#( that reunited song just played in my head :D )

[chiefpurpleimp]

For the last ....oh 4-5 months I've been so busy with work :prop work and the comic con side of my business I've not had the time to play BG3. I can now though :D.

I also decided to try my hand at installing mods....I've played it through a few times so it doesn't matter if they bug the game now. I am living for the Born to be anyone mod...I can have Zevlor in my group...kind of 🤣😅. And I can now give him a big hug or smooch him 🤣🤣🤣.

His storyline makes me so sad 😭😭 in Act 2 I literally just wanted to hug him. I wrote a my head cannon story for what happens to him and one of my Tavs, first Tav chose Astarion and then another Tav chose non godhood Gale.

Maybe if I can collect enough ref images from the game I'll draw a short comic of my head cannon Zevlor 😅...and if I have time..I never have enough time.

This song just makes me think of my Tav and Zevlor. My Tav is called Flynn'Nerta and she was a Hellrider under his command. Due to the events in Avernus they became quite close. She led one of the first waves of refugees out, while Zevlor stayed to collect the last lot. She made it to Baldurs Gate, got scooped up by Mindflayers and then reunites with Zevlor only for her to part ways again due to the Tadpole issue. I imagine them having a soft private moment in the grove, a brief one as both are very busy with their own thrust upon them missions.

God bless Modders! It would have been great to have been able to recruit him as a companion in Act 2 (even if he wasn't romancable.)

[flowercrown-bard]

for a prompt, if it catches your interest: jaskel reuniting after time apart?

It very much does catch my interest :D thank you!

And his heart is a bird

Jaskier's heart was a flighty one. That's what people always said. Just heart would jump from lover to lover like a bird leaping from one branch to the other.

Whenever Jaskier heard such rumors about himself, he'd laugh and wink and pray no one noticed how fake those things were. If Jaskier was a bird, perhaps he would be a parrot. Always mirroring what he saw, always saying what others expected of him.

He never said the truth to those rumourmongers. He never told them that his heard had already found its nest, where it wanted to stay for as long as it was allowed. His heart's resting place was by the side of a witcher. Curled up against him, when the nights got cold. Laughing and making jokes until Eskel forgot his fears and allowed himself to laugh as well. Dreaming, about all the things they would do together once they reunited for spring.

Because that's the thing. If Jaskier's heart was a bird, it was one that left for the south come winter. And Eskel - Eskel went north, where Jaskier was not allowed to follow. He hoped, prayed, dreamed that maybe one day, Eskel would invite him to join him in the mountains. Until then, Jaskier was forced to stay where it was warm and people liked him only for his birdlike song and colourful plumage.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

For spring, for the day when he would fly from the guided cage that was the court. For the day, when he could see Eskel again.

If Eskel even wanted to see him again. It was a nonsensical fear. Of that, Eskel had assured Jaskier many times. Yet it was a persistent one.

Because maybe Jaskier's heart was a cookoo. An imposter, who took up too much space and attention and resources. A distraction that would one day be the reason why those who cared about him didn't have enough space in their own nest anymore.

He couldn't be that for Eskel. He couldn't be the reason why life got even harder for him.

So Jaskier contented himself with waiting, instead of seeking out his witcher.

He would come.

If Eskel had spoken true and Jaskier really was no nuissance, then he'd come for him. And with him he would bring tales and days filled with laughter. All the days of spring and summer and autumn.

Winter too, if Jaskier had any say in it.

Because he was selfish and greedy like that. Because maybe his his heart was a magpie, always wanting more, never content with what it was given. Eskel was already giving him so much. And Jaskier's foolish, selfish heart wanted more, more, more. Above all, it wanted to steal Eskel's heart.

But that was one thing he could not take. Eskel's heart was too big. Jaskier could not claim it all for himself, when he knew how much love Eskel had to give for his brothers and friends and all the animals he cared for so sweetly.

Jaskier could not take this. So instead, he waited.

Ever so slowly, winter turned to spring.

And Jaskier waited. And he sang. Jigs and celebratory tunes turned into elegies and tragic ballads about all the terrible things Eskel had told him about. All the pain of the Path. All the loneliness Jaskier felt when Eskel got a little respite from the hardships and could get comfortable at his keep.

Maybe his heart was a mourning dove. Mourning the possibility of being abandoned and forgotten about, as he had been so many times before. Mourning the thought of Eskel being all on his own.

Eskel, who wanted nothing more than to help people. Eskel, who was so gentle and so hurt. Eskel, who -

Eskel, who pushed open the door to the tavern Jaskier was currently playing in.

Jaskier's heart fluttered and his fingers fumbled in the lute strings.

"Eskel!" He called out and flung himself into his Witcher's arms. Immediately, Eskel pulled him closer, cradling his head against his broad chest. Jaskier closed his eyes and felt the beating of Eskel's heart. "You came for me."

"You waited for me," Eskel replied softly, "my little nightingale."

A bird that sang when the night was darkest and coldest. Who gave comfort to those who were alone in the dark.

Jaskier's heart leaped - and just as he titled his head up to press his lips against Eskel's, he heard someone behind them shout, "Get a room, you love birds!"

Maybe. Maybe, Jaskier's heart was a bird. But if it was, then it wasn't one that sang alone.

[kaigarax]

Always

Kamado Tanjuro x Reader

Quote: “Fall in love with someone because of how bright they shine in spite of darkness.”

~Don’t stay awake for too long, don’t go to bed~

Tanjuro had never been all too interested in music but when you had offered a spot Tanjuro, much to Zinetsu’s dismay, had been the first to volunteer.

You’d been invited to play professionally for another one of those fancy parties that they held in the city. There had been countless you’d been to before but this would be your first one in a long while after the… incident.

Tanjruo wanted to make sure that you were comfortable after losing someone so important to you. He wanted to be there in case you needed someone. Plus, he enjoyed listening to you play. He admired the way you managed to create such a tune while also conveying so much emotion.

~I’ll make a cup of coffee for your head~

The song you played was the only one you had with words.

It was one you had specifically written for your younger sister when she wanted to perform with you. While she hadn’t been as inclined to the piano as you she did have a sugary sweet voice.

The words were meant to be sung by her.

But due to her absence the words were left for you to sing.

~I’ll get you up and going out of bed~

It had been so long since you’d last been able to play this song.

Tanjuro’s quite surprised that this is the song you’ve decided to play at all. It’s always been one that’s evoked so much emotion and memory.

The playing of the piano seems to become background noise as Tanjuro turns to the window beside him.

It’s raining outside just like that day.

“Please don’t let me turn into one of them.”

“I won’t.”

“No!” Wide (e/c) eyes looked deep into your own (e/c) ones with panic, “promise me.”

“Haruka. You know I-”

“Please.”

Tanjuro felt strange sitting on the sideline and watching everything unfold. You cradled your younger sister as if this would be the last time you would ever get to hold her. Actually, it likely would be if you followed through with her request.

You looked torn. Your eyes filled to the brim with tears.

You were no longer that strong willed girl that had saved Tanjuro from a demon. Now, filled with so much uncertainty and hesitation, Tanjuro wasn’t even sure if he recognized you. You’d always worn a hyori that was slightly too big for you but now it seemed to engulf your form entirely.

“(Y/n),” your sister, despite being in an immense amount of pain, was strangely calm as she said, “please.”

“Okay,” you sighed in defeat, “I promise.”

~Don’t stay awake for too long~

‘Don’t let me turn.’

‘I promise.’

~Don’t go to bed~

‘Please.’

‘Promise.’

~I’ll make a cup of coffee for you head~

‘I promise.’

SLASH

~I’ll get you up and going out of bed~

“Are you okay?” You asked, slightly nudeing Tanjuro.

Tanjuro tried his best to give you a bright smile, “yep!”

“Was my singing so bad that you had to tune me out?”

“No. It’s not that. You’re a great singer, it's just that…” Tanjuro swallowed, “don’t you think it’s too early to be back here. To be doing all these things that you’ve always done with her?”

First your eyes fill with sadness.

Your sister has always accompanied you to musical events like this one. As far as Tanjuro knew, you’d begun playing for her. You always played for her. You hadn’t even touched a piano since the incident before today.

Then they hardened into anger.

You inhaled deeply, “could you get me something to drink?”

It looked as though you were trying your best not to break down.

Tanjuro had been hesitant to leave but finally agreed when you added, “all this singing is making my throat dry.”

---

“Did you hear that she killed her sister?” Whispered a woman.

“What?” Exclaimed a second woman.

And a third asked, “the sickly one, right?”

“No, really?” The second woman gasped, “just after they reunited with each other?”

The first woman nodded, “yes. I bet it was because she was jealous of how much attention her younger sister was getting.”

Tanjuro, personally, didn’t agree with what you had done. In fact, he would have certainly chosen another option if he had been in your position. He had almost stepped in and stopped you.

The third woman shook her head as scolding a child, “I’m surprised they even let her continue being a demon slayer, much less invite her to play here.”

“I wouldn’t have even come if I were in her shoes.” exclaimed the first woman.

But he didn't know you well back then. And even if he had known you he doubts he would have done much. It wasn’t his place to say something in a moment like this.

How could Tanjuro have told you to deny your sister’s last wish?

How could he deny her last wish?

How could anyone judge you for such a thing? The circumstances were bizarre and something no one can imagine unless they’ve been put into that position themselves. There should be nothing but pity and understanding for you in their hearts.

But such was not the way of the world.

And, the kind Tanjuro could only find himself getting angrier and angrier on your behalf.

You had so quickly stopped your own time to mourn in place of playing music for them and they still had the audacity to judge you for it.

“You shouldn’t talk about things you don’t understand!” Exclaimed Tanjuro.

The gossiping women turned to Tanjuro in surprise.

Tanjuro felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to say anything out loud. It’s just that he was so upset for you that the words ended up slipping out.

The demon slayer flushed, bringing a hand to the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile, “I mean, you shouldn’t judge someone on something until you know the full story.”

Two of the women speaking about you seemed rather embarrassed themselves as their cheeks flushed red. The third woman, on the other hand, turned to Tanjuro with a cold look in her eyes, “we were just discussing the ongoings of what happened and making a comment on it. Not passing judgment.”

“You weren’t there.” huffed Tanjuro.

“Does that mean I can not talk about something unless I have witnessed it for myself?” Asked the third woman.

Tanjuro didn’t back down, “no but talking about something you don’t know makes you seem incredibly ignorant and insensitive.”

The woman’s eye narrowed in on Tanjuro.

He swallowed deeply, not wanting to dig his hole any deeper, “but who am I to determine what people should and shouldn’t talk about? I guess it’s no one but God’s place to pass judgment on people for their decisions.” Tanjuro gave a practiced smile before heading back into the music room. It was rude but there was still a task he needed to finish, plus he didn’t really want to get into an argument right before the big performance anyways.

You seemed to have begun playing something different when Tanjuro returned.

It was familiar, but Tanjuro couldn’t exactly place it.

You’d named all your songs but Tanjuro always had trouble remembering them. Music had never been his thing.

Right now, he was certain he’d heard this one before.

It was different though.

Tanjuro wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe it sounded more… full? As if you’d added parts to it that hadn’t been there before.

You didn’t turn back to look at Tanjuro as he closed the door behind him.

He placed the water container on an empty chair before moving to take a seat beside you. Your eyes looked hazy and glazed over. So different from how they usually looked when you played. Tanjuro couldn’t blame you though.

He never would.

“I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them,” you smiled as you continued on with the melody, “human minds tend to move into the ‘what’ rather than the ‘why’.” Tanjuro felt his anger soften but he couldn’t help but notice how your smile never reached your eyes.

“Do you forgive them?”

Your face scrunched up as if you’d been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Eventually you replied, “I should but it’s not my place. You were the one who confronted them.”

Tanjuro laughed, “and you were the one they were talking about.”

Of course. Only you would ask him to be kind while not doing that thing yourself. Words have always been easier than actions.

“But they weren’t wrong.”

“They weren’t right either.”

You abruptly stopped playing, “have you ever heard of the story of the girl forced to constantly relive her life?”

Tanjuro shook his head.

“It was Haru…” you took a deep breath while wiping a tear from your eye. You still couldn’t say her name. “It was my sister’s favourite story. Would you like to hear it?”

Tanjuro nodded.

“It begins with a curse placed on an ordinary girl. Everytime she dies her mind goes back to this point in her life and she has to redo everything over and over again until she can do it perfectly.” you explain, “eventually, in one of the timelines, she tells a boy of what is happening to her. So the boy tries his best to make everything right for her but he ends up going crazy.”

“I won’t go crazy by telling people not to speak ill of you.” sighed Tanjuro.

“But it shouldn’t be your problem to fix at all.”

Tanjuro smiled, taking your hand in his own, “do you know why the boy in the story tried to fix her problems for that girl?”

“Do you?”

“I think it’s because he cared for her.”

“But he shouldn’t lose himself because of her.”

“But what kind of person would he be if he never did anything at all?”

You suddenly looked speechless. You opened your mouth to speak but nothing seemed to come out. It might have even made Tanjuro laugh if he hadn’t been so serious. You needed to know that you weren’t alone. That you absolutely didn’t deserve all this pain.

If you found yourself shrouded in darkness then he would be the light to guide you out. He would stand strong because no one deserves to linger alone in the night.

When your eyes begin to get glassy Tanjuro begins to feel panic well up. Had he gone too far? Was he being rude now?

Tanjuro cleared his throat, “I brought your water.”

“Thank you.”

The pitter patter of the pain has died down and Tanjuro can hear the chatter of the soon to be audience as he scrambles to bring the water to you. You’ve been alone so long that you’ve seemed to have forgotten what it means to have someone standing there beside you. Tanjuro may not have known you for a very long time but he knows for certain that he wants to be there for you.

He hopes that you’re not as emotional when it comes time to play. He’s seen how horrible people can be and he doesn't want you to experience that while they can see your reaction. He can already imagine how much pain it would put you through.

When Tanjuro hands you the water he’s surprised by how determined you look.

Sunlight streaming in through the window, now that the rain has stopped, lights you up from behind. It highlights the different shades of colour in your hair. Tanjuro suddenly finds that he has the urge to run a hand through your hair. He wondered if your hair feels the same way that rays of sunlight would. It looks soft.

Your eyes are bright and determined, the sunlight bringing out flecks of gold. Tanjuro thinks that all different eye colours have a gold gleam to them but none seem to shine the exact same way yours do. With so much life and hope. Tanjuro almost finds himself envious of how hopeful you’re able to be.

You’re smiling slightly too. You’re really pretty when you smile like that. It sends a fluttering chest in Tanjuro’s stomach. A feeling akin to how one might feel right before opening a present. Excited, nervous and happy.

There are no words Tanjuro thinks are worthy of describing you unless those words are brilliant and bright. You shine brightly. Almost brighter than the very sun itself.

“Thanks Tanjuro,” you smile, “and not just for the water.”

Tanjuro feels as though his heart skipped a beat as he hears his name from your voice. He isn’t exactly sure why but it can’t be a bad thing, right?

“You're welcome!” Says Tanjuro.

When you finish your sip of water you place it back down beside you.

After resettling yourself, your hands hovering over the keys of the piano, you ask, “any request?”

Tanjuro snaps to attention having, once again, not heard your question. It’s for a different reason this time though.

“Tanjuro?”

“Sorry, what was that?”

“Is there anything you’d like me to play?”

“Oh, how about that same melody you were playing when I came in?”

You smile, “sure.”

“So,” Tanjuro moved back to his previous spot, “you changed it right? It wasn’t just me?”

“Yes,” you let out a small chuckle, “it’s not just you.”

Fall in love with someone because of how bright they shine in spite of darkness.

[oathofkaslana]

gay hi3 moments from the top of my head (some details inaccurate) also some of these are awful and i hate them ok i need it to be known i dont like all of these.

kiana counting down how long it’s been since she’s seen mei to the minute.

the “i gain the power of 100 men when mei’s around!”

bronya seele kiss in azure waters where seele goes "i gave you my first kiss sm sm" and im pretty sure makes her promise to give one to her when they reunite

FUCK. COOKING W VALKS MANHUA WHERE SEELE GOES "the sea is so beautiful i feel like i could stare at it forever" AND BRONYA GOES "duh because the water is azure blue. just like your eyes" AND GOES LIKE AN INCH IN HER FACE.

i feel like i have to put everything in azure waters oh my god i feel sick i miss them so much.

kiana licking mei’s wound in escape from nagazora

kiana and mei in a hot spring and kiana touching mei’s boobs saying she’s been wanting to. i think also in escape from nagazora.

kiana getting unnecessarily jealous over bronya whenever mei shows her any attention

bronseele ad where bronya complains about having her license revoked and seele going “good! now i know you’re not picking up other girls”

lament of the fallen. (COME ON. COMPARED TO EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD, YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT????)

kiana and mei being compared to a canonical m/f couple, owl and ana.

shakespeare mentions how it’s interesting to see real couples play a part and one of the couples being bianka and rita in durandal’s visual novel.

speaking of that play. biankas cgaracter makes a line about having sex w his wife (played by rita) and rita teases bianka about wanting it afterwards and bianka blushes

biankas one birthday cutscene where the narrator was talking abt how there’s this feeling she can’t put into words and how captivated she is by rita’s radiant smile ← GET A ROOM!!!!!

elysia calling her fight w mei a first date

eden saying that forever being apart of elysia makes her happy because its the most romantic ending

mei saying her favorite colors are orange and red (kiana and her's key colors)

mei coming back to the elysian realm after briefly talking to kiana and eden and elysia both notice how much happier she is and elysia goes "tell me about her" (HER.)

elysia voice. i like pretty girls.

every single elysia and kiana interaction in ch 34 idc if its mei's dream ("im so weak for pretty girls like kiana" "unless kiana prefers something more bold like purring in my arms" <- WHAT IS WRONG W HER!!!!!!!!!!!!)

natasha intenbtionally taking her hood off after mei told her that elysia says she doesnt meet natasha bc of her hood

elymei horn scene.

mei dreaming about having a japanese wedding with kiana.

kiamei matching rings named after chinese numbers symbolic of love that were given out for white day.

kiamei stigmata showing them getting married that was given out for valentines day.

reburn kiss where kiana kisses mei's battered mech while crying after i love you in german flashes on screen.

kiana going "this treasure called love" and immediately getting a text from mei.

"this is a story about love it will end with love" as kiana and mei walk with each other past durandal and rita to meet with bronya whos with seele AS CANON IN D STARTS PLAYING. YK THE FUCKING MARRIAGE CEREMONY SONG.

SAKUKALLEN KISS IN COOKING WITH VALKYRIES

theresa thinking sakura (a woman) kissed her and going "wait! im not like kiana and mei!"

kallen voice "the herrscher girl is innocent and i am in love with her"

^upon learning that kiana blushing and going "theres onthing wrong with falling in love with a herrscher!" while thinking of mei

moon shadow where kiana's heart starts racing bc she thinks fu hua's fallen in love with her and the wlw symbol is drawn behind her as she blushes and says "ive given my body and soul to mei but--"

fu hua later being teased by a coworker who suggested that hua likes kiana

sakukallen "love at first sight" line in sakura samsara

HELP THAT ONE EVENT WHERE VELIONA SLAMS BRONYA ONTO A WALL TO INTIMIDATE HER AND BRONYAS BLUSHING AND AS VELI'S YELLING AT HER, EINSTEIN WALKS OUT, SEES THEM, AND GOES, "sorry for interrupting, have fun"

also in that same event, bronya blushing and avoiding seele the next day and going "sorry bronya cant forget because thats a precious memory for bronya"

susannah fawning over durandal, rita, and sushang

susannah talking about how pretty sushang is and how she likes her voice i hate them oh my god susannah get up

tesla being jealous of welt joyce when ein teasingly gives him special attention in the visual novel

tesla getting jealous when planck (i think) hugs ein tightly and kisses ein on the head

tesla edison fingering joke after edison sniffs her neck.

bronya's bridge interactions w seele. my god i love them so mcuh.

sakura and kallen having heart reactions when you put them in bed next to each other

sakukallen "yae sakura shall fade, beloved, your kin shall live. in the far east 500 years ago where sakura blossoms bloom, yae sakura waits for her one true love"

gratitude arc where kallen loves sakura so much that protecting sakura becomes a part of the oath she genetically passes on to theresa

the 4koma on the sight where kiana and mei are told to get a room, apply for a marriage certificate(? i think), and have heart eyes towards each other while the wlw signs are behind them

kiana voice "this has nothing to do with me going lesbo!!!"

4koma kiana voice "im a lesbian everyone knows that"

elysia and aponia's "girl games"??????????? <- on thin ice but cmon no way that wasnt an innuendo

elysia's interaction w HoO mei where she talks about wanting to touch a particular thing but gets cut off by mei telling her she cant touch her horns again (SHE DOES NOT HAVE HORNS IN HER HoO SUIT)

kiana smiling when she sees mei's boobs in the anniversary vlog short thing.

the shenzhou island event where kiana points a camera at mei's boobs and goes "hehe mei is so pretty"

durarita matching earrings in their matching battlesuits

and ok im blanking now yay this is definitely not all when i say off the top of my head i really mean off the top of my head.

[archiveikemen]

Amamiya Henri Main Story — Chapter 13

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by downloading and playing their games.

read this before interacting with my posts

Henri: Oh that was awkward.

After we found the little girl’s mother, we had another problem.

Little Girl: No—! I want you to come home with me—!

Mother: Hey! Cut it out.

(I can’t believe she’s crying because she doesn't want Henri to leave.)

No matter how her mother tried to stop her, the little girl grabbed tightly onto Henri’s arm.

Mother: You’re bothering big bro. Come on now, let’s go!

Little Girl: He’s not big bro! He’s a prince!

(Ah…)

Her words reminded me of just now.

== Flashback Start ==

Henri: Come here, little princess.

Henri: Don’t cry. You’ll look more adorable when you’re smiling.

== Flashback End ==

(He treated her like a princess, of course she would see him as a prince. Anyone would react the same way.)

As I was thinking about that, I glanced at him and he spoke in a gentle voice but with a serious look on his face.

Henri: I appreciate the invitation, but I’m sorry I can't go home with you.

Henri: I…

He crouched down to look into the little girl’s eyes and pointed at me.

Henri: I’m a prince who only belongs to that big sis.

When Henri declared with a smile…

Little Girl: Whaat!

MC: WHAT!?

The little girl and I exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

After laughing at our reactions, Henri gently grabbed the little girl’s hand.

Henri: There will be lots of princes waiting for you in the future, and they're all more handsome than I am.

Henri: Okay?

The mother, little girl, and I turned beet red when Henri winked.

Henri’s words succeeded in getting the little girl to stop crying and she went home with her mother.

After I waved them goodbye, I looked up at Henri.

MC: Henri.

Henri: Yeah?

MC: Here. Your juice.

Henri: Ah, thanks.

Henri took the bottle of juice from my hand and took a sip.

Henri: I’m glad we could reunite that little girl with her mother.

MC: Me too. But…

Holding the juice bottle in both hands, I mumbled.

MC: … Henri, you don’t actually belong to me, right?

(I know that was a lie to convince the little girl to go home with her mother.)

Henri chuckled and closed the lid of his bottle.

Henri: Well… yeah. But…

Henri looked into my face and asked,

Henri: MC, you said that you’ll fill my heart from now on, right?

Henri: So it's the same as me belonging to you now.

(Those words…!)

== Flashback Start ==

MC: I’m going to fill the void in your heart, and you’ll never say that it's empty again.

MC: I’ll make you the main character of my song.

== Flashback End ==

Being reminded of what I said at the cafe made me so embarrassed that I quickly looked away.

MC: That’s not what I meant.

Henri: Oh. But can I interpret it that way?

MC: Uhm…

MC: D-Don’t ask me something like that.

When I was looking away, I heard Henri giggle.

Henri: Since you didn’t say no, that means I can, right?

Henri: Am I yours now, MC?

MC: … Don’t ask me.

Henri: Hahaha your reaction is so cute.

(He’s definitely having a blast!)

Henri reached his hand out towards me again.

Henri: Well then, since we’ve settled that situation already… shall we go on?

Henri: With our date.

When I turned my gaze back to Henri, he was giving me the same dazzling princely smile he gave the little girl.

MC: … Yeah.

(I feel like he’s always leading me on.)

I realized that a smile had naturally appeared on my face, and I gently interlaced my fingers with Henri’s.

Afterwards, we went to Henri’s favorite restaurant and time flew past quickly while we were eating delicious food…

We headed back to the Sakuragi at night after our date.

Henri • MC: We’re back—

When we went to the living room together to drink water…

Kyoichiro: Welcome home.

Kyoichiro and Kanade were seated side-by-side on the sofa.

Henri: Huh? It's rare to see the two of you here at this hour.

Henri: Kyoichiro usually studies hard even on his off-days, and Kanade works in his room.

Kyoichiro: Yeah. But today…

Kyoichiro glanced at Kanade.

Kanade let out a small laugh and raised the glass in his hand.

Kanade: I want to drink, Henri.

Henri: What? Drink?

Kyoichiro: It’s been a while since the last time three of us had a drink together. I have a lot to ask you about.

Kyoichiro gave a meaningful smile and shook his glass that was filled with ice.

Henri thought about those words for a moment.

Henri: Ah—... have I been worrying you guys? It's okay. There's nothing unusual going on with me.

Henri smiled brightly.

Henri: But it’s indeed been a long time since I had a drink with you guys, so I’m glad you asked!

Henri: Come join us, MC!

MC: Me? Um…

I cast Kyoichiro and Kanade a puzzled look.

(I do want to drink with them, but…)

(Kyoichiro said that he has some stuff to ask Henri about, and I feel like I should give them some privacy.)

I looked at Henri and responded with a smile.

MC: I still have some things to do, so I’ll be going back to my room.

Henri: Is that so? That’s so sad.

After having a drink of water, I left the living room, while Henri continued sulking.

As soon as I exited the living room into the hallway, Otto walked towards me.

Otto: Nya—

MC: Hello, Otto.

Otto meowed when I crouched down to stroke Otto’s head.

An image of Henri flashed into my head while I was petting Otto.

(I can’t wait to get back to my room and start working on that song.)

(Henri’s song.)

MC: Let’s go!

Otto: Nyaa?

I balled my hands into fists, stood up, and went straight to my room with Otto.

After returning to my room, I was so focused on making Henri’s song that I didn't realize it was already midnight.

MC: … Sighhhh

I took off my headphones in front of my keyboard and sighed.

(What kind of song would fill the void in Henri’s heart?)

(What should the melody sound like? What about the lyrics?)

I thought about the things I said to Henri earlier today.

== Flashback Start ==

MC: I’m going to write you a song that will change the world!

MC: I’m going to fill the void in your heart, and you’ll never say that it's empty again.

MC: I’ll make you the main character of my song.

== Flashback End ==

(... I could write something like a ‘tanka’, I guess?)

(But I think I need to get to know Henri better first, before writing a song for him.)

Keeping that thought in mind, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

I decided that I needed a change of environment, so I gathered my music sheets and headed for the soundproof music room.

Right when I left my room and reached the staircase…

MC: Ah…

I heard the living room door open, and I turned around to see Kyoichiro coming out into the hallway.

Kyoichiro: You’re still awake. Your eyes are a little red.

I rubbed my eyes when he said that.

MC: I’m not very sleepy. Perhaps just a little worn.

Kyoichiro: … By any chance, are you going to the music room?

Kyoichiro’s gaze was on the music sheets in my hand.

MC: Yeah. I just thought I needed a change in environment…

When I answered honestly, Kyoichiro pointed at the living room behind him with his thumb.

Kyoichiro: Hey. Before that, why don’t you stop by the living room for a while?

MC: … What? But—

(Will it really be okay for me to intrude?)

While I was searching for an answer, Kyoichiro patted me on the shoulder.

Kyoichiro: I know what you're worried about, but it's alright now.

Kyoichiro: I need your help with those two guys.

Kyoichiro gave me a wry smile, and I smiled back at him in response.

Kyoichiro invited me for a drink, so I put the music sheets back into my room and came back to the living room.

Kanade: What? I thought you were cooped up in your room making songs.

(What!?)

Kanade’s question caught me off guard.

MC: Y-Yeah I was. But I wanted a change in environment, so…

That's when I realized,

MC: Huh? Henri…

Kanade was alone on the sofa, and Henri was nowhere to be seen.

Kyoichiro: He should be in his room. He’ll be back soon.

MC: Oh, I see…

(Maybe I’ll finally get to hear about that!)

I quickly sat down on the sofa, causing Kanade to give me the side eye.

Kanade: The look on your face tells me that there's something you want to find out.

MC: What!?

(It was that obvious.)

I was left speechless. Kanade laughed at my reaction and slowly crossed his legs.

Kanade: I’m in a good mood tonight. Shall I help you out?

Kanade’s lips curled into a smile.

Not long after that, Kyoichiro brought me a cup and sat cross-legged on the carpet.

Kyoichiro: Kanade. No more drinks for you, got it?

Kanade: Mm… did you say something?

Kyoichiro sighed. I leaned forward and asked,

MC: Well then, if it's alright with you, can I hear about Henri and your trio!?

MC: Please tell me as much as possible.

Perhaps it was the effect of alcohol on him, Kanade looked sexy leaning against the sofa and chuckling.

Kanade: Okay.

Kyoichiro: Anything specific you want to hear about?

MC: Hm… I want to hear about your high school days.

MC: I heard that your band was formed in high school, but… how did it all start?

Upon hearing my question, Kyoichiro narrowed his eyes, feeling nostalgic.

Kyoichiro: Kanade and I stayed behind after school to play our instruments in the classroom, and Henri came to peep at us.

MC: Peep!?

Kyoichiro: He heard the rumors about Kanade and wanted to see for himself.

Kyoichiro: As soon as he heard us playing, he burst into the room saying “let me join!”.

MC: Sounds exactly like something Henri would do.

Just imagining a smiley Henri saying something like that was enough to make me smile.

Kanade was also feeling nostalgic, and he said in a clear tone.

Kanade: Henri told us to let him join, and we did. But he’s still the same as back then…

Kanade: He would always step away and watch us from the sidelines.

Kanade: It’s as if he’s putting himself in the audience’s shoes.

Kanade shook his ice-filled cup.

Kanade: That bad habit of his has stuck with him from those days, all the way until now.

MC: Oh gosh…

[ravenloftian]

Arrival in Marais d'Tarascon

November 13, Y356 (Game session 8/26/2023)

On the afternoon of the third day in the dark and fetid swamp, Percival catches up to Marcus and Val. After the party reunites, they continue on their way but progress is slow and difficult. The trees in this part of the swamp close in around the raft, forming a thick tangle of branches and exposed roots. Sharp, broken limbs scratch the party's arms and legs as they push the rafts forward, and the wind whistles an odd, lifeless tune as it rushes through the leaves. As they break through a clump of foliage, a light appears in the distance. It is brighter than a single lantern, warm and inviting in the cold, damp air. The light is not at eye level, it hovers in the dark so that they must look up to see it.

Like moths to a flame, the party slides easily toward the source of the light. As they get closer they see a small wooden house, hardly larger than a shack. Light spills from its two front windows and a wide open door. The house appears to be suspended in the air above the surface of the swamp, its reflection shimmering in the dank pool before it.

The house isn't floating in the air; it looks that way in the darkness. Four stout poles rise from the swamp, lifting the house 8 feet above the water. The poles protect the hut from rising water and the creatures of the swamp. Other than an occasional croak or cricket song, the swamp around the house is still.

As the rafts draw closer, a rope ladder drops from the doorway. No figure steps into the light, and not even a shadow passes the open door. The ladder, constructed of wooden steps and thick rope, simply rolls out with a brief clatter of knocking wood. The last step hangs just above the surface of the fetid water, inviting the paladins to climb into the warm light.

The first one up is Marcus followed by Val and finally Percival.

They soon discover that the little house has only one room. More than two dozen lanterns hang from pegs on the wall and sit on the warped wooden floor, flooding the shack with light. Unopened boxes have been neatly stacked against the wall to the right of the door. An open-topped barrel sits beside the boxes. In the center of the room, facing the door is a young man. He sits within a circle of five burning Lanterns, with his large, blank eyes fixed in place. The young man is skinny and pale, and his long, blond hair hangs limply to his shoulders. His features are tortured. The simple shirt and pants that he wears are clean and fresh. He clutches a small book in his lap but makes no move to get up or greet the party. Eventually, he struggles out an incomprehensible phrase:

"The on descend shall evil of night the land, at near is signs of hexad this when hand."

Then he returns to his quiet state, neither speaking nor responding in any way.

Inspection of the youth's book reveals that it is a volume of children's poems. Every poem is a short rhyme, similar to the confused verses which the youth utters. The first page contains an inscription: "To Luc, my beloved brother." It is signed "Marcel."

As night falls, the party prays to the Morninglord and avails themselves of the plentiful food and warmth of the cabin. The night goes quietly save for the strange rambling of the near-catatonic young man.

Percival manages to decipher Luc's riddle:

"The night of evil shall descend on the land when this hexad of signs is near at hand."

Hexad, they recall from a popular ballad, means "a group or set of six."

Val does the honors and sings the song.

The following morning, the party miraculously sees chimney smoke rising in the distance and they head in its direction, feeling at last like they are near their destination. As they board their rafts, Luc follows them.

As the party begin to leave the swamp and approach the village of Marais d' Tarascon, the sky fills with roiling black clouds. For the first time, lightning plays across the heavens.

No sooner do they enter town, Val proudly proclaims to all who would listen that the Paladins of the Morninglord have arrived. His outburst is met by silence, for the village seems deserted and the shops closed. Signs on doors read "Closed for Funeral" or "Gone to the Church."

As they approach the church where a crowd has gathered for a funeral, solemn faces gaze at them suspiciously, but no one says a word. The villagers soon return their attention to the priest who stands over a coffin wrapped with heavy chains.

The priest's booming voice echoes throughout the churchyard. "Friends and family, we mourn the untimely death of Jeremiah d'Gris,'' he laments. "Let us take comfort in the fact that he goes to a better place, and let us pray that his eternal rest is peaceful and without incident. Jeremiah, you will be missed, but you will not be welcome here again. Depart this plane and go to the next world with our blessing."

The priest continues his liturgy, even though a muffled bang causes him a moment's pause. The villagers flinch but quickly regain their composure. The bang sounds again from within the coffin. The coffin rocks back and forth, but the priest and the crowd ignore it.

As the party follows the priest and the mule-drawn cart up the hill toward the cemetery, the crowd follows. All the way up the hill, sounds of something trying to escape emerge from the shaking coffin. The villagers ignore it, but the priest waves his holy symbol over the box and whispers, "Jeremiah, be still."

The sights and sounds and the horror of the scene is too much as they have never seen the like. Confronting the undead for the first time leaves a lasting impression. Val goes into a state of dumbfounded shock, while Marcus becomes obsessed and cannot stop thinking about the thing in the box. Percival manages to keep his wits about him and ushers his companions to the Full Moon Inn so they can recover.

Once there, they order some ale and some cabbage rolls and take up rooms for the night. They are waited on by a chatty barmaid by the name of Katha, who tells them a gruesome tale.

"Over a week ago, Francois, a local fellow, well he fell dead right here in the common room. I was taking a break in the kitchen at the time, resting my weary feet near the back door. I remember, just before people started hollering in the common room, I got a whiff of some awful odor blowing in from outside. It was kind of like rotten meat-not that we serve any here, mind you-but worse. Luckily, I've got quite a strong stomach. In fact, I was just about to go outside to find out what could be causing that odor when the screams began. Then I saw Francois being carted off to be buried. You know, I forgot all about that awful odor until just a few days ago when old Fiora said she had smelled it, too. I'd lock your door while you're sleeping if I was you. Everybody in the village does now."

At around 9PM, Val snaps out of his dumbfounded shock and tries to convince everyone they must go back home to protect their friends and family. He is convinced that the dead acolyte might turn into an undead zombie at any moment putting the whole town in danger. Meanwhile, obsessed Marcus is raving about destroying the undead and figuring out how to end this scourge. Unalbe to sleep and disturbed, the paladins pay a visit to the church.

After much coaxing, the door opens and father Brucian lets them in. The priest is rattled by the late hour, the strange men at his door, and news of his acolyte. When confronted by questions as to why he has not done "something" about the situation, he doesn't have any good answers and grows somewhat cagey.

He says that villagers have been dying suddenly, even those who appeared strong and healthy a moment before. The first such death, about three weeks ago, was a field worker named Hogarth. Only minutes after falling dead to the ground, Hogarth rose as a zombie. Now Brucian always seals the coffins of the recently dead.

The trouble, they learn from Father Brucian began about three weeks ago. Since then, nine villagers have suddenly died, and six more are missing. His acolyte makes ten.

The cleric attempts to question Luc and makes certain the youth is alright and not being mistreated.

He warns the party not to bother the constable at such a late hour as the man has a foul temper, but encourages them to talk to him. Some of the folks that met their demise have been murdered and there are rumors that licorice candy has been found at the scene of the crimes.

Frustrated by the cleric's apparent incompetence, the paladins head up to the cemetery in the middle of the night. As they approach, they hear scraping sounds. Moments later, two fiendish ghouls throw themselves at the locked gate and begin to climb it to get at the paladins.

Val steps forward, holds up his holy symbol and commands the undead to perish. The ghouls shriek in horror, leap from the fence and flee into the darkness, vanishing among the graves.

Fearing that more such things will escape and plague the village, the party camps out in front of the cemetery gates.

To be continued...

Good job everyone! Excellent roleplay. You had me convinced you were horrified. :)

Marcus and Val, 300 XP Percival, 525 XP

[archivezosia]

Zosia & Tomlin

Please may we have both? I’ve dearly missed your lovely company. I need to know all about where you’ve run off to, why you didn’t take me, what books you’ve been reading through… all of it…

@tomlinotracey

Absolutely, and I would like to raise you to as soon as possible. I’ve missed you and your gluttonous ears far too much. Mostly you in general. I’ve got plenty to tell whenever you have the time and I’ve gone through so many books I’m even listening to them now, but no worries I have plenty of fresh (or semi-fresh) hard copies to place in your hands. As for not taking you... if only I knew you would want to go...

We have lots to catch up on. How have you been? What have you been up to? This will definitely not be a one sided spill.

[nejibaby]

Afterglow

Pairing: Portgas D. Ace x Y/N

Summary: Without Ace, your nights are back to being long, dark, and empty. But when you finally reunite, Ace refuses to just be your Daylight.

Daylight - Part 1 | Afterglow - Part 2

Word Count: 4.3k (my hands slipped, I’m so sorry)

Loosely based on: Taylor Swift’s Lover album (but mostly about the songs Daylight and Afterglow)

A/N: I really think Whitebeard is a great father, yk? So I see him as someone who you can always seek and rely on. He looks tough (and he’s actually tough), but he’s soft too! And Ace too, in that respect is similar to WB. I really believe he’ll be such a good boyfriend 🥺 Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this so much! Thank you to everyone who read this, I love yall 🥰

<Teach doesn’t exist to me, I hate him, so I guess this is noncanon? Also, there’s this tiny spoiler, just a warning.>

Sailing by yourself in a boat for one reminds you how vast the sea actually is. With the rowdy Whitebeard pirates, sometimes the sea, no, the world, seems a lot smaller, a lot more manageable, but alone, it feels so massive it’s almost frightening.

It’s easy to get lost, except there’s no such concept like that for someone like you who doesn’t have a destination to go to in mind. Quite simply, you’re wandering, but not lost.

You drift from one island to another. Your initial intention is to get as far away as possible from the crew. Now that that’s achieved, you’re unsure of what to do next.

You allow yourself to observe and to experience some sort of normalcy at the islands you dock at. It’s a good thing that you don’t really stand out so no one suspects you’re a wanted pirate.

Walking down the streets of random towns, you’re reminded of how lonely being a Celestial Dragon was. No one wants to interact with a World Noble, afraid of the consequences if they’re angered. Things changed drastically when you became a pirate though. People don’t shy away that much with pirates in certain places. They interact with you, albeit hesitantly sometimes. Nevertheless, you felt so free and happy.

Now, you’re still a pirate, as marked by Whitebeard’s infamous tattoo. But with the unsuspecting townspeople and the lack of the presence of a crew, you don’t feel like one. Somehow it makes you feel empty.

The void is immeasurable. Despite it being unbounded, you’re sure that a single person can fill that emptiness: Portgas D. Ace.

But there are oceans separating you from Ace— a distance that you put. With the space between you, there’s silence in your voyage, however, it’s quite mystifying how every island you reach seems to scream his name.

There’s an island where you’ve docked at that’s snowing all year long. It brought back memories of when you were fairly new to the Whitebeard Pirates and had landed on a similar island. Back then you’ve worn a coat as you disembarked Moby Dick, however, the cold continued to seep through your layers of clothing. You couldn’t handle extreme temperatures that well but you didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so you continued to walk alongside the crew to scout the area. The thing was you may have been terrible at hiding it because Ace noticed the way your body was shivering and your teeth chattering. You were only acquaintances back then but he went to your side and striked a conversation with you. You didn’t understand why you became comfortable when he approached you all of a sudden, but then later that night you realized that he used his devil fruit abilities to warm you up.

At one island with a bustling town, there’s this restaurant that serves a variety of meat. You’re reminded of Ace and his bottomless pit of a stomach, and of his narcoleptic episodes while eating. He has a tendency of eating and then running, and the first few times he did it with you had you reeling. When you’ve finally realized that he’s never going to change, you start to keep a pouch of gold coins with you, reserved for paying for the food he eats. You leave it on the table just as Ace pulls you to run, and he has no idea about it. Owners or servers at the restaurants would still follow you out, but not to berate the both of you for not paying but to return the extra gold coins because you pay too much. Like usual though, Ace pretends not to hear them and they never got to catch up with you and Ace.

On another island, there’s a huge wild boar thrice the size of a human. It reminded you of the time you got so excited to explore an island that you speedily ran towards the forest alone, only to be met by a wild boar. The size of the boar stunned you and its glare kept you frozen in fear. A loud scream escaped your lips when it lunged at you, except the impact never came. When you’ve gathered your bearings, the wild boar was dead and… cooked, courtesy of Ace’s devil fruit abilities. He saved you, but he played it off as if he had his eyes on the wild boar since the beginning “to hunt it down.”

The current island you’re at is in famine. As soon as you docked at their port, a group of men has drawn their swords at you. For a moment, you thought they were bounty hunters so you grabbed your daggers and took a defensive stance. However, from the way they keep looking back and forth to you and your boat, and from hearing the faint sound of their stomach grumbling, you can tell they aren’t. Behind some trees, you can see the heads of some children peeking with worried yet hopeful looks on their faces.

Slowly, you raise your hands up in surrender, dropping your daggers in the process. You can’t turn your back on them — figuratively and literally — so you walk backwards towards your boat. The men look at you curiously but they don’t ever lower their swords.

In a quick motion, you grab a bag containing all of your food supply and throw it at them. One of the men catches it. “You can have them. It isn’t much, but that’s all I have.”

The man who was able to catch the bag carefully opens it and sees food. He almost cries at the sight of it. The rest of the men lowers the sword after you offer no sign of aggression. They start calling the other citizens of the area afterwards.

The children are the first to come running towards the men — all of them conveying excitement. You couldn’t tell how long they haven’t eaten but judging from how thin they are, it has got to be quite some time.

A small girl stumbles and falls near you and you quickly come to her aid. There isn’t much damage, just a scraped knee so you carefully patched her up.

“Thank you,” she gives you a toothy smile and then starts heading to the men who are distributing the food.

She comes back a moment later, arms outstretched to hand an apple to you. “For you,” she says.

Something blossoms in your heart because of her sweetness. “Thank you, but it’s fine, you can have it,”

She doesn’t object but then she hugs you tightly. “Thank you so much.”

Surprisingly, even on an island like this, you’re reminded of Ace. You remember his story about coming to Wano and meeting a child named “Tama” who seemed to be as charming as the child you helped and is under the same fortune.

Now that your mind has drifted to thoughts of Ace, you didn’t want to think of anything else. Even as the people gather around you to offer their thanks, and even as they usher you to a bonfire to celebrate for the food to eat, the thoughts of him linger in your head.

And just like in all the previous islands you came to, you wish he’s here with you too.

There’s longing in your heart, but there’s also something else— something pleasant that you can’t quite describe— and you attribute it to the gratitude of the people.

The mother of the child you helped, Sito, offers their spare room for you to take and you graciously accept. Soft snores almost immediately fill your ears after a few minutes of them bidding you good night.

The longer you stay awake, however, the pleasant feeling you felt a while ago starts to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

You’ve always criticized yourself for not being able to do more when you were still a Celestial Dragon but now that you did something good, you start to feel selfish for doing it because it makes you feel better about yourself.

It’s at times like this that you seek Pops. There’s a sudden urge to hear his voice and his thoughts. So you grab your Den Den Mushi, but you hesitate.

You’ve lost track of the days since you left Moby Dick. And in that time frame, you never once called Pops. Although you didn’t really promise to call, maybe he was expecting you to, especially since you know he wouldn’t do it first.

You sigh. Maybe this call is long overdue after all.

You step outside the house and start to contact Pops using the Den Den Mushi. It only rings once and then it’s answered, almost as if Pops was waiting by the Den Den Mushi. The thought brings a smile to your face. “Pops—”

“Why on earth are you only calling now?!” His angry tone welcomes you.

“I’m so—”

“Is that Y/N?!” Marco interrupts. Ah, how could you have forgotten? It’s at this time that Marco reports to Pops. “We’re so worried about you -yoi!”

You can hear sounds of struggling on the line and then there’s a loud smack followed by an even louder crash. There’s a moment of silence which makes you wonder what’s going on in the ship.

“Why didn’t you call earlier?!” Pops’ voice booms. “If you’re going to leave a Den Den Mushi, I’m going to expect your reports but I received none of that.”

“I’m sorry Pops. I have no excuse,” you sheepishly say.

“Everyone’s worried about you,” he pauses but then his voice rings louder once again, “Some are even outside my room trying to listen in on our conversation. But if they know better, they should leave us alone.” The sound of rushing footsteps could be heard in the background as Pops finishes his sentence.

You chuckle, imagining the crew eavesdropping. “How are you Pops?”

“I’m doing fine.”

“How’s everyone? How’s… uhm… Ace?”

“Everyone’s just missing you. You didn’t say goodbye after all,” he says. “I put Ace on a mission because he won’t stop pestering me about you. He won’t come back in a couple of days.”

“Oh.”

“He misses you a lot,” he sighs. “He strides to me everyday to demand your whereabouts. Each time I wouldn’t tell him but he never learns. Vista says he’s on his 56th attempt the other day.”

The brief image of Ace that your mind comes up with brings a small smile to your face.

“When are you coming back?” Whitebeard breaks your reverie.

“Ah, I’m not sure yet… It might take a while.”

He hums. “So how are you? Have you been eating well?”

“I’m doing fine, Pops. No one’s been coming after me yet so everything’s going well,” you respond. “But… Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“There’s this island with people who haven’t eaten in so long so I gave them everything I have.” There’s a loud growl coming from Pops so you immediately continue your speech before he could scold you for doing such a thing. “I feel really good about what I did as they thanked me. But then the longer I thought about it, I started feeling ashamed because... wasn’t it selfish since I did it to make me feel better about myself? Then I started to wonder if it was wrong to do good things just because I wanted to be absolved of my parents’ sins. Was I wrong in doing this, Pops?”

“No, you did the right thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you’re not an inherently bad person for getting paid in gratitude.”

“But…”

“Making yourself happy by making other people happy is how it’s meant to work. If one of your key motives to doing good things is to feel good, then you’re still doing something good and there’s nothing shameful about that.”

Hearing his words puts you at ease. You’re glad you called him. “Thank you, Pops. I’m sorry for worrying everyone there and for disrupting Marco’s report. I promise I’ll call more often from now on.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t forget to take care of yourself too. Where will you be headed next?”

“I’m not sure. I’m just going where the sea leads me.”

“Be careful.”

“You too, Pops,” and with that, you bid your goodbye and hang up.

By morning, you start preparing your things to leave. You didn’t want to stay for too long because you didn’t want to consume even a portion of the small amount of food they have.

Sito offers you to stay another night, worried that it would be uncomfortable to sleep on a boat. “You can stay one more day. There’s still enough food for us to share.”

“Oh no, I don’t want to impose,” you decline. “But do you mind if I ask what happened here?”

There’s sadness in her eyes, it was easy to tell the memory pained her, but she tells you everything anyway. “This island is one of the few lawless areas in the world, hence, it’s a place where pirates would dock at. A group of men once docked here and kidnapped the leaders of our town. They were sold off to be slaves, because apparently the Nobles like to enslave people of power…” Her words start to fade on you upon the mention of the World Nobles.

Anger flares up in your system immediately. How low can the Celestial Dragons go? It’s sickening to think that you share the same blood as them. It’s because of this revelation that something becomes clear in your mind.

Ever since leaving Moby Dick, you’re just wandering aimlessly. But after hearing Sito talk about this island, you’re finally sure of what your destination should be.

Sabaody Archipelago.

Specifically, the Human Auctioning House.

From the sudden fury that overwhelms you, not even the fear of being within arm’s reach of the Marines, and possibly dying, could stop you from going there.

It’s reckless and foolish, but isn’t this the reason you left Moby Dick that night— to face your nightmares instead of running away from them?

You listen politely as Sito explains everything else but her words enter and leave your ears without you having to comprehend them. Fortunately, she doesn’t notice your inattentiveness, probably because she wants to pour her frustrations out to a stranger.

You offer your sympathies to her and promise her you’d come back with your crew and help them some more. It’s a simple promise yet for someone who hasn’t been offered help for so long, it means a lot, enough to even bring tears to her eyes. And just like that, you leave.

There are two more islands to stop at before you reach Sabaody Archipelago. You gather provisions on one island and buy explosives on the other.

The only thing you’re sure you can actually do alone is to blow up the Human Auctioning House. Facing the World Nobles is for another time, unfortunately. As for the Marines, well… You’d worry about that if they indeed come. You know you’d be able to handle them as long as they don’t send an Admiral after you.

The thing that worries you the most, however, is Pops’ reaction once you let him know of your plan. While you can always just not tell him, it feels wrong, and you promised you’d report to him, after all. And it’s hard for you to admit, but you secretly want to be saved in case your plan goes askew. That, and well, you still want to make up with Ace, may it be just strictly as friends, but preferably as lovers.

You decide to call once you’re about to set sail towards Sabaody Archipelago. You’re sitting in the middle of your boat, still anchored at the port when you told Pops your plan. And as expected, he’s mad.

He demands you to go back to the crew immediately. “Captain’s orders,” he says. But after a few moments, he retracts his words and says, “Your father’s orders.” You feel the weight of his words when he said that and you almost concede. But the faces of the slaves your family had flashes into your mind and it solidifies your decision.

Interestingly, despite the weeks you have spent away from the crew, their ship is nearer to you than anticipated. As confirmed by Pops himself when he angrily said, “Enough! I’m sending Ace to get you! Two or three days is enough for him to catch up with you.”

But quite frankly, that’s also enough time to execute your plan. And if the odds are in your favor, then Ace might just come in time for your escape.

Arriving at Sabaody Archipelago, you keep your face hidden underneath the hood of your cloak. It’s normal for pirates to walk around the place without having to hide their identities, but it’s a luxury you can’t afford. If someone catches wind that you’re here and reports it, the Cipher Pol just might come and capture you before you can even execute your plan. That just won’t do. So on the first day of your arrival, you only scout the area of the Human Auctioning House and retreat back to the inn you stay at.

You carry out your plan on the next day. You place a bomb where the side of the stage is supposed to be. It’s a distraction so people inside would leave the premises. The plan is to find the keys and free the slaves while the people are panicking from the explosion. Then eliminate the head of the place, Mr. Disco, and finally blow the place apart. It sounds simple but with you having to do all the work, you know it isn’t.

Now that you’re here, your nerves are spiking up. Arriving at the entrance of the building, you take a deep breath, your hand automatically reaching for the bracelet that Ace made you. It instantly calms you down.

It baffles you how fate works because on the very day you decide to free the slaves that are being sold off at the Human Auctioning House, Ace’s brother, Luffy — along with his crew — is at the same place to rescue their friend who was kidnapped.

Somehow even on a dangerous mission like this, there’s still something or someone who’d remind you of Ace. It makes you wonder: has he really embedded himself too deep into your life that there’s no escaping the thoughts of him? Not that you mind; the thoughts of him bring you peace, after all. But still, it’s fascinating that even in both mundane and dangerous settings, he makes himself known to you.

Upon entering the Human Auctioning House, everything happens so fast and unexpected. And quite frankly, a lot happened that wasn’t part of the plan.

Aside from finding the Straw Hat Pirates, you got yourself injured when you used your body to shield their fish man friend, Hatchi, from Saint Charlos’ gunshot. Then you confronted Saint Shalria personally despite you not planning to get involved with the Celestial Dragons. As for the slaves, it was the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, who actually freed them. The only things that you personally executed from your plan were Mr. Disco’s elimination and the bombing of the Human Auctioning House.

Escape is easy once the building starts to explode because the Marines would have to lessen the forces who're chasing after the pirates in order for them to successfully put out the fire. Without any Admiral on the scene yet, it’s not hard to slip away from them and/or fight them.

Even with the gunshot wound on your arm, you’re able to take down each and every one of the Marines who are chasing you. But halfway through your journey back to the grove where you left your boat at, you lose your adrenaline.

You start to feel the sharp and stinging sensation on your arm once again, yet, you couldn’t help but smile. You have gotten out alive. The slaves have been freed. With both Mr. Disco and the building gone, the Human Auctioning House will no longer be operational, or at least not yet until someone steps up. But that won’t be after a long time.

It’s a wonderful day.

You look up at the afterglow of the sunset with a serene smile. You have a feeling your nights are going to feel shorter now and less frightening than they were before.

Your peaceful moment is cut off by someone rather abruptly. You jump in surprise as someone wraps their arms around you from behind all of a sudden. “I finally caught up with you.”

Your breath hitches at the sound of the voice. “Ace? What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t answer your question, but he mumbles, “I’m sorry if I only came now. Pops wouldn’t tell me where you were, but I came as soon as I could.” Then he tightens his hug. “I was so scared, I thought I’d lose you…”

“Ace, I’m sorry about—”

“Hey, it’s on me, okay?” He interrupts. “I blew things out of proportion, and now you’re blue.”

You pull away from his hug to face him.

“Y-your arm! You’re bl-bleeding,” he stutters after seeing your injury.

But you pay no mind to that. “Ace… I’m really sorry about us—”

“Ssshhh, baby…” he rubs his hand on your back.

He looks at your figure carefully, focused on looking for any more bruises or wounds. When he doesn’t find anything more, he gently holds you by your waist. “Don’t blame yourself, I’m the one who burned us down, but… it’s not what I meant.

“It was all in my head, okay? It’s just that the Celestial Dragons are all grouped in my head as scums and that they’re inexcusable because… my brother was killed by a Celestial Dragon.”

A wave of guilt flows through your body, enough to weaken your knees. Before you could fall, however, Ace catches you and brings you to his chest. But this doesn’t stop you from sobbing on his chest. “I didn’t know, Ace. I’m so sorry.”

“No, that’s the thing, baby. It isn’t your fault. It wasn’t you who pulled the trigger. And… I have to admit I failed to see that at first,” he says as he hugs you tighter. “I shouldn’t have stood there frozen after you told me your story. I’m supposed to be the one who understands you...

“I’m not trying to make excuses and I’m not trying to make this about me but it’s just that… for so long I thought that I inherited the bad blood of my father, and I spent my lifetime failing to see that his sins aren’t my sins,” his voice cracks as he cries. “So when I found out about you… My mind automatically held you liable for the sins of the Nobles…

“But I talked to Pops and he straightened me up. I understand now. Our parents’ sins aren’t ours. It never was ours to begin with. So I’m sorry for blaming you for something you didn’t do…”

Ace stares at your crying form. He cups your face and sincerely says, “It’s so excruciating to see you low,” as he wipes the tears on your eyes. “I’m sorry if I hurt you…”

“It’s fine Ace, I forgive you. But…” You look directly into his eyes. “I’m at fault too,” you confess. “I was the one who left... I was so used to living like an island and isolating myself that it didn’t occur to me that I was punishing you with silence… I should’ve waited patiently for you but I ran away…”

Ace rubs your back gently and presses his forehead against yours, “I forgive you too.”

You smile in relief.

After a couple of minutes in silence, Ace tilts his head. “Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“Remember when you said that you saw daylight after sleeping in a long, dark night?”

You give him a curious look but nodded anyway.

“Beside wishing that I was there for you sooner, it had me thinking...”

“What?”

“Uhm… The world is terrible and cruel, and no one can ever really stop the dark nights from coming.”

You frown. You don’t really understand what Ace is trying to say.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” he rubs his neck while his cheeks starts to blush, “if you ever have to go through those dark nights, I wouldn’t want you to wait for daylight.

“I want to be there with you on those nights until they’re over. I don’t want to leave you when things get rough and only show up when you’re better. I know you see me as your daylight but I don’t want to be just that.”

His words warm your heart, and makes it skip a beat. “You know, Ace, there are remnants of light that linger in the sky even when the sun has long gone down and the night starts. It’s the afterglow,” you mumble.

“Yeah, but that goes away too after a while,” he frowns.

“Well, lucky for you the moon reflects the sun’s light during the night, huh?”

He grins. “Yeah, yeah. I like that. I want to be your source of light, may it be the daylight, moonlight, or the afterglow.”

A moment of silence engulfs the both of you. Under the soft afterglow of the sunset with your arms wrapped around each other, you feel at peace.

Once upon a time, you used to believe love is black and white— that it’s straightforward. It was either you love Ace or you don’t, there were no gray areas. No matter what he feels, says, or does, your love for him never ceases.

But then some other days you believed that love is burning red— that it’s full of passion, lust, and romance, much like the nights you spent entangled in the sheets with Ace.

However, right now in Ace’s arms, all you could ever think about is that love is golden. It was warmth and comfort, like what daylight brings. It was contentment and serenity too, much like the feeling of lightness one gets when seeing the afterglow of the sunset. Either way, it’s Ace who makes you feel those.

No matter what color love actually is though, for you it’s always embodied by Ace.

[toomanyhyperfixations]

Day 1 of pressing shuffle on my Trobed playlist and overanalyzing the lyrics!

Disclaimers:

-Some songs I got from looking at other people’s playlists/recommendations. Some are from my own.

-These are my interpretations and opinions. You don’t have to agree, but please be kind!

-Please don’t criticize or make fun of my music taste! I am fragile and have very little self-esteem already!

Today’s song:

(I sit in my car outside restaurants and bars

Reading about what’s inside

I look up opinions about news and religion

So I don’t have to use my own mind)

-This first bit really reminds me of Abed, especially without Troy, trying to change and play a character to please others and be what everyone else wants.

(I should call my friends

But I read their posts instead)

-Abed in LA and Troy on the boat both wanting to reach out to each other/the study group but never actually doing it for fear the other will reject them :(

(Like dancing a waltz with no partner

Nobody’s holding your hand

Like singing duets as a solo

The harmony’s just in your head)

-Abed and Troy completed each other. The show demonstrated that multiple times. They literally SAID IT OUT LOUD. And once Troy left, I think that leaves Abed like this- singing and dancing alone.

(It’s almost as if I have been everywhere

Almost tasted the food, almost breathed in the air

But nobody’s heart ever pounded

From that feeling of being surrounded

by pictures of mountains)

-This makes me think of the dreamatorium and all the adventures Trobed had together, and how now that they’re not together anymore, it just never feels the same.

(People are messy and life can get heavy

It’s easier to keep it online

Like checking the weather to see if it’s better

Instead of just going outside

Pretend I’m unaware

But the truth is that I’m scared)

-Again, this makes me think of Abed and changing for others, as well as how he sees life through a meta/TV lens to better understand the world and cope with change and other issues.

Everyone’s right here on my phone

So why do I still feel so alone?

-Again, I see Abed in LA and Troy at sea connected to each other and their friends, but never feeling more alone.

I thought that I knew what a mountain was like

’Til I stood in the valley and looked up at the sky

And I felt my heart beating faster

That feeling I’d been chasing after

Is something that no one can capture

In pictures of mountains

-I think the song means something different here, but in the context of Trobed I see this as the two of them realizing how much they love each other after Troy leaves. They thought they knew how much they meant to one another, how much their relationship meant, until it was gone. And even with the memories, the pictures, any kind of communication they still have, it can never be enough until they are reunited.

Thank you if you read all that! Hope you enjoyed and that I didn’t make you as sad as I made myself! Feel free to add thoughts or song recs! :D

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

[this week’s T5F was requested by anon]

Top 5 Reasons I Love Clouis

When I saw this request in my inbox, I knew I had to do it. You guys know by now that I never miss an opportunity to gush about clouis. I adore these two as a pair. Ever since ep1 dropped, I knew, y’know? I knew that Clementine and Louis were gonna be otp and now here we are. 

I have so many reasons for loving clouis, from major things that happen through the game to the smaller, fleeting moments, to things outside of the game like the fanart, fanfics, headcanons, and everything in between. So to condense all of that into only 5 reasons will be a challenge, but it’s fine. Some of these will be entire moments or episodes because reasons lie within the moments themselves, y’know? 

Also, thanks to @pi-creates for once again providing some of the screenshots used in this! It’s always appreciated! :D

Warning: This is very long.... I have a lot to say.

5. Oh my darling Clementine, your relationship with Louis has changed

I love the beginning of Clementine and Louis’ relationship in ep1. Everything from the meet cute to the confrontation with Marlon where Louis stands between them. 

Everything about their first meeting is so good. You have Louis focused on playing piano so that Clementine and AJ can reunite without interruption, then he introduces himself and claims he watched over AJ for her while she was out. 

Not only is this a great introduction to Louis as a character, but it’s a great start for the relationship that he and Clementine will build over the course of the season. 

One of the best parts of this scene is after AJ gets his gun back, Louis is alarmed but dismisses it after Clementine defends the choice to let AJ handle it.... which leads Clementine to give him a look before being like, “You don’t know any others?”

And In response, Louis throws back, “Well, there IS one... but you’re armed.”

Just.... the shared look they give is like they’re kinda challenging each other? Plus, for me, when Louis starts to sing Oh My Darling Clementine, not only is it him teasing her with a song that has her name in it, but it’s him seeing what he can push with her, if that makes sense? Like, is she gonna roll her eyes and tell him to knock it off? Or is she gonna have a bit of a sense of humor and go along with it? Or maybe she’ll even just like the song want to hear him play it? 

Listen just.... the immediate chemistry, okay? Even if you are someone who rolls your eyes at the song and tells him to stop, he doesn’t get offended. He listens to her and ends the song before smiling and winking at AJ. 

Oh yeah, speaking of which, there’s also him entertaining AJ with the song, who audibly gasps at hearing Clem’s name and it’s hilarious. Also love when Louis asks AJ to try it... it’s just the beginning signs that Louis is good with him and I love that. 

Now they have a lot of other moments in episode one that solidify them as my otp, but I’ll be talking about the hunting bit in another entry, and I don’t want this entry to be a million words long soooo let’s skip to the confrontation with Marlon.

Now this confrontation is a big moment. As the episode establishes, Marlon and Louis are best friends. They’ve known each other for 8+ years, survived all these years together, Louis never had a reason to not trust or follow him as a leader... and then this happens: Marlon and Clementine are yelling at each other, both covered in Brody’s blood, pointing fingers at the other for Brody’s murder.

It’s a lot, and Louis doesn’t say anything after Marlon gets the gun from AJ. You can hear him ask AJ to put the gun down before Clementine arrives, and he’s the one to help AJ up after Marlon shoves him down. 

And when Clementine turns to him for help? It’s so good. 

I know a lot of people were annoyed that he didn’t immediately jump to help her, but listen, that’s the point ya dingdong. 

Louis in ep1 is established as musical, laidback, charismatic, keeps his head down and doesn’t jump into conflict, goofs around before finishing his work, doesn’t think ahead or of the future, humorous guy who wants to trust his best friend’s judgement, even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with him. Plus, we can see that Marlon’s got him under his thumb from all the looks he gives Louis during this part and how he’s so smug when Louis says he’s not involved. 

The entire exchange with Louis curling in on himself like, “I’m sorry, Clem, but not me.” and you can hear it in his voice that he is apologetic for not having the confidence to step up and stop this, even though he knows it’s wrong. It takes Clementine being like, “You’d let him shoot me? Just so that you don’t have to get involved? I thought you were more than that!” 

And that really gets to him, y’know? He stares at her for a moment before mustering up what he can to ask Marlon to stop, who doesn’t take kindly to that and yells at him, which note that does make him flinch. 

Now this is just my interpretation of the scene after watching it so many times during playthroughs, but I don’t fully believe that Louis believes Marlon. Marlon’s over here insisting that Clem killed Brody and Marlon’s justified here, and we know he’s not but Louis wasn’t there, he doesn’t know what the hell happened in the basement... but I do think he wants to believe Marlon because again, he’s never had a reason to not trust him, and he’s always believed in him before, even if those around him didn’t. 

I’ve talked about this next part many times in the past. It’s beautiful. The scene tries to trick you into believing that Louis isn’t going to help with quiet shots on Marlon, then a shot on Clementine as she closes her eyes and waits.... only for Louis to slip in front of her with his hands up and this pleading look to Marlon as thunder rumbles and the corner of the screen says “your relationship with Louis has changed”

What else can I even say? 

Louis steps in front of Clementine so that his best friend is pointing a damn gun at his face, he has nothing in his hands because he’s trying to deescalate the situation, and he knows that if Marlon accidentally pulls that trigger, he’s dead. While I’ve argued that he’s also doing this for Marlon, we’re talking about Clouis so the fact that Louis just met Clementine but felt a strong enough connection to her to do this? To build up the courage to stop something that he knows is wrong rather than turn the other way? To not let Marlon intimidate him into silence? 

Aaahhhhhhh it’s too good you guys.

So yeah just.... ep1 and the beginnings of clouis is just... amazing. 

4. Building trust and breaking down walls

Remember when I was saying that ep1 establishes Louis as musical, charismatic, and all that? Well, seeing how Louis is so friendly, you’d think that he’d be a pretty open person, right? Sure, he’s easy to talk to, but you’d also think that he’d be easy to get to know... right?

Well, here’s the thing.... Louis isn’t open. Throughout the whole episode, Louis’ doesn’t tell you jack shit about his past. The most you get outta him is that he used to love baseball, he fucking hates cantaloupe, and he once saw a dude get his guts ripped out. Oh, and I guess he’s never had a girlfriend before. And sure, you get that he and Marlon are best friends, but he never tells you anything about his friendship with Marlon until the confrontation when he says he’s gotta trust him. But in friendly conversation? Or even when Aasim brings it up? Nope, nothin’. You get surface level stuff from Louis, but no backstory, nothing deeper.

You could chalk this up to the writer’s fault that he doesn’t get as much detail in ep1, but I’m choosing to look at this as he gives the illusion that he’s open and willing to share but really? 

“No, no, no, that’s not how this works. You see this wall? You’re on that side and I’m over here? Yeah, you only get to know the things on that side, and I’m gonna keep everything else over here. I’m not gonna lower the wall, and you’re not gonna climb it, and it’ll be a grand ol’ time.” 

Well, jokes on you, Louis-- Clem’s gonna climb that wall until you lower it. 

Now... the hunting scene. Clementine goes hunting with Louis and Aasim, and you’re faced with a choice of either helping Aasim hunt, or taking care of the walker with Louis. I know we all get a little salty about this given that the fishing path doesn’t play out with this similar ‘option 1 vs option 2′ thing, and believe me, I’ll be the first to admit I got my own stash of salt for it.... but again, I’m choosing to look at this as you want to know more about Louis? You wanna gain his trust? Well, then you gotta actually earn it... and going off what his end card says if you don’t go with him? Part of him wants Clem to earn it, too. 

And if she does go with him? Well, then you get the moment.

I love this part. Clementine kills the walker after some back and forth teasing with Louis, and he asks her if she feels better now that she blew off some steam. I usually tell him that I can’t wait for out next round of batting practice, which gets some flirty dialogue from Louis-- “Oh yeah? Bring it on, Clem, I’m always down for a little adventure.”

 “Is that so?”

“Life’s too short not to be. Aasim loves giving me crap about having a good time, always telling me I'm not thinking long-term. ‘We need to guarantee our future,’ all that horseshit. But I tell him right back, there's only one guarantee: this moment. That's the only thing you got, only thing any of us got. Might as well enjoy it.”

I adore this moment because Louis and Clementine have each let their guard down, and Louis is sharing with her why he prefers to look at survival the way he does and why he believes survival isn’t enough without living.... and going off Clementine’s expression after he’s done, it really gets to her and makes her think. 

...but then Louis realizes that he lowered his wall and it’s like a switch is flipped. You can see him look away with a thoughtful face as if he’s internally saying “Oops, I shared too much uhhh quick say something--” and then his tone completely changes into this happy, “I'll untie our friend here and reset the snare if you go check on Aasim. :D”

And that’s Louis ending the conversation and sending Clementine away from him so that he can think about what the hell just happened. 

This isn’t the only instance of this happening with them, either. While Louis does gradually warm back up to Clementine after Marlon’s death, that wall is still up and he’s struggling, y’know? Marlon dies, Louis saw it happen a few steps in front of him, and he’s heartbroken and traumatized from it. He’s also conflicted about Clem and AJ, not wanting them around but not wanting them to die out in the woods-- he doesn’t know what to do. 

So when Clementine and AJ come back and AJ’s shot to hell, he feels awful, guilty that it’s his fault for what happened. So he decides to bring Clementine some fresh clothes for AJ to change into when he’s better, and we get the dorm scene... which is just one of my favorites. 

It’s so interesting because you can feel Louis’ genuine concern for AJ and how he’s doing, but at the same time, he’s trying to distance himself from Clementine... and kinda failing. 

On top of that, you got Clementine trying to see where he stands with them [with her], if he’s okay with them staying, and Louis tries to avoid answering it... whether that’s because he really doesn’t know how he feels, or he has an idea but isn’t about to share it with her, or some mixture of both. He’s still trying to work through things by himself either way. 

“It’s fine while he gets better.”

“...And after that?”

“I don’t know, Clementine.”

Again, when AJ wakes up, Louis avoids the question of “Are we friends again?” and goes to leave where Clem stops him. I always pick “I really missed you,” and Louis admits that he missed her, too, before saying goodnight. 

I just.... my heart? 

Another moment I wanna talk about here before moving on is the piano room scene. We talk to Louis more during the archery scene where Louis finally opens up about Marlon and how he’s feeling about her and AJ, and they’re on good terms again. They have the fun card game, and then you gotta decide who you wanna go with.... and yeah, I still got my salt about the whole ‘check defenses vs play piano’ thing but again.... forcing myself to look at this as another moment where you gotta earn him and his trust. You wanna see him finally bring that wall completely down for Clementine and change their relationship for the rest of the game? Then go after him. 

And whattya know, Louis does this thing again.

Clementine goes after Louis to find him playing a song he wrote and he’s so clearly happy to see her. When Clementine mentions they haven’t heard music in a while [suggesting that Louis hasn’t been playing] Louis jokes about how some would say she’s not about here it now before playing again and just.... his face. Louis and his damn self deprecating jokes, I swear. And Clementine can see it on his face before again, it’s like a switch is flipped and Louis is all, “So how do you feel about our imminent deaths? :D” 

My favorite choice here is to remain silent, by the way. When you do that, Louis says, “You know I’m here for you.” and aaaahhhhhh-

So we all know how the rest goes-- they tune the piano, it turns out to be a joke Louis is playing on Clem, she calls him cute and he gets flustered. Louis doing this is pretty perfect and in line with his character. It makes sense that he would mess with her a bit to gauge a reaction before deciding whether or not he should open up a bit or not. 

Then he starts to play the song he wrote, and carves an L into his piano. This is interesting to see since you wouldn’t think Louis would do that, y’know? Especially since the piano already has shit carved into the side like, “You suck at playing!” 

But no, he knows that shit’s about to go down, and him and Clem carving their initials into the piano makes it theirs... if that makes sense. I mean that in the sense that “this is our place... this is where we shared this moment together and it’s ours forever carved here, no matter what happens next,” y’know? And Clem carving a heart around it? All the more special and cute. 

Side note, but I fucking love Louis’ reaction to the heart like... they haven’t even confessed their feelings yet and to any normal person this would be an obvious “hey I like you” moment but poor Louis is probably over here like “Oh it’s a heart, yeah okay, uhhhh heart of ultimate friendship probably?? that’s cool, really cool”  

Anyway, seeing Clementine carve a C next to the L is what I believe gives him the courage to finally let down the wall entirely. He lays it all out there, thanking her for being here [for choosing him] even after everything he put her through, he had a lot to work through for himself, and everyone always hears the jokes and the piano but after that they stop listening, but Clementine didn’t. 

Like okay.... do you remember when I mentioned that Louis’ end card in ep1 suggests that he wants Clementine to pursue him, if you will? When you go with Aasim instead, his end card says that he felt lonely... and yeah, okay listen... the end cards are usually a mess with things that make zero sense, but this one I’m inclined to believe. 

Again, Louis is viewed as this charismatic, friendly, musical dude, so he should be close with everyone at the school right? He has Marlon for a best friend, so there’s no way someone like him could ever feel lonely, right? 

Well, when you consider that he has this whole persona that he plays when around most of the Ericson crew, and the fact that he literally says that they only hear the surface level shit before they stop listening all together, and Marlon probably kept him out for at least a year...... so yeah, I believe he’s lonely... and then Clementine showed up, broke down his wall and listened, chose him when most people wouldn’t, and now he doesn’t feel so lonely. 

Like.... Louis falls for Clementine for a reason, okay? And when she returns those feelings, he’s shocked because he never thought someone like her would choose him, or that she’d even want him to let her in. 

Then they smooch and I die.

Oh, AND he names the song he wrote after her. I mean, something that he created and always wanted to share but people always rejected or made fun of him for it... he played this song for her and then named it after her. Just... it’s too perfect, I can’t-

But yeah, from here on, trust is a big part of their relationship... and okay, lemme talk about one more scene because it’s important to this point--

Louis sharing his backstory at the party.... y’know how I mentioned that Louis doesn’t tell you shit about his past? Well, that’s still pretty true up until this point. While he trusts and adores Clementine, he wasn’t ready to share what got him sent to Ericson in the first place... until the party when they’re reading files and Louis realizes that she should know who she’s taking into battle... and she should know who she’s in a relationship with. 

So he tells the whole group everything-- he came from a rich family, his father refused to let him taking singing lessons, so Louis spent over a year breaking up his parents marriage and threw it in their faces because he was a “vindictive fuckhead.” 

When you remain quiet, he says that he doesn’t even know the person he’s talking about, the only thing they have in common is the same name... and just, Louis telling Clementine this even though he isn’t that person anymore and has had years to reflect on why the hell he ever did that and let the guilt weigh heavy on him... I’m sure he saw it as risky, y’know? Like what if she found out who he was and didn’t want him anymore? But he wanted to be honest with her?

And well... Clementine’s past ain’t so clean either, and I do wish we had the opportunity to share something with him at some point, but regardless... they’re still together. Clementine still trusts him to come with her and AJ to sneak onto the boat, and she still loves him enough to be in this romantic relationship. 

It’s just... it’s so good, guys. 

3. Forgiveness and family

This goes hand in hand with #2, because while trust is a huge factor in why I love their relationship, forgiveness and found family are just as important. 

So, AJ kills Marlon and everything’s a mess. Louis is a mess of emotions no matter what you do at this point, and I still roll my eyes at everyone who claims that he’s so terrible for behaving the way he does in the beginning of ep2. I actually like that he doesn’t immediately forgive them because that would be stupid, and poor writing on the part of the writers. 

His best friend who he just found out did awful shit was murdered right in front of him because AJ thought that was the right thing to do, even though Marlon had surrendered. He doesn’t know what the fuck to do or what to feel.... so yeah, I can see how he’d be uncomfortable [an understatement] the next morning when Clem and AJ show up to the funeral, I can see why he wouldn’t want to stay no matter what they had to say, and I can see why he wouldn’t feel to great with them around. 

And at this point, you’d think that any relationship he and Clementine could’ve had, any relationship the three of them could’ve had, would be ruined. And y’know, if Louis was replaced with a grudge-holding character or if he had a big ego that prevented him from moving past it all, it would be...  but he’s not like that, so it’s not. 

As I talked about before, this is where Louis is conflicted with himself and everything around him, so I won’t get too into that... but, they bring Clementine and AJ out into the woods after being kicked out, which is interesting that Louis would agree to go with Violet to do that since you’d think he’d just want them gone and that’s it, y’know? 

And he even tries to justify it to himself by being like, “It’s not so bad, you’ve done this before” which... isn’t great, and he knows it, they all know it. 

Oh, and I always have AJ give Louis the gun because Louis will stay behind while Violet heads back, and he’ll give the gun back but... I don’t even know how to explain it. He gets down to AJ’s level and hands him the gun, but when AJ grabs it, Louis tightens his whole grip on it, which makes AJ look directly at him and just.... Louis’ expression.... 

He doesn’t say anything, he just gets back up, looks at both of them, then walks away. It says so much without saying anything. 

Fast forward to the archery scene. I touched on it a bit, but this is a key moment of forgiveness... assuming you aren’t one of those dinguses who picked the “fuck you” option because why would you do that, ya dingus? 

Anyway, they’re still in a bit of an awkward area. Neither of them have openly forgiven each other for what happened, Clementine doesn’t know if he wants her around or not, Louis has come to terms with what happened and understands why AJ did what he did, but hasn’t talked to Clem about it... plus, he’s trying to get better at archery so that he can help fight when the raiders come, so that’s another thing to stress about. 

Clementine goes over to check on him and they finally talk about Marlon and AJ. Louis admits that he feels responsible for what happened... for years, he wasted time with stupid jokes and messing around while Marlon was left with all the stress of leading the school, and it eventually killed him, and Louis didn’t do a damn thing about it. He then goes on to tell Clem if he could, he’d take back sending them into the woods. 

My personal favorite choice here is to forgive him, because that’s what he needed to hear. From this point, Louis, Clementine, and AJ are all on good terms, and I mean... there’s a reason we love our ninja fam. Their dynamic as a whole is so good, and it reflects on why I love clouis so much. 

Like... Louis is able to forgive them for what happened to Marlon, and Clementine and AJ are able to forgive him for sending them out in the woods which resulted in AJ getting shot. Think about that... they overcame something that big. 

Clementine and Louis are in a romantic relationship, AJ adores Louis, and that’s something incredibly important to Clem. If AJ didn’t like Louis or didn’t get along with him? Then Clementine wouldn’t be with him. But Louis is so damn good with AJ in the way he interacts with him. He helped Ruby take care of him when he was shot, he made AJ feel better during the card game when he was sad about not knowing what the world was like before walkers, he’s friendly and caring about him when the visits the dorms,  hung out with him during the party to show him the gramophone, blocked him from Minerva when she was threatening him.... 

Also, when Louis shows up in the woods after the cave scene and AJ goes running to hug him? My heart can’t handle it. 

And all of this happened after all the shit with Marlon. 

You can’t avoid that conflict. No matter what you do, Marlon will always die and you gotta work at rebuilding the relationship with Louis if you want him by your side, and he works to be at your side, as well. I’ll touch more on this in the next entry, just know that this forgiveness is earned rather than just expected... y’know? 

There’s one other key moment I wanna talk about here... and that deals with the bridge scene and Tenn’s death. 

Alright.... the dreaded bridge scene. When Clementine says she trusts AJ to make the right calls back in the caves, AJ will see Louis struggling to get Tenn over the gap and away from the walkers and Minerva, and AJ will make the call to shoot Tenn... which gives Louis enough time to jump across... but now Tenn’s dead and crazy ass Minerva got what she wanted. 

It’s pretty shitty and no one likes it. 

Now, Louis is furious at this, and it’s completely understandable. Again, I know people gave Louis shit for going off at AJ at this point but lemme tell you a thing... his reaction makes sense. Louis asks how AJ could just shoot him like that, and AJ will say he had to otherwise Louis would never see his new house and he did it for him. Louis is even more upset by this, and I usually have Clementine say that AJ saved his life and Tenn was gonna get him killed... and Louis responds with, “So what, we just cut him loose? Gun him down like he was nothing?”

Which tells me a lot... Gun him down like he was nothing? You mean... you mean like he kinda did with Marlon, Louis? 

To me, this shows that Louis just saw Marlon again.... he’s seeing AJ repeat what happened to Marlon, even after everything they’d been through and he’s overwhelmed with anger, frustration, and heartbreak.... so he grabs AJ and forces him to see what he did. 

“Tenn's dead. He's dead! Do you realize that? Look! He's...he's gone, because of you. Just fucking gone.”

Now, I don’t agree that this was the right thing for Louis to do in this moment, but I understand why he did it. He’s desperate for AJ to see and realize what his actions have done, that he just killed Tenn. 

However, they don’t have much time to get into it since walkers are coming, and they gotta go. Then we fast forward to the ending with Louis, Clementine, and AJ where they’re talking about seeing other survivors and how Louis is gonna go check them out in the morning, asking AJ to tag along... and I know all choices are canon and all, but for me there is only one correct choice--

“Aren't you still mad I killed Tenn?”

“I... AJ, I guess it's like... You saw something I didn't. About the situation, I mean. Minnie and the walkers and Tenn, it's just all this chaos in my head when I think back on it... Clem says you saved my life? Well, then, that's exactly what you did. And how can I stay mad at anyone for doing that?”

And then they shake hands. 

And I cry. 

This is so important and honestly, I hate the other options because not only do they throw off the balance of the ninja fam dynamic, but they’re insulting to Louis’ growth as a character over the season. Clouis as a couple, and the three of them with AJ as a found family, these moments of forgiveness are crucial... and once again, they’re earned. 

I adore clouis, but it wouldn’t be as good if AJ didn’t have strong relationships with both Clementine and Louis. 

2. They challenge each other and help one another grow 

One of my favorite things about clouis is that they aren’t afraid to disagree or call each other out for shit. They go through so much together, things that could break a lot of people apart, and they both come out stronger than they were before... and that wouldn’t be possible if they weren’t able to handle challenging each other or handle conflict together. 

Whenever I replay TFS, I never feel like I have to tiptoe around Louis, y’know? I’m never afraid that if I say something he doesn’t like, he’ll throw a tantrum or get pissy and throw it back at me later. 

The worst he ever does is if you tell him to fuck off during the archery scene. He’ll be hurt, try to explain himself, before throwing down his bow and leaving and like.... totally understandable. Also, he’ll say something like, “If we’re on speaking terms” during the card game and he’ll act surprised that you chose to go after him but like.... honestly, the first one if more teasing and the other one is genuine shock. 

Another case like this is when Clementine questions Louis’ survival viewpoint when you go hunting with him and Aasim. He talks about how he views survival as a day-to-day task, but he does get things done. 

Clementine can agree with him here, or she can challenge him, which he will mostly brush off but won’t get annoyed. However, if she doesn’t say anything, he’ll go, “Hey, look. I don't need approval from anybody. I've kept myself alive this long doin' what I'm doin', so...”

Interesting thing to say, Louis. 

Those are just some the smaller things... but bigger things?

Going back to the point I made previously: You can’t avoid conflict with Louis in TFS because his conflict is a major point in the overall story. You have to put in effort when it comes to rebuilding a relationship with Louis. Not only that, but Louis is working to repair it, as well. If he wasn’t, he would’ve told Clementine to fuck off and not bothered. 

Again, it’s annoying when people just immediately turn on Louis the second he’s upset with Clementine because all of this effort from the two of them is great and makes them being together in the end all the more satisfying. It’s interesting, too. If there was zero conflict with Louis and he didn’t get mad at Clem and agreed with her on every little thing, it’d be boring and the relationship wouldn’t feel as genuine or deep. 

Was the whole thing handled perfect? Nah. Could it have been handled better. Yep. But going off what we did get? It’s pretty damn good. 

If Clementine and Louis can make it through AJ killing Marlon, fighting off asshole raiders, breaking into said asshole raiders boat to take back their friends, get captured and escape the boat as it explodes, and survive AJ shooting Tenn and Clementine losing her leg to a bite.... then these two can overcome anything together. Their efforts are rewarded. 

Now, this plays into this bigger idea of them challenging their survival views and outlook on life, and helping them grow as better people. 

Clementine is sometimes so serious even when the situation doesn’t call for it. She’s survival-centric because she didn’t have a choice. She has survived in this world on her own, saw many people die, and had to do what she had to in order to stay alive. When she got AJ, she then had to look after and raise him, too, and teach him how to survive. 

On the other hand, Louis sometimes isn’t serious enough when the situation calls for it. He’s sheltered, having lived behind walls his whole life with a roof over his head and a bed to sleep in. He’s seen his fair share of death, but he’s never been out there alone having to survive. He chooses to enjoy every moment he possible can and that causes him to not look at the future. 

Then they find each other in ep1, and with each passing episode, they’re influenced by the other and grow to be better versions of themselves... and none of it would’ve happened if they gave up on one another.

By the end we have a Clementine who is able to think about things without the frightening aspects of survival, she’s able to sit down and laugh with her friends over a dumb game of cards, to push AJ on a tire swing and watch him color like a little kid, she’s able to rely on someone she’s comfortable with who makes her happy. She’s still the same strong, fierce Clementine that we love, but because of Louis, she’s grown a softer, more vulnerable side that she hasn’t had since the beginning of the series.

We have a Louis who who can now find courage within himself to step forward when he knows something’s wrong, to fight when people need him. He thinks about the future, he feels like Ericson is a home worth protecting and he’d sacrifice himself to make sure it’s safe. He’s let someone in, confided, and now he’s less lonely, he’s overcome a lot of bullshit and survived. He’s still charming, musical Louis, but because of Clementine, he’s grown stronger and more capable, willing to do whatever it takes to take care of his family. 

Say it with me: and none of it would’ve happened if they gave up at the first big thing thrown at them, didn’t learn from one another and were afraid to challenge each other.

1. Building a future together

Alright, we’re finally here at #1... this really feels more like an essay than a T5F but I don’t care, I’m not done... I have more to say about these two.

I wanna talk about the walk back to Ericson right before the bridge scene because it’s pretty much tied to everything else on this list and it perfectly encapsulates why I love clouis so damn much. 

So, after we get the wild cave scene, we’re out in the open when we Louis finds us. We get that sweet moment where everyone hugs, Clementine and Louis hold hands and give each other the looks, and they start to walk back home. 

Louis’ theme, which is my favorite, begins to play as he and Clem walk side by side ahead of AJ and Tenn, and they share even more looks. This is when Louis talks about Dorian, the woman he shot and killed back in the boat. You can tell he doesn’t exactly know how to approach talking about it, but it’s weighing on his mind and he wants to open up to Clem about it... admitting that it’s his first human kill and how he feels about it. 

I like to tell him that it’ll get easier, and even though it’s fucked up, he knows it will. 

Here is where Louis opens up more about himself and his past, something I’ve gone to great lengths here to point out that he doesn’t just do, y’know? But here he does it so comfortably which is drastic compared to when we started where he wouldn’t say anything. He talks about how he always thinks about dumb things when in life or death situations-- his grandma’s phone number, his pet turtle Geoff, how he lost a spelling bee because he misspelled recommend [which is fair, I always wanna put two C’s for some reason?], and then finally... he thought about the house his parents were building before their divorce. 

Louis willingly talking about his parents with Clementine is a pretty big step, especially after he told her what happened with them. 

Then together, they talk about creating their dream home which is not only wholesome and sweet, but it’s Louis’ way of saying he wants to build a home with her, to have a future [something he never thought about before] with her. 

I just.... yeah, he’s aware that it’s an imaginary house, even when he says they’re gonna build it. They’re not gonna be able to build a 914-floor purple mansion with a treehouse, but they can try.... y’know, try to make Ericson that dream home together. 

Clementine never had a secure home, and if she ever did feel comfortable enough in a place to it home, it was taken away from her. She was just a little girl at the motor-inn during S1, and with her parents constantly on her mind then, I doubt she ever saw it as a new home. Same with any other place the visited in S1. 

S2, she was on the move living out in the woods with Christa before going on the move with the cabin group, and no matter what ending you got, where ever she ended up never felt like home for her. 

Then we all know what happened in ANF soo... yeah. 

The first episode of TFS even starts out with Clementine saying she’s trying to find a home for her and AJ, and a little later AJ asks if they’ll ever have one... so this is a pretty damn big deal, okay? 

And when you factor in Louis wanting a future for them when he never cared to look that far and was a lonely person surrounded by people who now has something worth fighting for? I could cry.

What more do I even need to say at this point? 

Their chemistry is strong, deep, and romantic, they powered through so much unavoidable bullshit, they worked hard for their relationship, they’re comfortable and not afraid to lean on each other when needed, they get comfort from being together but aren’t afraid to disagree on things because they know those disagreements aren’t stronger than they are. With AJ and everyone else at Ericson, they’re a family now rather that a group of misfit survivors, and they’re working to change things for the better for Ericson. 

I love everything about them and damn it, they will be happy together every single time I replay TFS because that is what they deserve. 

---

Honorable Mentions

-the flirting between these two is just so damn cute -height difference... just... height difference -The clouis smooches... they’re all good and I wish we got more -Louis saving Clementine from being eaten by using a rock... the beginning of ep4 was wild and seeing him again made everything feel better. -Their interactions during the card games make me so damn happy...  -look, everything that isn’t captured Louis/dead Louis makes me happy, okay? They all get honorable mentions. 

---

This turned out way longer than I anticipated and for that I am sorry. So, what do you think? Lemme know the reasons you love clouis, I’m always down to chat about that! 

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

Next week’s T5F Top 5 Missed Opportunities in 400 Days

[bennifits]

fuck it.

imma talk about millie im so sorry

- Millie was homeless before the apocalypse. kicked out of her house at 17 for trying weed once. Her mother being more into the idea since she’s more traditional than her father. Her father was military, and used to take her on hunting trips, which is why she knows her way around a gun a bit. She had a younger brother as well who was 6 at the time of her getting kicked out. 

- to earn whatever little money she had, she busked on the streets with her guitar, writing a few songs in her time as well. She made a few friends on the road, but eventually had to move on. With train hopping being her main mode of transport. 

- at time of the end of the world (s1) she was 24-25

- good friends with Jesus, since those two like to bounce around a lot they tend to bump into each other. 

- she uses sound to herd walkers away, she’s read books on how clocks work and made ‘time bombs’ where she winds them up and throws them to draw them away n shit

- more often than not, if she’s out in the wild she’s got a big ass cloak on that’s covered in walker guts. She’s quiet, knows how manipulate sound n shit like that. 

- she wears a bandage or a long sleeve bc aha angst winky face (heavy angst if you know what i mean, hides the scar.)

story:

- first appearance would be in the prison era. (yes i will be talking like she’s part of the show im cringe stfu). Be one of those one off episodes, Daryl goes on a small run, just to case out an area and runs into her. He’s apprehensive of her, seeing how she deals with walkers, but he puts that aside bc a herd comes from nowhere and traps them overnight and tadaaa they bond.

- he offers her a place to stay, after seeing that she’s some what capable with a weapon and knows her way around. She declines, she was never the type to find a group and stick with it, she’d always leave in the middle of the night and strangely, felt like she couldn’t bare to hurt his feelings if they got closer than just strangers to friends. 

- she was in the surrounding area for a little while longer, actually bumping into Glenn, Daryl, Michonne and Rick a handful due to runs. every time they asked Millie to come with them and every time she declined. 

- in the sick arc of the prison era. a mysterious sack of medicine ends up at the front gate in the middle of the night. with a note saying “stay safe D” - Mills. 

- she leaves and heads towards the kingdom after that. on her own right up until...

- until she meets Ezekiel.

- They met as she was walking the road, going through buildings to look for food when he and a group got trapped in a building. So with nothing really to live for, she started playing a song to lure them away to give them a chance to escape. 

- she rounded back to check on them. Ez promised her a place to stay in exchange for her services. (Jerry was very into her using sound and calling it badass)

- it’s not a good first impression really. She’s covered in head to toe in blood and guts from covering her smell from walkers, she’s smelly and just horrible looking. 

- the kingdom took her under his wing, showed her how to trust someone. 

- she was dubbed the court’s bard / king’s bard / whatever

- she hones her skills, becoming an incredible shot with a bow and honing her skills with her bat with melee. She turns into a type of scout, keeping tabs on alexandria and helping make relations with other communities

- shiva took a particular liking to her music. 

- for some reason she ended up saving ezekiel’s life more than once. he can’t really find a way to return the favour, every time he brings something up she just tells him

-”being able to stand by your side and have a roof over my head with a hot meal at any hour of the day is all that i need your majesty”

- she helped him negotiate terms with the saviors. the one they have with the once a week drop off thing

- she went out on recon, looking for places to hit with supplies when she gets injured in some debris under a collapsed part of a building. Lucky for her, she doesn’t die, hearing voices.

- and she wakes up in Alexandria. 

- she has wounds and cannot return to her group, she doesn’t tell them about the kingdom because she simply doesn’t feel like it would be useful info.

- eyyyy then the gang shows uuuup

- reunited with the walking gamers. 

- she assures them it’s somewhat safe, they’re all stupid and don’t know how to fight walkers. She’s happy to see everyone beyond comprehension, like they’re long lost family or something.

- she finally and formally meets everyone, actually introducing herself as a travelling bard

- bonding with everyone ensues. Deanna thought she’d be a permanent resident, but after she’s all healed up she immediately bounces. (right before rick goes coo coo and and bloody and michonne bonks him on da head)

- leaves a note and present for daryl, a basket of flowers with a smiley face. she also kinda left bc she realised she might have caught feelings,,, and she’s afraid of that shit

- goes back to kingdom people are like ‘sick she’s alive that’s epic’

- time passesssssssssss

- She’d have been there for a while. Meeting Carol for the first time. Feeling drawn to her even after she left, she would often visit her while in that little cottage. She remembered the name, so she asked about the group, saying they were okay. Millie felt relieved, wanted to go out and look for them to reconnect but didn’t wanna do anything to jeopardise the kingdom.

- then the group came for help. Strumming away at her guitar when they wander in. 

- “holy shit is that you D? Oh hey Jesus”

- was like a small mind blown, two worlds colliding. 

- When daryl had to stay behind she followed him around everywhere, thinking it was a sign or something like damn 3 times she’s run into this group that’s gotta mean something. She even showed him where Carol was, and escorted him back to Hilltop

- “Don’t gotta babysit me”

- “Can’t have you being found by the saviors. that would suck”

- sticks with him right up before the big fight at the season finale where she goes back to the kingdom to relay the message and helps keep alexandria safe in the fight.

- that’s kinda all im up to atm in the series n shit im currently watching the episode titled ‘Mercy’

[burnoutandbookworms-ohmy]

Kinda a continuation to the previous Pixie Hollow AU post but more winter domestic fluff this time :D

On a more comedic note Tommy being an animal fairy means he can train animals to perform harmonies and songs.

So naturally he teaches birds and crickets how to do the Able Sisters Theme.

For a few weeks after that people can just know when Tommy is coming because there’s a chorus of the Able Sisters slowly getting louder the closer he gets to you. There’s just a bunch of bugs and birds following him making the appropriate beats and notes. He always rewards them with treats afterwards.

However, unbeknownst to Tommy, Ranboo is pretty good with animals himself and has successfully taught his choir the Fallen Down tune.

Tommy finds out and is all like “YOU'RE NOT EVEN AN ANIMAL FAIRY????”.

And Ranboo being specifically a winter animal fairy is just like “You sure about that??”

Tommy has never heard of winter animal fairies. He didn’t think there were subclasses for the winter fairies.

Tommy's just spouting off all quick like "TUBBO SAID YOU WERE A WINTER FAIRY BITCH, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE AN ANIMAL FAIRY, THEY HAVE WINTER ANIMAL FAIRIES?"

And Ranboo’s all like  "....WHAT DO YOU THINK WE DO ALL DAY??? MAKE SNOWANGELS???"

Tommy: “I THOUGHT YOU GUYS JUST MADE SNOWFLAKES AND SHIT”

This then leads to Ranboo frosting up Tommy’s wings and giving him a tour of the Winter Woods so he can find out what they do. Wilbur is forced by Tommy to come along. (I promise I have more Wilbur thoughts, but I want to put those in another post or so)

In a previous post I had said Techno wrapped up his wings and dipped to go live in the Winter Woods? Yeah Ranboo takes Tommy and Wilbur over to Phil and Techno’s house.

And Tommy and Wilbur were pretty close to Techno before he dipped and when he left they didn’t really know where he went so they had assumed he had either left Pixie Hollow or was dead.

So we get them stumbling upon Techno and it’s basically the Spiderman meme. And Tommy’s essentially like “YOU GARDEN BITCH I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD I FUCKING MISSED YOU FUCK YOU”.

And then we get tackle hug and Bedrock Bros interactions :D

Tommy had seen some winter fairies doing snowball fights and of course that’s the activity he’s most interested in, so he wants to do one of those with Ranboo, Techno, Wilbur and Phil.

AND SO YOU HAVE SNOWBALL FIGHT. Techno appears to be uninterested until Tommy throws a snowball at him and Tommy's just like "Yeah, what are you gonna now now huh bitch? Yeah you motherfucker can't even throw straight for shit". 

And Techno just chucks snowball after snowball with pinpoint accuracy until Tommy concedes that the great Technoblade is indeed the best at snowball fights.

The whole Theseus speech? Well that’s now for the snowball fight. NOTHING CAN STOP MY FLUFF.

Just for the comedic timing of Ranboo, Phil or Wilbur chucking a snowball at Techno's head during his speech.

Ranboo’s probably like “ WE GET IT YOU’RE MONOLOUGING NOW FIGHT”

And it all devolves into snowball filled chaos. They head into Techno’s house afterwards to warm up. Ranboo heads inside as well but doesn’t stay near the fire because he’s a winter fairy; he can survive the cold and he doesn’t want his wings to melt.

They all just hang around and catch up and swap stories. Domestic fluff all around babey!

Because I am a sucker for the whole “Techno braids people’s hair to show he trusts them” headcanon, I’m throwing in the fact that while they’re inside hanging and all Techno probably does a braid for both Ranboo and Tommy.

After Tommy heads back over to the warmer area, the next day he gives Ranboo an allium and is basically downplaying how much he enjoyed spending time with him and his gratitude towards him for (although accidentally) reuniting him and Wilbur with Techno.

The most he tells him is that “He’s not so bad of a dude after all”

Ranboo absolutely takes that in stride and ends up frosting the flower to preserve it and keep it alive.

Tubbo probably notices the new braid in Tommy’s hair and is curious about it. Leading to a very hurried Tommy ramble and rant.

Also for bonus fluff we have some of the more regular animals Tommy works with just playing with the braid when he’s particularly more still in movement. Like a bird just pecking gently at the braid and probably holding it in its beak.

[dutchforstrangers]

A post with the moments Taichi and Sora were soft for/to/with each other in DA:2020 + Agumon and Piyomon being their mirrors

DIGIMON ADVENTURE:2020 SPOILERS!!!!

Hi and welcome to my 'Vote Taiora soulmates 2k21' series. This post is basically part 3 of that. I'm a mess, I know...

Part 1: Taiora being starstruck babies | Part 2: The platonic!Taiora connection in Kizuna

PERSONAL NOTE: Once again me here saying that yes this is Taiora and no that doesn't mean I'm trying to sell romantic!Taiora like it's some kind of truth. I just highly believe they are soulmates and soulmates don't have to be romantic AT ALL. Even better, your soulmate can be your platonic best friend while you're in a romantic relationship with someone completely else. Just saying.

And yes, I am a Taiora shipper and I do see and adore the romantic potential of these two. But that doesn't mean everyone has to see it. Platonic!Taiora is beautiful and precious and that's something I vouch for!

There has been floating so much negativity on the internet regarding the Digimon Adventure reboot and even though I'm not loving it either, there are some things I enjoy. I already once pointed out I really like the soundtrack, hell, I even made this little choreography on the theme song for @digiweek 2021 day 3 (prompt music). But that aside, in this post I want to spread some love for the Taiora portrayal in the series, because let's face it, they are super soft (and pretty much ride or die) for each other!

I could ramble and talk about things... OR I could just bomb you guys with the screencaps I gathered! I mean, those reboot 2020 kids don't talk and bicker as much as their original 1999 counterparts do, so why should I?

And you know what 2020!Taichi and 2020!Sora are really good at? Having the same (s o f t) facial expressions to each other, radiating the same energy, touching and physically supporting each other because they are soulmates~. See it for yourself :D

It starts with Taichi looking at his bestie Sora to check if she's safe on the DIY raft while listening to the sweet conversation about fighting together she just had with her newfound Digimon partner in episode 4.

Look at that proud bestie grin. Such a cutie.

Then fast forward to how they are supportingly touchy together..! Two times, in episode 32 and 36. I mean, what's up with that??! Go hug each other already like true childhood bffs do nowadays.

I sense proud mom and dad vibes, what about you? (Also note Piyomon and Agumon in the left one, such cuties <3)

Next up, in episode 37, is Sora being SUPER ride or die for Taichi literally jumping into the water true superhero style to safe the day.! And safe Taichi and Agumon from their stupidity (which is like super low key stupidity compared to OG!Taichi)

This is my personal favorite, episode 40, Sora talking all fast and excited about the passion they share, football/soccer (<- this depends on where you live, I prefer to say football because you play that ball with your damn foot!!!), and how she just LOVES playing it with HIM.

And Taichi is all like "Hell yeah girl, of course I can tell! Preach"

Then in the same episode we find these two pearls (among many other pearls, just go watch that episode yourself already)! Sora looking all soft and concerningly happy to have found her berry-fied bestie. And Sora being glinstering-eyes-happy (like, is she crying??) to see that said bestie back to his human self again!

Okay. There is episode 50, the one with the music I liked and where Taichi resurrects/just resurrected for the big fight and the kiddos trapped in the black ball in the mouth of Milleniummon all scream his name for Taichi to resurrect ONCE AGAIN talking about suffering from portagonist-trope-disease huh?. There are three people Taichi hears screaming his name seperated from the rest and it's rival lover Yamato, baby sis Hikari and CHILDHOOD BESTIE SORA. And let me tell you, when I'd heard her screaming his name in the agonizing way she did, yes, I would have resurrected too if I were Taichi.

Then we of course have that whole Hououmon 'safety first' episode 52. See me ranting and screaming about it in my 'part 1' of this series.

And THEN it's time for the most recent episode, episode 62, where Taichi and Sora reunite and Sora gives Taichi THIS SOFT FACE after she says "The Chosen Ones aren't just here to fight, you know?"

Sora, my baby!!! You can drag me away now, I'm done with this big ride or die softie <333

And you know what's the best part? After the fight with Shakkoumon, which isn't really a fight with Sora following her own words and instead of fighting the Mon talking herself into the heart of the Mon, Taichi REPEATS Sora's words by saying "The role of the Chosen Ones isn't just to fight, huh..." followed by Taichi giving Sora HIS SOFT FACE!!

I'mma repeat myself, but find yourself a guy that looks at you the way Taichi looks at Sora. SO SOFT. OH MY GOD, TAICHI MARRY ME PLEASE. (No please don't, that's weird x'D) I swear, they even tilt their head in the same freaking angle!! This could be cheap animation suffering from 'same face syndrom', but I like to believe that Taichi has watched her, seen the expression she gave him and literally M I R R O R E D I T. This was the whole episode for me, best thing ever.

Also, in that same episode we see THIS:

Even their digimon partners are super ride or die for each other..!! If I had to ship digimon with each other, it would definitely be Agumon and Piyomon (and Gomamon, I'll get to that in a bit). And yes, I know it's a big stretch to let Garudamon, a perfect level digimon, intercept the freaking attack from Wargreymon, an ultimate level digimon, that destroyed Milleniummon 12 episodes ago... It's a bit unbelievable, BUT a) Garudmon is a freaking badass, b) THAT'S WHAT BESTIES DO! And the fact Sora is pretty much ride or die for Taichi, means Piyomon/Garudamon is pretty much ride or die for Agumon/Wargreymon too, no matter the evolution level.

Also, let me point out this little scene under water in episode 35 where Piyomon teases Agumon. Really, I think that's so cute and vouches for the friendship they mirror from the friendship their human partners have!

Actually, isn't it funny that the humans in the reboot hardly tease each other and bicker compared to the original cast and it's the digimon who took over the teasing?

Last but not least, there's one picture left, the end of episode 43. Piyomon and Agumon asleep leaning into each other for support (and Gomamon being cute joining this weird-ass digimon-OT3 I just love!) while on the very right of the frame we see Taichi and Sora laughing/talking together in a super cute way, probably talking about their profound friendship and how they will be football buddies and besties for life :') Also important: they are the only humans in this scene (and then I'm talking about the others not present in this frame too) that are 'seperated' from and not focusing on their digimon, instead they are focusing on each other.

So there you have it. Okay, there might be more moments, but hey, I only get 10 pics per post. If you still don't believe in these two being soulmates in some kind of way... I have no idea how to convince you otherwise.

[baka-monarch]

Alrighty! *Slams hands on a desk*

You see this?! *Gestures to the oh so wonderful Music Tubbox au*

It's... it's beautiful.

I have some questions about it that I'd like to hear your thoughts on, if you don't mind. (This is going to be long)

*Before I start, I'm recalling these details with the inability to double check atm but it should be fine*

You mentioned Tubbo wanting to escape the music box to where he wouldn't have to dance if the music box played, so does the box have a certain range of area in order to control Tubbo?

(Now for potential headcanon time >:D)

If so, a fluffy route is Tommy and Tubbo chilling (after knowing each other for a bit) and having placed the music box deep in the basement or something. They could get rid of it, but they don't know if the magic tied to Tubbo is also tied as close with the box. (Life line stuff- and it's not fluff anymore. I tried.)

The angst route tho (and gotta love some angst) is if say Tubbo is out of the general "range" of the box to dance but the music box calls to him-the music is played- from wherever. A scenario where Tubbo can't ignore its call and is forced to go reunite with the box- whether he's concious of the pull and heading back to where it is despite the dread or whether he's unconscious, like its an automatic process and his mind blanks as he hurries to be back with the box. (The possibilities if someone got their hands on the box with the angst mhmm)

And speaking of someone getting ahold of the music box...

Dream.

:)

Dream gets ahold of the box (maybe noticing Tommy originally getting it, or like, Wilbur might've been doing a photo gallery of things to sell to potential customers idk stay with me, and skips over it fast or is like "oh, I already sold that one" to try and cover the fact that the box is very much NOT for sale, and not within their possession in case anyone did perk up with interest)

I don't know what Dream's profession would be... or relationship with Wilbur and co, but I could see him doing it (taking the box) to mess with Tommy. He took one of Tommy's finds that Tommy seems to appreciate. (The whole "you're too fun" dynamic because c!Dream just loves seeing kids in pain)

Dream could know about Tubbo prior or after the whole thing. (After playing the music box, Dream sees Tubbo arrive at some point to be with the box)

Tubbo is understandably terrified. Tubbo and the music box had never really been separated before this moment -out of the range-. (Tommy could have either just agreed to not play the box and have put it downstairs or Tubbo tried to escape the range and Tommy physically went after him, not choosing to utilize the music box.)

OR ALTERNATIVELY They do know, maybe Tubbo could have known this would happen because Tommy and him tested it out to see if he was free and Tubbo was like "I didn't want to come back... it /made/ me come back..." So que the alarm bells when Tommy realizes the box is gone after he can't find Tubbo.

Anyway! Back to Tubbo and Dream. (Tbh as soon as doll!Tubbo became a tag I went "Pawn? Puppeteer Dream? Porcelain doll? Puppet?!) A chess piece for a pawn might be bigger than doll!Tubbo... (o.O) 2-3 inches is pretty small.

So... assuming Dream does realize how important Tubbo is to Tommy, Dream uses it to his advantage. (Is making Tubbo dance the only thing the music box can do? Or could it control Tubbo to do other things as well 👀... depending on the music box holder 👀... up to you)

That brings me to the doll!Tubbo is "fairly fragile" as you stated in one of the asks. Which yes, great, stunning, he can feel things, and if one of his arms gets chopped off? Well that's alot of damage. Can Tubbo die while he's "fairly fragile"? (I mean the name implies he's fragile so... I guess so...)

Because alternatively, (and this is just for the idea) consider Tubbo still being fragile physically, but he can't die-or atleast is hard to kill-. A porcelain body, but he doesn't really feel sensations. (Because he is a doll, and do dolls breathe, do dolls have heartbeats, hmm) Tubbo's body is still breakable, maybe he loses an arm. "What a shame" but he lives on, there's not much he can do. He can't feel anything besides the solids underneath him and the things he touches. No smell or texturized sensations. He can't feel pain, so he could get cut up into pieces and still be aware of exsistence. (The whole clothes stuck to body thing tho I don't want to disprove that)

If he couldn't feel pain, imagine Dream drilling small holes on his body to add little puppeteer strings. Dream is excited he can't wait to hold /this/ over Tommy's head.

Tubbo, being dragged by strings, is completely helpless, and once realizing that Dream relishes in his struggles, has mainly given up.

Do they talk to one another? Who knows...

You mentioned a potential counter curse which... fluff good fluff, but what of it involved Tubbo slowly gaining "human characteristics" back (more so to the idea that Tubbo can't feel sensations, smell things or feel pain)

And then the drilling starts, and for the first time in a long time, Tubbo feels pain. (Also the drilling puppet strings is dark, yessir, but I forgot Tubbo was porcelain and was like ah yes wood doll, ah yes, puppet strings go brr)

Anyway, that was my ramble, thanks for reading this!

-EchoLocation

FINALLY!!! SOMEONE IS INTERESTED IN THIS AU!!! THANK YOU ECHOLOCATION!!!!!!

Okay okay okay-

So (it's gonna be hard to answer all of this but I'mma try-)

Music box control: there is a range, basically if Tubbo can hear the music he has to dance to it- BUT if he's out of range and someone plays the music he is forced to get into range to hear it from the curse (like what you said with him being stuck in a trance and going to find it). As for control, you can use the box to make him do other things, but you have to change the melody (music boxes have this little metal roll in them that has dots to play the song, and you can buy a new one and change it any time) and sing an actual song to that melody about what you want him to do- singing to the original melody doesn't work

Dream: Dream is probably someone who buys and trades stolen items from Wilbur alot. And most likely a hidden fae. So, Wilbur had taken a picture of the box and posted it on his (secret) website before he knew about Tubbo, and when Dream saw it- he immediately recognised the cursed music box and wanted it. Of course by then Wilbur would be unwilling to sell it, but Dream has his ways (fae cursed the box remember? So, what fae that's going to steal this box do you think was there when it was cursed? Dream. So who knows how to utilize the curse? Dream.)

Tubbo and pain: Tubbo can feel pain. But he can't die. So you can shatter him to a million pieces and he would be in agony unless someone glued him back together- and he can't pass out- (I know, I'm a monster). Dream knows all of this- so when he wants a puppet it just makes him do a sloppy job at drilling the holes in, just so he can hurt Tubbo more.

Counter curse: through the counter Tubbo would turn back very slowly, and it would take at least a year to turn completely human again (although he would be free from the box's control instinaniously)- as well as, even though he was turned into a tiny doll, he can't be grown back, so he's now a tiny human- but at least a free tiny human

(I think I got it all?)

Mcyt g/t tag list:

@nomynameisanon @trashpumped @loriepoptale @encaos @i-am-a-weeb @wyforyu-gaming @shy-septic-dragon @5unfl0writ3r @colorfulsiren @moonmwah @iwasgoingtohellanyways @echoslime @wilbur-simp @trouble-off-grid @the-misfits-system

[acerace]

Two Birds!! I put that on my 3rd life playlist too!! Tell me about that one?

(And just some more of the songs I recognized and am curious about if you're up to them!!)

-Blood in the Water (I love this song!!)

-Viva la Vida (Scar? 👀)

- Soilder, Poet, King (the possibilities!!)

Ohohoh *rubs my hands together*

Editing Clover here, uh, it’s been a hot second since you sent this. Oops. It got extremely buried in my drafts (like post 140 out of 250 buried) and then it got very long so uhhh to recap for everyone else, I have a 3rd Life playlist here which is in order with detailed explanations from People I Don’t Like to In Our Bedroom After the War. There's a bunch more songs after those that haven't been sorted (yet?) but are still very much 3rd Life vibes. Send me asks about the songs I go wild for this stuff :D 

So have some (very late) rambling about the above songs below the cut! 

Two Birds, aka "oh I am going to cry now thanks". This song is one of the hardest to pin down for me just because it's so emotive? Like to me the wire can be So Much but I think this interpretation- of pessimistic Grian and optimistic Scar- sits best with me

I think of it as a Grian and Scar song, with them being the two birds, plus the general vibes of "we know this can't last, that this won't end well, but let's pretend it's all going to be okay anyway". Also bird imagery for Grian my beloved

The wire is reality I think, the fact that they both can't be the last survivor, and Grian is the bird that can't let go of this fact- Scar considers him a genuine friend, that they're partners, and Scar knows this is going to end in blood and death but he believes in Grian anyway but Grian can't really accept this? Like Scar is aware of the wire and the reality they live in, but he wants to leave it behind, to live without that knowledge weighing down on him. But Grian can't- he can't fly away with Scar, as much as he wants to, he can't leave. He's playing the game of thrones and he can't put the pieces down, in a way. He's firmly stuck in harsh reality and nothing Scar can say can get him to put the worry away :(

"Two birds of a feather / Say that they're always gonna stay together" desert duo my beloved, with Grian realizing he can't leave Scar, can't leave him to die, they're partners, but it's session 8 and everyone is dying around them,, reality is crashing down and it's not going to be kind to them,,

And then the outro,,, paired with the finale,,,,, with Scar flying away as his death and the song ending as Grian jumps-

Pain.

Two Birds is such an emotional song and putting it into words is hard but tl;dr sand people becoming genuine friends as the world demands they kill each other,,,

Blood // Water was first listed as a general Red song, everyone is pissed and fighting and it’s no holds barred, but it’s also a vengeful!Scott song. In the first chorus and verse 1 Scott is thinking about how the Flower Husbands couldn’t escape the violence and death, and the “knock at the door” is the Red Army showing up with their book. The first drop is Jimmy’s death </3 and the rest of the song is Scott red and furious, out for vengeance, bloodthirsty, unable to process his grief or emotions so he lashes out again and again and again. And the last verse, the drop at the end, is Scott dying </3 

Viva la Vida is another general song with specific lines written out to correspond to images in my head. Also I’m pretty sure I had this written down from before the final session so bits might not line up anymore XD 

“I used to rule the world / Seas would rise when I gave the word”- teams at their castles looking proud- Scar and Grian, Bdubs and Cleo, Ren and Martyn, Etho Impulse and Tango, Scott and Jimmy, and BigB Joel and Skizz in their own homes 

“Now in the morning, I sleep alone / Sweep the streets I used to own”- split up- Jimmy and Cleo and Skizz are dead, yellow Grian and red Scar looking at the blown up desert, Ren, Martyn, Etho, Tango, and Impulse divided and looking at their damaged bases 

“Now the old King is dead, long live the King”- Martyn killing Ren to make him red  

And I discovered that my castles stand / Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand”- bases collapsing- tnt, fire, changing loyalties 

Chorus- battles, allies 

“Once you'd gone, there was never / Never an honest word”- deaths, permadeaths, being left alone after your partner dies 

“People couldn't believe what I'd become”- the bloodlust 

Revolutionaries wait / For my head on a silver plate”- more fighting, battle at the desert, Cleo trying to kill Ren, Impulse siding with the Crastle 

“Just a puppet on a lonely string”- Grian and Scar, reverses to Grian killing everyone with a smile 

“Aw, who would ever want to be king?”- Grian as everyone dies around him, realizing he is alone 

And Soldier, Poet, King is a Red Army song! The soldier is Skizz, the poet is Martyn, and the king is Ren <3 you can imagine it at any point in the story but I have it as an early song, before people started permadying, before the big battles broke out. But it can also be each of them dying- verse 1 first four lines is Skizz defending Dogwarts, then charging into the Crastle, then dying in the last line. Same idea for Martyn, he lives proudly and victoriously in the first four lines and then gets shot on “slay” reaching for Ren, who is offscreen, and we can’t see what’s happened to him. “There will come a ruler / whose brow is laid in thorn / smeared with oil like David’s boy” is the sacrifice on the altar, the Red King rising, and “he will tear your city down” is Ren defending Dogwarts for the last time, with him dying on the pause after the “oh lei oh lai” bit. The outro could be anything- the end of 3rd Life as the ghosts watch, flashbacks to happy memories and how the group formed, or, on a happier note, Skizz Ren and Martyn reuniting at the Hermit Raiders Twitch Rivals event <3 

[ag-celestina-gorillaz]

Daisies and Daffodolls Day 17: Book Series

Sorry I've been MIA a lot. I've been busy doing sewing stuff (next photo challenge I'll prepare a few weeks in advance). But anyways, I took a pic of Celestina in what would be her meet outfit. Celestina's story is different in many ways than other AG characters. For one thing, she's my Gorillaz OC as well, so her story involves some Gorillaz lore as well, and her story starts at age 11 in middle school in 2016 and goes to at least 2020 when she's 15. Basic outline, Celestina is a cheerful creative girl living in Orbitz Ohio. She was raised by her mom Sharon and her stepmom Mia, (they got married in 2015 when gay marriage became legal in the US), and her dad is Stuart "2-D" Pot, the lead singer of the British band Gorillaz. In her story, Celestina faces many changes, such as her Mom starting a new paramedic job, her dad returning to England to reunite with the rest of Gorillaz to record Humanz, as well as starting her first year in middle school. I'm actually planning to write a whole book, maybe more, about Celestina, and post the chapters here on tumblr. I think I'll go ahead and post the first chapter here as a preview, but I'll post the full story later, maybe with illustrations.

Summary - It's the year 2016, and Celestina is starting her first year of middle school.  While she's excited for a fresh start of the new year, she's also nervous.  School uniforms, more classes, more teachers, and new classmates.  Unfortunately, the school year starts out on a sour note, she barely shares any classes with her best friend, and in homeroom class, she gets paired up with Lucy Phillips, a cold, aloof, yet mysterious, new girl from Britain.  Meanwhile, things aren't easier at home either, her dad ends up returning to the UK to reunite with his fellow band members to record their next album, and her mom begins work at her new paramedic job.  But when Celestina begins to get close with Lucy, the new girl's iciness starts to melt, and they both learn they have more in common than they thought.  

Celestina's Family and Friends

Celestina Damon - An excitable 11 year old girl starting her first year of middle school in the year 2016.  

Sharon Damon - Celestina's mother, a practical, but cheerful, lady.  She starts working a new job as a paramedic.  

Mia Lucci - Sharon's wife and Celestina's stepmother, a funny and kind woman, she's always there when Celestina needs advice.  She runs and works at The Leaning Tower of Pizza pizzeria with her twin sister Gina.  

Stuart "2-D" Pot - Celestina's father, and lead singer of the British band Gorillaz.  He isn't quite wired like other people, but in his own 2-D way, he's very deep, and he's also got a big heart.  Despite the troubles that come with being a long distance parent, he loves Celestina immensely and tries to be in her life as much as possible.  

Kailey Green - Celestina's next door neighbor and best friend since childhood.  A smart and sweet girl, if a little awkward.  A self proclaimed theater nerd.  Often gives Celestina the nickname "Lessie".

Lucy Phillips - A new girl in Celestina's homeroom, who's family arrived from Britain.  She seems mysterious and comes off as cool and guarded, but in reality, she's a little shy, and becomes much kinder and sweeter once you get to know her.  

Chapter 1

New Year, New School, New Hope

The alarm clock on the bedside table chirped on and on as Celestina Damon slept in, nestled in her soft, pastel colored, blankets.  She was dreaming a wonderful dream; Celestina, rocking a sparkly, purple, galaxy print dress, was singing in front of a sold out crowd on her first performance.  Fans in the crowd were holding handmade signs and cheering her name.  Here she is posing for pictures with fans!  There she is signing autographs!  She finishes her last song of the show, wishing the audience a good night.  The crowd erupted into a thunderous roar of applause, fans shouting her name "Celestina!  Celestina!  Celestina! -"

"CELESTINA!!! WAKE UP!!!"  

That did it!  At the sound of her mom's voice, the young girl jolted up from her bed with a start. "Gah!" she exclaimed.  Her wavy blue hair was messy and needed brushing, and she was no longer clad in galaxy print, but rather, blue and white pajamas with panda bears printed all over.  Celestina ground the sleep out of her eyes and smashed the "stop" button on her alarm. 

"Okay, I'm awake Mom!" said Celestina, slightly irritated.  Her mom chuckled.

"Hey, if I let you have your way, you'd be asleep until lunchtime." laughed Mom.  "I told you not to stay up too late."

"I didn't stay up late!" Celestina protested, "I'm just, not used to waking up this early."  She was kinda right.  Today was the first day of the new school year, after three months of staying up and sleeping in later than usual, it can be hard to get back on a schedule.  

"Fair enough," said Mom, "but I can't always be around to make you wake up, especially now, you understand?"  Celestina nodded.  What her mom had meant was that she just got hired to work as a paramedic at a new ambulance company, which meant that some days she had to go in early.  Unfortunately, it also means that she would come home later after working many hours, some nights possibly after when Celestina was supposed to go to bed.  Luckily, today was only her orientation, which wouldn't start for a few hours, so her Mom could drop her off on her first day of school, but she was still dressed in her work uniform, black boots, navy blue pants with lots of pockets, and a wine red shirt with the ambulance's logo embolized on the left breast, and her curly blonde hair was tied up in a long ponytail.  

Speaking of uniforms.  Not only was Celestina starting her first day of school, but it's the first day of a new school, specifically, middle school.  Okay, so technically this school is a combo middle and high school, so not only does she have to deal with the 7th and 8th graders, but also all the high schoolers as well.  And all the students have to wear uniforms.  Actually, the uniform itself wasn't that bad, it was pretty cute, the top was a rich shade of purple with a white collar and ribbon, and a white pleated skirt that fell below the knees, had a "sailor suit" sorta look to it, kinda like what an anime character would wear.  All the same, Celestina couldn't understand why she just couldn't just wear her regular clothes to school, you know, like everyone did in elementary school.  Sigh, another change to have to get used to.  Mom caught Celestina eyeing her uniform.  

"Well get dressed, hon." said Mom, "And come downstairs for breakfast.  I think Mia made some chocolate chip pancakes!"  Mmm, just the thought of those pancakes made Celestina's mouth water.  

"Okay, you win." laughed Celestina, giving her mom a hug.  "I'll be down in a few."  After Mom had left the room, Celestina got dressed, brushed and pulled her long wavy blue hair into a ponytail, using a hairband with two pink poofballs on it.  Before she left to go downstairs, she looked toward the corner of her room, and saw Scratchy, her fluffy gray bunny, stirring around in her cage.  

"Hey there Scratchy!" she cooed, giving the bunny little pats.  She then slipped a little chew treat for her to play with.  "Be good while I'm at school, okay?" 

The young girl grabbed her backpack, filled to the brim with school supplies, and headed downstairs to the kitchen.  The aroma of chocolate chip pancakes and maple syrup filled the room.  Mom had seated herself at the kitchen table, eating her small stack of pancakes, and Mia, Celestina's stepmom, was busy flipping the pancakes at the stove.  Her mother, Sharon, and Mia have only been married for less than a year, but Mia has lived with Celestina and her Mom her whole life.  They probably would have married sooner had it been allowed before last year!  Mia is a pretty lady, tall, tan skin, and shiny dark brown hair, and she's a great cook.  Her and her sister Gina (Aunt Gina to Celestina), run a pizza place called Leaning Tower of Pizza.  

"Pancakes, comin' up!" shouted Mia to Celestina.  Mia still spoke with a New York accent, despite the fact that she's been living in Ohio for at least 15 years.  She served the girl her pancakes before sliding her own onto a plate.  Celestina took her breakfast to the table and poured on the sweet maple syrup.  She cut a piece and took a bite, mmmm, was so good.  Her smile fell slightly looking around the room.  She couldn't get used to the empty space at the table.  

"What's wrong?" asked Mia, noticing Celestina's frown, "Don't you like chocolate pancakes?"

"I LOVE them!" exclaimed Celestina. "I just wish Dad was here to have some."  Mia and Susan exchanged a look of understanding. 

"You miss him don't you." said Mia.  Celestina nodded. 

"Yup!" said Celestina.  It was actually more than that.  She paused a bit, trying to think of how to put it into words, "I mean, I dunno, I guess I'm also a bit worried, you know, about him leaving again."  Celestina's eyes looked down at her pancakes.  Talking about stuff like that always made her uneasy.  

Celestina's dad, her whole family life in general really, was, well, unusual to say the least.  For one thing, her parents weren't married when her mom had her, in fact, they split up shortly before Sharon found out she was pregnant.  Whatever, no biggie, there are lots of kids whose parents are like that, people who have children before they got married, or had kids and didn't stay together.  However, it was even more complicated in Celestina's case, because her mom is American and her dad is British, meaning it's harder for her to see her dad on a regular basis because he lives so far away.  Also, her dad is famous.  Celestina's father is none other than Stuart Pot, better known as 2-D, the lead singer of Gorillaz.  Yes, that 2-D!  It's been awhile since the band did any songs together though, the last album, Plastic Beach, was released when Celestina was 5, but a couple years before that, something else happened, and that's what worried Celestina.  For a short while after Celestina was born, 2-D would often call the house to say hi, sometimes even visit.  But after a visit that Dad made sometime when she was 3, he had gone on a trip somewhere, and suddenly vanished.  Her mom tried to keep calm around her when she asked where Dad was, but even as a kid, Celestina could kinda tell that her Mom was worried about him.  The sudden release of a new Gorillaz album didn't help either.  At one point, her Mom told her stories that 2-D and Murdoc Niccals, the band's foul mouthed, green skinned, bassist, were taken by pirates and trapped on an island called Plastic Beach, an island in the middle of the ocean made of garbage and spray painted pink.  Looking back, Celestina wasn't sure if this all really happened or if this was something Mom was making up, but she knew something happened that made her dad unable to contact her for awhile.  Shortly before Celestina was 8, her dad had called her on the phone for the first time in years.  

"Celestina, is that you?" said 2-D in his thick Londoner accent, "You sound so big!  How old are you now?"

"I'm gonna be 8, Dad!" answered Celestina proudly, "I'm a big kid!" 

"8!?  Wow!  You really grew up!" exclaimed 2-D, Celestina could hear the tears caught in his throat. "I've missed you so much!" 

After a brief vacation, or "holiday" as her dad called it, in Guadalupe, he visited Celestina and the family for the first time in a while, right in time for her 8th birthday.  And since then, he had been able to keep in better contact, and came to visit Celestina in person more often these last few years, as if to make up for missing out for those last 5 years.  She even got to fly with him to England one time and met her grandparents, David and Rachel Pot, for the first time at the amusement park that Grandpop had owned.  This year, 2-D stayed in the guest room for a few months, he was able to keep Celestina company during the summer while Sharon was taking paramedic classes, and Mia was working at Leaning Tower.  2-D had been helping Celestina with her budding interest in music, teaching her how to play her new blue Melodica, a small keyboard with a flute-like pipe in it.  When they weren't practicing, the father daughter duo would watch scary zombie movies, or listen to some older Gorillaz songs on Celestina's old CD player.  On June 23rd, the whole family, and a few of Celestina's friends from school, celebrated her 11th birthday with a bonfire cookout in the backyard.  It was a wonderful summer.

But all this fun and excitement of summer had to come to an end.  It was now time for school, and just as well, Dad left to go back to England, rather suddenly at that.  Somehow, one of his old band mates, Noodle, the guitarist and the only girl in the band, (and Celestina's favorite band member, next to Dad of course), ended up getting back in contact with him.  Apparently, the band was getting back together to make a new album called Humanz, which would be released sometime next year.  Like always, Celestina was sad to see him leave, but she was also worried too, maybe because a part of her is scared he would go missing again.  

Sharon put a comforting hand on Celestina's shoulder.  "It'll be okay," she reassured her daughter, "He said he's gonna text us when he arrives to meet the others.  Plus, he said you can visit him during spring break."  

"I know," nodded Celestina.  She finishes up her pancakes, thinking about everything going on.  Mom's starting a new job, Dad's going back to England, I'm starting a new year in a new school, and we have to wear uniforms!  So far so good, she thought sarcastically.  She rinsed her dirty plate in the sink and slipped on her black flats to meet Mom out in the car.

"Are we taking Kailey today?" asked Mom.  Kailey Green is Celestina's best friend and next door neighbor.  

"No, Mrs. Green wanted to take her this morning," answered Celestina, "but she's picking both of us up after school."

"Okay, good," said Mom, "let's get going, you don't wanna be late," she checks her watch "and neither do I!" she laughed.  Celestina gave Mia a hug goodbye.

"Have a good day at school, rockstar." said Mia lovingly.  "I'm coming home from Leaning Tower about an hour after you get home from school, okay girlie."

"'Kay 'kay, I got it." smiled Celestina.  She gives Mia a fist bump, complete with a little explosion sound effect.  

"You have a good day at school," then she turns to Mom "And good luck with orientation Sharon."  Mom gives Mia a loving kiss on the cheek.  

"Bye honey," said Mom grabbing her keys.  "I should be home by dinner tonight."  Celestina and her mother wave goodbye to Mia before getting in the car.  As Sharon drove on to the school, Celestina sat in her seat nervously, her breakfast doing flip flops in her stomach.  

"Are you doing okay back there?" asked Sharon, looking at her daughter in the rearview mirror.

"I dunno," she answered.  "Honestly, I'm pretty nervous.  Middle school sounds kinda scary.  All these classes, new teachers, ugh, no recess, school uniforms," she grimaced.  She had so many thoughts, so many "what-if's", that they started coming out one after another.  "What if I don't like my teachers?  What if me and Kailey don't have any classes together?  What if all the classes are too hard?  What if I get bullied by the older kids?  What if -" 

"Celestina!" said Mom suddenly, "sweetie, sweetie, it's alright." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I know this isn't something you want to hear, but I kinda know how you feel.  I was nervous starting middle school when I was your age.  And, if I'll be fully honest, I can relate to how you're feeling right now.  I'm a bit nervous starting this new job."

Celestina looked up in surprise, "You are?" she wondered.  "But you said you were excited."  Mom gave Celestina a loving smile.

"And I am," answered Sharon, "But I have so many mixed feelings.  I'm worried I won't be good enough, I'm worried the boss could be a jerk, or that I won't like my co-workers.  So many things can go wrong.  But," she paused before continuing, "There are also good things I'm looking forward to as well.  I'll be able to use the skills I worked hard learning in all these classes, I'll be able to help people, I'll be bringing home a little more money, which means we will be able to go out more often." she said with a smile.  "It's normal to be scared and nervous, it's okay in fact.  But you also have so many good things to look forward to.  Yes you have more classes, but you get to have more classes you enjoy, like music and art.  And even if you don't have any classes with Kailey, you'll always be able to see her because we're neighbors.  If you're having a problem, whether it's classes, mean kids, or even a mean teacher, you can always come to me or Mia.  I just want you to know, even if the bad things do happen, there are also a lot of good thing to come, I want you to remember that."  Celestina thought over what her mom had said.  She did have a few good points.

"I did hear that the music department puts on a school musical every year," said Celestina, feeling a bit more hopeful, "And there's all these fun clubs".  Sharon's eyes lit up.  

"See, there you go!" said Mom. 

"It just seems like so many things are changing at the same time." Celestina admitted, "it just feels so fast, I feel like I can barely take a breath."  

"I know, it sucks, it really does." said Sharon in an understanding tone.  "The funny thing is, is that the only thing that never changes, is that everything changes."

"That's so confusing to think about!" said Celestina laughing.  

"Ah, but that's the truth," said Sharon with a chuckle.  "But you know what else will never change?"

"No what?" asked Celestina.

"I'll always love you," Mom answered warmly, "The same goes for Mia, and for your dad, we will never stop loving you.  You are our child, and nothing will ever change that."  

"Aw mom, I love you too!" she exclaimed.  At that moment, Celestina's cell phone chirped with a new message.  Oops, better silence it before class, she thought, making a mental note.  But seeing who the message was from made her smile.  

"Ooh I got a text from Dad!" shouted Celestina in excitement.  The text read "i made it to studio 13 in london.  about to start recording for the new album.  I miss you already, but i'm happy to be home again.  russ, noodle and murdoc say hi.  say hi to your mum for me.  love you little panda bear."  Celestina smiled at the mention of the special nickname her dad gave her.  Attached with the message was a picture.  It was a group photo of the whole band in what looked like the inside of a recording studio.  Celestina had yet to meet the other band members in person, but she knew who they were from the music videos and interview clips on YouTube, and from a few stories from her dad.  There was Murdoc Niccals, the band's bassist, and probably the biggest troublemaker of the band.  He has an odd scrunched up nose, and green skin and black hair, sorta made Celestina think of the Gangreen Gang from The PowerPuff Girls.  Then there was Russel Hobbs, the drummer, a heavyset black man from New York, with bright white eyes lacking pupils, a result of being possessed by a demon when he was young.  He seemed to be the voice of reason in the band, and when he speaks in interviews, he has a gentle voice.  Then there was Noodle, the guitarist, and the only girl in the band.  Celestina almost didn't recognize her at first, she's so used to seeing her in the music videos back when she was a kid or a young teen, and now she's a beautiful grown up woman!  Noodle was not much older than Celestina is now when the band released their first album, and according to her dad, when they were first looking for a guitarist, Noodle traveled from Japan all the way to England, in a FedEx delivery crate, and gave such an epic explosive guitar solo, that the band ended up giving her the part on the spot.  Celestina likes to imagine that if they were the same age, she and Noodle would be great friends.  And in the middle of the pic was her dad, 2-D himself.  He's tall and wiry, the tallest of all the band members in fact, he has spikey blue hair, and due to two separate car accidents (which were Murdoc's fault), he lost his front tooth, and his eyes were injured, they now look like blank black circles.  Murdoc gave him the nickname 2-D because his black eyes made it look like he had "two dents'' in his head.  Surprisingly, her dad liked that nickname, at this point, the only people who really call him Stu anymore would be Nana and Grandpop, as well as Sharon and Mia.  People would often describe her dad as, well, not very bright, sometimes saying he's thick and calling him names like "space cadet", but Celestina doesn't like any comments like that.  To Celestina, her dad has his own 2-D way of thinking, and his creativity with making music is where he shines the best, and he's got a kind heart.  In the attached picture, all four band mates were smiling (even Murdoc), and that made Celestina happy, seeing her dad and his old friends all back together.  

"That's great!" said Mom, "What does the message say?" 

"Dad said he got to England safely, he's excited to work on songs again, and that he loves and misses me, plus he sent a pic of him and the rest of the band." said Celestina.  "Oh yeah, Dad says hi, and so does Russ, Noodle, and Murdoc."

"Aw that's awesome!" replied Mom, "See, I figured he would make it there okay.  How do the other three look?"

"Murdoc is as green as ever," Celestina replied with a laugh, "Russel pretty much looks the same, but Noodle looks so different!  She's a grown up lady!"

"Yup, I believe it," said mom with a chuckle.  "Oh man, I haven't seen her since you were a baby, she was still a teenager then.  Grown up so fast, both of you." she said with a sigh.  "It's good they seem to be doing well." She paused, thinking, "I got an idea.  We're almost there, why don't we take a few back-to-school pictures of you when we get there, and you can text them back to your dad?"

"Ooh I'd love that!" said a delighted Celestina.  She was quiet for a bit before continuing.  "Hey, I know I was sad before with Dad leaving, but, well, it's also really cool that the whole band is back together and they'll make more songs again."

"I know, I can't wait to hear them," agreed Mom, "but like I said earlier, it's okay to feel sad about missing him.  Just don't forget that there are also a lot of good things to look forward to."

"I understand," answered Celestina.  Mom had just pulled up to the school.  There it was, Orbitz Public School.  Mom was lining up to park at the entrance where the middle school classes were.  While Celestina had seen the school many times when going on errands with her mom's around town, today the building somehow seemed larger and more intimidating.  Her breath slowed down and her hands grew sweaty the closer they got to the entrance.  Mom had found a parking spot and Celestina nervously left the car, carrying her backpack.  

"This place is way bigger than South Lincoln," remarked Celestina, referring to her elementary school.  Sharon gave Celestina's hand a comforting squeeze.

"I know it's scary," said Mom. "But you got this."  Even though Celestina was still nervous, she somehow felt a bit better with her Mom hyping her up.  

"I got this!" repeated Celestina.

"You're the star of your own stage," encouraged Sharon, "You knock 'em dead!"

"I'll knock 'em dead!" repeated Celestina, feeling pumped.  "Oh yeah, let's get that picture taken to send to Dad" she remembered.  Celestina and Sharon walked around to find a spot with good lighting in the courtyard. 

"Ooh, we can take one here," said Celestina, handing the phone to her mom.  She struck an adorable Sailor Moon style peace sign pose in her new uniform with the school in view in the back.  After the picture got taken, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

"Huh," said Celestina, before turning around to see her best friend, "Oh hey there Kailey!"

"Hi Lessie!" greeted Kailey, using the nickname she used for Celestina since they were little.  Kailey was wearing the same purple and white school uniform that Celestina was wearing.  She kept her short brown hair in her natural curls, and her red square glasses framed her blue eyes.  The giggly girls greeted each other with a hug, before realizing that both their moms were standing by with their phones.  

"Smile you two," said Mrs. Green.  Both girls smiled for the camera with their arms around each other.  

"Perfect!" exclaimed Sharon before handing Celestina her phone back.  Celestina then quickly sent both the pics to her dad with a special message.

"So glad you made it home safely Dad.  Mom and Mia say hi back.  Today is me and Kailey's first day of school.  Can't wait to see you again, and maybe meet the rest of the band (even Murdoc lol).  Have fun recording.  Love you lots!  We got this!"

Shortly after she sent it, her dad replied with another quick "I love you", and Kailey got Celestina's attention.

"C'mon Lessie," said Kailey, "We still need to get our schedules."

"Oh my, that's right!" exclaimed Celestina.  "We gotta get going!"  

The girls gave their Moms a quick hug and said goodbye, and headed into the school.  Celestina still felt a bit nervous, but she felt a lot better than this morning.  She headed inside the front doors of the school with Kailey, walking through the purple and white crowd of students, feeling determined to take on the day no matter what happens.  

"Celestina, you're on!"