#they could b the Cheshire cat or the mad hatter or they could also b the caterpillar

[ruiineedsfood]

Ruii's twts OC dump (will be updated)

So in order from top left

Yona Stone

Note : ignore how badly drawn the wheelchair is because i haven't made an updated rendered version hshsh

She's inspired by medusa in greek mythology, I know she appeared like 5 seconds in the disney movie, but like how can i not put such an iconic character??? also, medusa is quite villainy in the mythos, so i feel like it fits the twst theme yknow.

Nickname : Yona , Yonyon

Grade/class : 2-B

Club : Honestly, idk maybe board game or magift

Birthday : she's giving leo vibes idk what exactly but leo 100%

Homeland : Shaftlands in the big city area

Favorite subjects : Alchemy and Defense magic

Hobby : darts, swimming(used to be)

Talent : Good eye in fashion

Favorite food : seafood

Least favorite : beef

Bellaire Witcher

So her inspiration is basically a mix of the cheshire cat and mad hatter. she's a tortured artist, so not exactly based on a disney character i just find it fun to make a very wild and artistic character. now i don't know if i should keep her clover design maybe I'll change it because i gave her a clover bcs i thought it looked cute lmao.

Ruth Burn

I just wanted a fox oc lmao. I thought omg twst doesn't have foxes, and then fellow popped up, and I'm like, welp. So personality wise, Ruth is a very responsible person, but she has a cheeky side that is kinda like ruggie in a way. Her motivations are more social rather than self-preservation like ruggie. i didn't really base her on any character from disney i just knew i didn't want her to be text book cheeky fox character, wanted her to be more of like a normal teen with bits of fox like slyness in her.

Mielin Schoerin and Mimi Schoerin

They're kinda inspired by the twin cats in lady and the tramp. The first two that i designed, actually.

Mielin (dark hair) is the oldest between the two, and she's the most developed character in the cast because i just fell in love with her LMAO. Mielin's name came from a part of a cell in the nerve system cmiiw, so its main job is to protect, and i was like, hell yeah, that name sounds cool. So she's the more mellow twin takes things more seriously than her sister. She's usually seen to be very uptight and awkward by the other students but that's mostly because she's just quite dense with her surroundings. funfact but i like to imagine she's the girl crush of campus bcs i want to give her so much love shhshsb

Mimi (blondie) is the younger one, and i like to think she's the more energetic of the two, but she is more analytical than mielin. Mimi has this aura of being more laid back of the two, but she has the sense of being all knowing of things. kinda like floyd but not as wacky as floyd.

Naima / Zahra (can't decide but im leaning towards Naima)

Honestly, she's my fav design, but i have no clue on her background yet. I'm leaning towards her being a passionate dancer whose roots are from traditional dances from her culture, or i could go the other route of her being an ex athlete or ex idol. since the story i want to tell through her is to be her own self and come to terms with her choices because, like, what if our choices are just not right for us? Im trying to make her into a character that isn't similar to the existing cast in twst, idk im finding myself making her into a jamil 2.0 and im putting more thought into her to not be like that. the disney movie doesn't really have a character that i want to adopt to be her so im still thinking about it.

Melissa (Mel)

so diasomnia's book is still ongoing, i dont have any fixed plans for her involvement with the existing cast yet. but my plan is to make her a race of beings opposite to faes in a sense, since her magic doesn't come from her but the magic of others around her. so, like sucking the life out of them and repurposing it to be her own type of thing. Malleus finds her abandoned in the forest as a young kid with all the magic in the surrounding area gone. She gets adopted, but lilia refuses because she can be dangerous with her inate powers that can weaken malleus and endanger silver since in my head, they found her after lilia took in silver. so they came to an agreement to take care of mel with the condition she stays away from silver and malleus before learning to control her powers. Now, what makes mel okay with this treatment in her head is because she remembers everything from her birth and how her mother abandoned her and stuff so she feels like its normal and devotes herself to Malleus as a guard as a sense of gratitude for letting a monster like her in. Her arc is realizing that she's not a monster that she was made to believe. Instead, she was a neglected kid who wasn't taught properly. Honestly, i just feel really sad about her, and initially, i want her to explore lilia's character since he's one of my favorites but after concocting this i just want to give mel a hug.

Also, her OB-ing would be cool

#twst oc #twst oc lore #twisted wonderland #ruii babies

[twistedtummies2]

Artists in Wonderland - Number 4

Welcome to Artists in Wonderland! Running till the 4th of July, I’m counting down My Top 10 Favorite Illustrators for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!” The Lewis Carroll stories of Alice are as immortal as they are odd, and many great artists have handled them in different ways. This countdown will pay homage to just a few of them. Our 4th Place illustrator will definitely get some attention. Today’s artist is none other than Lewis Carroll himself!

Now, some of you are probably confused by this: Lewis Carroll was the writer of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” not the illustrator, after all. Well, to explain this one, I need do a bit of history-diving, because this is a special sort of deal.

Here’s the short version of things: Lewis Carroll’s real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He worked as a mathematics instructor at Christ Church College, and was ordained as a reverend. For a time, Dodgson was friends with the Dean of the college, Henry Liddell, and became a frequent playmate of three of his daughters: Edith, Lorina…and Alice. On July 4th, 1862, Carroll brought the girls on a boating trip - alongside a friend of his, Robinson Duckworth - and, to keep them entertained, told them a story he called “Alice’s Adventures Underground,” about a little girl called Alice who followed a White Rabbit into a magical land of madness and mischief. Alice was enamored with the story of “her” adventures, and begged Dodgson to write them down. So, Dodgson - with as much of the memory as he could muster - decided to do just that. This is where the illustrations come in: Dodgson decided to give Alice a Christmas gift in the form of a fully bound and illustrated hand-crafted manuscript for “Alice’s Adventures Underground.” However, Carroll didn’t consider himself much of an artist, so he did extensive research on various subjects before beginning work on his hand-drawn sketches for the story. He managed to complete work on the manuscript in time, presented it to Alice Liddell…and that was where history REALLY began to change. It should be noted that I was actually hesitant to include Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures Underground” because I was not sure if it would go against my own rules. You see, the manuscript - which was eventually found and then published itself in a couple of editions - differs from the final text in several ways. The chapters “Pig and Pepper” and “A Mad Tea Party” are nonexistent, and the characters present in them, therefore, never pop up at all. (So no Cheshire Cat and no Mad Hatter, for instance.) The poems are slightly different, and a few details are a little different, too. For instance, instead of carrying a fan and gloves in the Hall of Doors, the Rabbit is shown carrying a nosegay; it’s by smelling the flowers that Alice shrinks down. (I guess this means the Rabbit had a thing for the Queen in the original manuscript? That’s…not pleasant to think about…) However, I decided that a.) this was too historically significant to completely ignore, and b.) it’s the author’s own work, writing-wise, so I guess it might as well be included. Carroll may not have considered himself much of an artist, and truth be told, his drawings are somewhat crude compared to later interpretations. However, they are fascinating because they give us a look into the mind of the creator, and his own imaginings for what these characters were supposed to look and behave like. There’s a sense of chaos and irreverent wildness to Carroll’s original drawings, rather than the more detailed and grotesque imagery Tenniel would conjure up in the final print. Carroll’s imaginings are always bizarre, and at times a bit scary, but they’re also highly inventive. Optical illusions and a sense of real motion litter these illustrations, as the characters so often seem to bounce off the walls. I will confess that I’m not sure how successful “Alice” would have been if this was the rendition we got, but it’s still worth checking out if you’re a fan, and his interpretations are just as strong as those of many other artists. As I said, “Alice’s Adventures Underground” HAS been reprinted and published in years since, and while it’s not as easy to get hold of as the actual “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” it’s not TOO hard to find, either. If you’re curious about how Alice began, it’s worth looking up. Fun fact, these illustrations have actually been given life onscreen a couple times! Most notably, for the 1960s TV Play version of “Alice in Wonderland,” directed by Jonathan Miller, Carroll’s illustrations for “Underground” were used to create an elaborate end credits sequence. So if you ever want to see them, but don’t want to buy the book, you can find a lot of them there. :P

Come back down the rabbit hole tomorrow as we move into the Top 3! Don’t be late! ;)

#countdown #list #favorites #best #top 10 #number 4 #artists in wonderland #4th of july specials #alice in wonderland #alice's adventures in wonderland #alice's adventures underground #lewis carroll #charles dodgson #literature #art #artists #illustration #illustrators

[la-appel-du-vide]

10•16•23 - Halloween Party 🍄🐇🫖

Group Halloween costumes have become my new favorite thing, basically since we did the Powderpuff girls years ago. There's just something magical about each person taking one character and going all out, and then coming together to see the whole thing complete!

This year's theme was Alice in Wonderland. I was Alice, Kena was the Cheshire Cat, Glen was the Mad Hatter, Beach was the Queen of Hearts, and B and Jason were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - and honestly? We killed it. We drove up Farmington Canyon until we found a good photo spot, and I also just love how the photos turned out. B and Jason were killing me the whole time, and Glen was literally made to play the Mad Hatter. So these turned out just perfectly.

After photos, we went back to our house for the rest of the annual Halloween party! We had Cafe Rio while we watched part of the Alice in Wonderland cartoon (since only me and Kena have actually seen it - how???). Then it was time for games!

Jason did his game first since he had to get going to the airport to catch a flight for work, and he did Halloween bingo! Glen won the $25 Chipotle gift card, even though me and B were so close the ENTIRE time. Very cute and fun. Then Beach did her game, which was rolling a can down my table, and winning the prize of whatever square you land in. B won me the Starbucks gift card, so he's my champion. I won a bag of candy and a light-up skull necklace. B also got a bag of candy, a ghost candle holder, and some glowsticks. Glen won a pumpkin gut scoop, Jason won a Chick-fil-A gift card, and Kena won a decorative Trick or Treat sign. It was a super fun game, and we all were trying so hard to land on the things we wanted most!

I went next, and my game was Pong with the grossest Halloween candy available. I put out 10 cups each, and filled them with things like black licorice, Good and Plenty, 90% cocoa dark chocolate, Mounds, Dots, orange sticks, Reese's (for Kena), cinnamon bears, Whoppers, candy corn and candy pumpkins, and Raisinets. Jason had left, so the girls had 30 cups, and the boys had 20. Then we just took turns bouncing our ping pong balls, and if you land in an opponents' cup, they have to eat what's inside. This was BRUTAL. I thought it would be fun to make people suffer, but I ended up suffering myself so much hahah. The black licorice was among the most disgusting things I've ever tried. I could NOT do it. I had two mini sticks in my cup, and could only manage to swallow half of the first one. Beach had to take one for the team and eat the rest, and she also struggled. She was trying everything from coating them in peanut butter, to shoving other candies in her mouth along with it, just to get it down. Good and Plenty were equally disgusting, since they're black licorice flavored. I ended up swallowing both mine and Beach's like Tylenol, because I could not get myself to chew them. The dark chocolate was another one I had to tap out on, and make Kena and Beach eat, because it was so sour and bitter. I also basically gave up when I got the orange sticks - one bite and I almost threw up in the garbage can. The annoying thing was that the boys, especially Glen, were unphased by eating anything out on the table. So really, jokes on us. I eventually had to start having Glen eat some of ours, in exchange for putting more cups up on their side (just empty ones, so they had longer to win). In the end, the girls got all of the boys' cups down first, but they did have less cups than us, and we also failed to eat everything we were supposed to eat. So really, they win hahah. Everyone was mad at me, and it's a game we'll never forget, and also never play again. I needed to put less candy in each cup - it was too much!

Then we played Kena's game, which was to throw sticky spiders at a target to earn points. B ended up with the win, after a bonus round where we could bet points - high risk, high reward. Glen was next, and he did an inflatable bowling game. The ball was a pumpkin, and the pins were candy corns. The ball was not heavy enough to effectively knock the pins down, so once again, B won - but with a total of four pins over three frames. It was hard, but very cute!

Finally, we ended with B's activity, and I'm so proud of him for it because it was so cute. He did the trend of painting ghosts in thrifted/vintage paintings! He got everyone a framed canvas painting of some kind of landscape, and then let each person paint over it - ghosts, bats, pumpkins.. whatever. Just make it spooky. It was so fun! I wish I was a better artist, but I'm still pleased with how they turned out. Everyone did a great job, and it was the perfect way to wind down.

Happy Halloween! Stay curious! (;

[doodlboy]

Mornin (?)

#me at 4am: call me by your name- 🎶 #its a vibe #anyway hello #i have 1 thing to post but also i have a dumb thought i wanna talk abt #my dumb ass is on an alice and wonderland train rn and i was like- what if??? oc au??? #so im trying to figure out who would b who #specs=alice?? probably?? #beau could b the caterpillar that could b interested #cas tho- cas fits too many roles #they could b the Cheshire cat or the mad hatter or they could also b the caterpillar #like- i dunno which one fits #i also just dont have enough ocs to fill all the characters so there's that too #skdjdk #pedigree rambles

[stay-tinystars]

The Storyteller

Ship: non idol Yunho x fem OC (Mia)

Mostly fluff, slight angst bookstore au. ---Word count: 9.1k. ---Warnings: mentions of cheating (not main pairing), one mention of sex (non explicit), self doubt, depression, unsure of other warnings. ---- A/N: due to the lovely 250 word block limit these paragraphs run on, and for that I am sorry. I am posting this in Honor of Yunho's birthday. Though it's slightly late.

This year the summer seemed warmer than usual. Yunho noticed more heat coming through his apartment window as he worked. Writing and composing songs as he overlooked the city. He was in a rut with writing, they had asked him to write another love song. How could he write about something that broke him last year? How could he write about something that seemed so far out of reach. All his experiences with love he'd already written, and at this point he felt like if he wrote another song about his ex, he might scream. The blinking cursor on the blank screen of his laptop seemed to mock him. He got up and decided to call his brother, maybe he could help him with some ideas. "So, I got a promotion,and part of that promotion is I get to go on a cruise with the CEO and other leaders in the company." His brother said excitedly over the phone, as Yunho paced the floor in his living room.

"That's awesome," Yunho responded, maybe he shouldn't have asked his brother how work was going.

"Problem is, it's only a cruise for two, and it would help me get to know the higher ups better," his brother continued. Yunho's stomach sank, as his brother started to ramble.

"Why do I feel this means I need to watch the twins." Yunho sighed as he opened the door to his small balcony, stepping outside.

"Yunho, it would be the biggest help if you could watch them. It's only for a week, and being as you work from home, I was hoping you could just reconvene to my house for the week. We will buy all the food for the three of you. If you do this I'll also buy your groceries for the next month!" How could he say no to that. His brother had been working so hard and diligently for years. Two 6 year olds shouldn't be too hard right?

Yunho had never been so wrong. Was free food worth this? The twins were driving him crazy. Never a second of rest, and they always wanted to play, eat, or do something that meant Yunho couldn't focus at all. He hadn't gotten anything done for work in three days. He needed a break. How his brother and wife cared for these two tornadoes 24/7 was bewildering. After the twins came back in from playing in the backyard complaining that Yunho didn't do anything with them, Yunho wanted to scream. As a last resort he searched online for something to do with kids. He found a small ad on social media from a nearby bookstore, something called, 'Story time adventures' that happens every Thursday during the summer at 1pm. Recommended age was 4-10, and it was free. He sighed in relief, today was Thursday, and he could have a small break. Maybe he would get just a few minutes of peace while the twins attended. Yunho packed up the kids, and promised to go to the park after the story time, if they behaved. The twins eagerly obliged. Once they arrived at the bookstore he saw a small area set up near the back of the store, with a bean bag chair and lots of small pillows placed on the floor in front of it, a few children already sat on some of the pillows. He urged Kai, and Nami to go join, with a small nudge. Yunho took a deep breath, feeling a small sense of relief as he started to let the atmosphere of the small store put him at ease.  As he started to browse, he found himself in the fantasy section he picked a book and started to read the insert, it didn't seem interesting to him, so he placed it back upon the shelf. As he continued to wander around the store he could hear the children giggling as someone read. He turned down another isle, and could hear her voice.

"Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

Yunho was enthralled. The storyteller's voice timbre changing slightly with every character. Her narration voice was calming. He found himself looking around the shelfs towards where the story time was happening. That's when he first saw her. She looked small in the bean bag. Her white jeans, and powder blue blouse, made her match the character of Alice. A white plush rabbit sat next to her on the bean bag. A children's picture book of Alice in Wonderland was in her hands as she read so the children could see the pictures. Only after someone cleared their throat did Yunho realize he was currently blocking the main aisle way. He quietly bowed and muttered an apology and moved off to the side.  She looked so at ease around the 15 or so children who sat in front of her. Each one clinging onto her every word. Her eyes sparkled as she read about the tea party, her mischievous grin matched that of the Cheshire cat as he disappeared. She made the whole bookstore become Wonderland. As she read and placed Alice back into her rightful world, Yunho found himself leaning on the bookshelf behind her. Admiring her attention to the little details. She had a small top hat clipped in her hair, a blue butterfly sat atop. Her earrings were pocket watches. 

"Now how did you all enjoy Wonderland?" Her natural voice was joyful, still drawing him in. He listened to the discussion about the book she had with the children. Some asked about if food could really make you grow, others commenting on the mad hatter.

"How did you do so many voices?" Kai asked, obviously intrigued. She laughed. If Yunho could describe the sound he would, but he couldn't pinpoint any words, it just sounded happy to him.

"I like to make sure every character has their own personality, it makes reading even more fun!" She responded, and clasped her hands together. 

"Ok, unfortunately that's all the time for today." Her words were met with groans. "I hope you all come next week, we are going to Neverland!" Her smile widened as she lifted a children's picture book of Peter Pan.

Yunho shook his head bringing him back to reality. He wanted to return next week. Kai and Nami ran towards him. "We were good, can we go to the park now?" Nami pleaded, as she tugged on his hand.

"Of course, I might even treat you guys to ice cream" Yunho smiled, as the twins cheered.

----

Yunho found himself daydreaming about the story teller. The way she made the story come alive, made him want to go back, and listen to her again. But now that his brother was back home, which he was grateful for, he couldn't go. Or could he?

"Hey, so I was hoping to take the twins tomorrow for a few hours around lunch" he heard his brother choke on air through the phone, as he sat on a chair on his small balcony.

"I thought you couldn't be happier to be rid of them. Isn't that what you said on Sunday?" His brother's voice bewildered.

"I've had a change of heart." Yunho leaned back putting his feet up on the small metal table. 

"Yunho, you aren't trying to pick up single mothers at the park are you?" His brother's voice teased

"No, why would I do that?"

"It's the only explanation for you actually wanting to watch them. After being stuck with them for a week. I know what little monsters they can be."

"No, I just thought they might enjoy going to story time again." Yunho's voice faded as he played with the hem of his shirt.

"Oh so you're wanting to see the storyteller again? Hmm?? The kids said they enjoyed that, and that you gave them ice cream afterwards." Yunho could hear the teasing tone continue,  as his brother spoke.

"Why do you always have to bug me about seeing someone new? Can't I just enjoy the stories with the kids."

"Well you can, but I know you're not going for the stories. You're going because you want a girlfriend."

Yunho wanted to retort his brother's statement, but he knew it would just lead to more teasing. "Look, can I just take the kids to story time tomorrow?" He sighed.

"If you end up meeting someone, that means my children make great wingmen!"

"You're so weird"

"You're the one wanting to borrow my children"

----

He knew nothing about her, but her voice haunted his dreams, both awake and asleep. His only thought was to try to find a seat in the small book shop to listen to her. He got there early, and sent Kai and Nami to sit, as he found a seat off to the side, grabbing a book and pretending to read. Yunho laughed as he noticed Kai taking the front center pillow, his sister following suit, Kai was just as intrigued as he was. He watched as other children filed in, their parents starting to browse the store. Suddenly a sound of tinkling bells came from the aisle next to Yunho. He watched as she appeared, dressed in a Peter pan inspired outfit, green jeans a matching top tucked in, she even had a Peter pan hat complete with feather. Her phone making the sounds.

"Are you guys ready to go to Neverland? Does anyone know how to get there?" She inquired as she approached the bean bag.

"Second star to the right!" Nami practically screamed. Her response was met with laughter from around the store.

"That's right, and straight on til morning! Now all we need is pixie dust, and happy thoughts then away we go!" She reached into her pocket withdrawing a hand full of tiny shimmering clear glitter. She tossed it, sprinkling it over the children, who giggled in response. He watched as she sat on the beanbag, lifted the book.

"Peter Pan" she started, as she opened the book. Yunho never opened the book he had grabbed, he listened, being sucked into the story as much as the children. She even crowed like Peter, while reenacting the fight between Peter and Hook with one hand as she read the story from the bean bag. She was having just as much fun doing this, as the kids were. He rode the back of the wind with the children, until the storyteller placed Wendy, John and Michael back in London. He had to get to know her, at least her name. The discussion time for the book started and ended quicker than Yunho wanted, he hadn't caught what book she was doing next week, nor any of the questions asked. He was caught up in his head. He usually had such confidence with these situations, but he didn't know how to approach this talented young woman. It had been a while since he tried dating. Luckily for him Kai wouldn't leave the poor girl alone, he was talking her ear off. As Yunho approached, he heard Kai asking every question that popped into his head.

"What's your favorite color" Kai's voice excitedly said.

"Purple" she laughed, Kai looked between the storyteller and his uncle and smirked.

"When was the last date you went on?" Kai's smirk grew, along with Yunho's eyes. What had gotten into this kid?

"Umm, I haven't been on a date in a while" she responded looking at the young boy with a raised eyebrow.

"So you don't have a boyfriend?" Kai asked.

"No Kai, I don't have a boyfriend" she chuckled, placing her hands on her hips.

"Can I be your boyfriend?" The 6 year old asked, looking up at her with big eyes. She smiled warmly, and softly shook her head.

"I'm sorry Kai, but you are far too young to be my boyfriend. You are sweet for asking." She tried to let the kid down easy.

"What about my uncle Yunho?" Kai grabbed his uncle's shirt. Yunho's ears turned red as he looked bewildered at his nephew.

"Well, I will have to see," she laughed, as she looked at the tall panicked man.

"He's been lonely since his girlfriend left last year," Nami added as she grabbed onto Yunho's pant leg. What had he gotten himself into? Yunho wanted to hide.

"Well that wasn't very nice of her was it." She responded, looking between the two twins. Then looking at Yunho. "Kids say the darndest things" she held back her laughter as best as possible. "I'm Mia" she extended her hand.

"Yunho" he shook it, and did a small bow. She smiled warmly.

"Well these two are sweet. It's nice of you to bring them."

"He asked to bring us today, so he could hear another story." Kai smiled mischievously. The kid definitely took after his father. Yunho wished he was anywhere but here.

"Is that so?" Her eyes twinkled as she lifted her eyebrow at Yunho and winked.

"Yeah he called dad last night." Nami added, excitedly. Yunho wished he could disappear, like the cat from last week's story.

"So Uncle Yunho, are you employing kids to be your wingmen?" Her eyes full of mischief, as she smirked, he was sure his face was redder than a tomato.

"I, uh, I swear it's not what it seems. I just, uh, like your stories" he mentally slapped himself, though his panicked response made her laugh.

"Well, that's a shame because you're kind of cute." She joked, winked again, then walked away towards the front of the store. Yunho watched her for a moment, shocked at her bold statement.

"Wait, Mia! " he said following her, grabbing each of the twins hands in his.

"How can I help you," she smiled, as she went behind the counter.

"Wait, you work here?" Yunho questioned. She laughed again.

"What did you think I was doing here?" her response floating along her slight laughter.

"Well I thought you only came to read to the kids. I truthfully thought you were a voice actress." his voice faded as he looked at the counter, setting his hands on top of it.

"Well that would be an interesting career. I actually pitched the summer storytime idea. I read a book to a little kid to help calm him down after he lost his mom at the spring festival earlier this year. By the time I finished reading I had a group around me." she smiled as she stared at Yunho's hands resting on the counter. "I've always enjoyed books, so if I can help kids enjoy the stories, and start reading themselves I want to do it."

Yunho felt his heart soften. This young woman in front of him seemed to have a heart of gold. He barely knew her, but he wanted to get to know her better. He just wasn't sure if he had the courage to ask her out quite yet. His heart still fragile from its harsh break last year.

"Miss Mia" Nami peeked her head over the counter.

"Yes, Nami" Mia leaned on the counter making eye contact with the small girl.

"Will you come to the park with us?" The little girl asked. Mia laughed softly.

"Well, I still have work." She placed her head in her hands.

"For how much longer?" The small girl questioned. Mia looked at her watch.

"About a half hour"

"We can wait!" Kai didn't wait for either of the adults to respond, he just pulled Yunho back into the book store. They browsed the shelfs of the entire store until each of them found a book that interested them. He walked back up to the counter with the twins in tow, each of them setting their choices on the counter.

" 'The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon', good choice Kai. I think you will really enjoy it, and the way it describes the colors. Oh, and Nami you chose 'Planting the Wild Garden' it's a great book about how seeds actually work." She then paused with a smile gracing her lips, as she picked up Yunho's choice, her eyes sparkled with nostalgia. " 'Spinning Starlight' is one of my favorites. It's actually a retelling of 'The Wild Swans', but this book captivated me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Yunho." Her hands gently placed the books into a paper bag stamped with the store's logo.

"You know a lot about these books," Yunho said, handing her his card.

"Well I do work at a bookstore, plus you guys happened to pick books I have read and enjoyed." laughter traced her every word, as Yunho traced her features in his mind. The way her eyes crinkled as she laughed, the small imperfections in her skin bringing beauty to the world around him, the way her lips sat so perfectly, she was imperfectly perfect, and he was transfixed. He was starting to realize he was head over heels for this girl, that he barely knew. The trio stepped outside and sat on the small bench waiting for Mia, as she clocked out and grabbed her things.

"I don't get invited to go to the park very often. What's the first thing we should do?" Mia asked as she looked between the twins a small smile on her face.

The four of them played on the playground equipment, the younger two creating their own world, and directing the older pair at what to do. Which resulted in side aches from laughing so hard. "What?" Yunho asked as Mia laughed at him, as he laid the full length of the child size slide.

"You are bigger than the slide" Mia giggled as she leaned on the side of the slide looking at him. Yunho smiled as they looked at each other.

"Thanks for coming to the park, you didn't have to." Yunho sat up, then stood from the slide.

"Well I haven't been asked to go to the park in a while, plus I didn't have anything going after work today, and some sunshine would be good for me." Mia said as she walked towards the empty bench off to the side of the playground. Yunho started to follow only to be called by Kai. Yunho ran over and looked up at the young boy through the railing of the playtoy.

"Have you asked her out yet?" Kai inquired as he played with the ship wheel in front of him mindlessly.

"It's not that easy Kai, I barely know her" Yunho responded as he gazed in her direction. She was sitting on the bench now, leaning her head back, eyes closed enjoying the sunlight on her face. She seemed to glow in the midday sun.

"Well, I think she likes you. I can't wait to tell dad I'm a good wingman!" Kai smiled to himself, bringing Yunho's attention back to the twins.

"Did your dad put you up to this?"

"Well he said if we helped you get her number, he would give us ice cream everyday for a week!" Nami said excitedly, as she took control of the wheel from her brother.

"Your dad bribed you guys to get me on a date?"

"He said someone needed to help you, ever since Yuni left you've been sad. Dad just wants you to be happy." Nami looked at her uncle with concern on her face.

"I am happy," Yunho countered softly, as he looked towards Mia again. Was he really just putting on a front? His brother surely saw through everything. Could everyone see how lonely he'd felt? How would that affect the small spark he felt with Mia. He looked back to the twins, who were staring at him. He sighed they were right. He wasn't happy.

"So I'm thinking we should go get some ice cream, how does that sound?" Mia suggested as she approached the trio. Squeals of approval came from the twins as they raced to get down to them.

"Can I have strawberry!" Nami asked as they approached the ice cream stand.

"I want chocolate!" Kai added.

"Can I get one Strawberry, one chocolate, one cookies and cream and whatever the lady here orders" Yunho said at the window.

"I can pay for myself," Mia said, opening her wallet.

"No It's on me. You came to the park, and you didn't have to" Yunho insisted, handing his card to the worker before she could do anything else. Mia shook her head and sighed.

"Um, I will also take cookies and cream," she said softly. The worker nodded and swiped Yunho's card.  Soon enough the four of them were eating ice cream at a small table in the shade.

"Thanks for joining us today Mia, it was fun!" Nami said as she devoured the last of her ice cream.

"Well thank you for the invite. I'm sure Chen hasn't missed me too much." Mia thought aloud.

"I thought you said you didn't have a boyfriend," Kai accused, pointing his chocolate smudged finger at Mia. She laughed.

"I don't, I have a hedgehog," she paused to look at her watch, "who is probably upset I'm not feeding him yet"

"You have a hedgehog!" Kai yelled, sending small droplets of chocolate all over the table.

"Yes," she chuckled. "And he is three this year" She was proud, like a mother would be of her child. "Do you guys want to see a picture of Chen?" She asked, unlocking her phone.

"Yes!" Nami scrambled from her seat, climbing atop the table to see the phone better. There on the screen was a small light brown almost cream colored hedgehog, sitting on a small blue towel

"Chen is a blonde hedgehog, I rescued him from the shelter almost two years ago"

"They have hedgehogs at the animal shelter? I thought they only had cats and dogs" Kai asked as he got closer to the screen. The two small faces stared intently at the screen. Their noses only a few centimeters away.

"The shelter actually has all sorts of pets, most people just go for the dogs and cats. But my apartment doesn't allow animals bigger than Chen." Yunho just watched as Mia showed the twins more photos of Chen. He hated to say he believed in love at first sight, it always seemed to be a stupid thing to him. Until now, ever since he first saw Mia he couldn't get her out of his brain. The more he saw her, the more intrigued he became. He wanted to learn everything about her. "Sorry Yunho, you probably couldn't see him over these two" she laughed as she handed him her phone. There was the small hedgehog, she had placed a small bowtie on him. "This is when I celebrated his first 'gotcha' day"

"He is a cute little guy, he looks like he'd fit in just the palm of my hand." Yunho smiled, handing back her phone.

"Why don't you ask Mia if you can meet him, then you can see" Kai, again, was making Yunho want to disappear. Mia was gently shaking her head, her expression was no longer peaceful. She looked slightly panicked, and Yunho's mind started reeling. What had he done wrong?

"Maybe someday" she responded, getting up from the small table. "But I should go and take care of Chen. It was a lovely afternoon, and thank you for the ice cream" she gave a smile as well as a soft bow and wave, and quickly walked away.

-----

Yunho went to the small bookstore on his own that Saturday, hoping to see Mia and apologize for whatever had happened. Mia was wearing jeans and a graphic t, nothing abnormal, yet Yunho couldn't stop staring. "How can I help you today, Yunho?" She said sternly as he approached the counter.

"I wanted to apologize for Thursday." His large hand swept through his hair, still trying to figure out what he did.

"You did nothing wrong." she seemed to brush off the subject, as she walked away with a pile of books in hand.

"I feel like something happened. Was it the twins? I'm sorry if something they said was inappropriate." Yunho said following her.

"No. They also were fine." Her answer was abrupt.

"Can I help you put those away?" Yunho gestured towards the books, as he fell in step with her.

"I'm alright, I can do this on my own." She kept walking further into the store. She seemed so warm on Thursday, but now she seemed to be turning a cold shoulder on him.

"I-" Yunho's own words caught in this throat, his feet stopping at the end of an aisle. "I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone." his soft words barely reaching her as she stopped.

"Yunho." She sighed, and motioned him to come closer with her head. As he approached she lost her own words. "It's not you." She whispered as she started to put books on the shelf.

"It has to be me. That's the only explanation I can come up with" he said, stepping behind her taking the book she was trying to place on the top shelf from her hand, and placing it where she was trying to place it.

"The explanation is me." She kept her eyes on the shelf in front of her, he could hear the slight tremor in her voice. He placed a hand softly on top of the one she had resting on the shelf. He could feel her body shake slightly as she started to sob. Yunho started to search for words. He was concerned, he wanted to comfort her. Would a hug be too much? I mean he was practically caging her in right now. Was that what was making her cry? He lifted his hand and moved backwards slightly, not wanting her to feel trapped. She dropped to her knees shaking, propping herself up against the bookcase. Mia was finally letting it all out. It was too late to stop her emotions now. Without getting closer Yunho just sat down next to her. Sometimes silence answered more than words. Today that was the case. Mia noted Yunho's presence, currently it felt like the only thing anchoring her to a safe harbor. She had been building this shell for so long, that when it broke it let a dam of emotions loose. The grief and betrayal from last winter. The constant mask she bravely put on everyday though she was broken. Mia found herself placing a hand on Yunho's knee as he went to move, she needed her anchor. Yunho placed his hand on hers.

"I never meant to make you cry." Yunho's words barely above a whisper, as he took his other hand and softly wiped her tears from her cheek.

"It isn't you." Mia rested her head against his hand. She wanted to trust him, to tell him everything, but her mind fought against it. He'll be just like Jay, he will make you believe him then he will lie to you over and over again. She shook her head. No, Yunho was different. But is he, or are his good looks deceiving you. Mia wanted to scream at the doubting voice in her mind. She looked up into Yunho's eyes. They were pure, almost puppy like. "Can you promise me something, even though I barely know you."

"Yeah" Yunho nodded, as he dropped his hands. He was now staring at her intently.

"Can you promise me that you'll be honest with me?" Her question puzzled him.

"Of course." 

"No, I need to know you're going to be honest. That you won't lie, even if it's to cover up my pain." Mia wasn't sure exactly why she was demanding this from the man she barely knew, in the bookstore after she just cried in front of him. Yunho wasn't sure either, but he nodded anyway.

"I promise I'll be honest." He looked at her, a small grin turning up the corner of his mouth. "To prove that. Can I say my butt is really starting to hurt, can we stand up now?"

She laughed, and got up. Wiping her damp cheeks with the back of her wrist "I want to explain some things." She paused as she took a deep breath. "I get off at 6. Would you be willing to meet me at the diner two doors down, about 6:15? I'll pay for dinner." Mia inquired as the two of them headed towards the front of the store. Yunho smiled and nodded.

"I will see you at 6:15"

-----

"Are you two ready to order?" The waiter smiled as he pulled a pencil from behind his ear, looking at Mia.

"I'll have #2 with over hard eggs, and bacon" Mia said, handing the waiter the menu.

"I'll have the #7 scrambled with extra bacon" Yunho smiled at Mia, as the waiter scribbled down their orders.

"I'll get those put in" the waiter nodded as he walked away.

Mia looked at her hands and as she played with her fingers nervously. How could she even start.

"I saw your boss pull you aside as I was leaving. You didn't get in trouble did you?" Yunho asked,  only to get a breathy chuckle from Mia.

"No, fortunately or unfortunately she pulled me off to the side to make sure I was OK. This isn't the first time I've broken down at work." Mia let another breathy chuckle as she played with the ring on her pointer finger. "I hope it's the last though. I feel embarrassed that you saw me like that."

"Don't feel embarrassed, I can be a shoulder to cry on." Yunho then looked at her tentatively. "Do you mind if I ask if you're ok?"

"I'm getting there." She avoided looking at him like the plague.

"Is there anything I can do to help, or make you feel better?" His words, sincere. He was truly concerned, he hadn't seen someone else break down like that in a long time.

"It is sweet of you to ask but I don't know. I don't know how to explain any of it properly, at least not without having another meltdown" her gaze found a drop of water on the table. She put her finger in it, and started to doodle with the water. She would take any distraction from her emotions right now.

"You don't have to explain anything then. I can wait until you are ready." Yunho cocked his head to the side, and bent over to try to look into her eyes.

"What if I'm never ready" she finally looked at him, her pained look met his soft caring eyes.

"I will still wait. I can be a constant in your life. Like an anchor in the storm."

-----

The next Thursday he took the twins to listen to Mia again. This time Mia was dressed in all blue as she told the tale of Pinocchio. Yunho smiled when he realized she made herself the blue fairy. The true narrator of the tale. He watched from the seat he had chosen the week before. He laughed as Pinocchio's nose grew. When the mischief started Yunho could feel the tension of the story. It amazed him to hear her read the stories, she painted the pictures so marvelously with her words, that when Pinocchio was stuck in the water just before he got swallowed by the whale he wanted to hold his breath.  He felt joy as the blue fairy gave Jiminy his good conscience badge, and when Pinocchio became a real boy he had to hold in his cheers. Everytime she told a story it was as if it was the first time he heard it, though he knew all the stories well.

"So how did you guys enjoy Pinocchio?" Mia asked as she set down the book.

"I liked the cricket. Though I don't like bugs" one of the girls said, as she pulled a face. Mia giggled.

"I like him too. So, do you guys think Jiminy was a good conscience?" She asked the group.

"I think he was. Pinocchio just didn't always listen." One of the older boys said.

"But Jiminy was supposed to keep Pinocchio from doing the bad stuff. So didn't I don't think he did very good." One of the girls piped up.

"That is a good point Sumin. He didn't always stop him, But do we always listen to our parents?" Mia asked the little girl, who blushed slightly as she looked down.

"No, I guess we don't."

"But that doesn't mean we have to give up if something bad happens. Sometimes we have to be brave and do things that scare us. Maybe we can do our best to be brave and fix our mistakes like Pinocchio did." Mia said, making eye contact with Yunho. She nodded at him slightly as she returned her attention to the group.

"Then we can become real boys!" One of the smallest in the group said excitedly, which resulted in giggles from around the area.

"Yes, then we can also become real like Pinocchio. Remember life isn't about being perfect, it's about doing your best, and apologizing if you do make mistakes." Mia smiled. "Now remember next week is our last week for this summer so come ready to listen."

"What are you going to read?" Nami asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise! But, I'm going to dress as a princess." She loudly whispered with an exaggerated wink to the group.

"Can I dress up too?" A voice called.

"Of course. We'll give special treats to the princes and princesses who come." Mia's response was greeted with cheers.

"It was a good story today," Yunho said, approaching her.

"I've always enjoyed the little wooden boy." She smiled, as she cleaned the small area up a bit.

"I was wondering if you could maybe give a real boy a chance." Yunho looked at her, his eyes pleading. She looked at her feet then back at him.

"I can try" her voice soft, as she nodded.

"Yes!!" The twins shouted, making the older pair jump slightly. Yunho actually forgot he had brought them for a minute. Mia just started to laugh as the twins started telling Yunho which ice creams they were going to make their dad buy.

"Are you available Saturday?"

-----

"Hi Mia, Are you ready to go?" Yunho leaned on her door frame as Mia answered the door.

"I believe so" she smiled as she grabbed her purse.

"You look nice," he said, admiring her jeans and brown peasant blouse.

"Thank you, you look nice as well. I like your shirt" she noted looking at his dark gray short sleeved button up. Her smile lit up the hallway as she locked her apartment. "So where are we going"

"Well, I wanted to do something a little different" He smiled. "I hope you're ready for an adventure."

As they entered the building Mia did her best not to laugh. She had never been to a place where you could fish indoors before. Let alone one that had a pirate ship that people could fish from. "I would've never expected this." Mia giggled as Yunho took her hand gently.

"Well I haven't stopped thinking about this place since you read Peter Pan. I haven't been here in years, but I thought fishing would be fun. Plus we can pretend to be pirates while we fish." he smiled as he paid.

"I've always thought of myself more as a lost boy than a pirate," she laughed, as they followed the employee to their reserved spots on the ship.

"Pirates have more fun." he wiggled his eyebrows, as they started baiting their hooks.

The next hour was full of small talk, to get to know one another. She found out that Yunho Majored in music, he had a love for writing and composing music. He also loved to dance, he loved the way he could portray his emotions and the words in the song by moving his body. He found out she had been studying environmental science, that she wanted to help be the solution instead of the problem. She said she had to take an unexpected break from school last year, and that she was hoping to start again in the spring. Their conversation lulled to a comfortable silence, until her fishing pole started going nuts. She stood, trying to hold onto the pole. "Oh my gosh! Yunho help!" Mia yelled as she tried to reel in whatever had taken her bait. He quickly stood behind her wrapping his arms around her holding the pole with her. When she finally got the fish out of the water they heard music come over the loudspeaker.

"Someone has caught the largest fish in the tank!" The voice echoed around them. As an employee came over and helped them, weigh and take care of the fish Mia ended up winning the grand prize of the day, which was two gift certificates for more fishing, as well as two free ice creams from the ice cream parlor next door. The prizes from Yunho's small catches was a small plush seal, and some jellies.

"Yunho that was so much fun. Thank you." Mia placed her hand on Yunho's elbow as they stepped outside.

"You're welcome, but the night is still young. If you are okay with it, I'd love to treat you to dinner." He smiled as he gently set his hand on top of hers, as they strolled down the busy street.

"I think that sounds wonderful, what do you have in mind?" A content sigh left Mia's lips as she enjoyed the warmth from the sun.

"Well," he started. "What if I told you it's a surprise"

"Usually I would question more, but I am getting hungry" she said, her stomach growling as if on queue.

"Well lucky for you, and your stomach, it's just a few minutes walk from here." Yunho teased, as he guided her to a pizza place, with outdoor seating on the second floor.

"Yunho!" A few employees cheered as they entered the busy restaurant. "We have your usual table ready for you." The Host smiled as he guided the two of you up the stairs, out onto the patio. "Here you are."

"So, you come here a lot?" Mia asked as she sat down.

"Yeah, a good friend of mine works here as a chef. So I started coming here to support him, but I actually really like their pizza." Yunho sat and sighed contently as he looked across the street. "Plus I really like the view of the park from here, it makes me feel a little closer to nature even though we are in the city."

Mia followed his gaze and could see what he meant. It was beautiful here. She watched as two squirrels fought around a tree. Just taking it all in.  Yunho was lost in his thoughts as he watched Mia. The view was spectacular, the sun was hitting her at a perfect angle making her glow slightly as it pitched towards the horizon. The waiter soon brought them some waters, and informed them that the chef prepared something for them, so they had no need to order. Soon they were talking about how lovely the weather had been this week.

"Yunho! I made something special for tonight!" A man with dark hair, sharp looks, and a mole under his eye came over. Carrying a full tray of food.

"Hi, Wooyoung. This is Mia." Yunho gestured, as Wooyoung set the food on the table.

"So this is the storyteller. You were right she's cute" Wooyoung took her hand and kissed it. Mia could feel her cheeks flush.

"Wooyoung, stop. She's my date, not yours." Yunho rolled his eyes.

"What, I can't appreciate beauty?" He scoffed. "I don't know what you see in this." Wooyoung jabbed his thumb towards Yunho.

"I see potential" Mia smiled looking at Yunho, whose ears were tinged pink. Wooyoung just rolled his eyes.

"Well, I prepared Yunho's favorite pizza, as well as avocado salad, and for dessert I have brownies baking." Wooyoung smiled as he rubbed his hands on his black apron.

"Thank you Wooyoung." Mia responded with a slight bow.

"I expect feedback the brownies are a new recipe I'm trying on you two" 

"That worries me" Yunho joked, as his friend smacked his shoulder. 

----

"Yunho tonight has been just perfect" Mia said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, to get off any sauce from the slice of pizza she had just finished.

"I've had an enjoyable time as well," Yunho said, before taking another bite.

"I want to tell you something" Mia looked over towards the park, the sun was starting to set, sending golden tones over the trees.

"Anything"

"I'm going to tell you a story, you can't interrupt it ok" she looked towards him, concern painting her face along with the gold of the sunset. Yunho nodded in response.

Mia spun a tale of a young woman who had just moved to a new city. She was full of wonder and hope. She started college and met a man who swept her off her feet. His name was Jay. Everything Jay said was perfect, she felt like she was living in a fairytale. Until she went to surprise him at work one day. Only to find out he had been fired two weeks previously. When she called him, he shrugged it off. Saying he got let go for a stupid reason, and that he hadn't wanted her to worry so he hadn't told her. She asked if he had another job, and he said he did. He had told fanciful tales of what life could be like together, so when her lease was up she asked to move in with him. He seemed tentative until she said she would pay half the rent. Jay agreed, only to have the landlord kick them out two months later, due to overdue rent he never told her about. After they got kicked out, she found another place, and Jay was full of promises again. She told him not until he could be honest and pay bills on time. So he moved in with a friend to help prove he could be better.  After a few months Jay had convinced her he had changed. So she let him move in. When she asked him for his portion of the rent he would say his work hadn't paid him yet, or that he had to help pay for something for his parents. Mia started to see his pattern, she wondered if he really ever had a job, or if he was just using her to have a place to live and food to eat. She was starting to wonder what he had done with the money she had given him previously for rent. She never expected to come home early from work one day to find Jay on their couch, having sex with a complete stranger, money scattered on the coffee table beside them. That's when she had enough. She started yelling, scaring them both, and kicking them both out of her apartment without letting them get dressed. She shoved them out the door and locked it. She then gathered everything of Jay's into garbage bags and set them next to the trash bins outside.

Mia took a deep breath as silence took over the area. She looked at the brownies that had been placed in front of them.

"That is why I tried pushing you away. You came in being charming, and after I started to feel something towards you I panicked. I can't go through another Jay." Mia said quietly as she picked up a brownie placing it on the napkin in front of her and picked at the edges.

"I can promise you that I will never do those things to you." Yunho reached across the table for her hand. "I will be honest, like I promised. Jay was a fool for doing those things to you."

"Can I be honest with you?" Mia asked looking up shyly.

"Of course, I would love for you to always be able to tell me things honestly" his hand felt warm around hers.

"I'm scared. I barely know you, and those I have known have hurt me. I don't trust anymore. I need time with so many things. Honestly I have enjoyed this so much, but I have so many problems. I don't want you wasting your time with me. I'm broken beyond repair" tears threatened to fall with her every breath.

"What are you saying?" Yunho inquired.

"I'm saying you deserve someone who you don't have to wait on. Someone who can love you like you deserve. Someone who you don't have to worry about. Someone who isn't me. You deserve someone better." Her voice shook as she stood up.

"Mia, I like you-" he followed her actions.

"I know, but you shouldn't. You need to find someone who isn't broken." She said as he stepped closer to her, Yunho's arms wrapped around her as they stood next to their table. He remained silent for a moment.

"Can I tell you a story?" He asked. She nodded as she rested her head on his chest. "Once upon a time I fell in love with a girl I thought I would marry. Yuni had all the things I thought I was looking for. She moved in with me, I believed it was going well. The night I was going to propose I came home to find her standing with luggage in hand, all of her things packed. She told me she couldn't handle me anymore. She hated the life she was living, she had been cheating on me with a childhood friend. She was sick of the lies. Sick of the constant music. She told me that I was nothing.  She left me heartbroken in the middle of my apartment, the ring in my pocket seemed to weigh me down. She had destroyed most of my friendships. I sat in my apartment that night realizing that now I had nothing beside my brother and his kids. I was lucky enough to have some forgiving friends who welcomed me back, after I explained how caught up in her I had been.  So I am just as broken as you. I'm still not sure how to love again without getting hurt. But with you I feel like giving it a shot. Maybe we can help each other realize we don't have to be whole to be loved." He was holding her as close as he could. His shirt was wrinking from her tears, but he couldn't care less. He was holding her, he wanted to be her protector. Her arms were locked around his waist, she wouldn't be letting go anytime soon. They were both broken, trying to hold themselves together. Yet in that moment they each felt small pieces of themselves start mending. They held each other as the night grew darker.

"So love birds, did you enjoy the brownies?" They heard Wooyoung say as he stepped outside. They quickly separated, and looked at the table where the brownies had yet to be touched, her eyes grew wide, as Yunho smirked.

"We only ate what we liked," Yunho laughed as Wooyoung's face grew angry. Which made Yunho laugh harder.

"Sorry we haven't tried them yet. We got a little- preoccupied" Mia said as she reached over and picked up her brownie. She took a bite and groaned at the delectable taste. "Holy crap these are delicious!"

Yunho picked up a brownie himself. "Wooyoung this is delicious. Rich, but not over the top, I also like the chunks of chocolate."

"Only one thing would make it better," Mia said, taking another bite.

"What's that?" the chef asked.

"Ice Cream. Make it ala mode" she said covering her mouth as she spoke.

Wooyoung nodded a small smirk on his lips. "I knew I would like you. Yunho this one is a keeper." Wooyoung commented as he walked back into the restaurant.

"Seriously though, can we take the rest of these brownies to go? They are delicious" Mia said, turning to Yunho.

"Of course, but they are coming home with me!" Yunho teased.

"I guess that means I'll be coming over for brownies" Mia smirked as she shrugged.

"I'd like that." Yunho said, stepping forward and enveloping her in his arms once more.

Thursday came quickly, and Yunho picked up Kai and Nami. Kai was dressed in his prince costume from the previous Halloween. It was a bit short but the white outfit with the red sash and cummerbund made him look very sharp. Nami was wearing a perfectly blue Cinderella style dress with her plastic glass slippers of course.

"You dressed up too!!" Nami squealed as she ran into Yunho's arms.

"Of course. There need to be more princes and knights in this world" 

"I wish mine looked as cool as yours!" Kai grumbled, as he compared his white outfit, to Yunho's black one. Yunho's slacks paired great with the black straight neck jacket. Gold filigree adorned the shoulders and cuffs, complete with gold trim. Yunho did feel princely, aside from his crown.

"Hey yours looks great little man! I wish mine was red, plus you have a real crown. Mine is paper." Yunho gestured to the paper crown from a fast food place. "Now your majesties, your carriage awaits."

When they got to the bookstore they discovered a cardboard castle leaning against the bookshelves in the story area, and a cardboard throne placed over a chair instead of the beanbag. Yunho smiled as he saw the children all dressed up as princes and princesses. He sat in a hidden corner of the shop, wanting to surprise Mia. Mia entered wearing a full Renaissance dress, the cream bodice was paired nicely with the forest green kirtle which was corseted with green ribbon. The long sleeves flowed behind her with embellishments around the elbows on the sleeve. A small circlet crown of silver leaves sat across the top of her forehead. Yunho felt she looked like she stepped out of one of the many fantasy novels surrounding him. She truly looked like a princess. "Hello" she smiled as she sat upon her small throne. "It is like the royalty from around the world has joined me today, you all look fantastic." She looked overjoyed, as she smiled at each child around her.

"What princess are you?" One of the girls dressed as Snow white asked.

"I am my own princess today. Because I want to read you guys a book my mom used to read to me." She lifted the small book. "The Princess and the Pea." She started reading the tale of a prince who couldn't find a suitable princess. He would find them lacking in princess ways. Until one night a terrible storm came through the land, and a young woman claiming to be a princess sought refuge. The queen was leery of the newcomer and set a pea under many mattresses. The queen did this because surely a princess could tell. When the girl awoke the next day she claimed pain from something in the bed, that made her not sleep well. When the prince saw she noticed such a small thing he decided to marry her. As Mia finished the short story she smiled. "Can someone tell me why I wanted to read that story today?"

"Because you found your prince!" Nami said excitedly.

"Well, I might've." Mia winked as she felt her cheeks flush. "I wanted to read that to you guys, because I feel you can all be princes and princesses."

"But why? Do you want us to sleep on peas?" A small prince asked.

"No. I don't want you to sleep on peas" she laughed. "I feel you can all notice the small things. To me being a true prince or princess is noticing something small, and being willing to change it. You can all do something, it doesn't have to be big. A small change can make a big difference." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Yunho could see her passion in her eyes.

"How can I do something though. I'm not big" a girl in a beautiful green gown said.

"A pea isn't very big, but it changed a lot of life's. Maybe start doing something good, like picking up trash when you go for walks. Being kind to a sibling, or even just giving a hug to a parent. Small things make big changes. Like a ripple in a pool. Remember that as the school year starts. Be kind, have courage, and make a difference" Mia's small speech seemed to spark something within the kids. They seemed excited. "OK princes and princesses, we've got a cupcake for each of you. So make sure to grab one before you leave. They are up at the front counter. "

That is when Yunho it was time to surprise Mia. She was watching the kids converse as she stood next to her throne. "Princess, from an admirer" Yunho lifted a small bouquet of cream colored tulips, as she turned to look at him. Her eyes grew big, as she looked him over.

"Yunho, you dressed up!" Mia's eyes shone as she took the flowers with a courtesy. "You make a lovely prince"

"Thank you. So, I heard Nami ask if you found your prince." He smirked, as he pushed his hair back from his forehead. Knocking his paper crown to the ground. "She did." Mia smiled as she set the tulips on the chair. "Well have you found him" he asked as he softly wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close.

"I think I have. Though his crown might need an upgrade." She chuckled as she looked toward the ground. "I think that can be arranged." Yunho lifted her head to look into her eyes.

"I hope so" she lifted her arms to his shoulders, pulling him down slightly. His eyes closed as her lips met his.

#ateez imagines #ateez fan fiction #ateez fanfic #ateez fluff #ateez angst #ateez yunho #yunho fluff #yunho angst #yunho fanfic #yunho x oc #yunho imagines #happy birthday yunho

[jointhearumanati]

Rare Hetalia Brotps and why

Belgium and Greece: Cats need I say more but I also feel Belgium would share her brothers weed with him I can see them high af while the cats are high off catnip just Chaos until Japan and Netherlands pick them up also Belgium Taking Greece to the Cat festival in Belgium

Germany and China: Germany has shown admiration for Rome I think getting insight from someone who met Rome and Germania would dazzle him China is Ancient and has been shown to Respect Germany's leadership skills despite his age they would get together for tea and complain about other countries

France and Russia: I can see Russia going to France for advice and France taking him Shopping for other scarves and a whole new wardrobe and just talking in French cafes while sipping coffee I can also see it as a romantic relationship or just casual sex

Switzerland and Belgium: I can see it as an Otp as well I can see them bonding over their love of chocolate and Belgium's spunk helping Switzy come out of his shell a little maybe buy some expensive chocolate and regret it later I can see them making Chocolate waffles together and maybe later falling in love but they could just be friends

Hungary and Vietnam: They are both badass girls and probably could go to the gym together or just go shopping like the fabulous girls they are could also see it as a romantic relationship

Magic trio and Belarus: It's Canon that Belarus can see Ghosts I can see Belarus going to them for advice on how to handle it and eventually becomes part of their group I can see her being closer to Norway more than the others due to him being the least annoying also Alice in Wonderland cosplay on Halloween Belarus: Alice England: Mad Hatter Romania: Cheshire Cat Norway: White Rabbit

Bad Touch Trio and America: This makes more sense History wise than England because England was the Guy we beat up with the Bad Touch Trios help during the American Revolution I can see America being a addition to the group and to do dumb shenanigans with (Yes I'm American)

America and Australia: I can see them being the guys who do daring feats just for fun Jump off a Cliff, poke a Alligator, Skydiving, Spelunking, etc adrenaline junkie stuff I can also see them in a romantic relationship very Sporty Couple

Greece and Spain: I can see them maybe being fuck buddies in the Past before Japan and Romano came into their lives but they seem like they would still be good friends who talk together and get high together on weed

Belgium and Hungary: I can see them being Spunky girls who get into trouble together Party girls could also see it as a romantic relationship

Seyshelles Monaco and Face Family: I can see Seyshelles as an addition to the Face Family she remembers Canada and he would treat her like a little sister America the Protective older brother and Fruk supporting parents who bicker like the old married couple they are also Monaco added to the mix as the smart younger sister she would play poker with America and he would lose

Monaco and Macau: I can see them playing Poker together and being decent opponents for each other the only person they would lose to maybe they fall in love later and play strip poker because of course they would

South Italy and Canada: They both are overshadowed by their twin brothers and Romano can stick up for Canada and help him stick up for himself Canada can Help Romano loosen up and smile more they would be best friends

Spain and Denmark: Axe Buddies show each other without their battle Axes and Drool at the battle Axes at a weopens shop also could see Spain inviting him to the Tomato Festival I can see Denmark having fun there

England and China: I don't think they would be best friends but friends that settled their differences and hang out occasionally for tea and to Discuss Hong Kong maybe recommend books to each other and catch up on news

South Italy and Japan: I can see Romano actually liking Japan and wondering why he hangs out with such weirdos like his brother and Germany I can see them casually hanging out and Japan listening to his problems his own personal therapist

Lithuania, America and South Italy: I can see them bonding at America's house going to Jazz clubs and just having a good time

North Italy and America: I can see them having fun together nothing specific just hanging out and smiling

America and South Korea: I can see them loving K-pop and going to concerts also watching K-Dramas and also going out and causing chaos Frat boy style could also see it as a romantic relationship

South Korea and Belarus: Mutual love for their brothers and finding comfort in each other also maybe unstable and mentally ill together if they became a couple God help Rochu even as friends they are bad enough

Poland and China: I can see China as a closet Cross Dresser he likes to Feel pretty but he won't admit it due to pride Poland would help him with that and they would go shopping and look pretty and cute together make China feel it's okay to crossdress and it doesn't make him less of a man

#hetalia+china #brotp

[noladyme]

Chess. Chapter 3

Y/N never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. She only took what she needed, or what she felt others needed. She’d stayed out of sight for a long time, avoiding anything that could get her in to too much trouble. But for some reason Rick Flag shows up in her life, and in an instant, everything changes.

 TW: sexual harassment/assault, torture, sexual themes

I don’t know how many days passed. In the dark, days and nights flowed together; making it difficult to keep up a daily rhythm that made sense.

I lived from meal to meal. Not that I ate much of what they sent in, which was usually more of those little pellets in water; and every third meal, being something cold and mushy, that smelt conspicuously like canned cat food. It took me about 6 “meals”, to finally accept that this is what it actually was. With the canned food I’d get a thin slice of stale toast. This – along with a plastic cup of water – was all I consumed for a long time.

Every once in a while, I’d hear Griggs voice through the speaker, reminding me he was still there. He’d tell me to get ready; meaning I had to face the wall opposite the door, hands and legs spread. They’d come in then, the guards, usually fronted by the man himself, and flip over the mattress, pretending to search my cell for contraband.

That’s when he’d stand behind me, pressing himself against my back. His hands would wander, patting me down everywhere, even the parts of my body not covered by clothing. After a final squeeze of my asscheek; he’d turn around and proclaim; “She’s clean”. They’d back out the door, shut it, and it would be dark again.

During one of these visits, I’d had enough, and as Griggs hand wandered towards my groin area, I quickly grabbed his hand, twisting his fingers until I heard a crack.

“Bitch!”, Griggs screeched, elbowed me in the side; and as I feel to the floor, I suddenly had three guards on me, kicking me on my sore hip, and on my ribs. One of the kicks pushed the air out of me, and as I desperately tried to regain control of my breathing, they backed out the door, leaving me there alone.

Maybe 10 minutes later, the speaker howled in the darkness.

“That was not very nice, puss”, Griggs said. “You know, I’ve tried to play nice with you; even breaking the budget on those canned foods you’ve been getting. No more. It’s time you settle in for the long haul”.

Music played, at first at a low volume; but then increasing, until it felt like my head was going to explode from the sound. It would stay like that for about 30 seconds, before being lowered again. It continued like this; music turning up and down, with the highest volume being so intense, no amount of covering my ears seemed to help. My heart beat fiercely, and I could even feel the veins of my fingers pounding. I curled up in a seated position.

After what seemed like forever, the music stopped. I exhaled, and removed my hands from my ears; my biceps stinging from how long and forcefully I had been covering them. I laid down, ears ringing; and I could hear the blood pumping through my body. My ribs and my hip were pulsating in pain.

I closed my eyes, and my body began to give in to sleep.

The music started again. Same pattern as before. I screamed, but at the height of the music, I couldn’t even hear my own voice. That’s when I passed out.

---

“Chess”, a familiar voice called. “Y/N!”. I came too, slowly.

“No more”; I whispered into the darkness; lips and tongue dry.

“Cover your eyes. I’m turning on the lights”. I recognized the voice then. Flag. With great effort, I covered my face with my arm, curling up into a fetal position. I heard the sound of the fluorescent lights flickering on. Then footsteps and keys rattling outside the door.

“Three goddamn days? She’s been out for three days?!”, Flags voice boomed on the other side of the door. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”.

The door opened, and through the crack of my bended arm, I saw boots walking towards me.

“We thought she was faking it, sir”, Griggs answered Flag.

I felt a hand on my waist, and winced in pain.

“What the hell did you do to her?”, Flag growled.

“She attacked me, sir. My men might have gone a bit overboard”, Griggs retorted.

I blinked, the light still too sharp for my eyes. Flag took a hold of my arm, pulling it away from my face. My eyes hurt, but I looked up at him. His expression was pained.

Putting an arm around my waist, he pulled me up into a seated position. I looked down at my body. I was filthy, covered in dust; and my arms and legs looked skinnier than the last time I’d seen them.

“Can you stand?”, Flag quietly asked me. His eyes were worried.

I tried to get onto my knees, but was too dizzy; and fell back onto my butt. Flag got behind me, and carefully slipped his arms through mine; lifting me onto my feet.

I was weak, and tried to take a wobbly step forward, falling back into his arms. He lifted my arm, and put it around his neck, dragging me with him.

“Help me out, Edwards”, Flag said, and a man with a stubbled face, standing a few inches shorter than Flag, took my other arm around his own neck. Half walking, half carrying me out of the cell, we passed Griggs, who was standing outside. I saw that his hand was in a cast of some kind; and smiled at the fact that I’d made my mark.

They walked me down a dimly lit corridor. Was I in a basement? The doors we passed were all closed, and I wondered if there were other prisoners behind them.

At the end of the hall were stairs, and the two soldiers dragged me up them, until we came to a new corridor, cleaner and brighter than the one we had come from. They took me to a room, sparsely furnitured with a metal table, and two chairs on either side of it. A clock over the door told me it was 3 o’clock.  Am or pm, I didn’t know. Interrogation, I told myself, and the men seated me in a chair, handcuffing me to the table.

On one wall was large mirror, which I knew would be a two way.

I looked at myself in the mirror. The person staring back at me was someone I didn’t know. Her face was gaunt, eyes dark; and she was black and blue on one side of her torso. Well hello, gorgeous, I laughed at myself.

“Something funny?”, Flag asked me, on his way out the door.

“Just that stick up your ass”, I answered, and smiled as brightly as I could.

He closed the door behind him.

One hand free, I ran my fingers through my hair; matted from my ordeal.

I waited for about 30 minutes. Something smelled rancid, and I realized it was me. I hadn’t bathed for who knew how long; but it would obviously have to wait.

The door opened again, and in stepped the woman from the van, followed by Flag, who was looking everywhere but at me. The woman sat down, and pulled out a paper file folder.

“My name is Amanda Waller”, she said.

“I know who you are”, I said, and leant back in the chair, trying for casual. “I also know you’re here to make me an offer I can’t refuse. Literally. You’ll kill me if I do”.

Waller smirked. “I won’t, but the guards at this place might. Apparently, you broke the captains favorite jerking hand”.

“So you’ve been listening in”.

“We have. And though I am not happy with the way things have turned out, it seems all of this was necessary to keep you in line”, Waller retorted. “Let me get down to the point. Me and the colonel here, lead a group of people with special skills. For some reason you know this already; so you probably also know that each of these individuals are people, who most of the good people of The United States would rather see behind bars, or even executed”. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Before I continue, please humor me; how did you know of us?”.

“I knew about you. I didn’t know about Mr. Tall, Lean and Grumpy here”, I said, and nodded my head in Flags direction. His expression remained calm, but his lips twitched once; revealing that my answer had made an effect.

“Hear that, Flag? Your cover remains unblown. Good for you”. Her cold eyes remained on me. “Now answer the question, Y/N”.

“There are whispers. About a cold bitch who is tracking people like me; to use our… special skills”, I repeated her own words.

“But there really is no one like you, is there, Chess?”. She stood up, and opened the folder. “Y/N Y/L/N. A.k.a. Chess. Short for Cheshire?”.

“Nah, that name was taken”, I smirked.

“Right. You don’t strike me as someone with martial arts skills and venomous nails”, she said, looking down at my chipped black polish.

“I can scrap with the best of them, if necessary”.

“I’m counting on it”. She continued. “B minus high school student, until you had a run in with Jervis Tetch, a.k.a. The Mad Hatter. Experimenting with a device he hoped would render himself invisible, he tested it out on one of his kidnapping victims. You”.

I winced. The memory of that event was something I’d rather have been left alone.

“It backfired. Without going in to the scientific details, it made you able to become invisible at will, without using the aforementioned device. He decided to use you for his own criminal activity, and for a few years, you worked for him as a cat burglar and spy. During one of his stints in Arkham Asylum, you decided to become an independent contractor”.

I sat up straight, daring her to continue. She sat back down.

“Burglary. Car theft. Stealing official documents from the FBI – impressive!”, she smiled. “Kidnapping of a senators daughter. Possession of an illegal drug substance?”.

“Actually those last ones were a two for one”, I laughed. “And it wasn’t so much a kidnapping as great weekend in Vegas. She was fully in to it. We almost got married”. The clerk at the chapel had refused to go through with the ceremony, because he was worried, we were under the influence of drugs. It might have been the smell of the half smoked blunt in my pocket that gave us away. “Stephanie? Tiffany? I can’t remember her name”.

“Melissa”, Flag said from behind Waller.

“Right. Melissa!”, I smirked. “You could bounce a nickel of her ass. Was she an ex of yours?”, I smiled at him. He scoffed.

Waller continued. “You’ve avoided arrest on most of your charges; I suppose, due to your condition”.

“My ability to smile”, I said.

“Yes, that’s right. Before you become invisible, you purr and smile. Is there a reason for this?”, she goaded me on. I knew it didn’t make any sense to be secretive, so I decided to be up front with her.

“I don’t know. That’s just how it is. When I need to disappear, my body vibrates, which sounds like a purr. The smile is what sends signals to my brain, to bend light around my body, or an object I’m touching; which then becomes invisible. Serotonin, dopamine… whatever. It works”. I sighed. “Where are we going with this?”.

“Task Force X, under the day to day leadership of Colonel Flag, has an opening. I want you to fill that spot”.

“Why?”, I asked, genuinely wondering.

“Because making things and people disappear is handy, in some of the missions the Force may have coming up”.

“But what is in it for me?”

“10 years of your sentence, per mission”, Waller replied, and closed the file.

“What sentence? I haven’t done anything in a long time”, I said, voice shaking lightly.

“16 months ago, judge Jeremiah Kelper disappeared for a week, before an anonymous tip led the police to him, bound, bloody and gagged, in a warehouse on Gotham Harbor”. Waller folded her hands in front of her, and met my eyes again. “When he woke up at the hospital, he was ranting about a “ghost” that had drugged him, dragged him to the warehouse; and held him for days, tied to a chair. The “ghost” had beat him several times with a pipe, and… well, let’s not get further in to that”.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Sounds like someone had it in for him”.

“Sounds like”, Waller half whispered. “I also know that Kelpers records are much cleaner than he is. But then there’s the money”.

“What money”, I asked, looking first at Waller, then up at Flag, who smirked at me.

“1 million dollars, cash, disappeared from a safe at Wayne Tower, two months ago. What did you spend it on?”, he asked.

Shit, they got me, I thought. “I donated it”.

“Some of it”; Waller said, and reopened the file. “987.000 dollars were donated anonymously to a local shelter for battered women, two days later”.

I leant forward; and Flag quickly took a step towards the table, putting his arm in front of Waller.

“Calm down, soldier”, I said. “From what I hear, The Wayne Foundation matched my donation to the same shelter, not long after”.

“You’re right”, Waller said. “It seems to me, you want to be one of the good guys”. I smirked again. “But you’re not. You’re a villain, Y/N – one of the bad guys. But you can make that badness have a purpose”.

I leant back again, and Flag relaxed, stepping back. He folded his arms – those arms – and leant against the wall, toying with the id-card attached to his t-shirt sleeve.

“Show me what you can do”, Waller demanded.

“I can’t”, I said, looking back at Wallers now surprised face. “I need energy to smile, and for the last – what – month or so, I’ve been living on stale toast and kibble”, I admitted.

“Flag”, Waller said, and the soldier took a candy bar from his pants pocket, and placed it in front of me. With my free hand shaking, I opened the wrapper, and put it to my lips. Taking a bite of the heavenly chocolate, feeling the wonderful sensation of sugar rushing through my system; I moaned.

“Mhmm”. Flag stepped back to wall again, looking uncomfortable at my sounds. I couldn’t help myself. “Got anything else in those pants for me?”, I purred; and as he quickly looked away from my face, I smiled.

Touching the table with my free hand, it went away in a mist, making the file folder look as if it was floating in midair.  Wallers eyes went wide. I kicked of one slipper, touching the floor with my bare foot, and suddenly, the floor was gone, leaving the three of us as if standing on clear glass.

Looking down, I saw a cell, no bigger than my own had been, though better furnished; with a cot, a toilet, a couple of nudie posters, and a tiny table. In the middle of the room stood a rugged looking man, clutching a toy unicorn in his arms. He looked up, eyes large; before looking towards Waller. He smiled widely, gold tooth gleaming, and though I couldn’t hear what he was saying, it was clear it was along the lines of “I see London, I see France, I see Wallers underpants”. Waller crossed her legs quickly, and looked at me, with a mix of horror and excitement plastered on her face.

“Enough!”, she shouted.

That’s when I made myself disappear before their eyes.

Flag and Waller looked around the room trying to find me, before Flag ran across the invisible floor, towards the chair, grabbing for what I guess he thought would be my shoulder, but ended up being my right breast. Confused at the softness, his brow furrowed.

My energy gave out. The floor, the table, and lastly my body, reappeared. Realizing where his hand was, Flag jumped back, looking at his hand, face reddening. “Thanks for that”, I smiled at him flirtatiously. He turned his back to me and clenched his guilty hand into a fist.

“I think I’ve seen everything I need to”, Waller said, standing back up again, picking up the folder. “Training starts tomorrow. Once the colonel has calmed down a bit, he’ll make sure you get a proper meal”. She went for the door.

“Waller!”, I stopped her dead in her tracks. “Tell me, did Kelpers balls ever pop back down?”.

She smiled crookedly at me. “I hear he’s going to need some reconstructive surgery”.

She walked out the door, leaving me with Flag.

Flag unlocked the cuffs, and pulled me up. “Think you’ll be able to walk yourself this time?”.

I leant towards him, putting my hands on his chest. Fuck, you’re firm, I thought.

“I might need a little help. Feel free to grab a hold of me anywhere”, I beamed at him.

Flag roughly put my arms behind my back, and cuffed them together. “Let’s go, kitten”, he scoffed, and pushed me in front of him, out of the door. My friends The Tweedles were waiting outside. “Get her back to her cell. Make sure the lights are on until 2200 hours. And get her a proper meal”.

As Tweedle Dee and Dum supported my still weak body walking down the hall, I looked back at Flag.

“You like me”, I flirted, and his face reddened again, before he turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.

#rick flag #rick flag x reader #rick flag fic #rick flag imagine #suicide squad fic #suicide squad imagine #amanda waller

[amarits]

It was easier than he’d expected to get the spyware onto Jason’s phone. Jason was protective of his things, wary of lending them out. He’d gone too long with too little to carelessly let his most expensive possessions out of sight, regardless of how much money he now had to replace them. With all this in mind, Tim didn’t even try asking him to borrow his phone.

Instead, he did what most modern hackers did and created a fake app.

He didn’t put much work into it. He found a mobile game that wasn’t popular enough to be recognizable but had good reviews. He downloaded it, changed the name, icon, and opening screen. It wouldn’t hide the plagiarism for long, but it was enough to get the app published. He’d pull it down himself before too many people had time to install it.

Hidden deep in the game’s code, he added just a couple of lines that would inject upon install.

After that, he just had to tell Jason and Steph how much fun he was having playing this new game. He wasn’t sure Jason would go for it, but he’d admitted to Tim while they were making milkshakes that he’d been addicted to Angry Birds since getting a smart phone.

Tim had expected at least a little pushback, but Steph was so enthusiastic about them all getting the app that he’d wondered briefly if she’d realized it was a Chirp thing. But no, she just really liked phone games.

He thought about all of this later while looking at their locations on his map. He hadn’t actually been trying to get access to Steph’s phone too, but he figured it didn’t hurt.

He dismissed Steph’s dot and focused on Jason and Dick. Now that he had them, he wasn’t sure what to do with them. He’d been in such a frenzy the night before—ignoring Batman’s patrol for the first time in years in favor of staying up until four a.m. working on his spyware app, and making plans and backup plans for when it inevitably failed—but now that it had worked, on the first try even, he had no idea what to do with it.

He hesitantly opened Jason’s text messages, trying, and not quite succeeding, to push away the feeling that he was invading Jason’s privacy. This was on them. They didn’t trust him. They’d forced him into this.

He was trying to hold onto the anger that had consumed him the night before. It was the only thing keeping the grief at bay.

He focused on Jason’s messages with Mr. Wayne first. There weren’t many. Jason sent the occasional update if he was staying late at school or going out with Steph. Two weeks earlier, he’d sent a message that just said, “On my way home. Meet you downstairs.” That was clearly code for the cave.

Tim looked at the date. Wasn’t that when they went parkouring? He’d almost forgotten how quickly Jason had left. He’d clearly thought it was Catwoman at first too.

It wasn’t much, but it did make Tim feel a little better that he wasn’t the only one fooled.

He checked Jason’s messages with Dick next. There were a lot more messages there—mostly, at first glance, pictures of cats. Chimichanga curled up on a blanket or asleep with half her body hanging off the bed, Cheshire standing on his hind legs batting at string, occasionally accompanied with messages like, ‘look at this 😻😻’.

Earlier that week, he’d sent a message begging Jason to pick up ‘junk food any junk food i’m dyign in this house this is why i left,’ to which Jason had replied, ‘Pick up your own junk food, Dickface. You have a job.’

There was an unusually large block of text two months earlier. He scanned it twice before realizing—that was the night of the Mad Hatter. The fake Mad Hatter, he quickly corrected his internal voice.

He read the exchange slowly and carefully, trying to discern any hidden meaning, but it seemed pretty straight forward. Batman and Robin must have captured Cheshire, then washed him, and now he was hiding under a car? He laughed at the message, ‘B says you can’t have the cat.’ That didn’t seem to be working out so far.

He wished they talked more, that they’d said anything at all about what was going on, but he guessed they couldn’t on insecure personal devices. Someone could hack their phone and read their messages.

What he really needed was to access the Batcomputer. He’d never tried. It always seemed like too much of a risk.

He leaned back in his computer chair until the front wheels lifted off the ground. Could he do it? He was pretty sure he could hack his way in, but it still seemed too risky, especially right now when they thought he was a villain. There was bound to be significantly more security, not just locking intruders out but also to notice any odd behaviors or attempts at access. He’d be just as likely to reveal his location as to get any useful data, and they’d throw him in Arkham if they figured out who he was.

His stomach twisted at the thought, but he pushed past it.

It would be easier if he could physically access it, like how he was able to quickly override Dick’s phone while actually holding it, but he couldn’t just walk into the Batcave. What he needed was access to a device that already had a trusted relationship with the Batcomputer, like Robin’s wrist computer or…

His mind flashed to the Batmobile, left alone in carefully selected alleys that were hidden from cameras for hours almost every night.

That was a terrible idea.

An absolutely awful idea.

He started making plans.

Read more on AO3

#batfam #batman #tim drake #jason todd #stephanie brown #chirp #mine #mywriting #little later than normal #i added like 500 words this morning

[the-himawari]

A3! Usui Masumi - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Encore (1/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Citron: Tsuzuru, pass the banana!

Tsuzuru: This isn’t a picnic, So I didn’t bring that kind of thing.

Citron: Oh—, you’re faceless!*

Tsuzuru: Isn’t that the spirit from that movie… You mean heartless, right?

Izumi: It’s neither a picnic, nor an excursion, Because it’s a local performance!

Chikage: Well, if we’re all travelling together by car I understand that it becomes this sort of atmosphere.

Masumi: Haa, I feel drunk…

Sakuya: Eh? A-are you ok?

Masumi: …on Director.

Tsuzuru: That’s what you meant?

Sakuya: Thank goodness that your condition isn’t bad.

Izumi: Ahaha…

Itaru: …Haa.

Izumi: Huh, is Itaru-san also car sick?

Itaru: No… tonight, my favourite character’s gacha is releasing so I’m just anxious.

Citron: Itaru, because of that you’ve been restless since morning, huh!

Masumi: If you mess up the play because of a reason like that, I’ll kill you.

Itaru: I won’t mess up though. Hey Senpai, we still haven’t arrived?

Chikage: According to the navigation, it’s just a little more. It’s hard to tell since the scenery doesn’t change on country roads.

Itaru: It’s endless countryside in every direction… —Ah.

Izumi: Itaru-san, is something wrong?

Itaru: No, it’s nothing.

Izumi: ? —Ah, something came into view.

Citron: Ohh! There’s no doubt it’s there! How exciting~.

-pause-

Izumi: This… is Japan, right?

Chikage: It’s the very picture of the English countryside.

Tsuzuru: It's understandable that a performance request for Alice came too, huh.

Visitor A: What’s with those guys? Maybe they’re filming something?

Visitor B: Those bunny ears and cat ears, maybe it’s animal cosplay. Cute~

Visitor C: Ah, by any chance isn’t it Alice in Wonderland? I wonder if something will start?

Izumi: Fufu. The atmosphere of this venue is perfect.

Masumi: I’m working hard only for you. I’ll show you my acting as a perfect Alice, so watch me.

Izumi: There, let’s act for the guests.

-pause-

Izumi: (University student Alice drinks the medicine he received from his professor, And loses his way in Wonderland—)

White Rabbit: “Oh goodness, I’ll be late at this rate. I must hurry.”

Alice: “Are you trying to cosplay a white rabbit? …Before, you were pleased to be told they're cute and stuff, weren’t you?”

White Rabbit: “S-shut up! For me, these are ears I take pride in!”

-pause-

Izumi: (Alice, who separated from the White Rabbit, sits there and waits to wake up from his dream.)

Cheshire Cat: “Hey, that’s my napping spot. Won’t you get out of the way?”

Alice: “After the rabbit, it’s cat cosplay, huh? This is a headache inducing dream.”

Izumi: (Fufu, both the lines in the script and the adlibs are very light, And you get drawn into their view of the world.)

-pause-

Mad Hatter: “If you drink my tea you’ll wake up, you say? I’ve never heard of such a story. Right, guys?”

Alice: “There’s nobody here except us but from awhile ago, You’ve been talking to someone.”

Mad Hatter: “There’s nobody here? Was that really so?” “…Reality isn’t just the things you can see with your eyes. Isn’t that right?”

Alice: “I’m getting a headache.”

Izumi: (Itaru-san and Masumi-kun’s mood is perfect too. They’ve improved a great deal since the first performance!)

-pause-

Izumi: (Being told he’d wake up by meeting the King of Hearts, Alice headed towards the castle.)

Card Soldier: “You bastard, could you not hear what the King said!?”

Alice: “I’ve never played something like croquet! More than that, there’s another thing—"

Card Soldier: “Ugh silence, silence! What the King says is absolute!”

Alice: “It can’t be helped, I’ll learn by watching…”

*swings*

King of Hearts: “—Ouch!”

Card Soldier: “You bastard what are you doing hitting the King with your hedgehog!” “King, what shall we do about this insolent fellow?”

King of Hearts: “It’s the death penalty.”

Alice: “Ha?”

King of Hearts: “Death penalty.”

Alice: “I don’t understand. I just—”

King of Hearts: “Death penalty.”

Alice: “Why do I have to be sentenced to death!? That’s too absurd!”

Izumi: (Fufu, Citron-kun is in high spirits. Chikage-san’s Card Soldier as well is perfectly compatible with the King of Hearts!) (Itaru-san was saying that the March Hare is great but, It's no wonder Citron-kun definitely wouldn’t yield when it came to the Card Soldier either.) (…Everyone in the Spring Troupe really enjoyed themselves with the performance.) (More than anything, it feels like Masumi-kun is having the most fun.) (His facial expression hasn’t changed, but it’s properly conveyed, Masumi-kun.)

Alice: “…”

Izumi: (Just now he looked here and smiled? Was it just my imagination…)

-pause-

Professor: “Good morning, Alice-kun. How are you feeling?”

Alice: “The worst. I wasted a considerable amount of time.”

Izumi: (He was saying things like he was working hard for me, But that’s definitely not the only reason.) (Masumi-kun, acting together with everyone in the Spring Troupe is fun… isn’t it?)

Alice: “Because I’m done with the tea for now.”

-pause-

Spring Troupe: Thank you very much!

---

*OH BOY. Originally Citron says "ツラない" (tsuranai: no face), to which Tsuzuru says that'd be the "のっぺらぼう" (nopperabou: a youkai that looks like a human but with no face) and then corrects him with "つれない" (tsurenai: cold/unkind). I tried my best to keep it as similar as possible while throwing in a reference I hoped most people would get... aha

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#a3! #a3! translation #usui masumi #act! addict! actors! #masumi usui #is it too soon to bring back my citron meme-- #also the feels...

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Higurashi Month 2021, Day 20: Party

Rika was very well-acquainted with time, having once been accused of murdering it when she tried to sing at the Red Queen's gala. Time, however, was incomprehensibly unharmed, though Rika might often wish otherwise, given as that eminent lilac-haired personage was fretful, chattery, and obsessed with cream puffs. Still, far be it from Rika to contradict the edicts of the Red Queen, which were often delivered via the end of an ax, and then as angry postage when axes proved ineffective at injuring the accused party. Rika was one such escapee from the queen's justice, though "justice" was certainly a loose term when applied to the queen –as loose as the lid of a teapot that wasn't stuck together with jam.

And since she was doomed to be stuck together with Time until someone glued that particular teapot back together, well, Rika certainly had no intention of not enjoying herself.

The garden was well-laid with all the accoutrements of a tea party –minus the guests– with pots and pots of steaming tea of various types, and oodles of chairs around the crisp white-coated table (black tie being deemed far too gloomy for such a young piece of furniture.) Spread across this vast surface and amongst the plates and pots were three-tiered cakes of settings, with jam before cream and cream before jam, dainty flower cups with porcelain painted on their curving sides, and of course the knives and forks with which to cut the finger sandwiches.

The rustic and orderly scene of picnic-y peace was almost instantly ruined by the Hare as she bounded onto the table and through the crockery in pursuit of a wailing Time.

"I'll trap and cage you, and then we'll see what cruel things you have to say about my Hatter!" Satoko cried, swinging a watch on a chain like a knight's mace as she sent the butter dish flying into the nearby hedgerow.

"Hau, hauhauhau! B-but I'm not even the one that said she killed me!" Time squeaked, splashing through several cups of tea and sloshing their contents all over the table's brand new cloth. Rika was going to have to send an apology for ruining its Sunday best.

"Satoko, enough!" she roared from the head of the table, banging her flower down so hard that the petals wilted. "A nice world it is, when a murderer and her victim can't sit together for a nice cup of tea!"

"Sorry." the Hare whined, her fuzzy ears drooping down around her face as the watch swung slack at her side. Time, cowering behind a particularly large cake of platters, peeked around her fingers nervously.

"Sit down and have some tea, the both of you." Rika huffed, pouring a new stream out of the nearest pot and not particularly caring whether it was empty or full. "We'll have guests soon, and I'd like to show a nice face!"

Satoko immediately began polishing the face of her watch, stepping down off the table to sit at Rika's side. Time crept around to her other side, picking up a tartlet and munching away –she'd gotten a taste for such things in the Red Queendom, though how anybody got away with swiping such things from the Red Queen, Rika wasn't sure.

Speaking of which…

The White Queen didn't appear heralded by trumpets, for that wasn't her way. She'd have them herald her as she left, and she'd thank Rika and the others for a wonderful tea party before she sat down, and thank them for inviting her as she got up. Her green hair was twisted up under a bonnet, and behind her came her faithful knight, the Ace of Spades, ready to tell everyone what she was doing in reverse.

"The Queen is grateful to being invited to such a wonderous tea party." Keiichi said as Her Majesty Mion sat down and commented on the wonderful time she had had during this tea party.

"More of your tricks!" Satoko cried, swinging her watch with deadly force across the table as Time squeaked and ducked. "She's going backwards!"

"On the contrary, she's already gone." Keiichi sighed, and Rika groaned with him, pulling the brim of her hat down over her face.

"What a wonderful party~!" a voice singsonged from the trees above, and Rika tilted her hat back again, peering under the brim to see the Cheshire Cat sprawled across the branch of a nearby tree, slitted eyes twinkling and her purple-bow-tipped tail twitching merrily. "Adorable! I could just eat you all up and take you home~!"

"EEK!" Satoko and Time cried as one, diving under the table: for besides her timorous disposition, Time also possessed the ears and instincts of a Dormouse and Satoko –being a Hare– was not much better. Rika sighed again.

"The only thing you'll use your mouth for at my parties is tea." she said primly as Lady Mion took up her flower and then gestured for Keiichi to pour her a cup. "Could you fit a cake or two inside that grin, or would that be too much?"

"I might have to pop it off and see." Rena chimed, fading off the branch and onto a chair, which still left plenty more at the table. Rika hated to make it self-conscious by gathering all the other pieces of furniture at one end, even if they only ever had the three guests besides themselves.

"A riddle!" Satoko said, ears popping up from under the table first before the rest of her followed, peering cautiously over the edge at the Cat. "A riddle game to distract our guests!"

"Hempel's Ravens." Lady Mion said, dusting her fingers for crumbs before reaching for a cake.

"There's never been a riddle contest yet that my lady hasn't won." Keiichi said proudly. "She always knows the answers before the questions are even asked."

"Interference! Interference!" Satoko shouted, taking her seat again and banging her spoon on the table like a judge's gavel. "The prosecution does not recognize the credibility of answers provided by a person in reverse, persons of more than one mile in height, or sneaky manipulators like Time!"

"Who's more than a mile high?" the Cheshire Cat asked, licking some jam off her fingers around her ever-present grin.

"The Caterpillar, probably." Rika answered, refilling her tea from the same pot and deciding that it would be Oolong now instead of Darjeeling. This felt like it would be an ooh-so-long conversation, and she always like to coordinate. "Puffing on his pipe all day long."

"T-the Lady Hatter answers the first riddle correctly!" Time announced, quavering a little under Satoko's eyes.

"A riddle has been answered! A riddle has been answered!" Rena cheered, her tail wiggling from where she crouched in her chair. "Cheers to the Lady Hatter!"

Keiichi applauded politely, as did his Queen, though she applauded, of course, in reverse, pulling her hands together before putting them apart.

Clatter and chatter eclipsed the long white-coated table as the various inhabitants clamored for this idea and that, losing ideas and finding them in equal measure, picking up so many threads of conversation that a conversationalist would lose their wits trying to weave it all together into a tapestry. But still, merry threats and even merrier greetings aside, the tea party was enjoyed long into the night, when everyone but the White Queen lit candles and continued needling one another.

Its surprisingly hard to get the right mix of Alice in Wonderland "zany and whacky" without it becoming incoherent and cracky. Also, there's an after-credit manga page that I pulled from to get the designs (Keiichi/Ace of Spades, Mion/Shion as the White/Red Queen, Satoko as the March Hare), though Satoshi was originally the Mad Hatter and Rena the White Rabbit.

#Higurashi Month #Higurashi Month 2021 #Higurashi no Naku Koro ni #Higurashi When They Cry

[advernia]

this is for that anon who asked about the danganronpa!ikerev au Σ(･口･) thank you for having an interest in this au, by the way! (´∀`) the format’s not exactly lore-ish per se since when luci and i talked about this, we plotted it out to be game-like - but still, here you go~ it’s like a prologue of sorts, i guess!

the tea party

everyone’s invited - red + black + neutrals + alice - except the tweedles + mousse, whoops. tho i was amusing myself with the idea that they could be something like ndv3′s monokubs, lol.

but since it’s also alice in wonderland themed, maybe the three are like some odd guides popping out randomly now and then??? they say they’re helping but dean’s too cryptic, dalim cycles between being vague or being an unhelpful bastard, and mousse... yeah.

the killing game tea party is set in the ikerev gardens / the civic center and in true danganronpa fashion, they can’t leave the premises. new rooms + places for exploration are also only unlocked after certain events. sometimes if they feel like it, the tweedles or mousse could open areas themselves, which makes them even more suspicious.

they claim not to be working with monoamon, but everyone calls bullshit bc how the fuck can they move so freely + open areas then??? they don’t answer that question at all, but eventually there’s the inkling that even they themselves don’t know why they’re granted that freedom too.

there’s no strict stuff about the time, but somehow everyone knocks out unconscious come midnight and wake up exactly at seven. food’s readily available at the tea party table, looking always fresh. they can see the outside, but some odd invisible barrier’s keeping them from going too far.

guests: red & black

no set protagonist, lol - let’s imagine everyone having their own routes!

the red + black main five wake up seated on their respective seats on the table. not simultaneously, mind you. the ‘protagonist’ wakes up first and when he does, he’s greeted by the sight of an odd stuffed rabbit with a monochrome pattern staring at him, wtf. 

“finally awake,” it says and protag’s like no shit sherlock but wait wtf - talking stuffed rabbit???????????????????????

it ignores all the basic questions (where am i, who are you, why can you talk etc.) but responds to the why am i bound / chained to this chair, and it says:

‘if you want to break free, you have to remember your title.’ and with that the rabbit hops away, leaving the protag either a) even more confused (kyle, zero, luka, fenrir), b) agitated (jonah, ray, seth), or c) thinking about the title (lancelot, edgar, sirius).

eventually after a moment of mental + physical struggle, their title hits them in the head and it spills out from their lips and hey presto, the chains on ‘em are suddenly lifted! by this time, their ‘rival’ chara wakes up.

‘rival’ chara can vary, pure (black vs. black) or cross (red vs. black). let’s say that the pure rivalry is your normal game mode and more centric around the chosen protag’s dynamic with his group (black or red) + a little with certain neutrals. the cross is your hard difficulty, probably filled with more bullshit, and has a storyline that involves everyone (with an ending that more or less still leaves you with tons of questions).

for pure black, luci likes the matchups of ray vs. seth & luka vs. fenrir. red, kyle vs. jonah & edgar vs. zero. lancelot and sirius are faced off with a rival from the neutral group, blanc and loki respectively.

for cross we have: ray vs. jonah, lancelot vs. fenrir, sirius vs. edgar, luka vs. kyle, and zero vs. seth. note that the rival chara isn’t exactly antagonistic by nature, results may vary depending on game difficulty lol.

anyway, eventually everyone wakes up and they get to remembering their so-called titles. it’s only after they’re free that they realize they can’t remember their names, much less anything else.

but by simply looking at each other’s outfits + introduction of self through titles... the other group aside, it’s logical to first assume that they know each other. their clothes have similar colors, their titles end with the same symbol, and they’re seated on the same side of the table... question is, why can’t they remember each other???

the rabbit pops up when the mood’s gone quiet, and it’s oddly chipper as it introduces itself as amon. it answers and ignores questions on a whim, and when it finally has enough it informs everyone that there are people still missing - without them, the tea party can’t start.

what the fuck is this tea party about, someone tries to say but amon’s gone away. left with not much of a choice, everyone decides to search the area for these missing people, with this ‘tea party area’ as the rendezvous point after maybe thirty minutes or so.

guests: neutral

these guys have a harder time bc unlike the red + black that are already grouped together, the four are located in separate areas and are also chained to something (a certain cat’s been chained to a damned tree). 

the protag will always encounter amon first, and the remaining three will meet dean, dalim, or mousse. tho instead of being told the remember your title phrase, they get a remember who you are instead.

they eventually remember, break free, and set out exploring the place in hopes of finding anyone else / jogging their memories. but before they’re found by either the reds or the blacks (or both), the white rabbit meets the mad hatter, and the cheshire cat meets the joker.

the neutrals at first are hesitant to go along with whoever finds them, but eventually they comply when they hear that these strangers also went through a similar experience as they did. when the four are brought to the tea party table, a round of introductions go on and now they’re fourteen in total - but there’s still one seat left open.

since the neutrals are obviously different / don’t pose any similarities with the two groups in any way, suspicion floats in the air. that mood is diffused immediately by the white rabbit, who everyone doesn’t mind actually listening to. he points out that maybe they should try finding that last person before really engaging into a proper talk.

everyone’s sure they’ve checked around, but there’s not much places to go when some barrier-like force holds them back from going to certain areas. but suddenly the cheshire cat hits the jackpot, discovering a path hidden by the rosebushes in the gardens that lead to... a chapel???

the moonlight shining down + the surrounding rosebushes makes the chapel look pretty, but that’s not what they’re there for anyway - when everyone walks to the chapel doors, they see that there are two large chains crossed together binding the door shut, the links of one chain all colored black and the other red - thinking that those chains follow a similar formula to those that bound them, the white rabbit suggests that they try confirming if someone’s inside first.

they shout, rattle the chains, peek through the windows, look around for any other entrances, but nothing. no one replies, no other entrances, the windows are made out of stained glass so you couldn’t see inside. someone suggests breaking the windows, but suddenly the tweedles + mousse appear out of nowhere, standing by the chapel doors.

majority go wtf who u and how’d u get here??? the three that suddenly appeared don’t care about that though, and instead stare at the kings. mousse holds two banners in his hand - dean takes the red one, dalim takes the black one... and go to the king of hearts and king of spades respectively.

the twins hold out the banners to the kings, expressions equally serious. they ask: who are you? and while the kings don’t answer at first, they regain composure and speak out their titles, taking the banners in their hands.

the moment the kings speak their titles the banners change form and take the shape of swords - suddenly weapons appear before the rest of the army people too, and while the whole thing is odd; the weapons are actually... sort of familiar to have by their side.

dean and dalim say nothing more and go back to where mousse stands - the quiet man looks at everyone with a strange glint in his eye, and like a whisper, he says: never forget - and they’re gone.

now everything’s just downright confusing again, but the kings decide to use their swords to take down the chains of the chapel, for starters. hey presto, it works! and with those gone, they could walk into the chapel...

guests: alice

the chapel looked pretty from the outside, and was equally pretty from the inside. intricately designed stained glass, neatly arranged pews, simple yet elegant tapestries, a grand cross by the altar, a body lying facedown by the altar... yeah, pretty.

...................... a body!?!?!??!?!

chosen protag gets to the body first, and surprise surprise, it’s a girl! the moment the protag shifts her body to see her face, a sharp pain pierces his head - she’s familiar, she’s familiar, but not a single concrete memory takes form.

everyone goes through this when they see her face, and when the last person who sees her has recovered a bit from the sudden headache, the girl starts to stir.... and when she focuses her eyes on the protag, his title comes out from her mouth and.... what the hell?

she’s not wrong, but how the hell does she know??? before anyone can get to asking her that, amon suddenly pops up from the chapel’s entrance, bathed in moonlight and looking extremely pleased. 

“took you lot long enough. now... let’s have a mad time, shall we?”

fourteen men, one woman... how many can survive this tea party?

miscellaneous stuff

hours before oliver is tragically murdered, alice and the protag will have a conversation in the chapel - it’s like alice is gauging the protag’s resolve, and at the end there’s a promise. alice leaves first after that, and as he watches her leave the protag gets the odd feeling that he’ll never see her again... which proves true, since he’ll be condemning her to death come the trial. oof.

first trial always ends up with oliver as the victim and alice as the executioner, lol... but luci and i like the idea of anyone could’ve murdered oliver granted that they were at the wrong place at the wrong time - in any route, it always happens to be alice. was it by accident, or by choice??? hmmm....

her memento item changes depending on the protag! so for example, if zero or fenrir, the item is a pair of earrings. loki or sirius end up with a choker. ray with a necklace, edgar with a wristwatch, etc... the item proves useful on the last trial.

it’s actually a shame that oliver and alice are cut off immediately??? the former proved to be knowledgeable of the machinery present in the building, and the latter was actually like blanc in the sense that she could get everyone to calm down and listen... plus since she was familiar to everyone and vice-versa, she might have been helpful in regaining their memories. so much for that.

amon finds their deaths very convenient himself, stating that the mad hatter + alice were going to be a pain and would spoil the tea party if they lived any longer. to why that was, no one’s quite sure yet. amon seems to dislike blanc, too.

each executioner’s punishment is recreated through a unnervingly realistic diorama set up in that one place they frequently go to... thus alice’s can be found in the chapel. the actual bodies of the victims + executioners are actually nowhere to be found, though... that aside, why exactly was this being done??? was it because amon was simply a sick bastard??? or as morbid as it was, were the dioramas meant to send a message??? hmmmm.....

murder cases & themes also vary throughout routes! usually, the victims or executioners are related to the character’s route theme in the sense that they’re the opposite of it or are burdened differently about it as compared to the protagonist...

so say for example, zero’s theme is purpose / duty.... chances are the victims / executioners on his route are people who are also strongly related to this theme. whiiich means that ray or luka could play a role on his route lol whoops spoilers or for ray, who deals with guilt... people who deal with certain burdens are of interest. whiiiiich means that edgar or kyle are probably involved whooops

danganronpa itself has philosophical + psychological themes, so add that up with lewis carroll’s alice in wonderland which is philosophical by nature... and you get a shit ton of questions about judgement + morality + causality + life + death + truth + deceit that recurs on every route.

delivery and angles vary - for example, loki’s route takes a bleak perspective on causality through his flippant decision-making at the beginning. though quite the unreliable narrator, one can get the idea that kyle is obviously haunted and gravely affected by the deaths he witnesses, whether a victim’s or an executioner’s.

big question: is there a mastermind, or is this all in their head??? has everything gone mad, or was this an inevitable reality??? curious indeed...

#rundown.txt #i was supposed to post this yesterday haha but #i tried fixing it up a bit at work to make it have some sense #bc tbh luci just thought of it for fun... then i ended up with a game draft or smth... #actually we're unsure of the big plot itself lol #we could follow kodaka and go wtf #or we could also follow lewis carroll and go 'surprise it be a dream' #lolol either way this can be an au i can fall back on when i feel like it

[hjh-ceilo-monster]

Alice in wonder land AU (Ot 7)

Summary : You wanted to escape the arrange marriage that your parents set up for you with the son of the duke.On the day of you marriage,you was walking in the garden.You heard a noise out of the bush so you walked there.Suddenly you saw a rabbit dress up with some kind of fancy costume with the clock locket in his paw.He ran really fast.Without hesitation,you chased after it until you slipped into a hole near the tree.You were unconscious for awhile.When you woke up,you were in the gerden with magical thing.That was the start of your journey...

Kim Namjoon : Absolem 

- A giant caterpillar who like to stay all day on a mushroom while smoking a hookah.He’s the one who know everything in wonderland and he also know as fortuner.Who know he also has a human form as well.

- The favourite sentence that you would here often is “Who are you?”.That was also the first question that he asked you.You answer your name but his answer make you confuse.‘You aren’t the ‘Alice’ yet.’

- Talking about the the war between White king and Red heart king.You didn’t understand what was going on but after awhile you accept.‘It’s your faith to be the warrior and kill Jabberwocky.’

Kim Seokjin : White king

- A man with honour and gentleness.He’s the one who really born to be king. With that kind heart and charistma aura out of his body,no one can actually resist it.

- You asked him when you met him at the castle about the war.You then got the answer of why you should be the warrior.‘My vow that I have given was to not kill or harm any creature in wonderland.’So the big jackpot which is killing Jabberwocky turned toward you instead.

- The one that help you went back toward your own world.Although you’ll miss this so much but your life need to move on.‘Alice you can choose whatever you want as long as you happy.’‘Alright if you choose to go then hope to see you again,Alice.’

Min Yoongi : Cheshire Cat

- A hybrid blue cat that was so cocky toward you.With his smire that annoy you every time you see it,like to teae and take nothing serious.‘I swear Yoongi,if you put that smirk on your face again,I’ll rip your mouth open.’‘Woh girl chill.’

- Enemy enternity with Hoseok a.k.a Mad hatter.They both have an old business with each other thatHoseok that still mad at him till now.‘You...coward cat!’‘Shut up crazy man!’

- Although with that cocky attitude,he was quiet helpful in a lot of situation.The second smartest person that you know.With the ability of invisibility any timehe want,he could sneak to do anything.That’s really helpful whenhe got the fortune map of the wonder war.

Jung Hoseok : Mad hatter

- The guy with messy orange hair and always wear his hat.He’s a good hat creator since it’s his family’s business.It’s like the talent of making hats run in his DNA. 

- He’s a crazy guy,loud noise maker,energetic etc.A lot of words you could use to describe him even the word ‘serious’.Although with that look of his,when he got mad,that’ll be the end of the word.You saw that when you had a tae party with him and cheshire join.You didn’tremember what happen exactly but what was clearly about that day was Hoseok nearly kill Yoongi.

- Your best buddy ever.He hanged out around you a lot along with March Hare and the only one who believed in you that you were the ‘Alice’ that Absolem was talking about.He also have talent in dance.You saw it before you came back to your world after killing Jabberwocky.

Park Jimin & Kim Taehyung : Tweedle Dum&Tweedle Dee

- The twin who always bring chaos.They tried their best tobe helpful and helped you but in the end ther weren’t.It looked like veerytime they discussed with each other at the end they argued insted.

- They actually helpful when they became clowns.Both of them made a purfect duo when it comes to lif the mood up for someone.They’ll immediately act like dorks and hang around with you to make you feel better.You experienced it when you first came here and no one believed you were the ‘Alice’.

- With that dork look,their fight skill were incredible.Both of them created the good team work and fought really well.They were the one who helped you cleared the way to reach Jabberwocky esier and finished your job.

ps.They really like the twin sisters that you know in your real life.(But of course you like them more than that b*tchy twins)

Jeon Jungkook : White Rabbit

- ‘Is this the wrong Alice...again?’The first sentence he spoke after Namjoon told everything.You didn’t know that he was the rabbit hybrid.‘You are....human?’He only smiled and nodded.Not a good first impression toward him after that you fainted.‘Hey wake up...please.’

- He was team up with the Red king because he got kidnap.When you enter the Red king castle for the sword,you then also brought him back.Also thank to him that e told where the fortune map was,Yoongi found it in time before you came out of the castle.

- He was a fluff ball to you.He was shy and cute which was making you miss your neighbor’s son.They actually share something in common like how they act,favourite food and snacks etc.

Yeah another one done.This AU base on the movie ‘Alice in wonderland’.Some of the description that I put might be twist from the actual story line.Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this one and also the others that I already upload as well. See you next time.

#bts #kpop bts #bts fanfic #bts jimin #bts jungkook #bts v #jeon jungkook #park jimin #bts x you #kim taehyung #bts army #bts jhope #bts jin #bts suga #bts x reader #fantasy #btsxarmy #jung hoseok #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #kpop fanfiction #bangtan #bts rap monster #bts taehyung #bts yoongi #alice in wonderland #imagination #film

[kindabraveandlittlestupid]

Another active list of ideas for me to update as they come to me. This one is all about Halloween Decorations/Haunted House ideas. I always prided myself in making a house people would find memorable, enjoyable and scary. Some of these concepts are basic idea that requires a little bit of setup and other are larger projects that may need the whole damn street to be on board. Have a read and let me know what you think OR if you have any ideas to suggest to my list.

Alien Crash Site

I always loved the crash landing decorations. They are rare and obviously take some effort to set up but if someone puts the effort in, they often come out looking like the best house on the block.

If I had money and time I would love to construct something like crashed Tie Fighter or Pelican (Halo) on the lawn but since those ideas are expensive, I am thinking to construct a UFO saucer out of aluminum or sheet metal with a little glass cockpit on top and maybe a rubber alien corpse on the lawn somewhere with dry ice for a smoke effect.

Best idea for a costume is a Men in Black look or a Hazmat Suit. We are there to cover up the alien sighting and make sure everything is transferred to Area 51 without being contaminated.

Effort: Medium

Chemical Spill

Chemical Spill has been an idea I been kicking around since High School. Men in yellow suits walking around with cannister and using metal tongs on both side to hold it. This would be more a skit then it would be an actual haunted house as we walk up and down the street with our gas masks only to drop the container and have the smoke (dry ice again) spill out into the area and the two of US flee in terror or act like we were dying from the fumes. This could be very fun and of course some people might not like the joke but fuck em. 

Effort: Low

Hogwarts

This idea feels simple enough; Brooms, Cauldrons, Floating Candles, School Spirit and so on. Harry Potter does well as an idea not because its so unique but rather because the world is so rich and it has become as big as Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Fucking Rings. This will excite the Potter Fans to see a house with the four houses of Hogwarts represented. While the initial idea is to keep it to one doorway to deliver candy, I also thought a Sorting Hat puppet might be cool leading the kids to different candy bowls representing the different chapters in the school.

It’s all really up in the air with lots of different ways to build the Harry Potter Haunted House. I would be excited to explore/do all of them over the course of a few years.

Effort: Low to Medium

Plants Vs Zombies

Perhaps a dated idea since the age of Plants VS Zombies is about 4 or 5 years behind us now. I still love the idea of placing 5 lawn mowers in a row, toss up some sunflowers with faces on them and create some defensive plants that are a throwback to the game.

This will take some effort as I will have to A) Burrow my neighbor's lawnmowers B) Build the plants from the game C) Make some dummy zombies to pull the whole damn thing together! The great thing is this is all work and very very little play. Rick’s Garage and the Quarantine Zone require a commitment to character, this is all about setting it up and letting people look at it and say. “Oh yeah, that was a thing once.”

Effort: Medium

Rick’s Garage

It should be noted I don’t look or drink like Rich Sanchez but when I want too, I can sound EXACTLY like Rick which I think is a great opportunity to troll some trick or treaters who come to my door.

Open garage, light on, stool out in the middle and me sitting there working on a new invention. Of course, there is a pickle on the desk and a large cardboard circle nearby with a light projected on it with a green lava lamp like effect to make it look like a portal.

The setup is simple enough and a treat for the fans of the show who will pick up the little easter eggs around the garage I would make IE the portal gun, the Plumbus, the butter bot, etc. Of course, the real fun would be acting like a dick.

*Clears throat for Rick’s Voice*

“Oh.. ohh another ninja, great. You look pretty pale to be Japanese. Just another white kid appropriating another peoples culture, huh?”

“You’re all really good parents. Filling your kids up with sugar when we’re the fattest country in the world. Say hello to type 2 diabetes for me.”

“Jesus a bunch of teenagers! I guess no one is getting laid tonight. Go home, watch a movie and do some dry humping until one of you works out how to lose your virginity in the most awkward way possible.”

Effort: Low

Wonderland Tea Party

The Wonderland Tea Party idea was something I came up with a few years back. Giant mushrooms, a long table on the lawn, and a few method actors playing Alice, the Teacup Mouse, Mad Hatter and me as the March Hare. Naturally, the insane people would be the Hare and Hatter talking crazy to one another across the table. Alice would be the go too person for candy being the only sane one at the table.

If the decorations were done right, I can easily imagine Cheshire cat smiling from the corner of the roof, a tiny door on a nearby wall and lots of other practical effects decorations to pull the scene together. This is another Haunted House/Decoration that really requires people to get into their roles while we have a tea party on my front lawn. I hope to find a girlfriend crazy enough to do this with me.

Effort: Medium

Quarantine Zone

This is something I been wanting to do most on the list. The Quarantine Zone is a nothing short of interactive Trick or Treat experience. A culdesac converted into a zombie outbreak zone. At the opening of the street, some rented chain link fences to block the sidewalks, a white quarantine tent and people dressed up as soldiers to hold the checkpoint. On the other side of the fence, the neighborhood has turned into a zombie epidemic with shamblers walking about, corpses on the lawn and other practical effects to give the end of the world vibe.

The Trick or Treaters come to the white tent where they meet a soldier who will be their escort to one, two or three candy houses. Using an air compressor we can blast them with air to make it seem like they are going thru a decontamination room. The soldier will use his airsoft gun (unloaded) to shoot a few shamblers who will drop to the grass as he leads them to some “safe houses” where some survivors are locked away and giving away king size candy bars. I always imagined one house could have someone who is bitten and slowly turning, another house could have a survivor who died but their candy bowl is still there (small candies) and the last house be a man or woman who is afraid to open the door but the soldier convinces the kids to yell trick or treat to let them know they are human.

I imagine how interactive this all would be for the kids and having the soldiers communicate with the survivors with walkie-talkies. Also having a few houses open where zombies can shamble in to take their break and let another actor step out to play the undead for a few hours. It's a dream and one which I love to have come true one day.

Effort: Very High

As always thanks the reading and feel free to share your own ideas or leave notes that I can add to my list.

Regards, Michael California

#Halloween #All Hallows Eve #Dia De Los Muertos #Happy Halloween #Haunted House #Halloween Decorations #Halloween Decoration Ideas

[hh-sinners]

HHw/SK The MAD TEA PARTY Ch.1 LATE FOR AN IMPORTANT DATE

Hazbin Hotel with Sinner’s Key: The Mad Tea Party

Chappie 1: Late for An Important Date

Inspired by Brandon Roger’s “Mad tea Party” youtube videos.

ALL CHARACTERS AND ELEMENTS OF HAZBIN HOTEL BELONGS TO VIVIENNE MEDRANO

Sinner’s fan-character concept belongs to me. Special thanks to @tremendousmiraclecherryblossom​ for co writing and editing!

(your Sinner wakes up in their bed, but finds themselves looking up at the sky instead of the ceiling of their room in the hotel. As they get up they find they are in a poorly taken care of field/garden, and they realize they’re no longer wearing their pjs, but an outfit similar to:

(Note; the colors and card suite can be whatever you want for your Sinner’s alice outfit. In case it isn’t that visible, left one is clubs and right one is hearts for the ref pic above.You can also change the shoes, sleeve length, style of the outfit etc X3 )

Sinner: why am I wearing this and where the f*ck are my pjs?

(as they’re looking around, they hear noises. Following them they find some familiar faces around a table…Angel, Husk, Vaggie, Niffty and Crymini to be precise, in weird looking costumes)

Sinner; ...what’s everyone doing-? How’d they get the ENTIRE dining room table outside?! (they approach)

Angel: (shoots his head up….and grins) Well WELL!! G’MORNIN’ SLEEPIN’ BEAUTY!!

Niffty: heehee!! Wrong story Angel!

Sinner; what-? Why’re you guys all dressed like that?

Angel: ...huh, I could aks you th’ same thing! (looks at a piece of paper) OY! HUSK!! We didn’t cast (Sinner’s name) did we?

Husk: ..this is our Alice, I dragged their bed out here and got them in the stupid dress/suit.

Sinner: (clutches self feeling violated) that only raises more questions.

Angel; th’ F*CK?! I thought CHARLIE was gonna be Alice?!

Husk: ...it’s not? ….Wait. ...that’s not Charlie? ...f*ck (pours some tea)

Niffty; she was busy! but like Husk said, (Sinner’s name) was available!!

Vaggie: you mean “vulnerable”?

Niffty: Yeah that! :D

Angel; ….ah hell with it, kid looks better as Alice an’ makes a better Alice! Anyway, Grab a seat (Y/S’s nickname)

Sinner; … (sits) is this some sort of..cosplay?

Vaggie; More of a cult. before you ask, it was Angel’s idea.

Crymini: YEAH! He found this cool @$$ art book he showed us! Some f*cked up psycho version of Alice in Wonderland-

Vaggie: MY “Alice Madness Returns” art book you took from me TWO WEEKS AGO!?

Angel; ...Well no sh*t how ELSE were we gonna get yeh to come?

Vaggie: … (takes a huge gulp of tea)

Angel; WELP!! (to Sinner) don’ know about th’ rest of these party poopers, but I’M having too much fun in “Wonderland,” whatta about y’alls? :D

Niffty: (singing) YEEEEEEESSS!

Sinner; uh...wait...what are you?

Niffty: I’M A SINGING FLOOOOWWEEERR!

Sinner: Ok…

Vaggie; yeah, she’s a flower, Angel’s running this as the Mad hatter, I’m the cheshire cat…

Angel: we “Purrsuaded” Husky here to be our March Hare ;)

Husk: free drinks. That’s all I’m sayin’

Angel: (bends over, floofs chest, and wiggles hips) along with other benefits.

Husk: … (continues drinking)

Sinner; (looks over to Crymini) ..what the hell are you?

Crymini: I’m A MUTHER F*CKIN’ JABBERWOCK!! >:D

Angel; an’ with the intros outta th’ way and FINALLY findin’ an Alice, here’s to havin’ more children fallin’ through our rabbit holes. (raises cup).

Niffty: YYYAAAAYYYYY!!! (splashes tea all over the place)

Husk: stoppit Niff, yer waistin’ all the booze!! (Tea splashes on husks face, he remains silent and licks it off)

Sinner; So wait, this isn’t tea?!

Vaggie; it is, some of it’s just spiked.

Angel: NIFFTY’S CLEANED CUP! EVERYBODY CLEAN CUPS, MOVE YER @$$ES!

(they all shove each other into new chairs. Niffty dances away as Sinner accidentally ends up in Husk’s lap)

Sinner; O.o uh-

Angel: awwww I wanted Alice t’sit on MY lap!

Husk; Well they’re on MY lap, and I’m too lazy to get em’ up (burps)

Sinner; Ew >^<

Angel; Oh YEH!? Well it’s MY party, MY RULES! An’ I want em’ on MY lap!

Husk: Nope. too lazy.

Angel; YES! Gimmie Alice!

Husk: Nope

Sinner; Uh, do I get a say in-?

Angel/Husk: NOPE.

Husk: grab a drink an’ have a smoke kid, it’s gonna be a long one.

Sinner; I don’t smoke OR drink! ..isn’t there anything to eat?

Niffty: COOKIES!

Sinner; Oh good-

Vaggie; they have drugs in them

Sinner; ...which ones-?

Angel: ALL O’ THEM! O3O

Sinner; (crawls off Husk’s lap under the table, hoping to get away...and into Niffty’s empty seat, as she’s rolling around the ground) ok, NOW I think I’ll have that drink…

Vaggie: Welcome to the club (pours sinner a cup) Angel and Niffty are hogging all the cookies anyway. (looks over at Angel) How’s the “special K” Hat-hole?

Angel: Ugh, f*ckin cookies don’t taste strong enough, puttin’ me in a bad mood (looks at Husk) ...whut th’ f*ck you lookin’ at hare?

Husk; what?

Angel: ..yer ears look like a f*ckin’ bat did em’

Husk: You’re the one who shoved me into this hat.

Sinner; (takes a big sip of tea...only to spit it back out) YUCK!!! What kind of tea is this?! It’s NASTY!

Vaggie; it’s herbal, there was NO WAY I was letting these ADDICTS spike up caffeinated tea

Angel: Kid, when you have this tea, CREAM AN’ SUGAR DON’T DO SH*T! YOU GOTTA SCOTCH IT UP! ..also I blame Vaggie

Vaggie; THEN NEXT TIME YOU GET THE DAMN TEA!

Husk: Well if he HAD gotten it, we wouldn’t be stuck with THIS CRAP

Angel: You callin’ me LAZY?!

Crymini: (to Niffty, who’s still on the ground rolling around) NIFFTY STOP PHOTOSYNTHESIZING AT THE TABLE!!

Niffty: I NEED TO LIIIIVE!!!

Husk/Vaggie; STOP SCREAMING!

Angel; y’know whut? You wanna be the damn Cheshire Hatter or some sh*t? FINE!! YER PARTY NOW! (plops the hat onto her head, beginning to march off)

Husk: (Clearly intoxicated) HEY B*TCH! TAKE YER *HIC* DAMN CHAIR WITH YOU! (throws chair at Angel, which hits him in the leg)

Angel; OW!! YOU MOTHA’-!!

Vaggie: What the hell Husk!?

Husk: B*tch thinks she can just walk out and leave me here with her f*ckin’ mess?!

Crymini: … *awkward cough*

Niffty: ….is that what happened to Husk’s last Sweetie?

Sinner: Uh oh-!

(Angel snarls, eyes flashing pink before he picks up the chair and races towards Husk)

Husk: Oh Sh*t-! (flies off, Angel chasing him around)

Angel: COME BACK HERE AN’ CALL ME A B*TCH AGAIN Y’LAZY @$$ HERBAL SH*T DRINKING PIECE OF CRAP!!

Niffty: YAY FREE CHAIR!! (sits Husk’s chair as Angel chases Husk around. She takes a sip of Husk’s extra-spiked tea)

Vaggie; NIFFTY DON’T-!

(Niffty gets a blank expression then falls out of said chair)

Sinner; Niffty?!

Vaggie; Niffty! Are you ok?! Niffty-?!?!

Angel: (As he and Husk stop their chase) ooooo… ...that’s not good.

Crymini:; Sh*t….we shouldn’t have let her eat those damn cookies!

Vaggie: sure dress the PSYCHO-DOLL like a character from an acid trip film and offer her drugs. I couldn’t POSSIBLY see that ending badly.

Sinner:: Uh, Vaggie? Y’sure she’s-?

(Niffty suddenly opens her eye, which is dilated and red, and gets up hissing!)

Sinner; WTF?!!

Angel: OH SH*T TH’ F*CKIN” FLOWER’S POSSESSED!

Crymini: RUN!

Niffty: (demonic screeching, starts chasing random misfits around the table. Vaggie hides under the table with Cry only to have Niffty flip it over. Vaggie hisses at her, trying to calm her down...but Niffty continues chasing)

Husk: (getting chased) F*CKIN’ SPOOK B*TCH! (he and Angel set up a table while Niffty chases Cry and Vaggie)

Angel: ALICE DO SOMETHIN’!

Sinner; ME!??!?

Angel; YER ALICE! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SAVE WONDER-F*CK!! (Niffty grabs chair and throws it into the table) SAVE US ALICE WAAAGH!

(Sinner-Alice charges at Niffty, grabbing her and spinning her around, trying to pin her, tackle her etc. eventually Niffty, mid chase/struggle, knocks Sinner off, and they find themselves falling...falling…)

??: (Your Sinner’s Name)? Wake up!!

(Your Sinner wakes up in their own bed!)

Sinner: Wh-?! What-!?

Charlie: (leaning over them) Are you alright?! You were kicking all over the place!

Sinner; er...yeah..I had this weird dream* ….nevermind. Um, why are you in my room?

Charlie; OH!! Well, actually, I wouldn’t have come in if I hadn’t heard you thrashing...but I wa going to slip this under the door (hands them a piece of paper)

Sinner; ….”Come to Angel Hatter’s-*” ….Wonderland...tea-party?

Charlie: originally the invite was for me, but something came up..which is a shame, because I was going to be Alice!

Sinner; Like...this party is a cosplay or role play?

Charlie; yeah! But since I’m busy, I told them that maybe YOU could take my place! Niffty even made out a costume for you! (Holds up (Sinner’s fave color) outfit like the one from the dream) What you think?

Sinner; ….will the tea be spiked?

Charlie; knowing Husk will be there? Most likely...personally, I’m hoping that will be the only thing Angel’s planned for this party. This sounds dangerously less destructive than his usual antics.

(As Sinner is looking over their outfit, they notice something tucked in the pocket of their apron...an EMPTY mini liquor bottle with a sticker on it that says “Drink me <3” In Angel’s handwriting)

Sinner; …’I think I’ll need that drink

TBC?!?

SO!! What did you guys think of this crazy Wonderland-esqu Hazbin Hotel fan script?! Thanks to @tremendousmiraclecherryblossom for co-writing with me, and of course fanart and your own spin/ideas on this little fan concoet are welcome! X3

Chappie two coming soon! ..what/ You think this was the only one? X3 (Giggles evilly, sipping some peppermint tea...only to immediately spit it out) ANGEL!!!! DID YOU SPIKE MY TEA?!?

Angel: HUSK DIDIT! X3

#Hazbin Hotel #Demon Misfits #Vivziepop #Vivienne Medrano #Alice in Wonderland #Mad tea Party #Misfit sinners #fan character #alice #wonderland #Angel Dust #vaggie #husk #niffty #crymini #fan script #oc #tremendousmiraclecherryblossom

[fandom-hell-ferrylass]

“A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR” (MTP FANFIC)

The Mad

A long, deep sigh escaped Absolem’s lungs as he turned the corner into one of the halls of the Mad T Party backstage. The animated conversation of his band mates echoed off the walls and grew fainter as the two parties moved further away from each other. After a time, Absolem found himself surrounded by silence by the time he arrived at the door marked with his name. The dressing room was sparse - the Caterpillar didn’t require as much space or material things as some of his counterparts did *coughcough* Hatter *coughcough*. He neatly changed from the stage clothes to a more elegant, streamline blue tunic and pants and hung the costume up to be laundered before their next performance.  

His gaze strayed to the small relaxing area beside the vanity. A pile of pillows shoved into the corner with a small hookah set on a table. Absolem debated taking a few moments to clear his mind but the thought was immediately dispelled when he suddenly recalled that the small supply of shisha he kept in the backstage had been finished two days ago during a particularly bad bout of Madness on the Hatter’s part. Absolem sighed - his Underland supply was starting to wear thin and he dreaded the day he would have no choice but to convert completely to Human equivalents.

Read on Ao3

With another, more grumbling sigh, Absolem gathered up a small satchel he kept with him and moved to exit the room. His foot knocked something set beside the door jamb, making the Caterpillar pinwheel his arms to maintain balance. The man glared down at the plain, offending box before quickly snatching it up. It weighed next to nothing but he could feel something inside rustling. With an impatient yank the lid hissed off.

Absolem shook the container and tilted it towards the light to get a better view. His yellow eyes softened as his gaze trailed over the array of fine mesh baggies tied with satin ribbon, the leaves and particles collected in each one a welcome sight. Even under the hallway’s harsh fluorescent lights, he easily picked out muted, dried colours he knew so very well. A small flower bulb nestled in the center of the box and a teasing aroma was beginning to waft from the box.

A flash of tan in his other hand stubbornly drew his attention. A stained label was pasted to the underside of the box lid.

“You are certainly full of surprises, that one.” The Caterpillar resealed the box and reentered his dressing room to secret it away. This time, when he left the room, a knowing smile crept along his mouth, vanishing just as quickly. A quick stop by the greenroom lounge to let the others know he was headed to their shared penthouse and he vanished into the neon night.

The Cheshire Cat would be the first to admit lurking around the Mad T Party area wasn’t the most exciting thing to do while the world slept. The group’s shared penthouse even less so, but the comfort could not be beat. one by one, each Mad Partier had succumbed to their need for sleep and bid the Cat goodnight, leaving him to create what madness with their living quarters as he saw fit until he too would retire.

The urge to completely rearrange all the furniture was just beginning to creep upon the Cat’s mind when movement from one of the a-joining halls drew his eye. He froze where he was lounging on the ceiling and watched as a small, inky figure detached from the deeper shadows and stealthed across the massive living room in the direction of the kitchen. As it vanished through the door, Chessur coloured himself interested and floated along to follow.

The light spilling out of the open fridge door would have barely illuminated the female figure’s face for human eyes, but even in this form, Chessur has excellent sight. It didn’t matter though, he didn’t actually need it to know who was up and about at that hour. Incorporeally he leaned against the door frame and watched the girl stare into the machine before reaching and digging around. When she withdrew, she held two plastic-wrapped sandwiches. A satisfied smile lit up her face for a second as she closed the door and headed back for the living room. Chessur skirted our of her path and fell into step behind her.

He hovered behind her head as she navigated the beshambled room and folded herself into a corner of one of the couches next to Tarrant’s chair-and-a-half. Barely glancing at it, she reached over to pull one of the throw blankets off the chair’s arm and nest it around her legs. The Cat raised a brow - he knew something about familiar motions and he knew them when he saw them. He floated in a bit closer, crossing his arms to rest his chin on while he watched over her shoulder at the phone she pulled out.

The girl casually scrolled through apps and sites while she made easy work of the two sandwiches. Everything about her screamed comfort and rest and home. Chessur discovered he was starting to purr softly by the time the girl closed the phone and stood up. His eyes snapped open to saucers at the movement. He watched her take a few steps and look around the room. A new sound surprised him, a female voice speaking softly into the dark.

“Not as bad as that one time. Could be worse. At least the Cat hadn’t started on his usual antics yet, thank the Mirror for that. A bit odd, though. Hope he’s feeling alright. Ah well, c’est la vie.”

With that, she set about putting the room to rights and suddenly Chessur remembered all the times he had caused chaos in the penthouse at night only to find it all fine before the band woke up. He had assumed it was Absolem, or maybe Thackery finding out about his habit and making sure it didn’t put out their friends.

No, instead it was this little sprite undoing all my hard work, and all on her own. A lot of work for no praise indeed. But why worry for me if I only make more work?

She worked diligently and thoroughly, and Chessur could see her energy wane as the minutes ticked by. By the time she put the last throw pillow back, her steps were dragging and her head lolled slightly. A great yawn froze her for a moment but she shook it off and headed back to the kitchen.

Chessur watched the girl empty the dishwasher and bag up the trash for pickup, all in as quiet a manner as possible. He tilted his head when she went to the tea cupboard and stared at the insides for a moment.

“He’s fine, all fine, tea is fine for now.”

Hm, but you’re not, little one. Have you been doing this since you arrived with us?

The girl blinked and shook her head as she closed the cabinet. Glancing around the room, she nodded sleepily to herself and withdrew. The Cat followed.

She trudged back to the hallway she had emerged from earlier and vanished into the shadows. Chessur followed, an eerie curved mouth floating in the darkness behind the girl as she passed by two rooms and arrived at the last door of the hall. She slipped inside and gently shut it behind her, and the Cat could hear no more noise. He waited a moment, eyeing the name sign on the door, before he fully dematerialized and stalked to his own room. No shenanigans for the Cheshire Cat tonight. He didn’t have the heart to mess up all her hard work.

A/N: so here we are. the end. of this fic, perhaps of my short, incandescent MTP fic-writing career. life is strange, and weird, and I have loved my time here but spoons are required elsewhere. I have a few pieces left, already written, meant for a series after PotF was done. I may post them just to set them free. If you have joined me at all, I hope you’ve enjoyed your trip down the rabbit hole, and perhaps we will meet again. (also I may be more melancholy rn than is warranted, life is just being a b*tch and I’m job/apt hunting and it’s exhausting)

#Mad T Party #MTP fandom #MTP fanfic #TCups #fic: a spoonful of sugar #ch 4/4 #cheshire cat #caterpillar #Chessur #Absolem

[deuxlectrices]

Heather Reviews: Heartless by Marissa Meyer http://bit.ly/2H3U82P

Title:  Heartless Author:  Marissa Meyer Released:  2016 Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

"Someone has to do something," [Cath] repeated, though most of her fire had turned to smoke.

"Yes, and that something shall be to ignore such a horrible incident and go on pretending nothing has happened at all."

I feel like that exchange sums up this book in a nutshell. I'm joining the chorus of people who didn't like this book and thought it would've worked better as a novella. There's not enough material or world building here to justify a 440+ page novel because most of said novel is Cath sitting around and either whining about how she doesn't want to marry the King, thinking about the bakery she wants to open, thinking about baking, or thinking about Jest and wondering if he's thinking about her. Also, Cath's mother would've made a much better Queen of Heart-to be. She was relentless in getting her daughter into that position and Cath wasn't actually much of a character at all. Plus, Cath's mother was actually quite mean and ruthless; she was much more believable as the Queen of Hearts. I'm just saying, I would read the fanfic! Anyway, this book is pretty much the Lunar Chronicles but in a Victorian England setting, but instead of any technology there are occasional references to Wonderland characters. And by occasional reference, I mean very sparse, and that is about as Wonderland as a book promising the rise of the Queen of Hearts gets. For some reason, joining the Wonderland characters are nursery rhyme characters: Jack Sprat and Peter Peter appear for ... reasons? And Edgar Allan Poe's raven from the titular poem is Jest's partner in crime. Again for whatever reason. This is Wonderland and any characters can exist that you want; why drag in others? I'm not a Wonderland fanatic, but I've seen the first Tim Burton movie (it was on ABC Family one night), the Disney movie (I couldn't sleep and borrowed my sister's DVD one night), I've played the American McGee's Alice games (that's just coincidence and I'm more fond of the soundtracks) and read the Lewis Carroll books (I'm interested in classic literature). I don't feel like this book captures the spirit of Carroll's Wonderland, and instead rams it into a 19th century setting for forced drama and -I shudder- insta-love. Nothing is as random and weird and, pardon the pun, wonderful as it was, it's just Catherine sitting around thinking about how she has to conform to the laws of this society. Add into the fact that I don't entirely understand Cath's quibbles about marrying the King of Hearts. She mentions early "[...] queens did not open bakeries with their best friends. Queens did not gossip with half invisible cats. Queens did not have dreams of yellow-eyed boys and wake up with lemon trees over their beds." Queens don't stop being people, first of all. Secondly, the book makes a show of mentioning that the King loves Cath's baking; I can't see why he wouldn't allow her to open a bakery (Again, I quote: "What a queen you will make, Lady Pinkerton, cake baker and happiness maker!"). And, yeah, maybe Cath didn't like the King, and, yeah again, he's a few years older than her, but she also mentions he was a decent man, if just a little odd, so the audience could assume she would be treated well. When she meets him for a croquet game and mentions that she would like to be courted slowly, he respects her wishes; why does she think she would have to give up her existence if she became Queen of Hearts? But Cath thinks "Her husband? Her one and only? Her life's partner through trials and joys?" and I just roll my eyes; most women in that time did not marry for love. All I could think was, "please stop trying to emulate Romeo & Juliet, I think we can all agree that wasn't a good look." Cheshire at one point tells her what the entire audience thinks, "I'm only saying you may be the King's wife, but who is to say you couldn't also have more clandestine relations with the Joker?" to which Cath's "jaw falls open" and she huffs around the kitchen and declares she wants to be an honest wife. Oh, it's cute and noble and all that, but we all know that real life royal families get down like that, so Cheshire's suggestion was completely legit. In my eyes, Cath was just further complicating things and refusing to move the book along. I'm not complaining about her not being able to love the King, that's fine and nobody's asking her to, but, as Mary Ann points out, so many women in the Kingdom would love to be in her position and she acts like she's been asked to die on a cross. Unfortunately, for all the mental fuss that Cath makes about marrying the King, she never puts up a physical or verbal fight. She'll fluster and redden when he asks to marry or court her and think about how she will say yes or how she can't say no because of expectations and her family, instead of thinking about all her thoughts from the past, oh, 100 or so pages about her bakery and her dreams and how ~she wants to marry for love~ and how she could never actually be in love with the King. It's tiring, dear reader. Cath's inability to see the long term good in marrying the King of Hearts wasn't the only thing about her that annoyed me. The first chapter of the ball we're introduced to her childhood friend, Margaret Mearle, who "had the great hardship of being unbearably unattractive." The book then spends a paragraph describing exactly how unbearably unattractive Margaret is and ends said paragraph with, "If it weren't for the gowns she wore, Margaret would have been frequently mistaken for a boy. An unattractive one." Way to go, book. I guess it tries to have Cath be redeemed by descending into Mean Girls territory by having the Knave of Hearts come up to her to tell her how much he never liked her and how her dress is so red while Cath just ~smiles and bears it~ and Goody Pinkerton remains pious, but it's just so cheap and trope-y, and besides, I just saw her dancing with the devil mentally insulting her friend. The other side of the love triangle is Jest and the further into this book I read the more I just thought, "why was this written?" All apologies; I liked the Lunar Chronicles, but this is just such a black hole of a book with characters that have no chemistry... That was my only thought. Jest's intro scene shows him doing apparent, actual magic, but this is spoiled, at least in my opinion, by having the book cut back to Cath for her reaction on everything. Especially because it was for mundane things like Cath marveling at Jest summoning a snow storm of paper and noticing the bit that fell into her hair had a heart on it (~foreshadowing~). All I could think was, who cares; the rest of the ballroom is probably having the same reaction. It was so un-memorable all I actually remember from the scene was the lights in the candelabras going out, him appearing in a hoop, and the reader gets Cath's reactions on everything he was doing like she was the announcer at a sports game. That was my memory of another character's introduction. Their ~courtship is just as boring as the rest of the book was to me (though, since the book is romance, I guess their courtship IS the rest of the book?): They meet outside the ball because Cath ran away after hearing the King would propose to her and she faints in front of Jest (side note: why?), then they meet again at the castle for a game of croquet and they both manage to be the best players while making a show of how inept the King is at everything, and then they go to the Mad Hatter's tea party. And it's just so vanilla and boring. I remember reading their parting after Cath faints and thinking, "shouldn't I feel... giddy? Like they have some chemistry? Like their interactions were cute?" Instead I just felt nothing; I was so aware that they were two characters on a paper for the sole purpose of taking one character from point A to B that it was painful. At a certain point, after the Rock Turtle Cove thing, everything starts going wrong for Cath, which, if you're a reader of Victorian literature and, you know, you read the blurb, you know Cath isn't going to get what she wants. Skip this: I liked the Lunar Chronicles, really I did, but this feels like a sophomore effort and doesn't offer anything new to the Wonderland mythos. If you haven't, pick up Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, watch the Disney classic, maybe play (or watch) the American McGee's take on them, but this is just boring. Nothing new to see here.

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