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bluebuckstallion · 3 years

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the sun will rise again - mlp fic p2

part one contents: aj and big mac are like. 13 and 15. big mac realizes she is a trans woman, and is guided by applejack, but there is much more to it than just that lol. its also a little hard for her. sappy, feel-good, tough internal conflict but overall happy fic. paragraph one is previewed here, the rest is below the cut! disclaimer: there is no transphobia in this fic lmao im not gonna write abt horse transphobia. this is a feel good. but cw for fear of outing (note: i am aware my blog makes posts a little hard to read bc of a glitch, i am trying to fix it at the moment, i apologize D: i rec reading it on tumblr mobile or highlighting the words as you read, im sorry!) paragraph one: The wind whispered lovingly, cooling little Big Mac and Applejack's drowsy heads. A time like this in a young pony's life can be very confusing, something the two of them had grown to be very familiar with. Applejack rested his backside against the trunk of one of his family's old apple trees, if they had no where else to take solace, at least they had the orchard and each other's company, he thought. It felt nice, having this little secret kept safe by somepony you knew would protect it, and who still cared about you just the same. "If nopony accepts us, at least we have each other. I don't care if it's just you and me, Big Mac, we'll be jus' fine." Applejack stated in a soft voice, breaking the silence. He was accepting of his circumstances, no matter how they turned out. As long as him and his sister ended up okay. And again, he was sure they would. Big Mac smiled and folded her hooves neatly, "Eeyup."

Applejack worked his fluffy hooves through Big Mac's mane, doing his absolute best to make the fine ginger hair into a braid. He wanted to do something nice for his sister, something to celebrate her bravery and courage in realizing - and telling - Applejack, and he wanted her to feel nice in her own body, even if she couldn't change much right now, or for a while. No matter how small the act, Big Mac was especially grateful. Nobody had ever treated her like this, on purpose at least, like she was a mare. And every chance Applejack could sieze he would do just that, remind her that was what, *who* she was. "So, Big Mac, what do you reckon I call you now?" With that her eyes widened, and her brows furrowed, it caught her off guard. "Like...my name? I didn't know I could change my name..." she let out, slightly confused, a tender hoof raising to her chin as she thought hard. "Yeah!" AJ beamed, not straying from his tedious work. Big Mac, still lying down, started shuffling her hooves again. "Well... I always thought if I were a girl my name would be something pretty, which I mean, I am a girl and all, but I don't feel very pretty ever," she admitted disheartened. "You're plenty pretty! You're an Apple! You wouldn't say Ma or Granny wasn't pretty, would you?" Applejack pointed out, gesturing absentmindedly in the air with his hooves, then promptly returning back to his work, being sure to keep a steady hoof. "Well... Nope." Big Mac blurted awkwardly, pursing her lips. "But-" she began. "No 'but's'!" Applejack interjected, "You're an Apple, and a dang pretty one!" Applejack closed his eyes and lifted his head proudly, putting his non-dominant hoof against his puffed chest, "Look at me, I'm an Apple and I'd say I'm awful handsome, just like Pa!" he said with an endearing foal-like passion and certainty. He chuckled, his cheeks growing slightly cherry as he let out a tiny chuckle, and got back to his work, about a quarter way down the locks. Big Mac grinned slightly, "I suppose," and tapped her hooves together shyly, playing with the grass falling between them. "You know, I always did think my mane was a little long for a stallion," she laughed playfully, diverting from the subject and trying to reassure herself. She went to touch her mane, and was swiftly batted away by Applejack's quick hoof, "Nuh-uh Big Mac, I'm workin' here. Don't go touchin' it now," he said sternly but still non-maliciously. He just wanted it to look perfect for his big sister, he wanted her to be proud, and feel as pretty as she could. Applejack wanted to know how it felt to look pretty, too, but in the way he'd always dreamed of. He wondered often if he'd ever get the blessing of such a wonderful feeling. "Applejack, do you ever wish you were born a colt?" Big mac asked genuinely, still a little unsure of what Applejack was feeling, but knowing there was solidarity in it somewhere, she just had to understand it a little more. "Well - not really," Applejack spat out, his eyes looking away from his busy hooves, and quickly darting back to them before he drifted off in fantasy. He thought about it for a second, and still felt strange. "I wasn't really born a filly or a colt... or anything, I think, I was just born me. And I wouldn't really have it any other way. Sure, I mean, maybe I'd like shorter hair or somethin', or a uh," he struggled to find the words in his young foal vocabulary, "maybe if my nose was a little more colt-ish I'd be happy. But I think I'm pretty happy with me now. I do hope when I'm older my voice is a little better, though. I can't really do much though," he sighed dismissively. He continued, "I don't ever really feel too bad about who I am... I think I just feel happy about who I am. When I see myself as not a colt and not a filly, just a foal, a pony, it makes me real happy-like. But, I don't get too sad unless people are real serious about calling me a filly. I do get sad sometimes though, when I look too much like a filly to other people..." As Applejack placed an orchard blossom in Big Mac's hair, tucked snug and safe behind her ear, a thought went through Big Mac's head. "Applejack!" she jumped up, the rush of movement startling him, who was so concentrated seconds prior. "Let's give you a haircut! It'll be like how you braided my hair for me, we can cut yours!" Applejack nervously rubbed his elbow, then raising his hoof lightly beneath his muzzle, and he began to sweat. "Well, I, what if Ma and Pa don't like it?" Big Mac thought hard as Applejack grimaced, "Well, we can hide it with one of Pa's hats, an' I'm sure they won't mind," she suggested happily. Applejack considered briefly, just for a moment, the downsides of it all. He then immediately turned them all away and smiled so hard his eyes shut, stomping his front hooves against the ground up and down, "Okay, let's do it Big Mac!" As they galloped back to the barn, Applejack had suddenly realized he was so surprised with how much Big Mac had been talking, she never seemed so excited to talk about anything, and he realized how much this all meant to her. It meant a lot to him, too. Especially that his sister was so supportive while still knowing so little, but in her defense, he didn't know much either. It was a very special feeling, he thought to himself, very pleased. They skidded to a halt clumsily as they reached the doors to the barn. Foal-ishly peeking through the front windows, they realized it was only Granny and baby Bloom home, their parents must be out. They looked at each other, grinning, and cantered to the back, sneaking inside through the back door. When they made it to the bathroom, Applejack noted Big Mac looked a little worn out, wearing a tired look on her face. She figured all this chattiness probably made her sister a little exhausted. He shot a reassuring patended Sibling glance at her telling her all she needed to know, not needing words. Big Mac let out a gentle smile. She helped her little brother reach the cabinet above the sink, reaching the scissors that were so high up it took them both working together to reach. Applejack had a slight doubt in his mind, his parents probably didn't want him touching the scissors by himself, did they? But he had his big sister with him, and it had to be done! Nopony else would, and only they understood. Applejack balanced shakily with two hooves on Big Mac's back, warily reaching one back hoof up onto the sink, as he balanced with his two front hooves against the edge of the cabinet. He grasped the scissors between his teeth, and brashly jumped down, just barely missing a potential accident, even though they both knew better than to jump around with scissors, they threw caution to the wind regardless. Applejack happily put his front hooves on the rim of the sink, tapping them and bopping his little head, he looked at his big sister, who began working at his hair. Big Mac chopped with a great lack of care, playfully snipping one strand then the next. Applejack beamed the whole time, simply happy to have it happen, plan or not. Big Mac frequently spun around him, balancing on three hooves and sometimes getting in so close that she held his face with one hoof, his hair with another, and cut with the scissors firm in her mouth. Applejack's body relaxed completely and was kicking and rearing with every cut, wiggling and happily holding his front hooves together and constantly swishing his head from side to side to check how it looked, one side fell to his muzzle, and the other to his chin. He smiled bigger than ever before. With the final snip, Big Mac dropped the scissors carelessly to the tile below. She gently grasped Applejack's chin and turned her sibling's head forward to face the mirror, and his mouth immediately fell agape, his jaw slack, and his eyes slowly widening with the purest joy there ever was. He cupped his hooves to his mouth, removing them, turning his head to the side, and then fixing himself and putting his hooves to his open mouth once again. He felt a soft tug in his throat and his chest, and he couldn't control the watering in his eyes, "Big Mac!!" his voice cracked. "Yes Applejack?" the filly said apprehensively, fearing that she had done something wrong. "Oh Big Mac, oh my gosh I love it so so much!!" He bucked and whinnied, spinning in circles, his once-flowing tail too short to trip over now, and the euphoria of it all was the most overwhelming emotion little Applejack had ever felt. The tugging became so immense he couldn't ignore it, and he acknowledged it by leaping onto Big Mac with a hearty hug, squeezing her tight as his little arms could, and he rubbed his muzzle into her neck. Big Mac politely pushed her hoof between her neck and AJ's hoof, making sure he didn't squeeze too tight, struggling slightly to breathe. This foal was definitely a strong one. "Thank you so much big sis!!! I feel so great!!" he neighed, stepping back, one hoof raised wiping his immense wave of tears. The feeling of euphoria shot through his body in a rush, showing itself in the form of a tiny but powerful hop, as he lifted his legs into the air and threw them around. Applejack rushed back to the mirror, urging Big Mac to come look as well, as she didn't quite see herself yet with her hair "done all proper-like." Big Mac's face became pale, as she felt the rush of a thousand different emotions. The paranoia became astounding again, what if she didn't like how she looked as a filly? What if she still didn't feel right? What if it wasn't - Her thoughts were abruptly cut short by Applejack tugging her over, knowing her sister just sometimes needed a push in the right direction. "Lookie Big Mac!!" he placed his arm cheerfully around her, wrapping it over her back. Big Mac's eyes were glued shut, and she only bashfully peeked one eye open because curiosity would've ate her alive otherwise, and deep down she knew she had to see herself eventually. She uncovered her hoof from her eye, and opened both of them slowly. Her mouth opened ever so slightly, and she wasn't even aware she had stopped breathing, her eyes fluttered up and down the braided locks, along with her heart, and her eyes landed on the blossom in her ear. She couldn't speak, her throat clogged up from such elation. She felt the choking once again, but it wasn't like before, this feeling was quite welcoming actually. It rushed from her throat up to her head, and took her breath away. The sobbing ebbed at her cheeks right away, and she turned to look at her brother. As they spoke with lack of words, they stared with inordinate graditude. As Big Mac smoothly turned back to the mirror, Applejack stomped all his hooves again, one after the other with no apparent order or care, shaking his head in a frenzy as his ears twitched and he smiled a mile wide. He finally felt *pretty.* Big Mac watched herself adoringly, for the first time ever, and felt this acceptance and understanding of herself coursing through her veins with a confidence she'd never had. She blushed, and her ears fell downward, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Applejack," she whispered softly, as if she were too worried the world would hear her secrets. Applejack peered closer with wide, curious eyes, "Yeah Big Mac?" he whispered back. "My name.." she mumbled. Applejack raised his eyebrows, captivated, as Big Mac slowly lifted her hoof to the blossom behind her ear. "Blossom?" Applejack stated inquisitively, before Big Mac could shake her head AJ corrected himself, "Orchard Blossom!" he exlaimed, leaning back and jumping in the air, "Oh big sis, that's so pretty!! I love it so much!!" Orchard Blossom nervously gestured for him to keep it down, as he was prone to being unaware of his volume control. Applejack embarassedly covered his mouth with a shy smile, "Oops, sorry big sis." he cleared his throat, "Orchard Blossom!!" he yell-whispered, the excitement shining through him, he stamped his tiny hooves and clapped them together in celebration. "That's so pretty, Orchard Blossom!" Applejack told her earnestly, loving the new name. "I don't think I want a new name, but I'm really happy ya found one you like!" "Orchard Blossom, Orchard Blossom, Orchard Blossom!" Applejack repeated, playfully prancing in circles, excited by the sight of his short tail, he spun even faster. "What's all that commotion in there? Applejack? Big Mac? Are ya in there?" they heard through the shut door, hoofsteps gradually approaching, painstakingly slow but steady. Both of them felt their hearts drop from their chest as they froze, unable to even fathom moving. How would they explain any of this? Applejack hurried to clean up desperately, brushing the hair together with his hooves, coldly sweating from his brow as he frantically hurried to remove any evidence. He stopped mid-sweep to quickly shove his father's hat on his head, which slumped immediately and blocked his vision. "Oh dangit Blossom, Pa's hat's too big! I can't see!!" Orchard Blossom was still unmoving, sheer panic stopping her very breaths. Applejack felt the tugging in his throat rise up again as he began whimpering.

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demonslayedher · 3 years

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Your content on Kny is interesting, being a Kny fan I would like to share a cusiority. During the final battle did you notice that the Hashira were passive about the death of some? When Shinobu died only Tanjiro had a reaction because of how busy he was; Mitsuri didn't seem sad and when Iguro remembered who died in the middle of the final battle he didn't even mention her. What did you think? It would have been nice if Gotouge had shown us what the Hashira's thought when the others died

[cont.] I'm the anonymous person who asked you the question about the Hashira who fell in the fight, Tumblr makes people write very little. Apart from Tanjiro they seemed cold to me, even for Tokito; the only one affected was Himejima; when always Iguro mentioned him during the clash with Muzan it was like he was thinking normally. There wasn't time to mourn for the dead but I was expecting a slightly deeper reaction. Anyway for Shinobu yes there was Inosuke and Kanao but the pillars are important too

Thank you for the Ask, time to get into it! This served as a good excuse to flip back through of a lot of the later volumes... or rather, a huge chunk of the series. Short Answer: I don’t think Mitsuri knew about Shinobu’s death. Longer Answer: A walk-through of the Pillars’ situations in the final showdown and a partial analysis of Kimetsu-style story pacing.

Disclaimer: I finished this around 2am. I chose to leave it rambling and unedited and typo-ridden. HAVE MY FEELS, I’M DISHING THEM.

(Disclaimer: This isn’t meant to be a plug for my own fics, but since they are born out of my emotional experience of canon, mentions will make their way in. U fu fu.) First, absolutely yes on there being no time to mourn. From the moment the Ubuyashiki Mansion blows up in volume 16 to the actual end of the fighting in volume 23, that is one hell of a night; this final arc(s) had NO CHILL. Like, wow. It’s been a long time since I followed another battle-driven manga, but that seems like a lot, especially for a relatively short series. And I was initially happy to dismiss all the lack of satisfying sadness as being due to the fact that they are in *PANIC MODE* and entirely focused on fighting, but that is also not necessarily the case; they do come off slightly cold. I want to touch a bit on what we want to see the characters mourn each other, but also why I think it works out a bit better that we didn’t; from a purely narrative standpoint. LET THEM BE SAD: Parasocial Needs Science says we form bonds with fictional characters that affect our brains in very similar and impactful ways, so our feelings are legit when they get killed off. It affects us like a breakup or other goodbye and makes us crave closure. As for my own assumptions, we look for proxy characters in-universe to give those characters we love the attention we wish to; their sadness validates our sadness, watching them get emotional can be super cathartic, and a good mourning arc can provide satisfying closure. This is something we got with Rengoku, canonically loved by like, everyone. Hell, even the guy who killed him was sad. Just to rub salt into it, the most recent fanbook that includes a section about how the Pillars see each other, and it drives home that even if we never saw much or any canon interaction between him and any other given character, they’re all like, “Oh yeah, Rengoku, he’s a great guy.” And, he’s the only character we really get space to mourn, pacing-wise. First, because of when it happens in the plot, this gives the story time to show us each and everyone one of the Pillars hearing the news; it gives them times to process it (which Tokitou clearly needed), and most of us, it takes us in depth through how it affects Tanjirou, our main character whose emotions that we, the readers, are most in touch with. Rengoku got star treatment in the way he was mourned, and we readers get to lap that up. So then when we don’t get that in-universe star mourning treatment, it does feel a bit jarring by comparison. Gotouge did say she was sorry to hurt everyone, but these are the conditions the little humans were up against all along and a point driven home again and again; even with power on par with demons through the attainment of a mark; even Pillars are just breakable humans who will never be able to regenerate like demons can, hence why their stakes are so much higher in every battle they go into. Furthermore, the Pillars are more ready for this than anyone else, they of all the characters would be the best at keeping their emotions in check in the heat of a battle. Which means they had to keep them in check for seven volumes of near constant battle, love it or hate it. KIMETSU LOGIC: The Writing Sins That Make This Manga What It Is I could go on and on and on and on about the writing sins this manga commits and how it shows that it’s Gotouge’s first time writing something of this length. In manga not all of it can be blamed on the author alone because the editors have a very significant influence, but yeah, this is not the most amazingly crafted story out there, by a long shot. Would I change any of it, though? Well, a few things, yes, of course, out of personal preference. But on the whole, no. It’s the collective errors that stamp KnY with its style and make it what it is, and I find it as endearing as all the randomly super goofy art. Now, when it comes to the lack of Pillars reacting to new of each others’ deaths, I wouldn’t necessarily classify that itself as a fault, and if I were Gotouge’s editor, I probably would have encouraged her to keep it to a minimum too. After all, I would be considered with selling a new shot of tension with every week’s installment to keep any readers from getting bored with the constant battle. And dang it, THAT TENSION WAS HIGH, those battles were remarkably emotional and tense through and through. The breaks in tension that we got were necessarily and not distracting, with the notable exception of Iguro’s past. That was clumsy placement. I’ll be honest, I didn’t bond with Iguro as much as a character because he lost his earlier chances to be appealing to me, and by the time the chapter with his flashback came out, I DIDN’T CARE, I waited anxiously all week to see what was happening to Tanjiro and was invested enough to have an appetite for the additional Sumiyoshi and Yoriichi bits, but dang it, Snake Pillar was getting in the way of what my emotions were primed for at that point. But, such is the way of fickle weekly readers; with THAT MUCH tension going on, readers crave a little breather here and there with a look at who else might taking in a breather in a flashback. We got bits and pieces of that mostly through flashback, like Tamayo’s memories of conversation with Shinobu experienced in real time through Muzan, as well as in-real-time moments with the characters having very slight chances to catch their breath (no pun intended). But, how well those breaths worked depending on each character, and how the readers’ emotions were getting slammed week to week. Just like how I as a weekly reader (by that point) had no appetite for an Iguro flashback while eager to move forward, there likewise would have been limited appetite for mourning, and we’re stuck with who we got as proxy characters to react through. ACTION, REACTION: The Rhythm of Basic Writing Advice It has often been said that in writing, something should happen in a scene, and the next scene should be a reaction to it. In the next scene something new happens, and likewise, there is a reaction. We could also thing of this as stages within the same scene, like the part when the music changes or the moment the battle has ended but we’re still on the battlefield. In Rengoku’s case, we got one big happening, and then a whole lot of reaction drizzled through the story after that. In the Infinity Fortress case, we get a big happening with the Ubuyashiki Mansion blowing up and then--a big happening!--a big happening!--a big happening--! A--uh oh, there’s a reactio---NEVERMIND, THINGS ARE STILL HAPPENING, GOTOUGE, PLEASE, THIS HURTS, OW, OW, HOW ARE YOU SO CRUEL, WE GET IT, THIS SITUATION IS AWFUL, PLEASE STOP HURTING THEM---

The reactions are there, scattered throughout. They’re short, but they sure make themselves count. While Tanjirou is our Empathy Personified hero, it’s natural that we get more of his reactions, but the lack of them in other characters is, I would say, a natural fault of having a huge cast to work with it. Once you start dragging too many other characters into the reactions, the actions have trouble moving forward, and with the level of seven volumes worth of tension it’s the actions that keep readers hooked and buying magazines. THEY’RE ONLY CORVIDS, OK: Now We’re Actually Looking At Canon Details Now that all being said, although it’s easy to dismiss a lot of Kimetsu Logic as amateurish at first, on further reflection, the little worldbuilding logic does excuse itself for not plunging each of the characters into a period of reaction to actions happening elsewhere. Not all the birds had Yushiro’s papers. Not all birds were created equal. It’s really hard to navigate that place. Ergo, communication was probably highly imperfect; not all the crows knew everything going on. We don’t feel that as readers because we’re seeing Kiriya and his sisters get all the available communications. In Iguro and Mitsuri’s case in particular, I suspect that might not even had been Mitsuri’s crow (as that one has a distinct personality and accessory) giving her orders to gather where Muzan is. It was probably any old down-to-business crow working with the information it had as clearly as it could in the battle that was most difficult to physically navigate. If Mitsuri’s crow (named Urara in the most recent fanbook) had been there, I imagine she’d have been having difficulty that whole time to even stay within a close range of that battle. Furthermore, a crow like that with a strong bond with Mitsuri might had also judged that telling her about Shinobu’s death was a dangerous distraction, and chosen to withhold information. The fanbook specifies that Iguro’s crow Yuuan was the one who told him about how Tokitou got a red blade (in fact, this is basically the only thing said of this crow besides its name and gender). To able to report in such detail that Iguro could analyze that Tokitou attained the red blade by the strength of his grip, that probably quite an accomplishment to have either witnessed that much, or to pass on crucial information that detailed and quickly. At that time, Iguro and Mitsuri were physically separated and she was distracted by the crow giving her orders to gather where Muzan was, so she might not even have overheard that Tokitou had died. As for Iguro, the second fanbook tells us that because Tokitou was young he had hoped he wouldn’t die. There was no opportunity to mourn him, and they weren’t close enough for that to throw him off much from battle, but on a Pillar to Pillar level, I think the amount of thought Iguro did dedicated to Tokitou showed a certain level of esteem for him and regret at this passing. What would have been nice? Maybe a little look over his shoulder to Mitsuri like “I hope she didn’t hear that.” That would have revealed a tender side of Iguro in a very short use of panels. I want to come back to analyzing Mitsuri’s reaction later, so let’s keep focusing on the loss of Tokitou. Once he attained more of his sense of self back, it seems he preferred the company of Corp Members closed to him in age (if we go by his little flashbacks, which in true Kimetsu Logic, are things we didn’t know about until they come up in flashbacks). Most of the Pillars weren’t especially close with him, even if they did care about his wellbeing, as they seemed particular aware of how young he was. Sanemi probably had never interacted much with Tokitou until that battle, and *OKAY, HERE IT IS, THE UPCOMING FANFIC SELF-PLUG* one of the things I really liked working with in my post-canon fic is that there’s a point at which thinking about Tokitou forces Sanemi to deal with all the trauma he’s buried from that battle. I figure it would hit him later; he had a good excuse of a distraction. Ugh. Man. My heart hurts again thinking of that chapter. Let’s also not forget, after Himejima showed his respects for Tokitou both quickly and sincerely, he couldn’t allow Sanemi to deal with Genya’s death until after everything was over. All the Pillars had to think like this. What would had been nice? I liked this reaction scene to two simultaneous and horrific deaths exactly as it was. Ow. Ahhhh. Owwwwww, it’s hurting again. This is catharsis exactly the way I like it. Let’s keep going with Himejima, the only one to have known to expect all this, and who stayed ready and likely hoped to bring down Muzan all by himself without any other sacrifices (welp, so much for that). There’s a scene in the novels that implies he had some idea that Shinobu wasn’t intending to make it out of the upcoming battle(s) alive, and I imagine he felt the same regret and bitter acceptance in advance that he also felt with Ubuyashiki. If we heard the news about Shinobu like Tanjirou and Giyuu did, I imagine he was hurt but it wouldn’t have been noticeable, and he probably would not be surprised even at how quickly it happened. What would had been nice? Anything. Just a “How pitiful” and some tears as he runs through the halls woulda’ been great. So since Giyuu did hear it loud and clear with Tanjirou, I first want to point out that whether that was Tanjirou’s crow or not (might not had been, because his crow was busy with a letter delivery from Senjurou at the time too), that crow must had loved to shared details; maybe even details that were not necessary. Like, would telling the lower level Corp members everything really help? Wouldn’t the loss of each Pillar make them lose their nerve? Was it because that crow was wearing one of Yushiro’s papers that it had to report extra detail for Ubuyashiki HQ? Whatever the case, Giyuu is initially shocked about Shinobu and then is like, “what is that paper the crow has? It sure is reporting things fast.” What would have been nice? ANYTHING MORE THAN ONE PANEL OF SHOCK. Come on, Giyuu, give the GiyuuShino shippers S O M E T H I N G. Granted, if Tanjirou had been killed in battle with Akaza, I believe Giyuu would have had an initial outburst of emotion, but then gotten himself under control real quick and stayed that way until it was safe to break down (which he did immediately later on, since the threat was gone--but he was just as soon picking up a sword and stabbing him, so again, Pillar-mode must come before experiencing emotions). I interpret canon as that even though Giyuu might had found it easily to address Shinobu in conversation due to frequency in how much they had conversed and the fact that she would usually talk to him first, he would never had considered himself especially close with her (since he never saw himself close with any of the Pillars). I feel their relationship had potential to grow closer if Giyuu had actually gone out of his way to communicate more with her, and he probably would had if they both survived, but at the time she died he probably still felt a distance, which is why it did him harder when Tanjirou--someone who Giyuu did actually get to a point of enjoying conversation with--was dead right in front of him. (Side not, oh man, OH MAN, being a weekly reader was so tough then. I still have so many emotions from that week. Oh man. Oof. Ouch.)

Of note, Giyuu had the best opportunity for reflection on a comrade’s death since he had enough recovery time once he woke up to build a fire and treat wounds, and Tanjirou took that chance to read a letter.

What would have been nice? AGAIN, GIYUU, ANYTHING, but after that battle I think he deserved to disassociate a bit. Also of note, I don’t know that they had complete information either, because NO ONE (by “no one” I mean Tanjirou and Inosuke) seemed to hear anything about Zenitsu single-handedly killing Upper Moon Six and surviving it. What would had been nice: “Good for you, Zenitsu, I hope you’re okay” or “Six? Again? Didn’t we already do that? There was a third??” or “well I got Upper Moon Two SO THERE” or “..........are you sure?” or even way, way after all is said and done, off in epilogue times, “you fought WHO by YOURSELF???” but I digress. Now back to Shinobu, losing her so early on in this marathon of high-stakes battles made her death seem forever ago by the time we got to another Pillar death. It would had been nice for more of them to react both with “no, not Shinobu!” and “we are in deep trouble” sort of ways. That made the glimpses we got of her in flashback feel way, way more nostalgic, since for our experiences as readers, she had already been gone a very long time. I like that the battle with Douma got stretched over so long a span of the manga, they really showed the stakes in how difficult of a foe he was, even if that battle was itself was relatively shorter than others. And as stand-ins for the readers to mourn Shinobu, I love how we got that both through Kanao and through Inosuke. But yes, it sure would had been nice to get something from... Mitsuri. Now, if I had only read the events of canon, manga chapter to manga chapter, and even the Taisho Secrets, I still never would have guessed that Shinobu and Mitsuri had such a warm friendship. I know this purely from the fanbooks and novels, and that is something I find a writing error that detracts a lot from the work. Some of the most apt criticism I’ve heard of the Kimetsu pacing is that it could have stood to give us one of more arc to bond with the characters at least a little more, so we could really, really be emotional over loosing them. We get all our spare Pillar interactions in works outside of canon and after Tanjirou initially gets to know Shinobu, he has no more on-screen interactions with her; she mostly appears in Taisho Secrets. Pillar Training was fun and all, but maybe another arc with stakes in it that occurs closer to home and brings out some different sides of the Pillars in Tanjirou’s presence, instead of each of them getting one dance each with our protagonist. That would had been a chance to show Shinobu and Mitsuri’s friendship, in which case, we would had really, really wanted to see Mitsuri’s reaction. But, Mitsuri had a job to do in the very, very, very heavy tension and battles that ran in weekly magazines for months on end. She carried the very heavy weight of needing to provide brevity. Her silliness contrasted against all that tension was fresh air for readers who had been holding their breath (no pun intended! kinda) through so much. And man, our reliance on her for that made it hurt all the more when things suddenly got very serious for her. But, that means she was also unable to play a heavy emotional role too early on. There wasn’t room to give her a satisfyingly emotional reaction to Shinobu or Tokitou; when after all, this is the girl who was fretting about dearly beloved Oyakata-sama, was horrified to see the explosion, angirly attacked Muzan, but was saved from certain doom almost immediately after she was taken by surprise in the Infinity Fortress, and then she’s BACK TO 100% FANGIRL MODE. Like, giiiiiiiiiirl, Oyakata-sama just diiiiiiied, tone it down a notch. I feel like I had more to say. OH YEAH. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?: To fanfic, duh. Going back to reaction and action and producing something with sellable pacing, again, I wouldn’t risk bogging down the tension-heavy final arc with too much open sadness (less is more definitely applies when the reaction scenes were often SO GOOD), but it clearly set up the desire for it. And, the length and intensity with which a work of fiction can live rent-free in audiences’ minds is a measure of its success. If we MUST turn to fanfiction to get that emotional closure (or force the Pillars to get theirs), then this is proof of a job well done in making us care. Herein lies the freedom with fanfiction: It doesn’t have to be good. It doesn’t have to sell. It doesn’t have to fit a regular serialized format. Fanfic is whatever it wants, all it has to do is indulgently scratch an itch. I have way more stomach for sappiness in fanfic than in original canon, because I have higher expectations of canon to honor writing conventions, and to make decisions that will serve the overall story, not necessarily cater to my tastes. But fanfic? Fanfic, you are here to serve me. Dive into those characters’ dry eyes with a jackhammer and gives me their tears. I don’t care how much you have to fry their brains to do it, give it to me. I mean, I don’t write fanfic like that, noooo. At least, not that I post publicly. Ssh. No one needs to know aaaaaall my particular canon itches I wish to have picked raw. But all the more power to people who DO post that publicly and provide a great service to all the other people with that same need. But, in the spirit of writing fic that tries to honor the spirit of canon, I try to sprinkle the juicy emotional potential canon could have had around as needed, to draw out what I feel canon just didn’t have the opportunity to give us. It’s ultimately self-servicing for what I wish canon would had done, but my style of published fic does try to stay widely appealing as a gen fic. Everybody’s got their own balances and tastes, and that’s cool. And that is freedom canon authors don’t have. I’ll conclude by saying that, although we as readers collectively earned it, the ending of Kimetsu no Yaiba was too bright and happy and specifically chose bittersweet moments that would be easy to swallow (pretty smart for a quick ending), but entirely skipped all the really heavy stuff in the immediate aftermath.

And yes, as difficult (and even dull) as it would be to slog through, there’s a part of me that wants to see all that, for the sake of closure.

And now I sleep byyyyezzzzzzzzz

#KnY fandom theories and meta #KnY Spoilers #tw death #KnY nerdery #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer

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dappercritter · 4 years

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Random She-Ra Season 5 Thoughts: THE FINAL RAMBLING

Yep. I finally got all my crazy absurd thoughts about this gay adventure-romance-drama cartoon summarized into one incoherent yet fun to read computer document/article! ...four months after the show itself ended. Oh well, no one’s perfect. Anyways, there are a whole lot more insane observations than ever before, so I had to put it below a link so this thing didn’t back up my blog or any of yours. Hope you enjoy reading through these as much I enjoyed spouting them for no discernible reason other than I felt like it!

-I feel that since is the last season, I ought to talk about an important part of the show that I’ve been putting off: the animation. It’s… okay. It’s definitely smoother than what the original 80’s show and it’s brother series (heheh) looked like, but at the same time it still seems to suffer from similar limitations which causes some distracting moments of stiffness. But other than that, it’s pretty good. It’s no Titmouse or Studio Mir but it looks good and it gets the job done.

-After all, let’s not forget: “Imperfection is beautiful!”

-Even when things are at their lowest, Adora is a jock with a heart of gold.

-Horde Prime and the Galactic Horde’s aesthetic feels like a mixture of Catholicism, Scientology, Heaven’s Gate, and modern Microsoft, and honestly, that just makes him creepier.

-Speaking of Horde Prime, he didn’t waste any time with destroying Bright Moon. …apparently.

-Furthermore, on the topic of his giant holographic messages, WAS THAT A FREAKING MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE MOVIE REFERENCE?!

-Boy, Glimmer and Catra sure got along quickly! It’s almost like they magically understand each other because they both assumed leadership roles and screwed up big time! …I guess.

-Either that or this season is going to be a speedrun.

-Wow, the Rebellion sure got used to having a once-thought-dead king as well as a known enemy general/abuser running around their camp awful fast, didn’t they?

-Mara’s got a spaceship, a cyber girlfriend, a magic grandma, a dragon, a tragic backstory, AND a force ghost?! Dang, even in death, the girl’s got it all. No wonder everyone likes her!

-(*me looking at the TV rating at the start of episode*) “Why is language in there? Is there surprise cuss words or something in this season?” (*sees Horde Prime seize control of a clone for the first time*) “HOLY FREAKING SH—oh that’s why.”

-Applause to the crew for making the “dinner with Prime” scene for making a meal between a sparkly princess, a catgirl, and alien cult leader feel even more uncomfortable than it had a right to.

-(*me throughout the season whenever a clone was onscreen*) Is that Hordak? Is that him? Is that him? Is that him right there? Oh it is—oh no wait. … Is that h—

-Extra applause for having Glimmer learn from her grey-area wetwipe phase and refusing to sell out her friends again whilst telling the imperialist cult leader where to stick it.

-I would pay a sizeable portion of my life savings to hear what a Scorpia and Swift Wind duet would sound like.

-In fact, I’d double it if it was just Scorpia singing.

-Ah what the heck. I would triple it for an entire She-Ra musical!

-As happy as I am to see to see Entrapta interacting with the other princesses again, I have to say that their big reunion left me with some mixed feelings. Here’s a quick rundown:

-Entrapta, a grown autistic woman, being led around on a leash by non-neurodivergent teenagers—again: that’s bad.

-The Princesses confronting Entrapta about joining the Horde: that’s good!

-The Princesses blaming all their problems with the Horde bots on Entrapta’s actions and her hyper fixations alone: that’s bad.

-Entrapta explaining herself, admitting that she regrets her mistakes, and getting the Princesses to understand that she thinks and communicates differently, but in spite of that, she really does want help find Glimmer: that’s good!

-Entrapta never gets to call out the Princesses for how poorly they treated her: that’s bad.

-Entrapta saves the day and goes to space: that’s good!

-Scorpia and Entrapta still haven’t interacted even though the former is with the Rebellion in the first place because she went to look for her because she is her best friend: …can I go home now?

-How nice! Michah finally got to shapeshift!

-And he’s rocking that She-Ra outfit to boot!

-So is Darla a back up of Light Hope or do they just run on the same operating system and have the same voice?

-I could watch an entire season of Adora, Bow, and Entrapta going on space adventure in a rundown ship with their custom-made spacesuits, tbh.

-Is anyone else weirded out that Catra’s younger self looked at her in her flashback(?).

-Actually what WAS happening there, anyhow?

-(*watching Bow’s spacewalk to save Glimmer*) “Is that a Gravity reference?” asked the man who never saw Gravity.

-Speaking of spacewalks, how did Glimmer survive those precious few seconds in space? Does the teleporter teleport a breathable atmosphere too?

-Also, Catra, WHY did you think it would be a good idea to teleport Glimmer into space? I know you had a plan and the ship was right there but… Ah, never mind.

-Not that I’m complaining but Glimmer’s apology to the rest of the friend squad for her HORRIBLE plan last season went… surprisingly quickly.

-You know as cool as The Star Siblings are, being a quirky band of space-travelling siblings with cool powers and some trans rep to boot, I only have one small problem with them: weren’t there already Star Sisters on Etheria back in season 1?

-That doesn’t sound right, but I don’t know enough about Masters of the Universe characters to dispute it.

-Entrapta confirmed pan, objectum, AND horny on main. Dang girl, you’re gonna have fun whether you got Hordak back or not…

-“The Velvet Glove” is both a menacing and stupid name for a decadent overlord’s mothership.

-Wait, it’s from the 80’s canon? Oh. That kind of explains it, actually.

-Goshdangit, I wanted Catra to face punishment for her crimes, but I didn’t think that would involve going to evil alien conversion therapy!

-Nor did I want her to die! For a second. Actually, since it obviously wasn’t going to last I was… weirdly okay with that part???

-Horde Prime seems awfully okay with Catradora. I mean he’s still super creepy and manipulative about it, but also oddly progressive for an evil brainwashing cult leader.

-(*Adora transforms into a She-Ra through seer will*) First of all, called it. Second of all, WOAH MAMA now that’s a glow up!

-Wrong Hordak did not have to be a thing, and yet, I’m glad that he is.

-Hordak remembers the LUVD crystal and Entrapta… Hordak remembers Entrap—! It’s happening! Oh my gosh, it’s happening! Everybody stay calm!

-Wow, Entrapta didn’t have to be so forgiving of Catra for everything she’s done to her but she did. Only I’m not sure if that was Entrapta taking the high road or the low road.

-Or which road the crew took for that matter.

-I remember when I thought those “Chipped AUs” floating around here on tumblr were just something the fans came up with and that chipping people was not an actual despicable thing Prime does in canon. I miss those days.

-I know it’s not the same as before or the original design, but True She-Ra’s designs and powers? I think they slappin’.

-Hooray, Adora and Catra are finally making up! And it only took four and half seasons worth of communication failures, toxic villainous behaviour, and physical violence for Catra to snap out of it!

-…We can go back to Entrapdak now, right?

-Poor Elberon. First they unknowingly adopt a double agent then get invaded by the Horde and now they’re getting brainwashed and chipped by the Galactic Horde. They might be a cute village, but they got some pretty lousy security.

-You know it’s cute that Micah is doing his best to be friends with Frosta and get back in touch with his dad-side, but look I can’t be the only one worried about how the local King is a less proactive leader than the princesses or the known war criminal/abuser, right?

-“The Perils of Peekablue” or as I like to call it, “You Thought ‘Boys Night Out’ Caught You Emotionally Off-guard? Hah! Watch This.”

-You know I didn’t think Scorpfuma would be a thing aside that one moment of flirting near the end of season 4, but they really pushed for it to be a thing! This is… actually pretty great! Perfuma’s not perfect, and I would have appreciated giving them a little more time to bond and form some real chemistry, but at least she reciprocates Scorpia’s sweetness instead of rebuffing it in increasingly aggressive fashion.

-I’m not sure what’s more concerning: that Mermista set a boat on fire, that it’s worded like she had a fling as part of some experimental phase, or that Sea Hawk is turned on by this.

-Peekablue might not be real, (I think?) but he is one dapper dude! Female-to-male redesigns could learn a thing or two from him.

-It involved them getting stung and seizuring, but that was a heck of a way to reintroduce Double Trouble! I swear I got watching them cycle through their transformations in some sort of physical reaction.

-Or maybe that was just me worrying about their wellbeing…

-Okay, I get the Chips are huge, and actually rather clever threat, but how do these characters get chipped in the first place? I get there are chipped people who spread the chips throught the population but where do they get those from???

-Do one of those Horde Prime drones just sneak behind someone, slap a chip on their nape then hand them a whole bagfull and say, “Beep boop beep, Horde Prime’s Light, blah blah blah. Alright have fun, kiddo”?

-Or is it some sort of Alien: Covenant deal where they’re just floating around and Lord help you if one sticks to you?

-HOLY CRAP THEY ACTUALLY GOT SCORPIA TO SING! AND SHE WAS GREAT!

-Oh shoot. Guess I owe the crew twice my life savings now…

-Entrapdak might be what got me into this show, but it’s Double Trouble that kept me around, so you can imagine how happy I was to see them make their grand reappearance!

-Conversly, you can imagine my disappointment when they just disappeared until the finale.

-And on that note: HOW DID YOU GUYS LOSE DOUBLE TROUBLE?!

-You forgot to cherish them, didn’t you?

-So, Scorpia sacrifices herself just after finding a new girlfriend and gaining some newfound confidence, Mermista and Sea Hawk are split up,and Double Trouble didn’t join the main cast. Why can’t you just have fun like a normal cartoon, show?

-Gosh, I love me some shifting title cards!

-Is it just me or did they sneak in some more Annihilation references on Krytis?

(-Said the guy who was too chicken to watch the movie and just read about it and watched a few clips online.)

-(*audibly sighs*) FINE. I guess I like Catradora now. Are you happy now, SPOP Crew? ARE YOU?!

-Hooray, Catra’s got a emotional support animal! And they’re a shapeshifting magic alien cat. Those are the best kind!

-Is it weird that I knew that weird glowing stuff on Krytis was just magic all along, or was it just not hidden very well. Anyways, I like Krytis. I like that we got to see a truly alien world with its own form of magic.

-Plus, we got a logical advancement of the magic versus science subtheme with magic being Horde Prime’s weakness! Neato!

-Getting back on the “which is worse?” wagon for a second, I don’t know what feels less right: that Wrong Hordak’s big revelation and his resolution to free himself and his brothers and friends from Horde Prime’s control is played humorously, or that Real Hordak should be the one having this moment.

-That bit with Castaspella and Shadow Weaver where she tells Casta about Etheria being a living thing with inherent magical property, or whatever, while we got a peaceful shot of some boar creatures sleeping was actually kind of nice. It would have been nicer though if it wasn’t part of a power hungry abuser’s obvious scheme. If only there was a kindly old witch lady character who was in touch with nature and knew just what to say when someone was feeling downOH WAIT.

-Furthermore… Why did Shadow Weaver and Castaspella need to have romantic tension?

-Seriously though, where’s our Madame Razz quota this season? Where’s my supportive magic grandma timelord at, yo?

-Yup, they speedran this season.

-I’m actually really disappointed we didn’t see more of an intergalactic new rebellion rising up to fight Horde Prime’s forces across the universe. Especially if it meant we got to see more Star Sibling action!

-Again, I adore Wrong Hordak but I keep wondering what was keeping the crew from just bringing in Original Flavour Hordak. (You know, aside from teasing us Entrapdak fans and trying to distract us with a loveable new character in the meantime.) I mean he could have done the whole infiltrating the clone squads and tricking them bit, too.

-Heck, he could have done the wink, too!

-I’d gleefully point out Loo-Kee’s cameo this season but apparently, they already made some several seasons ago. That’s what I get for not rewatching the 80’s show and training my eyes first.

-(*sees Erelandians*) Are those freaking Toads and Toadettes?

-So, what’s keeping them from just hitting Spinerella’s chip again? Besides emotional baggage and gale force winds, I mean.

-Perfuma coming out of a cave scared out of her wits, demanding to know who’s there, clinging to her friends as soon as they come back, and balling her eyes out is a big, BIG mood.

-Frosta absolutely decking Catra in the face was nestled somewhere between cathartic and excessive.

-Netossa spraying her with a bottle of water on the other hand…

-Oh, so Greyskull was the name of a Rebel Squad! I think. Meh, the important thing is we got an explanation and it still sounds cool.

-Leave it to a couple of dads to make a secret message out of a dad joke.

-You know I made fun of Light Hope for being creepy, but I swear that avatar from the Spire is even creepier. I don’t know if it’s her face—those dang blank eyes, man—or just that it she’s less animated than the real thing, but it just felt… off.

-Aww, Noelle made Netossa’s princess weakness illustrations! So cute!

-Forget episodes that deserves Emmys, Keston John deserves one for voicing Hordak, Horde Prime, all the clones, and several minor villains and giving each and every single one a distinct voice! Where my king’s respect, eh?

-Yes, Catra you had a small disagreement with Hordak. …Over sending his girlfriend and your “friend” to DIE IN A LITERAL LIVING HELL.

-Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.

-Why does Perfuma get pressured to get angry and go wild when Entrapta’s the one who’s had it the worst out of all them? Why can’t my gamer girl go berserk, dammit!?

-Okay, but really, how do these fricking chips work??? Are they parasite devices who store Horde Prime’s Baptizing Dew then slowly pump it into their host’s bodies? Do they have their own nervous systems? Are they technorganic? Also, how and why do we need to make these chips are bigger threat then they need to be?

-Horde Prime showing up on Hordak’s throne in grand Killing Joke style and casually throwing shades at his brother’s overblown attempts to impress him is pretty awesome, but it feels strangely underdeveloped. Hordak’s not there to have his hard work insulted and we never got to see Adora have any similar encounter with Hordak here before, so unless you look at it from the perspective of someone who has been here before in the Horde story like Catra it lacks the dramatic weight it should have had.

-Scorpia resisting the chip to save her new friends was pretty great, though.

-I swear, when they got to the scene where Adora and the others figured out that Shadow Weaver was grooming her so she could use her to get to the Heart of Etheria, I was mouthing “You B***H” through the whole thing.

-They really brought back Etherian deep magic just so they had something to make Micah threatening. …okay.

-Okay, the rest of “Failsafe” messed me up, so here’s a rundown on all the other messy thoughts I had while the show ripped my heart and ground it to dog food:

-Entrapta and Hordak reuniting: Yay!

-Swift Wind yanking her away before she can get through to him: Boo.

-Catra encouraging Adora to try and take care of herself for a change: Yay!

-Adora hurts Catra and she runs away: Boo.

-Adora finally calling out Shadow Weaver on what an utterly horrible person she is: Yay!

-Adora resolves to risk sacrificing herself to save the world: Bo—okay, seriously, was all this suffering really necessary, show?

-I know I mentioned in my previous She-Ra random thoughts that I supported Glimmadora, but I am okay with Catradora and Glimbow ending up canon. The only problem I have is how rushed they feel—moreso with Glimbow. With Catradora, the crew had an entire season to make it work again and they took it. Glimbow it feels like they were down to the last few episodes and went, “Oh right, we were gonna do something with these two!” then did their darndest to fit in some chemistry in between all the other stuff going down.

-As ominous as it was, the music where Horde Prime starts hacking Etheria honestly SLAPS.

-Okay, I know everyone is magic or something, but I am legit surprised getting electrocuted in water didn’t kill the heroes right then and there.

-Sea Hawk tries to flirt with his girl even as she’s trying to kill him. Truly, he is a man of taste.

-What do you know, Shadow Weaver can only do good when she’s (canonically!) punch drunk.

-You know a whole lot of this could have been avoided if Holo-Mara was Adora’s mentor instead of Light Hope.

-When I think about it, it was actually really clever to make Horde Prime the final villain for Adora to face: a domineering decadent man who’s been in power forever against a humble emotionally vulnerable compassionate young woman.

-Not to mention the divide between cult-like oppression and progressive freedom. Or something.

-Holy crap, did the First Ones get a great freaking a Great Old One for a guard dog?!

-So, you guys seriously didn’t bring Angella back to reunite with her family OR mention her all season after the impact her death had on everyone all last season until Glimmer needs a power-up at the last possible minute and then you never bring her up again. That is absolutely a dick move in bird culture.

-Entrapta’s hacker sticker gives me life. Gamer girl gremlin princess forever!

-On the one hand, I’m disappointed that Adora and Catra don’t get to have an awesome couple battle against the security monster and win. On the other hand, Shadow Weaver is finally dead. YAY!

-With apologies to the writers and especially Lorraine Toussaint. She did splendidly bringing this character to life and even if I hated Shadow Weaver, I adored the effort she put into making her one of the most emotionally complex villains I’ve ever seen.

-Words cannot, will not, and will never describe the pure joy that I experienced when I first saw Hordak’s big scene: standing up to and disowning his tyrant brother, saving Entrapta, declaring his love to her (albeit in a nicely lowkey fashion), and then throwing Horde Prime to his apparent doom Disney style with Entrapta cheering him with sheer glee. GOSH, it was everything I could have hoped for from this season!

-Now if only they kept the deleted scene where they got a moment to themselves before Prime body-jacked him again like the creepy sonuvabich he is.

-Horde Prime just wouldn’t be a religious villain if he didn’t tell everyone to burn.

-Bonus points for actually trying to burn the frigging planet.

-Aside from the idea of Adora switching to wearing a She-Ra themed dress everywhere in the future, the future vision was really quite sweet, and seeing Prime step in to ruin it made it all the more impactful.

-Can I just say that it’s absolutely wonderful that the show, for all it’s flaws, said “**** senseless heroic sacrifices”?

-BREAKING: Lesbian cat finally makes up with her jock ex, has a canon kiss so pure it saves the world!

-In other news, Catradora fans are still spoiled rotten.

-Wow, look at all those character comebacks they skipped through! Look, there’s the chefs from Dryl, Double Trouble, Huntara, the Horde Trio, Imp, Madame Razz—are you kidding me?!

-Grumbling aside, I actually find the idea of the Horde Trio and Imp getting involved in a G-rated science-fantasy version of the first Hangover movie quite amusing.

-Oh dang, they pulled a Castle in the Sky with the Velvet Glove!

-As nice as it was to see Aodra save Hordak from Horde Prime and destroy the latter through exorcism via sheer compassion, I’m rather disappointed we never got to see She-Ra go full Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengence on any creepy old cult leaders.

-Yeah, it would have gone against the “love conquers all” set up, but love takes on many forms, does it not? So, why can it not manifest as cleaving your mortal enemies with extreme prejudice to save your loved ones?

-Furthermore, in addition to Holo-Mara being a better mentor, Hordak raising Adora instead Shadow Weaver could have prevented a lot of similar problems. Maybe. Possibly.

-Eh whatever, he has a lifetime’s worth of fanfiction to make up for it.

-ENTRAPDAK IS CANON, ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD.

-And so is Catradora and Glimbow! That’s nice, too.

-Aww, how sweet of them to skip through Catra and Scorpia, and Glimmer and Micah’s big reunions! It’s not like we’ve been waiting forever for this stuff or anything. HahahahAHAHAHDHAHAHFHAFHKSADJHFKAJHDfine.

-And so it all ends with everyone either friends, in love, or both, as heroes decide to make up for it all with a grandiose sequel promising more exciting space adventures we probably won’t see! HOORAY!

-All snarky ranting aside, I actually really enjoyed the finale. It was exciting, heartwarming, and above all it ended on happy, hopeful note without leaving too many frustrating questions unanswered. (*glares with utmost contempt at Voltron and Star vs. The Forces of Evil*)

-You know, this wasn’t bad for a final season, but I think this might have worked better as two seasons. Not in Netflix’s cheap “split a regular 13-episode season in two 6-7 episode long seasons” strategy, but I mean two full seasons with their own storylines leading up to the grand finale:

-First, one that starts out with Horde Prime’s arrival the downfall of Etheria, focuses on the space adventures, ends with their return to Etheria and gives the characters time to recuperate from season 4.

-Then, we have one final season that focuses on the Best Friend Squad’s Return to Etheria, Horde Prime’s plan, gives everyone more time to properly reconcile before ¾ of the entire cast gets chipped, sets up a new Rebellion made up of Princess Alliance and former Etherian Horde members, maybe even set up a proper Hordak redemption arc or something, and then our big happy ending.

-On a mostly unrelated note, I also feel that the whole show could have turned out even better if it had been either a dedicated science-fantasy war drama with some levity (like the good Star Wars shows or Avatar: The Last Airbender) or a lighthearted yet empowering slice-of-life action-adventure romcom (i.e. basically a well-made remake of the original show in the style of Adventure Time and Parks and Rec or something).

-My final random thought for this whole thing: we really could have used a triumphant end credits song or something. Aside from obviously recommending Fabulous Secret Powers, I would have also recommended the original 4 Non Blondes “What’s Going On,” a reprise of “Warriors,” Gorillaz’s “We Got the Power,” or (my favourite) Talking Head’s “(Nothing But) Flowers” since the ending scenes remind me of it.

Thanks again to the crew for giving me something to live for and/or complain about!

Now, let’s hope the He-Man reboots do as well...

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writemywaytoyourheart · 4 years

Text

BTS Reaction: You Move Abroad To Study

Requested: yeslikeayearagoimsosorryisuck

Genre: fluff, some angst

Warnings: none

this one could be better I’m so sorry, hope you like it tho ;-; also tumblr is being a jerk with the gifs rn so I can’t use them on this one, sorry T-T

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KIM SEOKJIN:

When you had first told Jin, you expected him to take it well and he did. Although he can be a child at heart at times, he’s mature and very supportive. He had hugged you and told you he was so proud of you for getting into the school, “Princess, I couldn’t be more proud right now. You’ll do absolutely amazing.”

You heard him sniffle when he pulled you into a hug but you didn’t point it out since he was obviously trying hard not to cry; whether it be sadness or being happy for you- or both. It had still been a few months away before you had to leave and so Jin decided to do everything he could with you before you had to leave.

You two went to amusement parks, fancy restaurants, hidden restaurants where people never went, shopping, hiking and on a few road trips when you two decided to just hop in the car and drive, singing along to your favorite songs and discovering places together, whether it was raining or not- Jin would drag you to the car and drive without a destination.

When the time came for you to leave your boyfriend refused to cry, insisting that this was a happy time and you would see each other again when you went on breaks. He hugged you tighter than ever before, “I love you so much y/n, you better have an amazing time you hear me?” You nodded tearfully and kissed him back when he leaned down to kiss you gently.

“Oh, and y/n?”

“Yes?”

“If you forget to bring me some snacks from where you stay, I’ll never forgive you.”

You laughed and wiped your tears, “Don’t worry Jin I won’t forget, you won’t let me anyway. We’ll talk on the phone right?” He nods aggressively and kisses your forehead, “Every single day, love.”

Jin wouldn’t turn and leave until you boarded the plane; and only then would he let a small tear slip out before brushing it away. He’d wait another few minutes before leaving, just for the sake of hoping you know he was still there and you weren’t alone as you started a new part to your journey.

You can bet he’ll make sure he’s in the exact same spot when you come home.

MIN YOONGI:

“You what??” Yoongi jumped out of his chair and grabbed you by the shoulders in his excitement and you couldn’t help but laugh, grateful that he reacted like this. You nodded and smiled brightly, “I made it in, Yoongi, I actually made it!”

Yoongi gasped and pulled you into a hug, “Y/n I am so proud of you!! I knew you could do it!” You two sat there hugging for a while before you pulled away and looked down, “The thing is, I’ll be gone for a while.” Your boyfriend smiled sadly and took your chin in between his thumb and forefinger pulling gently for you to look at him, “Hey, look at me.” You did and saw him smiling at you.

“Y/n, this is an amazing opportunity. Of course you’ll be away for a bit but you’ll always come home. It’ll be like when I go on tour, our relationship will stay the same if not get stronger. Y/n, don’t let that discourage you, I won’t allow it.”

His words made your heart warm and you smiled and reached up to pat his cheek sweetly, “You know what? You’re right Yoongles, it’ll all work out!” He smiled at your pet name for him and kissed your cheek before pulling back with a glint in his eyes, “What do you say we make the most of the time before you have to leave?” You look at him suspiciously and then gasp, “You mean we can go get ice cream every day until I leave?” He laughs and takes your hand.

“Whatever you want, baby.”

Yoongi would insist on taking you to the airport and he would hug you until you really had to go and board the plane, “I love you so much sweetie, don’t forget to tell me when you land, alright?”

“Alright babe, I promise. I have to go now. I love you!”

“I love you, y/n!!”

You would turn around and see him waving like a wild man. You waved back and laughed when he didn’t stop until you couldn’t see him anymore. Yoongi would keep waving, getting the attention of people standing by and not caring a single bit. He wouldn’t admit it, but he counts the days until you come home again.

JUNG HOSEOK:

“It’s here! Oh my gosh, Hobi it’s here!” You squeal as you throw your shoes off and run to where he’s sitting on the couch. Pieces of random mail fly out of your hands on the way, but you pay them no mind, only worried about one little letter.

“Is it from the school?” Your boyfriend is immediately dropping his phone and scooting closer to you to get a good look. You nod and open it nervously. But you just can’t bring yourself to look at it no matter what you do. Hobi watches you internally struggle for a minute, then he snatches it out of your hands and scans over it quickly.

You watch him, anxiety taking place in your stomach when you see him staying quiet. “What does it say? I didn’t make it, did I? Dang it.” You swallow the lump in your throat and sigh. Oh well, that’s just life.

Then Hobi tackles you to the couch in a giant hug, knocking the breath out of you and attacking your face with kisses. “You made it, baby! You did it!”

You squeal and hug him back as tight as you can. “Really?? Oh my gosh!” You start crying tears of joy and Hobi coos while wiping your face up. “I’m so proud of you, love.”

He is sure to remind you of how proud he is every single day until you leave, not wanting you to get second thoughts. Now, he’s at the airport wishing you goodbye with lots of hugs and kisses and promises of daily calls.

“I’ll see you during break, love. You take lots of pictures for me, ok?”

“I will, Hobi.”

“I love you, baby.”

“Love you too.”

KIM NAMJOON:

“That’s my girl!” Namjoon exclaims happily when you announce that you made it into the university abroad you wanted to go to for forever.

You happily let him engulf you into a big bear hug and laugh. “I can’t believe I actually made it, Joon.” He pulls back with a look of pure shock on his face.

“Are you kidding?? I knew it all along.”

You smack him playfully on the shoulder and laugh shyly. Namjoon just smiles and kisses your forehead, then he surprises you by picking you up and flinging you over his shoulder. You scream and try to get the hair out of your face, “What the heck are you doing?” You gasp as he runs to the living room and tosses you on the couch. Then he climbs on top of you, careful not to crush you with his weight, and kisses your nose.

“I’m just getting in all the cuddles time I can before you go.”

At the airport, Namjoon keeps a stoic expression, but you can tell he’s as sad as you are. He insists on walking with you as far as he can, then he gives you a sweet kiss. “Call me when you land. Whenever you need me, I just a message away.”

“Ok, Joonie.” You smile and wipe your eyes quickly. Then you give him one last hug before hurrying to your flight. Namjoon stays until he sees you go in and you’re no longer in sight. Then he chuckles sadly, “My beautiful, smart girl.”

PARK JIMIN:

“Wait, really?” You think you see sadness flit across Jimin’s puppy dog gaze as he stares up at you from the couch. But it’s gone just as quickly as it came, replaced by excitement. He jumps up and hugs you tightly, “Oh baby, I’m so happy for you!” You hug him back and nod then sniffle, “Thanks Jiminie, I just…” Jimin pulls back and looks into your eyes, his own shining with concern.

“Y/n?”

“Y-yeah?”

“What’s the matter?”

You pull away just enough to wipe your eyes before the tears spill over. Then you laugh awkwardly as Jimin’s eyes dart around, him trying to figure out how to help you. He seems to make a decision and takes your face gently in his hands and kisses you on the nose, “Hey now, is it because you’ll be abroad and I’ll still be here?” You nod and swallow thickly.

Jimin’s eyes crinkle when he smiles and you can tell he’s pushing his own sadness aside to try and convince you it’ll be fine. You hang your head and wipe your nose that’s started to run.

“Hey, look at me.” You reluctantly look back up and he kisses your forehead, “Look, we’ll talk on the phone every single day. We’ll text each other all the time. We can facetime whenever you want. Just pretend it’s like I’m busy with practice but you’ll see me again soon, yeah?” That doesn’t seem like a bad idea, so you nod and wipe your nose again.

“I’m not very good at pretending…”

“Hey, that’s not true.”

“And why is that?”

“Because whenever you’re on your period you pretend like you don’t want to kill me and sometimes it actually works.” You laugh and smack his chest when he bursts into giggles. He definitely knows how to lighten the mood. Your boyfriend pulls you into another hug and presses a kiss to the top of your head.

The time before you leave is spent with him superglued to your side, never leaving you for a second.

KIM TAEHYUNG:

“I don’t want to go anymore.”

“Wait, what? Babe, are you joking?”

You and your boyfriend are relaxing on the couch in your apartment, getting some time together before you have to leave abroad. When you stay quiet at his question, he pauses the drama you guys are catching up on and quite literally drags you over into his lap. He knows exactly what this is about.

“Talk to me, baby.” He says quietly.

He hears you sniffle and pulls you closer into his chest. “It’s okay, baby. You can let it out.”

He sits there with you for a minute until you can get all your tears go and you’re soon a sticky-faced sniffling mess. He wipes your tears as best he can and holds your cheeks so that you look at him.

“Now, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I don’t want to leave you. I’ll miss you too much.” You whisper and he kisses your head. “Listen to me, love. I know you’re worried but hear me out.”

You nod so he continues. “You’ve been wanting to go to this school for so long. This is an amazing opportunity and once you get there, you’ll feel better. You’ll come home for the breaks or I’ll fly there to see you. It really won’t be as bad as you think, and I’m not going to let you give this up.”

You two spend hours talking and he eventually convinces you that everything will be all right. When the day comes, he pumps you up with excitement so much that you hardly cry. You promise to call him when you get there, and he insists that you send him daily selfies so he can see your beautiful face.

He himself is sad about you leaving, but he loves you too much to watch you let this go.

JEON JUNGKOOK:

“Hey, Jimin!”

“Y/n! I knew you’d come hang out with us before leaving.” Jimin squeals when he opens the door to see you smiling there. You laugh and Yoongi comes up to pat Jimin’s shoulder, “Of course, she never let’s us down. But you might want to let her in instead of making her stand outside all night.” Jimin laughs and lets you in.

“Hey, guys.” You wave to the rest of the boys that are sitting on the couch or in the kitchen. Jin walks over and gives you a quick hug, “Hey, y/n! Jungkook is in his room.”

You thank him and head to the back. After knocking on the door, you hear Jungkook call out. “Come in!” So, you open the door and walk in only to see Jungkook has a suitcase on his bed and he’s busily stuffing clothes into it. You frown and close the door.

“What are you doing, Kookie? Are you guys going somewhere?” You ask. When he hears your voice, he turns around and runs over to you, engulfing you in his arms. “Baby! I didn’t know you were here.” You smile and cuddle into his chest. “What are you packing for?” You ask again and he pulls away, smiling at you sheepishly.

“I- I just…”

“What is it, Kook?”

“I’m coming with you!” Jungkook blurts out, a big pout on his face. You burst into laughter and wrap your arms around his waist to pull him close again. “Don’t tempt me, Kookie. I’d put you in my pocket and take you with me if I could.”

Jungkook’s pout deepens when you pull away and smile at him sadly. “Kookie…” He sees the tears in your eyes and immediately pulls you onto his bed to cuddle better. “I’m gonna miss you, baby.”

He kisses your head and strokes your cheeks. “I’m going to miss you more, love. But we’ll talk every day, ok? You need to keep me updated on everything. Hey, we always make it work.” You nod and snuggle into him, cherishing the moments you have.

But he’s right. You’ll talk on the phone every day and you’ll see each other during breaks. Everything is going to work out fine.

Just like it always does.

=========================

a/n: im not very proud of this one :’) but im hella sick and i cant do anything to change it right now. at least i posted ha go meee

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inscribed-in-asteroids · 4 years

Text

AN: here’s the first chapter for “the ripple effect”, story by myself (I’m still under anesther on AO3/tumblr) and character designs by @queenofthelanternfish. the pinned post gives the gist of it, and the note on AO3 adds further detail, so make sure to check AO3 more.

Title: The Ripple Effect

Characters: Entrapta, Hordak, Odessa (fanchild)

Pairing: Entrapdak, features other canon couples

Rating: M

Read on AO3.

Return

Entrapta breathes in the air, chest lifting from the inhale, “Wow, I forgot how fresh Etheria smells.”

Hordak looks at Odessa, “How are your olfactory senses?”

Odessa gives a delicate sniff, “Normal functioning. The medicine is working.”

“Good. The last time we arrived, you could not stop sneezing.”

Entrapta sits on her hair, the strands extending out in long strides, keeping up with her family. Readying the map, she gushes, “You had the cutest little sneeze.”

“I hate sneezing,” Odessa frowns. “It’s torture.”

“That’s why Hordak and I made sure you’re well this time! It should last the duration of our stay.”

Odessa nods, still tentative about breathing. Etheria is beautiful, but she could do without the pollen.

Sunlight streams down from the heavens, the sky melting with brilliant colors. Imp’s shadow skirts across their forms as he mimics various sounds, with Emily rolling in front of them.

Birdsong is foreign to her ears, no matter how often they visit; too used to the whirs and clanking of a laboratory and makeshift garage. Fauna and flora tread through their environment, teeming with powerful magic. As they proceed through the woods, she collects a sample of glowing energy, handing it to her mother for future study, to see how well Etheria continues to fare.

She has come here only a few times in her life, at the behest that she visits her parents’ friends and acquaint herself with her Etherian half. She doesn’t mind, but when you’ve traveled beyond stars and suns, Etheria is welcoming as much as she supposes it can.

She does find Bright Moon pretty, at least. Though it could be grungier.

She takes her time as her parents and siblings continue on, being warmly received by the king and queen of Bright Moon. She stares out at the Whispering Woods, crossing the bridge in silence.

“Imp has gotten big!” Bow says, patting the top of his head. Smiling at the happy sound of purring, he addresses Hordak, “We didn’t think he could age.”

Hordak shrugs, “Neither did we, but we’ve been checking his growth spurts for the last year or so.”

Coming into view, Glimmer greets Odessa, “Hey! How have you been?”

She smiles lightly, “I have been well, thank you.”

Bow pats her shoulder, “You’ve gotten tall, too! Last I saw you, you were at my waist.” He grins slyly. “Have your parents been feeding you experimental science food?”

“The occasional amniotic fluid is dropped atop my meals, but I did get this new port inserted into my back,” she replies, grinning wide while turning around to show them.

“Oh my!” Glimmer says, glancing at her parents, then back at her. Clearly perturbed. “Did it hurt?”

“No, my parents are very accurate with surgical tools. Except for that one time…”

Glimmer and Bow exchange worried glances.

Odessa smiles, palms up, “I’m kidding.”

Glimmer and Bow laugh, albeit oddly.

“You don’t think I would endanger my child, do you?” Hordak asks, smirking.

“No, no!” they say together, waving their hands.

Entrapta wraps her arms around their shoulders, shoving them into each other, “It’s actually a very simple procedure! Would you two be interested?”

With an appropriate amount of vehemence, they decline the offer. The group chats about the latest changes in Etherian politics, culture, festivities, and other miscellaneous details. Odessa listens partially, more interested in Imp scaling the walls, letting her thoughts wander.

The halls have been painted differently, and the rest has been decorated with various plants and statues. It’s not as sparse as she saw it before. It lends to a softer appearance, though she doesn’t mind it being empty.

“How has your education been going, Odessa?” Glimmer asks.

“Excellent,” Odessa answers.

Entering a spare room, furnished with soft pastel cushions, a lounge chair, also adorned with pillows, and a futon for laying out, Odessa sits herself on the closest seat by the door. Imp settles beside her, with Emily taking the spot behind and spinning in place.

“What else has been going on with you?” Bow asks. He gestures to the table, where a spread of food and drink has been displayed. “Did you pick up anything new?”

“I have increased my focus on herpetology for the moment,” she says, taking a cup of tea. Sipping it, she bites down distaste, and dumps six sugar cubes in it.

Curious, his eyes light up, “Ohh, what’s that?”

“The study of snakes,” Odessa says. Not caring about the droop in his features, she continues. “And I’ve been increasing my wet specimen collection.”

Glimmer raises a brow, “Is that the hobby you have where you put… things in jars?”

“Yes!” Odessa replies, excited. “I managed to get a good one on the last planet we visited. It’s hard to find a decent fetus.”

“Her collection is fascinating,” Entrapta agrees. “There are so many creatures she has managed to acquire. There’s this giant spider she has in a jar with mandibles the size of your forearm!”

“That is your largest at the moment,” Hordak says to Odessa, propping an arm on his knee.

“I’m hoping to get a bigger specimen soon,” Odessa says. She turns to Glimmer and Bow, grin coming back. “There’s a planet in the nearest sector that has some of the most venomous species you can find. I hope to find one there.”

“Well, I hope you succeed,” Glimmer giggles, nodding despite her stomach churning.

Bow smiles through the pain, but he adds, “My dads have expanded their library to include other subjects aside from First Ones artifacts. You can go there if you want to ask them anything at all.”

“Really? Thanks!” Odessa says. Maybe this trip will be fruitful. She turns to her parents, “Oh, while I’m here, I was wondering when I could—”

“Mama, Papa, are you in here?”

Odessa turns, finding the princess at the door.

“Aurora! There you are. Our guests arrived,” Glimmer says, waving a hand in their direction.

“Oh, hello!” she replies, bowing her head.

Odessa and her family rise in respect, returning the bow.

“I’m glad to see you again,” Aurora says, giving a genteel smile. “Was your trip well?”

“Yes,” Odessa answers.

Entrapta nods vigorously, “We had a great trip!”

“That’s good to hear,” Aurora says. She looks at her parents, “Mama, I was going to ask you if it was all right for me to go out.”

Glimmer grins at her, “You don’t have to ask me to go places!”

She smiles, hands folded in front of her, “I thought I would anyway.”

Bow nods, “Of course you can go out. Are you going to visit people?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you take Odessa with you? I’m sure she’d like to see everyone.”

Aurora’s brow gives the barest twitch.

Odessa keeps her face neutral, turning to her own folks, “Would that be fine with you?”

“Sure!” Entrapta says. “Bring back anything interesting!”

Hordak nods his approval, smiling at her.

With that, the two girls exit the room together, going left, where they had all arrived from.

Neither of them speak, minding their own business. Aurora and she are both sixteen, though Odessa is older by almost four months. Their strides even, they walk in silence.

Aurora brushes her hair away. Glancing at the other royal, she asks, “How long will you be here for?”

“No longer than six weeks.”

Satisfied with the answer, they part in opposite directions.

Odessa heads out of the palace, coming to the bridge. Bringing out her tracker pad, the map coming to the screen, she sends a message out to two people. Then she continues out into the woods.

Plumeria is as pollen-ridden as ever. Giving a small sniff, Odessa pushes back large leaves. Coming to the center of it, the Heart-Blossom thrums with magic. It’s risen higher, standing above the rest of the kingdom. Walking through the trees, she is greeted by a few villagers.

Heading further out, she notes the additions of homes with sturdier foundations. Approaching a door she’s knocked on before, she grins when it opens, “Hi!”

Hydrangea shouts, “Odessa!” Wrapping her arms around her friend, squeezing tight, she kisses her cheeks in delight. “Oh my gosh, you’re here sooner than I thought!”

“Helps to have a hyperdrive.”

“Mom! Mom, Odessa’s here!”

There’s a loud crash, followed by apologetic mumblings. Scorpia comes from behind the wall, a wide grin spreading her face, the pink of her gums revealed, “Oooh, Odessa! There you are!”

“Hi, Scorpia,” she says, fully awaiting the crushing blow of her hugs, closing her eyes. She opens an eyelid, “What are you doing?”

Scorpia’s claws touch each other, looking unsure, “Do you want a hug? You’re older now, I’ve heard teenagers hate it.”

“I didn’t travel across the universe to not get a Scorpia Hug,” Odessa says, opening her arms wide. “Bring it in, dang it!”

Obliging, Scorpia crushes her daughter and her friend’s child in her arms. Shaking them to and fro, Scorpia says, “Okay good! Apparently, only you and Gea are into hugs at this stage.”

“I don’t let just anyone hug me,” Odessa explains. “You’re an exception.”

Cooing, tears in her eyes, Scorpia hugs Odessa tighter. Setting her down, she holds her hands in her pincers, “It’s so good to see you again! How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” Odessa replies, knowing she’s going to have to answer that several more times during her visit. Small talk is about as entertaining as a needle in your spine. She should know—not a single person she’s done it to liked it. Though, those same people would likely prefer casual conversation to a lumbar puncture. Entering the small home, a hearth holds a fire in its maw, the scent of stew wafting in her nostrils, much more pleasant. Nearby, a table contains herbal teas, a pestle and mortar resting beside dried flowers, fruits and seeds. She catches the smell of sugar, eager, “Are those what I think they are?”

Hydrangea smiles, “You bet! They’re about done. Come here, sit down, get comfy.”

Taking a chair, Odessa leans over the table, making mental records of the items on the table. She looks up at Scorpia, “Were you two busy?”

“Nope! We were tidying up a little so you wouldn’t find a mess when you got here, but you beat us to it.”

“It’s not messy.”

“Oh, good.” Relieved, Scorpia heads into the kitchen, hearing the ding of the oven. “I’ll be back.”

Hydrangea locks her fingers together, scales dappled by light outside. Chin resting on them, she asks, “Have you been here long?”

“No more than an hour or two.”

“I’m glad you’re back. I missed you!”

“I missed you too,” Odessa says, smiling.

Scorpia and her daughter, Hydrangea, are a handful of individuals that she is always thrilled to see. She converses with them through the complex network of telecommunication systems that her parents had installed before they had gone out to explore the universe.

Hydrangea’s bubbly demeanor makes her easy to be around, similar to her mothers. They were different in nearly every aspect of personality and interest, but they were together all the time when she would visit. Scorpia had been ecstatic to see them getting along, and Entrapta had said that the likelihood of their babies being fond of each other was high from the start.

Whether it was true or not, Odessa enjoyed having Hydrangea’s company regardless.

Scorpia returns, holding a plate, “Here you go! Be careful, they’re hot.”

Eyes alight, Odessa takes a peach muffin in her hands. Without a second thought, she takes a large bite. The heat and flavor coat her tongue, sending happy tingles down her back.

“Doesn’t it burn?” Hydrangea asks.

“It’s a good burn,” she says, licking the sugar dust from her fingers.

Scorpia sits across from her, “I’m glad you still like them! Did you not eat?”

“I had tea at Bright Moon,” Odessa replies, polishing off the wrapper of the first. Reaching for another, she says, “But I wanted to come over here. I knew you two would feed me.”

Hydrangea gives her a playful shove, “Des, you’re incorrigible.”

“No, I’m hungry,” she says. Looking around, she raises a brow, “Where’s Perfuma?”

“She had a meeting to go to, but she should be back in the evening.”

“Is she avoiding me?” Odessa smirks, suspicions confirmed.

“What?! No!” Scorpia waves her claws. “She wouldn’t avoid a person.”

Hydrangea places a forefinger to her chin, “Well, maybe a little. You did start a fire last time you were here.”

“I said sorry for that. I repaired the damage,” Odessa says. “How was I supposed to know that the drone was going to blow up? By all accounts, it shouldn’t have.”

“Fair, but you know how Plumerians are. We’re not exaaaactly known for being open to new inventions.”

Odessa keeps from rolling her eyes, “I’ll apologize to her again, if she likes. I brought a peace offering too. And, really, she’s acting like I burned the whole forest when it was just a small fire that erupted from the machine.”

Scorpia shakes her head, patting Odessa on the hand, “I know, little beetle. I think it just bothered her how it happened.”

“I promise I’m not going to do anything this time. I really thought the drone would deposit seeds more efficiently.”

Scorpia and Hydrangea nod, knowing she had good intentions. It was strange, but Perfuma held onto this grudge for a while longer than normal. It wouldn’t come up in conversation, and she appeared to have moved on, but when it was announced that Entrapta’s family would be visiting, Perfuma had been a little cold to the idea. And she left just shortly before Odessa had arrived.

Finishing up, Scorpia gathers the plates, “She is running around doing errands for right now. You can give her your gift when you come back tonight. I’m excited to see your parents!”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Agreeing, belly full, Odessa stands up, looking at Hydrangea. “Ready?”

“Yes! See you later, Mom!” Hydrangea tells Scorpia.

“Bye, girls!”

With that, she and Hydrangea go out of the hut. Trekking through the vast underbrush, the two come to a small portal, meant for planetary travel and nothing else. Rushing over, Odessa types in their coordinates. Hydrangea quietly squeals, palms put together.

They walk into a whirling mass of energy and heat. Stepping out, they inhale briny gusts, seagulls cawing overhead. In front of them stands a young man with arms folded, a cool look on his face.

“Tristan,” Odessa greets, expression equally frigid.

“Odessa,” he replies.

They stare for a moment. Then burst into laughter. He rushes over, grabbing her head in a tight lock, “You’re getting slow!”

“And you still never think!” Odessa yells, reaching around to pinch the nerve at the back of his knee. Flipping him over, she stands over him, giving a toothy grin. “See?”

Laughing, he takes her offered hand, “It’s good to see you! I’ve been so bored.”

“Aw, do you and Gea not hang out?” she asks.

“Of course we do,” Hydrangea says, rising on her toes to give him a friendly kiss on the cheek. “It’s just been a while since the three of us have been together. This is so wonderful!”

“Yeah, let’s go!” Tristan says, breaking into a light jog. “I got my boat ready!”

The trio run toward the docked vessel. Jumping onto the deck, Hydrangea looks at Tristan, “Where to, Captain?”

“Ocean bound for now,” he says, untying it from its post. “That sound good?”

“Yeah!” is the cry from his mates, and the boat is loosened from its position, anchor sliding up from the water. The sails unfurl, and Tristan stands at the helm. The winds pick up, as he predicted, and with his call upon the seas, the ship begins to dart across the water, droplets of seawater splashing them.

Pumping her fist into the air, Odessa whoops, hair whipping past her. Looking over her shoulder at him, she shouts, “Can it go faster?”

Tristan’s mouth spreads into a wide, devilish grin. One hand on the wheel, he reaches forward, lifting up a small, inconspicuous lid near him. He reaches in, pressing something.

In a moment, their surroundings become nothing but ocean and sky. The scent of the sea rushes through her nostrils, her friends cheering along with her. Wild giggles burst from Hydrangea, as Tristan hollers at the top of his lungs.

Odessa’s smile widens, noticing the rocks jutting out from blue waters. Hydrangea and she exchange glances before turning to Tristan. His composure doesn’t falter, narrowing his eyes, daring unforgiving elements to destroy them.

Calling out instructions, the sail is lifted. Readying themselves, Hydrangea climbs to the top of the mainsail, yelling out caution for rocks he cannot see, gripping onto the solid rail. Odessa keeps the rope tight in her hands, in case he needs more wind. Tristan steers through the rocks, seafoam crashing against stone and metal.

The sound of air in her ears drowns out all sound, the vessel cutting through water. Veering sharp turns, sea spray hits them. Rocks pass by in narrow pathways, so close Odessa could reach out to touch them. Then as quickly as they arrived, they propel through into the clear open sea.

Hydrangea comes down from her perch, laughing with Odessa. Tristan wears a contented grin, easing the speed to a more leisurely pace.

Sunlight dazzles upon the water, its light dancing on their forms. Odessa brushes away loose hairs, locking both of them in her arms, happy to see them again.

“That’s cool you went to Pilan,” Tristan says, taking a sip of his drink. “You’d been wanting to be there for a few years.”

Odessa waves at the waiter through the crowd. Her own beverage now refilled, she takes a large bite out of her food. Swallowing, she nods, “I know. I didn’t think we’d be able to get there before coming back to Etheria.”

Hydrangea leans back against the seat. Not bothering with her fork, she picks up a strawberry slice from her salad, “It wasn’t too far from your last stop.”

“Yes, but my father likes to keep a tight schedule, if he can. Mom’s more lenient but you know him.”

Joking, she asks, “Is he still a grumpy cactus?”

“He wouldn’t be my father if he wasn’t,” Odessa replies, affection in her tone.

Tristan pats his chest, releasing a light burp. Relaxing back, he adds, “That’s true. Apples don’t fall far from the tree—I saw you when someone woke you up too early.”

Odessa mimics his motion, giving a belch of her own, “And you never bothered me in the morning again.”

“You two are gross,” Hydrangea tells them, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“You love us,” Tristan says, waggling his eyebrows.

“Do I?” She shakes her head at them, despite smiling. “It’s hard to tell sometimes.”

“If you didn’t, you’d have left,” Odessa chimes in. Then, looking at Tristan, she raises a brow, leering at him. “Although, she must tolerate you more than I do, because there is no way I would have allowed you to grow that on your face if I was home.”

Crossing his arms, Tristan flushes, “I can do what I want.”

“It looks like a fuzzy caterpillar is above your lip,” Odessa teases. She turns in her spot, grabbing his face to inspect it better. “Seriously, who said it was a good idea to let you grow a moustache.”

“I’ll have you know,” Tristan pushes Odessa away, touching the small hairs with his finger. “That everyone on my dad’s side can grow decent moustaches. Mine’s just taking a little bit…”

“I’ll say. You won’t have one like Seahawk’s until you’re 80.”

Huffing, Tristan sticks his tongue out at her.

Hydrangea waves her left hand, “I’m sure you’ll eventually get it! Although, it has been three months…”

Odessa snorts, cackling, “What? Three months and that’s it?”

Tristan glares at her, “I’m a late bloomer with this!”

“Riiiiiight. And I’m growing one out too, can’t you tell?”

Sinking into his seat, Tristan looks away, annoyed.

Hydrangea tilts her head to try and meet his gaze, “We don’t think it’s stupid.”

“I do,” Odessa says.

At Hydrangea’s disapproving stare, Odessa shrugs.

“You can grow it out if you want to. There’s nothing wrong with growing it out,” Hydrangea assures him.

“If you’re fine looking like that,” Odessa adds. Then she winces, a sharp kick delivered to her leg. Glaring at her friend, who gives an icy stare in turn, she relents, “B-But I more mean, well, I don’t think it suits you, is all.”

Tristan pouts further, bottom lip sticking out.

“Come on, Tris, I’m sorry,” Odessa says, hand to her chest. “I promise it’s not bad.”

He glances at her, “Really?”

“Yeah! It’s just been a while since I’ve been home. It’ll grow in. I couldn’t help teasing you.”

Sitting back up, Tristan keeps his arms folded, “Okay… Are you sure it’s fine?”

“Yep,” Odessa lies.

Pleased with the encouragement, Tristan resumes eating. Odessa almost exhales in relief. She forgets he can be pretty sensitive about his appearances. At his slowly improving mood, Odessa glances at Hydrangea, who takes a sip of her tea with demurely closed lashes. When she looks up, Odessa narrows her eyes.

She’s ignored. Hydrangea changes the topic of conversation, and the feeling of the trio goes back to lighter, informal chit chat. Odessa sighs internally. She knows she can be difficult with her inability to tell even the smallest fib, but damn, she didn’t have to kick that hard.

Meal finished, Tristan goes to pay while Odessa and Hydrangea leave the establishment.

Hydrangea raises a brow, “When are you going to learn to not say rude things?”

“Never,” replies Odessa. She shoves her, a little more roughly than usual. “And you didn’t have to kick.”

“You weren’t getting the hint. I would rather Tristan not break down in tears in public.”

“Ugh, he wouldn’t cry in public. He keeps that bottled in.”

“Until you go too far,” Hydrangea elbows her in the ribs. “Can’t you be supportive?”

“Gea, you know I have a hard time lying! You may as well tell me to hold my breath forever—it can’t be done.”

Sighing, she admits, “I know, I know, you’re not good with lying. But think of it as… omitting information, for right now.”

“Fine, I won’t be mean to him. In public,” she adds.

“Odessa…”

“Fine. I won’t be mean to him about his stupid moustache. Although, I will blame you for letting it happen.”

Hydrangea gives a smile, “Okay, that’s fair. He just looked so excited, I couldn’t talk him out of it.”

“That's why I’m here to convince him otherwise.”

“Ah-bup-bup-bup!” Hydrangea wags her finger. “No. He will learn, on his own time, it’s not a good look.”

Heaving a long, exasperated sigh, Odessa watches Tristan walk over to them. Deciding it’s time to go home, they sail back to Salineas. Once there, they dock the ship, though Tristan doesn’t start heading down the pier.

“What’s up? It’s getting late,” Odessa says.

“I haven’t seen you in forever, I’m not leaving yet. Besides, it’s boring at home,” Tristan tells her.

The three head to the portal. Putting in their destination, they are greeted by Odessa’s family in front of its arch.

Entrapta waves at them enthusiastically, “Hey! There you are.”

“Hi, Mom. Were you waiting?”

“No, we are on the way to Scorpia’s! Hydrangea, Tristan, hi!”

Returning the greeting, Hydrangea is pulled forward by Entrapta’s hair, her recorder in hand, “Tell me, since we’re here, how is the portal functioning?”

“Oh! It’s still in top-notch shape,” she answers, stepping awkwardly forward as she keeps up with the tech princess.

“Hey, Hordak,” Tristan says, coming up to him.

“Hello, Tristan. I trust you have been in good health.”

“Yeah, I have. The additions to my boat have been awesome!”

Hordak smiles, “Good. Is the speed to your liking?”

“Absolutely,” Tristan says. “Odessa can confirm.”

She nods, “It was a really impressive ride. You two made that heap of junk into a new machine.”

Tristan turns back to Hordak, chatting away with him about increasing the boat’s capabilities, while Hydrangea continues to converse with Entrapta.

It makes her think of when they were little. Her friends, she knew, were viewed as an extension of herself, and thus, they were treated accordingly by her parents. But she also was aware of the mutual esteem they had for her friends. Entrapta and Hordak were encouraging in her decisions to expand her social circle, but they also were the sort to be intolerant toward bad friendships. And by ‘they’ she means her father, who is far from willing to watch her be taken advantage of.

Scorpia is waiting in front of the hut, waving a large claw at them. Entrapta and Hordak are squeezed tightly against her chest once they’re in range, “Hi, lovebirds!”

“Hey, Scorpia! What’s new with you?” Entrapta asks, being set down.

“Oh, we’ve been busy! There are lots of new homes here, we’re expanding a little further south.”

Odessa goes to the nearest corner with Hordak, the two settling down on the couch. Tristan and Hydrangea discuss their own plans and time with each other, as Entrapta catches up with Scorpia.

Odessa glances at her father, “How’d it go with the king and queen?”

“Glimmer and Bow were welcoming, as normal. We discussed their latest plans for Etheria, and your mother and I said we would offer our services for anything technology-based.”

She nods, reaching toward the platter of cookies left on the table.

“How long were you with Aurora?”

“No longer than five minutes. Then I went to see Tris and Gea,” she replies. She glances at him, “You don’t mind?”

“Of course not. You are free to befriend who you want,” Hordak says, patting her shoulder.

Smiling at him, she turns in her seat, “Dad, by the way, I had some ideas while we’re here. I wanted to go to the Crimson Waste and get some specimens to dissect.”

“Does it include Etherian corpses?”

“Not corpses, per se. And I’m not grave-robbing. I wanted to find some old bodies to study.”

Hordak nods, “You’ll have more luck in the southern region. Will your friends be accompanying you?”

“I’ll ask them later, but for now, I’m going to assume no.”

“Would you want your mother and I to come?”

“That’d be cool!” she says, eyes bright.

He smiles at her, “We’d be delighted to ‘not grave-rob’ with you.”

Perfuma had sent a message saying she’ll be busy tonight. Despite that, the evening passed without any other event, and they all enjoyed each other’s company.

Odessa turns over a large boulder, “I thought for sure I’d find a body somewhere by now.”

“Your father said that it’s possible it’s changed again since we’ve last been here.”

Odessa knows this is correct. Sometime ago, during another expedition, they had learned that several oases had cropped up within the Crimson Waste. This makes searching for corpses, be it animal or Etherian, harder to acquire; in spite of its still severe temperature and environment, the organisms that called this territory home have been thriving since She-Ra and her parents aided them to harness magic in the sandy dunes.

“I suppose I should call it a day,” Odessa says, touching her chin. She glances at her mother, “But perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to explore for another hour or three.”

Entrapta grins, “Yeah, let’s keep looking!”

Splitting off into opposite directions, Odessa walks further along rocky terrain. She pauses when she finds Hordak gazing down at the dirt. Approaching him, Odessa looks at the Horde helmet beneath his feet, uncovered from years of being buried in sand; timeless and haunting.

Kneeling, Hordak lifts it up to inspect. He sighs.

“Dad, you know you can’t ruminate over it,” Odessa says, touching his shoulder.

“I do,” Hordak replies, wiping the surface, though there’s no sheen left to it. “I have tried to make peace with it, and for the most part, I have managed to move on from my mistakes.”

Odessa’s brow knit together. She’s never liked when he thinks too deeply about his past in the Horde, and the ramifications of it. Staring at the helmet, sharp wings barely visible, she asks, “What was our species like?”

“Pardon?” Hordak asks, turning to her.

“Our species.”

Hordak’s eyes narrow, placing the helmet back down, “We were Horde Prime’s loyal servants and soldiers.”

“But is that it?”

“There’s nothing more that can be explained.”

“Everyone comes from somewhere, however,” Odessa explains, rising to full height as he does. “Do you know anything of our species before Horde Prime decided to conquer other planets?”

Hordak’s expression falters. A scowl lining his features. “No.”

Odessa notes the tension in his shoulders. She asks, quietly, “Was that never a subject that was discussed?”

“Never,” Hordak answers, reaching down. He yanks up a bird corpse, still fairly preserved. Holding it out to her, he awaits her decision.

Satisfied, Odessa places it in a plastic bin. Never…? It’s hard to believe. She looks at him, “I know that Horde Prime could control you through possession via hivemind. But I find it interesting he never gave inkling to times before that. Were you always a colonizing species?”

Hordak stares at his child, “Truthfully, I don’t know.”

“Why?”

He sighs, discomfort settling in his chest. “Information about our kind is not an aspect of ourselves we own. When I was created, I hadn’t been alive as long as the others. For me, there was Horde Prime. And only him. However, there are clones who are on Etheria, or have left to travel the universe, that might have knowledge on the subject.”

Carrying her bin, Odessa and Hordak meet up with her mother, who had found other bodies to dissect, including an Etherian corpse of someone who had similarities to Double Trouble’s structure. A good haul. It may not be the most ethical activity, but she can’t very well open up living people.

Walking beside Entrapta, Odessa turns to her, “Mom, I have a question.”

“Ask away!”

“What do you know of Dad’s species?”

Entrapta’s brow furrows as well, confusion on her features. She sits back on her hair, scuttling along the dirt, “Nothing, aside from what we know involving Horde Prime.”

“Dad said the same thing. But there has to be knowledge from before that.”

“We never uncovered anything about Horde Prime that way. His species competed with the First Ones in expanding their respective sides throughout the universe. But there was never anything to suggest what life was like for your father’s species prior to the Horde. He was always there, as your father puts it.”

“Don’t you ever wonder why though?”

“Sure! All the time!” Entrapta replies.

Odessa smiles at her, “Then wouldn’t it be prudent to figure out what we can? Even a little research is important.”

“Ooh, we could collect fascinating data that way!” Entrapta says. Then she stares at Hordak’s retreating form. “What did your father say to you, when you asked?”

“Same things as you. Except he doesn’t sound as enthusiastic.”

Entrapta frowns a little, unsure.

“If it makes you feel better,” Odessa adds. “He did tell me some of his brothers might know, and to try there first.”

“That sounds like a good start!” Entrapta agrees, not feeling as bad now. She is the sort to pursue new, untapped discoveries, but Hordak’s found his past shameful and a source of great regret, one he still has never recovered from completely. If he gave Odessa the suggestion, then it’s likely he doesn’t mind her asking. She has always wanted to know. But not at his expense.

Grinning at Odessa, she says, “We’ll see who can help us!”

Odessa looks ahead, a cloud passing above them.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hydrangea asks.

Odessa stares out the window, chin resting on the back of her hand. She glances at her, “I’m thinking.”

“You’re always thinking,” Tristan adds. “What’s on your mind?”

“I’ve been thinking about my family. Not the Etherian one. My father’s side.”

“Are your uncles doing alright?” Hydrangea asks. “Do they need help with anything?”

“No, they’re all doing splendid. I mean that I’m curious about them, beyond what I already know.”

Tristan and Hydrangea glance at each other. He steps forward, “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know where we come from. Why we did what we did,” Odessa spins on the ball of her foot, a sharp grin on her features. “And I want you two to help me find out what that is.”

#entrapta #hordak #entrapdak #entrapdak fankid #odessa #spop #shera

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sunmaylight · 3 years

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TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt.5 - Adventures before Mt. Tonglu, the REDUX

*Sigh* Tumblr crashed at the worst timing. I have to do this all over again. Or at least make a quick abridge version.

I’m just going to try my best, *sigh*

Anyways. Lots of stuff happening before Mount Tonglu opens that it should deserve it’s own post or two considering that there are like five things happening in there or something and like over twenty Hualian moments highlighted in pastel pink. Can’t wait to continue from my last post to this. Cause the ending of that post of the Wind & Water Masters Arc has me realing at times.

QYZ and Xie Lian have go on a mission. They hav to find the Brocade Immortal Robe. But first a short break at Puqi shrine and Lang Ying.

Ch 129: Everywhere Xie Lian looks, he is reminded of Hua Cheng

- Me: Dang. Xie Lian has it bad. He is missing Hua Cheng like a housewife waiting for husband to get home.

Lang Ying: *Eats Xie Lian’s cooking like it’s nothing, helps around the house, basically doing all of the tasks Hua Cheng usually does.*

Xie Lian: I’m going to take a bath

Lang Ying: *Enters and sees a half naked Xie Lian. Runs away. Come back to take away QYZ and runs away again.*

- Me: Oh, so Hua Cheng did switch places with Lang Ying. ((My son! Hua Cheng, why?!))

Ch 130: QYZ’s backstory is revealed.

- Me: Why does that sound familiar? Is it because of the story from the Lantern Festival? Some reference to another book read?

QYZ’s story reveals that a Heavenly Official named Yin Yu was banished

- Me: *gasp* Wait. Is Yin Yu the banished Heavenly Official that Xie Lian saw working for Hua Cheng?

Golden Step-Litter appears to give Xie Lian a ride to somewhere. QYZ sees the Step-Litter like it’s the coolest thing he has ever seen. QYZ wants to ride it, but was pushed off. Xie Lian almost got pushed off, but ‘Lang Ying’ caught him.

- Me: Dang, cause I know who ‘Lang Ying’ is, it feels so sad when Xie Lian was going to call for ‘San Lang’, but it ended up as ‘San- Lang Ying’

QYZ is so chaotic. Does he have ADHD? I feel like he has ADHD and/or some levels of Autism. Though I don’t know cause I’m no expert.

QYZ does something reckless without thinking. Xie Lian, mother hens him and convinces him to stop

- Me: QYZ and Xie Lian reminds me of that one D:BH comic with QYZ as baby Connor trying to put everything in his mouth and Xie Lian is Hank, trying to stop him.

Yin Yu(?) does a good job, looks like he will pass out.

- Me: Yin Yu(?) looks like he needs a vacation and more pay.

The robes move and circle around the two Heavenly Officials

- Me: This reminds me of that one clothing commercial where the outfits were chasing this group of people. Once cornered, they changed the group of people’s outfits.

Xie Lian is the person who grabs the one cursed article of clothing from the donations box out of any other clothing.

- Me: *sob* book. Please stop reminding me of Xie Lian’s E Rank (Cursed) Luck. He needs that curse removed. Please.

Ace Attorney Xie Lian strikes again. Target: Ling Wen

QYZ has taken a liking towards Xie Lian. Like a puppy who follows you home after you give it some food and head pats. He behaves like a young boy from a shounen slice of life anime or a kid with ADHD.

- Me: QYZ, what a person

Xie Lian asks Lang Ying some casual questions. Makes it seem as though nothing is wrong.

- Me: gasp is this when Xie Lian will pull a question like “So, how have you enjoyed everything so far these past few days San Lang?” ‘Lang Ying’: “It could have been better if these Heavenly Officials left you alone Ge...ge....oh.”

Xie Lian corners ‘Lang Ying’ with calligraphy writing until the boy had no choice but to confess he is Hua Cheng

- Me: Now that is smart. Played Hua Cheng like a fiddle somewhat.

Ch 134: Xie Lian: After meeting you, I remember how to be happy again

- Me: QAQ

Xie Lian made homemade meatballs. QYZ eats one and passes out.

- Me: Oh god. Xie Lian. Do you know someone named Bianchi from KHR? I feel like if you two were to meet, you will be knowledgeable in Poison Cooking

Heaven’s Eye to Xie Lian: You! Your lips are tainted. You have kissed evil.

Xie Lian: *sweats* N-no. I haven’t.

Hua Cheng: *Looks at Xie Lian suspiciously*

- Me: ohohoh, Alright Xie Lian. You say that

Xie Lian lies to cover up his status, but his lies crash down on him and harm his reputation with Puqi village.

Puqi Shrine takes hits from two Heavenly Official’s fighting and 40-50 Cultivators striking down it’s door. Puqi shrine, collapse

- Me: Farewell Puqi Shrine. You have served Xie Lian so well.

Xie Lian: Stands straighter, and has a certain expression on his face

- Me: oh, will he finally snap now?

Xie Lian: Yells at the Cultivators. Then weaponizes his homemade meatballs into a poison that can only be detoxed by drinking 80 cups of water

- Me: Xie Lian, are you trying to kill them? You are basically joking that if they drink over a week’s worth of water, they will be ‘cured’. No, what is most likely going to happen is that they will die from too much water consumption.

Xie Lian: Reporting what happened about Ling Wen to Ling Wen.

Xie Lian: *realization*.....oh.

- Me: (QAQ) Now Xie Lian’s group of people he knows in Heaven shrinks again. The amount of people he was close too was really small, after SQX, I think Ling Wen was next. Now who will fill that gap?

Ch 136: Hua Cheng transformed into Hong Hong-Er’s age. Xie Lian: *pinches cheeks*

- Me: Aww. So cute.

Hua Cheng: With Mount Tonglu opening, He Xuan is hibernating

- Me: Black Water =?= Black Bear

Ch 137: Xie Lian crossdress again for safety

- Oh, now that outfit is better on Xie Lian than the last time he had to crossdress.

Random Food Stall owner, gives up on life after his stall is ruined

- Me: Cabbage guy: “MY CABBAGES!”

On the run, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng enters an inn run by Ghosts. They hide in the second floor and the group of Cultivators follow soon after.

- Jeez, I wonder who they could be.

The comedic skit of the Cultivators & Heaven’s Eye dodging from eating Ghost Food just because of their harsh criticism over the dirty dishes.

- Me: Will they fall for it, dang it, they did not.

Ghost lady: oh yeah. We have some suspicious guests on the second floor. Guests on the second floor: Why do I/we feel like we’ve been ratted out?

----

Okay. Going to stop here. Because I’m tired and still a bit salty that my og post was lost. However, I did go farther with this one than the og post. So that’s something at least.

Next time is more of the Inn, some Mount Tonglu entrance exam thing, and possibly a bit of Mount Tonglu...hopefully? Otherwise, I think I will split Mount Tonglu into three separate cause a lot happens in there, more than the Wind & Water Master’s arc.

#sunmay rambles #sunmay reads tgcf #sunmay reads tian guan cifu #sunmay reads hob #sunmay reads heaven official's blessing #tgcf #hob #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #hob spoiler #tgcf spoilers #tgcf spoiler #okay but #This really does have some sad moments in it that Xie Lian doesn't register because of how long he has been traveling #There are also some light hearted moments that I enjoy from here as well

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miguel-manbemel · 3 years

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Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 50: Flowers for Christmas

As promised, here’s the special Christmas episode of the main storyline of this blog. And as I also promised, it features Nico Flores’ debut in the main narrative. As it happened earlier with Remus and as it will happen with any canon character introduced in this narrative, his introduction will not mimic the canon introduction at all, but it will be a totally independent story to fit what has already been told in earlier episodes. One thing I wanted to say is that this story takes place in a near future where the virus has just been defeated and the pandemic is over, that’s why there’s no longer social distancing or masks in the story. Let’s hope this future of fiction soon becomes a reality, but until then, remember to wear your mask if you need to get out and take all precautions, for your own health and the others’.

It also happens to be the 50th entry in the series since it made its debut on February 2019. I hope you’ve been liking it so far and that whatever comes in the future is also of your liking too. Fair warning that after this episode, I’m going to take a little break of a few weeks, to take a rest, at least from the main narrative, although I’ll still be hanging around somehow as usual, publishing little things here and there. So, I hope that you all have the merriest Christmas and that you have a good start of 2021. Merry Christmas and a happy new year, and until next time.

P.S. If you enter Tumblr.com through a web browser (on PC or on the phone), NOT through the app, and enter the episode through this link, you’ll find a especial interactive musical surprise alongside the narration. Sadly, it doesn’t work on standard dashboard view or on Tumblr’s phone app, but you should be able to read the text anyway.

SYNOPSIS: Thomas has a little job as an actor in a mall, for a one-off Christmas show. Just as he’s about to enter the mall in a rush, he bumps on a stranger that crossed his way just at the same time. Thomas is immediately mesmerized by the stranger’s face and immediately starts feeling something for him.

WARNINGS: Romantic prinxiety

EPISODE INDEX

[Thomas is running out of the house, rushing to the car]

THOMAS: I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!

[Thomas gets to the car. Logan rises up in front of him]

LOGAN: Okay, Mr. Figurative White Rabbit Sanders. Have you got everything?

THOMAS: Of course I do, I’ve got my credentials, I placed my costume in the car trunk last night, I programmed the address on the GPS, I’ve got everything, except that I programmed the phone 20 minutes later than I should by accident, so I’m late! Don’t make me waste more time, Logan, I gotta go!

LOGAN: Are you sure you’re not forgetting something?

THOMAS: Yes, I am.

LOGAN: Are you really, really sure?

THOMAS: [trying to open the car unsuccessfully] Yes, I am! Why doesn’t this gosh dagnabbit car open? Don’t detain me, Logan!

LOGAN: [smirking] Okay, if you’re so sure, go ahead, I’m not holding you back. What are you waiting for?

THOMAS: It’s this door, it just won’t open! I gotta go and this door won’t open, dang it!

LOGAN: Well, what do you need to open the door, Thomas?

[Thomas suddenly stops, then frowns and looks at Logan]

THOMAS: Couldn’t you just have told me I had forgotten to get the car keys instead of making me look like a doofus, Logan?

[Logan looks at Thomas with the same condescending smirk while Thomas just groans and goes back to the house to get the keys]

[intro sequence]

[Thomas parks the car next to the mall. Then he gets out, grabs his costume in a bag and closes it, then starts running to the door. Before he gets to the door, a stranger who hasn’t seen him crosses his way and Thomas can’t help bumping onto him. They both fall on the ground]

THOMAS: Aw!

STRANGER: Oh, goodness!

THOMAS: [trying to pick up his things scattered around him] I… I’m so sorry, I was in a hurry, I didn’t see you and…

[the stranger, who has stood up already offers his hand to help Thomas stand up]

STRANGER: It’s okay, I didn’t see you either, and I was also in a hurry. Let me help you.

THOMAS: Thanks, I…

[but Thomas can’t finish the sentence because when he looks at the stranger he gets stunned over the cutest face he’s ever seen in his life. It’s a Latin American guy roughly the same age as him, with dark hair, light brown skin and a goatee, a little skinnier than Thomas, wearing a blue shirt and a backpack on his back, and with big black eyes which make Thomas feel as if inevitably attracted to two black holes. He smiles at Thomas while offering his hand. Thomas just can’t react over that vision as he feels his heart pumping harder]

STRANGER: [suddenly concerned when Thomas doesn’t grab his hand] Are you okay? Did you get hurt or something?

[Thomas returns to reality and grabs the stranger’s hand, who helps him stand up]

THOMAS: I’m fine, thank you. But are you okay?

STRANGER: Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine. Let me help you with that. [pointing at Thomas’ things scattered on the ground]

THOMAS: Oh, I wouldn’t want you to get late to your appointment, Mr…

STRANGER: Mr. Flores, but you can call me Nico if you’d like.

THOMAS: [giggles] And I’m Mr. Sanders, but you can call me Thomas.

NICO: Nice to meet you, Thomas. And it’s okay. If we pick this stuff up together, we both could be on our way in no time.

THOMAS: Thank you so much.

[Thomas and Nico start picking up the things. As they’re doing so, Thomas takes a quick look at the backpack. Various pins are there, but one pin in particular grabs his attention, a pride pin. He also sees a key chain hanging from his pocket, with an image of Jack Skellington from Nightmare before Christmas. He quickly looks away when Nico stands up]

NICO: Well, I think this is all. Here you are.

[Nico gives Thomas the things he’s picked up]

THOMAS: Thank you so much, Nico.

NICO: Of course. Well, I’d love to stay here and chat with you, but I gotta go now. I hope to see you again someday. It’s was nice to meet you, Thomas, have a nice day!

THOMAS: Have a nice day, Nico, nice to meet you as well!

[Nico smiles one last time at Thomas, then he rushes inside the mall. Roman rises up next to Thomas]

ROMAN: Wasn’t that the cutest vision ever, Thomas!? And to top it all, he’s gay, so you’ve got a chance with him!

[Virgil also rises up]

VIRGIL: He was cute, indeed, but Thomas, weren’t you in a hurry?

THOMAS: [suddenly scared] Oh, dang it, I’m late!

[Thomas rushes into the mall. He tries not to run so as not to attract people’s attention, but he walks as fast as he can. Roman and Virgil follow him]

ROMAN: And judging from his key chain, he loves Nightmare before Christmas! He must be exactly the kind of guy you could get along with. You should have asked for his number, Thomas. He said he hoped to see you again, but we don’t have any means to contact him. What if you never see him again?

THOMAS: Well, that’s over and done with… I admit that guy looked really cute, and he also looks cool and kind.

ROMAN: That’s an understatement. [Roman’s theme music starts playing] When he offered you his hand, he looked like a prince sent from heaven, ready to save you from the perils upon you, and then he would let you ride with him on his horse and take you to his castle and…

VIRGIL: [snapping his fingers, music stops] Houston calling Roman, get back to planet Earth, please!

ROMAN: Sorry, I got carried away.

THOMAS: Yes, you did. But you’re right, I should have asked him for his number or something. [sighs] I probably will never see him again.

ROMAN: Well, maybe we’ll see him again around the mall today and have a second chance to talk to him. It’s Christmas time, the season of miracles, isn’t it?

VIRGIL: We’ll see. For now, you must focus, Thomas. You had a job to do, remember?

THOMAS: Yeah… When they asked for actors in that announcement, I never thought it was for this, playing one of Santa’s elves in a little Christmas musical play in the middle of the mall, with barely no time to rehearse and with the costumes sent to us by mail. I just hope that the tights don’t make me look too weird, I didn’t have time to try the costume on. Gosh, this work dynamic feels too rushed, but at least the pay was good, so I can’t really complain…

REMUS: [rising up] Wouldn’t it be nice if Nico saw you with your elf costume, Thomas? You couldn’t be sexier. A total piece of cake, if you know what I mean! [wiggles his eyebrows]

THOMAS: Remus, don’t! Besides, I would die of embarrassment if he saw me like that. Maybe it’s for the best that he left in such a hurry. Okay, there’s the scenery, and right there, there’s the office where the guy at the phone told me I had to change. And speaking about the phone… [looks at his phone] Looks that I’m not that late after all. I have just enough time to change. If I’m quick, I’ll be ready just in time. I shouldn’t have worried so much.

VIRGIL: My bad.

[Thomas goes to the office followed by Roman and Virgil, while Remus sinks down]

THOMAS: That’s odd, there’s no one here. I hoped to talk with the boss and finally meet him. We’ve never talked in person, only with his secretary on the phone after I answered the call. They sent me the outfit by UPS the day after I got the part.

ROMAN: I wonder how that boss will look like? How will we recognize them, Thomas?

THOMAS: I suppose we’ll meet them on stage, Roman. Well, I have to change now, and there’s a door that reads locker room, so it must be there. Let’s do it.

[When Thomas enters the room, he goes livid, after finding Nico just buttoning a Santa Claus costume]

THOMAS: Nico?

NICO: [equally surprised] Thomas? What are you doing here? Don’t tell me that…

THOMAS: [nervous giggle] Yeah, it seems we’re gonna be work mates, at least for today. I’m playing one of the elves. I can’t find the boss anywhere, so I figured I’d have to change in this room.

NICO: [happy smile] What a coincidence, right? Well, don’t stay there, come in. I’m almost done. Um… the boss told me the other elves are already in costume, waiting for us. So you better hurry. There’s a folding screen over there if you need some privacy.

[Thomas showed some relief over seeing the folding screen]

VIRGIL: Thank goodness, I don’t know if I could have coped with it if you had had to change in front of him.

THOMAS: Yeah, that would be neat.

[Thomas goes behind the folding screen and starts changing]

THOMAS: So, how did you get this job? Are you an actor too?

NICO: Oh, so you’re an actor? That’s neat. No, I’m not an actor, not professionally at least, although I’ve done a couple things in community theater. I… just needed the job to get some extra income, you know? I’m a writer, and sometimes, the amount of work is not high enough.

THOMAS: Oh, that’s cool! What kind of writer, if it’s not too nosy to ask?

NICO: Of course it’s not. I write anything, but my thing is poetry and songwriting. And I’m also a playwright. It’s my dream to make it big on Broadway someday with a musical of my own.

THOMAS: Oh, you’re a playwright and songwriter? Well, other than an actor, I’m also a singer. And I also dream on being on Broadway one day. Maybe you could show me some of your work someday?

NICO: You’re a singer too? My, you seem to be a man of many talents. I’d be glad to show you some of my songs. Maybe you could try one of them if you like them and are suitable for your voice? Maybe later, after the show, if you’re free?

THOMAS: Yes, I’m free. I can’t wait for it, Nico.

ROMAN: [pumped up] Thomas, have you realized… that you just got a date with him? [bopping] Oh, my goodness!

VIRGIL: Relax, Roman… Can’t believe it’s me who said that… It’s only a professional meeting, where they will discuss their opinions about each other’s art, that’s all. Wow, I sounded like Logan there… The point is Thomas shouldn’t have his hopes too high for the time being.

ROMAN: Well, you start with a professional meeting, and the next day he PROPOSES to you! Imagine… Nico Sanders… or Thomas Flores… or even better, Nico and Thomas Flores-Sanders or Sanders-Flores. [squeeing] Gosh, you’ll look so handsome in your white suit with a red necktie when Joan takes you to the altar!

THOMAS: [whispering with the lowest voice he can so Nico can’t hear him] Guys… please… would you mind? I need to get dressed and I can barely move in this small place behind the folding screen with you two around… Please, could you sink down for a moment?

ROMAN: Oh, sorry… Okay, Thomas. [sinking down] See ya later on stage.

VIRGIL: [also sinking down] I’ll try to calm him down in the Mind Palace, Thomas, but no promises. See ya.

NICO: Are you ready, Thomas?

THOMAS: I’m almost ready. My, this suit is so tight, I can barely put it on. I hope it doesn’t rip apart right on stage, that would be embarrassing.

NICO: Don’t worry, it will be fine. When they make these elf costumes they usually make them tight, I don’t know why. As if elves building toys shouldn’t prefer wearing a more comfortable and professional outfit.

THOMAS: [giggles] Yeah, you’re right… If you’re ready, Nico, you don’t need to wait for me. You can get to the stage whenever you want. It’s no use that both of us get scolded over being late, I can take it, don’t worry about me.

NICO: Nah, I’m fine. The show can’t start without us anyway… and I like being here and talking to you.

[Thomas’ face goes red and he feels his breathe stopping for a second]

THOMAS: You… you do?

NICO: Yeah, of course. You bring up good conversation and that is increasingly difficult to find these days. I enjoy your company.

THOMAS: Well… thanks, Nico. I… I enjoy your company too…

[Thomas was trying to fit his shoes in, but out of nervousness, he loses balance]

THOMAS: Oh, shoot!

[Thomas falls on the folding screen which falls down making a lot of noise]

NICO: Oh, goodness, Thomas! Are you all right!?

THOMAS: Dag nabbit, this outfit is impossible to wear! It’s too small for me!

[again, Nico offers Thomas his hand]

NICO: This is the second time I have to grab you from the floor, Thomas. Did you get hurt?

THOMAS: [standing up with Nico’s help] No, I’m fine… and I promise I’m usually not this clumsy. It’s just…

[Janus rises up]

JANUS: Don’t tell him the truth or you’ll blew it up!

THOMAS: … it’s just that I’m nervous over the performance, and scared that I’m not gonna wear this outfit as I should.

JANUS: Nice recovery, Thomas. It’s too soon to tell Nico that the reason you’re clumsy is because you’re totally nervous over making a good impression to him because you think he’s the cutest guy you’ve ever seen in your life. You don’t want to tell him that yet, right, Thomas?

THOMAS: No…

NICO: Did you say something?

[Janus quickly sinks down]

THOMAS: [nervous] I was saying… no, I’m not gonna make this outfit work. Look at me. The elf shoes are all tiny, I can’t close the zipper on my shirt, and the beanie is too small for my head! This is all a disaster!

NICO: They obviously have sent you the wrong size for your outfit, Thomas. You can’t get out like that.

THOMAS: But I have to make it work! There are no other outfits available, are there? If I don’t get out, I’ll lose the job! Oh, why didn’t I try this outfit at home earlier? I’m such an idiot!

NICO: It’s okay, calm down, we’ll find a way to fix this… [looks at Thomas’ clothes, then at himself and suddenly shows a lively smile] And you know what? I’ve got an idea. Help me put the folding screen back up.

[Nico and Thomas place the folding screen as it was]

NICO: That’s right. Now, get back behind the folding screen and take the costume off, everything.

THOMAS: What? But…

NICO: [grabbing Thomas’ hand] Trust me, Thomas.

THOMAS: [nervous] Okay…

[Thomas gets behind the folding screen and starts taking the costume off. Nico also starts taking his Santa costume off]

NICO: When you take it off, hang it on top of the folding screen, okay?

THOMAS: Okay… Will you explain to me what are we doing?

NICO: Sure. We’re gonna switch places.

THOMAS: [nervous] What? But…

NICO: Don’t worry. Do you think with the big white beard that Santa Claus wears, they’re gonna notice the difference?

THOMAS: But the boss will notice you dressed as an elf. You don’t have any beard or garment to conceal you, and both of us will be in trouble.

NICO: Don’t worry about me, Thomas. I… know how to deal with the boss, and the most important is to make the show work, so I’m sure he would agree with this. The show must go on, isn’t that what you, actors, say on stage when difficulties arise?

THOMAS: Yep, that’s our motto.

NICO: Well, that’s my motto now. We’re gonna make it work, no matter how.

[Thomas and Nico pass each other the different garments of their costumes over the folding screen and get dressed, then Thomas gets out of the folding screen and stands in front of Nico]

THOMAS: This is much better. This is my size.

NICO: I thought so. It was a little big for me, and I intended to fill it with some stuffing to simulate Santa’s belly. You’re more muscular than me, so I knew that the costume would be just perfect for you. And I also knew that the elf costume would be just the right size for me. It’s perfect. Maybe they got the sizes mixed up with our costumes? True, we can’t put the stuffing in your costume, but who said that Santa has to be chubby? He can be perfectly portrayed by a handsome fit man like you.

[Thomas blushes]

ROMAN: [rising up, squeeing] Did he just call you a handsome fit man!? Oh, goodness, Thomas, I think he has a crush on you too!

[Thomas makes a subtly angry gesture to Roman to make him shut up. Roman sinks down, but Nico notices Thomas’ gesture and shows a face of concern]

NICO: Oh, I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. People tell me that I shouldn’t be so outgoing about my opinions, but I’m truly saying it as I think it, Thomas. I apologize again if I made you feel awkward. We’re at work after all and I shouldn’t be so unprofessional.

THOMAS: No, it’s fine, don’t worry… And… I thank you for your compliment. You’re very kind, Nico.

NICO: You’re welcome. Okay, you look great, but here’s the final touch. Your beard.

[Nico helps Thomas put the beard on]

THOMAS: Um… ho, ho, ho, am I right?

[Nico chortles]

NICO: Yep, as I thought, you look great. Okay, do you need a few minutes to take a quick look to your new lines, or…?

THOMAS: No, it’s okay. It’s a good thing that I learned all the lines they sent me by the mail, to know my cues when I was playing the elf. I know Santa’s lines by heart, and the songs are Christmas classics everybody knows. The only thing that worries me is that I didn’t have time to rehearse his part, and Santa has a big song at the end of the show, so I hope I can do it right.

NICO: None of us had any time to rehearse, unfortunately. It seems the boss wasn’t called with anticipation enough to use the stage and there was no budget to rent any office to rehearse in private or with anticipation. Corona is still very recent, you know, and there’s still some reluctance to rent spaces for activities like this. But don’t worry, you can do this, Thomas, and if we can’t make it perfect, at least we’ll do our best, won’t we? Well, you’re ready and I’m ready too. Let’s go. They’ll probably wonder where we are at this point.

THOMAS: I just hope that we don’t get in any trouble with the boss over being late and over the swapping of roles.

NICO: There won’t be any trouble, Thomas, you’ll see.

THOMAS: How can you be so sure, Nico?

NICO: You’ll see…

[Thomas and Nico get out of the office and head to the scenery. A group of people dressed as elves and other characters, who were having a drink in a nearby cafeteria, finish their drinks when they see them and get to the scenery too. One of the elves approaches Nico]

ELF: Um… Mr. Flores, what does this mean? Weren’t you playing Santa Claus? And who’s playing him in your place?

NICO: It’s okay, Cynthia, there was a problem of costumes and we swapped places. It will be fine, he learned all the lines too, right, Thomas?

THOMAS: Right, I’ll do my best.

ELF: Okay, Mr. Flores. You’re the boss, after all…

[The elf goes to the scenery with the other elves, while Thomas looks at Nico with a face of surprise]

THOMAS: Wait, what? What did they mean by that?

NICO: [nervously] Sorry I lied to you, Thomas… The truth is… that I am the boss of this show, I wrote and produced it.

THOMAS: And you were gonna star in it too, like Orson Wells, right? Why didn’t you just tell me? Have you just been… playing with me? Making fun of me? I feel like a fool…

NICO: [really concerned] Goodness, I’m terribly sorry, Thomas, I didn’t mean to make you feel like that! It’s just that… [noticing the other elves are staring at them, waiting for them to start rehearsing] Well, there’s no time to tell you right now, so I’ll talk to you after the show. Now we must focus, but please, promise me you’ll give your best and that you’ll give me a chance to explain myself after the show. Promise?

THOMAS: I always do my best onstage… Mr. Flores, you didn’t even need to ask me for that. I’m a professional.

NICO: [begging face] But will you stay for a while after the show? ¿Por favor?

THOMAS: [sighs] Okay, I will… Let’s get the show on now.

NICO: Thank you, Thomas.

[everyone gets on stage and do some rehearsals. Although clumsy at times, the rehearsal goes fine. Then, the mall starts getting filled with an audience waiting to see the show]

THOMAS: Wow, I didn’t expect there would be so many people to watch our show…

NICO: Just do it like you did it in the rehearsals, and you’ll wow everyone. Break a leg, Thomas!

THOMAS: Thank you, Nico… I mean, Mr. Flores.

NICO: Please, you can still call me Nico. It truly would mean the world if you did.

THOMAS: Okay… as you wish… Nico. Okay, the show is about to start.

NICO: Everybody on your marks!

[the cue music starts. The elves dance around Santa Claus and sing different classic Christmas songs and do some dialogue about how busy they are making the toys for Santa. Then, at the end, Thomas as Santa, sings]

Merry Christmas by Thomas Sanders

THOMAS: O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born; O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

[after finishing the song, the audience cheers and applauds. Everyone on stage takes a bow, then the audience leaves the place. Most of the cast leave the stage but Thomas and Nico stand there]

NICO: Thomas, you were great! You told me you were a singer, but I didn’t expect you to be that good!

THOMAS: [taking off his beard] Well, thank you so much, Nico. I’m surprised myself, I didn’t expect that, with so little time of rehearsal, I could do it like that.

NICO: You have a natural talent, I’m telling you.

THOMAS: Well, thanks again… Now, you wanted me to stay after the show. What did you want to tell me?

NICO: Yes… well… First of all, I apologize again for hiding that I was your boss all the time. I swear I didn’t mean to play with you or to make fun of you. It’s just that… I didn’t feel strong enough to tell you.

THOMAS: But why? I don’t understand.

NICO: Well, we were having such a good conversation, like two casual pals enjoying each other’s company… I didn’t want any sort of hierarchy to ruin the mood, or that you couldn’t be casual with me because of that.

THOMAS: You still could have told me. There was no reason to hide it at all. I wouldn’t have changed my behavior for that. You can be respectful while maintaining a casual attitude.

NICO: Yes, but… I didn’t want you to treat me “respectfully” as you put it. I didn’t want any kind of hinders in our talk, because I felt that that kind of hindrance… eventually wouldn’t have let me do what I increasingly wanted to do the more I talked to you.

[Roman and Virgil rise up behind Thomas, listening to Nico]

THOMAS: What do you mean?

[Nico starts blushing]

NICO: Well… if I had to behave like a boss or a cold manager all of the time… there are certain limits one must not surpass. Because when a dynamic of power like this is established, some interactions could be seen as an abuse of power, and I didn’t want you to feel like that at all. I wanted us both to be completely free to interact so that, eventually, if I had the guts… I could tell you… [hesitates, really nervous, before speaking] … that I think you’re really cute.

[Nico looks away, ashamed. Thomas blushes, while Roman is ajar and speechless, and Virgil’s eyeshadow suddenly turns bright and glittery purple]

NICO: I’m sorry if I’m making you feel awkward, and I know this is really unprofessional, but I had to say it because our work is done, so I’m not your boss anymore, and I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance to say it or even if I’ll ever see you again. And I really needed to let it out.

[Thomas holds Nico’s hand]

THOMAS: Wanna know something? The truth is… I really like you too.

NICO: You do?

THOMAS: Yeah. From the moment you offered me your hand when we crashed on the front door of the mall… when I saw your face, that cute face of yours, it was as if I had been struck by a thunderbolt. You should have noticed, how nervous and clumsy I was while we were talking. You may have thought it was because of all of the costume failure. In part it was, of course, but mostly it was because… we both were there, all alone, talking so casually, and I liked you more and more by the minute, and I was so afraid to mess everything up and that you thought I was a fool or something. That’s something that happens to me a lot, that I don’t take my chances when I see them, and I really wanted to take this chance and get to know you, and hope that you liked me.

[Thomas and Nico look at each other, almost like mesmerized by each other’s glance. Then Nico notices there’s a mistletoe hanging above them, as part of the decoration set, and chortles]

NICO: Do you believe in destiny, Thomas?

THOMAS: Why?

NICO: Well, first, we crash at the door, then I order the wrong size for our outfits and they happen to be perfect for each other, then you being an actor and singer and me being a playwright and songwriter… and now look above you.

THOMAS: [looking up, he smiles] A mistletoe.

NICO: I know it’s a fake mistletoe made of plastic and paper, a simple prop, and that it really doesn’t count, but still, it’s very funny that I noticed we were standing right under it, just when I wanted so badly to do this…

[Nico kisses Thomas, taking him by surprise as he was still looking at the mistletoe. After a couple of seconds of surprise, Thomas starts kissing him back and hugging him. At that time, Roman and Virgil start squealing, jumping and dancing with each other. Virgil’s eyeshadow shines so much that it leaves a trace of sparkling glitter in the air as he’s bopping and dancing and spinning with Roman. Then Roman, out of pure happiness, holds Virgil and kisses him. After a moment, Nico releases Thomas, who can’t help showing a silly smile]

THOMAS: Wow… I… you… don’t you think we’re going too fast? We barely have just met and…

NICO: [a little scared] Oh, sorry, perhaps I shouldn’t have done that. You’re right, we have just met and perhaps I shouldn’t have…

[Thomas puts a finger on Nico’s mouth to silence him]

THOMAS: Don’t you dare apologizing for this, Nico. Do you have any idea of how happy you have made me feel right now? I… I thought I’d never experience this feeling again, and thinking honestly, I don’t care if it feels rushed or not. When you know, you know, right? And, rushed or not, I can recognize this feeling without any doubt: I love you, Nico. And even if it doesn’t work in the end, I’ll never regret giving this a chance from minute one, like we’re doing. Don’t you agree?

NICO: [smiling] Yes… yes I do, Thomas. And I love you too.

[Thomas and Nico share another kiss while on the mall the song “All I Want for Christmas is You” is heard through all the speakers]

[ending card]

[Thomas returns back home, he couldn’t be happier. Roman rises up right after he gets to the living room]

ROMAN: Congratulations, Thomas! That was a score in every way!

THOMAS: I can’t believe it! I thought this day would never come, and now…!

ROMAN: And he’s so cute, Thomas! SO cute!

VIRGIL: [rising up, his eyeshadow is still bright purple] Honey, do I need to get jealous, or something?

ROMAN: Oh, sorry, I…

VIRGIL: [excited] I was kidding. We’re all parts of Thomas, it’s only natural that we all like Nico. Congratulations, Thomas!

THOMAS: Wow, you must really be in a good mood if you’re making jokes, Virgil.

VIRGIL: Of course I am! I’m really excited about what comes next! It’s been so long since we… since you’ve been in a relationship like this.

THOMAS: Yeah… I just hope it doesn’t end like the last one…

[Virgil looks at Thomas with a serious face and his eyeshadow suddenly turns pitch black]

VIRGIL: Thomas, don’t say that… Why should it end like the last time? Nico doesn’t look at all like your ex.

ROMAN: Yeah, he’s so cute, and handsome, and cool, and kind and talented and…

VIRGIL: Okay, okay, calm down, Roman. I can’t believe I’m the one asking people to relax… You’re right in everything, but let’s hear Thomas.

ROMAN: Sorry.

THOMAS: Well, it’s too soon to tell, of course, but even so, I’ve already got so invested in this… that I’m scared that something goes wrong and everything goes to waste… again.

VIRGIL: Thomas, it’s only natural that you have that fear after the last experience. And I’m sorry, I’m the one who’s putting that fear into you because I’m the one always worrying about you losing the people you love… because when you said you loved Nico, you really meant it right?

THOMAS: Yes. I mean… it probably is too soon to use that word… but I think it was love at first sight. I didn’t get to have this feeling with my ex until we were way into the relation, but with Nico, it’s just like his soul and mine just blended together as one, as if we were two pieces of the same soul destined from our very beginning to be together, you know? And I was convinced that only happened in romcoms and fairy tales.

ROMAN: Well, now you know better, Thomas. As an expert in romance, my advise about your worries is… just take it easy. Take each day of this relationship as it comes and let love build up slowly but surely, as if you were laying bricks to form a strong house. It is hard work, but the result is worth it, trust me. [looking at Virgil] I know it’s worth it. And don’t think too much in the future. Live the present and enjoy each minute you spend with Nico as if it was the last. Just do your best to make it work, and everything will be fine, you’ll see.

THOMAS: Thank you, Roman. Wow… What a Christmas gift that Santa has decided to give me, right? Merry Christmas, guys.

ROMAN: Merry Christmas, Thomas.

VIRGIL: And may the new year be better for all of us.

THOMAS: [to the viewers] Yep. For all of us. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all of you, and until next time, take it easy, guys, gals and non binary pals. Peace out!

#thomas sanders #sanders sides #character thomas sanders #nico flores #roman sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #logan sanders #janus sanders #prinxiety #romantic prinxiety #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #sanders sides fic #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #karrot kings #aspects and fanfics

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shoryubug · 4 years

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Standing Up. Chapter 2: Andre Glacier

Ahhhh so it's been a while, and my laptop got back to me today...but I'm not feeling that great D: plus with everyone around me assuming it's the big plague going around (when in fact I don't interact with other humans so it's very much indeed just a dang cold), I haven't been in the best of moods to write...but I did promise as soon as I could that I'd get Standing Up continued, so I hope you guys don't hold it against me! Tumblr: Chapter 1, 2 (here), and Ao3 (for registered users).

Alya was always doing this kind of thing, pushing her ideas and thoughts and plans aside...it wasn’t just hers either. Continually she’d been witness to Alya doing the very same thing to Nino, and it was frustrating. It didn’t matter that it had just happened, Marinette wanted to stop thinking about it, so after stomping her way over to Rose and Juleka who were both outside the school gates, she wasn’t exactly angry, that would be too simple, she was more irritated. The fact that Alya continually railroaded her time and time again was frustrating, and the worst part was that it was getting to the point that Nadja Chamack wasn’t willing to trust her as much as a babysitter, so all the spare money that she was earning before was now reduced heavily, due to every instance that Alya was around both her and Manon.

"So Marinette, we got a trailer for Juleka’s bike so that we can all go to Canal Saint-Martin for the photographs, Luka said he’d meet us at your place so that we can all ride down there together because he found a place that we can all change in!" Rose gushed as Marinette had felt a wave of peace wash over her for a moment.

"Yeah, let’s just go to my place for all of it!" she said cheerily as the three of them made their way to the bakery, Rose waited outside guarding the bike while Juleka and Marinette had gone inside to gather a few piles of clothing, three outfits for each Juleka, Rose, and Luka, and Marinette’s mind began to wander to Juleka’s older brother for a moment while the pair of them silently went down the various rows of stairs to dump the folded piles of clothing in the trailer.

Luka was definitely a godsend to her in these moments, and she didn’t know what she would have done without his support. She had given up everything she felt before for Adrien, to give him and Kagami a fair chance at being together, because they were both her friends, and they both were interested in each other, and they both deserved to be happy...even if it had meant that she had to sacrifice the potential of any future she might have wanted with him. That wasn’t as important as the happiness of two of her friends, no matter how much it hurt her in the end.

Marinette found herself to still be lucky to have the support of friends like Juleka, Rose, Luka, Mylene, Alix, Kim, Nino, and of course Tikki in the moments that she could feel the weight of that sadness pulling her down and she was grateful for it. Not a lot of people in the world had that kind of support.

"Wasn’t there also some jewelry you wanted us to model?" Rose asked, breaking Marinette from her reverie.

"Ah-umm, yes, but I wanted it to be a surprise so let me go get the box, and once you’re getting dressed in the outfits you can choose what jewelry you want to model!" Marinette stated, rushing back up the stairs to search her room for the three boxes of jewelry she had packed away, each labeled with her three models names affixed in permanent marker, written in the same fancy script as what was on the T&S bakery door before she made her way back down the stairs.

"So, since you’re getting us ice cream after I kind of wanted to bring something up…" Juleka stated as Marinette turned her gaze to the girl, setting the boxes in the trailer then zipping the casing up and turning her gaze to the girl.

"Oh yeah! I wanted to know too, but I’m going to ride ahead to meet Luka! Please let me know the answer Juleka! I’m really curious!" Rose’s sweet voice broke through as Marinette nodded, trying to follow along confused while Rose grabbed a helmet from the trailer and sped off like a speed-demon, making Alix’s speed craze look tame in comparison.

"So...you had a question?" Marinette offered as she looked up at Juleka, admiring the girl’s beautiful figure and face.

"Well...everyone is assuming that your new flavors are hinted at Luka...but the colors seem more like you yourself, don’t you think?" Juleka’s question lingered between the two of them for a moment as Marinette sighed.

"I don’t really know what to think...I try not to think about the ice cream...I know my dad proposed to my mom with a scoop of it, but...I think I lost my faith in it when Andre was akumatized because I didn’t want to eat it." Marinette admitted, giving Juleka a knowing look.

"Wait he was akumatized because you didn’t want to eat ice cream?" Juleka asked, perplexed "I thought it was because something else happened, that’s what everyone made it sound like!"

"Well...Mylene, Ivan, Alya, and Nino invited me and Adrien to go get ice cream with them...a couples thing I guess...but Adrien couldn’t go, and I was upset, so I felt like a fifth wheel to them, you know, two pairs of couples and one single person...and when they all went to get their ice cream, he kind of...tried to force me to take some myself, claiming that it would 'make my true love materialize'" she used air quotes at that. "And I was fooled for a second, into thinking that this boy was Adrien for a moment...but then I dropped my ice cream and my appetite was gone, so I told him as much...and he insisted on making another one, and...I kind of said that I didn't believe ice cream could bring true love...that ice cream was just ice cream...and I left...everyone kind of followed after but mostly I just wanted to be alone..." she stated with a sigh before shaking her head.

"Wow...it sounds a lot more like he was being a jerk," Juleka whispered, and Marinette sighed.

"I don't know...I shouldn't have overreacted the way that I did...but I didn't know what to do...he was a grown man, and he wound up getting akumatized over it...and I don't know how long it took him to find me, luckily for me Chat Noir was with me that night, or I might have been turned into an ice cream sculpture..." she stated, wrapping her arms around her frame.

"You were with Chat Noir that night? You know how funny it would be if he was your true love? I mean, your old colors kind of match his too." Juleka offered as Marinette burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, right, me and Chat Noir. That's the best joke I've ever heard!" Marinette managed through her fit of giggles, though aware in the back of her mind that even the possibility of her and Chat Noir together was the making of something catastrophic.

It figures that it would start with the word cat too, effectively making it a pun. Ugh.

she thought, before bouncing in her step trying to match Juleka's pace.

As they had finally gotten to their destination after a few more minutes of chit-chat that was more lighthearted, Juleka and Rose had gone off to one bathroom while Luka stood and waited in one of the new outfits that he was modeling for her, a smile plastered on his face the moment that she'd approached him, and as he was about to speak she held up a finger to silence him, her eyes raking over every detail before she went to the trailer of the bike and came back with a small sewing kit, quickly setting up a ladder stitch on the back of the coat, while it was still on him, then pulling the seam to make it better fitted to his form.

"That looks much better...you were about to say something though? I'm really sorry for interrupting!" she murmured before he shook his head and smiled wider at her.

"Nothing, it's always great to watch you when you're in your own mind, it's like watching a rickshaw in action, something you just can't peel your eyes from because it's intricacies are too alluring." His compliments set her cheeks ablaze for a moment. Leave it to Luka to make her blush. "Anyway Ma-ma-ma-Marinette, how have you been? Rose said you were having some trouble earlier." He patted the space beside him, beckoning her forward. "You can always talk to me if you need...or not talk, you know." His intense aquatic gaze made her feel at ease for a moment.

"It's...It's not that it's bad or anything it's just that...Alya keeps...pushing my buttons. I mean...before when she tried to invite herself to everything I had always thought it was just her trying to be a good friend, but today it just felt too intrusive. She tried to pull Adrien and Lila in too, and just disregarded me telling her no...it was just...too much." she stated, giving a sigh. "I know I probably shouldn't have gotten so angry about it, but I couldn't help it! I mean, she just wouldn't listen! Sometimes she's so stubborn that I just...want to scream at her!" Marinette felt her eyes beginning to water. "I guess I kind of did today though, huh? So much for keeping my cool..." it was then that she had felt Luka's arms around her, embracing her tightly, the warmth of his body spilling into her like an ocean meeting the sand.

"You don't deserve to have your plans stomped on by anybody Marinette...standing up to her was the best thing that you could have done in this situation, maybe now she'll start to understand that she needs to take your requests seriously," Luka stated before he pulled away and his gaze met his sister's who had quickly turned away as if she were caught up in an embarrassing moment...though there was nothing embarrassing about it. Intimate maybe, but not embarrassing.

"Thank you, Luka...I guess I really needed to hear that," she stated before wiping at her eyes.

The photoshoot had gone well, each of the three models posting around the various spaces that Marinette wanted them to while she took multiple high-resolution photos from her phone, which now had a special magnifying lens affixed to it. All in all the four of them had fun, them in making new poses and her in fixing things up, jokes all around between them, and it was one of the happier moments that Marinette had experienced in a while, full of laughter and joy.

"So now that we're all done, do you guys still want to go for ice cream?" Marinette offered, pointing out the Andre Glacier ice cream cart to the trio. Juleka and Luka had simultaneously shrugged while Rose's wide ocean eyes had somehow gotten wider.

"Yes! Ice cream sounds amazing! We should all get our own though if that's okay! I'm just not in a sharing mood!" Rose stated which had made Juleka burst out in laughter. All of them had made their way over to the ice cream cart where Rose and Juleka had gone first.

"We'd like some ice cream please!" Rose stated in earnest as Andre had looked the duo over.

"Strawberry for her darling smile, blackberry for her hair, and blueberry for your ocean blue stare! This shall keep your love together through any affair!" Andre sang out, scooping out the ice cream and putting a cherry and two-scoop spoons on top, to which Rose gave a disappointed look, taking the ice cream to share with Juleka, before Marinette pursed her lips while Luka approached, being gifted some ice cream himself, the same pink and blue colors that he and Marinette had often gotten before Marinette had gotten to Andre.

"I'll take one of each of the previous sets please," Marinette stated as Andre gaped at her then awkwardly laughed.

"Ah, pretty Marinette! You know how the ice cream is here---" he began before Marinette's gaze turned to steel while she looked directly into Andre's eyes.

"As I said, I'll take one of each of the previous two sets of ice cream please." Her voice was cold, anger seeped into her words.

"That isn't how I run this stand Marinette--"

"This isn't a practical way to run a business Andre." She snapped before grabbing two five euro bills and slamming them on his stand before stomping off, notably without ice cream as she made her way over to the trio that had made their way to the bike as Juleka had taken leave on it, to go drop off the clothing and jewelry at Marinette's and the trailer at Rose's. Luka himself had been there with Rose who shrugged about it, though Marinette only sighed.

"So...do you wanna share?" Luka offered as Marinette shook her head 'no'.

"I'm fine...thank you though. I'm not really in the mood for ice cream...I was hoping Andre would be understanding, but apparently, he isn't." She murmured, as the first time that she'd gotten ice cream with her friends replayed in her mind for the second time that day. Irritation laced that memory, just as it had infected her formerly happy mood. "I think I'm gonna head home...actually...thank you guys for today, and let Juleka know that I'll get her some pastries for breakfast tomorrow to make up for what happened with Andre today..." Marinette offered as Luka nodded, Rose softly sighed.

"It's just too bad...I don't like this ice cream much now..." Rose whispered. "I think I might just go get it from stores from now on! You get more for your money in them!" Rose offered, joyously.

"That sounds like a plan to me!" Marinette stated. "I hope you guys have a great rest of the day! I've gotta study for this Friday's test in physics, I'll see you guys later!" She stated as she began to make her way home, no doubt to hear about how rude she'd been that day from Tikki, and get a lecture from her kwami...which she wasn't in the mood for.

@spicybelladonna @vixen-uchiha @doglover82 @captainmac6 @my-name-is-michell @schrodingers25 @mewwitch @princertain @geminikessa @legallyspawned @falling-electricxangel @miraculous-mango @novicevoice

#ml salt #alya salt #andre glacier salt #miraculous salt #ml fanfic #ml fic #mlb fanfic #miraculous ladybug #ml salt fic #ml standing up

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yoon-kooks · 4 years

Text

Witch Hazel- Pt.6

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: FanficWriter!Jungkook, Idol!Reader, College!AU, Angst, Fluff

Summary: There are two students in your art class with a secret: you and the quiet Jeon Jungkook. You’re a problematic idol singer, infamous for your ice cold reputation and perpetual resting bitch face; he’s the artist and author behind the viral comic series based on a certain ice queen idol. After a blowup of destructive rumors, lost motivation and inevitable solitude, you stumble upon Jungkook’s comic and find a new and unexpected light.

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: none

Parts: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // ?

A/N: i’ve had mixed feelings about the tumblr fic community as of late :/ but heres something to read🥺

Holding the boy’s pinky in your own, you stare once more at his drawing of you with your guitar and flower crown—a superhero to those whom you shared your music with.

No. Your music hasn’t saved anyone. You’ve never been a hero to anyone. If anything, you’re the one who needs to be saved. You’d always thought you could grow strong enough to save yourself if you just closed yourself off from the world and did everything on your own. But in the end, that only seemed to hurt you more.

You should’ve known. It’s okay to ask for help, to reach out, to let him in.

“A few years ago, I had a thought. It wasn’t a very smart thought, but I decided I wanted to share part of myself with the world. I thought about the different ways I could go about that, but the way that made the most sense for me was music,” you say, finally letting go of Jungkook’s pinky and making yourself awfully comfortable on a bed that doesn’t belong to you. “So I auditioned for Polar Entertainment. Not to be an idol, but to be a songwriter.”

Jungkook doesn’t say anything, but he nods as if it’s not a shock to him, as if he saw it as “a Y/N thing to do.” At the same time, his gentle eyes wait for you to continue, curious to know what’ll happen next.

“Do you remember the song you heard me singing the other day in the music room?”

Jungkook cracks a smirk and starts singing your song word for word in a surprisingly in-tune whisper. Oh, he remembers it alright, and he’ll apparently never let you live it down. He doesn’t stop until you throw one of the balled-up blankets at his face.

“That was the first time I picked up my guitar and sang that song since being rejected at the audition.”

“I can imagine how scarring that would be. Rejection,” he shudders at the word, though you’re sure he knows little about the feeling with art skills as professional as his. “They really didn’t like you though?”

“They liked certain parts of me.” Your vocals, your beauty, your body. “But not the ones that mattered.” Your music, your creativity, your personality. You.

“That’s their loss,” Jungkook says in the midst of a yawn, practically inaudible. But you heard him.

“Maybe they had a point,” you say, looking up at the ceiling. “Because when I look back to that time, it was quite foolish of me to believe my music would reach anyone when it came from a place of desperation, not my heart. The song was a plea for help, not one that would save others.”

“What made you suddenly sing it again after all this time?”

You grab hold of the boy’s hand and form yet another pinky promise. “Promise you won’t laugh at me for my reason.”

“I can’t promise you that,” he says with the straightest face. He’s ready to burst out laughing again and you know it.

“Then I won’t tell you.” With a hmph, you bury yourself under the fluffiest blanket. You wonder how he would’ve reacted if you told him it was that dang jk.seagull and his fanfic that gave you the courage to sing again, to go back to your roots, to follow your love of creating music. It’d obviously sound ridiculous to admit it out loud, but the joy you feel from reading Witch Hazel is what reminds you of the very thing you want to provide others with—happiness.

And that’s perhaps all the encouragement you needed to start sharing your music again.

“I won’t tell you what it was exactly that made me do it, but I’ll tell you why,” you peek your head back out of the blankets to see the boy still waiting patiently for an answer. “I wanted to move on… from the failure I faced that day. That way, I can finally become that superhero you speak of.”

You place the drawing of your superhero self onto the nightstand so that it doesn’t get crinkled up on the bed. No, she’s not a superhero yet. But she will be someday.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“You better not tell anyone,” you remind him. “This isn’t something I share with other people. Ever.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” he assures you, with not only his words but also his warmth.

“Good.” You smile whilst closing your eyes. You meant to tell him that he could confide in you too, but the warmth pulls you into a deep slumber before you could do so.

It’s been a minute since you’ve awoken in someone else’s bed, though this is the first time you aren’t all wrapped up in their embrace. Rather, half the boy’s body is hanging off the side of the bed for dear life while you’re right smack in the middle, all bundled up in one of the blankets.

If you wanted to, you could push him over the edge with the tiniest tap of your foot—that’s how close he is to falling. But as tempting as it would be to get even with the boy who teases you to no end, you opt to quietly check your phone without disturbing him.

To your surprise, you have two new notifications: a text from Seokjin earlier this morning and a late-night update from jk.seagull posted sometime after you had passed out. You’ve always been the type to take care of work obligations before indulging in guilty pleasures, so you open Seokjin’s text first.

6:04AM jinnie “so jimin’s manager reached out to me”

6:05AM jinnie “and you want to collab with jimin?”

7:12AM Y/N “oh yeah i asked him to have his manager contact you”

7:13AM Y/N “but i guess i forgot to tell you LOL”

It’s not that you forgot. You were just hesitant to tell your manager about it yourself. Because if possible, you’d like to minimize your own company’s involvement in this top-secret scheme of yours.

7:15AM jinnie “are you up to something?”

7:15AM Y/N “mayhaps”

7:16AM Y/N “but dont tell boss lady pls”

7:17AM jinnie “shes going to find out one way or another”

7:19AM Y/N “thats true 🤔 ”

7:20AM Y/N “well tbh knowing her, she’d probably approve of the collab anyway since it should clear up those dating rumors while (hopefully) appealing to jimin’s fanbase”

7:21AM Y/N “just dont tell her the logistics of the collab”

7:21AM jinnie “what are you scheming lmao”

7:22AM Y/N “youll see”

7:22AM jinnie “ 😒 dont get me or yourself in trouble Y/N”

7:23AM Y/N “i wont! i promise! 🥺 ”

7:24AM jinnie “okay fine”

7:25AM jinnie “ill arrange a meeting with jimin and his manager to discuss everything formally”

As you move on to the more exciting notification on your phone, you see that the sleeping Jungkook has slipped several inches closer to falling flat on his face. Maybe you’ll save him from his impending doom. Maybe you won’t. But that’ll have to wait until after you see what jk.seagull had to say on his blog.

“do you ever think back to that one time in math camp when a little girl screamed in your face that she hated math and wanted to become a musician instead? apparently she somehow confused ‘musician’ with ‘mathematician’ LMAO”

You aren’t sure what provoked the silly seagull guy to share such a random thought, but you do get a good laugh out of it. After all, you can totally relate as someone who went to math camp one summer despite knowing in your heart what you truly wanted to do-

Wait.

“Jungkook,” you say in a half-hushed, half-urgent tone, though calling his name wouldn’t be what actually wakes him from his slumber. “I think I know who the seagull guy is.”

Thud. You swear on your life you didn’t lay a finger on the boy when he fell, despite all the devilish thoughts you had about it earlier. He fell on his own. You’re innocent. Therefore, you have a right to laugh.

“Are you okay?” you snicker, peering down from the bed at the dazed boy. He might have been the biggest klutz for rolling off the bed and stumbling around to find his glasses, but holy shit. His wild bedhead and scattered blankets across the floor make it seem as though the two of you had a lot more than just an innocent heart-to-heart in his bed last night.

“I’m fine,” he stretches his arms and combs the bedhead out. Yes, he is fine. “But, uhh, what’s this about that seagull guy?”

“I think I know him.” You expect Jungkook to be as excited as you are, but he just seems kind of puzzled—perhaps from his lack of sleep.

“…and how did you come to that conclusion…?” he asks. Or maybe he doesn’t believe you.

“You didn’t see the post! Look at the post.” You join the boy down on the floor and make yourself at home there with your phone and some of the fallen blankets. He leans over your shoulder to read the infamous post you won’t shut up about.

“Math camp?” Jungkook continues to squint at the cryptic message before chuckling. “Also, did that girl seriously confuse musician with mathematician?”

“Stop laughing! That dumbass was me.” Now you wish you had kicked his ass off the bed.

He stops laughing, not because you told him to but because he’s mildly shook. “What?”

You take a deep breath in because you know you’re setting yourself up to be clowned for the rest of your fucking life. “When I was like ten, I told my parents that I wanted to be a mathematician, thinking that word meant musician. So they signed me up for camp that summer.”

“Did you ever stop to think that mathematician has the word math in it and not mu-”

You interrupt the boy’s unwelcomed commentary with an air-punch to his guts before continuing on as if nothing happened. “I was so excited until I got there. It was absolutely mortifying to learn that it was a math camp, not a music camp.”

“I like this story,” he nods with his arms guarding himself in anticipation of another air-jab as you square up.

“Still, I tried to make the best out of the situation since I was actually kind of good at math,” you say. “The camp director even told me I’d make a great math professor one day.”

��I can’t imagine you as a math professor.” He settles down with all the chuckling.

“I couldn’t either, so I ran off to an empty room where I thought I could escape without anyone finding me,” you soften your tone. “But somehow a crying, wandering boy found me.”

“Was it the seagull?”

“Maybe. All I remember was hearing music playing from somewhere outside. I sang along as a way to comfort and distract myself from the whole math situation, but it seemed to cheer up the boy as well.”

“Your voice does have that effect, you know.”

“He told me the same thing.” You can’t help but smile a little at the compliment. “But in that moment, it felt like my dream had a purpose beyond fueling my own desires. And I needed to share it with someone. Anyone.”

“So you shared it with the boy?”

You nod. “I told him my dream was to be a mathematician, but he knew what I meant.”

“Did he at least clown you first?”

“He did. He laughed right in my face, and at first I thought he was a jerk for making fun of my dream. But after he kindly taught me the difference between musician and mathematician, I announced my actual dream to him and him alone.”

“And how’d he respond?”

“He said it was cool beans.”

“He said cool beans?”

“Those were his exact words, yes.”

“And that was it?”

“That’s all I can remember.”

“So you don’t even remember his name or anything?”

“We never introduced ourselves,” you shake your head. “I don’t remember his face either because it was covered by a hood and long hair.”

“That’s too bad,” Jungkook sighs. “I bet it really was that seagull guy after all.”

“I have a feeling it was him, too.”

It would be nice and awfully romantic if you had somehow crossed paths long ago with the very seagull who continues to inspire your craft with his own. But even if that isn’t the case, you’re content with having that memory and entrusting it with another boy who has done nothing but lift you up.

You lean yourself gently against the Jungkook’s shoulder as you slip your phone back into your pocket, debating on your next course of action. The two of you should be getting ready for class, but that doesn’t sound very appealing. There are other things you’d much rather be doing, like maybe thanking the boy for lending his ear. But for some reason, it’s still difficult for you to say those two simple words of gratitude.

Perhaps it’s difficult because there’s a lot more you’d say than just “thanks man.”

“Can we just cut class and get coffee instead?” Yes, you’ll thank him for his service by treating him to coffee. Unless…? What if this is just your subtle way of asking the boy out on a date? What if he says no because you’ve already spent way too much time with him in the past 24 hours? What if he hates coffee? What if he-

“We should probably go to class to turn in our project, yeah?” Jungkook brings up a good point. But the thing is, you don’t really have your priorities straight at the moment and your mind has only two things consuming it: coffee and boy. “But we can get coffee after class.”

“Ooh, good, because there’s this one coffee shop I want you to try!” You chirp up despite your nonexistent dose of morning caffeine. “It’ll be my treat as thanks for… letting me hog your bed.”

“Oh right... that,” Jungkook hops to his feet and starts tidying up said bed. You help by picking up and folding all of the blankets. “I nearly froze and fell to my death because of that, you know.”

“I saw,” you bite your lip, trying to mask any naughty thoughts that come to mind. Because next time, if there is in fact a next time, you won’t let the boy freeze.

By the time art class ends, the weight of the dreaded group project has been lifted and your craving for coffee begins to settle in once more. And apparently, the hunger and excitement is radiating off you because someone has the audacity to make a comment about it.

“Why does your face look like that?” Taehyung teases, but you’re mildly offended.

“Because I’m getting coffee from my favorite café. That’s why,” you hiss but there’s still a hidden glow about you and your excitement. “Coffee is to me as girls are to you, Taehyung.”

“Ooh, speaking of girls, do any cute girls work there?” He strokes his wise man beard. “Maybe I’ll tag along.”

“I don’t fucking know.” And even if you did know, you wouldn’t say yes.

“How boring,” he yawns while nudging the boy next to him. “Hey Jungkook, wanna go on a double date with me? I met a pair of gamer girls, but I don’t know all the nerdy gaming stuff that you know. And think about it, this could be the first time you get laid since-”

“Actually, Jungkook’s getting coffee with me,” you interrupt. And if you had been brave enough to look up at the boy as you spoke, you would have seen the healthy pink radiance on his cheeks.

“Oh, so the two of you are dating all of a sudden?” Taehyung nods, as if he had hit the mark.

Neither you or Jungkook give an immediate answer, probably due to the unspoken yet very apparent shift in dynamics between the two of you as of late. Yes, you’ve developed certain feelings for the boy, but no, you aren’t technically “dating.” You just hope he’s on the same page as you.

“It’s just coffee,” you want to say, but it comes out of Jungkook’s mouth instead. And even though you would’ve said the same exact thing, it hits a little different hearing it from him.

At the same time, coffee is coffee and Jungkook is Jungkook. You need to remind yourself that your craving for coffee with the boy will be satisfied, regardless of whether it’s a date or not. After all, “dating” is not an option for an idol who should only be focusing on her music and fans.

“Which drink would you recommend?” Jungkook asks as you lead him in the direction of the café.

“If you like coffee, all of the drinks are good in my humble opinion,” you say, though you realize you should probably give the boy a few specific suggestions to make his decision a little easier. “You can get a standard mocha or latte if you want something simple. Or, their signature hazelnut coffee is really really good. Or if you want something iced, you should try the cold brew because it’s literally the most refreshing dose of caffeine ever. Oh! But if you’re into something more plant-based, I suggest the maple oat-”

“You’re not narrowing down my options if you recommend the entire menu, Y/N,” the boy chuckles at your coffee enthusiast behavior.

“Well, here’s my thought process: if we go at least once a week after class, you can eventually try every drink on the menu by the end of the school year. Not including all the different types of milk options though.”

“I don’t know if I should be impressed or terrified that you even bothered to do that calculation.” His eyes are bigger and brighter than the sun. “But that must mean you really like coffee then, huh?”

“Of course! Is that even a question?” The snobby coffee enthusiast jumped out real quick. But even beyond the coffee, you did the calculation to see how long your little coffee not-dates with the boy could last before you have to return to your idol obligations. “You like coffee too, right?”

“Not really,” he sighs. Your jaw drops. Who the does he think he is? “Are there any tea options? Or like a banana milk or something?”

“You can’t just walk into a coffee shop and not order coffee.” Is this guy for real? No, he’s just fucking with you. Probably. “I better start reevaluating who I hang out with,” you say with a sarcastic hmph.

“I’m kidding, kind of.” He doesn’t do a very good job of reassuring you of that. “I like… coffee.”

“That hesitant pause doesn’t sit well with me, Jeon.” You raise an eyebrow at the suspicious boy. It feels nice to tease him for once. “Why are you grabbing coffee with me if you don’t love it?”

“I just curious about this coffee place,” he nudges you, “since someone seems to really enjoy it.”

So it’s because of you…

“Good to know I’ve successfully peer pressured you into consuming caffeine,” you hum, playing it off as if his words weren’t absorbed right into your heart. It was never about coffee.

It’s about you and him.

The thought of that makes your heart scream a little, so you hide your flustered face behind your phone as the two of you approach the coffee shop. You have an unread text from your manager.

2:35PM jinnie “good news”

2:36PM jinnie “i set up a meeting with jimin and his manager in an hour”

You stop in your tracks. That’s not good news. Well actually, it is good for your top secret collab. But the timing of it all is anything but good.

“Are you searching up the menu online? Oh wait, you already have the entire menu memorized from A to Z.” He thinks he’s funny. Now is not the time, Jeon. His teasing smile doesn’t disappear until the distress is written all over your face.

How do you cancel a not-a-date date without a proper explanation? How can you do that to a boy who has only ever done you right? The thing is, you don’t have to hurt him.

You can cancel the meeting, you can bail out on the collab, you can disappear from the idol world altogether if you choose to do so. And if you didn’t want to go that far, you could instead tell the boy of your deepest and darkest secret, of your idol identity, and he would surely understand your reasons for having to leave so suddenly for work.

You could do any of those things, but you decide not to. You won’t allow yourself to make such a rash decision, even if it’s the right one. So you decide to keep the meeting, you decide to keep your idol self hidden in the shadows, and you decide to abandon the boy.

#bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts imagines #jungkook fanfic #btsboulangerie #jungkook x reader #bts fluff #bts angst #jungkook #bts #bangtan #witch hazel

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