percy: *hanging from a hole in the st. louis arch, about to fall to his death, half poisoned*

me: HERE WE GO, ABOUT TO FIND OUT HOW HE FALLS INTO THE FUCKING RIVER

a sudden Jack Thompson brainrot just attacked me out of nowhere and it won’t leave me alone so I Will Share. 

Idk just the idea of him being a selkie (despite the fact that even if there was an AU with everyone as some kind of mystical creature, he would still be a human) is really comical because he’s the same character, just also constantly carrying around the same jacket everywhere and never puts it on. He doesn’t let anyone touch his jacket--that’s his jacket, don’t get your smudgy fingers on his precious jacket gosh darn it. And it confuses everyone at the office because he never wears the bloody thing but it’s been going on for long enough now that they don’t question it.

He’s really possessive of his jacket. When they go out for drinks, he lays it across his lap and never sets it down much less lets it out of his sight. The clingy-ness is really bad on field assignments because he absolutely cannot stand to lose it in the chaos of a chase or shoot-out; usually he’s got a hand on the thing at all times. He has and will fight anyone who so much as touches it. Picking it up entirely makes him freak out and start screaming to “put that down! put it down right now!” and it’s scary sometimes. Like if he’s flirting with a girl and she tries to take his jacket as a lil jokey joke every ounce of fun and games with him shuts down completely and his regular jerkish growling swoops in full-throttle. Someone tried to hand it to him as a courtesy and he almost flipped his crap. He made the dude set it back down on the chair before picking it up himself lol.

A few times, people have gotten hold of his precious skin and he’s been at their whim until he could get it back and honestly he’s not a fan of being compelled to be their slave. I’m laughing over imagining Krzeminski taking it while Jack isn’t looking and locking it in his desk drawer or something and after Jack has a mini panic attack he realizes that he now shares a bond with his idiot coworker of all people and must do as he says and get him a kriffing donut and coffee from the bullpen though he’s seething and livid the entire time until he can find the key to the desk drawer and get his precious jacket back. Meanwhile everyone is shocked that he’s answering to Krzeminski including Krzeminski because it started out as a bet and now Jack is actually taking orders without having to be told twice hallelujah. I’d like to think this happens a couple of times with Dooley too because Jack trusts him and is comfortable enough around him to leave his jacket lying about. Dooley just takes it and hangs it on the coat rack in the corner but Jack is confused about why he suddenly feels like an ssr boy scout and has to pick his jacket up even if he just puts it back down again before the intoxicating surge of patriotism abates and his desire to follow the chief around like a pup returns to a normal level.

Actually putting the skin on is a rarity for him because where’s he going to swim that people won’t be able to see? Also the rivers in New York are filthy and polluted and he hates the water there, will even use a boat to travel through them if it means not having to touch it or breathe it. On long weekends, he probably goes to his Gam’s beach house in Jersey and spends all his time in the ocean because he’s Moana and it calls him haha. Gam chides him affectionately and tells him he needs to stop spending so much time on land it’s not good for his skin.

Does he fully transform into a seal when he puts the skin on? The lore disagrees about whether transformed selkies are seals or just mermaids that have seal tails. I’m more inclined to the latter because I have a chronic obsession with mermaids and Jack would make a sexy mermaid, but he’d also be a really cute seal idk. Maybe he can do both depending on which is most suited to his environment: for example, if he needs to breathe underwater and be able to grab things, or if he’d rather be round and unassuming/not identifiable as a freaky creature with the potential to scare ignorant civilians. But,,, maybe he needs to shed and re-don his skin to switch between mermaid-ish thing and seal to fill those plot holes also known as premeditated conveniences for having people accidentally encounter him naked on the beach because I am a cruel author teehee.

More comedy when he can’t swim in his human form because he never bothered learning like the douche he is. He arrogantly assumes he’ll never be in a situation where he’ll need to rely on his human form instead of just switching to a more water-friendly body. 

Maybe this leads to the angst (because it wouldn’t be me without it come on) when he’s stuck in a body of water--like the Hudson maybe--but people are watching him so even though he has his jacket clutched tightly in his hand he can’t change or he’ll reveal his true nature. Someone--probably Peggy tbh--has to jump in and haul his butt out when he inevitably drowns and he held onto the jacket so fiercely but he was unconscious and the current was strong so he must have let go. When he finally wakes up coughing and sore his first question is for the whereabouts of his jacket--not who saved him because Peggy’s soaking and she’s leaning over him with a disgruntled and annoyed look so it’s probably safe to guess it was her--tightly grabbing Peggy’s wrist and demanding to know whether she saved it too. Obviously she doesn’t understand the significance of it, and after the very unwelcome thrill of realizing he “couldn’t swim”, a replaceable piece of clothing is the last of her concerns right now, which she expresses with an exasperated “Jack, you never even wore the bloody thing. I think you can live without it”. 

But Jack starts panicking because it definitely isn’t replaceable, he only has one and if he loses it for good he can never go back to the sea and he’s pretty sure he can’t live without that, even if he spends most of his life on land these days. It’s a part of his soul, part of his identity, and he feels so incomplete without it. There’s no way she’ll understand that, but he can’t help feeling horrified, absolutely terrified knowing it might be gone and his true self locked away from him forever and screw professionalism, Jack breaks down right there and cries, full-on ugly sobbing and shaking and hugging himself feeling lost and exposed and a little bit violated like a chunk of his heart got yoinked by an ice cream scooper and Peggy and whoever else is there has no idea how to handle this situation because Jack has never expressed such strong feelings for anything other than his frigging jacket for reasons he refuses to disclose and they’ve never seen him so hysterical and agonized even when he got shot a few times in one sitting or fell off a building and broke his femur or got stabbed with a laced blade because losing his skin is so much worse than any bodily harm he could sustain. 

For weeks afterwards, he’s completely steeped in depression and totally lethargic and can barely remember to eat, meanwhile sleep is all he seems to know how to do. To the rest of the crew, it looks like he lost his dear wife or somethin, like he’s mourning a person he loved a big lot, so most of them think the jacket held sentimental value as a gift from someone he really cared about. And then since we can’t leave him wallowing in sad boi vibes forever, someone eventually finds his skin (maybe a pretty, young lady OwO) and--surprised by it being durable enough to survive the river while still looking fashionable and gorgeous--decides to keep it. I’d like to think that the skin changes appearances depending on who holds it. Jack’s GamGam preferred a shawl, Jack likes his jacket, and when the lady fishes it out of the river, it changes into a really chique, designer-esque style that’s impossible to give up. Jack immediately senses when this happens since... legally he’s bound to whoever is in possession of his skin to do whatever they want and stuff, so he knows that someone has it, but New York’s a big city. it could be anyone. 

Really it just adds to his misery because now on top of being deprived of his true self he’s also got this profound and compelling urge to do someone’s bidding but he has no idea where they are or what they’d even want him to do if they knew who he was so now it’s a daily struggle to just think straight ugh. BUT we can’t just leave him there either because where’s the fun in that? Chance encounter on the street, meet-cute, key witness for an investigation, whatever it is they meet somehow, and Jack’s whole focus tunnels on getting his kriffing jacket back. It’s really hard though, because this feisty lady says she found it for herself, and she really likes it and won’t part with it, and anyway it’s a woman’s style clothing so why on earth would Jack want it? 

Meanwhile Jack is just internally losing his sanity, so close yet so far, and at the same time he’s enslaved to her and can’t do a single freaking thing about it. To top it off, no one knows what the heck is really going on because that would require revealing his identity and haha no, so all anyone else can see is just Jack living, dying, breathing, and absolutely losing his braincells over a jacket they’ve never seen him put on and it’s baffling their minds. I’m sure he’ll get it back eventually. The whole ssr in the meantime is just watching him be weird while simultaneously trying to subtly investigate his butt but they keep hitting a dead end because while they may be the primary government agency for explaining the mystical and unexplainable, none of them ever actually accounted for those factors when considering Thompson. There’s a betting pool about whether he was deprived of jackets as a child and therefore developed a hyper fixation on them as an adult. The reveal will probably end up being loud and dramatic because those buffoons are Like That.

There's a huge number of people who are understanding that this folks just don't want to do anything and they need to be cleared out and they're grabbed him and they're all done. It's a huge day and the studs things happening oxygen levels are going up here it's about 24 I might go up one more point and it's because of algae but the water came down and so far has pushed another foot out and really it's only a 2 or 3 ft through the harbor and River and the canals are getting cleared out an inch every time it'll change and soon enough it'll be completely clear and that's the goal but the oxygen levels are high 24 and most people are not used to it or something seems to be okay and he gets inflamed a little and he takes anti-inflammatory that he's been doing clean living for a long time and trying to stay in shape.

-the heck of the day there's a ton of stuff happening huge crowds of marlock are fleeing Florida. We're leaving from all over the state in moments on the state will be cut in half by morning we take only 30% will be here and or will be back waiting. Now will be there Monday and that's not very good the population of warlock to others is only 10%. And the clothes disabled the AI using huge Jager and a lot of them and they got the design and they have it and they pull their hardware into the mega caverns and they're still working to try and get those lasers activated there's something for the Mohawk to evacuate and go do a lot of them want to and they probably should and they destroyed our son's clan any destroyed our daughter's plan they're not really their people but it left them alone and they're very pigish about it and they're losers and they get hit a lot they get hit a lot and they think there are these Giants running around so there's a deterrent there you know sun says cut the s*** off step on your base I'll turn you into a fountain. So he was all your stuff's huge too and huge isn't the word for it bulbous massive.

-there's a huge number of things happening and we're on it we are recruiting like madness and people are learning about our son's Army of Galactus and Galactica by our daughter and they are amazed but need to react immediately there are others like Moana Ariana and Muriel and goddess wife and others but they're not as big and there's four per planet or more where they had one per planet and their gigantic there's no way of saying how big they are nothing can stop them if they so desired but they are ours.

-I'm going to get back to you shortly with some updates

Thor Freya

We're having fun but there's a lot happening it's way too hot and used to cool off

And other and right now

Hera

Olympus

Backstory

Tang Shen and Yoshi Hamato grow up in the Foot Fleet. They are peaceful and only stop by islands to get supplies and replenishments. Tang and Yoshi are in QPP and when they turned 16 they exchange golden compasses and are now Matelot [<- not sure if thats phrased correctly]

When they are 19, the captain of the fleet, Oroku Keiji, dies of scurvy [toootally not assassinated] and then a 23 year old Oroku Saki takes charge. The captains ceremony reveals that he is going to turn the ships into a dictatorship with him on top. Obviously many people in the crowd object but those who are already loyal to Saki grab those that protest the loudest and bring them to the front. They get executed one by one.

Yoshi and Tang happened to be of those loud protesters. As theyre being dragged up to the front, Yoshi gives his compass back to Tang, gives her a kiss, and then shoves her overboard. As Tang resurfaces, she hears Yoshis screams abruptly cut off. She wishes she didnt resurface, but she keeps on living since she knows that's what Yoshi would want. What he fought for.

She manages to wash up on a nearby island and she uses her skills to make a Moana-esque raft. She sails solo few several months until one day, while net fishing, she catches the WEIRDEST bunch of turtles. Straight up four different species of turtle in one net. She decides that she’ll keep them because, again, fuckin bizarre find.

After 2 weeks of aimless floating and talking to these turtles she decides to stop at an uninhabited island and gather more food and supplies. She sails her boat up a small river and ties it down. She puts her turtles in a small rock pool nearby and then goes off to find some fruit since she's getting sick of fish.

She goes back to the turtles armed with fruits and greens plus a few rodents for protein variety and, she shits you not, a portal appeared directly above the turtles. This activates some kinda primal protect instinct and she drops the bag of food and sprints very quickly towards the turtles.

She is too late and this glass cylinder of green goo smashes onto them. She quickly gathers the turtles and puts them back in the boat and picks up her dropped food and gets the fuck outta there because clearly that island is cursed. Her hands are burning from when she picked up the good covered turtles and she decides to take a nap after making sure the boat was ok to keep sailing without vigilance.

When she wakes up her hands up to her elbow has been mutated to be more rat-like and the four turtles are much larger and human shaped. After an appropriate amount of freaking out from all parties Tang raises the turtles as though they were her children and teaches them all she knows about sailing.

Happy Fan Fic Writer Appreciation Day 2021!

In honor of this day, here are the first lines of fics written by just some of my favorite One Direction fan fic writers! I have so many more favorites, but I had to stop somewhere. We are so incredibly lucky to continue to have such talented writers writing fic for our fandom, and I hope you all know how appreciated you are today and everyday! (You can find previous year’s lists and my other recs here.)

༺♥༻ Thank you writers! ༺♥༻

As someone who drunkenly belted out the entire Moana soundtrack on more than one occasion, Louis knew that Liam had a tendency to be a drama queen sometimes.

There was always beauty here; the glint of the metal, the smoothness of the movement, the red rivers of salvation that ran perfectly, vindicating and soothing. 

"Please, sit down."

He didn’t mean to slam the door behind them when they walked in the house.

It starts, as most of these things tend to, with him not paying attention.

When Louis got a job working at the gift shop in the Tellurian International Foundation Museum the summer before his senior year of high school, he didn’t think it’d lead to anything other than a small paycheck and free visits to the museum for his family.

My Dearest Omega, I hope this letter finds you well.

They call the largest room in the mansion The Danger Room without a shred of irony.

Louis is happy for his friends.

It’s laughable how this has become a habit. 

The first thing Harry notices after the funeral is the silence. 

The pouring rain splashed over Harry’s leather shoes as he rushed from his flat to the nearest Tube station, tightening the collar of his coat with his free hand as a gust of wind wrestled with his umbrella, rendering it useless.

Zayn is riding his bike, and he hates it. 

Louis doesn’t belong here.

It all started with a text. 

“What about him?” Nick tipped his nearly-empty gin cocktail in the direction of a muscled blond fellow looking at an oversized painting of a photorealistic cowboy on an a crudely drawn boat. 

Harry puts the last of the things he thinks he might need for the drive on the passenger’s seat of the car, and slams the door.

One foot was barely out the door when Louis groaned and spun on his heels back to grab his umbrella from where it rested in the bucket beside the door.

When Harry Styles went to culinary school in France, he had dreams of living like he was plopped down in the middle of Chocolat.

Liam hadn’t truly expected to find more than the thinnest thread of truth to the myriad rumors he’d heard over the past decade.

Mr. Clark wasn’t even looking when he selected a folder at random from the thick stack on his desk and handed it to Shawn.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he pushed his unfinished bowl of cereal away from him.

"How the fuck am I gonna make money if I can't work?" Louis demanded, pacing to and fro in front of his laptop, his sister's face filling the screen as they FaceTimed.

The moment he walks inside, Louis shoulders off his blue plaid jacket and pulls his hat off, shoving them both underneath his arm as he makes it over to the bar.

Harry watches from the living room window as the van from Burges’ Flowers stops at the kerb.

No matter the time of day or night or how kind the nurses are, for the past forty-eight hours, Louis has had a sense of dread each time he hears his hospital door creak open.

From the moment Greg had met the One Direction lads, he’d known they had something special.

My dearest acquaintance and friend Christopher, I hope this letter finds you well.

There are a few moments which Louis can confidently say have defined his life; running onto the field as a kid for his first footie match and feeling the pitch beneath his boots, his twelfth birthday when he got his first microscope, the first time he kissed a boy, finishing university, and publishing his first paper. 

Harry’s on his way to the restaurant, ignoring the voice in his head that’s telling him to call and cancel this date.

Thank you to all the wonderful writers in our fandom! Here are the writers represented in these lines:

@nauticalleeds @lightwoodsmagic @greenfeelings @taggiecb @magicalrocketships @kingsofeverything @sadaveniren @helloamhere @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed @bottomlinsons @mediawhorefics  @scrunchyharry  @quelsentiment  @crinkle-eyed-boo​ @disgruntledkittenface​​ @louandhazaf​​ @phd-mama​​ @jaerie​​ @becomeawendybird​​  @laynefaire​​ @a-brighter-yellow​​ @2tiedships2​​​  @reminiscingintherain​​  @gaycousinlarry​​  @fallinglikethis​​  @all-these-larrythings​​  @lululawrence​​  @londonfoginacup​​ @jacaranda-bloom​ @absoloutenonsense​

Sora’s Time to Shine

Summary: Mari is already not putting too much expectations going into watching the Final Smash Presentation when someone close to her besides Kirby and Edelgard’s beloved Professor pops out of nowhere in said Presentation. All hell breaks loose (but in a good way).

Setting: Mari and co.’s house in Daly City, California; October 5, 2021

Notes: I was pretty behind in seeing the reveal since I was pretty tired when it came out and I had to check a friend’s post on Plurk to make sure that it was not all for the jokes before watching it on Gamespot and writing this story down. And yes, the Byleth in my S/I verse is the female version in case anyone is curious. And yes, it took me until around 8 AM to write this up. Featuring Luther Vandross. Here is an ask I made on Sora’ behest during a F/O takeover long before he got confirmed recently. #SakuraiHasReachedtheImpossibleDream #Sora4Smash

Tags: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Smash Bros., Swift Keyblader, Smash Reveal, Sakurai has reached the impossible dream!, Sora for Smash, #Sora4Smash

“Hurry Mari, you’re about to miss it!” Kairi is dragging me out onto the sofa to see the final Smash Ultimate Presentation on the living room pretty early before plopping ourselves onto the sofa.

“Look, Kairi, guys. I hate to be a party pooper, but I have no clue about who could it be,” I try to be realistic in my views.

“Well, at this point, my beloved, it could be anybody from the video game world,” my dear Philip chimes in while trying to reassure me, “Besides, as soon as it is done, we shall try to reply back to this non Smash invitation that El had found in the mail today.”

“Huh, is that correct, El dear?” I asked my regal adopted daughter for confirmation.

“Why yes of course, Mother,” she replies as she passes me the invitation, “I believe that a friend of yours has sent us one, but I didn’t want to open it immediately since this is addressed to you.”

“Okay then, I will get to read it and reply back once the Presentation is over and see who gets to fight with Kirby and Professor Byleth,” I smiled back at her.

“I couldn’t believe that there was a leak that just came out before this Presentation video and it is about music. Who was that dense enough to do it at a time like this?” Riku mumbles as he gets the video streaming on the Nintendo Direct page in his laptop.

“You know, Riku, sometimes people can act very idiotic at times, so there isn’t much we can do besides ignoring and avoiding that as much as possible,” Harry sighs as he is bottle feeding and gently rocking Serena as she had cried a while ago to be bottle fed.

“Guys, have you guys seen Sora lately?” Issa asks us while carrying Chris in her arms, “I haven’t seen him in the last few days. He didn’t even reply back to either my or Kairi’s texts and calls. Do you think he’s off to visit Jack and Sally in Halloween Town? It’s nearing Halloween soon.”

“That’s really a good question, Issa,” Ahk agrees, “I had given up trying to find him by calling over on the phone since last Thursday. All I have gotten from it were many ‘The subscriber could not be reached’ messages.”

Even Riku and Kairi are in a loss for words as they turn to each other and wonder what is up with our friend lately. Did he just went poof without us knowing? Kirby always informs us through his many Poyos that he would have to head off to Smash whenever a new tourney starts or a newcomer arrives and Edelgard’s class often gets shorter class schedules or early dismissals whenever Professor Blyeth gets to fight in Smash: she is the professor handling the Black Eagles class. Sometimes even El, Petra and Dorothea along with a few others (and yes, that includes the Gatekeeper) would come over to Smash to spectate from the sidelines and support their beloved Professor.

There is a long silence when the Nintendo Switch title card plays in the laptop and Karina directs us all to watch the screen to see many clips featuring many Smashers in the current tournament before it transitions to Sakurai-san in the studio explaining about the video as well as showcasing the Mii Fighter costumes.

“Hey look, Isabelle the Dog’s demon slaying friend from Bethesda is now coming to Smash to rip and tear up the competition!” Moana screams when the Doomguy Mii Gunner costume appears.

“Good for him; I know that many fans really did want him to be in Smash, though the costume is a nice addition,” Issa agrees. “That now makes three Bethesda franchises represented in the costumes.”

“Even the Octolings and Judd the Cat got hats based on them too,” I chime in as well.

“Oh hey, guys! Sakarui’s about to reveal the last fighter for the Second Fighter’s Pass, so keep down it and don’t expect too much,” Karina informs as Sakurai transitions to the main event and we all stay silent and stay glued to our seats.

The screen turns black before the usual Smash logo opening shows up, but instead of the usual zoom in, it then turns into a flaming Smash logo with all the Smashers up until Kazuya Mishima (yeah, the guy who tried to drop Kirby off a cliff) looking at it and covered in the shadows. Did MH decided to get them to show up in there and meet the last fighter in the dark? Probably, I bet that he might be keeping it as a surprise and possibly even conserving electricity at the same time. Then cut to Inkling Girl looking in awe with the Smash logo reflecting onto her pupils as a nice ode to the first reveal trailer for the game/tourney, I honestly love this shot.

Wait a minute, the logo turns into stars and the next scene shows everyone frozen in place as toy-like ambiios?!? How is it even possible? Well, it does certainly confirmed once again that the video game version of the tourney is set in a world of make believe after all. I could swear that a lot of people crying their eyes out as they are watching this. It looks like this is the end of one great video game series about mascots fighting among each other. Or is it? Because the camera is aiming at Mario as if he looks like he’s trying to take a nap while standing up.

Riku then proceeds to mumble some words to me incoherently that something big is coming the moment Mario wakes up to see a glowing light to see the last remaining flame glowing on the floor, which I do agree with him. Suspicious right? Oh God, Mario no! Please don’t touch the fire for everyone’s sanity. Wait, hold on a second: that isn’t not just fire that he just grabbed on and then tossed it into the sky like a boomerang: the mystery object looks like a Keyblade and there’s that Mickey keychain! Yep, that’s a Keyblade alright. Could it be...

I could recognize that beam of light that Keyblades often produce whenever they lock and unlock Keyholes to other worlds, so does everyone in the room. Riku and Kairi hugged onto each other as if we’re about to brace for an emergency (Karina and Moana also did the same), Ahk stares at the screen to see if he’s not imagining things all the sudden, Issa has her mouth drop in shock, Chris and Serena didn’t cry throughout this entire presentation, Harry gasps and nearly drops Serena’s bottle, Philip turns to me for answers while Edelgard begins to sweatdrop in concern.

No words are exchanged as the light grows and shines brighter before it proceeds to shoot itself away from the Keyblade to reveal a Keyhole on another part of the room. It then glows bright within as the camera switches back to the rest of frozen Smashers as the light begins to fill the room and revives Link, Cloud, Incineroar and Mewtwo as they all gawk at it as it reveals something from the World of Light with the orchestral rendition of Simple and Clean playing in the background. And that’s when it hits us right at the gut: the familiar spiky brown hair poking out from that Keyhole.

“What!?!” Kairi shouts as the Keyhole ‘spits’ out Sora from the World of Light.

“H-h-he actually got in, for real?” Riku squeaks up.

“Oh my…” I gasp in pure shock as we watch the whole thing played out.

“Sakarui finally did it?” Issa adds in to the discussion.

“Well, it’s about time that they managed to get his darn behind into the tourney,” Karina seconds in.

Soon enough, Sora finally wakes up from his nappy time and takes notes from Peter Pan and Tinkerbell as he flies around, sprinkling fairy dust all over the other Smashers, before landing on the floor and the Keyblade flying back to his hand.

“Damn it, Sora!” I scream as the splash screen pops in.

“Kai, your boy has finally made it big time!” Moana shakes Kairi in congratulation rather rapidly that it nearly gives my lil sis a dizzying spell.

“Moana, please don’t make Kairi that dizzy,” Harry had to tell her that.

“Whoops! Sorry Kairi,” she apologizes to her which she accepts.

So with that, we switch back to Sakurai going in depth with Sora’s moveset after he discussed about the Kingdom Hearts games and world. And he has gotten 4 costume changes, man Sora, that’s a big wardrobe you’re bringing in, oh wait, he even got the Timeless River costume too. That makes it 5 then.

“Oh gods, Sakurai is making us suffer by watching Sakurai using Sora to beat up everyone,” Ahk tells us as the Sora moveset showcase begins.

“No kidding,” Harry muses as we see Sora beating everyone in Battlefield.

“Whoa, they went for Sealing the Keyhole instead of having Trinity Force with Donald and Goofy? What a bummer,” Karina bemoans in dismay.

“Well, you know modern Disney: too overprotective of their IPs,” Philip reminds her.

“Oh new stage, what could it be?” Riku gleefully chimes in before they reveal Hollow Bastion as the stage, “Whoa, Hollow Bastion. I never thought that you will return again.”

Then the stage changes into Dive to the Heart and it had Riku and Kairi in the stained glass in one, Riku being the main focus of the second one, Roxas in the middle of the third, Xion in the fourth, Terra for the fifth, a sleepy Ven in the sixth, and Aqua’s in the seventh.

“Pretty!” I complimented the look of each stained glass.

“Quite impressive I will admit,” El agrees with me too.

Then Sakurai begins a playthrough with Sora facing Cloud and Sephiroth in Hollow Bastion, for a while, we all thought that he’s going to be a goner with Cloud and Sephiroth beating him up in the Stamina match but then the tides begin to turn in his favor after Sephy lost his full stock and with Sora having to take down Cloud next. When he did, the scene begins to go into a slow white fade out with a Game!

“Alright! Sora did it! He defeated both Cloud and mean old Sephy,” Riku cheers on.

“Woo! Go Sora!” me, Kairi, Moana, and Karina screams aloud.

“That was brilliant!” Harry agrees before he turns to Serena, “Did you hear? Uncle Sora managed to defeat two opponents in a Smash Ultimate playthrough.”

“9 songs is better than nothing at all,” Issa observes, “It would be a licensing nightmare to talk to Disney if they can borrow a couple of songs from them and they straight up refuse to assist, oh well. Oooh, a Dearly Beloved Swing arrangement, nice! I better get that save file on the Switch prompto!”

“And check out that Spirit Board: Aunt Kairi has a Spirit of herself,” Edelgard informs us as the Spirit Board for KH is revealed.

“Oh gee, never thought that it could ever happen, but thanks,” she blushes.

“Hey, I got one as well, same with Axel, Xion, Roxas, Aqua, Terra and Ven,” Riku joins in, “Marina is so going to be happy to see her boyfriend as a Spirit. She will probably try to get him real soon.”

“You bet it right, Riku, you bet it right,” I nod and agree with that last statement.

“Oh hey, he’s going to be ready within a few weeks’ time,” Karina speaks up, “Neat! The roster is now complete.”

“Even Steve and Alex have amiibos of themselves being made, that’s even more wonderful,” Ahk takes note of it, “I’m pretty sure that Sora will have one of his own along with Pyra, Mythra, that jerk who tried to threw Kirby off a cliff, and even Sephiroth soon.”

“WHAT?!? Kingdom Hearts are coming to the Switch too!?!” I am surprised to hear the news as Sakurai reveals this new information, that is so mind-blowing.

When it fades to black then to the Ultimate mural, the camera then goes for the space between Ganondorf and Dark Samus to fill in Sora’s spot before panning back. Man, this Presentation is long and is finally ending, thank God; it must be tiring to sit down and watch a nearly hour long video as Sakurai showcases the screenshots he has made and showed off in Twitter. Man, so many memories and montages. And the achievements, wow, that is a lot of them, it will be a game feat that I don’t think it will be broken for a long time.

Man, I will miss the presentations and Sakurai’s corny jokes for sure. I wish him a nice deserving break from all the game development for sure as he gives thanks to everyone from the devs to the players to the people prompting the game and ends it off with a heartfelt goodbye as it fades to back into the full reveal trailer.

“Oh gee, I’m going to miss the Smash Presentations,” Kairi sighs, “I can’t believe that we’re coming to an end.”

“Man, it’s finally over,” Riku gasps in remark as the full trailer plays out, “I don’t think that there will be a game like Ultimate for a very long time. That’s for certain.”

“I agree, Riku. It’s to going to be a tough act to follow up on,” I add in before I look up at the ceiling and murmur some words, “It’s been a long time coming, Sora. You truly deserve that last spot, you really do. Have fun in the tourney and Smash Mansion, buddy.”

Sora is Finally Here!

The End

I Could Never

A/N: This is so late, my brain hasn’t been my best friend lately. But, surprisingly, as I’d mentioned, school seems to have kickstarted my creativity. So here I am with a belated birthday gift for my space girlfriend @stanclub! I’ve already told you and keep saying it but I’m so happy to have you in my life! (at least I’m posting this while we’re still in Leo season! lol) 💕 Warning: um...cursing? no smut in that one. bit of angst. rpf Word count: 1.9k

Main Masterlist  | Drabbles Masterlist 

You had come home once to a fully decorated house, speechless before the immensity of work that was put into it. You hadn’t been able to spend Christmas at home, and Chris wanted to make sure you’d get a taste of it. After swearing that the band-aids on his fingers didn’t cover his struggle with the Christmas tree needles, you had settled down with hot cocoa in front of the fire and played board games until the wee hours of the morning.

On your birthday the year prior, a twelve person table was filled with family and friends who sat around a hearty brunch; his mom - who had grown to love you like her own daughter - joked about the pots of failed hollandaise sauce her son had expertly burned. His final result was amazing though. 

Needless to say that Chris had settled a high level of expectation for surprises; that you soon found out was taken for granted. Flowers, amongst other things, were usually delivered to your house on special occasions, no exception. But only fresh-cut grass is being blown onto the rain stained pavement as you stare at an empty porch, and the sudden chill has you rushing back inside after one last quick glance around.

With your head well rested on the cold ceramic of your stand-alone shower, you let the warm water travel down your body, flushing away the sting of disappointment. Disappointment that, you’ve convinced yourself, holds a lot more meaning than simply being left giftless on your birthday. Salty tears are washed away; gut shivers have seized their attack on your poor nerves. Once the handle of the shower deprives you of warmer water, you settle to give him the rest of the day, while absentmindedly patting yourself dry and heading out to the patio for some fresh air.

The faint buzz of your phone on the wooden chair startles you out of a daydream.

“Hello?”

“Hey, kid! How’s it going?” A familiar voice echoes through the speaker with a spark of joy.

“Seen better. How about you, Mackie?” You know he can tell exactly how bad you feel, but he’s learned not to bother people with too many questions. Mostly you.

“T’sall good,” he adds, still bashful. “Hey, do you think you can do me a solid?”

A small sigh escapes your lips. It’s faint enough so he doesn’t feel guilty for asking, but quite effective to relieve a bit of tension in your heart.

“Sure. Seems like I have the day to myself anyway...” You know he can deal with your sarcasm - being a fluent speaker himself.

An hour later and a bottle of milk down, you’re sitting on the couch with his youngest in arm, watching that one scene in Moana on repeat. The floor has become the most hazardous place to walk, but the smell of fresh cookies, and the sweet snoring of the toddler seem to have cheered you up after the frustrating morning. The location of his house on a hill makes for the most beautiful sunset view. The rays bounce on the pool outside and heat up the room wonderfully. Soon the moon would take its place and begin another day, and the thought of having spent it alone brings back a small headache.

You’re setting the baby in his bed when a knock at the door startles you. You tiptoe through the dark house out of habit, which comes in handy for the situation. Not bothered to look out the small window by the door, you spring it open in one swift movement, and your knees practically give in when your eyes meet his baby blues. Before you can put a word in, a series of giggles comes from somewhere on his left; not only indicating that he has company, but that this company is female and apparently trying too hard to impress him. He’s wearing a black shirt, neatly tucked into some clean jeans; just the way you had recently suggested he tried. Hair slicked back and glimmer in his eyes. Dreamy, as usual. Clearly he wasn’t here to help babysit Mackie’s kids.

Another minute goes on before their laughter dims down and Chris seems to acknowledge your existence. 

“Um, listen,” he begins through choked laughs. “I’m gonna need you to put this on.”

You look down at the black strip of fabric in his hand.

“Why should I?” The young girl hisses at your answer and bro-punches him on the arm.

“You said she was feisty. But man, she got you there.” You assume that your eyes dart through her soul because her sparkly smile immediately disappears. She glances quickly at Chris, and waves her hands in front of her before proceeding. “Oh, god. Look, I’m...” Her eyes shut close as she realises what you might have been insinuating. “Jesus, I’m sorry. I’m just here to take your place. I’m Anthony’s usual babysitter. Chris called me because he wants to ta-”

Her story is punctuated with Chris’ hand on her mouth. His brows rise up as a warning, and the poor girl snakes around you and into the house, taking the hint.

“I don’t know what you want, Chris but I’ve had a long day and I just-”

“Hold on, hold on!” His hand circles your wrist when you try to walk past him. “Y/N, okay look. I don’t want to break the surprise but please, put the blindfolds on and come with me.”

A small laugh comes out in a sigh, and your head shamefully drops down. So there is a surprise.

His finger carefully tips your chin up so he can look at you again.

“You thought I had forgotten?” His accusation is nothing but a friendly remark. Shivers run up your spine at the grin he offers next. “I could never,” he whispers a bit too close to your cheek. The last cloud dissipates and the stars begin to shine brighter. All of a sudden the air is a lot easier to breathe, although your heart seems to run faster.

His hands stretch the fabric in front of you, and you comply to the invitation. With your back towards him so he can secure it properly over your eyes, careful not to tangle your hair into it, you feel like a little kid waiting to unwrap their presents - albeit you’re the one being wrapped up. You curse yourself for doubting him. The ‘I could never’ replays in your mind, oddly pulling new sensations out of you - added to the fact that his breath tickles your neck with his proximity.

The ride is quite short and only makes his intentions much more mysterious. The only option to be ticked off the hypothetical list is him taking you out downtown, which would have taken twice the time. And you’re relieved to have a more casual night, considering the not-so-glamorous sundress covering your body. One thing Chris hadn’t thought of was to keep you from hearing your surroundings. As you stepped out of the car, the splashing of water gave up the first clue. 

“Chris, if you want to throw me down the river this wasn’t-”

“Oh, just shhh.” 

You walk down a small path, small branches snap under your feet, a faint cackling waits in the distance. The humming of the city seems to fade with each stomp, allowing you to relax for the first time today. Once you’re a few more minutes away, the grip on your shoulders tightens, bringing you to a stop. You hear him take a deep breath.

“Alright,” he adds in a soft tone. He steps behind you, and after a little warning takes the blindfold off.

It takes a few blinks before your mind catches onto the scene before you. 

An off-white drape dangles from a few trees, looping around poles and creating an inviting tent - the ones so popular in fancy home renovation magazines. A picnic cloth sits underneath it, and everything is beautifully lit with a generous amount of fairy lights, tiki lamps and a slow burning campfire along the water line. The sight is mesmerizing, something out of a children’s book, and it has you wanting to shout “I do believe in fairies!” 

The moonlight dances on the lake and glistens back into your watery eyes. With your hands over your mouth you turn around to him. His bottom lip is tucked between his teeth and his look is to die for. He’s soft and proud and his eyes are full of something new. Something you can’t quite figure out yet.

“This is just…” Your eyes dart back to the secluded area. Something he bothered his siblings with, you’re sure of, until they agreed to lend a hand after their mom insisted Chris’ intentions were founded. But you know he came up with the idea himself. Had it not been for his money, you think, this would’ve been a home-made fort in his living room, and you wouldn’t have complained - although the extra attention does make you feel warm and loved.

Loved. There’s the feeling.

In a rush, you tiptoe towards him, anchoring your arms around his neck and in a heap of passion, your lips come to his. Surprise suddenly takes him victim, until he responds and starts moving his lips, then tongue, against yours. You part with a huff, looking for your breath - which seems to be the theme for the night. His mouth rests on your forehead as he keeps your bodies connected. Hands roam the other in search for meaning. Answers. It’s with drips on your cheeks and a childish giggle that you dip your head back.

“Was about time,” he teases. You puffs in fake annoyance before stealing a couple more pecks. 

“I didn’t see you make the first move...”

“I threw you all sorts of hints! Why did it have to be me?” You laugh at his remark.

“Alright, touché. But still. Thought you were old-school about this kind of stuff,” you clarify.

“I’m old-school as in I like to make sure that she’s the one, you know. All those years I planned things and bought some random stuff and you never asked for more. I could shit in a cup and you’d be hap-”

“Christopher! Fucking mood killer!” You pat him on the chest with your comical accusation, earning a deep laugh - minus the boob grab because he wasn’t about to take his hands from you.

“You get what I mean. You never made a big deal out of this,” he adds as he waves behind you. “You never made a big deal out of me. You let me buy things without always making me feel guilty for having this luxury. And then when I want to watch football with beer, wings and ribs stuck in my teeth you join in with a huge smile of excitement. I love the contrast...”

He closes his eyes for a second, trailing the last words in a shy whisper. Your hand comes to his cheek and your heart melts when he leans into it, water now overflowing under his long lashes.

“And I think I love you,” you say. His sparkly baby blues shot open, volleying between yours and analysing your expression. Looking for a hint of doubt, maybe. But then again, wasn’t this what he had always hoped for?

“I think I fucking love you too,” he answers. He kisses you, as if to seal a deal. 

Best birthday ever.

Frozen 2 has entered my top 5 worst movies list after one watch.

This is going to be a long one, so buckle up.

   I don’t think I’ve seen a movie that’s made me more passionately angry than Frozen 2 has. It entered my top five worst films I’ve ever seen immediately after my first viewing. There’s a lot of reasons, but I’ll break down the aspects and concepts that I found particularly problematic, which is character, plot structure, themes, and corporate greed. 

I’m going to break down each character in order of annoyance.

Olaf

Olaf is absolutely the worst part of this movie. Olaf offers nothing of thematic importance besides being the classic comic relief character that Disney will always shoehorn into their films. They did it in The Hunchback of Notre Dame with the gargoyles, they did it Moana with the chicken, and they’ve done it in countless other films. 

They try to tell me that Olaf has aged since Frozen and try to show this by having his dialogue be purple prose philosophy and by saying (keyword is saying) that he’s grown up, but they undercut all this by having him sing a song about how he’s not old enough to understand why strange things are happening around him. Also, Olaf has several instances where his immaturity is in full swing. There’s several jokes that are very obviously targeted at five-year-olds that he spouts throughout the movie. The line where he says, “I don’t even know a Samantha” and then he giggles for a while is the first instance that comes to mind. There’s also the problem that at any time in the movie, Olaf can grab the camera, focus it on him, and he can do whatever he wants to. He gets a musical number, he recaps the entirety of Frozen 1, gets a fake out death scene to emotionally manipulate the audience into thinking there are stakes (and oh boy, will we get to that.)

So they establish that Olaf is more mature now, but they take that away from him as soon as the writers realize that they still have to make a movie for toddlers. He’s learned nothing and hasn’t grown since the first movie. Got it. However, the problem gets worse as you go along. And that’s a point I’ll get to later on.

But since I want to be constructive, I will also offer my two cents on how to fix the movie. Since the main idea behind the film’s production was to grow up with the audience, have Olaf actually grow up. Keep the philosophical musings and have him be one to ask questions. Question why things in the world are the way they are. He is actually a toddler, technically speaking. And when he asks questions, have him be the vehicle to have questions regarding the plot and themes directed to the audience. “Should the actions of your grandpa be reflected on you?” “Is it really worth it to abandon your family so you can pursue something out of your grasp?” “Does a kingdom built on slaughter and violence need to be torn down so we can repent for the sins they’ve committed?” 

This way, the movie can actually be grown up, which I know is super important to the filmmakers.

Christoff

Why was Christoff in this movie? He made no impact on anything, he was entirely used for a plotline that stretched out for the entire movie. Olaf might have been insufferable to watch, but the handling of Christoff has tied Olaf in terms of pure agony that I sat through. Basic writing tip. If a problem can be easily solved by simple communication, then the plotline doesn’t need to be there. There’s an entire song dedicated to his mourning over the fact that he can’t propose to Anna. It adds nothing to the themes of the movie, it gets really annoying immediately, and doesn’t showcase Christoff’s positive qualities at all. 

Why do sequels have to break up the love interests? Why are there so few stories that develop the chemistry of a couple after they’ve gotten together? It always revolves around the hero trying to win back the girl. Why do people always have to go back to this plotline? 

I’m going to diverge from the movie slightly to go into a semi-related topic. Divorce rates are rising and so many things are being blamed for it. I’m not saying that movies where they don’t go into the relationship of characters are the ultimate cause, but as a firm believer that art is a tool used to help people understand life and to make sense of things, I think movies can help people in small ways learn to grow with their spouse. How about a movie sequel in which a newly wedded couple must now operate through life together instead of individually? Whatever the obstacle, whether it be working together as one, making sacrifices to better gel with your loved one, helping your loved one through personal flaws or tragedy, or an evil space-lord is destroying the world and the two of you need to stop him by flying a plane into the spaceship, there are plenty of avenues to explore.

But I digress.

If it were me writing the script, have Christoff and Anna spend more time together outside of Christoff’s attempts to propose. As a matter of fact, we start the movie with knowledge that Christoff has already proposed. Anna has said yes, and now they’re all giddy and excited to get hitched. I’ll admit that there’s a bit of ret-conning in here, but we realize that Christoff isn’t exactly squeaky clean. He had some shady dealings with bandits and was responsible for ruining lives and stealing from people. But he had a change of heart and helped a lot of people. He’s a better person. But when they go into the enchanted forest, Christoff meets a corrupt knight who Christoff had previously been very involved with in stealing from a lot of people. We can’t have this be PG-13, there’s a demographic of kids who are going to see this movie as well. But once Anna finds this out, she starts to doubt the marriage. Christoff struggles with whether or not he deserves to be forgiven or not, and Anna wonders if their relationship should continue. They’re forced to be together, so no going off and figuring things out on their own for most of the movie. They do have some alone time to think about it, turn it into a duet of duality, and then Anna realizes that just as Arendelle needed to be burned away and rebuilt, Christoff has adopted that philosophy and truly grown as a person. She can forgive him. This fits in with the theme of the movie, that being historical revisionism and sins of the father. Or in this case, Grandfather’s sin. Or more rather, does somebody or a group of people deserve to be forgiven despite the things they’ve done in the past. 

Elsa

This movie is a really big fan of keeping their characters the exact same. Elsa is still needlessly isolated from everybody. Even though she’s now closer with her sister and has a couple new friends, she’s always dragging herself away from them. She makes Anna stay behind and watch Olaf pretend die just so she can take on self-imposed challenges for... nothing really. Just because she wants to be a strong, independent woman. 

Remember when Elsa realized that connection to loved ones was the thing that she really needed to help control her powers? Frozen 2 sure doesn’t remember. I know the first movie was six years ago, but it’s not hard to find a copy and watch it again. I does hold up pretty well and would have survived fine without a sequel. But again, we’ll get to that. 

Another problem I have is that Elsa’s ultimate decision to leave the kingdom to Anna and go off on her own adventures came out of nowhere. I don’t think I ever got that vibe that she didn’t want to be queen anymore. It never seemed like a concern for her, or even a big problem in the movie. Elsa was more concerned about some voice calling after her. I’m still not confident that we got an answer for what that was. But whatever. Also, the plot about Arendelle and the forest people being at odds with each other felt pointless and didn’t add anything substantial to the plot. The main reason this movie existed was to get answers for why things are the way they are and to bring new ideas to the franchise. But none of that matters to the movie. It’s brought up for nothing and goes out like a fart. 

I’ll give Elsa the same treatment I gave the other two. Her problems mimic the themes. Instead of the grandfather being responsible for the fighting going on between the two kingdoms, it’s actually Elsa’s mother. She hated Arendelle for having things that she never had and she believed Arendelle was responsible for her parent’s murder. Which, it was. Arendelle saw the forest dwelling people as monsters and attempted to destroy all of them. So Elsa’s mother decided to start the fighting between both factions, but had a change of heart when she met Elsa’s father. She got amnesia and didn’t remember that she started the war. She married Elsa’s father and she forgot she had powers at all. 

It’s revealed that neither faction is as squeaky clean on the surface. I’ll fully admit to stealing what Pocahontas had going on, but it’s a poignant message that doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Both factions have good points and bad points, but they’re both responsible for doing awful things. And when they are frozen (heh) in the forest, it makes us think of grudges. When you hold onto them, they stay there for a long time. You’re left in the same place, unable to let go of your pride and take a step back and recognize the wrong that you’ve done. 

Elsa is also struggling with her past, wondering if she can be forgiven for almost sending the kingdom into a devastating winter. I mean, she seems to get away with it scot free and becomes the queen of Arendelle. We should at least acknowledge it. Not everybody is down for her rule, and she finds ruling a people that don’t trust her very taxing. But since she’s so deep into it, she can’t exactly abandon everything. 

As Elsa attempts to be a better ruler, she does a lot of research into the past and learning about the kingdom. She even learns about the river and some more mystical things. She finds that the two factions have never gotten along, and she’s saddened about it and hopes to unite the two factions. But pretty soon, the voice calls after her and she is called onto an adventure to learn the truth about the kingdom. Not her powers. We don’t need an answer for that. It’s just something that she inherited from her mom. There’s no deeper reason. It’s a kids movie, we don’t need to have these big reasons that somebody gets their powers. Says the guy who’s trying to put historical revisionism and forgiveness topics into a kid’s movie, but Inside Out managed to condense complex psychological functions into an understandable and easily digestible format for everybody to understand, then you can simplify this for the kiddies. I digress. Elsa realizes that the only way to fix all the problems is to destroy both faction’s kingdoms and build them up from the ground up. The two kingdoms unite together, and Elsa let’s Anna rule Arendelle while she rules the kingdom with magical powers. 

Anna

Make Anna less of an idiot, give her more to do than be oblivious to Christoff, have her stop telling Elsa that she’s there for her over and over again, and I’m good. I have less about her than everybody else. What do you want from me, this is getting to over 2,000 words. 

PLOT

But that’s just the characters. The plot is fundamentally broken. We were supposed to be told how Elsa got her powers, where her parents were going when they died on the boat, but none of that happened. We got vague answers and nothing explicit. We got just enough information to justify more Frozen sequels for the foreseeable future. 

Why was destroying Arendelle pulled out of the movie’s butt? How did that come into play except to copy Thor Ragnarok? I think it’s a good idea, but it felt like it wasn’t properly built up. 

Elsa comes out of being frozen learning... nothing, I don’t think. She sees the past and present and learns that her grandfather killed a man. Man, that revealed so much that I care about... 

SELF-INDULGENCE

I told my little sister that my prediction for Frozen 2 was that it was going to rely heavily on callbacks to Frozen 1. She told me that I would be surprised at how my expectations were going to be flipped on their head. And I’m proud to say that my expectations were exactly right and that my little sister is wrong.

Every character is a tool for bathing in Frozen 1’s success. Everybody points out how cool and fun Frozen 1 was, to the point where I start to think that nobody in this movie wants to be in this movie. You have to acknowledge events from previous films, but if you spend more time making callbacks to previous movies, why are you bothering making a sequel? Olaf literally recaps all of Frozen 1 for no reason just to remind us of what happened. But that’s basically pointless for both audience members and the characters who have to listen to Olaf talk. We’ve all seen the movie enough times to have the movie ingrained in our mind forever. I remember the movie backwards and forwards and I wish I had my memory erased. 

Are you so insecure of your movie that you have to remind people of something that was better so you can feel good about your efforts? The screenwriter, Jennifer Lee, is a one-hit wonder, can’t recapture any kind of magic that the first movie had. I applaud her efforts to tell a new story, but she just couldn’t do it.

CORPORATE GREED

Let’s face it, the real reason Frozen 2 was made was for merchandising. It’s a tale as old as time. Marvel movies keep getting made because people keep watching and buying the merchandise. The difference between the two is that Marvel is a lot more well thought out and smart. Frozen 1 is the highest grossing animated movie of all time. It would be stupid not to capitalize on it and make more money from it. From a business perspective, it’s a smart move. I just wish the movie was better.

TL;DR: Frozen 2 is deeply flawed, its characters haven’t grown at all and are even worse than when they started. The movie could have been better with some more apropos theming and better characters, but the fact that the writer is one-hit wonder makes me think that she can’t move forward from her past victory.

YES THEY'RE O P E N, ANyways,, may I please request some fluffy headcannons or a scenario of Shinsou and his S/O where they're super happy and supportive of him getting into the hero course next year? Like our boy needs appreciation and since you love him too (and possibly like to ramble about the lilac child, bless horikoshi 🙏) I thought it'd be cute! Just some good cute shit since he's finally a step closer to accomplishing his dreams^^ Thank you very much Riv, and I hope your doing swell :)

I have… so many emotions about this. I’m so happy for my precious baby… he did so good and I love him. I’m just so happy with this turn of events. Also I just really love Shinsou so much, like I could rant and rave about him for years on end because of how much I love him. Holy shit...

🐱They were hanging out in the 1-C dorms with a couple of their friends, totally unaware of the joyous news they were about to receive.

🐱Suddenly, Shinsou bursts into the dorm with a huge smile on his face. He excitedly dragged them to their dorm room and sat them down.

🐱They were really weirded out, they’d never seen Shinsou so… alive.

“Uh… Shinsou, what’s… what’s goin-“

“I got in!”

“What do yo-“

“I’m in the hero course as of next year! I made it!”

🐱Oh. Oh… Oh! That makes sense! …wait… hoLY SHIT HE DID IT! They jumped up into his arms squealing in excitement. They knew how hard he worked to get into the hero course and they were so proud of him.

🐱”We have to celebrate! What do you wanna do, we’ll do anything you want!” And that they did… within reason because they’re both only broke high school students.

🐱So as broke high school students they decided that, since it’s Shinsou, a cat cafe was was a good idea. Shinsou was covered in cats and could barely eat anything with all the fluffy affection he was getting.

🐱It was really adorable seeing him covered in cats, trying to pet all of them at once and still drink his coffee. They couldn’t help but take, like, 50 pictures while laughing loudly at his misfortune. (Shinsou was not a very happy kitty.)

🐱After both of them took a very long and almost cliche romantic walk together. They held hands and joked around, being uncharacteristically affectionate… but they were happy, so give them a break, yeah?

🐱When they got home, they made their way up to his dorm room with snacks and a bunch of movies they got while they were out. They ranged from horror to comedy to cheesy romance to fucking Disney. Nothing was stopping them from watching Moana 10 times in a row.

🐱They cuddled in the nest of pillows and blankets, Shinsou sneaking a kiss or a playful grab here in there and getting scolded for it. They joked around and made bets on what stereotypes were going to show up in the next horrible rom-com they watched.

🐱They were happy together that night, not a care in the world as they celebrated his success.

🐱From then on, Shinsou’s love showed up to almost every one of his training sessions and cheered him on from the sidelines. Sometimes, if they were feeling especially confident, they would join in themselves.

🐱Shinsou feels like the luckiest man alive to be with such a sweet and loving and supportive person like them.

몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸몸

Fffffucking, we’re watching a movie in Spanish so I can’t write during that class anymore! I have to find weird ways to work writing into my schedule during and after school (since I’m busy with clubs and shit after) and now I let myself get a book to read in my spare time instead of writing. The book is due in like a month, but still what was I thinking. Ahhh. I’m trying hard I promise.

Hope ya enjoyed! (*☻-☻*)

💙River💙

Sterek Bingo 2018: Vacation

Derek had the Jeep in the shop for weeks, and Stiles had no clue why. Every time he asked, Derek brushed him off and changed the subject. No matter how much Stiles pushed, he was granted zero answers about his beloved Jeep.

Then, after what felt like ages, Derek picked up Stiles after his shift at the station in the Jeep. It was a pleasant surprise. And yet...

“Why does it look like the Jeep is stocked for a trip?”

“Because we are going on a trip.”

Turns out, Derek had been planning a huge trip for months. That's why the Jeep was in the shop – getting all fixed up so it could confidently drive them to their designated stops. How this was all planned without Stiles figuring it out was beyond him. Maybe Derek was learning some of his tricks.

First stop was Yosemite for a week.

It was stunning. Absolutely stunning. Stiles hadn't been camping here since before his mom got sick. It was better than what he remembered.

For six days, they slept in a tent. Falling asleep to the sound of the rushing river nearby, sitting by the fire late at night while gorging on smores and telling ghost stories, and sometimes stared up at the sky while creating stories for made up constellations. They went into the village area, visiting Yosemite Falls and a few other sights they just had to see.

No Half Dome because no. No way in hell was Stiles going to fall to his death climbing that shit. Taking a picture of it from Glacier Point was just fine, thank you.

On the last night, they stayed at the famous Wawona Hotel, sitting on the porch and enjoying a shared shower. Followed by a delicious breakfast and then a quick visit to a historical area with cabins, a bank, and stables full of horse drawn carriages from different eras.

Derek bought him a fox plush and a wolf paw necklace. Stiles bought Derek a snow globe and a baseball hat.

Next stop for four days was Pismo Beach.

They stayed at a hotel with a a view of the beach. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. They spent the first night staring at the view. Every day of their stay, they slept in, tangled up in the sheets and each other. There was no rush. The beach wasn't going anywhere.

When they finally got out of bed, they walked around. There were so many dogs! It was hard to resist not petting them all! They popped in and out of shops, visited this park with an astounding cliff-like view and a cute little boat that Stiles had to beg Derek to take pictures in, took long walks on the beach, ate some seriously ridiculous food, had a few drinks, hunted for seashells and sea glass, and surfed a little.

(Well, more like Derek surfed and Stiles kept biffing it.)

Their souvenirs were bags of candy from this cool shop, a few cheap magnets, and of course their spoils from sea glass and seashell hunting.

The next destination was a long, long drive. Or what felt like a long, long drive. The hotel they checked into wasn't all that special. Just a place to stay for the night to rest up. The real hotel was...

“Holy shit! You got us a room at a Disney hotel!?”

“For four days again. Thought it would give us time to maybe experience everything. That okay?”

“Hell yes it's okay! It's fucking Disneyland, dude! I've never been here!”

Of course, upon saying that, Derek made sure Stiles had the best goddamn experience of his life. Got him a button that said it was his first time, got them a table at Ariel's Grotto where Stiles literally had a geek out over all the princesses that he got to take pictures with (Though he was kind of bummed that Mulan wasn't there, but hey, at least Moana was there!), got them a table at the Blue Bayou, made sure they got there early for Fantasmic and all other parades or firework shows – it was practically a spoil fest!

The amount of goodies they purchased was beyond insane. Stiles was pretty sure he got his Star Wars fix. And he was certain Derek got his old era Disney fix, too.

Finally, their last destination was up in a cozy cabin up in the Lake Arrowhead/Lake Gregory area for two weeks. Apparently, this was Derek's Auntie Lulu and Auntie Brynhildr's cabin. This was where he stayed the few months he was away from Beacon Hills. It was simply adorable and well kept. The back porch/balcony view was...there were no words to describe it. Stiles was in awe of the place. Put the preserve to shame!

Derek told Stiles stories of visiting this place as a kid. He loved it so much. His aunties promised to leave the place to him when they passed away. And sadly, they did. In the fire. But that fact didn't seem to taint any of the cheerful memories he happily rambled on and on about.

They visited everywhere they could in the area. But they mostly chilled out at the cabin. It was peaceful, hearing the chirping of the birds and watching the squirrels eagerly swipe the peanuts left out for them. Cuddling by the fireplace at night. Sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch – staring at the view of the trees, lake, and mountains. In all honesty, Stiles didn't want to leave.

On the last night, the wolf took Stiles by the hand and sat him down on the floor in front of the fireplace. He stood there, anxiously asking how Stiles liked the trip. He then proceeded to explain that everywhere they went...they were places his family used to visit when he was younger. They even got the very same campsite the Hales used to camp at. As he talked about this, his voice trembled. His body trembled.

For a moment, Stiles worried if talking about all these memories was too much. He reached out for Derek, wanting to offer any form of comfort he could. But then Derek sat across from him, swallowing and looking...so small. Terrified and excited all at once. He took the hand Stiles was outstretching, holding it with shaky hands.

“I've been planning this for a long time. Wanted it to be perfect.”

Derek grabbed the tacky wolf on a rock decoration beside them, shaking it until a box fell out from the bottom. In that instant, Stiles' brain shut off. He swallowed all the air he could in order to hold back the water in his eyes. This was insane. This wasn't happening. They hadn't talked about this. Hell, Stiles didn't think that Derek had ever thought of it! It felt like a topic that was sensitive. Derek was still so fragile in their relationship that...

Derek opened the box, showing a matching pair of rings adorned in Celtic knots. His trembling increased as he took them both out.

Stiles found himself muttering 'holy fuck' like a mantra.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. All he remembered fully was waking the next morning, cuddling up next to Derek on the couch, somehow holding hands and mostly undressed. The ring glistened in the sunlight. Stiles stared at them for some time, trying to wrap his head around it. After that some time, he carefully reached for his phone, deciding that maybe a certain someone should know about the good news.

He could pretend he didn't see Derek smirking in his 'sleep' as he told his father about the engagement. He honestly could. But that would mean Stiles wasn't a little shit. And he was pretty sure Derek hadn't fallen for him, even asked him to be his forever, by being anything other than a little shit.

Park Jihoon Vampire Au

Word count: 3.3k

This was a request for a Jihoon Vampire au and rlly loved writing this so yanno, I’d love to write a vamp au for another member as well ;) Also I had no idea how to make a lil header for this one so I didn’t?? Sorry about that, I’d ask Otter admin but like she seems busy lately so whoops

Things crossed out - Commentary from me

Things in bold - Commentary from Editor Katie

Things in italic - Commentary from Otter Admin because she’s special

OG Admin

• Your school wasn't exactly known for being an accepting place for vamps, (no shit sherlock) • I mean they survived there, sure, but you couldn't say they were widely accepted, so they tried to stay within their own groups and the majority of them caused no trouble, • You didn't quite understand the prejudice towards them, like yeah they could be very dangerous, but all of the ones that attended school showed no signs of being the corrupt, evil type, • But there was one vampire in particular, whenever anyone said anything it really made you angry, • He looked soft and kind, he never did anything that could cause any conflict, he was clever and gentle, and definitely very pretty, • And shy, • You'd smiled at him in the corridors before, to which he'd avoided eye contact, • Or you'd say hi if waiting nearby, or try to chat if you sat near each other in class, to which he'd turn away with a light blush on his ghostly pale skin, • (Legit Editor Katie tho she pale af) • You just wanted to be nice, but it upset you - the thought you made him uncomfortable, • Or maybe he wasn't shy, as most of the vamps at school acted this way towards you, and you were pretty sure it was because they were afraid you'd bring trouble, like most other humans, • You understood of course, but it didn't stop your simple smiles in the corridors, • But you're walking down the halls with some friends towards a geography class, • Gotta learn about some rivers amiright, (Moana is quaking) • But you hear shouting from down the corridor which makes your blood change to cold, • "-You dirty bloodsucking parasites need to stay in the night where God doesn't have to look at you," • Wow you're off to start a fight (งツ)ว • lmao a verbal one, physical fights are stupid,  • You approach from behind, spotting the guy that has Jihoon himself in a corner, looking down nervously, like he wanted to be anywhere but there, • "You're such a weak, bigoted blood bag," • You march right in there, shoving the guys shoulder back to stand next to Jihoon, the blood gushing through your ears, threatening to deafen you, • The boy has too much silver jewellery and a cross around his neck and you want to scoff, • Why make so much effort just to make someone uncomfortable? What's the point? • "You're always picking on vamps when, what? What did Jihoon do to trigger you? Simply walked past? Is your self control honestly so nonexistent you can't even keep your disgusting thoughts to yourself? You should work on that," • Wow the words just tumbling out what to do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (-me to them peeps calling daehwi gay/greedy) • You didn’t think them through, and they're not what you'd imagined saying in the scenario you ran through your head every single time this happened, • But they're enough to make the brute stare at you in disbelief as you grab Jihoon's hand, still in a rage, and march him the hell outta there • Your adrenaline is running because you've finally done it, done what you'd always wanted to do • What someone (or everyone, really) should have done a long time ago, • You go to lead Jihoon outside but then realize there's only so much sun cream can do, so change direction to the school’s theater, where you know there's no lessons so it'll be dark • "Hey are you okay?" • You spin around to face him once you've arrived alone in the theater lobby, but you can't see him well in the gloom • You wonder how bad a vamp’s eyesight is in the day, if it's this bad and they just rely on their other senses • "You shouldn't have done that, they're going to pick on you as well now," • His quite voice is concerned and wary, it makes your heart ache • You head over to where the seats are probably are and successfully sit on one, not falling over in the dark • "Let them try," • You believe it • You may be known for being nice, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a sharp tongue and a strong passion • If people started to distance themselves from you now, you'd know who your true friends were • And you were definitely prepared to use your language, maybe even a few other ones as well, to make sure people knew you didn't give a shit about their prejudice opinions • And you definitely weren't going to let it stand anymore • Jihoon's quiet as he thinks over what you say, within the blink of an eye you can feel his cold presence sat near you • He doesn't quite understand you • Not at all • He doesn't understand why you stood up for him, what you have to gain, why you'd make yourself a target • Why someone he'd always viewed as so soft and kind, someone he tried to stay away from as to no be misfortune to, would voluntarily come to save him from an idiot in the hallway • He'd bite back, but he doesn't want the reputation of vampires to decrease even more, and he doesn't exactly see how it'd help, so he stays silent and resolute • But that confrontation is the beginning of a whole new life for you • A lot of your 'friends' started to distance themselves from you, or straight up told you they thought you were an idiot • Like it hurt, sure, but you stood by the fact that you were sick of the inequality, • You started to walk to classes more with Jihoon, your timetables startlingly similar • Not only because you could defend him easily when you're with him, but with your dwindling number of friends, you didn't have many other people to walk with • Not that you minded as much, you were glad you'd gotten rid of toxic people and were left with true friends

• Y'all 2k18 the year to get rid of toxic friendships (I should know rip) (-mood) • But one night it's like 2am and you're like???? I want to be free, go for a walk and buy some chocolate raisins because living on edge is fun • So that's exactly what you go to do • And you're walking back to your house in pitch black, feeling spooky™ and actually regretting your independence because something feels really off • Yeah I think we all know where this is going • You spot a pale, tall figure (everyone’s tall to u bro) behind you through a closed shop window, you instantly know it's a vamp (I’m 5′0″ legit I’m dying down here) • And you can hear them walking behind you, which means they're close because vampires are known for sneaking • And you will your heart beat to come down because you're 100% sure he can hear it and probably smell it • And you're just figuring out what to do as you speed walk down the street, • You can't run, vampires are speedy and they have better vision, you can't fight; they're stronger than humans • You're just about to start screaming when an icy hand wraps around your wrist, and you start to turn around to fight back, because what more can ya do, when you recognise the cologne, the height, the hair (I remember everyone’s height because they’re aLL TALLER THAN ME) • Wow Jihoon knows when to drop in, • He's gripped your wrist to make sure you stay behind him as he growls (exo is quakin), a terrifying hiss you'd never associate with someone as soft as Jihoon, at the dangerous stalker you had acquired  • Despite this, the feral vamp still lunges, dark sunken eyes focused onto you, almost oblivious of Jihoon • You guess he's hungry, and would feel bad if he wasn't making an attempt on your life • But I guess your own will to live outweighs your ability for sympathy, • (Can't relate) • But Jihoon skilfully spins you away before catching the attacker and basically throwing that bitch into a wall like shit man he got that pOwER • (By EXO is a bop), • You're shook because Jihoon, don't kill the already undead lil shit pls have some manners  • But then he grabs your hand and quickly leads you away like bruh slow down I'm only human, • "I'm so so sorry y/n, are you okay? Why are you out so late?" • You laugh at him as he stops you in a shadow of the already dark night, and wrap your arms around his shoulders tightly, • He's tense at first because human contact?? Why aren't u afraid imma drink your blood god dammit??? •And Jihoon can hear your blood and he's trying so hard not to smell it because you're in his arms and it'd be too easy, too evil (oh nonononono jeojang you ain’t gettin none of my blood) • But he wraps his arms loosely around you and sighs, calming himself down from the rage he felt when he'd seen you in imminent danger • Because this person protects him with everything they have in the day and damn if he wasn't going to finally return the favor • "Why sorry, Jihoon, you just saved my life, god, thank you so much," • You jump back and beam at him because nothing in your whole language can tell him how much you love him in that moment • "It's a vampire, he shouldn't have done that, I'm just sorry," • You can't stand the way Jihoon looks, ashamed and disappointed, • "Don't be stupid, it's not your fault, there are feral people in every race," (-me to haters) • Jihoon's dark eyes stare into yours for a second; you feel as if you're being weighed up, but you stare back, letting him run through whatever thought process he's going through • "You should be careful when you’re out so late, there's too many people like that," • He softens instantly, running his eyes across you, checking to see if you're still in one piece, a hand subconsciously running through your hair, and tilting your head side to side to check the veins in your neck were untouched • The cold of his hands tickle, and the sensation sends tingles down your spine but you don't say anything, just wait till he's done and hold up your bag from the shop • He sighs with a smile, he gently places his hand in between your shoulder blades, pushing forward carefully as the two of you begin walking • "Let's get you home," • Honestly after that night you're shook at how different Jihoon was • In school he's quiet and polite, keeping to himself • But damn this Jihoon almost body slammed someone and talked with utter confidence in his element (i mean have you seen his bice-nope not getting wrekt today bitches) • You loved it tbh the real boy was showing and you were his no.1 fan • You find yourself walking home together the next day, you don't live that close but his house is sort of on the way to yours so it works • And you don't want anyone to pick on him in the daylight when he's alone because some people are absolute jerks • You hold your umbrella high to cover mainly Jihoon as the sun lies in the sky; again, there's only so much incredibly strong sun cream made for vampires can do, and you know the sun still stung, so you bought along your very handy, black umbrella for protection • Jihoon smiled at you when you first brought it out, and you let it make your stomach flip • "You know, I was thinking," • His voice is quiet, soft, weaker, as it always is in the day, and you raise your eyebrows questioningly, to which he huffed at you • "I think you should give me your phone number," • Wow you legit choke • Jihoon takes the umbrella carefully from your arm so you don't have to hold it so high for him, smiling softly at you • "You're a very straightforward guy, let me tell you that," • He laughs at that as you pass him your phone • "You like to go out at night right? Like some freedom? Since you stick up for me at school, I think whenever you want to go out, call me. I'll accompany you and fight off any bad guys," • "Maybe I'll take you up on that," • You swipe your phone back after he’s texted you and pinch his cool cheek making a light blush appear • "Honestly though, please call whenever you want, I'm always awake at night because of the whole, yanno, vamp thing, and I'd like to-" • " Y/n, Jihoon!" • One of your close friends call, running across the road towards the two of you, cutting him off • You're on edge because like??? What would he like to do???? But your friend has good intentions as they join the two of you and happily chat, and you decide you'll just have to leave it a mystery • But from then on you two are honestly your own tiny squad • Jihoon becomes more open with you, more talkative at school and happier whenever you're near, sitting with his vampire friends but sometimes joining you as well • Because he's now more confident that this isn't just a one sided friendship, that he takes and you give, but he now knows he can help you as well and it lifts his non beating heart • And you're not, by nature, supposed to be a nocturnal animal but you swear you're turning into one • You always sleep as soon as you get home from school and spend your nights walking around at night with Jihoon, chatting and relishing in the silence of the darkness and the secrets the stars hold • Your secrets; you've told them how he makes your arms tingle and heart race and how you'd protect him with not only your voice, even though you know he probably doesn't need to be protected • (Ofc he does, even strong ass people need to be protected sometimes, y'all let yourself be soft) • But honestly you're so glad you snapped that day in the corridor • "Okay but what if you're totally evil after all and you're just lulling me into your lair?” • You question isn't invalid, Jihoon has your hand in his chilly one, but it's nice in the summer air, • It's pitch black, possibly 12 or 1 A.M, and Jihoon is leading you through a nearby park, you can feel shrubbery around you but you have no idea what's happening • "Do you honestly trust me so little?" • Jihoon's super speed surprises you all of the time, so when he suddenly wraps his arms around your shoulder and whispers to your ear when he was leading in front 0.28472 seconds ago you're definitely shook • He lowers his voice in an imitation to scare you but it only makes you crack up • You laugh and push forward, spinning around so he can see your face, even though you can't see him properly, only a faint white glow • You sense him sitting down, and he tugs your hand so you can join him, knees bumping together • "What can I say, I bet my blood taste great," • He chokes a laugh at that, which makes your head snap to where you know he is • "What are you laughing at? You think my blood taste bad? Are you insulting me Park Jihoon?" • Your mock offence makes him laugh again, and that sound is the only fuel you'll ever need again, you feel like you could live off it, the ring of this vampires laugh • "Quite the opposite, you don't know how tempting it is," • I mean this could make things awkward, but it's you and Jihoon, so you giggle and take it as a compliment, you know he'd never do something like that without permission • "Well maybe one day, Mr. Park, when you've fought off a gang of evil vampires and forgotten to drink your bag of animal blood for breakfast, I'll let you," • He hums at that and looks to the stars, and you take up tracing the dark veins that weave across his bare arms, wondering how it all works, how vampires work, how they live, how people live with such hate built in their hearts towards those who are different • "Why did you do it, that day? Why did you shout for me?" • You, in turn, hum at this, and send him a smile • "You obviously weren't going to, and I was sick of the meaningless hate you got," • You state your thoughts as they are, not altering them, you'd never had to alter them for your vampire friend, so why now • "You have no idea how hot that makes you," (smooth, fam) • Wow Jihoon has a talent for making you choke on your breath, because once again his straight forward words make you blush a deep ruby • It seems Jihoon wasn't going to change his thoughts for you either • "Pardon me?" • You raise your eyebrows at him with a smile, playing laid back even though you know he can hear your heartbeat speeding up • Like jeez wow you can't hide anything • "The way you didn't care; you didn't care and you still don’t. You don't care that people call you a rat, carrying a parasite, or whatever. You were brave, because you didn't like the inequality and the fact you think outside of the box and do whatever you can just to make me feel more...more included. Just how you stand for what you believe, that's pretty beautiful" • It isn't exactly poetry, and it doesn't get across how Jihoon feels to the extent he wants it to, but you understand the message, and that's all that matters honestly • "It's what you deserve, Jihoon," • His dark eyes stare at you then, closer than you remember • "You think? You think I deserve something so wonderful?" • "I know, silly, I don't only think," • He goes silent again at that, tracing patterns with his cold hands onto your palm • You can guess what he's thinking • All through his school life he's been told he was dirt and an inconvenience, an insect, (a stuck-up half witter scruffy-looking nerf-herder,) • So when someone finally tells him he's worth something? He deserves something good? • He's stumped, and you know he's trying to get his head around it • "Y/n, I'm trying not to kiss you right now," • Bitch okay he may be thinking that as well • "As long as you promise not to lose your head and try to drain me of my blood, then I think there's no reason in trying not to, if I'm being honest," • His eyes b u r n like shit that's intense okay • His spare hand, the one not constantly drawing patterns onto your arm, the same steady cold as they always had been, moves to rest on the back of your neck • It makes your hair stand up and goose-bumps to jump and run along your neck • "I can't say I can promise anything," • His voice is soft again before he presses his lips to yours, gentle as he always had been with you, and it makes your head spin wildly • Your hands jump up his spine in a dance of emotion and tangle into his dark hair • Jihoon is just lost in your warmth, the warmth of your heart and the warmth of your hands and lips • The two of you gaze at the sky later, making promises and telling truths you thought only the sky would ever know • You've never felt as if someone else could make you feel like one, whole, but with a cold hand encircling yours, your head resting on his soft stomach, no words have ever made more sense to you

Universal Language

Drums thundering like super novas.

Strings flowing as a mighty river. 

Horns sounding a clarion call like a spear of light through the darkness.

Above it all, a voice like a silver bell weaving sounds and words like mistress of the loom. Thraktek had heard stories of human music and how unrefined and brutal it was, but the comparison was much like hearing that a dreadnought class ship was large and then seeing it in real life. The music in comparison to the songs his own people played was simple and unlike the almost surgical precision his peoples music was played with this was played with variances between the musicians, each one in unison yes but still milliseconds off from each other. Yet...these flawed musicians with instruments tuned by hand and ear were playing a song that reached somewhere deep within him...somewhere, primal...feral...he wanted to howl the war songs of his people, not heard for generations since they transcended above concepts like war...he wanted to race the wind and sing to the moon of this foreign world. Thraktek could not understand it, his hearts were racing, lungs heaving like the battle forges long cold and un-used, blood singing through his veins like liquid fire and...yes...that was what this music sounded like, that was what this music invoked within the mind...LIFE...this was not merely a group of sentient creatures making sounds on pieces of wood and metal. This was a pack of humans singing the song of life and vitality through instruments crafted by masters who may not even be alive to hear their works of art. It may not be the complex sounds of his homeworld...but this human music invoked greater feelings than any he heard before by life long masters of Centaria V, feelings of sorrow so profound they cut to his core and nearly dragged the Cries of Loss from his fanged maw, feelings of joy so intense he wanted nothing more than to grab his mate and whelps and run as his ancestors did through forests ancient, feelings of pride and patriotism that resonated within him on a level so deep he could only assume it was his soul singing in joy and sorrow, fear and courage. Truly these creatures of this death world may be some of the fiercest warriors the universe had seen, capable of depths of cruelty and madness unheard of, but also capable of acts of beauty and compassion that would ring through the stars for cycles to come. 

Human Joseph: So Thaktek what did you think of the symphony? 

Thraktek: It was..most enjoyable Human-Joseph...tell me, when is the next one to be? I would most dearly like to bring my mate and whelps, also I believe the council would benefit from this experience.

________________________________________________________________ Ok...So I have been trying to put this into words FOR WEEKS and its only now at 5 in the morning after...I’m not sure how much distilled and fermented poison (margaritas and beer) that I got around to it. Honestly it was only after and while listening to a few songs on youtube that I kind of had the words. Please I encourage you to use this to write more and better things than I can.

Playlist: Happy Feet 2 Under Pressure

              Ride of the Valkyries

              Sing Im still standing

              Moana We Know the Way

              Shakira Waka Waka

              The Nutcraker Suite

              Phantom Of the Opera in general

The Stranger, Ch 13.

Chapter Thirteen: Montage

Start.  Previous.

The first week went by seemingly by jumping from drama to drama: the space in the mind palace seemed a little too crowded at times. It didn’t help that Logan continued his fruitless research, and Virgil was constantly on edge and both were quick to anger. Roman bore the brunt of this frustration – as he usually would – but he seemed to allow himself to enjoy Carrie’s company without feeling guilty or worried, like the others.

They talked about hopes, dreams, their favourite Disney films (as Carrie was, thankfully, a huge fan). They talked about Moana, and its connection to New Zealand and Carrie’s eyes shone as she explained the different Maori influences on the piece, and where it differed from official Maori myth and legend. They talked about their shared love of theatre, and acting, and discussed memorable, funny, or tragic moments from their experiences on the stage. They talked about romance, and sexuality, something that Carrie had always personally struggled with.

“I used to call myself the Ice Queen, because I didn’t actually care about someone romantically once we were official…” She said one morning. She sat cross-legged on Roman’s four poster bed, while he wrote at his desk.

“Have you considered you may be Asexual or Aromantic?” He said, chewing his pencil thoughtfully.

“I wondered that for a long time…but it just didn’t really seem like the right fit for me…I mean…” She blushed. “I definitely have a sex-drive…if you could call it that…”

“Well you don’t have to have it all figured out yet, just accept that sometimes it is not as clear for some as others.” He grinned, looking up at his Rainbow coloured feature wall.

“I just…I like to have things figured out…ya know?”

 The pair performed duets (Carrie finding out, to her delight, that she was suddenly not tone-deaf), talked about boys…and after a little bit of soul-searching, boys and girls for Carrie.

She spent a bit of time with Patton also, helping him out in his little garden. Roman had extended it slightly, so there was work enough for two. Though she enjoyed the father figure and appreciated his puns and silliness, sometimes the garden unnerved her. The dirt felt…too light, at times. It never lodged underneath her fingernails and her hands were easy to clean after. The tableau Roman had conjured instead of the void that had served as a background was something she preferred to keep her back too. Her head just hurt too much if she started thinking too hard about her surroundings.

They cooked together too. Carrie usually just followed Patton’s instructions with a hearty “Yes Chef!”, but on the Wednesday night, he passed his special spatula to her.

“Are…are you sure?” She said nervously, remembering countless kitchen disasters she had had in her own time.

“Don’t worry kiddo, I’ll be here the entire time and you literally cannot set fire to anything!” Patton beamed.

It wasn’t a total disaster, Patton was able to help Carrie channel her memories into her actions and therefore produce an edible meal – though the roast lamb was slightly charred.

Virgil picked up a small fritter between his fingers and eyed it suspiciously.

“That’s a whitebait fritter. Whitebait are tiny fish that are caught in rivers, and you put the whole thing in the fritter!” Carrie explained. “Try it with lemon!”

Virgil tried not to look into their tiny eyes as he hesitantly took a bite.

The dessert of Pavlova and chocolate cake went down a little better.

If she wasn’t at a meal, or with Roman or Patton, Carrie was in her room. It was the place that felt the most real to her, for some reason. She drew and painted the walls all around her, sure that her artistic ability had by far improved just because the instruments she was using were conjured by the literal manifestation of Creativity.

The wall with the door that led to the hallway was painted to look like a beach at sunrise, the distinctive hills and rocks reminding her of a special place she used to go to on family holidays. She was planning out the other walls, as she wanted to pace herself. She couldn’t help but liken herself to Rapunzel at the beginning of Tangled, and she found herself singing the opening song often.

Despite literally being inside someone’s head, Carrie had never felt more alone. She couldn’t access the internet, she couldn’t do much of what she used to do. And Carrie worried, day and night, about what was happening to her, and what the effect this might be having on Thomas.

Though she had been told she was missing, and had been for at least a week by the time she was found by the sides, she was losing hope of ever being ‘found’. Carrie couldn’t help but wonder if the sides new she was dead.

Logically, she would be by now, unless there was still a shade of her consciousness still left in her body? But even then…where was her body? Nothing had been found, but surely, she hadn’t literally appeared in Thomas’ mind?

The thing that stuck with Carrie was the fact that she didn’t feel dead. Surely, it would feel different to this? And if she was dead…what on earth had she done to end up in this odd purgatory?

Her religious faith had been sorely tested, and that made her feel even more alone.

Carrie was less alone than she knew, though if enlightened, it would have probably left her feeling even more scared.

She was watched, every time she went to sleep.

And every time she woke, Carrie felt that little bit more solid…and the outside of her room felt that little bit less so. Patton’s food tasted a little blander with every bite.

That Sunday morning, Carrie scratched her eighth notch onto the wall beside her bed. She sighed, turned over, and grappled with how empty she felt…how purposeless. What was she doing? She couldn’t influence Thomas, nor did she want too. But she could hardly live her life either…

Instead of adhering to Patton’s breakfast call, she rolled over and went back to sleep.

~

“Of course, we should invite her…at least give her the option.” Patton said. “She’s spending far too much time in her room as of late.”

Virgil snorted, mouth full of pasta. In answer to the odd looks he received, he quickly swallowed.

“It’s nothing…it’s just…it’s nice to not be the problem child for once.” Virgil grinned, having been on the end of Patton’s wrath more than a few times in his life: the man took his father figure roll very seriously. It was nice to witness it from the outside for once.

It was dinner time, and the four of them sat round the table, discussing their weekly family night. Last week they had decided to skip it…more because no one wanted to be the one to bring it up, Carrie only having arrived the day before. It had been Logan’s turn to decide, and despite how he had practically avoided her for a week, he wanted to use his night to help her feel a little more at ease.

“Roman, why don’t you go ask her?” Patton implored. Roman hesitated.

“She didn’t turn up to hang out today…I know we didn’t exactly plan it, but she hasn’t missed a morning since, like, last Sunday.” Roman pouted, but quailed under Patton’s glare. “Okay Patton, right away Padre.”

Virgil snickered as Roman scrambled up and away, quite liking this new trend of others being under Patton’s pump. He regretted it instantly when Patton rounded on him.

“Young man, are you still in your pyjamas?”

Virgil scowled and folded his arms. “It’s Sunday.”

He sighed as he met an unyielding stare, and got up to go to his room.

“Wait up, Virgil.” Logan said, grabbing Virgil’s arm as he entered the hall.

“What?” Virgil deadpanned.

“I…I’m not the most creative person, and I think you know Carrie a little better than I…” He told him his idea, and asked for his input.

Virgil grinned, seeing a way around Patton’s order to change out of Pyjamas.

Next.

A/N: I think I just came out through an OC kinda based on me in a fic???? what a nerdddd

Also, the song I referenced is “When Will My Life Begin” From Tangled, I may try draw a short comic board of Roman and Carrie...I can’t really draw so I’ll see how that goes!

ok so because it was an ExperienceTM I’m gonna share with you guys some of the more notable things that happened while I was a camp counselor

I worked three weeks (week 1, week 3, and week 4) so there’s gonna be a section for each one

keep in mind that nothing but the week i’m talking about is in chronological order

Week 1

I was stuck on incamp most of the week basically doing a lot of maintenance (there were like 8 kids and way more staff)

had to clean out the music/adventure shack (it took like 3 days to finish) and found 5 dead mice and 1 urn

had to spend 2+ hours on a trail cutting back plants with two people that kept arguing and complaining

we played hunger games with the kids which is basically capture the flag, everyone gets a partner and you start at one end of the camp and have to get an item from another end then bring it back to the start without being seen by a guard or tagged by another team. I was partners with the literal only other person there who didn’t know the trails at all, so it was a lot of “i wonder where this goes lets find out”

we almost won but we got sold out the first time and the second time i fell and had to limp back to one of the sentries because neither of us had our phones to call the nurse

not much really happened week 1 lmao

Me: *said something sassy*

My friend: I love you

Me: aww I love me too

Me: and i love you

My friend: I love me too

it was a great week for my self confidence

Week 3

actually had kids this week on a river trip (everything on the river is offsite so we were away from most of the rest of the counselors) (only 5 kids, it was beautiful because we had a total of 6 staff)

i was loading the bus and one of the parents came up to me saying ‘Do you know this kid’

me, internally ‘idk should i’

me: no

her: he had your dad as a teacher and he remembers when you came in to the class

me, internally: why here too

first time at the beach i saw a snake swimming through the water (i maybe swore a little but there were no kids around so it was good)

second time at the beach i felt one swim between my legs (managed to not even say anything i’m so proud of myself)

during the nature presentation i had to pretend i was okay with snakes right next to my face (snakes are cute,,, from a distance)

first night during break i got to witness two of the other counselors learn how to use the microwave and also that the leftover fridge is for everyone

that was one of the most entertaining things i’ve seen

went tubing down a river and two brothers held hands almost the entire way (one of them got stuck and couldn’t get out and told the other one to keep going)

most of the other counselors slept outside on a tarp the first night but me and the program coordinator slept in a tent together and i ended up actually sleeping on her and it was the best night of sleep i’d gotten in a while

went canoeing down the river and i was in a canoe with a camper and another counselor (the only canoe with 2 counselors it was lowkey a blessing) and it was my first time canoeing. we got stuck 4 times before we had gone a mile

while we were canoeing it started storming but we couldn’t do anything bc there was no where to stop

after lunch, the camper and i switched places so he could paddle and i sat in the middle. the other counselor kept accidentally hitting me with his paddle. i accidentally hit him with a tree

it started storming again and the other two had to paddle a bit upstream so we could take shelter. while we were in the shelter we started watching moana with the people from one of the other canoes and a lifeguard

it continued to storm when we got back so we were under a shelter with these kids for hours and everyone was restless, but it cleared up enough that we could sleep in the tents

there was a vending machine and like half the counselors bought lemonade while the kids were getting ready for bed

(an obligatory cracking open a cold one with the boys joke was made)

two of the counselors (same two that were learning about the microwave) did everything they could together and at one point our boss asked if they were attached at the hip to which they both pressed their hips together (bless their friendship)

on the last night one of the girls asked me to wake her up at 6am and i was like why and she said she wanted to get up then and i was like no i’m gonna wake you up at 7:30 like everyone else and she was like but yesterday i got up at 5:30 to which i responded “and was i awake?”

the counselors also stayed up until about 2am listening to scary stories about the camp and i am now convinced it is haunted

one of the stories was about how one of the paintings mysteriously tilts and while everyone else was distracted, the guy telling the stories went and tilted it and i was the only one that saw him do it

needless to say everyone else was terrified when they saw it had moved

a different guy tried to do it but everyone figured it out in a few minutes (after that he was threatened with a tree branch that was in there for some reason)

Week 4

the camp was,,, very busy week 4. as in like 60 kids busy. 24 were on my camp

our single male senior counselor was gone that week so the musician came back to counseling for this one week

the kids were assholes and didn’t feel the need to listen to the junior counselors (jc for short. senior counselor is sc)

*starts to sprinkle* kid: i think we should move everyone to [building that is literally the farthest away from us at the moment but that’s where everyone’s stuff is]. me: no we’re gonna wait for everyone else to get a snack. kid: i just really think it’s gonna storm soon so lets go. me: uh no? i’m your counselor- kid: junior counselor. me, probably yelling: junior or senior counselor, i am still your counselor and i would appreciate it if you treated me with respect

we were in tents the kids set up the first night in a campsite that’s still on site but not close to all the buildings so for break we had to walk down a trail and it was the scariest thing

(also should probably be noted that sometime during week 3 and the first day of week 4 i developed a crush on one of the counselors)(also should be noted that he could probably out sass me which is hard to do) walking back was almost worse than walking to break (it was definitely scarier) except i got to latch myself onto my crush’s arm the whole walk back

i was carrying the flashlight (it was me and him in front and another jc behind us) and it started flickering so me, brave soul that i am, shoved it into his hand which somehow fixed the problem so we kept going. they dropped their stuff at the bathroom and we were walking back to the tents when the flashlight stopped working all together and at that moment we saw an sc walking towards us. (at this point i was grabbing onto one of my crush’s arms and the other jc’s other arm) i pulled the other two jcs in front of me and took a big step back and then noticed who it actually was

the girls in the tent next to the counselor tent didn’t quiet down until 12:30. a storm started at 2 and woke me up. at 3:30 the other jc in the tent got up to go to the bathroom to find a bunch of girls out of their tents during a thunderstorm. the decision was made to evacuate the tents due to flash flood warnings, so we had to wake everyone up and then realize that we couldn’t contact the guys (who were farther away) because we didn’t have their phone numbers

at 4am we were in the barn (the one which is definitely haunted) and we had to get up at 7:30 so that was fun. also i slipped on concrete and bruised my elbow and i couldn’t fully extend it for like 4 days without pain

we moved into an actual building after that

except the next night was going to be clear so we were sleeping on a tarp outside which the kids did not like at all because of the night before

the first night we were in an actual building to sleep, the other two jcs and i went to the building we take break in to get food. crush guy got chicken tenders that he brought but didn’t microwave them before taking them back to the building we were in, so he and an sc snuck into the kitchen, stole a plate, and microwaved the chicken tenders for everyone to share

the next day for dinner we had chicken tenders again, so when we went for break we took a bunch back in a tupperware container to eat along with some cookies. the third night in the building we did the same thing (but those two nights we had them cold)

crush waited a few days before yelling at the kids and it was so cute when he did bc he’d go in all stern but when the door closed he’d get really smiley (honestly at that point yelling at the kids was stress relief bc they were such assholes) (also some people’s voices were going bc of how much they had to yell)

our program coordinator came into the building one night and she was like ok so i’m not supposed to yell because i’m supposed to let you guys. and we were all like please,,, by all means yell at them. and the kids were so scared of her it was kinda funny

greatest interaction i had with a kid:

her (after having to walk to the beech): my feet are burning

me, looking down at her feet then straight at her face, delivering this line with a straight face: if your feet are burning, where’s the fire?

she gave me the nastiest look it was hilarious

Internet Famous: Part 16

Fandom: Star Wars (Modern AU)

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader

Summary: Poe and Reader are friends who came together and started a youtube channel for fun. 1 million subscribers later, they’re now internet famous. Their friendship has thrived, however, all of their fans can obviously see that Poe and Reader aren’t just friends.

Internet Famous Masterlist

Within a month, the Aladdin performances came and went. Poe had gained a lot more fans through his performances and you were happy for him. The last performance was bittersweet for Poe. Bitter because he wouldn’t be seeing his newfound friends as often. Sweet because he was able to see you a lot more again. After that little mishap in your guys’ relationship, you two promised each other to always express how you’re feeling to avoid miscommunication. 

You two went back to your regularly scheduled filming for Rebel Rousers. Everything felt back normal again and you loved it.

“Hey guys! So, like the title of the video says I’ll be doing a cover of a cover for the song ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Hayley Reinhart. But I also have a special guest! Special guest, come on in!” 

Poe walked into the frame, “I’M BACK BABY!” Poe sat next to you on the bench in front of the keyboard.

“Yup! Poe’s now back from performing as Aladdin at our local theater. He did very well and if you want to know more about his time as Aladdin, go ahead and click on his link to his vlog channel in the description box.”

Poe hovered his fingers over the keys and looked to you, “Ready babe?”

You nodded and Poe began to play while you began to sing:

Wise men say only fools rush in But I can't help falling in love with you Oh, shall I stay, would it be a sin Oh, if I can't help falling in love with you?

You looked to Poe as you sang the last lyric. Poe just watched you in awe with a loving smile on his face. It was his turn to sing:

Like a river flows, surely to the sea Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be

Take my hand, take my whole life too Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you

Then both of you sang:

Oh, like a river flows, surely to the sea Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be

Oh, take my hand, take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you

You repeated the lyrics a couple of times, then Poe ended the song with one last note.

You smiled into the camera as Poe kissed your temple, “I hope you guys liked this video! Like and subscribe! This is Rebel Rousers over and out!” You stopped the camera and looked at Poe who was still staring at you. You looked at him amused, “What?”

Poe shook his head, “Nothing...I just really love you.”

You softly chuckled, “I love you too, pretty boy.” You kissed his lips, “Now come on. Zoe and Ava will be here in an hour. Gotta make them lunch.”

“Whatcha have in mind?”

“Chicken alfredo?”

“I guess I’ll start making the garlic bread.”

Five minutes passed 2pm, there was a knock at the door. You opened it to reveal Ava, Zoe...and Matt???

“AUNTIE Y/N!” Ava yelled as she through herself at you. 

You stumbled back a bit, “Hey bug!” You looked at the five year old girl. Zoe walked in and hugged you, “Hey Zoe.” You looked at the tall blonde Solo Triplet, “’Sup Matt!”

“Hey! Sorry, I didn’t tell you I was coming. I picked them up from the airport and Zoe just told me to come along. I hope that’s okay.”

You waved him off, “Don’t be sorry! You’re always welcome here!” In the background you heard Ava happily scream for Poe. You chuckled, “Poe’s in the kitchen.” Matt nodded and followed the happy screams of Ava. When he was gone, you gave Zoe a knowing look.

She scowled at you, “Don’t give me that.”

“So...you finally gave in? You guys are together now?”

“Well...yeah. He really is a sweet and genuine person. We talked it out and he really wants to be there for Ava and I. I was just too scared of getting hurt again. But then Matt just kept reminding me how much he cares for us. So yeah. We’re together and Y/N, I’m so happy!”

You pulled her in for a hug, “I’m glad you finally got it into your stubborn head.”

Zoe rolled her eyes, “Oh shut up!” She shoved you and you laughed.

“So when it comes to moving in together, what are you gonna do?”

“We talked about me moving here. Matt’s been looking for an apartment to move out from his brothers anyway. So when the time comes for us to move to the next step, he’ll already have a place for us. I also talked to mom and dad. They were okay with it. Heck, they said they finally wanted me out of the house!”

“Typical mom and dad.”

Ava came running out from the kitchen with a Moana plush doll, “Momma look what Uncle Poe got me from Disneyland!” She held the Moana up high above her head.

“Wow, bean! That’s great! Did you thank Uncle Poe?”

Ava rapidly nodded her head, “Oh! And he said lunch is ready!”

“Okay, bean. Let’s go eat!”

During dinner, Ava sat in between you and Poe. She went on and on about how she’ll be starting school in the fall and she’s excited.

“I get to make new friends and maybe even find a boyfriend!”

You couldn’t help but choke on your food. You took a couple sips of water and looked to Ava, “Bug, you’re a little too young to be getting a boyfriend.”

“But you met Uncle Poe through school!”

Poe leaned into her, “True, but we were much older. Don’t worry about boys right now. Boys are icky.” 

Ava covered her mouth and giggled, “But you and Matt are boys!”

“But we’re cool!” Matt said smiling proudly. 

“Yeah! We’re cool boys!” Poe held up his hand to Matt, who then high-fived him.

Zoe rolled her eyes, “Anyway, you guys are going to VidCon next week right?”

You took a bite out of a small chicken chunk and nodded, “Yeah. We have a panel, photo ops, and autograph signings. We plan on going to Disneyland after.”

Ava immediately stood up on her chair, “MOMMA CAN WE GO TO DISNEYLAND?!”

“Sit down, Ava. Please?” Ava sat back down, her little legs swinging back and forth. “Thank you. And sure. We can go with Auntie Y/N and Uncle Poe when they’re done with Vid Con.”

“And can Matt come too?!” Ava asked loudly.

You, Ava, and Poe looked from Matt to Zoe. Zoe shyly smiled, “If Matt wants to come with us.”

Matt smiled, “I’d love to.”

Ava started dancing in her seat, “We’re going to Disneyland! Yayayayay!”

You took notice that everyone was finished eating. You stood to grab everyone’s plates, but Poe stop you, “I got it, babe. No worries. Zoe, can you help me?” Without you knowing, Poe was giving Zoe a knowing look. 

Zoe abruptly stood and nodded, “Sure,” she collected the rest of the dishes and followed Poe into the kitchen. 

Poe looked behind her to make sure you weren’t near. He fished out a small black velvet box out of his pocket, “I’m sure you know what this is.”

Zoe’s eyes widened, “No fucking way!” She swiped the box out of Poe’s hand and opened it to reveal a rose gold tiara ring with a shape of a heart in the center, “It’s beautiful. She’ll love it!” She handed it back to Poe, “Did you talk to my parents about getting their blessing?”

Poe scoffed, “Of course I did. Who do you think I am?! I facetimed them last week before I bought the ring.”

“When do you plan on proposing?”

“After Vid Con at Disneyland.”

“How cliche of you.”

“Hey! It’s the Happiest Place on Earth and that’s where we got together, okay?!”

Zoe shushed Poe, “Okay! Okay! Quiet! She’ll hear you!”

“Anyway, I wanted you to make sure that your parents and brother are at Disneyland when it happens.”

“Lemme guess, you’re going to do it in front of the castle.”

“YUP!”

Zoe sighed, “Fine, okay. I’ll make sure they’re there. And Poe?”

“What?”

Zoe pulled Poe in for a hug and muttered, “Thank you for making my sister so happy.”

Part 17

We recently took an eight-day trip to Universal Studios Resort in Orlando, Florida. We took our two kids, ages two and nine. This Trip was amazing and I feel it will be hard to top it on our next adventure. I fell in love with the idea of blogging when we came back from this trip. I loved this trip so much that it was all I thought about for weeks to come after. I contemplated moving to Florida because we loved it so much!

First off, there are plenty of on-site hotels with different styles and price ranges to choose from.

Universal Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel– 4 Star, Starting at $256, Italy themed

Universals Hard Rock Hotel-4 Star, Starting at $244, Rock-Star themed

Universal Lowes Royal Pacific Resort-4 star, Starting $208/night, Tropical-Hawaii themed

Universal Lowes Sapphire Falls Resort-4 star, Starting at $152/night, Island themed

Universals Aventura Hotel-newest Hotel, Starting at $116 Modern style

Universal Cabana Bay Resort– 3 star, Starting at $112/night, Retro style

We stayed at Sapphire Falls and loved it!

However, all of these hotels are beautiful and offer different activities to participate in. Also, if one stays on-site, one may visit any of the other on-site hotels, swim in their pools, tour their spacious grounds or eat at their many restaurants. We went to a luau at Royal Pacifica. The luau made me feel like I was in Hawaii again.

Yes, this is my husband on stage.

The park has a few different ways to travel within Universal Studios. I think boats are the fastest because they glide to two of the theme parks and it runs until 2 am. Themed buses travel between any of the hotels and all three of the theme parks. There is also a walk way along the boat channel if walking is preferred, but we did so much walking all trip we choose not to take this way. I really thought the boats were helpful because the wait isn’t too long even though the lines are, and there are no stops along the way. It is relaxing to ride the boat after a long day of walking around in the hot sun.

Side note: I like to talk to the captain of the boats and find out all their different history’s and why they are doing what they do now. Many of them absolutely love what they do. In fact, Orlando has that feel for me. How could it not, it is beautiful in florida.

The second best thing about staying at these hotels is that we are allowed access into the parks an hour earlier with regular admission park passes. This was nice to use for the busiest attractions.

Now lets talk a little about the parks shall we?

There are three Universal Studio Parks:

Volcano Bay – The Newest water park

Island of Adventure– Jurassic Park, The Incredible Hulk, Harry potter, and much more..

Universal Studios– Main Theme Park, Transformers, Shrek, and The Simpsons to name a few. There is a small parade at 7 p.m.

Bonus: City walk– Free to the public

You can find prices for the tickets here.

For a few dollars extra, you can add onto the experience:

Express passes skip the lines.

Dinner plan add pre-paid meals to the trip. This is only good for the parks and city walk, not the hotels. Includes drinks and snacks. Check the restaurants at City Walk for participation.

Photo package have pictures downloaded to a USB that is put on a lanyard.

VIP Experience tour guide with a host through some of the rides in both the Main Park and Island of Adventure.

First park I want to talk about is Volcano Bay, the newest of the parks. This park has Tapu-tapu for every rider which goes around the wrist like a watch and can virtually check in one line at a time. While waiting for that line, one may go in other lines that have no wait times. One may also lay in the Lazy River or grab a drink from a bar and hang out at Waturi beach while a two-year old is passed out on one’s lap. Tapu-Tapu also connects to a debit card to use it to pay for food or drinks. These watch like device can fall off, so they are password protected before items or food can be charged.

This park has 18 attractions, 4 restaurants, 3 shops, 2 bars and a little ice cream/drink hut at the entrance to the park. The park does have a few kids zones. One is called Runamukka Reef. Get it? (Run a muck) This is a big area for the kids and has lots of secrets that only the tapu-tapu can illuminate. Volcano Bay has clever names for their attractions like ‘Ohyah’ and ‘Ohno‘ drop slides. My favorite ride was the very first one we went on called Honu of the Honu Ika Moana, because it was the scariest of them all being so high up and the drop…oh man. The aqua rollercoaster ride called Krakatau comes in a close second, and it’s fun to say.

At the entrance of the park there is a singing rock that my daughter absolutely loved. So we had to buy the miniature coffee bean plant holder in the shop to remember that silly singing rock. I can still hear him humming his song

The next park I want to talk about is Island of Adventure. This park was awesome, especially the Jurassic Park exhibit. A Raptor is in a broken cage that we were able to take a picture in front of. The staff took a video of us too, which was cool to watch our reactions later.

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Inside the museum and restaurant there is a station where one can turn themselves into a dinosaur. DNA samples are taken front your handprint and they ask you a few things about your favorite dinosaur and whala.. a dino is created.. Is it stable? Come find out.. My daughter was able to name one of the little dino eggs that hatch once an hour in their labs. The staff gave her a certificate of birth and we can come back and check on the little dino whenever we want. We went back two days later to checked on her, the staff was like, ‘uhh… She looks the same’.

DNA samples

NevaehASURUS

Egg Hatchery

waiting…

you can hold them

Checking on baby dino

There is plenty to do at Island of Adventure. Plenty of food, plenty of drinks plenty of snacks, plenty of rides, plenty of shopping, and plenty to do for our two-year old as well. He wasn’t tall enough for some of the rides, which most restrictions are 42 inches. However, the lines for the kiddie rides were really short. We were able to ride them several times before moving onto the next.

We especially like The High in the sky Seuss Trolly Train ride, say that 5 times fast. One Fish, Two Fish water ride is a good one too. This one is on a little pond with water that squirts from the ride onto the riders. Don’t worry, the small child does decide who gets wet.

A Mystical Fountain talks to people passing by right next to the train. Of course, my daughter had to get in on the action, I have to say I was amussed! I posted one of the videos for your entertainment.

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The Hulk is probably the most popular ride in this park. It looks incredibly fun and insainly scary for the thrill riders. I used to be one of those people whom liked these types of rides. Not sense I had my children. I decided living was more important.

Both Universal and Island of Adventure have an amazing Harry Potter section with a Hogwarts train that connects the two parks. Unfortunately, it was raining when we took the train, so everyone wanted to take shelter on it. It’s pretty neat and feels like we are actually apart of the movie. You just have to see it yourselves. It’s pretty amazing.

We wanted to go into the Hogwarts Castle from the movie Harry Potter, but the wait was incredibly long. (I recently watch behind the scenes of this castle and I must say I am truly sad we missed it.. It looks and sounds amazing.) The staff informed us that if we come back before the park closes the line will be way shorter, ya we forgot… Ooopppsss.

Diagon Alley, in the Main park, was hard to find at first, tucked away behind walls in Universal Studios. (Kind of looks like the entrance for the bathrooms). Once we found it and walked in, my jaw dropped. It was so amazing in there. I have to admit that I haven’t seen all of the Harry Potter movie, but this attraction made me want to.

Butter beer, don’t let the name fool you, is non-alcoholic, so we let the kids have some. It’s almost like a root bear float. You won’t get it back though, so might just want to get them their own. Have I mentioned yet, this whole park serves alcohol and beer for the adults?

If you have seen the movies then you know how amazing the detail should be in this area. A little hint before buying a magic want, in Island of Adventure there is a wizard whom can pick out the best wand that fits each person. Actually, he exclaims that the wand picks the person. However, he only picks one person during each cycle, but worth a try because they are expensive and worth it. These wands are in fact magical around this attraction in both the parks. They are able to make things happen. Here take a look for yourselves.

At Universals Main Park, a short parade featuring Dispicible Me and Pets starts at 7 pm local time. I thought the floats were so cute as you can tell by my narriration in my video.

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This park has 15 rides, 31 places to get food and drinks of all sorts, 19 types of shows from the parade to fear factor, and we did most of our souvioneer shopping here as well. Last but not least this park has three amazing kid zones.

Some of the most popular rides here are Dispicible Me-Minion Mayham, Shrek 4D, Transformers 3D, Revenge of The Mummy (our first ride of the trip, also my daughters favorite), Hogwarts express, and Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts to name a few. All of which we experienced.

My favorite would have to be Transformers. I really enjoyed the story that went along with this ride. The wait is a little long but there is so much to see and do while waiting, so it goes by fast.

Shrek was also a favorite. Expecially the meet and great with Fiona, The Donkey and Shrek. All were very funny and they wanted to go swimming with us.

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The Kid areas include

Curious George– Silly monkey turned the whole town upside down. He has water play and inside ball play (really nice to go in the middle of a hot day to cool off and just play with the kiddos.)

Fievel’s Playland-Based off of the movies, lots of rope climbing available here. My daughter loved the mini water coaster.

Barny’s Backyard-A cute inside play area decorated to look like the outdoors. My son expecially liked to play in this area.

I have talked about all three of the parks, Our favorite rides, places to get food and drinks. Now I want to explain a little about City walk.

Citywalk connects Island of Adventure and the Main park. There is music, vendors, entertainers, movie theater, food, bars, and clubs. Some of the most famous restaurants are Bubba Gump, Margarita Ville and Hard Rock Cafe.

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I mentioned earlier the dinner meals are accepted at participating restaurants but many have select meals to choose from. Not the whole menu. So beware of that.

We did add a character breakfast at Universal and the Luau at the hotel. Both were great and the breakfast buffet was wonderful.

The boats and busses drop off their passengers here as well. It’s very busy. A lot of the locals come out at night to hang out here

A few more things I recommend before going. Get a portable fan that sprays water for each person. Bring extra batteries, hat’s, sunscreen, bug spray, water bottles and sunglasses for EVERYONE. If you have young ones, bring a stroller. There are no stores outside of the park that are close enough to walk to, by the way, so come prepared. They do have strollers to rent inside each park. Make sure to locate the first aids as they are scattered throughout.

We wanted to get the most out of our vacation as do most people. I feel it would have been helpful to read a personal experience before hand so I knew what to .

Well I think I have covered all of the topics I wanted to. If you have any questions or anything to add please email me.

Disclosure: All pictures and videos are my own. Prices are subject to change. I did my best to remove all people from my pictures that I don’t know. These opinions are my own. I have no connection with Universal and I am not being paid to write for them.

Thank you for reading.

goodie bags I made for people sitting on the planes around us.

Got our tickets

waiting to board

Universal Studios In Orlando, FLorida We recently took an eight-day trip to Universal Studios Resort in Orlando, Florida. We took our two kids, ages two and nine.