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#i like how we don't even get a scene of her panicking she's just like. i hate all of you
chaos-of-the-abyss · 7 months
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mahidevran was so done here lol
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sm-baby · 27 days
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Most exciting part of the trailer for the next TADC episode for you?
More so an Analysis rather than things I'm excited about X3
I watched the sneak peek on loop I can process everything! Waahh!! I'm so excited for episode 2 💞 only a few weeks away! 💕
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I wanna get this out of the way, I love Lizzie Freeman and Alex Rochon's Improv work on this promo 😭 they were really put in a booth together, were told to say things to promote episode two, and came up with that 😭 Genius.
The environment work is GORGEOUS! I love the look of everything, the world-building, the colors! It looks like a full-fledged movie guys! Absolutely beautiful and WONDEROUS work from the Glitch team-- it's so beautiful for half a year of work??? God damn!!
Haha! As an in-universe creation, Despite his little gags, Caine is genuinely such a good AI to make something so cool!
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You'll also notice that Ragatha is taking charge of talking with the princess! That would make sense for such fellow beautiful well-mannered women!
More on them later at the end! :3
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Dream sequence theory
Also, we all agree that these ones are all part of a dream right? Pomni is panicked, the strange sort of "slow woozy wobbly" animation exactly like a dream... even the dolly zoom!
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Then she is sent to the cellar with a an abstracted arm, but that shouldn't be the case since Caine could easily fix an abstracted arm with a snap of a finger.
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And then she wakes up, freaked out!!
Wahaha! Shout out to the Showtime server for pointing this out while we were discussing!
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This is either and "end of episode prize" from Caine, or he jumps in mid-episode to hand them a helpful item, ooorr he's telling them that that's their objective for the adventure :3
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also!! people have pointed out that Zooble isn't with the carriage with the others! Either this means that Zooble was given a surprise roll in the adventure, or she's off to have a fun solo adventure with Caine! Ohh! How exciting!
Zooble is a favorite character of Goose's, so to learn more about him and why Goose loves them so much would be so exciting!!
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Whats up with Jax?
hunched down, writing in the sand, hugging his knees, this topped with Goose's two-word description of the next episode to be "I"m nothing"... Oh Jax is gonna have a MOMENT...
We all know that no one likes the dude and he's going to get worse. I'm unsure if this will make me like the guy, but I'm optimistic!
I'm open to understanding and seeing another side of him that would make me like him! I already quite like how this scene is framed, how lonely he looks, the acting in these few seconds already tells me what kind of guy he is.
...despite one of the gummis being tied up in the corner
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If i had to hypothesize, this probably stemmed with Jax acting out, you know, the usual "being a nuisance" to make everyone miserable,
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Then It escalates
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This gets on Ragatha's nerves, first starting out as a silly "haha cute interaction" between them and it escalates while the episode goes on where Ragatha genuinely gets mad at him and tells him to stay put while they do the work.
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Speaking of Ragatha, She seems to be quite fond of the Princess! There is a part of me that wonders if she wants to sort of-- "prove" herself in a way, as a leader or otherwise. Ragatha does give me the "smart yet nice kid in class that everyone copies off of" energy... TwT This poor woman.
I don't know, just the way The Princess bends down and holds her hand, it's sort of sweetly mentorly or motherly in a way. I'm not saying this to infantilize Ragatha, I respect her so much as a mature 30-year-old adult, I say it as a testament to The Princesses' character. Princesses, Queens, and any sort of royalty have been characterized as the sort of "mother/father of all" sort of character type, which is sweet! And would be quite interesting!
I know that people are quick to do the shipping with these two, but I kind of like the idea of Ragatha wanting approval and validation.
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BUT THATS JUST A THEORY!! A FILM THEORY!!! ANDDD CUT!!
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Friendly reminder that Gwen's father was most likely going to shoot her.
And Miguel might've legit saved Gwen's life.
Rewatching ATSV - This scene always just gets be HEATED. Everytime I catch something that makes me
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'Okay. Okay yeah, yeah - AHHHHHHHHHHHH-'
And this time I realized. Oh. OH.
Gwen's dad was PLANNING to shoot her - Or.. if we consider cop training, he was mere seconds away from actually firing on her.
And he would've had Miguel not been there.
In Gwen's confrontation scene - her father WAS actively threatened and afraid of her. And from what we see, he was VERY VERY close to acting on it, more than you think.
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The point in the scene begins with him pointing the gun at her, and as he speaks and Gwen begins to beg, he begins to gradually lower it.
Until she steps closer to him. And then he starts pulling it on her again.
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He is literally re-raising the gun at his daughter, because she took a step towards him.
So not only is she his daughter, she's also like... 5'6 and sixteen years old.
And he's still afraid of her, enough so that when she takes even one step closer, he is ready to threaten her life again.
You can hear the fear in his voice, and I don't doubt for a second he would pull the trigger - either on a warning shot, or a 'nonlethal' blow.
We've all heard cops say it before. 'I panicked', 'it was self defense'.
And Friendly reminder-
MIGUEL saves Gwen's life here.
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Now look at this first photo.
And before you keep reading, please guess what's really really REALLY bad about that photo. Just look.
Trigger Discipline.
If you don't know, trigger discipline is the concept taught to gun-owners in order to reduce accidental shootings and firings.
Trigger Discipline is the idea that your finger should NEVER be on the trigger of gun unless you plan to fire it in the next two-three seconds.
Otherwise, THIS is the proper position to hold a gun.
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Gwen's father is a cop. He's 100% been trained in trigger discipline. He knows not to do this.
Which implies - George Stacy was ACTIVELY PLANNING on shooting Gwen right then and there. As in, seconds away from pulling the trigger.
Raising a gun to his daughter at close range, finger on the trigger.
I think his actions can speak for themselves. He was going to shoot her.
And the only reason he didn't, was because Miguel saw this - and forcefully took the gun from him. (Like a proper Spider-man put some respeckt on his name)
George didn't care that there were TWO adults standing there as witness. He didn't care that he's not supposed to touch the trigger. In that moment, truly all he cared about was imprisoning Gwen - by any AND ALL means necessary.
And to top this off -
Friendly reminder, he never apologized. For ANYTHING.
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He doesn't apologize for pulling a gun on her. He doesn't apologize for forcing her into homelessness. He didn't apologize for accusing her of murder.
He doesn't even ADMIT that she DIDN'T KILL PETER.
All he does is quit and compliment her. No apology. No acknowledgment about how his identity as a cop turned him into a toxic horrible father. No acknowledgment that Gwen isn't a killer.
Just 'I quit'.
Had Miguel not been there - I'm very sure George would've posed a VERY real danger to Gwen's life.
He doesn't deserve to be forgiven. And really, considering his arc, glorification - and his failure to even apologize - it really goes to show that at some points ATSV really teeters on casual copaganda.
Also Miguel that was really really cool of you (you saving Gwen's life totally makes up for the whole chokeslamming Miles thing <3 /j)
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raineydays411 · 9 months
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My Father's Daughter pt 14
Summary: Dick and the others have finally caught up to Y/n and her "Red Team", but have they gotten there too late?
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Dark.
That's all you saw, just darkness. You felt like you were floating in a sea of pitch black water, unaware but uncaring at the immense peril you were in. You floated, faintly hearing a noise in the background, something telling you to wake up and fight. But you wanted to ignore it, it felt good. Good to just float, not worrying about a thing.
But then there was a light.
A piercing bright light that hurt your eyes as you stared into it. And a ringing. A ringing that made your eardrums feel as if they were about to burst.
"Hello."
Who the fuck was that?
"Who the fuck are you?" You say with a hoarse voice, still not grasping the situation you were in.
"Such a foul mouth." The man tskd, " The signature of a Stark I guess."
You look around and feel the restraints on your wrists and ankles. You look down to see that you're splayed out on a table.
"That, unfortunately, shall be the first thing to go."
Panic floods your body.
You finally realized what is happening.
They got you.
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" What do you mean she's gone?!"
Christine screams at the her children, " She- She was just here! She was in her room! She was safe!"
Dick looks up from the ground, feeling like he was twelve again, " Mom they.. they just came from nowhere. We had just gotten there when they attacked.."
Bruce was already making his way towards his suit, Dick and Jason had burst into the house, rushing the battered Peter, Wade, and Dopiender.
They were all caught off guard when they had finally found you, literally across the street only to see a group of armed men dressed in black descend on your unsuspecting friends.
They took out who they thought would be the biggest threat, Wade Wilson.
Or at least they tried to. They first shot him in the chest, hoping that the blast would take him out of the game, but to no luck. He flew back allowing them to shoot you with a tranquilizer, but he quickly rose and started firing back. It was only when they got him with a headshot that he went down and stayed down.
Peter, although he didn't have his suit, tried his best to get to you dodging multiple tranquiliser darts and managing to knock a few of them men to the ground. He was however overwhelmed and swiftly knocked out by a hit to the back of the head.
Dopinder actually managed to kill two men before he was shot in the arm and passed out from the blood.
By the time the shock from it all wore off and the Bat crew rushed to the scene, it was all over.
You were gone, and weren't even able given the chance to defend yourself.
The sight of your limp body being carelessly lifted haunted Jason's mind. He chased the SUV for twelve blocks before he lost them. By the time he made it back to the abduction spot, Peter had woken up and was panicking.
His best friend had just gotten kidnapped and he was being interrogated by Nightwing and Robin. Jason, fueled by adrenaline and rage tried to slam Peter into the taxi but was deflected by said boy. Surprising everyone and sending into attack mode.
But before any fighting could happen, Dick came in to be the voice of reason.
They piled into the nasty taxi and headed off back to the Batcave to allow Wade and Dopinder to recover and to think of a plan to rescue you.
"Jason," Bruce said, " What are you thinking?"
Jason looked at him from where he stood, " They were watching us."
Bruce nodded, " They knew she was here the whole time."
Christine stopped her yelling, " What?"
Bruce looked at her, " They knew she was here. That's how they were able to grab her so quickly. They had a plan."
Dick looked angry," We don't even know who these people are! How are we supposed to get her back?"
And for once, Bruce didn't have an answer to that. Despite the amount of time you had been with them, there has been little to nothing found about the people who were after you. Not by Bruce and not by your father. He had spent nights sitting in front of that computer trying to help figure out how to keep you safe. But without whatever information Tony had found, he knew next to nothing.
Christine held in her tears, she thought she had ran out of tears earlier but here they come again. She had that feeling again. The same feeling she had when she left you. The same feeling she had when she listened to the voicemails and read the emails you sent her. The same feeling she had when the movers told her about your outburst, and the same feeling she had when she saw you at that gala.
Was it sadness or guilt? She couldn't tell anymore.
But she was afraid.
Afraid for you, and what these people had planned for you. This was the one thing she had been terrified would happen and it's happened. They've taken you from her.
"It's my fault." She cried," If I had just listened to her-"
"Miss Christine, I'm afraid now is not the time for your pity party." Alfred said from where he had been helping Dopiender, who was stll unconscious.
" Alfred." Bruce said in an exhaused manner
"I am sorry Master Bruce, but I believe it's best if we focus on Y/n and not tiptoeing around Miss Christines woes of failed motherhood."
The whole room froze. It was rare for Alfred to criticize Christine for anything, as she was his favorite.
"Woah..harsh Jeeves"
Everyone turned to see Wade rising froom his bed, wound healed.
"What the fuck?" Jason said, " This dude took a headshot!"
"Not the first time" Wade shook his head, forgoing the dirty joke that popped into his head, " Now where the fuck am I?"
Everyone again froze, but Bruce emerged from the shadows, full on Bat mode.
"Who are you."
Wade took one look at Bruce and laughed in his face.
"hahahaha oh oh I'm sorry- I just hahahahaha" Another burst of laughter came from his mouth, "You're so scary I promise!"
The room looked at the man uneasily. The one person that was crazy enough to laugh in Batman's face was the Joker.
"Wade stop it." Peter said from where he stood, "Y/ns gone."
Laughter ceases immediately, an eerie aura fells the room, " What was that bugs?"
"They got her."
"Then what the fuck are we standing around here for!" Wade shouts, the sudden shift in personalities making the family of bats unsettled.
Except for Jason.
"Can I just ask who the fuck are you?"
Your two friends turn to him," We're Y/ns family."
Jason pauses and nods," Okay then."
Then proceeds to give them the rundown on what they have discovered, which is not a lot.
There's a heavy silence that fills the air.
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Panic fills your veins.
"That will be the first thing to go."
Those words riddled your brain as you were strapped down to this table. The room was white, almost like a hospital room.
Now, this wasn't the first time you had been kidnapped, but most of the time it was petty. Ransoms and whatnot. And your dad always managed to find you within the hour.
This was different. This was people who truly had no good intentions.
You were scared. Your dad had no idea where you were. You were worried about your friends, and even about the Waynes.
You had no idea on whether they were looking for you or still thought you were in your room. For all you knew, they were having a grand time thinking you were sulking and weren't going to discover you were gone till it was too late.
And what would happen to your dad if you die? He could barely take care of himself when Christine left him. He needed to you. He needed you to be okay so he can be okay. You couldn't dead. And your mom, you couldn't leave her to pick up your dads pieces. She didn't know how. Not like you did. and what about Jason-
"Ah, you're aware."
A woman came in this time.
"I apologize for the rather rude introduction, I'm afraid men just don't have the same gentle touch as us women."
She had a small frame. She was pale, almost deathly so. With graying hair that had no cut, just long and curly. She didn't look old however, that's what unsettled you the most. She looked about a few years older than you.
"Please don't pay no attention to whatever these men say to you, we do not intend to cause you any harm."
Her voice was calming, it soothed your panic and eased your anxiety. It made you feel like you were floating.
"Now, Ms. Stark I know you are probably wondering why you are here."
You couldn't even bring yourself to care, you felt at ease. A frail cold hand carding through your hair.
" This building we're in used to be a prestiges lab. We studied the human mind and its capabilities. With the rise of people such as Wanda Maximoff and such, this research was well needed. We searched far and wide for the people with these capabilities. Which was hard because they are so rare as I am sure you know."
She rises from her place next to you, hand leaving your hair. She walks over to a table next to you. When did that get there?
"Well, the search for these people was fruitless as you can imagine. Not many people are as forthcoming with their capabilities as we hoped. It became so bad that we had to force these poor subjects out of their hiding spaces. But even then the search didn't turn up much. So we decided that we would make our own."
You really didn't comprehend what this woman was telling you. All you wanted was to go back to sleep. You felt so relaxed.
"As you can imagine, that didn't particularly go as planned. We didn't mean to kill them, their minds just weren't strong enough."
Wait what?
"There were many that came through ; young, old, male female. And only one group was ever rarely successful. And can you guess who it was?"
A cold chill went down to your bones as you were piecing together her story.
"Young women, age 15-25." She said calmly, " Of course they did."
You didn't respond, just stared into this womens pale eyes. She was starting to creep you out.
"Now, I bet you're wondering where you factor into this equation." She hmms, hand back in your hair. A little rougher.
'Well my dear, I am afraid you just got caught in the crossfire. You see, one of my little experiments just so happened to escape." She sighs, eyes showing some sort of emotion, "She was beautiful, with a strong mind. I even came to view her as a daughter of my own. My little petal."
"Wait..what?"
"Don't interrupt it's rude." This women chides, not cruelly but you knew not to say anything else.
"Now, escaping just wasn't enough for my little petal, oh no. She decided that she needed to expose our...little secret. It was all covered up of course, you know how the government is about things like this, but our funding was cut and our doctors were arrested."
While she was talking you can feel an intense amount of pain. A deep sorrow penetrating your soul and heart. You felt betrayed, hurt.
"Well, imagine my surprise when I turn on the television and see a girl who looks exactly like my little flower."
That's when you knew.
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Back at the manor, Peter was frustrated.
All these people were doing was arguing. Arguing about who should've been watching you, Arguing about what they should have done, what they did do, what they should be doing.
It baffles Peter that these were the feared vigilantes of Gotham.
Bruce was too busy trying to figure out just where you were taken and Christine had deemed him too normal to even be able to help (They didn't know he was Spiderman). Dick and Damian were out trying to find any footage that might have been taken on the scene. Wade was out talking to some of his connections with Cass because Bruce didn't trust him to be alone. So he was stuck being babysat by Tim and Jason who are arguing about the best course of action.
"I'M SAYING WE GO BACK TO THE DINER AND RETRACE OUR STEPS"
"Oh yeah that's a great idea, go to the bad side of town and ask about that one crime that happened in that one alley at night. As if anyone will talk."
"Well it's better than sitting here all-"
Peter tunes them out. He tunes everyone out. He's worried about you.
He knew that you only came here to make things easier for your dad. So he didn't have to watch you 24/7.
But the ironic thing is, Tony was worried out of his mind. He worked endlessly to find these people, people that he may have crossed in the past, people who may want to hurt him through you. Just to turn up with nothing everytime. Peter knew everyone one missed you. Your presence was not unnoticed.
He hated not being able to talk to you everyday, it was like you just didn't exist. He couldn't imagine how you felt, cut off from the only life you'd known
And all that pain for what? Just for the one thing no one wanted to happen come true in the end.
"Ahem." a throat cleared, breaking Peter out of his thoughts
"Sir, I don't mean to disturb you but perhaps now would be a good time to...call in some reinforcements." Alfred implied, softly talk as to not alert the other members of the family of his plan.
Peters brows scrunched in confusion before rising in clarity. He nodded softly, before standing and pardoning himself to the bathroom that Alfred showed him to.
When he was safely away from the commotion, he pulled out his cellphone.
*ring* *ring*
"Talk to me."
"It's Peter!DeadpoolkidnappedmetocomeseeY/ningothamandnowshesgoneandidontknowhattodoan-"
"Woah! Woah slow down Spiderboy, what do you mean you're in Gotham? That's a terrible place to be in."
"No it's Y/n sir! SHe's gone!"
A pause hits Peters ears, he almost thought he got hung up on"
"Peter, what are you saying?"
"They got her Mr. Stark. I'm sorry."
......
"Give me your location, we'll be right there."
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aaronhotchswife · 6 months
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THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL
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Drew Starkey x Female Reader
Chapter 1
Warnings : alcohol, panick attack, angst, want to give the reader a hug, smut, loss of virginity
Chapter 2
"If two people are meant to be together, they will eventually find their way back into each other's arms, no matter what."
Drew's point of view
I look at her, sleeping on my shoulder. She looks so peaceful, her breathing is serene. I look at her lips, that even if I kissed them a lot for the sake of the show, I wonder how they would taste if it was for real. I had agreed to watch Tangled with her since I know it's her favourite movie. For the year she lived with me, she asked me to watch it with her. She was always watching it alone but I finally succumbed to watching it tonight.
She moves slightly, causing me to hold my breath.
'"Hi," she says, repositioning herself on the couch. "Sorry about that," she glances to my shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry," I speak softly, my gaze went back to the movie, a lantern scene playing.
"I woke up just in time for my favourite scene"
"This is your favourite scene ?" I chuckle, incredulous.
"Yeah ! It's so romantic. The ways he looks at her and the song, it's cute."
"It is," I say, looking over her.
We finished the night both laying on the couch, showing each other tiktoks and funny Instagram reels. It was nice to just hang out, like roommates and friends, even if in my head, I always had that little thing, where she might likes me back.
Y/N's point of view
I come back from the grocery store, rubbing my hands together from the cold outside before setting the grocery bags on the counter.
"Drew ?" I spoke loudly, waiting for him to answer me. "Are you home?"
Without getting any answers, I emptied the grocery bags before laying on the couch, a cooking TV show playing in the background.
***
To : Cut the camera
Mads : the guys chose the bar for tonight. They say it's a pub kind of place
Y/N : girlsss idk what to wear
Lacia : you should wear your blue jeans with your black silk top 🥵
Mads : I AGREE
Mads : btw Odessa's gonna be there tonight
Y/N : that must be why Drew isn't home
Y/N : i already didn't feel like going now it's worse 🙃
Madie : c'mon girl, you're gonna have a great time with us!! And it's the last time that we're gonna see each others before everyone leave for Christmas soooo
Since Drew and Odessa were filming a movie together, they were always hanging out. I tried my best not to be jealous of her but it was hard. I felt like she was prettier, skinnier, funnier than me. And Drew seems to find her really interesting. Which was ok. I was just his roommate and his best friend. Just his roommate and his best friend.
***
The pub was crowded just enough. I was sitting next to JD and Lacia, talking about crazy fan theories.
"Oh there he is!" JD exclaim, reaching out his hand to do a handshake with Drew. I felt my hands getting clammy, feeling a bit anxious seeing him with her.
"Hi man, hi Lacia, hi Y/N." Drew said, his eyes scanning the booth.
"Hi guys!" said Odessa.
JD and Lacia said hi at the same time, but I find the straw in my drink a lot more interesting than her. I looked over Drew, making eye contact with him before letting my gaze fall back down to my drink.
Drew's point of view
I saw her, wearing her cute jeans and that black top that embraced her curves.
She looked over me, her eyes filled with something else than usually. Her expression changed the second she saw me. I sat at the booth, next to JD. Even if I wanted to sit next to her, she seemed more absorbed by the straw in her drink that by my presence. Odessa sat next to me, putting her hand on my back, making me stiffen. I saw Y/N's gaze looking over me, before she got up, walking over Madelyn and Chase. I get up, walk over them to say hi to my friends. She is standing next to me, but she is still looking everywhere except where I want her to look. I leaned over her, my hand finding a place on her back.
"You ok ?" I asked.
"Positive."
Her tone is dry and I can't think of any reasons of why she would be like that.
"So you brought Odessa ?" Chase asked, making me come back to reality.
"Yeah, well we're spending a lot of time together these days because of Hellraiser and she's nice and —"
"In that case you should go see her before she starts missing you too much."
I turned back to Y/N, my brows furrowed. The tone is which she said it is harsh, something that would normally not happen with her. She doesn't look at me and instead, before I can answer anything, her eyes find Rudy, Austin and Madison talking next to the bar and just like that, she's gone.
Y/N's point of view
I'm sitting at the booth, listening to Rudy asking Austin a Truth or Dare question. I am here, but I feel as if my head is somewhere else. Somewhere alone with Drew. Somewhere where he is in love with me.
"Drewbear, if you saw me on Tinder, would you swipe right ?"
I can hear Odessa giggling while she's asking her question to Drew. Even if I do not want to hear his answer, I suprise myself raising my head and listening carefully. I can't invent the way his eyes look at me before making their way to Odessa.
"I would."
I feel my heart stop. I know I didn't have the right to be jealous of her. We are just friends, even if sometimes it feels like we are more than that. I try to smile, making it seems like it don't affect me, but the way I see Madelyn look at me, her eyes filled with pity, I feel the tears raising in my eyes. I get up to go order a drink, asking everyone if they wanted a refill. I could hear my voice shaking, trying my best to control myself.
"I'll come with you," Drew says, raising from his seat.
"You don't have to."
"C'mon Y/N/N, you can't bring 5 drinks by yourself," he smiled, following me to the bar.
I ordered the drinks, watching the floor and playing with the rings on my fingers waiting for the drinks to be ready.
Drew's point of view
"Did I do something wrong ?" I spoke softly. I could feel something was wrong and it made me sick in my stomach, thinking that I could've hurt her. "You're acting weird ever since I've arrived."
She stops playing with her rings, lifting her head to watch me.
"You didn't."
"Then why are you acting like that ? Being mean about Odessa, ignoring me ? You're in your little world since the beginning of the night, looking everywhere but at me. C'mon, you know we're best friends and that we say everything to each other."
"Do we ? Do we tell each other everything Drew ?" Her voice was trembling.
The moment was cut by the bartender, handing us the drinks.
"I want to talk about it Y/N." I talk louder, making our way to the booth.
"There is nothing to talk about."
Y/N's point of view
As I sat at the booth, my phone vibrated. I look down to see a text from Madelyn.
'You really should tell him how you feel'
Another vibration.
'He's in love with you. You should see the way he looks at you. He's just trying to make you jealous'
'Yeah right' I write back.
'It's working'
"Y/N, truth or dare ?" Odessa asks.
There's is no way I trust this girl enough for a dare, so I answer truth.
"How many persons did you have sex with ?"
I feel the heat creeping up on my cheeks. Even if being a virgin in my 20's sucked, it was always something I could hide. Except for now because the way she looks at me, I'm pretty sure she realizes what I am.
"Oh oh, are you a virgin ?" She laughed sarcastically.
Everybody at the table is silent. Because even if mostly everyone knew, the tone is which she said it makes everyone feel tense. I feel my breath getting shorter and I start getting dizzy. I can't breathe. I can't feel my heart. I can't even focus on the faces of my friends in front of me. I feel like I'm in high school again, with the mean girls. I feel like I will die. I look at Drew, a pleading look on my face. I want him to do something even if I don't know what. I need air, I need the cold air of December to help me breathe.
Drew's point of view
Everybody is silent, everybody is looking at me. Madelyn gets up, running to the door, yelling Y/N's name. I turn to face Odessa and I know she can see the anger in my eyes.
"What. The. Fuck is your problem ?" I speak loudly, not a care in the world if I'm causing a scene. "You should leave. Now." I tell her before exiting the bar, looking for Y/N.
I find her outside, on her knees. Madelyn is next to her, on her knees as well, rubbing her back. I can hear her crying, her respiration is twitching as she tries to speak.
"I–I–don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to feel like I'm not good for anyone," I hear her say between tears. "I–feel like I will die. Why did she do that. Why can't he love me," I see her hyperventilating and I want to say something. To do something. But my feet are stuck on the ground.
"Shh, it's okay. You're okay. You're alive. You're with me. It's okay," I can hear Madelyn comforting her.
"You should go. I think you're the last person she wants to see at the moment," Madison speaks loudly behind me, Lacia following her . Madelyn raises her head, as does Y/N.
"Make him leave Madie, please, make him leave."
I heard her, I look over the girls, tears forming in my eyes. I don't understand anything that is happening right now. I don't understand how my best friend is on the floor have a breakdown because of me.
Y/N's point of view
I run outside, falling to my knees on the ground. I can't breathe. The blood is pounding in my ears. My heart is thudding in my chest.
"Y/N!" I hear Madelyn say, but I don't have the strength to turn back. I need to be alone, I need to breathe.
"Y/N," Madelyn is reaching to me, holding me close to her. My breathing is shaking and I try to control it, to control the tears falling down on my cheeks. I feel humiliated, I feel as if I'm going to die. I don't hear Drew running out the door and I don't see him standing there, his face broken.
"It's okay. It's okay. Breathe with me." Madelyn says, inhaling and exhaling. I try to do the same but my breath gets stuck.
"I–I–don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to feel like I'm not good for anyone," I say between tears. "I–I feel like I will die. Why did she do that. Why can't he love me," I rambled, unable to say anything that make sense.
"Shh, it's okay. You're okay. You're alive. You're with me. It's okay."
I don't hear Drew running out the door and I don't see him standing there, his face broken. I only realized he's there when I hear Madison and Lacia telling him to go home.
"Make him leave Madie, please, make him leave," I begged.
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doctorbunny · 5 days
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A little speculation about Corpse Disposal and J-horror
But I'm a little bored so sharing a part-theory, part-headcanon on Muu and Rei
So we unfortunately don't see much of Rei in "Its not my fault" but I want to point out three key times we do
The first time we see Rei in the MV, is her wet sleeve (we know its not Muu because Muu wears a pink jumper under her blazer)
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Then, after a lot of bug stuff, we're finally back in the real world, where Muu has just killed her Post-After Pain. In INMF, we don't see the surroundings as well, just the dirt track and bushes. But in AP, we see this is right next to a rushing river (Muu's undercover card also features a bridge as a landmark)
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The next time we see Rei after her corpse, is a flashback to the start where she turns the hourglass over. Then it cuts just further back to before Rei stood up - as she pulls herself up off the floor She's alive and absolutely soaked after a session of intense bullying (which we saw Muu insert herself into in AP)
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However, I want to now switch a little to talk about cinematography and a concept called the Kuleshov effect The video I linked is pretty concise but the gist is that if you put two shots next to each other, even if they were filmed separately, the brain interprets it as a continuous scene (so if you film a character looking off screen, then a picture of an apple on a table, we're going to assume they're looking at the apple)
Therefore while we understand chronologically that the sequence of events is Rei (wet and alive) -> Rei's murder on dry land ↺ Flashback to Rei still wet and alive Which I think everyone understood as a commentary on how this power struggle was a constant cycle of the hourglass being turned over
I think visually, it also implies a sequence like Rei was bullied -> Muu kills her -> Sopping wet, Rei crawls back to the classroom
But wait! That sequence suggests a missing step How did Rei get wet again?
Well, we know Muu killed her next to a river And if you were a scrawny teenage murderer with a body on your hands, would you leave it there where someone could see it while you grab a shovel and stand in broad daylight digging a hole in tough ground??? Or try lighting a fire in public??? Of course not!
It'd be much easier for Muu to, in a panic, just roll her body into the convenient river and let all the evidence wash away!
(Of course, if Muu was panicking, she might not have been very careful. Given she ended up in MILGRAM, there must've been something tying Muu to Rei's death and in T2 Muu seems to have finally remembered losing her left shoe...)
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Fun fact: this is the same shoe Cinderella loses in the animated Disney film (and the best known version of that story came into English from France)
Shoe break over, back to the Endless Queen's Game
So, if we assume Rei's corpse was thrown in the river, what does it matter? Its just a pointless headcanon
But I speculate the meaning goes deeper!
So that image of Rei, soaking wet, crawling off the floor reminded me of something: J-horror ghost girls! Specifically the most famous of ghost girls Samara/Sadako Who became a vengeful spirit after being thrown in a well and now crawls out of TVs to kill people who watched her VHS tape
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Her story too is a cyclical one (its called 'Ring' for a reason), the only way to break the curse is to copy the tape and have someone else watch it, who will then become the victim unless they can themselves copy the tape and show it to another unsuspecting patsy
The story goes back further because this movie is based on a novel, which is based on the legend of 番町皿屋敷 Banchou Sara Yashiki. There are many versions but generally a maid girl Okiku is proposed to, and when she rejects the proposal, her master breaks one of ten plates and promises to forgive her if she marries him. When she declines again, he beats her to near death then throws her into a well (sometimes it's a jealous mistress instead of a master)
Interestingly, Atrophaneura alcinous (swallowtail butterfly) larvae found in Japanese wells became known as Okikumushi お菊虫 (Okiku bugs), tying back to the whole insect thing...
It's been said a bunch now, but the name 'Rei' can be read as 霊 meaning ghost (seen in words like Yuurei 幽霊, a more common word for ghost than Rei on its own)
We know Muu is afraid of ghosts too (though I must admit she says Obake, not yuurei, but both words refer to ghosts)
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Remembers the i/井 in Sakurai/櫻井 can be read as 'well' I'm sure that has nothing to do with anything
Uh, I can't think of a conclusion because its 1 am and I had to look up a bunch of spooky images
TL;DR: I think Muu may have quickly shoved Rei's body into the river next to where the murder happened (maybe forgot her shoe at the scene of the crime) and now she's scared by the cycle continuing and Rei coming back to haunt her
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HAZBIN HOTEL EP 7 AND 8 QUICKK REVIEW
contains major spoilers, let's start!
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how about we start with episode 7, hmm?
i must say, before the episode were released I had a theory, that alastor could make a deal with charlie and try to get her soul to(following the theory about lilith having alastor on a leash) try to exchange charlie's soul for his own BUT it did not happen, and I cannot say it's disappointing for me
as hannibal fun and an expirienced cannibalistic-joke maker it feels like a personal win to have cannibal town being one the most comfortable places in hell with cannibals being really wholesome and polite guys
and of course the diamond of the crown - rosie
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she was amazing in this episode. she definitely has the vibe of this rich auntie who visits you once a year and gives the best gifts and advices. she actually gives amazing advices, that's for sure. and i love her friendship with alastor, i bet they meet every weekend and share gossips
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all of us should be proud of charlie and the way she becomes leader and takes responsibility for her people. this is THE character development
here we are slowly coming to episode 8 also known as the finale of season 1!!
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it was a bright culmination of all of the season 1 and it turned out amazing
but dear readers, i'm sure all of you have already watched it (maybe even 2 or 3 times, right?), so why don't i just say a few words about my favorite moments
the scene before big battle, where everybody is just spending time with other is exactly what shows how much are this lost souls now bonded. they realise they have no idea what is there, waiting for them in tomorrow and that's what make this scene
and let me just say it: huskerdust
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it is a big joy to know this actually happened
i also might say that the victory wasn't easy nor unreasonable. think about the fact that nobody knew how to defeat angels is the exact reason hazbin's crew won. indeed the more power you got the less carelessness you should have.
and i'd really enjoy to share some of my highlights of this battle if I do say so
here wee goooo:
sir pentious kissing the girl he loves than heroically dies and goes to heaven. absolutely nailed it
charlie's demon form. and shall we not forget ruzzle and duzzle in their dragon form.
that absolutely iconic show up from lucifer and him in the whole battle
niffty killing adam. i'd say this is hilarious
alastor being beaten, afraid and panicked. yes, i WAS talking about it. it was important to show he can feel real emotions and fear and loss are one of them
three vees watching battle for hotel and living their best lives(i still hate val, just to be clear)
what is really natural about the battle that they don't just celebrate victory. they mourn pentious, and charlie feels guilty, but they still go on, rebuild hotel singing one of the best songs for the whole show
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i am intrigued by what the season 2 has to offer for us, my dear friends and I surely will be waiting for it
now i'm just about to thank you for reading this and wish you a pleasant day!
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annymation · 4 months
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The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite
Chapter 14- I Will Protect You
Chapter 13
"I WHAT?!" Aster exclaims, almost falling backwards from the log he was sitting on. His animation becomes more sketchy and unfinished looking.
"Umm "In love", come on, don't tell me this is one of the things you don't know yet" Hal says with a smile and one eyebrow raised.
"I- I know what it means but- Where did THAT come from? hah ha" The star asks nervously, genuinely not understanding what she's talking about.
"I mean... It's pretty obvious" Dahlia comes in and starts listing all the evidence "From the way you two talk to each other, to how you blush whenever she holds your hand, and how she laughs about pretty much everything you say, I could go on all day, point is that the signs are all there." She explains casually.
Aster's eyes widen "THAT'S what being in love is??? No- no way! I can't be in love, that's... A HUMAN THING. Wishing stars don't fall in love... Do we?"Aster asks now looking up to the sky... No answer, the stars are dead silent, but not because they didn't listen, they just don't want to get involved for now.
Hal smiles with confusion in her eyes, seeing the boy just stare to the sky all of the sudden sure feels quite weird, but she just continues saying "We may not know anything about wishing stars, buuut we know our girl Asha, and it's pretty obvious at least she loves you." She says booping Aster's nose cheerfully.
Aster's turn to look at her slowly "... You think Asha loves me?" The star is stunned, as his mind starts racing, realizing what this means "... Oh... Oh this is-"
Bazeema has both hands on her cheeks as she says in a dreamy sigh "The most romantic thing in the wor-"
Aster has both hands on his head as he says in a panicked voice "Terrible!"
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(This image doesn’t really have anything to do with this scene other than it taking place in a forest, but I had to include it in this rewrite cause OH MY GOSH DO YOU SEE HOW PRETTY THIS CONCEPT ART IS?!? AAAAAAH)
"Huh?? How's that terrible?!" Hal asks, now almost looking angry at the star.
Aster starts floating in the air, "Walking" back and forth "If Asha is in love with me an-and I'm in love with her then... She's gonna be heartbroken!" The star looks absolutely horrified with this discovery.
Gabo throws his head back and laughs at that before saying "WOOOW look at you, cape! Already dreading the eventual break up before even asking her out?" Gabo sounds almost proud "Maybe my pessimism is finally rubbing off on him" He whispers to Dario.
"NO nonono! The problem is... I can't STAY here!" They explain, sounding more and more distressed "Once we defeat Magnifico and save Rosas, Asha's wish will come true! And then I'll HAVE to go!"
"Well, here's a thought then: Fight the system." Gabo says with a mischievous look, like he's trying to influence the pure star to go to the "dark side" "Rules are made to be broken. What's the worse that could happen if you don't go back to the sky, hum?"
"I would cease to exist." Aster mutters quietly, still pacing around while flying.
"... Oh..." Gabo says in a deadpan manner "So we have a Romeo and Juliet scenario on our hands" The teen says with a hand on his chin.
"Indeed, it's a tale of forbidden love." Bazeema chimes in, both hands in her heart as she sighs like a hopeless romantic.
Gabo looks at her with a bored expression and says "I meant how they both die in the en-"
Dahlia interrupts him "Okay okay let me see if I understand" She pulls Aster down by his cape for him to sit next to her "After her wish is granted you'll have to leave, and you can't come back? Ever?"
"Yup!" The star blurts out, as he begins to speak quickly "So it's best to just deny these feelings and never let Asha find out, so her heart isn't crushed into a million pieces later, right?" He asks them with a forced smile, hoping they all agree.
"... Wrong" Hal says with her arms crossed "Aster, I get where you're coming from, but do you realize that if you don't tell her, and just leave... You two might spend your whole lives regretting not saying anything?" She asks the star with sadness in her eyes, but then she shakes off the feeling and add one last comment with a sassy smile "And I'm guessing the lifetime of a star is preeetty long, ain't it?"
"... You have no idea." Aster says while looking at nothing with a distant expression... For the first time realizing he's gonna outlive Asha by billions of years. The star looks at all the teens worriedly and asks "But if I tell her, then... Won't she feel even more hurt when I have to leave?"
"Most likely, yes." Bazeema confirms quietly, looking at Aster with a kind smile "But I think, if you two won't see each other ever again, then you should enjoy every moment together like it's your last." The star's eyes widen, not because the quiet girl is speaking more than usual but because those words hit him deeply with a realization, Bazeema continues with her quiet voice full of passion "Then maybe, it won't hurt as much when you go back to the sky and she stays down here, because at least you'll both know you had love... And that love will continue, even at a distance..."
Gabo moves slightly away from Bazeema like he's scared of her "Aight' who are you and where's Bazeema? She never spoken more than two lines in her life."
Bazeema realizes for how long she has been talking and that everyone is staring at her, she blushes and covers her cheeks in embarrassment "O-oh goodness, I didn't realize I was rambling, I'm so sorry."
"No, you're right." Aster says while getting up from the log he was sitting on "I'm gonna tell her." The star is back to his cheerful and confident self, as he starts making his way to where Asha went "I may not be able to spend my life with her, but I'll love her in our last few hours together just as much as I'd love her in a life time!"
Most of the teens cheer him on as he leaves, except for Simon who has just been staring this all play out while eating his soup, with a face of someone who regrets all his life choices... Oh and also Gabo stops cheering to give one last comment:
"Sure thing lover boy, but umm remember we can't have you two kissing and saving the kingdom at the same time, and we're gonna start the plan in a few minutes so-"
Aster is already marching through the forest as he shouts back to Gabo with an ever so slightly irritated tone "I'll love her in these next few MINUTES just as much as I'd love her in a life time!"
Gabo looks pleased because he has been trying to mess with the star's seemingly infinite patience the whole day, just for fun.
All the teens now are staring at each other in awkward silence, Dahlia notices and closes her eyes with a sigh
"... *sigh*... Do you guys wanna go and wa-" She hear the sound of footsteps and when she opens her eyes again, all of her friends are gone "Watch?... Heh heh Asha, you really can't get a moment of peace, can you?" She says while getting up with her crutch, to follow them, and watch how this will play out.
We cut to Asha sitting by the river, trying to draw herself while looking at her reflection. By her side there's a black and white, hand drawn candle lantern that actually emits light. There's also some fireflies flying around the proximity of the river.
Aster comes from behind a tree and takes a deep breath (even though he doesn't breathe) and starts flying to where she is.
Asha has her back turned to him, but she can see Aster's light approaching her, so she turns to look over her shoulder with a smile.
"Hey Aster! Great timing, I was just gonna ask you to come here" Asha taps on the floor next to her to signal that she wants Aster to sit with her
"Really? Well uh... Here I am hehe" Aster does so, they float down and sit next to Asha with his legs crossed "Do you need help with anything?"
"I could use some extra light. This lantern I made is great but your hair is waaay better" She says while placing her sketchbook on Aster's leg, so she can better see her drawings thanks to the light coming from his hair. She was gonna start drawing more but instead she gets distracted and talks with Aster excitedly "Also, I gotta say, it's amazing that my pencil can actually create FIRE! This is gonna be so useful when we're breaking in the castle. If any door is locked I can just burn them, or maybe I could create a giant hammer, or or... You know?! Anything!" She smiles widely at the star, not able to contain her joy, thinking about all the possibilities.
Aster looks at her with that same dreamy look he had at the campfire, admiring how she's just so full of life and hope.
"Yeah, I know, I'm glad you liked it" He says with a smile, Aster is now looking at the water, trying to think on what to say... Should he just say "I love you" out of the blue?... That doesn't feel right. So instead he just expresses how he wishes he could be there to... Protect her "I really wish I could go in there with you all, make sure you're safe"
Asha gives him a bittersweet smile as she explains "I know, but we've talked about this: you gotta distract Magnifico here in the forest and break his staff, while we'll get in the castle, fight the queen, and free all the wishes, so you can un-curse them and give them back to everyone."
(That's it, that's their plan! Will it work? whOoOoOOo KoOoWsSs? Oh wait, I know, hehehehe)
Aster looks at her worriedly "Are you suuuure you guys can handle Amaya on your own though?"
Asha chuckles with the question "It'll be eight teens vs one lady with no powers, if anything you should feel sorry for her haha" She laughs a bit, but then her face turns just as worried as Aster's was, as she thinks for a moment and says "But, you'll be on your own... Are you SURE you can fight Magnifico this time?" She asks him looking at him in the eyes.
Now Aster is the one who holds his laughter "Pfft you mean on my own + all the plants and wild life as my army? I'll manage." Aster says confidently, but then he notices the concern in Asha's expression, so he tells her more reassuringly "Hey, I'll be careful. He won't catch me this time, I promise."
Asha smiles as she holds his hand tightly "I know, I trust you."
Aster's freckles start sparkling and his hair shines brighter with that, they hold her hand back.
Asha also seems to be blushing as she holds his hand
The 7 teens are in the background watching everything with an expecting look, just waiting for Aster to make his move.
Aster notices them staring from the corner of his eye, Asha doesn't though.
The two of them break eye contact as Asha looks back to her sketchbook, while Aster looks at the impatient teens with an angry expression that screams "IM GETTING TO IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The two teens take a deep breath and... They speak the same thing at the same time:
"... I wanted to tell you something-"
The two look surprised. Asha giggles a little as she says:
"Heh heh- okay you first-"
"No! no no no please, you go first!" Aster says, because he's honestly not ready to say it yet.
Asha takes a deep breath as she flips the pages of her sketchbook "Okay... This is gonna sound really out of nowhere but umm..." She stops in a page and takes out of the book... A sword "Wanna practice sword fighting with me?" She asks with an awkward smile.
... That's not what Aster nor the teens watching this behind the bushes expected at all...
Aster looks at the hand drawn sword and then back to Asha with a confused smile "... Eh?"
Asha lowers the sword "I know, I know, kinda last minute. But I just had the best idea!" She get's up and starts to explain while walking around with the sword in her hand "Your magic can't hurt me, and my magic can't hurt you, soooo we are perfect dueling partners to practice, don't you think?"
Aster understands now, she wants to be ready to fight the guards in case they are spotted by any... or even the royals.
"I don't remember sword fighting being part of the plan." Aster notes with a cheeky smile.
"It's not, it's just my own idea, call it a plan C" She says while looking at the sword she drew proudly.
"Sooo are you "planning" to make extra plans from A to Z? heheh" Aster jokes, still sitting down next to the river, looking up to her.
"You know, I actually might. Better be safe than sorry." She says, her smile falters a little, with her eyes revealing that she still has some doubts "I just... I gotta be ready for anything they might throw at us. I want to make sure I can protect my friends... Protect you." She tells Aster like she's letting out something that has eating her up inside.
Aster eyes sparkle with those last two words, since that's the same thing he wanted to say.
"... Well then..." Aster begins to talk with his eyes closed, reaching for something behind his back- "En garde!" He quickly creates a sword made of star dust while she wasn't looking.
The sword hits Asha, and just like how it went when Aster tried to use this trick against Magnifico during their fight in the storm, Asha starts laughing, feeling a sense of joy overtake her.
"Hhahahaahha" She laughs, hugging her sides as Aster get's up, standing in a fighting position holding his own sword "Hey! I wasn't ready!"
"Expect the unexpected, now come on! And don't you dare go easy on me!" He says spinning his sword with a confident look.
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing!" Asha exclaims with a daring smile.
The two of them duel together around the clearing near the river, snickering the whole way through. Asha lands some hits on Aster, slicing his body made of star dust, but he immediately gets back together with every attack.
When Aster's sword hits Asha, all it does is make her chuckle a little, but she's landing a lot more hits than the star.
The 7 teens are watching all of this in the background, both surprised and endeared by the sight, that's definitely not where none of them expected this would go... But it is kinda romantic in a weird way.
"You're actually pretty good at this!" Aster comments as they're now both looking at each other in the eyes, with their swords pressed against one another
"Thanks! you too... But could be better tho." Asha says with a confident smirk "Good thing I'll be the one actually sword fighting hehe" She teases him
The star makes mocking shocked face "*Gaaaasp* Ooooh you did not! Alright, you asked for it!"
Aster summons a bunch of swords around Asha and makes all of them hit her at the same time, creating a huge cloud of star dust around them
Asha can only laugh as she falls on the grass
"Hhahaaahahah hey no fair!" Asha exclaims while laying on the grass
Aster is now floating with his face close to her's "Thought you said I shouldn't go easy on youuu" They smile playfully
Asha pulls him down by the cape and the two roll around the grass like two kids playing fighting, not even realizing that they're hugging. They both laugh the whole way through.
After calming down, they both lay next to each other and look up at the stars.
"So... Feeling more prepared?" Aster asks while still looking up
"Yeah, I think I can take 'em." She says, feeling reassured "*sigh* I just can't wait for all of this to be over." Her voice is full of hope.
Aster's smile slowly dissolves into a frown as he remembers he'll have to leave once it IS all over.
"... Um-hum, me too... Can't wait." They say, trying to hide their inner turmoil
Asha turns to the star with a curious smile "Ok, now's your turn."
Aster looks at her confused "Huh?"
"You said you had something to tell me, didn't you?" Asha asks, laying down on the grass next to the star
"O-Oh right! heh hehe... Umm" Aster quickly realizes he has no idea how to tell her. The star just begins blabbering nonsense without even realizing " Sooo uh I wanted to tell you- I mean- I actually didn't wanna tell you at first- Bu-but I have to t-tell you while we still have time that I... UUUH... I... I think I am- Ya know?"
Aster.exe stops working while Asha just stares at him in amusement, she never seen him acting like this before.
From the bushes where the seven teens are hiding comes Hal's voice shouting:
"Oh come on! JUST KISS THE GIRL ALREADY!"
(Shout out to @wings-of-sapphire who asked for a Kiss The Girl reference)
Aster discretely uses his magic to make several trees instantly grow in front of where the teens are hiding, creating a wall of trees, Asha doesn't notice as she sits up from the ground and looks back.
"What was that?" She looks around confused, but all she sees behind her are trees
"T-the wind, probably! heheh" Aster stammers out nervously.
Asha get's up and starts walking away from Aster "The other's may be calling us, I think we sho-"
"Asha wait!" Aster quickly gets up and grabs her hand, she looks back at him confused, but wanting to listen. Aster can only sigh as he explains frustrated " I just... I just have SO MUCH to tell you, and I don't know how to put it into words"
Asha holds his hand closely as she says "That's... Pretty unlike you. You've always been good at explaining what's on your mind" It sounds like that's something she admires about him.
"Yeah, but this is coming from somewhere else though." Aster tells her while placing his hand on his chest...
Asha's eyes light up in surprise, like she finally starts to realize what Aster is trying to tell her.
Aster ponders looking at her hand, how can he tell her all these new feelings that she showed him? Feelings that he can't even understand himself? How can he tell her what she's to him... Maybe the same way that he explained to her who she was... When they first met.
"Maybe... I can try beginning to explain this to you... In the best way I know how" Aster repeats the words that he said before they started singing "I'm a Star" on the night that Asha wished upon him.
And so... FINALLY... We get the song:
At All Cost
(Aster holds both of Asha's hands as the music begins, and we see fireflies flying around them. Asha looks at Aster expectantly, already suspecting what he'll say but still not quite believing this is really happening... That he actually feels the same way as her... And Aster confirms her suspicions as he begins to sing)
If happiness was a tangible thing It would be you If you'd have told me the feeling you'd bring I'd think it untrue
(Asha's eyes widen as she hears him, as he tries his best to put everything he has been feeling for so long into words. The star is gazing at her with a shy smile, his cheeks sparkling with golden star dust)
And people search for a wonder like you All of their lives You still amaze me after all this time
(Aster caresses her face gently as they say the line "You still amaze me after all this time", referring to how after growing up and watching her all these years, she still found new ways to impress him. Asha is now smiling at the star with eyes full of passion, confirming to him that she feels the same way, and with that, Aster begins to sing with more energy)
You pull me in like some kind of wind Mesmerized by the hold I'm in Leave you here, I don't wanna I wanna
(Aster pulls her in and starts spinning with her around the clearing, more fireflies start flying around them. Asha holds him closely as he sings the second line. Aster is hugging her as he sings the third line with his eyes showing more sadness, for he knows that eventually he'll have to leave her... And on the last line he looks at her, preparing to actually say what he has been meaning to say all this time... And only then he begins flying with her)
Love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs
Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs At all costs
(He holds her in the way one would when dancing a waltz, and starts guiding her to dance while they fly together, Asha is at first caught off guard by the fact they suddenly started floating, but as she looks at Aster in the eyes she knows there's nothing to fear, and she follows his lead. They're now flying above the trees, and all Asha can say while looking at the star is:)
Wow What's pain? When I look at you? No way I could explain you, even if tried to I'll never dream like used to do
(Asha caresses Aster's cheek with one hand as she now begins to put into words what she has been feeling, how when he's around she feels no pain, only happiness, how he changed her whole world and now she'll never see things or dream the same way) If someone tried to hurt you, I don't See how that could happen I'd fight for you in ways you can't imagine
(As she sings while still dancing with Aster and the two keep going higher and higher up in the sky. We see in the background behind her two constellations resembling Magnifico and Amable, and as she sings "See how that could happen" Asha moves her hands in a way like she's waving away some flies and the constellations behind her disappear as if the thought of them also is dismissed. And as she says the last line she boops Aster nose playfully to say how she's confident she'll keep him safe no matter what (You may hear in the distance the writer crying because she hates herself)) Felt this, no, I haven't, I hope It would be all right to stay right here beside you
(She smiles at the star brightly as she expresses she never felt like this before, and hugs him tightly as she sings the second line.) And love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs
(Aster throws Asha to the sky, making her fly even higher than him, they're approaching the clouds above them. Aster flies to her and they hold each other to once again dance their waltz) Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs At all costs
(As they dance flying upwards, they pass through the clouds when they sing the line "At all costs") If you're ever feeling like you're lost I'll come find you
(Asha is now above the clouds, she looks around noticing Aster disappeared, but as they sing "I'll come find you" Aster shows up behind her and gives her a hug from her back) Man all fronts, there's no ocean I won't swim across To be right by you
(Aster flies to be in front of her and holds Asha up, twirling with her in his arms, like this)
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And not just once, here and now I swear on my response I'll remind you
(Aster let's her down and they gaze each other lovingly for a moment while singing those two lines with bright smiles on their faces) And love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs
(They slow dance on the clouds, with the moon light and the stars shinning upon them. We get a shot like this from sleeping beauty)
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(And as the song slowly comes to an end, Asha starts closing the distance between them) At all costs
(Asha's face is getting closer and closer to Aster's, as she's going for a kiss, Aster is surprised at first but he slowly goes for it too... Until.)
He stops.
As the instrumentals from "At All Cost" are replaced by different instrumentals
Instrumentals we haven't heard since the end of chapter 7.
The sound of some very angry orchestra instruments starts playing on Aster's ears, only the star can hear them, and that's shown in his face as he looks very bothered with his eyebrows scrunching.
Asha is waiting for the kiss but it never came, when she's about to open her eyes Aster just pulls her for a hug instead.
They hug, both not quite sure where to go from here, but Asha smiles brightly, feeling Aster's warmth.
Asha breaks the silence as she says "This is better than all my dreams...You actually love me back." She says almost in disbelief, but in a good way, like it's hard to believe this is real.
"Your friends said it was pretty obvious heh heh" Aster says chuckling a bit, trying to tune out the stars yelling at him.
"It kinda was ha hah" She says while laughing, because looking back Aster was very much not subtle about it "But I assumed that was just how you acted with everyone..." She admits, showing a bit of how her own insecurities were actually stopping her from seeing the very obvious truth.
Aster let's go of the hug and holds her face gently to say "Nah... Only with you." They smile, looking at her lovingly.
Asha's eyes almost sparkle as she looks to the star. She takes a deep breath and says "Aster... We'll be separated for most of the plan... I won't be there to protect you, so I need you to promise me that when you find-"
"Magnifico." Aster says in a whisper, his eyes not focusing on Asha as he's looking at something behind her
"Yeah, him, I need you to promise me tha-"
"No! Look!" Aster turns her face to look what's going on bellow the clouds.
Asha looks down and sees it... There's an army of guards approaching the forest, and leading them is someone carrying a green light.
Asha gets her sketchbook and draws a spyglass, pulling it off the page, she lays down on the cloud and uses the spyglass to confirm if it is him
Like this scene in the live action Peter Pan movie
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And sure enough, it is. But she notices something else:
"Yeeesh! That lightning messed him up more than I thought... He got a huge scar on his face now." Asha comments.
"HA! Nice. I'm gonna drive him nuts when I make fun about that" The star says mischievously, already planning on how he's gonna break that staff.
"Hey, this is exactly what I was gonna talk about! I need you to be careful out there, don't get cocky, and don't fall for his tricks." Asha says sounding more serious, but with worry clear in her face.
"I'll be careful, I promise." Aster reassures her confidently. He pulls her up and holds her in his arms bridal style "Now let's go tell the others we can skip the "get his attention" part of the plan- WOOHUL!" Aster jumps off the clouds.
We cut a montage that consists of Asha and Aster narrating their parts of the plan while those steps happen in real time, we see Asha drawing something while her voice says in the background
"To get from here to the castle we could use Aster's magic, but that’s too risky since his star dust is shiny. I think it's safer if I create flying objects to get us there, it'll be dark, so hopefully if we're quick the guards won't see us."
We see Asha draw a carpet, and once she takes it out from her sketchbook it becomes a flying carpet like the one from Alladin.
Then, we cut to some guards, with one of them yawning in the forefront, guarding the castle’s entrance, while above them in the background we see some dark tiny silhouettes passing by.
We cut to Asha and Dahlia already getting off the magic carpet, now they're at the center of the royal garden.
We also see Safi and Simon flying down on a witches broom, Hal wearing shoes with wings like Hermes, Dario flying on a donkey with wings, as a reference to the short "The Flying Gauchito" from The Three Caballeros (HA! I DID IT! I REFERENCED THE THREE CABALLEROS! THIS IS SUCH A WIN FOR ME AS A BRAZILIAN!!!)
"You sure got pretty creative with these "flying objects" huh Asha?" Dahlia mentions as the others start gathering around
"Heheh thanks, I decided to just let my imagination run wild" Asha says enthusiastically.
"I could tell" Gabo mentions as he lands down on the garden, and we see him riding a happy baby elephant with big ears... So yeah we straight up have a Dumbo cameo "Couldn't you just give all of us flying brooms?"
"And where's the fun in that? Brooms are way too simple to draw." Asha shrugs "Also come on, don't tell me you don't think this one turned out pretty cute" She says cheerfully while petting the hand drawn Dumbo.
"I must say, he is quite adorable hihi" Bazeema comments quietly as she's landing on the garden with an umbrella... Like Mary Poppins.
Gabo just gets off the baby elephant as he tells Asha with a smile, as in, a genuine one this time "Hehe I really don't understand how your mind works, ya know?"
"Neither do I” Asha admits casually, while magically bringing all the living drawings back inside her sketchbook “Alright, Bazeema, where's the secret entrance you told us about?" Asha asks her bashful friend.
We see Bazeema guiding them to the middle of a rose garden. They prickle themselves through the thorny flowers, with Safi sneezing a few times, until they reach a hatchway made of metal with the symbol of Rosas engraved on it.
"Such wondrous things an introvert can find hihihi" Bazeema says quietly and proudly while pointing at the entrance.
We then cut to King Magnifico riding on his horse, leading his soldiers to the forest with an wicked smile, and we hear Aster's narration of his part of the plan:
"Meanwhile, I'll deal with king Magnifico. I just have to annoy him enough to the point where he'll let his guard down and I can take that staff off his hands, and once I do, it's over."
Magnifico prepares to throw a fire spell over the woods while saying "Let's see how long they'll keep cowering in there after THI-"
Something small and round hits behind his head. Distracting him from performing the spell. The king turns and looks angrily at his guards.
"Who threw that?!"
The guards all look at him confused, not even knowing what he's talking about.
"I did!" the voice of Alan Tudyk comes from the ground
(Yeah he doesn't get to voice Valentino, but he get's to voice most of the talking animals, since he's the lucky charm of Disney and all that)
The king looks down and sees a red squirrel (That is native of the Iberian Peninsula, look it up) holding a nut, ready to throw another one at him.
Magnifico stares at the little critter for a second before he starts laughing, turning to look at the forest as he shouts "HA! What's the matter boy?! Too scared to face me yourself?! Come on out, I know you're hiding in there!"
Then they hear Aster's voice echo from the forest, it's a voice full of glee and mischief:
"Hehehe I ain't scared of you, Alan was just eager to get started! I'm just getting warmed up!"
Some of the guards look scared by the echoing voice, while the king still smiles confidently "Oh but you should be scared, or have you forgotten what I taught you last time? That you are NO MATCH for me!"
"Hmmm It's a blur, all I remember is that now you look just as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside! HAH HAHA!" The star lets out an impish laugh, it echos through the woods.
(Aster's Peter Pan side is showing)
Magnifico's scarred face goes from a confident smile to a furious scowl. He rides his horse to go deeper inside the forest, with the guards following along "WHEN I FIND YOU I SWEAR I WILL WIPE THAT SMILE CLEAN OFF YOUR FACE!" He shouts, enraged by the star daring to insult his looks.
"Good luck with that! Cause' ya know, back at that storm I didn't really have anything to work with...But now..."
Magnifico hears screams from the soldiers behind him. He turns around and sees some of them are tangled up in vines, while others are running away from wild critters, and others are trapped inside giant flowers, it's a vision of pure chaos as now the king is on his own.
Magnifico looks at all of that in shock, unaware that Aster is now floating right behind him with a relaxed and confident smile. The star let's his presence be known as he whispers:
"Now I'm in my element." The star says that like a threat.
Magnifico get's startled but doesn't let it show, as he tries to turn around but-
He's stopped by something holding his staff.
As he looks down and sees vines trying to pull it off his hands. Magnifico tries to pull it away from them with all his strength, while making his horse walk backwards, and with that Aster starts talking casually to the horse
"Hey pal, did you know the guy sitting on you tried to kill me yesterday?" The white horse gives him a surprised glance as Aster continues "Yeah, he’s NUTS, I think you're better off without him" Aster tells him warningly.
The horse glares at Magnifico, and stands up on his back legs, making Magnifico lose his balance and fall on the ground.
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The horse runs away, but the king is still holding tightly to his staff, the vines are still pulling it. He let's out a furious scream:
"UUUUGHA! You really think it's gonna be THAT easy?!" Magnifico uses a fire spell and burns the vines, once he's free he turns to where Aster was... But the star is no where to be seen.
"Yoooohooo!" Aster's voice sounds distant.
Magnifico turns to where it came from, he sees a trail, and by the end of it up a small hill, there he is, Aster is waving at him, basically inviting the king to follow the trail "Well?! What you waiting for?! Thought you wanted a proper hunt! HAHAH" And Aster flies off so fast it's almost he's just a shinny blur.
The king is catching his breath seemingly already exhausted even though the fight just begun.
His expression at first shows frustration... But it slowly changes to a wicked smirk as he talks to himself sinisterly "Indeed, I was looking forward for a hunt... And your little friends just so happen to be inside our trap."
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(Pretend there’s a lightning looking scar on his left eye please, not like Harry Potter, I mean like actual lightning, thanks.)
Magnifico runs to where Aster went.
So we cut back to Asha and the others, as they make their way through a tunnel that leads to the dungeons.
"You're sureee these tunnels will lead us to the dungeons, Bazeema?" Asha asks, she's leading the group while holding a hand drawn torch
"That's what my father told me" Bazeema says quietly.
(Also I guess I should mention her dad also tends to the royal garden.)
Asha nods as she looks ahead attentively "Well I hope he's right, cause' I really don't want any surpri-"
"Maaa"
They hear the familiar bleating coming from behind them, everyone turns around and it came from... Dario, as he tries hiding something inside his shirt.
"... ooooh no no no NO NO NO" Asha says, very distressed while running to Dario, already knowing exactly who's inside his shirt "Dario! We were supposed to leave Valentino with Aster's animal friends! Why would you bring him with you???"
Dario has a face full of guilt and regret as he pulls the happy baby goat out of his large loose green shirt, he lets go of Valentino and begins to explain in sign language "He gave me big sad puppy eyes! I couldn't resist it! Plus, what's the issue? The little guy might be able to help us" Dario signs that last part with a hopeful smile that his friend will agree
Asha doesn't agree at all though, as she takes Valentino in her arms
Asha scolds her tall friend while holding Velentino close to her "I promised myself I would never let him in this castle again, last time he almost got eaten by a lynx and- and what if he gets lost??"
"Asha, calm down." Simon comes in from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder "We just gotta stick to the plan and stay together, we'll be safe."
Asha notices that he sounds... Very certain about that, which is odd coming from him. But Asha thinks it's a nice change for Simon.
"*Sigh*... Yeah you're right, we just have to stay together" She turns around and smiles at Simon "I'm glad you're not so scared anymore, you seemed pretty insecure about the plan earlier today" She says calmly as she makes he way back to the front of the line.
Dario follows Asha, now walking in front of Simon. The light coming from Asha's torch is distant so Simon is more in the darkness as he says
"I just needed some time to put my thoughts in order" His voice is emotionless.
And we see his eyes glow green for a second.
But immediately after that, he winces quietly in pain, placing a hand in his forehead as if he's feeling a strong headache. None of the other's notice though, as his eyes are back to normal when he opens them again.
We cut to them now inside the dungeons, it's a dark, large and humid corridor with walls made of dark bricks, with jail cells all along the way. Safi keeps sneezing because of the humidity.
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(I got this image from a deleted scene from Wish, I swear I had this plot point of them getting in the dungeons for MONTHS and I just watched the deleted scene a week ago, it’s insane how much stuff I came up with seems to be in sink with the movie’s original ideas)
"I hate this place- ACHOOOO!" The boy looks scared as he holds on to his scarf "Are we close to the exit yet, Gabo?"
"We sure are buddy, just a few jail cells ahead and we reach the exit" Gabo says confidently, he knows his way through the dungeon since, as he told his friends earlier, when he was a kid he went to explore it.
(I forgot to mention in the previous chapter but his dad is a guard, that's why he had keys to the dungeons that Gabo stole from him)
"Good, this place gives me the creeps" Dahlia says, while looking around scared
"Look on the bright side, guys" Hal chimes in trying to bring some optimism "At least there aren't any creepy inmates, it's just us and our friendly faces" the girl smiles brightly, hugging Safi and Dahlia by the shoulders.
"And also this poor fella" Gabo says, pointing at a skeleton laying down out of a jail cell, trying to reach for an empty jar of water
Like this one from Snow White.
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"... HMMM oooookayy let's pick up the pace, shall we?" Hal says with a clearly forced smile this time, her eyes wide as she starts to walk faster, still hugging Safi and Dahlia so they go with her.
Dario, Bazeema and Simon also start walking faster after the others, while Asha stays still for a moment
She looks down at the skeleton and ponders out loud "... I wonder what kind of people Magnus and Amaya would keep down here... Maybe people who found out about the secret like I did." Her voice is heavy and full of concern.
"I don't like how that implies this could happen to you." Gabo says for once not sounding condescending nor sarcastic, but genuinely worried, he's also the only one that didn't walk away from the skeleton and stayed to talk to Asha "Let's, just this once, assume anything in Rosas is normal and this guy just robbed the crown's jewels or something, now come on" He says, rushing Asha to keep going.
This is probably the closest Gabo ever got to being "Optimistic"... In his own way. Asha smiles at that as she starts walking after him. Then they hear Dahlia's voice coming a few meters in front of them:
"GABO! Is this the way out?!"
Asha and Gabo run to where they are, and all six of them are standing in front of a big wooden door
"YUP! This is it" Gabo says with a huge smile
"Great! Hold this" She hands her hand drawn torch to Safi, as she gets her sketchbook and pencil to draw a key, she then pulls it out of her sketchbook
"How do you know it's gonna fit though?" Safi asks her curious
"I drew it thinking of it as the key to this door, and so-" She fits the key inside the keyhole and the door makes the clicking sound of it being opened "It is" Asha smiles victoriously
All the teens look excited, the plan is going smoothly so far.
Asha gives them one last ted talk before she opens the door
"Alright guys, after we're in the castle we'll have to be VERY careful, yes, it's just queen Amaya in there, and a crazy lynx, but still, she's unpredictable." Her voice is of a true leader.
"Oh nooo! Is she gonna throw hot tea at us or something? Hahah" Gabo laughs at his own joke
Asha begins to open the door while looking down at Gabo. "You have no idea what she's capable of. So when we're in, we just run through the-"
"KITCHEN?!" Dahlia exclaims looking shocked at what's behind the door, all the other teens except Asha are also looking at it, just as shocked as her.
Asha looks at her friend confused "What? No, we're not going even close to the kitchen, we-" Asha turns to look where the door leads to and sure enough...
She sees the royal kitchen.
"... Huh?!"
All of them go through the door. Now they're inside the dark kitchen.
A place Dahlia is really familiar with... So she knows very well this is all wrong.
"Okay... This is freaky" Dahlia says looking around the place "That door was supposed to lead to the pantry, NOT the dungeon" she says scared, pointing at the door they came through.
Asha looks around the dark room, her face becomes more and more worried "This makes no sense..."
"Maybe your magic key messed with the door?" Gabo asks Asha
"No it didn't, this isn't my magic's doing, it's-" Asha looks at the door and realizes... There's something written on it. She gets a closer look, and sees symbols written all over the door, with some words in latin too... "This is the king's sorcery... He made a trap for us..." Asha sounds terrified.
"T-that's impossible, how could he know we were coming?" Hal asks, sounding just as distressed as her friend
"H-he couldn't, I-" Asha takes a deep breath and closes the door they came through "Check the other door!"
Dario runs to the door that leads to outside of the kitchen. It also has symbols written on it, but he tries opening it anyway...
It leads to the dungeons they just got out off too.
Dario looks back at them scared.
"... There's no way out" Asha whispers, sounding more and more distressed by the second. She takes Valentino from the floor and holds him in her arms.
"What about that door?" Simon asks, pointing at another door, but this one has no symbols written on it... And he sounds surprisingly calm for the situation.
"That's just the closet we keep the pans, pots and utensils. That's not an exit…" Dahlia explains, trying her best not to panic.
"Who knows? Maybe it'll lead somewhere, only one way to find out." Simon walks towards it.
He opens it, they look inside, it's so dark in there they can't even see the kitchen stuff that Dahlia mentioned.
Asha starts walking to the door, not sure if there'll be anything at all that can help them escape, but it's worth a shot, after all they apparently have nowhere else to go.
(I just realized there's probably a window in this kitchen and these kids are just being really dramatic)
Asha turns to her friends as she walks to the door "It's gonna be okay, Aster will come here after breaking Magnifico's staff any moment now... I know he will... All we gotta do is wait and stay toge-THEEEEEERRR"
And she falls in a dark pit inside the room.
"ASHA!" All 7 teens scream in unison, and I mean all 7, Simon included, as he genuinely didn't expect this.
(Actually, Dario wouldn't scream but uuh you get the idea)
However, he is the only one that stays outside the room, while all the other six run in, but unlike Asha, they don't fall anywhere, they're simply inside a normal room with pans and pots.
"Where did she go?!" "WAS THAT A TRAP?!" "What is going on???"
All of them speak at the same time, desperate for answers, but in the sea of shouts and questions they hear one quiet question
"Simon?" Bazeema's quiet high pitched voice makes the others go silent as they all turn around and see Simon standing in the entrance.
He looks at them with genuine sadness for what he's about to do.
"I'm sorry." He closes the door with a BLAM and locks it.
...
"... W H A T " Gabo's voice comes out filled with rage. "DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"I'm keeping you guys safe, like I've been trying to do this whole time but none of you EVER listen to me!" The oldest of the group says from the other side of the door.
"Si-simon, what's going on, why are you doing this?" Dahlia asks desperately.
Simon takes a deep breath and tries to explain "... Look, I'm going to be straight with you all, I talked with king Magnifico-"
(Hahah that’s a direct quote from Wreck It Ralph, when he betrays Vaneloppe)
"MAGNIFICO?!" Gabo shouts with indignation "YOU DIRTY TRAITOR! YOU SOLD US OUT!"
"No! No it's not like that!... At least, it wasn't supposed to happen, I-I didn't mean to do it-" Simon knows they won't forgive him but he tries to at least explain he did it for their own good "I just wanted to make a deal with him, to give him the star's location in exchange of all of us not getting hurt-"
"OH SO YOU WANTED SELL ASTER OUT!?" Gabo for the first time calls the star by his name
"LISTEN! I was desperate, okay?! I knew that if we just went with this plan things could go horribly wrong, and I knew none of you would listen to me if I tried to stop you, so... I contacted him through a mirror he gave to my dad" Simon is sitting with his back on the door as he explains, sounding more and more scared "And- I- I even realized I was making a mistake... I really did! I tried to break the mirror or throw it away but- I couldn't do it- he just kept talking and talking and- UGH" Simon winces in pain and holds his forehead as his eyes once again glow green, he takes some deep breaths as he ever so slightly calms down "The point is... We made a deal. He promised that if I keep you all in here then you'll be safe. It's the only way I can protect you." Simon's face looks tired as he says those words monotonously, like he's just repeating what he has heard before.
"Then WHERE is Asha?! Or was she not included in the deal?!" Now it's Dahlia's turn to yell at him through the door.
Simon's face instantly turns worried once more as if he's snapping out trance "I- I don't know... He never said this would happen" Simon thinks for a moment "Though... I don't remember much of what he said at all..."
"Ooooooh GREAT! Magnus gave you amnesia, such a trust worthy guy HUMM SIMON?!" Gabo says sarcastically, but his voice is not trying to be funny, he is furious.
"I- I'm sure wherever she is she'll be fine!" Simon tells them... More so trying to tell this to himself.
...
We cut to Asha falling from a dark portal that opened in the ceiling of a room.
She screams while hugging Valentino tightly.
"THEEEER- OOOF" She hits the floor "Ouch... Uuugh... you ok Valentino?" She asks her goat while groaning in pain.
"MaAAaaA" Valentino doesn't sound his best, but overall he's alright.
Asha get's up and looks around to see where she is... The king's study... Right next to the wishes room...
This is actually exactly where she and her friend's planned to go, they wanted to free all the wishes by opening the tower's ceiling, so Aster could use his magic and un-curse them all, then give them back to the people of Rosas...
But her friends aren't here... She's alone.
"How did things go so wrong?" Asha asks to herself while looking around the room, she notices some broken mirrors on the walls, as she sees he own reflection "... Come on Val, I'll send the signal to Aster. Regardless if he broke Magnifico's staff or not, he gotta come here and help me." Asha walks to the wishes room, while flipping through the pages of her sketchbook, until she finds the drawing she was looking for, a firework.
She's about to reach for the firework to take it out off the page... But then she sees the light of the wishes floating above her.
She stops and looks up to them, some of them are still blue, but the majority are green.
She looks up with a bittersweet smile, and says quietly with her voice full of hope "Hang in there just a little bit longer, okay? I promise I'll save all of you."
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"It's unwise to make promises you cannot keep, mi rosa."
Asha feels a chill run down her spine. As she turns around quickly with an expression of horror already painted on her face.
Queen Amable is standing a few feet away from her, she's in the study while Asha is in the middle of the wishes room.
The queen smiles at Asha sadistically, with her pet lynx right by her side.
Chapter 15
Final Thoughts
OOOOOOOOH BOY so much happened huh?!
I am going crazy, wacky even, I waited so long for us to get to this part of the story! Not just the "At All Cost" stuff, I mean like THE CLIMAX THAT IS APPROACHING AND IM JUST BUILDING UP TO IT NOW AAAAAAH.
But YEAH let's talk about the At All Cost stuff, cause like... WOOOOAH BOY I love that song, and not just because it's pretty, but because while listening to it I felt like the song perfectly encapsulates teenage love, what do I mean? Because it's all so pure and like the two voices are saying the first things that come to their minds, it feels like a passionate train of thought forming in real time, and that's what I wanted to be like for Aster and Asha, as Aster is trying to figure out these feelings he didn't even know they could have, and Asha is caught off guard but so happy to finally show what she has been feeling too. It's beautiful.
I feel like most Disney couples don't feel like... Teenage love, mostly because the guys are ALWAYS older than the girl, and like, not that there's anything wrong with that... Except in some cases *glares at Snow White and Florian's age gap* but I think it's quite refreshing to see young love being depicted like this, with the two acting awkward and even oblivious because they don't know what love really feels like... And also they're raising a rebellion so that kinda keeps them distracted.
But speaking of the rebellion... It really takes just ONE person not believing in the cause for everything to go down the drain, huh? Yeah, Simon has his own ways of protecting his friends, while Asha chooses to fight, Simon chooses to comply. And really, I feel sorry for him, you guys maybe don't, like, everyone now might be a Simon hater, and I get it, but like, Magnifico played him like a fiddle.
Simon just hoped that if the king got Aster he'd leave Asha alone, but as they were talking Simon realized that Magnifico really wanted BOTH of them, so he realized he made a mistake and even tried to break the mirror... But before he could, welp, Magnifico pulled a Kaa move, and hypnosis happens to be way more effective on people who are feeling sleepy, so really Simon had no chance.
And can I just toot my own horn here and say that I'm so proud that even when Magnifico and Amaya aren't in the scene they'tr still threatening? Because that scene at the kitchen when they realize they're trapped, meaning that Magnifico knows their plan, GIVES ME CHILLS, probably because I hate the idea of being confined in a room with nowhere to leave.
And like... Magnifico is doing this just for the lols really, the guy could've just made Simon tell him where they were and captured them in the forest, but he was like "Ooooh they wanna get in the castle to harm my wife? Well, we can't have that now can we? Here's what I want you to do-" And then proceeds to make Simon betray his friends in such a way they'll never forgive him, oh, and if Simon doesn't do it then the king implies they WILL get hurt, how fuuuun.
It's funny how Aster is just having fun in the forest, messing with Magnifico, going through his Peter Pan arc, completely unaware Asha and the others are going through a living nightmare. Oh but don't worry, he'll join the nightmare too :)
You guys might start to think I'm on the villains side or something because they always get the upper hand, but this is all part of the metaphor of them representing the struggles Asha faces in her life, and let me tell ya folks, life is hard, sometimes just as hard as defeating two villains, but no matter what they do, Asha will keep fighting, and that's what makes a hero, the lower a hero get's, the more satisfying it is when they rise... And the higher a villain rises, the harder they fall :)
See ya'll next time!
Thank You For Reading!
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milaisreading · 1 year
Note
SIR GIMME TODDLER MANAGER PT.4
Author: impacted the literature more than Romeo and Juliette ever could😭 here u go and thank u for the request🩷
Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open
⚽️Blue lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️
Pt1 Pt2 Pt3
"Come here (Y/n), your favorite person ever wants to carry you!" Oliver laughed as he picked the reluctant girl up. Niou and Sendo shook their heads at the way he was holding her and how uncomfortable she looked while being held.
"Oliver, I don't think you are doing it the proper way." Sendo added as Niou nodded along. The black haired boy looked at the two in confusion and then down at (Y/n), who looked like she was about to burst out crying.
"I don't get it, I watched children being held like this on movies. You must just be picky then, huh?" Oliver teased the girl as she looked up at him. It was silent for a moment and Niou sighed in relief, thinking that maybe this was (Y/n)'s way of acting out, but all that was chucked out of the window as Oliver put her in the same position and the girl burst out crying. Panicking Sendo ran over and grabbed the girl while Niou pulled on Oliver's ear.
"Ouch!" The player yelled as the long-haired boy glared at him.
"I told you she was uncomfortable!"
"But that was how babies were held in movies!"
"Yes, movies! Not real life!" Niou said as he looked over at Sendo, who was rocking the sobbing toddler back and forth.
"She calmed down?"
"A little."
Oliver watched in weird awe at how well Sendo handled it.
"How do you know to calm down kids?"
"I used to babysit from time to time." Sendo shrugged his shoulder as Teppei and Hayate ran into the room.
"What happened?!"
"We heard crying!"
"Is everyone alright?" Miroku and Teru poked their heads inside.
"Yeah, it's just that Oliver doesn't know how to hold kids." Niou explained as Hayate took the girl out of Sendo's arms.
"Hey!" The blonde protested, earning a shrug from the taller.
"You all had the chance to hold her, I didn't." Hayate argued and got no response, as the rest knew he was right with that part. Oliver sighed in defeat and sat on the floor as Niou let his ear go.
"You alright, captain?" Miroku asked as Teru ran to where Hayate was.
"No... (Y/n) is so comfortable with all of you and just cries when she is with me. Am I that bad with kids?!" Oliver wondered as Sendo, Niou and him paid attention to what he said. Hayate, Teppei and Teru were meanwhile busy entertaining the toddler, the laughter she let out from Teru's funny faces hurt Oliver even more.
"I see... maybe we can practice with you?" Miroku suggested.
"What do you mean?" Sendo raised an eyebrow.
"Easy, we can help Oliver meanwhile the others can play and take care of (Y/n)." Miroku said calmly as Niou looked over at the rest.
"I don't really think those three will mind that idea." Niou added, pointing at the group. Teppei was holding (Y/n) now on his shoulder while she was patting Hayate's head, meanwhile Teru was taking pictures of the scene.
"So, Oliver the first lesson you need to learn is how to approach a toddler!" Sendo exclaimed as Niou wrote down on the board something. Oliver nodded his head and told the blonde to continue.
"Alright, shoot!"
"The first mistake you make is the tone of your voice, well... more specifically the volume." Miroku said.
"Children, especially those of (Y/n)'s size can get easily scared, so you yelling might be more off-putting than you seem to think."
"Children need a level of calmness, especially when picked up. You saw how I did it the first time, right?" Oliver nodded at Niou's question, remembering how calm and collected he was when they saw her first.
"Just act like that. Let's practice then!" Sendo announced.
"Here comes the train~" Teru exclaimed as he fed (Y/n) her lunch. The girl happily opened her mouth and ate the food while Teppei wiped the excess food off of her face.
"Aww~ this is really adorable!" Teru said as Hayate nodded his head and put it on top of hers.
"How do you think Oliver is doing in those classes?" The white-haired boy asked as the other two chuckled a little.
"I don't know, but just the image of Oliver taking classes on baby care is funny." Teppei commented as (Y/n) looked up at him, wondering what was funny.
"Let's just hope be learns a thing or two." Teru said as Hayater removed his head from hers and started ruffling (Y/n)'s hair.
"Alright! After an hour and 45 minutes, you are finally a lot calmer, this is what we need!" Sendo said as Oliver flopped on the couch. Miroku smiled fondly at the captain and watched as Noui wrote down the 2nd lesson.
"Alright! Next lesson is feeding a toddler! Babies need to eat, and knowing how to properly feed them is very essential for you." Noui started as Oliver sighed.
'This is exhausting... and people have kids willingly?!'
"Come back here!" Teppei yelled as he chased (Y/n) around the empty field. After eating her lunch, the three players decided to let her play before it's her nap time.
"Make sure (Y/n) doesn't fall down." Hayate warned as he observed the duo closely.
"Shhh... I need to have this on video." Teru whispered with his phone out and following (Y/n) with it.
"Yoh are obsessed with taking pictures and videos." Hayate commented.
"Well yes, but it's of (Y/n) as a toddler, you don't see that everyday."
"...fair enough." Hayate nodded his head and took his own phone out.
"Alright! This one took us like...2 hours but you got the hang of it!" Niou sighed as Oliver rolled his eyes.
"You guys are really counting?"
"Yes, yes we are. Now off to the 3rd and most important lesson!"
They looked at Sendo as he wrote something down.
"And that lesson is holding and picking up a toddler, which you lack in the most. That's why we found some videos that show you those." Sendo said as Miroku opened his laptop.
"Shhh! Teru!" Teppei whisper/yelled at the boy as (Y/n) slept on top of Hayate.
"Sorry, I forgot." The boy apologized as they looked at the door.
"Ahh? How did the classes go?" Teru teased as Oliver sent him a glare while Sendo and Miroku snickered.
"Did (Y/n) eat?" Niou asked the other two, who nodded their heads.
"Yeah, she fell asleep like two hours ago too." Teru told them as Oliver walked past them and towards Hayate and (Y/n). The white-haired boy raised his eyebrow at the captain and nodded his head.
"Be quiet, she is still asleep. Anyways, how did your lessons go?"
"Pretty much ready to be (Y/n)'s new favorite." Oliver smirked as Hayate rolled his eyes.
"Sure..."
"He did it... I am so proud." Sendo sobbed as Miroku patted his back and Niou rolled his eyes at the dramatic acting. Teru, Teppei and Hayate were staring at Oliver in disbelief as he held (Y/n), who seemed calm and content in his hold.
"Good job, you two. I never expected him to work this out." Teru chuckled as Hayate took a few pictures.
"It's kind of adorable to look at it." He said calmly as Sendo and Teppei nodded their heads.
"So, am I your new favorite?" Oliver asked excitedly as (Y/n) looked up at him for a moment.
"Boooo...." She said back and Oliver cooed at the sound.
"I'll take it as a yes!" The captain chuckled. Then suddenly the door opened and in walked Rin with Hiori following him.
"What did you two need?" Sendo asked as he walked over to the two. Hiori ignored him and walked straight to grab (Y/n), but was stopped by Hayate and Teppei.
"Hey!"
"Hands off!" They warned as Hiori and Rin glared at them.
"We came to pick up (Y/n), your babysitting duty is over. Now hand her over to Hiori, Aiku." Rin said as he glared at the fellow captain.
"No." Oliver answered back, earning looks of disbelief from their rival team members.
"What do you mean with no? That's our manager, give her back."
"Calm down Rin, we just want to babysit her a little more." Noui added.
"Besides, she doesn't mind staying with us." Miroku said, pointing at the girl.
"Like a give a shit, hand her over." Rin demanded as he started an argument with the the team, meanwhile Hiori tried to bribe (Y/n) into coming with them.
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sepublic · 1 month
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The Owl House's Ending Anniversary...
So it's officially been one whole year since The Owl House ended.
One year ago, I wondered how I would move on. How I would keep going. But I also knew I would, no matter what, because time keeps going on. Things will eventually pass, they always do, that's how so many moments and days for me have gone. Even entire periods of my life.
So I'm not surprised how things have gone on since then; I still had plenty more things to say about TOH, and I still love it just as I have. I've gotten new hyperfixations, and even returned to old ones as some of you can see with recent posts, so it's only a matter of time before TOH circles back again.
And man does it feel so slow, only to feel so brief, it really feels like this anniversary has snuck up on and surprised me! And once again, we have some other, appropriate event lined up; A solar eclipse on this anniversary! Luckily there's no sigils nor coven heads gathered to make me worry. But dang, it was raining in Connecticut when Luz returned there, and it was the rebirth of Jesus when Luz was resurrected.
Makes me wonder if anyone of the Boiling Isles, justifiably, has had PTSD from solar eclipses, and dreaded any that showed up, despite knowing it couldn't happen again. People must've held their breaths the entire time during the first eclipse, panicked at even the slightest fatigue, and then it passed and they realized it really was impermanent and over. And that there was another step towards moving on, which I guess I can relate to now, though this is something I'm much less happy to see gone.
I think a lot about how TOH has influenced both me and my writing, how I approach characters and stories now. I've found myself gravitating more and more towards personal, character-driven stories and situations now. I still have a bit of a taste for grander-scale stuff, but TOH was special for me in that it feels like the first time I really got and understood a show and its characters from the ground-up as I experienced it all in real time. The first time I truly grasped themes and character arcs and could make reasoned predictions based on those, some of which came true! It really feels like THE big start of my media literacy in a way?
It's been fun looking back at TOH as a 'whole' work more or less to reevaluate, and learning other things behind-the-scenes about the show. We've had a few more livestreams and stuff confirmed. Dana's done more drawings, including on her Patreon.
I haven't been writing as much TOH stuff lately, and tbf I've already said soooo much. I might have other, new things to say later down the line, and I do have a few thoughts I've written in notes that maybe could be fully-fledged posts in their own right. I've found comparisons to protagonists of other media, like Miles Morales, or Arin from Ninjago.
The Owl House still is and will probably always be something truly special to me; It feels like my first real fandom experience. My first time understanding and learning a show, appreciating it as it develops and even as I speculate. It broadened my tastes and horizons, my ability to participate with others in stuff.
I miss it; I miss new episodes, new developments. I'm still agonized over things that could've been, things I would've loved to see more of. I'm apprehensive over whether we'll get that Raeda prequel because I don't wanna get my hopes up. Plus Dana needs a well-deserved break and is trying and experimenting with new, different things. And I get that.
It's bittersweet, it's scary, it's freeing, it's sad, it's happy. I've gone so far, this show and fandom has gone so far. And it'll keep going, it has to, time keeps marching on. Luz had to lose her father Manny, process that, but still keep going and must be surprised looking back how much she's adjusted since then, how much she's still grown and gained and learned, while still holding him dear; The same applies for the Titan and the magic she once wielded. With grief and acceptance being a core theme in this show, I'm not surprised that it prepped up the viewers to do the same, and now we have.
And you know what? I'm gonna keep going on, like Luz Noceda, possibly my favorite protagonist of all time, one of the greats and a huge inspiration now for how I really want to write and focus on my own protagonists, too. I'm gonna keep doing this like it never ended. The rate and frequency might fluctuate, but every now and then I'll have things to say, and stuff to drop by and check, such as with the tag and the occasional trending post, others' reblogs, and so forth.
So again, thanks to Dana and the crew. Thanks to Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne, King Clawthorne, and the other many, many characters! Luz's story is one where it feels like the show really is about her at its core and wraps around to her, and I want to do a story one day that accomplishes the same feeling. And as I see how Dana has been inspired by past influences, I can't help but look forward to future generations and stories that will themselves have been inspired by The Owl House, I know I've been already, retroactively applying it to things that were already fairly compatible to begin with, and really needed the fresh breath of new inspiration.
I'm repeating a lot of the same things I've said last year. Will I say the same stuff another whole year from now? I'll see. But until next time... BBBBYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
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pyschedtrickster · 14 days
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TADC Ep 2 - Depression and the Meaning of Life
Well, I may or may not be a day late to release of the episode, but I've watched it three times so far and I have some thoughts. Let's get the gritty stuff outta the way.
First of all, The Amazing Digital Circus belongs to @gooseworx and therefore everything I say here is just my personal take on the episode. I could be wrong, talking out my ass, etc. But this episode really spoke to me, so good job Goose.
Secondly, spoilers <3
Third, I think I've written enough that people won't get jumpscared with spoilers. This is gonna be a long read, so bear with me. This post will contain ALL my thoughts on the episode, both meaningful and just silly things I liked.
BUBBLE
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So anyone who knows me from Bunnydoll Burrow knows I love Bubble. They're my favorite so far and this episode only cemented that further. They're wonderful comedic relief and even if they don't have any character development (which I don't think they will), I will always love them.
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Caine Cares Too Much
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While watching this, I was immediately off-put by Caine's reactions, even beginning with him calling Zooble back. He sounds so... dire? I don't know if that was intended to mean something or if it was just to put emphasis on how much Caine cares about his creations. Caine is AI, so world-building is likely his ONLY goal, or his prompt if you will. It wouldn't surprise me if that was why he was so upset by everyone's reactions.
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But I can't help but wonder if this will play into his character arc. We understand that Caine is ambiguous right now and there's no real explanation of what his intentions are in the Circus. Something about this just really set me off. It made me feel unsafe in a way as if staying behind would result in danger of some kind. Obviously, it couldn't be that bad, as Zooble did stay behind and turned out fine. Still, I can't shake the feeling that this is foreshadowing.
Zoobie
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Hilarious. What a solid nickname, I've seen so many headcanons that Zooble would be a stoner in the real world. This only makes it better. They are now Zoobie in my mind.
Pomni's Child Comment
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While I'm sure this was just a silly comment to be made, I kinda liked it. Just a little in-show reminder that through all of this, Pomni is a real, grown-ass woman stuck inside some digital Hell. The whole first episode, we see her wallowing and panicking, justifiably so. Finally, we get to see her grow more serious and stable.
Through the episode, we see more of her being a good character and becoming more at terms with her situation. I'll touch on this more soon.
Gangle
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My girl CANNOT catch a break. Gangle is such a funny character and so, so sweet. She's level-headed in my opinion, even through her emotions. She seems to have a good grip on the shit happening around her but has a hard time communicating properly because she has a lot of feelings going on. Me too, honey, me too.
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Even in the face of violence, danger, and overall shitfuckery, she doesn't shut down. Sure, she cries. But I've cried plenty of times while still holding the fort down. I think I just relate to her.
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Lastly, I NEED to know what this means like I need oxygen.
Government Mandated Shipping
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I dunno man, I just really liked this. I'm a shipper at heart. I've been writing fanfic since middle school. I saw pure fanfic material when I watched this scene.
Kinger and Raggs
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This scene made me smile. It's a cute nod towards how Kinger is the longest-standing character and, according to some lost post of Goose's, Ragatha is the second. Plus, all of episodes one and two, we see her trying so hard to be a rock for Pomni. She tries to include everyone, keep everyone cheerful, and be a stable constant in a realm of chaos; Seeing Kinger recognize how far she's come and using that to bring her back to reason was just so refreshing. Ragatha deserves more appreciation like that: less about what she does for others, and more about what she's done for herself.
Jax's Disappointment
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So we don't know much about Jax besides how Goose loves him and says he's an asshole who may or may not be irredeemable. When he started talking about violence and getting excited at the thought, I chalked it up to him being an ass. But it struck me just how much this mattered to Jax in this scene. I have questions, man. But I'm about to go on a wild tangent, so hear me out.
Jax is happy when being destructive. He gets immediately upset when things go well. And in the circus, we can assume that there have been a lot of traumatic, wild things that have occurred. I wonder if the chaos, the violence, is a comfort for Jax because of those traumatic experiences. As a person with trauma, I've learned that there's a funny cycle that I and other traumatized people experience.
We don't like the situations we're in, but when faced with normalcy, it's so much scarier than the damaging situation we come from. So, we run from 'normal' back into the suffocating arms of our traumatizing situations for comfort. Going back to the situation means more trauma, more trauma means a harder time finding peace in a safe, normal environment, which means more trauma... you get the picture.
So am I saying a fictional purple bunny is using violence in a digital realm to cope with the very real topic of trauma? Maybe. Yes. Yes, I am. This is how I cope.
Depression, Finding Your Place, and the Bigger Picture
Now you may be saying, "hey! You skipped over some major scenes to talk about silly stuff! What gives?"
Well, as the title of this post suggests, I had some heavier stuff to address in this episode and wanted to compile it all in one section. So that meant skipping over a scene to bunch it in with other ones. I'll break it down.
Depression
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Let me begin with the fact that I have been diagnosed with depression for years now. I've been hospitalized for it and I've had family members struggle with it around me. This heavily influenced how I viewed this episode and specifically this scene.
Gummigoo had a perfectly reasonable reaction to seeing the perfect replica of him that is his model. Seeing something like that would shatter your world, and we see that happen to him immediately.
But when Gummigoo talked to Pomni and asked why anything matters, it gave me this really familiar feeling. Thoughts of being nothing, of feeling meaningless, the mere idea of being an obstacle--I've experienced all of these. I'm sure others have. Pomni was right when she said it's normal. Everyone has felt down from time to time.
But what Gummigoo is talking about really hit home with my depression. Thoughts like these, especially when they linger for long, change how you view the world. Everything is tinted blue and desaturated. You feel empty and eventually, so does the world around you. You feel like when the party is over and everyone leaves, you disappear--or you think you should, at least.
"Why are you trying to cheer me up? How does this benefit you at all?"
And it's so, so hard to accept help when feeling like this. Depression is a bitch in the way that it wants you to stay depressed. It feels like everyone around you wants you to feel better because it is a convenience for them. It almost feels transactional if you smile.
But Pomni says it so beautifully; "I guess I just don't want you to feel like you're nothing. I don't want anybody to feel like that."
The way she says it makes me feel like she knows the feeling too, and in reality, she says she does understand in a way how Gummigoo feels. But that? That made it real for me. I don't know why. This whole scene, the entrapment and loneliness despite not actually being alone, just embodied how I've felt for years. What amazing writing.
Finding Your Place
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This scene was really the cherry on top of everything I just spoke about. We see that these two understand each other, at least as much as they can. They recognize all of this, it's ridiculous. They're hurtling through space into the unknown, hoping everything works out. They may feel empty, but they're not alone. They've got each other, for better or worse. Maybe they don't know where they belong in this liminal space, but they know where they stand in each other's minds.
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And then we get this ending scene. God. Fuck.
I knew that there was obviously something to that dream Pomni had in the beginning, but somehow I didn't expect this to be the conclusion to it. I guess I was too distracted by everything else. So when I got to this shot, I got all warm and teary-eyed.
Pomni finally feels like she's got a pack, a place in this digital circus. When you don't feel mentally alone anymore, there seems to be a weight that's lifted off your shoulders. It doesn't cure the sadness, but at least you know that if you need to be picked up, someone will be there. Depression wants you to be alone, but it just lost that battle. The internet has said it best: A win is a win.
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The Bigger Picture
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We all know where the end of the road is. How we get there is the mystery. This thought can really make a person feel small, especially when depression comes in to tell you that you in fact are small, according to the chemicals in your brain. But the power of numbers and knowing your place in the world makes facing the unknown a little easier.
I'll be honest, the words are kinda lost on me at this point. Our demise is a really hard topic to broach. I've lost a lot of people, especially some major players in my life (shoutout to the Dead Dads club), and still, I don't understand it all. But the best way I can explain it is through my own experience and how I applied it to this episode.
I had for a long time gone through life trying to prepare and prepare. I played the role of the strong, unaffected individual after being hardened by trauma in childhood. I didn't want to be outwardly emotional, because if I was I would have to admit defeat.
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It made me feel weak, especially when my depression would whisper nasty things to me about my self-worth. The bigger picture at that time didn't even exist in my mind. I lived to serve and die. It was no way to live.
Only recently, with time, a couple grippy sock vacays and therapy have I started to form my own, new big picture. At the center of this is my interactions with others. Family, friends, and strangers, all of them are affected by my actions. Even during the days when I feel worthless or alone, I remind myself that even the little things I do have a spiderweb effect. I have worth, more so than serving others or being some obstacle. I can simply walk down the street and perhaps I'll be the person who some kid looks at and hopes to look like when they're older. My existence is so much more than just a give-and-take situation with everyone around me.
It felt like Pomni found her purpose in the circus, and it was more than just playing along until the end. Rather, it was to befriend the people around her who have proved in one way or another way that they care. Abstraction wasn't in vain to them. Lives mattered, and therefore so did Pomni.
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In a vast, digital world where chaos looms like a grey cloud, Pomni always mattered. She just had to realize how, and it was much more than being an obstacle or a pawn. And so do we, I think.
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galvanizedfriend · 2 months
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KC Wip Wednesday
This is my humble contribution to WIP Wednesday! It's a scene from the rewriting of TVD S5 - Yokan's version. In it, The Originals never happens, most of the Mikaelsons remain in Mystic Falls and Klaus and Caroline are kind of a thing, but nobody knows (for sure). Remember that moment where Katherine locks herself up in a safe with Stefan to "cure" his PTSD? It's that, except it's Klaus, not Katherine. This alludes to a very Klefan past, btw. Be warned if you're not a fan.
Also, this is for @definedareasofuncertainty, who wanted me to write her Easter Klefan. 🤧 There you go, friend! And you know, not beta'ed and all that.
--
Klaus lies on his back, takes a calm breath as the heavy door is closed with a thud, engulfing them in absolute darkness. All in all, he'd say a metal box is hardly the most uncomfortable setting he's found himself in. He prefers the comfort of first-class accommodations, but he's traveled in worse. The grown man beating about beside him does make things rather unpleasant, though.
"Stop! Caroline! Get me out of here!" Stefan screams, smashing his fists against the iron safe's indestructible structure. The more desperate he gets, the more uncoordinated and weaker his movements become, thus making the effort completely useless, however accomplished in making the experience all the more miserable for him.
It's embarrassing how incapable Klaus is of saying no to Caroline whenever she asks for a favor. Locking himself up in a box with a traumatized Stefan has to be an all-time low. The things he won't do when she bats her eyelashes and says please.
"Oh, stop it," he remarks in a bored tone as he shoves Stefan aside. The old safe is rather spacious, but definitely not enough to comport two men, particularly if one of them won't stop bloody writhing like a worm in hot sand. "The more you scream, the more breathless you become." The more I want to tear your vocal cords to shreds.
"Get me out of here, Klaus, get me the fuck out of here!"
"Relax, Stefan. I'm here to help," he says. "I'm what you would call a greater agony to alleviate the smaller pain you feel being trapped inside the box. It's reverse psychology, or so Caroline read in a book. What do you think of a little werewolf venom high to speed up the process?"
"You're psychotic. You're fucking insane!" Stefan starts pounding on the box again. "Caroline! Caroline, open up! Open it now!"
"I'm sorry, Stefan!" comes her muffled apology. Even through the metal barrier she sounds thick with guilt. It was her idea, but already she's cracking. That bleeding heart of hers… "I'm sorry, I will -"
"Do not touch that box, Caroline," he commands with his full authority. "Leave it."
There's a long pause, the sound of Stefan's heart hammering away inside his chest in the box as they wait to see what she'll do. A beat goes by before she mumbles a final sorry and scurries away, likely to avoid the temptation of putting poor Stefan out of his misery.
Klaus' lips pull into a grin. "Good girl."
Stefan starts shaking beside him, his breath becoming even more labored. "I can't breathe," he gasps. "I can't - I can't -"
"You don't need to breathe, Stefan. It's all in your head," Klaus reminds him pointedly. "A vampire having a panic attack, honestly. When you think you've seen everything…"
"You're not fucking helping!"
"Pardon me. My bedside manners have gone a little rusty since the last time you've experienced them." Klaus casts Stefan a glance, sees the way his eyes widen in horror, his body growing stiff as a rod, and he can't contain the self-satisfied smile that draws across his lips. "We did once find comfort in each other's company, didn't we?" Stefan makes another panicked sound, smoothing his hands across the cold metal door above them, trying to find a way out. Klaus chuckles. "Don't worry, mate. Caroline can't hear us. Your sordid little secret is safe with me. It's just us here, alone under the cover of darkness. Nothing we haven't done a dozen times in the past. Ahh, the 20s…" he speaks around a dramatic sigh. "It was the roaring years, indeed."
"What are you doing?"
"Making conversation."
"I don't want to talk to you, I especially don't want to talk about that." Stefan nearly chokes on the last word, inching as far away from Klaus as the confined space will allow, as though the mere idea of touching him fills him with utter revulsion. Klaus knows better; it's the way he remembers exactly how it didn't what terrifies him.
Anybody who's met this watered down, colorless version of Stefan would never be able to tell how much of a free spirit he used to be. He was fun. A far cry from the shivering man beside him now. Tragic, really.
"I know you like to pretend it never happened. Frankly, you've become quite an embarrassment of your former self, so I wouldn't proudly advertise it either. This bunny-eating, crying in the dark skin you're wearing these days is someone is wouldn't be caught fraternizing with if you were the last human being on earth."
"Then leave me the fuck alone already."
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not here for you," he snaps back. And then, putting a leash on his rising temper, he continues, "But since I have to be… I can recognize that there was something about that time we had together that suited us both, more than just for the obvious reasons."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Sure you do. I was a tool for you."
"A tool for self-destruction."
Klaus huffs out a disdainful breath. "I was a balm to your tortured soul, Stefan, even at a time when you embraced your true self. I indulged you because you amused me, but at the end of the day, when we were together, it was all rather transactional. It wasn't about sentimentality or a shared appreciation for extravagance. It was about the hollow inside us. The fact we were always desperately seeking to fill it with… Anything, really. Whatever we could find. Passions. Pleasure. Violence. Cravings. But it never lasted, did it? Those things lack a purpose. They're all flitting in their essence, an immense explosion of satisfaction followed by… Nothing. We were both hungry, and we kept trying to find the thing that would sate us. You had lost your mind; I had lost my home. Like drawn to like." Klaus turns his face to Stefan, finds him staring back, eyes glinting with an emotion he can't quite read in the gloom. He always did fancy Stefan's eyes, though. There is something raw about them, something honest for a change. A little opening to the truth in his soul he tries so hard to hide from the outside world. "That's what the darkness is, Stefan," he continues. "Loneliness. It's what restrains us. The monster we cannot outrun. When it all stops - the laughter, the liquor, the hunger - and everything goes quiet around us, that's when we feel it. The curse of eternity. The weight of our years, deep in our bones. And the inevitable loneliness that comes with it. You had your names on the wall, I had my letters, but when all was said and done… We were both stuck in infinite darkness. Except for a few glorious stolen moments, in that repulsive room of yours." The corner of his mouth pulls up into a lopsided smile. "I was the bigger monster you needed in order to humanize yourself. Whatever you were, I was worse, and so I assuaged your guilt. Much like me being here right now. But then of course you found religion!" He laughs, closing his eyes and facing forward once more. "Your spiritual path towards the light. Elena Gilbert." He enunciates the name like it's coated in something toxic. His general distaste for Elena goes further than the fact she has thwarted so many of his plans. It's the boring saint act he cannot get over.
"Yes," Stefan says, his voice rough. "And then I lost her."
"Right. Because she chose your brother." Klaus chuckles. Stefan shifts uncomfortably beside him, the urge to hit him palpable in the air. It only spurs Klaus on. "How so very tacky. No taste, that one. Personally, I think there's no amount of blue eyes or good sex that can make Damon tolerable. What a wanker. I just want to bash his face against a wall whenever he opens his mouth."
Stefan scoffs. "Get in line."
"It's ironic, isn't it? You were at your absolute best behavior, weeding out all of your instincts, everything that made you fun and interesting in order to fashion yourself into a fairy tale prince for her, and what does she do? She chooses the dullard bad boy. Typical." Klaus shakes his head. "Ungrateful little -"
"Shut up."
"Martyr," he finishes with a smirk. "She probably thinks she's going to fix him, doesn't she? I bet he encourages it. But that's the difference between you and Damon, isn't it? Even with all your valiant efforts, you know creatures like us cannot be fixed. We're beyond salvation."
He gets a sudden twinge in his chest, an image flashing in his mind. A smile as bright as the sun. Hair the color of wheat. He sees her shifting under his sheets, feels the warmth of her touch, the brush of her rosy lips against his skin. It ignites a sense of joy inside him unlike anything else, a sense of possession, of belonging, of having found something that is far more precious or rare than any of the hundreds of treasures he's collected over the course of his life. But along with it comes the ever-present fear. Of loss. How long before he ruins her, like he's ruined everything else he's ever cherished? How long before he hurts her, even if he doesn't mean to? Before his darkness tarnishes her and kills that smile? Before she decides he's not worth it?
"How do you make yourself worthy?" he asks, the question tumbling out of his as though of their own accord. "How do you earn the affections of someone so…"
"Good?" Stefan finishes for him, reading his thoughts. "With sunshine and rainbows shining out of their eyes? Someone like, say… Caroline?" Klaus goes quiet, all his humor bleeding out of him in a second. "You don't," Stefan answers his own question. "You'll never be good enough for her, Klaus. Just like I was never good enough for Elena. Not really. The truth is they deserve much better than the two of us." He sighs, deflating with resignation next to Klaus. "I guess we did make quite a pair, you and I."
"Then perhaps we should die together," he says with an edge of aggression, his mood taking a sudden downturn. He's suddenly irritated. With Stefan, with this ridiculous situation, with himself for agreeing to that. "You and I, in a box, at the bottom of a quarry. Over and over again, drowning in suffering for all our sins and the women we don't deserve. How about that?" Silence stretches out between them, absolute. There's no response from Stefan, but there's also no pounding pulse, no disgruntled breaths. "Oh, look," he says dispassionately. "Someone's not having a panic attack anymore. Congratulations. You've conquered your fears. All you had to do was remember there are worse things than dying."
Klaus gives one violent kick on the door, sending it flying off its hinges. He pushes himself up, stepping out of the safe.
Caroline comes whooshing in, eyes wide as she takes in the state of the safe, the way Stefan is still down, cowering from the sudden burst of luminosity.
"What did you do to him?" she demands.
Klaus' mouth inches upward into the barest hint of a grin, no mirth whatsoever. "I fixed him."
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kafus · 7 days
Text
a likodot themed analysis of HZ049
hello it's been a while since my last truly longform post like this but guess who watched HZ049 today and is going absolutely fucking feral bonkers about it. it's me. and i have things to say about it of the likodot variety because if i don't get these thoughts out of my head i'll explode.
forgive me for my shipping bias because i'm not sorry. however i am slightly sorry for how messy this post ended up being my god i had a lot of thoughts but i did my best to make this at least somewhat entertaining to read and comprehensive. but it really is a long winding mess LOL. FULL OF PASSION AND ADORATION I LOVE THIS SHOW AND I LOVE LIKO AND DOT MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD
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obviously there are heavy spoilers below the cut i'm going to be violently pulling apart all the scenes where these two interact and gnawing at all of it
so. first off. this episode displays massive growth in liko and dot's relationship by method of showing how much liko's behavior around gurumin has changed since these two met and since dot initially confessed to being gurumin. as we all know liko was a massive superfan of gurumin, and then when dot confessed to being gurumin... well liko's reaction was. Uh
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well she was having a little bit of a crisis about it LOL. historically liko has gotten very flustered and panicked when reminded that dot is gurumin. and she has been really prone to fangirling still (ie. getting really excited about helping gurumin in HZ019 with the bakery stuff or helping gurumin with the pig town stuff in HZ036), despite knowing the person in the suit. she goes as far as to try to ignore that dot is in the suit entirely and keep them separate in her brain (shown for instance by her freaking out over seeing dot halfway in the gurumin suit in HZ039) because if she were to mentally cross those wires, she wouldn't be able to handle it.
but now in this episode, things have obviously changed a lot over time. the episode opens with a small scene that explains what dot is doing about gurumin while they are traveling on the terastal course (filming them beforehand and scheduling ahead of time lol) but liko and dot have a conversation about (a really CUTE conversation) about gurumin in the process.
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do not get it twisted, liko is still very much a fan of gurumin, but this conversation is a lot more comfortable and grounded. she gets a notification about a new gurumin video and she's excited (and surprised because of the timing), but she is not panicking about it. and her first reaction to this information is to directly ask dot (with the softest expression fucking ever??) about it. this directly connects dot and gurumin together in a strong way. liko is no longer running from the fact that dot is the youtuber she looks up to, and in fact she's being pretty upfront about it.
not related to my main point, but i also just want to gush a little here about this scene more - dot reacts similarly to liko showing so much affection for her work in a similar way to how she reacted in HZ008 to liko complimenting her through the door - getting flustered about liko's genuine energy, but this time they know each other and are looking at each other face to face. liko's affectionate energy is enough to make her relent that maybe someday... she could film outside... which shows the sort of effect liko has on her. and also this becomes relevant later in the episode where dot literally does film gurumin videos outside - it's just good writing/foreshadowing lol
anyway, this continues later on when liko is the first to get worried about dot doing the battle livestream with nanjamo as gurumin instead of herself. i think if this situation had happened much earlier on, liko would have been thinking a lot more about the excitement of the idea of seeing gurumin battle in real life, but she doesn't even initially have that thought and have to backtrack, she's immediately worried about dot instead.
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ironically, liko recognizing that gurumin isn't dot, as in gurumin is a mask that dot puts on instead of being representational of her true self, drives home liko's recognition of dot as gurumin even more. she understands the connection between dot and gurumin and what gurumin is to dot enough to have this concern in the first place - one roy initially doesn't understand, that is specific to liko. there is zero compartmentalization of dot being a youtuber here! liko is concerned about her friend who is an influencer, where she puts on a mask to be confident and outgoing. dot and gurumin are fully connected.
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it's also worth acknowledging that liko holds the gurumin suit and is concerned about it being damaged but nothing more - unlike in HZ021 when she goes to dot's room to give her the suit after it's been washed and cleaned, and she's a little nervous and flustered about it still.
i've always talked about how there's a bit of a difference between shipping liko and dot, and liko and gurumin - not that those two sectors have zero overlap, but that to liko, gurumin and dot were usually kept so separate mentally that fans online could often be sorted into camps of being interested in the running silliness of liko's fascination and flustered behavior with the whole gurumin thing, and liko and dot's connection with each other as normal (girl)friends... liko has progressively adjusted more to dot being gurumin and has had moments where she is able to set aside her fangirl heart to be there for dot (like when she mentions dot being gurumin in her little supportive speech in HZ027), but this episode shows that in a much more drastic and meaningful way, and now those two sectors are FULLY overlapping canonically. i think it is overall a sweet and good thing for them that liko is able to see dot as a whole and directly appreciate her creative skills/work. it is obviously meaningful to dot!
TLDR;
HZ039:
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HZ049:
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you get the point.
NOW. onto the SECOND thing i want to talk about. the thing i've dubbed LIKODOT TELEPATHY. aka holy shit these girls understand each other without words. liko and dot understand each other on an intrinsic level and often notice when the other is worried, or pushing themselves too hard, or etc. that is EXTREMELY evident in this episode through liko's concern towards dot.
going back to the first scene before the opening theme, liko detects immediately when dot comments on roy's upbeat attitude that dot might be feeling nervous about her upcoming battle, and immediately offers reassurance.
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(unfortunately i have to put aside my ramble about liko's continued lack of self esteem and her putting herself down here for another time because otherwise this post will get so off-topic and longer than it has any right to be, but you get the point. also holy shit dot saying "you don't have to fuss so much" but smiling and saying that line like she's happy to have liko fretting about her makes me CRAZY. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. BUT. coughs. ANYWAY)
then, like i mentioned earlier, liko is the first to be worried about dot in this episode. she's the first to notice dot's anxious/shutting down behavior:
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the first to recognize that dot might actually walk away unhappy if she were to do her terastal exam as gurumin instead of herself:
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and the first to recognize that her filming videos outside is not as genuinely upbeat and happy as it may seem:
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(two quick side notes about this, i really like how the writing puts emphasis on liko's concern by contrasting roy's total lack of it multiple times - NOT that he doesn't care of course, but just that liko understands dot particularly well and is in touch with dot's feelings in a special way that roy isn't. additionally, it makes me feel crazy that dot probably got the idea to film outside from liko's affectionate encouragement in the first scene in the episode... like, she's basically trying to use liko's advice to hype herself up and get through this... of course she would!! trusting liko's words has always ended up positively for her!! liko is such a massive support for her!! and liko acknowledges herself that yeah she said that but that isn't what she meant. GOD. i'm so insane about these girls)
this is notable not only because it's very sweet that liko is so concerned about dot, but also because dot doesn't really understand this herself. she is trying so hard to put on the gurumin facade, to run away from her anxiety as far as possible, to avoid the bad. and yet despite her attempts to cover her true feelings up as much as possible, even from herself, liko sees straight through it. dot cannot mask around liko, she understands regardless, sees the parts of her she doesn't want to acknowledge.
the contrast between dot's understanding of herself and liko's understanding of her is immense. directly after dot boldly proclaims that she feels so much stronger as gurumin and happily mentions that she has nanjamo's permission to do their battle as gurumin is when liko finally confronts her. the difference in mood is startling, almost, and easily shows that contrast. i need to break down this confrontation in detail cause it makes me insane
first, liko is still too nervous to say what she wants to say, but as per usual with LIKODOT TELEPATHY (tm) dot immediately notices liko going into her polite i-don't-want-to-inconvenience-you voice and pushes for what the matter is. she can tell immediately that liko has a problem even though liko hasn't said anything yet.
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liko doesn't want to rock the boat and is overly gentle with her words (once again i have to push aside my ramble about liko's confidence problems AGH) but finally speaks her piece about the situation.
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i want to mention here as well, these two situations are very different, but the similarities of dot noticing liko pushing herself back in HZ027 and then liko recognizing dot pushing herself in kind... SIIIGH
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dot's reaction is to stammer with MUCH less confidence than before that she wasn't forcing anything. she's taken offguard by liko's concerns, but it's evident she recognizes what liko is saying within herself and is grappling with trying to maintain her mental wall after liko has cracked it in half with her words. liko was right and saw right through her, and dot isn't sure how to handle it. she avoids eye contact and everything.
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this is where i bridge my conversation about likodot telepathy into talking about dot's characterization and growth as a character, so bear with me - quaxly attempts to drive the point liko is making home by separating dot from the gurumin suit, but afterwards is... The Scene. liko tries to bring the conversation back to what they were saying before, but at this point dot is overwhelmed by quaxly's actions and feels socially/emotionally cornered and... she explodes and screams at liko.
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i think it's an interesting part of her personality that she is prone to irritable/angry outbursts and yelling when she has her buttons pushed too far and i'm glad that remains consistent for her, especially because...
the last time dot yelled directly at liko like this was in HZ008. the situation is actually quite similar with dot being pushed too far into a situation she doesn't know how to handle by liko reaching out to her more than she is ready for, causing her to lash out. but some MAJOR things have changed since then - obviously, the first time was through the door before they really knew each other, before liko had even seen her face, but this time it's up close and personal and they know each other. but secondly, at the beginning of the show, dot is irritated and overwhelmed by pretty much any attempt at conversation. she has come such a long way that now she's brought to screaming by something much, much more massive, with the whole being streamed live while battling in real life thing, showing how much she has overcome since then... and not only that!! thirdly! the first time, liko was encouraging gurumin, sharing how much of a fan of gurumin she was, and now this second time, it's in reaction to liko essentially telling her "i don't think you actually want to be gurumin in this situation". point is, the amount of growth dot has had is ironically so easy to see in her screaming at liko here because of the sheer level of contrast between the two times it's happened.
by this happening again, it also gives dot the chance to recognize her own shitty behavior and apologize for yelling later even though liko (nor roy) were asking for an apology - in fact they seemed to be surprised that dot wanted to apologize in the first place, like they had forgotten all about it. i think both liko and roy are used to shrugging off some of dot's more irritable behaviors, but this time dot noticed herself that she messed up and takes that moment to say sorry, which is sweet of her and once again a moment of character growth.
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considering that dot also follows this up with the statement that she will take her terastal exam as herself, the apology is also connected to it - like she recognized that what liko was saying, the thing that made her yell, ended up being true. it was liko's genuine attempt to help her. and now that she's come to that conclusion on her own, she can see that yelling was even more misguided.
and that's my final conversation topic about this episode - the fact that dot came to that conclusion on her own. yes, liko cracked the wall she was putting up and gave her that starting push, but dot went above and beyond to take that crack and then smash that wall into pieces without liko's help. which despite what it sounds like i think is extremely important for these two's dynamic moving forward.
i'm going to spare you the analysis of dot's fear of cameras, why she hides behind gurumin, as well as a breakdown of the whole part of the episode with varoom bc i'm trying to talk mostly about likodot here, but assuming you've watched the episode you know what i'm talking about. here, i'm focused on the part where liko exclaims that they have to help dot, and dot denies her help and says she wants to handle it on her own, and then from this experience she is able to conclude she wants to do her terastal exam as herself.
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this is massive. for so long, liko has practically dragged dot along and held her hand through tackling new experiences... sometimes literally lol, thinking about the scene in HZ027 where liko drags dot to chase after terapagos by the arm. but anyway, on top of that, this is also different from her standing up to her mom in HZ041, which was ALSO massive, but a large part of that episode consisted of liko's interventions, and she was pushed into that situation where she really had no choice in the matter. she had to if she wanted to stay on the brave asagi which was non negotiable. but here? there was nothing stopping dot from just taking the help and running from the cameras. in fact it probably would have been much easier to do that. but she wants to prove herself, and not because she has to to get the thing she wants, but just because... she wants to. she wants to succeed on her own.
and i think that's really important in the context of not just dot herself, but likodot, because while it is very sweet of liko to constantly be pushing dot and leading her to further self understanding and more confidence, and i will always be emotional about liko essentially caring for her to the point of dot braving ending her time as a NEET, the end goal for that should always be that dot is given confidence in herself to exist as a person independently of liko's pushing, for her own sake.
i think it's also incredibly meaningful that liko saw this happen - she experienced running out to help dot like usual, and then actually having her advances denied, but not for bad reasons this time... she gets to see dot be a better version of herself and come to that conclusion liko tried to push earlier, on her own accord, in her own way.
i say all this because i want liko to be able to love dot not as a person to fix but also just... a person. i want what liko has done for her to cause dot to be a better person outside of what liko does, for herself. and i want liko to be able to love the wonderful and more confident person dot becomes as a result. do you understand. am i making sense. GAH. i am so worked up about this. i'm holding them both in my hands and shaking them violentlySJDFJFSD
god. thank you for reading if you've actually come this far. i am going to end off this messy and deranged casual "essay" with a couple of notes i wasn't sure how to fit anywhere else.
one, i think it's very nice that when roy thinks dot's in trouble, liko is sure enough in dot's intelligence and battling skills to say with great confidence that dot MUST have a plan
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and TWO, AHHHH I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE AHHHH AHHHHHH WE ARE GOING TO GET EVEN MORE DOT CHARACTERIZATION AND GROWTH AND SHE'S GOING TO FACE HER MENTOR FIGURE HOW AM I GOING TO HANDLE IT AFTER ALREADY WRITING THIS MUCH ABOUT THE FIRST EPISODE IN THIS TWO-PARTER AND ALSO WHAT WAS THIS GAY SHIT IN THE EPISODE PREVIEW AHHHH AHHH
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thank you for coming to my ted talk. goodnight tri state area
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ggomos-maribat · 8 months
Text
NMWYCAM [bonus deleted chapter]
This is a scene i wrote out but couldn't fit into the current chapters :)
Originally Damian was going to find out that Marinette knows their secret in another way...lol he was gonna get badly injured as Robin and Marinette saves him but reveals she knows his identity
***
2:51 a.m. Marinette was still awake, despite the kwamis telling her off. She found herself having excess energy that night, so she decided on sketching under the yellow desk lamp with some music on. All was calm and peaceful until her phone buzzed.
Damian: Hello
Damian: Are you awake? Can I call you right now?
Her keyboard popped up for the reply, but more messages came in.
Damian: You're probably sleeping
Damian: ...
Damian: sorry
Damian: I shouldn't have bothered
Damian: sweet dreams, Marinette
Smiling, she went ahead and pressed the call button. When it took him several rings to answer, she pictured a panicked Damian fumbling to answer his phone.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Did I wake you?" His warm voice filled her ears. "Sorry . . ."
"No, no, I was awake. Couldn't sleep." Marinette propped her legs up on her chair, tucking them to her chest. She saw a groggy Tikki peek out of her small blanket but she waved the kwami off to go back to sleep. "Is something the matter?"
"No, I . . . I was just lying in bed and got the sudden urge to talk to you," Damian recounted. "Is that strange?"
Marinette brought the back of her hand to her reddened cheek. This boy. "I think that means you miss me, Damian," she laughed. "How was patrol?"
"It went smoothly. We disrupted a smuggling operation and put Riddler back in Arkham. You? What were you doing?"
"Ah just drawing out some ideas. Nothing too important." Snuggled in her blanket under the calm night and talking to Damian was like a tight embrace, Marinette realized. "I hope you didn't push yourself too hard."
A scoff sounded out from Damian. "Father threatened to bench me when I chased after the Riddler. The others kept watching me like I'll disappear into thin air."
"They're just worried about you, you know. As they should be."
"I only need you to worry about me." A long pause. Then a long sigh. "Sorry, I . . . I don't know why I said that."
Marinette hummed, feeling more heat crawl under her skin. "It's alright. They say your inhibitions are looser at night, especially when you're tired. But it's okay to be vulnerable; it's just me."
"What do you mean by that? 'It's just you'?"
"I mean I understand that you're being honest about whatever you say to me right now. I won't judge you for it. I won't even bring it up tomorrow if that's what you want." She pressed her phone closer to her ear. "I don't want you to feel that you need to keep something to yourself just because it's me hearing your words."
". . . How come you always say the right thing?"
"I guess it's my forte?"
"What if I can't say the right things?"
"Just talking to you like this is enough for me," Marinette said. "I can be the one good with words, and you can be the one good with actions. You always are."
"That's not fair at all. You are also good with actions."
That elicited another laugh from her. "But you are very good at taking care of people through your gestures. Not a lot can do that."
"You're the only one who has ever said that."
"'Cause I'm the only one who notices."
Soon, whilst they talk, Marinette noticed that he was mumbling the ends of his words. Later on when she finished her amusing story about a deal with a client, she didn't hear a reply, but instead, light snoring at the other end of the line.
He sounds so relaxed. Now she had the urge to look at his sleeping face.
"Good night, Damian," she whispered. "I miss you too."
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zoros-fourth-sword · 3 months
Text
Scarlett- Chapter One
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Summary: Portgas D. Scarlett  Ace's older sister, decides to join Trafalgar Law's crew as their navigator after her brother's death. At first, she is distant and consumed with grief over her loss, but as she spends more time with Law and his crew, she begins to find comfort in their shared experiences.
As they journey together through the Grand Line, Law, and Scarlett must face off against dangerous foes and navigate the treacherous waters of the New World. Along the way, they grow closer, and Scarlett begins to see Law in a new light.
But their love is not without its challenges, as Law is still haunted by his past and the events that led him to become a pirate. Scarlett must confront her feelings of guilt and loss over her brother's death if she wants to move forward with Law.
WC: 1.7k
Taglist: ???
WARNINGS: grief, depression, mention of death
ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀsʟɪsᴛ
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Chapter One: Grumpy Pants
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no, it can't be it's a lie It can't be true I won't believe it he can't be dead He can't. I tightly grip the newspaper in my hands trying to fight back the tears threatening to escape it was like my entire world was crumbling under me it was like I was destined to be alone first I lost my mother then Sabo and now my baby brother Ace it's too much how am I supposed to live on without the people I love I need him I can't leave him we promised to stay alive and Luffy we still got to make him the king of the pirates right
"it can't be" I broke as I sank to the floor
"don't tell me it's true old man" I sob looking up at Rayleigh
"I'm so sorry kid" The old man looked at me unsure what to do
'h h he can't be dead" I cry as my heart falls to my stomach causing me to feel sick it was the most painful feeling I have ever experienced I couldn't breathe I couldn't think all I could do was cry I felt so hopeless I couldn't even protect my baby brother isn't that what an older sibling is supposed to isn't that there role in this life to protect their little sibling and I couldn't even do that
"Luffy what about Luffy" I panic as I quickly get up off the floor causing Ray to reach his arms out in concern
"hey hey kid calm down," Ray said as he grabbed my shoulders stopping my panicked self in front of him
"Ray it hurts" I choke looking at the man in front of me seeing he had a concerned expression on his face
"he can't be dead" I sob as I tightly grip his shirt. Burying my head into his chest letting everything I was holding in out. all the pain, the grief, the anger, all of it stained Ray’s shirt
"I can't live without him Ray I can't do it" I choke as my eyes painfully become puffy from the salty tears stinging my eyes
"I know Scar and I'm so sorry kid but you have to be strong for yourself, and not just that Luffy needs you," Ray said as he began to rub the back of my head trying to calm me down
"It's so hard Ray it's so fucking hard what am I supposed to do how am I supposed to face Luffy after this he needed me and I wasn't there I was so fucking busy with everything else that I couldn't even see that my brothers needed me" I cry as I began to beat my hand on Ray’s chest in frustration
"Scarlett I know you're angry and frustrated but you can't let those feelings control your spirit do you understand me you need to be strong," Ray said as he hugged me tighter
"Listen kid I found out where Luffy is and I'm going to head there in a moment," Ray said as he pulled away from our hug. grabbing my shoulders to gain my full attention
"what do ya say kid how about you see your little brother again," Ray said as he whipped the tears off my red and puffy face
"Yeah'' I choke out nodding my head yes
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"wheres Luffy" I demanded as I hopped out of the water with Ray causing my clothes to stick to my body
"kid calm down," Ray said from behind me trying to stop me from causing a scene
"And who are you," a tall man with tattoos harshly asked crossing his buff arms over his chest
"I'm his sister and you," I say placing one hand on my hip while my face showed I was irritated
"I'm the man who saved his life," the man said giving me a harsh glare
"Oh," I say as I calm down feeling bad about my rude approach
"look I'm sorry it’s just-" Before I could finish my sentence the man cut me off
"It's fine he's in the forest with Jenbei" the man said as he began walking away
Forgetting about the man I quickly ran through the forest desperately searching for my little brother soon I came to a path to see two small dots in the distance the closer I got to them the more I realized it was Luffy and Jenbei
"LUFFY" I scream trying to get the boy's attention not caring about the rocks hitting my ankles from running so fast
"SCAR" Luffy screamed once he realized it was me
"LUFFY' i scream again as we get closer desperately missing one another after being away for such a long time
"SCAR" Luffy screamed jumping into my arms causing me to stumble backwards
“I missed you so much” Luffy mumbled into my shoulder as his body slightly shock due to adrenaline pumping through his veins
“I missed you too Lu,” I say against the top of his head squeezing him tighter afraid if I let him go I would never see him again
“I'm so glad you're okay,” Luffy said as he pulled away from our hug giving me a warm smile
“Of course I am I’m stronger than you think” I weakly chuckle as I rub the top of his head slightly messing up his greasy hair
“I know” Luffy smiled causing my heart to ache. After all the stuff he had been through he was still pushing through it
“Old man Ray is here apparently he needs to see ya,” I say smiling past my pain wanting to be strong for Luffy
“Really then let’s go” Luffy said excitedly as he ran back to the camp sight
“Are you alright Scarlett” Jenbei asked as he came up behind me
“Yeah I’ll just learn to cope with it,” I weakly say giving the Fishman a slight shrug
“Confident as ever I see I wouldn’t expect any less from Ace’s older sister,” the big man laughed as he gave me a light pat on the back
“Thank you Jenbei” I say giving the man a warm smile feeling proud to know that I was considered strong for being Portgas D. Ace’s older sister after all I did teach him a thing or two about not taking shit from no one
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“WHAT WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO” I scream towards Ray once he tells me his plan apparently he and Luffy are going to leave me to go train on some island for 2 years
“calm down scar I already figured that out we just got to talk to him first and lucky for you he’s looking for a navigator,” Ray said as he tried to calm me down
“YOUR TELLING ME YOU HAVENT EVEN ASKED THEM YET” I scream out angrily my face turning red from anger
“It’s fine Scar I have this under control,” Ray said as he pushed his glasses up his face
“Yea if you screw this up I’m going to kill you I don’t wanna be fucking homeless” I snap as I cross my arms over my chest
“Matter of fact I’ll go talk to him right now,” Ray said as he got up from the log he was sitting on
“Wait you're telling me that there here on the island theres nothing but women here,” I say as I fling up from my log
“You meet him earlier you seemed to get along,” Ray chuckled as he continued to walk away
“WAIT YOU MEAN GRUMPY PANTS” I screamed in panic realizing I disrespected my maybe future captain
“I think it’s a great idea by the way Scar,” Luffy said below me as he sat on his log
“Really I mean I haven’t been in a crew besides Ace’s” I mumble as I take my seat on my log next to Luffy my heart slightly breaking from the memory of Ace
“Yeah and Traffy’s a nice guy” Luffy smiled as he took a bite from the meat that Boa Hancock brought to him
“Traffy” I questionably asked with a raised eyebrow 
“Yea his name’s actually Trafalgar Law but I call him Traffy” Luffy said as he continued to eat
“Oh I see it’s kinda cute” I chuckle as I take the meat Luffy was eating out of his hand to take a bite of my own
“Hey get your own” Luffy growled as he tried to get his meat back
“Nope,” I say popping the p trying to avoid his attacks
“Come on Scar give it back” Luffy growled again as he desperately tried to get the meat
“I’ll kick your ass over this meat” I growl smacking Luffy’s hands away
“Is that a challenge” Luffy growled as he pushed his forehead against mine
“Enough you two” Ray said as he came walking back over to us with the man named Law
Before I could say anything Luffy snatched the food from my hand and swallowed the thing hole including the bone
“LUFFY” I yell smacking the boy on the back of the head causing him to let out a whine
“Scar come here for a sec,” Ray said as he called me over towards him and Law
I quickly head over to them giving Luffy one good smack across the head with my haki making sure the boy could feel it
“Ow what the heck” Luffy growled but I just simply ignored him and went on my merry way
“What’s up” I say putting a hand on my hip once I reach the two men seeing that Law had a bored expression plastered on his face
“Listen I don’t take shit lightly if you're going to join my crew you're going to do as I say” Law huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest
“Of course” I agree not really wanting to argue and besides I do need somewhere to stay and I’m also desperate
“Good all I ask is to not mess up my ship and look out for the rest of the crew,” Law said as he looked me up and down
“Of course, I’ll consider them as my own family I’m sure” I weakly say giving the man a small smile feeling a slight sting from the word family
“Welcome to the crew we’ll be leaving in 30” Law said as he walked back to his ship
“Um okay,” I say surprisingly not expecting the man to be so up front about it
“Seems to me you found your home kid” Ray chucked as he placed a hand on my shoulder
“Yea” I nervously chuckled not really looking forward to my new captain I can already tell we are going to be bumping heads
Next Chapter
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I hope this was good I’m so sorry if it wasn’t please comment and let me know 💕❤️
{A/N this is what Scarleet looks like to give everyone an idea}
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didoldacc · 1 year
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can I request a fic where beom and reader are enemies (secretly in love with each other)but had to do a project work together in beom's house which led to reader accidentally seeing a picture of her beside beom's computer which happened to be playing p0rn......and sub beom begging for reader to help him! also if possible....maybe reader ordering beom to j3rk off infront of her to humiliate him?? if these are too uncomfortable please don't force yourself to write!! I love your works btw🩷
mdni!
warnings: sub!beomgyu, perv!beomgyu, mentions of p0rn, masturbation(m), humiliation(m receiving), cowgirl position, oral(f receiving) if there is any i have missed please let me know!
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you would kill your professor, you could. she matched you with beomgyu out of all the people she could choose. what are the odds of you pairing up with beomgyu instead of other 98 people who also take this class. the professor must have a grudge, you think.
"seriously, -------- how would she know you and beomgyu don't get along? stop being paranoid." you huff at your friend's rationale that you don't wanna admit it's true.
"anyways, we agreed to meet up at 6 so i gotta leave." you say before you leave. "you will stonker" she yells with her voice filled with irony.
it doesn't take you long to arrive his house. once your app shows that you are in the location he has sent you, you ring the bell. you hear a stir coming from the apartment. you get impatient and when you lift your hand to ring the bell again, the door opens.
"you are early. you weren't supposed to come here for an another hour." he seems on his toes but you don't mull over much about it. "i thought it would take me longer to get here and i also gave us an extra half an hour to get prepared so that we could start at exactly 6." you say before entering his house without his invitation. you question his manners since he didn't even bother to invite you to enter. he apologizes for that as if he can read your mind and asks for you to give him a minute. you agree and head to his couch while he was heading to bathroom.
once you sit, you start to observe his house unintentionally. yet you tell yourself to stop it since you don't want your mind filled with details of him. you deceive yourself everything about him is redundant information.
you take the laptop close to you so as to prepare essential sources and articles that your professor recommend. it seems like he is going to take long and it will only benefit you two if these things are ready. but you come across with an unexpected scene. you eyes go wide minute you witness one of your cutest photos that you often use in your social media profiles and an adult video playing on his screen starring a woman oddly similar to you. you are supposed to feel disgusted with what you just overeyed but you felt a burning sensation down there.
you think beomgyu is actually a chaldean when you hear his voice calling your name behind you. "you weren't supposed to see that. i am sorry, can you- can you just forget what you just saw?" you don't exactly know what to do. but he cannot seriously expect you to just forget about it.
"no! no, i can't just forget what i just saw. you are such a disgusting pervert, you know that?" you practically shriek. you turn around to see his expression and feel sorry for him once you realize he is panicking.
"please, i beg you. if you can't forget it, can you at least try to forgive me? i can do everything, i swear. please, please, please, plea-" you cut him of by shushing him. "what do you mean by everything? like what can i gain with your abilities? i am already doing good socially and every other aspect in my life. what could you possibly bring to table? you are just afraid that i can use this to ruin your reputation, aren't you? but i will not give you the satisfaction. especially not after your elementary school bully act towards me!"
"i swear it is not it. i don't even care about my reputation. boys will not even see the problematic aspect of this and girls will forgive me no matter what i do because i am pretty. you know that!" you shake with laughter "you seriously cannot be saying these in your position. you are really thinking you are something." you mock him.
"no! please just listen. what i have to say! i wouldn't even care if they hold me accountable and isolate me, even if i have no social life left. i just want your forgiveness. i swear. i was just teasing you with my childish act to get your attention. i never intended to hurt you. i cannot live with the fact you thinking so little about me. i am really sincere. please just forgive me. please i beg-" you cut him of again this time with your acrimonious laughter. he seems more scared than ever your pity towards him grows.
"you sound like a broken record repeating the same part over and over again. but i guess i can find a way for you to make it up to me." his eyes sparkled with hope. "yes, -------. whatever you want." he keeps begging and waiting for your dispensation. you give him a smirk before you lean toward his eyes and whisper "how about we just restart the video and watch the video together? can you do that, hm?" he looks in your eyes with a shocked but pleased expression and nods his head.
he sits down to couch and takes his laptop on his lap. he gives a little pat right next to him implying that he wants you to sit there. you do and he starts to video.
beomgyu kept gulping throughout tho whole very vanilla video. you sighted that he was mostly focusing on your picture than the video itself. and you see a growing dome on his pants. he turns to you and asks for your help nicely but instead you smirk with delight and lean towards his ears once more. "why don't you put on a show for me instead? it is not your place to ask for help, you know?" you rown.
"but it is so humiliating. i-" he tries to protest before you shut him off. "i know it is exactly why i want you to do it. and also didn't you say that you would do anything?" you argue. he nods and takes his laptop to put it on axle stand. he slowly pulls his pants and underwear down and turn his head to face you. he gives a soft smile before starting to jerk off. his hands going up and down as fast as he can while he keeps whimpering.
he slows down to tease himself to give you the best show he can. it doesn't take him long to moan your name. the sensation starts to cloud his thinking. he just stares at you with empty eyes only filled with desire. when you flash a smile at him, he gives the loudest moan yet.
"it feels so good. it feels better than every time i have jerked off or been with someone. thank you." he keeps saying like it is his entreaty. "you can't cum though. so keep edging yourself for me yeah?" he obeys and slows down once more. his movements keep teasing his cock. he flings his head back from pleasure breaking his eye contact. you sense he is about to cum so you take his hand to stop him. he raises his hand to give you a waiful look. you melt in lust with his pretty face looking so voluptuous.
he presumes and suddenly kisses your lips very passionately. you admire his boldness and return to kiss. you hold his waist to pull him closer and he leaves a broken moan.
both of your breathing quickens when the kiss get more passionate. you feel his teeth giving a small bite to your lower lip making you open your mouth. he uses the opportunity and his tongue enters your mouth. his hand reaches to your neck and he gives soft fondles. once you both get out of breath you stop.
as soon as he leaves your lips he takes off the rest off his clothes. and giving you a look implying you to do the same. you give him a smirk and undress yourself. he just stares when he sees your naked body with an obvious admiration.
he sits down again and you get on his lap. giving him a softer kiss before sitting down on his member. he nods implying you to move and you do. he places his hand on your clit to play with it. "wanna make you feel good." he says. it doesn't take him too long to reach his high. once he feels it's coming he places his hands to both of your hips and raises you to cut out your walls from hid dick. you sit next to him while he pumps his manhood a few times and coming undone.
he doesn't even bother to clean his stomach before making you lay down and getting between your legs and helps you to reach your high too. once he is done he gets up kisses you again before taking you to his bathroom to give both of you a nice shower.
he gives you one of his t-shirts for you to cover yourself up. he starts talking to break the awkward atmosphere. "i have always liked you by the way. i acted obnoxious because you kept giving me the cold treatment. i know it was not the right thing to do but i couldn't get your attention otherwise." he confesses.
you feel shocked at his confession yet it gives you courage to confess back. "i did give you the cold treatment i won't deny but it was only to protect myself. i felt this pain in my chest every single time i saw you. i figured that i had feelings for you. i mean you wouldn't wanna hang out a girl like me so i distanced myself to not get hurt. i mean it sound cheesy when i tell this but-" this time you are the one getting cut off middle of your speech. "why would you think that i wouldn't wanna be with a girl like you? do you know how ridiculous you sound?" he questions but you just incline your head. "he pets yor head before asking "so what do you want to do at our first date girlfriend?"
you giggle and say "study, i guess we have an unfinished assignment."
author note: i think you have sent this to several people. please don't do that. if my work has any similarities with anyone else please let me know. i will gladly give credit if someone wrote something similar to this ask. and please do not do this agin and put the writer in an awkward situation. 🕴
i hope you like it~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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