#I feel especially bad for the grandma because she was an artist and all her life’s work was there

[lady-raziel]

Dude my cousin who lives (now lived, I guess…) in the home that his wife’s family have had for generations in Pacific Palisades (along with his new baby, his wife, and her grandma who had lived there for decades) is now like, literally homeless because the house got completely obliterated in the fires… and my other cousin had to evacuate his apartment in Santa Monica… I feel so bad for them and the rest of the city especially knowing that things are only going to get worse (and weather events are going to keep getting more frequent and more intense everywhere)…fucked up and insane

[creatingblackcharacters2]

FAQs!

I go by Ice, she/her pronouns 💕. In case you had any of these questions, here you go:

1. "Why'd you make this page?"

I want to make the creation space- fandom to professional- more inclusive for people that look like me.

It is very disheartening when you really like something, and you see that oh! It's going to include a Black character! And then you get that character and... They're subpar. Especially in comparison to the usually white characters that have so much thought put into them. You accept them because you REALLY want that rep, but... We deserve to wholeheartedly accept our characters too, no ehhs about it.

I wanted to challenge myself, using my amateur art skills and my teaching skills, to convey to creators how that makes us feel, and little things they can do to more intentionally create their Black characters. There's more to us than adding to a diversity quota.

2. "So you aren't even a professional?"

I got 28 years of being a Black person on my resume 🤣 jokes aside, I am a self teaching artist. It's only been about a year and a half for me. My more specific goal here is to use my skills to convey a perspective change towards Blackness, not necessarily a "how to do". If you want to learn the specific how-to's of drawing Black characters, there are Black artists all over Tumblr and the web that can show you! I will always actively encourage you to go check them out and support them, it's a great way to learn as well as to support our community!

3. "But if you're not a professional, why should I trust you?"

Well, again, because I don't have to be a professional to recognize when supposedly Black characters... Don't look like me 😅. Or, in writing, don't have any thought about me behind them. I could show my 88 year old Grandma some art and she'd recognize the issues.

But also, I personally believe that if you start from the foundations thinking about intentionally creating your Black characters, it'll make it much easier for you moving into the future. I am holding my hand out as a Black peer to HELP YOU! There are professional video games and art pieces and projects out there with poorly designed Black characters. The concept clearly needs to be introduced to the people somewhere before a million dollar project is release 🤣 But I can't talk to the people at the AAA studios. I can talk to you!

4. "I don't think race matters/should matter."

Alas, it does, everything we do is affected by our beliefs unconsciously or not- but I'm not going to waste my time and argue with you. This blog isn't for you 🤷🏾‍♀️ this blog is for those who want to take that first step to be better, both as creators and as people. 👍🏾

5. "Do you support AI?"

Not in the arts. Learn how to create, it's very fulfilling.

6. "Do you answer asks?"

I do! However, this is a lesson based page, more than an ask based page. If I think your ask can be answered by one of my lessons, I'll refer you to that lesson. If it's an ask that's relevant to something coming up, I will answer it, but you will find more detail in the lesson coming up! I'm only one person doing this, and I can't answer every singular scenario. Also, keep in mind, if you ask me my opinion on something, I will be fair, but honest!

7. Will you be turning on anons?

Okay: right now, we've earned Anon Office Hours Wednesday 12:30pm thru Friday 6:30pm EST!

Most of this is due to the nature of what I'm discussing. Historically, these topics (and how race is relevant) upset some people, and it can get unsafe. Personally, I have no intention of allowing racists, or those who will take my advice in bad faith, to hide their faces. If you want to hate me, speak with your chest 😤👍🏾

The other part is that it is not a bad thing to ask questions! I did create this blog to be a learning opportunity. So long as you are kind to me and send me asks in good faith, I will be kind to you and reply in good faith. I'm also pretty sure I have the option to answer privately, so if you don't want your question posted publicly, You can say that.

If I get more questions, I'll update this!

[mirabaiidabaddiee]

The life story of Jayda Bond professionally known as Cookie Girl. She’s a September Virgo born September 3, 2006 on a Sunday. She is 5’5 tall. Jayda fell in love with rapping at the young age in elementary school from listening to her dad’s raps. She fell in love with singing when I was in the 4th grade I was obsessed with Ariana grande. My favorite song at the time was “focus” by ariana grande. My favorite rappers are Eminem, Nicki Minaj ofc, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat. I have always been a girly girl because my grandma and my aunt were girly girls, and Ariana Grande was a girly girl and just me being me I just love Disney princesses and Barbie and bling. I am girly, however I am also a video game geek and which I like to call myself a gamer girl I fell in love with video games from a young age my aunt was a huge video game geek. The first game I played was the Sims three on Xbox 360 then it was halo on Xbox 360. Then it was the old-school Mortal Kombat. I don’t remember the version of Mortal Kombat that it was, but it was old and then, as I got older, I started to play the newer Mortal Kombat’s like double XL,XL. I also liked to play terraria when I was younger then I liked to play movie star planet when I was younger then I also liked to play Roblox when I was younger. I’ve actually had my one of my Roblox account since 2016 and then i was playing MovieStarPlanet around the same time maybe a little earlier than that I wanna say 2015. terraria was like another Minecraft for me so I played that I want to say 2013, 2014. I’ve just been playing video games every year of school starting from first grade especially as I got older and I developed mental health issues. Video games was a coping mechanism for me. One of my lifetime goals which is probably a silly goal to some people but it’s actually to have a fire ass, girly ass, pink gaming PC with lots of bling in it with a pink controller and a pink turtle beach headset basically, the ultimate girly gamer gaming set up PC. When I was younger, I want to say when I was like a baby I was playing on my pink Nintendo, DS and I used to play this Bratz game and any time that I would turn on my DS. I would be so happy to play my Bratz game and I look back on it it’s like bro the quality on that game was so bad but you know how back in the day you think things are so cool and now you’re looking back on it and it’s like bro fix that quality. As far as grand theft auto I played it on mobile a few times when I was in like elementary school, but I do have it on PS five. Oh, and I was a huge fan of legends of Zelda and Mario when I was in elementary school anytime I played Mario I was either princess, peach or daisy. When I was younger, I was a pop princess I just loved listening to pop music the only rapper I really listened to was my dad, but when I would listen to rap music, it was just listening to like Eminem. I always loved how crazy Eminem was. With my dad being very animated and artistic, I definitely feel like I inherited that gene from him where it’s like OK well he thinks he’s a star. I think I’m a star too and he never got a chance to get recognized so bitch I’m gonna be the one to get recognized. I started rapping when I was like 14, but I’ve been singing my whole life from singing in the choir to being in the singing group at school to listening to like old school soul. I’m just a Singer. So basically, I realized I was bisexual when I was 11 years old and I wasn’t surprised that I was but I was a little shocked. I’m not gonna lie when it comes to my hairstyles. I’m always keeping up with the trends like if I feel like somethings going out of style. I’m gonna switch to whatever I think looks cute and I feel like is in style. I had a tomboy face which lasted like a few months, and then I went right back to being girly but when I went back to being girly, I had an obsession with the Kardashians.

I always liked the look of wearing tights because first of all not only does it make your butt look bigger. It really compliments your thighs and I love wearing dresses and skirts and everybody knows that I do I cannot show up at an event unless I’m wearing a dress or a skirt. I love accessories too. I have never not been obsessed with accessories. I remember one time I was playing with my Barbie dolls and I tried to make like a little outlet and I had my accessories and I had the clothes and I just fell in love with shoes and bags and everything like that. Ever since I had my first Barbie dream house I knew I was gonna grow up to be that girl because I’m still obsessed with bags. I went from being obsessed with Dora bags to hello kitty bags to being obsessed with Louis Vuitton and I’m obsessed with high heel shoes I love Jordans I know jordan is not really feminine but you have to look nice on your feet OK. I know this doesn’t count but I started dating when I was an elementary school. My first boyfriend I met off-line ever since I’ve basically just been like OK I’m gonna be that girl who’s always gonna have a boyfriend because one day I’m gonna get married and I’m gonna be a mom, so I might as well you know. At some point in my life, I was only dating for short term purposes I mean I was young, but basically I was a hoe because I just loved to. I just like boys like I was just boy crazy. when I was younger starting from elementary school, a lot of boys wanted me like I’m telling you like boys from online getting cat called at the store Valentine’s Day in high school. It was crazy I was like the Rizz queen. When I was younger, my family dressed me up in girly clothes, and then, when I got older and developed my own persona, and I kind of had a mind of my own, I was still girly because I just knew like that was who I was gonna be. 

Soon as I turned 18 that was when I started working on my body shape which I don’t really wanna talk about because this is like a personal thing, but I am known for it I am known for being thick, so at first I started running track which also makes you thicker and I started eating BBL gummy‘s but I was trying to avoid getting surgery as much as possible because I was scared, because that is a dangerous thing to do but I knew I wanted to be thick because at the time I was slim. I’m also known for my unique face my face is very beautiful and it’s very unique. I have like a heart full shaped lips and I also have almond eyes and some nice glowing brown skin. Haters say that oh Black people always have big lips or you have Asian eyes but I don’t care. I feel like when you look like me, though you’re more likely to be lusted over and fetishized over than loved, and that’s what kind of sucks when it comes to dating. As far as my background, my grandparents are from Guyana, but both of my parents are from New York, and I grew up in the suburbs and my father side of the family is from down south. My ancestors on my mom, side are Dutch I’m mixed with white and black technically and my ancestors on my grandfather’s side of the family are African. I was not born in the Hood I mean I lived in Far Rockaway which is kind of hood but it wasn’t like a terrible neighborhood. I grew up in a family house in Rosedale, which is in the suburbs my elementary school the first elementary school I went to was really nice and everything about that whole neighborhood was really nice. When I wrote my first song, I was eight years old. I put it on a platform called MovieStarPlanet when I was nine years old I knew I wanted to take the singing shit seriously so a year after that, I joined the choir.  my five talents are singing, rapping acting and writing writing, as in writing books being an author and also being a public speaker I love giving speeches. My nickname cookie actually came from my ex best friend from high school. She called me that because my skin was dark and because I acted pretty ghetto. I always felt like I had like it easier since I knew people who are already in the industry like I already had connections I had everything that a girl could ask for basically that’s why that’s another reason why I also call myself a Barbie doll because think about it Barbie has everything my stepdad from a few years ago. He’s a producer he’s a very popular producer in the industry he’s worked with people like Cardi B he’s worked with Ludacris. He’s worked with movie soundtracks, and then, my cousin on my dad side works with New York fashion week and. Just in general, my family just knows celebrities and I am the celebrity of the family OK. I am a huge Barb. I fell in love with Nicki Minaj when I first heard super bass and starships when I was fucking five years old ever since it’s just been Barbie Nicki Minaj going to her concert I even got compliments saying that I look like Nicki Minaj or I look like her sister 



  

[diaryoftheunidropout]

DAY 50

Very brief message because it's 3:30AM and all I want is to SLEEP.

I made the reckless decision to brutally go off antidepressants completely just so I can experience the full syptoms of whatever mental illness(es) I have so I can get a better and hopefully more accurate diagnosis and be take more seriously next time I see a psychiatrist.

Three days ago I felt EXTREMELY anxious for asbolutely no reason at all. I wanted to go to the restaurant, I went, and almost as soon as I stepped foot out of my flat, I got anxious. Over nothing. I just FELT anxious. And I was also super irritated by everything. That was the case yesterday too, and a little bit today as well, but it really is less and less.

These past two days I've been feeling super motivated and happy. I can get lots of stuff done and I want to get lots of stuff done. I believe in crazy shit like "I'm going to write a book and have it published" or "I'm going to study 3D animation" or "I'm going to become a tattoo artist". And to think 3 days ago I just thought I was going to do none of that and just work whatever job I'd be given...?

Anyway, I know this is probably very temporary and a relapse is probably going to kick in soon, hopefully in a week or two only, but it's probably more a matter of a couple of days.

I got my Heartstopper tattoo and I'm so so happy about it. I also love my tattoo artist. What I see in her is like... a 15 year older version of myself? We happen to have quite a lot in common except she is under medication that really treats her illness well and therefore she is pretty stable and enjoys her daily life, and that just gives me hope for my own future.

Anyway, I'll try to keep this blog updated more regularly, especially because I wanna keep track of how my mental state evolves, especially since I've had a hard time focusing and remembering anything lately, and also because whenever I feel bad I get sort of "black outs" and forget :')

See you soon hopefully

xx

Update:

I posted the first part at around 3/4AM so in order to update I must do it on the same post.

Around 2AM I felt peaceful and like I was about to fall asleep but I made the very stupid decision to reply to my grandma's messages knowing it was going to take me 2 hours. So at around 4/5AM, when I finally could go to bed, I felt super anxious, I felt like someone was in the room watching like lowkey paranoid. I think I even woke up in the middle of the night hearing someone's breath but honestly it was probably just mine obviously. I think I fell back asleep and woke up again a little before 12PM.

Then I knew I really had to finish preparing my trip to England which is just under two weeks away from now but it made me so fucking anxious. I still managed and ended up taking a lot of pleasure in it! I was pretty much laughing hysterically at everything.

Then I got up to get prepared because I'm getting my 2nd booster against Covid, which I was totally chill about until I left the house and almost had a full blown crisis with tears and anxiety, which I've been trying to fight for the past hour. It's only 10 mins til my appointment. I'm not scared of the shot in itself, I'm just too unstable. I'm not even sure the vaccine in itself is the real cause of my mental anguish, I think it's mostly because I promised myself after this shot I would stop wearing my mask, which should be liberating but instead makes me feel miserable.

We're the 21st of April and it's day 3 (I think) with no medication at all. I refrain from taking anything, not even a bit of medication against anxiety.

At some point I tried to remember what I did yesterday and just couldn't for about a minute. I still feel dizzy when I walk most of the time. When I say or think about the words "death" I just wanna cry. I wish I could die to end the suffering right as I'm writing this but when I think of dying I just get traumatizing flashbacks from my dad's death.

I'm trying to sit down somewhere and collect myself because I really must not cry in front of some poor strangers working at the pharmacy. They haven't done anything to deserve to see me like this.

I am so in pain right now. I wish a doctor would listen and try to help.

[abittersweetthing]

Your 3 questions, should you choose to answer them...

Do you have a series (books, movies, TV, comic books, whatever) that you would chuck rocks at were it not for that one beloved character? (And if so, who are they?)

2. Do you have a favorite sculptor or painter or photographer? (Who are they? Or, alternately, do you have an artist you LOATHE with the fury of a thousand suns?)

3. I couldn't think of a normal last question so anyway here's my panic-button ice-breaker :

You and I are sitting at the back of a cafe off a crowded street. At the table nearest the door, someone comes down with the first case of zombification and starts attacking the neighboring tables. Everyone in the cafe is, understandably, not jazzed about this.

What do you do?

Unfortunately, since I am answering this past midnight, my response is long and pretty rambling. Please find it under the cut if you still feel like reading it, lmao.

1 - I can't think of any off the top of my head, maybe because I generally won't (continue to) read/watch a series if there aren't at least 2 or 3 characters I like? If something makes me too mad I usually don't take very long to drop it.

The only work I can think of in which I only particularly liked 1 character is Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy, where Sophy herself was pretty grand, and very funny, but almost every single other character was vaguely irritating. (And none more annoying than the voice of Heyer when that came through, which was often, and consistently snotty. Like, imagine the WASPiest grandma you've ever met, and multiply by 1000. There must have been fewer than 10 people alive in her lifetime that Heyer actually held no prejudice toward, all of whom (I assume) were born and lived in a few select areas of southeastern England and hailed from families whose noble titles had been in existence for at least several hundred years, et cetera, et cetera. Even if you leave out the anti-Semitic rant that was so bad it was absent in some editions even in the mid-20th century, the author has Things To Say even about other European nobility - except the French, who were presumably on thin ice - and I'm not even sure she approved of other women. Seriously, the heroine is purportedly friends with other young ladies, but never has actual written dialogue with them unless she's talking wayward teenagers out of undoubtedly ill-fated love matches with poetry-inclined fourth sons, and she will seek advice/help/counsel/idle conversation from literally any gentleman she meets in the park before she'll take it to her, uh, friends.) *cough* anyway...

2 - Well I definitely can't think of any artist whose work I really hate! and I don't think I really ever would unless it was actually harmful in some way. I'm also so unfamiliar with sculptors and photographers that I'd be hard-pressed to name more than like 2 of each (though I definitely still appreciate both, and I think sculpture especially is so cool!)

If I had to pick a favorite painter it would be van Gogh, which I know is kind of a cop-out, sorry. I don't think I really have a favorite so much as I like bright colors and light/shadow, and I tend to prefer paintings that are recognizable as ~something,~ if not realistic, rather than more abstract stuff. Basically my tastes are pretty basic lmao

3 - Realistically? Probably pull the old octopus panic reaction by freezing/retreating and staring for a good long while before piecing together any kind of action plan. But given the time to strategize from the safety of my cozy blankets, I will say: Pick a couple decently heavy adults around me, convince them to help me gang up on & pin down the zombie (as far as I know zombification does not endow enhanced strength, right??), probably facedown to avoid any biting or however that works. Maybe like 1 adult to pin down each limb. Try to get 1 or 2 others (from the crowd I assume is swiftly evacuating) to be the assigned emergency line-caller and Zombie Neutralization googler/wikihow user. Lastly, once the zombie is no longer a threat, try to snag some chocolatey treats from behind the counter while people are distracted since I've a) earned it and b) will most likely die soon in the zombie apocalypse. Assuming that you haven't yet abandoned me to my fate, I will even share 1 of them with you :D

[ruinaimagines]

Any silly little Xiao headcanons? It doesn’t have to be anything specific I just really love reading your work. You’re very very talented ^^

Thank you! And yes you may. Xiao is just so pretty.. Sorry for my absence! As I said, I've been dealing with medical stuff. At long last I got a diagnosis! Sadly it’s something chronic BUT there’s treatment so looking forward to that. 

Xiao General Headcanons:

To people who do not know her well, Xiao can come off as very distant and calloused. This especially tends to be people’s first interpretation of her when they meet her while working. A Liu Association Director as unmovable and determined as can be.

She doesn't want to come off as rude though. Direct, maybe, but appreciative. She is aware of her reputation and to make up for this, especially in everyday settings, she tries to be as respectful as possible.

But because of her tone this can come across as forceful in a way. Not because it’s fake, but like it’s more a command than anything. When she says to the grocery clerk, “Have a good day.” It doesn’t sound like a suggestion, it sounds like her saying “You WILL have a good day.”

Very passive aggressive in an accidental way. This is especially represented in last minute sticky notes scrambled out for other Liu Association members to see. She worries that people will take it in the wrong way, but instead her subordinates just find it funny.

Struggles with figuring out how technology works. Not in the grandma way, but in a way that makes things a bit more difficult if she’s out of her comfort zone. She’ll continue trying to fix things herself though until someone steps in or she finds a solution.

I feel like if she’s guiding or teaching someone it would have to be through physically showing whatever it is. It’s not that she can’t explain what they need to do, but when she does it’s often very complex and not very processible information. She is aware of this, so she tries to help others through other ways.

Avoids people she knows if she sees them in public, especially if they’re from work. It isn’t as though she doesn’t like them or talking to them, it’s just that it's in a different setting and formality and she has no clue what to expect. She often has a goal in mind for what she’s doing when she’s out of the house and she doesn’t want to be sidetracked.

I feel like Xiao would like going to concerts. The kind with bright colorful lights and where everyone is just enjoying themselves alongside the music. She goes there for the atmosphere. You hardly ever have so many strangers just so loose and relaxed in the city, it’s a nice change of pace. 

Speaking of said concerts, she doesn’t really go based on what artist is playing, just whatever will be the funnest. Because of this, she ends up experiencing all types of genres than she didn’t even know before. Some of the songs she in particular ends up liking 100% get played in the car, and often people are very surprised with her music taste.

Doesn’t really have a sense of style. Now hear me out, this does not mean she dresses bad or looks bad in any means, we all know that’s not true. However, her closet is just filled with the same colored clothes (typically black or gray) with little variation. You got the 4 suits, and maybe some sweaters, but that’s about it.

She’s a morning person and doesn’t really like taking naps, but has grown really efficient at them. Being in the Liu association especially when it comes to tough combat situations means that getting rest can be quite difficult most of the time, so she’s learned how to very quickly fall asleep.

A light sleeper when she’s napping as one would need to be in potentially dangerous situations, or in areas where you might be needed to immediately jump into responding. It’s never a satisfying or fulfilling sleep though.

She has a huge collection of various board games that are shoved away in a cabinet in her house. Every time there is a mission that causes her to relocate to some place temporarily, in free time she’ll visit any stores that sell any physical games.

Often she’ll leave particular ones she thinks have an interesting concept at work for employees to play if they’re interested. Sometimes being an association member means working a lot of overtime, so at the very least they have some type of entertainment.

Always has to have something to do, very much always on the go. If there isn’t something planned or an idea she has in mind, she feels lazy. This helps keep her energy levels high. That said, has a low social battery, so much of what she does are tasks on her own, or with people she is close with.

Unfortunately this can come with some additional stress, even though she considers the pros better than the cons. She’s actually pretty good with finding ways with managing this though, and often sets up regular meetings with an acupuncturist whom she finds helps with her mood.

Regularly keeps her workplace stocked with caffeine for her and other people. Whether it’s through tea, coffee, or some other drink it will honestly be more difficult to find something that is uncaffeinated. Anyone is open to helping themselves.

She feels really bad when she has to bring bad news to her colleagues, and will attempt to tread carefully when breaking it to them. There’s a lot in her head she’d like to say, but she just can’t really find the words to say them. I think those that are often working with her know the sorrow she feels, they can see it in her eyes.

When holidays come around in the office she doesn’t participate too much in them. You can typically find her sitting to herself, maybe with Lowell. That said, there is one thing that has become absolute tradition: she brings the food. Something about the way she bakes treats is iconic amongst the Liu South Section.

Whenever it’s someone’s birthday she gets a card for them and leaves a little note. As she isn’t the best with expression, the note isn’t really special, but what is are the small doodles she often leaves behind. They aren’t particularly good but that’s what makes them adored and loved.

She doesn’t actually understand why her little drawings have become such a favorable thing among her colleagues. She’s not really an artist and she did them in like a couple minutes, yet here they are showing off to each other their cards.

Wants to get better at cooking, for as good as she is at baking and decorating, making actual meals.. Well she can make food of the same type. Xiao just doesn’t really have experience in making other types of food, and she wants to expand that skill.

Really loves knitted stuff in particular?? Something about it is cozy. In winter especially there are often a lot of knitted plushies like deers and she has to resist the urge to buy them, because she knows she won’t be able to stop once she starts.

[chubby-dumpling]

Disney World's Enchantment: My Thoughts

Helloooo beautiful people! Yes, I am still going through "Happily Ever After" withdrawal, but I decided to watch the new fireworks show tonight: Disney's Enchantment. I didn't want to watch it earlier since I was already in a bad mindset, so I waited until I felt it was right. I compiled my final thoughts on the show (good and bad) below. Also, because I was soooo in love with HEA, I do compare the two at times.

Pros:

-The opening/closing song is pretty nice. It doesn’t pack the same punch as the Happily Ever After opening, but I can see it becoming catchy.

-That Coco segment with Miguel playing his guitar and the castle exploding in color is absolutely gorgeous. By far my favorite moment in the show.

-The "Almost There" cover is really beautiful

-The "Just Around the Riverbend" instrumental went HARD, and I'm glad they kept it without anyone singing over it

-Points for acknowledging Luca (even if they were only there for 5 seconds)

-The fireworks timed with Elsa’s powers were really cool!

-Angela Bassett’s narration was nice! She has a motherly voice, so it added a nice touch! And I can tell she had fun recording her lines

Cons (despite trying to stay positive, this part's kind of long):

-HEA's opening instrumental was so iconic, but here, the opening is very soft, so I feel like it's hard to really get into it from the beginning

-The projections have beautiful quality, but it’s almost like they scaled down on them compared to HEA? They tried to fit in too many characters at once, so it was hard to figure out what to look at

-No connecting firework when Merida shoots her arrow :/

-No song had its original singer. HEA had a great mix of new and original singers, but here, every song had a different one, which didn’t work out in some cases (I'm looking at you, Into the Unknown)

-Why did Raya just stand there for 5 minutes doing nothing like 🧍🏻‍♀️

-So many weird pauses between segments, almost like they're expecting people to clap. At least fill the gaps with instrumentals?!

-No cohesion of story. That’s my biggest issue. Just random movie clips in no order. There were a few connecting themes (eg water, if that counts as a theme?), but not in a way that felt cohesive

-Why did they do a rock version of Into the Unknown? The song is beautiful on its own, and it definitely didn't need to be covered

-No real feeling of nostalgia

-The conclusion of the villain segment didn’t feel… earned? It was so quick and chaotic, but not in a well put-together way

-WHY WOULD YOU USE A COVER FOR THE BEGINNING OF "I AM MOANA"!? The grandma singing it always gives me goosebumps, but it felt like all the emotional weight was pulled out of it! However, the choir singing the rest of the song was very nice!

-It’s so short! The buildup to the ending narration was awkwardly timed, almost like it wasn't the true ending.

-The buildup to Tink was kind of awkward too? It didn’t feel like the whole moment of that show was meant for her, as it was previously. Everyone would clap the entire way of her journey in HEA, but this show just keeps going without her, like they couldn’t fit in the right moment for her.

-Weirdly timed fireworks. Don’t get me wrong, they were beautiful, but in HEA, they were perfectly timed with the story (Merida shooting her arrow, Mulan setting off the fire). Here, the only time that occurred was with Elsa’s powers.

Again, I hate being negative, and I really want to like this one. But it just didn't really do it for me, especially for the 50th anniversary. I do completely respect all of the artists and engineers who worked hard to put this together during a pandemic, but I could tell there were some budget cuts, so they probably did their best with what they were given. Anyways, I'll be binging HEA for the next 20 years :)

[mxdotombra]

Bloom! So I am indeed rewriting season 1 and honestly Bloom is one of the more changed aspects so to suit her I changed her style! This is not set in stone at all, well her fairy form at least.

More notes on outfits and how I’m portraying her under the cut! 

Bloom is a very flat character to me, or season 1 really. While yes she is a good character, she seems to respond to situations weirdly to me, her whole returning home and just abandoning school comes out of nowhere to me and I literally had to read about her tendency to run away from the wiki. As well, hobbies are mentioned in ep 1 and a little in ep 2 and completely abandoned! Like?? My rewrite is sticking to the plot, so I changed her to make it make more sense.

Bloom is incredibly family oriented, its her everything, especially in a town that slowly began to turn against her for how strange she seemed to become over the years. She’s anxious but curious, willing to face the world yet is seated deep in a pit of fear and only willing to open up to those she trusts. Even than, she is compassionate and protective of her friends, and can grow angry and emotional when those she cares for is threatened. She’s also incredibly stubborn to a fault, strong willed and willingly to get angry if she trully thinks its whats best for her family, friends, or herself though is often strangely a mediator between friends. She’s a fish out of water and afraid of the world of fairies, largely due to her obsession with traditional folklore and belief of them being like traditional fae, and as well, she’s afraid of herself. 

Still, she’s an artist true and true and adores her strange little friend who looks like a rabbit but acts to smart to really be one. She once preferred to spend her time in the woods drawing where the people of her town who hated her wouldn’t find her, yet now she just adores being with her friends, who, while she is deathly homesick, become her home away from home.

Bloom is based in issues of identity and family connections.

ALRIGHT SO AS A NOTE: Bloom is a bit tanner because she spends more time outside in my Fanon! She also has a bunch of freckles because of this! Also she has lizard eyes, and I’m not going into detail with this cause spoilers for ch. 1 lol though its not big. Her hair is still long and that red thats so shocking into almost impossible, I like to think it moves like fire in the sun. She’s also got sharp teeth! She isn’t very used to them and bites her tongue a lot and its just generally annoying in general. I think this is also pretty obvious, but I have a big issue with the original body types of the characters/how they’re drawn. Now, I won’t go into it today (I may one day because reasons), so I’ll go into the reason for her specific type? I like to think fairies are generally lighter in order to keep airborne and have less strain on magic, BUT I also think that their kind of magical attacks can affect their body type. Bloom is large shocks of power and getting away. She also draws a lot, bikes, helps in her mom’s shop so she is also active but apparently she also really likes baking? So idk. She needs to get hit a lot but I also wanted to display that and her having a softer frame, obviously having meat on her bones, especially one who isn’t acrobatic or working out constantly. I hope that makes sense?

Her outfits reflect her past really, she isn’t the richest of families so her clothes are supposed to be interchangeable yet still comfortable. She just likes feeling safe. 

Outfit 1 is what I wanted for ep 1 really, the sweater is handmade from her grandmother and yes she wears it in the summer. The little hair pin I like to think is from Stella who decided it matched Bloom’s eyes. Mainly I like Bloom wearing pants because she literally bikes everywhere in my fanon and chases Kiko in the woods. 

Outfit 2 is just what I wanted for fun! Her favorite colors are white, blue, and pink and gosh dangit she can wear her favorite colors! The locket (not that you can see it lol) says Daphne as a small nod and honestly I just like baggy shirts.

Fairy Form? I had no idea what the fuck I was doing with this. I wanted a more armored princess effect with shorts because. She. Is. In. The. Air! Gosh dangit! She also has scales (thanks fuz!) because dragon motif, they offer armored resistance because she hits hard and takes hard hits, she’s a tank basically. I wanted to keep a few key points, the jem on the chest, the crown (symbolism lol), and arm pieces, but I altered them a bit and darkened the colors because it looked weird originally on my design. Her wings are meant to mimic the bones ones of dragons and I like to think they’re stronger than an average fairies but she can’t fly as quick with them. She gains a bit more gold in her eyes. 

A few fun facts?:

-She runs at a hotter temperature and isnt affected by hot temperatures, as well cold doesn’t bother her as bad. 

-She can’t see auras but she is an empath. 

-She’s bisexual in this, because my friend likes the alliteration of Bisexual Bloom.

-She has a few hobbies! Drawing and reading mainly though appreciates baking.

-She likes the little magic creatures around Alfea that are more like the traditional folklore, even if they are a bit more cutesy and strange. She’s friends with the brownies and little sprites and such!

-She and Sky would break up Season 2 fight me. They also wouldn’t bond with pixies because I hate them with a passion.

- A lot of her clothes have burns on them and she refuses to let anyone magically repair them, especially her favorite sweater which she’s waiting to get her grandma to get.

Oh and you should know in my rewrite she somehow becomes really attached to Tecna? Like they bond a lot? And I’m so down because its Stella, Bloom, and Tecna and its an odd dynamic but I adore it. 

[pixieminutes]

4th August, 2021 | KSM

genre: fluff, husband!seungmin

members: kim seungmin x reader, bang chan, hwang hyunjin, seo changbin, yang jeongin, lee minho, lee felix, han jisung

warnings: none

4th August, 2021: 10:42

“not too hard!” you gasped out as your bridesmaid, yerin, dragged the brush through your hair, “it’s always knotty after i get out the shower.”

she rolled her eyes, “you’re so overdramatic.”

“hardly!” you exclaimed, turning to face her, “look, how about we just wait for the hairdresser to arrive, hmm?”

she chuckled.

“what? what’s so funny?”

“your boob’s come out your dressing gown,” she snorted.

you looked down, sorting yourself out before giving her the finger.

“you just need to relax, okay? this is supposed to be the best day of your life!”

you sighed, playing with the ring on your fourth finger, “i know, i’m just nervous.”

“guess who’s here! and with alcohol!” your maid of honour, nari, exclaimed.

you laughed, “maybe that’ll fix it.”

yerin rushed forward, grabbing the bottle, “i’m not having you get drunk before the ceremony, y/n!”

nari frowned, “why not?”

when yerin opened her mouth to shout at her, your maid of honour just laughed.

“i’m joking! y/n’s not a lightweight, a glass of champagne is not gonna affect her,” nari said, rolling her eyes.

“fine,” yerin sighed, “but i need two times more than her.”

your other friend, and temporary make-up artist for the day, taemi, just rolled her eyes, “why don’t you just grow a pair and ask him out?!”

“i think he’s quite traditional! i don’t wanna be the one to do it and then make him feel bad!” yerin exclaimed with a sigh, “but i am tired.”

“me and seungmin did put you next to each other at the tables,” you shrugged, taking a sip of your champagne.

“you did?!” yerin shrieked, “what?! what am i supposed to do?!”

“talk to him,” nari shrugged, ���you both like each other, it’s clear. chan’s not exactly good at hiding his emotions, is he?”

“and besides, after today he’ll be the only non-married member. he deserves someone. especially if that someone is you!” you exclaimed, “just take the lead. he’ll become comfortable with it in no time.”

“ladies!” your mum smiled, walking in the room, “hairdresser’s here!”

12:03

“seungmin’s gonna love you,” nari said, watching as you straightened out your skirt.

“thank you for being here, ri. there’s a lot i couldn’t have done without you.”

nari chuckled, climbing on the podium behind you, leaning her head on your shoulder, “you’re telling me. we’re so close my parents are crying. they barely did that on my wedding day.”

“shut up, they so did!”

“yeah, cause they hate hyunjin,” she laughed.

you shook your head with a laugh, looking down to your manicured nails, remembering the nights you’d spent with nari at sleepovers, both squished into either her bed or yours; talking, dreaming, thinking.

“it is everything we always talked about it being, isn’t it?” you asked, “getting married.”

“of course it is,” nari teased, “we’re never wrong, you know.”

you laughed, before turning and looking at her, not through the mirror, “but—”

“but seriously,” she spoke with a smile, taking your hands in hers, “you and seungmin love each other more than i’ve ever seen before. i could see it from the moment you met him.”

you rolled your eyes, hiding a smile, “that’s an over exaggeration.”

“you couldn’t take your eyes off him! and you didn’t listen to anything anyone else said for the rest of the evening,” she giggled, “you’re sure you wanna do this, though?”

“100%,” you sighed with a smile, “love you.”

she chuckled, mostly out of relief, “i love you too, now i believe there’s an army of bridesmaids and your dad waiting for you downstairs.”

12:26

“why the fuck are we here, seungmin?! it is half an hour before your wedding starts,” changbin pointed out, the eight boys piling into their old dorm building, now emptied out and ready to be filled by a group of new trainees.

“y/n might even be on her way now!” jeongin exclaimed.

seungmin shook his head, seeming distracted, “y/n’s never early.”

“can you at least tell us what you’re looking for so we can help you?” chan sighed, stepping up as the groom’s best man, a role he had taken on for all his members.

“don’t worry,” seungmin smiled, pulling up the loose floorboard in his old bedroom, taking out the box from beneath it.

“that’s definitely cursed,” minho commented as seungmin blew off the dust.

the soon-to-be-married man shook his head, opening the box and pulling out the handmade necklace you’d made him on your first date.

“i can’t believe i forgot this,” he whispered, sliding it over his head and popping it into his white shirt.

“happy now?” felix asked.

seungmin smiled with a nod, “yep. ready to get married.”

13:00

“everybody please stand,” the officiant spoke.

seungmin took a breath, shaking his hands out before standing and turning to face the entrance of the ball room.

chan smiled from behind him, wishing the younger boy luck.

the piano started to play and the doors opened, revealing minho and jisung’s daughters in their mother’s arms, spreading rose petals down the aisle as they went. a smile spead across seungmin’s face, watching the babies giggle at their jobs before happily being passed back into their dad’s arms to settle before the boring part.

then, his attention was taken again, by you.

the first time seungmin had met you, both of you were in a group of people. you; hyunjin’s girlfriend’s friends. him; stray kids. but for whatever reason, there was an unbreakable eye contact filled with blushes and shy smiles from the moment you’d seen each other.

he still remembers the first words he said to you: “i’m seungmo– min. i’m seungmin.”

then you laughed, that laugh he’s loved so much since the first moment he heard it: “i think i prefer seungmo.”

but now, you were in a white dress, you arm linked with your dad’s, followed by your friends, their own husbands watching them with loving eyes.

seungmin found himself with his mouth open, a tear forming in his eye as you hugged your dad, allowing him to take a seat.

“this is weird,” you whispered, taking seungmin’s hand.

he laughed lowly, walking forward, “i’m thinking about that chicken we’ll buy tonight.”

you looked to him with a smile on your face. this was it, the man you were going to spend the rest of your life with, “living for it.”

“we’re gathered here today for the marriage of miss. y/n y/l/n to mr. kim seungmin,” the officiant spoke, the real deal.

there were poems and songs, spoken by family and friends, filled with tears and laughs, and finally; the vows.

“mine aren’t as good as they could be,” you chuckled, “because i’m not good at saying things, or writing down things for that matter. but, here goes.”

seungmin smiled shyly, looking down at the floor before looking back in your eyes as you spoke your vows to him, and his to you. not once did either of you look away, not for the reactions of your friends and family and not for any random screams of babies. just you two; right there, together.

“do you, kim seungmin, take y/n y/l/n to be your wife?” the officiant asked, seungmin holding your left hand in his, the tangled silver ring in his other.

“i do.”

unable to hide your smile, he slid the ring on your finger.

“and do you, y/n y/l/n, take kim seungmin to be your husband?”

tears filled your eyes as you nodded, sliding the ring on seungmin’s left hand ring finger, “i do.”

“i now pronounce you man and wife!” the officiant cheered, all your friends and family clapping and crying, “you may kiss the bride!”

“may i?” seungmin chuckled, moving towards you, his hand on the back of your head.

you giggled, nodding as he closed the gap between you.

when he pulled away, seungmin stared at you for a few seconds before the two of you walked down the aisle and into the back room to sign the papers.

“i hope you’re wearing yours, by the way,” seungmin said, his hand not letting go of yours, “because i had to pull up an old floor board to find mine.”

you laughed, “seungmo, that’s your fault for hiding it there.”

he rolled his eyes, looking at you expectantly.

“but, yes, i have it,” you said, pulling the handmade necklace out the pocket of your dress, “and look! my dress has pockets!”

seungmin laughed, leaning forward and catching your lips in another kiss, “i love you.”

you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck, “i love you too.”

15:28

“and now, the couple’s first dance,” chan announced, everyone in the ballroom clapping as the band began to play when you love someone by day6.

“my lady,” seungmin teased, placing his hands on your waist as your arms loosely wrapped around his neck, your fingers running through his hair as you swayed side to side.

“isn’t it weird that everyone’s watching us,” you giggled, leaning in so only he could hear you.

“they’ll start dancing soon,” he whispered, “though yes, i am sweating lots and lots.”

“and i’m really full. why are they expecting us to dance straight away after a four course meal?”

seungmin laughed, “that’s your fault for eating so much.”

“hey!” you protested, “it tasted really good.”

“you’re adorable.”

21:06

“i’m already tired,” you whined, “i think i’ve danced with everyone in this room.”

“and i’ve been between your mum and grandma too many times.”

you laughed as seungmin came towards you, sitting beside you on the front of the stage.

“these shoes are so uncomfortable.”

“mine too.”

you smiled, “let’s take them off.”

“i don’t think we’re allowed to do that,” seungmin frowned.

“it’s our wedding,” you giggled, already taking the foot-pinching high heels off, “we’re allowed to do whatever we want.”

“in that case, then,” seungmin said, pulling off his black dress shoes and taking off his tie.

“see?!” you laughed, taking some of the pins that were pinching out of your hair and letting it fall around your face, “so good.”

“care to dance?” seungmin offered, standing up with an outstretched hand a smirk.

“can we go up to our room afterwards?”

“and order as much room service as we like,” seungmin smiled, “come on, we have to stay until at least all the kids have left.”

5th August, 2021: 00:11

“finally!”

“in you go, mrs kim,” seungmin smiled, opening the hotel room door to let you in, following close behind you.

“mr kim!” you gasped with a laugh, “chicken!”

“and wine!”

you whined, “i don’t even wanna get out of this dress.”

seungmin laughed, throwing his suit jacket on the sofa before laying on the king sized bed.

“i’m eating chicken before anything else,” he shrugged.

you giggled, jumping beside him, your masses of skirt laying around you as you opened the box of fried chicken, seungmin opening and pouring two glasses of wine.

“to us,” you said, clinking your glass with his.

“cheers,” he smiled, “to us.”

he laid back, casually picking at the chicken as he turned the tv on, “shall we have a bath after this?”

“sounds amazing,” you groaned, “we have to be at breakfast in the morning though.”

seungmin rolled his eyes, “can they not leave us alone now.”

you laughed, pulling out the homemade necklace from your pocket and slipping it over your head, before your gaze fell on your left ring finger.

“thank you, seungmo,” you hummed, “this day has been incredible.”

seungmin smiled, looking up at you with love pouring from his eyes, “i hope everyday is just as incredible from now on.”

“for the rest of our lives,” you giggled, taking a sip of wine.

“thanks, hate that thought,” seungmin snorted.

“hey!” you laughed, throwing a cheese stick at him.

seungmin laughed, “but i love you.”

“nope,” you shook your head as seungmin leaned up to you, “you don’t get a kiss.”

[strawberry-lemonade-kisses]

Modern Day AU

I have these head canons for modern day demon slayer, please let me share because they will be used.

Tanjiro Kamado

1st year in high school. Tanjiro is almost always seen alongside Zenitsu and inosuke. Top of his class. His younger sister Nezuko is occasionally seen with him but not often. After fire marshall Rengoku came to the school to give a presentation he has been working out daily and building his stamina to become the next fire marshall (Rengoku has even offered to train him after he graduates)

Inosuke Hashibira

1st year in high school. Works part time at the boxing club with Genya. Although Rengoku has offered to train him as well, he doesn’t want to be a fireman, he just likes training. Almost got expelled for threatening to beat up the Tokito twins after they called him a ‘ugly pig boy’ in their defense, he was runs around with a gross boar mask (probably hasn't been washed)

Zenitsu Agatsuma.

1st year in high school. 3rd in the class. Used to be class president but lost this years election to Tanjiro, No hard feeling though because now hes treasurer. Works part time at the Art Gallery. publicly fired from his part time job at the flower shop after he was hitting on too many customers and people were unhappy.

Nezuko Kamado

8th grader. Voted the prettiest girl in 8th grade. Spends a lot of freetime at the cafe with the owner. Was promised a job when she turns 16. Although she isn’t horrible in school she also isn’t the best, but she's so pretty.

Kanao Kocho

1st year in high school. Adopted sister of the Kanae, Shinobu, and Aoi. Prima ballerina. 2nd in her class. She doesn’t do much outside of dance and school work.

Aoi Kocho

1st year in high school. Adopted sister of Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao. Sometimes is seen at the boxing club but she isn’t the strongest so she doesn’t go often (especially if Inosuke is there.) Spends time watching the dance classes that Kanao takes. Helps out at the daycare most of the time.

Genya Shinazugawa

8th grade. Got fired from the pet shop because he pissed off Sanemi with deez nuts jokes Inosuke told him during class.

“Have you heard of suckupon”

“Suckupon?

“Deez nutz”

“Get the fuck out”

Now he works at the boxing club with inosuke, giyu lets them do what they want, he’s cool.

Muichiro and Yuichiro Tokito 8th grade. Were asked not to return to the art gallery after they heavily influenced Tengens art (the paint cannon incident) They are scared of the fire Marshall after he scolded them. Spend too much time with Genya. Their parents are the sweetest people on earth. Almost got Inosuke expelled.

Kyojuro Rengoku

Fire Marshall after the former rengoku retired. 23. All the grandmas love him. Likes to tell stories. Spends a lot of free time at the art gallery after befriending the owner (too many calls, eventually he got to know him) Is good friends with almost the whole town.

Uzui tengen

Art gallery owner. Self proclaimed artist. Less than a year after the gallery opened it was almost burnt to the ground after a failed art attempt (something about a paint cannon?) frequently gets the fire station called about him. His neighbors are scared of him. There's a rumor that he is a pimp.

Giyu Tomioka

Owns the boxing club. Everyone thinks he's weak until he agrees to a match with them and they almost die. Resting bitch face. Likes to go look at the fish at the pet store. Quiet. Eats at the Cafe a lot, orders the same thing everyday. Debating buying a pet or not. Likes the puffer fish, they look stupid

Sanemi Shinazugawa Runs the age old pet shop, passed down to him from his late parents. VEey intimidating but is one of the sweetest people to animals. Very much welcomes animals inside, people will leave there animals with him just because they know he wont stop them, free daycare honestly. Usually hangs around with the flower shop owner, has his snake with him most of the time. Gave up trying to shoo Giyu away from the fish once he realized he just liked watching them.

Himejima Gyomei

Daycare owner. Has never had a bad review. Enjoys spending time with Aoi when she comes and helps for the day. Gentle Giant. When he’s not at the daycare he is at the cafe speaking with the owner, they are close friends. Although he seems upset most of the time he is a very positive person. Took the kids to the art gallery once. Never again.

Mitsuri Kanroji

Cafe owner. Very successful in her cafe (the uniform she wears is an added bonus) Spends most of her time there. Loved by many of her customers. Was asked out by a customer one time but the flower shop owner threatened him after she looked uncomfortable, no one has tried since then. Tries to talk to Giyu often but he is always focused on his food, one day though.

Obanai Iguro

Flower shop owner. Makes the prettiest arrangements, always leaves a bouquet at the pet shop as thank you for watching Kaburamaru (the snake Sanemi is seen with) Got first place in an international flower festival for a large snowman arrangement. Always wears a face mask because the pollen bothers his nose too much.

Shinobu Kocho

Runs the Dance studio with. Is very helpful when students pull muscles or hurt themselves, they call her an angel. Runs the zumba, yoga, and point ballet dance classes. People tell her to start a asmr yoga channel because she has a soothing voice, she won’t.

Kanae Kocho

Owns the dance studio, teaches every other class. Everyone loves her, so sweet and loving. Studied at Juliard for 2 years before she quit, saying she didn’t want that lifestyle.

I know Aoi and Kanao arent part of the Kocho family. But for sake of this not everyone is an orphan

[tagsecretsanta]

From @I-am-chidorixblossom

to @nibenhutracycas

Full credit to the author above, secret santa does not own this piece!

Gordon’s Fashion Faux Pas

“Hey, John.  You copy?”

John Tracy turned at the sound of his eldest brother’s voice and pushed his way over to the monitor.  “Always, Scott.  What’s the situation?”

Scott tilted his head a little.  “What makes you think there’s a situation?  Can’t I just check in to see how you are?”

“You can,” John confirmed.  “But you already did that a little over two hours ago, and our next scheduled communication isn’t until--”

“Okay, okay.”  Scott held up his hands.  “You got me.  There might be just a little issue I’d like you to look into for me.”

Bingo.  John knew Scott far too well.

“And what would that be?”

A pause.

“You know that big conference and dinner Lady Penelope was telling us about that’s happening later today?”

John nodded.  “Yes, the one in Singapore where she’s a keynote speaker.”

“Yeah.  Lots of people, far too much paparazzi, high profile and of significant importance to the GDF.”

“And, indirectly, us.”  John felt a sigh coming on.  “Get to the point, Scott.”

He watched his brother pull an awkward expression while wishing he could go back to his programming.  Just once John would like to escape from all the dramas of the planet below him for twenty-four hours or so.  Was that really too much to ask?

“She’s invited Gordon as her plus one.”

Ah.  Right…  John was starting to see where this was going.  Scott was always such a worrywart at the best of times, but especially when one of them had to step into the limelight as a representative not only of International Rescue but Tracy Industries as well.  And while they were all well educated and versed in the proper protocols for such high class events, some of them were better equipped and prepared than others.

The family’s very own loudmouth, prankster, happy-go-lucky fish did not fall into that category.  At all. 

John folded his arms and let out that sigh.  “You don’t think Gordon is well suited for this assignment, am I right?”

Scott made a vague rocking gesture with his hand.  “Lady Penelope asked for him specifically, but your use of the term ‘well suited’ is very on point.”

John felt his own face morph into one of horror.  “Oh, no.  Absolutely not.”

“Please, John!  You know Gordon never listens to me, and trying to get Alan to talk to him is a waste of time.”

John grasped for an excuse or alternative option.

“What about Virgil?  He’s always good at corralling Gordon?”

Scott’s jaw tightened and he quickly shook his head.  There was even a grimace.  “You forget what happened last time I called Virgil while he was on vacation?”

Ah.  Yes.  Alan’s trip to the dentist four years ago.  Temper tantrums, lots of shouting and one very frazzled Virgil by the end of it.  If memory served he’d threatened to park Thunderbird Two on Scott’s head for not being man enough to deal with their monstrous baby brother in his hour of need.  Whether that was because Scott should have seen to Alan’s needs himself or simply because Virgil had been forced to fly home early, John had never found out.

“Scott, I’m in orbit.  And working.  I can’t just drop everything and come rushing down when you’re right there on the ground, on the same island and in the same house.”

“I’ve got that board meeting in the morning to prepare for,” Scott retorted.  A convenient excuse, if John had ever heard one.  “You’re the only one available.”

“What about Grandma?” 

“Not interested.”

“Brains?”

“Working on a new project.”

“Kayo?”  He was definitely clutching at straws now.

“Ha, that’s funny.”

John bit back a curse and let himself float away for a minute, hoping the zero gravity would help him feel better.  It didn’t.

“Do this for me and I won’t ask for any more favours for the rest of the year.”

John’s head shot up and he sent a glare at his big brother.  “That’s only two weeks!”

Scott scowled.  “Fine, the next three months.”

“Six.”

“Four and a half.”

John considered it.  “Done.”  

He watched Scott’s shoulders drop in relief.  “Thank you.”

John sighed and pulled up the launch procedure for the space elevator.  “Don’t thank me yet.  I’ve only agreed to come down and try.  I make no promises that it’ll do any good.”

“Just remember it’s for the honour of our family.”

Turquoise eyes rolled in exasperation.  “Quit with the melodramatics.  I’ll be down in fifteen.”

“F.A.B.”

John took a little too much satisfaction in swiping Scott’s face away to end the call and took stock of the situation. 

So Gordon was going along to a big fancy event with Lady Penelope, huh?  In all honesty John had seen it coming for a long time, and he was incredibly relieved that he wasn’t  the one being dragged along again like last time to that supposedly small charity auction.  The one which had ended in disaster thanks to the Hood.

Now it was Gordon’s turn, and he actually wanted to go.  He liked attention and he definitely liked Lady Penelope.

So what was Scott getting his contrails in a twist for?

Surely it couldn’t be that bad?

~*~

It was that bad.

Barely out of orbit, on the ground and out of uniform, John was quick to make his way towards Gordon’s room.  He felt as ready as he could be with such short notice, but no amount of time could have prepared him for the atrocity his gaze fell upon the split second Gordon’s door slid open.

Scott’s request for help suddenly made a whole lot more sense, but in reality it should have been the fashion police their eldest brother had called.

John tried to keep the judgement out of his tone and failed miserably.  “You’re not planning to wear that, are you?”

Gordon blinked in the full length mirror he was facing, apparently unsurprised by John’s sudden arrival.  “What?  I like this suit.”

“It’s dayglow orange, Gordon.”  Good God, John thought he was going to go blind.  “Pinstriped and dayglow orange.”

“Which matches my bright and cheery personality just nicely,” the aquanaut retorted.  He went about trying to straighten his matching tie and John looked away, trying to save his eyes from the torture they were being subjected to.

That suit really was awful.  Whoever had designed it should be locked up.

“You know I don’t like to interfere,” he spoke up after a moment.  “But I really think you should reconsider.”

“La-la-la, I’m not listening.”

Oh, how very mature.  No wonder Scott had called in help.  Where was Virgil when they needed him?  He was the artistic one with an eye for colour coordination.

John let out a low suffering sigh.  “Do you know what Lady Penelope is wearing?”

Gordon hummed at his reflection.  “Nope.  Parker sent me details, but I didn’t really read them.  He’s always sticking his nose in whenever me and Penny are around each other.”  A snort.  “Makes sense, given his nickname I guess.”

John leaned against the doorframe.  “Well if you’d bothered to read it then you’d know why I think that suit is completely the wrong choice.”

Gordon spun round to face him.  “You mean you read it?”

John sent him a deadpan expression.  “It was a communication with a marker of high importance.  I’m the communications expert.”

“It was addressed to me!”

“With no confidentiality data stamp.  Besides, I needed something to read on the way down here.”  

John almost smirked when Gordon squirmed.  

“But back to the main point.  That suit looks ridiculous and if you wear it I highly doubt Lady Penelope will ever invite you out to another public event again.”

Gordon ran his hands down his own lapels and John could see the gears in his head starting to turn.  He was successfully getting under his little brother’s skin and in all honesty it was quite fun.

Then Gordon pouted.  “I can’t believe I’m actually listening to you, of all people, about fashion.  That shirt you’re wearing should be burned.”

Ignoring the jibe he had heard oh so many times, John stepped into the room and navigated his way through all the clutter to Gordon’s wardrobe.  “Lady Penelope is wearing an off shoulder ocean blue dress with a thin diamond belt, matching necklace and earrings.  You need to pick something more subtle that will compliment her.”

“But orange and blue go together!”

“When it comes to that particular shade I respectfully disagree.”

“That shirt is definitely getting burned.”

Flicking through Gordon’s way too bright and colourful wardrobe, John finally found what he was looking for and pulled out one of the wrapped suits that had been shoved to the back.  Dark blue, tailor made by an old friend of their father, and one that was far better suited - pun unintended - for the event Gordon was to be attending later that evening.

Removing the protective cover, John presented it to Gordon.  “This is much better.”

His little brother immediately pulled a face.  “But that suit is so boring and generic.  It says nothing about my personality at all.”

Oh, for crying out loud…

“It’s a good fit on you, Gordon, and high quality.  Remember that you’re attending as Lady Penelope’s plus one tonight, not the other way around.”

A golden eyebrow quirked up towards the ceiling.  “Your point?”

John was quickly becoming both exasperated and exhausted.  How on Earth did Virgil manage being the family peacemaker and make it look so easy?  Just dealing with Gordon was a monumental task.

“A gentleman does not outshine the lady on his arm.”

Silence.  Those caramel eyes widened.  John wanted to drop to his knees and give thanks to whoever would listen.

Finally, he gets it!

~*~

John was more than a little relieved when the space elevator docked and he drifted through the airlock and back into his natural habitat.  Now a comfortable distance from Earth and any annoying younger brothers, the middle Tracy was quick to return to the programming he’d been doing before he’d received Scott’s S.O.S.

Eos filled him in on what little he had missed, with no distress calls and only minor generic chatter across all the channels and frequencies.

It seemed that, for the moment at least, all the attention was on a very specific event in Singapore which was just getting started.  High profile guests were arriving, reporters flocked to the edges of the red carpets in their hordes, and the eyes of the world looked on.

The first pictures and clips started to find their way online, and one in particular was quick to draw attention from John and apparently many others.  The reblogging and sharing counters were going into overdrive.

John took a moment to feel just a little bit proud as he admired the image.

Gordon, wearing the suit he had recommended, standing face to face with the elegantly dressed Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward as cameras flashed all around them.  She was smiling up at John’s rather bashful looking younger brother with an expression that could only be described as affectionate, her delicate hands raised towards his neck as she adjusted…

...that hideous tie which matched the equally grotesque abomination his brother had so laughingly called a suit.

Ugh.  John felt he needed to bleach his brain and eyes to unsee it.  It was vile. 

The suit may be absent but the presence of that tie mocked the middle Tracy something chronic.  Gordon had actually worn that?!  What was he thinking?

It warranted a very rarely used John Tracy facepalm.

Still, his reservations and opinions aside, it wasn’t a complete disaster.  A flick of a finger brought up all the leading stories across the news networks and social media in front of him, and John noticed that that one picture kept popping up again and again, followed quickly by others as Gordon and Lady Penelope made their way along the red carpet and into the venue.

John found himself smiling as he flicked away the images and returned to his duties.  So Gordon hadn’t completely listened to him after all.  Hardly a surprise, but John wasn’t about to lose any sleep over it.  His brother seemed happy and Penelope clearly approved of his attire, ghastly tie and all, so what more could John really ask for?

[alienslikedmyfantasy]

Okay, so I haven’t seen a show that I related to legit every character like, ever, and The Owl House hit me like a truck.

As I watched (and rewatched) how each character acts and develops, I look at them and feel a connection.

Luz, the ‘weird’ girl, the outsider, the overly positive, interested, distractible, oblivious, and big hearted character. I utterly love Luz Noceda. Like holy crap. We both find oddly specific things interesting be it a specific topic or the immersion into a fandom. We both make weird jokes and get into pun wars with people (I had one go on for about an hour once...it was glorious). For a person who’s pretty negative about myself, when other people are involved, I lift them up as high as possible, even with weak nerd arms. We both get distracted easily, or are at least oblivious. I didn’t know half of the things happening around me during school, and I honestly still don’t. I’ve watched movies 50 times and realized the actual point/blatantly obvious event during the 51st. I’ve had people like me before and I never noticed until someone told me then I struggled to believe it (”What is it she sees, in this cluster clump of me?”). (Honestly the entirety of ‘Ordinary’ called me out super hard). Luz also does crazy things for her friends with the best of intentions (even if it isn’t well thought out). Her heart is so big and she sees the best in everyone, it’s just amazing. Little things she does and has said, I’ve done too (especially the ‘cool’ scene).

Amity is often misread and quiet, struggling to talk to others. She also doesn’t like others to see her emotions very much, she bottles them up and has a need to be seen in a certain way. She has to be ‘perfect’ (a song which also called me out pretty hard). I feel that deep down in my soul my dudes. I always had to have perfect grades and I still have to be perfect at everything I do on the first try (I’m working on not doing that). I was always quiet, and honestly still am. I definitely bottle up my emotions rather than let others see what’s up and I have a hard time forming coherent sentences around crushes...well...around people in general. I always felt the need to be the straight A student and the rock in my loved one’s lives (which they never expected of me so I don’t know where that came from haha) and I still kinda do. Amity also sacrifices herself for her friends (Grom...sports....must I say more?). And though I may not have sacrificed my body, I’ve protected my friends hard core. No one messes with my buds.

Eda. Oh Eda. The wild witch who ran off to live in the woods because she didn’t like school and didn’t want to commit to one coven in life. The witch who is slow to pick up on things, is chaotic, and completely weird in the best possible way. I always liked school until I was about to graduate, then I realized how it can really mess with people (see Eda running around the school pointing out the strangeness of it all). All I feel that I really learned from school was to take a test. Creativity killer sadly. Eda has a strange sense of humor and is slow to get sarcasm or that it was a joke. Same Eda, same. I also cannot commit to one coven, well, career or job for the rest of my life. I like keeping my options open. Plus I would love to build a house out in the woods nearby and be a witch. I’ve always been weird and chaotic too, but I think Eda’s weird is way more fun than my own.

King is a goofy little dude who usually has weird jokes or points of view, but sometimes is super wise. I know that I have a strange sense of humor that it seems like most of my people don’t understand, and I have been known to be wise when I’m not thinking about it...on the other hand, when I try to be wise, I stumble and say something extremely weird. He struggles with public speaking/putting himself out there (Grom) and is nervous a while before getting comfortable with it. (I hate public speaking says the kid who did musicals for 13 years, writes songs, and thinks she wants to be an author, artist, actress, or musician). I also connect with King with the fact that I freakin’ love rubber ducky stuff. I legit have a rubber ducky bathrobe (of which one of my best friends gave me as a birthday gift...it’s a bit small but it’s sososo soft I love it), I made a ducky pillowcase today to practice sewing (it’s so cute I almost cried), I have a bunch of duckies stashed away throughout the house, and my Grandma made me a ducky baby quilt for the future. Ducks! Am I right? (I’m right.)

Willow is the shy, not-so-confident plant girl. I am too a shy, not-so-confident plant girl. I legit have about 14 or 15 plants (each have a name) that I care about a lot. I don’t really remember being bullied (I know I was at least once), but I’ve definitely had my heart hurt (honestly pretty badly) by people I considered friends at that time (I won’t get into that here). I’m also a shy person who’s been working on being more confident with themselves. Plus: plants!

Gus is fascinated by specific topics and is younger than everyone else, which may make him feel a bit childish. I feel this on a personal level. I’m the youngest child on my Mom’s side and the second youngest on my Dad’s. I was the baby and I don’t think I got to do much with the older kids (you’re too young so we don’t wanna play with you kinda thing, etc. [which is totally fine and I get 100%]) Though I may be older than all of my friends, I still feel like a child compared to nearly all of them. They’re all so smart and put together, and I’m not. I’m also fascinated by specific topics that others may not know or care to know much about (for Gus, it’s humans, for me, it’s a lot of things).

Edric and Emira are pretty similar to my sister and I. We aren’t twins, we didn’t always get along, and we rarely had shenanigans or pranked like these two do, but as we got older, we understood each other better and our relationship is basically being there for one another and really bad puns.

Hooty...well...I suppose we share the fact that we both make up songs and are bored a lot...definitely not that we’re both owl tubes.....*nervous laughter*

Owlbert and I share the quiet helpfulness trait...plus we’re both adorable.

(Some of these go deeper than others but the point is there’s still a connection).

Goodness gracious I love this show.

I haven’t laughed at a show this hard since Good Omens last year.

I love when I can connect with characters. It makes me happy.

[save-the-spiral]

OHHH OH SHIT WAIT CLAIRVOYANT HIYOKO I REMEMBER SEEING THAT OH MY GOD ENORMOUS GALAXY BRAIN I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE CHARACTERIZATION

YEAH Hiyoko is amazing. One of my favorite DR characters!! And her being a clairvoyant is so interesting. Because it starts out with her dad and her, and she’s super young, and her powers become a viral phenomenon because she just *knows* something super important, but with that fame, Grandmother Saionji steps in and demands custody, and since her dad married into the family and has less power, Hiyoko ends up with her grandma.

Read more so people dont have to see so much DR on main, I’ll make a DR blog SOON I swear I gotta pick a URL.

She’s still a bully! A brat! she grows up with money and power of being the heir to the Saionji clan, but also that’s such a double edged sword because. her grandmother is unforgiving. Being a child is irrelevant. All that matters is developing her ultimate and obeying her grandmother.

So in school she’s a bully. it’s her only way she knows to control a situation, and she takes advantage of her skills, faking predictions of nasty things, maybe even causing those fake predictions to happen. getting real predictions and warning no one. conning kids by telling their fortunes. conning everyone.

‘I don’t know’ is never an acceptable answer for a Saionji to give. Especially one with clairvoyancy. So she learns, she reads ahead and skips grades, and is getting ready to attend highschool. When Hope’s Peak scouts her. and she’s TERRIFIED. because how do you deal with being a 12 year old surrounded by ultimates?? At this point she fully believes she is just a con artist with no mystical powers, and so she just leans into this by saying she’s 16 like the rest of them, a late bloomer. She takes advantage and bullies some of the gullible ones, but when Mahiru the moral compass ALWAYS falls for Hiyoko’s tricks, she starts to feel bad. and she gets friends.

She feels safe and happy, just like she did as a small child with her father. so she gets visions more frequently, easier to decipher.

It’s just a shame they were so clear when she sees what becomes of class 77b.

[mediocreauthor]

Fuck it, relationships in Nana as Taylor Swift songs

Nana and Ren - So It Goes

The entire Reputation album screams Nana and Ren to me, but I picked this one particularly because imo it captures their relationship’s essence pretty well. Nana and Ren are like two puzzle pieces that fit together so well, but maybe finished work is not as cohesive as these two pieces. Their relationship is natural, it’s meant to be, but not exactly beautiful.

So It Goes is filled with sexual innuendos especially in the first verse and their relationship thrives on physical attraction. They rely on sex more than anything to fix the bump roads along their way.  

“See you in the dark

All eyes on you, my magician

All eyes on us

You make everyone disappear, and

Cut me into pieces

Gold cage, hostage to my feelings

Back against the wall

Trippin', trip-trippin' when you're gone ”

   Nana and Ren are both mesmerizing people, they steal the spotlight naturally everywhere they go, everyone gravitates towards them. And Nana is very much aware of this fact, I think more than her lover. But her eyes are always on Ren (well were, until Hachi came into her life BUT THAT’S FOR ANOTHER SONG).

And she is hostage to her feelings.

   She cannot slide back into her normal life without him, he is like the foundation of her life. Whenever Ren is gone once at the beginning and then forever, in both times Nana escapes the status quo. She goes to Tokyo to for herself of course, but I believe if Ren stayed in their hometown, she wouldn’t be the one to leave him to become a bigger artist. And when Ren is gone forever, she just gives up on her current life that she built with him and runs away. 

“'Cause we breakdown a little

But when you get me alone, it's so simple

'Cause baby, I know what you know

We can feel it”

   Nana and Ren are not the best when it comes to long distance relationship because both of their love language is physical when it comes to each other. As I said, their insane chemistry able them to ignore their problems.  We read so many times in manga that Nana actually drowns in anxieties about their relationship, but when they are together in the same bed, everything falls back into place again. It starts to make sense. 

 “I'm yours to keep

And I'm yours to lose

You know I'm not a bad girl

But I do bad things with you

So it goes”

   This relationship is the most possessive one in the series. Nana and Ren (but especially my boy Ren) take the phrase “we belong to each other” quite literally. Ren sees Nana as his most treasured possession, and he is also completely devoted to her. If they were to lose each other, Ren even claims he can kill Nana. This perception of love is very toxic, but the key point of their relationship is that everything feels so natural when they are together. To both of them, this is how it’s supposed to be. 

   The last three sentences of this line is actually referring that Nana was actually raised in a quite conservative way. I don’t think she would have contrast her grandma’s beliefs this easily if she hadn’t met someone as captivating as Ren. No one else would be able to disconnect her from her upbringing that sudden.

“Met you in a bar

All eyes on me, your illusionist

All eyes on us

I make all your gray days clear and

Wear you like a necklace

I'm so chill, but you make me jealous

But I got your heart

Skippin', skip-skippin' when I'm gone”

   I interpret this verse completely from Ren’s pov. When they first lock eyes, Ren is on the stage (probably at a bar) but Nana captured his attention immediately. He became a vital part of her life when she was probably at her lowest point. Her only caretaker was dead, she was expelled from school and had a little money with no direction. With Ren, she built a family, a home and most importantly a passion. So yeah, Ren did clear all of her gray days. Also... um wear you like a necklace?? Ms. Taylor swift wrote reputation for Nana fans, as a treat.

   Regarding last three lines, it was actually the first reason I chose this song. Because Ren doesn’t carry traits of a typical jealous person. At all. He is not macho, aggressive or does not have a fragile ego. He doesn’t get angry or spiteful towards Yasu when he notices that he has feelings for Nana. He is just possessive of her (which is not something I am trying to romanticize, it’s just how it is), but she is always okay with it (and equally possesive), becuase he got her heart skippin’ when he is gone. 

So that’s all for Ren and Nana, I actually have a list for every duo, if you don’t want the whole ass explanation and just the titles I can post them. Wow that’s very youtuber of me to write these sentences like who is requesting song from your ass lmao okay bye! 

[placebogirl7]

What do you think of nana and nobu’s friendship? I don’t it’s very much talked about?

Hello anon! I’m so happy you made this question because I love Nana and Nobu’s friendship! ♥ Nana and Nobu are the proof that friendship between a man and a woman can exists and I’m so glad Ai Yazawa have brought this topic out. We can see several scenes in the manga where Nana was half naked or in bed with Nobu but he never touched her or thought about her in a sexual way. It’s a pure friendship. 

I’ll put the rest under the cut because it will be a long post ;)

Before meeting Nobu, Nana hated anyone (and it’s understandable since her mother abandoned her when she was 4 and her grandma shown her no affection and used her as a servant). Nobody in high school have the courage to approach her even if she was beautiful because she seemed “strange” in their eyes (people often are like this, they judge other people from what they see instead of trying to know them and the reason why they act in a certain way). But not Nobu: Nobu was charmed by this silent and grumpy girl and he wanted to know her at any cost. Even if she pushed him away, he returned every day to her in order to become his friend and in the end he managed to do it. I think Nana, despite what she said, was so grateful to have Nobu as her only friend.  Then Nana left school and they didn’t see each other until Nana’s grandma died, but during all the time they didn’t meet Nobu never stopped to think about Nana, asking himself if she was ok since she had no friend apart from him. When Miyuki died, Nobu promised her that he would have been Nana’s friend for the rest of his life, no matter what happened: that has been so sweet in my opinion.  Nana herself at a certain point in the manga admitted that she owe so much to Nobu, because he has given her so many things. He was is friend when nobody wanted to be, he introduced her to Ren, he left all he had to follow her in Tokyo and continue to play the guitar with her, he forgave her all the times she had been mean with him. Before meeting Hachi, Nobu was the friend she can count on more, his best friend. I think he’s still his best male friend, but then Hachi took a special place in her heart.  I have three Nana/Nobu moments that I love in particular:

1) When Nana and Nobu were talking about Ren going to Tokyo, Nobu said to her that if she had gone with him, Blast would have ended because he didn’t want to play with another singer. Nana broke into tears because she wanted to hear those words from Ren, but at the same time I think she was also so happy to hear her best friend saying that. It meant the world to her.  He also kept his word until the end: when Nana disappeared, he could have continued to work in the music industry and play for another band or write songs for other artists, but instead he returned to his hometown and started to managing his family’s ryokan despite he said it wasn’t the life he wanted. He still plays the guitar and help young people who love music, but he doesn’t want to play in another band and, above all, he doesn’t want to play for another voice which isn’t Nana’s.

2) When Nobu arrived suddenly at Nana’s apartment in Tokyo and told her there was nothing in the world he wanted to do more than playing the guitar while she sang. It still gives me tingles when I think about it, we can compare it to a declaration of love.

3) The day after they discovered about Hachi’s pregnancy, after they had dinner, Nobu said that he felt like the reason why Hachi hasn’t told him about the pregnancy was because she considered him untrustworthy. Nana, while crying, answered him that when she met him she understood that not all the people in the world were bad and she started to trust people more, so he wasn’t untrustworthy at all. From Nobu’s face at those words you can understand how much they meant to him, especially because they came from Nana.

I like the fact that their friendship isn’t one sided and there’s no selfishness in it: Nana is there for Nobu when he needs (for example, as I mentioned above, when he asked her to go out for dinner because he needed a friend with whom talking and venting about the whole Hachi/Takumi and pregnancy story) and Nobu is there for Nana. Their friendship isn’t toxic like other ones we can see in the manga.  When Search magazine wrote that article about Nana’s mom, Shin, Yasu, Nobu, Misato (Mai) and Ginpei were discussing about what they should have done and who would have spoken with Nana. Ginpei offered to go and Misato said she would have gone with him, but Yasu stopped them and said only Nobu would have gone, because if Nana felt hurt about the situation, she could have cried only in front of him. This means she trust and feels comfortable with Nobu at the point she can show her real feelings only in front of him. She doesn’t need to wear a mask or pretend to he an heroine, because Nobu knows the real Nana.

I think one sweet thing about their relationship is that Nobu is costantly afraid of Nana considering him a “daddy’s boy”, rich and spoiled. Maybe at the very beginning Nana really thought he was like that, but then the more she knew him and the more she understood he didn’t care about being a rich kid and he was much more than that. An example is the scene that follows the one I described above. When Nobu went to her house to see how she felt after the article came out, he said beautiful words to her but then he felt like his words were “hypocritical” because he was a spoiled rich kid who grown up in a family with all the comfort and he couldn’t understand at all what it meant to be abandoned. But Nana didn’t felt his words as hypocritical and she sweetly smiled at him, just to say “you don’t have to worry Nobu, I’m glad you came to say nice words to me”. 

I think Nobu did things for Nana that even Ren has never done. Nobu is the greatest friend that Nana could have ever found. 

I can spend hours talking about their relationship because I feel so emotional about it. When I was in high school I was like Nana: I didn’t speak too much, I used to wear a spiked choker and spiked leather bracelet, to put on a lot of dark make up and I had maybe 4, 5 friends, but none of them was like Nobu unfortunately. I really needed a friend like Nobu at that time, it would have prevented me from feeling alone. That’s why I’m glad Nana met Nobu. 

Thank you so much for asking me! ♥

[onewfantaesy]

Orphan AU

Sometimes Taemin forgets that even though he’s lost his family, he does still have people who love him and who care about him. And it can be really hard at times, because he forgets and it puts him in a really low spot. But then when he’s reminded, it makes him feel so much more loved that it can be a little overwhelming, but in a good way.

One of the times he’s reminded is at something silly. A school play of all things, because it was a requirement he couldn’t weasel his way out of even though Jongin somehow got to do something else for the same requirement. He’s sixteen and it’s nearing the end of the school year, and it’s opening night. He knows Minho is there, because Minho promised to come to all four shows (one on Friday night after school, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday, it was ridiculous and Taemin thought it was stupid, but it was either participate or fail the class). And Taemin had a starring role even though he hated acting.

And when he finally gets to leave after the show is over, Minho comes over and hugs him and gives him flowers and tells him how wonderful he was. And his grandparents are there. And his uncle. And his biological aunt and uncle and cousins.

But it’s not just them who showed up. Jinki is there too. And Jongin’s parents even though their own son wasn’t in the play or part of it. And all his other groupmate’s parents. And they all are excited to tell him how wonderful he was, look genuinely excited for him, are quick to give him hugs and little gifts and flowers.

Uncle Kibum shows up of course, showers Taemin in praise, insists on taking a couple photos together to post on social media so he can let everyone know how fabulous he thinks his favorite nephew is.

But what boggles Taemin’s mind is that this is all just for a school play. It wasn’t anything on TV, wasn’t a movie, wasn’t a big production that Taemin beat out countless other idols or actors or celebrities to get. It’s the second year drama class Spring play in the auditorium. It’s just a generic high school production of Shakespeare. Someone even accidentally said their drama teacher’s name instead of a character’s name during the first part, it made everyone on stage giggle and break character, they were all pretty much a hot mess and they had to do the makeup and costumes themselves. But still everyone showed up and they all paid the $25 ticket price to help fund the drama department and they all brought him something to congratulate him.

It was just overwhelming. And after thanking everyone for coming and giving countless hugs and practically collapsing from all the flowers and flower-necklaces he was given, he just slumps against Minho. He doesn’t want to get upset in front of so many people and especially not in front of teachers and classmates, and Minho seems to just know how he feels. So Minho wraps an arm around and him and laughs and talks with a few of the other parents, thanks them for coming as well, does everything a parent is supposed to do. And it makes Taemin feel better in a way he can’t even explain.

“Grandma and Grandpa want to take you out to dinner to celebrate,” Minho tells him once everyone starts trickling out of the auditorium. “Do you think you’re up for that?”

It’s something so incredibly normal that it just puts Taemin at ease immediately. So he and Minho go out to dinner with his grandparents and his uncle, they all tell Taemin how amazing they thought he was during the play. It makes him shy and he keeps hiding his face behind his hands and laughing and his cheeks turn bright pink.

Then the next day, Minho shows up again of course. But Jinki comes again as well, and all his groupmates come.

Various people come to see his silly high school play. Even a couple other label mates. A few stylists. One his makeup artists giggles when she sees him after the show she goes to, and tells him how he did such a good job of doing his own makeup for the play. Taemin just pouts and whines at her and tells her he’s never doing his own makeup again.

“A lot of people came to see me,” Taemin says in the car after the last show. Minho is taking him out to dinner, just the two of them. It’s been a very long and exhausting weekend, and Taemin just wants to eat dinner and go straight to bed.

“That’s because you have a lot of people who care about you,” Minho tells him.

Taemin turns to look at him, then looks back out the window. He slumps in the seat, fiddling with the strap of the seatbelt to keep his hands busy.

“Sometimes I forget,” he mumbles.

“I know you do,” Minho says gently, and he moves one hand to squeeze Taemin’s shoulder. “Sometimes you just need a little reminding.”

“This weekend was a lot of reminding,” Taemin huffs. “What am I supposed to do with ten million flowers?”

It makes Minho laugh loudly, and Taemin turns to look at him. And seeing how much he makes him laugh makes Taemin smile, and he starts laughing too.

He does need some reminding sometimes. But Minho always reminds him that that isn’t a bad thing.