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artist-issues · 5 months

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Yeah, again, you can tell that the creators of Wish wanted certain moments to be impactful and to hit as hard as any other animated Disney movie’s moments did. But they didn’t. Because there was no convincing build-up for the moments to peak on.

You can tell which moments they are.

When Asha and the King sing “At All Costs” - If you listen to the song on its own, and you have no context (which is to say, you make up the context on your own) it is moving. Because it’s a pretty-enough song with vaguely passionate lyrics, once you assign meaning to them. But the movie doesn’t build up why this song should be an impactful declaration for either Asha or Magnifico. We already knew that Magnifico made it his job to “protect” the wishes (which are the subject of the song.) Asha, on the other hand, has only just been introduced to us, and we know she “cares too much,” so we already knew she’d protect people’s wishes. The song isn’t giving us a deeper understanding of them, or a more interesting angle to look at their motivations.

But, that’s not really the problem. The problem is that the wishes are the subject of the song. And that whole concept, of wishes being tangible objects that hold the most important and beautiful part of people’s hearts, but when they’re tangible, they remove that part from the person, is bad. It’s not good to try and build a story of stolen-treasures on.

Because that’s how they’re treated. Like treasures that the king is hoarding, after manipulating the people of Rosas into giving them up. And you know what? That’s a terrible thing to sing a protective love song to.

Just think about it this way: the story is about a King who takes everyone’s favorite keepsakes (family jewels, ornaments, old photos) and promises to protect them, but in actuality…for some reason…the moment they hand the keepsakes over, they forget whatever made the keepsake important to them. And then the King and a young woman sing a heartfelt song to the photographs and old brooches about how they will love and protect the photographs and old brooches.

Do you see why this song is pretty but not impactful in the story? They shouldn’t be singing to the wishes. Even Magnifico. They should be singing to the people. The movie plays it as if that is what they’re doing—singing a heartfelt promise of protection to a person, or a people. But that’s not what they’re doing, and do you know why?

Because the people have forgotten their wishes.

By definition, the actual human beings in Rosas cannot care (believably) about the bubbles in King Magnifico’s tower. They can only vaguely care about the chance of being happier than they are now, someday, if the wish they don’t even remember is granted. And what a terrible lesson, never mind plot point.

Anyway.

I digress. The point is, for a personally-worded, vow-of-protection-song to hit the audience meaningfully, it needed to matter to the person receiving the vow. But there is no person receiving the vow. Because of the narrative and lazy concept, only Asha and Magnifico care this much about the wishes. Because the people who made them have forgotten them. (More on this when I talk about Asha’s mom.)

When Sabino’s wish is not granted - This is supposed to be like a “Tiana’s restaurant gets taken away from her when she’s outbid” moment. The character is crushed when the thing they wanted and really believed they would finally get is taken away.

Doesn’t work in Wish, though. Because of a few things, but the main two are:

The audience has no reason to believe this means so much to Sabino because he hasn’t been shown really longing for his wish to come true.

This movie avoids any vulnerable emotion in facial expressions.

When Tiana loses her chance to have her wish come true, it is also unfair—she was already promised the property, but the brokers accepted a larger offer anyway, and it’s implied to be because of racism. Similarly, everyone acts like Sabino is entitled to (“promised”) having his wish come true because he’s so old and it’s his birthday. Plus we, the audience, know that Magnifico isn’t rejecting his wish for good reasons, and that Sabino’s wish is unselfish. So it’s meant to feel unfair and sad when he doesn’t get it, but it’s not. Not like it felt with Tiana.

Not only does the lazy concept of wishes and forgetting them once they’re tangible hamstring all of this—but the fact that Sabino has had nothing but a handful of sparse lines (ones like “we don’t know for sure that I’ll get my wish granted”) to convince us that he really cares about this hamstrings it, too.

When Tiana loses her restaurant property, it’s only about 24 minutes into The Princess and the Frog, and we have already had:

1 - A song about how hard she’s worked for it. 2 - An opening scene where her relationship with her father connects the restaurant to a deeper, more personal meaning for her.

3 - Several scenes where she is shown doing drastic things to get enough money for it; her drawer full of tip money; the two jobs she works with only a minute’s sleep in between; her friends asking her to come dancing but reiterating the fact that she often loses time for fun and their good feeling toward her because “all she does is work.”

4 - We are also shown that people don’t believe she’ll get it. The cook at her job mocks her for her wish, which makes it all the more important to the audience that she gets it—to prove the jerks wrong.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the restaurant is directly tied to Tiana’s character flaw AND her strengths, at the same time, so that it’s killing two birds with one stone—we’re shown who Tiana is, and we’re convinced to empathize with her when something sad happens to her.

Sabino has zero of those things going for him. No character details or set pieces to hint to us that he wants the wish to be granted so badly—no speeches about what it means to him—no memories tied to how he began to wish for this thing—because there can’t be. Because he’s spent 82 years not wishing. Because he’s lived the majority of his life totally forgetting what he wanted. You couldn’t logically show any evidence that he wanted it that much, then, could you?

So Sabino can’t be shown caring too much about not getting his wish. Therefore the audience doesn’t care either. We’re shown a glimpse of his sad face, and Asha’s sad face, and then told, “now feel sad!” But the work wasn’t put in to make it happen.

They cut their legs out from under themselves.

Now you could say, “well it wasn’t really about Sabino’s disappointment, it was about Asha’s disappointment.”

Yeah, but that doesn’t really hold up either. I’ll explain how in the next moment-that-should’ve-made-us-feel-something failure:

When Asha’s family doesn’t believe her - This scene is very clearly supposed to be like the one where Mulan has an argument with her family about her father going to war, and knowing her place, and he yells at her and she runs out distraught.

You definitely feel for Mulan and care about how she’s feeling in this scene—you might even cringe at the part where her dad yells at her. Part of that is because the scene is so well-done—there’s the buildup of tension as the camera cuts between each family member quietly drinking their tea, refusing to talk about the day’s devastating events. Then Mulan bursts out by slamming her teacup down and starting the yelling, herself, in outrage. Her dad stays quiet and steady like he has the whole movie up till now, so then when he stands up and shouts at her, about the exact thing she has been so upset over since the Matchmaker’s, the audience really feels the impact.

You don’t feel the same way about Asha, and it’s not just because her family argument scene wasn’t done as well—it’s also not just because, as you can see above, the movie keeps tiptoeing away from emotional vulnerability in the way the characters look.

It’s mostly because there’s been no impactful buildup to this scene. Again.

When Mulan has an argument with her father, you know what it means to her to have him yell at her about doing what’s right in her own place—you’ve had the whole first few scenes of the movie to convince you of it.

Mulan is upset because she wants to find her place and she loves her father very much. But she does not, ever, say the words “I love my father so much.” She doesn’t even outright say things like that before the argument. She doesn’t say to the Matchmaker, “Won’t you please give me another chance? My father has been praying about this for weeks, and I can’t bear to disappoint him. My father is a great man; he fought for the Emperor and was wounded in the wars; for his sake, can’t you help me?”

Asha does. Asha says to King Magnifico (but really, to us, the audience) “My grandfather’s wish! It’s beautiful.” And “Your Highness, couldn’t you grant his wish?” And to her friends, and to her mother, and to her grandfather himself—over and over she just reminds us with flat, “okay-we-get-it” dialogue and exposition of what she wants.

Whereas Mulan shows us. She convinces us. She runs up to her father, in the very first scene, and we’re shown that even though she has trouble remembering what she’s supposed to say to the matchmaker—even though she has trouble remembering what time it is and getting her other chores done—with this one part of her life, her father, she can remember exactly what the doctor said about how much tea he needs to drink. And she is prepared for her own clumsiness to make sure he gets it.

And even after she doesn’t get what she wants, and is shown to be so ashamed she can’t even look at him (because that’s how much she loves him and cares what he thinks) the only thing that makes her feel better is when he carefully compares her to a late-blooming flower and basically promises that he believes in her, anyway. We know how much Mulan cares about her father because we’ve been convinced by the way the movie artfully and carefully shows it.

We also know that she cares about knowing her place, specifically because of her family’s wishes for her. So all of this combines to prove to us that having her father shout at her about knowing his place and why he’s going to die willingly is a devastating thing for her. Enough for her to run out of the house sobbing and cling to a pillar as if she can’t hold herself up.

But when Asha runs out of the house (barely sobbing, just kind of breathing fast, because there’s no vulnerability in this movie) and stumbles up to a tree in the same way, we don’t really believe something so devastating has happened to her.

Everything happened too fast. She just kept saying she cares about Sabino’s wish coming true, and that she loves him. When he explodes at her (and really out-of-nowhere asks if she wants to “break his heart”) it’s the first time he’s shown any kind of intense emotion, either toward her, or about his wish.

There is no build-up. So it just feels awkward, and kind of like a high school production where one of the kids hasn’t even been trying to act, but in one scene, he suddenly starts yelling because that’s what his character is supposed to do. And it’s just cringe because you haven’t seen that level of energy, happy or sad, good or bad, at all up until now.

And that’s a problem because it leads right into Asha’s “This Wish” song, which is supposed to be like her “Mulan riding off to war” moment. But it’s not set up well by the emotions tied to the family argument, or the emotions tied to the conflict with the King, so you don’t really care.

Moving on to the next emotional-moment failure:

When King Magnifico threatens Queen Amaya - I don’t have much to say about this one; I think you’re getting the point. When there’s nothing but bland words and one-liners spoken to convince us that the characters are thinking and feeling how they’re thinking and feeling, moments like this one just feel boring and forced. And try-hard.

Like, the lighting? The music? Fine. Good. When he points his new magic wand at her threateningly, and clearly appears ready to betray her? All that stuff is fine. It just hasn't been built up to, so it doesn’t hit.

It’s like, “that’s it?” He just says one line about, “Are you betraying me?” And she pours forth a bunch of lines like “no I’ve always believed in you and in Rosas.” And then he’s basically like “okay, I’m convinced, moving on” which of course is him already knowing that she’s betrayed him and already having a plan to trap Asha…but still. From Queen Amaya’s point of view, there’s nothing emotional here.

We’re supposed to believe they’re madly in love and that she trusts him wholeheartedly, so that when he falls to dark magic and she chooses to side with Asha it’s this big moment. But it happens so fast.

There’s no moment where Queen Amaya grieves her husband. There’s no real sense of loss, or even of impactful betrayal. The voice actress delivers every line like she’s trying and failing to feel what the character feels as she reads the lines to a 5 year-old who needs every concept spoon-fed to them.

And King Magnifico drops her like a bag of dirt instantly. No sense of loss from him, either. He’s not even condescending to her, like, for example, Mayor Lionheart was to Dawn Bellwhether in Zootopia. Or like Jafar was to Iago. All of those things would’ve made their quick severing of bonds to each other make more sense.

But we’re not shown that Queen Amaya has sensed any darkness building in her husband over the years, and is just now realizing that this is the last straw and maybe he was never the man she thought he was. She treats him like she adores him (blandly) for the whole first half of the movie. No hint of doubt. Even when he goes for the forbidden book the first time, she easily convinced him not to and then wandered away like “well, took care of that.”

When Asha’s mother loses her wish - The biggest problem with this moment is still lack of buildup, and that is because the tangible-wish forgetfulness thing is stupid as we’ve established. We don’t believe she feels grief, even when she says she does, because we don’t know this woman at all. We don’t know what she wants, or how badly she wants it—we certainly don’t feel that she’s been missing her wish.

But the other offenses are worth mentioning. When Asha’s mother’s wish is broken by Magnifico, she just…gasps. And her father-in-law says her name, and Asha yells something typical like “no!” She looks a little weak in the knees, like maybe she can’t walk for a second, so the 100 year-old man supports her.

But the cameras spend no time on how this is affecting her. The shots of the family escape in the immediate aftermath of this world-shattering thing don’t let us see Asha’s mother’s face. Not that her facial expression is that devastated, anyway. It’s just “typical sadness” expression. There’s a shot where they’re going from the house to the stolen horses and if I remember correctly, Asha’s mother has her back to the camera the whole time; I was looking at her because I was like “something devastating just happened; this is the most interesting part of the scene.” But there was nothing to see.

They could’ve had her visually turn grey. They could’ve had her go mute, stare off into space, suddenly become scarily unreachable. They could’ve had her weeping uncontrollably. They could’ve just had her go catatonic—after all, we’re supposed to believe that even the chance of having “the most beautiful part of her” returned to her heart was just destroyed. Wouldn’t that logically make a person…cold? Calloused? Unfeeling? Uncaring? But no. She’s as just keen to express concern for Asha and apologize for being wrong about Magnifico and urge Asha to keep believing in herself, passionately, as she would’ve been before. No big deal, just lost the most beautiful part of myself forever.

Doesn’t help that we never knew what the mom’s wish even was, so even we can’t miss it.

So when she gets her wish back at the end, and she’s like, “come home.” It’s just…cringey.

When Asha convinces the crowd to wish for Magnifico’s defeat - The idea of the movie is that “the power of the stars is in you because we all came from stardust, so keep wishing and working toward it even when it’s hard.” So this moment is supposed to be impactful.

But it isn’t. Because that kind of thing isn’t impactful. They literally sing a song, glow, and Magnifico is defeated. Even if we were supposed to believe Star was dead, and this is bringing him back like Tinkerbell coming back to life, it’s still not impactful. Because one, it happens way too fast. And no character really emotes about it, like Peter did when he thought Tink was dead.

Two, that hasn’t been the point of the whole movie; the main character never had trouble believing that she was powerful enough to enact change. She barely doubted her own wish. If they wanted us to be excited that she could win based on the stardust in her heart, and in the kingdom’s hearts, alone, then they should’ve given us several scenes where it’s like “Asha is relying too much on Star’s power.”

But no, doubt and disbelief and reliance were never character flaws of hers for this moment to overcome. She doesn’t really have any character flaws, let’s be honest.

Even if you want to say “well sure, Asha didn’t doubt her own power, but the kingdom did! Otherwise, why would it’s citizens have put so much reliance on King Magnifico?” Okay, that’s nice, but 1) that is never solidly or impactfully alluded to in the story, beyond jokes about how handsome they think the king is and the literal plot point of trusting him with their wishes. And 2) having a whole kingdom of background characters believe something false and then get their minds changed in a split second is not nearly as impactful as having the main character’s mind changed first—and then she passes that knowledge on to them.

Like Judy Hopps learning to try to understand Nick, then encouraging all of Zootopia to try and understand each other. Like literally any good story where a whole kingdom needs to realize something.

Also it is never a good idea to defeat your villain just by singing about how you want to defeat your villain. Nobody should have to tell Disney that. They wrote the book on this.

But this movie was made by a company that no longer knows itself.

I could say more, like about the moment where Asha supposedly is at her lowest, or the part where Star “leaves,” or when her friends work together, or the “Knowing What I Know Now” song, but it’s all the same problems.

#Wish #Disney’s wish #character analysis #meta #Mulan #Disney’s Mulan #Disney #wish Disney #wish movie #animated movies #spoilers #review #Valentino #Asha #ariana debose #Disney’s the princess and the frog #the princess and the frog #Tiana

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chiiyuuvv · 1 month

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"My Sunshine" ☀ p. hunter

hunter cheers you out of your sad mood

classmate!friend!hunter x fem!reader 0.7k words requested! angsty story but happy ending and important message!

▸ 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺?

Hunter knew something was off when you came to greet him after school. Sure, there was a big smile plastered onto your face, but something about it didn’t feel genuine. Maybe, it was the way you lazily waved your hand, or the way your eyes lost it’s color, sprayed with a dead gray that made everything seem gloomy. But you were never gloomy. You were like those female leads on an animated Disney movie, so bright and cheerful that you could befriend a squirrel if you truly wanted to. You were never down in the dumps, instead you helped other people get out of their sad time, hunter included. Maybe that’s why he felt like he could tell you anything without any judgment, your personality a custom key to his heart. Maybe that's why Hunter felt anxious to know why you didn’t seem like yourself.

Sitting yourself on the bench beside the worried boy, you try to ignore the way he looks at you, almost like a concerned mother when their baby is hurt in any type of way, shape or form. Awkward silence roams the air as you didn’t say you’re usual, cheery ‘Hi!’, instead your head down as you play with your fingers to ease the tension. “Is everything alright?” Hunter was first to start the conversation, turning his eyes from your body so you wouldn’t feel pressured by his gaze.

“Yeah.. yeah, just tired.” You lied in between your teeth. Something was obviously wrong, but you felt stupid for speaking out about it, embarrassed you could even feel this way.

“Are you sure..?” His voice suggested something more, like he was trying to get you out of your newfound shell, but it doesn’t work, to his dismay. So he gives a small nod while leaning his head against the iron of the bench. How could he get you to talk? He ponders to himself, closing his eyes for a few moments when the idea finally pops into his brain. “I could.. Y’know.. Buy that drink that you always wanted, if you tell me the truth.”

Your gaze immediately snaps to the boy that just shrugs, a small chuckle leaving your lips at how playful the boy had seemed. “But I feel stupid.”

“Say it, what’s the worst that can happen? There’s barely anyone here, anyways.” he encourages, nudging your shoulder while trying to get that precious smile of yours back on your lips.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Say it.”

“Am I annoying?” a sad chuckle leaves your lips, feeling the sting of your eyes as they water, but you try to blink it away in return. “It’s just that, I’m always happy, even when I shouldn’t be. Your grandma could have died yet I'd still be Miss. Grinny Pants that can’t take anything seriously.” Your hands drop down in defeat, a small snuffle leaving your nose as you wipe it against your sleeve. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so happy..” Your words were more so for yourself to hear, your own thoughts about the situation, but a gasp leaves your lips when Hunter suddenly grabs your wrists, a shouted ‘NO!’ leaving his lips without a thought.

“No..” he says again, calmly this time, relaxing his hold on your wrists. “No. There’s nothing wrong with finding the bright side to a dark situation.”

“But your grandma could have died–”

“Let me finish!!” Hunter cuts you off, waving his giant hand in your face as you frown. “You helped me, us, smile more. You help us find the joy in something that ultimately wants to make us cry. Sure, you shouldn’t be grinning when someone’s grandma dies..” he stops when he hears your giggle. “..but there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a little positive, don’t you think? And your feelings are never stupid or dumb. Whatever you’re feeling is okay because you’re human that needs to feel, yeah?” A smile tugs at his lips when he sees you smile, but it wasn’t the same, forced smile from earlier. No, it was real, and it was beautiful.

Hunter’s chin rests on the top of your head as he pulls you into a hug. “My Sunshine..” his eyes crinkle at your giggle, before patting your back. “Now let’s go get that drink now, shall we?”

︴bonus! reminder that it is okay to feel happy/sad/mad/whatever you're feeling because it's completely valid! You shouldn't have to feel pressured to feel anything because after all it is you that is feeling it, no one else is <3 credit: @marw-lilia for helping me with the plot

▸ taglist 🎧 @hyunukitty , @cake1box , @mars101 , @wonootnoot , @pinievsev , @yuniniverse , @hunchan444 , @s00buwu , @cherrycolaberry

🎬 navi

@chiiyuuvv on tumblr . do not steal works/headers/line dividers

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pimosworld · 9 months

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The story of us chapter 5

Triple frontier boys x f!reader

Summary- Set before you and the boys are officially together and how you came to be.

Chapter summary- Frankie takes you flying and your relationship to new heights.

CW- 18+,MDNI, to avoid spoilers I will be posting a link for warnings. Link

WK-6k

Notes- See story Masterlist for full chapter notes. This chapter was so fun to write, my first time writing a solo Frankie. He starts off shy but quickly gains his confidence.

Not beta read

[Series Masterlist] [Main Masterlist]

Chapter V Flying without Falling

————————————

11:54 pm

Frankie can’t sleep as he lies awake staring at the ceiling fan. Every creak and noise the house makes has him on edge. He shouldn’t care this much but it’s starting to get under his skin and root itself deep somewhere he dare not explore. Before he can fully run away with his intrusive thoughts he hears the front door open and close. He breathes a sigh of relief knowing Benny actually came home after your date.

Maybe Santi was right,he shouldn’t be this jealous of his best friends going on a date. But jealousy doesn’t seem like the right word either, he wants to be included, he couldn’t possibly go on as a spectator if you decided to have a relationship. It’s entirely too late for all these thoughts and he’s getting way ahead of himself.

He would call you normally when his thoughts ran wild. Why would now be any different? The only difference now is that he knows you’ll pick up. Over the last several months that certainly wasn’t the case. Before he can second guess himself he picks up his phone and calls you.

****

You’re seated on your couch staring at the blank screen of the tv replaying the night in your head. You really should go wash your face and get some sleep but you can’t stop thinking about that kiss. You can’t stop thinking about everything he did for you. The feeling was so alien being treated as if you were a Disney princess. Ben was always sweet but this was a side of him you’ve never seen. You could definitely get used to it.

Incoming call Francisco

“Hey Frankie, is everything okay?” Your voice is laced with concern at this late hour he’s calling.

“Ugh…ya I’m sorry I called so late.” I just wanted to hear your voice. “I just needed to talk to you about something.”

“Okay.” At midnight? You wait patiently for his response.

“So how was your date?” Jesus Francisco you just couldn’t help yourself. He thinks you're silent for a little too long, maybe he can just hang up and pretend this never happened.

“It was really nice actually, but is that why you called?” You don’t want to give too many details, it just seems odd to talk about with him right now.

“No…I guess I should just spit it out. I got my license back and I start in a few days but I’m nervous.” He has to hold the phone away from his ear before he goes deaf at your excited squeal.

“Frankie, that's amazing, how come you didn’t tell us yesterday?” You can hear indistinct rustling on the other end.

“I didn’t think it was appropriate with everything going on…last night didn’t exactly scream tell everyone your good news.”

“That’s sweet of you but I would’ve genuinely been excited with all the drama that went on. Life doesn’t revolve around me and my shitty dating life.” It kind of pains you that he put off such a happy announcement to not take attention off you. You know how hard he’s been working to get his license back and this means everything to him. Losing his license was like stripping his identity from him.

“Listen hermosa, I know it’s last minute but I remember you saying you have tomorrow off…would you be willing to be my first passenger. I don’t want to be rusty in front of the clients on my first day.” He knows you know he’s full of shit. He is the most competent pilot and there’s no way he’s rusty. You’ve seen him in the deadliest situations somehow be cool, calm and collected.

“Of course Frankie, I would love to.” You’re certain he doesn’t need any practice but you decide to play along, it’s adorable when he’s nervous.

“Meet me at our house around noon and I’ll drive us to the site.”

“That sounds like a plan…you should get some sleep if you’re gonna be flying us safely tomorrow.” A little teasing goes a long way with him and you just can’t help yourself.

“Very funny, I’ll see you tomorrow Honey good night.”

“Goodnight Francisco.”

Sleep would not come easily for either of you that night.

****

Frankie’s not sure how much sleep he got last night, tossing and turning thinking about you. Trying not to think about how his life ended up the way it did. It was hard not to be in his head about his setbacks and inadequacies. He’s a grown man living with his two best friends. He should be able to afford a place on his own and be more independent, but he managed to fuck that up with this coke charge and losing his license.

He really needed to relax and not let his thoughts run away with him. It wouldn’t be any help today.

He rolls out of bed suddenly more aware of every ache and pain in his body, it’s hard to say when he noticed himself getting older. He’s been ready for some time to settle down but had all but given up on finding something worthwhile.

He pads down the hallway already hearing the clanking of dishes and the strong smell of coffee.

He enters the kitchen to see the two fit shirtless blondes, one more thing to be insecure about.

“Mornin’ Fish.” Will looks up at him from his seat at the table. Frankie gives him a half smile as he slides into the seat across from him.

“Rough night?” You could say that

“Ya, didn’t sleep much. I was up worried about today.”

“What’s happening today?” Benny joins at the table sliding a cup of coffee to him. He scrubs a hand behind his neck deciding what approach to take with the news.

“Well I’m flying today. I got my license back.” Will looks up from his phone wide eyed as Benny jumps up nearly knocking the table over.

“Holy shit man that’s amazing, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was afraid it might not happen so I wanted to wait…I found out Friday and ugh Saturday didn’t seem like the right time to mention it.” Ben and Will exchange glances, neither of them needing to say why.

“So you start today,what’s your schedule like?” Will stands from the table to refill his coffee.

“No…I start tomorrow. I’m taking Honey up today to practice.” Lies

“Bullshit.” Ben leans back in his chair crossing his arms as Will tries to contain his laughter. Frankie mimics Ben's posture as he stares him down.

“You and I both know you don’t need practice.I do have to admit though, a helicopter is a nice move.”

Frankie relaxes a little at the teasing Ben gives him. The younger man is obviously not bothered by it, he almost seems happy for him.

“We’ll Benjamin we can’t all have rock hard abs, some of us have to pull out other means of flattery.”

“Well Fish I’m happy for you and I hope you enjoy your date.” There’s no tone of sarcasm or anything to suggest that he’s lying.

Will stands there in awe and shock at the absurdity of it all. How could they possibly be this chill about dating the same woman let alone you?

“Speaking of dates, how was yours?” He raises an eyebrow at him playfully.

“I know you’ve been dying to ask. It was great, we saw a movie and went to the diner for burgers and shakes and then I dropped her off at home.” He’s not sure if he should include the last part. The conversations have been going well so far.

“What a modern day romance and you even had her home by curfew.” Ben flips him off as he stands from the table.

“I was gonna let you off easy but since you want to tease, I did get a good night kiss.” Will grabs his chest in fake shock.

“Good for you bud.” Frankie pays him on the shoulder as he stands. He can’t help but grin thinking about what he heard when you were in the shower. A sudden burst of confidence flows through his veins.

“As much as I’d love to watch this sad pissing contest, we need to get to the gym Ben.”

“Alright coach.” He pulls Frankie into a hug before heading down the hallway. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He calls out from over his shoulder.

Will just rolls his eyes as Frankie retreats back to his room on the opposite end of the house.

Maybe this could work out after all.

****

Here you are again, tossing clothes about your room undecided on what to wear. This is supposed to be a casual day with Frankie and you can’t seem to get your head on straight. Let’s not add to the fact that you can’t be late.

It’s a beautiful sunny day in Florida so you decide to throw on some jean shorts, your army tank top and some black slip on vans. There’s no time to overthink this as you run out to the door to head to their house. You left yourself enough time to stop and grab something for Frankie, you were technically celebrating getting his license back and you wanted to surprise him.

You pull up to the pristine suburban home they all share, you know Will had every attention to detail to keep the Miller family home in great condition. You have a slight panic when you see that Ben's truck is still in the driveway, you weren’t quite ready to confront what it is you were doing. To be honest you weren’t entirely sure if you knew yourself.

Frankie sees you pull up, he’s been pacing around the living room unable to relax. The excited nervous energy coursing through his veins at the thought of flying again and seeing you.

You can see Frankie leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed, he has a well fitted black shirt and blue jeans with his signature cap on. He’s just smiling at you as you make your way up the path to their house.

“I’m not that late am I?” You’re swinging the small gift bag back and forth on your finger as you hold it out to him.

“No but I saw you pull up and got excited.” He’s practically beaming at you. The happiest you’ve seen him in a long time. “I hope whatever’s in that bag is not for me.”

“You’ll just have to open it and find out.” He grabs the bag from you slowly peeking inside, a medium size black box reveals some brand new aviator sunglasses.

“You didn’t have to do this.” You can hear the slight quiver in his voice and you’re so happy with your choice.

“I’m getting a free tour in the sky, it’s the least I could do.” He pulls you into a tight hug and you inhale his fresh woodsy scent, you recognize it as the body wash you bought him because you insisted he stop using the 3in1 crap that Ben used.

You’re standing in the doorway, neither of you wanting to break the hug, you lightly scratch your nails as you rub his back and a low growl emits from his chest on your cheek.

“We need to go before I change my mind.” He grabs your hand and places a kiss on your fingers before turning around to lock up.

Ben must not be home, thankfully you can deal with that later and just enjoy your afternoon with the old Frankie who seems to be making an appearance.

Frankie jogs ahead of you when you head towards his truck to open the door, he already has his sunglasses on and you curse under your breath a little at the sight. You’ve inadvertently made this day even harder for yourself now that you have to try not to ogle him, but the way his muscles flex in his shirt and the way his jeans are fitting you find your resolve breaking little by little.

You hop in the front seat and just before he closes the door he stops and stares at you. “I forgot to tell you how good you look today.” Fuck you’re not gonna make it.

The ride to the airfield is mostly spent in comfortable silence as you both trade glances at each other, it was so easy with him to just be. No expectations or insecurities. You often wondered how women didn’t realize what a catch he was, you’re glad in this moment no one has stuck around long enough to see what a massive failure it was to let this man go.

****

You were making it so hard for him to focus as you made your way to the chopper he was using for the day. The army tank top and short shorts doing nothing to hide your curves.

He could tell you were carrying yourself differently than the other day. A part of him was grateful for your date with Benny that seemed to bring some peace to your otherwise chaotic weekend.

A helicopter used to bring the sight of hell for the both of you, going on missions unsure if you would make it out alive, but now the way you turn and smile at him, practically bouncing with excited energy he thinks it may be heaven.

“We’ll see if I remember how to fly one of these.” You can almost see the faint wink behind his aviators as he holds the door open for you and you climb into the comfy leather seat. He buckles you in tugging on the straps to make sure they’re secure. He’s desperately trying to keep this as professional as possible but he sees the way you’re looking at him and he just wants to lean in and kiss you. He tears himself away closing the door behind him before he loses all form of concentration.

You wanted him too, and he almost did but you know he needs to focus. Even though he’s flown much larger aircrafts than this countless times, he still doesn’t want to jeopardize his second chance at life. And if you’re correct about your assumption there would be plenty of time for that.

“You know I have strapped myself in a few times.” He’s focused on the task at hand but you can see him smirking as he flips to switches and waits for the all clear to take off.

“I know you have hermosa but I’m supposed to be practicing so just pretend you’re a passenger.

What is it with these boys and pretending? You’ll play along since it worked out in your benefit the last time.

He hands you a headset before doing a final once over and you can feel that familiar drop in your stomach as you lift up. The thrum of the blades all you can hear at the moment. He always made it look so easy and he’s all but confirmed how little practice he actually needed.

Something about finally being in the sky again has his confidence soaring. He can feel it in his bones, the man he used to be trying to make an appearance. He’s trying to focus but he can’t stop looking at the way you smile when you see something you like. He misses seeing you like this, happy to be in the air. Although he doesn’t miss the reasons why you used to be in a helicopter.

You’re trying to take in the sights, but you can’t help but stare at Frankie. The way he’s controlling this massive machine with ease. You can see it in the way he relaxes. His shoulders seem less tense. That smile you loved so much has returned without the slight underlying sadness. It’s intoxicating seeing him like this.

“I missed seeing you in that seat next to me.” He glances over in enough time to notice you smile to yourself.

You fly for a while just taking in the sight below, this was a version of your city you’ve never seen before and it’s truly mesmerizing. It breaks your heart knowing what he had to go through to get back to this place. Everyone has dealt with their demons in their own way. His demons almost took the most important things in his life away from him.

He doesn’t think he’s been this happy flying, seeing your face light up when you spot something you recognize or the fact that you so willingly agreed to come with him and make this day as special as possible.

“You’re pretty good with your hands Mr. Morales.” He raises an eyebrow at you wondering if the altitude has gone to your head. He needs to be safely on the ground if you’re going to call him that again.

“I’m a pretend passenger, remember.”

“My real passenger is an 80 year old man, I hope he doesn’t comment on how good I am with my hands.” You snort into the headset before erupting into full blown laughter and there it is again, that laugh that would bring any man to his knees.

“You mean to tell me you’ve never flirted with a passenger?” He glances at you nervously playing with your straps over your chest as you look out below.

“There was one time.”

“Well I hope it ended well for you.” You can see you’re almost back to the airfield and your heart drops a little at the day coming to an end.

Let’s hope it does end well for me.

****

“So,what are your plans for the rest of the day?” He didn’t want to assume as he awaits your answer, suddenly so focused on the road as you make your way back to their house.

“I don’t have anything planned, I wasn’t sure if you had things you needed to take care of for tomorrow?” He looks a little confused and you can’t help but laugh at the deep crease in his brow.

“You know your first day back at work.”

“Oh, everything is all squared away. Although I was hoping you might want to stay a little while, I can make us lunch.” He sounds a little timid again but when you grab his hand not placed on the steering wheel and kiss his palm all his worries are washed away.

“I would say these hands have done enough today but I would be stupid if I said no to anything you cook.” He has other plans for you and his hands but he needs to focus on one thing at a time first lunch.

He already had a full plan for lunch that would’ve turned into Will and Bennys dinner if you decided not to stay. The conversation flowed easy as you both enjoyed grilled shrimp tacos and homemade ceviche. You hadn’t spent this much time together in months, it seemed you had a lot to catch up on.

You both confided in each other, it was so easy to talk about life and issues without being judged. The more Mike pulled you away left a gaping hole in both of your lives. You couldn’t possibly go back to that again.

Frankie’s washing the dishes, your plates having been completely cleared and has to stop what he’s doing at the sound of your obscenely loud yawn. He can’t help but laugh at your wide eyed expression, you obviously just as surprised by it as he was.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so content after that meal and honestly I got no sleep last night.” He dries his hands and makes his way over to you seated at the kitchen island. A mischievous glint in his eye.

“I have a bizarre request and you can say no if you want to. Seeing as though we both got zero sleep last night, do you want to take a nap?”

“Yes!” You groan internally at your enthusiastic response.

He had a surge of confidence at your response as he got impossibly closer, stepping between your legs as he rubbed his hands up and down your thighs in a soothing motion. He leans in and you close your eyes bracing yourself for a kiss when you suddenly feel his lips brush your ear.

“Bed or couch?” You’re not certain you can breathe with the way his voice drops to a low register. His hands are like fire on your exposed thighs so close to where you want him to touch you.

“Couch?” It comes out in a breathy whisper as you attempt to clear your throat. “I think the couch is safer.”

He hasn’t so much as moved an inch and with his close proximity you’re afraid he can hear your heart beating out of your chest.

“Couch it is, but I’m not sure if it’s safer.” He takes your hand and guides you off the stool and it feels like you’re floating as you make your way to the living room. He sits in the corner, defaulting to his favorite spot despite having a choice of anywhere. He practically pulls you down with him as you settle in facing him with your head resting on his extended arm. Many a movie night you’ve fallen asleep in this exact position, but this feels different.

He pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to cover you as sleep already threatens to claim you. The sound of his steady heartbeat and the smell that you could only describe as him lulling you to sleep.

He doesn’t even think you realize you’re rubbing his back as you muzzle deeper into his chest, the feeling so domestic it makes his chest hurt a little. It’s like a knot that’s formed over time trying to loosen itself the further into sleep he goes. He only remembers the smell of your shampoo and your slow breaths before exhaustion takes him under.

****

The house is quiet…so quiet that he knows Ben and Will definitely aren’t home yet. The sun is still up but casting the orange hue that tells him it’s late in the afternoon. He doesn’t want to move too much because you’re still sleeping so peacefully. He is aware however that you have moved in your sleep, draping your leg over him like he’s a human body pillow.

Perhaps it’s a wicked Pavlovian response that his body betrays him in the moment as you're pinned against him. He’s growing harder in his jeans and every attempt to move you only causes you to stir further, involuntarily grinding your hips into him in a steady slow motion.

You’re having that dream again but this time it feels so real, too real as you feel the hard press of Frankie’s cock against your core. This time when you wake it’s not like a bucket of cold water being thrown on you. It’s softer, more intentional.

“Honey….honey?” It’s a little disorienting, but you can still smell him and see the light coming through the windows. You must not have slept for very long. You can feel his thumb tracing lines across your cheek and slowly register him saying your name. The sensation you were feeling in your dream hasn’t dissipated and you don’t dare look down as your haze begins to lift.

“I think you were having a dream.” His sleepy voice barely above a whisper. “You kept saying my name.” It seems you’re both in a predicament, him more so than you since he’s not actually in your head and you can feel evidently what’s pressed against you.

You hope maybe a change in subject will make him drop it or at the very least get the hint. It didn’t seem like the appropriate time to tell him that you can’t stop having sex dreams about your best friends.

“You know…you didn’t seem like you needed any practice today.” You shift on the couch to look up at him.

“Maybe I told a little white lie.” He’s staring at you, a question hanging in the air of do you want this? He hasn’t moved his hand from your face as he slowly tilts it up further and leans in for a tender kiss. He’s been waiting all day, resisting the urge to kiss you the moment he opened his gift.

He’s waiting for you to pull away or say you don’t want this but that moment never comes as the soft kiss turns into a fight to get impossibly closer. His patience wore thin at the way you were saying his name in your sleep. Your hands are in his hair as he deepens this kiss, both of you trading moans in between breathing. He grips the thigh that’s slung over his hip as he pins you beneath him, the heavy comfortable weight of him grinding you into the couch.

You hate your brain for making you aware of your dry humping session being in the shared residence of the man you were also dating?

“Wait…wait, I have a confession.” He stops suddenly hoping he hadn’t totally fucked this up by going to far. The moment feels like an eternity as he lets you catch your breath.

“I kissed Benny.” You’re bracing yourself for the moment he rolls off you and asks you to leave but he drops his head to your shoulder as he chuckles in your ear.

“Well just consider it even, since I’ve kissed Benny too.” Oh now he wants to make jokes.

“Yes I’m aware but it wasn’t less than 24 hours ago.” He raises an eyebrow at you and you silently curse yourself for assuming. “Unless it was…”

“I’m just kidding, I had to mess with you a little.” You swat his chest playfully and breathe a sigh of relief. “Let’s just say Benny and I have come to a friendly agreement.

You’re not entirely sure what that means but you couldn’t care less as long as they know what’s going on even if you didn’t.

You try to pull him towards you again but he braces his right arm beside your head to stay upright, his left hand not having left your thigh throughout the interaction.

“I suppose if we’re being honest…I have a confession.” His tongue peeks out on his bottom lip as he mulls over how to approach, he has no idea how tempting it looks.

“I was going to wake you up yesterday but you were already in the shower.” Your throat is suddenly dry and your shoulders tense. “ I thought you were crying so I hesitated and then…I heard you say my name.”

There was no playing this off, not like your dream where he knew you were sleeping. This was perhaps the most mortified you’ve ever been. You wish you were anywhere but pinned under his literal and figurative gaze.

“I can explain.” No you can’t

“Tell me.” You try to move out from underneath him but he doesn’t budge.

“Frankie this isn’t fair.”

“No hermosa, you know what’s not fair.” His hand is slowly making its way up your thigh and your breathing is ragged.

“You had to take care of yourself when the hands you wanted to touch you were just on the other side of the door.” You don’t know when you lost control of the situation but here you are, stuck under him. He’s waiting for you to tell him to stop but your body has other plans and your lips won’t move.

“Now tell me.” It’s not a question and this side of him has you faltering.

“Tell you what?” He leans down to kiss your lips but pulls away just as fast.

“What you were doing when you said my name.” He can’t be serious

He’s searching your eyes for any sign you want this to stop but all he finds are your lust blown pupils. He decides upon seeing your excitement to try a different approach.

“Show me.” He waits to see if he made the right choice and you slowly move your hand from around his neck. No one has ever made you this nervous and excited at the same time. His confidence awakened something in you that you didn’t know existed. You slowly start to unbutton your shorts, never breaking eye contact. You can see his chest rising and falling, his resolve breaking a little spurring you on.

You dip your hand under the waistband of your lace panties, thanking yourself for being a little too optimistic about where the afternoon might lead. His eyes trail down your front as he battles with watching your face and watching where your hand has disappeared. He shifts to the side to give you room as you slowly circle your clit with your middle finger. A small whimper escapes your lips and any embarrassment has been replaced with chasing this high.

You drag your finger through your slit as you dip a finger in trying to reach that spot at this awkward angle, you whine in frustration because your fingers aren’t enough with the way he’s been subtly working you up all afternoon.

He grabs your wrist and gently pulls your hand out of your shorts, you're wrapped in his every movement as he brings your fingers to his mouth to lick and suck every last drop from them.

“Let me show you.” His hands seem so much larger than yours as they make their way down your breast and across your abdomen, his trail painstakingly slow but you wouldn’t dare rush this moment.

He dips his hand into your shorts, dragging his fingers across your soft lace panties. “Frankie please…” You're hanging on by a thread and you need him to stop teasing you.

“You’re so sensitive, I’ve barely touched you.” You’re having deja because he’s said that before…or was that your dream. He dips one finger into your entrance as you arch your back. It’s too much and not enough as if he senses your frustration he plunges a second finger in slowly pumping in and out.

You drop your head onto the pillow as you softly moan his name. You can feel his cock grinding into your hip as he picks up the pace. He swallows your moans with his lips on yours. His name has never sounded sweeter than it does now as you chant his name. You’re ratcheted too tight as you feel the coil build, his fingers press down on the soft bundle of nerves and your toes curl in a blinding orgasm. You’re not sure when you gripped his hair like a lifeline as you slowly untangle your fingers while you come down from your high.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way you said my name.” He’s placing soft kisses on your neck as he removes his hand, you’re suddenly feeling a little bold as you can feel how patient he was being. You palm his bulge through his jeans and he bucks his hip, groaning your name.

The sound of car doors slamming have you both looking at each other wide eyed. He grabs your hand and places it around his waist. “I need you to pretend to be asleep.” You open your mouth to speak but he shushes you with a kiss as he flings the blanket back over you both. Your pants are still unbuckled and he’s still very hard but right now as the keys jingle in the door you figure you can deal with it later.

The front door opens and you bury your face into his chest to hide your laughter at having to pretend once again. Ben’s yelling about something per usual as you hear Will shush him.

“Awww they look so peaceful.” You can feel Frankie squeeze your hip and it’s taking everything to calm your breathing. His chest is rising and falling steadily as he squeaks out a fake snore. He may seem peaceful but you can feel his rapid heartbeat against your cheek.

You hear footsteps getting further away and voices trailing as they make their way to the kitchen. Frankie can hear the fridge open and close and the sound of the water in the sink running.

“Can you button your shorts without moving too much?” He whispers into your temple. You nod your head as you slowly move your hand down to button them again, you try your best to avoid his problem that seems to be less obvious. When you’re finally decent you sit up peeking over the back of the couch. You signal for him to sit up and he hears footsteps approaching. He raises his arms above his head dramatically, stretching as you do your best-I just woke up eyes. It’s all ridiculously hilarious

“Good evening sleepyheads.” Ben plops down next to you on the couch and you sit up fully now in the middle of both men.

“Do you ugh…want some water?” Frankie’s standing to stretch now, his little belly exposed as his shirt lifts and you notice he’s still got a slight bulge but nothing that couldn’t be explained by how close you were sleeping.

“Yes please.” Your voice is a little hoarse from your nap or moaning Frankie’s name for too long.

He leaves you two on the couch and heads to the kitchen as Benny pulls you into his side and places a kiss on your temple. This has to be a record for times getting deja vu in one day.

“How was your date?” So they must’ve come to an agreement like Frankie said because he just called it a date without any malice in his tone. Just genuine curiosity and care.

“It was great actually.” Frankie returns with your water and sits back down next to you on the opposite side. He doesn’t seem bothered at all by you cuddling up with Ben and it’s bizarre territory you’re wading into.

“Well I hope you showed our girl a good time.” You’re sputtering your water as Frankie hides his amused face behind his hand. Ben is patting your back as Will enters the living room with beers in hand.

“Are you okay?” He hands the beers around as he tries to offer you one but you wave him off.

“I’m fine…but I really should be going. I have work early tomorrow and I really should get some sleep.” You all stand from the couch unsure of how to say goodbye.

Frankie pulls you into a hug and places a kiss on your forehead. “At least you got a nap today.” He winks at you and you pinch his side knowing he can’t make a sound.

“Don’t hog her, she was with you all day.” Ben picks you up as you yelp, he couldn’t resist that sound. He carefully sets you down and leans in to kiss your cheek.

You turn to see Will in the loveseat sipping his beer with an amused smirk on his face. “I swear to god Will.” He holds his hands up in mock surrender as both men are snickering beside you.

“I didn’t say anything sweetheart.” You make your way towards the door to grab your bag off the hook and you can feel all eyes on you. “ I’ll see you Friday to fix that hole in your wall.”

“Will…”

“Don’t argue with him, it'll only make your life harder.” Ben knows his brother all too well so you decide to take his advice and drop it.

“Fine, I’ll call you later.”

“Okay.” They all say in unison and erupt in laughter.

As you close the door behind you still hearing the faint sounds of your boys you realize how completely and utterly fucked you truly are.

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luvtak · 9 months

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of weepy afternoons, lhc

❀ pairing lee haechan x afab!reader

❀ tw/genre est. relationship, super fluff, domestic, crying, reader’s on their period, reader is referred to as ‘girl’ a couple times and her cheeks are described to be red once :/, criminal amount of references to the movie enchanted

❀ a/n i wrote this in like an hour so it could be real rough haha, inspired by my very real need to watch enchanted when im on my period. i wrote this with this couple in mind <3 hope you enjoy it and happy august!!

❀ w/c 1058

When Haechan got home, he didn’t expect you to look so sad. There are so many ways he can envision your welcome, anywhere from loud laughing to big bear hugs, but he would never expect you to be bent over and shaking.

When he left this morning, you were buzzing with energy, telling him about all your plans for the day and how excited you were for him to be back with you. Now, you were sat on the couch sniffling into a throw pillow—making no moves to acknowledge his arrival, shoulders shaking with your cries. In the back of his mind, he can hear the TV slowly letting out noise, but with your crushed look, eyes finally raising to meet his he ignores it, and slowly approaches, as if you were a wounded animal: and you might as well be with your glossy eyes and red cheeks, you look so small: his usually tough girl tiny by comparison.

“What’s wrong, honey? He asks when he finally gets to you, lowering himself to be eye level with you, “What happened, huh?” His head is turning like a confused puppy, looking at you with so much worry and affection you can’t help but cry more. You cry because he’s home and you missed him, you cry because the house is a mess and you promised you’d clean up, but most of all you cry because he’s being dumb and it’s obvious why you’re upset (or so you think).

“I—I don’t know, just my heart hurts for them you know?” Your voice is scratchy, showing him that you really must have been breaking down for quite a while. He wonders who you’re talking about, if he’s forgetting something about one of your friends or wasn’t listening when you told him something important, but nothing comes to mind.

“Who, baby? Who’s hurting?” At his confusion all you feel is annoyance, it’s obvious whose hurting, it would be right in front of his face if he just looked.

“Them! Hyuck look at the TV! this is so sad, they’re just so in love, but they can’t be.” And he does look, but all he sees is Enchanted playing on the television. Combined with your sobs is the soft playing of ‘So close’ as Giselle and Robert dance around the ballroom—and suddenly everything begins to make sense.

From the very beginning of your relationship, every time you’ve gotten your period you’ve been drawn to Enchanted like a moth to a flame. Needing to watch the love story and cry your eyes out, as he has to unfortunately watch. He can’t count how many times you’ve sadly announced it’s your time of the month and then promptly turned on the movie.

While he could be annoyed or bitter at the constant playing of sing-alongs, all he feels is endeared, so he quickly cuddles into your shaking figure. Hugging you with both arms and legs like a koala, hoping that his affection will somehow cure your blues. He gives you a series of wet kisses, laughing and cooing at how sweet you are to be a grown girl and still crying at Disney films.

“Oh, my baby, why didn’t you call me earlier? I would’ve come home to you.” And you know he’s telling the truth, if he had even a whiff of you being sad and alone and hurting, he would’ve rushed back with ice cream and flowers galore. He knows millions of people go through this every month, but he can’t stomach the thought of his Honey in pain—all alone with nothing and nobody but Disney plus to comfort you.

“I didn’t want to bother you, you’re so busy and I can watch this all by myself.” You’re putting on a front, looking bravely at him even as the tears flow freely from your eyes. Inside, you know that half the reason you’re crying is because you missed him. Usually, he’d be there to sit with you, laughing and cuddling you at all the right times, and if you were lucky and he was in a good mood he’d sing along to the music like a lullaby.

However, you understand he is a busy boy—his schedule filled up with several commitments that he can’t just walk out on, even if he would. There’s too many people relying on him, and you can’t call him every time your tummy hurts, and your hormones go crazy (even if the hurt feels like a knife repeatedly stabbing you all over your lower body and then laughing at you).

“My silly silly girl, I’m never too busy for you. I know I can’t do much but I’m sure cuddling you and remembering to bring you your pain killers is enough, right?” and it is. There’s something so lovely about him, even if it’s the bare minimum. Your boyfriend never shies away from these conversations, he thinks it’s important that he knows and appreciates everything about you. Even if he can’t fully understand—especially if he can’t understand.

Donghyuck’s love language is really just being obsessed with you, knowing the ins and outs of your everyday life, and loving you more for it. As he sits with you now, he can see fully what he missed before—the telltale signs of your period running its course—the pinch in your forehead and the deep eyebags, and parts of him do feel ashamed he’s only now picking up on it.

“I’m sorry your body and your heart hurts, my honey bear, let’s start the movie over and take a nap, huh? How does that sound?” and even though your nose scrunches at his cheesy nickname, and you know the movie will just make you cry again—you look at him and agree.

He's wrapped around you, and he smiles, hoping your body will benefit from his body heat pressing into yours, smacking kisses all over your face until you’re laughing, and his gentle pecks begin to miss. And you know He’ll hold you tight all day, warming you up from the inside. He’ll tell you he loves you; he’ll tell you over and over again if it helps the pain wash away. And you know if you ask to watch Enchanted again, he’ll put it on with no complaints and sing along with you.

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fluentmoviequoter · 8 months

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Fake It 'til We Make It

A/N: I wanted to join @omgrachwrites 's 2k celebration! Congratulations on this achievement; here's to 2k more!! I hope you like this and thank you for letting me write something! I went with the "Fake Dating AU" prompt (It's not exactly an AU, but I hope it turned out okay)!

Summary: Dalton tells Chris he has a girlfriend, so he enlists some help to convince Chris it's true. He's left wondering, "What if it wasn't fake?"

Warnings: a little bit of angst, sarcasm, fluff, takes place after The Red Door (2023), Disney reference. 2k+ words.

Since Dalton closed the red door, Chris insisted on helping him “get out more.” As far as Dalton can tell, she drags him along when she wants to do something.

Chris graciously allows Dalton to accompany her to a café a few minutes from campus, then asks him to order for them while she finds a table. After placing the order, Dalton finds Chris flipping through her notebook at a corner table. Dalton sits, pulls his sketchbook out of his bag, and taps his pencil against the blank sheet as he waits for inspiration or his name to be called, whichever happens first.

“I got you a date,” Chris says, not looking up from her notes.

“What for who?” Dalton asks.

“I got you a date,” Chris repeats with a sigh. “To take to your art show.”

Dalton tries to think of a response, but his mouth moves faster than his mind as he says, “I have a girlfriend, Chris.”

Chris looks up, and Dalton fights to keep his surprise from showing.

“What? Since when?” she asks.

Dalton’s name is called, and he jumps up, thankful for an escape from the conversation. He gets in a short line to pick up his order and Chris’s, then turns around, looking directly into the prettiest eyes he has ever seen.

“Excuse me, sorry,” you say, stepping back to allow him to walk by.

“Wait. Uh, I’m Dalton. This is weird, I’m sorry. My friend tried to set me up on a date – I don’t know why I’m telling you this – but I stupidly said I have a girlfriend…”

“And now you need a fake one?” you ask, smiling.

“Yeah. Pretty much. Exactly,” Dalton stutters.

“Are you asking me?”

Dalton opens his mouth but doesn’t speak, so you raise a hand to his forearm, laughing as you lean closer.

“I’m sorry. If you are asking, I’ll absolutely help you out, Dalton. I promise to be the best fake girlfriend you’ve ever had,” you say. “I know exactly what to do. See the lanterns, get you back to the castle, and part ways as unlikely friends.”

“What?” Dalton questions.

“Disney reference. I see we have a lot of work to do,” you answer, laughing.

“Dalton?” Chris asks as she approaches. “Who’s this?” she adds, pointing to you.

You say your name, shaking Chris’s hand while your other remains on Dalton’s arm. “His girlfriend,” you add after your name.

“Oh, you’re coming to sit with us,” Chris exclaims, wrapping her arm around you and leading you to the table. “Get the food, Dolphin,” she calls over her shoulder.

When Dalton returns to the table, he pulls your chair closer to him, wondering why he thought this was a good idea. Chris knows him better than most people, and she will see right through his lies.

“Where did you two meet?” Chris asks, the beginning of her third-degree interrogation.

“Here, actually,” you answer, slipping your hand into Dalton’s as you look at him. “He came over and started talking to me. Then I made a stupid joke even though I could tell he was nervous. He was so sweet, even after that, so I knew I needed to lock him up.”

Dalton’s hand squeezes yours, a silent thank you for reading him so well and incorporating his personality to make the story believable. He answers a few questions he knows you can’t and is surprised when Chris hugs you before leaving.

“You two enjoy some time together, I’ll see you later, Dolphin,” Chris says as she stands. She looks at you and adds, “I will talk to you at the art show tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much.” Dalton sighs but doesn’t take his hand back from you. “I did not think she’d believe us.”

“Maybe we’re more believable than you think,” you say, winking at him. “But if you’re not with me tomorrow and she asks what your favorite color is or something, she’ll know I’m not really your girlfriend.”

Dalton nods. “She doesn’t know either.”

“What do we do to seem like a real couple?”

“We could stay here for a while; talk about things couples should know,” Dalton suggests, looking at your joined hands.

“Sounds good. And we’re off to a good start; I already know that you’re an artist, you don’t seem like you walk up to girls in cafés very often, and you’re handsome.”

“Can you say that one again?” Dalton asks, a teasing smile on his face.

You lean close, inches between your faces, and repeat, “You’re an artist.”

Dalton smiles and shakes his head, raising a hand to your neck. “I think we look like a real couple.”

“If only that were enough to convince Chris.”

Several hours later, when Dalton has shared more with you than anyone else, you walk out of the café together.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, boyfriend,” you say. “And don’t be nervous, everyone can see your talent.”

“Thanks,” Dalton responds. “See you tomorrow, girlfriend.”

✯✯✯✯✯

You can’t remember the last time you were this nervous. Standing outside the dorm building, you tap your thigh to get rid of some energy while you wait. The door opens, but you don’t look up until a pair of shoes stops in front of you.

“You’re wearing a suit,” you observe as you look up. “You look amazing.”

Dalton looks down, letting his hair hide his face. He extends a hand to you, pulling you closer. “You look amazing, too. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, Dalton.”

He keeps your hand in his as he leads you to the art building, talking about the pieces he has on display for the show. You hang on to his every word, nearly forgetting that this is not a date, just a favor.

The main corridor of the art building is filled with tables, and people are milling in and out of classrooms. Each room has a sign over the door with the theme and the artists displayed within.

“You made it!” Chris says as she walks to your side, looping her arm through yours. “Dolphin, your professor is looking for you.”

Dalton smiles and nods at you, letting his fingers slip from yours as he walks away.

“I can’t believe Dalton didn’t tell me he had a girlfriend. Tell me everything, I need more dirt on that dude.”

You laugh and let her lead you down the hallway as you speak. “I think he was going to introduce us tonight; he just wanted to be sure about me from what I can tell. You’re his best friend, so your opinion means something to him.”

Chris snorts before gesturing to a sign requesting silence as she enters a classroom. Crystal displays hang from the ceiling, reflecting prisms of light all around. Someone in the corner manipulates the shadows, creating different shapes as the prisms move.

A pair of hands find your waist, and you jump before recognizing Dalton’s cologne. You lean back against his chest, smiling as Chris pretends to gag. Exiting the room, Dalton asks to borrow you.

“Do I get to see your art now?” you ask excitedly, setting your hand on his where it rests on your hip.

“Yeah. Sorry I had to ditch before, someone actually wants to buy one of my pieces,” Dalton says.

“That’s amazing,! Congratulations!”

He leads you into a classroom, and you pull your hand from him as you walk past him. His art draws you in like a portal to a different world. There’s a picture of the café where you met, but it looks like it’s the only light on a dark street. Your attention is focused solely on that piece until someone clears their throat beside you.

“Hi. I am Professor Armagan. I saw you enjoying this piece, the artist will be glad to see someone enjoying it.”

“Oh, yes. I’m actually here with the artist,” you answer, smiling shyly.

“You must be the fake girlfriend. Dalton spoke with me, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” she says, patting your arm and smiling as she walks away.

Your smile and your joy fall in tandem. Part of you had hoped that Dalton was enjoying himself as much as you, and maybe he’d ask you on an actual date at the end of the night. That hope is crushed by the fact that he asked his professor to go with it.

Are you not the kind of girl Dalton goes for? Is it unbelievable to everyone but Chris? Chris seemed convinced you were a good fit, but was she lying to be nice?

You are drawn from your thoughts and growing panic as Dalton says your name, linking his fingers with yours. Looking away from the drawing, you look into his eyes quickly before looking to the floor.

“Are you okay?” Dalton asks, dropping his head to look into your eyes.

You clear your throat and shake your head before looking back at him. “I’m fine. Sorry. I really love this one.”

"I drew it after we..." Dalton begins to speak but is interrupted by someone asking if he’s the artist.

You tell him you’ll be with Chris before walking out. You walk into the next classroom, looking at the landscape paintings as your mind wanders back to Dalton.

“Hey,” Chris says as she walks in. “I did not think an art show would be this hectic.”

You laugh and nod in agreement. “I was expecting a bunch of museum types whispering about the composition, not people arguing over who gets to talk to the artist first.”

“You and me both.” Chris laughs. “Dalton has been talking to people all night, he’s going to be silent for a week. You know how he is.”

“Can’t blame him for preferring silence to people constantly telling him everything,” you say quietly.

Chris looks at you intently, and you worry she will call you out for lying about who you are to Dalton.

“You’re perfect for him. Does he talk to you every day?”

“No,” you say with a smile. “But sometimes you can learn more about someone by what they do in the silence than the words they say.”

“Attention! Thank you so much for coming. The displays will be closing in five minutes. If you are interested in buying a piece, the official sale will begin tomorrow at 7 a.m.” Professor Armagan says.

Dalton appears by your side, wrapping his arm around your waist. You lean against him without thinking, turning to face him and matching his smile.

“I’m gonna head out, my roommate mentioned a party if you want to come, Dolphin,” Chris offers.

“Hard pass. Thanks for coming, Chris,” Dalton says.

“Of course. I’ll see both of you?”

Dalton nods, but you can’t bring yourself to lie again. You and Chris could become friends, but not after you fake-dump her best friend. The crowd thins, and Dalton speaks to one of his classmates on the way out while you send up silent wishes for tonight to end differently than planned.

On a quiet sidewalk, you separate yourself from Dalton’s side and turn to face him.

“So, this is it,” Dalton says. “We made it. Thanks for being such a great fake girlfriend.”

You nod, wishing this was the beginning and not the end.

“Seriously, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“No thanks necessary. You’re a pretty good fake boyfriend and a great artist, Dalton. Let me know when your next show is, and I’ll be there. Unless Chris plans to kill me for dumping you.”

You hug him quickly, kissing his cheek as you pull back. Walking away, you feel like you just got dumped and don’t know when or if you’ll ever see the guy you’re falling for again.

Dalton doesn’t even notice how dark it is getting as he watches you walk away, willing himself to run after you. But the deal is over, and you’re walking away.

✯✯✯✯✯

It took a few days, but you managed to return to your favorite café to study. You focus on your notes, trying to keep your eyes from straying to the spot where you met Dalton, just a few feet away. The bell over the door rings, but you don’t look up from your drink and papers. Someone approaches your table and rests a hand on the empty seat beside you. Preparing to tell them to take it, you’re surprised to see Dalton standing before you.

“What if it wasn’t fake?” he asks, smiling as your face lights up.

#dalton lambert x reader #dalton lambert fic #dalton lambert imagine #dalton lambert fluff #dalton lambert #insidious #insidious the red door

127 notes · View notes

fanfictionalraven · 1 month

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Piece by Piece Pt 6

Title: Piece By Piece Pt. 6

Summary: It’s date night for Dean and the reader.

Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester Sam Winchester, Original Characters

Word Count: 4,013

Warnings: Implied smut

Author’s Note: This story was originally posted by myself under the account Winchestersgirl92. It was published in 2017.

Read Piece by Piece Pt. 5 here.

Between working at the hospital and being a single mother, you didn’t have a lot of time to be glamorous. Sure, you’d been on a few dates and even had a couple of serious relationships but they didn’t last long and your last date had been over a year and a half ago. You’d actually forgotten this dress was hanging in your closet until M.K. found it. It was a simple black dress that Lily had talked you into buying for a date you ended up cancelling at the last minute. You’d been meaning to return the dress but it slipped your mind.

“Momma, wait,” M.K. says, watching you closely. Your hand freezes. You’re leaning over the bathroom sink about to start your make-up for the night. You look over at your daughter, curious. You’re fresh out of the shower, your hair is still up in a towel and you’re only wearing your robe. You didn’t exactly have time to wait.

“What is it, M.K.?” You ask, trying to remain patient. She smiles at you sweetly.

“I don’t think you should wear a lot of make-up,” she tells you. You stand up straight now.

“No?” You ask. She smiles wider, showing off those dimples, and shakes her head.

“Daddy already thinks you’re beautiful,” she says. Your eyebrows raise in surprise.

“Did he tell you that?” You ask. She giggles and shakes her head. You nod slightly, looking back into your make-up bag. “Then how do you know?” You lean back into the mirror and she rolls her eyes.

“Because he’s got the prince look,” she says. You stop again and sigh, standing back up. You drop your powder back into the bag before lifting her up to sit on the edge of the counter.

“What’s the prince look?” You ask her. She smiles and shakes her head, like you’re asking her the silliest question she’s ever heard.

“In the Disney movies when the prince looks at the princess. Daddy looks at you like that,” she explains. You stare at her now, stunned. Clearing your throat, you look back at your make-up bag. Now that you think about it, Dean had never seen you with a lot of make-up. It didn’t matter that first night and it didn’t seem to matter now.

“Can I wear just a little bit?” You ask, looking back at your daughter. She laughs a little and nods her head.

“Just your eyes. You always make them look really pretty. And some lipstick,” she tells you. You smile widely and kiss her forehead before moving back to your make-up bag. You carefully apply your eyeliner and mascara. As you move to your lipstick, M.K. watches. “Are you nervous?”

“A little,” you admit, glancing at her. She reaches over and puts her hand on your arm, comfortingly.

“It’s just Daddy,” she says. You laugh lightly and nod.

“I guess it is. How should I do my hair?” You ask her as you pull the towel off your head.

“Like you did when we took those pictures,” she tells you. You nod again, knowing exactly what she means. Down and natural. Your phone starts to ring in the bedroom and you set M.K. down on her feet.

“Can you get that for me?” You ask. She nods and runs into the bedroom as you start to dry your damp hair out. She doesn’t come back in until you turn the blow dryer off and when she does, she has the phone to her ear.

“She’s gonna wear that black dress she bought when you went shopping together and I told her not to wear a lot of make-up cause Daddy thinks she’s beautiful and she’s going to wear her hair down like I like it,” she says into the receiver. You look over and can’t help but laugh. “It’s Aunt Lily,” she tells you. You nod and reach for the phone, tucking it between your shoulder and ear.

“Doesn’t sound like you need my help at all,” Lily says, laughing. You smile as you walk back into the bedroom.

“I know. I’ve got my own little live-in beauty consultant,” you tell her, winking at M.K. Lily laughs again. “Sweetie, I’ve gotta get dressed,” you say, nodding towards the door. M.K. nods and runs from the room, closing the door behind her. “Should I have listened to her?” You ask into the phone. You can almost hear Lily roll her eyes.

“That dress looks amazing on you. You’ve never needed to wear much make-up. And your hair always looks lovely down. She’s a smart kid,” she says. You smile to yourself and nod, slipping out of your robe.

“Okay. Thank you,” you say. You put the phone on speaker and toss it onto the bed.

“You sound nervous,” she observes. You roll your eyes now, starting to get dressed.

“You sound like M.K.,” you tell her. She laughs again and you sigh. “I’m scared to death, Lily. I knew him for one night when he was 19. What if he isn’t the same man?”

“He probably isn’t. Are you the same person you were that night?” She asks. You frown slightly as you slip into the black dress. She takes your silence as her answer and continues. “It’s just a date, Y/N. If it doesn’t work out, then at least you’ll have the answer you’ve spent the last 11 years looking for.” You sit on the edge of the bed and slip into the matching black heels.

“You’re right. Thank you, Lils,” you tell her, picking the phone back up.

“It’s what I’m here for. Now get down there before M.K. tries to break down the door,” she says. You laugh and tell her goodbye before hanging up. You take one last look in the full-length mirror on the back of your door and nod appreciatively. If you were being honest, M.K. did pretty good helping you out. You looked good.

You take a deep breath before going down the stairs. You hear laughter coming from the dining room and turn the corner. It grows quiet instantly. M.K. and Sam are sitting at the table, smiling over at you widely. Dean, in the suit he’d been wearing yesterday, is staring at you, his mouth hanging open. Apparently, you looked really good.

“Wow,” Dean says quietly. You look down, blushing now.

“Isn’t she pretty, Daddy? Like a princess,” M.K. says, smiling proudly. Dean glances at her and laughs lightly, nodding.

“Yea, she’s really pretty,” he says. You look up at M.K. now and she winks at you. You bite back a laugh then look at Dean to find he’s staring at you again.

“Ready?” You ask him. He blinks then nods and walks over, taking your hand in his. You look at Sam as Dean starts to pull your hand. “Don’t play the cool uncle and let her stay up too late or binge on candy.” Sam laughs and waves a hand at you.

“Have fun,” he says. Dean pulls on your hand again and you allow him to lead you from the room and out the front door. You follow him to the waiting Impala where he holds the door open, allowing you slide into the passenger seat. You look around and smile as he makes his way around the car. It was exactly as you remembered it. Dean gets in on his side and looks over at you. He smiles and you can tell that the memories are returning to him as well.

The drive is silent, Dean navigating the town like he’s been here his whole life. He pulls the car into the parking lot and you find yourselves in a line of other cars waiting to be parked. Your eyes widen slightly. This was the nicest place in town. You’d been brought here once and it certainly wasn’t for a first date. You look over at Dean to find he’s frowning. He glances at you and tries to smile.

“Hate valets,” he admits. For the first time, you notice just how nervous he looks and you almost laugh. You reach over carefully, placing your hand on his arm. He looks at you, curiously.

“This isn’t us,” you tell him, shaking your head. “We are not five-star restaurant people.” You see the tension release in his shoulders almost instantly.

“Sam found it and told me to bring you here,” he says. “I gotta be honest, Y/N. I’ve never really taken a girl out on a real date before. Not like this. I don’t have any idea what I’m doing.” You smile and look at the line of cars in front of you.

“Get back on the road. Take a left then the second right. The Burger Joint, that’s what it’s called, is gonna be on your left. They have a drive-up window,” you tell him. He tries to fight back a smile.

“Are you sure?” He asks. You roll your eyes quickly.

“Dean, I’ve been here. I can’t even read the menu,” you say. He lets out a laugh and throws the car into reverse quickly. Following your simple directions, he easily finds The Burger Joint. There’s a car already at the window so he stops, waiting behind them. You slide over into the middle seat and he looks at you. “I’m gonna order.”

“Yes ma’am,” he says, smirking slightly. You wink at him then reach for his tie.

“Why don’t we get a little more comfortable?” You ask, loosening it for him. He smiles widely and pulls it off before tossing it into the backseat. His jacket and your heels follow it quickly. You watch as he undoes the top couple of buttons on his shirt and fight back the urge to finish the job.

“Better?” He asks, looking at you as he rolls his sleeves up. You tear your eyes from his arms and nod, smiling. The car at the window moves on and Dean pulls up next. You lean over and see him smiling at you widely.

“Hey, Y/N!! How are you?” The woman at the window, you know as Mama G, asks. You smile back at her.

“I’m good. How are you?” You ask her. She smiles and shrugs her shoulders.

“Can’t complain. Got a hot date tonight?” She asks. You look at Dean and he nods once. Smiling, you look back up at Mama G.

“This is Dean. M.K.’s father,” you tell her. She smiles widely, looking at him.

“Really now?” She asks. Dean smiles at her and nods. “Good. What can I get for you two?”

“Can we get two double bacon cheeseburgers with everything?” You stop and look at Dean for confirmation. He smiles widely and nods. “A large fry should be okay. And…what dessert do you have tonight?”

“Cherry pie,” she says, writing on her pad.

“Two slices please,” you add quickly. She nods and slides the window closed. You lean back into the seat and find Dean staring at you, grinning. “What?” You ask, laughing. He shakes his head slightly. “That’s Mama G. She’s owned this place for longer than we’ve been alive and she is everyone’s Mama. She’s a great woman with an amazing story.”

“I bet,” he says, nodding.

“You’re still staring at me,” you tell him. He laughs lightly and shrugs.

“Can’t help it,” he says, that grin still plastered across his face. You lean in and press your lips to his quickly. You pull away too soon and his hands gently cradle your face, pulling you back into him. The kiss is slow, his lips moving against yours. One hand slides back, his fingers threading into your hair. He pulls away and rests his forehead against yours. “You look beautiful tonight. Have I told you that yet?”

“Not in so many words but I kinda got the idea,” you tell him, smiling. You look down at your dress and run the fingers over the fabric. “I actually bought this for a date a few months ago but cancelled it at the last minute. M.K. ended up sick. I think she was faking it though. She didn’t really care for him. Course she’s never really cared for anyone I dated.”

“Really?” He asks, his hand finding yours.

“Always told me you were gonna come back for us,” you admit. He laughs lightly and nods before pressing his lips to your forehead.

“I’d have come back a lot sooner if I’d been able to find you,” he says, his voice soft. You smile and shake your head, taking his face in your hands.

“Let’s not worry about lost time. You’re here now,” you tell him. He nods before capturing your lips with his own again. A cough draws you away from each other and you both look up at the window. Mama G is smiling a knowing smile as she holds out a bag.

“Thanks,” Dean says as he takes the bag from her. He hands her some cash.

“You two behave yourselves now,” she tells you both with a wink as she hands Dean his change. You feel yourself blush again before Dean pulls away from the window.

“Where to?” He asks. You’re just about to slide back over to the far side when his arm comes around your shoulders, holding you close to his side. You look back at him to find he’s waiting for an answer.

“Ummmm,” you close your eyes, trying to think. “Drive out of town. See if we can find somewhere…private.” You open your eyes and are surprised by the look that greets you. He’s frowning.

“Y/N, we don’t have to – to do anything,” he says. You smile and shake your head before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“Dean, that’s not what I’m saying. I would rather go park in the middle of a field and talk all night than go to the city park where it’s just going to be noisy and all my neighbors can find us,” you tell him. He smiles now, relief in his eyes.

He hits the main road and drives out of town. After about 10 minutes, you spot a dirt road and point it out to him. It dead ends and he cuts the car off. You smile widely as you get out. The road had ended in a clearing tucked away between two wooded areas. The night sky was clear and star-filled. Nothing but the sound of crickets and a trickling stream nearby meet your ears. Perfect.

You turn back to the car and grab the bag of food. Dean’s rummaging around the trunk as you close the door. You move to his side and your eyes widen slightly.

“Wow,” you say. In the trunk was the largest assortment of weapons you’d ever seen. It looked like something from the movies. He looks at you and frowns slightly.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “Ah-ha! I knew it was in here somewhere.” He pulls out a blanket, the same blanket he’d wrapped the two of you in all those years ago, and slams the trunk closed.

He spreads the blanket out a few feet out from the car and you both take a seat. You hand him one of the burgers and he starts to ask you questions again while you eat. He asks you every little question he can think of for the next hour. They’re all questions about you and the pregnancy and birth and M.K. growing up. When he finally pauses, you pull the empty Styrofoam container that once held a slice of pie from his hands.

“Alright. There is literally nothing else for you to ask, Dean,” you say. You see him frown as he looks out into the distance. “Will you tell me what happened to you?”

“It ain’t pretty,” he says. You move a little closer to him and touch his cheek.

“I don’t scare easy, remember?” You ask him. He smiles a little then sighs before falling onto his back. You lie on your side, supporting yourself with your elbow. Your other hand comes to rest on his chest. He reaches up, taking your hand in his as he stares up at the stars.

“Dad died. Same demon that got Mom. Then Sam was having these visions cause he had demon blood in him.” He glances at you now but you keep your face under control. He wasn’t going to run you off that easily. “The demon was trying to build an army of these super-powered humans. And Sam got killed.” He looks at you again and this time your face betrays you. “Don’t worry. That’s all Sam babysitting tonight. I made a deal with another demon to get him back.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” you say, your voice quiet. He smiles a sad smile and shakes his head.

“They gave me a year. Sam and Bobby tried to find a way out but couldn’t. I spent a year in Hell before – well, before the angels pulled me back out a couple months ago,” he says. Your eyes widen as you stare down at him.

“You spent a year in Hell?” You ask, trying wrap your mind around his words.

“Felt like a lifetime,” he says, his eyes far away. You squeeze his hand and his eyes blink back to your face. “Now we’re working for Heaven’s douchebags trying to stop the apocalypse.” You let out a laugh.

“I take it you don’t particularly care for the angels,” you say. He sighs and shrugs.

“I don’t think they’re telling us everything,” he says. You nod and he pulls on your hand slightly. You smile and lay in his side, his arm wrapping around you tight. Your head comes to rest on his chest and you feel him move, placing a kiss on the top of your head.

“The apocalypse, huh?” You ask. He nods, his hand running along your side slowly.

“Yep,” he says.

“Sounds dangerous,” you muse. He lets out a laugh.

“Yep,” he says again. You nod and feel him squeeze your waist slightly. “You still sure about this?” He asks. You sit up slightly, looking at him.

“Yep,” you say before leaning in and kissing him. He smiles and his fingers thread into your hair as your lips move against his. Just like before, you feel 17 again. His fingers leave goosebumps in their wake as they move along your arm slowly. A chill runs down your spine and he pulls away.

“Cold?” He asks, his voice suddenly huskier. You smile and look around.

“It is October,” you say. He smiles now too and starts to sit up, allowing you to move first. You look back at him and he brushes his fingers against your cheek.

“Maybe we should move to the car,” he suggests. You smile a little more and rise to your feet, fixing the skirt of your dress. Dean gathers the empty food containers and you pick up the blanket. While he’s stashing the trash in the trunk, you glance at him then slide into the backseat quickly. You lay the blanket in the floorboard and wait. The trunk closes and Dean moves around the car. He reaches for the driver’s side door before realizing you aren’t in the front. He slips into the backseat as well, pulling the door closed behind him again. He watches you for a moment then opens his mouth to speak. You reach over quickly and place a finger over his lips.

“Don’t talk,” you tell him, quietly. He nods once and you immediately replace your finger with your lips, sliding your arms around his neck. He lays you back slowly, his hands moving along your sides. He breaks away from your lips and looks down at you.

“Are you sure you wanna do this here? I mean we can go back to the house, to a bed,” he says quickly. You look at him and roll your eyes.

“If we go home, we’ll have to wait for her to go to bed. You wanna wait another two hours?” You ask. He stares down at you for a moment before his lips start to work along your neck. You let out a laugh and run your fingers through his hair.

************************************************************************

Much later that night, Dean rolls the Impala up to the house and parks on the side of the road. You’re sitting in the middle, tucked closely into his side, completely spent. He presses a kiss to the top of your head before you sit up and look around, sleepily. He slides out and you follow him, his arm coming around your waist instantly.

“You know, there’s room in the driveway for both our cars,” you tell him as the two of you make your way up to the house.

“Easier to get out if there’s an emergency,” he explains. You nod slightly and pull your keys from your purse, handing them to Dean. He unlocks and opens the door, allowing you to step inside first. You can hear the TV on in the living room and glance at the clock on the wall. It was way past M.K.’s bedtime. Dean closes the door and locks it before the two of you step into the living room. Sam looks over the couch and smiles.

“Hey,” he says, his voice dropped low. You look over the back and find M.K. asleep, curled into his side. “She’s been out for a while. I just haven’t gotten around to moving her.” You smile and move to step around the couch when Dean catches your elbow.

“I’ve got her. You go on up to bed,” he tells you. You smile and peck him quickly on the lips.

“You’re coming too, right?” You ask. He lets out a soft laugh and nods.

“Right behind you,” he says. You lean over the couch and sweep M.K.’s hair from her face before kissing her temple. On the way back up, you kiss Sam’s cheek quickly.

“Thank you,” you tell him. He laughs lightly and shrugs.

“We had fun,” he says. “G’night, Y/N.” You wave a hand at him before going up the stairs. Dean watches you go then steps around the couch. He carefully moves his arms underneath M.K.’s sleeping frame and lifts her up, resting her on his shoulder. Her arms move sleepily to rest around his neck and he smiles.

“Thanks, Sammy,” he tells his brother. Sam smiles and rises to his feet, turning the TV off.

“You two have a good time?” He asks as they start to make their way to the stairs, Sam turning the lights off.

“Oh, we had a great time,” he says. Sam lets out a laugh and shakes his head.

“Thanks for the nightmare fuel,” he tells him, stopping at M.K.’s door. He pushes it open and Dean winks at him.

“Night little brother,” he says. Sam nods and goes down the hall to the guest bedroom. Dean carefully lays M.K. down on her bed, thankful she’s already in her pajamas. She opens her eyes slowly and smiles at him.

“You’re back,” she mumbles. He laughs softly and nods, running a hand over her hair.

“We are. Go back to sleep,” he tells her. She nods and rolls onto her side. Dean takes the blankets and drapes them over her before turning to leave the room.

“Daddy,” M.K.’s tiny voice comes from the bed. Dean stops and looks back at her. “Can you turn on my light?” She asks, pointing to the nightlight plugged into the wall. Dean looks at it for a moment then back at her.

“You scared of the dark?” He asks. He can just see her head bob up and down. He smiles and walks over, turning the little flower shaped light on. He moves to the side of her bed and leans down, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Nothing in the dark is gonna hurt you as long as I’m around.” He tucks the blankets in around her then leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Read Piece by Piece Pt. 7 here.

#fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #supernatural #spn #dean x y/n #dean x you #dean x reader #dean winchester #dad!dean #sam winchester

45 notes · View notes

hayatheauthor · 1 year

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How To Build A Realistic Magic System

Whether you’re a five year old watching Disney movies or an adult reading fantasy books, everyone loves magic. It is the heart of fantasy and the favourite trope of many authors. A good magic system should be both visually appealing and work to enhance the mood of a story. But it can be hard to make your own realistic world of magic with so many different types of magic at our disposal.

Unsure how to build a realistic magic system? Here are six things you should consider when creating your magic world!

1. Establish A Type Of Magic

Authors and other creators have spent centuries establishing hundreds of different types of magic. There’s folklore, witches, magical creatures, demons, mythology and so much more. It’s good to create your unique brand of magic when world building, but there are basic facts you need to establish before you jump into your book.

For example, in my WIP The Traitor’s Throne magic only exists in the realm of mages, however, it can be used or stored in every living being from that realm (including trees). The reason it doesn’t exist in the other realms (or the human realm, to be specific) is that there is literally magic in the air of this realm, something that the human realm lacks.

Your readers don’t have to know all of this background information, but it’s important for you to have a clear image of your magic system before you jump into your book.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself when establishing your type of magic:

How do your characters get their magic (genetics, draw it from others, etc.)?

What does your magic look like? Can people see it? If not, why?

Do spells, curses, and charms exist? What about potions?

Can magic be stored in manmade objects? Why or why not?

Is your magic akin to a witch’s or a mage’s?

Does your magic fade with time?

Does your magic exist in animals? What about plants?

Do you need help with how to properly pace your world building facts while writing? Check out my previous blog post today!

2. Create Limitations

Nothing can exist without laws. Not even magic.

Limitations exist to make your writing seem more realistic, but they also help you create adequate boundaries and rules for your book. This can look like a set of laws followed by a society of wizards or a rule book humans need to follow when they summon and use demon magic.

Aladdin couldn’t ask the Genie to kill people or make someone fall in love with him, Harry Potter couldn’t create limitless food for him to eat during the summers, and Percy Jackson couldn’t control the water in a human’s body.

Tell us the dos and don’ts of your world. Establish boundaries. Create a fantasy world that feels like it could be real and maybe even exist alongside our world.

If you are a fantasy author writing a book about a character who accesses magic through another being (a human summoning a demon, etc.) then consider creating some limitations for the summons. Maybe the human can only summon the demon once every week, maybe they can’t ask the demon to interfere with another person’s death (bring someone back to life or kill someone).

Unsure what magical limitations to implement in your WIP? Comment down below for some personal advice!

3. The History Of Your Magic

Everything starts somewhere. Humanity didn’t exist during the big bang theory, fire didn’t exist until humans were made. Everything has a past, so what’s your magic’s history?

Did it always exist in the society your character lives in? Did someone just wake up one day with newfound powers? When was your magic founded? How do your characters know how to use magic? What timeline are they in? What does their fashion, architecture or mode of travel look like?

These might not seem like important questions right now, but you could find yourself wasting precious writing time in the future mulling over how your characters get light during the nighttime. (Lanterns? Candles? Magic balls of light?)

Do you need to create a list of all the monarchs who ruled over your world throughout the past five hundred years? Of course not! But would it be helpful to know who the first monarch was and why they possessed the power and influence needed to govern your world? Yes!

Creating a concrete history can also help you when writing dialogue for your book. Make corny history jokes or comparisons, have your character’s mother dramatically talk about how her child is like a recluse from the dark ages.

4. How Does Your Magic Affect Your World

One of the most important things to establish when creating a magic system is how it affects your world. Do mythical creatures exist because of the magic? What about another world? Or another species?

You need to create a concrete setting for your book to take place in, and establish how the living beings of your world are affected by this setting. Do the trees have black trunks in your world of demons? Do pixies exist in your world of elves?

Creating a fantasy world is only the first step, you also need to establish how this world affects the species and characters in your world.

5. Don’t Forget The Humans!

One of the reasons books like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson got so popular is because they gave us an excuse to believe magic was real. Maybe magic really exists but we’re just muggles who can’t see Hogwarts. Maybe the Greek gods were real all along but we can’t interact with them because we aren’t demigods.

Give your readers that childlike sense of hope that makes them believe in magic. Make them think they might be able to meet your characters one day, if only they discovered a door to your magic school or stumbled upon a demigod in action.

This can be easy for fantasy authors writing about a human who accidentally ends up in a fantasy world, but if you’re an author writing about non-human characters (like me) then here are some ways you can establish the presence of humans in your book:

Humans exist, but they live in another realm/world or don’t know how to access your character’s world (the gate to the underworld in PJO).

Humans can access your world, but the area your character lives in is surrounded by a natural body (an ocean, a forest, etc.) that humans always get lost in. Or maybe they forget their memories when they travel in it.

Humans don’t exist, but they did centuries ago. Your character’s species had a big war against humans and they killed them all. (Or maybe they just thought they did).

Do you need help with how to properly pace your world building facts while writing? Check out my previous blog post today!

6. Sanderson’s Laws For Magic

Still unclear on how to establish a proper magic system? Consider looking into Sanderson’s Laws for Magic.

If you’re a fantasy author you’ve probably already stumbled upon some variation of his laws during your worldbuilding research, but I would advise looking at Sanderson’s blog and reading his original rundown of what the laws are all about.

In their simplest forms, Sanderson’s laws of magic are:

Law One: An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.

Law Two: Limitations > Powers.

Law Three: Expand what you already have before you add something new.

I hope this blog on how to build a magic system will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment your favourite writing tools to help your fellow authors prosper.

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my wip The Traitor’s Throne and life as a teenage author.

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jo-harrington · 11 months

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Thoughts about Writing and Creating

Earlier today I read an article that really resonated with me and specifically made me think about some things within the corner I exist in within the tumblr fanfiction community.

First an intro: Hi! My name is Jo! I’m a 28 year old professional designer and visual artist, and I write about a silly metal head from the 80’s. I’ve been reading and writing fanfic in some way shape or form since I was 12. (Way before I should have.) There are people who’ve been in fandom longer than I have. And some people who are new to this world.

The thoughts I’m conveying below are mine alone and you may agree or you may not. Me writing this is to get these thoughts out and, hopefully, inspire some peace in my community and impart some lessons on some newer members of fandom. If you disagree with my opinions, please feel free to make your own. Post about them or shoot me a PM and we can have a peaceful discussion.

This post is NOT meant as an open door to hatred. If you come to me looking to fight, or dehumanize me, you will be blocked. I have seen enough in my time on tumblr to know how to protect my peace.

That being said, let’s proceed:

The article (I’ll link it below) was about the new Little Mermaid movie and how this “live action Disney revolution” is just a signifier of how media is recycled and that no idea is a new one. In any creative outlet. And while the article itself delves into the history of the Little Mermaid or mermaids themselves and all of that, the nuance of reference versus inspiration, the final idea was: never stop creating, never stop being inspired, never stop exploring.

How does that pertain to fanfiction though? How does that apply to me?

There’s been a lot of talk recently of “this person copied this idea” or “this is just a ripoff of that.” Enough that it drives people off of tumblr or stops them creating altogether. Makes people think that they’ve done something wrong. Some of this talk is is done by creators themselves, some is done by devoted friends or fans. And it is truly a shame, and I think it’s time that we stop.

This is not saying “plagiarism” or “copy and pasting word for word with a bit of name changing” is ok. No, those things are not ok. And people are allowed to be protective of their creations! Writers and artists put their heart and soul into their work.

But in terms of people’s genuine creativity…we need to be more tolerant of overlap. Whether we create or consume.

I’m currently writing a Freaky Friday Alternate Universe featuring 2 characters from a Netflix show. My story would not exist if these other media sources and inspirations didn’t exist. Does that mean my story should not exist or be told? Does that mean my writing isn’t good? No and no.

I don’t profit from my work. I write for me. For my friends. For you. I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. And if someone came to me tomorrow and said “hey, I wanted to write another Freaky Friday story,” so long as they didn’t copy my work word for word…well…you know what? I would be happy about it! Welcome it. Encourage them.

How can I tell someone no? Forbid them to try and use my idea—whether they were inspired by it or just…stumbled on it by chance as they got the idea organically themselves? What if they had genuine inspiration and could write this story better? Who, if they’ve never written before, might have just found their first chance to do so?

How could I dare to stop someone from being inspired? When I dared to follow the same inspiration for myself?

Now I know there are a lot more personal or original ideas and fanfictions out there. But at the end of the day, everything had been done in some way shape or form. We are all inspired by something. We have overlapping experiences. (I myself have found a good friend in this community who has life experiences so close to my own it’s frightening.)

There are 8 billion of us on this planet, thinking and imagining. Living. There is no one in a million idea anymore when we are consuming so much diverse media at any given time during the day.

Again, if you’re a creator, you’re allowed to be protective of your creation. But you are not allowed to stunt someone’s inspiration or growth. We are not fighting one another in fandom. We are all in this little corner together. Someone getting a like or a comment doesn’t mean that a like or a comment was taken away from you.

And if you’re a consumer of fanfiction, if you’re here to support a friend or just someone who created something you love…yes, it may be something you look forward to, but you should never hurt someone just because you think they might have “stolen” or “hurt” your writer friends. This is a place for all of us to feel safe.

Consider the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

There are no big blogs or small blogs. Notes aren’t important. What is important is kindness and community.

And we should all be welcome here.

Article: There’s No Such Thing as a New Idea

#Jo’s thoughts #About writing #fanfic writer #creative community

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witchthewriter · 1 year

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐀 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: thank you to the wonderful person who requested this! What a brilliant idea, thank you so much xx oh and ... I kind of write between past and future tense, I apologise...

Warnings: some swears

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿

𝐵𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦: There’s built-up tension between you and the Sons. You’re a key player in a new business deal, putting you at risk. While travelling, you pair have to spend the night at a motel, which is fine, until you find out that the room only has one bed.

𝐉𝐚𝐱

・He’s playful about the situation. A mischievous grin on his tanned, handsome face.

・But inside, he’s yearning so badly for you

・And you’re yearning the same

・At first he says you can take the bed, and he’ll sleep on the couch or something. “Hey, even the tub works for me darlin’-”

・But you shook your head and smiled. “Jax, just sleep in the goddamn bed.”

・You know that cheeky grin he does? Yeah he did exactly that and butterflies erupted in your stomach

・While you’re lying in bed, with the lights out, and the room quiet, you know Jax isn’t asleep

・ “You awake?” You whisper, turning around to face him

・He grinned at you, “Nah,” he replied

・Jax had taken his shirt off and you only wore a baggy shirt and pyjama shorts. Taking a chance, you reached out and started tracing the black ink on his bare skin.

・There was a lingering heaviness in the air. Sexual tension. A desperate need.

・He read something in your eyes, and you read the same in his.

・It took everything in you two not to come together. To connect in the way that you wanted. So you both said nothing and rolled over, as in silent agreement.

・But in the morning, you awoke before him. Your body was on top of his, your head resting against his chest, listening to his heartbeat

𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐞

・Gave a stiff laugh and looked to see your reaction

・After a few seconds he shrugged and said he liked sleeping on the floor (a complete lie, and it’s the floor because he’s too big for the couch)

・Took a lot of persuading for him to sleep in the same bed. He didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or disrespected.

・But you really wanted him to be next to you. You felt like this was your one chance, to ... get to the next level. Not that you would push him to do anything. You just knew this was your chance

・When the moon was high in the sky, Opie kicked off his shoes and flicked through the tv channels. He came to a Disney movie, one that his kids adored

・“Don’t judge. Disney is pretty important in my household.” His beanie was off and with each word his gold tooth flashed

・”Hey, you’ll get no judgement from me,” you chuckled lightly, thinking of all the weirder shit you’ve encountered.

・You were both sitting against the headboard, shoulders touching. Neither of you were underneath the blanket, the air was too warm, and Opie gave off a lot of heat

・You spoke here and there, commenting on the movie. When certain scenes came on, you watched as Opie mimed the words. “Op, how many times have your kids watched this damn movie?”

・ “I don’t think that number exists.”

・He opens up a lot when he’s around you. Opie is actually a very witty guy when he’s comfortable.

・But you both fell asleep eventually. Your head on his shoulder and his head was against the wall.

・Throughout the night you both had wormed your way around the bed. You lay with your head ontop of his chest, and his arms were wrapped firmly around you

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐬

・“I’ll take the couch, sweetheart,” Chibs stated in his Scottish accent. You really didn’t want him to, but the tall Scot always had an air of authority around him

・He wouldn’t let you get your own bags, and carried all of them in from the car.

・You watched as he checked the bullets in each gun and sorted out which route to take

・You loved listening to Chibs talk. He had a way of telling the most brilliant stories.

・ “Tell me a tale, Telford.” He peered over at you, sitting on the bed. The night had grown late and you were too nervous to sit in silence.

・ “Aye, well there was a time back in Scotland-”

・You patted the space next to you and wriggled over so he had room to lay down.

・ Chibs talked all night. Well, until you fell asleep against his arm.

・When he noticed you were in dream land, he didn’t move for a while. He moved the hair from your face and smiled down at you

・Then he put you to bed. Taking off your shoes and tucking you in.

・He didn’t sleep in the bed beside you. Chibs made sure everything was locked and shut, before he too made himself comfortable on the floor, facing the door.

𝐓𝐢𝐠

・“Big spoon, or little spoon?”

・Playful, teasing and completely honest. He wanted to sleep next to you so badly

・Tig often daydreamed of sleeping beside you. You wrapped in his arms, asleep while the sun filtered through the window.

・He was joking but not really

・You just pushed his arm and scoffed (with a smile though)

・You knew you were safe with Tig, but he was a very mischievous man. He wouldn’t try anything to make you uncomfortable, but he was hard to resist.

・It took everything in you not to feel ... needy. You read a book, turned on the tv, looked out the window and all the while, you could feel his eyes staring at you.

・ “Tig-”

“Huh?” He quickly lifted up the newspaper and opened it in front of his face. “I’m reading, what do you want?”

・You smiled at his ruse. He knew you knew he was staring at you

・ It was hard to keep a straight face whenever Tig Trager was in the room

・ “Your newspaper is upside down.”

“Obviously ...I like it that way...”

・He let you take the bed, and even though he stretched out on the couch, you beckoned him over

・The next morning, you awoke with Tig as the big spoon, nuzzling in your hair

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲

・“I’ll take the floor.”

・His response was instant, without question. The couch barely sat two people, so he’d be too cramped laying on it.

・He had been a bit off with you for the past week. No joking around or deep conversations like you used to have

・You had no idea, but it was because of this situation. Clay had chosen him to protect you, and his feelings had grown so much.

・ “You don’t have to,” you replied, turning to look at Happy, who was holding onto your bags. There was a hint of sadness in your voice, because you missed being so close to Happy

・ You thought he said something like “I do.”

・With the few hours that you spent in the room, he warmed to you again. Forgetting his emotional wall and opening up.

・You were both watching tv on the bed, a crappy reality show, and you both couldn’t stop laughing

・ “I can’t believe people sometimes,” you said while laughing

“Man, neither can I. Those types of people only want one thing: attention.”

・This opened a deep conversation about people, life and humanity.

・You looked over at the clock at it was nearly 2:30am.

・Happy saw as well, and started to get ready to go to sleep. He kicked his shoes off, and took a few pillows from the couch and put them on the floor

・No matter how many times you offered a place on the bed, he wouldn’t take it

𝐉𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐞

・Is immediately flustered when looking at the limited space. He was holding every single piece of luggage (you wanted to help but he wouldn’t let you.)

・You shrugged and started taking the bags out of his hands while his blush reddened

・ “I prefer the side closest to the window,” you said simply

・He said you take the bed, and if you want, you can take the room. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept outside,” he said it in his usual cheery voice. But you could tell there was something underneath those words.

・It became like a sleepover so quickly.

・Juice knew it would be boring, so he brought a board game (and hid it obviously because the guys would think it was unneeded weight)

・”Oh! you brought Monopoly?!” He let you choose the figurine you wanted (ever the gentleman)

・You played literally all night. And it wasn’t until the birds tweeted in the morning, with the sunlight glowing through the breaks in the curtain.

・ “Shit, its morning,” he stated, looking at you with wide eyes

・You just laughed, and so did he

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noodyl-blasstal · 5 months

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Tale as Old as Time

It's @taznovembercelebration day 26! Look how far we've come! Today's prompt was "familiar" and I also used an AU generator (you'll never guess what I got...)

Read below or on Ao3, missed yesterday? Catch up here.

“Did you see that next door’s open?” Taako asks, cool, calm, motives impenetrable.

“Raven Tattoo?”

“Yeah.” He’s nonchalant, inarguably casual.

“So you met hotboy then?” Lup asks.

Fuck.

It’s fine, Taako doesn’t have to admit anything, Lup doesn’t have a warrant. “Who?”

“Tattoo goth next door?”

“I’m not sure.

“You don’t know if you met the man who owns the shop you just told me was open?”

“Nope.” Says Taako, liar supreme.

“He’s your type, is all I’m saying.”

He is. But that is precisely none of Lup’s business so Taako keeps his mouth shut.

“It’s a tale as old as time, you know.” Lup says as she wraps the brown paper around her spray. “Tattoo artist, florist, can I make it any more obvious?” She winds twine to keep it in place.

“Ah yes, the ancient tattoo shop florist love stories which echo through the ages, they’ve got at least four Disney films with it as a central premise I’m sure. Do you remember the one where the handsome florist’s sister is a complete dingus?”

Taako barely dodges out of the way of the stem cut offs that Lup lobs at him. Thankfully he’s had years of training.

“Fuck off, goofus. Have you spoken to him yet?”

“No.” Taako says, quickly.

“Uh huh.”

Flawless lie.

“So what was he like?” Lup asks.

Double fuck.

It’s not fair that she’s using her twin powers for evil.

“Taako wouldn’t know.”

“You realise our shop is 90% windows?” Lup picks out some more roses for the ‘November, remember!… to tell them you love them (with flowers)’ promotion. The make-the-worst-promotion-name-and-people-will-tell-their-friends-about-it approach has been working well so far.

“I have eyes, Lulu.”

“Well so do I, genius, so cha’girl saw you look out the window, wait until goth boy was on the move, rush out to pretend to run into him and follow him back into his shop.”

Triple fuck.

Taako was so sure she was busy with the flowers, he didn’t expect to be observed taking actions. That was cheating, probably.

“Taako learned from the best.” The best defence is a good offence and Taako is going down swinging.

“Things with Barry aren’t the same!”

“It’s very interesting, Lup, that you should bring him up. Who said anything about Barry? Taako certainly didn’t mention Barry, which means that when you think of the spurious accusations levelled at Taako about flirting you think about Bluejeans. Interesting, very interesting, considering you’re just friends.”

“We are friends”

“Uh huh.”

Taako dodges another trimmed stem. Maybe if he aggravated Lup less he wouldn’t have to sweep as often.

“Not just friends, though, are you? You wanna ride the denim train into the sunset!”

“I can’t believe you just said those words with your actual face.”

Taako can’t either, frankly.

“Denim what now?” Barry asks, looking excited.

They need a bell for the door right now. They need one yesterday.

“Nothing!” Says Lup, high and panicked.

“Ooooh, say no more.” Barry winks dramatically.

Oh good, they’re going to have to make him some kind of denim train for Candlenights.

“Taako’s got the hots for tattoo boy next door!” Lup says, throwing Taako so hard under the bus that he didn’t even have time to yank her under with him.

“Classic love story, bud. Tattoo, flower shop, you know how it goes.”

“That’s not a thing and Taako’s not interested in hot goth boy! Now stop talking about it!”

“Hello.” Says Kravitz from the entrance.

They’re getting four bells for the fucking door. Taako’s going to invent time travel and go back and put them all on and never ever ever complain about how loud and annoying they are.

“Hi.” Taako says, casually. Throws up a quick prayer to Istus that maybe, just maybe, Kravitz didn’t hear him. Because Taako is interested, Taako is very interested.

“I was just bringing you a pack of the stickers you liked, I printed some extras.” He’s definitely frostier than he was 30 minutes ago. “Anyway, I’d better be going.”

“No!” Say Taako and Lup in tandem.

Kravitz looks alarmed, and Lup’s doing the wide eyes which mean she’s all out of ideas having tried precisely nothing. Taako needs a reason for Kravitz to stay and he needs a good one.

“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo.” Taako says desperately.

Kravitz raises an eyebrow but doesn’t smile. He’s so hot, even when he’s pouty. He’s also got a laugh like honey and didn’t act weird when Taako mentioned that he enjoys fishing - usually everyone’s shocked and they get to do the ‘wow, what a left field hobby’ chat. Kravitz had definitely been interested before so Taako needs to fix this right now. If he gets a tattoo then Kravitz has to interact with him, how long can they take? 10 minutes is probably enough to explain.

“You are?” Asks Kravitz at the same time as Lup and Barry.

“Yep.” Taako’s dripping confidence. This is great, it’s fine. He can just get a tattoo from a place he’s not familiar with because he thinks the guy doing it is hot. What’s a little stabbing among hopefully-soon-to-be-more-than-friends?

“Right.” Kravitz sounds worryingly unconvinced.

“What’re you going to get, bud?” Says Barry, choosing violence and genuine curiosity.

“Yeah, Koko, what’re you thinking of putting on your body forever and ever? I’m sure you’ve thought this through carefully.”

“Mongoose.” Taako doesn’t even flinch, he’s a master of his craft. They want to play? He can play. He’s a professional, baby, he’s sliding down the floor piano on his knees while everyone claps.

“Oh.” Kravitz sounds slightly more positive than he did a few moments ago.

“You wanna talk through ideas at some point, kemosabe?” Taako may as well clear this up sooner rather than later.

“I thought you weren’t interested.” Kravitz says pointedly. Okay, so he definitely heard, and maybe the huffiness hadn’t entirely faded. Taako might have to work slightly harder at this.

“I’m very, very interested.” Taako looks hard at Kravitz and hopes he understands.

“I’ve got a bit of time now. My next appointment isn’t for a few hours.” Kravitz is trying his best to sound like he doesn’t care, Taako can tell, but there’s a note of hope in there under the surface. If he just sifts through the dirt he can see that they’re on the same page. Kravitz had better not just be excited about the possibility of getting a new client. Hopefully Taako wasn’t going to have to resort to getting the tattoo on his ass in the hope that giving Kravitz an eyeful would encourage forgiveness.

“Go ahead, I’ve got this.” Lup nods at Taako.

“I can help Lup out if there’s anything urgent here, bud.” Barry adds. Setting a definitely-just-friendly hand on Lup’s arm and smiling goopily at her.

They were gross and Taako hated them.

“Okay, lead the way handsome.” Taako tugs off his apron and gloves and rounds the counter, swipes one of the rose bouquets as he goes.

“Handsome, is it?” Kravitz asks quietly, holding the door open for Taako.

“Very, very handsome, in Taako’s expert opinion.” Flattery could also be the truth.

“But handsome isn’t something you’re interested in?”

“Handsome is something Taako is very interested in. What he is not interested in, is his sister being all up in his business. Look!” Taako grabs Kravitz by the shoulders, before he can even register that Kravitz is leaning down, eyes closing, he’s spun him to face the windows of the flower shop.

“See!” Taako points at Lup and Barry, pressed against the window and panickedly trying and failing to look like they’re doing anything else but spying.

“Uh… er… yes. Yeah. There they are.”

“So if we could continue that kiss somewhere that isn’t visible to them I’d like that, I’d like that very much.”

Kravitz grabs Taako’s hand and tugs him into his shop. “We’re in luck, I know a place.”

I hope you enjoyed! Wanna read some more? Find tomorrow's prompt here.

#taz november celebration #taz nc #The adventure zone #Taakitz #TAZ Fic #Noodyl Writes

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artist-issues · 2 months

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Hi! I've seen you comment a bit here and there about Pocahontas. This movie has had this quite messy reputation attached to it since it came out and hasn't been able to escape from it since then. Personally, I've always liked Pocahontas, but I do acknowledge that it has its glaring issues, especially when it comes to the context of what actually went down and Pocahontas's true story. I'm interested in reading your thoughts on the movie and what Disney could have done better regarding the whole "diversity" and historical accuracy thing. I genuinely believe Disney had the best of intentions when it came to the themes, message and depiction of Native American culture, but the execution unfortunately did not seem the most appropriate at times. What do you think?

I don’t know. I don’t have a settled opinion on Pocahontas. I will say I really enjoy it, and I think maybe the aesthetics of the movie are what appeal to me the most because it’s the one I want to have on in the background most often.

When you say “what Disney could’ve done better regarding the whole ‘diversity’ and historical accuracy thing” and “did not seem the most appropriate at times,” I don’t know if I understand what you mean. I don’t know if I understand what anyone means when they say that.

There are almost zero cold hard facts about the historical Pocahontas that EXPERTS agree on. Almost zero. So when people say “oh no, it wasn’t historically accurate,” it’s like, “no, of course it’s not. It’s a fairy tale based on a historical person that we know very little about to begin with.” Seems like what they’re mainly mad about is that Historical John Smith’s version of Historical Pocahontas saving him is the framework for the animated film, and we all generally agree that his version was fake. And people are mad about that?

But…why? If it’s already supposed to be a fairy tale loosely inspired by a historical person we know very little about…I mean, nobody is furious with the Robin Hood stories and going “how dare you misrepresent Robin of Lockersley, 1160, and King Richard I!!” Because we all know that they’re stories loosely based on—anyway. You get my point. Why would you have beef about a fairy tale being based loosely? Moving on.

You can say “because now generations of kids are growing up thinking that’s the real story of Pocahontas!! What an outrage!”

…All right, well, then you’re doing a terrible job teaching your kids discernment as a parent. When kids I’m responsible for watch a movie, I tell them “it’s a movie. It’s not real.” If it’s a movie about historical events, I tell them, “If you want to know more about the real story, let’s learn about the real story.” It’s not on Disney to teach your kids that a fairy tale is a fairy tale, it’s on you.

Anyway, you get it. Moving on.

Thing is, the Pocahontas movie’s message is “Love tries to understand, not to possess.” Great message. Especially good when applied to the problem of prejudice.

So then, they just shift the events, the character motivations, and the depictions around as needed, like they would any fairy tale in order to send that message in the best way. And because it is a fairy tale, not a documentary, great. Do it.

If Historical John Smith’s fake story makes that message more compelling, great. Use pieces of it. Why not? After all, they never claimed that this was the true, accurate history of colonization, the Anglo-Powhatan war, or John Smith’s interactions with Pocahontas. If they had made that claim, sure, let’s talk about historical accuracy. But they didn’t, so let’s not.

That’s all I had to say about the “historical inaccuracies” thing. Now let’s talk about “representation.”

What is it that people have an issue with here? Did they really want Disney to animate hundreds of Powhatan’s people dying of disease? Did they want Disney to animate heads getting chopped off and women getting raped? What’s the argument? That Disney should’ve made the colonists the clear and undeniable villains, the monsters of history, and the Native Americans 100% pure and innocent, wronged victims?

They’re not mad that Disney did a bad job representing Native Americans in a movie that was supposed to be a fairy tale. They’re mad that Disney didn’t represent Native Americans the way they would’ve.

Far as my eyes can see, people who call Pocahontas racist or misrepresentative just don’t want the story to be “Love tries to understand, not to possess.” They want the story to be “White colonists were unredeemable racist monsters and sub-human tyrants who deserved to rot in hell, while the Native American people were entirely innocent victims who did nothing wrong.’

The problem is that’s just not a true, or even helpful message for any movie to have. Sorry. The statement I just typed out up there in bold is not a true or helpful statement. And thank God the Pocahontas movie didn’t make it.

There’s nothing racist being said in the Pocahontas movie. There are depictions of the sin of racism in the Pocahontas movie. There is a difference. Characters in the Pocahontas movie talk and sing about each other as if the other people group is sub-human. That is a depiction of racism. But the message of the movie, and the way it treats Native Americans, is to treat them like human beings. Therefore, the message is not racist.

In terms of who is good and who is bad, who is right and who is wrong, the movie very clearly shows that the Native American characters did not start the violence. The Native American characters did not want war. The Native American characters were willing to be friendly and willing to defend their land and each other. The Native American characters were the first to try and make peace with the colonist characters. And they were all (Kocoum included) entirely human characters. They were even the good-guy-coded characters, in the movie’s conflict. All of the Native American side characters are noticeably smarter, kinder, drawn more carefully, and are more heroic than the white characters. (When Thomas is thrown overboard the other white side characters leave him behind. In contrast, when Namonteck is shot the other Native American side characters rescue him immediately and fall back.) And, not a caricature among them. Meanwhile, Wiggins, Ben, and Lion are all drawn with exaggerated characteristics. The heroine is Pocahontas the Character, not John Smith the Character. So what is the issue you have?

What people think is racist is the “idealization” of a Native American woman falling in love—or, as they like to say now—“committing herself to a white colonist.” But that’s like…a gross oversimplification of the movie. John Smith (the character) committed himself right back to her, nobody wants to talk about that? Also, they low key didn’t commit themselves to each other at all costs—he tries to, at the end of the movie, stay with her or have her come with him, and she won’t leave her home and her people?? So what’s the argument?

Not to mention, why is anyone even upset that the character Pocahontas falls in love with a white colonist character? Are you saying that this sort of thing would never happen? That a young woman who’s people are embattled with and mistreated by invaders would never find one invader who comes to an understanding with her, and then they fall in love? You’re mad because that would never happen? Incorrect. It happened all the time in history. It happens all the time in other stories you love, like West Side Story.

Who the heck cares if it didn’t happen exactly that way (even though maybe it did) with the historical Pocahontas? We already established that this wasn’t supposed to be a historically accurate retelling, it was supposed to be a loosely-based fairy tale. And the message “Love tries to understand, not to possess,” works perfectly with a fairy tale where the girl from one side of a racially-charged hate war understands and falls in love with a guy from the other side.

I mean people who talk about Pocahontas, the historical figure, with reverence and respect, all usually agree on one thing: she did help maintain some kind of peace between colonists and Native Americans. Whether or not you think the colonists should’ve even been there in the first place is beside the point—sorry, but it is; they were there, now let’s deal with the reality.

So when Disney makes a movie where the goal is to tell the message “Love tries to understand, not to possess,” and they have to be true to the universally-agreed-upon “Pocahontas probably helped bring some peace…” in their fairy tale…why on earth do you have a problem with Pocahontas the Character falling in love as a reason for bringing about that peace?

It’s because you don’t find “falling in love” to be anything other than demeaning for a woman. And it’s because you don’t want John Smith, or any white colonist character, to be depicted as human. You want them all to be unredeemable racist monsters.

The goal is no longer to have movies that say what Pocahontas said. We don’t want movies where there’s messy racism, but then it ends with attempts at peace and understanding. We want movies where there’s entirely one-sided racism, and then revenge for that racism. That’s what we want. We want endless apologies and zero forgiveness.

And for better or worse, Pocahontas is not a movie about endless apologies and zero forgiveness.

IN CONCLUSION: 1. None of the “you” statements were directed at you, idiosyncraticrednebula. 🫡

2. Anyone who wants to teach me where I’m wrong is welcome to, but you have to show your work, and you have to be consistent, you can’t just say “lol imagine thinking Pocahontas isn’t racist. You are the problem.” and then block me. 🙄 all right, well, you can, but all you’ll get out of it is an echo chamber.

3. If you want me to talk about the art, the storytelling, the quality of the movie outside of all this (and it should be outside of all this, because this was a fairy tale, not a historically accurate documentary) it’ll have to be in a different ask, and I’m happy to.

4. Should Disney have made it more clear that this was a fairy tale, a stylized story based only loosely on historical events? …Yeah. Definitely should’ve done a Prince of Egypt-style title card or something. But they didn’t—so now show me why it’s racist or misrepresentative.

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infiniteaugends · 24 days

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I just watched frozen with my niece for the first time since it was released. This movie at its core is the interaction between an avoidant attachment style (Elsa) and an anxious attachment style (Anna). The more Anna tries to protect and interact with Elsa the more Elsa pulls away and the more anxious Anna becomes. I find this to be a very interesting dynamic because neither wants to hurt or lose the other, but they are incompatible.

I also find Anna and Kristoff’s relationship to be really good. Kristoff seems to have a very secure attachment style, which seems to stem from having a large, stable, and loving family in the trolls. I know it is played for laughs but when Kristoff is trying to propose Anna keeps interrupting worried that either Kristoff or Elsa are leaving her and Kristoff always responds with reassurance and love.

Ultimately I think Kristoff’s true nature is revealed when as soon as he and Anna are reunited he asks her what she needs and tells her his love is not fragile. I love how this movie is modeling healthy and stable romantic relationships when a lot of media would use it for drama.

I also love that Elsa is finding fulfillment outside of a romantic relationship. A lot of Disney movies end with the conclusion that the prince and princess must be together to live happily ever after, but Frozen 2 shows that you can find fulfillment and companionship in romantic relationships and you can find fulfillment and companionship without it. This is such an important aspect of life that is ignored in a lot of media. Your life does not have to revolve around dating and romance, finding a spouse is not the end all be all of happiness. Romance is marketed to young girls especially as the path to a happy and productive life and Frozen 2 markets that there is not one way to be happy, that Elsa and Anna want different things and that’s a good thing, because they can play different roles in their world and story.

Long story short I think my 3 year old niece has great taste and that Frozen and Frozen 2 are some of the last great Disney movies. I hope they don’t ruin it with Frozen three.

#frozen #frozen 2 #elsa #Anna #elsa and anna #kristoff #Kristoff is such a great romantic lead and I love how he treats Anna #I want more Disney movies like Frozen #also the music is pretty good and my niece could be obsessed with baby shark so we should probably stop complaining #why can’t movies like Encanto or Raya explore more realistic familial interactions #Frozen 2 made my Mom cry and honestly I get it

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reactionimagesdaily · 11 months

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The Image Tags Masterpost

(As its own post thanks to a suggestion from @oregano-gremlin! gracias)

Every image is tagged with one of these tags, for organisation purposes! ^_^

(Also It’d be a HUGE pain to go back and re-organise them so, while suggestions for new categories/adjustments to existing ones are appreciated, I’m almost definitely not gonna follow through on any of them.)

(Also I am uh. Putting this under a read-more because it’s longer than I thought it was gonna be when it’s all laid out lmao)

#[undefinable] - for images that don’t really fit into a single mood, or have a mood that isn’t accurately represented by one of the other tags

#;_; - for images that are the big sad

#Hell yah - for celebratory, “nice”-type images

#Hell nah - for images that simply embody the concept of “no”, “no thanks”, “not for me”, e.t.c.

#Frick the frack off - slightly violent images used to tell someone to begone or that they are unimpressive

#Y’all are heathens - images that demonstrate disdain, confusion, or general contempt for your group chat

#Ah shit - images that convey “oh fuck”, “oh no”, “oh heck”, “oh shit”, and so on

#Depression time - for images that can be used to either show genuine sadness, or a weary sort of “oh God” that is less emotive and more resigned than an #Ah shit image

#Huzzah - celebratory images

#w h a t - images which convey just. total incredulity and bafflement

#F - for images that pay respects

#ooh-de-lally - images to be used for things that are exciting, spicy, or generally just make your eyebrow quirk up a bit

#Cursed - cursed images

#Wow - images that either convey a sense of genuine wonder, or demonstrate like. “yeah cool story bro”

#I LOVE YOU!!! - images you can use to show affection to any loved ones you are fortunate enough to have

#Welp - for images that aren’t very emotive or very specific, but rather channel that face you make when someone’s talking about something and you have no real idea how to react

#Genuine mirth - images that express, well, genuine mirth

#Contemplation time - I like to think this one is self-explanatory lmao

#Horny on main - not for NSFW stuff so much as stuff where it’s just a guy saying “hehe boobies” or whatever

#:) - happy pickturs

#Fear - fear

#Called out - honestly this one’s a bit inconsistent but it’s either for when you yourself have been called out (“you got me there”) or for when you’re calling someone ELSE out (“cool motive, still murder”)

#Free Real Estate - for images based off of those legendary seconds

#Gratitude amigo - images that say thanks

#Trans rights - because trans rights are human rights

#Disgustan’ - for when you need to express disgust with an image

#Disney - images @ that specific megacorp

#I am so great - images for when you’re proclaiming your own greatness (or at least an amount of self-satisfaction)

#Stole your meme lol - for those images you see everywhere on twitter indicating that someone likes your meme/image and have saved it for their own use

#Genuine reassurace - images that express, well, genuine reassurance

#[Music stops] - there are lot of parodies of the initial “music stops” image, and I have many of them

#Gweetings - images that say hi

#I will cause problems on purpose - images with those vibes

#Ambivalent - because sometimes you need to visually express how little you care

#Bog Moss - this is actually the tag for images that are like “mood” or “same” - I tag them ‘bog moss’ because of an inside joke lmao

#Mockery - bully your friends with this specific collection

#Please exercise empathy - for images that basically say “I don’t know how to expain to you that you should care about other people”

#Nice music - images dedicated to saying that specifically music is good

#Sic ‘em - for images that carry a similar energy to Mayor Tyler from Gravity Falls going ‘git ‘em! git ‘em!’

#Grooving - images that convey the emotion of dancing

#You are not immune to propaganda - I have no idea where that edit of Garfield came from, but there are LOADS of edits, so they all get their own category

#Think of the economy - for images designed to satirise people who prioritise stonks and the economy (which CAN be important, I won’t knock ‘em) over human life

#Silence! - you know that image of the crab lasering something? Yeah, there are a bunch of those, so they get their own category

#Genuine wrath - images that express, well, genuine wrath

#Pretty sus NGL - images designed to help convey suspect or suspicion

#Gotta go fast - images that go quick nyoom

#Ight Imma head out - parting is such sweet sorrow, as these images will demonstrate

#Case Closed - for image that indicate that some kind of mystery has been solved, or that some kind of question has been answered

#Not-okay cute things - for those images where it’s like, a plush toy captioned with “I can’t fucking take it”. those sorts of images. they have a category

#Oucho - for images that convey pain but aren’t quite in the realm of ;_;

#Ok boomer - Y'all remember ok boomer?

#Chillaxing - for image that surmize a specific chillaxed vibe

#Nice dub - using this one for pics of that one specific guy in all those pictures where he’s congratulating people’s Ws and Dubs

#not a pic #the Image Tags Masterpost

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zootopiathingz · 3 months

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My prediction for Zootopia 2

So as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, there’s an interesting Wildehopps dynamic where Judy is more case-focused while Nick prioritizes safety, which I can maybe see being used for conflict in the next movie. (Cuz if there’s going to be conflict, it needs to be done right for development and not just for the sake of having characters argue…please take notes, Disney)

I imagine the movie starting out with the two of them working flawlessly. They know just how to take down criminals together without exchanging a word. Then one day they’re given a simple interrogation case that quickly escalates and long story short Judy ends up getting hurt. Nick rushes to help her, and she urges him to go after the criminal. He hesitates, but he doesn’t relent and ends up taking her to a first aid kit, frantically bandages her wound, then pursues the criminal along with backup. But by then it’s too late, the culprit is nowhere to be found. At first Judy’s a little frustrated, but she can’t be too mad at him for saving her. Chief Bogo, however, will be furious, and while he is sympathetic about the specific situation they were in, there’s still a dangerous mastermind on the loose. (And then there’s some kind of lecture about balancing work and safety of your partner, etc etc)

Throughout the movie there’s a sort of back-and-forth between “which is more important”, as well as some budding romance because yes. And then at some point the two are forcibly separated by The Bad Guys™️ and are forced to find a way back to each other. However these mammals have done their research. They didn’t just choose two random cops to kidnap for fun. They know who Judy and Nick are and plan to use their dependency on each other against them. For the sake of evil plot and angst the Bad People demand that Judy tell them some Important Information about whatever and when she refuses, they pull the old “if you don’t give us what we want you can say goodbye to your partner”. Naturally Judy’s intimidated by the threat, but she knows they’re just saying it to get in her head. Never let them see that they get to you, after all.

It isn’t until The Big Fight when she finds out they were not bluffing, as when she refuses again one of them ends up attacking Nick right in front of her. She frantically rushes to his side, trying not to panic as she hears the cruel words of their captors; “We warned you. It’s sad, isn’t it? Having to choose between our missions and the ones we love most? We fail either way. That’s why you’re better off working alone”

Then some kind of trap is activated in the room, with limited time until it sets off, and the Bad Bitches escape leaving the two to die tragically. Judy tries to push Nick up, but his injuries are more fatal than they appeared. He can’t move, he knows this. He urges Judy to leave while she can, to stop the criminals and return home safely. And it’s at this point Judy finally understands his point of view. If the roles were reversed he would be carrying her to safety, regardless of the matter at hand. She can’t leave him. She won’t leave him. So she helplessly begins dragging him with all her strength, forcing back tears as there’s a tiny voice in the back of her mind telling her it’s pointless and that they’ll never make it out alive together. (Insert some kind of dramatic “I can’t leave you! I love you!” scene here or something)

Somehow they’d make it out obviously, and they’d have some kind of heart-to-heart moment while he’s getting treated for his injuries. Ultimately they decide that no matter what happens from that point that they’ll put their fears aside and work together to take down the Big Bad, because that’s what they’ve always done.

#cheesy asf but I think it could work #maybe slightly less gorey/graphic considering its modern disney lol #zootopia #zootopia 2 #disney sequels #judy hopps #nick wilde #wildehopps #character analysis #movie predictions #zootopia 2 predictions #long post #lady luxo rambles

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callsigndragon · 1 year

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TASTING THE ASHES | Ch. 8: Family ✍️

Wordcount: 1.8k

Warnings: mentions of events in seeing red, mentions of death and murder, mentions of guns, pregnancy stuff, fluffy big bro Jake and a himbo Rooster.

A/N: FINALLY SOME ASH AND ROOSTER INTERACTION WHOOOOO

Important: This story is a sequel of Seeing Red, and there’s a lot of things you’ll miss if you don’t read that series first. Check Seeing Red! Masterlist on pinned.

I don’t tag people, follow @meigalibrary for notifications!

You wake up earlier than anyone. Actually, you couldn't sleep. There were too many things in your head, impeding you from falling asleep.

It was a long day.

When you woke up that morning, you were alone in the world with your babies.

When you got into bed last night, you had a father, a brother, and the father of your twins all reunited in the same bar.

It was a really long day.

"You're up."

Jake enters the room as you turn around on the kitchen stool you've been sitting on for the past hour.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep, and I wanted some milk, but... I didn't want to intrude." You mutter, rubbing your baby bump.

Jake smiles, opening the fridge and getting the milk. "I make excellent hot chocolate with marshmallows. You want?"

You smile a bit, nodding. In an instant, he begins making hot chocolate. "I think I'm your big brother now."

"Never had a brother."

"I never had a sister. Or a family, actually. Until Red came, I was alone. Then I met Mav, Penny and Amelia." He says while taking a mug from the cupboard.

"But you had parents." You frown when he laughs at your words. "Come on, it can't be that bad. My mom hid who my father was my whole life."

Jake takes a breath and turns around, looking you dead in the eye. "My father was SJAC's CEO; he murdered my grandpa and my unborn brother; kidnapped my son; pointed a gun to my wife's head while she was pregnant; and my mother tried to kill me when I was a baby."

You blink, not knowing what to do or say. "...you win."

"Oh, I know." He chuckles, looking at the inside of the mug. "He's dead now, I can finally live the life I always wanted."

"Dead?" You feel a cold shiver running down your back.

"I don't know if I should tell this to a pregnant woman."

"I'm a wizzo, Jake. I can take it." You protest, rolling your eyes.

Jake sighs. "Well, we're family now. I don't think we should keep things to ourselves. I'll tell you what happened to my father if you tell me why you didn't tell Rooster you were pregnant."

"Deal."

"Red killed him to save me."

You freeze, almost certain that Jake can hear the wheels in your head trying to process the information. Red? Your Red? The girl that cried at Disney movies and puppies? That man must have been a fucking nightmare to make her do something like that. You don't really need more information, though. It feels like something she should tell you.

"I didn't know if I was gonna keep the babies." You admit it; your head is bowed in shame. It's only half the truth, but it's something, at least. "My body, my choice, right?"

"Absolutely. You were alone, pregnant… The father is a guy you've only seen a couple of times. There's no need to be embarrassed." He shrugs, giving you a mug of hot, sweet chocolate with marshmallows. "Careful, it's hot."

"Thank you, Jake." You place your hands around the warm mug, heating your frozen hands.

"So, none of us had a real family until recently. Maybe we can learn what that means. Together."

“That would be really nice.” You grin, feeling your heart full for the first time in months. You've never had a family of your own. You only had your mom, and while she was the most amazing human ever, loving and caring, sometimes you felt like you were missing things.

Seeing your brother make you hot chocolate might be one of them.

He smiles, grabbing another mug. “I’ll make another one before the other pregnant lady comes down here and starts crying because there’s no chocolate for her.”

You laugh, taking one of the marshmallows out of the mug. “She’s a crier, huh?”

“I love how different the hormones make her be. It’s like a whole different person. Do you cry?”

You shake your head. “No, I get angry.”

“Poor himbo.”

Before you can ask him who this himbo is, someone rings the doorbell. “Were you expecting anyone?”

“Mav is supposed to drop by for lunch. Drink the chocolate. I’ll go see who it is.”

Jake leaves the kitchen, and you, not giving a damn about whoever is on the other side of the door, drink your hot beverage like it's the last thing you’re going to eat in the world. Another thing about pregnancy is that you are always hungry.

Well, you’re eating for three now. You’re allowed to eat more than normal.

“Rooster, I’m not letting you inside.”

“Jake, come on. I need to talk to her!”

You feel bad for Rooster. Poor guy just woke up one day and discovered that he was going to be a father. And you've been ignoring him ever since because you weren't ready to have this conversation.

You get up from the chair, pacing around the kitchen while thinking what to do. He did use a condom, he did all he was supposed to do. He was there when you woke up, cuddling with you in his sleep, a content smile adorning his face. He was everything a girl could have asked for in a one night stand. Like everything. Probably one of the best nights of your life but…

Things were too complicated. He had a light in his eyes that you didn't want to extinguish with your trauma.

It was better to run away. Avoid the problem. Like it never happened.

But two small creatures decided to remind you that it did happen. And that you couldn't avoid it forever.

That you couldn't avoid him forever.

Padding slowly to the main entrance, you see both men arguing. Jake is shaking his head while trying to close the door. Rooster's feet stopping the door.

"Jake." You mutter, both men freezing at your voice. "Let him in."

Jake points a finger toward Rooster’s face. "You upset her in any way and I'll kick you out. Is that clear?"

Rooster nods, clearing his throat. "Absolutely clear."

The door is open, and Rooster, instead of running inside, stays there, looking at you and your swollen belly. Fear, excitement, and happiness can all be felt in that stare. He's ready to have those babies, even if he doesn't know anything about being a father.

"Hi," he whispers, moving half a step closer to you, as if he were afraid of you rejecting him again.

"Hi." You whisper back, rubbing your belly. He follows your hand movement, and you swear you can feel his hand twitching, as if he wanted to be the one doing it.

"Can we talk?" There's desperation in his words. He's been waiting for hours for you to give him a chance to speak. You nod, moving to the living room, and sit on the big black sofa.

He sits next to you, leaving space between your bodies so you don't feel overwhelmed. You want to smile at his cute actions. "First of all… I'm sorry that you're pregnant. And correct me if I'm wrong, but we use a condom, right?"

You snort, understanding why that's his first concern. "Yeah, we did."

"Then I don't get it."

"Rooster, condoms are effective 98% of the time." He opens his eyes widely, looking at you without blinking. "Wait, you didn’t know that?"

"No? They should put that on the box!" He protests, running a hand through his hair.

"It's in the box."

He stares at you for a second. "Well, then I'm an idiot. But anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'll be there every step of the way. Doctor appointments, taking care of you when you're too big, baby proofing the apartment…"

You smile at his sweet words. He'll be a good father.

"...even though that will be something to worry about after we get married."

You turn your head so fast in his direction that you think you've pulled a muscle. "Wait, married?"

He nods, as if getting married were the most natural thing in the world. "Yeah, we should get married. We're going to have babies. It's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, when you're in love! But we're not in love, Rooster. We barely know each other."

"Well, we can get to know each other along the way!" He insists. "Look, being a single mom is hard with a baby, but you're gonna have two. You need help, sweetheart."

You glare at him, eyebrows raised. "I'm more than capable of raising two kids on my own. And I'm not alone, I have a family now."

"I'm part of that family, Ash. Mav is my godfather."

You groan, covering your face. "Look, Rooster, and now that I keep calling you that because I don't even know your name."

"It's Bradley."

"Bradley…Bradshaw?"

"80s were a bad era to have a baby."

"It's like… Matt Murdock and Peter Parker. Are you a superhero?" You chuckle, covering your mouth.

Bradley’s body relaxes, chuckling too, and you feel bad for him again. He didn’t ask for this, you were the one who decided to keep the babies, and now he's offering his help the only way he knows how.

"Sorry, Ash. When my dad got my mom pregnant, they married. I thought I should do the same." He explains, scratching his bearded jaw. He looks better with a beard than with a mustache.

"It was a different time, Bradley. Things are different. We can raise the kids together without being married."

"Still… I want you to come live with me until the babies are born. Well, maybe after that. After they're born, one of them will cry and wake up the other, and you can only carry one baby at a time. You'll need help for a while."

You nod, agreeing with his words. You can't do everything alone. At least, until the babies are a bit older.

"Do you know… the gender?"

"Not yet. We can find out on the next appointment." You tell him, grabbing his hand.

"We?"

"You said you were coming with me to every appointment, right? Are you having cold feet?"

"NO NO, OBVIOUSLY NO!" He speaks a bit louder than you expect, and as if they have recognized him, one of the babies starts kicking your belly.

"Oh my god."

"What, what? Are you okay?" You press his hand against your belly, his warm hand giving you chills. "What do you want me to-"

His mouth forms a silent "o" and glistening eyes glare at you. "They're moving."

"I think they know who you are."

Bradley kneels in front of you, both hands on you, pressing his forehead against your round belly. "Hey, babies. It's me, dad. I'm sorry I haven't been here before. But I won't go anywhere now."

You chuckle at the view, knowing that these babies are being surrounded by love before they're even born.

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