#(and yes she made him watch princess diaries and he's a fan)

[terrainofheartfelt]

Gossip Girl as things my friends have said:

(Part 6/5)

#gossip girl #gg glc #blair waldorf #jenny humphrey #nate archibald #dan humphrey #dan x nate #eric van der woodsen #louis grimaldi #jenate #vanessa abrams #the groupchat continues to say iconic things #many are blair because we are just like that #actually we have multiple scorpios. so. makes sense. #fun fact one of my friends is in fact dating a frenchman named Louis #and I could not resist #but her Louis is by all accounts a lovely person and a good man #it's just a very funny coincidence to me #(and yes she made him watch princess diaries and he's a fan) #* #the consumption one was a joke about la traviata

[the-rewatch-rewind]

Another special guest episode!

Transcript below the break

Jane

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I’m going to be discussing number 21 on my list: Disney’s 2007 fantasy comedy Enchanted, directed by Kevin Lima, written by Bill Kelly, and starring Amy Adams, James Marsden, and Patrick Dempsey.

In the mystical, animated land of Andalasia lives a fair young maiden named Giselle (Amy Adams). She finally meets her dream prince Edward (James Marsden), and seems destined for the happily ever after she’s been wishing for, but there’s a complication: Edward’s power-hungry stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), will lose her throne when he marries. Refusing to let that happen, Narissa pushes Giselle through a portal to the live-action New York City, where she runs into divorce lawyer and single father Robert (Patrick Dempsey). Robert doesn’t quite know what to make of Giselle at first, but as they become better acquainted the two very different people start to care for and learn from each other.

This episode I will be joined by my dear friend Sophie Lesher, who made the art for this podcast and is also an enthusiastic Enchanted fan, so I knew I needed to have her on to talk about it with me, and we had a very fun conversation about this movie and Disney movies in general. But first I’ll give you the breakdown of when I watched this movie, since I tend to forget to do that when I have guests. Obviously Enchanted wasn’t out yet when I started keeping track, so I know I hadn’t seen it before 2007, when I saw it once, then four times in 2008, twice in 2009, once in 2010, twice in 2011, twice in 2012, once in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and once in each year from 2019 through 2022. It is perhaps a surprisingly romantic movie for my aromantic self to have seen 19 times, but it’s so entertaining and well done that the emphasis on romance doesn’t really bother me. So without further ado, let’s talk about it!

Hi, Sophie!

Sophie 

Hi, Jane! 

Jane 

I'm so excited to have you.

Sophie

Thank you!

Jane

Not only did you make the wonderful podcast art, but you also came up with the name for this podcast. 

Sophie 

That is true. 

Jane 

So it is wonderful to have you on The Rewatch Rewind.

Sophie 

Thank you for having me. I assume that you asked me to talk about this movie in particular because I am a princess. 

Jane 

Yes. You are the most princessy person I know. 

Sophie 

It's funny because my partner, who has asked that I mentioned them in this podcast, was telling me last night when we were watching this movie that she thinks I'm the closest thing to a Disney Princess she knows which obviously she's biased, but I do have a certain kinship with Disney princesses, and Giselle is probably… Is she the first live action one? 

Jane 

Well, I mean, do we count Mia Thermopolis? 

Sophie 

Well, true, she is Disney and she is a Princess. But I don't know if she's a Disney Princess because she doesn't sing and she doesn't have a talking animal companion. Unfortunately, Fat Louie does not say anything. He gives sass. I will give him that, but he doesn't communicate verbally his feelings, but yeah, I think there has to be like a musical component to it as well.

Jane

Yeah, that's fair.

Sophie

I don't know, there's like a list of requirements. They also have to like, I guess technically she saves Genovia. Because she doesn't abdicate her throne. 

Jane 

Yeah, she saves… saves it from the… the Baroness and Baron. Who just wanted to be on a postage stamp.

Sophie 

The the postage stamp! Yeah! 

Jane 

OK. But we're here to talk about Enchanted.

Sophie

Yes.

Jane

Which came out… six years after Princess Diaries, I think?

Sophie

Mm-hmm!

Jane

So I remember that I saw Enchanted in theaters twice.

Sophie

Oh! Lovely.

Jane

And the first time I was like, this is amazing, but also kind of sad because it was like exactly the kind of thing that I would have wanted to write if I was going to write a movie. And I was like. Oh dang it, they already did this.

Sophie

Ugh, I hear you!

Jane

Because it's just such a perfect combination of, like all the things that were great about particularly the Renaissance…

Sophie

Right

Jane

…Princess movies and the like, classic Princess movies and just sort of with a modern twist, and that was… it was everything I wanted from a movie. 

Sophie 

It's funny because I was thinking, and I wrote this in my notes, I like that it takes what was kind of funny about movies like Shrek in the like tongue in cheek. We're like, you know, turning the classic Princess story on its head a little bit and like poking a little bit of fun, but not in a mean way. What I think- I don't particularly like Shrek, but its downfall to me is that it it gets a little mean. Like you know, you're stupid for liking these fairy tale stories, and I think Enchanted does so nicely the like making jokes, making references but also being like fairy tales are great and it's OK to believe in happy endings. And one thing that Giselle teaches the characters in the movie – Morgan doesn't really need this education because she she's already a believer. But she makes a good point of being like it's, you know, it's OK to live in reality and have hard times, but you can also believe in happy ever after and dreaming. And you know, there's things to hope for. 

Jane 

Yeah, yeah, very much so. I think that the thing that makes Enchanted so great is that it's like sort of making fun of the tropes and turning things on their head, but in a very loving way.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

It's very like, we love these stories, here's a way we can kind of mess with them a little bit. But still like-

Sophie

Yes.

Jane

Yeah, they're still great. So that's what makes it great. I mean, we could just end the podcast here. But anyway, so how did you get introduced to it? Because I just thought with my family the first time. I remember my uncle was there the second time I saw in theaters. 

Sophie 

Oh, that's nice. Yeah, if I remember correctly, this is a movie that my parents saw without me, and I'm not sure exactly how this happened because my parents are not Disney people and they're certainly not really musical people, although my dad did musicals in high school, but they saw it probably because, like Amy Adams was in it and, you know, they're fans of actors. And they were like, oh, this is great. This is something that Sophie would love. And then I was like, absolutely not. I'm never going to see it because this is something that my parents recommended to me. And people who know me know that I've talked about my parents… did not have the best track record of introducing movies to me. There were several movies they showed me that either were very much not my style or I was too young for, so I'm not sure exactly when I decided that I was gonna bite the bullet and see this movie, but I didn't see it when it first came out. But it is everything that I love. It's a musical. It's funny, it's very sweet. It's got the family element to it. So yeah, when I eventually did see it, I loved it, but I haven't seen it very many times because I came into it sort of late. 

Jane 

Yeah, that's fair. I I still can't believe it's… what it's 16 years old now?

Sophie 

Old enough to drive. 

Jane 

Ridiculous.

Sophie

That's horrifying.

Jane

Yeah. Oh man. So one of the things that I absolutely love about this movie that I've noticed more and more the more times I rewatch it, is all of the Easter eggs and like little references to to Disney movies. I know that when I saw it the first time, I was with my brother, who is like the biggest Little Mermaid fan, and as soon as we see Roberts secretary, he was like, “It's Jodi Benson!” and like, he immediately recognized her. So that's fun that we get the voice of Ariel gets a pretty big part. I noticed in the credits Paige O'Hara's name. And she was the voice of Belle.

Sophie

Yeah!

Jane

And it took me so long to find her. But she's like in the, like, soap opera that they're watching. 

Sophie 

I think she's credited as like the soap opera vixen or something, which is very funny because I hadn't noticed her until you pointed it out to me. And then I was looking for her and I when I found her, when we watched it yesterday, the line that she has is like, “How could I ever love someone who doesn't love themself?” And I thought that was so funny because that's very much Bella's arc in Beauty and the Beast.

Jane

Yeah, exactly.

Sophie

And then you just get like a close up on the actors face and he's like, you know, look into camera like on the Office. That was very funny. 

Jane 

It was great and also like if you listen to the background music, it's very like it sounds like the Beauty and the Beast music right there, and I think it's great cause, of course, Alan Menken did the music in this movie, and that's perfect because he did so many of the best…

Sophie

He’s fantastic.

Jane

…the best musical Disney films, and so that's great, yeah. And then there's also just like other really quick things, like when Edward is watching the news and he finds out where they are, like the reporter says the address of the building. She says her name is Mary Ilene Casalotti, which is like a combination of Mary Costa, Ilene Woods and Adriana Caselotti. 

Sophie 

Oh, that's lovely. 

Jane 

The like voices of the original princesses. It’s just, very quick, fun little thing. 

Sophie 

Yeah. Well, and of course, where he goes to look for her is at Bella Notte restaurant, which is where they were.

Jane 

Right. 

Sophie 

So yeah, I've I've written some of them down, like in Happy Little Working Song, when Giselle is on the floor scrubbing, there's little bubbles, which is a very iconic scene in Cinderella. There's lots of Snow White references with the apple. And Narissa obviously has a dragon form, which is like Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. The ball ends at midnight and she has to eat the apple before midnight, which is Cinderella. The opening, of course, has the the beautiful like story book animation where the story opens, which is very iconic like early Disney. 

Jane 

Yes! And the narrator of the beginning and the end... 

Sophie 

Of course is our Queen Julie Andrews. 

Jane 

Julie Andrews. This does count as one of the four movies that made it to the list that she's in. She's just barely in it, but…

Sophie

Oh perfect.

Jane

But yeah, I love that. 

Sophie 

There are a couple of Sound of Music references. There's a lot of Julie Andrews references because there's a Sound of Music reference, obviously, when Giselle makes the dress out of the curtains. There's also when they get to Central Park before the big song, How Does She Know? She spins around in the middle of Central Park and she has her arms stretched out wide, which is obviously the opening of Sound of Music. And then the woman with the bird seed is charging to feed the birds, which is a Mary Poppins reference. So there are a couple little Julie Andrews Easter eggs in there, which is very fun. 

Jane 

Yeah, big part of the reason why I love this movie. It's really it was really made for me specifically is what it felt like. 

Sophie 

Correct. Yes, they should have just said in the opening credits: for Jane. This is for you. 

Jane 

Yeah, that's really what it felt like. 

Sophie 

Yeah, it's great. 

Jane 

And then Amy Adams is, like the perfect…

Sophie

Yeah

Jane

…Disney Princess and she she's so versatile, like everything I've seen her in, she's amazing, and she's played characters that are completely different from this, but I think this might have been like one of the first things that I actually saw her in.

Sophie

Mm-hmm.

Jane

But it was just like, she is a Disney Princess in this, like, she perfectly personifies that and I I love that so much. 

Sophie 

And not like she's- Giselle, is very exaggerated, obviously, because, you know, they're trying to harken back to the early, like, very emotive princesses. But it's never- like even though she's super expressive and very naive, it's never like…grotesque or like, foolish looking like she's very believable, as you said in this role. Yeah, it's really impeccable casting. 

Jane 

Yeah, again because it's like it's definitely got some parody elements to it, but it's like it's still saying, these princesses are real people. And I think that it's interesting that like because obviously it's making fun of the whole idea of, like, you meet and you get married immediately, but that doesn't actually happen in any of the Disney Princess movies. Like, nobody immediately gets married right after they meet.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

And I think that a lot of times, especially like with Cinderella, Cinderella has like such an unfair reputation of like, it's like, oh, yeah, she just does chores and waits around for a man. But if you actually watch the Disney Cinderella like she has so much agency and she's like very strong in like breaking away from her… situation and like her horrible, abusive stepmother and and I feel like with this movie it's kind of doing that. It's like saying, like, Disney princesses are stronger and cooler than you think they are, and like Giselle is really cool, but it's like they've been like that the whole time. And this is just taking it to the next level. 

Sophie 

Well, yeah, and I just saw an interview clip with Ilene Woods the other day, who was, as you know, the voice of Cinderella, who was talking about that. And she was just like, if you look at the movie, Cinderella has never, she never says, “Oh, and I want to find a Prince. And you know I'm going to the ball with this express purpose.” She has no interest in the Prince. She just wants to go to a party. She wants to get out of her disgusting situation for a little bit and have you know a space to relax. And she's been dreaming about not finding a Prince, but going to the castle. She wants to travel. She wants to be away from her oppressive situation, and it's just happenstance that she finds this man and decides, you know, this is someone that I want to explore a partnership with. 

Jane 

Yeah so I think that this movie is sort of an answer to the people who criticize Princess movies. And I mean it is explicitly saying like we are turning this on its head like especially when when she's fighting the dragon at the end. That's like, this is a twist. Like usually it's the Prince who does this.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

But I think Disney princesses were always strong. And so I think that this was such a good way of showing that.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

Oh, also going back to the references, I do think it's amazing that Idina Menzel is in this movie and so like it's sort of a retroactive… like, she hadn't been in Frozen yet.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

But like now, Elsa is in this movie too, which is so cool. 

Sophie 

Although I will say it is heart wrenching that they had Belle, Ariel and Elsa in this movie and not a single one of them got a chance to sing.

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

And then I mean, I know we're not talking about Disenchanted, but the song that they gave Idina to sing and Disenchanted was… weak. 

Jane 

Yeah, it's not the best song in that movie. But I did… I feel like there was an interview with Idina Menzel where she said that she was happy that she got to…

Sophie

Just straight act?

Jane

…just be in this movie and not sing because she was like, “I knew I wasn't just cast for my voice. It's like I was cast for acting too, which is cool.” She's very fun to watch in this movie. 

Sophie 

Oh, absolutely! If we can… if we can take a moment to talk about Nancy, I feel like watching this movie when you're a kid is very different. One thing I think this movie does not do particularly well is have, you know, female friendships and… and not pit people against each other because while Giselle tries to steer away from it, I do think there is an element of jealousy between Nancy and Giselle for obvious reasons. But I- it's you know, that's not my favorite thing and I wish there could have been a way to have them, you know, have this…conflict over this, you know, love square situation without it turning into, like Nancy feels threatened by Giselle. But I think growing up is realizing that Nancy was never the villain in this movie. And I I love her character. I love everything about her from. The first line she has when she shows up at Roberts apartment, she's like, “Hey, girlfriend!” Like,

Jane 

“Ready to kick it?”

Sophie

I love it!

Jane

So funny! Yes! 

Sophie 

I love her so much! 

Jane 

Well, and I think that like one thing is like, yeah, she feels threatened by her initially, which is fair because she walks in when-

Sophie

Right.

Jane

…she's, like, naked…

Sophie

Correct.

Jane

…on her boyfriend.

Sophie

And she's like, “Who the hell is this?”

Jane

But I- one thing that I really love is that, at the climax, when Giselle is unconscious and Edward is trying to kiss her and it doesn't work, that he's like, “Ohh, it must be you!” and Robert’s really hesitant, and that Nancy goes, “Kiss her, it’s okay.”

Sophie

Mm-hmm.

Jane

And I love that so much. Like she recognizes, like, OK, clearly you guys have something like, I'm going to be fine with it rather than fighting, and I love that! 

Sophie 

Right. 

Jane 

And I I love that at the end she's just kind of like, “Oh, she left her shoe,” and then gets that great moment with Edward and, and that she gets a happy ending too. 

Sophie 

Yeah and she gets to be spontaneous for once, cause you sort of get the feeling that Nancy has, like, been this strong sacrifice you know, “I'll do whatever you want in order to make other people happy” kind of person? Like, she, you know, she's never really fought with Robert about like, “why am I not being like, more integrated into yours in Morgan's life?” And now she gets to, like, run away to Andalasia, and just, like, leave all of her responsibilities behind and have this fun adventure, which seems to have worked out for her because ten years later they're still together, so... 

Jane 

Yeah! Well, and Robert is very wary of anything romantic because he was so heartbroken when his first wife left him.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

And so like he… he… when he's talking to Jodi Benson, he's like, “I want to be very practical. Like we don't need all of that stuff,” and it kind of seems like Nancy does want that, but she also like respects that he's not into it and and is like, that's OK. But she gets really excited when she gets the doves and is like, “Oh, it's so roman’ic!” I love that she says “roman’ic.” 

Sophie 

I know I love, I love Idina, like bringing her whole, like Long Island upbringing into this character. It’s very fun.

Jane 

Yeah, it's weird that I love it so much because it's so romantic, and I'm not like that into romances usually. 

Sophie 

Right. 

Jane 

But, I don’t know, I think that the way that this is done is so interesting that like everybody thinks they're on a certain path and then…

Sophie

Right.

Jane

…they're like, oh, actually, the way I thought this was going to go is not how it's going. 

Sophie 

Well, yeah, and it's all about, you know, making sure that it's the right person for you and making sure that there's not only comfort because I think Robert does have to get uncomfortable in order to be with Giselle. But there's there's more of a cohesiveness. He's not, like forcing Nancy to give up part of her personality in order to be together. They're just like compatible. So I do think that that doesn't necessarily have to be about romance. It's about being with the people that make you feel the most like yourself, which could be, you know, a message for all relationships, not just romantic ones. 

Jane 

Yeah. Well, and I, it almost feels like Robert was suppressing part of himself.

Sophie

As well, yeah.

Jane

Yeah. So I think that Giselle helps him let go of that and be the true version of himself. 

Sophie 

You get the sense like he mentions… because Morgan is what 6 or 7? 

Jane 

Yeah, I think she says she's 6. 

Sophie 

And he mentions that he and Nancy had been together for five years, so he'd only, like, been apart from his wife for like, a year at this point and had a baby. So from Morgan's, you know, infancy to her first birthday was the only time that he was ever without a partner. So I think there is an element of his relationship with Nancy where he was just like, emotionally healing, and now he's mostly healed or, you know, on his way to recovery. And he is able to be his full self with Giselle, which is sort of sad, you know, in terms of like Nancy not getting his full personality. But I do think it worked out for the best. 

Jane 

Yeah, and it's it's almost like… she was OK with being there for him and when he needed somebody but recognizes by the end of the movie that she wasn't getting what she needed out of that relationship and…

Sophie

Right.

Jane

…that being spontaneous with Edward would be better for her.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

And like you say, apparently worked out because they're still together in the sequel. 

Sophie 

Yeah. Which is good. I hope they're happy. 

Jane 

Yeah! Definitely! I and I love that, that everyone gets to be happy… except for the villain.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

But even the villain sidekick gets sort of a little bit of a redemption. 

Sophie 

Yeah, Nathaniel is a published author at the end of the movie. That's very fun.

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

Although in fairness, it's, you know, it's not Nathaniel, it's Peter Pettigrew in my head. And it's not, it's not Prince Edward, it's Corny Collins. Although you know James, James is great in whatever role he does. 

Jane 

James Marsden was the perfect Edward for this.

Sophie

Yes.

Jane

When was Hairspray?

Sophie 

Hairspray was the same year. 

Jane 

Okay, yeah, because I feel like I definitely saw this first. 

Sophie 

So yeah, I saw Hairspray in theaters, so…

Jane

Ohh.

Sophie

I think I like went with some of my camp friends cause we had been listening to the Hairspray soundtrack all summer, and then when it finally came out, we like, went to see the movie together. But yeah, James Marsdenn is fantastic and I I will say, as a lesbian, he's very dreamy.

[Jane laughs]

Sophie

He is, as you said, perfect casting. 

Jane 

Yeah, he just he looks like a Disney Prince. Like, he's perfect for that. And I also like a lot of the classic Disney princes, like, didn't even get a name, so he's more developed than most of them…

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

…as a character. 

Sophie 

And he has a full nose, unlike the Prince in Snow White, who just has nostrils. 

Jane 

Yeah, that Prince doesn't have a name. The Prince in Cinderella doesn't have a name.

Sophie

I know.

Jane

We do get Prince Philip in Sleeping Beauty. He gets and he gets to fight a dragon. So he's good. The Beast doesn't have a name… 

Sophie 

Yeah. We just have Phillip, Eric, and I guess technically Aladdin. 

Jane 

Yeah, but he's like the protagonist. So like, that's a little bit different. 

Sophie 

Right. Aladdin and Flynn are royal by marriage, not by blood. 

Jane 

Yeah, well, and I've heard arguments that in Aladdin, it's kind of gender swapped and that Jasmine serves the function of a Prince. 

Sophie 

Of the Disney Prince, yeah.

Jane

Yeah, so…

Sophie

But she's not a prize to be won. 

Jane 

She's not a prize to be won. But, anyway, so yeah, so I think that they did a great job with the Princess. Great job with the Prince. Great job with making them not end up together and that that made sense. 

Sophie 

Well and like… it's funny, I thought of you when I listened to the first song, because the line in I've Been Dreaming of a True Love’s Kiss is, “For lips are the only things that touch.” That's that's very ace-coded. That's like, “No, we're not going to do anything else.” 

Jane 

[laughs] Yeah. 

Sophie 

“You can kiss me, but no tongue. And we're not gonna do anything else.” 

Jane 

[still laughing] That's a good point. Ohh yeah, that's funny. Yeah, well, and there's a little bit of that, like throughout the movie of like, after Nancy finds them together, and Robert’s, like, “She thinks that you and I?” and Giselle’s like, “Kissed?!?!?! [gasp]” And he's like, “Uh… yeah, definitely… that.” And then there's the part when they're shopping, and Morgan says, “You know how boys are: they're only after one thing,” and she says, “What?” She says, “Oh, I don't know,”

Both

“No one will tell me.” 

Sophie 

Well, good! No one should have told you the first thing, six year old!

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

What is- Who is talking to you? Like, who is her babysitter? Because they need to be replaced. 

Jane 

Also, that is… that is a very weird scene.

Sophie

Yes.

Jane

When Giselle comes in and Morgan's by herself in the apartment. 

Sophie 

Like, how did Giselle get in? Why is Morgan alone? How does she know where the AmEx is in the drawer? ‘Cause that's not something you tell the six year old because they don't have impulse control. 

Jane 

And where all the good stores are. 

Sophie 

Yeah, and the weird like product placement with the Elie Tahari, why is this the store we're going to? Yeah, they went to too many stores. That whole thing was very weird. And then, like, did she not get the memo that it was a costume ball?

Jane

Right!

Sophie

She's the only person in there who’s not dressed like a Renaissance fair person. 

Jane 

And I'm like, is that because she thinks those clothes are normal and so, like, the clothes she's wearing are like…? 

Sophie 

Right. Like, her dress-up clothes, yeah. 

Jane 

Yeah, that's the only thing that I can think of because I'm like, that dress is completely inappropriate for that ball. 

Sophie 

Yeah, from when Giselle and Roberts say goodbye to Narissa turning into a dragon is a very draggy… Like, I I love Giselle and Morgan shopping together. I think that's very cute. The dialogue is weird. And then there's like that weird song that is also out of place at a Kings and Queens Ball. 

Jane 

They say it's a waltz and it's not in 3-4 time and it's very weird. Like, I mean, I like that song by itself. 

Sophie 

Yes, but it does not fit in the scene at all. 

Jane 

Yeah, I don't really understand what they were doing there. Well, and based on the bloopers - because I have the DVD, I've watched the bloopers many times - it seems like Robert and Nancy were supposed to have some dialogue while they were dancing that ended up getting cut because you see them like doing that and messing it up. So I feel like they just couldn't understand how they were going to get through that transition. 

Sophie 

Yeah and like I get that they had to have some sort of weird convention for Giselle and Robert to dance together. But like, how is this the pinnacle of your dance? It's not a waltz. It's a weird song, and then you're having strangers dance together? Because ostensibly, you didn't, like, come as a group.

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

So you just have to ask a random person to dance with you for like the Kings and Queens Waltz. That’s very weird.

Jane 

Yes, but and it's also like. The song is about how we're so close to reaching our happy ending, but not, and so it's like, are you supposed to be dancing it with the person that you really want to be with but aren't like it's it's very uncomfortable… 

Sophie 

This is only for people in a love triangle or love square, and you can only come with the person that you don't want to actually be with. But you're keeping it a secret. 

Jane 

Yeah, so then you're dancing this dance with someone that you're secretly - or not so secretly cause now everybody knows - in love with so, like, everybody goes home from that ball fighting. 

Sophie 

Everyone's like, OK, divorced. I mean, it's a great place for Robert to show up because he's a divorce lawyer. 

Jane 

Oh yeah, there you go. Yeah, that's that's really why he wanted to be there. He found out what it was for, and he was like, this is where I'm getting all my clients now.

Sophie

Yeah exactly.

Jane

I think a lot about the couple that was like getting divorced at the beginning and then, like, Giselle talked to them and they were all together and like, do, do they have a long term relationship or do they like does that last for like a few days and then they go back to fighting? 

Sophie 

Yeah, that would be good to know. I hope they made it work. Phoebe and Ethan. There's some weird like… like I get that Giselle's naive I get that she was, you know, raised by forest creatures. But there are some, like, very uncomfortable racial and other minority group moments. 

Jane 

When she grabs her hair, yeah. 

Sophie 

She's like “Ohh so beautiful!” Like, no, don't do that. 

Jane 

I kind of feel like because it's Giselle, like she would have done that to anyone. 

Sophie 

Yeah, it's just it's not in the best taste. 

Jane 

Yeah, I agree. 

Sophie 

And then there's the scene at the beginning where the person walks underneath her dress.

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

And she's like, “Oh, Grumpy!” and it's like, did we need to do that? Was that necessary? 

Jane 

Yeah, it's a little… it's a little, uh… uncomfortable and like I get, I get the point they were trying to make, like that she's just naive and doesn't understand the real world. 

Sophie 

But like there could have been something else where she was like, oh, this is, you know, fairy tales… like she could have been like talking to a mirror and it like not responding and everyone was like, what is wrong with this girl? 

Jane 

Well, I mean like the knocking on the castle billboard thing kind of does that.

Sophie

Yes!

Jane

Like, that's funny.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

That… that works. 

Sophie 

Although I have never seen a seedy casino in New York City, I don't know if they were confused as to where they were. If they thought they were in Vegas, but they're actually in New York. But yeah, that was very cute. 

Jane 

Oh, maybe they were just advertising very far away or something. But yeah. Yeah, no, I think that part's funny. I also- it's so interesting how the animals still respond to her song in the real world. Like, why is that? Like nothing else works the way she thinks it will, but... 

Sophie 

Yeah, one thing that my partner pointed out when we were watching it is how does Narissa still have her magic? And also, where does she go? Like, well, first of all, she catches fire spontaneously. She spontaneously combusts when she falls off the tower. I'm not exactly sure how that happens, and then she just disappears. Does she also fall into the sewer grate? And if so, then she's still there when Edward and Nancy go back.

Jane

Ohh yeah…

Sophie

But she just like disappears. She falls into the ground and then Boof into sparkles so I don't… I don't know what happens to her. 

Jane 

Yeah, I don't either. I I don't really understand how she's able to again still have her powers, but maybe because like she controls the portal between the worlds? 

Sophie 

Maybe. Andalasia is a very interesting land because they just have a portal in the middle of the castle courtyard, and then they also have, like wands that grant your innermost desires just lying around. 

Jane 

The wands can pull magic through the portal somehow. And yeah, the sequel is confusing. It's like in this one they don't explain some things, but to a certain extent, you can just suspend disbelief. Be like, OK, because magic, like whatever. It doesn't matter how this world works. And then in the sequel, they're like trying to get into how the world works, and it just doesn't really make a lot of sense. 

Sophie 

No, they don't have time for that, which is fine. I like the sequel. 

Jane 

Oh yeah, me too. 

Sophie 

It's just they weren't really sure what track they wanted to go down. I did like and I noticed this on this rewatch. And Nancy, I guess is like a designer or seamstress or something, cause when she gets the dove flowers, she's like at her studio or whatever. And then I guess Giselle takes that over and turns that into Andalasia Fashions or whatever it's called at the end of the movie. So that was that was nice. That was a little bit of tying up of loose ends, which I thought was lovely. 

Jane 

Yeah, they really do take over each other's lives very well. Because like Nancy goes to marry Edward and do exactly what Giselle was going to do.

Sophie

Right.

Jane

And Giselle takes over her business, I guess. But and it also makes sense because she clearly knows how to sew because she can make dresses out of curtains in like, no time. 

Sophie 

Right. Yeah. Giselle's wardrobe is pretty incredible. Unfortunately, we don't… The the blue dress that she makes out of the curtains is gorgeous, but she also has the like… it's the dress that she's wearing I guess the day that they say goodbye. So she wears it on her date with Edward.

Jane

Mm-hmm.

Sophie

Which, by the way, he's wearing like $100 worth of New York branded merchandise. I don't know where he got the money for all of that. 

Jane 

Well, that's what I was thinking the whole time that that Edward and Nathaniel are there is like they're like eating out and like, they're staying at a motel like, I mean, I know they're not going to like, super fancy expensive things, but how do they have any money at all? 

Sophie 

Still, I mean Chinese takeout in New York is like 80 bucks. 

Jane 

Yeah so like they did they like because I'm sure he had things that were extravagant on him. Did he just like trade them in and be like here, take this shiny thing? Like I don't... I don't know. They don't explain that at all. 

Sophie 

Although we do, we do see Nathaniel doing some odd jobs, like he's somehow in the kitchen at Katz's deli when they have the confrontation with Pip?

Jane

Oh yeah.

Sophie

Because that's where they are, which is one of my favorite places in New York. That was really fun. So he's like working in the deli and then he becomes a cab driver somehow… 

Jane 

And he's like selling caramel apples. 

Sophie 

…when he also does brown face… Yeah, well, yeah, he's he's at the he's at the popcorn vendor when he tries to poison Giselle with the caramel apple. Yes, and then he's working at the Italian restaurant. So he's, you know, he's he's a Jack of all trades. He's getting that bread. 

Jane 

Do they pay him after just like a few hours of work? It's like, “Thank you! Here's some money!” 

Sophie 

Maybe he, like, pretends to be an immigrant and they pay him under the table in cash or something, I don't know.

Jane

Ohh.

Sophie

But yes, it's better if you don't think about it too much. 

Jane 

Which I guess is true of most Disney movies, like a lot of them if you really analyze it’s like wait, this doesn't make any sense, but like, it’s fine, it's fine.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

If you’re just focusing on the main story, I feel like it works really well things. Things tie together nicely. 

Sophie 

Yeah. Let me see if there's something else… In Happy Working Song, she rhymes “la-da-dum” with va-cu-um.” 

Jane 

Oh, I love that. 

Sophie 

Which is a great rhyme. 

Jane 

Yeah that song is amazing. 

Sophie 

That's very underrated. I feel like the first song and How Does She Know get all of the play, but Happy Working Song is really fun. I think that's one of the ones that's got the most like inside jokes and references to other things. 

Jane 

Yeah, because there's so many, especially Princess movies but also like Mary Poppins, where they just like, clean really quickly…

Sophie

Right.

Jane

And like, so it's sort of like, yeah, Disney princesses have this power of just being able to clean an entire house in the time it takes to sing one musical number. 

Sophie 

Correct As much as I feel like there's really no point to having Narissa in this movie – like, I think we can agree that the real villain of this movie is capitalist society - the elements of having Narissa is very funny, like she's sort of like a discount Yzma because at Katz’s when she like appears in the pot of soup, she's like, “I'm boiling in here,” which is a hilarious line. I love that.

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

And then I'm not sure if this is true, but King Kong feels like the only movie that they referenced that's like, not a Disney property, cause Narissa does kind of King Kong on the…

Jane

Oh yeah.

Sophie

…whatever building when she's a dragon, but the other Easter eggs that I caught were all like Disney. 

Jane 

Yeah, although I don't know that Disney owned Sound of Music at the time that this movie was made, I don't think they'd acquired Fox yet. 

Sophie 

Oh, OK. Well, that makes a little more sense. I want to know, going back unfortunately to the don't think about it too hard. I don't know why Narissa cares if Edward and Giselle aren't together anymore. Because by the time she goes dragon, they've already decided not to be together and like her whole point was like, “I can't let Edward be married because then he's going to take over the throne.” I don't know why she's still pissed. 

Jane 

I think that like she's mad because everybody's happy for Giselle and she's like…

Sophie

Ohhkay.

Jane

She's like, “No, I want to be the center of attention!” 

Sophie 

OK, well, that's fair. 

Jane 

“This did not go how I planned. I’m mad. You should be scared of me because I still have power.”

Sophie

Okay, I’ll take it.

Jane

Also, doesn't Edward say that he's gonna dethrone her and exile her? 

Sophie 

Oh, because she because she tried to kill Giselle, maybe. 

Jane 

Yeah I think that he does say that. I think that that's why. Her objective has changed, clearly. And now she just wants to kill everyone. 

Sophie 

Now she's just mad. Yeah OK, well, that's, you know, that's reasonable. I'll take that. 

Jane 

I also love how punny she is when she's a dragon. There's so many, just like she keeps going and it's just like love it, love it so much. Love those punny villains there. 

Sophie 

They’re so much better when they're funny. You know they're not just angry. Yeah, I do, I do love that this movie allows Giselle to be… like, you know, I said her touching the black woman's hair made me feel uncomfortable. But she is very like body positive because she when she sees the statue in the lobby of Robert’s building the like, you know, it's like a big statue of a naked fat woman and she's like, “Oh, she's so” like she has to stop and look at it and be like, “She's so beautiful,” which is like, that's so nice! Like she's, you know, she's very inclusive of of everybody when she sees beauty and things. 

Jane 

Yeah! Well, and she wants to talk to the like old homeless man. 

Sophie 

And he like smiles without teeth. And she's like, “Oh, your smile is lovely!”

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

She really does see beauty in in all things. 

Jane 

Yeah, and I think that that's something that that is sort of underrated about those types of characters of like they are very naive and don't don't look into things, but it's like it's so great to be able to see beauty in everything, and the things that other people dismiss or don't want to look at, and being like, “But-

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

“These are people. These are other beautiful things.” Yeah, I really love her attitude. Just about life and she's just seems like she's so happy.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

She can turn situations around that don't seem like they're going very well, and like she's she is surprised when the like rodents show up to help her clean, instead of her normal friends. She's just like, OK. Cool.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

These new friends!

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

Like she sees beauty in the cockroaches, rats and stuff.

Sophie

Mm-hmm, yeah.

Jane

And the line about “So friends, even though you're vermin.” 

Sophie 

Right. 

Jane 

OK. 

Sophie 

Yeah, and it's, you know, I think she's a really positive person, but not like a toxic positivity?

Jane

Mm-hmm.

Sophie

She'll still listen to your problems, and she'll still, you know, try to make you feel better if you're sad. Like I love her relationship with Morgan. Because, I mean, you know, I'm also a non-biological parent to a six year old girl, so that's like particularly moving to me at the moment, but she's someone who's very lonely and looking for, like, companionship and someone who understands. Because I think as we said earlier, with Robert, like dealing with his grief, he doesn't have the capacity really to deal with anybody else's emotions. So Giselle is a really nice person to have in her life to, you know, not just try to paper over the pain, but sit with her and actually try to make her feel better and remind her that, you know, there are good things as well as bad things in life. 

Jane 

Yeah, well, and I think, like, Robert even says, “We don't talk about it. Like, we don't talk about her mom.” And it seems like Morgan really wants to. And like Giselle, is willing to talk to her about it, which is really nice. 

Sophie 

Yeah, like asking her, “Do you miss her?” And “I'm here for you if you want to talk about it.”

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

Which is, I think really important.

Jane 

Yeah, it is good that she's not just like, “Everybody should be happy all the time.” It's like, we should address these things that people need to talk about and don't just push down the sad emotions. That's a good point.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

She's a great character.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

I love what they do with her in the sequel too. I think that that's such an interesting thing to have her like, slowly becoming evil, but trying really hard not to. 

Sophie 

Yes, like she's aware of it and she's like, “No, I don't wanna do this!”

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

Yeah, I love that. One thing, cause I relate a lot to Giselle, I love the scene where she and Robert are having their like first real fight. And she's like, “You're making me so…” And she, like, can't name the emotion. And then she realizes what it is, and she's, like, “Angry!” And she's so excited about it. The first part is very me, like, not being able to admit it, but I would not be excited about being angry. But she, it's like it's this new, exciting thing for her, which is really fun. 

Jane 

Yeah, well, because earlier we've established like, because he says he's angry and she's like, “Angry???” He's like, “Have you heard of it?” 

Sophie 

“I don't know what that is!” 

Jane 

She's like, “I've heard of it…” like, she's never been angry before, and so then she's like, “Wow, this is this is interesting! Now I’m angry!”

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

And then she, like, punches him or something. “I’m ANGRY!” He's like, “Are you OK?”

Sophie

[laughs] Yeah

Jane

[laughs] Oh man. Yeah, there's a lot of really great moments in this movie. That's How You Know is like one of my all time favorite musical numbers in a movie. And I a lot of times when I watch this movie I go back and rewatch that scene a few more times because it's so good. 

Sophie 

It's a truly perfect scene. I have no notes. 

Jane 

It’s amazing. It's like just so great how all these different groups of people come together and do this amazing dance number. 

Sophie 

Well, yeah, it's it starts and he's like, please, please do not sing in public. Please do not sing to me in public. And then the guys on the steel drums and they're like they know this song too?! Like, where did you guys? And he's like there's more like how how did you all learn this song, which is very funny. And then it he just, like I there's nothing I can do. It's gonna be a musical number. And then just it goes on and on, and there are so many fun little… like, like the old people. We love to see actors over 40 getting work. 

Jane 

Yes! Again from special features on the DVD, they talk about how especially the old guys that like have the flowers?

Sophie

Mm-mm.

Jane

Some of them were chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins, and like in the West Side Story movie and like they were, like, iconic dancers in their time. 

Sophie 

Oh, that's so fun! 

Jane 

So it's fun to like, get to have them show up in this movie too. 

Sophie 

Mm-hmm! Yeah, and then you have the brides. And you have the people in the canoe. 

Jane 

Yeah, there's like, a mariachi band. 

Sophie 

Oh yes, the mariachi band. 

Jane 

And that all the like workers that are like flipping around and… 

Sophie 

Yes, the blue jumpsuit guys. 

Jane 

Yeah, in one of the interviews on the DVD, Amy Adams is like, “That is the most scared I've ever been on a set was people flipping right in front of my face and I just had to stand there smiling.”

Sophie

Oh no.

Jane

But yeah, there's a great special feature on the DVD of like how that number came together and just showing all these different groups of people rehearsing. 

Sophie 

That's so cool. What I want to know is what day of the week is this? Because because Morgan went to school, so, like, it's got to be a weekday. So what are all these people doing in the middle of the work day in Central Park? Um, I do, I love the German festival. I love like the Maypoles and stuff.

Jane

Oh yeah.

Sophie

And then one thing I thought was funny is Rapunzel wasn't a Disney movie yet, but I think it would be… well, Princess and the Frog came next, but I wonder if they were, like, working on Rapunzel at the time, and that's why they had the girl in the park do Rapunzel?

Jane 

Yeah! Oh, yeah. That's that's a good point. I also love that moment when when Robert, just like smiles and puts his hands out really sarcastically. Like, “Fine, I'll participate in this!” 

Sophie 

Yeah, that's a really fun number. 

Jane 

Yeah, just it just keeps getting better. And then like, right at the end, Robert’s actually getting into it and then he catches himself. He's like, wait, what? 

Sophie 

It's like, no, this is not no. I'm not supposed to do that. 

Jane 

And I think it's… it's just, it's such a great way of imagining, like how you could do a musical number in the real world, cause in Giselle's world in Andalasia, people just burst into song and there's magically music and it just happens. 

Sophie 

Well, and everybody knows the song which is… you know, that's how they show that Giselle is like becoming more comfortable in reality is when Edward is like singing to her. And he's like, “…and now you…” 

Jane 

And it's weird because she it's not like it was a conscious choice for her to not be singing because she seems really surprised. He's like, “You're not singing.” And she's like, “Oh, I, I’m not!” Like I think that that's really interesting that like showing that originally it was just so natural to her that she couldn't help herself. And now she's sort of like, oh, “I guess I would normally be singing now and I'm not.” And yeah, it's it's a great way of showing that and that Edward, even though he spends quite a bit of time in the real world too, he never gets to that point.

Sophie

Right.

He's never at all considering, like, changing. He's like, “We're going back to Andalasia. That that's where I belong.” 

Sophie 

Right. And it's also, it's the perfect line because he's like “you were made…” the line is “you were made to finish my duet” and she's like “but I'm… but that's not that's not me” like, “you need to find somebody else” and then they go on their date that she's, like, trying desperately to extend so they don't have to leave. And she's like, realizing like, this is not… it doesn't feel right…

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

…anymore. 

Jane 

Yeah, it's so interesting how then, like, Narissa picks up on that and tells her that the apple will make her forget. It's not like, oh, this apple will make all your wishes come true or like whatever, it’s just like, it will make you forget that you ever met Robert. It will make you happy to go back with Edward, and that's what she wants at that moment because she's like, I have to go back. 

Sophie 

Because otherwise I'm going to be sad here. Yeah. 

Jane 

Yeah, it's it's, it's good, it's good! The writing is good! The acting is perfect! It's just it's a… it's a good movie! 

Sophie 

It's great. 

Jane 

I also really enjoy… I I think some of the Pip stuff gets a little bit… tedious and like I don't love it, but I do think it's very funny how he keeps trying to get Edward to understand him, and he doesn't understand him until the end when he speaks in rhyme.

Sophie

Mm-hmm.

Jane

Because like the whole time Edward is trying to interpret it into a rhyme, and then like at the end he says a rhyme and he's like, “Oh, of course, I get it. Why didn't you say that in the first place?” And it's just so funny. I don’t- It's like there's no reason why that should be, but it's very funny. 

Sophie 

I love Pip. I think in Andalasia, Pip, like, talking in a New York accent is how I imagine all animals inner monologues, are just like, very gruff. Like, “Hey, I'm trying to be walked here!” But also, they're just so many, like, little like, if you're not paying attention or if you're not, like, focusing on what it is, it's not as funny, but, like… Nathaniel crucifies Pip? On a… on a pants hanger? And then puts the do not disturb sign around his neck, like that's… and then he zip lines with the hanger, like everything about that sequence is so funny and yeah, him like, very like Scooby-Doo-esque, like, contorting his body into like being Giselle and then being Nathaniel and Edward's like, “What are we talking about if not me? Like, I don't… I don't know how to… I don't know how to focus on anybody else.” 

Jane 

He does the whole thing of like acting out the poisoned apple thing, and then Edward’s just like, “You’d die without me here!” It's like, uh… how did you…? 

Sophie 

We're not focused on you right now, buddy. 

Jane 

And then Nathaniel is so like, he's so funny in that too, because he knows exactly what Pip is saying. And he's just, like, very worried about it, and then is like, “Oh, he's not getting it. He's not getting it. It’s fine.” 

Sophie 

Right, but still he tries to, you know, suffocate Pip in the popcorn box, and... 

Jane 

Well and he's gonna… he's gonna kill him with a dinner knife too. Like, I'm like, I don't think that's sharp enough.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

But yeah, I think that that's… well and especially compared to some of their other like… “live action” animals that they've done more recently, like Pip actually looks pretty good in this movie. 

Sophie 

He doesn't have to look like an actual chipmunk. I mean, he looks like a chipmunk. He doesn't have to be, like, hyper realistic. Flounder in the new Little Mermaid – because that just came out – is very creepy. He doesn't need to look like that. 

Jane 

Why would they make them that creepy? I haven't seen it, but I'm, I’ve seen the like... 

Sophie 

…the promo pictures. Yeah, it's just like I, I I don't know who this is for really, because like we- talking about our six year old, like, we really wanted to take her because you know, it's a, it's a black Ariel and it's really…impactful. And, you know, my partner wants to see it because she loves underwater and mermaids and stuff like that. And as, you know, a black woman, she's interested in seeing it. And we, you know, offered our child to take her. She was like, “No, it looks scary,” which, like, valid.

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

It does. But then I don't… I don't know who this is for then because it's like, it's not an adults movie because it's still the same story.

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

But the visuals are creepy. 

Jane 

I mean is it just counting on people that grew up watching the animated movie will want to watch it? But I'm like, you can still watch the animated movie! 

Sophie 

Correct. And there are three of those. 

Jane 

Yeah. If I want to watch Little Mermaid, I'm gonna watch the 1989 movie that launched the Renaissance. I'm not gonna watch this live action one. Although I did see that there was a very cute thing with Jodi Benson and Halle Bailey.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

Jodi Benson was endorsing her, and kind of like, “It's so great that you get to do this too” kind of thing in the- 

Sophie 

Yeah Jodi has been lovely, and her dress at whatever like premiere was really gorgeous. I just think she's a class act. She's good in whatever she does. She's obviously great in her little role as Sam in this movie, but she's also the voice of Thumbelina. She's also the voice of Ariel. 

Jane 

She's the voice of of the tour guide Barbie in Toy Story 2. 

Sophie 

Yes, she does so many things. 

Jane 

And I think Barbie in Toy Story 3 is her too.

Sophie

Oh cool!

Jane

Also so like she sang, like Bible songs on CD's that I had growing up. 

Sophie 

Oh my God! 

Jane 

So like, I listened to her singing… it's like “Songs from the Beginner’s Bible.” There's like these Bibles with like stories that are distilled down for like preschoolers? And so they would like they had songs that were kind of based on those Bible stories that Jodi Benson was singing. So I like, think of her as as the voice of my childhood in these like random songs.

Sophie

Aww.

Jane

There was this one song about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that I loved as a kid, and I like made up this whole dance to it. 

Sophie 

That's one of the most Jane things I've ever heard. 

Jane 

Yes. So Jodi Benson also sang the song of my childhood.

Sophie

Okay.

Jane

I think it was right before The Little Mermaid II came out, which I don't remember exactly when that was. But like, maybe like early 2000s

Sophie

Two thousand…ish?

Jane

Yeah, right around then. So she was like performing at a mall near me and like, my parents took us, my siblings and me, and they didn't tell us that she was going to be there. They were just like, “We're just going to the mall!” and then like, she was like performing. And…

Sophie 

Oh my gosh! 

Jane 

So my brother was really little and really into Little Mermaid. And so so we had seen her perform.

Sophie

Wow!

Jane

Because I remember she was talking about Little Mermaid II, and like explaining what it was going to be about. I just remembered that she said like that Ariel and Eric have a daughter, and so someone asked, “Is she a mermaid or is she a person?” And and Jodi Benson said, “Well, she's both!” It's funny, I have this memory of Jodi Benson specifically promoting Little Mermaid II at this random mall near my house, so... 

Sophie 

That's so fun. Well, it's funny. So we just moved into a new building, as you know. And our new building has a pool and the pool just opened yesterday, and they have, for whatever reason, because residents are not allowed to have like big pool floaties or anything, but they have these inflatable dolphins in the pool. And first there was one and my partner decided that his name was Eric or [screeches and clicks like a dolphin as Jane laughs], um, in in dolphin language, but Americanized to Eric. 

Jane 

Right. 

Sophie 

So then we found a second one. So I was like, well, if his name is Eric, then his girlfriend has be Ariel. And then there now there are two little ones. So we said, Ariel, Eric and Melody, and then the other child one is named Andante because we thought that that would be a good name to go with Melody. So we named them, we named our little pool dolphins yesterday, a little Disney, a little Mamma Mia. 

Jane 

Yeah, perfect. Which you know, I love both of those things, so…

Sophie

Right, exactly.

Jane

Yeah Mamma Mia 2 did not get enough views to make it on here because it's too new. But I have seen it many times considering it only came out a few years ago.

Sophie

Yes.

Jane

But yeah, and The Little Mermaid did not make it into my Top 40 either, but we get to talk about it a little bit. It's still a great movie. I think some of the best songs in the Disney canon are in that movie. 

Sophie 

If only you had started keeping track at birth. 

Jane 

I know, right? 

Sophie 

Maybe you would have made it. 

Jane 

Yeah, well, I definitely didn't watch it nearly as much as my brother did.

Sophie

Yeah, that's fair.

Jane

But there will be more Disney to come on here. 

Sophie 

Did you have a favorite Princess, Jane? 

Jane 

Um… yes, it it would have been Belle.. 

Sophie 

That makes sense. That tracks I was going to say maybe either Belle or Pocahontas because I know you liked Pocahontas. 

Jane 

I did really like Pocahontas. I think I really liked Pocahontas because I really liked John Smith's hair. That was like the thing that I really liked about that movie when I saw it as a kid.

Sophie

That’s funny.

Jane

And now I'm like, that movie is kind of very problematic, but...

Sophie

Yeah…

Jane

It has good songs though. 

Sophie 

Yeah. I think I was very anti-Pocahontas because I grew up in Virginia, so I was very anti-Felicity Merriman, the American girl and anti-Pocahontas, because I was like this is… no, I learned about this in school. I'm not interested. My favorite Princess was Ariel, and I had Little Mermaid pajamas, and I very distinctly remember, like being in the kiddie pool as a child and like, doing the like doing cobra pose essentially?

Jane

Oh yeah.

Sophie

In the pool and like being like, “Oh my God, I look so cool!” And I'm sure I looked like a drowned rat, just like trying to flip my hair back and pretend like I was balancing on a rock. But now I think it's probably Cinderella or Rapunzel. I mean, I I still love Ariel, but I think, yeah, I think Cinderella has edged her out as I've gotten older, which is for a lot of the same reasons that we like Giselle because she's just very kind and soft spoken and she's not denying that she has issues. But she is willing to work through them, which I think is really powerful. 

Jane 

Yeah, definitely. I was not into the Disney Cinderella because I grew up watching the Rodgers and Hammerstein Lesley Ann Warren Cinderella?

Sophie

Yep.

Jane

And so I was like, “That's the good version and the animated version is the bad version,” which I don't know why. They they can both be good. Like there's so many versions of Cinderella. 

Sophie 

Yeah, I think there are so many different Cinderellas to choose from. There's Ilene Woods. There's Lesley Ann Warren. There's Julie Andrews. There's Brandy, which is a one that I love. There's Lily James. Which is another one that I love. Yeah, I think they're all so different. I think, you know, it's it's hard for there to be a right one because they're…

Jane

Yeah!

Sophie

They're just all really special. 

Jane 

You get all the modern retellings of of Cinderella too. There's just been so many versions of that story. So back to Enchanted, it's nice that it's like a combination of all of those fairy tale stories. I do think it's it's very funny the part when when they're having the weird conversation when they're shopping, and Morgan's worried about having a stepmother. And Giselle’s like, “They're not all horrible! Edward has one!” It's like, um that's not a good example. 

Sophie 

“I've never met her, but I'm sure she's lovely.” 

Jane 

And then she immediately, like, shows up and is like... 

Sophie 

Trying to kill you. 

Jane 

Yeah, it’s like, umm…that was not a good example of a good, good stepmother. And then that in the sequel they talk about that whole thing even more that like because she's the stepmother she must be evil. It's just very interesting.

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

But anyway… so… we’ve talked about a lot of things that weren't all directly connected to this movie. 

Sophie 

It's tangential. That's fine. 

Jane 

Yeah, because the thing is that like, when my brother and I were younger, we wrote this story called Taking Over the Disney Castle and we like, made it so that all the Disney characters were living in this castle together and it was run by the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. 

Sophie 

Certainly the best landlord Disney has to offer. 

Jane 

There was some villain… I think there were actually several villains that had, like different plots to try and kill the Beast and take over the castle.

Sophie

Oh my gosh.

Jane

And so then it was like all these different characters from all these different Disney movies were like together. And it was, it was like, basically fan fiction. But it was just like, silly. And we actually like, had printed it out and got it bound and it was like in the elementary school. Library for a little bit.

Sophie

Oh my gosh!

Jane

And so that would have been like, not too long before this movie came out. And so then when it came out, I'm like, “Wow, this is, like, basically what I've wanted to do is, like, combine and all the Disney stories. But this makes way more sense than our story.” [both laugh] And also we had like one of Ariel's sisters, be important in it except the name that we gave her was not actually the name of one of the sisters. 

Sophie 

Well, she could have been in the new one because they changed all the names of her sisters, which is fine. They're like, named after the seven seas, I think… is the point? But, you know, nothing comes between me and my starts and ends with A sisters. 

Jane 

Right! I do wish the sisters were better developed. We get a little bit of that in the third one.

Sophie

Mm-hmm.

Jane

But anyway, talking way more about Little Mermaid in this conversation than about Enchanted, it seems like. 

Sophie 

You would think Jodi Benson played the lead in this movie. 

Jane 

Yeah. Jodi Benson is the best part of any movie that she's in. OK, the one thing that I don't understand is why does Giselle put that fish in her mouth? 

Sophie 

I wish I knew. I also… so OK, so the lore that they talk about and Disenchanted is that she was like a foundling and the forest creatures raised her. So I guess that makes sense as to like, A why she has a kinship with animals and B maybe why she doesn't know a lot of fish, I guess?

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

I mean, I don't know what kind of water situation was like in the forest. I don't know if there were a lot of like freshwater fish, but what I don't understand is, like, why she's so trusting of humans then, if, like Edward is the first human that she's ever met. 

Jane 

He must not be. Like she must have met other humans at some point, like, cause she's aware of humans. 

Sophie 

Right. She she can speak English.

Jane

Yeah.

Sophie

That's one of those things. Like, you can't examine that plot hole too closely. 

Jane 

I mean, I guess she has no reason not to be trusting of humans because she's never been betrayed by one except for her parents, I guess? I I I don't know. There's so many mysteries in this movie.

Sophie

So true.

Jane

But yeah, you just you can't think about it too hard. And like, why would there be a portal that goes through a manhole in the middle of the street? Like...

Sophie

Right.

Jane

I don't know. But it doesn't really matter. The point is, it is, and that meant that Giselle and Robert found each other. 

Sophie 

Yes, that is true.

Jane

And they're happy.

Sophie

Happy ever after. 

Jane 

Forever and ever. I do think it's really funny whenever someone just says “forever” that she has to add “and ever” like, is there a forever that's not and ever? Like there's different levels of forever? 

Sophie 

It's like, just to be sure. Just so we're on the same page. 

Jane 

Yeah, I don't know, but yes, I love her. She's such a great character. And…

Sophie

Yeah.

Jane

…that really makes the movie. I feel like that we really needed a really good Giselle at the center of the movie and it's perfect. Amy Adams is the perfect Giselle.

Sophie

Yes.

Jane

So good job, Amy Adams, if you're listening. You did almost as well as Jodi Benson. [laughs]

Sophie

[laughs] Yeah.

Jane

Okay, is there anything else you want to talk about before we wrap this up? I feel bad that I don't have more interesting things to say, but it's just it's it's truly just a great movie. 

Sophie 

It is it's…it is fantastic. No, I think we covered everything that I wanted to talk about anyway.

Jane

Okay!

Sophie

Thank you for having me on. 

Jane 

Well, thank you so much for being here and uh, yeah, if if you want to come back for a future movie, that would be great. We could talk about something else later. 

Sophie 

I am always happy to be on your podcast, Jane. 

Jane 

Well I'm very happy to have you.

Sophie

Thank you!

Jane

Thank you very much to Sophie for that delightful conversation, and thank you to everyone else for listening. I had so much fun overanalyzing this movie, and I hope you all did too. And with that, we are now halfway through my top 40 list! All of the movies to come are those I’ve seen at least 20 times, so when I started this I thought about just talking about the 20 movies I watched at least 20 times in 20 years, but I’m glad I decided to talk about numbers 21 though 40 as well. I feel like I’ve already learned so much about myself and movies and storytelling from this project, and I’m so grateful to have you listeners along on this journey with me! I hope you’ll enjoy the top 20 list. Next up is another fairytale-inspired story from the 2000s, and I will be joined by another special guest, so stay tuned for that. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “Look, I think it’s only fair to warn you that I’m practiced in the ancient art…of origami!”

#enchanted #disney #amy adams #jodi benson #the rewatch rewind

[glacecakes]

Varigo Week 2022: Breakaway

Varigo Week 2022: Flirt Varian, crown prince of Corona, is all set to inherit the throne left to him by his mother. But an ancient law prohibits him from claiming the throne without getting married first! He only has 30 days to find and fall in love with someone, or else the throne will go to someone else. Just who is this Lord Hugo, anyway?

A Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement AU. Yes, really.

If you were wondering why I haven't done many prompts for Varigo week, this. This is why. I wrote 8k words in the past 2 days to get this done in time. Y'all, I am so tired. But god damn it I was watching the movie and like, Nicholas and Mia are so PEAK Varigo that how the fuck could I not. Like, look at it. Oh my god.

“The Queen is coming!” Cassandra calls, scurrying down the hallway. Her heels clack at a rapid tempo, clipboard ready to smack anyone who dares to step a toe out of line. She’s been running this show for so long, she has it down to a science, and no one dares to question her reign of terror. “Eugene!” Speaking of those who would question her. She swings the clipboard, but he dodges just in time. “She’ll have a double door entrance.”

“Yeah yeah, I got it,” Eugene calls the order into his microphone. “Where is she?”

“Here!” Her majesty Queen Rapunzel of Corona does a small twirl to show off her gown, sparkling with pink and purple under the candlelight.

Cassandra smiles. “You’re late.”

“A queen is never late, everyone else is early.” She holds out a hand for Eugene to take, and he kisses it with reverence. “Shall we?” She strokes his face as she retracts her hand.

As the doors fall open and the trumpeters announce her arrival, the crowd gathered all bow to her majesty. The people are fanned out around her in a circle.

“I am honored to invite you all to this evening,” she begins, her even present bright smile shining. “Many of you will remember Queen Ulla’s son, Varian.”

“Queen Ulla, may he rest in peace,” the crowd responded.

“Will you please raise your glasses in celebration, for Varian’s 21st birthday?” Rapunzel raises her flute, signaling the trumpeters to open the doors for the young prince. A drum rolls with the tune as Varian comes out into the ballroom, an awkwardly charming grin on his face. They never did fix his buck teeth, after all. Rapunzel thought it made him look more personable, despite it being the one thing about him Varian wanted to change initially. His coat is a deep red, vibrant with a gold bowtie and long train behind him. The white gloves on his hands are a welcome change to his usual leather and plastic from hours in the lab.

He waves, and the glove goes flying.

-

When Varian was 14, he learned he was a prince.

It wasn’t exactly the most… expected news by any means. There he was, a random high schooler who’s biggest problem was whether or not he had a chemistry test, and the next thing he knew he was being flown to a small European country named Corona, where he learned his mom was the late queen. Him! A prince! It all felt like a dream even still at 21. Well, he wouldn’t be prince for much longer. Because now that he’s 21, he’s going to be King . Of a whole ass nation!

God, isn’t that a terrifying thought, he muses. It’s not that he’s ungrateful, not by any stretch of the imagination. He’s been able to reconnect with his family thanks to all of this, and learn more about his late mother. He’s grown and changed so much from the dorky scientist his aunt greeted in the middle of downtown San Francisco. But even all these years later, all the etiquette and fancy jewels and pageantry is still so foreign to him. No amount of political science classes could prepare him for this.

Case in point, for his 21st birthday, he has to dance with all of the eligible bachelors in the room. He’s eternally grateful that Corona is a progressive country, among the first to legalize gay marriage thanks to his mother’s ambition, but it means that he has to dance with both men and women tonight.

It’s not too bad at first, just some awkward small talk, and a few people who couldn’t speak English, before he manages to sneak a swipe off of the cake he knows he won’t be able to eat. That’s the worst about these parties, such good food and he has to make rounds instead. The cake itself is pretty good, he thinks he’ll snag another bite after the next dance, when he turns around and immediately steps on another man’s foot.

“Oh! Oh, I am so sorry, are you- are you ok?” He stumbles over his words, bending down as if to check the man’s foot through his shoes somehow, but when he rises he comes face to face with a young man about his age. His blonde hair is tied back in a bun, showing off a remarkably trendy undercut slightly obscured by the frames of large glasses. His eyes lock with green and freckles, and for the slightest of seconds he lets his breath escape.

He smirks. “I’ll survive, your highness. The fault was mine.”

“Oh,” Varian smacks his lips, swaying in place. “Are you sure you don’t want to exchange licenses and proof of insurance?”

“No no, these shoes were a bit big anyway. The swelling will help them fit.” Varian can’t stop the snort that escapes him. The man holds out a hand, which Varian gladly accepts.

“It’s an honor to dance with you, your highness,” he says, with a low tone of appreciation.

“Varian is fine, please.” He’s willing to take the formalities from people older than him, but not a peer. “And you are…?”

“Hugo. Just Hugo.”

“Well I’m very glad to see my clumsiness has not affected your dancing.” Hugo pulls the prince out for a spin, and then back in in time with the music. Their shoes make pleasant sounds against the floor.

He’s so focused on the other, on his smooth movements and smoother fingers, that he totally misses a caterer with a tray. The metal collides with his tiara, pushing it off of his head. Varian spins around with a gasp, the sudden change on his head quickly made aware, only to see an older woman holding the priceless artifact. She’s wearing a dark green dress, with a slit up the leg. Hugo’s hands briefly tighten around Varian’s, before he’s letting go so that he can thank the woman.

“You should be more careful, your highness,” the woman says, placing the tiara back on his head. “Someone may want to take that away from you.”

What an odd thing to say, but Varian doesn’t question it. “Thank you so much!” He turns to Hugo. “It was nice to meet you, but I need to keep going, you know how it is.”

“Nah, I get it,” Hugo places a hand in his pocket. “Go step on some more feet.”

Varian rolls his eyes good-naturedly, walking away as the woman places a hand on Hugo’s shoulder.

“Someone like us,” she mutters, eyes narrowing.

-

“You, my dear,” Donella begins, “Are a true Coronan.” Her boots click back and forth against the wooden floor of their estate like the reaper’s clock. At her side, Hugo lounges in the armchair, practically upside down. His neck must hurt from the posture he’s in, pressed against the seat. Yet Donella doesn’t bother to try and fix it, she’s tried too many times and never succeeded. It’s the one thing she could never get him to learn. “You were born in this country. And through your great great… many great grandfathers, you are in line for the throne.” Sure, it’s a good 200 plus years back but who’s counting? The royal family is quite dispersed as of late. Hugo is one of the only remaining in the country and not in his 90s. “You should be king.”

“I agree,” Hugo hums, slowly rolling himself out of the chair and onto the floor, if only to rearrange himself. He ignores the scoff she gives at it. Not like they’re in public. “But how do we do that? We’re not exactly high up in the order of succession, you know.”

Donella sighs. She looks up at the dartboard, and for the briefest of moments, she remembers the old photograph of the queen she used to keep up there. “Give me one of the darts.” she doesn’t look when Hugo passes it into her hand, her eyes solely on the bullseye. “Now, watch closely. I’ll show you a trick that gets you a bullseye every time.”

She takes a breath.

And charges at the target.

Her hand slams into the center of the dartboard, practically shoving the dart into the center. The metal groans under her force, almost bending the point. She digs in just a bit harder, pretending it’s that stupid queen’s stupid smile for just a second longer, before stepping back.

Hugo blinks. “That’s cheating.”

“Exactly.” She turns with a flourish. “I reminded parliament of the birthright rule. No one may rule Corona without being born here, and if they are not native born, they must marry someone who is.”

“What?” Hugo furrows his brow. It’s such a faint memory in the list of laws he’s learned. The tradition dated back to the age of conquest, when a nearby, more powerful kingdom could easily sweep in and assume the throne. It was meant to prevent such power grabs from constantly shuffling the monarchy. “No one’s enforced that rule in forever.”

“Until today.” She grins. “The Prince only has till his coronation in 30 days to get married, or else the throne goes to you.”

It takes a moment for her words to sink in, but when they do, Hugo’s smile grows to cover his face like a Cheshire cat.

-

It’s in the foyer where Varian is currently having the worst time of his life.

“Ughhhh,” he squirms as Rapunzel runs a hand through his hair to try and tame the worst of the frizziness. It’s gotten a lot better, when he was a teenager his hair was a curly nightmare, but there’s still the occasional curl in his still-dyed hair. He’s surprised the court is letting him keep the streaks, but then again, he is a prince, and he can do whatever the hell he wants. It worked for Prince Harry.

Funny they’re ok with hair but he has to have an arranged fucking marriage .

He’s not a romantic, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s only 21 and he has to get married to someone he doesn’t even know? And in 30 days, no less? What if he can’t find anyone? What if they don’t get along? He doesn’t want to be trapped in a loveless marriage! His aunt never had to get married to take the throne, neither did his mom, for heaven’s sake she had him out of wedlock if you wanna get technical. And now because he was born in America he has to marry an Coronan. Or else this schmuck was going to take his throne. Speaking of schmuck,

“I can’t believe parliament invited the guy who wants to take over the throne to stay with us.”

“Oh, parliament didn’t invite them,” Rapunzel hums, finally done with his hair. “I did!”

Varian turns slowly, gaping at his aunt while she turns to fuss with Eugene’s collar now. “I offered to have him hung by his toes,” Eugene supplies.

“Yes, let’s do that! Why can’t we do that?”

“Because this isn’t an absolute monarchy,” Rapunzel chastises. She pats Eugene’s cheek. “If there's any mischief going on, I'd prefer it to be right where you can stop them. My big strong Eugene.” The man turns beet red.

“I just don’t want to be nice to this guy!” Varian whines like a child. “He’s trying to take my throne! And he’s rude, and arrogant-”

“Have you even met him?”

“I-” has he? He’d have been at the ball right? God there were so many people though, he can’t remember a DeBellon. “No.”

“Well then, you’ll just have to be so charming that he’ll give up his game right then and there.”

“Your majesty,” The two turn, and Donella stands with her nephew at her side. “Allow me to introduce my nephew, Lord DeBellon.”

And Varian’s vision tunnels .

Because he does know this guy. This Hugo, this Just Hugo , just a fucking lord and coming for your throne with his charming smile and stupid quips and swollen feet-

“Hugo, yes? We are delighted to make your acquaintance.” If Rapunzel has noticed the way his eyes widen in horror and then quickly avert, she makes no comment. “May I present my nephew Varian.”

The blonde bows, perfectly poised and a pleasant smile on his face, as if nothing was wrong. As if he wasn’t trying to take over Varian’s throne and look unfairly hot while doing so. He holds his hand out to take Varian’s. “An honor to meet you,”

Varian turns his head. Sure, he looks like a child, but god be damned he is not going to look this smarmy bastard in the eye and say pleased to meet you, he refuses .

“Varian,” Rapunzel goads gently. “Would you like to greet our guest…?”

Fine. He deigns to turn his head, glancing at Hugo as if he is nothing but the dirt beneath his heel, which is ironic because Hugo is much taller. “Lord Hugo…” he says, with the pettiest and faintest of smiles on his face.

With all the strength of a farm boy, he stomps on Hugo’s toes, digging his heel into the man’s foot. He turns with an audible “Hmph!” and stomps off.

Eugene bursts into laughter.

Read the rest here

#tangled #tangled the series #varigo #varian #effing varigo week #effing varigo week 2022 #vat7k

[vinniehackersgoodlittleslut]

Ryland Storms, Vinnie Hacker, Patrick Hutson

-

Ryland didn't know what to do anymore to make you happy. You spent so much time in bed, you barley left your room since you moved into the house.

Y/n was sitting in her room watching a movie. She was watching Dirty Dancing for the third time this week. Ryland was talking to Vinnie and Patrick, "She's like frustrating, all she's been doing is either watch Vampire Diaries or Dirty Dancing. I can't take it any more." Ryland complained.

"So she hasn't been paying attention to you?" Vinnie asked

Ryland nodded, "So that explains why you've been a dick more than usual." Patrick said then took a seat by a stool.

"Ryland you need to get laid." Vinnie said.

Ryland let out a sigh, "Don't you think I know this. Y/n hasn't let me touch her in over a month." Ryland confessed.

"Put her in a mood." Vinnie said.

"Or try something new." Patrick suggested.

Ryland thought for a moment, "You guys wanna help me make y/n happy." Ryland asked with a smirk.

-

Ryland walked into his girlfriends room. He already knew that she was watching her show and he rolled his eyes as he saw it on the screen again. He sat down by her, "Baby I wanna do something." Ryland said.

Y/n looked at him, "What?" She said.

"I wanna put you in handcuffs, and I wanna blindfold you for this surprise if you don't mind." Ryland said looking over his girlfriend.

Ryland thought everything about her was sexy. She never thought she was ever good enough to be with him but he made her feel good about herself. She trusted him with her whole life, "Okay." she responded.

-

Y/n's hands were cuffed to the headboard. Her eyes were covered she couldn't see anything but she could hear the door open then close, "Ryland?" Y/n questioned.

"I'm right here baby." Ryland spoke.

He stood by her stroking her hair, "So what's your surprise?" Y/n questioned.

Ryland leaned down giving you a peck ignoring your words. You were only in your bra and underwear, "Your surprise is here." Ryland whispered in your ear.

Vinnie and Patrick stood by the bed as they looked Y/n all over. Ryland motioned for them to move over closer making sure to be quiet. Ryland turned on your vibrator handing it to Vinnie, "Use it on her." Ryland whispered

"What was that baby?" Y/n asked.

"Nothing, just relax." Ryland cooed.

Vinnie stood in front of you , eyeing you up and down. He placed the vibrator on your stomach dragging it down your abdomen. He dragged it down more making it touch your clit, "Ryland." Y/n moaned.

She hadn't been touched in months. This was the first time in two months Ryland actually touched her, "You like it babe?" Ryland in her ear.

It hit her, if Ryland just whispered in her ear then who the hell was between her legs, "Ryland who's in here?" Y/n asked while closing her legs.

"It's just Vinnie and Patty. They wanna help make you feel better. If that's okay with you." Ryland said.

"I wanna see." Y/n whispered.

You heard Ryland chuckle at you, "Okay." Ryland spoke.

Ryland took off her blindfold. She saw Vinnie between her legs which made her open her again. Vinnie smirked looking at her, "You're both okay with this?" Vinnie asked.

They both nodded your heads. Vinnie took action by grabbing your thighs and moving you back towards him more. He moved her legs open more and placed the vibrator on her clit, "You like that?" Vinnie asked

Y/n nodded her head, "Can you use your words princess?" Vinnie asked politely.

"Yes Vinnie I like it." Y/n let out.

She let out moans as she arched her back, "More please." Y/n spoke.

Vinnie chuckled, "What do you want pretty girl?" Vinnie asked.

Vinnie leaned down and kissed her collarbone then kissed down the valley of her clothed breast's. Y/n watched his every movement, "Can I take this off?" Vinnie asked referring to her bra.

"Yes." Y/n whispered.

Vinnie put his hands under her back and quickly took it off her. He moved down to where she wanted him the most. He knelt down in front of you. His breath fanned over her clit before he started to devour her. He licked a stripe from her entrance to her throbbing clit.

"Vinnie please." Y/n whispered.

Patty put his hands on her tits playing with them. Rylands mouth was working on her neck, "Ryland take these stupid hand cuffs off." Y/n moaned.

Ryland stops what he was doing and grabbed the key. He quickly unlocked them and her hands flew to Vinnie's hair. Patty was sucking on her tits, Ryland went back to kissing her neck.

Y/n grinded down on Vinnie's face. Vinnie gave Ryland a look. He noticed and gave him and okay.

Y/n was in a daze, she didn't know someone could receive so much pleasure before. She didn't realize that Vinnie was about to fuck her. Vinnie stuck his tip in and that's when she opened her eyes to see her boyfriends best friend trying to fuck her.

Vinnie stuck himself all the way, "Oh my god." Y/n moaned.

Vinnie thrusts started slow then slowly progressed to being more rough and hard. Y/n threw her head back looking at Ryland as he was jerking off to the sight of her while kissing her neck, "Ryland." Y/n whispered.

"Mmh?" Ryland questioned.

"Kiss me." Y/n whispered back.

Ryland smirked against her skin. He moved up and his lips moved into hers. Ryland wrapped his hand around her throat, "Is this good baby? Do you feel better now?" Ryland asked her in ear.

Y/n opened her eyes to look at Ryland, "It feels so good." Y/n whispered.

Vinnie grabbed her vibrator again and turned it on full speed. He placed it on her clit and her jaw dropped as she stopped kissing Ryland. Ryland continues to kiss her, "Your taking us so good." Ryland whispered.

"Vinnie how does she feel?" Ryland asked.

"So good." Vinnie grunted.

Patty was close to making himself come so he stopped kissing her chest and she whimpered at the loss of contact of his wet mouth, "Patty why did you stop?" Y/n asked

"Because I'm gonna come." He spoke.

Y/n moved his hand off of him then replaced it with her mouth. She turned her head to face him, "Just use me." Y/n said looking up at him.

Patty smirked as he moved her head at a fast past. He hit the back of her throat several time but she just took it. Vinnie put more pressure of the vibrator on her clit. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, she moaned on Patty's dick. The vibration made Patrick come in her mouth, "Fuck," Patrick said as he pulled out.

Y/n was still getting pounded by Vinnie, "I'm gonna come." Y/n said.

Y/n kept letting out moans as Vinnie's thrusts slowed down. He pulled out of her but kept the vibrator in her for a few more seconds. She squirmed but then Ryland moved to Vinnie spot. She shoved his middle finger in her entrance, "Keep that on her." Ryland said looking at Vinnie.

"Holy f-fuck- oh god." Y/n moaned.

His fingers were moving fast as he was trying to get her to squirt. Ryland grabbed it from Vinnie placing the vibrator in her then started sucking on her clit. She pulled on his hair bringing his face closer between her thighs, "Oh please make me come." Y/n whimpered.

Ryland giggled against her listening to her pleading, "Whatever you want princess." Ryland spoke.

Ryland started moving the vibrator in and out of you and sucking harder on your clit. Y/n felt her stomach tighten, "I'm gonna come again." Y/n spoke.

She let go and it went on Rylands face. Vinnie and Patrick were gone. Ryland moved up and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, "So did you like your surprise?" Ryland asked.

"Yes I did." Y/n said while kissing his lips.

"Good." Ryland said placing a kiss on her forehead.

[evarcana]

Courtiers + Christmas

Sorry, dear anon, it took me ages 😓 well at least I did it before xmas, right?

To avoid the whole discourse about why the bunch of demons and one morally corrupted human are celebrating Christmas, I should say that this is based on the MC inviting the courtiers to celebrate together.

Valdemar🎄😈

Not like they usually pay attention to silly human holidays. But if it is you inviting... “how delightful” - of course Valdemar is coming. The problem is that in their millennia of existence being busy with their research they sort of missed out on what Christmas was about. “MC, don’t give me that look, this is all fairly new”, you don’t even want to what is old for them. But it’s Valdemar so they lock themselves in dungeons and put all their inhuman determination into researching Christmas.

Valdemar’s research is ...advanced. After they excitingly start telling you whether you knew that red in decorations symbolises blood, you decide it’s time to intervene, hand Valdemar list of gifts to buy and encourage them to return to their usual work (who would believe you would ever say it).

They turn to the party/dinner dressed as Santa (or whatever equivalent). Are you shocked? Erm yes... But why are other guests loving it ?! Well they did become sort of xmas expert in less than a week so you guess it’s okay. Expects lots of stories on how Christmas celebrations developed over the last centuries.

Charms your grandma or elderly auntie by being the only person capable of listening about their chronical conditions and actually engaging on the topic. Your little niece/neighbour’s kid loves them too - they expertly removed all those bits of turkey leg they don’t like to eat in less than 5 seconds. Everybody loves them. But Valdemar still spends most of the time telling what a fascinating specimen you are.

When it comes to gift exchange part, you are glad that they only added a few medical books, plague masks and antiseptics to the list, could be worse.., but where is yours present? “You, my little silly duckling, are on the naughty list this year” with this Valdemar gently throws you in their sack grabs you and excuses you both from the party. You try to protest but they only say that they played along for long enough and now it’s their turn to play little game with you. Oh well you can leave early one year, it promises to be worth it.

Valerius 🎁🍷

Every year Valerius receives plenty of invitations to winter holidays parties arranged by the nobles but this is the first time he got invitation to something that personal. Tells you that he needs to check his diary and finally reluctantly agrees only because “there was a rather unfortunate cancellation”. But really in his head he is like “Omg does it mean that I am part of the family now? Cancel all plans NOW.”

Then he learns that you plan to have Christmas dinner/party at your place. The consul of Vesuvia to go to that ...shack?? That’s unthinkable: The party will be in his estate, yes he knows that it’s incredibly generous of him to offer and no you cannot refuse.

And this is when things are getting extra. You know that crazy neighbours competitions whose Christmas lights are brighter and decorations are better? That’s Valerius, although he has nobody to compete with really. The massive xmas tree got delivered from who-knows-where and who-knows-how in 2 days, and there is no red, golden or green decoration item left in stock in entire Vesuvia, oh and some the palace’s best cooks suddenly took a sick leave for a week (no it was Valerius promising them triple wages).

You ask Valerius not to get any expensive presents, otherwise you will feel bad, he did indeed agree that it was reasonable suugestion. Everybody gets presents more expensive than life. The guests surpringly find Valerius a very good host, this might have something to do with those gifts which were definitely extra or with the fact that everybody got merry in like 20 min thanks to all the fancy wine. Valerius is gossip central, argues about politics with your annoying uncle and plays board games with children.

Insists that it would be better if you stay overnight and not travel home late. Falls asleep in chair with drink in hand like an old man. Later that chair somehow migrates to the hallway by the guest bedroom, under the strategically placed mistletoe. Wait, where did red silky robes come from? All planned. Let’s hope that the unfortunate relative of yours is not staying in the same guestwing.

Vlastomil 🎅🏻 🪱

It’s lovely of you to invite him but he is a busy worm man and cannot really leave his children alone. Maybe he can just stop by? “No, MC! Don’t get offended!!”

Then he learns that Christmas is usually about family, does it mean that his children can come as well?? Ugh while you are mumbling something about that worms may not be very comfortable at your place, Vlastomil decides that the Christmas party will be held in his garden so the worms everybody can enjoy it.

Prepare to have a ...thematic Christmas. There is white xmas tree decorated with the shimmery worms and candy canes which have worms wrapped around them. Okay, even you are not the biggest fan of worms you have to admit that the ice sculptures of worms are quite impressive. He even has little nativity scene but with the worms.

Everybody receives crystal tree decoration baubles with live worms inside. Everybody is shocked. Vlastomil explains that it’s only stocking fillers and there are more gifts. (Also crystal baublesare only for transportation, the worms need to be free range, how dare you). The actual gifts are... amazing. Somebody got a scarf that they liked but didn’t have enough money to buy on that day, another person got a album of pin up pictures of snake women even if it was supposed to be a secret interest of theirs and you got that sparkly princess teara you cried for your parents to buy at age 5 but they never did (cmon, x years later, you still like it).

Some little child says that Vlastomil is like Santa with how you he magically read people’s wishes (there there, little one, it’s just the power of gossip), but Vlastomil is vibing: wiggler gets elf outfit from somewhere and you get lots of invitations to “come to sit on Santa’s lap”. Yes you can stay there after all the guests leave (and yes you can keep your sparkly teara on).

Volta 🍪🥛

Was secretly dreaming to be invited since at least October. But is still genuinely surprised when you ask her to come. She asks tonnes of questions: who else is coming, are you sure they would like Volta, what are you going to do, will there be food?

Volta wants to help you with all the preparations. Not like she is super useful but she did dig out from the piles of stuff in her estate and bring you lots of old tree decorations and some nice tableware. She basically spends all your time with you in the build up to Christmas: you decorate the house together, make gingerbread houses (well more like you made one house from the 1000s attempt, they all got eaten before they were actually completed) and pack gifts for everybody.

You warned all the guests that there going to be lots of food this year, and no you finally don’t need to worry about what to do with the leftovers and crying “end me, I am sick of having xmas food for 10 days in a row” because they are not going to be any leftovers. But you didn’t expect Volta to turn up with even more food. “Volta does not want anybody to starve on Christmas!”. She surely eats lots but she is also looking after other people lots, passing them plates with food (just imagine her holding it with both of her tiny hands) and topping up their drinks, she wants everybody to enjoy the dinner.

Everybody at the table is talking of how adorable Volta is, and nobody can even hide tears when Volta presents little hand made gifts that she prepared herself. But Volta humming Christmas carols? How does she even know Christmas carols? This is illegal level of cuteness.

Volta wants to stay to help you to clean up when the dinner is over. It’s quite and it’s only two of you. Oh you might still have some sweet things in the cupboard.

Vulgora🔥🌟

At first super excited to be invited but the next second they ask what is Christmas about and what does it involve. You decorate, eat, chat to people and exchange gifts? That sounds awfully boring to Vulgora. Can they at least smash the tree in the end? What do you mean - NO?!?!

Eager to help too. They need to use their energy somewhere. You are not sure whether it’s the type of help you wanted. You asked them to carry the xmas tree from the market? There are 5 trees in front of the house, one of which is like is almost 10’ tall. You asked them to chop some wood for the fire? Well, there is enough to have a bonfire in the towncentre. But on the positive side, your house is lavishly decorated this year, Vulgora likes the red and golden theme.

Lots of battle stories at the dinner, some of which ...lack xmas spirit a bit. All the gifts are...war themed. Then Vulgora gets bored and wants to fight for the right to cut the turkey/ vegan nut roast, whatever you are having. Oh no. But they can smash nuts with their gauntlets - the guests are impressed and suddenly want more battle stories. On the positive side, it’s definitely not boring this year, Vulgora is load and energetic.

But then suddenly Vulgora suggests you all go outside, when you question them, they say it’s a surprise. It’s hard to believe what you see: they prepared fireworks and sparkle fountains !!! You cannot help but smile watching vulgora excitingly running around setting them all off (but hopefully not setting your house on fire).

You watch firework lighting up the sky with Vulgora hugging you from behind and then..they rugby tackle you to the ground?! Well whether there is snow or not, they want to have a fight. Luckily the fireworks are over and the guests can just...leave you two to it.

#not sure whether it was cuter in my head #the arcana courtiers #the arcana courtiers headcanons #the arcana headcanons #valdemar the arcana #Valdemar #consul valerius #Valerius #vlastomil the arcana #praetor vlastomil #volta the arcana #procurator volta #pontifex vulgora #vulgora the arcana #questor valdemar

[unmaskedagain]

To all Guys a Chat Loved Before

Okay, this is it. I’ve been working on this story for over a week. It’s seventy pages and twenty thousand words. I basically wrote you a short story. Enjoy it. Review. 

I’m not fond of Rom-Coms and rarely if ever watch Romantic movies. But there are a few that i’ve liked. So THROUGH OUT THIS i’ve sprinkled some of my favorite lines from my favorite romantic movies over the years. Some also came from tv shows. See if you can point them out.

This is Adrien-centered fic. It’s also slash.

Don’t you wish that people came with warning labels?

           Adrien did. He wished more than anything because his life would be so much easier if everyone could see each other’s warning labels.

Bustier: Terrible teacher. Needs to please everyone. Hates confrontation.

Lila: Waring massive Liar, manipulative shrew.

His father: Workaholic, possible sociopath. Might be allergic to hugs and any affection whatsoever.

Adrien: A little needy. Emotionally scarred. Touch starved. Famous. Trust issues. Lacks some basic social skills. Probably going to be in therapy for the rest of his life. Likes to run around in a skintight leather bodysuit.

           You know? The basics.

           Okay, maybe that’s too much. Too personal. Fine. Whatever.

           But at the very least, if he could meet someone and just know, you know?

           Know that this is the one.

           This is it.

           This one.

           They’re the one that’s gonna break your heart.

           Adrien’s life would be so much easier if he could at least get that one warning.

           Maybe he’d run the other way. But maybe he wouldn’t. Adrien had a terrible habit of always making the stupid choice.

           Still, it would be nice to know before he gets into deep.

           Before his heart isn’t just broken…

           It's shattered beyond repair.

Iron’s Kid: When did you realize you weren’t like other guys?

Chat Galore: I was twelve. You?

           The first time Adrien realized he might not be like other guys his age came AFTER he put on a magic ring and ran around Paris as a superhero in black spandex. And yes, that statement alone makes him realize how insane he sounds.

           But in his defense…

           Okay, there was no defense. He didn’t need to defend himself. There was nothing wrong with him. He knew that. There was nothing wrong with…

Iron’s Kid: Fourteen. And it took me completely by surprise. Like a bite in the neck.

           Adrien always really liked his penpal. It had been Chloe’s idea. Adrien signed up when he was thirteen, anonymously, through a program at school and was given an American penpal the same age as him. The schools vetted all participants in the program for authenticity. They’ve never told each other their real names, never seen so much as a picture of one another, but still, Iron’s kid became one of the few people who knew him best.

           The blond knew a lot about Iron’s Kid too. He even had a list.

Iron’s kid:

A year older than Adrien.

Huge geek like Adrien.

He was a guy.

He loved Legos

Said he had brown hair and eyes.

He was bisexual.

He was really funny.

Really smart. Like Genius smart.

He was an intern at Stark Industries.

He was a huge iron man fan and adored Spiderman a bit as any New Yorker did.

He loved superheroes and memes (like a lot) and stayed up late a lot.

He made as many puns as Adrien did as Chat Noir.

.           They got along really well. They texted constantly. And, Iron’s Kid slowly became one of Adrien’s dearest friends. After the first year of being Penpals, Adrien asked if Iron’s Kid wanted to meet. The answer was no. Adrien asked Iron’s Kid at least once a year if they could meet up (or skype or trade pictures); the answer was always No. It was only after Adrien revealed that he was a supermodel, that Iron’s Kid revealed he had a famous face too and just wanted to be treated normally.

           That did stop Adrien from still asking once a year. Iron’s Kid was one of the few people, outside of being Chat Noir that Adrien could just be himself with.

           But unlike Iron’s Kid…

           Honestly, Adrien always kind of knew, ya know?

           He was always as into Harry Styles as Chloe was. Maybe a bit more.

When he binged watched Stranger Things with Marinette; he noticed Finn Wolfhard as much as the bluenette did.

Maybe, he noticed Kim’s biceps just a bit too much.

           So he started to suspect early on.

           He didn’t know for sure until…

           Luka.

           And that’s the worst (and craziest) part because knew Luka. He had been sort of, kind of, friends with the guitarist for quite some time. He had never even thought of the blue-haired boy like that.

           Until one day, Adrien, Marinette, and Luka were playing video games after school. They were just laughing and chilling out like they always do. It was perfectly ordinary.

           Then out of nowhere, Adrien noticed just how blue Luka’s eyes were. Then that was it. Suddenly the blond couldn’t help but think how cool Luka was, how funny he was, how artistic. And Adrien was really self-conscious. When Luka was in the same room as him, Adrien was hyper-aware of everything his own body was doing and everything he was saying.

           It was like he existed outside it for a few seconds and was just watching the chaos.

How does my hair look?

Why did I JUST say that? No, don’t say that THAT’s even worse.

What is wrong with you?

Don’t stand like that! Who stands like that?

Does it look weird?

Am I being weird?

He totally thinks I’m weird.

Iron’s Kid: How could you NOT have seen Princess Bride?!!!!!?!!

Chat Galore: It doesn’t look like not my type of movie

Iron’s Kid: But you’ve seen the Labyrinth???!!! WTF

Chat Galore: It was my mom’s favorite movie!!! You haven’t seen vampire diaries yet!!!

Iron’s Kid: That is BESIDES the point. Princess Bride is a classic!!!!

Chat Galore: Oh just shut up

Iron’s Kid; As you wish.

           Adrien slowly became a blushing, stuttering mess.

           And he didn’t know how but somehow this was how Marinette figured it out what was going on.

“…You have a crush on Luka,” Marinette said slowly and quietly, one day after school as they sat in Marinette’s living room as if the words were as hard for her to get out as they were for him to hear.

The two had gotten closer as friends as a result of the Lila situation at school worsening. Once most of the class made it clear how quickly they were willing to drop Marinette for a shiny golden ticket; the blond and bluenette quickly washed their hands of the situation. They decided to let their ex-friends sink or swim on their own.

Adrien did not need fair-weather friends. Marinette was tired of being everyone’s doormat.  They decided to sit in the back together and wait for the fireworks. Surprisingly, not long after Nino joined them. The glasses-wearing boy hadn’t cared if Lila was lying or not (though Adrien and Marinette would provide him with enough evidence to convince him later), he just knew that Marinette was his childhood friend and Adrien was his best friend. Nino trusted them, and sure wasn’t going to abandon them.

That was over a year ago. Marinette, Nino, and Adrien were best friends. Then the bluenette and the blond found out they were really Ladybug and Chat Noir effectively ending their crushes on each other. (Though Marinette took a bit longer)

“No!” Adrien said quickly. “I mean, I can’t, I, uh. I used to love Ladybug, remember!”

           Marinette shrugged, “So? I dated Kagami for like three months last year, and I’d still wouldn’t say no to seven minutes in heaven with Luka. Or longer,” She smirked. “I used to like you. I’m bisexual; lots of people are.” She then tilted her head. “It’s okay if you like boys.”

           Adrien glanced down shyly. At that point, He hadn’t thought too much about his sexuality. He always figured he was straight. It was the standard some people would say. But… Did he? Did he like-like other guys like that?

           …He definitely liked Luka like that. But was it just Luka? Maybe Luka was special. And dreamy. And nice to look at. And he made Adrien’s stomach feel a little weird when he was around, “…I have a crush on Luka.”

“Everyone does,” Marinette nodded. “It’s a fact of life. He gets Kagami to blush. Chloe says he not completely awful. Hell, even Nino said, and I quote, ‘if I ever I had to pick a dude.’” She said but then her eyes widened as she looked at Adrien. “Wait! I just realized have you ever had a crush on a girl besides Ladybug? I never heard you talk about any. This is the first crush besides Ladybug.”

           Adrien blinked and then blinked again. “I went out with Kagami once,” He offered, and then gave Marinette a playful glare. “Before you stole her away from me.”

“It’s not stealing if she practically jumped into my arms,” Marinette defended with a laugh. “Don’t hate the playa!”

           The blond snorted.

“I mean, what did you like about Ladybug?” Marinette asked. “Not me! Not now. But before you knew that I was Ladybug. What did you like about her?”

           Adrien bit his lip as he thought, “She was always fun to be around. When I was with her I never had to worry, you know? I could do what I wanted, say what I wanted. There was no pressure or anything. I was just me… but more. And I liked that. It was easy being around her.”

           Marinette nodded, “Ladybug used to be the only one you could be free around,” She said. “As Chat Noir, you never had to censor yourself for fear of what your father would do. It was freedom. A type of freedom you always wanted; to be wild and carefree. You got to do that whenever you are Chat Noir, and whenever you were Chat Noir, Ladybug was there. Did you ever… you might’ve… I think you,” She sighed. “…Adrien, I don’t think you ever loved Ladybug. I think you loved how you got to feel when she was around. You might have equated the two.”

           It went quiet as Adrien thought about what his friend said. It helped that his crush had been long gone so he could view it without the bias he used to have. And yeah, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Marinette was right. Adrien had been more infatuated with the fun and freedom of being a superhero, being Chat Noir that he ever was with Ladybug.

           He also comprehended that His crush had ended it rather instantly the second he found out who was behind the mask. Marinette was amazing; the girl of most guys’ dreams. Yet Adrien just didn’t see her like that. He didn’t have romantic feelings for her. It was then he realized that no matter who was behind the mask, what girl, Adrien wouldn’t have been happy. “She wasn’t real to me,” He admitted. “Not really. Ladybug was this unattainable dream. Anything was possible with her. I got to think up outlandish fantasies all the time of what our future could be and nothing was too extreme or impossible. The second she became real, the fantasy ended, and… I didn’t want her anymore; not like that.” He told Marinette. “Don’t get me wrong, I love you! You’re practically my sister. You’re the best! But… It is strange, I know.”

           Marinette shook her head, “It’s not!” She would know better than most what it was like when the fantasy ended and you had faced reality. “We’re kids. Feelings are all haywire.”

“It’ll get easier.” He asked. “I mean it has to. Soon, right?”

“No!” Sabine, Marinette’s mom, called from the kitchen. “Try in about a decade. If you’re lucky!”

“Mama!” Marinette yelled as she face-palmed. “Private conversation.”

“In our very public family room,” Sabine sassed back. “Adrien, honey, besides Luka, have you ever thought about any boys like that?”

           Marinette just sighed.

           Adrien turned bright red. He had more or less been adopted by the Dupain-chengs, and he was still getting used to having an involved parent. “I, uh, like Kim’s arms.”

“Who doesn’t?” Marinette asked. “Drool-worthy.”

“Harry Styles,” Adrien offered. “I like his face.” The bluenette snorted, earning herself a face full of the pillow. “Oh, you are so helpful!”  After that, they erupted into a pillow fight.

Chat Galore: I’m late

Iron’s Kid: For what?

Chat Galore: Reality.

Iron’s Kid: Oooh someone’s feeling deep today. What’s up?

Chat Galore: I’m

           Adrien paused writing.

Iron’s Kid: You’re…

Iron’s kid: Chat? You still there?

Chat Galore: I’m gay.

Chat Galore: You’re the first person I’ve told.

Iron’s Kid: I’m honored. And proud of you man.

Chat Galore: TY!!

Iron’s Kid: So who made you realize you were finally into Luka?

Chat Galore: …I hate you. GO AWAY!

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

           It took another month, and a lot of introspection but Adrien finally came to terms with it, and while getting ice cream with his friends, he said, “So, yeah, I’m gay.”

“And the sky’s blue,” Chloe shrugged.

           Marinette elbowed, “That’s not how we’re supposed to react.”

           The blonde huffed, “What? We’re supposed to pretend to be surprised. I’ve known him since we were in diapers. I was there through OUR One Direction phase. We were just little kids but just because he blocked it out or whatever doesn’t mean I forgot he called dips on marrying Harry.”

“All good, dude,” Nino told Adrien. “Still my boy.” He told him. “Does this mean you’re finally gonna ask out Luka?”

“NINO!” Marinette groaned. “I didn’t tell them. I swear!”

“What?” Nino licked his ice cream. “It was obvious Sunshine digs Luka.”

           Adrien’s froze. “…How obvious?” Dread slowly crept onto his face.

           His friends quickly went to assure him.

“It’s barely noticeable!” Marinette said.

“Everyone wants Luka; he probably doesn’t even realize it at this point!” Went, Nino.

“It’s not as obvious as the crush Marinette had on you!”

“Chloe! Seriously?!”

“What!”

Chat Galore: My friends suck as much as you!

Iron’s kid: Ahh, they call you out on the Luka thing too?

Chat Galore: Fuck off

Iron’s Kid: lol

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

           Adrien just groaned, seriously wishing the earth would just swallow him up. It was official all of his friends were completely awful.

           Not long after he came out to his father, Nathalie, and Gorilla. His father barely blinked twice and told him not to make a fool of himself. Nathalie scheduled when he’ll announce it officially on twitter. Gorilla at least hugged him.

           Lila attempted to convince the class that Adrien was just confused and hiding his feelings for her. But even that was a bit too much to buy. Instead, the class shot the Italian girl pitying looks for being in love with an unreachable guy. Lila seethed with fury as what she thought was her ticket to fame and fortune going up in flame.

Pretty much everything stayed normal though. There were no big fireworks. Adrien never confessed to Luka about his crush; instead joined his dozens of other admirers in mooning from a distance.

           Adrien was fine with that. He wasn’t looking for anything for his life to radically change. Or to completely lose his mind over some guy (though he did come close with Luka). In fact, he was rather happy if that never happened.

           But since when does he ever get what he wants?

Iron’s Kid: If you could punch anyone in the face, who would it be?

Chat Galore: What did Flash do now?

Chat Galore: And the answer’s: Lila. But Marinette has dips. And then Chloe. Then Kagami for some reason. I’m also after Nino, which doesn’t seem fair.

Chat Galore: …There’s a line to punch Lila.

Iron’s Kid: lol.

Iron’s Kid: Flash embarrassed me in front of Liz. He got everyone at this party chanting the stupid nickname he gave me.

Chat Galore: What a jerk? I vote revenge!

Iron’s Kid: What happened to the high road?

Chat Galore: It went nowhere. Time to light someone’s car on fire now.

Chat Galore: OOOOHHH!!!! Get MJ to put a porn virus on his computer! Let it hit during that school project you guys got next week.

Iron’s Kid: You’re a cruel man. And you and MJ are never allowed meet!

Chat Galore: Lol

Iron’s Kid: I can’t do that. Revenge isn’t my thing. I wouldn’t even care if Liz wasn’t there.

Chat Galore: You really like her, huh?

Iron’s Kid: Yeah I do

           Adrien grinned at his phone. Iron had fallen hard for Liz a while back, and it was the cutest thing when he gushed over her. Plus it gave the blond some relief to know that there was someone as bad as him when it came to romance.

Iron’s Kid: So my dads suck

Chat Galore: We should start a club!

Iron’s kid: Lol.

Chat Galore: Your dad or your pops?

Iron’s Kid: Both. They totally freaked out on me! They’re so overprotective it is insane.

Chat Galore: Been there. Am there.

Iron’s Kid: Me and dad totally got into it. He thinks I’m reckless and stupid. Like I don’t know what I’m doing. I just wish he’d trust me

Chat Galore: Stop treating you like you’re a little kid?

Iron’s Kid: Exactly!!!!! I can do this! I know I can! If he just trusts me!

Iron’s Kid: Instead I’m grounded.

Chat Galore: What are you going to do?

Iron’s Kid: Whatever I have to!

Chat Galore: just be safe, ok? I don’t know what’s going on. And I know you can’t tell me. But just Be. Careful. I’d miss you.

Iron’s Kid: I’d miss you too.

Chat Galore: Goodnight!!

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

           It was Christmas. Adrien was staying with Marinette’s family while his father was away on business and avoiding all things happiness. Marinette told him that her Uncle was coming. Her dad’s great uncle from New York. He broke up with his boyfriend not too long ago and wanted to get out and see more of the world.

           Adrien had expectations of what Marinette’s great uncle would look like – like any Uncle. Old, kind of fat, who made way to many dad jokes, and smelled like mothballs. And he definitely wore tacky clothes.

           The guy who walked into the Dupain-Cheng home, following a laughing Tom Dupain, was NOT that guy!!

           First of all, he was young; like two or three years older than Adrien and Marinette. He wore was pale with dark eyes and hair. He was dressed in all black and wore an old black leather bomber jacket. He was unnaturally handsome.

“Who is that?” Adrien hissed.

“My uncle,” Marinette said. “I told you he was coming.”

“How is that your great Uncle?”

           Marinette shrugged, “Magic. Demigod. Prince of the Underworld. What can you do?” She said. “His name’s Nico.”

           Adrien’s life was already so bizarre he didn’t even question the demigod part. All he could see what Nico. His mind turned to mush. “Boing!” He pointed.

“That’s my Uncle, Adrien,” Mariette reminded him

“Sweet! I would be your Aunt,” Adrien said. “Uncle. I don’t care. I’ll be whatever he wants me to be.”

           Marinette laughed and got off the couch to greet the newcomer, “Uncle Nico!”

“Marinette!” Nico smiled as he hugged his niece. “I told you to call me Nico.”

“Uncle is a bit weird,” Marinette nodded in agreement as she let go.

           As soon Nico let go, he found his arms full of again but this time by a blond, “Uncle Nico.”

“Adrien, right,” Nico said as he hugged the smaller boy, “I’m not your Uncle.”

“Even better!”

           Marinette snorted and pulled her friend away.

           Nico looked them up and down. “Aww, it’s good you two are still so close. I still got that picture your dad sent me of you two in Halloween costumes; Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.” He said. “Adorable. You two must have been, what eleven?” He shrugged and smiled at Adrien. “It’s been a while. You grew up gorgeous.” And then walked off to say hello to Sabine.

           Adrien turned bright red and a big grin spread across his face.

           Marinette crossed her arms, and gave him a serious look, “You are not going to be my Aunt.”

“I can’t hear you!” Adrien sang. “Buh dah Bu da da Da!”

“He’s almost eighteen; physically and mentally anyway!” Marinette said. “We’re fifteen.”

“Almost sixteen,” Adrien snapped quickly. “Which is practically seventeen. Which is a skip away from eighteen. Two plus Two, you know?”

           Marinette rolled her eyes, “I know Two plus two equals four. But with your logic, two plus two is three with a wig on.”

           He hissed at her.

Chat Galore: I think I found my Liz

Iron’s Kid: Someone Completely unattainable, and probably a bad idea?

Chat Galore: MJ or Ned?

Iron’s Kid: …

Chat Galore: Seriously? Give Iron back his phone!

Iron’s Kid:

Chat Galore: WAIT! What do you mean about Liz? What’s going on? Why is she a bad idea?

           He would get a response an hour later. It was just after dark.

Iron’s Kid: Sorry! MJ took my phone!

Chat Galore: NP. What’s this about Liz?

Iron’s Kid: A good friend will ignore whatever MJ told you!

Chat Galore: A best friend’s gonna get answers out of you!

           Adrien’s phone remained silent as he waited for Iron’s reply.

Iron’s Kid: ‘sigh’ Liz’s dad a supervillain. He tried to kill me.

Chat Galore: Shit. I’m sorry. Are you okay?

Iron’s Kid: It sucks. Liz’s dad in prison. She had to move.

Chat Galore: that blows

Iron’s Kid: Yep

           Then Adrien did something daring; something he thought about doing before but just stops short of being brave enough.

           He called Iron’s kid. It rang a few times before finally answering?

“Hello?”

“Iron’s kid?” Adrien whispered.

“Chat Galore?” Was said. “You called?”

“I thought you might need someone to talk to,” Adrien said. “Really talk to. It is fine if you don’t want to. I just thought…”

“No!” Was quickly said. “This is great. I mean, yeah. I’m cool with this if you are.”

They ended up talking to each other for hours like they always did. But this time it went on even longer; to the point where Adrien was genuinely surprised to see the sun starting to rise.

It was the first Adrien began to suspect he might be falling a little bit in love with Iron’s Kid.

           It didn’t end there. As the weeks went on Iron Kid and Chat Galore kept texting and talking. Iron Kid was going through a hard time and Adrien just wanted to be there for him.

Iron’s Kid: It’s never been easy being me. I love my parents. But normal doesn’t exactly coincide with our last name

Chat Galore: It is like no one can look past it, right? They don’t see you, they see your name. It’s all they care about.

Iron’s kid: Exactly!!!!! Who I am doesn’t matter. Its who my dad is, who my pop’s is. Hell sometimes who my grandfather was, and he died way before I was even born. It’s not fair!

Chat Galore: And you never know if anyone likes you for you. Or if they just want something from you. Or from your dad. You just want people to see YOU for who you are!

Iron’s Kid: Makes it really hard to trust people. My parents always did their best to give me a normal life but

Iron’s Kid: it’s whatever I guess.

Chat Galore: It’s not whatever. And its okay to feel like this.

Iron’s Kid: It’s sometimes I feel a little lost. Or maybe just…

Iron’s Kid:  I mean, I can be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel all alone. Like no one really knows me or sees me. Then I think of you. I think of talking to you. And I don’t feel so alone anymore.

Chat Galore: I see you.

Iron’s Kid: I see you too.

           Then once more Adrien asked Iron’s Kid if he wanted to meet, even though he knew he’d be turned down. That was fine. Adrien would wait.

If Marinette thought it was over when the holidays ended, she was dead wrong. Nico got an apartment to stay in Paris and to spend time with his family.

           And Adrien got used to his brain going all gooey when Nico was around. He always said goofy things; things that made him wish he’d never learned to speak in the first place. He read books that Nico casually mentioned just so they’d have something to talk about. He did ridiculous things try to get the older guy’s attention. And whenever, Nico asked the gang if anyone wanted to hang out, Adrien would be the first to shoot up and practically yell yes.

           And all Adrien would get from Nico would be a placating smirk; the same type Nino would give his younger brothers’ when they did something outlandish to impress him.

           The weird thing was when Adrien was going all googly-eyes at Nico, they got along really, really well. They both loved art and classic noir films like Gun For hire and Laura. The two once spent an entire afternoon in the museum just talking about the pieces, ignoring the whines of Marinette and Nino who got dragged along.

           Still no matter what Adrien did Nico never took the hint to ask Adrien out. Or even hint that he was open to Adrien possibly asking him out.

           His friends got used to Adrien sighing wistfully.

“Gods’ he so handsome, it makes my face hurt,” Adrien whined.

Marinette giggled, “You’re young, you’re dumb.”

“Just so we’re clear,” Chloe pointed a fork at him that still had a bit of salad on it, “That those are not necessarily correlated. You’re just an idiot.”

           Nino leaned forward, “Bro, just ask him out!” He said with his mouth half full of pizza.

“I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Marinette, Chloe, and Nino asked/yelled at him.

“What if he says no?” Adrien asked, because duh, why else wouldn’t he have asked Nico out already.

           Chloe glared at him, “Then you look in the mirror and remind yourself that you’re the second hottest dude, around our age, in Paris?”

“Ahh, Luka’s first,” Marinette put in.

           Nino raised his hand, “Just so we’re clear, I’m at least in the top ten, yeah?” Silence. “Guys? Top fifteen?” Nothing. “Top twenty?”

“Eehh,” Chloe offered as she flipped her hand side to side rapidly.

           Nino grinned, “I’ll take it!”

           It all came to a head during the Dupain-Cheng family game. Marinette invited Chloe, Nino, and Adrien, who had become Tom and Sabine’s additional adopted children, when Tom walked in, with Nico trailing behind him. “Family game night to the max!” Tom cheered.

           Nico chuckled and gave everyone their hellos.

           Marinette holding a hat on her lap, “Time to pick the games tonight: Mom, Chloe, and Nico’s turn to draw from the hat.

           Sabine drew Uno.

           Chloe drew Pictionary.

           Nico drew dungeons and dragons which caused everyone in the room to groaned, “What?”

“That game always takes forever,” Nino whined.

           Marinette flopped on the couch dramatically, “Mom’s always the dungeon master and she never lets us win. Dad always dies before anything good starts.”

“We always get frustrated,” Chloe added with an eye-roll. “And snap and try to kill each other!”

“In the game?” Nico asked.

           Nino glared at his friends, “Not. Always. Marinette!” He called her out, and she had the decency to blush. “Some people walk with scars.”

“Mental and emotional ones,” Adrien winced. “Marinette.”

           Chloe caught Nico’s confused look, and explained, “Marinette’s a bit competitive.”

“A bit!” Everyone else in the room said.

“Let’s just play!” Marinette gave them a playful glare.

           Uno was fast. Marinette won, of course.

           Pictionary resulted in tears. (Sabine was just as competitive as her daughter, and Tom was a bit sensitive.)

           The Dungeons and Dragons came took hours. Tom died right away and was content to watch the show. The kids turned on each other by the second hour, and it took Nico’s taking leadership and forcing them all to work together to achieve victory, for the suffering to stop.

           By the end, nearly everyone in the room was dead asleep, their characters long since dead, apart from Marinette, Sabine, Adrien, and Nico. Until the die was rolled for the final time and Marinette raised her tired arms in victory, “Finally. Six hours, friends came together on a harrowing quest; the longest game of my life. And we finally, finally won!”

Seconds after she was cuddled against her mother, both having fallen asleep.

           Adrien gave them a sleepy smile from where he sat on the floor before every cell in his body suddenly felt like it was hit by lightning when he caught Nico’s dark eyes staring at him. It was then that Adrien realized that, with the others all asleep, this was the first time Nico and he were ever technically alone together.

Be cool, he thought. Just be cool, damn you.

           It was all for naught as Nico got up off the couch and went to sit next to Adrien, who let out a small happy squeak.

“Let’s talk,” Nico told Adrien, who fought to stop his entire body from shaking. “We’re sort of friends, right?”

           Adrien winced a little but nodded eagerly, “Yep, friends, totally. I’m happy being friends. Yeah, friendship!” He waved his fist around in a small cheer and died a little inside as soon as he did it.

Why am I such a loser, he asked himself.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Yes, sure,” Adrien said. “Anything. Whatever you want. You can ask me anything too. I’ll probably say yes. I’ll defiantly say yes. Yes!”

           Nico just gave him a small smile, “When I was just about your age, maybe a bit younger, I had a crush on this older guy Percy. I was ten when I met him. He was fourteen, almost fifteen. In my eyes, he was all my dreams come to life; a real-life Greek demi-god hero. He fought monsters, saved lives. I had the biggest crush on him instantly,” He told Adrien. “Not that I knew it then. I was too young. I was from a completely different time where things like a man liking a man just were okay, or… Or Legal. I didn’t handle it well. Even worse after my sister died and wrongly placed at least part of the blame of unfairly on him. It took me a long time to realize I never hated him, I hated myself. I only stopped hating myself when I realized and accepted I was gay. And a little bit in love with Percy.”

           Adrien had no idea where this was going but he listened intensely. He always enjoyed listening to Nico whenever he told tales about his life as a demigod.

“Still I ended up doing a lot of stupid things,” Nico said. “Just to get his attention, to help him; to get him to fall for me back. A lot of stupid things.” He chuckled. “When I found out he was Bi, I thought I had a chance. But I didn’t. I never would’ve. Percy just saw me as a brother. I was too young for him. Way too young. There was no way Percy could’ve ever seen me like that. I accepted that. I moved on. I got over him. I even admitted to him about my crush; after telling him that he wasn’t my type. Asshole fell down laughing.”

           Adrien laughed a bit.

“We’re still friends,” Nico added. “Great friends actually. And I’m glad. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

           The blond frowned and suddenly found the game board very interesting. Because, yes he did know why Nico was telling him this.

“You know I’m too told for you, right?” Nico asked quietly as to not wake up the others.

“Yeah,” Adrien nodded slowly, his throat felt a little dry, and his eyes stung. “I know. I kind of always knew.” He glanced at the Dungeons and Dragons, and a strange sense of hope-filled him. The blond shot the older dark-haired boy a smirk, “But I’m playing the long game.”

           Adrien tried to be hopeful about it. Or least pretend to but…

Chat Galore: I just got my heartbroken.

Iron’s Kid: That Douchebag. I knew that weird death kid was no good!

Chat Galore: He’s not that bad. He said I’m too young for him. I get he’s trying to be a good guy but…

Iron’s Kid: It still hurts.

Chat Galore: Yep

Iron’s Kid: I get that. How about we watch Star Wars and make fun of Kylo Ren, that’ll make you feel better!

Chat Galore: I’ve seen less teen angst in my high school. The dude has problems!

           And that’s what they did. They texted each other while watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens; sending each other stupid memes and jokes. And Adrien felt a lot better by the end it of it.

Chat Galore: Thanks for this btw. I think I really need this.

Iron’s Kid: No Problem

Iron’s Kid: And for what it’s worth, I’d never turn you down.

           Adrien stared at that message for an hour, mentally screaming. Because… What. The. Hell.

Chat Galore: Oh be quiet! Lol

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

           The next day, Adrien sent Iron’s Kid another request to meet. The answer was a simple: Not Yet. That was Fine. Adrien would wait.`

“You are not playing the long game, Adrien Agreste,” Chloe glared at him. “Do you hear me? I will not take this into my twenties.”

           They had talked Adrien into ditching one of his many lessons and were hanging out downtown. Eating ice cream.

“But!”

“No!”

“I agree with her man,” Nino said, and Adrien gave him big green puppy dog eyes. “You can spend your life swooning over some guy. There’s other fish in the sea.”

“I don’t want fish,” Adrien complained. “I just someone to ride the Ferris Wheel with me!”

“Ferris Wheel?” Nino asked confused.

“Gay culture,” Chloe explained.

           Marinette nodded, “We just mean that… You need to Get some more life skills. Learn how to talk to guys. Get cool!”

“I’m cool!” Adrien defended and was met with multiple snorts. “I am. I got my dad to let me have more freedom. I paint. I went to comic con last year. I ride the metro now. And I can talk guys. I’ve successfully learned how to be cool.”

           Chloe smirked, “Okay, let's see how you react when you see him,” She looked over his shoulder. “Guy’s been checking you out since we got here.”

“I’m cool,” Adrien said as he casually glanced over his shoulder and saw just who was checking him out, he let out a series of nervous chuckles. And couldn’t stop.

           The guy looked about his age, with dark hair and blue eyes, a jawline that was similar to ones Adrien’s had seen on Greek statues; and he had muscles, so many muscles. He sat on a park bench and was writing or sketching in a red notebook.

           Nino shook his head, “Yeah you still need some lessons in cool.”

“Lesson one: go talk to him,” Chloe demanded.

           Adrien’s eyes went wide, and he let out a squeak. “Nope! Can’t do it. Won’t do it!”

           His friends shared a look, and Adrien suddenly fears for his life. He found himself all but pushed/carried over to the guy on the park bench. He struggled a bit. Suddenly when they got close enough, Adrien was pushed (By gleeful and vindictive looking Chloe, his official witch of an ex-best friend), right into park bench guy, who caught him at the last second. And Adrien found himself sitting in the lap of a virtual stranger.

“Hi?” Adrien offered weakly. “Me and my friends were just talking about you.”

           The guy gave him a big smile, “I know,” He said. “I figured. I’m Jon.” He said with a southern American accent. “Jon Kent. And you can talk about me any time you want.”

“Adrien,” The blond laughed.  “Adrien Agreste.”

“I like your laugh, Adrien.”

“I like your smile, Jon.”

           Then Adrien’s phone started ringing. It was Nathalie and Adrien had to rush home. Mourning his chances of ever seeing Jon again. He was probably a tourist who’d be gone the next day, the blond figured.

Chat Galore: I have the worst luck with guys!

Iron’s Kid: I don’t know. I think you have better luck than you think.

Chat Galore: Lol. What’s up with you lately.

Iron’s Kid: Flash finally left me alone. All it took was a school field trip to my job. Suddenly I’m not a liar anymore!

Chat Galore: Oh I would’ve killed to his face, lol.

Iron’s Kid: It was basically the crying emoji.

Iron’s Kid: Oh yeah, I met this guy named Johnny; totally gorgeous, rides a motorcycle, and my dads’ hate him

Chat Galore: Last ones’s the best part, right?

Iron’s Kid: YES!!

           The next morning Adrien and his friends were happily sitting in the back of the class. The other kids in the class ignored them as usual. Even Lila more or less pretended they didn’t exist. (Though she had been reluctant to let Adrien go and had made several attempts to get him under her thumb. Until Adrien got his dad to fire her under threat of dying his hair neon green, and wearing plaid, the one pattern his father hated above all others.)

           They had entered a cold war with her. As long as she stopped trying to make their lives hell, they’d stop exposing trying to expose her.

           Bustier was once again proving she had no control over her classroom as she struggled to teach a simple history lesson about the French Revolution. It didn’t make a lick of sense and Bustier tried way to hard to get the kids to relate on a personal level.

“History shows that bad things happen when you don’t know who you are,” Bustier said just as the classroom door opened and in walked two boys and a girl.

           Adrien’s eyes went wide, and leaned over to Chloe, “Park bench guy!” He whispered.

“Foreign exchange students,” One of the boys said. He had dark hair, green eyes, olive skin, and a thoroughly unimpressed look on his handsome face. He wore a black turtle neck and slacks. “Damian Wayne, Gotham.”

“Lian Nguyen-Harper-Queen,” Said the girl. She had Auburn hair and gray eyes. Lian wore a pink headband, a pink cardigan over a white top and blue shorts.

“Hi I’m Jon Kent,” He said. Jon wore a red plaid shirt over a simple t-shirt and blue jeans. “I split my time between the Farm in Smallville and Metropolis.” He looked at the back of the classroom straight at Adrien. “And I’m happy to be here.”

           Bustier nodded, “Welcome. Always happy to get new students! Let's find you some seats…” She looked around the room.

“OH! Damian can sit with me!” Lila waved her hand. “I’ll be happy to show him around.”

“Declined,” Damian simply said. “We’ll sit in the back.”

           Alya leaned forward, “But Lila’s goes to Gotham and Metropolis all the time!” She said and didn’t notice the way Lila paled. She seemed to have forgotten Damian Wayne was apart of her many, many lies. “Damian, you showed her around last time she was there. You guys became such a good friend. She just wants to return the favor.”

           Damian scoffed, “I’ve never seen this girl before in my life.”

           Marinette smirked at Adrien, “You’re going to need to move. I have a new best friend.”

“Mean,” Adrien said. “But understandable. Still not moving.”

           Jon and Damian sat in empty seats in front of Adrien and Marinette.

           Jon turned around in his seat, “Hi.”

           Adrien smiled shyly, “Hi.”

           Then they just stared at each other.

           Chloe let out a long-suffering sigh, “Oh this gonna be exhausting.”

Iron’s Kid: Best day EVER!!!

Chat Galore: SAME! What happened?

Iron’s Kid: Johnny asked me out!

Chat Galore: AWESOME!!!

Chat Galore: Park Bench Guy is in my class NOW!!!

Iron’s Kid: ‘High Five’ Maybe fate DOESN’T hate us.

Chat Galore: …

Chat Galore: …I swear to the Gods if you jinxed us

           The two guys in class quickly joined the Adrien’s friends’ group. They blended in seamlessly like they were always there as the weeks went on. Before anyone knew it, they were pretty much attached to hips. Even going as far as joining family game night.

           Through them; Damian, Lian, and Jon were able to get all the information they needed to survive Paris. The three had heard whispers of Hawkmoth but had been a little shocked when the Akuma alert went off and everyone had to duck for cover. After the third or fourth time, the new kids got used to it and easily swallowed the excuses Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, and Nino made about having to run off and go home during alerts.

           Around the same time as the fourth akuma of the new semester hit, three new heroes arrived in Paris.

           Well, new wouldn’t necessarily be the right word. They weren’t new heroes, they were just new to Paris.

           Robin, Superboy, and Arrowette. They assisted in fighting back akuma that turned people into candy; a toddler whose mother refused to buy him sweets. Afterward, they explained that they would be in the city for quite some time, and would assist when they are able.

           They didn’t reveal why they were there though. All Robin said was, “Justice League business.” And the Parisian heroes decided to leave it at that after offering to help if needed.

           Paris went nuts over the arrival of the new heroes.

           Alya cried in class when she found out Ladybug gave Aurore the exclusive interview about what was going on. Ladybug also publically endorsed Bugout, Aurore’s website, as the only reliable main source for credible information on the Parisian heroes. She didn’t say a word about Ladyblog, which was pretty much all anyone needed to know what they had already expected.

           Ladybug hadn’t given an exclusive on the Ladybug blog in almost two years but now it was official…

           The Ladyblog was out. Alya was out.

           Time went on. The kids grew closer as friends. Jon and Adrien got closer as… Well, Adrien didn’t know.

           He did know that his dad despised Jon because of time he picked Adrien up wearing a green plaid shirt but Gabriel wouldn’t admit it. Jon was the son of famous reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent, godson to Lex Luther. And Gabriel Agreste was anything but stupid.

“I miss my family,” Jon told Adrien one day while they were studying in the library. “All the time. But I guess also miss the pets I have.”

“I always wanted a dog,” Adrien said.

“In Smallville, I have twelve chickens,” Jon said. “Three horses, four pigs, two cows, and a dog.”

           The blond nodded, “You win. Tell me about them.”

           And Jon did. He told all about his life in Smallville and metropolis. And Adrien told him what it was like growing up in Paris and being a supermodel.

Adrien grinned, “I want to be a lawyer when I get older,” he told Jon. “I want to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves. Like I read about this law firm called Nelson and Murdock who take all these pro bono cases to help people who usually have no chance of winning against bigger, bad-er, and richer people. It gets really dangerous for them but they just keep helping. Because it’s the right thing to do. I want to do that too!”

“I think when I grow up…” Jon said slowly. “I want to be like my mom. She goes above and beyond to get her story; to find out what’s really going on in the world and reports it honestly. I want to do that too. I want to be an investigative journalist. I want to hunt down the truth. Because people deserve the truth, even if they don’t like it. I know the truth can be scary sometimes, and a bit sad. But They deserve to hear it. But I’ve probably said too much.” He laughed.

“No,” Adrien shook his head, and smiled, “Tell me more.”

Still the more their friendship and bonds of trust grew, the more Lila became frustrated.  As far as she was concerned things just weren’t going her way. First, she lost her future as the world-famous fashion model Lila Rossi/Mrs. Adrien Agreste. Then Damian Waynes comes to town and won’t even look twice at her; too busy trailing after Miss Goody two-shoes. Then she finds out that Jon Kent is the son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, godson of Lex Luther, only AFTER she privately threatened to make his life hell for siding with Marinette. She didn’t bother to try to get close to Lian Queen, granddaughter of Oliver Queen, the girl had been glaring at her since the second she heard Lila tell her first lie.

So instead of The Italian girl, once again, tried to sow dissension in the class, tried to force Damian to sit next to her; loudly bragged about her trips and famous people she knew to get attention. Damian ignored her. Then she tried making Marinette look bad again; lied about how the bluenette was bullying her. It didn’t work. Damian was quick to point out inconsistencies in her tales.

           That didn’t stop the class from believing them.

“Morons,” Damian called them one day after school.

“They’re not that bad,” Marinette tried.

“They kinda are, dudette,” Nino said. “I really expected Alya to catch on by now. But it’s like she doesn’t want to.”

           Chloe scoffed, “Of course she doesn’t!” The blond sneered. “She betrayed her best friend, ditched her best friend, broke up with her boyfriend, pretty much led the charge in exiling us, spread Lila’s lies on her blog which included Lies about Ladybug. It’s not just admitting she was wrong.”

“It’s having to deal with consequences,” Lian agreed. “That Alya got herself into this mess. If Marinette and all us aren’t the bad guys in this, that means she is. That’s a hard pill to swallow.”

           Jon shook his head, “I don’t understand why Lila lies so much,” he said. “Dad’s always told me honesty is the best policy.”

“You’re a long way from the farm, boy scout,” Damian tsk’d.

“Damian,” Marinette sighed and grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him away.

           Adrien snickered, “Those two are so into each other, it’s not even funny!”

“I know,” Jon laughed in agreement. “I’ve never seen Damian be so nice to anyone before. I’ve known him since we were in the sandbox, and he just stopped calling me Kent last year.”

“Yeah…” Chloe drawled. “Watching two people dance around each other for months, neither making a move. It’s the worst.”

“Waiting for one of them to finally make a move,” Nino said, “Literally. Kill. You. Inside.”

           Lian nodded, “They like each other. Everyone knows they like each other. And Yet nothing. And we'll have no choice but watch and wait for them to pull their heads out of their asses,” She told them. “When all you want to scream is: hey, you two! Just freaking kiss already!”

“Yep the absolute worst,” Nino repeated.

           Then Lian, Chloe, and Nino stared blatantly at Jon and Adrien who merely shrugged.

“Damian will make a move soon,” Jon assured.

“I’ll try to get Marinette to say something,” Adrien promised.

“…I hate you,” Chloe said.

           Adrien gave her another confused look. Because what did he do wrong now?

Chat Galore: Dude!

Iron’s Kid: Dude!

Chat Galore: I need Hufflepuff support now!

Iron’s Kid: …Crap, I never told you Pottermore sorted me into Gryffindor, did i?

Chat Galore: WHAT!

Chat Galore: Traitor. Never talk to me again

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

“How do I look?” Marinette asked as she twirled around in the living room. She wore a soft pink dress. Her hair was down and slightly curved. She looked like a princess from a fairytale.

“Flawless,” Adrien said, for the tenth time. “Why am I here?”

           Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, “Because!” She said. “You’re my bestie. I have my first real date. Chloe’s shopping with Lian. Nino won’t answer my calls. I need you here!”

“Take a deep breath, Mari!” Adrien told her. “You look absolutely beautiful. Damian’s already head over heels for you, and the way you look is gonna make his purpose.”

           The bluenette blushed a lovely pink, “Shut up!”

           The door opened, and in walked Nico, “Looking lovely, niece,” He said. “Big date tonight, huh?”

“Yes,” Marinette sighed dreamily. “He’ll be here soon.”

           Nico smirked, “Good. Don’t worry, I’ll only threaten him a little.”

“Nico!”

           The dark-haired boy chuckled before flopping down on the couch. “Hey, Adrien.”

           Adrien felt his mind go a little mushy. He never quite got over his crush on the older boy. At least not yet.

           The two still hung out every now and then, still always with Marinette. Nico frequently split his time between New York and Paris. So Adrien didn’t see him that often, though Nico had been around to wish Adrien a happy 16th birthday.

           Adrien tried to play it cool, but ended up sitting in awkwardly in the recliner, “Hey Nico!” His voice squeaked, and once more Adrien wanted to die.

           The doorbell rang.

           Damian brought Marinette a dozen red roses, let himself be mildly threatened by Nico, endured the massive amount of pictures Tom and Sabine took and ignored Adrien’s snickering in the background. Then the two love birds were gone. Sabine and Tom went to go finish closing the bakery for the night. And then it was just Adrien and Nico.

“So,” Nico said as he put his feet on the couch. “What are you doing tonight, Blond Wonder? Any plans?”

           Adrien shook his head, “Not really,” Jon was visiting his parents. Nino was watching his siblings. “I’ll just go home and watch Bleach. Or something.” Stuff his mouth with the hidden box of Oreos he had.

“Why don’t you hang out with me?” Nico offered. “The Maltese Falcon at the old theater on 3rd street. It’s your favorite right?”

           Adrien nodded eagerly, “Me and my Mom used to watch it all the time.”

           The two had a great time at the movie theater and ended up staying to watch another movie. They laughed. They ate lots of overpriced junk food. They talked. And Adrien finally managed to have a non-blushing, stammering, mind mushed, conversation with Nico. It was still just a bit awkward but it was not the cause of something either of them did.

           At the end, Nico walked Adrien to the front door of his house.

“It’s weird,” Nico said, “But I kind of always forget how great it is hanging out with you.”

           Adrien shrugged, “You’re not too bad yourself,” Then he smirked, “Though you’d probably be happier if you add some color to your wardrobe. Do own anything that’s not the color of sadness?”

           Nico barked a laugh, “I am the son of Hades,” He defended himself. “It’s our aesthetic, okay. And we all can’t be made from rainbows and sunshine.”

“Excuses.”

           The dark-haired boy shook his head, and smirked at Adrien, “This was fun. We should do it again sometime.” He said as he backed away.

“Yeah,” Adrien smiled. “Go to the beach, see what happens when you go out in the daylight. Even money, you burst into flames.

Nico chuckled as he turned around, “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

“Night, Twilight!”

“You’re dead to me!” Nico called back.

Ladybug and Chat Noir and the other Parisian heroes got used to the Three Justice League sidekicks appearing out of nowhere and assisting in battle. It had been strange at first; a little tense. Mostly due to Robin interrogating them every chance he got. Arrowette glaring menacingly at them. Even Superboy was a bit intimidating. Still, they never revealed why there in Paris.

           During this time, Adrien and Jon became much better friends. And the blond started to suspect that Jon would prefer to just stay friends with him.

Iron’s Kid: Johnny and Me are over.

Chat Galore: Ouch. What happened?

Iron’s Kid: ‘Dramatic Sigh’ we’re just too different, you know?

Chat Galore:  Different is not always bad. You really liked him, right?

Chat Galore: And did you actually type ‘Dramatic Sigh’, you dramatic bitch?

Iron’s Kid: I like that he was different at first. But we barely had anything in common. We were fire in and ice. Sure it is steamy at first but when the steam is gone…

Iron’s Kid: And yes I did

Chat Galore: You okay?

Iron’s Kid: I’m fine. I just realized I want someone I can talk to about everything and nothing.

Chat Galore: Someone to geek out over Star Trek with, and go to when you need a shoulder to lean on.

Iron’s Kid: Someone who’d stay up all night talking just because he wants to be there for me.

Chat Galore: Dating shouldn’t be this hard

Iron’s Kid: It’ll only get harder.

Chat Galore: Shut. Up.

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

For Marinette’s sixteenth birthday, she had a party. It was much bigger than she wanted, but not smaller than her friends tried to make it. The bluenette was always there for them, and they wanted to remind her how special was.

           However, for the first time, Adrien was pleased to say, he was not the one trying to overdue everything to the extreme. Chloe was pleased that she wasn’t the one making the party planner cry whenever she called them. Nino was pleased that he wasn’t the one to be overly critical of the musical entertainment for being just a bit subpar.

           No! That was Damian Wayne.

           And unlike Marinette’s best friends, Marinette’s boyfriend’s craziness could not be contained.

           The party was huge. There were hundreds of balloons. Everyone was wearing fanciest party clothes. There were hundreds of balloons. Gourmet food. All of Marinette’s friends, close acquaintances, and anyone who loved and or adored her had shown up. Jagged had come. Cara Nightingale did a surprise performance.

           Adrien had a blast. His friends found out that while the blond boy had lessons in practically everything, dance wasn’t one of them. He was a terrible dancer. Laughably bad. Still, everyone had fun. Nino danced in a giant glow in the dark dinosaur costume.

           Then Marinette, Adrien, Nino, Chloe got on stage and sang Born to Brave from High School Musical: The Series. Damian, Jon, and Lian joined them. The crowd sang with. Bubbles filled the air. It was exhilarating.

           So much so that Adrien stepped out to take a small break. He sat on a white wood bench outside, looking up at the stars, and let the cool brisk night air relax him. Even from where he sat, he could still hear music playing from the party.

“Needed a breather,” Jon asked as he sat down next to Adrien.

“Parties,” Adrien shrugged. “They can be a bit much.”        

           Jon shifted in his seat, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess.”

           Then Blue eyes met green…

           And then everything suddenly felt really the world was holdings breath. Adrien had no idea where the tension came from but it was there. And it was like he was waiting for some imaginary bubble to burst. And Adrien just…  Ugh!

           He glanced down at his hands, suddenly not knowing what to do with them. He was also intensely aware of every millimeter Jon so much as moved. In fact, Adrien was aware of everything, including how many times he was blinking.

“This kind of reminds me of how we met,” Adrien finally blurted.

           Jon cast him a curious look but nodded, “Yeah, the park bench, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

           There it went quiet.

“Why are parties a bit much?” Jon asked.

“Not all parties,” Adrien said. “Just the ones my dad usually drags me to. Everyone is always overly polite while giving backhanded compliments; they pretend to be nice but they don’t mean it. No one’s straight forward.  I don’t know why it is so hard.”

“It’s not!” Jon turned to him. “Let’s try it now. Hi, I’m Jon and…” He took two plugs out of his ears, “…I wear earplugs because I can’t handle loud noises sometimes.”

           Adrien chuckled, “Hi. I’m Adrien. And apparently, I’m a terrible dancer.”

“God Awful!”

“Hey!”

           Jon laughed, “My little Pony is one my favorite shows.

“I once had an imaginary friend named Phineas!”

“I like fried broccoli!”

“I like fried Oreos.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Oh because fried broccoli so much better.”

“Hey, being straight forward here!” Jon defended. “I like raining days over sunny.”

           Adrien smiled, “I like you,” he took a deep breath. “Like really like you.” He glanced down and then back up at Jon and tried to be brave. “Like I the way I thought you might’ve used to like me but don’t anymore.”

“Really?” Jon asked looking just a bit stunned. “How very straight forward of you.”

           Adrien stood up quickly, slightly panicked, “That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say. If you don’t like me anymore, I get it.” He said. “I… I just really wanted you to tell you. Even if you change your mind.”

“Adrien,” Jon said, standing up too, facing the blond. “I’ve never changed my mind.” Then he leaned forward and kissed Adrien. “I really like you too.”

           Adrien and Jon held hands as they walked back into the party.

           Later, after the party ended, Adrien would tell Marinette, Chloe, and Nino about his first kiss, and go partially death from Marinette and Chloe’s screams.

Chat Galore: You know what I like?

Chat Galore: Life!

Iron’s Kid: Things going good then?

Chat Galore: Jon kissed me. My grades are perfect. My dad’s letting me cut back on modeling.

Iron’s Kid: Awesome! You’ve need a break.

Chat Galore: We need a happy song!

Iron’s Kid: We. Do. Not.

Chat Galore: We need a happy song so when we can sing the happy song when we’re happy.

Iron’s Kid: We will never have a happy song.

Iron’s Kid: That’s more of a Hufflepuff thing

Chat Galore: I’d be offended if it wasn’t true!

           Adrien’s life really was going great. He became good friends with Nico. Lila’s lies in the class were starting to unravel, and she was quickly losing her supporters. Jon and him were sort of, kind of, officially dating. The sun was shining. Rainbows were everywhere.

           …He should’ve known it wouldn’t last forever.

           Adrien got a 911 group text from Chloe; with like a dozen exclamation points and several frowny faces so he knew it was serious.

           When he got to Chloe’s place, he found Marinette and Nino already waiting on the couch, while Chloe paced the floor. Adrien joined on the couch.

“Okay,” Marinette said. “We’re all here. What’s up? What’s the emergency?”

“They’re spies,” Chloe hissed, rage clear on her face. “Lian, Jon, Damian; they’ve been spying on us all this time.”

“What? Dude, no way!” Nino shook his head. “They’re our friends. Lian hates traitors!”

“Damian would never!” Marinette denied. “He loves me. I love him.”

           Adrien agreed, “They’d never do that us. Jon couldn’t. He’s like the most honest kid ever.”

           Chloe picked up a nearby face and smashed against the wall, “They’re two-faced lying little creeps.” She yelled. Though it was clear she was angry, they could also see the hurt clear in the blonde’s eyes.

“Chloe…” Marinette started slowly but was cut off.”

“Lian is Arrowette!” Chloe growled. “Jon’s Superboy. And I’ll give you one big fat guess who Damian is. And for the record he is not as wonderful as his nickname implies.”

           Pollen flew out from wherever she was hiding, “It’s true!” She said. “I saw them myself. They are the American heroes.”

“Pollen followed them,” Chloe explained. “She saw everything. They’ve been following us. Reporting intel to the Justice League all about us. That’s why they’re here. That’s why they got close to us. They know we’re heroes!”

           Horror and understandingly slowly crept over Nino, Marinette, and Adrien’s faces.

Pollen nodded eagerly, “They have reports all about your lives in and out of the mask. It's very detailed.”

           Adrien was glad he was sitting down because he felt like the floor has disappeared under his feet. Shakily, he stood up, “I need too…” He shook his head. “I have too…” He couldn’t finish his sentence instead he just ran from the room.

           And kept running and running.

           Until he found himself standing in front of the apartment where Jon, Lian, and Damian lived. He stared at the olive green door as if he didn’t recognize it. As if he hadn’t been there, in that same spot, standing in front of that door, a hundred times before.

           He closed his eyes and he knocked.

           Jon opened the door, “Adrien!” He had a large grin on his face that slowly disappeared when he saw the look on the blond boy’s face.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure, yeah!” Jon moved out of the way to let Adrien pass. “Is everything okay?”

           Adrien walked into the living room and saw Damian and Lian sitting on the couch, “Go see Marinette,” He ordered Damian. “If you want any chance of saving your relationship, if you ever really loved her like you said you; you will go see Her. Right. Now.”

           That was all Damian needed to here to fly out of the room.

           Adrien turned to Lian, “I need to speak with Jon alone, please,” He said as politely as possible. “I would suggest going to go speak with Nino and Chloe.”

           Lian frowned but nodded and left the room.

“Adrien, what’s going on?” Jon asked again. “You’re scaring me.”

           Adrien let out a shorter bitter laugh, “I’m going to ask you three questions, and I need to be honest with me, okay? Is your name Jon Kent?

“Yes,” Jon stated firmly. “Jonathan Kent Lane.”

“Are we friends?”

“Of course!”

           Adrien nodded and swallowed the lump that was building in his throat, “Why did you really come to Paris?”

           Jon frowned, “I’m here on a foreign exchange-” Adrien cut him off.

“Don’t lie to me, Superboy!”

           The boy of Steel flinched back.

“Tell me it isn’t true!” Adrien all but begged. “Tell me you didn’t come here to spy on Chat Noir and Ladybug and everyone else. Tell me this wasn’t all a big lie. Tell me you weren’t using me for information. Tell me! Tell me wrong I’m, please.”

“Adrien…” Jon whispered, pain on his face. “I’m sorry.”

           That was Adrien needed to here. “All this time. You… I thought… Was any of it real? Was anything you ever told me real? Do I even know you?” He asked. “

“The Justice League was concerned about Hawkmoth,” Jon tried to explain. “They received intelligence that Ladybug and Chat Noir were teenagers, and wanted to know more. They sent us.”

           Adrien just stared at him, “I like you,” He said. “I really liked you. You were my friend, Did you do all just because you were ordered to?”

“No!” Jon nodded, “I swear. I’d never do that to you, to anyone.”

“But you thought it was okay to kiss me,” Adrien said “To date me! When I had no idea who you are really?”

           Jon tossed his hands in the air, “You know who I am. Nothing’s changed. I’m still the same guy. I’m still me!”

“Everything’s changed!” Adrien yelled. “I’m questioning everything. Everything I’ve ever said to you, everything we ever did together!” His entire body shook. “You were sent to get close to us. You were sent to get close to me. To. Get. Information.”

           It went quiet. Neither knowing what to say.

“…That day in the park,” Adrien whispered. “You were on the bench and Chloe thought you were checking me out. You weren’t, were you? You were watching me, us. Gathering intel. Weren’t you?”

           Jon looked away, “…Yeah, I was.”

You knew I was Chat Noir even then?”

“I did.”

Adrien nodded, “It’s been a lie since the beginning,” He clenched his fists. “In the library, you told me that people deserve the truth. I believed in you. I trusted you. I told you things I’ve haven’t even told people who’ve known my entire life. Because I trusted you. I trusted you were honest and good and you would tell me the truth. Why didn’t I deserve the truth?”

He looked up at the mantle that was covered in pictures of people that Adrien knew as friends and family of Jon, Damian, and Lian, and at all of the pictures of Chloe, Nino, Adrien, and Marinette together with the three; laughing and smiling. And it hurt to look at it. “You’ve been here for almost a year. You three pretended to be our friends, to care, for almost a year.”

“It wasn’t pretend. Or a lie,” Jon looked ready to cry. “You are our friends!”

           Adrien ran a hand through his hair, “Then Why? If we were your friends, why?”

Jon shrugged, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. Everything was so complicated. We were never supposed to be here this long. It was our first big mission. The first mission JL trusted us to handle alone. I could give you a thousand excuses but I know they wouldn’t be good enough.”

“They wouldn’t be,” Adrien agreed. “They aren’t. They never will be.”

           It went silent again. Jon and Adrien just stared at each other.

“You weren’t sent to get close us,” Adrien repeated. “Not just learn about Hawkmoth. But you were specifically sent to get close us; learn who we are as heroes and as civilians. Hawkmoth was a bonus. But you were sent for Ladybug and Chat Noir and Queen Bee and Carapace. Right?”

Jon looked down, away from Adrien’s soul-piercing gaze, and admitted, “You were the mission.”

Adrien closed his eyes, stood up straight, and with every ounce of control he could muster, he calmly said, “Goodbye, Jon.”

“I never meant to hurt you,” Jon said.

“That doesn’t really matter, because, in the end, it all hurts the same,” Adrien replied and left.

For the next few hours, Jon saying, “You were the mission,” Kept echoing in Adrien’s head on a loop.

Not long after leaving Jon’s place, Adrien would find himself in Marinette’s room, letting the bluenette cry her eyes out into his shoulder, shedding his own tears too. Chloe would arrive next with bloodshot eyes, and cuddle next to them. Nino, just after her, looking like a wreck and would take the spot next to Adrien.

It would be hours before they’d calm themselves down. But it wouldn’t be until the next day that any of them managed to ask what they should next.

Chloe spitefully suggested kicking them out of Paris.

Nino agreed halfheartedly.

Adrien was fine with just ignoring them. At least he hoped that he could. He would try really, really hard to.

Marinette didn’t say a word. Instead, she just let them talk with a faraway look on her face.

In the end, it wouldn’t matter.

By Monday, Jon, Damian, and Lian would be gone. Bustier would announce that the exchange program ended.

And Adrien would find himself frequently staring at Jon’s empty seat.

Chat Galore: So it turns out… Jon’s a big jerk

Chat Galore: He wasn’t who I thought he was.

Chat Galore: It’s complicated but to summarize he’s a jerk.

Iron’s Kid: Screw Prince Charming if he turned out to be a warty, jerky frog.

Iron’s Kid: You deserve better.

Chat Galore: To quote Gabriella Montez: Now I know you're not a fairy tale And dreams were meant for sleeping And wishes on a star Just don't come true

Iron’s Kid: Crap, you're quoting high school musical. You're really hurting, aren’t you.

Iron’s Kids: Want to watch shitty Disney Channel movies and talk?

Chat Galore: …Yes.

            Three months, two weeks, six days, nine hours, and twelve minutes. That was how long it took for Adrien to move on. For all of them to move on from the sense of betrayal.

Iron’s Kid: YOU STILL HAVEN’T WATCHED PRINCESS BRIDE

Chat Galore: It doesn’t seem like that good of a movie

Iron’s Kid: ‘Insulted Gasp’ How. Dare. YOU!

Chat Galore: You still have watched Vampire Diaries!

Iron’s Kid: I have taste!

           It took almost three weeks for Chloe to stop growling whenever someone mentioned Damian, Jon, or Lian’s name.

Iron’s Kid: I might need to hide out in Paris for a while

Chat Galore: Did you blow up your dad’s lab again?

Iron’s Kid: Worse!

Chat Galore: You superglue legos to your Pop’s shield again.

Iron’s Kid: That was an accident. They were supposed to come right off. And it's worse.

Chat Galore: Melt another hole in your living room floor?

Iron’s Kid: So. SO much worse.

Chat Galore: You didn’t call Natasha fat did you?

Iron’s Kid: Never that bad

Iron’s Kid: I may or may not have caused MJ’s laptop to crash

Chat Galore: … Shit

Chat Galore: Not even the gods could save you.

           A month for Marinette to not look like she wanted to cry when she thought about Damian.

Chat Galore: I’ve decided to learn to cook

Iron’s Kid: Sweet

Chat Galore:  Just think One day you will try my cooking.

Iron’s Kid: Sorry, Can’t I’m on a new diet.

Chat Galore: WHAT DIET?

Iron’s Kid: Photosynthesis

           Two months for Nino to redownload all the songs he deleted because Lian recommended them.

Iron’s Kid: Archie is one of my best friends

Chat Galore: *doing the Fortnite dance*

Iron’s Kid: I lied I don’t know you

           Three months for Adrien to be able to sit in the park and not think about Jon.

Iron’s Kid: I think are MJ and Shure are laughing at me

Chat Galore: Don't be so paranoid

Iron’s Kid: They're pointing at me and laughing.

           In the fourth month, things are pretty much the same as they ever were. Though everyone picked up the habit of pretending they didn’t know Marinette started texting Damian again. Eventually, the gang was okay when Marinette announced she was seeing Damian again; even if they, themselves, decided not to deal with the American heroes.

Chat Galore: I really thought 2020 would be a great year!!!

Iron’s Kid: …WWIII was trending in the first week of January.

           Time went on. Adrien went on dates, had fun, had a boyfriend or two. He grew up a bit, and kind of understood the position Jon had been in better. And then he wasn’t so angry. Still, a bit hurt though.

Iron’s Kid: I’m sending good vibes your way, they’re coming and there is nothing you can do to stop the

Chat Galore: that is the most threatening way I’ve ever been cheered up.

           By the time summer hit, Adrien decided to take a step back from love and romance and just focus on himself. He finally told his dad his wanted to be a Lawyer, and to his surprise, his dad helped him get a summer internship at a prestigious law firm.

Chat Galore: I’ve decided if I kill Lila, I’ll make it look like an accident.

Chat Galore: Unlike Chloe who has plans to mount her head on the balcony like a warning to the next that may come

Iron’s Kid: How will you make it look like an accident?

Chat Galore: I have a crowbar and a banana.

Iron’s Kid: Quick request: Go look up accident in the dictionary.

He quit modeling because he never really liked it. He found out he liked to paint and was pretty good at it. He tried and failed to learn how to dance.

           He did learn to surf.

           Adrien hung out a lot with Nico, who had become a good friend.

           By the time summer ended, the gang was back on speaking terms with Damian, Lian, and Job. Mostly at Marinette’s behest. She and Damian were going strong. And she really wanted everyone to forgive and forget and be friends.

           Chloe just agreed to be civil.

           Nino agreed to try being friends again after the three apologized.

           Adrien, mostly out of love for his all but sister Marnette, put his best foot forward and start over with them – even Jon. They agreed to be friends. Just friends.

Iron’s Kid: I don’t have a nervous system.

Iron’s Kid: I am a nervous system.

Chat Galore: I’m a Scorpio!

Their final year of school started with a bang. Next year they would all be off at University. And by Bang, Adrien meant Alya knocking Lila the fuck out during the first week.

           Lila had told the one lie Alya couldn’t just live in denial with.

“I told Ladybug, I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Lila sighed, “I already have so many medical issues. I couldn’t be Rene Rouge anymore. Ladybug was devasted.”

           Then the entire class heard Lila scream, and the thing they knew Alya was on top of Lila beating the hell out of her, screaming, “You lying little WITCH!!”

Chat Galore: ‘Video Sent’

Iron’s Kid: Lila’s the girl on the floor right?

Chat Galore: Alya SNAPPED

           Lila transferred out of the school Alya transferred out of class. No one got an apology. Adrien didn’t know why he was still a little surprised.

           Outside of school, Adrien was pleased to say the gang’s friendship with Jon, Lian, and Damian was back to full force. Even Chloe greeted the three warmly.

           Once Adrien decided to move passed any lingering romantic feelings for Jon, they managed to have a pretty good friendship. Even the Superboy and Chat Noir team-ups were going well.

Chat Galore: what should I be for Halloween this year?

Iron’s Kid:  a vampire, Batman, my boyfriend, Superman

           Adrien laughs until everything processed in his mind.

Chat Galore: What?

           He didn’t get a reply. And Adrien figured it was just autocorrected. But still… his mind couldn’t help but wonder. Just a bit… What if?

           A while ago, he had vaguely considered that maybe him and Iron’s Kid had something, could possibly be…

In the middle of Winter break, Adrien got the best gift he could’ve ever asked for.

Iron’s Kid: I’ve been thinking

Chat Galore: Well that can’t end well

Iron’s Kid: Have you and MJ been talking behind my back

Iron’s Kid: Wait don’t answer that. I’m afraid to know

Iron’s Kid: Ned made a point the today

           Adrien waited for Iron’s Kid to elaborate more, because what?

Iron’s Kid: I’ve been stupid.

Chat Galore: Ned makes a good point, lol

Iron’s Kid: WHAT I’m TRYING TO say is; I trust you

           Adrien smiled as his phone.

Iron’s Kid: We’ve been friends since we were like 11

Iron’s Kid: I want to meet

Iron’s Kid: I want to know what you look like.

           Adrien agreed instantly. Because he’s been waiting for like six years. They agreed to meet up that spring. Iron’s Kid’s was going on a trip to Europe for his spring break. It was just going to be him and a few classmates who were in the same club as him. Iron’s Kid said everyone else in their grade was looking forward to the Big Senior Ski Trip at the Brown Bear Ski Lodge that happened every year.

Adrien had family in England. They would meet at six pm at the London’s Eye.

Chat Galore: I always figured you were secretly a werewolf and knew we’d automatically be enemies.

Iron’s Kid: Wait, why would we be enemies?

Iron’s Kid: Oh You’re a Cat!

Chat Galore: And You’re supposed to be a genius.

Iron’s Kid: Meow!

           Adrien’s seventeenth birthday came and went without any fireworks; metaphorical ones anyway. His party was huge.

           He also met the Justice League and got to watch Chloe cuss out the greatest heroes in the world for the invasion of privacy. Marinette, Adrien, and Nino just watched with smiles on their faces.

           He was counting down the days. Until he and Iron’s Kid finally met. It was strange to think it was really going to happen.

Chat Galore: Would you say you’re an independent person?

Iron’s Kid: MJ told me to say to yes.

Chat Galore: Stop being weird.

Iron’s Kid: As you wish.

           Adrien chuckled.

“What?” Marinette asked. He showed her the text. “It kind of funny.

“Not the Mj thing,” Adrien shook his head. “Iron’s Kid always says ‘As You wish’ whenever I tell him to do something. It’s weird.”

“…Like in Princess Bride,” Marinette asked.

           Adrien shrugged, “Never seen it. It’s one of Iron’s favorite though. Irritates him that I refuse to watch it. But I won’t until he watches the Vampire Diaries.”

           Marinette stared at him, “And Iron’s Kid says ‘As you Wish’ every time.”

“Yep.”

“Adrien, WATCH. THAT. MOVIE,” Marinette ordered a firm look on her face.

           Adrien pointed at her, “No!” He said firmly. “It goes against my principles.” She shot him a curious look. “I have a duty to annoying Iron’s Kid in any way I can.”

           The bluenette nodded understandingly, a small smile on her face, “Makes sense,” She said. “I totally accept your reasoning.”

           Adrien smiled happily… Like a fool.

           In retrospect, he should’ve known Marinette would never back down that easily.

           And that was how he ended up literally hogtied on the couch, the Princess Bride playing on the TV, with a smug Chloe and a gleeful Marinette next to him. Nino watched from the recliner with an easy grin on his face.

“You’ve could’ve helped!” Adrien complained to his friend.

           Nino shrugged, “I did help!” He defended. “…Them.”

           Adrien sighed and allowed himself to watch the movie; he fully knows two things.

One; there was no way he was getting out of this

Two; Iron’s Kid was never going to let him live this down.

           The movie was actually pretty good. But then…

           The scene played…

Grandpa: Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Westley around.

Buttercup: Farm boy, polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning.

Westley: As you wish.

Grandpa: "As you wish" was all he ever said to her.

Buttercup: Farm boy, fill these with water - please.

Westley: As you wish.

Grandpa: That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying "As you wish," what he meant was, "I love you." And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.

Buttercup: Farm boy ... fetch me that pitcher.

Westley: As you wish.

           Adrien’s mind went blank. His heart started beating faster than it ever had before. It couldn’t mean…

           Iron’s kid didn’t mean…

           Right?

           But what if he did.

           Adrien always sort of held a small torch for his penpal. And he never had any concrete evidence that said he felt the same. And he was waiting until he did.

           But what if Iron’s Kid was waiting too. What if he was waiting for Adrien to finally say something; to finally get his message.

Chat Galore: So…

Iron’s Kid: So… Did we agree to stop sending cryptic messages

Chat Galore: We did not

Chat Galore: So I finally watched Princess Bride

Iron’s Kid: YES!!!!!!!!! Finally!!! Fuck yeah! Tell you me loved it.

Chat Galore: It was good, you freaking loser

Iron’s Kid: It’s amazing. It’s a classic you asshat

Chat Galore: Learned something interesting though

Chat Galore: ‘As you wish’, huh? You say a lot

Chat Galore: To me.

           Adrien stared as his phone waiting for a reply. It came after ten minutes.

Iron’s Kid: I do.

Chat Galore: Does it mean what it's supposed to.

           Another five minutes, and it felt agony.

Iron’s Kid: It does

           Adrien screamed a little

Chat Galore: Are you seriously just going to give me two-word answers? Why didn’t just you tell me

Iron’s Kid: In a way I sort of did

           Adrien glared at the phone.

Chat Galore: You are the most frustrating person to ever exist!!!!!!

Iron’s Kid: Thank you

           Adrien took a deep breath before dialing, “You suck!” He said as soon as it answered.

“I told you to watch the movie,” Iron’s kid defended.

           Adrien gripped his hair, “You don’t tell someone you love them by using some obscure 80s movie reference!” He snapped. “How hard would it be to say: Iron’s Kid, I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since we were twelve-years-old.”

           It went quiet as both processed what Adrien just said.

“…That’s oddly specific,” Iron’s kid whispered.

           Adrien took a deep breath, “Yeah it is.” He said. He was forcing himself to be brave, braver than he ever had before. “But its how I feel. And I can’t help that.”

“I love you too,” Iron’s kid said. “And I’ve loved you since the first time stayed up talking while Binge-watching Harry Potter. It was the first time I realized you know me best in the entire world, and you don’t even know my real name. I could be honest with you in a way I can’t be with anyone. If I could dream up the perfect guy, he wouldn’t even come close to you.”

“Boys meets world,” Adrien let out a small laugh, that sounded a bit more like a sob. “Most of my life I felt alone, even when I was with people. That was until I met you.”

“Pretty little liars,” Iron’s Kid stated.

“In a few weeks, we’re finally gonna meet.”

“I’ll be there,” Iron’s kid said. “I swear.”

           Adrien smiled, “Good because I’ve been waiting for six years. And I know this is scary, but I will be there. Don’t let me down.”

“I won’t,” He promised.

           Valentine’s day came and went.

           Adrien was literally marking off the days on the calendar.  The trip was all planned already; Nino, Chloe, and Marinette were tagging along.

           Iron’s Kid and Adrien talked every day.        

“Okay if you sigh dreamily one more...” Nico teased.

           Adrien flushed a bright pink, “I’m finally gonna meet Iron’s Kid.”

“Ahh,” Nico nodded understandingly. “The mysterious penpal. It’s been what seven years?”\

“Six,” Adrien corrected. “Feels like twice that. We like each other,” He admitted. “Like really, really each other. We told each other a few weeks ago.’

           Nico frowned, “Just before meeting each other. Sounds like a lot of pressure. You ready for that?”

           The blond took a deep breath, “Yeah, I think so. It’s time. It’s going to be perfect. We’re gonna meet at London’s eyes, under the stars; it’ll be like a movie.”

“Your Ferris wheel moment,” Nico concluded. “Marinette told me,” The older boy explained. “Just… be careful okay.”

“I will be.”

           Nico gave him a hard look, “I’m serious. I know you. You’re all in. You always are,” he said. “Just don’t build this some more than you should. Don’t go in thinking it’ll be this picture-perfect movie moment. I don’t want to see you let down.” He told Adrien. “You’re my friend. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

           Adrien gave him a small smile, “I don’t care if the Ferris wheel is broken when I get there. Or its raining cats and dogs. It’ll be perfect.”

“Just be careful,” Nico repeated.

           The big day came. Adrien arrived in England on late Thursday with a stomach full of butterflies. Iron’s Kid had texted that he had been in London with his friends for a few days and that he couldn’t wait to see Adrien.

Iron’s Kid: I have brown hair. I’ll be wearing black slacks, and a rose lapel flower pin.

It wasn’t the first time the blond had been to England; he had more than a few photoshoots there. Yet somehow it all felt different. It all felt new. And it was like he was looking at everything again for the first time.

           He was to meet Iron’s Kid on Saturday at 6 pm. And he could barely contain himself

           He spent most of the Friday touring with his friends. They went to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The British Museum; standard tourist spots. And eating really, really British cuisine.

           Adrien woke up bright and early on Saturday and pretty much had a panic attack. It took Nino twenty minutes to calm him down. However, even when he was breathing normally again, Adrien was adamant about running back to Paris. That was when Nino called in Marinette and Chloe as reinforcements.

“If I have to drag to London’s Eye by your tacky boyband haircut,” Chloe growled. “I will.”

           Marinette tried the nice route, “Everything’s going to be fine,” She assured.

Chloe huffed, “I didn’t come all the way to London so you can be a little bitch.”

“You are so hostile,” Nino complained.

“What if this a mistake?” Adrien asked. “What if he’s disappointed? What if he takes one look at me, and is ‘You? I waited six years, and I get you. Waste of time.”

“That won’t happen!” Marinette said. “He’s gonna love you. He already does!”

           Nino nodded, “Yeah. You two are practically soulmates.”

“No!” Chloe held up a finger. “Listen to me clearly, Adrien Agreste; Just because he likes the same nerdy crap you do doesn't mean he's your soul mate. And if it doesn’t work out, not that it won’t, you will be just fine.”

           Marinette sighed, “No matter what happens everything is going to be okay.” She said firmly. “But you should really change that blazer. It’s not doing you any favors. Then we’re going to get breakfast and go to the museum. You have 11 hours until you have to be at the London’s eye. You’re going to relax until.”

“While we stop you from fleeing the country,” Nino yawned tiredly.

           That had to stop Adrien at least three times. One time Ladybug actually had appeared to pick Adrien up when he was halfway to the airport. This was all before one pm.

           The blond boy managed to calm down after that. Then he went back to bursting with excitement.  He was still afraid but he couldn’t let that stop him. Adrien has been waiting six years to meet Iron’s Kid, to meet Iron’s Kid.

           He arrived at the London’s eye, half an hour before six. He wore a silver suit Marinette had designed for him.

           Adrien took calming breaths. Marinette rolled her eyes as she fixed his tie, “See? This isn't so bad. You look amazing.”

“Are you kidding?” He gave her a nervous smile, “He traveled over three thousand miles to me. Any second now he's gonna get here, look at me and go, "Ha. Yeah, right, you're so not worth this.”

           Marinette gave him a hard look, “Yes, you are.” She patted his chest. “Take a lot of pictures. Text if you need anything.”

           And then she was gone.

           Adrien texted Iron’s Kid.

Chat Galore: I’m here. Blond; silver suit.

           The blond looked up at the London’s eyes, the biggest Ferris wheel had ever seen, and knew this was it. This was the moment Adrien had been waiting for. He smiled.

            When six pm came, Adrien was practically bursting at the seams. He was literally shaking in excitement. He watched the people go by and held his breath every time he saw a guy his age with brown hair but would frown when he didn’t see the rose lapel pin.

Chat Galore: You here yet?

           Six turned into seven. The sun had gone down. The stars were shining. Everything looked so perfect. Adrien was sure Iron’s Kid was on his way.

Chat Galore: If your running late it’s cool. I’ll wait.

           Seven turned into eight. Adrien refused to give up hope. He would wait no matter how long it took.

           Iron’s Kid was worth it.

Chat Galore: Still here.

Chat Galore: Did something come up?

           Eight turned into nine. The London’s eye closed. People started leaving. Adrien texted his friends that he was fine.

           He wasn’t feeling as hopeful as he did a few hours ago. But he’d wait.

Chat Galore: Still waiting.

Chat Galore: Well past feeling just a little pathetic.

           Nine turned into ten. Hope kind of then.

Chat Galore: Still here. Still waiting.

Chat Galore: What happened?

Chat Galore: Just say something!

           Ten turned to eleven. Adrien didn’t even know why he was still waiting.

Chat Galore: Anything! Please!

           A quarter to midnight, Adrien finally got an answer.

Iron’s Kid: I’m sorry.

           That was it. That was all he said.

           Adrien got back to his hotel room a little after midnight; feeling numb. His throat burned a little. His eyes were a little red.

           Nino greeted him with a big grin, “Back late, huh? Must’ve had a good time…” He trailed off when he saw the look on Adrien’s face. “Oh god, what happened?”

           Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets, “He, uh, he never showed up,” he said and swallowed the lump that had been building in his throat. “It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s okay.” Adrien nodded. “I need to, I have to, uh. I got to the bathroom.” And then he fled into the bathroom, locking the door behind him; willing the world to just stop existing for just a few moments.

“Dude, it’s okay,” Nino said through the door. “I know this has to be rough. But you’ll get through it. I’m here. I called Chloe and Marinette, they’re on their way.”

           Adrien didn’t say anything. He just wiped the tears off his face, and then gripped the bathroom sink.

“They’ll probably be banging on the door any sec,” Nino added. “Unless, Marinette’s trying to stop Chloe from committing murder,” He joked. “Which would be way rude by the way. I’d have liked an invitation. I thought our friendship was stronger.”

           Adrien heard loud knocking and the sweet voice of Marinette asking where he was, and the furious voice of Chloe already talking about how she knew how t to hide a body.

           The blond boy figured it was only a matter of time before Nino or Marinette convinced him to open up the door. Or Chloe broke it down.

           However, surprisingly after twenty or so minutes of his friends pleading with him to open the door, the door would gently swing open to reveal Marinette kneeling with a lockpick set in her hands.

           That got a smile out of Adrien. After all these years, the bluenette was still full of surprises.

           Adrien spent the rest of the night letting his friends comfort him. They left England the next morning.

           When they got back to Paris, and Adrien was back in the comfort of his room, he finally texted Iron’s Kid back.

Chat Galore: Why didn’t you show?

           He’d wait for a reply all day but wouldn’t get one.

           The next day, Adrien texted again.

Chat Galore: I’m not mad.

Chat Galore: I promise

Chat Galore: just a little hurt.

           Again, he’d wait for a reply all day, but it didn’t come.

           Though his friends tried to get him to talk about it, Adrien wouldn’t budge. He just couldn’t…

           It just stung too much. It burned too much.

Chat Galore: I get it if you were afraid or something

Chat Galore: It’s okay.

           And was the truth; it was fine.

           He would be fine. Everything was good. It was okay.

           Adrien would be fine.

           That was what he told everyone.

Chat Galore: We can pretend this never happened if you want

Chat Galore: Just be friends.

           Adrien still didn’t get a reply. That didn’t stop him from waiting for one. He figured Iron’s Kid was just embarrassed that he didn’t show or something. Everything would go back to normal after a few days.

Chat Galore: I’m going to see Onward. Heard its pretty good.

           But a few days became a week. A week became two. Two weeks a became a month of radio silence. And a seed of worrying starting to grow in Adrien’s stomach. Nevertheless, Adrien wrote Iron’s Kid once a day. He refused to give up hope.

           Adrien kept a smile on his face to stop his friends from being concerned. There was no reason to. He would be fine. It was okay. It wasn’t the first time he got his heart broken; probably would even be his last.

His days were split between studying and fight Hawkmoth. The villain was getting bolder and more desperate. Every Akuma seemed worse and stronger than the last. The kids got used to the feeling of always being dead on their feet.

           Marinette finally decided they needed a break and ordered a family game night. She got the newly permanent heroes Luka, Kagami, and Aurore to cover for them.

           Adrien tried to give all his attention to the monopoly game they played; laughed when he was supposed to. Tried to ignore that in the back of his mind, his attention was still a bit focused on his phone, and that fact that it's been a month since he heard from Iron’s Kid.

           A month since London.

           He barely even blinked twice when Marinette successfully bankrupted him, even though he was the first one out. Instead, as soon as the game got more intense, Adrien stuck away. He found himself on the roof the bakery, staring at the stars, clutching his phone in his hand.

Chat Galore: I’m running out of things to say

Chat Galore: Hard to have a one-sided conversation.

Chat Galore: I’m not even sure you’re reading this.

Chat Galore: Maybe I’ll just you send you movie quotes until you respond

            Adrien looked back up at the stars and wished. He wished never agreed to meet Iron’s Kid. He wished he never told him he loved him. He wished he could take it all back because at least he’d still have his friend.

           He wrapped his arms around himself. Adrien blinked back the tears that were building.

           He heard the door open behind him and figured it was Chloe or Nino coming to check on him; whoever got kicked out of the game firsts. Because Marinette was going to win.

“Beautiful night,” A voice said. “Nothing quite like Paris in the springtime.”

           Adrien cast a quick smile at Nico, “I always preferred it during Winter. A Snowy wonderland.” He went back to looking up at the stars.

“You know someday someone will walk into your life,” Nico said as he walked to stand next to the blond, “And make you realize why he never worked out with anyone else.”

“Go ahead,” Adrien laughed bitterly. “Tell me I told you so.”

           Nico shrugged, ‘Iron’s Kid’s a kid. And an idiot.”

“Yeah,” The blond sobbed. “That doesn’t mean much coming from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nico crossed his arms.

“Nothing,” Adrien rolled his eyes. “I’m just tired… I'm so tired of falling for guys that don't fall back. It hurts.”

“Adrien, I…”

           Adrien cut him off, “It’s the same thing every time. I’m all in, and they’re not. I’m the one left out in the cold. I’m waiting, looking like a total idiot. Because I was stupid enough to give all my heart when no one else ever does. So you wanna help me, Nico? Tell me what I do wrong.

“Nothing!” Nico gripped Adrien’s shoulders. “There is nothing wrong with you. You’re smart and talented. You’re caring and you’re funny. You look at this world like everything is possible, and you make me believe it too. You’re not the problem.”

“Tell me why I'm so easy to give up then,” The blond asked. “And maybe I can fix it”

“You’re asking the wrong guy, Sunshine,” Nico whispered, his forehead against Adrien’s, their lips inches apart. “There is no time or place or world, where it would ever be easy to give you up.”

Nico moved closer; so did Adrien…

“Hey!!” A voice called from downstairs. “New games starting. It’s Poker! Hurry your butts up!”        

           The two guys snapped back to reality and away from each other.

“You should go,” Nico said dryly, looking away from the other boy. “I’m going to stay here for a bit.”

“Nico…” Adrien said, looking a bit confused.

           The older boy shook his head.

           The blond nodded and started for the door.

“For what it’s worth,” Nico called. “He made the wrong choice.”.

           A small smile spread over Adrien’s face, “I know.”

“I wonder what would’ve happened if we met when we were older,” Nico asked.

           Adrien shrugged, “Someday we will be.”

“Long game?”

“Long game.”

           He went back to the living room where everyone was waiting, with the cards and poker chips already dealt.

           Adrien settled in the seat next to Marinette.

           The bluenette shot him a concerned look, “You okay?”

“I’ll be…” Adrien sighed. “Eventually.”

           The blond boy decided to chalk up whatever happened on the roof with Nico as… Just the two of them being caught in the moment. Emotions were high.

           …That didn’t stop Adrien from smiling every time someone mentioned Nico’s name.

Chat Galore: Everything is possible.

Chat Galore: Even the impossible.

           He still wrote Iron’s Kid once every day. Adrien didn’t say much. He just sent a movie quote he liked, just to let Iron’s Kid know he was still there. He was still waiting… if Iron’s Kid ever changed his mind.

Chat Galore: When you can’t look on the Brightside, I will sit with you in the dark.

           A month became two.

Chat Galore: In the garden of memory, in the palace of Dreams,  that is where you and I shall meet.

           Two became three. They figured out who Hawkmoth was. The battle had been epic. Adrien’s father had hesitated when he realized Adrien was Chat Noir, long enough for Ladybug to make the killing shot.

           Figuratively anyway.

           Ladybug blasted Hawkmoth into a wall. The heroes banded together to remove his miraculous. Then they erased his memory. And then Natalie’s. Of any and all knowledge of magic permanently; defeating Hawkmoth once and for all.

           As far as Gabriel knew he was just a recluse workaholic with what barely passed as a decent relationship with his only child.

           Adrien was devastated to learn who his father really was. Even so when he discovered the reason behind Hawkmoth’s villainous pursuit; his comatose mother and learned from Fu there was no way to save her; not even with a wish.

           The blond boy had long ago mourned his mother and moved on but that it didn’t hurt.

           Emilie Agreste was officially declared dead and buried on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in the middle of Spring.

Chat Galore: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it

           Three months became four.

           At this point, he knows Iron’s Kid’s never going to write him back. And that was okay. Adrien was okay.

           People move on. And while Adrien would always wonder why Iron’s Kid never showed, he could live without knowing.

           If anyone asked why he was still writing, Adrien would say he didn’t know.

           But that was a lie.

           He did know.

           Iron’s Kid had been a really big part of his life, had been one greatest friend he ever had; had been his first love in a way.

           So yes, Adrien knew exactly why he was still writing.

           He could live without Iron’s Kid in his life but he couldn’t live without one thing.

Chat Galore: Here's looking at you kid

           Adrien officially graduated from school. He was accepted into Columbia. He’d be living in New York. And so, would Chloe, Marinette, and Nino. They decided they wanted to stick together and keep being heroes.

           Chloe would be going to Columbia with him to study business and public relations. Marinette would study business and fashion. Nino decided to dedicate his life to being the next great movie director. Adrien would study Law.

           They decided to get two apartments across from each other like in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Because that was pretty much all they knew about New York.

           Damian would be attending Columbia; he was gearing up to take over Wayne Industries one day. Him and Marinette were still going strong. Lian would be going to Princeton, as Oliver Queen would be damned if his granddaughter went anywhere else. Jon would take a year off to explore the world before attending Metropolis University; he still wanted to Major in Journalism.

           Damian kept hinting hard that the Titans, not the Teen Titans, were looking for new members. And as he was the current leader of the Titans, it was less of a hint and more like being actively headhunted by the most aggressive Robin to ever walk the earth.

           It was official, they weren’t kids anymore.

Chat Galore: You know that place between sleep and awake where you’re always dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.

           They had a few months before they had to move completely to New York, and decided to do something special. Or rather Tom and Sabine did.

           And mostly because they just wanted to see where their kids would be living from now on.

           Sabine and Tom claimed to find this great deal on a ski resort near New York.  Everyone was invited; Nico, Kagami, Luka, Aurore, Lian, Jon, and Damian.

They did the whole tourist thing, led by Nico who was excited his cousin would be living in the same city as him and explored the great New York City, and Tom and Sabine got to see the penthouses, Gabriel and Audrey had bought each their perspective children and were assured their kids would be living in a safe location.

Chat Galore: So maybe it won’t look like you thought it would in high school, but it’s important to remember that love is possible. Anything is possible. This is New York

           The Brown Bear Ski Lodge was packed, apparently, some class from a school called Midtown had booked a trip at the same time they did. So the entire lodge was filled with graduating seniors, between the ages of seventeen and eighteen years old.

           To say it was wild was an understatement. Sabine vocally wondered why the school though three chaperones to watch over an entire class of students were enough. Tom just comforted Mr. Harrison when he started to cry.

Adrien got to meet loads of kids his age, a few that would even be starting at Columbia the same time as the French kids. It turned out most of the kids from Midtown were insanely smart.

           The blond boy ended up spraining his ankle while skiing and ended up spending most of the time on sitting on the lodge’s bay window watching nature and relaxing. He ended up sitting there long after nearly everyone else had gone off to bed.

“Having fun,” A boy his age asked, one of the few people left in the room. He was handsome with light brown hair and kind brown eyes.

“As close as I can get,” Adrien answered.

The brown-haired boy smiled, “Well if you get bored out of your mind, I got some movies on my tablet if you want to watch. I know some pretty good ones.”

“I’m good,” Adrien said. “You can join me if you want. I wouldn’t say no to company.”

           The boy did, “Name’s Peter.”

“Adrien.”

“By your accent, I’m guessing your not with the Midtown group,” Peter asked. “Also, because I’m from the Midtown group.”

           Adrien snorted, “France. I’ll be living full time in New York come autumn.”

“Is that right?” Peter looked excited by the news. “You’re gonna love it.”

“Yeah, and why’s that?”

           And then Peter went on to tell Adrien all about the places and people he loved in New York. They talked for hours until morning rays hit them through the window.

           Over the next week of the vacation, the two ended up finding themselves repeating that; talking and letting time disappear.

Chat Galore: I wish I knew how to quit you.

           Adrien introduced Peter to Marinette, Chloe, Nino, and the others. Peter introduced him to his friends Michelle, Ned, and Gwen. Like Adrien and his friends, Peter and his friends were pretty much attached at the hip.

“He pissed me off, so I put a porn virus into his computer,” Michelle answered the Marinette’s question as to why a Eugene kept running from her.

           Marinette and Adrien had decided to enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate by the fire, only to be joined by Peter’s friends: Michelle and Ned. Another would’ve joined them but he scampered away the second he saw the girl.

“He deserved it,” Michelle added.

“He totally did,” The large Asian boy nodded in agreement. “But MJ you might’ve taken it too far when you made it happen during class.”

           Marinette giggled. “Harsh!”

“No mercy, Ned!”

Adrien laughed until his brain processed what was said, “Wait, I thought your name was Michelle?”

Michelle and Ned froze like deer caught in the headlights.

“MJ’s my nickname,” Mj explained cooly. “And we should really be going…”

“Geniuses,” Adrien suddenly recalled; his mind finishing a calculation, he didn’t even realize he was trying to figure out. “Who goes to a school for super-smart kids. MJ, scary queen who could rule the universe,” He pointed at her. “Ned; loveable teddy bear nerd with a fixation on Legos. A bully named Eugene who I’m guessing goes by Flash.” He swallowed hard, and fixed hard green eyes on the two kids in front of him. “Did you take a class trip to Europe in Spring? Keep in mind I would really like you to say no.”

           Ned and MJ paled.

“Ned and MJ,” Adrien repeated. “Iron’s Kid’s best friends…” He whispered. “Peter’s best friends. Peter is Iron’s Kid, isn’t he?”

           MJ narrowed her eyes at him, “Chat Galore: Adrien Agreste.”

           Adrien’s entire body froze. He tried to remain calm, “This can’t be happening.”

           Marinette glared at them, “Your friends with Iron’s Kid!” She growled. “Peter is Iron’s Kid. What was he thinking? How could he just stand Adrien up? I’ll kill him!”

“I never told you my last name!” Adrien realized. “How did you?”

“We hacked into Peter’s phone a few months ago,” MJ shrugged. “And traced your Ip address.”

           Adrien glared, “And Peter knew? When I got here, he knew who I was didn’t?” He accused. “He lied right to my face!”

“It’s complicated!” Ned looked at Adrien with wide eyes. “Yeah, he knew who you were when he saw you. He just wanted a do-over. It’s weird I know. I told him not to do it!”

           MJ looked at Marinette, “You should kill him. It was a bitch move,” She said. “But if it means anything, he regrets not showing up at London’s eye.” This part she told Adrien.

“Like super regrets it!” Ned added. “You can’t beat him up half as much as he does himself.”

“I can try,” Marinette crossed her arms.

“He reads your texts every day,” Mj said.

           Adrien stood up angrily, “Then why doesn’t he text back?” He demanded to know. “Why didn’t he show up at the London’s eye. I waited! I’ve been waiting!”

           MJ shrugged, “I can’t answer that,” She said. “Only he can. I can only tell you he was stupid. And he overreacted. You deserve to hear everything from him.”

           Ned nodded eagerly, “He really likes you. He nearly dropped dead when he saw you were here. Just let him explain!”

“No!” Adrien snapped. “I don’t want to see him. Ever.” He clenched his fists. “I… I just can’t.”

           And he stumped away.

           He went to his room and packed his bags. He was getting out of there. He was leaving he had nothing to say to Iron’s Kid. Or Peter. Or whoever he was.

           There was a knock on his door.

“Go. Away!” Adrien snapped.

“I can’t do that!” It was Jon that surprisingly said that.

“Come in!” The door opened. “What do you want?” Adrien asked. “Sorry, I’m just a bit busy right now.”

           Jon wore a red plaid shirt over a white t-shirt and blue jeans, “Don’t leave,” He told Adrien.

“I have to,” The blond said he snuffed his suitcase.

“You can’t!”

           Adrien all but snarled, “Look you don’t understand. You don’t get it.” He said. “I have to leave.”

“Yeah I do,” Jon said and shut the door behind him. “Super hearing, remember? I know everything that’s going on. You can’t go, not like this.”

“Yes, I-” The blond started but was cut off.

           Jon grabbed his shoulders and sat him on the bed, “You deserve an answer. You’ve been waiting for an answer,” He stated. “You deserve to know why he didn’t show up.”

“And why he decided to mess with me for the last week?!!”

“That I understand!” Jon said. “He wanted to start over. Second chances are hard to come by. And once upon a time, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for one.”

“And you think he deserves one?”

“Just talk to him,” Superboy said. “Or scream at him. Whatever.”

           Adrien ran a hand through his hair, “I haven’t been waiting for an answer,” He admitted. “I would’ve liked one, but I wasn’t waiting for it.”

“You love him,” Jon said. “You did. Or do. I know. Because I remember how you used to look when he texted you. I know… Because you used to look like that around me.”

“Jon…”

“I saw you two together,” Jon said. “You’re good together. Leaving now would be a big mistake. I’m saying that as your friend. Meet him, talk to him. Even nothing happens. Or everything does.”

           Adrien hid his face in his hands and groaned, “Even if it’s just to reject him?” He crossed his arms. “Wouldn’t it be better to just leave?”

“Not for you,” Jon shook his head. “Look, if you reject him now, he's gonna make it his life's mission to go out there and meet the most perfect, beautiful guy or girl in the world just to try and get over you. And he'll end up marrying this other person and spending the rest of his life with them. And you know, he'll tell himself that they're perfect and... He really must be happy, but they won't be you, you know? And that’s the worst thing that will happen.”

           It went quiet.

“Follow your heart, Adrien,” Jon added. “It’s what you do best. And it’s the best thing about you.”

           Then the boy of steel left.

           And Adrien was alone with his thoughts.

Chat Galore: Relationships are messy and people’s feelings get hurt. Who needs it?

           Adrien left. It wasn’t his finest moment and not his bravest. But he left. Because he wasn’t ready to see Peter. Not yet. He texted his friends and tom and Sabine that he was leaving and that he’d okay… eventually.

           He’d go back to New York City, leave on the next flight out. He’d back to the big Apple two months later, move into his apartment with Nino, Marinette, and Chloe and start his life there.

           Two weeks after that Chloe would get the opportunity of a lifetime, a PR internship for college credit at Stark Industries. The blonde girl invited them all to go on her tour with her; apparently, she was told she could bring friends.

           Adrien would frown when he heard but not say anything. Peter wasn’t the only one with friends that could track an IP address.

           It was time. No more running.

           Stark Tower was everything, the kids all dreamed it would be. A scientist, futuristic wonderland. They oohhh’ed and awed. And Adrien tried to enjoy himself and keep his mouth closed.

           Even when the most advanced elevator in the entire world “mysteriously” malfunctioned and took them to the very top floor; otherwise known as the place the Avengers lived.

“Sorry about that,” Tony Stark, himself, gave them his most charming grin when the doors opened and he was standing right there. “We’ll get that fixed right away.” He promised. “Come on kiddies, let me show you where the big kids play.”

           He led them to the living room where Captain America was watching TV.

“Hey, babe!” Tony grinned. “This is Chloe, Pepper’s newest intern. Marinette, Nino, and… Adrien.”

“Tony…” Steve Roger gave his husband a chastising look.

“Cap…”

           Adrien huffed and glared at the occupants in the room, “Cut the crap,” He ordered them, drawing surprised looks from his friends. “Where’s Peter?” He asked. “Iron’s Kid,” Tony smirked at the name. “Is Peter. Peter Stark-Rogers.”

           His friends turned fierce glares at the Avengers.

“It’s a setup!” Chloe accused.

“Heroes are supposed, to be honest,” Marinette chided.

           Nino crossed his arms, “What a letdown.”

“Where’s Peter?” Adrien asked again.

“He’s coming,” Tony said. “You three and my hotter than the sun husband come with me; I’ll show you the training room that you can use full time If Ladybug, Queen Bee, Carapace, and Chat Noir decides they wanted to ditch the Justice League and hang with the Major Leagues.”

           His friends paled at the fact that Tony Stark and probably all the Avengers knew their superhero identities and followed Iron Man out of the room.  Steve just sighed at his husband’s antics and follow him out.

           Adrien crossed his arms and waited.

           The elevator would ping, and five minutes later Peter would walk into the living room. They just at each other for a few moments.

“I’m sorry,” Peter finally said.

           Adrien shook his head, “I don’t want your apologies. I came here… I waited here… for the same reason I’ve waited the last seven months,” He said. “I only waited to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Peter gave him half a smile. “We’ve only just met.”

           Adrien pointed him, “Don’t!” He said. “Don’t quote movies at me.” He snapped. “Why?” Adrien asked. “Why weren’t you there? How could you not be there?!”

“I was!” Peter said. “I was there. I saw you. I was terrified. And I left.”

“I was afraid too!” Adrien said. “The difference is I still showed up. I waited six years to meet you. And I waited at the London’s eye for almost seven hours, and you just left me. You blew me off.”

“I’m sorry!” Peter yelled. “I’m so sorry. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”

Adrien clenched his fists. “Why didn’t you write me back? Why did you pretend at the lodge?”

“I don’t know,” Peter admitted. “I really don’t. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just saw you and my mind just went blank. I thought it was like fate giving me a second chance. I didn’t do it right. I screw up. Again!”

“A second chance?” Adrien glared at him. “You think that was your second chance? No. Your second chance was I texted asking what happened. You got another chance every time I texted you. I texted you every day for six months. Those were your chances!” He yelled. “If it was over for you, you could have told me. Said something. But you left me in the dark. If you didn’t feel the same about me, you could’ve told me. I just wanted my friend back!”

“Adrien, I…”

“Why didn’t you write me back?” Adrien asked, tears burning in his eyes. “Why? It wasn’t over for me. Six months, that’s one hundred and eighty-two days. I wrote you one hundred and eighty-two times. I waited for you! It’s too late now. It’s over!”

           Peter looked ready to cry, “I wrote you over three hundred emails. I have them saved on my computer I never sent them. I didn’t think they’d be enough. They’re still not enough. It’s wasn’t over for me. It’s still not over.”

“Why?” Adrien asked again. “Why didn’t Iron’s Kid show up? Why was he so afraid?”

           Peter just looked at the blond boy for a moment, before taking a deep breath, “Iron’s Kid thinks about that moment every day. He used to think he didn’t show up because he was afraid of what would happen; that it wouldn’t work out. That he’d lose one his best friends.” He said. “That them being together would ruin everything. Because they were just kids; they were stupid and young. But that was just a lie he told himself because he was afraid. The truth is, He was at the London’s eye that night, he saw Chat Galore: the most perfect person he’d ever seen and got scared for a completely different reason.”

“Why?”

           Peter stepped towards Adrien, “Once he figured that out, and he figured that out really quick but only when it was just too late, Iron’s Kid didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what to say to make it right. So he said nothing. And it killed him every day. Iron’s Kid would give anything to go back to that night at the London’s eye, to back to that moment when they were supposed to meet. Before everything went wrong. Iron’s kid would tell Chat Galore everything he always wanted. But he couldn’t. Because doesn’t work like that. Instead, he was so sorry for what he had done.”

           Adrien just listened.

“Because Iron’s Kid realized,” Peter said, “That he wasn’t afraid that night because he thought it wouldn’t work out; that Chat Galore wasn’t the one. He was absolutely terrified because he knew he was. And if Adrien could just give him one more chance. Just one more chance, he’d spend the rest of his making it up to him.”

“Peter…”

“I love you,” Peter said. “I’m totally and completely in love with you. And I don’t care if you think its too late. I’m telling you anyway. Because if I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Because I know in my heart, you’re the one for me.”

           Adrien just sighed and looked away, wondering what he should do.

“I don’t what’s going to happen in the future,” Peter said. “I don’t if in the time I was an idiot if Jon or Nico or Luka,” He chuckled, and so did Adrien. “Won your heart. I just know… I may not be your first love, but I intend to be your last. However long it takes.”

           A smile spread across Adrien’s face, “You watched it,” He said. “You finally watched the Vampire diaries. It only took you, what? Seven years.”

“Six and a half,” Peter corrected. “Sorry I made you wait.”

“I know,” Adrien nodded. “I need some time, okay. I need to get my head on straight. Before I decide anything.”

“I understand,” Peter agreed eagerly. “I get it. I’ll wait.”

           Adrien would take two weeks to decide what he was feeling and what he wanted to do. And when the two weeks were over, he knew exactly what he wanted, and who he wanted. So he made a call.

           And then ended up a Coney island, next to The Wonder Wheel, one of the most famous Ferris wheels in the world. He waited in line and happily got on the ride. The seats next to him were quickly filled by Marinette, Chloe, and Nino.

“Finally getting your Ferris wheel moment?” Nino asked as the ride started.

           Adrien smiled, “Yeah. Except I wanted the people I love the most with me.”

“Awww,” Marinette hugged him. “We love you too.”

“That’s a dollar for the overly sentimental jar,” Chloe glared at him. “And no more rom-com for you.”

           Adrien snorted.

           The kids enjoyed the ride, and when it was over, and they got off, Marinette asked, “So you didn’t choose anyone?”

“Well…” He motioned to the guy waiting at the exit of the ride. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m done. No more waiting, no more long game, no more… anything. Its time I get a little more proactive.”

           Chloe smirked, “About time. Get it, Agreste!”

“Just remember you have a roommate,” Nino smirked.

           The three walked off to enjoy the rest of the amusement park.

           Adrien smiled at them, and then smirked at the guy waiting for him, “Wait long?”

“I’d wait forever.”

#ml fic #ml salt #adrien agreste #ADRIEN DESERVES BETTER #marinette dupain cheng #Marinette deserves better #adrien sugar #gaydrien #chloe bourgeois #Nino lahiffe #daminette #Damian Wayne #Jon Kent #peter parker #tony stark #alya bashing #lila bashing #alya salt #class salt #nico di angelo #pjo

[prettyinpymtech]

Did I Mention

Part 1

Poe Dameron x Princess!Reader

Summary: Poe refuses to agree with General Organa’s decision when she invites royalty to advise the Resistance. Despite his protests, Leia trusts him with her safety during an undercover mission. Maybe there’s a chance to change his misgivings of their new guest.

A/N: Please let me know what you think of this, it’s my very first fic and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing! This chapter is just a glimpse of the relationship between Poe and reader before they are sent undercover. Also wanted to add that you may recognize a particular scene that was inspired by The Princess Diaries 2.

Unpredictability was an indulgence unfamiliar to a princess.

Despite your best efforts, however, you soon learned the Resistance only recognized the unpredictable nature of the galaxy. 

Months had been spent to ensure every proper detail was considered but, as you watched the conference room dissolve into chaos, you knew there would be no chance to salvage what remained of your plan.  

The only individual who could provide some form of calm was General Organa, but even she was starting to lose her patience with the current situation at hand.

“What is he doing?” she muttered.

It didn’t take long to realize who she was referring to.

Poe Dameron had met your arrival with opposition, questioning the need for royalty to oversee the operation of the Resistance. The two of you had shared more than enough quarrels to create unease between all of the commanding officers. He concentrated his attention on your inexperience, but failed to recognize your dedication to their cause after witnessing the cruel reign of the First Order during a diplomatic mission to a nearby system.

Sensing Leia’s distress, you held her hand in a careful attempt to provide consolation. According to your mother, a princess was required to place the needs of others before her own and you would do all that was necessary to encourage General Organa’s efforts.

You wished you could lose your temper in front of everyone. You wished you could scream and cry after another failure. But that luxury was not yours to have, and so you continued your attempt to center your thoughts to something more optimistic.

Perhaps you were being too juvenile, the mission would surely be a success with Black Squadron leading. Perhaps…

“They’re back!” shouted a communications officer beside you.

Any reasoned thought you had formed was immediately silenced once the announcement was made. You hurried out of the conference room and went in search of the pilot who had disobeyed your orders.

You found him among a crowd of adoring fans congratulating him for accomplishing the task, much to your dismay.

“Commander Dameron!” you shouted.

Poe rolled his eyes when he heard your voice and begun to walk away with BB-8 trailing behind, forcing you to follow at a reckless pace.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Do you have any idea how many lives you could have risked? I thought we agreed you would stick to the plan?”

Poe turned around at your statement.

“We agreed?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t sound like me, princess.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Poe rolled his eyes and continued his search for General Organa, forcing you to follow him once again.

“Would you at least listen to me?”

“I did. You said to get the information and we did.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what am I missing, Your Highness?”

Exhausted by his remarks, you pressed ahead and stopped in front of him. “Commander Dameron, you are the most infuriating man I’ve ever met.”

The interruption of General Organa stopped Poe from forming a response.  “What’s going on here?”

Turning to Poe, you were outraged to find he had the audacity to present a charming smile in her direction.

“We got the information you needed, General,” he proudly stated. “Just like we promised.”

Unable to hide your anger, you stepped on Poe’s foot.

Was it childish? Yes.

Did you regret it? Not really.

But he had an uncanny ability to test your patience and, after weeks of disagreements, you had finally lost any power to control your temper.

BB-8 let out a series of angry beeps and rolled forward, demanding an explanation for hurting his friend. Poe stopped him before he could follow your retreating form and turned to General Organa, rubbing his foot.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, commander.”

Poe sighed and followed Leia into her office. Once the doors closed, an uncomfortable silence settled in the room.

“We got the information you needed.” Poe repeated.

Leia frowned at his words.

“Any casualties?”

He avoided her gaze.

“Yes.”

“Poe, you had no right to question Y/N. She’s spent weeks collecting information to ensure we walked out of that mission unscathed.”

Poe didn’t respond.

It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate your effort, he could admit you were extremely gifted in your skills. But Poe had met enough senators and dignitaries to inspire a growing amount of distrust in their ability to help those who needed it most.

“I’ll give this information to Connix,” she continued. “Hopefully something good will come out of it.”

Knowing it was time to take his leave, Poe nodded and walked out of her office.

Stepping outside, he found BB-8 eagerly waiting for him in the corridor. Letting out a chuckle, Poe scratched the droid’s round body and allowed his thoughts to return to you.

Despite any doubts he had about you and your plan, he knew he owed you an apology. The problem was, you were both incapable of having a polite conversation.

He could never understand why he felt the need to argue with your ideas.  Poe recalled a time when he had confessed to his friends he found you distracting, though he wasn’t entirely sure why he had chosen that particular word to defend his doubts.  

Poe was quickly snapped out his thoughts when BB-8 beeped in concern. “It’s nothing, buddy. Come on, let’s get some rest.”

Apologies were rehearsed silently but, after he allowed exhaustion to precede his motivation, Poe decided no amount of gracious pretense would resolve your contentious relationship.

The two of you would most definitely never get along and there was nothing that could be done to prove him wrong.

#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron #star wars imagine

[camillemontespan]

can we talk about georgiana, the duchess of devonshire?

So, a few months ago, I asked my followers who would be interested in following a side blog about historical figures. I’m a huge history geek and I thought that if I started a blog about the people who interest me, I could add it to my CV and also just get back into my interests. Quite a few of you were down for it and I was so pleased!

I’m yet to make the side blog but I’m posting this as a test to see if you guys like it. If you do, I will make the side blog. 

@jovialyouthmusic​ @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ @moonlightgem7​ @walkerswhiskeygirl​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @saivilo​ @pug-bitch​ @katedrakeohd​ @gardeningourmet​ @mskaneko​  

****************************************************************************

Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806)

I love history for its people. I am not interested in battles or treaties; I am drawn to the people behind these events. I like discovering what made them tick, that drove their decisions and what impact their lives have had on future generations. If you ask me to date a certain event, I can’t do it, but I can give you a spoken biography of historical figures that interest me. 

When I moved to Devon two years ago, I was nervous but also excited for one reason: I believed I would be able to visit Chatsworth House, the home of the Duchess of Devonshire. Imagine my irritation when I realised that Chatsworth is actually based in Derbyshire, which is hours away from Devon itself. My ideas of weekend jaunts to Chatsworth as I admired the architecure and strolled around the gardens were ruined by this realisation. 

You may have heard of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. A film of her life starring Keira Knightley was released in 2008 which first brought her to my attention. Now, I’m not a Knightley fan - ‘I’m Keira Knightley, look at my jawww,’- because I find her quite wooden, however I was pleasantly surprised when I watched her performance. She brought a human element to this historical figure who was known for her fashion sense, crippling debt and controversial marriage arrangement. 

Georgiana is also the ancestor of Princess Diana. Many people compare their tragic stories and can see a mirror image. Married to man they didn’t really love, later forced to watch their husbands fall in love with another woman and say nothing, all the while maintaining dignity and poise on the world stage. 

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Georgiana. 

 If Georgiana was your friend, she would be the one who would come over with a bottle of wine, over which you would put the world to rights and drunkenly proclaim, ‘I love you sooooo much!’ to each other, before deciding to have a spontaneous night out where you dance on the bar and pound shots. She would visit you the next day – you would be horrifically hungover, she would be fresh as a daisy.

Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, was known for her charismatic and bubbly personality; her ability to make any outfit look beautiful (4 foot long peacock feather in her hair springs to mind) which made women everywhere try to emulate her - she literally set trends. She was also known for her passion for politics and her private life. 

On the surface, she had it all. But in reality, she didn’t. Underneath this larger than life facade was a tragic figure. 

For one thing,  Georgiana was addicted to gambling and racked up an eye watering debt. She borrowed money from her friends but never repaid them. Her mother warned her to be careful but to no avail.  Her mother also had a gambling problem and wasted money while playing faro. She didn’t want her daughter to continue her mistakes. Georgiana hid her debts from her husband for as long as she could, but eventually she had to tell the Duke, who paid off her debts and never mentioned it again. 

She had been expecting to get a bollocking but he stayed silent. To be honest, this made it worse. It’s like being told by your mum that she’s ‘disappointed’ in you, when you’d prefer her to shout at you for a few minutes and then forgive you. She struggled with gambling for years.

Second, and most importantly, her marriage was an unspoken controversy.  This is the thing that makes Georgiana an incredible character to study. I read her story and I just couldn’t work it out in my head - why would you put up with this? But then, you have to remember that divorce wasn’t an option for women in those days. Women were property. They were commodities. Leaving a marriage because your husband preferred another woman was not an option. 

It was the worst kept secret in society. Everyone knew that her best friend, Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Foster, lived with them and that Bess was her husband’s mistress. Georgiana had asked for Bess to live with them after she discovered that Bess’ sons had been taken away from her and she was living in awful circumstances. Georgiana was too good, too kind – and Bess took advantage.  Trust me, Bess is the villain in this story, no matter how often she tried to set her story straight. Diary accounts from Georgiana’s friends show that nobody trusted her. They could see her for what she was -a schemer, a leech. But Georgiana couldn’t. 

Bess stayed at Chatsworth and conducted a secret affair with her husband, which soon became public knowledge. Did Georgiana say anything? No. She let it carry on under her roof, without saying a word. In the film, she stands up for herself which is how it should have played out. But according to Amanda Foreman, the historian and writer of the book, this didn’t happen. Georgiana kept silent. 

 Although I wish I could shake her and tell her she deserves so much better, in a way I feel she shows a huge strength of character to put up with that. She continued her daily routine with dignity and carried on being a queen. 

 Now, this is when things get interesting and draws in another historical figure who I feel isn’t really known? At least, I didn’t know him, all I knew was that there are tea bags named after him. 

 The rumour is that she later fell in love with Charles Grey, a Whig politician  (later Prime Minister - I KNOW RIGHT? YOU GO GEORGIANA!) who had dreams of a bright, new world where all men had the vote. They were like minded and they could talk about these dreams together.  I adore how political Georgiana was and that she spoke publicly about her political associations in a time when women were expected to stay at home and mind their business. She actually brought about the trend of canvassing, where you go out into the streets and campaign for a party.  Having Georgiana on side meant the Whigs became popular quickly  - if anything, she became their figurehead. Anyway, I digress, but let me just say that she has so much depth. She is genuinely interesting.  

Right, Charles Grey. 

They had an affair and she became pregnant with his child. In short, she asked the Duke if she could leave him and be with Grey. After all, he was fucking her best friend and not giving a shit about her feelings. But, of course, the Duke refused. Hypocrite, yes. But the time period was different and he couldn’t risk the humiliation of being deserted by his wife – nor could she. Women who left their families were ravaged by society. She gave birth to Grey’s daughter, Eliza, in secret and the baby was raised by his family as Grey’s niece.  Again, that is a testament to her character. I’m sure many women would have felt broken after that. But she wasn’t – she visited Eliza frequently (who, when she grew up, named her daughter Georgiana after her mother. I think she knew by then) and she continued to partake in social engagements. 

What I love about her, aside from her strength, is how she challenges the stereotype of women of that time. In fact, she was way beyond her time. She was the one who started the trend for getting outside in the streets and campaigning for the Whigs. She was a WOMAN who was out in the streets campaigning, despite not even having a vote or even thinking her gender would one day have one, and she was so much more than just fashion and money. She was an intelligent badass who cared about how the country was run. She didn’t let gender stereotypes and restrictions hold her back. I love how no matter how shit her home life was, she didn’t let that bring her down. If anything, politics was her escape. It was where she could feel valued. She made friends with the Whigs, such as Charles Fox, and they wanted to hear her opinion. They needed her on their side because her opinion mattered. She mattered.

She was ahead of her time. She had a hard home life but she carried on, trying to make a difference and prove her worth. Georgiana is my home girl and I will stand up for her because no one else did.

I know this wasn’t a coherent piece.  It was all over the place, right? But that’s what history does to me. I get excited. If I’m talking to you about Georgina, my hands will be all over the place and my voice will be rising in volume because I get so passionate about the subject. I wrote essays at uni for my history degree and they were so proper, just the way university dictates you write.  All I wanted to write was ‘read how amazing this person is! Give me an A for enthusiasm!’ I once got a lower mark for an essay because I made the mistake of being too enthusiastic, writing a really in-depth profile on the historical figure, but forgot to answer the question… My tutor said he could tell I really enjoyed writing it but I didn’t actually fulfill the point of the essay. It wasn’t a harsh criticism - he was happy I enjoyed writing it but obviously, couldn’t grade me a high mark. 

But that’s how I approach history. I could sit here and try to write something proper but I think that is one reason why history is often a disliked subject. It CAN be boring if taught badly. 

I remember my history teacher in high school, Mr Pia, who was the best teacher I’ve ever had. He scared all the young students because he was so serious and never smiled and I tell you, I was scared when I found out he would be teaching me when I was in my final year. But, when I joined his class, he surprised us in a lesson about Austria. He played Mozart and said, ‘I thought I would try to evoke the right atmosphere!’

I fell in love with his teaching then and there.

THAT is what makes history a good subject. You need someone passionate, who looks at it differently. That’s how I would like to approach it. It may not be for some people but it works for me. 

If Georgiana has peaked your interest, you can read the biography by Amanda Foreman which is incredible. I couldn’t put it down. Even give the film a go - Ralph Fiennes plays the Duke and Dominic Cooper (babe) is Charles Grey. It’s on Netflix. Spend your Sunday watching it. It’s a great adaptation. 

[euphoria-svt]

Celebrity Crush

this has been in my docs for a while and i finally edited it and made it longer OOPS

Word count: 4.1k -ish

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“Please?” Skylar pouts “Pretty please, y/n/n?”

 You avoided her eyes, knowing damn well you couldn’t resist that look she was giving and was most likely going to give in and say yes.

 “I don’t know, Sky…” You hesitated, biting your lower lip “You know all three of his concerts are sold out. I don’t think it’s physically possible at this point”

 “Well you’re a famous singer, y/n” Skylar sassed “Can’t you ask Nick to pull some strings with Shawn’s manager? I’ve been wanting to see him live in concert for the longest time!”

“Tone it down with the sass, Skylar” You warned jokingly “Okay, okay! I’ll ask Nick if there’s something he can do but if they say no, then it means no. Okay, princess?”

 Skylar squealed, leaning forward and pressed a quick kiss to your cheek before jumping off the couch and running off to the bathroom “Call Nick now! I’m going to take a bubble bath! Thanks y/n, you’re the best sister!”

 “I swear to God that 6-year old girl will be the death of me one day” You muttered to yourself as you scrolled through your contacts and immediately found Nick’s number.

 “Hello?” Nick answered at the third ring.

 “Nick, hi!” You greeted enthusiastically “How are you?”

 “Okay kid, what do you need?” He chuckled.

 “Why must you assume I need something?” You faked a gasp “Can’t I just call my manager up and ask him how he was doing? Is that so wrong to do?”

 “You could but you specifically told said manager that you didn’t want to hear from him for the next 2 weeks you were in London” Nick responded and you rolled your eyes at his sass “So, stop stalling and just spit it out, y/n”

 “Fine. I need you to do me favour but know that it’s fine if you can’t make it work, okay? I’m not forcing you to get it done”

 “Okay…?”

 “Skylar found out Shawn Mendes is performing in the O2 Arena for three nights” You started off the explanation with a heavy sigh “And that kid is crazy obsessed with his songs and wouldn’t stop bugging me to get tickets. Is there any way you can get your hands on them?”

 “That’s it?” Nick asked in disbelief “That’s the big favour you need me to do?”

 “Well, it’s a sold-out show for all three nights…” You slowly explained, hoping he understood why it was a huge favour that you were asking “So, how else would we get in?”

 Nick snorted, “Sweetheart, I’m going to ignore you just asked that. Shawn’s manager is a friend of mine so I’ll give him a call after I get off the phone with you and see what I can do. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

 “You’re the best, Nick!” You exclaimed “That’s all, really. But I do want you to set up a meeting with the team as soon as I’m back in LA. We really need to figure out the tour dates and I want designs of the merch to be ready by then as well”

 “Done and done” He immediately replied “I’ll text you with the details later”

 After you bid goodbye to him, you stood up and made your way to the bathroom in the suite. You softly knocked on the door and could hear splashes of water coming from the tub “Sky, I’m calling room service for dinner, okay? Speed up on that bubble bath please”

 “Okay!”

 You and Skylar were having dinner at the table while watching Princess Diaries on Netflix when your phone beeped. After checking the message, you had a huge grin on your face.

 iMessage from Nick the Coolest Manager: Andrew was thrilled when I told him you were interested to go for the concert so he hooked you two up for backstage passes for the 16th April show. Shawn’s looking forward to meeting Skylar.

 iMessage to Nick the Coolest Manager: you’re the best!! Skylar is going to freaaaaaak.

 “Hey Sky” You called out to her as she turned her head away from the laptop screen to face you with her mouth still stuffed with spaghetti “Guess who’s going to see Shawn in 2 days?” You smirked.

 “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” Skylar asked with a stuffed mouth. She chewed on her food then swallowed it before she let out a squeal “For real? You’re not joking?!”

 You shook your head and giggled “No, babe. Nick managed to get us backstage passes”

 “Backstage passes?!” Skylar repeated with excitement lingering in her voice “Like I get to meet Shawn? And we’ll be best friends?”

 “Hey, now” You rolled your eyes playfully, warning her “I’m your best friend forever, got it? I’m not going to take you if you’re going to replace me for Shawn”

 Skylar shook her head instantly “No, I’m sorry! You’re my bestest friend forever!” She pouted as she wrapped her arms around your neck “Thank you sissy! I love you! Tell Nick I said thanks too!”

 “Okay munchkin, finish your food”

 xxx

 Connor set his camera down by the table as he entered the green room. Shawn and Brian were sat on the couch; munching on some candies they filled in a plastic bowl while scrolling through their phones.

 “Hey” He greeted the two guys as he plops down on the single-chaired couch “Why is the buffet table suddenly filled with so much candies?”

 “Shut up, don’t complain!” Brian cried with a mouth full of candy “It’s a beautiful thing”

 Connor chuckled and leaned across to steal some from their bowl “’M not. It’s nice to have a little candy sometimes but I could’ve sworn Cez and Andrew banned them because Shawn can’t control his urges and may lose his voice if he eats too much”

 “They should probably take these away before that happens” Shawn nodded in agreement but continued to fill his mouth with coloured jelly beans “Andrew told me a little girl and her sister are coming for tonight’s show so they went all out to make sure she’s kept entertained”

 “Oh?” Connor’s eyebrows furrowed as he asked “Do you know who she is?”

 “Yeah, her name is Skylar” Shawn answered “She’s y/n’s little sister”

 When Connor heard your name, he almost choked on the little piece of bean that was still in his mouth.

 After swallowing the candy and making sure he didn’t choke, he asked with wide eyes “y/n? She’s coming for your show tonight?”

 “Pretty cool, huh?” Shawn grinned “Andrew said she’s here on holiday with her sister. Skylar is a pretty big fan so y/n asked her manager if he could get her tickets to come”

 “Interested in y/n, are we Brashier?” Brian smirked “I saw the way you reacted when Shawn mentioned her name”

 Connor let out a groan and picked out a coloured bean from the bowl then proceeding to throw it at Brian’s head “Shut the fuck up, Brian”

 Shawn grinned at his friend, “So, what? She’s your celebrity crush or something?”

 Connor shrugged his shoulders, “I mean, I really like her music” He shyly admitted “Plus, she’s crazy talented, you know? I saw her live once 2 years ago and she was amazing”

 “She is” Shawn nodded in agreement “I’m pretty sure I met her at one of the award shows but we never properly introduced ourselves. I’ve listened to her songs, though”

“You’re going to be star-struck aren’t you?” Brian grinned.

“Stop!” Connor whined “We probably won’t even talk or anything. She came here to take her sister to see Shawn remember?”

 “Brian!” Cez popped his head into the room “y/n and her sister are almost here. Do you think you can get them from the back door? Andrew and I have some matter with Shawn we need to discuss”

 “Oh Cez, I would but I feel like Connor’s more willing to do that” Brian smirked and if looks could kill, Brian would’ve been dead on the spot because of the glares Connor was sending in his way “That’s okay, right?”

 Cez rolled his eyes, not knowing what angle Brian was working at “Yeah, doesn’t matter. Con, these are the passes” Cez held up the two backstage passes similar to his and placed them by his camera “You can keep them entertained first and Shawn will be with them in about 15 minutes. Shawn, let’s go and stop eating those jelly beans! Those are meant for Skylar!”

 Shawn rolled his eyes, taking a handful of jelly beans as he stood up from his seat “Have fun bonding with y/n” He smirked at Connor before heading towards the door.

 Brian snickered at Connor’s face as he stood up “You know I hate you, right?” Connor grumbled as he walked over to the table to grab the passes.

 “No, honey! You love me and you’re going to thank me later!” Brian called after him, letting out a loud laugh.

 Connor stood outside the door, leaning against the wall as he patiently waited for you. His heart was beating faster than usual; was he really about to meet his celebrity crush? You’d think he was used to meeting famous people after having to work with a few celebrities but none of the ones he’s met before were his celebrity crushes.

 A range rover pulled up not too long later and he takes a moment to prepare himself.

 Act cool. Don’t freak her out. Don’t be a crazy fan. She doesn’t need that right now.

 Her little sister jumped out of the back seat first followed by her. Connor was in awe now that he was seeing you up close. You looked amazing from the photos he’s seen and if it was possible, you looked even more stunning in real life to him. Never would he thought in a million years he would get to meet you.

 When they got nearer to him, he puts on a huge smile “Hey there! y/n and Skylar, right?” He asks politely.

 “That’s us” You nodded in confirmation “And you are…?”

 “I’m Connor Brashier” He introduced himself and held his hand out for her to shake “I’m here to bring you and Skylar in the building”

 “Oh, hi Connor” You smiled at him, accepting his handshake “Sky, say hi to Connor”

 “Hi Connor!” Skylar grinned.

 “So, these are for you” He passed the backstage passes to you and Skylar “Just keep them on you at all times so security knows you’re allowed backstage”

 “Right. Afraid of fans sneaking in huh?” You teased as you and Skylar followed him into the building.

 Connor turns to face you for a second, “Well, it’s never happened before but knowing Shawn’s fans, I’m not surprise if it does” He chuckled.

 Skylar held onto your hand tightly as Connor continued to lead you down the hallway. Once he stopped in front of the green room, he was surprised to see that the door was left open and Brian was nowhere to be seen.

 He turned around to face you once again “Shawn’s in a discussion with Andrew right now so I hope it’s fine that you have to wait in here”

 “Oh, we don’t mind!” You smiled in respond.

 Connor stepped aside and let the two of you walk into the room. “Skylar, we’ve got some candies for you at the buffet table” He told her, who’s eyes instantly light up at the word candy. Skylar lets go of your hand as she ran over to the table to look at the different variety of candies just for her while you went to sit down on the couch.

 “Oh God, she’s going to be an energetic bunny later” You chuckled to yourself as you watch her fill up the bowl with different candies. Connor offered you a bottled water, which you accepted with a smile “Thank you, Connor”

 “She’s going to need that energy for the show later” Connor stated as he went back to the couch he sat earlier “She must be excited to see him, huh?” He asked with a grin.

 “Oh, you have no idea” You rolled your eyes with a smile, indicating you were being playful “She has been listening to his songs on repeat for the past two days and screaming her lungs out”

 Connor chuckled in reply, “She is going to have the time of her life”

 Skylar returned with a bowl in her hands as she sat next to you. Her mouth was already filled with candy as you gave her a look of disapproval “I’m limiting your candy intakes, missy”

 “No!” Skylar whined “They prepared this for me, y/n! It would be rude of me to not eat it!”

 “You should listen to your sister, sweetheart” Connor insisted “Plus, a lot of candies isn’t too good for you, you know? Shawn almost lost his voice when he had a bit too much”

 Skylar huffed dramatically “Okay”

 “Atta girl” You chuckle softly before turning to Connor “I’m going to assume you work with Shawn?” You asked politely.

 “Yeah,” He responded instantly “I’m his videographer. I do take photos around here from time to time but Josiah handles most of them”

 “Oh! That’s really cool” You nod “So, how long have you been on tour?”

 “We started off with Amsterdam a month ago and London’s our last stop for the European tour” Connor explained “Then we’re on a short break before the North America tour kicks in”

 You nodded, twisting the cap open as you took a few sips of water. Connor takes this opportunity to start a conversation with the little girl “So Skylar, what are you excited to listen to tonight?”

 “Lost in Japan! I love dancing to it” Skylar giggled in response “Wanna see?”

 He nodded without hesitation as he took his phone out to search for the song in his playlist “Show me your moves, little one”

 Skylar hops off the couch, placing the bowl on the table. You smiled after her as she prepared her choreography for the beginning of the song. You loved watching her dance; she has been dancing since she was 3 and your family was 110% sure she was going to grow up to be a professional dancer.

 When the music plays, Skylar just gets lost in the flow; very much like her older sister when it comes to singing.

 “She is really good” Connor noted as he continued to watch Skylar dance mid-song  “How old is she anyways?”

 “6” You answered “But she’s been dancing since she was 3. It kinda runs in the blood, I guess. My mom was a dancer too”

 He nodded, “Makes sense”

 When the song is over, you and Connor cheered loudly for Skylar as she bowed jokingly.

 “Hi! I’m so sorry to keep you waiting!” Shawn apologized as he rushed into the room. He flashed a smile to you and Skylar “y/n, Skylar, so nice to finally meet you!”

 You mirrored his smile and nodded “It’s nice to meet you too, Shawn! Heard too much about you already”

 It takes a few seconds for Skylar to unfreeze in her position. She blinks her eyes at him, and asks “Can I please hug you?”

 That made the three adults laugh while Shawn nodded happily “Yeah, of course, honey” as he squads down and opened his arms so the little girl could fall into his embrace.

 Connor stood up from his seat and sent an apologetic look to you. Skylar has Shawn occupied at the moment as the little girl continues to ramble to him, not that he minds or anything “I should really get back to work. I’ve got some videos to edit” He said before adding “I hope you and Skylar have fun watching the concert”

 You held back a frown, just because you were starting to enjoy his company and hoped he would stay a little longer with you.

 “Yeah, that’s fine” You reassured with a smile forming on your lip “Will I see you later in action?”

 Connor was taken aback by her question and managed to stutter out “Yeah... I’ll come see you and Skylar later in between songs”

 You grinned, “That’s a promise, yeah? I’m counting on you to keep it”

 “Of course,” He nodded before giving you one final wave. He passed Shawn and Skylar to head towards the door so he bid the little girl goodbye too “Bye Skylar! It was nice meeting you!”

 “Bye Connor!”

 xxx

 You knew you should’ve paid more attention to the concert but you kept glancing at Connor’s direction whenever he stood nearby you and Skylar to get shots of Shawn at different angles.

 You only met him a few hours ago and you barely knew him, but somehow you were already interested in him? Was this normal? Or was something wrong with you?

 But then again, you couldn’t deny how good-looking he is. And something inside of you wanted to get to know him.

 Connor noticed the little glances you were giving him but he chose to ignore it. It’s probably nothing He thought to himself There’s no specific reason why she’s looking in my way. Get over yourself.

 There was an intermittent break in the middle of the show before Shawn moved to stage B. At that point, Skylar decides to throw you off-guard.

 “Why are you looking at Connor?” The little girl asked curiously, not even bothered to be subtle about it.

 “What?” You lied smoothly, hoping it was convincing enough for a little girl “I was not looking at Connor, honey”

 The little girl rolls her eyes, “I’m not stupid, y/n. Every time I look at you, I see you looking at Connor’s direction. Do you like him?”

 “Okay no. 1, you’re 6. That means no swearing, and that includes stupid” You warned “And no. 2 missy; I don’t like Connor. I don’t even know him”

 She mumbled out a quick ‘sorry’ before proceeding to switching to the subject of Connor “You don’t have to know him to like him, silly! It’s called love at first sight, duh. Remember Anna and Kristoff?”

 You held back a laughter as you shook your head “You should definitely stop watching all those Disney movies, Sky. Real life isn’t always like that”

 Skylar chose to ignore your remark as she asked excitedly “You should ask him out! We can go to the park tomorrow and feed the ducks!”

 “Sky, I am not asking him out!” You said in a hushed tone “We can still go to the park if that’s what you want, though”

 “Hey!” Connor greeted as he came over to the barricade. You smiled at him instantly, failing to see the mischievous grin on Skylar’s face “How’re you enjoying the concert so far?”

 “Really good!” You exclaimed before looking down at Skylar “Right Sky?”

 “Mhmmm” The little girl hummed before she tilted her head to look at you “But I don’t think y/n was paying that much attention to the concert, Connor… She kept looking at you”

 At that moment, you felt like you wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

 “Skylar Rose!” You yelled out in embarrassment while you felt your cheeks start to heat up “I was not!”

 Connor was blushing too because Skylar confirmed for him that it was no accident when he noticed you looking in his direction. Also judging by the way you’re reacting; he had a feeling Skylar wasn’t just teasing her sister for fun.

 Skylar shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly “It’s the truth, sis. I’m going to sit for a bit, okay? I’m kinda tired” She said before walking a few steps back to where chairs were provided in the VIP booth.

 You knew damn well she was far from tired and that she only used that as an excuse to leave you alone with Connor.

 “I’m so sorry” You apologized instantly to Connor, a shy smile forming on your face “I honestly don’t know what that little girl is thinking sometimes. She doesn’t filter her words all the time”

 Connor waved you off with a smile on his face to show you that he wasn’t bothered by it “’S cool… So,” He dragged out before a smirk formed on his face “You were looking at me, huh?”

 You let out a groan “I can’t believe she put me on the spot like that. That kid is going to be the death of me one day”

 “If it helps… I keep coming to this area so I could look at you too” He said shyly “I mean it’s not every day you get to meet your celebrity crush”

 Oh well that’s some news.

 “Sorry, I’m your what?” You stuttered out “So you already knew who I was ever since we met outside?”

 “Yeah” Connor nodded then laughing a little at the fact that a famous singer like you could think he didn’t know who you were “And of course I knew who you were y/n. I go on the internet and I hear your songs on the radio. I don’t live under a rock, you know” He teased.

 “You just seemed very chill when we met” You commented “I just assumed you didn’t know”

 “No celebrities want people to go crazy on them, obviously” He rolled his eyes playfully “We wouldn’t even be talking this much if I reacted differently when we met”

 “Fair point” You nodded.

 “I went to your concert about 2 years ago” Connor added “Wasn’t the best seats in the stadium but I still had the time of my life. You sound amazing live”

 You blushed at his words. You’d think having to hear that sort of compliments often started to mean nothing after a while. But to you, every time you hear people’s kind words, it still hits you that you’re not actually living a fantasy and you were blessed to be given the opportunity to do what you really love.

 “Thank you, Connor” You smiled in response “It’s really nice to hear that. Sometimes, you focus too much on the negative comments and all you need is that one positive comment to keep going”

 He nodded understandingly “Forget the negative ones… It’s the little things that matter, right?” He smiled.

 “Right”

“I should go” Connor lifted the camera in his hand as an indication “He’s going on in like 3 minutes and I have to sprint to the area of the giant rose now. I just wanted to see check up on you two to see if everything was okay” He added.

“Go,” You insisted, smiling “We’re fine, Connor”

 He turned to leave, and you hesitated for a second; biting your lower lip. Now or never, right?

 “Hey Connor?” You called out to him and he spun on his heels, confusion written all over his face. You motioned for him to come closer and once he did, you took your phone out and bravely handed it to him “You up for a walk in the park tomorrow? Skylar wants to go duck feeding”

 He looked at your phone then to your face, and you don’t miss the way he was caught off guard by your offer. If someone told him a year ago that he would be in this situation with you, he probably would’ve asked them to sign themselves up in a mental hospital. Because honestly, when would he be given the opportunity to meet someone like you?

 “I, uhm-,”

 You quickly cut him off with a smile “You seem like a pleasant man, Connor, and I feel like we could get to know each other and be friends?”

“Yeah,” He nodded slowly as it was sinking in his mind that this was actually happening. He took the phone from your hand “I’d really like to get to know you too, y/n”

 Connor types in his number quickly and saved his contact under his full name so it was easier for you to find him through your contacts. He handed your phone back to you “The number I gave is my US number but feel free to call me on Facetime/WhatsApp”

 “Gotcha” You nodded in confirmation “I’ll see you after the show?”

 “After the show” He confirmed before running off quickly because Shawn was about to go on in any second.

 “You did it!” Skylar cheered as she came up behind you and wrapped her arms around your waist “You asked him out”

 “Because you put me on the spot first, peanut!” You answered defensively, ruffling her hair a little “No more of that, okay?”

 “Sure, y/n. Whatever you say” She grinned mischievously “I really like him! He’s nice”

 You smiled “He is, isn’t he?”

#connor brashier #connor brashier x reader #connor brashier imagines

[levelstory]

Music Reflection II, Early 2000s' was a Trip

Well, it has been a hot minute since I wrote a music reflection post. Last time, I talked about various songs from my childhood from the likes of Britney Spears to Stevie Brock. Now I am back to tackle some more music from my most formative years that will make you question how my music taste ever escaped cringy pop music from the Top 40. Coincidentally, all of these tracks are from the early 2000s’ so no 90s’ music here today. Here we go…

Miracles Happen by Myra

This song is the anthem ofThe Princess Diaries. That movie was one of my most watched VHS tapes next to the first Harry Potter film. It is the movie that sparked my interest in film soundtracks, and one of the most recognizable and memorable songs from the album was easily Myra's Miracles Happen. 

It can be easy to forget how much work was once put into acquiring music in an age where most music is available instantaneously. As a kid, my ear was always turned toward the music in any given film and when I got to an age (around 9-10) when I realized these tracks were sold in one package known as the film soundtrack, I made a point to get my hands on a copy. The Princess Diaries is the first soundtrack I remember owning outside of soundtracks from Disney films. 

My most stark memories with this soundtrack are playing it in my bedroom at my old house. Toward the end of our time living there, my family painted my bedroom a light pink and I got a desk that had a CD rack built-in (this was a big feature at the time). My boombox sat on the large desktop against the wall and I can remember listening to The Princess Diaries soundtrack on repeat. There are a lot of great tracks on the album but Miracles Happen is the true star and the true representation of the movie. 

Before I talk about the track further, I just want to point out that this movie is great. We could talk about its problems, which it has many, but it remains funny, heartwarming, and a joy to watch from start to finish. This movie introduced me to Anne Hathaway and she just shines. Plus, Julie Andrews is in the movie and she steals the show! I know my opinion is partially influenced by nostalgia goggles but hey...just let me have this!

Back to Miracles Happen. What is easily the strongest aspect of the song is the chorus. It is so catchy and fun to listen to. The verses are enjoyable enough, but they feel a bit detached from what makes the song so good. The bridge is pretty lackluster. As discussed a bit in my first reflection, way too many songs struggle with their bridges. Look, I get it...but still. The only shining light is that the bridge at least transitions into a tune that sounds similar to the chorus which is pretty great. 

The lyrics are fairly generic which is par for the course. They say a bunch of random things like "we found the missing pieces" and "nothing should ever bring you down", lyrics that have little to no emotional attachment to anything beyond it is a thing people say in this context. But all things considered, it is still a really fun song to listen to.

It Happens Every Time by Dream Street

Dream Street is one of those boy bands that flew pretty far beneath the radar for most people. Their first album released in 2000 and I distinctly remember the marketing campaign on television playing over and over again so that they were drilled into our brains. I guess it worked because I really wanted this album as a ten-year-old.

My friends and I loved Dream Street. I had their poster hanging on my bedroom wall (their album booklet unfolded into the poster). We made up dance routines to their songs. We even blasted the music through my friend’s house and somehow her parents never became angry with us. My most shameful confession about Dream Street is that we used to try and find their phone numbers to call them. Unaware that phone books are limited to local numbers, we would call random numbers to see if Chris or Jesse were home to talk. They weren't, and people were annoyed by our calls. 

One thing people probably don't know is that Jesse McCartney's music career began with Dream Street. I'm proud to say that he was my favorite from the group at the time, and vocally he is the strongest of the group. His voice had not matured yet so it is always fun listening to his performance with his young voice!

It Happens Every Time was their big single and the song most used in TV adverts, accompanied by the music video. What got me thinking about the song and the group recently is due to some unfortunate events. I learned back in July that one of the members, Chris, died in June due to complications with COVID-19. He would have been 35 this year. Chris was often looked at as the Justin Timberlake of Dream Street. He had the fancy frost tipped hair and swagger to him that the other members couldn't compete with. After the group disbanded, he never found success in the same way he did with Dream Street. He died too young and too soon. After his death, I started relistening to Dream Street and it was this relisten that encouraged me to write another Music Reflection. 

As with Stevie Brock from the first installment of Music Reflections, Dream Street's songs mostly center on their lust for girls in a way that is pretty uncomfortable looking back. These boys range in age from 11-13 if I am not mistaken, and their songs deal with mature themes that predate their young years. Not to mention that society has young boys singing about these ideas that they can't help their actions when they lust for a girl or they can't control themselves because a girl has them wrapped around her finger. Our culture normalizes this idea that men are vulnerable to female woes and that they can't help themselves. It is always a bit gross hearing young boys sing about it, especially before they’ve even hit puberty (i.e. Justin Bieber).*

It Happens Every Time is a song about...a song. It follows a boy who hears a "silly little love song" every time he sees this girl or thinks of her. This plane of existence, a magic place where angels sing all around them, is known as Dream Street (name drop!). Admittedly, this song is probably the tamest when it comes to the themes I mentioned in the previous paragraph. 

Now I won't lie, this song is a bop. I'm still unsure if that is the nostalgia talking or not...I will have to dig deeper some other time. But damn I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy this song. It is so catchy. The boys sing really well for their age. I am a sucker for listening to little Jesse McCartney belt his heart out. Jesse is the highlight of this song, getting a nice solo line toward the end of the second chorus followed by the entire bridge and some overlapping vocals in the final chorus before ending the song. He just sounds so good and I will admit to feeling a small sense of pride listening to him. I was there before his solo career and entry into Radio Disney hits and commercials all over ABC Family. Sometimes it feels like Dream Street is still so unknown that I can keep my memories of them all to myself. Though their time was short-lived, they stayed with me and so has this song.

Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton

Earlier, I talked about how difficult it was to acquire music before the internet. In the case of a song in a movie, there was a good chance that the song you liked would be on the soundtrack, provided a soundtrack was even released. Songs on the radio were difficult because you had to buy an entire album when you just liked one song, or make sure you had a blank tape ready to record when the song came on. Then there were songs you heard while out and about with no context. Those were the worst because you had to try and memorize the song and hope you found it somewhere, someday. That was kind of what happened to me with Vanessa Carlton.

It was her song A Thousand Miles that really gripped me as a 12-year-old. I loved it so much and heard it everywhere I went but never knew who sang the song or where I could get a copy. Eventually, I heard the song on the radio and bought her album...and ended up only listening to the three tracks I liked. One of the tracks, and my favorite of those three, is Ordinary Day. 

If my memory is correct, this song was never as popular as A Thousand Miles on the radio, but it was super popular on the internet. This album came out around the time I first started using the internet and discovered movie montages. I don't mean montages used in movies but montages made by fans on Windows Movie Maker, cut together with a somewhat fitting song. If you were a teenager obsessing over Disney or Harry Potter or...something, you know the songs that people generally gravitated towards with these videos (the band Trading Yesterday were a staple of these montages). Ordinary Day was a movie montage song (every time I listen to this song it reminds me of an Aladdin montage it played over (which I sadly can't find)). 

I decided to watch the music video for this song as I was writing this and boy is it a product of the early 2000s. Can we all just agree that the early 2000s were equivalent to that awkward stage of everyone's lives that we try not to think about? This music video is so clumsy and confusing. There are so many close up shots on Carlton and strange shots of people making out. Who thought this was a good idea?

But back to the song. One thing I appreciate about this song is how it builds itself up. The beginning piano is very nice but then it builds up with orchestration and I love it. I'm sorry I can't talk about it more but I won't embarrass myself with lack of musical instrumental lingo and knowledge.

The lyrics of the song are...ehh? The song is basically about seeing more in the ordinary and how the narrator is shown from an "ordinary boy." It isn't terrible but like the music video, a product of the early 2000s. 

I unapologetically love this song. Yes it is corny and it isn't as musically sophisticated as I would like, but it always makes me smile when I listen to it. I can remember listening to the song on my headphones on long car rides and with friends. It is just a song that makes me feel happy and gives me no reason to feel otherwise. 

All I Can Do by Jump5

Well...I'm surprised it took me this long to arrive at Jump5. What is there to say about this Christian pop sensation? Quite a bit actually. I was only obsessed with them for a good chunk of my early teens. Reflecting on that time of my life is strange because in hindsight, it was such a short period but it always feels like it lasted much longer. 

Everyone has that one band that they really connect with as a teenager that basically shapes their entire life and...well, yeah, that band for me is Jump5. I'm not kidding, I could write an entire book about how this band shaped my entire life (and believe me, I am working on it!). As much as I'd like to talk about all of that, we only have a short amount of time so let's talk about this song. 

As with Ordinary Day, this song reeks of the early 2000s. However, unlike Ordinary Day, the music video is much more successful in its execution. I couldn't believe myself when rewatching it...it is actually pretty darn good as far as music videos tend to be. 

Choosing what Jump5 song to talk about was pretty difficult because there are so many in their arsenal that I can talk about for long periods of time and connect to life experiences. But All I Can Do seems to be a special one because I'm almost certain it was the first track I ever heard from the group. As with Dream Street, Jump5 had a big TV marketing campaign for their second album, All the Time in the World (in which All I Can Do is the first track). It was their TV advert that put them on the radar for me. I vividly remember seeing the commercial at Christmas time. It was the first Christmas spent at our new house and I can remember watching the TV with my gifts and snow falling outside. At this point, seeing pop bands advertised on TV was nothing new. There were always new groups trying to make it big as other pop acts had before them. But other than my memory of seeing this commercial, it otherwise didn't leave a big impact on me. I wouldn't start listening to Jump5 until a few months later after getting into Radio Disney. And even after I got into Jump5, All I Can Do was never one of their songs that I gravitated towards. 

I wanted to talk about this song because of how well it represents Jump5 as a group. All I Can Do is their quintessential track, packed with energy and fun lyrics. But the track is also a representation of the group's core aesthetic of disguising "Christian values" as a pop song about a crush. For anyone who grew up on a Christian media diet (as I did voluntarily as a teenager), this is nothing out of the ordinary for this type of entertainment. In fact, it is basically a meme at this point. All I Can Do may be the least overt example of this from Jump5's library, but it is still an example nonetheless.

“It's like I got nothing to do but think about you,” (you being God), "I've got all the time in the world," (implying that time does not matter because in God you have everlasting life), "if you look at my heart, you'll know from the start," (meaning God knows your true heart and He knows from the start). I could go on but I think you see my point. There isn't anything inherently bad about this example and it is fairly harmless, but this isn't always the case when it comes to Christian entertainment.

Another trend from the late 90s' and early 2000s' was a pop group being a mix of both guys and girls but the guys rarely sang (A*Teens is another example that might come to mind). This song is dominated by the girls who share most of the song equally. The guys are hardly ever heard at all except when Chris gets his time to shine echoing the song's title over and over. It is easy to forget about them but alas, they are there.

Jump5 were known for their dance routines that they performed alongside their songs. They would often do cartwheels, flips, and very technical dance routines that blew many other pop acts out of the water. They also performed these routines live on tour, not just in their music videos. This dance routine is a really memorable one, showing the group doing a train-like dance which I remember performing with a friend. It is a lot of fun and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise! It was a lot of fun revisiting this track.

Is It Saturday Yet? by Nick Carter

Well here we are, at the final song, and boy is this choice...let's go with interesting. Nick Carter, known for his Backstreet Boy fame, recorded his own solo album after the group disbanded. What we got was Now or Never which is only ever remembered by the song Help Me, and even that is pretty forgettable. All that said, I owned this album and listened to it quite a bit as a tween. My most specific memory with the album is listening to it on a long car ride to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Is It Saturday Yet? is the seventh track on the album and out of the five tracks I liked, this was probably at the bottom. 

So why talk about it if it was my least favorite track? Well friends, this track is so bizarre that I question its existence on a frequent basis. It is insane how often this song gets stuck in my head and won't leave. 

The song seems to be about a disengaged teenager being raised by Jerry Springer and video games (video games got a low blow for warping kids brains back in the day. They still get blamed today but it isn't to the same extent) who just can't wait for Saturday to come so he can be rid of his responsibilities. The lyrics are...dumb. They are clearly trying to make a point but the song is so ridiculous that it is white noise. And why is it that Nick and Aaron Carter always have to reference each other in their songs? It was cute at first when Aaron did it in his classic track Oh Aaron, but now it is just old. 

"Is it Saturday yet? Cause I wanna get up. Is it Saturday yet? It just feels like a Saturday. Maybe it's a Saturday." Those are the lyrics in the chorus. It is a song so devoid of meaning and so lazy to its very core. It contains lazy rhymes and brutal instrumentals. This song is the reason so many people describe pop music as empty trash. Like, don't get me wrong, a lot of music on the radio is pop trash and is clearly put together by big corporate higher-ups to make a quick buck on teenage stars locked in a contract. But some of that music is meaningful and deserves to be recognized. This song, however, deserves to die a painful death. It is just terrible. 

And yet, despite all of this, the song somehow still appeals to me. I still listen to it. I still find joy out of it even though it is just awful in every possible way. I think that speaks to the whole point of these reflections on the music I listened to when I was younger. 

Is It Saturday Yet? may be the worst of the bunch, but a lot of music cranked out back in the day was mindless entertainment. As much as it bothers me, I won't lie and say there is no place for music like this because there is. Sometimes when I am driving, I get so sick of the music I normally listen to ("good" music) and I just want music from my childhood that won't make me think but will just allow me to bake in nostalgic goodness. 

Revisiting these songs was fun, but I know there are more I want to talk about in the future! Stay tuned! What are some songs you listened to in the early 2000s’ that make you feel super nostalgic today? Let me know in the comments!

* It should also be noted that the band broke up because of a lawsuit in which the majority of the parents of the band alleged that the underage band members were "exposed to booze, women, and pornography."

#Jump5 #Vanessa Carlton #Dream Street #Chris Trousdale #Jesse McCartney #Myra #The Princess Diaires #Nick Carter

[revengeofthebluepen]

Painted On With Laughter 15/16/17/18

Ch 15

By the time she reached her destination it was growing dark. (Name) knocked on the door and a thug answered.

   “Move or die” (Name) said to the man.

   “Let her in!” shouted a voice from the background.

(Name) entered the building and was greeted by no other than…….

_______________________________________

The Joker. (Name) walked through the door and past the thugs. Joker held his arms out ready for a hug but it never came. (Name) walked passed him and into farther into the abandoned factory. (Name) eventually reached the living quarters of the factory. (Name) walked through the living room and kitchen and into the bedroom that she once lived in. (Name) threw her bag on the bed and made her way back to the living room. The Joker had caught up to her by then. He looked like a puppy that had been kicked aside by its owner. (Name) walked around the room searching for the guitar that once was there.

“Harley took it with her” Joker said in a whisper.

(Name) made her way back into her room and shut the door behind her. The Joker went to follow her but the door slammed in his face. He walked over to the couch and flopped down. (Name) opened the door to her room and the Joker looked up in shock. (Name) stood in the doorway dressed in her mini Harley outfit (Harley’s outfit from Suicide Squad) with one difference. (Name) had added a simple black mask which was attached to the jester hat which hid her hair. (Name) walked out of her room and into the garage.

   “You gonna come with?” (Name) shouted across the living area.

The Joker rushed out to the car, (Name) was now in. He got in the passenger seat. (Name) drove out to the streets of Gotham. By now the world had been overcome with darkness as (Name) pulled into an alleyway next to the jewelry store. (Name) and Joker got out of the car. (Name) walked over to the back side of the store. (Name) was careful to not trip the alarm as she picked the lock on the back door. With ease (Name) entered the jewelry store. She made quick work of taking every piece of jewelry. (Name) then exited the store without the alarm triggered. (Name) opened the trunk of the car, and placed the jewels in it. The Joker watched in awe of this all.

   “Next store,” commanded (Name)

(Name) got back in the car and the Joker got in the driver seat.  The Joker drove to the next jewerly store. (Name) grabbed everything without the alarm going off. (Name) and the Joker drove to every jewelry store in Gotham and wiped them clean.

   (Name) return to the hide out with every piece of jewelry in Gotham that night. Once (Name) got out of the car, the Joker motioned for his thugs to unload the trunk. There was applause from the other thugs as they opened the trunk. (Name) walked over to the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit. The hyenas walked up to her and sat by her feet. Joker took a seat across from (Name).  

   “How long will you be staying?” asked the Joker

   “Just for the night. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

The next morning (Name) returned to the manner. Alfred opened the door for her and helped her with her bag. Alfred took the bag to do all the laundry in it. (Name) wandered through the house, she eventually found Dick. He was sitting in the living room with Barbara and talking to her. (Name) walked away and searched for her father. She found him in his office chatting on the phone with someone. Not wanting to bother him, (Name) made her way to her room, She pulled out her diary from her desk and began to doodle. After a bit (Name) grew bard, and decided on a little revenge would be great. (Name) snuck to the laundry room. She grabbed a bucket and filled it with water and ice from the kitchen. Placing it over the ajar door to the dining room, (Name) grabbed several syrup bottles from the cabinet and a knife. (Name) went to her room and took a feather pillow. (Name) walked over to the stair case. She leaned a few bottles between the rungs of the railing and let it drip to the floor below. Next (Name) cut opened the pillow and dumped the feathers onto a low hanging fan. (Name) emptied all the bottles except for three. (Name) walked around her traps and into the living room. She placed the bottles by the two and left the room. Barbara asked what (Name) was doing to Dick. Dick sighed.

“We’re not going to play, (Name)”

(Name) walked out to the living room and uncapped the bottle. Taking the open bottle, she squirted it on Dick’s and Barbara’s faces. Barbara was quick to open her bottle and squirt (Name) back but she dodged and Dick soon joined in. (Name) ran through the house and avoided her syrup floor while Barbara landed in it. (Name) turned on the fan and Barbara was became covered in feathers they stuck to her and the floor. Dick and (Name) had both avoided it. (Name) ran through the house, and went into the dining room. Dick entered through the door with the bucket. The water and ice came crashing down on her. Alfred rushed into the room to see what all the commotion was. Alfred chose not to question anything, seeing both Dick and (Name) with smiles across their faces and laughter filling the room. It was if the good old time were back until Barbara entered the room. She was covered head to toe in syrup and feathers and her face was red with anger. The room grew deathly silent as (Name) and Dick locked eyes. (Name) clucked like a chicken and all Hell broke loose. Dick and (Name) laughed uncontrollably as Barbara ran across the room. Barbara attacked (Name). The attacks by Barbara were solids hits and kicks to (Name)’s form. (Name) fiercely fought back against Barbara but Barbara pinned (Name) to the ground. Dick tried to separate the two but failed. Dick ran to get Alfred or Bruce.

   (Name) eventually gave up while Barbara still threw punches at her. Bruce came running into the room and tackled Barbara off of (Name). Alfred picked up (Name) and carried her back to her room as Bruce fought to control Barbara.  From that moment on (Name) lived in an unchanging pattern. By day (Name) was hated and attacked by Barbara not only physically but mentally day in and day out. The pain eventually became so much (Name) rarely left her room during the day. By night, (Name) would sneak out of the mannor and escape to another world. With the Joker, (Name) felt free. Felt that for once she could breath without having to fear someone would hurt her. For the Joker was the King of Crime and (Name) was his princess.

   On one particular night, the Joker treated (Name) to dinner and a show. (Name) wore a long black and red dress with a slight on the side to expose her leg. (Name) wore her white mask to hid her identity. As the car slowed to a stop, a man in a suit opened (Name)’s door for her. The man helped (Name) out of the car and the Joker came around. He wore a red dress shirt, black pants and a grey coat and his green hair was slicked back. Joker wrapped his arm around (Name)’s waist and glared at any man that looked in their general direction. They entered the club together and were lead to a back room. It had a glass wall to see the rest of the club. Joker and (Name) walked over to the couches and took a seat. After a bit a man with a long pointy nose, wearing a tux and top hat entered the room. He was a short little man that was quite round. A woman with a tint of green in her skin and was wearing a black dress entered next. More and more people entered the room and took seats by (Name) and Joker. Once everyone entered the room, the door shut. Joker cleared his throat.

   “This is Phantom. If you do anything to upset her you die. Is that clear?” Joker questioned. Many muttered yes and other things along those lines.

There were murmurs about what happened to Harley and could Phantom be trusted. Joker pointed out who was who as they walked about and chatted in the room. There were only two other woman in the room, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. (Name) made small conversation with them after Joker left the room to discuss business with the Penguin and a few other villains. The lights dimmed in the club and the stage lit up. Many people took seats and sat on the couches to watch. A woman came on and sang and other musical acts followed. After several hours of being at the club Joker returned. He sat and watched the singing with (Name). Once it was past midnight, (Name) and Joker left. They drove home and (Name) went to change clothes.

Coming back into the kitchen (Name) was met with the aroma of freshly made food. (Name) took a seat at the table in the kitchen, she was quiet as to be unnoticed. She watched as Joker cooked food. He placed the food on the plate.

“(Name)” he called out towards her bedroom

“Behind you” (Name) said in a quiet voice

“You sneaky little mink” Joker said as he sat a plate of food in front of her.

   “Thank you”

(Name) loved this life. She loved being the princess of crime. Most importantly she found someone that loved her for the way she was. She felt as if the hole in her heart was being filled by Joker. It’s such a shame love can blind us.

   (Name) returned to the manor after finishing chatting with the Joker that night. (Name) quickly changed into her P.J.s and crawled back into bed. (Name) woke the next morning to a screaming match between Dick and Barbara. (Name) chose to ignore the two as she went to get ready for the day. The doors slammed shut and a car drove off. (Name) payed no attention to this thinking it was Barbara leaving after the fight. Someone pounded their fists on (Name)’s door. (Name) quickly answered it and the second the door opened she was attacked. (Name) was thrown to the floor by Barbara whose eyes were red and puffy with tears still running down her face.

   “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” Barbara screamed at (Name).

(Name) tried to force Barbara off of her but couldn’t. (Name) screamed for help yet no one came. Barbara beat (Name) until (Name) lost consciousness. It felt as if the world had stopped time and (Name) lived in a world of complete darkness. She lived in a world where nothing happened for days upon day. Where she floated in a black void. Then one day a voice came. At first, (Name) thought it was Dick but the voice wasn’t quite right. It was slightly younger and harsher. The voice would come and speak to her everyday since it came. (Name) looked forwards to the voice coming. It was her only escape back to reality or so she hoped. As the days passed another voice came but not at the sametime as the other one. It was not the same person. The other voice laughed and cracked jokes. It told things only a few knew about (Name) and her twisted fairy tale of a life. (Name) could feel the world of darkness fade and slowly but surely her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes and was met by Alfred sitting by her. (Name) went to sit up but fell. Bruce walked into the room and sat at the end of (Name)’s bed, where she laid.

   “Where’s Dick?” (Name) questioned

   “He’s gone” Bruce replied as Alfred left the room

   “Is he coming back?”

   “No”

(Name) may have hated Dick for a while but deep down she still loved him. He may be a jerk but every time she would look into his baby blues, she would remember everything they’ve lived through. She fell in love with him all over again every time she looked at his baby blues. Dick still cared for (Name), she was sure. (Name) sat up in her bed and fell forwards. Bruce caught her and pulled her into a hug. (Name) could feel every emotion she had bottled up rush forwards, and she let it all go. Tears streamed down her face as Bruce held her. (Name) was going to miss Dick.

   “How could he leave us?” (Name) whispered as more tears streamed down her face.

After a long period of Bruce comforting (Name) and explaining what had happened while she was out. Bruce left (Name). (Name) felt as if her world was crashing down on her all over again. She had lost weeks of life again. She had been knocked out for three weeks. To add to the stress of losing time, (Name) found out they had a new guest living with them. (Name) wandered down the stairs to meet this new guest.

Ch 16. Falling Once More

(Name) entered the dinning room, and there before her was a familiar head of messy black hair. (Name) stood there frozen unsure if he was real. Unsure if Dick was back. No, it not Dick. His body language is wrong. The way her carries himself, it's not….it's not as high up as Dick did. It's more like he’s filled with fear but not wanting to show it. No that's not right. It's like he is missing something but he can't figure out what. (Name) thought to herself. (Name) took a seat across from this strange. Her eyes danced with curiosity at this new guest. Alfred and Bruce entered the room. Bruce took his seat in his usual spot and Alfred served breakfast. (Name) looked around at the table. Dick’s and Barbara’s chair were still empty which look as if they had been untouched since they left. (Name) looked at the strange guest.

His hair was as black as night and his eyes were green as the gardens. His messy black hair fell in a cascade as he raised his head to meet (Name)’s eyes. Her (e/c) eyes locked with his emerald ones. In the split second their eyes met, it was the same feeling all over again. That warm feeling that rose from her stomach and into her chest. With every breath (Name) would take it felt like a giant hug and she felt safe once more. It was the feeling of the world stopping for that brief second. (Name) hadn't felt this way since she first fell in love with Dick. (Name) snapped back to reality hearing the guest speak.

“Jason Todd.” he states as he ate more food

“(Name) Wayne” (Name) said as she looked down at her plate.

“It's good to see you awake”

“It's nice to finally meet the owner of the voice” (Name) said quietly.

Breakfast was quiet with Bruce occasionally talking about how Jason was going to live with them from now on.

(Name) sat quietly on her bed with her guitar. She strummed a few notes here and there with lyrics running through her head. A knocking came upon her door. (Name) made a humming noise to tell the person to enter. Jason walked through the doorway. There was nothing to be said as he took a seat on a nearby chair. Nothing was said as they enjoyed each other's company.

“No fear of rejection” Jason uttered under his breath but (Name) heard it.

“No fear of lose” (Name) said quietly

“No fear of false hope” Jason said a little louder as (Name) played a song on her guitar.

“Or a missed chance” (Name) sang out

“Cuz, I’m at rock bottom” Jason song to the tune (Name) played

“And I can only go up from here”

“I can only gain ”

“Without a single thing to fear” They sang together.

“I take it you read my diary then?” (Name) questioned

“I wanted to get to know you. It's my favorite of your songs”

“Thank you”

(Name) and Jason quietly chatted about their lives. How they had change. How they had their ups and downs in life. Bruce listen quietly behind the door, his baby girl had changed because of Dick’s actions. For better or worse he was unsure of. Bruce left undetected by the two children.

“So what about your mother then?” Jason questioned

“Abandoned me at Haley’s circus”

“And Bruce he left you there”

“Didn’t know I excited till a few years ago” (Name) shot back quickly. She understood her situation of her life and wasn’t going to hold any grudges against Bruce about it even if she knew she was lying. Bruce had know about (Name) from her birth what he didn’t know was that her mother had given (Name) up.

“What about your home life” (Name) questioned Jason.

“I don't want to talk about it.” He answered quietly.

Silence filled the air as the two sat there. (Name) wasn’t sure what to say as she continued to strum her guitar.

“So you were in the circus? What did you do?” Jason questioned

“Come on” (Name) said as she stood. (Name) and Jason walked down to the gym where the trapeze still stood with a net below. (Name) climbed to the top of the platform with Jason on her tail. The two stood on the highest platform and Jason clinged to the pole.

“Do you trust me Jason?” (Name) said as she grabbed the bar.

“No” Jason said deadpanned. (Name) shrugged and swung of the platform. (Name) the bar swung back and forth and slowly came to the stop. (Name) sat there on the bar hanging above the net. (Name) stood on the bar and leaned forwards. She held on with one hand and looked as if she might fall. (Name) loosened her grip and fell forwards a rush of air passed her as she fell forwards. Another rush of air and she stood still as for a split second before rushing back up into the air. Jason had caught her and swung forwards. His grip loosened as they swung forwards. As (Name) almost fell from his grip, she threw herself forwards and to the nearby bar. (Name) easily pulled herself a top of the bar as Jason slowed to a stop.

“How I am supposed to get off of this thing?” Jason questioned as his bar stopped.

“You could've let me fall there is a net below.” (Name) said as she reached the nearby fabric that hung.

“What are you doing?”

“Do you trust me?”

“What do you think?” Jason said with sarcasm hinted in his voice.

“Suit yourself” (Name) said as she slid down the fabric.

“Hey! How am I supposed to get down?!” Shouted Jason as (Name) reached the ground. (Name) reached the ground and walked over to the platform she carefully climbed her way back the top but still had the fabric in hand. (Name) reached the top of the platform and carefully wrapped herself in the fabric. She swung out, into the air with her hands out. Without a word said Jason let got of the bar and took her hands. The fabric stopped swinging and (Name) hung with her (h/c) hair cascading down as she came to a stop. Her body became consumed by the fabric as a cheshire like smile appeared on her face.

“Don’t you dare” Jason said as his eyes narrowed at her.

His green eyes locked with her (e/c) one. Jason could feel a warm feeling bubble up into him as the world came to a standstill. This feeling was so foreign to him but (Name) knew it too well. This time though (Name) could tell there was something different. It was if there was something missing in him. Like a glass vase was glued back together but still missing a piece. Not a big piece but a small part that was important enough for him to be the way he could before. Even if (Name) was the missing piece she knew Jason couldn’t make him the way he was before. His life would never be the same. Even if she tried to fix him.

(Name)’s grip loosened on his hands. Jason held on tight and looked up at (Name). His eyes softened as (Name)’s grew wide. She tried her hardest to hold onto him but it was becoming too much. A nightmare flashed before (Name)’s eyes.

“Don’t let go!” rang out Dick’s voice. (Name) was losing her grip on Dick’s hand as they practiced together without a net. (Name) struggled holding Dick as she held onto the bar. Dick slipped out of her hands and fell. Lunging forwards to catch Dick, (Name) fell off the bar. Luckily Dick was caught by something with a burning red hair. (Name) watched as she drew closer to the ground as the two smiled and laughed. Dick made eye contact with (Name), her (e/c) eyes locking with his baby blues. (Name) could feel her heart shatter once more.

“Do you trust me?” rang out Jason’s voice.

The world came back to focus for (Name) as she locked eyes with the emerald eyes of Jason. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to hold Jason up any longer. She blinked as few times as Jason spoke. Her hands still had a death grip on his.

“Do you trust me?” Jason asked once more

In fear of falling apart at her own words, (Name) gave a simple nod. (Name) watched in horror as Jason let go of her hands. His full weight was too much to bare, as his hands continued to slip away from her own. (Name) screamed out in horror as Jason fell to the ground below. Launching herself forwards towards Jason, (Name) could feel the adrenaline take over her body. Unlike the nightmare there was no saving grace as the two fell. (Name)’s eyes locked once more with Jason as they drew closer to the net below. Jason gave a reassuring smile as they landed next to each other on the net. Tears still streamed down (Name)’s face as Jason moved over to her. Jason helped (Name) sit up but she so collapsed into his embrace. Not a single word was spoken but Jason understood perfectly: she was broken beyond repair as well.

She needed someone to help her pick up the cracking pieces and he needed to someone to help the glued ones in place. From that moment on they knew something was changing and they weren’t going to stand it's way. As the days passed they became closer and closer. Maybe the reason (Name) was so attached to Jason was that he wasn’t like Dick but like herself. Shatter and broken looking for someone to pick up the pieces and glue them back together. Neither were looking to be the way they were nor for someone to make them like that but for someone to help them grow. They never expected to fall in love with each other but that's why they call it falling in love because no one expects to fall. Together they had an unspoken bond that could only be shattered by death itself.

(Name) sat quietly as she strummed on her guitar. Nightfall would be soon and (Name) would become someone completely different. With her mask on (Name) felt to create a new persona. She had a new outlook on life. There was no heart break, no secrets to keep, no rules. The world was set before her for the taking. She had no restrictions when she was with him. When she was with him she was in a world of her own. A world beyond reality and it's bonds. It was her own Wonderland.

The clock ticked by and (Name)’s eyes were glued to them. The hands moved slowly around in the circle. The witching hour was far too far away. It felt like eternity as (Name) took a shaky breath. She listened as footsteps echoed through the manor. Had Bruce and return from their long night? Looking at the clock, (Name) furrowed her brow. It was far too early and it couldn’t be Alfred. He would be asleep. Not making any sound now, (Name) was careful to move into a hiding space in her closet. (Name) was careful to make sure it look like she hadn’t moved through the room. Her door creaked open and the footsteps grew louder. (Name) listened as the person walked around her room. It picked things up and set them down. They eventually sat on her bed from the sound of it. (Name) dared not to even breath once the footsteps got up and speedily walked over to the closet. It flung open the door and (Name) caught a glimpse of the intruder with his acid green hair. His eyes were frantic like a mother searching for her lost child. His eyes quickly scanned across the room. His eyes locked only for a split second with (Name)’s own but it was enough to make him crumble and fall to the ground. (Name) watched as he fell to his knees as tears rolled down his face. (Name) ran from her spot and into his opening arms. They sat in silence as he held onto her.

“I thought you were gone” he muttered over and over.

(Name) rubbed circles in his back as he kept repeating himself. (Name) pulled back to see his face. His red lips were smothered. His eyes just as bright of a color. He must have cried himself to sleep since the incident. (Name) studied his face as if it was the last time she would see it. Damage was written across his forehead. (Name) look a hand and ran her fingers over it as if she wasn’t sure it was real. A small letter J was on his cheek as well. She ran her thumb across it.

“(Name)” the joker said as he locked his grassy green eyes with her own (e/c) ones.

“Let’s go home” He said as he stood with (Name) in his arms. (Name) closed her eyes as a tear streamed down her face.

“I’m sorry” (Name) said.

It was the last thing the Joker heard from (Name).

Ch 17. Wondering

  Joker’s body hit the floor as blood ran like a river across the wooden floor. (Name)’s ears rang out from the noise produced by the gun. She laid nimb on the floor as three sets of footsteps ran towards her. Jason picked (Name) up and carried her out of the room while Bruce and Alfred took care of the Joker. Jason carried (Name) bridle style down the staircase and into a nearby bathroom. He sat her on the edge of the bathtube.

“Are you hurt?” he questioned as he scanned for any wounds with his eyes.

“I’m….” (Name) didn’t finish her sentence as she felt a warm liquid pool and spill down her shoulder. (Name) watched as the crimson substance bleed through her shirt, and down her back. A searing pain spread like wildfire through her body and she curled into a ball. She fell onto the floor but Jason was fast enough to catch her. He worked quickly and grabbed the needed supplies. When Jason went to move (Name) of the floor she screamed out in pain. Alfred quickly rushed down the stairs. He shoed Jason out of the bathroom and quickly shut the door. Alfred was quick to stitch (Name) back together, all while Jason paced back and forth becoming more frantic with every scream (Name) let out. The police soon arrived and took away the Joker the whole time he fought and scream, not wanting to leave without his (Name). Soon (Name) was patched back together and placed to bed in a guest room. Bruce and Alfred took turns guarding her room while Jason was forced to retire to his own room. Jason laid wide eyed waiting and listening for anything. Any reason to check on (Name).

The second left the guest room she was greeted by Jason. They walked together down to breakfast where they were greeted by Bruce and Alfred. Jason sat next to (Name) and for the rest of the day he didn’t leave her side. The days passed and Jason skipped patrol to watch over (Name). They were basically glued to the hip and because of this (Name) and Jason became even closer to each others. (Name) rarely left her room let alone the manor. She would lock herself into her room or the library usually reading or playing her guitar. Jason didn’t mind being so confined to the few rooms (Name) visited. On one particular day in a need of change of scenery Jason convinced (Name) to go to the gym. As (Name) reared the top of the platform she frozen. She quickly made her way back to the floor, almost falling at how fast she got down. She ran from the room and locked the door behind her. Jason banged on the door to let her in but she said nothing. He caused such a commotion that Bruce exited his office to see what was the matter.

“She ran off after going only halfway up the ladder to the platform” Jason explained.

“(Name)” Bruce said as he knocked on her door.

Only sobs were heard on the other side of the door. Bruce knew what was wrong but chose not to say anything, for it seemed unimportant for Jason to know. If (Name) wanted him to know, she would tell him. Bruce went back to his office as Jason yelled at him to open the door. Hours ticked by and Jason sat in the hall waiting for (Name) to come out. He listen to her sob and it broke his heart with every tear she shed. The day turned to night and her sobs became a twisted laughter of a mad man. He heard her catch her breath as she gasped for air. (Name) and Jason missed dinner and as the clock continued to tick by they waited in silence at last.

The clock struck midnight and (Name) creaked open the door. Her eyes were bloodshot from the tears she had shed. Her voice was too hoarse to talk but she didn’t need to. The second her foot crossed the threshold, Jason pulled her into a hug.

Not a word was spoken as Jason lead (Name) down to the kitchen. He quickly got her a bowl of ice cream and the two sat in silence. Soon this would become routine. (Name) would lock herself up in her room and at night, Jason and her would eat a meal in silence. On one night (Name) would finally explain her actions.

“The bolts were loose” she said in a whisper and Jason was all ears.

“They died because of something like that,” she continued.

“We have a net.” Jason said quietly

“They break too.” (Name) said as she put the bowl away.

(Name) made her way back to her room unfortunately it may have been the last time she would see Jason. She wished she would have said something more meaningful than "they break too,". Maybe then she would haven't felt like there was more to say but it was too late as she shut the door behind her and opened the window. It was too much for her. She needed and escape. She need a Wonderland. She need a Madman who shared her outlook on life. She need the Joker back. Nothing was going to stop her from saving him for he had saved her.  He may be a villain to the rest of the world but to her, he was a knight in shining armor. Tonight though, it would be the princess saving the prince.

Ch 18. Down the Rabbit Hole

  (Name) rummaged through her room looking for the things she would need. As she placed several pairs of clothes in her bag, she noticed something shimmering in the corner of her eyes. (Name) turned her head to see what shimmered in the pale moonlight. A smile formed on her face but quickly fade as the memories of Dick surfaced. She didn’t need Dick anymore. She was strong enough to no longer need him. She had other people who loved and care for her. (Name) continued packing the things she had. Most of the her more treasure possessions fit in her bag. She had only brought her favorite outfits and a few other things. She could get any other things she wanted once she got there. (Name) let out a shaky breath as she opened her window. Looking at the ground below, (Name) ran threw the things she needed to bring with her one last time. (Name) quietly crawled from her window and down to the yard below. She took one last look at the place she would call home. (Name) ran in fear of never going through with her plan unless she would go now.

    After an hour, (Name) had arrived to the old hide out. It was the warm feeling that started in your toes and travel up to your brain, that swallowed you whole when when you find where you belong. Was ready to shed tears of joly when she entered the hide out but something was missing. (Name) made her way through to the living area. She was tackled to the ground by the hyenas. Their slobber dripped onto her face as they laughed in delight of her presence. She moved to get up and they go off. She open the fridge to find no food at all. The hyenas moved out of her way as (Name) made her way over to the garage. She got in one of the cars and hot wired it. She pulled out of the garage and drove to a far off store. She bought many groceries before returning to the hideout. She quickly fed the hyenas and unloaded the rest of the groceries. She looked around at the rest of the living space. The area was dirty and smelled of the dead. The conditions could improve. She made her way to the area where the henchmen would hang. All of the men watched her as she walked across of the room to the supplies closets.

   “Would one of you help me carries all these heavy supplies?” (Name) said batting her eyes.

The henchmen quickly did as they were asked. Many of them flirted with her as they helped her carry the supplies. (Name) played hard to get as they came closer to the living area. The henchmen tried harder to get her but (Name) didn’t given. She played shy and asked for them to do some of the cleaning. She made statements like: “I can’t reach this,” or “My wrists hurt would you mop this form me?”. She had every single one of them wrapped around her finger. The living area was soon spotless and (Name) hadn’t had to lift a single finger for them to clean it. (Name) went to dismiss the henchmen but they still flirted with her. After several attempts of her saying she wasn’t interested, she had had enough. One of the henchmen touched her thigh and tried to advance. (Name) kissed him on the lips and quickly grabbed his gun from around his waist. She quickly pushed him off of her. He fell to the ground once she shot one of his legs, and (Name) kicked the man. She had no patients left for theses losers. Her heart had grown into a black hole and only looked like a star from the distance. (FACT: Black holes have such a great gravitational pull that they can attract some much, space substances that when they collide there is a light that is produced. It has been known to be out shine stars.)

(Name) attacked the man as the others watched in horror. He was beaten within an inch of his life and there was blood everywhere. With a twisted grin and a sickening laugh (Name) stood up and walked across the room to the door. As she was ready to leave she turned her head and in the softest whisper she said,

“When a girl says no, she means it. Clean up this mess.”

The henchmen didn’t question her and did as they were told. (Name) walked back to the kitchen and grabbed her bag from the kitchen counter. She took her things to her room. Over the years her room at the hideout had changed a few times recently it was blue and orange. (Name) unpacked her things into a wooden drawer. She took her drawing supplies and placed them on the white table. She placed her bag in the nearby closet and changed the sheets on her bed. She placed the guitar under her bed. The hyenas followed behind her, excited she was back. Once everything was in it's place, she pulled out her computer that she had stolen from the last time she was with the Dick.  It was no ordinary laptop it was the commissioner's computer. Barbara had brought it one time over to the house to show Bruce. (Name) had bumped into Barbara causing her to drop and break it. Barbara had verbally assaulted her for the clumsy action. (Name) had tried in vain to try and fix the computer but Barbara had still been bitter about it. This had caused (Name) to keep the computer. It was completely functioning now for the the only thing that was broken was the screen now.

   (Name) fired up the computer and clicked through the files until she found the one she was looking at. (Name) printed many of the documents off the computer from the wireless printer. She leaned back in her chair listening to the sound of the papers printing off. It had been a long time since she had done anything like this. There was a thrill that filled her up as she listened to the printer. Though none of her jobs were never had so much depending on them, (Name) assured herself that she would be just fine. She stood from her seat once the papers were finished and grabbed them from the tray. Taking the stack with her, (Name) walked down the stairs to the meeting room. There were 2 large bulletin boards on the wall, a table with several chairs at across from it and finally there were bits of string and thumbtacks. (Name) was quick to place the papers on the boards. She pinned bits of string to the correct papers and once finished took a step back. She admired her work.

   Throughout (Name) placing things one the boards the henchmen had stuck their heads into the room. They were curious what this mysterious lady had instore for them. (Name) left the room but quickly returned with papers, pens and many other things. She took a seat at the table and spread out some of the papers in front of her. She sat in silence as she wrote, drew and scribbled on the papers. The henchmen were patient and did not disturbed her as she worked. One of them grew the balls to finally enter the room. He looked at the bulletin boards and studied them over. After they saw (Name) made no threat to him, the other henchmen entered the room and studied the bulletin boards. One of the men had the bright idea to move one of (Name)’s pictures. He didn’t even pick the pin out of the board when they heard the chair scrape against the ground. They froze in fear as they heard (Name)’s footsteps. The other henchmen backed out of the room to the doorway but stopped. (Name) cracked a sickening smile on her face again much worse than the last time. In the same soft whisper as before and this time it was laced with even more venom. Her words were practically dripping in it.

   “Don’t touch me things.” (Name) said as she drew even closer.

She didn’t need to raise her voice to have point taken. From that moment on (Name) would spend her days in the meeting room planning waiting, for the great day to come. The henchmen did as they were told and stayed away from (Name). On one particularly sunny day, (Name) decided it was time. The day had finally come. One thought ran through her head though, but will it be worth it?

   It was the day of the Gotham City Police Man Parade. Most of the police would be in the parade which made getting back up at Arkham Asylum nearly impossible. (Name) changed into a red and black catsuit and chalked her fair red and black. He clipped on a belt and slid on her mask. She placed mismatching gloves and shoes on. She slid clothes over her own costume. Placed a blonde wig on and   fixed her make up. (Name) walked to the car with bag in hand and drove off while her henchmen drove in the other direction.

   An alarm sounded at the Gotham city bank. Shots were fired. Ten people died. None of that was (Name)’s concern at the moment as she entered Arkam. She walked through security easily all she had to do was flash her badge. As one of the regular doctors showed her the way to the criminals several guards ran off to help the city. (Name) had planned every move for the past month. She had every detail down and back-up plan upon back-up plan ready. As she drew closer to the criminals, the doctor rambled on more and more. This time though the occasional flirt was thrown in. He was definitely not (Name)’s type and no matter how much she tried hated to she flirted right back in order to get the keys from him. (Name) and the doctor kept walking and a certain green-haired man grew angry with jealousy filling every bit of him as (Name) allowed the doctor to still flirt with her. The doctor could tell he was jealous and took the moment in front of the joker’s cell to kiss (Name). Joker made up his mind to kill the man as soon as he got out.

As the doctor reached the end of the corridor,(Name) pulled a gun from her pocket and shot him in the leg. The doctor collapse but no guard were around to witness it. No sound was made from the gun since (Name) had a silencer. She quickly worked to knock him out before making her way back down the corridor. With keys off the doctor she walked down the aisle with all eyes glued on her.  As she walked down the aisle she rid herself of the wig and the out costume revealing her Harley Quinn look. She casually walked up to the Joker’s cell. He walked right up to the glass, and looked at her dead in the eyes. (Name) walked away and released the other criminals first. The Joker was upset at the action but choose to say nothing.

“What thought I forgot about you? You know they can read which cells are opened in what order so you get to be in the middle other wise my plan won't work.” (Name) said.

(Name) quickly opened his cell just like the others. He went to kiss her but she moved on to the next cell to unlock it. He tried again but she was too busy. By the forth time of him doing so she threw keys at him.

“We have 2 minutes or less get the others” (Name) said as she unlocked another cell.

He didn’t question the action and did as told. He would have plenty of time to spend with her, if the plan succeeded. They worked together to unlock the rest of the cell block before running down the hall. Joker followed footsteps behind her as they ran. He was careful to not let her out of his sight as she slid around the corner.

   “1 minute left” (Name) shouted out as she turned another corridor.

She jumped down the laundry shoot ands landed in a pile of clothes. She got out and ran threw the room and went into a cell. She pushed the toilet out of the way and jumped down into the large  hole below. The joker went in after her. She was careful to move the toilet back into place before running off. A siren sounded and they pushed their limits as they ran even faster. (Name) turned the corner and opened the gate in the large tunnel. Joker was right behind her but he was too slow. (Name) closed the gate and locked it. He grabbed the gate and shook it in a fit of anger.

   “Go down that way and make the second right, they are looking for two people together it will be easier to disappear like this.” (Name) said before disappearing into the shadows.  

The joker stood there for a moment and decided to follow her careful instructions.  (Name) ran through the maze of tunnels and once arriving at her stop quickly change clothes. She took another wig out and put it on along with fixing her appearance. She climbed a ladder and pushed up on the hatch above her. She pushed and moved the invisible floor boards. Climbing out she made sure no one was around. She quickly repled the invisible floor boards and walked around the basement of the shop she was in. Seeing a nearby cellar window, she quickly climbed out and into a nearby alleyway. She made her way into the alley and walked down the street.  She made her way down and back to the hideout where she was greeted by none other than the Joker. He pulled he into a hug before kissing her on the forehead.

   “We are all mad here” (Name) said in a whisper before the Joker picked her up and carried her away into the hideout.

#painted on with laughter #batfamily #BatFam #dick grayson x reader

[kihuis]

Diaries of the Insomniacs [ I ]

Yoo Kihyun x Reader

Chapter Genre/Rating: Mature; NSFW - mentions of masturbation and drug use Word Count: 3.3k

m.list

Fueled on nothing but too much caffeine and a half hour nap, you lazily stroll into your first class of college, the only one you unwillingly decided to take to keep your professor father happy that you might finally have your life in check after too many years of pretending it was going nowhere. As the early bird of the family, he’s never understood you’re nighttime habits and has always constantly scolded you for staying up too late and sleeping through homeroom.

When you applied to college, you made sure to have a schedule you could abide by. Having night classes has more perks than the fact that it’s the only time you can stay awake. The lower teacher to student ratio makes it easier to focus and you need that a lot right now. In order to truly make your father happy, you need to take school seriously, and that’s what you intend to do.

You arrive to class nearly fifteen minutes late, something you were anticipating. Last night you scavenged the entire campus to find any sign of night life, looking for some kind of twenty four hour cafe or library or coffee shop, but to no avail. You ended up reading on your dorm couch until six in the morning, finishing Jane Eyre for the fifth time. A couple times, you heard drunk voices of the boys and girls heading back to their rooms for the night but not once did you hear any leaving, something you were hoping for. Finding a friend might be the last thing on your list of things to do, but it’s something that might help you bide your time in ways other than reading the same old stories over and over again.

You find a seat at the back of the room, happy to see that your teacher hardly notices your late entry and continues with her talking.

“What’s one thing I can expect from you as far as assignments goes? Well, it’s effort. I know Language Composition isn’t the most exciting class you’ll take, but I’m not a fan of half-assed work,” she says as she rifles through papers on her desk. The students around you follow her lead and you realize they’re going over the class syllabus. You printed it out yesterday right before the campus library closed.

Getting it out of your bag, you try to find the page she’s reading from. It’s not a hugely detailed syllabus but there’s five pages and considering how late you are, she could be well past the second page at this point.

Sensing your struggle, the guy next to you gives you a nudge, holding up three fingers when you look over at him. His shaggy brown hair lightly covers his eyes, but you can tell he’s keeping them on his paper. You smile in thanks, turning to the correct page to follow along.

The last thing you remember before you finally begin to doze off is your professor going on about essays and tests before you’re jolted away by a harsh push on the back of your chair. You sit up, trying to gain your composure and let your eyes adjust again to the light. You’re surprised to see the classroom is vacated except for you and whoever kicked your chair to wake you. 

You turn slightly, surprised to see the culprit is the guy who helped you before. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his jacket. He looks intimidating yet soft, like he’s that stereotypical bad boy type that falls for the princess.

“A new class starts in like fifteen minutes so unless you’re in it, too, you might want to leave,” he says calmly, nodding towards the door. You expect him to leave, too, but he stays, watching you as you begin to pick up your things. 

This is why you told your dad it was best if you didn’t have any morning classes. You were embarrassed enough in high school due to your problem and you didn’t want to be that girl again in college. Looks like you’re off to a great start.

“Is your next class in here or something?” you ask him, curious as to why he’s still here.

“No. But we live in the same dorm and you seem new to campus so I though I would do the polite thing and help you out,” he says.

Now you look up at him. “How do you know where I live?” you ask him, standing up with your bag. He follows as you walk out the door.

“Because I saw you moving in. It’s not like it’s that creepy, there were more than twenty of us in the common area and you were going back and forth,” he tells you, as if that makes it any less creepy than it sounds. “I’m Changkyun by the way.”

“So glad the weirdo has a name,” you respond, not wanting to humor this guy and instead just wanting to climb in bed at this very second and get in your daily sleep. You don’t have another class until eight tonight, so you have plenty of time to catch up on it.

“Helpful weirdo,” he states.

The air outside is hotter than you remember. You’re usually used to crisp, cool nights under the moon, so having the sun looking down on you is only adding to the tired soaring through your veins. You visibly yawn as you trek through the crowds of people making their way to and from classes while you try to remember the way to your own dorm. That’s the thing about only getting thirty minutes of sleep, you tend to have a lower memory lapse, something you tried to warn your father about as well.

“Does the tired recluse have a name?” Changkyun asks suddenly.

You gape at him, trying to quicken your pace, but your feet are too tired to carry you any faster than a sloth. At least a recluse can move faster than you can.

“Excuse me?”

“Insomnia I’m guessing,” he says. His black combat boot kicks at the light dust on the ground. You’re wondering why he’s wearing so many layers in the sunlight. Maybe he’s a night owl like you but that wouldn’t explain his early schedule.

“Oh, so you’re a know-it-all too,” you quip with an eye roll. “Thanks for your inappropriately timed hospitality, but I think I’m okay.” You begin to stalk off when he speaks again.

“You sure?”

“Yes, I am positive,” you tell him without even looking back at him.

“No really, are you sure? Because our dorm is that way,” he speaks up, pointing in the opposite direction that you’re walking in. You let out a loud sigh and turn to him again.

“I wasn’t headed to the dorm. I was going to the library,” you say as you turn to continue walking.

“Then why are you headed that way?” he’s asking now.

You stop in your tracks, another loud sigh escaping your lips before you turn around to him again. He’s squinting in the sunlight at you, looking as tired as you feel. Perhaps he’s a little like you, but that doesn’t make his smug and annoyingly correct remarks about you any less annoying.

“Can I at least make sure you get back to your room safely? I was on my way, too,” he tells you, nodding his head like he did in the classroom earlier.

“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” you comment, watching his mouth send you a slight smirk. “But since you so obnoxiously pointed out, I am a little lost as it’s my first day so I guess I will make an exception.”

He huffs out a laugh and looks at you expectantly, tilting his head to the side. As much as you hate your dogs for doing it, they start walking towards him, screaming at every step to lay the fuck down before you pass out in the middle of campus.

“So, does the lady insomniac have a name?”

“What, are you an expert on insomnia? Reading all the signs or something?” you ask him. Who is he to get into your business? Not that you totally mind. He’s pretty cute you guess.

“As a fellow insomniac, it’s hard not to notice.”

So he is like you. Just someone who prefers the company of the moon to that of the sun, which by the way is still glaring down at you, cursing at you to get the sleep you so well deserve.

“Y/N,” you finally reveal. “And if you’re an insomniac, then why are you in a morning class?”

“Why are you?” he retaliates. You’re finally starting to recognize the path to your dorm.

“I asked you first.”

The last thing you want is your life to turn into some crappy rom-com and Changkyun here isn’t doing too well at letting you dodge that outcome. I asked you first. Absolutely cliche.

“I’m good at pretending,” he says simply, not elaborating. “You’re turn.”

“Strict father,” you say simply, not elaborating.

Changkyun nods, not asking you to and you’re thankful for that despite being irritated by his smart remarks. You don’t feel like getting into your family issues with a practical stranger.

“So what is there to do around here in the a.m.?” you ask him. Your bones are whispering about how tired they are, how fragile they feel under the day lit sky. It’s a wonder how you’ve made it this long without falling to the ground like your body wishes it could. You’re usually asleep by now, but that’s not necessarily a surprise.

“Not much truthfully. A lot of us go out into the city. We have a loft out there that we party at. But if you’re not into that, there’s a twenty four hour diner just outside the east of campus. That’s your best bet if you don’t want to be stuck in the dorm all night.”

“Any scenery?”

“A little. There’s an old baseball field about thirty miles outside of town. It’s quite the drive, but it’s worth it once you get out there. We play pickup games sometimes.”

“There’s a lot of we talk happening. Cheating on me already?” you ask jokingly. Now even your hands are wailing at you, begging for mercy. Subconsciously, you pop each knuckle before placing your hands into your own pockets, mimicking Changkyun’s position.

“Well, you never asked me to go steady,” he plays along.

Once you finish your way past the courtyard and back onto another sidewalk, you find yourself remembering walking the same path back from the library under the full moon the night before, finally gracious for the familiar footsteps despite your now tired body. With every step you take that you know you’re closer to your bed, it’s like your muscles begin to give in. You can already tell that the moment you step into your room, you’re bound to pass out immediately.

“So as a night owl, I can understand why you weren’t only late to Language Comp but also fell asleep for half of it,” Changkyun tells you as the two of you approach your dorm. “A couple cups of coffee can only do so much, you know?”

“They didn’t do anything for me this morning,” you say through a yawn, covering your mouth with your elbow.

“If you ever need help, I know a guy.” He pulls his student ID out of his pocket and holds it up to the door sensor, confirming that he’s a student here and letting you both into the dorm.

“Sounds sketchy,” you say without missing a beat. What kind of guy does he know?

“It is, I guess,” he laughs before pulling out a pill capsule from his pocket. “How do you think I’m still awake at this ungodly hour?”

You don’t even want to ask, so you don’t. Interesting how this guy just met you and is already comfortable enough to let you know he’s on speed at this moment. Probably not a great thing to be hanging around with him, although, the thought of royally pissing off your father makes you oddly satisfied. It’s not like you plan to take drugs to stay awake. You’re smarter than that.

You follow Changkyun through the common area, mostly girls with coffee cups on their laptops plaguing the room. There’s a couch at the far end of the room where a guy is asleep, but you can’t see anything of his face of than a pink tuft of hair. The only other males in the vicinity are in the middle of a pool game, one rather tall one waving at Changkyun as you pass by. Instead of stopping though, he continues to walk with you towards the stairs. 

“Thanks,” you tell him quickly before walking up them. When he continues to follow you, you’re quick to turn around, stopping him. “So are you just going to continue to stalk me?”

He doesn’t respond just smiles and shakes his head before stepping around you and walking up the steps. “I live here too, you know.”

You sigh and curse to yourself, forgetting the fact. Obviously he was headed to his room, too. As if it might save you from embarrassment, you continue your trek up the stairs towards your room, feeling much like you’re following him now. He decides to tease you some more, turning on his heel as soon as you reach the second floor. 

“Are you just going to continue to stalk me?” His eyes are testing you, a taunting look in them. He’s enjoying your little game, having too much fun flirting with you.

You keep your composure, letting yourself look like he’s not getting to you. With a tilt of your head, you raise one eyebrow in a testing manner before echoing his actions from seconds ago, stepping around him and walking towards your room.

You’re sure to give him one last look before closing your door behind you.

The campus is quiet and nearly vacated by the time your final class of the day ends. It’s already almost ten thirty by the time you arrive back to your dorm, feeling plenty awake. Your day usually starts around midnight, so you feel you have time to kill before you need to head out and look for that mysterious diner Changkyun told you about earlier or even the baseball field or even the loft. You’re hoping to find the diner over that, though. No telling what goes on there.

You decide to start finishing the readings your teachers assigned and getting a head start on the homework you’d received. Going into Journalism isn’t exactly the job of your dreams, but you’ve always loved writing and to make a career out of it is difficult to come by unless you go for something as serious as news. It’s exactly what your father told you and as much as you hate to admit it, you have to agree with him. You have to be realistic about this, and if you want to write, this is the best path you can take.

After a while, you check the time. Nearly three. You have enough time to do some laundry before heading out.

Shutting down your computer, you cross your room to the laundry hamper. The nice thing about living alone is that you don’t have to worry about waking up a roommate. You’re free to do whatever you need to do as late as you feel like it.

You grab your hamper and head out the door. There’s not a whole of clothes to do yet considering you only got to campus a couple days ago. It also might be because you were too lazy to do laundry before you moved out of your house and instead just packed your dirty clothes to bring to the dorm.

Walking down the hall, you try to take note of the doors that have light peeking under them, seeing only one out of the twenty. You’re tempted to knock, but that’s only room for a creepy first impression, but why else would someone be awake at three in the morning? It has to be someone like you, only able to be conscious under the presence of the moon.

You skip spying on any other doors and head straight to the bottom floor showers where the laundry room is also located. Community showers mean less privacy, at least for day seekers that is. As someone who’s only awake at night, you don’t think you have much to worry about as far as a private shower goes.

And apparently you’re not the only one who thinks that, because as you’re passing the door to the showers, you hear water running. You suddenly wonder if perhaps it’s Changkyun since he lives here too. But when you hear a voice that doesn’t belong to him begin to sing, you realize it’s not and head into the laundry room. Maybe it’s one of his friends, the ones who he parties with at sketchy lofts and plays pickup games of baseball under no light other than the moon. 

After putting your laundry into the washer, curiosity gets the best of you. You head back out into the lobby to go through the bathroom door, but you stop short when you hear the same singing voice halt and begin to moan. 

Whoever the voice belongs to gets steadily louder and you wonder if he is getting a blowjob or simply just getting himself off. Despite the weirdo in you who wants to find out, you decide to ignore your poor judgement and head back up to your room to get a head start on the new book you bought the day before.

Once plenty of time has passed for your clothes to get washed, you go back downstairs to transfer your laundry into the dryer. As you’re walking out of the laundry room for the second time, someone walks out of the showers at the same time. You don’t recognize his face, but the pink dye on his hair makes you realize he’s one of the guys who was in the common room this morning. He’d been passed out on the couch instead of playing pool with the other two guys or flirting with the numerous females around. Now he’s only wearing a pair of jeans and shoes, a towel slung over his bare shoulder.

Considering his damp hair, you can assume he’s the one from before that you heard in immense pleasure. No one is with him, so you can also assume that he was alone while he was in the middle of a climax. Now all you can do is picture him naked.

You feel your face heat up as you pretend not to notice him, walking right past him towards the stairs again. He’s close behind you on the stairs and you have to force yourself not to turn around. When you reach your floor and begin to head down to your room, he decides to speak.

“You always do you laundry at three in the morning?” he asks. His voice definitely matches the singing and moaning you heard in the shower.

Turning around, you try to keep your eyes from straying to his crotch. You don’t know what t looks like but it’s not a hard thing to imagine. He’s very attractive, too, which is just adding to the situation. You decide to play it cool and clap back sassily.

“Do you always masturbate at three in morning?”

He chuckles and clutches his towel, removing it from his shoulder before continuing up the steps. He doesn’t speak again until he’s nearly around the corner of the next floor up.

“Only on Mondays.”

#yoo kihyun #kihyun imagines #kihyun smut #kihyun fanfic #monbebe net #monsta x imagines #kihyun reactions #kihyun au #kihyun angst #kihyun fluff #kihyun x reader #kihyun x you #kihyun monsta x #monsta x smut #monsta x au #monsta x writing #kihyun writing #monsta x yoo kihyun #monsta x fanfic #monsta x fanfiction #kihyun fanfiction

[alj4890]

Sappy Prompt

(Thomas x Amanda) with the prompt: Can I touch you? Requested by @alleksa16

(Thomas x Amanda) A Choices Red Carpet Diaries and The Royal Romance Fan Fiction. Taken from the storyline of And Then I Met You.

@walkerinfolkvangr @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment @fullbeaumonty @cocomaxley @darley1101 @hopefulmoonobject   @krsnlove   @annekebbphotography @gibbles82   @bella-ca  @hopelessromantic1352 @pixieferry  

No Touching

Amanda turned to check all sides of her formal St Orella's court dress. The royal blue color caused her pale skin to glow and rosy cheeks to appear. Her dark hair was swept up in a formal bun while the St. Orella’s duchess tiara of blue diamonds and sapphires sat upon her head. She began to pull on her crisp white elbow length gloves while calling out to Thomas.

"Are you ready yet? We need to be leaving soon if we don't wish to be hounded by the press." She straightened her gloves and was trying to put her sapphire bracelet on. Thomas came out in his tuxedo shirt and pants. The royal blue regalia ribbon showed brightly against his white shirt. He straightened the white bow tie while searching for his black jacket.

He stopped mid step when he saw Amanda. She looked up at him and grinned. "What is it?"

His eyes took in her fairytale appearance. "You look like beautiful princess somehow brought to life from a page out of a storybook.."

She laughed and walked over to him. Her full skirts rustled with the many slips and tulle underneath the floor length blue silk. She pinned the St Orella jeweled crest on the regalia ribbon before holding up his jacket for him. She smoothed the black material and made sure the crest was prominently displayed.

She took a step back and admired him. "You look very handsome." He moved closer to kiss her and she sashayed out of his path. His eyes widened in surprise.

"It took much too long to get all this on for the coronation." She eyed him for a heated moment. "No touching until after we return."

He picked up his white gloves and slipped them on. "No touching?" His dark eyes seemed to glow with mischief.

She nodded slowly. "You may take my hand to help me out of the carriage and offer your arm to escort me, but that is all. With all of the nation watching Liam crowned King, I want to appear at my best with you. This is our first representation of St. Orella and I do not want to let our people down by my hair falling or mussed clothing."

Thomas' gaze remained on her. Amanda's suspicion grew the longer he was silent. "Thomas, what are you planning?"

The curve of his lips caused her heart to flip. "I was merely thinking of other ways to touch you."

Her cheeks flared with color. She briefly closed her eyes. "This wasn't meant as a challenge."

He nodded as he offered his arm to her. "Shall we?"

Knowing she was in for more than the tediously long ceremony, she reluctantly took his arm. "Please behave." She whispered as they walked down the grand staircase of the palace. She nodded and smiled at some of the nobles that were milling about in full court attire.

He looked down at her and gave her the smile that precipitated a day of sweeping her off her feet. She heaved a resigned sigh and stepped out to the waiting carriages. He handed her up into one and waited patiently while she fought her dress and sat down. He climbed in beside her and looked out the window.

"Do all the nobles ride in carriages to the cathedral?" He asked as he noticed some town cars were parked out front.

"No. Only those with the highest titles. Members of the royal family and their dukes and duchesses adhere to this tradition from centuries ago." She smiled and slipped her gloved hand in his. "I'm very glad you are here with me."

His sharp gaze landed on her lips. He watched as they parted slightly and he leaned in close. His eyes met hers. "I'm very glad to be here with you."

She gasped as he leaned even closer, to only then move back to his original posture. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at his profile. "Thomas."

"Yes?"

She opened her mouth to only shut it when crowds of people lining the streets began to cheer and wave small Cordonian flags. She smiled at a group of children waving excitedly at her. She raised her hand and waved with enthusiasm to them. She sat back once they passed and noticed Thomas watching her with a soft smile.

She reached over and gently squeezed his hand. His eyebrow quirked at her. "I see that you are allowed to touch me."

Her eyes swept over him. "There is something I love about you in a tuxedo." She placed her gloved hand on his thigh. She trailed her fingertips up, feeling the muscle tense in anticipation. She removed her hand before going any higher and turned to look out the window.

"Amanda." He said in a strangled voice. "That was--"

"What you had planned for me? Or perhaps the equalivent of?" She turned back to tease him, only to find his face lowered near hers. She could feel each exhale he released on her lips. The smell of his aftershave drew her closer. She licked her dry lips and lifted her eyes to his. A seductive smile curved her lips. He leaned closer to only have her switch to the opposite seat.

His surprise was quickly followed by a scowl. "Amanda." His voice dripped with warning. "You are playing a dangerous game."

"Perhaps I am." She held his heated gaze as she spoke. "Perhaps, I am simply leveling the playing field."

His lips curved in anticipation. "Are we opponents now?"

She slowly nodded.

When the carriage stopped at the cathedral, Thomas stepped down and held his hand to her. Before she could climb down, he slipped his arm around her waist and caused her to slide down his body. Their eyes lowered to the other's lips. She stepped back and shook her skirt out. He offered his arm and covered her hand with his. With practiced smiles, they walked past photographers and entered into the sanctuary.

They were led to a set of pews on the left side of the dias. Maxwell and Nadia waved to them from the right side where they sat beside Bertrand. Thomas leaned over as if to draw her attention to others nodding toward them. "Are you going to behave in church or shall we continue this?"

Her face turned to his. Their lips only a couple of inches from each other. She brushed a piece of lint from his jacket, near his ribs, and smiled at his slight jolt. "I think that is your answer."

His smile held a slight edge as he whispered in her ear. Her cheeks turned rosy as he began to describe each and every action he planned on taking as soon as he had her back in their room. She closed her eyes briefly when his low voice washed over her. "I will write poems on your skin with my lips."

She opened her eyes and let out a startled oh when someone touched her shoulder. She smiled and greeted Olivia and Rashad as they sat behind her. Before she could counter his verbal seduction, the ceremony commenced.

Altar boys walked forth with candles while a choir sang. The haunting music caused the pair to pause and become serious. Liam, in full regalia, walked forward somehow exhibiting both confidence and humbleness at becoming King. His blue eyes glowed when he passed by the suitor from New York.

Once he reached the dias, he knelt down as the Archbishop began the prayers and blessings upon Liam and his reign over Cordonia. Amanda struggled with tears of pride at seeing her oldest friend become the man they all believed he could be. The country could not have a better set of shoulders to lean on.

Thomas slipped his hand in hers for comfort when he noticed her dabbing her eyes. She glanced at him and smiled at his sweet gesture. His thumb caressed her knuckles as they turned their attention back to Liam.

The crowning of the new king took nearly three hours. As Liam stood before the congregation at the end, wearing the crown that held the very history of Cordonia, a hush fell over everyone as he spoke. The sincerity of his vows to do his utmost to be the ruler they needed was felt by everyone listening. He bowed his head in thanks before he descended the platform and walked up the aisle.

Thomas stood when Amanda did. She paused at the end of the pew as others filed past. He leaned down toward her ear. "Can I touch you now?" She looked at him over her shoulder and shook her head.

He straightened and let his eyes stray down her curves. She stepped out and waited to take his arm. She saw where his eyes were and cleared her throat. He chuckled at her raised eyebrow. He looked around the sanctuary and it's gothic motif. She noticed his attention elsewhere and squeezed his arm.

"If our marriage had occurred at a more normal pace, this is most likely where our wedding would be held. The King, well King Father, has always encouraged nobles to marry here so that the citizens of Cordonia can feel a part of the festivities."

"Is this what you would have wanted?" He asked, thinking it did not fit with what he had learned of her.

"No. I would have either have wanted a very small wedding at the chapel in St. Orella or eloped. My nerves could never handle being paraded before everyone."

"Is that why you did not want to be a suitor for Liam?" He asked as they walked slowly down the aisle.

"A small piece of it, I suppose. Mostly it was because I knew I wasn't in love with him." Her face sobered. "You see I met this man in California and he stole little pieces of my heart each day. I certainly couldn't marry one of my best friends while being so in love with my director."

Thomas pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He didn't care if they became mussed or pictures were taken (which one lone photographer caught the only picture of them kissing in the middle of the main aisle). Thomas only knew that he had to kiss her at that very moment. He had been barely hanging on by a thread since they began their teasing. To hear her words, well he gave up resisting.

She smiled when he lifted his lips. Her voice, low with passion, ruffled his senses. "We better hurry if we want time to change out of these clothes."

He quickly escorted her outside and all but picked her up to be placed in the carriage.

Olivia and Rashad stood openmouthed at their rush. Drake walked up behind them. "What's going on with the Hunt's?"

"Don't know." Olivia said as she watched the carriage return to the palace.

Rashad checked his watch. "We still have two hours before the luncheon."

"Maybe they are really hungry." Maxwell offered as he and Nadia joined them.

Nadia's eyes twinkled with mischief and of one being in the know. "You could say that."

#choices trr #choices rcd #choices red carpet diaries #choices the royal romance #choices thomas hunt #thomas hunt x oc #thomas hunt #thomas x amanda #trr liam #trr maxwell #maxwell x nadia #trr olivia #trr drake #trr rashad

[mariequitecontrarie]

All of Me: Chapter 16

The Fic: Belle French is a pudgy librarian who’s in love from afar with “town monster” and ace reporter, Mr. Gold. Little does she know, he’s head-over-heels in love with her, too. Chapter Summary: Belle and Emma go shopping in Portland to prepare for a big night out with Gold and Neal at the Storybrooke Winter Gala. Emma runs into an old high school rival and shares a secret. Rating: T A/N: Guys, it’s been 84 years! Much love to @galactic-pirates and @magnoliatattoo for putting up with me. Artwork by the talented @wizzygold @a-monthly-rumbelling: “I’m not dressed for this.”

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | 

Stay with Me (bet. Ch 9&10) | Spiked Chocolate (bet. Ch 16&17) | Pieces of Me (Q&A)

ON AO3

“The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her.” - Marcelene Cox

***Three weeks after Belle has moved out of her parents’ house and into Marco’ s.***

Belle picked up the telephone to call Gold at the newspaper, her day planner spread open on the desk.

Yes, it was old-fashioned, writing things down on a calendar and lugging the thick planner around in her bag, but she liked old-fashioned. She liked books, and fountain pens, and the rustle of paper—both crisply new and faded with age. Besides, she didn’t trust iPhone calendar apps.

She’d forgotten Daddy and Edith’s anniversary one too many times thanks to those finicky electronic calendars. Whenever it happened, she rushed to write a card at the last minute but instead of being grateful, Edith seemed to enjoy shaming her for “neglecting her family.” Personally, Belle felt anniversaries were about the couple celebrating each other…but her thoughts were veering way off course. If she ventured down the dark road of worrying over Edith, she could end up in bed with a box of snowball cakes for the rest of the day.

But falling into depression was less likely now that she no longer called her father and Edith’s house home. After three weeks of living with Marco, there was no denying how much better she felt; the freedom of coming and going as she pleased was a heady sensation. Sometimes Gold joined her at Marco’s house in the evening and the three of them played Scrabble together. Once, she had insisted Marco not cook dinner after cooking at the restaurant all day long and dragged him to Emma’s house for a family dinner where Henry chattered about school and his friends and made everyone laugh until their sides ached. 

But most often, Marco would come home from the restaurant and the two of them would eat a pasta and salad dinner, and then spend the evening in the comfortable quiet of his small, cozy living room. His overstuffed couch and chairs were such a contrast to the hard, slick leather furniture Edith filled her house with, and Belle loved sinking into the corner of Marco’s huge couch and covering up with a fluffy throw blanket.

Sometimes they would make small talk about their days but on most evenings, Marco would be bent over a notebook making notes for the next day’s specials at the restaurant, and she would pull out her laptop to research books to add to the library. Usually, either the Cooking Channel or HGTV played in the background. She’d had an older television in her bedroom at her parents’ but no cable connection. Marco, however, had a new flatscreen and Belle indulged in her love of watching House Hunters International, which combined two of her favorite pastimes: seeing home interiors and a peek at exotic destinations.

Gone were the days of being chased into her bedroom, hiding her diary, and hoarding snacks. Some days, the years spent in Edith and her dad’s frosty household seemed like a bad dream. 

At least twice a week, Belle offered to pay Marco rent. It didn’t seem right to eat his food and live in his space and offer nothing in return. But he refused every time she asked. “No,” he had said this morning over breakfast, flipping eggs with a stubborn twist of his lips. “We are family, Bella. La famiglia. And when life is hard, family is a soft place to land.” Her eyes had burned with grateful tears, but she kissed his cheek and ate her breakfast and let him fuss over her until they went their separate ways—he to the restaurant and her to the library.

Besides, she thought as she punched in Gold’s number, she didn’t have time for wallowing.

She needed to talk to Gold about the annual Storybrooke Winter Gala today. On impulse, Neal had bought four tickets and insisted he and Emma and Belle and Gold make a double date of the occasion. He’d even arranged for their next-door neighbor, Ana, to watch Henry.

Every December, the Mayor’s Office hosted the gala to benefit the city schools. This year, all proceeds would go toward school Arts programs—music, theatre, writing, and art workshops. Emma and Gold usually attended every year, Gold to cover the event for the Times and Emma to capture photographs to accompany the story. Belle had never been invited to the ball before, though, and she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Part of her didn’t want to be seen in public with so many shiny glossy people she couldn’t measure up to, but another side of her was excited to play princess for an evening.

She glanced again at the date and punched in Gold’s phone number. Today was Friday, November 16th. Thanksgiving was next week, which meant the gala was only three weeks away. There wasn’t much time to get ready. Finding a dress could be difficult and she would probably need to take it to a tailor, too. The thought of shopping for formalwear made her palms begin to sweat.

“Gold,” he answered on the first ring.

“What are you wearing?” she asked in a rush, followed by a breathless pause.

He answered with a laugh, the deep, rich sound making her spine tingle. She imagined him setting down the newspaper proof he was holding to turn in his chair to peer out the window toward the library. Since her office was in the back of the building he couldn’t actually see her, but she felt the admiring burn of his eyes all the same.

She heard a rustling sound as he set down the pages. When they talked or spent time together, he always gave her his full attention. It was certainly a refreshing change from Sean distractedly glancing at her during one of his marathon video game sessions and asking her to repeat what she’d said for the third time.

“A naughty call in the middle of the workday?” Gold drawled into the phone. “Sweetheart, men dream of these sorts of calls from their girlfriends. It’s not even my birthday.”

Belle blushed. She hadn’t stopped to think how awkward the question would sound out of context, but now that it was out, she teased him right back. “Mmmm nothing naughty to say today but just wait till it is your birthday,” she said. “Now that you mention it…”

“Yes?” He drew out the word, filling it with expectation and making her giggle.

She could almost see him leaning forward across the desk, a mischievous gleam in those caramel eyes.

“When is your birthday?”

“January 14th,” he answered promptly. “And tell Marco I prefer ice cream cake.”

“You prefer every cake,” she shot back, smiling into the phone. When it came to baked goods, Gold had an enormous sweet tooth. “But I think it can be arranged.”

“That’s excellent news. Just don’t tell Marco how many candles to put on it because the thing will be melted before we have a chance to slice it.”

Belle knew he was still self-conscious about the difference in their ages. She also knew exactly how to soothe him when he worried. “Then it’s a good thing I prefer mature men.”

“Indeed,” he said, sounding pleased.

She flipped her planner forward and marked his birthday on the calendar in bold, red ink, surrounding the date with fat, bright hearts. The birthday of the man she loved was an important day—far more worth remembering than the wedding date of her stuffy stepmother and emotionally unavailable father. At least she knew Marco wouldn’t snoop through her things and read her planner or her diary. But she was digressing again.

“Now, back to my question,” she ordered, feigning sternness. 

“You have my full attention, General French.”

She laughed and rubbed the thick holiday gala invitation between her fingers. Its embossed gold lettering and sprigs of holly in metallic ink screamed expensive. Everyone knew the Storybrooke Winter Gala was the social event of the season. From the chilled seafood towers bursting with crab claws and lobster tails to the elegant champagne cocktails, no expense would be spared.

Belle fanned her warm cheeks with the cardstock, her clammy fingers leaving damp smudges at the top of the matte stationery. “The invite says formal attire, but you’re almost always formal. Were you thinking suit or tuxedo?”

 “At the moment, I’m in my usual. I did opt for the socks with the turkeys today as a nod to next Thursday.”

Belle giggled and dragged her teeth over her lower lip. His Thanksgiving socks were adorable and he was being terribly sweet in his attempts to put her at ease. She wanted to go to the gala, but she didn’t want to look like a country bumpkin who had never been anywhere. Gold had attended fancy dinners and parties all over the world. He’d been to a State Dinner with the President, for goodness sake, while Belle had never ventured beyond the Portland city limits. “You know what I mean. It’s not like we can show up in sweatpants and be all ‘sorry, I’m not dressed for this.’” Oh, how she wished.

“Sweetheart, you can wear anything you like. You’re gorgeous no matter what you have on. That said, I’m not really the proper person to offer advice on evening gown selections. Why don’t you talk to Emma?”

She sighed. “Honey, I have talked to Emma. We’re both going shopping and we both need to know. It’s not like we can ask Neal for guidance.” Exasperated, she pushed a curl off her forehead, wondering why she had to explain this. “You know what he’s like. Emma said, ‘Neal would dust corn chips off his construction clothes, zip a hoodie sweatshirt over it, and head out the door.’ That’s a direct quote, by the way.”

Gold burst out laughing. “Sounds like my boy. I’ll make sure he’s dressed appropriately.”

“Anyway,” she continued, “there’s not much of a boutique circuit here in Storybrooke and I’m not exactly a candidate for Rent the Runway.” She sucked in the inside of her cheek as soon as those last words were out. Since they’d started dating, she’d been making a concerted effort not to say self-deprecating things about herself. At least not out loud.

Gold hadn’t seemed to notice her negativity, though.

“Which would you prefer I wear? Tux or suit?”

The image of whirling on the dance floor with Gold in a sleek black tuxedo was doing crazy things to her insides. “Tux,” she said in a breathless whisper. “Tux sounds good.”

“Tux it shall be then. And Belle?”

“Yes?” She was still picturing Gold in black tie and her stomach was doing gymnastics.

“Love,  I meant what I said: you’re gorgeous no matter what you wear. We’re going to the gala so we can dance and eat shrimp cocktail and support the Arts, not so you’ll worry over competing with silly girls and stupid women who wouldn’t know true beauty if it ran over them with a sleigh.”

“I wish you and Emma and Neal were going to be the only ones there,” she murmured, feeling silly. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t known about the gala and been given every opportunity to decide against going. The event had been on the calendar for weeks, yet the closer it came the more she fretted about fitting in. An inexplicable craving for belonging tightened her chest.

Gold hummed into the phone. “This is about more than a dress, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

She closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath, letting the weight of his understanding settle over her like a comforting mantle. Her head lolled forward until her forehead rested upon the top of her desk. The smooth, cool grain of the wood felt good against her flushed skin and she forced out another lungful of air. Gold didn’t deserve to be at the wrong end of her short fuse. She tried to tell herself she belonged at the gala because he’d invited her, but the heart didn’t always believe the head—no matter how sensible the head was being.

“It matters to me that I at least look like I belong, even if it isn’t true,” she admitted.

Gold was quiet for a long moment. “It is true, sweetheart. For as long as I draw breath, you will always have a place to belong. If Marco, Emma, Neal, and Henry were here, I know each of them would say the same. I also know it’s going to take more than hearing the words to make you believe it. You have to know the truth deep down. I love you so much, and I only hope and pray that one day you’ll see yourself the way we see you.”

Belle pressed her lips together, muffling a sob. “Thank you for understanding,” she whispered tearfully. “I love you.”

“It’s nearly five. I’m coming over to the library.” Through the phone, she heard the distinctive click of his pocket watch as he snapped it closed. “When I get there, I’m going to kiss you till you’re breathless, then take you out for a nice, quiet dinner, just the two of us. How does that sound?”

Belle smiled and wiped her tears and her worries away with a tissue from the box on her desk. “It sounds perfect.”

“So we’re here.” Emma sucked down the dregs of her iced latte in a noisy slurp and wiped her hands on her black jeans. “Portland. Boutique Row. What do we do now?” She tossed the cup in the trash can inside the door.

Like aliens on a foreign planet, they hovered inside the doorway of Posh, the largest formal boutique in the city.

Belle eyed Emma suspiciously. “I thought you said you knew about shopping.”

“Yeah, for denim and dry fit. Where to get the best doughnuts. And the occasional piece of leather. Not evening gowns.”

“But you’ve been to this gala before?” she pressed.

“Yeah, as the photographer. No one pays attention to what you’re wearing when you’re behind the camera. I got away with black pants and a dress shirt three years running.”

Belle looked her friend up and down. Perspiration was dotting Emma’s temples. Her cheeks, ruddy from the winter air outside just moments ago, were ashen. She knew that deer-in-headlights look: Emma was on the verge of an anxiety attack.

Belle ran her teeth over her lower lip, discouragement slithering around her and squeezing the air from her lungs. “Are we in trouble?”

“It’s possible,” Emma acknowledged, then shook her head hard enough to cause her ponytail to sway. “No. No! We’re two grown women. We can handle one small town formal.”

“You make it sound like war,” Belle said wryly.

“It’s worse. Other women. Rich, polished, cold as ice.” She rolled her eyes at a chic blonde dripping in Chanel and carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag bigger than Belle’s suitcase. “Maybe we should invest in suits of armor.”

“Or maybe we should eat them for supper.”

Emma snorted, their laughter breaking the tension. It was rare for Emma to be intimidated, and Belle patted her shoulder. Misery loved company, and somehow knowing she wasn’t alone in her insecurity gave her hope for more than the hunt for an evening gown. “We can do this, as long as we do it together.”

Emma’s reached for Belle’s hand and squeezed. “Right. Together is better.”

”Exactly.”

Emma gave a long, slow whistle and they moved into the store like two people tied together in a three-legged race. “Where should we start?” Belle stared at the array of gowns and began to shuffle through the racks, heading in the direction of the plus sizes. She’d come here expecting to have maybe two choices in style but after a few minutes of browsing, to her surprise, there were many gowns in her size—short and long, tight and flowing, beaded and glittery. And though she hadn’t tried on a solitary dress, she was still convinced there wasn’t one in all of Portland designed to flatter her physique. In one fell swoop, she’d gone from zero choices to too many. So many dresses, so little time, and so much Belle.

Even the eggnog lattes and cream-stuffed doughnuts she and Emma had feasted on in the car on the way here left her feeling hollow. She was at her worst at formal events—the last one she’d been to was her high school senior prom and not one person had asked her to dance. She’d gone stag simply so she didn’t have to sit in the house with her father and Edith. With the exception of going to the refreshment table to sneak brownies, she had sat in the corner the entire time.

But she wasn’t in high school any longer. She had a handsome escort in Gold and friends to spend the evening with. The steeply priced gala tickets had already been purchased and paid for and supporting the Arts in their schools? She couldn’t think of a more excellent cause. Besides, backing out three weeks before the event was paramount to announcing you had no interest in seeing Hamilton. It simply wasn’t done.

She squinted in the direction of the lingerie. Spanx were what she needed—something to suck her in and smooth her out—injected with industrial-strength elastic.

“Black. Black is the slimming choice,” Belle decided aloud, pushing through the rack toward a plain A-line silk sheath gown.

At least if she stuck to basic black, she and Gold would match. Like two penguins. One sleek and sophisticated, the other round and plump, carrying a lot of blubber around to make it through the hard, cold, South Pole winter.

“No black! Black is the safe choice,” Emma countered, smacking Belle’s hand when she reached for the hanger on another simple, nondescript black gown with clean lines.

“And that’s bad why?”

“Because it’s drab and washes you out. Go for color. Like gold.”

“Suddenly you’re a Pantone expert?” Belle winced. “A gold dress? Isn’t that a touch…cliché?”

“Alright. We’ll keep looking.”

Belle nudged Emma in the direction of a tall, willow-thin woman with striking black and grey hair and the pointiest red stilettos she’d ever seen. “Maybe we should ask someone. I think she works here.”

Emma squinted and slid more dresses down the rack. “The one with the scarf on?”

“It’s a poncho.” She knew that much.

“Wait! Wait! Try this emerald one! Gold will go crazy when he sees you in this!” Emma whipped a dazzling, jewel-toned gown with a daring thigh-high slit off the rack. Belle stared at the stunning gown then glanced back at the saleswoman. “Five minutes ago you didn’t know anything about dresses.” “You’re right, I don’t. But I know my father-in-law and he’s going to love that dress. Well, he’d love you in a life-sized paper bag, but this dress will make even Mr. Smart Ass Newspaper Dude speechless. God, I can picture him drooling already!” She thrust the dress into Belle’s arms and gave her a playful shove. “Go try it on. And remember, the only person who has to know how beautiful you are…”

“Is me,” Belle finished. They’d had this conversation often during their walks over the past few months, and Emma had reminded her yet again on the two-hour drive here. She fingered the rich velvet skirt with trembling fingers. Now she had to walk the walk. “I’ll try it. What color are you looking for?” she asked, backing into the fitting room.

“Black.” “Emma!” she whined.

Emma yanked the fitting room curtain closed with a laugh. The dress was crushed velvet with full-length sleeves, hard to find, even in the middle of a brutal Maine winter. She slid into the gown, the silk-lined velvet feeling decadent against her skin. Even without the back completely zipped, she liked the look. Emma was right, she realized, turning this way and that in the three-way mirror.

The scoop neck hugged her shoulder blades, emphasizing her thinnest feature—her shoulders—and the color made her blue eyes sparkle and skin creamy even under the garish fluorescent fitting room lights. It was a few inches too long for her 5-foot, 1-inch frame, but the skirt length was easily remedied at a tailor. Not hating it, she took a deep breath, lifted the skirt so she wouldn’t trip, and opened the curtain. She hoped Emma was nearby because she didn’t want to make a spectacle of herself. Those stupid little fitting room closets were designed to thrust you back out onto the floor where commission-hungry salespeople could tell you how good you looked and convince you to buy.

“Em,” she called out, “could you zip—” She swallowed the rest of her words. Emma was face-to-face with a dark-haired woman, and looking even more nervous than she had when they walked into the boutique. “Emma? Emma Nolan?” The stranger wore a smart navy pantsuit and a light blue silk blouse, and her blood-red lips spread in a wide smile. Everything about her, from her perfectly coifed hair to her buffed, nude pumps, screamed suave and important.

“Yeah, who’s asking?” “It’s me, Regina Mills. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten. We graduated together from Storybrooke High! I sat next to you in Mr. Walsh’s English class.” “Oh, hey.” Emma kicked the carpet with her boot, looking anything but thrilled to meet an old high school friend. “Good to see you. You remember Belle French, I’m sure. She graduated the year after us.” Regina frowned at Belle, making a small scar on her upper lip stand out. “Sorry, doesn’t ring a...bell.” “It’s fine. We didn’t really travel in the same social circles anyway,” Belle said.  Regina pouted, as if trying to decide if Belle’s remark was a put-down.

Well, she could interpret the comment however she wished. Belle didn’t care for the change that had come over Emma since Regina had appeared or the barely-veiled insult that she wasn’t worth remembering. Now that she’d had a good look at her, she remembered Regina well enough. Then again, it was hard to forget the most popular girl to ever come out of Storybrooke High School. Student body president, prom queen, and girlfriend of Daniel Colter, captain of the football team. Belle would have called her a high school cliché, except that Regina had carried her smooth, flawless reputation into adulthood. She was still the most beautiful woman Belle had ever seen close-up.  “I’m just in town for meetings today. I’m an attorney and planning to run for office next term.” Regina’s frozen smile was back in business. “I’m thinking start small with state Senate and work up from there. So, Emma, what have you been up to since graduation? I haven’t seen you since we walked across the stage.” “Um, well.” Emma shoved her hands in her pockets and looked toward the racks of dresses. “Emma is a gifted photographer,” Belle said, sliding to her friend’s side. If Emma wasn’t going to boast about her accomplishments, she sure as hell was going to do it for her. “How exciting!” Regina’s grin was wolfish, her dark eyes sparkling. “Are you exhibiting your portraits at any galleries?” “Uh…” Emma looked at the floor. “No time,” Belle put in. “Right, Em? You’re much too busy with your son, Henry and your husband, Neal.” “Oooh, a husband.” Regina’s eyes flashed again, reminding Belle of a shark circling its prey. “Is he a doctor?” “Nope.” “Hmmm.” She tapped a red nail against her jaw. “A lawyer then?” “He’s in construction,” Emma said, looking to Belle for help. “For your information, he runs his own construction company. He’s built most of Storybrooke’s new buildings in the last ten years.” Belle glared at Regina, daring her to make another cutting remark. “So he’s a working man,” she said, managing to make the term sound neither positive nor negative. “Yeah. Yeah. He’s great.” Emma’s laugh was feeble and she ducked her head.  Regina clapped her hands. “This has been fun, catching up. We should do this again sometime.” She flashed another gorgeous, winning smile, and moved in the direction of the lingerie. “Best of luck on the campaign trail,” Belle called after her. Waiting until Regina was out of earshot, Belle whirled on Emma. “Excuse me, but what the hell was that?”

“Never mind. We have shopping to do.” Emma cleared her throat and tried to slide past her, but Belle held her ground.

“The shopping can wait. Who died and crowned Regina Mills queen?”

Belle had zero patience for people who clambered for social standing and pronounced themselves better than others. Having been so often on the receiving end of other people’s sarcasm, Belle rarely talked down to people. But standing up to bullies didn’t count. Something about watching Emma cower in front of Regina caused an angry fire to blaze in her belly. Maybe she was lousy at defending herself, but she’d be damned if she’d let anyone walk all over her friend. Emma shrugged and studied the dresses. She was pretending not to care about the awkward encounter, but Belle knew better. “I don’t like small talk. ‘Hi. How are you?’ she parroted. ‘Oh, I’m fine, how are you?’ News flash: nobody’s fine.”

“Em…”

“No matter how she makes it sound, Regina and I weren’t friends in high school, we were competitors.” She rolled her eyes. “She reminisces about Mr. Walsh’s English class like that was the only time we saw each other. I guess she forgot about the four years we spent one-upping each other on the cheerleading squad, softball team, and the debate team. Always trying to be smarter, stronger, and skinnier than the other. We were out for blood.”

“Then why are you letting her get under your skin?”

Emma sighed and pulled on her ponytail. “You know Cora Mills?”

“Cora Mills, the mayor? Of course.” Belle suppressed a shudder.

Regina’s mother, Cora, had been mayor of Storybrooke for as long as Belle could remember. Cora was a cold, calculating woman, but what she lacked in lovable qualities, she made up for in efficiency. She ran Storybrooke like a machine and no one could argue with her methods, not even Gold, who was paid to search out everything. From the few times Belle had met her, she realized Cora wasn’t mean so much as devoid of emotion.  Beyond a perfunctory review of the library budget once a year, Belle was fortunate to rarely communicate with the Mayor’s Office and even when she did, it was strictly emails between Belle and Cora’s assistant. The library and its services were beneath Cora’s notice; so long as Belle didn’t ask for too much money, she stayed under her radar—which was exactly the way she liked it.

Emma wandered to a bench next to the row of fitting rooms and plopped down. “My mom always wanted to be like her, you know.”

“Really?” Belle would never have expected sweet, kind Mary Margaret Nolan to want to emulate Cora Mills.

Emma smirked. “Once, a long time ago, Mom even tried bidding against her for Mayor but she was too nice. She was laughed out of the first debate, and it’s a good thing because the town would have walked all over her. Since Mom couldn’t be like Cora, she decided the next best thing would be for me to be like Cora’s daughter, Regina. I spent every day of high school trying to beat Regina for one reason: because my mom couldn’t beat hers.”

“Wow,” Belle said. “I would never have known. Your mom is such a great teacher and your parents are like a fairytale marriage. Talk about relationship goals.”

“Exactly. The thing with my mom is she’s incredible just as she is,” she said. “Former prom queen, straight-A student, a born teacher. She’s smart and pretty and married to the perfect, charming husband. And she loves Storybrooke—but not for me.”

“But your parents live in Storybrooke.” Confused, Belle furrowed her brow. “That seems like a bit of a double-standard.”

“Yeah.” Emma shook her head. “’Why do you want to take pictures of engaged couples and local pet adoptions?’ she said, mimicking her mother’s innocent tone. “She would rather I was out on the front lines of some war documenting the dying.” “Like Gold used to?” Belle nodded in sympathy and claimed the empty side of the bench. She knew all too well the feeling of being expected to be someone you couldn’t be and dashing parental hopes in the process. “She feels like you shouldn’t be satisfied with a simple life.” “Bingo! And she resents the hell out of Gold for telling me what it’s really like out there. I think that’s why I’m closer to him now than I am my own parents. He understands weakness and failure in a way I don’t think they can. I’m not some conceited little bitch who’s hiding in the bathroom to throw up everything she eats to fit in anymore, but sometimes that really sucks, you know?”

“Yeah, I do.” Belle’s heart clenched in sympathy. Sometimes she still got sucked into the vortex of her own self-pity and forgot that everyone—even gorgeous, wonderful Emma—was fighting a battle. Trying to be yourself was hard work. It was so much easier to toe the line of people’s expectations, to do and say what made others feel comfortable and safe. “So there’s Regina, first conquering the state of Maine, then the world.” Emma put her head in her hands. “And here I am...not running for a spot even on the PTO. Married with a kid and pregnant again.” “You’re pregnant?” Belle slung an arm around Emma and dragged her against her side in an awkward hug. “Oh, sweetie, that’s amazing!” “Ya think? Emma sniffled but looked hopeful for the first time since they had entered the boutique. “Really? I wasn’t expecting another baby. It just happened.”

“Henry is going to be a big brother!” Belle squealed, excited enough for both of them. “Does your mom know yet?”

“Are you kidding?” “What did Neal say?”

Emma shook her head and touched her belly. “You’re the first soul I’ve told.”

“Me?” Belle crowded closer to Emma and drew her head down on her shoulder. She smoothed Emma’s hair back from her temples, soothing her the way her mother used to when she was little while she tried to process the news. To think she was the first to know about the new addition coming to the Cassidy household. She hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever been first in someone else’s confidence. At least not...well there’s Gold, of course.” She felt Emma nod against her shoulder. “I know what you mean. I’ve had friends. Acquaintances. Then when I met Neal he satisfied any need I had for friends. He’s a great husband and I love him to pieces, but it’s not like this. Like us. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Belle.”

“Me too,” she said, tears scalding her eyes. She’d known it was true—had felt the stirrings of their bond deep in her spirit ever since their first real conversation at Henry’s birthday clambake. Between family dinners, walks, and girls nights out, the invisible force between them only grown stronger. Somehow acknowledging their friendship out loud made it seem more solid. Precious. As important to her as her love for Gold, but in a different way.

“Now stand up,” Emma said, fishing into her pocket for a crumpled tissue. “I wanna see this dress!”

Belle shot to her feet and smoothed the skirt, her fingers fluttering around the waist and hips while Emma zipped up the back.

“I love it,” she said, motioning for Belle to twirl around.

“Really? You don’t think it makes me look like a medieval strumpet?”

“Hell no!” Emma whistled as Belle turned around again. “You’re stunning. All we need now are Spanx and shoes. And maybe some lingerie for the after-party?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Maybe.” Belle’s face flamed at the thought of wearing a negligee for Gold. “What about you?”

“We’ll get to me after lunch.” She patted her still-flat tummy. “There’s a place down the street serving yummy cheese-covered waffle fries and this kid wants some now.”

Belle’s stomach growled in answer. “Lead the way.”

Their waiter was clearing the lunch plates at the café when Belle heard a knock on the window. She did a double-take as her father waved through the glass with a sheepish smile. Her turkey club sandwich, which had tasted so delicious a few minutes ago, now lodged in her stomach. What was he doing here in the city?

“I’ll grab the check, Belle. You go talk to him,” Emma urged. “If I see things are getting bad I’ll come outside and rescue you.”

Nodding, she gathered her coat and made her way outside, wondering what would bring her father looking for her in Portland of all places, when she hadn’t seen him once on the streets of Storybrooke in the three weeks since she’d moved out.

The air was frigid even in the sunshine, and she seemed to grow colder with every step she took toward her father.

“Daddy?” She wrapped her arms around herself to keep from reaching for a hug. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s the Portland flower show.” He brushed a bit of pollen off the sleeve of his coat. “I was in the neighborhood and saw you having lunch in the window.” “Ah.” Her dad attended the vendor-focused flower exhibition every year. She should have prepared for the possibility of running into him in town, but she’d completely forgotten it was this weekend.

“We haven’t heard from you in weeks, darling. Edith was devastated when you collected your things and left us.”

Belle gave a noncommittal grunt and thrust her cold hands in her pockets. Edith was devastated? Perish the thought her own father actually missed her.

“Marco treating you well?”  he asked gruffly.

“Like family,” she retorted, her voice carrying a sharpness she hadn’t intended.

Her father’s face paled and she instantly regretted her tone. There was no call to be so mean-spirited, especially when it somehow succeeded in making her feel worse instead of better.

He sniffed. “Will we see you for Thanksgiving?“

Belle looked into the clear blue sky, distancing herself from his hopeful gaze. "Marco’s cooking a huge feast, so I’ll be eating with him and Gold and the Cassidys.“

“Christmas?“

She blew out an exasperated breath and hugged herself again. “Let’s push through one nightmare holiday at a time, okay?“

He huffed. “I didn’t realize things had gotten so bad.”

“Are we still talking about holidays, or are you referring to other bad situations?” She thought back to the horrible family dinner she’d put Gold through when she’d tossed a roll at Edith’s head and stormed out. “I can’t live like that anymore. I won’t.”

“You’ve changed, Belle. Is this…is this Gold’s influence on you, then?” He seemed to deflate before her eyes, this giant of a man shriveling down to a pathetic shell. “When did you become this way? So stubborn. So willful.” His lips shook as he spoke. “If your mother were alive, she…”

“But she’s not, Daddy,” Belle interrupted. “Mother hasn’t been with us for years. She’s not here to tell you what to do and what to say, and for that matter neither is Edith. You’re the one who changed. It’s as Erskine said, you don’t even see me. Maybe you never did.”

“Belle!” Emma jogged over to the rescue, her breath a white cloud in the cold afternoon air. “Hey, Mister French. We really gotta get going if we’re going to finish shopping and I promised Henry I’d be home in time to tuck him in.”

“Great. I’m freezing anyway.” She looped her arm through Emma’s and mustered a sad, parting smile for her father. After years of trying to gain his attention and approval, she wasn’t sure when she would see him again and at the moment, she didn’t care. “Take care of yourself, Dad.”

###

#rumbelle fic #rumbelle #a monthly rumbelling #chubby belle #chubby!belle #mr. gold x belle french #swanfire #regina mills #marco #moe french #mqc writes

[bloodyshadow1]

Nature V NatureBlog:ModernAu

So this is my submission for day 4 critrole femslash week, prompt Alternate Universe.  I choose to do a modern au with a vlogger/social media because when I started it I read a few and thought they were neat. Hope you enjoy, read, review, comment, reblog, they really mean more than you’d think when writing stuff like this.

 “Oh sweet Pelor, she posted another freaking video,” Vex’ahlia ‘Vex’ Vessar screamed at her brother Vax’ildan, or Vax for pretty much anyone who had ever talked to him.

“Who my dear sweet even-tempered sister,” Vax asked half amused half mocking.  He already knew who Vex was throwing her latest hissy fit over, she had been throwing tantrums over the other half-elf for months.  It wasn’t fair, there was such a huge storm in Emon last week the meant she wasn’t able to go out and hike like she normally did which meant she hadn’t been able to film a new video.  It also meant that she hadn’t been able to visit her sweet baby boy Trinket either and that was even worse.  Maybe it was making her cranky, but she wouldn't admit that.

“You very well know who I mean,” Vex said rounding on her brother but her eyes never strayed from her phone, “Keyleth Zephara.”  The newest Druid Diaries video already had a couple thousand views and it had only been up for an hour at most.  Vex hadn’t watched it yet, but she knew it would be sweet and wonderful and oh so sickening, just like the woman who it focused on.

“Oh right the red-haired bimbo who has been the bane of your existence for the past few months. The one who updates every Saturday, which is today,” Vax said not even looking up from his tablet.  He had much better things to do than listen to his sister go on and on about her one-sided war she was waging against her crush even if his sister wouldn’t admit it was a crush.

“I never said she was a bimbo,” Vex retorted.  She glanced at her phone again seeing Keyleth’s smiling face as she traveled through the wilderness, “I mean yes I called her a strumpet, but I didn’t actually know what it meant.  I thought it was an insult that you called pretty women.”

“I know,” Vax said finally looking at his twin sister, if only so she could see his shit eating grin.  “Zahra won’t let you forget it.”

Vex didn’t need to be reminded about her ex-girlfriend/current best friend’s literal rolling on the floor laughter the first time Vex used the word wrong during a rant about Keyleth. Besides, Zahra didn’t matter right now, “I just don’t get how her blog is more popular than mine?  I mean we’re both nature blogs, but I’m the 3 time gold medalist and fashion icon, whereas she’s just a nature blog.  Why is she more popular than me? Vex’ahlia’s Visions is a masterpiece blog in my opinion, it combines fitness, fashion, and nature.” Vex had started it up sometime during the last Summer games and her third gold medal victory and it had been a very popular blog for the last 3 years.  Her friend Scanlan had suggested it, said that she could boost her popularity and show her fans the real her. While she was initially against it she had to admit it was fun and she did love the praise she received for her breathtaking nature shots as well as people lavishing over her beauty during her fitness and fashion segments.

“How could my blog be losing to a blog about a gorgeous girl who does cute things with animals she sees travel the world. It’s only been up for two years.” A moment passed and Vex was about to answer but Vex stopped him, “I know, I know her blog sounds awesome, I realized it the second the words came out of my mouth.  Still, it doesn’t explain why she’s more popular than me.  She calls her fans Kikinuts for crying out loud.”

“I mean, it probably doesn’t help that you follow her and are like half the views on her videos.”

“I’m not half the views on her videos,” Vex shot back, “maybe a quarter, but not half,” she whispered to herself.  She can’t help it, after all Keyleth of the Air Ashari was the competition, Vex had to watch her videos to see why they were so popular, at least 8 times each just to be sure, sometimes with and other times without sound.  “Still, I’m a ranger and one of the most famous in the world, how does someone have a nature blog more popular than mine?”

Despite Vex’s complaints she did love Keyleth’s videos.  They were always surprisingly informative about the places she visited, and she would always have animals in her videos that did cute things and she would talk to sometimes.  Usually she would end up sleeping in the woods somewhere making a shelter, foraging for her own food and water, living under the stars.  As a powerful druid she apparently had the ability to summon storms and perfect wifi no matter where she went in addition to her other magical and shapeshifting abilities.  Being able to summon lightning meant her equipment was always charged too so that was helpful for a druid ‘roughing’ it.

“You might be a ranger Stubby, but she’s a druid.  You both might have nature one your side but she can turn into animals and talk to them and people love animals.”

“I have animals in my videos.”

“You have animals that are running away from you little sister,” Vax said standing up giving his sister a kiss on the forehead since he knows how much she hates it.  “Keyleth gets them to gather around her like she’s a Disney princess or something. And that’s not even getting to how she is with plants. Or she gets attacked by them which also leads to a lot of views because people like to see that sort of thing.  I’m sorry but I don’t think you’re going to win this one.  Especially since you want to keep my nephew out of the spotlight.”

“I swore I would never become a crazy stage mom and force Trinket in the spotlight for something as paltry as popularity.  My child is a wild dangerous beast and my animal companion like the ones the rangers of old would ride into battle with.  Not some dancing bear doing tricks for snacks and nose pats.  The fact that he’s adorable and happens to love me with all his giant heart is a moot point,” Vex said matter-of-factly.  She loved Trinket more than anything in this world, which is why she let him roam free in the wilds near Emon instead of stuck in her house like a pet.

“That makes me proud Stubby,” Vax said giving his sister the biggest sloppiest kisses he could muster on each cheek, one for him and one for his nephew.  As she pushed him away he continued, “I know you’ve always wanted to be the type of successful woman that those bastards back in Syngorn would have to respect at least.  But I’m glad you’re not willing to go crazy over that.  I mean if winning three gold medals for archery in the past 3 olympic games didn’t make Syldor respect you, I doubt becoming internet famous will.”

“That might be because I competed on behalf of Emon and beat every pureblooded natural born son and daughter of Syngorn they sent up against me, along with the competitors from the Dwendali Empire, Marquet, and everywhere else,,” Vex said proudly.  The memories of her father looking down on her archery skills back when she was 6 still hurt, he had only agreed to let her try after her stepmother convinced him to let her try.  He had bet on her quitting in a week.  Her stepmother had given her the gold piece when the two of them left to study abroad in Emon when they were 12.  A reminder of the first time she forced her father to eat those words Devana said before sending her off with a kiss on the forehead and telling her to not make it the last.

“Syldor and the rest of them back in Syngorn would still respect you even if they hated you, the fact that they still don’t means they never will Stubby.  So stop acting like having the best nature blog will make you anything more than an ambassador’s bastard half-blooded daughter to the stuffy elves back home and just enjoy your crush like a normal person,” Vax said as patiently as he could.  He knew it probably wouldn’t get through, it wasn’t the first time they had this conversation, but Vex had a hard time letting their horrible childhood go.

“Whatever,” Vex said shrugging off her brother’s words, “why don’t you get out of here, I have a video to watch.”

Sighing Vax just decided to let it go, one issue at a time, “when you watch this time, maybe just forget about your one-sided rivalry with Keyleth for now and just watch her video.  You know you always forget about how much you pretend to hate her once you see her break out in that embodiment of sunshine smile she always opens up with,” when Vex flipped him off in response he just let out a sigh and moved to the door.  “Just try not to drool all over yourself this time or should I say don’t let her make you so mad you’ froth with rage,” he managed to say before he dashed out of the room dodging pillows that his sister was trying to assault him with.

Unfortunately for Vex this left her alone to deal with her brooding/crush over Keyleth.   She wished Trinket was there, he always managed to make her feel better, but a bear wasn’t meant for a populated area, the woods near Emon were fine since he was less than a mile away at worst, but it still didn’t mean his absence wasn’t felt.  She had a cabin deeper in the woods on private property that Trinket stayed in or around most days.  It worked for Trinket and it worked for her wilderness videos.

She waited to watch the newest Druid Diaries, she knew it would be fantastic even if she could only see the thumbnail.  It was of Keyleth sitting up in between two tree branches, she was smiling of course, wearing her classic green ensemble with her iconic antler crown framing her long mane of red hair.  Initially she thought that Keyleth had a lot of followers and fans because she was a pretty girl.  There were always idiots who followed pretty girls who made videos, Vex knew first hand when she was starting out, but that wasn’t the secret to Keyleth’s success.  While she was adorably charming in a clumsy sort of way Keyleth did know her stuff when it came to animals and plants, even if she seemed a bit ditzy at first glance.

Quietly, Vex wondered where Keyleth was going to be shooting this month.  The druid seemed a nomad at heart and despite loving each location she got to she only spent a month or so in an area to explore all the natural world had to offer with a video showing up each week before moving on.  Vasselheim was an exception though, Keyleth seemed to fall in love with the ancient city and it’s forests full of magical beasts and stayed a whole 4 months before moving on.  Her fans loved it though, everything from the forests and the monsters, to the way their idol had explored the ancient city.  She had spent so long there that there was speculation on her forum that she had joined the legendary Slayer’s Take hunter’s guild.

Vex had always wanted to go but had never gotten the nerve to.  But she would one day, she’d take Trinket there and explore the forests, see the wild magical beasts that hunted in those woods, maybe she’d even join the Slayer’s Take.  It was supposed to be a pretty open guild, once you took a contract you needed to fulfill it but it also didn’t have a requirement to keep taking contracts.

That didn’t matter right now though, she had to watch the new video her enemy put out.  Despite what her brother thought Vex did not find Keyleth attractive, just annoyingly beautiful and awkwardly  charming, but not attractive no sir. Realizing she was just justifying her actions to herself, Vex let out a sigh and started Keyleth’s newest video.  It was long enough that she’d by the time she finished she’d be able to watch Keyleth’s live Q&A segment that she always did after the first week. Every now and then her phone would go off to tell her that she had a new notification, something she normally checked religiously, but she ignored them, when it was Keyleth’s video watching time the building would be on fire and she wouldn't notice, which had happened before.  

“Hey there Kikinuts,” Keyleth started out with her camera zoomed in way too far so they could only see her right eye.  Vex gave a snort, this meant Keyleth was doing things solo, her best friend and camera man when he could Percy wouldn't have let her start a video like that. “Oh sorry, let me adjust that,” she said zooming out a bit until her whole face was in the video.  “There we go,” Keyleth said giving the camera a smile and Vex felt her heart speed up.  ‘Shut up Vax,’ she thought out loud to a brother that wasn’t there.  Keyleth might have had the most gorgeous green eyes Vex had ever seen, but it was her face that she could, and have stared at for hours.

Vex couldn’t help but notice how the morning sun just lit up Keyleth’s long mane of untamed red hair like a sea of rubies or fire.  She looked beautiful, Vex could admit that much as she sighed feeling the anger towards the innocent woman whose only crime was being more popular than she was and making her feel weird things.

“I hope you all enjoyed my last month in Whitestone, the home of my best friend and assistant Percival Fredrickstein Von Martini Koala De Rolo the Third,” she giggled.  it was a running gag in her videos for Percy’s name to be unpronounceable to anyone other than him.  “Unfortunately,” Keyleth said sobering up a bit, “Percy decided to take a bit of a leave of absence for a while. Don’t worry, we’re still a duo and having broken up or anything, he just needed some time to himself. Seeing his childhood home and his family made him feel a bit nostalgic so he decided  to stay with them for a while to catch up. You can still keep up with him @Pderolo3 and of course you can follow me @TempestOfAntlers if you aren’t already. Remember if you like this video, leave a like and subscribe, maybe even a comment.  Just a reminder because this is the first week of the month, I will be doing a live Q&A session 2 hours after the video airs so send in your questions. It’s weird to be saying that since it will be the future by then but it’s what we’ve been doing. Any way,” Keyleth said giving her fingers a snap, “now that that’s out of the way, we can start our video for real.”

It started off like it usually did with videos of her hiking for a bit and just enjoying the sounds of nature all around her. Vex didn’t usually like this part, it was fine but Keyleth did her best to be quiet for the first few minutes or so and as much as Vex loved nature, sometimes trees just looked like trees, and she had enough trees in whenever she went to visit Trinket. These trees didn’t look any different, which made Vex sit up, actually not only did they not look any different, those were the same trees she saw whenever she visited Trinket, the exact same trees.  “Here I am in the Forests of Emon, the capital of Tal'Dorei, and home to Sovereign Uriel Tal’Dorei the Third,” Keyleth said breaking into the talking points of her show where she would list the history but Vex didn’t hear her.  She was paralyzed frozen by the information that Keyleth Zephara was literally a few miles away in the forests she walked and hiked in for years.  

It wasn’t until Keyleth got a familiar furry visitor, a large brown mass of fur lumbered into the clearing that Keyleth was currently filming in.  The two of them stared at each other dumbstruck, neither expecting the other and Vex had a mini heart attack.  She knew that Trinket was the sweetest being in creation, but he was still a wild animal, she knew that Trinket wouldn’t attack Keyleth but that didn’t mean that Keyleth wouldn’t attack him thinking she was in danger.  Keyleth might not be a warrior, but she was a powerful druid, Vex had seen videos where Keyleth turned into sharks, or tigers, or giant rock monsters, she could destroy Trinket in a fight.

“Alright viewers,” Keyleth whispered into her camera, “I am going to show you how I deal with wild animals that could be potentially dangerous.  Just a warning, don’t try this at home unless you are a druid to and even then, I wouldn’t recommend it.” With that she put her phone down so she was still in view, and for a minute she glowed.  

Vex was about to run outside with her arrows, crush or not if Keyleth hurt her baby she’d shove an arrow so far up that bitch’s ass that. Luckily her rational side took over before she could do something stupid, it said that this video happened a week ago so even if she did rush out she’d be too late.  Also, it said that she always knew when Trinket was in danger thanks to their bond so she had nothing to worry about.  She had felt him be nervous during the storm that was after when Keyleth would have shot her video.  

“Hello,” Keyleth said in a deeper voice than normal, “I am Keyleth,” her voice said was heavy and harsher than normal, like she was growling.  Trinket just let out a large roar in response, Vex could tell he wasn’t angry or scared, just curious, “Oh, you speak common,” Keyleth said in response, “that makes things easier.”

Trinket growled back friendlier than before, “okay so you’re Trinket,” Keyleth responded, “it’s very nice to meet you Trinket,” she said giving Trinket a scratch on the chin.  And Vex’s heart started to calm down a little, it also tried not to melt. Seeing the girl of her dreams befriending her son  was not something she ever thought she’d see, but it did things to her. Not dirty things, but familial things that she hadn’t dreamed of feeling in a long time.  

“You’re very nice for a wild bear,” Keyleth started to say, “I don't mean that other bears aren’t nice wild or not,” she said backtracking.  “It’s just most wild bears I meet aren’t so nice or understand common.  Oh you’re Vex’s bear,” Keyleth said excitedly and Vex’s heart just froze.  The notifications were going off on her phone like crazy now and to the point where Vex had to plug her headphones into her laptop just so she could watch what could be her most important moment of her life. “Wow that’s amazing, I didn’t realize she had a bear, especially one as cute and cuddly as you,” she said in a cutesy baby tone as she gave Trinket a belly rub.  

“No,” Keyleth responded to one of Trinket’s growls, “never meet Vex personally, I saw her up close once though,” she said surprising Vex.  “It was during the games before last, I went there with my father to represent the Ashari tribes. We don’t exactly have the numbers for athletes to compete, but we were invited to spectate the games.  It was a great honor for the tribes, but I was nervous, most of the competitors were hyper focused on their own events they didn’t have time for anyone who wasn’t a fellow athlete, a coach, or the press so I was lost.   I didn’t feel like I belonged there so part of me wanted to just curl up and cry in my room from nerves and anxiety.   Then at one of the dinner after the opening ceremonies, I saw her, arguing with another athlete form Syngorn despite her being a whole head shorter than him and probably ten years younger, and winning. I think probably the coolest girl I’ve ever seen and she was my age.  I didn’t introduce myself back then, I was still too nervous to, but just seeing her stand up for herself made me feel braver. I kind of became a Vex fangirl after that,” Keyleth said kind of dreamily, maybe?  It sounded dreamily to Vex who was trying really hard not to get her hopes up.  This couldn’t’ be real right?

This couldn’t be happening, this was something after a cheesy romcom, granted it would normally happen with dogs opposed to bears, but Vex didn’t have a dog.  “I went to each of her competitions and bought tons of her merchandise, I just was so into her.”

“Do you want to be,’ Vex thought absentminded, she really had no filter when she wasn’t paying attention.

“I got into vlogging because of her actually,” she said surprising Vex when she did.  “I got a notification about her on google and saw her video for the first time and I don’t’ know I just subscribed then and there. Oh I don’t know why I’m tell you this Trinket,” Keyleth said looking cute and Vex thought her heart couldn’t take it.

“Oh Vex talked about me with you before,” Keyleth asked excitedly and Vex’s heart dropped, oh no.

For a moment she just watched and listened while Trinket growled amicably with a big smile on her face. Slowly though her smile seemed to fade slowly to the point where she Vex could hear Keyleth’s heart break, “I see she said that about me,” now it sounded like the Druid was about to cry. “I guess I could see that, she isn’t the first person to say things like that about me.  I think we should move along, there are so many nice things to see in Emon,” but now she sounded like a carebear who was told love didn’t exist.

Vex’s alarm went off to let her know that Keyleth’s Q&A and Vex immediately shut her alarm off and saw she had hundreds of notifications. Some were “Why are you being mean to Keyleth,” or “I don’t get where you get off being mean to Keyleth, she’s great while you’re the worst,” which seeing how she was feeling right now she couldn’t disagree.  Others were worse unfortunately, “I’m with you, Keyleth is an overrated bitch,” or “Keyleth is a cunt who doesn’t know anything and needs to shut her trap. Team Vex all the way,” which got a block from Vex right away.  Even a few gross ones that say things like “if the two of you are going to have a fight you should film it with jello to boost both your views.” Honestly she wouldn’t mind getting jello with Keyleth, but she wasn’t’ going to have a catfight in it, at least not for people to watch.

Immediately she turned on Keyleth’s live stream and saw that the area she was filming in was partially destroyed.  In the background of her shot though there was a cabin that looked far to familiar. “Hi there Kikinuts. There was a bit of a storm the last few days so sorry I’ve been out of communication.  But I’m here and safe, my friend Trinket actually brought me to this nice cabin that belongs to his owner,” she gestured to the, “he took me to where the spare key was so we could both stay safe and dry.  I just want you to know Ms. Vex’ahlia if you’re watching this I’m sorry, I never would have trespassed if it wasn’t an emergency.  I’ll leave money for whatever I took to survive, I didn’t mean to intrude upon your space.”  

“Oh fuck,” Vex swore aloud, the way Keyleth said her name now, it was so meek and formal, she’d talk to her father’s business associates like that growing up.  

“Anyway, enough about me,” Keyleth said, “lets here from you guys, what do you want to ask me?” She started scrolling through the chat, “Alright let’s see here there…, there’s a lot of questions asking what the deal between me and Vex’ahlia,” Keyleth said with an aggravated sigh, “look, I don’t know.  Like I said I was a huge fan of Vex, and if I could maybe talk to her, I still can be. I know this kind of seemed like I dropped this on you guys, but I’ve been wracking my brain over this for the last week.  Maybe I insulted her some way when we were kids by accident or something, but I don’t really know what I could have done to make her…, upset with me but I don’t’ want to start guessing on here without talking to each other first.  Since I’m in Emon I thought maybe I’d send her a message to see if we could meet up IRL and maybe clear the air without any cameras or people watching.  Maybe I can apologize for whatever I did to offend her.  Just don’t send her hate, like I said she’s still the coolest woman I’ve ever seen and Trinket here loves her,” she pointed over to Trinket the traitor who was just rolling around in the dirt being a happy bear.  “He’s been talking about how much he loves his mommy all week and how great she is. So I’m sure this is just a problem on my end that I hope we can fix.  I get enough hate because of what I do, I don’t ever want anyone else to experience that, especially over me,” her big green eyes were full of sincerity.

“Anyway,” she said trying to lighten the mood, “lets see about another question.  Sorry, they’re going by really quickly so if I don’t’ get to yours I’m sorry, I’m not ignoring you it’s just hard to see them sometimes.  Alright, how about this one,” she paused for a second before letting out a sigh of frustration, “no @AldarLoverL, I will not say what Vex said about me it’s private, she told her bear not me.  I shouldn’t have learned it the way that I did so please stop asking.  Moving on for…, are there any questions that aren’t about me and Vex’s so called feud?”

At that point Vex was already out the door rushing grabbing her keys and leaving her apartment. “Hey Vex,” Vax called her as she got to the front door, “are you watching…, I see you were watching Keyleth’s live stream.”

“I always do you know that, dear brother of mine,” Vex said trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.  She loved her brother, her twin, the other part of her soul, but she needed to go to her cabin and clear the air.  It was only a few miles away, on her bike she could be there in under 15 minutes.  

“Are you really going to crash her livestream just to tell her that you don’t actually hate her?”

“Yeah or at least that was the plan,” she admitted, “she’s at my cabin with my son thinking that for  the past week I hate her, I need to make things right.  Now if you’ll excuse me,” and Vex was out the door quicker than her arrows.  She tore down four flights of stairs faster than any sprinter she’d meet and got to the garage where she kept her other baby, “Death From Above”.  It was a nice looking motorcycle that Vex loved to ride, she had beaten some crazy dragonborn necromancer in pool for it but it was hers. DFA was loud but it was fast and it got her where she was going and it made Vex feel like she was flying.

It was a quick ride, luckily there was no traffic the way to the cabin, once she was off the main road it was just a barely paved dirt road to get to her little slice of heaven. By the time she got to the cabin her heart was still pounding, she all but jumped off her bike and ran to the back where she recognized Keyleth was filming.  She got back there right as she started to realize she had no idea what she was doing, Keyleth was still shooting her Q&A, it usually lasted an hour.  Vex’s body moved before her mind could catch up and she was around the corner face to face with Keyleth before she realized these things.

Sweet Pelor the Ashari woman was more beautiful and cute in person, for a good thirty seconds they looked at each other not saying anything, Keyleth shocked just as much as she was.  “I was watching your stream,” Vex started to explain, “after watching your last video.  I saw you were at my cabin and were talking to my bear.  I just wanted to say I don’t’ hate you, Trinket made a mistake.  And now I realize how unprofessional this is, crashing your shoot,” Vex said awkwardly slinking behind the corner of her cabin embarrassed.  

“Excuse me,” Vex heard Keyleth say to her viewers, and followed Vex.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Vex said her head in her hands sitting on the deck of the cabin  That was one of the most embarrassing things that she had done.

“No, you don’t have to apologize for anything,” Keyleth assured her, “I mean it’s your cabin after all, I’m just trespassing.”

“Trinket showed you where the key was, that means you’re a guest,” Vex said giving her an attempt at a smile.  

“This is not how I expected to meet you,” Keyleth said taking a seat next to Vex on the porch.

“Well if we’re being fair I didn’t you’d ever talk to my bear and spend the week thinking I hated you,” Vex said

“So…, you don’t hate me,” Keyleth asked quietly unsure if she was going to like the answer.  “Trinket said you don’t say a lot of good things about me when you talk to him.”

“I promise Keyleth I don’t’ hate you,” Vex swore, “Look, it’s nothing you did, I just…, I have issues. I promise, I’ll make a video telling everyone that I don’t’ hate you, post an apology letter, anything you want. I owe you that much.”  

“Well…,” Keyleth said thinking, “I mean you already said you didn’t hate me in my segment.  Do you maybe want to come on with me and we can put the rumors to death for real?”

“You really don’t’ mind if I’m in your video,” Vex asked incredulously. She expected Keyleth to hate her for making her think that she was hated.

“I mean I kind of dreamed of collaborated with you for a while,” Keyleth said her cheeks red, “I wasn’t lying when I said you were the reason I got into making videos.”

“Let’s do it, if it’s really okay,” Vex said standing up face to face with Keyleth.  She never realized how tall Keyleth was, even without the antlers she was almost half a foot taller than Vex.  It was kind of a turn on.

“Great,” Keyleth said jumping up and down in excitement and hugged her.  Vex never thought she’d feel like Elenore to Keyleth’s Tahani but, to quote the Good Place, “of course your hugs are amazing.”

Five minutes later they were in front of Keyleth’s camera starting their collaboration. “Hi Kikinuts, I’m back, sorry about that. I just had to work a few things out with my special surprise guest, Vex’ahlia of Vex’halia’s Visions.”

“That’s Keyleth, you can call me Vex though,” Vex said, not wanting to tell her that she liked it when Keyleth used her shortened name, it made her smile.  “I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by,” she cursed herself for sounding so stupid.  Of course, she was in the neighborhood this was her cabin.  “I was watching your lasted video, which was great by the way,” she said turning to Keyleth, “you know up until you met Trinket, my animal companion.”

“Yeah, he’s wonderful but I think we got a bit confused,” Keyleth admitted.

“He’s my beautiful baby boy, but as much as I love him, he’s still a bear and doesn’t always understand the things I tell him. So I’m sorry about that, I can defanetly say that I don’t hate you Keyleth, I’ve actually a big fan.  Subscribed the moment I saw your videos.”

“Well that’s really sweet, I’m glad that we got all that cleared out of the way, because like I said I’m a big fan of yours too,” Keyleth said giving her warm smile that shot through the heart.  “Hear that views, Vex doesn’t hate me and I don’t hate her so maybe we can drop the whole thing, it was a misunderstanding.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really mean it when I said those things to him about you,” Vex explained without thinking, only to realize what she said when they came out of her mouth.

“Oh,” Keyleth said and the look on her face could make puppies cry, “so you did say those things about me.”

“Keyleth not like that,” Vex said she was normally so cool and good with her words, what was it about this girl that made her so stupid.

“It’s fine Vex,” Keyleth said trying to keep her smile on her face despite also looking like she was going to cry.

“I’m such an ass, it really wasn’t like that Keyleth,” Vex said turning away and saw the chat was exploding asking them over and over what she meant, or what she said.  It was starting to get aggravating.

“Vex,” Keyleth said meeting her eye, despite looking hurt the druid’s eyes were also strong, “it’s okay, you said you don’t hate me and are a fan and I believe you.  You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

“Keyleth..,” Vex started she’d rather be vulnerable than let Keyleth think she hated her.  “It’s true, I said those horrible things about you, I’d say it pretty often, Trinket being a bear only knows the words.  If he was a person he might understand the nuance a bit better.  I’m not exactly the best person, I’m really competitive and don’t really know…, pretty girls make me stupid, especially the ones that I have a crush on, not the best combination,” and there it was she just admitted in front of all Keyleth’s fans and the woman herself that she had a crush on her. “Like I said, if Trinket was a people person maybe he’d understand that, since all my friends have told me I have a crush on you despite my name calling.”  There it was, Vex didn’t do vulnerable, but hey, it was a crazy situation and she didn’t have time to think about it.  

“Oh,” was all Keyleth could say as she blushed as red as her hair.

“You don’t’ have to say anything,” Vex assured her.  “I know this isn’t how you thought your day was going to go I just felt like being honest to avoid any more confusion.”

Keyleth started to hyperventilate and pulled out a paper bag. Vex was right, this definitely wasn’t how she expected her day to go.  “Shit,” Vex said and rushed into the house to fetch Keyleth a glass of water.  By the time she was back Keyleth seemed to calm down a little, at least enough to drink the glass of water.  “I’m really sorry about that, I didn’t expect that reaction,”

“No need to apologize,” Keyleth said after finishing the water, “its just not everyday your first crush surprises you a dozen times over and admits to having a crush on you.  Let’s turn this off,” she said jumping up and turning her camera off to the outrage of the chat. “We’ll tell you guys about what happens later,” Keyleth promised before signing off.  She started to pinch her arm wondering if this was all just a crazy dream, maybe she died in the storm and this was hell.

“We don’t’ have to do anything about this Keyleth, hell, we didn’t even know each other before today. If you want we could write the whole thing off as a skit we made together to show people we don’t’ actually hate each other.  We can say it was my idea,” Vex offered.  

“I don’t want to do that,” Keyleth said firmly, “I’m not going to lie about how I feel.  It’s just,” she started to say her face falling, “I’ve never dated anyone before, I’m a mess when it comes to talking to people, that’s why I move around so much and shoot videos in the woods with my only friend.  I’ve had a crush on you for so long, but it’s always been from a far. What happens if I ruin that, what happens when I ruin that, I won’t even have my stupid childish crush to fall back on.”

“Well why don’t we start off small,” Vex suggested, “we don’t have to get together and go steady right now, maybe we can start off with something small.  My name is Vex’ahlia Vessar, I’m a nature vlogger and 3 time gold winning medalist in archery,” she said holding out her hand, “it’s nice to meet you.”

For a moment Keyleth could only laugh, not at Vex, but at the whole situation, still, she took Vex’s outstretched hand, “Keyleth Zephara of the Ashari, the future voice of the Tempest and a nature vlogger as well.”

Those little gestures became conversations, those conversations became long talks and before you knew it, like and then love.  Keyleth wound up spending a record six months in Emon, despite the forests being nice but not impressive.  If it was Vex and Trinket’s home then it was the most amazing place in the world. And when she left Emon after those six months, she didn’t leave alone, she was never alone again.

   I really needed to wrap that up, the ending was getting away from me.  This was supposed to be a quick silly modern youtuber au that got out of hand. Originally it was supposed to end with Trinket telling Keyleth about Vex’s crush on her, but for some reason I added a lot of unnecessary drama.  Oh well it’s done and I hope you enjoyed it.  I realize that the characters are kind of ooc, but like I said they kind of got away from me.  

I also don’t know why I made Vex an Olympic athelet, it just kind of fit since she is a ranger class still, despite the world not really needing adventurers as much as it did in the old days.  Still, I did it and it’s done.  For anyone interested, I’d say that they’re around level 10, sort of when everything picks up in the campaign.

#critical role #vox machina #vexleth #vex #vex'ahlia #keyleth #keyleth of the air ashari #crfemslashweek #critrolefemslashweek #fanfiction #fanfic

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Wrought Iron Machine (Part 17)

They shoot their final music mover and then they are on their way back to the mainland. With luck, they would reach it by the premiere of their first video. Azula sits rigidly on the deck, arms folded over her chest. What if her plan doesn’t work? What if she has ruined their image beyond repair and is only making things worse?

“What’s wrong?” TyLee asks, she hovers over Azula with a bracelet made of seashells in hand. She holds it out to Azula and is about to speak.

Azula does so first, “not now, TyLee.” She is surprised that the comment didn’t come out snappish. Regardless of the levelness of her tone, her mood is terribly prickly. “Go by Mai.”

TyLee’s lower lip quivers and Azula sighs, she motions for her friend to have a seat. “Just...keep it down, alright?”

TyLee nods, pushing it when she quietly slips the bracelet around Azula’s wrist and gently pets the back of her hand before setting it back where it had been, in the former princess’ lap. A gust of salty air whips at Azula’s hair and leaves a bitter, tingling taste on her lips. She never has been fond of ocean spray.

It takes another day to reach the mainland and TyLee fills it by recording bits of their journey on her mini camera. “It’s our tour diary!” She declares before having each of them make casual commentary about the boat ride. Azula tries her best not to look extraordinary grumpy in front of the camera, while Zuko is rather unapologetically cranky standing before it. Mai is as stoic as ever and TyLee as cheerful. What a group they are.

At last their ship reaches the docks. There is already a decent crowd gathered. The bodyguards rise, albeit a little resentful at the breaking of their peaceful streak. Azula is going to miss the lax mannerisms of the Ember Island folk.

Azula rises, supposing that it is best to just tear away the bandages and get it over with. Stationed between two burly bodyguards, she makes her way the long ramp, doing her best to avoid the larger puddles that have gathered upon it. Zuko trails behind her followed by Mai and then a skipping and grinning TyLee.

“It’s good to be home!” The girl chirps.

Azula wishes she could share the sentiment, but these days she doesn’t feel like she has a home. Even if they weren’t moving from place to place, she wouldn’t have a home. “I wanna lick your abs!” The shout tears her from her thoughts and, for the first time in a long while, she shoots Zuko a sympathetic look. His face is bunched up in a mixture of shock and disgust. The girl who had shouted it is red-faced and fanning herself as Zuko walks by. “I wanna lick abs too!” Calls another. Zuko’s face twists even further, only slackening when he realizes that the second shout hadn’t been for him. The boy is staring Azula down with just as much longing as the girl ogling Zuko. Azula suppresses a cringe, wishing that she had changed out of her swimwear. A few more remarks and stares, directed at each of them in turn, and they are back on their tour bus.

Azula makes her way to the bathroom and dresses herself for the mainland. She sweeps a brush through her travel tousled locks and invites the rest of her bandmates to follow in suit.

Her music mover is scheduled to premiere the next night. It will bring her one video closer to the risk she has taken. More than enough time for the doubt to creep in, in full. Agni, she should have just let things go instead of over-complicating them with an elaborate scheme. In time they would have forgotten about those kisses, had she given them time to do so.

She peers out the window, the streets seem clear enough. She needs some air, to not be confined to the small space of a boat cabin or a tour bus. She finds herself a long cloak and a pair of sunglasses, trying her best to conceal herself before sneaking off of the bus, leaving behind only a note to say that she went out for a walk and that she’d be back within ten to fifteen minutes.

It drives both Zuko and her management and bodyguard teams crazy when she ventures off on her own. But Agni be damned if she couldn’t take care of herself. The air is humid and tinged with a familiar dash of sulfur. She wanders rather aimlessly for a good five minutes before stopping at a food stall. She digs through her personal wallet for a moment, before realizing that she has on her, only the band’s funds. She makes a mental note to replace the cash when she gets back to the bus. Stick of roasted meat chunks in hand, she carries on with her walk. She might as well savor being in Fire Nation territory, while she can. In a few weeks she will be whisking she and her bandmates away to the Southern Air Temple.

Azula finds herself a bench beneath a blossoming yoshino cherry tree and takes another chunk of meat, trying to think of the weather, the splendor of the tree she sits under, of the street performer with her handmade harp--of anything but the upcoming premiere of her her second music mover.

Just when her mind gets the better of her and starts flowing in the wrong direction a disheveled looking girl takes a seat next to her. She twiddles her thumbs nervously and brushes a sweep of bushy black curls out of her face. Azula isn’t sure if she is frustrated by or thankful for the intrusion. The girl is fidgeting with her fingers again, breathing rather sharply.

“Is there something you’d like to say?” Azula asks.

The girl’s breath hitches. “I...well I. I um, well…”

Azula suppresses a judgmental sigh.

“Your band helped me.”

Here we go, Azula thinks to herself. She readies herself for another breakup story and mildly detests herself for allowing Zuko enough creative control to write a handful of breakup songs.

But instead the girl uncovers a wrist lined with slashes. “I thought that I was a failure for not having a good relationship with my mother.” Azula finds herself going tense. “I was gonna do it...ya know?”

Azula gets her drift.

“But then I was listening to ‘Departure’, and I decided not to.” She declares.

It was one of their first songs, the one she and Zuko had co-written together, freshly banished and more helpless than she had ever been. It was the first time they had really done anything together that wasn’t bickering and competing.

“So that song is really important to me.” The girl goes on.

To she and Azula both.

“I decided to start a band too!” She perks up. “But it’s a pop duo.”  She pauses. “Can I sing you one of the songs I wrote?”

Truthfully Azula isn’t particularly interested, but something in her softens so she tells the girl that she has time to hear one or two. Azula doesn’t think that she has ever seen someone beam so brightly. To Azula’s surprise the girl’s voice isn’t dreadful. In fact, she is rather soothing. The lyrics are too peppy for her taste, but the girl’s vocal range is rather impressive. She allows the girl a third song and a fourth--watching her delight grow--only cutting her off when she sees a very agitated bodyguard coming her way. “They don’t like me wandering off.” Azula shrugs in way of a goodbye.  

“It’s fine.” The girl says. “Congrats on S.A.S. Maybe one day I’ll get there too!”

“Perhaps, yes.” Azula replies as she stands. “Probably.” She slips the girl the address of her record label. At the very least, the girl can have an album out, even if it isn’t the sort Azula would ever listen to. She supposes she can buy it for TyLee.

“Thank you for listening to me.”

Azula nods.

The girl seems to hesitate for a moment before pulling out a twice folded piece of paper. She hands it to Azula. “I don’t need that anymore.”

Azula peeks at her bodyguard who is growing ever more impatient. She knows that she is one mundane escapade away from the man demanding a raise.  

“Thank you so much!” The girl says again.

“It’s no big deal. I know talent when I see it.”

“Thank you so much.” She repeats, tears welling in her eyes. She throws her arms around Azula, making her bodyguard that much more jittery. If for no other reason than to ease his stress, she awkwardly returns the gesture with a half-hug. “For saving my life.” She adds.

It isn’t until she is back on the tour bus, with the note read in full, that Azula realizes the weight of the girl’s thank you. The weight of her parting, ‘you save me’. Azula folds the letter back up, surprisingly thankful that she had been stressed enough to wander about.

#Avatar #Legend Of Korra #Azula #Kuvira #Zuko #Baatar #Mai #Ming-Hua #TyLee #P'Li #Ghazan #Fanfiction