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darisu-chan · 4 years ago

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One-sided Love vs Requited Love on TV: Loving someone makes you deserving of their love and other lies we tell ourselves

I've been thinking about cartoons such as Star vs the Forces of Evil and Miraculous Ladybug recently, particularly about the reception the endgame ships get, about them being "toxic" and how them being with other people is "healthier."

Now, full disclosure, you can hate canon ships because the dynamics are not something you like, or because they're too straight, or simply because you don't like romance at all. But it is interesting to me how when you hate ships now you have to say it is because they're unhealthy compared to the ships you like or compare to a just friends scenario. And how many things that are blunders leading up to character development story-telling wise are seen as unforgivable and a show of how these characters cannot progress, cannot become better people and how, therefore, they shouldn't get together. This is particularly true in the fandoms for cartoons geared towards children and tweens when we get introduced to love triangles. Or, rather, when the protagonists briefly date another person before the endgame ships are revealed.

When I was a kid, and really even now, it is understood that in cartoons when two characters date way before the show is about to end is because they are not going to end up together. I think of the cartoons I liked as a child and how true this rule is. Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, Hey Arnold, and probably more that I don't recall right now, all have the protagonist dating or at least liking someone before the last seasons or the last movie of the show. They don't end up with any of these people. Instead, said relationships not working out show us why the endgame ships are the ones that work out in the end. Because they were too shallow or the characters didn't have anything in common. Or the things that they didn't have in common, particularly values or their identities, created a great divide in the relationships, one from which they couldn't come back from. Kim and Josh Mankey, for example, just liked each other, but it was a crush more than anything. It couldn't work out for them because they barely knew each other. And in the movie So The Drama we see that Kim wanted a relationship with a perfect guy, with all the chemistry and romance a teen would expect from a first relationship. She didn't want a particular guy at the beginning, just one that matched her idea of romance, and the movie illustrates what, exactly, was wrong with that. In Hey Arnold, Arnold is shown to be in love with different girls who tend to all be very pretty and feminine. But Arnold isn't particularly attracted to their personality. What he is in love with is the way they look. They are just crushes and not true love. Even when he gets the chance to date Lila, he is bored with her clinginess, and it is only when she breaks up with her that he is attracted to her. It shows us that a lot of times Arnold likes the idea of girls more than the girls themselves, and that she falls in love with the girls he can't get: Lila, who has already rejected him; Ruth, a 6th grader who would never even give him the time of day much less go out with him; a pretty girl on the beach who was only using him; and even his own teacher, much much older than he is! We know none of these relationships will work out, because the lesson here is that Arnold, who always sees the good in people, needs to fall in love with a girl for who she is and not because of the way she looks, and in this case the girl in question is Helga, who is seen as ugly by her peers, and, though she hides it, she's actually very kind and artistic. My final example comes from Danny Phantom, in which Danny has a very one-sided crush for Paulina, the most popular girl at school. Like Arnold's crushes, his crush for Paulina is very shallow. He needs to learn to see more about a girl than her looks. And he does with Valerie. However, there is a little problem, Valerie is a ghost hunter who hates his alter-ego, and for this reason, a relationship between the two is impossible. Even when she doesn't know about his true identity, Valerie decides not to date Danny to focus on ghost hunting. And this is framed as a problem that cannot be resolved. Danny is a ghost who is lying to Valerie about his identity and Valerie wants to keep ghost hunting because her own grudge is more important at that moment than the possibility of a relationship.

But let's notice something. In these cartoons either the crushes are too shallow to be meaningful or, when the protagonists actually date someone, as in they go out in dates even if they aren't steady, the feelings are always mutual. Perhaps not as strong as with the endgame couples, but mutual.

This isn't a trend in cartoons like SvtFoE and MLB. Sure, the protagonists due like the other characters they date. The problem is that for the other characters this isn't just a crush or, you know, a like-like feeling. They are perceived as being in love with the main characters. And this leads us to two issues: 1) eventually these other characters will feel used and hurt by the protagonists, and 2) the fans will react accordingly and champion these side-characters and how they are better for the protagonists as they are very in love with them, which is either unclear or, for the moment, untrue of the other main characters who will end up with the protagonists. The fact that these side-characters are so in love makes several fans insist the relationship is healthier, already canon, and that the "endgame" couples are distracting and ruining the show.

However, there is one problem that we are not seeing here. And that is how the protagonists feel. Or, rather, that in both these shows we have these ships which are essentially rebounds from the protagonists' side of things, which actually, and with no doubt, makes them unhealthy. Because even though these side characters are in love, their love is not reciprocated to the same extent and are, in fact, being lied to or they are fooling themselves into believing their love is mutual. And the fans see things the same way as the side characters. Both groups believe that the side characters' strong feelings of love are enough to make the protagonist fall in love, not realizing what a rebound even means and not considering what it means. And it is even more interesting when we consider the ages of the fans. They're teenagers who maybe don't have a lot of experience in the love department, which is completely normal, of course, but this doesn't give them the experience to determine how harmful rebounds are.

A rebound is when a person who has been scorned by another person, either by a breakup or a rejection, decides to either flirt, kiss, date, have sex or, in extreme versions of this, formally date another person to get over the person they were originally interested in. It is even seen as a common solution to a breakup or a rejection. "Oh, John didn't want to go out on a date with you? Go flirt with Jason at the party. He seems interested." "Oh Marissa broke up with you to date the hottest person at school? Maybe kissing Jessica, who is hotter than Marissa and also very available, will make you feel better?" That's why you see adults in movies going to bars or speed-dating after their relationships fail. Flirting or engaging with someone in a romantic setting makes you feel wanted. Desirable. But these are not grounds to have a relationship with someone. In fact, it is a very awful thing to do to someone who genuinely likes you. If someone flirts with you or kisses you not expecting a relationship, or knowing full well they're the rebound, hey, it could work. But that's very different to dating someone who is in love with you. That's using them, whether a person realizes it or not. You cannot make yourself fall in love with someone out of sheer will, particularly if you're still in love with someone else. You need to be in a position in which you're ready to fall in love. You need to be on a healthy mindset.

Neither SvtFoE nor MLB have their main characters be in the position of genuinely falling in love with these side characters when they haven't given the main characters time to get over their crushes or accept that they need to get over them, nor do they are at a point in their lives in which they can sustainably have a relationship while they have problems left and right. Being in a relationship with other people is simply not how they will resolve their own personal issues. In fact, distracting themselves by being in a relationship, by feeling wanted by someone, is not unhealthy. And neither is being in a relationship with someone who is not emotionally available. These are hard lessons that we all need to learn at one point, either by personal experience or by seeing someone we love go through this. But I feel that the shows are contributing to teens and, hell, even the children themselves, thinking that by loving someone enough, you will deserve them and they will fall in love with you. Or, that you can get over someone that you like, by dating someone who is already head over heels for you and forcing yourself to love them back.

That's not how life works and it is very dangerous that teens, who may get into their first relationships, think like this. It is a recipe to get hurt and to hurt others.

As for SvtFoE, I do not believe starco ruined the series and not because I ship them. Forcing starco to not happen ruined the series, as they kept pushing back the endgame couple while making them stay in relationships that weren't going anywhere, because we knew they had to break up eventually. They were only delaying the inevitable in the worst way possible. Tomstar wasn't healthy at all because Star lied to Tom from the get go. She told him, point blank, that she had no feelings for Marco, which we, as the audience, knew it wasn't true. She got back with her ex after feeling rejected by Marco dating Jackie and after missing him when they were apart. She decided to be the perfect princess, and that included dating Tom. And sure, she liked him, but she didn't love him like Tom loved her. Star kept lying to him until the bitter end. After she lied to him about kissing Marco, they should've broken up, but instead the writers decided to let them stay together almost until the end, when we knew they were doomed. And Marco and Kelly are even worse, as they decided to enter a "breakup buddies" relationship that us adults realized it actually meant "rebound buddies" instead. When I heard the phrase, I did have to wonder why they had used that term on a kids' show. Like, didn't the writers realize how bad it sounded? Because in real life, adults enter such relationships and it is always based around sex and very rarely do these relationships become healthy romantic relationships.

As for Miraculous Ladybug, Luka knew from the get-go Marinette liked Adrien. He asked her out knowing this and Marinette accepted once she had given up on Adrien, not because she was over him but because she wanted to be over him. Even if it wasn't her intention, she was using Luka to get over Adrien, which I had hoped the writing would show, but instead we had Marinette being too busy to actually date him properly and others telling Luka her secret was being in love with Adrien. I think it would've ultimately been better if they had actually shown that Luka's feelings were stronger and that Marinette shouldn't use him like that. It was also a shame the plot made them break up right away. If we went through all the trouble to get them together, as misguided as the relationship was, they should've had more development. It is the same with Adrien and Kagami. Kagami knew that Adrien liked someone else. And Adrien decided to give Kagami a shot after deciding to get over Ladybug. Yet again, the plot framed it as if Adrien were too busy to date Kagami, when really, the problem is that his feelings aren't as strong as Kagami's, which is exactly how she took it. Making them split so soon ruined the opportunity to explore how Adrien should also have realized he was hurting Kagami by still having feelings for ladybug and how he isn't ready to date. Now what we are being told is that Marinette and Adrien are too busy to date anyone but each other as Ladybug and Chat Noir, which shouldn't be the lesson. The lesson should be that they need to get over the most famous, shinier parts of each other and then learn to love their imperfections. Only then will they truly see each other and achieve true love.

And that is the lesson in older cartoons with romance in them. That the protagonists fall in love with their endgame completely. Because they know each other as friends first or because they saw the worst in the other as rivals first, and then learned to love their other sides. All of each other. And that is truer than crushes and one-sided love. It is healthier. It is what we need to achieve in real life. Not fall for the way we romanticize the other person, or by having an idea that they are perfect, but by falling in love and accepting all of them. By helping them become better people but not hurting ourselves in the process. It needs to be mutual to be healthy. One-sided love will never give you that. You can't love someone enough for both people, it will only leave you empty.

Us older people in fandoms do need to make a point to share this wisdom with younger views. And writers for shows aimed at children, tweens and teens should really, really, hammer down what a healthy relationship should look like instead of so much drama for views. Build up canon couples instead of throwing reasons why they can't be together yet, which are only excuses. Actually prepare and develop your characters for future relationships, not just throw side characters into the mix to avoid the endgame and raise views.

#analysis

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justgottafinishthischapter · 6 years ago

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Deciding on a POV

There are many ways to tell a story, and each one comes with a benefit or a downside. Still, I figured it’s worth going over the different ways each can be effective.

First Person

Reliable Narrator: A story with a reliable First Person narrator is one of the most common narrative styles. What this means is that the reader can trust what the narrator is telling them is the truth as it actually happened. Think Percy Jackson in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.The reliable narrator is far more common than the unreliable variety. The benefit of this narrative style is that it mirrors how we tell stories verbally. If something happened to me, and I tell my friend what happened, I am going to use First Person narration to explain the events that transpired. Thus, this can feel like the most organic option. It also allows for total access to the POV character’s thoughts, allowing readers to see how they reached a conclusion, or why they’re acting a certain way. However, this can come with the problem of not being able to get inside the head of anyone except for the narrator. Now, while it’s standard for the First Person narrator to be the main character, it isn’t always the case. If the narrator is some sort of omniscient, bystander, or divine presence, whether they interact with the characters or not, it technically falls under First Person if they voice their opinion using I statements. The figure of Death in The Book Thief is a good example of this, as Death uses I and me in the narrative of the story. Because the story is set in Germany during World War II, the narrator of Death sees the protagonist, Liesel, frequently, and thus we’re able to get a narrator who is observing a protagonist from outside of her immediate story.

Unreliable Narrator: An Unreliable narrator is going to be the exact opposite. They tell the story, but take their story with a grain of salt. Whether their perception of reality is distorted, they’re using metaphors and symbolic imagery to tell the story, or they’re telling the story from a very narrow viewpoint, the unreliable narrator can be a good choice to get the reader to engage with the story and think critically about the work. Rugrats is a good example of this type of storytelling, as the main characters are babies, and therefore often mistake things for something else, making them unreliable narrators. This type works well if you want to tell a more abstract story. For instance, an entire story is about a boy chasing after a red balloon, but that red balloon itself represents accepting his mother’s death. Suddenly everything experienced becomes unreliable, leaving the reader wondering if the foes he defeated or the desert he crossed was literal, and he went on an actual journey to come to terms with his mother’s death, or was everything figurative, and the journey was more symbolic and allegorical? An unreliable narrator can play with these questions, blur the lines between reality and fiction, and leave their readers asking questions.

Third Person

Omniscient: Lemony Snicket is a perfect example of a great omniscient narrator. Mr. Snicket knows everything about every character, knows what’s going to happen before it happens, and comments on everything. Lemony Snicket himself is not a character in the story. Rather he recounts the story much like the First Person style, but from an outside perspective. Instead of being part of the story, Lemony Snicket is telling us about the Baudelaire children through the lens of the all-knowing and opinionated narrator. It’s not entirely uncommon for this type of narrator to be some supernatural force, a wise old sage, or someone who lived through an experience recounting the tale many years later. In fact it could be rather fun to play with this last one, having the story almost be told like a myth or legend, but having the narrator constantly side track to discuss how historians know and gathered the information for this story, only to reveal the narrator isn’t some omniscient being, but just a docent in a museum giving a tour and explaining an old myth to the patrons.

Limited: With a Limited POV, the reader learns things as the narrator does. Even though the narrator is the one telling the story, their information is only up to date with whatever is currently happening on the page. This and First Person are the two POV types most likely to appear in a mystery novel, or any novel where a mystery or unanswered questions drives the plot. Harry Potter is a series written in Limited Third Person. The story follows Harry, and the reader only learns information as Harry does. And every year, Harry is faced with the recurring mystery element of figuring out what’s going on, and stopping whatever their plan was. However, because the narrator only knows what the protagonist knows, this can allow you to play around with giving the narrator a personality, and having them comment or react to things as they happen, perhaps even mirroring the way you hope the readers are responding.

Objective: Think of Objective Point of View as watching a tv show. Anyone who’s into shipping has to read into objective romantic coding. Two characters held eye contact for five seconds? You the reader have to interpret that as you will. Objective is strangely both the most human and the most robotic point of view. At its most human, Objective treats the narration like a normal person. They can’t read the thoughts of other characters, they don’t know more than the hero or reader, and you’re effectively just a bystander in the crowd watching things happen with no context clues about what’s happening inside a character’s head. On the opposite end, it can also be the most robotic because it is the most lacking in human connection, as it leaves the reader detached from the characters themselves. However, a liberating or perhaps crippling aspect of this POV style is that it frees the author of show don’t tell because this type of POV can’t enter anyone’s minds or go on a rant about a character’s feelings about someone else. You just have to take what you get at face value and all information has to be conveyed through your characters and story, whether directly through dialogue, or subtly through background details.

Switching POVs

Most stories tend to stick with a single narrator. Stories can be complicated when one person is giving an opinion, but when multiple people are talking, it can be hard to find a voice and plot for each of them. And if you’re planning on writing a series, you may run into the problem of some characters having meatier plots than others. It’s for this reason that when it comes to watching Game of Thrones, I always groan internally whenver the story cuts back to Bran or Jon at the Wall. It’s a scene or two of people standing around being cold or talking about being cold and something something three-eyed raven and then we finally get back to the part I’m more interested in: the political games of manipulation and intrigue. But that’s also a strength of changing POVs. With something like Game of Thrones, you might not necessarily like every storyline happening, but you’re more likely to enjoy one. In a sense, Game of Thrones is like 11 novels stitched together, and because each is so different, you’re more likely to find something in the series that speaks to you. Conversely, when there’s multiple POVs experiencing the same thing, such as with the Heroes of Olympus series, having shifting POVs can be a good way of exploring each character. In The Lost Hero, Piper knows more about the giant waiting to fight them than either Jason or Leo, and because we have shifting POVs, we the reader get access to this otherwise Limited Third Person information from the character who already knows it, thus building dramatic tension of when the others will find out. Another benefit to this is giving unique encounters to the characters. Percy has already met Aphrodite in the past, but through Piper, Aphrodite’s daughter, we’re able to see a different side of this goddess, the goddess as a mother to someone else. This could also manifest in differing opinions of the same things. This is also part of why it works so well in Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is a civil war story with multiple sides all vying for the same end goal. Because there are so many sides and players in the game, having so many different points of view is valueable to the story being told. If Eddard Stark was the sole protagonist, the only thing that we would know is whatever he knows. Everything Danny is doing across the narrow sea would need to be told to Ned for it to matter. And the same with Jon at the Wall. And if Jon or Danny was the sole narrator, the reader would miss out on everything happening in King’s Landing because neither Danny nor Jon are connected to that part of the plot. An entire element to the story is lost when a major POV character is dropped, which goes to show how strong George RR Martin’s writing really is. Something I like doing with multiple POVs is describing the same character in two different ways from two characters who would see them in a drastically different way. One description might paint a character as dark, alluring, and attractive, while another person might describe them as a rat-faced shifty-eyed snake that stinks of booze and dead fish. It’s the same character, but two different people see that character in entirely different ways. However, this also comes with a major backlash. It can be an absolute nightmare juggling not only so many plots, but trying to make them fit together nicely. You’ll notice this a lot with shows that emphasize drama and interconnecting storylines. They’ll be really strong in their earlier seasons, then peter out once they’ve hit the creative brick wall. It happened to Once Upon a Time and to a lesser extent, Glee. Both shows had tightly knit and compelling drama in season 1, but by season 4, both shows felt like they were just going through the motions and had lost the edge that made them interesting. Even with something as well-written as Game of Thrones, it’s still possible to have someone’s story be weaker than everyone else’s. Arya Stark for instance spent the first couple of seasons focused on learning to sword fighting, then once the Hound died, she went to Braavos, but it always kind of felt more like a detour than really what Arya’s story was supposed to be about. She was a little girl out for vengeance, she went to Braavos for a season or two, didn’t really learn much, and then she came back to Westeros and pretty much went right back to exactly who she was before going to Braavos. Now granted, I’m going by the TV show, but it always felt to me at least that Arya’s vacation in Braavos was just kind of George not knowing what to do with her as he built up to the big climactic battle. So if you’re going to use shifting POVs, it’s important to weigh the pros and the cons carefully.

#writing #writing tips #writing advice #pov #writer problems #writing your book #do it write #points of view #point of view

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dream-a-little-bigger-x · 5 years ago

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Greaser Serpents | Part 1

A/N: Currently, I am infatuated with Sweet Pea from Riverdale and I have no clue why since he wasn’t in season 3 that much (also season 3 sucked, just saying), but I can’t seem to get this Serpent out of my head, so I decided, why not start writing imagines and one shots and fanfics about him? So, since I would LOVE to see Riverdale do Grease, I decided to write a mini-series myself. Where OC Luna Simmons, a clean-cut, dutiful Northsider is cast in the school musical as Sandy and the loyal, Northside-hating Serpent is cast as Danny. Somewhere between all the hate between the two, suddenly grows a little love too.

Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC

Words: 2150

Warnings: none?

Situated: somewhere during season 2, instead of Carrie: the musical.

“I’m directing Grease for this year’s musical,” announces Kevin when they’re all sat in the lounge together before classes start. They all look up at him, a small smile playing on each of their lips. Between all the chaos of the black hood and the red circle and everything with Hiram Lodge, the gang could use some good news. Something to focus on outside of the drama. “I so love you for that,” Luna says with a wide smile plastered on her face. Luna Simmons isn’t new to the gang. She’s lived in Riverdale from the day she was born, next door to the Coopers on Elm Street. She’s been through everything with these kids: Jason Blossom’s murder last year, Veronica joining the gang, the drugs going around, the Sugarman, the Black Hood. And now, when Southside High School has been closed down and Jughead is back at Riverdale High, so are some other troublemakers. To say she can’t stand most of the Serpents is the understatement of the year. Toni Topaz is the only one she can stand. The pinkhaired lady greets her in the hallways, and they sit together in English class. But for some reason, she really cannot stand Sweet Pea nor Fangs. They seem too aggressive for her liking. They always need to solve every problem with violence, and it’s just not Luna’s forte. Musicals, however, and especially Grease, is her forte. “When are auditions?” Betty asks her best friend. “No auditions needed, just tell me who you want to play, and I’ll think about it,” Kevin replies, knowing how talented all of his friends are. “The Serpents are doing sets and decor, Toni is doing choreography,” he explains further, sending a shiver down Luna’s spine just thinking about working with the Serpents. “Per Weatherbee’s orders, I assume?” Veronica retorts. A chuckle erupts from Luna’s body. Kevin nods his head while scrunching up his nose. “Oh yeah,” he replies. Luna already thinks about what she’s going to do when she’s playing either Marty or Frenchy. Because, let’s face it, she won’t get the role of Sandy. That one has Betty Cooper written all over it. But Luna would be grateful to play an iconic character like Marty or Frenchy.

“Patty Simcox? Who the hell is Patty Simcox?” Cheryl screams when she sees the character line-up for the musical Kevin had posted on Monday morning. Luna, who just happened to pass by when Cheryl cried out, decides to take a look, just to see whether she got the role of Marty or Frenchy. But, when her eyes fall upon the top of the page where her name is written behind SANDY. Her eyes widen before they glance down to DANNY. Upon seeing the name of Sweet Pea, her stomach churns and her face heats up to the point of nearly exploding. She rips the paper off the board and storms into the lounge where she finds Kevin, Betty and Jughead on the sofas. “I THOUGHT THE SERPENTS ONLY HELPED WITH SETS?!” she screams at the director, pushing the paper into his chest aggressively. “You know I can’t stand them, Kev, and you still paired me up with fucking Sweet Pea of all people!” she paces the room in a petty rage, instead of being happy she got a leading role. “Listen, Lunes, I lacked a couple of actors and let’s be honest, Sweet Pea would be a perfect Danny,” Kevin reasons with her, staying calm. “Kevin is right, Luna,” Betty agrees with him and Luna stops in her tracks to look at the girl-next-door. “Sweet Pea would be one hell of a Danny.” Just at that moment, Sweet Pea and Fangs enter the lounge too, stopping upon hearing the Serpent’s name. Luna makes eye contact with him, suddenly seeing him as Danny. Fuck, he would be a great Danny. “Wait, what?” the boy asks, tilting his head a little. “I casted you as Danny for the musical,” Kevin tells him and stands up to hand him the paper, “But since our Sandy over there ripped off the paper in a rage, no one really knows,” he points at Luna, glaring at her for a second. “I’m not playing in a fucking musical,” Sweet Pea snarls, pushing the paper back into the director’s arms. “I said I would work on sets, not actually play in your stupid play.” the boy growls and walks over to the vending machine for a snack. “It’s either this or being suspended, Sweet Pea,” Jughead warns him from his spot on the couch next to his girlfriend. “Fine,” Sweet Pea growls, “But I’m not rehearsing any shit with her,” it sounds bitter coming from his mouth as he sends a glare towards Luna. “The feeling’s mutual, dickhead,” Luna snarls before grabbing her bag and leaving the lounge, leaving her friends behind, still enraged. “I can’t believe that prick,” she mutters as she passes Toni in the hallway who just happened to pick up on that. She enters the lounge, finding the others, still a little agitated about what had just happened. “Did a bomb explode here, or what did I miss?” she asks them with a chuckle. “Sweet Pea landed the role of Danny Zuko,” Fangs explains with a proud smile and a proud pat on his best friend’s back, only to get a glare in return. “I thought Serpents were only doing sets?” Toni asks, grabbing the character sheet from Kevin to see if she landed a role too. “I lacked some actors, okay? I had no other choice,” Kevin answers, getting annoyed by everyone’s reactions to him enrolling some Serpents too. “I’m playing Frenchy?” Toni asks, her eyes sparkling, “Dude, she’s iconic! Thank you!” that was the first grateful response he’s had since he posted the cast list. “Did you give me a role too?” Fangs asks, grabbing the sheet from Toni. “You’re Sonny,” Kevin replies with a little smile. “Because I’m tiny?” Fangs asks, raising an eyebrow. Kevin opens his mouth, wanting to say something, but Fangs beat him to it, “I’m kidding, bro. Thanks!” he gives Kevin a toothy smile before handing him back the sheet. “When’s the first rehearsal?” Betty asks. “Tomorrow after school. I hope to see you all at the auditorium at four,” he says when the bell rings, signaling class will start soon. All of them scatter to their classes after bidding brief goodbyes. Some more genuine than the other. This is going to be interesting.

“Okay, Summer Nights from the top!” Kevin says from his spot in the audience with his script in front of him. Neither Sweet Pea nor Luna are happy to be there, but at least they’re doing what Kevin asks of them. “So, what you do this summer, Sandy?” Toni asks as her character while the instrumental begins to play already. “Oh, I spent most of it at the beach. I met a boy there,” Luna says her line without gagging at the thought of that boy being Sweet Pea. “You hauled all your cookies to the beach for some guy?” Veronica asks as Rizzo. The attitude and the sass match Veronica’s actual, real-life quirks. “Aw, he was sort of special,” Luna replies with a little smile, acting like she actually likes the guy she’s talking about. In her mind, she was scoffing at herself. Sweet Pea? Special? No way. He was just some plain, aggressive boy that thinks he could intimidate girls with his tough looks. “Please,” Veronica hauls Luna from her thoughts, “There ain’t no such thing.” “Oh, you haven’t met this boy. It was really romantic,” she turns to Toni who had come to sit next to her, hitting her marks Kevin had given her perfectly. “Woah, woah,” Sweet Pea then goes as Danny when it’s his turn on the other side of the stage, “You guys really want to hear all the horny details,” Luna rolls her eyes at him absentmindedly, earning a giggle from Toni and a glare from Kevin. The boys surrounding Sweet Pea all cheer. Luna nearly vomits as she hears them speak, until the Serpent begins to sing his part. That’s when she internally melts. His voice sounds like Elvis Presley’s voice. Rough and sultry, causing her toes to tingle. “Summer lovin’, had me a blast,” “Summer lovin’, happened so fast,” Luna sings in time, shaking herself out of her gross thoughts. His voice might charm her, but him as a person certainly doesn’t. “Met a girl, crazy for me,” “Met a boy, cute as can be,” she gets up from her chair now. Her knees nearly giving away as the two harmonize at the next part. “Summer days drifting away to uh all the summer nights,” they sound so good together. Kevin is proud of himself for casting those to as main characters. “Tell me more, tell me more,” the girls sing together while doing the choreography Toni had taught them in earlier rehearsals. “Like does he have a car?” Betty sings as Marty, her voice sounding better than ever. Maybe Betty would be a better Marty than Luna ever could be. Maybe she should be happy with the role she got. And to be fair, even doing this number all week long is actually fun. Seeing it come all together, becoming better and better every day they rehearsed. It’s something Luna could’ve only ever dreamed about. Hell, she dreamed about being Sandy all her life since she first saw the old movie classic with Betty when they were younger. The music slows down as the cast is nearing the end of the song, Luna hops off the table she was sitting on and Sweet Pea gets off the stands he and the boys were dancing on. “It turned colder, that’s where it ends,” Luna sings softly, her voice sending shivers down Kevin’s spine as he smiles up at her, proud of his friend. “So, I told her, we’d still be friends,” “Then we made our true love vows.” “Wonder what she’s doing now,” Sweet Pea sings, looking out into the distance. “Summer dreams, ripped at the seams, but ... oh... Those summer...” both sing together, harmonizing perfectly and then even hitting the high note perfectly. “Niiiiiiiights”. Luna wraps her arms around herself, panting a little after using most of her breath intake for that one note. Kevin’s applause rips her out of her thoughts, and she glances over at Sweet Pea, who’s already looking at her with a soft smile on his face. “That was amazing, you guys! Chills, literal chills!” Kevin says from his spot. “Let’s take that from the top one more time!” and they did. They rehearse that exact scene for a couple more hours until Kevin finally calls it a day. The entire cast is exhausted from all the dancing, but they’re quite chuffed with themselves as it sounds better each and every time. “Hey,” a voice makes Luna snap out of her thoughts as she’s packing up her stuff. She looks up to find Sweet Pea standing in front of her. In place of that intimidating glare he always put on, he now has a sweet, tender smile on his face and his eyes look a little lighter for once. A little less dark. “Just wanted to tell you that you did a really great job,” he compliments, stunning her a little. She didn’t expect that. Not from him anyways. Not at all. Luna Simmons is at a loss for words all at once. Only from one simple glance and one simple compliment. “T-Thanks,” she stutters, ��Uhm, you too, Sweet Pea,” she fires back with a little, confused smile. The boy in front of her chuckles, his eyes glancing at the hardwood floor beneath their feet for a split second before looking up to her again. “Maybe we should uhm, you know, rehearse together sometime,” he suggests, pointing his script at her in an awkward and weird way. At least she’s not the only one feeling awkward about this entire interaction. She looks at him for a moment; did he really just ask her that? “Uhm, yeah, sure,” she replies, her eyebrows tugging together for a moment in confusion. “See you around, Zuko,” she bids her goodbyes with a little smirk at the nickname. Sweet Pea laughs lightly, causing Luna’s stomach to flutter for some bizarre reason. She turns around to walk away from the boy and finally head home. She’s ready for a hot bath and a good chick-flick. Maybe she should watch Grease tonight. “See you around, Sandy,” Sweet Pea calls behind her. Yep, she should definitely watch Grease tonight. She casts one last glance to her co-cast member before exiting the auditorium, excited for the next rehearsal with him. And maybe, just maybe, she should take him up on the offer to rehearse together. The boy doesn’t seem that bad after all.

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