton of money. After he writes me a check-"

"To ensure the fairness of the project for all students, only school funds may be used," interrupted Thomas.

"Eeeek!" Bianca squeaked.

As the news finally sunk in, his students gave each other horrified looks before picking up their things and shuffling defeatedly towards the door. When the last student had left, Thomas shook his head.

Many film geniuses had created movies with this exact problem.

It was now time to see what his students were made of.


(End of Chapter Fifty-Two.) (16/09/17.)


00. Message from the birthday girl:

Hello, everybody! As I mentioned in the previous chapter's author's notes, today (September 16, 2017, Saturday) is my twenty-eighth birthday. Thank you for being here to celebrate with me!

I'm sitting here, and... for somebody who calls herself a writer, I'm at a loss for words.

"Thank you." "Thank you for believing in me." "Thank you for willingly spending your time reading a story that is very close to my heart." "Thank you for showing me that, even after Main Quest Fifty-Six, I am not the only person in the world who loves Hollywood U; that I am not the only one who is still waiting for it to come back, forever and always."

There are all these... THINGS... that I want to SAY, that are inside my mind and my heart because I'm so happy, and grateful, and honored, and... I want to say them in a fancy way, using complicated words the way a good writer should...

...but I can't.

From my last birthday to this one, there has been a whole group of people, of different ages and backgrounds, who saw something in my writing... and in me.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


01. Canon compliance:

The quests that took place in this chapter were Plot Twists (L18); Cause and FX (Day 04 of 06); and Freaks and Greeks (Day 01 of 04).


02. A tiny request:

Thank you for reading my fanfic! :D If you've read this far, I hope you'll consider taking an extra minute to leave a review for Chapter Fifty-Two ("Fraternity")? :D Reviews really mean a lot to me as a fanfiction writer because I get to hear your thoughts on something I worked really hard on ^_^ Even if it's the year 2075 or something, I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! :D


03. Two interesting HWU things:

One, the HWU online television series! :D Did you know that a fellow HWU fan, Zoe (her username on Tumblr is "dizzyclueless"), is diligently working on HWU: The Series? It's a fan-made online television series based on Thomas Hunt and other characters from Hollywood U! ^_^ (At the moment, I'm just a very enthusiastic supporter... but I would LOVE to be involved in HWU: The Series someday! :D) You can find out more about this AMAZING television project on Tumblr (their official Tumblr blog is "hwutheseries"). I just LOVE how Pixelberry and Hollywood U have inspired SO many of us fans! ^_^

And two, my second HWU fanfic! :D If you're interested in reading Marie Claire's perspective of this chapter (Chapter Fifty-Two), then I encourage you to read "NYTMC 2: Marie Claire's Interlude" ^_^ Here's the summary: "(Part two of the NYTMC series.) (Midquel.) How did Marie Claire Hart fall in love with her most dashing, yet most cantankerous, professor? A retelling of my MC/Hunt fanfic "NYTMC 1: Not Your Typical Meet-Cute" from Marie Claire's perspective, in 100-word drabbles."