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jimlingss · 3 years

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ooo exciting !!! jungkook + romance/fluff + "kiss me" + e2l

Anonymous said: Can I request a fluffy jungkook fic with a touch of angst. Any AU you want and maybe a friends to lovers? Feel free to decline :)

Anonymous said: a fluffy “oh! you’re jealous” prompt with Jungkook pls? any au is fine☺️

Anonymous said: jungkook, prompt list 1 - #27: “Are you blushing?” :> i hope you have a lovely holiday season!!

Anonymous said: Friends to lovers!! Or enemies to lovers pls!! I love that shit

This is the most ambitious crossover of requests since Avengers lol jk.

↳ Suspended, Seduced, Surprised!

1.9k || 99.5% Fluff, 0.5% Angst || Jeon Jungkook || E2L, Huddle For Warmth!AU (sort of)

It started off with Jungkook coming out of nowhere and nearly scaring the living daylights out of you.

He laughed — that noisy sound that makes his nose scrunch — and you rolled your eyes, turning back around in the line. When the ski lift chair arrived, he asked if he could come too. You told him to kindly fuck off, but in the next second, he slid next to you, smiling widely.

It was too late for him to get off. Not when your feet was already lifted off the ground.

You don’t know why he’s so adamant about bothering you. If Taehyung didn’t tell you at the last minute that Jungkook was coming along, you would’ve just not come on this trip and ruin your winter break like this.

“Why didn’t you go with Sana?”

The ski lift is ascending upwards at an incline, moving past the coniferous trees and those skiing down the mountain beneath you. Luckily, it wasn’t too sunny or snowy out. But the air was still sharp with frost that’s long made your cheeks numb. Every exhale past your parted lips creates a cloud of condensation.

Jungkook’s thick brow lifts and he pushes his ski goggles up onto his head, on top of his blue beanie like yours. His doe eyes look at you. “Why would I go with her?”

You shoot him an incredulous expression. You don’t know why he’s playing dumb. “I thought you were trying to get cozy with her.”

The corner of Jungkook’s mouth slyly curls and he leans in. “Oh. You’re jealous.”

Instantly, your face contorts into a disgusted expression and a boyish laugh bubbles out of him.

“I would,” he says, “but she already has a boyfriend.”

“She does?”

Jungkook hums. “Some guy two years older than us, majoring in finance.”

Oh. You didn’t know that.

Suddenly it sinks in that you’re having an actual conversation with Jungkook. One where he’s being a cocky asshole only a tiny amount and you can actually bear through it. It almost feels like you’re….friends.

But right as the thought comes to mind, the ski lift chair halts and momentarily swings. You jolt, looking at the chair ahead of you that’s frozen as well before turning around. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Everyone is seemingly as confused as you are. “It looks like we’re stuck.”

You groan. “Oh shit.”

Five minutes later, Taehyung comes wandering underneath you. He stands by a tree on the sidelines and cups his gloved hands around his mouth. “Oh my god!” he screams at the top of his lungs. “I finally found you guys!”

“Taehyung!” You shout back at him. “What’s going on?!”

“Well, I was looking around for ages and Jimin wanted to give up since he thought you went down to the lodge and I told him no way—”

“Dude!” Jungkook shrieks and you wince at the sheer volume of his voice. “We get it!”

You remember why he grinds on your nerves so badly. Everything Jeon Jungkook does just irritates you. Including the fact that he was currently trying to burst your eardrums.

“Right! Sorry! They said it would be fixed in half an hour! Hang in there!” Taehyung fist pumps the air with a rectangular grin as if it’s enough to encourage the two of you and you sigh loudly.

“Whelp.” Jungkook settles back into his seat. “Looks like we won’t die.”

“Great.”

“Are you cold?”

You turn to the boy, surprised that he’s actually considerate enough to—

“We could always get naked, you know,” he adds, shattering the image of him that had curated in your mind for point two seconds and it flees as quickly as it came. “To converse heat.”

Your mouth opens, speechless. You shake your head. “Right when I thought you were being nice to me for once.”

Jungkook grins unabashedly. “I am being nice. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t flirt like this with anyone else and if you ask me, I think it’s working too.” The bastard leans in and you lean backwards to keep more distance. He bats his pretty lashes. “Are you blushing?”

You deadpan, “It’s literally negative thirty degrees out.”

He laughs again.

The both of you get comfortable, laying your ski poles across your laps, and looking out at the snowy mountain landscape that’s all too peaceful. Or at least until you feel a poke through your puffed jacket.

You look down to find Jungkook handing you a heat pack from his pocket. “It’s not much but it might help.”

“....Thanks.”

Strangely, the guy doesn’t brag about how kind he is or how much you should appreciate the gesture. He simply starts to hum to kill time. It’s soothing. Kind of nice to listen to even.

You enjoy it until he abruptly stops and asks— “Why do you hate me so much?”

You look at him. “Seriously?”

Jungkook smiles and it’s somehow reminiscent of a rabbit. “What? Nothing like confronting people when they’re trapped in a spot with nowhere to run, right? Plus, this is a good opportunity to be reflective, don’t you think?”

You scoff, not sure where to begin. But there’s no reason why you should spare him from the truth of why you grew to have such a strong distaste for him. If he wants to know, you’ll happily let him know.

“How about for never calling me back after you slept with me? Is that a good enough reason for you?”

Jungkook’s head whirls over. The bomb’s been dropped.

You feel his stare on your profile. It goes deathly quiet.

It’s the biggest resentment you held against him, what made his cocky attitude even uglier to you. Maybe you shouldn’t be so angry. It wasn’t like he vowed anything would happen afterwards. Maybe he thought it was supposed to be a no-strings attachment thing. But it wasn’t like that for you.

Jungkook acted interested when you first met. He sweet-talked you. He led you to believe there would be something more. And when there wasn’t— well, the rest is history.

You wonder if Jungkook’s shriveling up and cringing for asking in the first place or if he’s remotely ashamed. You hope he is. It serves him right. The audacity he has to talk to you casually after ghosting you so brutally like that is insulting. You wonder how he’ll respond, if he’ll regret bringing the subject up, if he’ll try to conjure some kind of half ass apology—

“Because you never gave me your number.”

This time, your neck snaps towards him. Jungkook’s gaze is unwavering.

“You’re the one who ditched me,” he says. “You were gone when I woke up.”

“I wrote you a note. On a napkin on the dresser.”

The man, in the blue snowboard jacket and black ski pants, frowns. “No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did. Do you think I would lie about this?”

“Then I never saw it.”

It’s easy for Jungkook to lie. One of his many talents is his pretty lips that has easy words rolling off his tongue like butter. But by his expression, the slight pout of his mouth, the furrow of his brows, you can tell he’s being genuine. There isn’t any facade, any flirtation.

“I would’ve remembered if I saw it cause that morning Taehyung woke me up and he never wakes up before me. But he was whining because of his allergies and needed me to run to the pharmacy—”

The pair of you go silent.

It dawns on you both.

Kim Taehyung.

Knowing Taehyung and his godforsaken allergies, he must’ve taken the napkin and sneezed right into it. He probably threw it in the trash or took it with him and crumpled it into his hand. God fucking dammit.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Jungkook murmurs, his eyes rounded at the realization.

You shift uncomfortably. The possibilities of what-if storm your mind. What if Jungkook saw it, what if he texted you or called you afterwards like he promised. What if you didn’t meet again on accident through Taehyung but continued the communication yourselves. Could he be sitting here next to you as someone more in your life?

But you brush the thoughts away as it overwhelms you.

“That’s funny,” you pipe up, mustering some stiff laughter, breaking the silence. “At least we solved one mystery.”

“Y/N.”

“It’s cold.” You wrap your arms around you. “We should stop talking and conserve heat.”

Jungkook nods and the pair of you quiet down. But without conversation, time drags on slower.

You peek a look at him and instead of being deep in thought like you thought he’d be, Jeon Jungkook is looking around, blinking with his doe eyes, the black strands from his bangs nearly pricking into them. He’s completely nonchalant and you internally sigh to yourself.

You’re not sure what you were expecting.

Jungkook is Jungkook.

That note on the dresser probably wouldn’t have changed anything.

“Y/N.” He speaks up a minute later.

“What?”

“You know how we could keep warm?”

“What.”

“Kiss me.”

You could not roll your eyes harder.

An enormous grin spreads into Jungkook’s cheeks, irises twinkling from the snow’s refraction. The little shit has too much fun annoying you and he jumps at the chance to continue to egg you on, “Why? Too scared to? Think you might fall in love with me now that we cleared the air and you don’t hate me anymore?”

He bats his lashes exaggeratedly.

You scoff. “Yeah right. As if.”

“Then why not?”

Your head spins around to face him, momentarily taken aback at how he’s a few inches away but you conceal your expression just as quick. You don’t know why he’s so insistent on this terrible joke. “Why? Do you want me to kiss you?”

Jeon Jungkook’s grin taunts you.

You loll your head to the side, eyes narrowing into slits. “You think I won’t do it.”

“I’m just trying to improve the mood.” He sits back and shrugs, having too much fun watching your explosive reactions. “It doesn’t matter what I say to you. You’re a dog with all bark but no bite, Y/N. I know you too well.”

Your jaw clenches at the challenge. At his mocking tone. At the bastard’s audacity.

And just to prove him wrong, you grab Jungkook’s face in your hands and turn him towards you. In one breath, you aggressively slam your mouth against his. It almost hurts. Your teeth nearly clash. But you barely feel anything with your numb lips except for how chapped his lips are.

It’s a brief kiss, but enough to prove yourself.

You pull away with a cocked brow and small smirk, relishing in his wholly stunned expression.

At that same moment, the ski lift jolts and starts to move again. Someone behind you cheers.

“You don’t know me at all, Jeon Jungkook,” you murmur softly, seductively and with the smirk still plastered on your features. The unloading zone approaches, so you move the safety bar, stand up from the ski lift chair and glide away.

Jungkook’s delayed, but follows after you helplessly a second later. You turn around while you still have the chance and he stares at you, blinking owlishly.

“If you want to make me blush or get jealous, you’re going to have to try a lot harder than you have been, Jeon. You should probably work on your kissing skills too. Staying like a dead fish isn’t appealing to me.”

You glide away on your skis before he can get another word in. In the meanwhile, a grin slowly spreads into Jungkook’s cheeks and he decides to accept your challenge.

#bts fanfic #bts scenario #jungkook fluff #jungkook fanfic #jungkook reader insert #jungkook scenario #bts fluff #bts reader insert #Anonymous #Jimlings

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beneaththetangles · 3 years

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Light Novel Club Chapter 30: Reset! The Imprisoned Princess Dreams of Another Chance! Vol. 1

So I have a confession to make: I just received the memories of having lived through a bad future in which the world was destroyed, and the only way to prevent catastrophe is to cover a second light novel about a princess going back in time to avert a bad future! …okay, so I don’t have any such future memories (so don’t ask me about next week’s winning lottery numbers), but all the same, we have a nice light novel from Cross Infinite World here about that subject, so join me, Jeskai Angel, and Gaheret as we take a look at how a more selfless princess deals with the challenge of changing the future.

As a reminder, all Light Novel Club discussions are held publicly on the Beneath the Tangles Discord, and anyone can join in on these discussions! The next light novel volumes we will be discussing will be at the end of this post.

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1. What are your overall impressions on the novel?

Jeskai Angel: I like it (I mean, that’s kind of why I picked it for this month’s reading, LOL). Beyond that… I find it really difficult to talk about Reset! without making reference to LNC-favorite Tearmoon Empire. If I said “This story stars a princess who suffers tragedy, then goes back in time to when she was twelve years old, after which she attends a school for nobles, learns to ride a horse, strives to change the future, and has flashbacks to her first life (and there’s a major character nicknamed ‘Bel’),” you wouldn’t be able to tell which light novel I’m talking about. That said, Tearmoon Empire is awesome and saying “This reminds me of Tearmoon Empire,” is a compliment in my book.

Reset! also differs in several significant ways from Tearmoon Empire, and I think it’s necessary to talk about them to properly appreciate Reset!. First, there’s the straightforward, traditional medieval fantasy setting, which stands in contrast historical inspiration behind the setting, events, and characters of Tearmoon. On a related note, Reset! is explicitly fantasy, meaning it has magic, unlike Mia’s world. And this story has a somewhat more serious or dramatic tone compared to Mia’s extremely humorous adventures.

stardf29: So I definitely enjoyed this novel, and while there are similarities to Tearmoon Empire, I’m glad that there are also enough differences that it doesn’t read like just a slight variation of that story. So as for Reset, there’s obviously a major element of magic to the whole thing, giving it more of a fantasy story feel, and in particular there’s intrigue behind what actually happened at the end of the old timeline, before the, ahem, reset, and how the whole thing happened and how that might affect things later on in the story. Also, Bel is a wonderful protagonist, but I’ll get to that and the other characters in the obligatory “what do you think about the characters” question.

Gaheret: I liked the story. Though the setting felt less developed than, say, Tearmoon Empire, and as you mention there were less interesting characters with different backgrounds or agendas (Ed, Annabel, Charles, Daniel and their friends are all more or less people of similar upbringing and motives). I suspect that Karina may be a sorceress, which would fit with the odd, anti-strategic behavior of King Daniel, with the news of tribes using black magic in his kingdom, and with the fact that magical powers (or lack of them) have such an important role both in the status of Annabel’s kingdom and in her life. The romance was enjoyable, too. But what really did make the difference for me was Edoile’s sacrifice at the beginning defining her second life, protecting her from harm and giving her a chance. It was beautiful, and felt similar to how the life of a Christian feels, knowing that Christ has rescued us out of love. This is a sacrifice that can protect her from chains and beatings, even when Ed was beaten to death and chained with the anti-magic artifact, the sign of that love being the red stone that is, we are told, a part of the soul of its owner. I found that very compelling, even universal.

2. What do you think of the characters?

Annabel

Jeskai Angel: Annabel is surprisingly mature compared to Mia. I say “surprising” for a couple of reasons. First, Mia is technically older (having died at 20, versus Bel going back at 18). Second, before ending up in the dungeon, Mia actually saw quite a lot of the world. She witnessed the fall of her empire, participated in governmental duties, visited other countries, etc. On the other hand, although Bel’s family does seem to genuinely care about her, they were crazy overprotective in a way that seriously reduced her range of life experiences the first time around. I think many of Annabel’s more genuinely immature moments stem from how sheltered she was. On the other hand, a wonderful aspect of Bel as a character is her pseudo-immaturity: her deliberate efforts to be more childlike and have more fun. These aren’t moments of thoughtless indulgence, but a purposeful rejection of the borderline ascetic lifestyle of repressing any and all desires to which she adhered in her first life. Reset! is not just a time-travel-to-prevent-disaster story, it’s also time-travel-to-make-better-life-choices. Finally, I liked the Bel-tries-to-learn-magic subplot, with the way it addressed her feelings of inadequacy and showed her dogged perseverance in trying to do something long after others gave up on her ever doing it.

stardf29: Given how this story is directly from Annabel’s point of view (with no narrator to make snarky commentary about things), we have a very personal protagonist here, one whom we really get to know how she thinks. So it’s a good thing that she’s just a nice, likable girl all-around. She’s realized how sheltered she was and starts to question whether just following her expected role is what is best. All the same, she’s still overall a nice girl who is trying to make the most of her second chance at life.

While I don’t want to get too much into comparisons with Mia, there is one thing that caught my interest: how their periods of imprisonment seems to have affected them. In Mia’s case, it gave her a better appreciation for things she took for granted or considered to be beneath her. However, in Bel’s case, it felt to me like her imprisonment actually freed her to think outside of just following along with her parents, and instead pursue what she wants herself. In other words, while Mia’s imprisonment mollified her self-centeredness, Bel’s imprisonment actually increased her self-centeredness, albeit in a healthy way.

Gaheret: On the whole, I like her a lot. She is humble, grateful and determined. She works hard, both for Edoile and for her magic, and does not allow herself to live in resentment or hate. And I really empathized with her when she was jealous.

Edoile

stardf29: Ed is a great character and love interest for Bel. He’s got that “cool knight” aspect to him, but he’s not above a bit of playfulness, like trying to use a frog to kickstart Bel’s magic. It was definitely nice to get a bonus chapter from his perspective, and it’s amusing that the guy he’s most worried about… is himself, from a different timeline. (Definitely a twist on the whole “you vs. the guy she told you not to worry about” thing…) He’s obviously trying to make sense of his “duplicate” Magic Stone, and it does make me wonder if at some point, should Bel attempt to tell him about the past timeline, what his reaction would be.

It’s interesting that the differences in events in the current timeline has led Ed into going down a different path in life from the past timeline. Whereas before, he settled for being a knight and channeling his feelings for Bel to simply being her protector, now he wants to become a high-ranking court magician so he has the standing necessary to marry her. Perhaps he was inspired by Bel’s determination to break past what society expects a princess to do.

Jeskai Angel: Ed is the only character who really comes across as a distinctly different person in each timeline. Bel is the same person, and for most other characters we only get to know them in one timeline or the other. Whether it was romantic or not, there’s no question that OG Ed treated Annabel with loyal and self-sacrificial love. The presence of his magic stone, continuing to protect Bel even after the reset, regularly reminds us that OG Ed went to great lengths to protect her and is in some sense still influencing the story. I’m curious what he may have known that hasn’t been revealed (was he just bluffing when assured Bel that help was coming?). How is he connected to the reset, such that his magic stone went back in time with Bel?

And then there’s Reset Ed. He is the most vivid example of the timelines diverging, even apart from Bel’s influence (e.g., his mediocre sword skills in the new timeline vs. being a master swordsman in the original). I thought it was super cute watching how he starts falling for Bel, demonstrated through sweet moments like when he tries so hard help her learn magic, or just tries to improve as a swordsman to live up to her expectations.

Gaheret: Edoile was a very interesting character too. An ambitious, noble, self-sacrificing knight-in-the-making who has to become the kind of man he was in the other timeline. We know he has a brother, a good relationship with his brother’s bride, talent and ambitions, and admiration for the mage that established the kingdom in its present form (and married a princess). He is also a good friend for Charles, and it seems that King Daniel was jealous of him. His courtship of Annabel seems a risky move, and I thought he wouldn’t consent to it, but I’m happy he has chosen to go for it.

Bel’s parents

Jeskai Angel: Let’s talk about Bel’s parents, who are ironically one of the points she and Mia have in common. That is, they both have some terrible parents who dote on them but don’t actually raise them well. I am honestly kind of angry with Bel’s mom and dad. Who thinks it’s a good idea to keep a kid in the castle her entire life until the moment you ship her out to another country to get married?????? How is that not a self-evidently horrible idea?????? And don’t get me started on the whole secret-transporter-rooms-we-never-mentioned! What had they planned to do in Bel’s first life if they suddenly needed to flee and Bel happened to be in some part of castle where they couldn’t conveniently fetch her? Just leave her behind? It’s like they simultaneously distrusted her AND were obsessively protective toward her. It’s nice that they begrudgingly let her do stuff like go to school and ride horses when she pushed for it in her second life…but even in her second life you see the same impulse to shelter her. Look, I know they were upset when Bel ran off into town on her own, but was locking her in the castle for six months REALLY the best way to handle the situation? I’m surprised Bel turned out as well as she did with such a smothering, disturbingly overprotective family controlling her life. (I don’t really blame Charles because he’s probably just a kid obeying his parents’ instructions, not the one responsible for any of this.) So yeah, I think Bel’s family totally wronged her. They did so in a different way than Mia’s highly irresponsible parent(s?), but they still were bad parents..

stardf29: Oh boy, her parents confining her for half a year daring to get kidnapped… I mean, that’s basically victim-blaming, isn’t it? And yeah, their overall sheltering of her is just terrible. They don’t recognize Bel as a person with her own agency or desires; you could even say they outright were responsible for suppressing her agency and desires in the first place. They didn’t love her as a person, but as their “property” that they have attachment to but expect to do what they want her to do. And to think they were so scared of her possibly escaping that they didn’t even want to let her know about the emergency teleporters… Ed has a line about how “a bird that has flown the coop cannot be caged again”, and I think that really shows that the king and queen wanted Bel to be: a caged pet bird.

Gaheret: I didn’t perceive a mistreatment of Annabel by her family. I recall she saying that she had had a happy childhood at least twice, and their parents gave her presents, took into account her desires and dined with her everyday despite they being royalty. They also encouraged her to visit hospitals and do voluntary work for the wounded, at least while she was under punishment. And she seems fond of them, even if she is determined to take an active role and avoid being a doll this time. Being so sheltered may be reasonable in the world, which is quite grim. We are told that these countries depend on complicated strategies for their survival. All the male rulers or heirs, as well as the queen, are subject to constant threat of assassination, while a girl is a valuable asset for controlling the kingdom. Being married to one is said to be sufficient to legitimate any usurper, in the eyes of the people. Prostitution and human trafficking are also a danger. It is never clear what are the dangers of the Academy that Charles warns Annabel about, but every noble seems to be destined to some branch of the military, and knights are primarily bodyguards. When Annabel is sequestered, the guards offer the king their own lives, no less. I think this is a feature of the world. In that context, putting herself and others in danger by going out without protection and following two strangers in a street she knows to be dangerous seems serious enough to me to justify confinement in the castle. I also think Annabel thinks her punishment is justified.

I know frogs are commonly used for magic but not like this…

Other characters

Jeskai Angel: Compared to Tearmoon Empire, I thought Reset! had far fewer well-developed, interesting characters, choosing instead to focus overwhelmingly on Bel and Ed. Bel and Ed are great, but I don’t have much to say about most of the other characters. Of the secondary cast, my favorite was Charles. The teasing and goofiness, the protectiveness, the desire to impress his younger sibling… It all just came across as a fun, realistic big brother character. I also give Charles 2.0 bonus points for revealing the existence of the teleport pads to his sister, rather than clinging the over-the-top secretiveness of Bel’s family in the original timeline.

stardf29: Charles is a cool older brother. In contrast to his parents, he’s actually receptive to his sister doing what she wants, even while still having his protective side.

Gaheret: Charles was a good brother, loving and protective, but I don’t think Annabel and him are very close. There is only a year between them, but she never thinks of telling her about the future, nor that she likes Edoile. For his part, he doesn’t tell Annabel much about his ambitions, crushes or dreams. Annabel points out that Ed knows how to manage Charles, flattering him or calming him. He seems competitive, sometimes preoccupied with his standing in the class. I think Karina may court him, not Daniel, in this timeline.

We get a lot of mentions of the other friend of Charles, the noble with golden eyes who wins the tournament, and who is mentioned to be stronger than Edoile. I think the two will fight, at some point.

stardf29: While we don’t get any particularly deep characterization for Olphia and Claude, they’re a nice little side couple, with the added aspect of how we don’t know if they survived in the last timeline, so obviously Bel is motivated to keep them safe this time around. At the moment they just add a bit of extra sweetness to the story between them and their friendship with Bel, which I’m not going to complain about.

Gaheret: Concerning other characters, it surprised me when Claude and Oliphia work together to protect her from potential fortune-hunters in her class (or so it seemed to me). They maintain their budding romance from 12 to 15 and, we are told, even beyond, in the other timeline. Oliphia is the person with whom Annabel laughs, eats cake and visits the town, and who knows about her crush, too. Claude is a future diplomat, and we are told that the survival strategy of the kingdom depends on careful diplomacy. He also hands Annabel the book about Daniel’s magic laboratories. We’ll see.

stardf29: Finally, a bit about Daniel: as long as we’re comparing with other novels, I’ll bring up another Cross Infinite World title: Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends. In that one, the female protagonist was in a similar situation, in that she was engaged to a prince, but then another woman schemed to spread lies to get him to break up the engagement. In that novel, the prince had a serious inferiority complex, which is what allowed him to so easily doubt the protagonist’s loyalty and instead believe the lies of another woman. I can’t help but think something similar is going on here with Daniel. He seems to be wanting to bolster his country’s magical power, to make up for how it’s inferior to that of Najir, and while he might have genuinely fallen for Bel, at some point the worries of her not being able to use magic probably caught up with him, thus leading him to believe she’s cheating on him (something that Karina probably came up with) and thus causing everything to go downhill from there.

Jeskai Angel: So what’s going on with Daniel and Karina seems like one of the big mysteries of the story. Your scheming-woman-exploits-inferiority-complex theory has merit, but it’s still strange that Bel didn’t pick up any negative signals from beforehand. Like, in Fluffy Friends, the protagonist didn’t expect to get dumped, but she at least acknowledges after the fact that the prince was quite flawed and that it’s not entirely surprising that he could be manipulated into lashing out against her. So, was Daniel just a better actor, and he covered up his flaws / insecurities? Bel seems totally blindsided his betrayal, and at no point does she suggest there were any warning flags with Daniel.

I mention this because of the conflicting reports we’ve gotten about a character who hasn’t actually appeared “on screen” in any meaningful way: Karina. Based on the original timeline, she seems totally villainous. But in the reset world, Bel hears that Karina is supposedly a wonderful person. What’s up with that? The ambiguity surrounding what kind of person Karina is reflects back on Daniel: it’s harder to surmise how Karina may have influenced him when we don’t really have a strong reading on Karina herself.

stardf29: Yeah, Karina’s supposedly being a nice person in the current timeline is another interesting wrinkle. Obviously, there’s the possibility that something happened that turned her evil, which could make for an interesting future plot point in which Bel must recognize and try to stop something that corrupts her former enemies, like how a certain sage has to deal with certain serpents of chaos. But it’s definitely just speculation at this point.

Gaheret: Daniel and Karina. Daniel did everything right, treating Annabel well, reassuring her about her lack of magic, courting her… And one day, he insulted and punched her, conquered her kingdom, broke their engagement and put her in prison. It was literally the first sign that something was wrong. So, my thesis is that, rather than being insecure, he may be bewitched. His laboratory seems to be a novelty of this timeline. Well, this is mysterious. Concerning the cruelty and open hate of Karina, I think it can only be explained if either they had met in a forgotten timeline, or she hates her kingdom or her family for some reason. I think she is behind the black magic users, and that she is older than she looks.

3. What do you think of how the story uses the “turn back time to prevent disaster” trope? (Feel free to compare it to other stories that use this trope.)

Jeskai Angel: This question connects back to my comments on how Reset! differs from Tearmoon Empire. I think Reset! has more of a sense of mystery, especially with regard to the “prevent disaster” plot. Mia witnesses the fall of her empire, and thanks to Ludwig’s lectures, knows many of the reasons for that fall. But as Annabel herself realizes, she isn’t even absolutely certain that OG Ed died! She doesn’t see the fall of Najir or have any idea why her ex-fiancee turned against her. At one point, she lampshades how illogical it was, noting that even from a coldblooded realpolitik perspective, Daniel could have gained more from marrying her then murdering her than from just breaking off the engagement. The “prevent disaster” part of the trope becomes much more difficult when there’s so much Annabel still doesn’t know.

This is compounded by another difference between the two light novels. Every change in Mia’s second life (aside from her initial act of time travel itself) can be traced back to her own influence. Not so in Reset!. On multiple occasions, Annabel observes that her second life differs from the original timeline in ways that can’t reasonably be attributed to anything she did. This again complicates the “prevent disaster” goal by obscuring what Annabel needs to change.

I think this sense of mystery is one of Reset!‘s distinguishing features, something that sets it apart from many other “turn back time to prevent disaster” tales. Annabel’s gone back in time…but rather than her conflict focusing on how to change the timeline, so far she’s still just struggling to figure out what’s going on!

stardf29: So Jeskai has done a good job breaking much of this down, so now I have to find some other aspects to talk about…

I think one important element to these stories is how the “disaster” of the past timeline mentally affects the protagonist in their current life. In the case of Tearmoon Empire, Mia becomes more wary of death, and how her actions may lead to bad consequences; as mentioned before, she also becomes more patient and grateful, as her life in imprisonment gave her perspective of how bad life could get. As mentioned before, in Annabel’s case, she starts wanting more out of life herself, refusing to just blindly follow her expected roles. Both are interesting avenues of character development–certainly moreso than, say, just wanting to get revenge on those who caused the disaster.

Beyond that, adding to the mystery to all this is how the two timelines may actually be “connected”. At the very least, there’s Ed’s magic stone, an item from the past timeline that isn’t just a “hey, remember what happened” thing like Tearmoon’s diary. What role will that stone have in the future of the story… who knows.

Gaheret: A story of time travel is always, I think, a story about vocation or a tragedy. You may discover that things cannot be changed, or discover that you are called to change them. I think Annabel’s story works in that level: she was mostly passive, but now will be active. She wants to respond to Ed’s sacrifice by loving him. She may marry, not another king to keep the balance of the powers, but a genius that may change the game entirely. I’m definitively interested. What I find a little odd is that she doesn’t seem to think much about the future invasion, or of warning anyone, checking the defenses, understand what happened or why they were defeated… That was an aspect Tearmoon Empire handled well. I don’t need this story to be about that, but, were it me who knew my country will be invaded in five years, I don’t think I’d be able to focus on my daily life like that.

4. What do you think of the novel’s depiction of self-denial vs. acknowledging one’s desires / striving for a formal sense of perfection vs. having fun? (from Jeskai Angel)

Jeskai Angel: I mentioned it a bit before regarding Annabel as a character, but I think this is a really interesting aspect of the story. First, I was curious whether everyone agrees in seeing it as positively as I do. I can imagine a negative interpretation, but I don’t think the story is promoting rampant selfishness. Sacrifice and self-denial can be good and noble (as OG Ed demonstrates), but it’s not an end unto itself. Annabel in her first life sounds like someone who engaged in a kind of asceticism, ignoring her own wishes out of little more than a vague sense that that’s what people around her wanted. There was no specific purpose or higher meaning to the kind of self-denial she practiced. It brings to mind the apostle Paul’s condemnation of a sort of meaningless, arbitrary asceticism in Colossians 2:20-23.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

This way of life contrasts starkly with the love-based self-sacrifice we see demonstrated by Ed and also taught in the Bible. Whether it’s love for God or for our fellow man, the kind of “dying to self” the scriptures depict is all about love, not just a nebulous sense of duty.

Happily, Bel regrets and rejects this way of life, and makes better choices with her second chance. This is a theme that shows up in other stories, too. Bel’s efforts to enjoy her second life more than her first, to live without regrets, remind me a bit of recent posts stardf29 and Twwk have written regarding the positive “Don’t be a workaholic” message found in I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level. I think we could also find parallels in The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent!, another LNC favorite which stars a recovering workaholic using life in a new world to slow down and have more fun.

stardf29: So I kind of already answered this question when I talked about how Annabel’s imprisonment affected her in the current timeline. Going deeper into that, she felt that all her self-denial was basically meaningless. It’s interesting that you bring up Killing Slimes, as Azusa there ends up feeling a similar sense of regret over how she “sacrificed” her life for work before.

The point you made about how love was missing is key. For Azusa, when she found a life spending time with her new “family” and helping the village; for Sei, who saw how much her potions helped people and saved lives; even for someone like Mia, who realized that she’s more likely to end up happy if everyone is happy… they all found someone else to care for. And likewise, Annabel finds herself wanting to change a bad future, to protect her friends, family, and Ed.

Now, as for how doing stuff for fun fits into all this… it’s really not that much different, at least as far as the feeling that it’s ultimately meaningless to pursue “happiness” just for its own sake. Think Solomon in Ecclesiastes, or the prodigal son. But add in love and a greater perspective, such as Annabel wanting to enjoy her time with friends while making sure they survive, and “fun” might actually start to feel fulfilling.

Gaheret: Self-denial is certainly very important, more so in a king or leader, but as Jeskai notes, not for itself, but for the importance of the things you affirm with it. Loyalty is not against creative response, questioning, putting your own initiative there, disagreeing or even disobeying, when necessary. In fact, it is the opposite. Annabel thought that by letting herself be guided, not creating trouble and denying herself would help her family and kingdom, but it was not so. Now she will try the other way, and I think she will truly help.

5. Final thoughts?

Jeskai Angel: I’m glad to see Cross Infinite World releasing some excellent new licenses in the past year. No offense, but I felt like some of their earlier works were…well, let’s just say I could understand why none of the larger publishers had bothered to license them. But light novels such as Reset!, the aforementioned Fluffy Friends, and Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind are every bit as strong as what Yen, JNC, and 7Cs are putting out.

Gaheret: These days I’m watching HBO’s John Adams and reading about Lincoln, so it’s a lot of politics and family life, people trying to reach the difficult balance between pressing public issues and family life. Stories about kings and princesses have these two naturally intermingle. So despite what I said about the invasion and the world, I appreciated the fact that this was more of a family story where I could observe and appreciate without distraction the small interactions between Annabel, her parents, her brother, her friends. It has been a fun ride.

=====

If you read through all of our discussion, thank you! If you haven’t read the novel yet and want to, you can get it from Cross Infinite World.

The light novel we will be discussing starting later this month is Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol 2! Whether you had followed our discussion of the first volume, or are curious after having seen the anime, or simply want to read the story of a gamer trying to win at the game of life, this should be a nice change-of-pace from all the bad-future-preventing fantasy adventures. Our discussion starts on May 21st and will run for several weeks, so whether you have one or two volumes to read, there’s still plenty of time to join our Discord and our discussion!

If you want to get ready for the discussion after that, our following Light Novel Club discussion will be on The Faraway Paladin, Vol. 1! This is a fantasy story that is definitely quite different from the usual fantasy light novels, and with an anime adaptation coming this fall, it’s a great time to check out this title. Our discussion on that starts on June 23rd!

#Light Novels #Christianity #Reset! The Imprisoned Princess Dreams of Another Chance!#Torawareta Oujo wa Nido Shiawasena Yume o Miru #BtT Light Novel Club #Articles #Author: stardf29 #Author: Jeskai Angel #Author: Gaheret

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thetpot · 3 years

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I just read you 10 stories post and I never knew you wrote Once upon a play and inconveniences. For some reason I realy love Once Upon a Play since it is such a fun story! So I had a question, since I think that I can safely assume you won't finish any of your old work. How were all you old stories supposed to end? So inconvenieces, on the sands of time (which is also a good story but just never got that far), etc. And maybe even what happened with Aang and Zuko later in Once Upon a play, since being gay illegal was in the fire nation.

oh my god, i’m screaming that someone who read my old work found me. biting my fist and screaaaming.

first of all, i’m glad you enjoyed them :) all those stories have big (huge, gargantuan, unavoidable!!!) issues but writing them brought me joy too. once upon a play especially was such a shitshow lmaoo, i was hammering out like 4000 word chapters a day and then doing the whole shitty “comment for an update thing” in the a/n. ew lol, anway :)

yes, it’s safe to assume i’ll never finish them. maybe i’ll adapt the concept for once upon a play and revamp it with more of an understanding of how ember island players was imperialist propaganda rather than just a cutesy fun play. something like: what might it mean for certain earth kingdom political figures, who perhaps were doing better under the fire nation (currying the fire nation’s favour by weakening the earth kingdom’s infrastructure), to leverage something outrageous like a play claiming the scion of the fire nation and the last airbender are in an illicit affair, and use it to weaken specifically zuko’s position back home and threaten to destabilize the peace. something along those lines.

i also quite like on the sands of time, but i’m iffy now on divorcing the characters from the world of atla and dropping them in some ahistoric middle eastern setting. i’d have to think long and hard on what kind of cultural and religious influences i want to include and what i want to ignore. it’s unlikely but if i was to work on any of them again, i’d pick those two.

as for how they were going to finish (or at least what was planned next, because i did not used to entirely outline all my fics, i think that might be obvious on re-reading once upon a play especially lmaooo), some elements i wanted to explore in inconveniences was that toph and iroh had an existing friendship that aang and zuko didn't know about, big party at sokka and katara's house, shenanigans with jet at that party, zuko and jet finally ending their fling at some point. aang's central arc within that story was basically this (taken from an old zipped file in the depths of my google drive, i didn't even remember i had this anymore lol): aang is tired of the sheltered life has been forced to live under gyatso’s wing. dissatisfied with his life, he is convinced that the answer lies in the conventional teen life – in parties, girls and alcohol. almost everything he does throughout the course of the story is in an attempt to live life to the fullest, to find the key to making himself feel whole for the first time in his life. however, as the story progresses, aang realizes that the void in his life does not need alcohol or drugs or parties or girls to fill it. he realizes that the only thing lacking in his life may have been maturity on his part.

which is yaknow… some characterization? not sure how i feel about it now, but at least, it's something lol.

as for zuko, he comes to realize the full extent of his disillusionment from life and considers that aang may be the key to fixing it once and for all. as the story progresses, zuko tries to find with jet the connection he feels with aang but is disappointed when he realizes that jet is nothing like the person he imagined him to be.

even though jet initially appears to only be a conventional villain, he is later fleshed out as we see that zuko is his safe zone, the only person with whom he relaxes. this connection, however, is negated by the fact that jet constantly does things to sabotage his relationship with zuko.

the thing about jet is interesting because it's more nuance than i gave him within the story in the first 8 chapters. i'm not convinced how well i would have been able to execute those layers of his characterization but yaknow, i guess it's nice to know i wasn't just trying to demonize him? i can promise you that i had no intention 11 years ago of extending even an ounce of that same nuance to the female characters, sadly.

anyway, the story was intended to wind down with aang being really reckless with his freedom, gyatso returning and aang needing to reckon with the fact that his actions have consequences (probably something to do with accidentally outing zuko since he treated his relationship with jet with a lot of disregard in the story, as far as i remember), and aang needing to repair his relationship with gyatso once he returns.

i'm iffy on the characterization of aang, looking back, but i won't say much on it coz it's a characterization, i guess? just not the one i'd go for if i was writing aang today.

as for on the sands of time, the next phase of the story would have been zuko realizing that azula is hot on their heels and separating from the group, realizing he cannot best azula on his own and so deciding to play double-agent with azula and string her along long enough to allow aang a chance of survival. azula and zuko would then chase them to the edge of the desert and gyatso dies before he can tell aang he is the avatar. to escape azula (and zuko), aang ends up bending both water and air.

as per gyatso's instructions, aang, katara and sokka venture deeper into the desert and along the way run into suki and the kyoshi warriors (who guard the boundary deeper into the desert), jet and his pals (who guard a part of the desert with huge geoglyphs of animals in exchange for the spirits granting them reduced dependence on water and food) and also zuko as the blue spirit. as they progress through the desert, they are aided by two mysterious figures who seem to be aiding them (surprise, it’s zuko and azula because the ozai actually does want aang to end up at the spirit gathering, he just wants to engineer that arrival to exploit that spirit energy for... something?).

end of the story, zuko and azula finally catch up, big fight between azula, zuko, the gaang, the freedom fighters and the spirits, and zuko almost dies. aang goes into the avatar state for the first time. and apparently, according to my bizzare notes, that's the end of volume 1 (?!!!). i literally forgot until this very moment that it was supposed to be a multi-volume story (lmao what). basically volume 1 was supposed to build this attraction between zuko and aang which comes to a head at the end of volume 1, when aang's distress at seeing zuko hurt activates the avatar state, and zuko nearly gets aang killed by revealing his hand to azula.

and then there's volume 2 (?! i still can't get over 12 year old me's ambition lmao). after the gaang and zuko flee from azula, both he and aang acknowledge their feelings for one another but iroh back in the white lotus is well aware that zuko is endangering the avatar because of his feelings and assigns someone else to protect the gaang. zuko leaves without telling aang, but instead of recalling zuko back to the city where iroh is, he makes zuko stay in the same city where aang is. aang tracks him down and they run into each other constantly while aang masters earthbending, and tension builds between zuko and aang as they resist their feelings for one another. the major conflict of this volume is when iroh tries to assign someone else as aang's firebending teacher. shenanigans ensue, tension galore. meanwhile, azula moves in to attack the city and once again, zuko and the gaang run (definitely sensing some repetition here lmao).

and then i never outlined volume 3 because i was a moron - an adorably ambitious one, but alas, one lacking the discipline to write what i think was supposed to be a 150k+ saga (?!).

as for what comes after once upon a play, i can promise you i barely thought about what was going to happen next in that story, much less what would happen after it.

anywho, i hope that answers your question :). it was nice to pull out my decade old notebook and realize i still had all these notes squirreled away somewhere lol.

#asks #thanks for the ask anon #looking back now it's very galling to see how i depicted specifically katara and the misogyny and racism inherent in that depiction #not to mention the rampant homophobia in my actual depictions of zuko and aang #not gonna tag this with any ships just to be on the safe side #as joyful as the experience of writing them was #i still feel a distinct dread in revisiting those fics and especially mentioning them on this tumblr #just because of how huge my blind spots were in my own biases #it just reminds me that if i didn't see those blind spots back then #i could still be missing huge things today #it's a hell of a thing

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chloe2037 · 6 years

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Prune Magazine: Chloe Lukasiak

I had a standing date every Tuesday night to watch Chloe Lukasiak on Dance Moms with my own mom back when the show aired. Now, the 16 year old platinum blonde has not only achieved international stardom for her captivating dancing routines, but has also cultivated a loyal following that supports her in all other ventures outside of her rond de jambes. Chloe has grown volumes since America first fell in love with her after watching her breathtaking performances on ABC’s Dance Moms. With personal endeavors independent of her lyrical performances ranging from her first book: “Girl on Pointe: Chloe’s Guide to Taking on the World” (released January 23rd) to roles in A Cowgirl’s Story and Loophole, as well as modeling, she has proven to be a true one woman show.

People all over the world gravitate to Chloe’s charismatic personality which is clearly conveyed when seeing her millions of followers across all major social media platforms. If you don’t believe me, head over to her Instagram for an aesthetically pleasing snack that I am guilty of devouring on the regular; I only wish she tagged her ‘grammable locations in hopes that we too could attempt to make our own Instagrams that alluring. As one of Chloe’s over 1.4 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, I can now fully navigate my way around her room in Pittsburgh as well as her L.A. apartment while also retaining essential tips on how to destress and pack my next carry-on bag. My obsession with her crisp elegant all white room decor leaves me wondering if there’s some kind of application process I could go through to move in; Okay, probably not, but at least an invite to a slumber party in her sleepover room? I’ll bring the snacks Clo!

Chloe is currently promoting her very first book, “Girl on Pointe: A Girl’s Guide to Taking on the World”, and will be traveling to four major cities to do a book signing starting on this Tuesday, the 23rd, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Her book tour ends on the 27th in Los Angeles at the Grove, however, her book will be available for purchase at all major book retailers if you are not geographically fortunate enough to buy it at one of her book tour locations. So if you thought Chloe Lukasiak was only a dancer that had to face the unforgivable wrath of Abby Lee all too often, grab a copy of her inspiring biography on the way to your next Instagram shoot location and read about her ambitious life first hand.

PRUNE: First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your first book: “Girl on Pointe: Chloe’s Guide to Taking on the World”. This is a big step for you and I think it’s great that you can share your story and insight with young girls who view you as their role model. If you could go back in time and give your younger self this book to read, what age would you have given it to yourself? Do you think reading it at a younger age would have made your career different than it is today, and what are the key points you would have taken away from the book back then?

CHLOE: Thank you so much. Yes, it is great. I hope they enjoy the book. I would have to say 12 because I think I really could have used a book like this. Possibly, yes. At that time, my confidence was really nowhere to be found and I didn’t really believe in myself like one should.

PRUNE: One reason why I think people love you so much is that you and your mom have the iconic mom and daughter duo relationship that makes a big part of your lifestyle easy to relate to. Tell us about some of the crazy adventures you and your mom have had while traveling and working in this industry.

CHLOE: My mom and I have had lots of crazy adventures together but I think the best one is reconnecting through my teen years. We are obviously incredibly close but, of course, being a teenager means you have lots of mood swings and you’re mom isn’t always your favorite. We still fight but I feel like we worked through the hardest part of transitioning into the teen years. There was a brief period where we weren’t as close as we were before and now, I think we are closer than ever.

PRUNE: Seeing how dancing has made you into a graceful and determined young lady, do you think you will encourage your children to enter the world of dance as well?

CHLOE: Oh gosh, I feel like I’m still a child! No children yet! Lol but possibly. I’ve had lots of opportunities to observe different dynamics between parents and children and I’ve come to realize that something that will be very important for me as a parent will be to let them pursue whatever they want, while still encouraging to try something at least.

PRUNE: Your Instagram in popping! I feel personally connected to you as it showcases the genuine Chloe and is not a constant highlight reel. Give us some advice as to how you pose in front of scenic backgrounds to take these eye catching photos.

CHLOE: Thank you! You really just have to learn your own angle and lighting. It took me a while but find a few poses that are comfortable for you and find your angles.

PRUNE: You spoke at one of the Hello Neighbor events, a Pittsburgh organization that puts on events to help refugee families integrate more into their new communities and mentor them for their new lives. How has this newly founded local organization further fueled your drive for world peace?

CHLOE: Absolutely. I met wonderful people while attending the event and it certainly inspired me to work harder and do more good things.

PRUNE: If you could dance with anyone you wanted, dead or alive, who would it be and what song would you dance with them to?

CHLOE: My sister! I want to do a duet but she told me she needs a few more years lol. We would probably dance to a song by Florence and the Machine because we both love their songs.

PRUNE: I know you have quite the shoe collection, what is your favorite pair at the moment? If you had to live the rest of your life in one pair of shoes (can be a pair that you don’t own or aren’t invented) what pair would you choose?

CHLOE: My favorite pair at the moment is my thigh high Stuart Weitzman black boots. Oh, that’s tough. I’m such a sneaker AND heel girl that it would be hard to choose.

PRUNE: How many different playlists do you have on your phone? Tell us the one you listen to the most and list some of the songs we would find in there.

CHLOE: I have about 8 playlists on my phone. I actually don’t listen to one more than others. I have them all for different reasons so I use all of them frequently. For example, one is called sleep and I turn it on when I’m traveling and want to sleep but also want to listen to music.

PRUNE: You are very close with your sister Clara who also has her own YouTube channel, Clara’s World. Has creating YouTube videos with her become one of your favorite sisterly bonding activities?

CHLOE: It certainly is one of them! I absolutely adore my little sister and I think she is one of the best people in the world. We try to spend lots of time together when I am home.

PRUNE: I love that you are so well rounded and have a foot in many different doors in the entertainment industry, are there any things that you aspire to do but haven’t been able to tap into yet?

CHLOE: Not at the moment! I eventually want to try screenwriting or directing or producing but right now, with having just published a book and continuing to act, I am very happy in my bubble.

PRUNE: You have such amazing glowing skin. What are your go to beauty products for skin care as well as some staples we might find in your cosmetics bag?

CHLOE: Thank you! Taking care of my skin is important to me because I’m always traveling and wearing lots of makeup. I use so many different face masks but the one I use the most is from Biologique rechere.

PRUNE: What item do you tend to gravitate towards when you’re out shopping for new wardrobe pieces?

CHLOE: I always end up in the shoe department when I’m shopping for clothes. It’s an issue lol.

PRUNE: If you could trade closets with any other celebrity who would be it and why?

CHLOE: Blake Lively for sure. I’m obsessed with her style.

#chloe lukasiak #prune magazine #interview #250118

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