#Rapunzel Without the Hair over here drowning

[randomkidstarfic]

When you got work to do but Writing Brain will only give you fanfiction 🙃

[suzannahnatters]

I Re-Read Tolkien's "Lay of Leithian" For the First Time in Like 15 Years And It's Still My Favourite Poem In the Whole Wide World: Selected Ravings

CANTO I mostly scene setting, but it's so fun to get more worldbuilding details on Doriath. Also this poetry is just gorgeous

CANTO II thou shalt to the moonless mists of hell descend and seek thy Eilinel AUGH

A bunch of details are different in this early version (Gorlim seeking out the Enemy, and being taken to Morgoth not Sauron) but the one that gets me most is Gorlim sneaking away from the phantom without making himself known because he doesn't want her to be hurt T_T

LOTR Orcs are cockneys. Lay of Leithian Orcs have clearly been to university

CANTO III OH HERE'S WHY LUTHIEN HAS SLEEP MAGIC!!!!! Because her mother Melian was associated with Lorien in Valinor, the Vala of dreams and visions, who in Line 439 of the Lay Tolkien calls "the Lord of Sleep"

Okay this is amazing: There after but an hour, him seems, he finds her where she lies and dreams, pale Melian with her dark hair upon a bed of leaves. Beware! There slumber and a sleep is twined! He touched her tresses and his mind was drowned in the forgetful deep, and dark the years rolled o'er his sleep MESS WITH THE ENCHANTRESS AT YOUR PERIL

And now his heart was healed and slain With a new life and with new pain

They enchant each other T_T when he calls "Tinuviel!" there's magic in it

CANTO IV the deathless in his dying shared feels faintly redolent of the Gospel

CANTO V TEXTILE MAGIC Rapunzel joins the list of stories Tolkien looked at, sniffed, and said "I can do better"

CANTO VI We find out why Sauron (here, Thu) is called The Necromancer:

In glamoury that necromancer held his hosts of phantoms and of wandering ghosts, of misbegotten or spell-wronged monsters that about him thronged, working his bidding dark and vile: the werewolves of the Wizard's Isle.

CANTO VII I love SO MUCH the fact that in this version what gives them away to Sauron is the fact that they won't blaspheme the gods and declare Morgoth the king of all earthly kings

CANTO VIII I think it's super important to note that this begins with an absolutely gorgeous passage describing the Bestest Boi, and also there's this beautiful beautiful little Sir Orfeo reference that lives in my head rent free:

Hark! afar in Nargothrond, far over Sirion and beyond, there are dim cries and horns blowing, and barking hounds through the trees going.

Lúthien's meeting with Huan:

Huan alone that she ever met she never in enchantment set nor bound with spells. RIP to you Beren

CANTO IX this whole canto is unbeLIEVably epic, possibly my favourite in the whole Lay, but my favourite part is Sauron hearing the song from the bridge and saying

A! little Lúthien! What brought the foolish fly to web unsought? ee hee hee hee

CANTO X Tolkien just really wants you to know that these guys are Beyond It:

Thereafter never hound was whelped would follow horn of Celegorm or Curufin.

It's interesting that Tolkien at this stage had Beren telling Lúthien to stay in Doriath waiting for his return specifically because Sauron had informed him that Morgoth was keen to capture her. It's like he realised that with all of Lúthien's evident capabilities he needed to give Beren a convincing reason to leave her behind lol

CANTO XI Lúthien catching Beren in the middle of his dramatic farewell will never not crack me up but in this version she tells him off for not putting his trust in her might so weak and then when he asks where's the hound he left to guard her she tells him how much wiser and kinder Huan is than him at which point Beren demands to know why she doesn't just marry the dog

The description of them putting on the werewolf and vampire disguises, and their journey to the gates of Thangorodrim, is fanTAStically creepy and epic and also, I'm surprised to note, HIGHLY reminiscent of the hobbits' trek into Mordor.

CANTO XII this bit about how Carcharoth has not yet come

disastrous, ravening, from the gates of Angband

has STRONG Voluspa echoes -

Loud bays Garm before Gaping-Hel; the bond shall be broken, the Wolf run free

CANTO XIII I love these descriptions of Angband (even Morgoth has tree themed decor) and I love EVEN MORE the fact that when Lúthien flies into the hall a Dark Lord, all his Balrogs and a ton of werewolves suddenly feel the Valar walking over their graves -

A nameless doubt, a shapeless fear had entered in their caverns drear, and grew, and towered above them cowed, hearing in heart the trumpets loud of gods forgotten.

She stood revealed in hell. (chewing glass)

CANTO XIV (fragment) I am going to haunt Tolkien in the afterlife for leaving it off here.

[brokenjere]

seventeen going under (j.f) (part 2)

seventeen going under: a jeremiah fisher love story

synopsis: the first bonfire of the year didn't go exactly as YN had planned

catch up here

I’m standing in front of the floor-length mirror and try to decide if what I’m wearing is good enough. Good enough for Jeremiah, more specifically, but I hear a ping on the window and no longer have any time to decide. I stick my head out the window and Jeremiah is standing out on the lawn looking up at me. All he’s missing is the boombox. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,” he calls.

“What hair?” I laugh and grab the ends of my frayed hair. It started breaking off a few years ago from too much sea salt and not enough deep conditioner.

“What hair?” I laugh and grab the ends of my frayed hair. It started breaking off a few years ago from too much sea salt and not enough deep conditioner.

Jeremiah chuckles and calls back, “just get over here! We’re all waiting.”

I shut the window and throw on a pair of sneakers, calling out to my parents that I was leaving. Mom calls back to be home by 11 and I blow her a kiss as I sneak out the front door. Jeremiah is leaning against the passenger side door of the Jeep with his hands in his pockets, waiting for me. “Where’s Belly?” I ask as I approach the car. Conrad and Steven are sitting in the backseat and the front is left open for me and there is no Belly.

Jeremiah ignores my question as he pushes himself off the car to meet me. “You look��” He pauses and I don’t know what to say because he’s looking at me like he’s never seen me before and then he shakes his head like he’s shaking away the thought. “You know Belly never comes to these things. She’s at home with the moms.”

Sometimes, I wish Belly was a little bit older. She’s not young in the sense that she’s too young to hang out with us but she’s never allowed to tag along with the boys. Sometimes, I think it would be nice to have a girl around during the summer. Girl talk was essential.

Jeremiah holds out his hand for me and I let him lead me to the car and he opens the door for me. The boys in the backseat holler a greeting at me and Steven remarks, “who are you all dressed up for?” While wiggling his eyebrows. I scowl at him and my eyes catch Conrad’s for a moment.

“You look nice,” he mumbles. Steven scuffs and hits his bicep with the back of his hand. Conrad’s smoking again. He blows out a cloud of weed and tobacco and it follows him around everywhere. Football Star Conrad. Guitar playing Conrad. A-student Conrad was messing with the white matter in his brain. He breaks eye contact with me like he can read my mind and I turn forward in my seat.

“Ready?” Jeremiah asks as he gets in the car. His smile is so wide I think it might break his cheeks. His blue button-down shirts make his eyes pop and I can’t help but notice his shorts stop right above his knee and how can he always look this good?

The music plays in a low hum and Steven and Jeremiah’s laughter drown it out. Usually, Conrad would join in on it all, how could he not? Their laughter was contagious, even to me. But not this summer. This summer I watch him in the rearview mirror as he blows smoke out the window and watches the trees pass us by. I watch him until we reach Jumper’s stretch of the beach. It’s not that far away but I hated to walk there, especially at night, so we always drove. It’s faster to get away, too.

The fire is already going and people were already drinking with kegs littered around the sand. I don’t know how he gets away with it every year, but I don’t like to dwell on it too much, and neither do the boys and Steven is already running toward one of the kegs but Conrad lags behind Jeremiah and me. I turn around and ask him if he’s coming and he pulls his hood over his head and nods without really answering me.

Jeremiah holds my hand as we walk down the sand and when Jumper approaches us, I can tell he’s in a sleazy mood. He hands Jeremiah a beer but he turns it away. “I’m the DD.” Jumpers nods and glances over at me and suddenly I feel too hot like my feet would melt the sand.

“What about you?” He hums, holding out the drink for me and raising an eyebrow. I swear he licks his lips and that his eyes settle on mine. In all the years I’ve known Jumper, he’s always been horny, flirting, and always, always, disgusting about it.

“Back off dude,” Jeremiah warns, putting his hand on Jumper’s chest and making him take a few steps backward. I can see Jeremiah’s chest heaving up and down and I can almost feel the heat radiating off of his body and I raise my hand up because all I want to do is touch him and right before I place my palm against his back, he turns around. “What a scum bag, huh?” He starts to laugh until he sees my hand but he doesn’t react. No snarky remarks or flirty comments. Instead, he puts his palm up to mine and laces his fingers between mine. I feel butterflies rage in my stomach and they swarm up in my ribs and grab a hold of my heart and squeeze and squeeze until I might just explode if I don’t step away.

“I need a drink,” I whisper. Jeremiah nods and then we’re no longer connected. I follow him down the beach, the sand kicking up under our feet. I find Steven in the crowd with a girl way too far out of his league. She laughs as he talks and holds his drink while he tries to show off that he knows how to do a handstand. It’s been his go-to trick since he was thirteen, but I guess it was working now. I stop walking when I see Conrad sitting in the sand with a girl. She’s wearing a Red Sox cap. Conrad hates the Red Sox cap and I hate that I know who it is before I even see her face and I can’t help but ask, “what are you doing with her?”

Nicole turns around and she’s prettier than I remember her being from last summer. Maybe she grew up just like the rest of us but she used to have braces and frizzy hair and Conrad escorted her to the debutante ball as a favor to Susannah but now he’s canoodling with her in the sand when he can barely say three words to his friends and I think he’s about to speak because he opens his mouth but his brother interrupts him by extending a hand to me and asking me if I wanted to dance.

I look away from Conrad and Nicole and look at Jeremiah. My Jeremiah. He’s smiling and looking at me expectantly so I take his hand and he spins me around and away from Conrad, Nicole, and the rowdy crowd of drunk teenagers until it’s just the two of us and the music a gentle hum in the background. He hands me my drink and I take it. “Thank you,” I tell him.

“You’re welcome,” he says, bowing slightly. I grab the collar of his shirt loosely and pull him back upright and he watches me as take a sip of my drink. It’s warm, tasteless, keg beer but it does the trick. Jeremiah grabs my hand that’s dangling at my side and he squeezes it twice. I squeeze his back three times. “I wanted to tell you earlier that you look phenomenal tonight.”

“Phenomenal, huh?” I ask, laughing.

“Phenomenal,” he repeats.

“I’m not even drunk yet,” I tease him. I think he forces out the laugh that comes out and I wonder if I hurt his feelings a little bit. He steps a little bit closer to me and I can smell his cologne, it’s always the same. I could pick it out in a crowded room. “Thank you,” I tell him after a beat. It makes him smile and he pulls me closer to his chest. I stumble in the sand and beer spills over the edge of the cup. “I’m so sorry,” I giggle like a schoolgirl. It’s ugly and embarrassing but Jeremiah lifts my hand with the cup of beer in it and he licks the excess off of the sides.

“Don’t be,” he whispers.

“Are you flirting with me?” I whisper back, cocking my head to one side and raising my eyebrows. I don’t think either of us had enough to drink to be flirting with each other but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it. His face is so close to mine I’m sure he can smell the beer of my breath but I don’t care.

“Flirting? With you?” He asks, appalled at first but then he whispers, “never.” And his nose brushes against mine and the kiss I swear was going to come last night I think is going to happen now. Right now. I prayed for this moment. For this summer to be different. I prayed during every love song that reminded me of him and I prayed to the stars at night and when he’d leave my room so early in the morning that the birds were nt even awake yet, I’d pray for him as I soaked up the last bit of cologne on my pillow. I will always pray for Jeremiah Fisher. Not in a you’re my best friend and I love you type of way but a I want to be with you, all of you, for the rest of eternity type of way and now it’s going to happen. His lip brushes against mine and I’m about to push myself into him but then there’s yelling and our heads turn and there’s Steven, yelling at his sister who had stumbled onto the beach in a tight pink dress, completely out of her element.

I can’t make out much, just Steven yelling and Belly yelling back and now she’s flipping him off and Jeremiah is squeezing my elbow, “let’s go see what’s going on,” he says instead of kissing me. I snap my head to look at him but he’s too engrossed in what’s going on so I follow him without him checking to see if I am behind him and I throw back the rest of my beer before we reach the next keg. I refill it to the top as I watch him hug Belly and tell her he’s happy she’s here and then he’s being called away by some guy from the country club, Mark, I think, and he runs past me without even glancing.

The Conklins always had a special place in Jeremiah’s heart, sometimes I think even more so than I did but I know that’s unfair. I get fall, winter, and spring. Christmas under the tree and Thanksgiving around Susannah’a dining room table. I get football games and homecomings and everything in between but Belly and Steven always got summer. Freckles skin, late-night swims, the Fourth of July. It’s all the best parts that I never got. Thirteen felt too old to join in. They already had all their traditions. The Belly-flop, the movie nights, cake on the Fourth. The only time I felt actually felt included was when my mom let me run off with the boys as long as Conrad was around. He’s always been the big brother. The protector. Everything is safe when he’s around.

But despite the fact that Belly had to stay behind while I got to run off, she always felt favored. Conrad’s eyebrows would sink and he’d get those creases right between them that sometimes I think I can smooth away and he would let her tag along even though everyone else said no. It’s unfair that I used to be fond of the moments when she was left behind but right now, watching Jeremiah ditch me for her, makes me remember why I ever felt that way.

I eventually found peace, though. The more she fell for Conrad, the less jealous I started to feel. Jeremiah would always be my best friend and I don’t know why I felt so strongly the need to protect it but she was smitten with Connie so I let her gush about him and I’d tell her embarrassing stories that she missed out and she would talk and talk and talk and then throw popcorn up in the air and try to catch in her mouth and when she failed she’d say, “you know Conrad can do that?”

I do know Conrad can do that but instead of boasting, I smile and nod at her and she eventually became like a little sister to me and what siblings don’t have a feud once or twice in their life? Silent or otherwise. I can let someone else have him for a few months as long as he came home to me. Studied with me. Danced in the rain with me.

And despite all of that, the sisterhood and the peace, something inside of me is seething. I don’t know if it’s because my eyes wandered at some point and now I’m watching Conrad kiss Nicole in the sand or if it’s because Belly is seeing the same thing as me and she actually gets to react. She’s yelling and throwing her hands up before I can stop her. “I thought you said all debs were sheep,” she screams.

Her short dress hikes up her thighs and I have to look away. I know I should go to her and make sure she’s okay but I just can’t look. Conrad is Belly’s and Jeremiah is mine. That is the only way the world spins so why do I care that Conrad is kissing her? I don’t care. Deep down, I know I don’t care. I polish off my second cup of beer and fill up a third as Jeremiah finds his way back to me. He will always find his way back to me.

“When will the drama end?” He asks, half-joking, but I know he saw the Belly and Conrad show, too. He throws his hands up as if he’s defeated and grabs my cup out of my hands. “You okay?” He asks me as if nothing happened earlier. Only ten minutes ago he was going to kiss me and now he’s looking at me like I’m just his best friend and I see my ten-year-old self in his eyes. I see braces and glasses and him teasing me and calling me four-eyes. I see myself laughing at him as he dances in my dad’s old button-up shirt that’s way too big and socks that are falling off his feet. He blinks and I disappear.

“I’m okay,” I tell him.

The drama doesn’t stop. Some guy took a beer from Conrad and because he’s drunk, he decides it’s time for a fight and Conrad is not a fighter. The guy is in the sand, Conrad is on top of him and Belly is yelling and it all happens in slow motion: her running, him pushing her on accident, and Steven and Jeremiah holding Conrad back. The police sirens.

Everyone scatters like rats and I grab Belly’s elbow and I should have gone after her earlier. Maybe then she wouldn’t have sand in her ass cheeks and a bruise forming under her eye. “Are you okay?” I ask her. She nods and I’m not the only one coming to her rescue. A boy, a cute boy, hovers over us with concern written on his face. His hair is dark and curly and it matches his eyes and that’s when I noticed the grey hoodie over Belly’s dress. “What are you?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything. He’s frozen like a deer in the middle of the road.

“That’s Sextus,” Belly replies as she steadies herself in the sand. She grabs his hand over mine.

“Sex what?” Everyone is yelling and running and I know we have to go but who the fuck is Sextus?

“Cam,” he says, sticking his hand out to me. “Cameron.” I grab Belly’s arm instead and pull her toward the car. Cam Cameron is close on our heels as we weave between all the kids scrambling to grab their shoes and blankets, leaving the sand littered with red solo cups. I dropped mine somewhere between Conrad getting off the ground and Belly getting elbowed in the eye.

Jeremiah already has Conrad in the car when we reach. “Legs, legs, legs,” he deadpans as he helps his brother into the backseat. Conrad is limp and half asleep and when all of his limbs are accounted for, Jeremiah shuts the door.

“Do you want front?” I ask Belly, opening the door for her. She hesitates and then she turns to Cameron. He’s eager and smiling and he looks nice enough but there isn’t time for nice enough it’s time for Belly to get in the car.

“Cameron can give me a ride, can’t you?” She asks him. He nods feverishly and I can feel Jeremiah looking between me and Belly and Cameron and when Jeremiah asks his name, he stutters the same way he did to me.

“Your name is Cam Cameron?” Jeremiah asks and he’s being snarky and maybe this is why I’m always jealous of her. Jeremiah was never snarky to any boys I dated. Until, you know, the end.

Jeremiah continues to protest and before he and Belly really get into it, I put my hands on Belly’s shoulders and turn her around. “Jere, it’s fine. She can go with Cam Cameron.” I can feel his daggers in my back as I start to usher Belly away from the car and I look back at him and mouth the words trust me and the throws himself back against his seat and pouts. When we’re out of earshot, Belly gives me a hug. “Just be home soon, okay? Right away.” She agrees and when I get back in the car, Jeremiah speeds off without saying anything. How can we go from almost kissing to this? I glance back at Conrad in the backseat and the empty seat next to him. “Steven!” I yell. Jeremiah slams on his brakes so hard I lurch forward and his arm instinctively goes across my chest. Conrad is so drunk, he slams into the back of Jeremiah’s seat.

“Fuck dude,” he mumbles as he pushes himself out off the floorboard.

“I’ll go get him.” Jeremiah puts the car in park and gets out. I watch him run toward the beach, toward everyone that’s feeling. No man left behind. I feel eyes on me and I look back at Conrad in the rearview mirror. He’s staring at me with his sunken eyes and disheveled hair and red lips from all his kissing and he reaches forward, grabs a loose strand of my hair, and twirls it around his finger.

“What are you doing?” My words catch in my throat and I wipe my sweaty palms on my legs.

“Your hair is like a little kid’s. Always so messy,” he mumbles. I almost push off the seat and turn around to yell at him. Scream at him. Call him bad words. Anything to make him stop but I stop breathing, I think, and there’s a knock on the window. A flashlight shines through Conrad’s window and it makes him squint.

Conrad rolls down the window and the police officer asks, “you kids been drinking tonight?” I sink down into my seat as if that could make me disappear but of course, it doesn’t. 

[amxrany]

And At Last I See The Light - A SebeSil Tangled AU

Had this AU stuck in my head for awhile

Where Silver as Rapunzel

Sebek as Flynn Rider/Eugene

Lilia as Mother Gothel

And Malleus as Pascal (I don't regret this at the same time I want him to feel included too)

!! Giving you guys a little heads up but long post up ahead !!

So we start off with the basic plot of Tangled where a magical flower that heals people sprouts out, which will be used by Lilia to stay young, but the flower gets taken because it was used as a cure for the ill Queen (who also happened to be pregnant). After that, the Queen gives birth to a baby with silver hair (number one reason for this au: imagining silver with long hair), which possesses the same healing powers as the flower. Lilia discovers this while sneaking into the castle one night, but it loses its powers once cut off (look i don't wanna make it lose its color like the original okay I like Silver's hair color 😭). Of course, we don't forget what happens where Mother Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel and takes her to a tower, to raise as her own. Which Lilia does to Silver as well (come on this might be possible with chapter 7 yknow 👀). The Royal Family was devastated with the disappearance of their son, so every year on Silver's birthday, they release sky lanterns in hopes for him to see and use it as a way to find his way home.

While Lilia wasn't a bad parent (except for his cooking, in which the birds have to sneak some berries to Silver so that he has something to eat), he is very protective of his son, but that doesn't stop Silver's curiousity from rising about the lights that always appear during his birthday . Since his 18th birthday was approaching, he decided to ask his father if they can see the lights in person. But Lilia refuses, saying that the outside world is too dangerous for someone like Silver (oh boy the amount of gaslighting in the original), which discourages him at first, but he gets comforted by Malleus (I've been giggling over Malleus as Pascal I'm sorry ya'll it's just too funny not to pass up). Later, we are introduced to Zigvolt (there is a reason for this just trust the process), a thief who works under Azul and was tasked to steal the lost prince's crown together with the Leech twins (yes I am bringing the fish mafia here because why not). It was a success but the guards found out which caused Zigvolt to separate from the twins, with the crown in hand, and seek refuge in the tower. Silver knocks him out though, hides Zigvolt in the closet in which he shows to Lilia as proof that he can take care of himself. But Lilia won't budge at all, so Silver decided to send his father on a trip to find the perfect gift for him.

Once Lilia was away, Zigvolt awakens tied to a chair with Silver's hair. This is where the bickering between the two starts (of course SebeSil won't be complete without the fighting), save Malleus from their fighting. But they come up with a compromise, Zigvolt will get the crown if he takes Silver to see the lanterns. They both escape the tower and start their little adventure in the outside world. They first visit a small pub, where thugs try to get Zigvolt caught (ya'll know those scenes where Eugene sees his wanted posters, but they keep fucking up his nose, yeah do that with Sebek but fuck up his eyebrows) but Silver's Disney Princess TM charms come to the rescue, since he ends up unintentionally charming them into helping them escape once the guards came in. But what they didn't know is that Lilia came back early, with a gift in tow, but the tower was empty and soon he finds the hidden crown. It doesn't take long for Lilia to notice what was going on, so he goes out to find Silver and along the way he teams up with the Leech twins.

Back to our main boys, they get into more trouble with the guards once again, which leads them to nearly drowning in a flooding cave. Thinking that he was going to die, Zigvolt reveals his first name to Silver, which is Sebek (see what I did there). But Silver reveals that his powers could help them find an exit. After nearly escaping death, they reside in the forest for the night, but Sebek was injured while making their escape.Silver then wraps his hair around Sebek's wound, sings the incantation and boom it's now healed, which scares Sebek once again cuz holy shit we got hair that glows and heals people. I just want that part to be the start of Sebek falling for Silver, but he doesn't realize it yet.

After that, they actually start talking about their lives (omg no bickering for once), how Silver's been stuck in the tower all his life with only Lilia and Malleus as his companions and Sebek's family being ridiculed due to his parent's marriage which lead to him stealing for a living. Of course, Sebek asks Silver as to why he keeps his hair obnoxiously long, Silver then explains about the magic of his hair, how the incantation he sang earlier was a way to trigger it, and cutting his hair off makes him lose the power. After hearing about Sebek's story, Silver's only way of comforting is by hugging him, reassuring him that even though he has no idea on how to comfort someone, he's willing to listen (causing Sebek's feelings to act up). But good things don't last long as Lilia overheard everything, but only appeared when Sebek was away, he then hands the crown to Silver telling him to use it as a way to test Sebek's loyalty.

Fast forward to morning, Sebek wakes up first to see a breathtaking sight of Silver sleeping with animals surrounding him. Not wanting to wake up the sleeping beauty just yet he leaves the area to find food, in which he gets caught by one of the guard's hunting wolves, Jack (and yes the wolf boy shall now become Maximus in this au). Silver then wakes up to the commotion (let's just imagine that Silver doesn't have his sleeping curse in this au, but he's still a deep sleeper) , and once again the Disney Princess charms go into action as it stops Jack from trying to eat Sebek and just go to Silver for some headpats. Jack then joins them on their journey (under the condition that he'll get headpats if he wont send Sebek to jail) as they encounter more people all the way to the kingdom (use this as an opportunity for our two main leads to fall in love with one another). As soon as they reached the festival, they had a blast. Hanging out with the townsfolk, braiding Silver's hair to make it at least shorter and Sebek talking to fellow men, and the moment Sebek sees Silver playing with the children, that's when he knew, it was love. When Sebek and Silver dance together with the townsfolk, Silver starts falling for him too (just seeing the guy being himself made him fall even deeper). As they were going to see the lanterns they encounter a painting of the royal family, in which feels familiar to Silver, especially the baby looks a lot like him. They get on a boat (leaving Jack and Malleus behind, but I have a reason for Malleus) and sail to see the lights.

And now let's go to my favorite scene in the original movie which gives us the iconic song "I See The Light". LIKE JUST IMAGINE THE TWO OF THEM DUETING THIS SONG IT'S JUST SO 💘💘💘💘, and maybe throw in a little kiss in the end, which leaves the two of them flustered. But that brings them to confess their love for one another (with a lot of screaming from Sebek of course), the two stay in the shore for awhile, just savoring the moment. Once they got back on land, Silver gives back the crown as part of their agreement. While Sebek was trying to return the boat back, he encounters his colleagues, the twins. Sebek tries to negotiate with them by offering the crown, but they beat him up and tied him to the boat to get him arrested and make Silver think that he left him. They also try to capture Silver as well, but Lilia comes to the "rescue" and drags him back to the tower.

The way the townsfolk looked at him like he was familiar and the baby in the painting all made sense now, Silver now realizes that he was the "missing prince" the kingdom was looking for. Silver then confronts Lilia about this discovery, which made his father come clean, about using him to simply stay young forever. This leads to the two of them fighting, with Lilia succeeding easily. Meanwhile with Sebek, he was able to escape from the boat with the help of Malleus, Jack and Silver's animal friends as he rushes back to the tower. Upon reaching the tower, he finds Silver bounded and gagged which gave Lilia the opportunity for him to stab Sebek from behind (a fatal one too can't forget that). While Sebek is slowly dying, Lilia tries to drag his son to a new hiding place but Silver keeps fighting him off, saying that he will willingly go if he heals Sebek first. Lilia reluctantly agrees as Silver immediately rushes to his aid, crying how he didn't mean for all this to happen. While healing him, Sebek realizes that Silver has to be kept prisoner due to his powers, he uses the opportunity to say his (supposedly) last words as he cuts off Silver's hair. This causes Lilia to start aging rapidly as he doesn't have any powers to feast on anymore, and turns into dust while falling off the tower.

Silver starts crying even more because he wasn't able to save Sebek, but his one of his tears still held the healing power, which landed on Sebek's wound, saving his life. They once again savor the moment with a kiss and reunite with their two animal friends. Silver also reunites with his real parents in the kingdom, but a lot of begging had to be done to pardon Sebek from his crimes. But hey at least they got their happy ending now ✨.

[luthienne]

Louise Glück, from Averno

“Sometimes you leave your hair at the bus station & get on the bus & as your face falls asleep against the window you realize it is all your body now, everything between you & the pieces you lost once,”

Aracelis Girmay, from Kingdom Animalia; “Portrait of the Woman As a Skein”

Marie Howe, from Magdalene: Poems; “The Girl at 3″

“She knew herself, how she had slowly, over years, become a cat, a wolf, a snake, anything but a girl. How she had wrung out her girlhood like death.”

Catherynne M. Valente, from Deathless

“Many girls lock themselves up, / become pantries, closets. / Some, like trees, grow bark, / and others, like rivers, / burble into dimpled pools.”

Eli Mandel, from “Rapunzel (Girl in a Tower)"

“Sometimes I forget. I become a volatile spirit / a butterfly out of its wings, a blooming flower / in decay. I fall in love with ghosts and cry / when they flesh out,”

Mahtem Shiferraw, from Fuschia; “Being a Woman”

Aracelis Girmay, from “Portrait of the Woman as a Skein”

“Not every girl survives the forest. / Sometimes she becomes it.”

Catherine Garbinsky, from “The Princess & the Thorns,” Even Curses End

Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost

“I was something else, not a girl, not a wolf, something blank-eyed, tired,”

Catherynne M. Valente, from The Bread We Eat in Dreams

“Shame fuses to silence letting the night maraud, killing bit by useless hope of not being this girl I was. Am. She is.”

Eimear McBride, from The Lesser Bohemians

“When I was a girl / and you were a girl / we were floral / and ungiveable. Squash / blossom. Bleeding / Hearts in the sideyard. / Vine, albino root. / Petals open only in the moonlight.”

Emily O'Neill, “Wedding Soup,” from Pelican

“Glory be to the girl who goes back for her body.”

Dominique Christina, from Star Gazer

“Cover the memory of your face with the mask of who you’ll be—come, and frighten the girl you used to be.”

Alejandra Pizarnik, from Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962-1972 (tr. Yvette Siegert), “Paths of the Mirror”

“—if I could remember a day when I was utterly a girl and not yet a woman— / but I don’t think there was a day like that for me. / When I look at the girl I was, dripping in her bathing suit, or riding her bike, pumping hard down the newly paved street, / she wears a furtive look— and even if I could go back in time to her as me, the age I am now / she would never come into my arms without believing that I wanted something.”

Marie Howe, from What the Living Do: Poems; “The Girl”

“‘How strange it is to long for one’s self!’ she said; ‘and yet I often, so often, long for myself as a young girl. I love her as one whom I had been very close to and shared life and happiness and everything with, and then had lost while I stood helpless.’”

Jens Peter Jacobsen, from Niels Lyhne

Mary Oliver, from Blue Horses; “Blueberries”

“Your bare feet became a woman's feet, always saying two things at once.”

Louise Glück, from Descending Figure

“And I must choose. War before me, and behind, a woman I do not know, the woman I could have been, a human woman, whole and hot.”

Catherynne M. Valente, from Deathless

Louise Glück, from “The Myth of Innocence”

“Beware your face, / your limbs, your walk: / Gods see these / as invitations. / Beware of swans. / They may lift you / but you will fall. / Beware of children / hatched from eggs, / unfledged and beautiful: / they will burn / cities to the ground. / Don’t be seduced by the gods, / my daughter. / Though you break / into song beneath them / you will remain broken.”

Jeannine Hall Gailey, from Becoming the Villainess; “Leda’s Mother Warns Her”

“What could I have grown up to be? What kind of human woman, what kind of simple, happy thing? If I had never been broken on a bird’s wing. If I had never seen the world naked. I want to be myself again… I want to stop knowing everything I know.”

Catherynne M. Valente, from Deathless

“But I don’t really like what I know; I don’t really care for wisdom and experience. I would rather believe, and beat out my brains, and believe some more. I do not like this safe well-armed woman I have become. The loud bleating disheveled starry reckless failed girl was a better person.”

Martha Gellhorn, from Selected Letters

“a child with seafoam eyes / and dusky skin might cry, there / goes a girl with seven thousand years / at the hollow of her throat,”

Amal El-Mohtar, from ‘Song for an Ancient City’

“I say “her,” because I don’t recall having been present, not in any meaningful sense of the word. I and the girl in the picture have ceased to be the same person. I am her outcome, the result of the life she once lived headlong; whereas she, if she can be said to exist at all, is composed only of what I remember.”

Margaret Atwood, from The Blind Assassin

“There were always in me two women at least, one woman desperate and bewildered, who felt she was drowning, and another who would leap into a scene, as upon a stage, conceal her true emotions because they were weaknesses, helplessness, despair, and present to the world only a smile, an eagerness, curiosity, enthusiasm, interest.”

Anaïs Nin, from The Diary of Anaïs Nin: Volume One, 1931-1934

“Come, let me suffer! That is worth more than viewing injustice with a serene countenance, as Shakespeare says. When I have drained my cup of bitterness, I shall feel better. I am a woman, I have affections, sympathies, and wrath.”

George Sand, in a letter to Gustave Flaubert

“Slapped the man’s face, then slapped it again, / broke the plate, broke the glass, pushed the cat / from the couch with my feet. Let the baby / cry too long, then shook him, / let the man walk, let the girl down, / wouldn’t talk, then talked too long, / lied when there was no need / and stole what others had, and never / told the secret that kept me apart from them. / Years holding on to a rope / that wasn’t there, always sorry / and righteous and wrong. Who would / follow that young woman down the narrow hallway? / Who would call her name until she turns?”

Marie Howe, “What I Did Wrong”

“She is a woman stranded at doorways and passivity is killing her. There is only one thing she can do. Make noise.”

Anne Carson, in her Introduction to Elektra

Audre Lorde, from The Black Unicorn: Poems

“Part of me died here / so another could go on.”

Marty McConnell, from “When They Say You Can’t Go Home Again, What They Mean Is You Were Never There”

“see, you will rise. / and are you less of a woman for this? / no / what is woman? / woman is this—enduring. / listen girl, you will survive this—you will. / but what fool said you had to do it silently? / here is a tip—scream”

Salma Deera, Letters From Medea, “medea gives advice to a young girl with a broken heart”

[eugene-not-flynn]

chanteur depths

title: chanteur depths

word count: 1762

Warnings: drowning and peril (or the belief that someone is), siren-like creatures, eugene cries, almost throwing yourself overboard, Varian angst/emotional whump, Eugene angst/emotional whump, unedited. 

Summary: Eugene had heard rumors and stories. None of them prepared him for what he’d hear sailing through the Chanteur Depths. He has a strong will. He also has a breaking point. Eugene-centric New Dream fic (with some platonic Team Awesome + Lance content in the beginning). 

A/N: this was supposed to be a short textpost and then my brain went “hey, lets make it a fic right this very moment”. So have this. I wrote it in one sitting in an unexpected burst of inspiration and did not edit it. I may go back and edit it, but that day was not today. Hope you enjoy it anyway! 

--

The wood of the ship creaks with the waves, and Eugene squints up at the darkening sky. Slate gray clouds block the early evening sun from view so effectively it’s nearly dark, and the ship tilts with the crest of an angry wave. Eugene’s hands tighten around the rope he’s holding to keep the sail steady, his gut rolling with discomfort.

He was not a sailor by trade, but he’d been on a ship or two in his lifetime. By his best calculations, he knew they had to be approaching the Chanteur Depths and the thought makes his stomach squirm. The rumors and stories he’d heard all those years ago had been enough to make his skin crawl. Eugene wasn’t much for superstition, but he knew enough about reading people to tell, most of the time, when someone was making something up.

The haunted, shaken look in those sailors’ eyes hadn’t been fabricated.

They draw you in, kid, one sailor had told him years before he’d met Rapunzel. She’d looked a little green as she’d said it. You think your will is strong but then you sail into Chanteur Depths and… well. I’ll never forget those sounds.

When Varian mentioned needing a rare mineral that could only be found, based on his extensive research, on in island just past the Chanteur Depths, Eugene had actually laughed. It was just their luck, really. Eugene had explained what he knew, and Varian and Rapunzel had set to work on pursuing their own research. There wasn’t much information about the Chanteur Depths, and it didn’t take them long to learn it was because few ever come back from it. Still, despite this, they set off together with Lance in tow.

Eugene was beginning to wonder if maybe it was a huge mistake. It didn’t matter though. It was too late to turn back now.

They had agreed to plug their ears with wax, just in case. It had been Rapunzel’s idea, based on Eugene’s recounting of what he’d heard. Through the torrential downpour of rain that drenches the ship’s deck in the raging storm, Eugene sees Lance shove wax into his own ears and Rapunzel disappear down below to retrieve more for Varian and Eugene.

And then, so suddenly that Eugene nearly slips, everything stills.

The rocking waves are abruptly—unnaturally—still. The rain stops, and Eugene flips his sopping wet hair out of his eyes. The sky is still overcast, but everything is calm and still and it should, by all accounts, relax him. Instead, it sets his teeth on edge.

He locks eyes with Lance across the ship, matching his frown. He knew his friend well enough to recognize the look. Lance was suspicious too. He cocks an eyebrow at Eugene, who sets his mouth in a grim line. I don’t trust it. Lance gives a single nod. His grip around the helm flexes.

Still, without the wind buffeting the sails, Eugene lets his grip on the ropes go a little lax, if only to get circulation back into his fingers. He takes a deep breath of salt and brine, letting his gaze flit over the rest of the sailing vessel quickly. His brow knits together when he sees Varian, standing in the middle of the deck, staring out at the horizon line.

For a moment, Eugene is struck by just how young Varian is. The kid is sixteen and he looks every bit of it, with his sopping wet clothes hanging off his lanky frame and hair falling into his eyes despite the goggles on his head. Then Varian’s head tilts, and Eugene frowns at the weird, clouded look in his eyes.

When the kid takes a faltering step forward, Eugene moves on nothing but instinct.

“Varian!”

Varian breaks into a run for the edge of the ship but Eugene is a few steps ahead of him. He lunges at the same time Varian does. They land hard against the wood of the ship and the wind is knocked out of him. Eugene blindly grabs onto the messy tangle of limbs, tasting copper when a sharp elbow makes contact with his jaw.

“Varian--!”

“I’m coming, Dad!” Varian’s voice is strangled and desperate. “I’m coming! Eugene, let go—”

“Kid, you can’t—”

“Let go!”

Eugene squeezes tighter as Varian nearly slips from his grasp, yanking the kid back and trying to roll on  top of him. Varian was slippery and quick, but Eugene was heavier and stronger. Varian makes a noise that doesn’t sound fully human—something almost like a broken sob—and there’s movement in the corner of Eugene’s eyes that is just enough warning for him to block the wide swing of a fist.

“It’s not real, Varian,” Eugene grits out as he manages to wrestle Varian’s weight to the ground. “Whatever you’re hearing, it’s not—”

“I do!” Varian shouts over to the ocean, thrashing against Eugene’s grip, and it’s then that Eugene sees tears beginning to form in the corner of the teen’s eyes. “I do, Dad! I want to—I’m coming! Don’t—”

But the deck is wet with rain and Eugene’s hands are slippery and Varian wrestles away. Eugene grabs for him blindly and his fist closes around air.

“Wait--!”

“Oh no you don’t, kid.”

Eugene sees Lance intercept Varian and coughs a breath in relief as he manages to get Varian into a firmer hold. Eugene rolls from his back to his hands and knees, taking a second to catch his breath. He tries to pretend he can’t hear Varian’s desperate shouting for his father, or Lance muttering something to him under his breath.

“Eugene.”

Eugene’s mouth twitches in a soft, relieved smile. He knew that voice. Rapunzel was back from below deck with the wax.

“Hey, Sunshine.” He looks up, sitting back on his heels and freezes. Rapunzel was nowhere to be seen.

“Eugene, I’m over here.”

Eugene glances in the direction of the sound. Portside. From the ocean? His blood turns cold, and he pushes himself to his feet. He manages a weak laugh.

“Yeah, nice try,” he says with a bravado that feels flimsy. “Look, I don’t know what you are, but I know Rapunzel is—”

But then there’s that laugh. That soft little giggle that always made that odd swooping feeling in his stomach, and Eugene finds his voice faltering for just a moment.

“The water is really nice, Eugene,” says Rapunzel’s voice. “Come join me. Just for a quick swim.”

Eugene blinks hard and shakes his head. Not real. It wasn’t real. Rapunzel was below deck.

“Please, Eugene?” the voice continues. “I just wanted to get a moment alone with you. A moment with just you and me. The water is so nice, Eugene.”

Eugene clenches his jaw. Crosses his arms over his chest. He breathes deeply. Not real. “No dice, mysterious disembodied voice,” Eugene quips. “But—”

“EUGENE!” The voice is still Rapunzel’s, this time closer to the stern. Eugene is moving before he’s even thinking about it, the raw fear in her voice palpable. Eugene lurches towards the sound a few steps before his foot slips. The sudden balance shift is enough to jolt him back to awareness.

That…. That’s not Rapunzel either. Right?

“Eugene, please!” Rapunzel’s voice echoes from that same direction, strained and terrified. Eugene’s stomach rolls. “Please, I can’t—please, Eugene. I’m—” Her voice cuts off and there’s the sound of splashing water and Eugene falters in his steps again.

Rapunzel… where was Rapunzel again?

Another splash. Her voice, higher and more panicked. A wordless, throaty scream.

Not real, not real, not real— The reminder repeats like a mantra in Eugene’s head but it is hard to listen to it when the sound of Rapunzel drowning and begging for him seems to ricochet in the air. It makes the air itself hard to breathe.

Eugene squeezes his eyes shut, and when he hears her broken, gurgling gasp for air that chokes off with the sound of his name, he nearly leaps over the edge. He clamps his hands firmly over his ears. It’s not real, it’s not her, it’s not real, it’s not her—

But it sounds like her, so crystal clear that it hits like a hammer against the caving feeling in Eugene’s chest and he can’t quite contain the pained noise in the back of his throat as he curls around himself (when did he drop to his knees? He doesn’t know). He’s listening to Rapunzel drown and he’s not doing anything, why isn’t he doing anything—

Suddenly there’s warmth covering his shivering hands on his head, trying to pry them away and Eugene instinctively flinches away from the touch, his gaze flying up as he rears back.

His eyes lock onto green ones, wide and worried under a furrowed brow. Her short brown hair is wet with rain and a windswept mess, but Eugene meets those beautiful green eyes and suddenly can’t look away. A part of him is afraid to, as if this is just one more hallucination or trick.

“Sunshine?” he manages weakly.

Rapunzel’s gaze flit over him and she reaches out again for the hands that are still clamped around Eugene’s ears. The contact is just as jarring—and just as warm—as it had been a moment ago, but Eugene lets her pry his hands off of him and hold them in her own. It’s not until Rapunzel’s grip tightens that he realizes he’s trembling a little.

A second later, Eugene realizes everything is silent again. He’s distantly aware of the sound of Varian sobbing.

Eugene opens his mouth to say something, but his throat closes and he just shakes his head and shrugs a shoulder at Rapunzel’s searching gaze. He doesn’t know how to explain it. He doesn’t have the words right now.

Rapunzel moves closer, slowly like she’s afraid of startling him again. When she cups Eugene’s face in her hands, Eugene sinks into the touch. Real. Grounding.

“Eugene,” she whispers, and that’s her voice, her real voice, and Eugene inhales sharply at the sound. The softness with which she says his name is such a stark contrast to the strangled, desperate way the echoes of it had been calling to him from the water that he finds his vision blurring with sudden tears.

Rapunzel presses her forehead to Eugene’s. When he blinks, Rapunzel’s thumb brushes the tears off his cheek. Eugene grips her forearm for a moment before pulling her into a closer embrace. Eugene buries his face into her neck. Warm, real, here, safe. She’s safe.

None of them move for a long time.

[kingreywrites]

Kiss It Better?

@runningracingdancingchasing​​

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 3426

Prompt: “Kiss it better” kiss

Summary: "Kiss it better"... Rapunzel liked that idea, she decided. It might not be magic, not like her hair had been, but giving love and affection to comfort someone who was hurting was definitely its own form of healing.

Note: I haven’t posted anything in a while oops fdsghg Thank you Bex for the prompt!! I hope you’ll like this!! This is half fluff half hurt/comfort so everyone should be happy :’) 

Read on ao3

"Ouch," Eugene said quietly, startling Rapunzel out of her concentration as he sucked in a breath. 

They were in the library, their favourite place since they had been welcomed in the castle less than one month ago. They had a common passion for reading, though their tastes widely differed, and they both loved to spend quiet afternoons in each other's company, reading whatever story interested them that day. Today, Rapunzel had been learning a lot about the history of medicine, reading passionately an immense volume detailing the progress humanity made in this field - at least, until Eugene broke the silence. When she raised her head to look at him, she saw him pouting in the direction of one of his hands, more precisely towards his raised pinky. 

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, putting her book down and scooching over to be closer to him. 

"Yeah, I just got a papercut," Eugene grumbled. "These are the worst, such a tiny cut shouldn't have the right to sting that much." 

Gently, Rapunzel took his hand to inspect the wound. It really was nothing more than a little line on the tip of his finger. She never had to deal too much with papercuts; even if she did hurt herself during the day, she had always known that by the evening, she would sing to Gothel, and would heal every of her own ailments at the same occasion. But that wasn't an option anymore, of course. 

"You okay Sunshine?" Eugene said, interrupting her thoughts. She must have looked a little too intense - thinking about Gothel always did that to her. "You can always kiss it better if it's worrying you so much," he grinned. 

She frowned at him, his hand still in hers. "I'm pretty sure a kiss won't make it better. Actually, I don't recommend getting your wounds kissed at all, do you know the-" 

"Oh no, that's not- It's more of a… belief thing, I guess? I don't think a kiss can literally heal wounds, don't worry," Eugene explained awkwardly, and Rapunzel felt her cheeks darken at this. Of course Eugene wasn't seriously suggesting something like that. She should have known she was missing something - there was so much she still didn't know, so much she hadn't lived through, and she didn't feel like she would be able to catch up any time soon. Every place, every sentence seemed to hold a new concept she had never heard of before.

"Ah," she tried to chuckle, "of course." 

"Hey, it's okay," he smiled softly, his free hand gently pushing her short hair behind her ear. "It's something you do with kids mostly, to distract them from little hurts they might have. You're right though, you shouldn't kiss the wounds directly." 

She nodded emphatically, but kept herself from reciting all the exciting stuff she had learnt on medicine and bacterias today. She wanted Eugene to finish his explanation first. 

"Basically, a lot of kids cry after getting hurt because they got scared, not because they're still in pain. Applying a "magical" kiss distracts them, and that makes them stop crying most of the time. Well, if the kid isn't stubborn," Eugene muttered. He was definitely speaking from experience here. 

"It's not really magic then but it's... comfort?"

"Yeah exactly. It's both a distraction and a way to show a hurt kid affection, to make them feel better. I said it mostly as a joke," Eugene added.

Rapunzel hummed, mulling it over. This was… This was really nice, she decided. It might not be magic, not like her hair had been, but giving love and affection to comfort someone who was hurting was definitely its own form of healing.

Eugene's hand was still in hers, though she had lowered it on her lap during their little discussion. Slowly, she raised his hand again, smiling at the way he let her do it, and guided it to her lips. She put a soft kiss on the arch of his knuckles, eyes closed, thinking about all the love she felt for him. When she lowered his hand and opened her eyes, she saw the way Eugene looked at her, his cheeks bright red and his mouth half open.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked worriedly. "Oh, maybe the kiss should be closer to the wound-"

"N- no, no," he stuttered out, "it was perfect, I..."

The red on his cheeks intensified and, with some amusement, Rapunzel understood that he was more moved than embarrassed.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked cheekily.

"Yep," he squeaked, "definitely."

"Good," she smiled, before taking the opportunity his distraction was offering to press her lips against his, drawing a soft noise from him. Her hands sneaked around his neck, and his own ended around her waist, any thought of papercuts - or reading, for that matter - forgotten.

------

Though Rapunzel knew the trip to the Dark Kingdom was dangerous, and that the future of her kingdom was at stake, she couldn’t help but think that life on the road was really exciting. She discovered so many new things each day! And, even if it always made Cass grumpy, stopping to explore was one of Rapunzel's favourite things to do. 

That was also why she treasured her dates with Eugene so much - not only did she love spending time with him without anyone else, but he also always made sure Rapunzel would be able to explore the most interesting places around. She sometimes worried he would grow bored of seeing her run everywhere, but he kept assuring her it wasn't the case - and going by the smile he always had when looking at her, she tended to trust him on this. 

Today was one of those great days. They were currently making their way into a really cool cave Rapunzel had spotted, and they had both gotten a little wet because it had been hidden away by a small waterfall - they sneaked behind it thanks to a narrow path leading to it. Eugene had grumbled about his hair, but he was cute when he did that, and he still followed her in despite the splashing water. 

"Uh, Sunshine," he called when she rushed inside. "Careful, it's probably slippe-" 

The last part of his warning was left unheard as Rapunzel slipped on the wet floor with a yelp, and fell heavily on her hands and knees. It stung. 

"I'm okay!" she exclaimed, grimacing as she got up again. Eugene was already next to her, and he gently took her arm to help her straighten up. "Ouch," she muttered when her knees contested said straightening up. 

"Come on, it's drier back there," Eugene noted, before guiding her further into the cave. 

She felt like she was walking like a penguin, trying to not bend her knees too much to avoid making it hurt more. The cave wasn't even that fun, or mysterious, she thought with a pout. Finally, Eugene helped her sit on a bigger rock, and kneeled before her extended legs. 

His eyes flickered up. "Can I...?" he asked, gesturing to her now dirty and slightly wet dress. 

"Of course," Rapunzel smiled - Eugene had seen way more of her body than just her knees, but she loved that he always made sure she was okay with whatever he was doing. 

Gently, Eugene rolled up the bottom of her skirt. He had to tug a little when he got to her knees, because it had stuck to her skin. Her skin probably broke in the fall, Rapunzel understood. 

"So? What's your pronostic, doc?" she joked as he inspected the wounds. 

"Your odds aren't good," Eugene declared dramatically, searching through his satchel, "but I think we can still save your legs." 

"Oh thank god," Rapunzel laughed, leaning forwards to see the scratches on her skin. One was a little deeper than the other, but it was nearly nothing. Eugene showed her the bandages he had packed triumphantly, and she laughed again. "Do you always carry that on you?" 

"Hey, I know my public! Although, it's not often that you're the one falling Sunshine." 

He took his cantine too, and poured water on the wounds, probably to get rid of the dirt and the pebbles. Rapunzel hummed quietly as he worked, mulling over what he said - he was right, she might be a little clumsy, but with her hair, rare were the occasions when she couldn't catch herself. 

There were worse situations to be in, though. The sunlight was filtered by the waterfall, illuminating the cave with a soft, dark blue colour. It was as if night had fallen in the middle of the day, and there were only the two of them in the entire universe. Eugene's slightly wet hair seemed even darker here, but his tongue popping out as he concentrated on her also made him look adorable. Rapunzel had come to explore this cave in search of adventure and mystery, but to have Eugene on his knees before her, taking care of her, loving her - that was perhaps the greatest treasure this cave could have ever possessed. 

"It's all good," he grinned, proud of himself. 

"Not exactly," she smiled. 

"Really? 

"Kiss it better?"

Eugene raised his head to observe for a few seconds. Without taking his eyes off her, he placed a soft and quick kiss on the top of her right knee, then on her left one, his skin warm against hers.

"And now?" he asked, putting his hands on the rock around her legs to get up and be closer to her. "Is it better?"

"I may need another kiss," she breathed, voice drowned by the rushing water and the feel of his lips against hers.

------

Rapunzel was thinking about these moments, right now. About the soft and careful kisses in the library, when their relationship was still so new, and they didn't quite know how to say I love you yet. About Eugene's tongue and his hands and his hips, all pressing against her during one of their rare moments of privacy on the road, cold drops of water falling on their heated skin. 

She was also thinking about the way Eugene's eyes smiled when he was happy; about the blush on his cheeks she knew exactly how to provoke, the laugh in his chest she could feel if he was close enough. She was thinking about it, because right now, Eugene didn't look happy at all, and she didn't like it when he wasn't. 

"Hey hey hey Rapunzel," he called her from above, sounding more scared than she had ever heard him, "stay with me please okay? Just- Just breathe, it's gonna be fine, I swear." 

Eugene always babbled a lot when he was freaking out. She found it adorable, really, but here, he seemed terrified, and she wanted to know what was wrong. Why was he- Why was he above her? No, wait, why was she laying on the ground? 

She tried to say… anything, really, but she felt something press harshly against her shoulder, and the intense pain that erupted from it took her breath away. For a second, she couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything beyond the fast beating of her heart, before the world slammed back into focus, too bright, too loud, too painful. The sun was shining right into her eyes, it felt, and everything was nauseatingly hot - especially her shoulder, pulsing with a pain she didn't understand. There were voices all around her, and she heard Eugene snap at someone to back off, and she- the weight came back on her shoulder, and she gasped, feeling too tired to do anything else. 

"I'm sorry Sunshine, I'm so sorry," Eugene said quickly, something breaking in his voice. "You're gonna be fine but I need to do this, okay? I'm sorry, I know it hurts." 

"S'okay," Rapunzel croaked with difficulty, her throat dry. Eugene looked about to cry, and she tried to move her other hand to cup his cheek, but only her fingers twitched. Huh. 

Eugene's eyes left her to look at something she couldn't see without moving and, to be honest, she didn't intend to move at all if no one forced her. She was so tired. She could feel her eyelids flickering, her vision starting to blur, but she didn't want to make Eugene even sadder by falling asleep on him. His frown was only cute when she knew he was playing it up. 

Her head hurt. She could feel a slick warmth spreading under her shoulder, and she wondered what happened to the trip in town she was sure to have planned for today. She loved talking with the Coronans directly, and Eugene always managed to accompany her as a "security detail", so she would never miss it for anything. She was exhausted, though. Maybe it could wait for tomorrow... 

"No no no no, Sunshine, Rapunzel, hey." Her right shoulder -the one that didn't hurt- was shaken roughly, and she had to blink open the eyes she hadn't even realised she had closed. "Yes, look at me, you need to keep your eyes open until the doctor arrives, can you do that for me Sweetheart?" 

She tried to hum, but she wasn't sure he heard her. All around them, other people were moving, talking too loudly and too quickly for her to follow. She was... She was lying in the street? Eugene gently pushed aside her hair, but his usually white Captain glove had specks of red on it. Did he- no, she was the one who got hurt, she was pretty sure of that. Her shoulder hurt. But she couldn't- she didn't remember what happened.

"Eugene-" she gasped, feeling like she couldn't breathe right.

"I'm here, I'm right here Sunshine." He plastered the most unconvincing smile on his face, but she could see tears building up in his eyes. "I'm not leaving you I promise."

"I…" she tried, brain scrambling to find anything that could make Eugene look happier. 

She hated it when he was sad. She hated it when she was the reason for his sadness, because if there was one person she never wanted to upset, it was Eugene. But as long as she was hurt, she also knew he wouldn't be able to cheer up. 

"May- Maybe kiss it better?" she whispered hoarsely, blinking against the stars in her vision.

Eugene laughed tearfully. Her mission was somewhat accomplished, she thought with a small smile.

For a brief moment, she thought he wouldn't do it; then he leant over her gently, the sun illuminating his hair as his lips found hers with a tentative softness. Comfort. She remembered that this was the goal, to offer love and affection, to help overcome the pain. And, although this pain was still there, Rapunzel wanted to believe it was working, because she felt infinitely better when he kissed her. The kiss tasted salty. Eugene was crying, or maybe it was her, she wasn't sure. All too quickly, he ended it, leaving a piece of his heart with her.

She smiled, or at least tried to. "All better now," she intended to say, but her own words were lost to her when her vision tunnelled. Eugene cried out for her, and she wished so badly she could answer him, but her consciousness was playing a dirty fight, and she didn't even remember losing it.

------

Rapunzel woke up to whispers. The world was far less confusing, in this instant; there was no bright light, no burning pain, no loud voices - nothing but the quiet of the night… and these whispers. At first, she thought they were prayers, low and intense requests to be listened to. However, as she concentrated, through the mist covering her mind - as she listened, she understood that they were apologies. 

She understood that it was Eugene, holding her right hand in both of his, softly asking for her forgiveness, voice so quiet it felt like he didn't want to be heard. 

Despite the exhaustion, Rapunzel opened her eyes, feeling how heavy they still were. She breathed in deeply, and her shoulder twinged, but the pain was dull compared to earlier. She glanced to her right, and saw Eugene hunched over, looking at her hands as he muttered strings of apologies. He wasn't in his Captain uniform - just his regular clothes, and he looked... He looked small. Tired, too, even though she couldn't see his face. 

"This shouldn't have happened," he breathed, squeezing her hand tighter. "I should- I should have protected you better. I'm sorry," he repeated again. 

There were a lot of things she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him that no one could predict these kinds of things, and that no matter the protection, someone who wanted her dead could always find a way to harm her. She wanted to tell him that she loved how he trusted her, she loved that he never tried to coddle her like other people in her life did, and she knew that, despite how scared he was right now, he would never do anything to impair her freedom. She wanted to tell him that this was a good thing. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. 

"Hey," she said instead, her voice so hoarse she sounded like a grandma. Eh, she did her best. 

Eugene's head snapped up, and his eyes widened visibly when they met hers. A myriad of emotions played on his face, the guilt and the joy and the fear all mixing together for an instant, until a bright and disbelieving smile broke on his face. 

"Rapunzel," he breathed out, biting his lips as he held her hand tighter and leant to be closer to her. "I- Hi," he laughed, though it looked like a sob. "You're okay." 

She grinned as best as she could, revelling in the way he immediately cupped her cheek, like he always did. 

"Love you," she murmured, and it was all it took for his emotions to get the better of Eugene. His face contorted as he fought it, but it was too late; he lowered his face on her bed when the first tear fell, shaking slightly. 

"I thought- I- I'm so sorry, Sunshine," he said, chest heaving as he looked at her again. His face was a mess. There were dark circles under his eyes, a flow of tears staining his cheeks, and, most of all, he still seemed terrified that she might close her eyes again, not wake up this time. 

Eugene wasn't supposed to look like this. Eugene should be smiling, because she never wanted him to suffer from anything. But he was hurting right now, and if she couldn't make everything right again, she could at least make it better. 

She could bring him comfort. 

Rapunzel breathed, and used all her energy to raise herself slightly on her right arm. She didn't go far, but Eugene immediately came to support her, and before he could try to put her back on the bed, she raised the arm that was supporting her quickly, and latched it around his neck. 

He didn't let her fall. She had known he wouldn't. 

But now that she was close enough, she crossed the remaining space between them, and gently kissed the top of his cheek, feeling the salty taste of his tears on her lips. His eyes fluttered closed, and she felt his arms hug her tenderly, as if he was afraid she would disappear. 

"Are you kissing my tears better?" he asked quietly, holding her tightly. 

"Is it... Is it working?" she said, feeling now tired as she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling safe and sound in his arms. 

"Yes." His breath tickled the skin of her neck. Gently, he helped her lie down again, and she was too exhausted to say anything. "It's definitely working," he whispered. 

His hand was playing with strands of her hair, soothing her as she was already half-asleep. She smiled, because she could already see that this was true, that he was feeling better now just from her kiss. And she would kiss him over and over and over again if he wanted, because she loved being able to sooth his hurts just by being there for him, just like he could sooth hers by being there for her. 

She would do it after sleeping, though. For that night, she rested, because she knew she'd have the opportunity to love him tomorrow too, and that she'd do it for as long as it was possible.

[roseworth]

Bridging the Gap

Description: Eugene is a few inches taller than Rapunzel, so Rapunzel likes to find ways to reach his height easier.

Word count: 2098

Relationship: Eugene/Rapunzel

AO3

Eugene was taller than Rapunzel. It was never really a problem, it’s just a few inches. She didn’t really mind the height difference, sometimes she even liked it. It made it a lot easier for him to rest his arm on her, or for her to lay her head on his shoulder.

The problem was it added a slight obstacle for when they wanted to kiss. Most of the time, they got around it with her standing on her tiptoes and/or pulling him down to her height, but she just thought it was a bit of a nuisance.

She mentioned this to him one time, thinking he probably noticed the same thing. “It’s like it’s just enough of a gap that it’s noticeable, right?” she said to him after explaining her thoughts.

“I guess I’ve never really thought about it,” he shrugged. “I mean, I’m taller than you, but not unbearably so, right?”

“Yeah, it’s just a little hindrance I guess, there’s not really any way around it.”

When she said that, he immediately started smirking like he had an idea. She knew it was the same face that he made whenever he was about to do something sneaky. Before she could even make a comment about it, in one motion he swept her off her feet and started holding her bridal style. She beamed as he leaned in so their foreheads were touching.

“See? Easy fix, we’re at the same eye level now,” he grinned charismatically. She threw her hands around his neck and kissed him.

“Easy fix,” she repeated, giggling.

After that, they had made a point of finding different ways to cross the height gap. Once she found out a Corona Law Book was just about the same height as the difference between them, she was able to use it as a step stool to reach him (“Finally, that book is being used for something good,” Eugene had commented).

There was one way to break the gap, though, that as much as it worked out, she hated it.

They had been living in the castle for a couple months, and her dad was planning to throw a ball. At first, she was ecstatic. She was so excited to get to meet so many new friends! That was until she realized what she was expected to wear.

“I don’t understand how anyone does this,” she mumbled, clinging onto Eugene’s arm for dear life. He chuckled.

“I don’t know, Blondie, personally I’ve never really been a high heels guy either.”

“How am I supposed to balance? Whoever invented these shoes has to understand how impractical they are,” she complained. “Normal shoes are bad enough, why add the need to balance yourself while you wear them?” She tried to take a step forward, then immediately started falling forwards.

“Whoa, you alright?” Eugene asked as he shifted to catch her before she fell on the ground.

She straightened up and nodded. “How am I going to do this all night?” she asked dejectedly.

“Hey, that’s what we’re practicing for, right? Once you can make it around your room in these, you’ll be able to do anything!”

She sighed. Her mom had given her tips for walking in high heels, like where to shift her weight and how to center her balance, but applying the tips was proving to be a lot more difficult than she anticipated. Slowly, still holding onto Eugene, she took another step. This time, though, she didn’t fall! She apprehensively started taking more steps.

“Look at that, you’re a natural!” Eugene celebrated.

“I still won’t be able to do anything without holding onto you, though,” Rapunzel laughed.

He shrugged. “Honestly, Sunshine, I think I get the best end of this deal. I have an excuse to keep the prettiest girl in the room right next to me all night.” Rapunzel blushed and rolled her eyes.

“Hey, on the bright side, we’re almost the same height now,” she pointed out. “It makes it a lot easier to do this.” She grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him. She smiled as they forgot about the task at hand, both of them melting into each other for a few seconds.

“Well, thank god for high heels, huh?” he joked as they pulled apart.

*

Even though she loved being the same height as him with her heels, she would much rather need to reach his height in a different way than spend any more time than she needed to in those shoes. Which is why she was delighted to find other fun ways to kiss him than that.

“Listen, Raps, I just can’t trust Eugene with something like this,” Cass said. Rapunzel had just gotten her hair back because of the black rocks, and Cass didn’t want her to tell Eugene what happened. Rapunzel understood where she was coming from, but that didn’t mean she agreed with it. She knew Eugene wouldn’t tell anyone a secret this big. He had been able to keep his name a secret for years, he would easily be able to keep this secret.

“Come on, Cass, I trust Eugene with my life, he can handle one secret,” she responded.

Cass shook her head. “I know you trust him, but I don’t. Just, please, don’t tell him,” she begged. Rapunzel sighed.

“Fine, I won’t say anything. But I think you’ve got him all wrong,” she insisted. Cass raised an eyebrow as Rapunzel continued. “I’m serious, if I were to run and jump at him I guarantee he would catch me.”

As if on cue, Eugene opened the door. “Hey, Blondie, I-” he started, then stopped himself as he saw Rapunzel running towards him.

“Eugene, catch!” She threw herself onto him, and he caught her as she did. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rested her arms on his shoulders. His hands were on her waist, keeping her steady to make sure they wouldn’t both fall over.

“Well, hey there,” Eugene mused. She beamed back at him and touched their foreheads together.

“Hi,” she responded quietly, feeling like they were the only people in the world for a moment. They stayed in that position for a bit, smiling at each other, neither of them needing to say anything.

“Oh, give me a break,” Cass scoffed, rolling her eyes. They ignored her as she left the room.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my arms this morning?” Eugene asked teasingly.

“I wanted to prove to Cass that I could trust you,” she explained. He sighed. Ever since Rapunzel had gotten her hair back, Cass hadn’t been keeping it a secret that she didn’t trust Eugene. He (almost) didn’t even care what the actual secret they were keeping was, he was just mad that it was being kept from him.

“You can always trust me, Sunshine,” he said, looking her in the eye. “I promise I’d never lie to you or do anything to hurt you.”

Rapunzel gave him a soft smile, then started smirking. “‘There it is, the Snuggly Duckling. Very quaint place, perfect for someone like you,’” she quoted, mocking his voice.

He laughed, rolling his eyes. “Hey, that one doesn’t count,” he protested. “Besides, it did end up being perfect for you, so I guess I was right in the end.”

“I guess so,” she agreed, grinning. “I know I can trust you, Eugene. I love you, I know you’d never steer me wrong.”

“I love you, too,” he said softly. “Sunshine, I really did mean it the other day when I said that I always want to be by your side. I know you’re going through a lot right now, but I’m always here for you.”

She thought her heart might burst at that second. She told Cass she wouldn’t tell Eugene what happened the other night, but it was taking all her power not to tell him everything right then and there. She didn’t want to keep this secret (or any secret) from him, and she felt like she was drowning every second she couldn’t tell him.

She didn’t know how to put any of her thoughts into words, so she pulled him into a kiss and hoped that through it, he would understand everything she wanted to say. She wondered how, even after months of being with him, every time they kissed it felt like her heart going to melt. For a moment, everything that had happened in the past few days seemed to fade away. As long as he was holding her, there was no problem that could ruin their moments together.

*

She did have a favorite way around the height difference, though, and she had a sneaking suspicion it was his favorite, too. She figured it out very early on, even before she had really thought about the difference in their height.

There was a huge celebration when Rapunzel first returned to Corona, and after years alone, she was beyond ecstatic to celebrate with the entire kingdom. Sure, there were a few bumps, but for the most part she felt like she fit right in with everyone.

Luckily, Eugene was right by her side through all of it. He helped her navigate through what she needed to do in social interactions that she wasn’t used to, and even helped her sneak away when he saw her start to get overwhelmed.

Mostly, though, she was just happy they were together when she was feeling the happiest she had ever felt. She felt really loved, not the surface-level love she felt from Gothel.

She was talking to some citizens of her new kingdom, then as they left she realized that her crown was no longer on her head. She couldn’t help but smile as she turned around and saw Eugene hiding it behind his back.

She lifted her hand to ask for it back, but he moved it out of her reach as she went to grab it. She laughed, grabbing his shirt and dipping him. She rolled her eyes and leaned in to kiss him, and he placed her crown back on her head as he returned the kiss.

After a moment, she pulled away and lifted him back up, beaming at him. Eugene grinned back at her. “Blondie, I can’t say anyone’s ever dipped me like that before.”

“Oh, uh, sorry,” she said awkwardly. “Was that not okay? Maybe I should have asked first, I just did it without thinking I guess, I-”

“Hey, hey, no need to apologize,” he interrupted, resting his hand on her cheek. “That was fantastic.”

Her face lit up at his response. “I love you,” she gushed. That was another thing it felt great to say. Being able to tell him that she loved him without it feeling like an obligation or a transaction was a simple thing that felt so freeing.

“I love you, too, Sunshine.”

“‘Sunshine’?” she repeated, smiling.

He grimaced. “Sorry, is that one of the ones on the ‘Don’t Say That’ list?”

She had talked with him and her parents about some of the things Gothel would say to her, and which of them would remind her of that. They were helping her understand how the things Gothel said to her were wrong, and that they wouldn’t hurt her like Gothel did.

She quickly shook her head. “No, no, I like Sunshine,” she assured him. “Is it because of the Sun Flower?”

“Well, honestly no,” he said. “It’s because you’re the light of my life, so Sunshine fits pretty well to me.”

She blushed as she felt her heart racing. “Are you always this sappy?” she teased, her smile growing more over her face.

He laughed. “Hey, it’s easy to be sappy when you get to be in love with the most amazing person in the world.”

“I know the feeling,” she giggled, grabbing his shirt and lifting herself on to her toes to kiss him again.

She wondered, not for the first time (and certainly not the last), how she had ever lived without all of this. Being with her parents and Eugene and all her new friends, she was happier than she thought she could ever be, and she had only been there for a few days. She was still afraid that this was all a dream she would soon wake up from, but she used thoughts like that to inspire herself to live in the moment.

And at that moment, kissing her Dream surrounded by hundreds of people was exactly the moment she wanted to live in.

[hanatsuki-esperanza]

Knot(ted) - Inktober Day 4

Three days after having yards and yards of magical hair cut from her head, the missing princess locks herself in her room. Two days after being reunited with her parents King Frederic and Queen Arianna, Princess Rapunzel, First in Line for the Throne of Corona refuses to let anyone into her room. One day after the ball in her honor, a certain brunette can be heard crying from behind closed doors.

She refuses to let the servants in to bring her food or see to her. She refuses to open the door, only asking them (because she is Rapunzel, and she is polite if nothing else) to leave her alone. She refuses to even see her father and mother when they come to her with worried voices and stressed eyes. She refuses them all, hiding behind the barrier of a door she has never had before (because when the only thing that separated your room from the tower was a flimsy cloth sheet, privacy is an unknown thing).

So out of options, they call for the one who found her, Flynn Rider, or as he is becoming better known as, Eugene Fitzherbert. The thief, pardoned by the king and queen, for he brought them their long-lost child. The former criminal that their daughter listens to. The man who their daughter claims to love.

Eugene had been wandering the castle, enjoying being able to do so without being arrested, and when the servant found him. She had begun to explain the situation in a rushed tone, and when she had looked up, she had found a Eugene-shaped hole where the man had been. He had heard "the princess has locked herself in her room," and that was all he needed.

"Alright, it's not a show here, shoo, shoo," he waves away the servants that are fretting in the princess's hallway, "I'm sure you have work to do, begone." They don't leave, but they do have the decency to look embarrassed. He raps lightly on the doorframe, letting Rapunzel know he's here, "you alright in there, Punzle?" There's a long, drawn out silence, before he catches the faintest pattering of bare feet on stone floors.

"...Eugene?" Her voice is a relief to everyone outside.

"Yeah, it's me, Blo-Brunnie." He almost calls her 'Blondie,' averting at the last second. "You alright in there?"

"...yes." Alright, definitely a lie, based on her behavior and how her voice quivers, but at least she's not telling him to go. He'll take the victories where he can.

"Can I come in?"

"...yes," everyone sighs, relaxing, "but only you." Ah, there's the catch. A grimace crosses his face, and he glances over to where the King and Queen are watching. Despite being pardoned and welcomed into the castle by them, there's always that nagging in the back of his mind that worries how they'll react when their only child favors a complete stranger over them.

But they seem more relieved that Rapunzel is acting a bit more like herself than about any favoritism, so that's good.

"Alright, Brunnie, I can't come in if the door is locked." Of course, he could just pick the lock, but that would be rather rude to her. (Because locks are a novelty to her and she turns them whenever possible, just for the sake of being able to do so. It's gotten quite a few people locked in or out of where they needed to be).

She eeps, adorably, and the sound of the lock turning accompanies her feet as she retreats. The handle gives under his hand and he enters her room.

Her room could fit the whole of the tower within it, but at the moment, all the windows have their curtains drawn, drowning the room in darkness. He knows where everything is (and having sharp eyes definitely helps), so spotting the pile of blankets that she's hiding under is simple. Frowning, he locks the door behind him, making sure she can hear the bolt sliding.

He'd stay by her side for every moment of the day if he could, because she has been having nightmares every night since being freed, been jumping at hooded shadows that look like the witch who was going to lock her away, been bright and positive, but terrified under it all. He'd run his hands through her short brown hair, a reminder that the glowing, golden locks that chained her were gone, it had saved him, saved her, she was free, he was here, Max was here, Pascal was here, her parents were waiting for her. But then her parents had reminded him of impropriety, and last night had been the first night she had spent on her own. He's proud of her, for making it through it, but by God, it had strung his nerves tighter than a clothesline.

Pascal is perched on the blanket pile, making those odd cooing sounds of his, like of dove, patting the pile of blankets.

"Hey Pascal," the lizard looks up at him, scuttling onto his outstretched palm and settling on his shoulders. "I'm right here, Rapunzel." He crosses his legs, sitting in front of the blanket pile.

"Eugene..." The blanket pile shifts, and he can see the forest greens of her eyes peering up at him.

"Hey, Rapunzel..." He smiles at her, not dazzlingly, just the kind of grin he gave her when she saved him, open and honest. "What's wrong?" She mumbles something he can't hear, "didn't quite catch that, can you repeat that?"

"...something's wrong with my hair..."

"Like what? It didn't turn blonde again overnight, did it?" He says it jokingly, but for all he knows, that actually happened. Hey, he doesn't know what formerly magical hair can do! She's a silent pile of blankets, and his stomach drops, "wait, it did turn blonde again?!"

"No..."

"No?" Leaning back, he rests his weight on his palms, looking up at the ceiling high above, "don't scare me like that, Brunnie." Silence, then, "then what is it?"

"I don't know!" She wails, bursting from the blanket pile, "Eugene, something's wrong with my hair!!" The man does a once over of her head, not seeing anything unusual about it.

"I don't see anything wrong, Raps." Okay, so he can't see everything perfectly in the dark, but her hair is still pretty dark, so probably brown, not light blonde, and definitely the same jagged locks as before. In fact, it's probably more jagged, because wow, that is the worse bedhead he's ever seen.

"Eugene, how can you not see! Look at it! It's cursed!" She all but shoves her head into his face, not at all gentle, and he barely avoids getting his nose bashed.

"OW! Raps!"

"Sorry, Eugene, but..." oh no, she sounds like she's going to cry, "I don't know what's going on with it..." breath released in a whoosh, he wraps his arms around her, hug grounding both of them, and some nerve that had been sitting at the back of his neck releases because he had missed being next to her, God dammit. She wraps her arms around

"Can we come over here, open a window, so I can see better, please?" She nods against his collarbone, and he navigates them to one of the velvet curtains that alone costs more than any item he's held in his life (except the crown, but that's different), carefully pulling them open with a freed hand.

Oh, she had been crying. Eugene can see where the tears had trailed down her cheeks, and he can feel his emotional heart twisting at the mere thought of her crying in here, alone except for Pascal, while people she didn't know wanted to see her. Why hadn't the maid come and gotten him sooner? "Alright, Brunnie, let's see this hair of yours."

Yep, this is officially the worst bedhead he's ever had the honor of seeing, but aside from that, everything looks exactly the same as it did last night. Same jagged edges, same earthen brown strands, same tiny strand behind her ears, everything is as it should be. He can't find anything that would make Rapunzel believe her hair is cursed.

"What happened this morning?" Maybe that'll help him figure things out.

"Well..." Pascal has abandoned his shoulder for her shaking, cupped hands, "I woke up this morning with the sun..."

"Alright." That sounds normal enough, especially for a sunflower like her.

"And the birds were chirping outside..."

"Go on."

"But then, I went to brush my hair like I normally do..."

"Okay."

"And it hurt!"

"It...hurt."

"Eugene, the brush bit my hair and wouldn't let go! I pulled and pulled, but it only hurt more!"

"..." It...can't be that simple, can it?

"I finally got it to let go, but then I looked in the mirror, and...it cursed my hair!!"

"Blon...Rapunzel."

"What?" Aw, she looks like she's going to start crying again.

"When you had..." he mimes the yards of light-as-air strands that she previously had, "all of that...you...brushed...it get knotted, right?" She tilts her head at him, confusion breaking through the tears.

"Hair can get knotted?"

 One of the perks of Rapunzle's hair being magical is that it never knotted or got dirty. I mean, look at it! Drags on the ground, on dirt, in grass, in river water, does it look messed up or disgusting? No! Her brushing it was just a habit that Mother Gothel installed in her. But because it had never gotten knotted before...she didn't know how to handle it when it did happen.

Find more at this Masterpost

[pastel-vampires]

The Vampire Muses. Keep in mind reading the wiki was the best source of information I could get for a majority of these characters since I can’t get my hands on the games.

Ayato Sakamaki:

Age: 16

The attention whore seeker

Likes: Takoyaki and pranking people.

Hates: Water. Ghosts/Ghost stories.

In his childhood, his mother would strictly force him into studying so he could succeed as the heir to the Sakamaki line. Often threatening him or giving him deathly punishments when he didn’t meet her expectations. This would lead to his slight fear of water, as one of the punishments involved her shoving him in a lake to drown until she decided that he should have learned something from it.

The only triplet who is left handed. Would rather play sports like basketball than sit down and study. Consumes an abundant amount of Takoyaki. His hobbies involve Basketball, glorifying himself as ‘Yours Truly’, and collecting Medieval torture chamber items as decorations for his room. (the deadly parts of them removed for when he decides to sleep in them.)

Fear him on April 1st, for he WILL find a way in pranking someone. Anyone. Once he finds a way to prank someone, he WILL take the opportunity.

Other notes: He insists on referring to himself as “Yours Truly”/Ore-sama (in Japanese it basically translates to a masculine word for ‘me/I’ with the honorific meaning ‘master’)

Total rebel. Also a bit of a tsundere but not as much as Subaru. Like the rest of his siblings, he has a hard time opening up to people. He’s closest sibling is Laito. But he also has a protective nature over Kanato. 

Headcanons: Possibly a Pansexual. Will trick/prank all of his siblings at least once per year. 

Romances: He’ll want your full attention and admiration. He’ll want your praise and approval. He’s been made to believe that he had to be the best or he was better off cast aside and dead in a lake somewhere. He fears rejection.

Kanato Sakamaki:

Age: 16 (believe it or not)

The tantrum brat/ “hysteric”

Likes: Teddy and Sweets. (And Attention)

Hates: Bitter and Spicy things. When people hold Teddy without his permission. When people do ANYTHING without his permission.

Since childhood, he has spent most of his time all by himself with only Teddy to confide in as his only trusted ally. His mother would only give him attention when telling him to sing for her, finding his voice to “warm her up” (she really messed him up by having him sing while she had her affairs. How can a kids singing arouse her? What the heck was wrong with her? What the hay? Why did she force him to do that until his vocal cords bled? How the fudge sundae?)

Other: he’s a mix of a tsundere AND a yandere, quite a deadly combination.

Headcanon: he is asexual but because of how he was raised, thinks that one HAS to enter sex at some point. Witnessing a lot of his mothers sexual affairs led him to believing that he had to give them pleasure. One of the efforts involved combing their hair. Her mothers influence has led him to believe that all women are selfish and always desires sex. If they don’t, then he sees them as prudes or just shy. He’s been left alone for so long that he was left to the mercy of his already messed up thoughts. He has a certain belief of how his little world should be and hates it when the things around him never fit in that world. 

Romances: He bites and punishes hard, but his kisses are always gentle. No matter if he’s angry or not. Never will he bite someone on the lips. Since he was left alone to play with his dolls more than his brothers, he enjoys comparing those he is fond of as dolls rather than people. 

Laito Sakamaki:

Age: 16 (believe it or not he is NOT a clone of Ayato or a slightly grown up version of him)

The manwhore

Likes: fancy things. Macarons. Crossword Puzzles

Hates: bugs and creepy crawlies. (I’m going to have TOO much fun with this)

*breathes* the insufferable “pervert’, as everyone ‘knows’ him as. He often seduces women and ‘gives them pleasure’ in his own sadistic ways. As this was the only way he could express ‘love’. (seriously their mother messed all of them up. I don’t know exactly how old he was when she started going after him for an incestuous ‘love affair’. It’s gross. And he didn’t like it. But because he was the most neglected of the trio in his childhood, this was the only form of attention she ever gave to him, and he was made to believe that this was ‘good’. It’s a really messed up situation.) He’s the most social and cheerful of the Sakamakis. 

Headcanons: He knows how to speak French, being known as the ‘romantic language’, he took an interest in it in an attempt to be more flirtatious. But during this journey into learning the French language, he discovered Macarons. Which became a genuine favorite of his. He believes that his pervert facade is real and will get offended if someone states it otherwise.

He’s bisexual, but due to the environment around him (andespeciallyhowhismothermessedhimup) was made to believe that people can only be attracted to the opposite sex

Romances: He’s a giver more than a receiver, but he likes being in control of what goes on. All he knows is sex, he doesn’t understand what love is other than that. (their mother truly messed them up. But he’ll put up a mask and think there’s nothing wrong. Even though he still doesn’t know why there are times where he doesn’t ALWAYS like having sex.)

 Subaru Sakamaki:

Age: 16

The Tsundere badboy.

Likes: bread.

Hates: social interactions. Roses (specifically white ones. This came as a surprise since he’s always in the rose garden.)

Due to a… LOT of emotions bottling up since he was a kid, he has a tendency in lashing out and punching inanimate objects in order to process his festering anger.

He’s the only one who had even a small- or even a semblance- of a healthy bond with his mother, but she became mentally unstable and had to be locked up in a tower (Rapunzel?) there would be times where she would have ‘episodes’ and only he was able to handle them. This warped his gentle nature into a more protective self, and as time went on, into a festering wrath. This only worsened after she pleaded for him to kill her. Hence the knife that he is often seen holding. One that is able to kill vampires.

He gets irritated easily. He doesn’t have any hobbies. He spends most of his time either looking at the rose garden or hermit it up in his coffin (he sometimes adds things to make it feel more comfortable.) He’d much rather stay in a coffin than attend anything. 

Notes: his mother used to sing him to sleep when he was a child. (absolutely adorable) He was the only vampire to give Yui a chance of escaping, even giving her his silver knife to defend herself. Maybe even kill him if needed. 

Headcanons: He doesn’t have taste. He likes bread okay because of the texture, but his tongue can’t even recognize sour things. This might be caused by his mother having poisoned him at some point and had a lasting effect? But highly unlikely because of vampire regeneration properties.

Yet another left handed boi.

 Kou Mukami

Age:17

The Two-Faced model

Likes: cats. Dancing.

Hates: pain.

This pretty boy has had... quite an unfortunate life. Thanks to the horrible events that took place in his childhood, Kou views the world as a ‘give and take’ view. And it will be quite a while before anyone can change that world view. Because of this, he will often portray a friendly, cheerful, and complimentary personality. But he will always expect something in return for his behavior and ‘gifts’. If he gives a bouquets of roses, he expects something to make up for it in return. 

He has a job as a model and is often surrounded by girls at the night school he attends regularly. Which he doesn’t particularly care for. (He is literally the only one in the family with a job.)

Major Trigger warning here: He was raped as a child. Don’t tell me he wasn’t, what the crap did those people DO to him? They hurt him even when he gouged out his own eye in a desperate attempt to make himself flawed so they would leave him alone. But that didn’t work and somehow they saw that as making him more desirable? He has nightmares often because of this and will cling to whatever is around him in an attempt to hide from the horror of reaching hands. He often clings tot he things around him every night because of these reoccurring night terrors. He was given a glass eye that allows him to see people’s true intentions.

Headcanons: He has an immaculate hunger and can- and WILL- eat more than his fair share if those around him aren’t careful. Guard your food while he’s around!

Notes: another left handed boy.

 Azusa Mukami:

Age: 17

The ONLY option for a Masochistic boy.

Likes: collecting knives is his hobby

Dislikes: neglect and being hated.

As a child, he wandered the street with no real purpose. Thanks to a group of children who thrived in beating him, he believed that his only self worth was to be used for pain. Hence he has grown a fascination of it. Whether it is to give or receive pain, Azusa is there for it. He’s slow in movement as well as talking. Often seen spacing out. But is probably the only sweet-heart of a vampire in the entire show. If a little pushy at times. 

He names his limbs after the children who had injured them enough to leave scars, since they were killed and he was left without a purpose once again. This was before he was sent to a orphanage and met Ruki, Yuma, and Kou who became his family.

Notes: his hobby is collecting knives. (Yet another left handed boy.) He is ‘weak against heat’ (I imagine he melts into sleep like a cat when finding this out) he is able to fall asleep standing up. (that’s pretty impressive)

Headcanons:  He’s a very respectable boy and often speaks mostly in respect. Albeit a little pushy at times. His brothers often worry about him and have to make sure that he eats enough at their breakfast, Lunch, and dinner, since he doesn’t do a good job in taking care of himself.

[bestworstcase]

farran rewatches tangled: before ever after, pt 1

(01:50-05:00)

i’ve been wanting to do a full, start-to-finish episode-by-episode rewatch of the series for a good long while now with a focus on just... picking apart every episode to see what there is to see and well. i somewhat optimistically planned to do one post per episode but i... i was a fool. 

as a set of... basic guiding principles here i 1) am going to evaluate the text of each episode on its own merits, 2) without taking into account authorial intent  or extratextual creator statements, and 3) yeeting the phrase “it’s a disney princess cartoon, it isn’t that deep” out of my brain.*

(*except in the case of Cartoon Physics, which must simply be accepted in the same way that the existence of unbreakable magical hair is accepted.)

the first thing i want to talk about with before ever after is the way it establishes the characters of rapunzel and eugene and how it sets up the development of the new dream relationship for the rest of the show during the introductory sequence. 

before ever after does this thing a couple of times where it frames a character or scenario in such a way as to lead the viewer to expect one thing, only to reveal more information or additional context that significantly shifts our understanding. and these are interesting moments to examine, because of what they can say subtextually about the characters involved. 

consider the opening.

once the introductory narration is done, we’re thrown into a chase scene that is structured to trick us into thinking that the stakes are much higher than they truly are—the tense, dramatic scoring, in particular, prime the viewer to assume that the situation is serious.

look at this establishing shot. it grounds us in a location—we can see corona in the background—and sets a specific mood. rapunzel, eugene, max, and fidella all look serious and determined; meanwhile their pursuers are obscured in shadow, making them appear far more threatening than they really are. 

rapunzel’s seemingly genuine fear of being caught (“they’re gaining on us!” and “there’s more of them!”) strengthens this first impression, as does the fact that the pursuers continue to be obscured in shadow even when they, realistically speaking, shouldn’t be, as in this shot where the pursuing guards are galloping in full sunlight but still too darkly lit (and distant) for us to make out any identifying details: 

but now that we’ve had a few seconds for this impression to “set,” the show begins to dismantle it. rapunzel and eugene exchange a little playful banter, part ways, rapunzel glances back over her shoulder, and...

for the first time, we get a good look at one of their pursuers—and it’s a coronan guard. at this point, the tone of the chase shifts; the score becomes less tense and more adventuresome, beats of comedy are introduced with eugene’s log jump and rapunzel’s bunny crossing, and we end on this shot:

a bright, welcoming meadow opening up out of the more rugged / forested terrain of the chase. rapunzel gallops on into the nice-looking wilderness beyond, while eugene turns around to get in a last, witty one-liner in.

now on the one hand... this is a fun way to ease us into the action of the story with an attention-grabbing but low-stakes chase sequence, while establishing the playful dynamic in the new dream relationship. but! i argue that this whole chase scene, and the subsequent scene with rapunzel and eugene on the wall, is in fact a microcosm of the core conflict within the new dream relationship: to wit, that eugene is content and ready to settle down, rapunzel very much is not, and they are not yet ready to reconcile that difference with each other. 

how so? well,

#1: the shifting of the viewer’s understanding of this chase reflects both sides of the new dream perspective on palace life. 

in rapunzel’s view, being corona’s princess—a role here represented by the royal guard—is a frightening, suffocating job, one she struggles to reconcile with and longs to escape. her distress at the idea of being “captured” before they reach the wall—and having to return to the palace for the welcoming ceremony, as we learn shortly—is real, not because the guards pose a real threat but because she’s running away from them to get a break from the princess responsibilities that are drowning her.

eugene, on the other hand, is having a grand time. he banters, he grins, he mocks his pursuing guards, because to him, there are no stakes here. he enjoys living in the palace with no more bounties or convictions hanging* over his head, and he’s more interested in pausing to crack a joke at the captain’s expense than in winning the race to the outer wall—which in rapunzel’s mind is a representation of freedom. 

(*heh.)

so as viewers, the first impression we’re given of this chase scene is more in line with what rapunzel is feeling, and then shifts to reveal eugene’s perspective, which is more in line with objective reality (they’re racing the guardsmen to the outer wall, and nobody is going to get hurt) rather than rapunzel’s internal feelings (of fleeing to escape the intense pressure on her shoulders, even just for a little while). 

#2: and this, in turn, shows us precisely how far apart rapunzel’s feelings and eugene’s feelings about their present situation are. 

these are two people who love each other very much but are on completely different planets emotionally. eugene is content and relaxed, rapunzel is antsy and stressed out. they get along on a superficial level and enjoy each other’s company, but there is a huge disconnect lurking just beneath the surface that neither of them is yet aware of. 

the scene on the wall drives this message home.

we see the pure delight on rapunzel’s face when she reaches the wall...

...which intensifies as she climbs onto it and sees what waits for her on the other side...

...and the camera swings around to show us this gorgeous view of a lush, vibrant landscape pulling us into the sunrise. rapunzel heaves a longing sigh and tension falls out of her shoulders as she soaks in the view. 

this moment evokes the same mood as rapunzel’s early scenes in tangled, when she looks out of her tower window at the beautiful world outside. 

notice even the echoes of the tower landscape in the landscape outside of corona in the series: the lines of the cliffs on the left side of both shots are the same, and the colors of the wildflowers in the series landscape echo the colors of the flowers kept on the windowsill of rapunzel’s tower (here’s a better screencap of those, for comparison’s sake:)

anyway, the point of all this is to establish that rapunzel, despite having been freed from her tower, still feels trapped in her present circumstances. seeing the lanterns and finding her true family didn’t cure her restlessness but has instead intensified her wanderlust, and she once again finds herself in the position of sitting inside a wall and staring out at the world she isn’t allowed to explore.

the key difference in the series is that, where eugene’s role in the film was to help rapunzel escape her tower and seek out her dreams in the wider world...

...in the series, he has become an anchor tethering rapunzel to her life in the palace, and we see this illustrated symbolically when his interruption is what pulls rapunzel away from the view beyond the walls. 

now, this is a wonderful shift, because it doesn’t grow out of any arbitrary or out-of-character behavior in eugene but is, rather, an artifact of their changed circumstances. eugene still values rapunzel’s freedom and happiness just as much as he did in the film, but he’s oblivious to how stifled and trapped rapunzel feels within the coronan walls, and he’s oblivious because, a) rapunzel hasn’t told him, and b) he’s having a great time living in the lap of luxury with zero responsibilities, and c) that blinds him to the amount of pressure that is being put on rapunzel’s shoulders. he isn’t in tune with what rapunzel is feeling or why, and that damages his ability to act as a source of support for her in this stressful transitional time in her life.

this is the core conflict of their relationship, not just in before ever after, but over the course of the entire show. which is brilliant! it is so realistic for somebody like eugene—a 23-year-old man who has lived an exciting, adventurous life while cultivating a self-absorbed, devil-may-care attitude and is now ready to settle down and live a nice, peaceful, happily-boring married life with the woman he loves—to have this kind of incompatibility with somebody like rapunzel—an 18-year-old woman who has been sheltered and abused her entire life and who is only just beginning to figure out who she is and what she wants and is absolutely not ready to settle down and spend the rest of her life staying put and doing the same things every single day. they’re at completely different stages of their lives! of course there’s a tremendous gap between their expectations and desires within the context of their relationship and of course this causes problems as soon as this mismatch in priorities rises to the surface!

as a final note, as this scene on the wall wraps up, it introduces something that is... something of a recurring theme in before ever after, namely that things keep interrupting new dream kisses before they can happen.

in this case, it’s the captain—having caught up with rapunzel and eugene—telling them their little game is over and that it’s time for rapunzel to hustle back to the palace so she won’t miss the welcoming ceremony. this is another important beat in establishing the basic interpersonal conflict here; it’s not just that the kiss is interrupted, but that the kiss is interrupted by a manifestation of the strict requirements of rapunzel’s role as princess, which at the end of the day is what’s pulling rapunzel and eugene apart. i will talk about this more once i get to the proposal, but suffice it to say for now that the very same force that is stifling rapunzel and making her long for escape is what ruins this little romantic new dream moment, and that gets directly at the core of the conflict here. 

rapunzel has all these factors weighing her down and making her uncomfortable in her position inside corona, and none of them have anything to do with eugene, but they still create this stress on her relationship with eugene, because—due to his own comfort, his own readiness to settle down, and his current lack of empathy for rapunzel’s situation*—he’s blind to how unhappy rapunzel is in their current situation, and that makes hamstrings his ability to provide the emotional support she needs right now. 

(*something i will talk about more in my next segment; for now, the tl;dr here is even though eugene loves rapunzel deeply, and even though she drastically changed his outlook on life in a matter of days, it takes much longer for habits of personality to change, and in before ever after eugene is still very deeply entrenched in his self-absorbed flynn rider persona. the core of his character growth over the course of the series is his journey of growing out of that persona as he becomes more emotionally open and less content to laze about enjoying his luxuries every day.)

TO CONCLUDE: i love the opening sequence of before ever after because it is a microcosm of the interpersonal conflict within the new dream relationship. it establishes very neatly and succinctly that the love rapunzel and eugene have for each other, though genuine and deep, is not enough, and that they have serious work to do in bridging the gaps between them in order for the relationship to become lasting and strong. the journey of new dream over the course of the series is one from this starting position of fragility and miscommunication hidden just beneath the surface to the end point of two people who are in tune with each other and understand each other perfectly, and all of that is built on the foundation set down in these first few minutes of the very first episode. 

[tangled-the-series-forever]

Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon

As soon as I heard about this book, I put it on my birthday wishlist. But alas, my birthday had come and gone. No Lost Lagoon. Apparently my mom didn’t see it on the wishlist, so that’s why. Flash forward to Christmas Day and I held the book in my hands, which were trembling with excitement. Not really, but you get the idea. I had been waiting to devour this book for months on end and I did. So without further ado, I will present to you this handy-dandy post that encapsulates my thoughts on Lost Lagoon before, during, and after reading. I thought it would be fun to record my expectations and compare them to what I discovered. If you’ve read Lost Lagoon, what did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts! ❤️

Before Reading

honestly, I’m not quite sure what to expect. All I know is that there’s a lot of moments between Raps and Cass and I am ready for them!

maybe it explains how Cass came to be Raps’ lady-in-waiting? (I hope so because I’ve always wondered this...)

I think I’ll like the book as a whole (I’m hoping I’ll love it)

I’m guessing that it is cute, funny, serious, and adventurous all in one

maybe we’ll learn more about Cass?

will Raps tell Cass about her life in the tower?

what will be the ratio of lighthearted to serious moments? Am I more likely to laugh or cry? Probably both 😅😂😂

this book’s design is absolutely gorgeous! 😍😍😍 I literally just stared at it for a while beginning to read it

During Reading

Rapunzel’s hair hasn’t grown back yet? Oh, it’s her first week in Corona. Okay...

“Something was missing. I was hoping painting would help me find whatever that was, or at least help me end the afternoon on a happy note.” (is this relatable or what? I know not to chase after the elusive beast referred to as happiness, but I do often strive to end the day on a good note because I feel like Satan wins if I don’t)

Friedborg is Arianna’s lady-in-waiting? That makes more sense now. I always feel bad not knowing much about her or her background. I hope she makes some appearances in the book (no sooner did I type this than I look down and skim the scene where she teaches Raps how to sit. Crazy, right?)

Eugene referring to Rapunzel as “my girl” (so sweet 🥰)

“Eugene’s warm brown eyes and mischievous smile are irresistible from any angle” (she’s head over heels, ya’ll 😂💕😂)

first look at Cass 🥰 That’s my girl! Not only does she want to be part of the guard, but she wants to succeed her father as Captain! Go after your dreams, girl! I support you ❤️

“I’d rather shovel sheep dung than mend clothes and gossip.” Mood 😂😂

she recently discovered a hidden spot by using maps of an ancient underground tunnel system? How cool!

okay, but Cass’ animosity towards Raps is fair. And the fact that she refers to her as “that girl”? Priceless

names of nearby nations? Like, yes please!

the irony of Cass piquing Raps’ interest in her by leaving as soon as she can after throwing the shot put 😅😂😂

Cass worrying she got herself in trouble by practicing shot put. Poor thing!

the angst Cass feels towards her dad because he wants her to be a lady-in-waiting when she clearly doesn’t... so relatable (it’s tough when a parent’s expectations and our own dreams/desires don’t match)

I didn’t realize Cass created the maps herself! She’s so determined to prove herself to her dad, it hurts 😭😭

I wonder if the pools in Yultadore are what make up the lost lagoon...

“Her enthusiasm was so shiny and bright I had to squint” (I totally understand this)

pretty boy Eugene and his quips 😂😂

Cass trying to keep her distance from Raps by calling her “Princess” and firmly saying “Goodbye” before shutting and locking the door behind her

So that’s how Cass and Eugene met... okay, cool. Nothing too crazy or weird. I don’t know what I expected but it’s nice to know how their battle of wits began

I’m noticing a pattern in the words used to describe Cass: knowledgeable, brave, etc. I think that’s cool because I feel like her pessimism gets a lot more attention in the series. It’s nice to acknowledge her other qualities as well.

Arianna chose Cass to be Raps’ lady-in-waiting. I always wondered how she got the position. I’m loving how many little things this book is explaining 🥰

Also, just noticed the bird illustrations on the page of every new chapter. I wonder if there’s a pattern...

OWL!!! 😍😍 he literally “senses her distress”. I wish we got to hear about how they met

I wanted to cry for Cass. Poor thing just wants to follow her dreams. I like the way the finality of the decision was described. It’s so tragic 💔

“When Cassandra saw him [Eugene], her face clouded over like a stormy afternoon” 😂😂 I love how Cass doesn’t try to hide her feelings about people. It’s true that she keeps personal things close to her chest, but not when it comes to what she thinks of others. Honesty is the best policy, right?

I love how Cass continuously prompts Raps to keep reading the poem. She’s like, “Yeah, yeah, just get to the good stuff” 😂

about that poem... maybe it’s from Herz Der Sonne’s perspective. Could the “truth sealed in precious stones” be a reference to Zhan Tiri’s disciples and how they were trapped within stones? And what about the three gems? What’s the emerald tapestry supposed to be? Does it reference Saporia? I HAVE TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

“A few times I thought I heard some rustling behind me, but I kept going” (me: yeah, Raps is definitely following her) 😂

me when I realize the “emerald tapestry” is grass: 🙃

why is Cass so fearful around water? Did someone try to drown her? someone please tell me who is responsible so I can PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE 😅🤣

painfully ironic how Rapunzel can swim despite being locked in a tower all her life and Cass can’t

Raps nonchalantly offering to teach Cass how to swim just warms my heart 🥰❤️

okay, so Cass is responsible for her fear of water. That’s almost worse because it invites shame and self-hatred, which makes it more difficult to push against that fear or overcome it 😔

the importance of Raps agreeing to help Cass even after realizing she doesn’t want to be her lady-in-waiting is HUGE. This is something I feel like should have happened throughout Season 1 but never did (Raps supporting Cass and trusting that she has a good reason for things even if she doesn’t understand)

“But now I have to teach you which fork to eat your waffles with and stuff” 😂

the first time they call each other Cass and Raps 🥰😍🥰😍

woah, I didn’t expect there to be a time jump. I should have known because I kept wondering why they would depict Rapunzel with her blonde hair on the cover if this takes place before it comes back. Anyways...

I forgot to take notes as I read the majority of part 2. I’m currently a chapter or two away from part 3 and all I have to say is that something bad is about to happen. I can feel it. Dahlia’s definitely shady and so is Marco. I suspected Marie earlier but now I’m not sure. She wasn’t obvious until she was but now she’s not again so maybe she is guilty after all? Either way, Raps is making dumb decisions and I’m over here yelling at her to get her life together before she gets killed or kidnapped (whichever comes first, I guess) 😅🙃

Cass is absolutely roasting Rapunzel and I am here for it! Don’t mind me just munching away on my popcorn over here 🍿

Cass said she’s finally gonna leave Corona so I bet Raps will fess up and tell her that Dahlia’s been helping her with the painting for Cass so Cass will let her guard down and think Dahlia’s okay after all. But... she won’t be and they’re gonna realize she was the bad guy after all 😎

didn’t think Cass would get attacked 😅 also, the fact that she is highly skilled and powerful yet trips and twists her ankle is such a mood. Like, that’s literally me in a nutshell. She is beauty, she is grace, and she falls flat on her face 🤣🤣 while I’m here, I’m guessing Marco is her attacker because he probably has a rough voice

Okay, so I guess Dahlia really is innocent then... idk, I still think she could be up to something

I WAS RIGHT!

Marco’s the bad guy and things just escalated quickly cause now he’s got a knife against Cass’ throat 😳😬😵

so Dahlia’s innocent after all... I thought she or Marie might be working with Marco but I guess not (kinda disappointed to be honest)

okay so this Dahlia chick is exasperatingly hilarious 😂😂 she legit took part of Raps’ bookcase to use for an art piece. Like, who does that?

“Pascal shook his head, totally fed up” me too bud, me too 🤣

After Reading

so I did get to see how Cass and Raps first met (also how she first met Eugene as well)

I like how they combined their talents and passions at the end to create the map painting

There were a bunch of lines that made me laugh, although there were just as many that hit me like a knife to the chest (pretty much anything angsty from Cass’ POV) so I like how it made me feel all the feels (I felt like an investigator trying to figure out who the bad guy was and that was a blast 😆)

overall it was pretty good. I did feel like the characters were off (Arianna seemed like she swapped personalities with Frederick at times and Eugene apologized for joking Cass- as if!), but other than that I enjoyed it. There were a bunch of new characters being introduced so it was somewhat hard to tell who was bad and who wasn’t but I guessed correctly in the end. I was hoping there would be more than one bad guy but oh well.

I’m glad I read it because now I know a few extra things about Corona and its surrounding countries (plus I can finally read through all the Lost Lagoon related tumblr posts I saved for later... I was waiting until I read the book and here I am!)

If anyone needs me, I’ll be going through LL tumblr posts. I should definitely be sleeping but that’s not important 😅😂😂

[izaswritings]

Fic request- Rapunzel and Eugene y’all about him being hurt by Cass betraying them after a fight in No Time Like the Past

A quick head’s up—  I never actually watched this episode, for a variety of reasons, so I have no idea how everything actually played out. This fic is based off just what I wished would happen and what I’ve heard happened/think happened in the episode. Please bear that in mind!

-

AO3 Link is Here!

“Rapunzel, she was the one who left you.”

Rapunzel slams the door shut behind her, breathing heavy. Her mind feels full, whited out and buzzed with panic—her hands shaking, her teeth grit and jaw aching. Something rises on her tongue and she swallows it back; it rises again, insistent, and she lets out a short scream before she clicks her jaw shut and places a hand over her mouth for good measure. No. No, she can’t lose her cool over this, she can’t— she won’t—!

But what Eugene had said about Cassandra—

She buries her face in her hands, her heart twisting in her chest, the traitorous burn of tears behind her eyes. She hadn’t started out angry, she knows—just shocked, then upset, then stunned small at his dismissal, those words—but the anger has snuck up on her without her noticing, like the build-up of a scream in her chest, and it hits her suddenly and without warning, a burn behind the eyes that is half-fury and half-tears.

Rapunzel breathes in deep, pressing her palms against her eyes, and sinks down against the door. She could leave, she knows. She could walk away seething, and who knows—maybe if she did, she’d even find a solution to it all. But her feet ache, and breathing is hard, suddenly, with all the tears, and she sinks down to the floor instead, head pillowed her arms and shoulders shaking, her fingers clenched white-knuckled on the sleeves of her dress.

Time passes. Rapunzel stays pressed up against the door, breathing into her arms, hearing through the heavy oak as Eugene paces and mutters darkly around the room. She feels feverish, hot and cold in equal measure; she thinks of the photo, of the way Cassandra had grinned when she ripped it, the toss of her head when Rapunzel had given her a warning look for it. She thinks of Cassandra’s laughter, sharp and bright and always biting, breaking the air like a bell.

How could Eugene just give her up? How could he act like those moments were nothing? How could he…

Her eyes burn. She thinks of a different laughter, bright and mocking and cruel, and buries her head in her arms. Cass, she thinks, and something bitter twists in her chest. How could you hate me because of her? Gothel was cruel. Gothel was all smiles. Gothel had never liked Rapunzel angry. If you had to hate me, couldn’t it be because of me?

Instead it is because of Gothel. Gothel’s choices, Gothel’s cruelties. Always, always Gothel. And there is nothing Rapunzel can do to fix the past, even if she wanted to.

You’re lucky, Cass.

But if she dared to ever say it to Cassandra’s face, she doesn’t think Cassandra would understand.

Rapunzel lifts her head, something cold and stiff in her chest. She rubs at it, digging in her fingers over her heart, the unyielding ridge of her collarbone. She stands very slowly. She knocks at the door. She hears a sigh. She opens it.

“Rapunzel—“

“I know.” She stares down at her hand. She can’t meet his eyes. “I—I just—”

He’s silent. Rapunzel swallows.

“I can’t let her go,” Rapunzel whispers. “I can’t lose her.” She thinks of Cassandra’s laughter, sharp and biting and bright. “Not to this.”

When she looks up Eugene’s expression is tight—angry, reluctant, resigned. He can’t seem to meet her eyes, and he exhales all at once, a great sigh that slumps at his shoulders, and he sits down on the bed with his head low. Rapunzel steps up and settles beside him, gingerly.

Eugene has his hands clasped above his knees. He presses his knuckles against his forehead. His eyes are closed. “I know,” he says, and he sounds very tired. “But I… I can’t.”

Rapunzel looks away. “It’s Cass,” she says. She feels helpless. She doesn’t know the words to help him understand. “She’s… she’s my best friend. She’s important. I, I don’t—I don’t understand how you can just—cut her away.” Her fingers curl in her dress. “Like she never mattered.”

Eugene barely shifts. “It’s because she mattered,” he says, almost a mutter.

“If it were Lance—”

Eugene laughs, sharp and sudden and almost hysterical, and Rapunzel stops mid-word, staring at him. He clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry,” he says, to the air. “Sorry. Just—” He shakes his head.

“...Eugene.”

He looks away. There’s silence, for a moment.

“I’ve told you before,” Eugene says, and he says it very quietly. “Used to be… every man for himself.” His fingers curl. “Look, Sunshine, I’m not happy about it, but—  it was Lance. Once. A long, long time ago.” He glowers at the floor. “But I was the one leaving.”

She has no idea what to say to that. “O-oh.”

“Yeah.” He looks away. “Old wounds, bad blood… well, it’s in the past, now. No use retreading old ground. And he never liked holding grudges, so...”

“You guys never seemed like…” She can’t seem to find the words. “I mean, I never would have thought. Seeing you two now.”

“You wouldn’t, would you?” It’s almost a mumble—thoughtful in a way that is almost grudging. Eugene presses his thumbs against his eyes, goes quiet. Says, almost under his breath: “Damn it all.”

“…Eugene—”

“No, no. I just—yeah. If it were Lance.” He pinches at his brow and lifts his head. “I get it. I do. But Blondie, I didn’t go back for him, and he… well, I like to think he wouldn’t have gone back for me. I wouldn’t have appreciated it. Or deserved it.”

She bites her lip. “But—  seeing you two now, surely you see why— so why, with Cass—?”

“Because it’s not that simple!” Eugene shakes his head. “It’s because I used to… ugh, I don’t know. Look, I get what you’re saying, but… Sunshine, old regrets or not, I can’t just—y’know? I can’t. I can’t put that sort of faith in her. I can’t trust someone who reminds me of myself not to stab me in the back.”

Rapunzel says nothing. She stares at the floor, their mismatched feet, his worn boots and her bare and dusty toes.

“I’d love it if Cassandra came back,” Eugene says, sudden in the silence. “Really, I would. I mean, I’d have— a whole ton of questions, yeah, and like, some reasonable doubt, but—all in all?” He looks down at the picture in his hands, and something in him seems to slump. “Yes, Rapunzel. I want her to come back.” His grip tightens. “But I can’t hold my breath. I can’t risk it. Not when there’s a very good chance that when Cass actually comes back, it won’t be to say sorry but to hurt us all again.”

“Eugene…”

“I don’t go looking for heartbreak, Blondie. And Cass—she cut us out first.” Eugene looks up at last. “But… you’re right. In a way. If it were Lance… and I should have done better. But I’d rather be suspicious than hopeful. Because anything else…” He shakes his head, uncharacteristically frustrated, beyond words.

She can’t meet his eyes. “I—I understand.”

“…Yeah.” He reaches out, then, and presses the picture frame into her hands; Rapunzel takes it, abruptly still. “So do I, I guess. Sorry. It was a little overboard of Crowley to just… start throwing things away. And for me to say you should, too.”

“I…”

“Just because I don’t… I mean, I shouldn’t have asked that of you.”

Rapunzel’s hands tighten on the frame. She stands up, drifting over to the fireplace, and sets the picture back down on the mantle. She brushes the image with her fingertips. Cassandra, smiling. “I’m sorry too.”

“…Rapunzel.”

She looks back. Eugene offers her a smile. It wears worn and thin on his face, around his eyes; it rings true, regardless.

“I know, I know, what I just said… but I do admire it. Your faith. Maybe someday I might even feel the same. But until then…” He rubs the back of his neck, and looks almost sheepish. “Think you have enough faith in her for the both of us?”

There’s a memory beating in the back of Rapunzel’s head— be careful who you trust, and the echo of a colder laughter—but it is drowned out, suddenly, by the warmth in her chest and the sudden pull of her smile. Rapunzel rubs at her eyes and drops her hands. There is sunlight pooling through the window, brightening the whole of Cassandra’s empty room, silhouetting at Eugene’s back—golden and soft, like it’s just waiting for Cassandra to walk back through the door, whenever that will be.

And Rapunzel has always been good at having faith.

“Of course.”

[sonicgetsrawed]

Rising Moon Snippet 2

No one shot today, so have another out of context rising moon snippet! It’s pretty much an interaction between boo berry and var in a dream setting! Enjoy!!

Varian’s eyes blinked open. He hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep, was it even possible to fall asleep in this hellish dreamscape? He remembered his conversation with Cassandra, it was hard to forget, then pain a lot of pain, and then he was here. At least he recognized this place. His blue eyes stared at the broken moon above. The water had followed him here, soaking uncomfortably into his clothes as he laid in it. He didn’t have the strength to move, his chest hurt too much, and he was tired, so very tired. He closed his eyes, tears he didn’t even know where there joining the water. And once he was made aware of there presence he couldn’t stop them from flowing, causing ripples in the water. He curled in on himself, letting the sobs have their way. He was pathetic. It was no wonder everyone he met only cared about the moonstone. He was nothing without it, he was nothing with it. No matter how much he grew, how much he fought, how much he tried to be more, he’d always be that useless empty doll Rapunzel found in the dungeons. He wished Cassandra would have taken the moonstone. She could’ve done something great with it, she wouldn’t have let anyone push her around. But no, she insisted he needed to keep it, keep it safe. How could he do that when he couldn’t even keep himself safe? When he was falling apart at the seams? He was drowning and no matter how he called no one was going to save him.

His sobs turned to coughs, irritating his chest further. He forced his eyes open, scrambling backwards at the sight of the terrible green fog that had covered Cassandra’s mind. It was just as suffocating here as it had been there, like his body was trying to reject any of it that dare try to worm its way into his lungs. There was a girl, floating on top of it, her figure blue and transparent as if she herself didn’t belong. She stopped in front of him, the fog halting as well, it encircled him but none of it touched him. It was almost as if there was a barrier between them, something protecting him from it. She stepped down from her cloud, still hovering, a wide smile on her face.

“Oh, sweet child, who has hurt you so?” She cooed, although it sounded more mocking than comforting coming from her. She floated over to him, whatever was keeping the fog away had no effect on her.

“N-no one.” He stuttered. It was true, he had been the only one to cause his hurt. Everything was his fault.

She clicked her tongue, reaching forward to cup his face. It sent chills down his spine, but still he leaned into it. “I can take that hurt away.”

“You-you can?” He asked, leaning further into her touch, not noticing the fog creeping closer.

“I can. All you have to do is let me in.” She said, smile growing wider. He felt his breathing start to even out, his eyes drooping closed. He wanted to give in so bad, but Cassandra’s warning rang through his head. He couldn’t trust her, he couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

He pulled his head away, eyes glowing dangerously. “No! I-I can’t trust you!” He swept his arm out, black rocks forming an actual barrier against the fog. It did nothing to the girl, however, she floated through the rocks, stopping in front of him once again.

“Then why do you trust her?” She was circling him. He moved frantically trying to keep her in his sight, failing drastically.

“I-“

“Didn’t she tell you, you can’t trust her? What has she done to earn your trust anyways? She’s done nothing but hurt you.”

“That’s not true! Cass-“

The girl was in front of him suddenly, face so close their noses were touching. “Isn’t it?” He scrambled back, falling onto his butt, he hadn’t even realized he had been standing. “She turned you into the guards! She knocked you out when you tried to avenge the princess! She probably told the king of your whereabouts! She forced you to take the moonstone! She knew what that entailed, she knew what she was subjecting you to. You didn’t want to and she made you.”

“No-“ He pushed himself back to his feet, stepping back as she floated forward.

“No? How is she different than the rest? How are any of your so called friends different from the Saporians, from Frederic?” She was snarling now, each question she got closer to him, each question he took a step back.

“They aren’t-“ He was trying desperately to keep up with her pace, almost stumbling over his own feet at each step.

“They aren’t like that? Oh, dear, I’ve heard it all before, every excuse you could possibly come up with. It doesn’t excuse their behavior, whatever their intentions. The fact remains is they hurt you, they all hurt you, and they want you to keep hurting. I want you to be free. Give me the moonstone and you will never suffer again. You can live your life in peace. You can be free.”

He didn’t know when he stopped moving, his hand clutched protectively over his chest, over the moonstone. The tears had returned, streaming freely the longer the conversation went on. “I-“

She placed a finger over his lips, shushing him in an almost mother like way. “No more excuses, no more thinking. What do you want?”

Varian stared back wide eyed at the question. Had anyone ever asked him what he wanted before? Had he ever had a choice? Did he even know what he wanted? He did. He wanted to be free, to stop hurting, to be normal. He wanted the moonstone gone, he wanted to be safe with Rapunzel and his dad and Horace and Cassandra and Lance. He wanted his friends back. He wanted his family back. He stiffened as the girl stroked his hair in a mock form of comfort as he shook with sobs. He so badly wanted to be selfish, but if he wanted his family back, truly wanted them back, he couldn’t put them in danger. He still didn’t know if he could trust them, didn’t know if they truly cared, despite that he didn’t want them to get hurt because of him. He had seen what happened when he wanted them to suffer and he never wanted to cause that again, he refused. So he made a decision, perhaps the stupidest most irrational decision he ever made, but he made it all on his own and he’d own the consequences.

He stepped back from her a new fury alight in his eyes. “I want you out of my head!” He felt the moonstone’s power surge in his chest. He took a confident step forward, rocks sprouting with every step. “I want my family back! I want to be free on my own terms! I want to be in control! I want to be my own person! I won’t be a tool anymore! Not by you, not by Rapunzel, not by Cassie, or Andrew, or Frederic! I’m taking control of my own fate and you can’t stop me!”

The rocks now covered the landscape purged of the green fog. Although they still had no effect on the girl. She stood patiently, hands clasped in front of her. She clicked her tongue in annoyance causing Varian’s cheeks to flush red with embarrassment. He felt like a child being berated by a parent, like he was being talked down to and not taken seriously.

The girl’s words only confirmed that was her intention. “Are you done throwing your little temper tantrum?” Varian swallowed thickly any previous confidence being wiped away by her undermining behavior. It was pathetic, really, how fast he turned back into that doll he’d sworn to leave behind so long ago. Ever eager to please, ever eager to serve for just a scrap of attention. He didn’t give her a verbal expression, his silence serving as his answer. She smiled coldly, any warmth it previously wiped from existence. “Good. Since you want to make this difficult,”

He didn’t have time to react before she was in front of him again, her little gloved hand reaching for his chest. “I’ll just take the stone for myself.” He gasped, not from pain, not completely anyway, but more from the odd uncomfortable feeling that surged from her hand going through him. His body shook, chills spreading rapidly along his skin as he tried to get her to stop. He tried to grab her hand, pull it away, but he went through her as she had him. So he was left squirming and struggling, gasping for air that he couldn’t quite get.

“How interesting.” The girl mused, paying his discomfort no mind. “It seems the moonstone is rather attached to you. Quite literally.” Her laugh was piercing and did nothing to ease the unpleasantness of the situation. She removed her hand rather abruptly, Varian dropping to his knees greedily sucking in air. “No matter,” She wiped her hand on her dress as if she had touched something particularly foul. “You will cooperate when the time comes. You won’t have a choice.”

She grabbed his chin forcing him to look at her terrible little smile once more, her other hand twirling the blue streak in his hair between her fingers, suddenly able to touch him once again. “Goodbye for now, little moonstone. I will be back soon to collect what is mine.”

With one final laugh she pushed him back, sending him tumbling over an edge he didn’t even know was there. His screams were swallowed by the void, the only light being the broken moon above.

And his eyes opened for real this time, finally awakening from his sleep.

[coffeecomicsgalore]

Chasing Feelings

Summary:  An akuma causes the entirety of Paris to be changed into Disney characters.

A/N:  The story stays the same. The alternate universe only happens during the entirety of the akuma battle.

Ao3

Day 6: Disney AU

Adrien groaned to the sound of his alarm. His hand fumbled around the bed in search of the dreaded rings, finally finding it beneath his pillow. Turning off the sound, Adrien covered his eyes with his arm to drown out the light coming in from the windows. Thoughts of the raven-haired girl crossed his mind again. Well, it wasn’t like he stopped thinking about her. He barely slept a wink while his mind replayed the entire day on a loop. The way she smiled, her braveness, the tears, sobs, and giggle. The way she said she liked Adrien put a smile on his face, but the shattered pieces she laid on her balcony thinking he didn’t feel the same way broke him too.  

Adrien didn’t want to think that Marinette was second best. She didn’t deserve that title. She was worth so much more than that. But how was he to feel when he loved Ladybug for so long? It was funny how all of a sudden, Marinette just came in and swept him off his feet like she has. It’s like she had this supernatural power about her that just draws people in.  It wouldn’t be the first time someone fell head over heels for her, he thought. Nathaniel, Nino, Luka... and now me?    

Adrien turned his head and noticed that Plagg was nowhere in sight. “Hey Plagg?” Adrien called out. “Plagg? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I need some advice again.”  

After a few moments of silence, Adrien shot up from his bed. “Pla-” A heaviness was felt from his head. He ran his hand through his hair and realized his messy golden locks were longer than the night before. So long in fact that they trickled down his back, spread across the length of his bed, and fell into a neat pile on the floor. He then noticed his room looked smaller than he remembered, focusing on the stone veneer in the round room. “What the- What is this?!” He yelled. “Plagg! Plagg? Where are you?”  

Adrien climbed out of his bed nervously. He searched around the room, careful not to trip on his freakishly long locks. “What in Disney hell is going on here?” Sitting on the bench that was where the couch would usually sit was a black kitten with green eyes staring intently back at him. “Plagg? Is that you?” The kitten blinked its eyes. “What is going on?”  

Adrien noticed the tv was missing so he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and turned on the news. Nadja Chamack was on the camera looking like fair maiden. “Don’t be amused, it’s just the news. An akuma by the name of Queen Mean has taken over Paris turning everyone and everything into the characters in the Disney realm.” Adrien scowled at the television. Princesses, kings, and queens were walking around. There were animals talking to each other. A few cars had turned into carriages. Buildings have been changed into homes relating to certain time frames. Then he saw a swarm of sweeping brooms cleaning the streets downtown.  

Adrien looked down at his hair and grumbled under his breath. “Great. Now I’m being mocked by an akuma. Rapunzel? Really? Is my life such a mirror to that movie? Why couldn’t I have been Eugene? No. I just had to be Rapunzel...”  

Fear struck him as the news drawled on. “Marinette? Oh no. Marinette! Plagg? What if something happened to her?” He looked down at the kitten and then groaned. “I can’t even change into Chat! What am I going to do?”  

He ran over to the door to find a way to leave and noticed it was locked and barricaded. He picked up his phone again to message Marinette, Nino, and Alya to see if his friends were okay. After a few minutes with no responses, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.  

Adrien happened to look up and notice the spotted heroine running on the rooftop across from him. Adrien ran towards the window, tripping over a strand of silky hair in his path. Finally making it to the window, Adrien called out to her. “Ladybug!”  

Ladybug turned and swung her yo-yo to his window. “Adrien? What happened to you? Why is your home a tower?”  

“I don’t know? I woke up and was turned into Rapunzel.”  

Ladybug stifled a laugh, which only made Adrien scowl at her. “Great, now I’m being laughed at.”  

“No. No. I’m sorry. You just look cute with long hair, that’s all.” Ladybug stopped and pressed her lips together as she blushed a color close to her suit. “Sorry.” She squeaked.  

He sensed her uneasiness. “It is kind of funny.” He rubbed his neck as he thought of a way to change the subject. “You must be the epiphany of lady luck if you were able to avoid being changed into a princess.”  

Ladybug tilted her head. “Actually, I was changed, but not into a princess. Luckily, pun intended, I was transformed into a Mulan version of myself.”  

“Of course, she’s your perfect mirror.” Adrien said with one of his model smiles.  

Ladybug could see something was wrong. His smile wasn’t genuine; he looked a weird mix of worry and annoyed. “I want to ask you if you are okay, because I can see that you’re not, but I have to capture this akuma and change everyone back.”  

She caught me. “You’re right, I’m not. I’m worried about my friend, Marinette, and I can’t even leave my room to find her. My door is locked and none of my friends are responding.” Adrien felt as defeated as he looked. He hugged himself as he whispered. “I hope she’s okay.”  

Ladybug smiled at the comment. “She’s fine. I happened to see her when I tried to follow the akuma. She looks like she’s a warrior of some kind so I bet she’s safe from anyone endangering her.”  

Adrien relaxed at her words. “Do you mind getting me out of this tower? I want to check up on my other friends, too.”  

Ladybug nodded and reached out to grab him. He looked at her, then to his cat (When did he get a cat? Ladybug thought), and grabbed him before going back to Ladybug’s outstretched arm.  

Adrien smiled sheepishly. “I don’t go anywhere without him now. He’s my... he’s my companion cat! Yeah. Kind of like companion dogs, but I can’t have a dog, so I got a cat instead. Ha-ha, ha. Ha.”  

Ladybug tilted her head in confusion, shrugged it off, then with a flick of her wrist she whisked the three of them out his window. “Go find your friends. You’re sweet to think of them before yourself. Especially with 21 meters worth of hair trailing you.” She kissed his cheek. “You know, you are just as brave as Chat Noir. Never stop being brave.” She said as she whisked away.  

All of a sudden, a flash of white surrounded him. He was lifted off the ground and a loud crackle could be heard. A moment later, he was dropped back onto the ground with Plagg now floating in front of his face. Adrien got up and noticed his hair was now back to its normal length and the tower had changed back to the mansion.  

“Kissing breaks the spell?” He said as he turned to Plagg. Plagg shrugged his shoulders, not knowing where to go from here besides the obvious. “Doesn’t matter. I need to go find Ladybug. Plagg, claws out!”  

Ladybug scoured the vicinity as she watched the akuma work. She hears the tapping of Chat’s boots as he landed beside her. “Chat. I was worried about you. Did you get turned into an actual cat or something?”  

Chat rolled his eyes. “No, actually I was turned into a handsome prince, thank you very much. But I’m here now. It just took a while because my kwami had changed too. How about you, bugaboo?”  

“I was turned into Mulan. Tikki wasn’t affected since she was hanging out in the miracle box at the time. I was lucky with that. I could still change into Ladybug as soon as she zipped out of it.”  

Adrien sighed. “What have you figured out? I found out how to change someone back to normal.”  

“I figured out that the akuma is in her staff. See? She reminds me of Maleficent.” She furrowed her brows. “How do people change back?”  

“Kissing. Not sure if it’s true loves kiss, or just kissing in general, but I was able to transform back.”  

Ladybug felt a pang of jealousy. Shaking her head from the feeling, she whipped her yo-yo at a building near the akuma. “Come on, Chat. We have an akuma to beat.”  

After a half hour of battle, Marinette walked out of the bakery with a treat bag in her hand. She still looked despondent, still feeling the lingering sadness from yesterday along with the now lingering pang of jealousy. Why does this have to be so hard?  

“Marinette?” A voice called out from the gray sedan pulling up beside her. Adrien opened the door, not waiting for the car to come to a complete stop. “Hey.”  

“Hey,” Marinette said softly. “Grabbing a bite to eat?”  

“No. I actually came to talk to you. Wait, Marinette, what’s wrong? You didn’t get hurt during the akuma did you? Ladybug told me you were fine. I should have tried to find you. I’m so sorry.”  

Marinette looked at him with so much love. She pulled him into a hug, both to help stop his ramblings and just for even thinking of her like this. While it was still confusing, she couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling that was building up inside her.  

Adrien returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning his cheek on her head. “I’m here for as long as you need me.” They stayed there for a long time until Marinette felt comfortable enough to pull back.  

“Sorry. I just had a rough night. I didn’t sleep very well.”  

“I know the feeling.” Adrien said calmly. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”  

“No. But I’ll be okay eventually.” Adrien stared back at her knowingly. “I know I can come to you, but it’s something I have to figure out myself.”  

Adrien grasped her hand lightly, interlacing his fingers with hers. He waited a moment to see if she would pull back, especially since he now knew how she really felt about him. Adrien smiled when she didn’t pull away and asked if they could talk before school started. She agreed and made their way towards the school, hands still clasped together.  

His mind was clearer now. After the akuma, Adrien raced back home and finished getting ready and finally asked Plagg for advice. While it was all cheese metaphors, Plagg helped him understand his standpoint between the two girls. His fear of Marinette getting hurt by the akuma only contributed to his growing awareness of his love for her. Marinette was not second best. She was not an afterthought. Marinette came into his life and opened up his heart at the very moment he needed her to.  

Ladybug will always be his first love; that will never change or go away. She was the reason he understood what loving someone was. But Marinette gave him the chance to understand what loving someone who loves you back truly meant. She made him understand how to love all the bits and pieces of someone’s life that no one else in the world knows. She understands the power of freedom, the power or kindness, and the power of giving. She’s not afraid to show herself in her own Marinette way. She’s brave and beautiful and everything in between, and wanting to love and understand everything that hasn’t been shared with him yet will be like a treasure that has yet to be found.  

Adrien guided her to the bench and gestured for her to sit. “Do you want to sit?” Marinette nodded her head. As soon as she sat down, she pulled out a croissant and handed one to Adrien. “Is that your breakfast?”  

“I have an extra one in here. Please, take it.” She smiled. Adrien grabbed the croissant and nibbled at the end and she grabbed another for herself. “So, what did you want to talk about?”  

Adrien swallowed hard. “I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I should have never asked you to do the duet with me.” Marinette stopped eating and slowly laid the croissant down to her lap. Her head lopped down slightly and Adrien could see a tiny tear stroll down her cheek.  

“No, no! Marinette, no. Please don’t cry. That’s not what I meant.” Marinette refused to look up, afraid of what he was going to say next. He let out an exhaustive sigh. “No. What I mean is, I should have never asked you to do the duet with me as friends. I got so flustered yesterday that it came out all wrong.”  

Marinette finally had the courage to look up at him, her eyes red-rimmed from the heat of the unshed tears.  

Adrien pulled Marinette into a side hug, rubbing soothing circles up and down her arm. “What I’m trying to say is, I want to take you out on a proper date. Not one where we just sing and play against the tune of the piano. I want to take you out to dinner, maybe a movie, or walk the Seine or see the sights at the Eiffel Tower, and then maybe we could do the duet. But only if that’s what you want.”  

Marinette looked up at him in both wonder and confusion. “But... what about the other girl? You said you were in love with someone else when you drove me back home from the wax museum.”  

“Yes, I did say that. And that’s because I was in love with someone back then. As a matter of fact, I still do, but I love her as my best friend. You’ve managed to sneak into my heart in ways I never thought possible. You are absolutely beautiful inside and out. You have the heart of a saint, the patience of one too, and you are so caring and sweet. There are so many amazing qualities in you and I want to soak them all in and love every little piece of you for as long as you let me.” Marinette smiled as tears strolled down her face. Adrien grasped her hands and placed tender kisses to each of her knuckles. “So, Marinette? Will you go out with me and be my girlfriend?  

Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his. “Yes. I would love to go out with you.”  

And with that, Adrien cupped her cheek and nuzzled his nose against hers, a silent plea to kiss her soft lips. When she smiled, she bit her lip inviting him in. Closing the gap between them, Adrien started with a simple peck, but Marinette drawled it out longer until they were both lost in each other's warmth. The kisses felt like they were alone and far away from the world; the warmth of the sun and the slight breeze that surrounded them assisting in their fantasy getaway. The only thing that brought them back to the small bench on the side of the school building in Paris was the bell alerting them that class was about to begin.  

They pulled away, both smiling, both realizing that this was the right thing for them. They felt safe and warm and loved. There was no confusion, no desolation, and no torn hearts for other people. Just two people melded together at the right moment at the right time.  

“Come on, mon chérie,” Marinette said as she stood up, “or we’ll be late for class.”

[moonflower-31]

Confessions - Sabriel Rapunzel AU

Part 7 

Part 6 

Part 5 

Part 4 

Part 3 

Part 2 

Part 1 

As they walked down the tunnel, Gabriel walked behind Sam, summoning a torch when he wasn't looking. Then he ran back up to Sam's side.

"So... let me get this straight... what exactly is off limits for me to ask about?" He asks, giving Sam a confused look, glancing at Crowley who continuously gave him the stink eye.

Sam smiled and laughed a bit, pushing a strand behind his ear again. "Okay, well, just don't ask about anything that doesn't--consern you, alright?" He settles. Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"You gotta give me specifics. I already know your father is off-limits, can't talk about the hair cause you're like--crazy afraid someone will steal it or cut it," He starts. Sam nods as he mentions each one.

"Yep, those are definitely none of your buisness." He says, smirking a bit as he looked at him. "By the way how did you find a torch? This place is pretty pitch black." Sam asks, chuckling nervously.

Gabriel looked at him, slightly in a panic. "Oh... you know, just found one on the wall, used flint and steel, the hard ways of life." He insists.

Sam gave him another weird look, and was about to press the issue further. Until light began coming through the end of the tunnel they were coming from, and the sound of guards filtered in.

Gabriel widened his eyes and grabbed Sam by the hand. "No time for questions! Let's just go-!" He exclaimed, pulling Sam through the tunnel as he ran. Sure, he wanted to use his tired and unused wings, but again that would give it all away now wouldn't it?

Sam widened his eyes as he was pulled. "Wait what-?!" He called to Gabriel, feeling uneasy as he was pulled through the tunnel.

Gabriel ignored him and kept pulling him along until they saw more light and they exited the tunnel. Sam looked down, and almost shrieked when he realized how high up they were.

"Loki. You had better have a plan for this!" He exclaimed, looking at Gabriel with a panicked look. Sam rolled his eyes and gave Gabriel his frying pan.

"Just try not to die, please." He says before he launched his hair that he had begun to bundle up and swung to the other side of the canyon.

Gabriel widened his eyes at Sam. "You couldn't have taken me too?!" He exclaimed just as the guards, lead by Dean came through.

Dean grinned triumphantly. "I've waited a long, long time for this one. And you aren't even Loki, are you?" He teased, making Gabriel widen his eyes.

Gabriel panicked, and swung the frying pan, knocking Dean out cold. He let out a shocked laugh and looked back at the guards.

"This, is absolutely the strangest thing I've ever done!" He exclaimed, swinging it again as each guard came at him, knocking them each unconscious.

Once each of the guards were on the ground, Gabriel let out a chuckle. "Oh father I have got to get me one of these!!" He exclaimed, before he heard a neigh sound beside him. He gripped the frying pan in his hand and aimed it at the incoming threat.

Then his triumphant smile faded to one that expressed 'Oh shit-' as he saw the horse, the one who could freaking talk, with a knife in his mouth.

Gabriel gulped and began to fight with the pan, smacking against the horse's jaw and face and its blade. The horse was much more matched though, as when he swung, he knocked the pan straight out of Gabriel's hand.

Immediately Gabriel held up his hand in defeat as the horse held the knife in his face.

"Loki-!" Sam called, before tossing his hair over to Gabriel. "Grab on!" He exclaimed.

Gabriel smirked, and gestured with his hand 'adios' to the horse as he was pulled to the water filter lines. He immediately began to run down them, in which the horse then followed.

"Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-" Gabriel cursed as he felt the filter lines under him begin to heave under his weight.

"Curse all of those cupcakes-!" He swore as the lines finally fell, and the canyon began to fill with water from the dam that the filters were collecting it from.

Sam jumped from the ledge he was at and heaved Gabriel away from the wreckage. "You're gojng to drown you idiot!" he yelled at him. Gabriel rolled his eyes. He knew that he himself wasn't going to drown. But Sam was.

Gabriel grunted as he ran, pulling Sam close to him and holding his waist. "Now you're going to also! What were you thinking?!" He exclaimed as he kept  running.

Behind him, a familiar face called out a different name than what Sam knew. "Gabriel!" He called.

Gabriel cursed under his breath. "Fuck, let's just get the hell out of here-!" He called.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "B-but who does he mean by G-Gabriel-!" He asked, not being able to finish his question as Gabriel tugged him forward.

Sam's feet were beginning to ache from running without any foot coverage. He knew he wouldn't be able to run much farther. He surveyed the canyon, searching for a way out when he found a small cavern at the edge.

The water was quickly approaching, so they had no choice and no time to test and see if the cavern was deep. Sam pointed at the cave, and Gabriel nodded, running towards it as fast as he could. At least as fast as his vessel could.

A large column of rock began to tumble towards them from the strength of the water pushing it forward. They reached the cave with seconds to spare, with Sam tugging the rest of his hair into the cave and Gabriel snatching up the frying pan that had been swept back to them. As soon as he grabbed the frying pan and pulled it back, the rock collided with the cave's entrance, trapping the three inside.

Crowley curled up in Sam's hair, shivering from fear. Sam was pressed against the back of the cave, and cursed as he couldn't find an immediate way out.

Gabriel sighed as he pressed his hand over a few of the rocks, trying to sense and see if they would lead to their way out. As he did so, he pulled at rocks, trying to see if maybe his grace would work better if he were closer to the surface. In doing so he scrapped his hand, making him hiss and pull his hand back in pain.

"Shit-" he cursed, holding his hand. Sam frowned at his hand, and began to think of how to tell him that he can heal him. Then the water began to fill the cavern up. Slowly, but still entering through the cracks the rock had left.

Gabriel cursed again, knowing he had to save Sam from this watery prison. He took a deep breath for simplicity and dove under the deep, dark and musty water, unable to find anything.

He cursed again and came back up to the surface, wincing at his cut hand. Sam leaned against the wall, feeling terrible and defeated.

Sam watched Gabriel with a sad look. He already knew it was no use. But he was going to try anyway.

Sam took a big gulp of air and tried to search under the rising water for an exit. Gabriel widened his eyes, panicking for Sam's safety as he pulled him back up.

"It's no use, Sam. The water is pitch black. You can't see anything." He assures Sam in a calmer voice. Gabriel got a bit confused. Why now? Was it because after so long of pretending to be human his head was telling him he was going to die? Was he finally admitting to something he refused to acknowledge? No, no he wasn't. Angels didn't love humans. It was crazy. Wasn't it?

Sam slightly sobbed, leaning against Gabriel with a hiccup in his chest. "I'm sorry... I never should have left my stupid tower... then you wouldn't..." Sam whimpers, tears running down his cheeks.

Gabriel felt something halt in his chest, a feeling maybe. He hesitantly wrapped an arm around Sam, holding him close to his frame and sighing, looking down at the rapidly rising water. So this was it. This was going to be his end. He'd spend forever down here because the water wasn't going to go away and it was too dark to see anything. He was going to waste away here with Sam withering away with him.

Was it too late for confessions?

Gabriel tilted Sam's chin up from where he had been hunched down in the water. "Hey... since... since this is kinda the end for me, I wanted you to know I..." he started. He was going to be here forever. No one would find out.

Sam wiped his eyes and stood up again, holding onto Gabriel. "You what?" He asks, sniffling.

Gabriel let out a sigh before he finally continued. "My real name isn't Loki. I... I'm not even human. My name is Gabriel." He confessed, closing his eyes shamefully. He felt bad for keeping this from Sam all of a sudden. Was it really that much of a burden on him? He guessed so.

Sam chuckled sadly, holding onto Gabriel still and sniffling. "Well... no one else is gonna know, right?" He asks in a sad laugh. Gabriel smiled mournfully and nodded.

"I... I have magic hair that glows when I sing." He admits, looking down at the rising water. Gabriel gives Sam a bewildered look.

"Wait... what?" He asks, squeezing Sam closer. Sam widened his eyes, looking at Gabriel as he realized with a smile.

"I have--magic hair that glows when I sing!" He reiterates in an exclaimation. He looks down at the water that was now at his shoulders and began to sing the spell as the water finally rose above their heads.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine-" he sang quickly before taking in a large gulp of air before the water engulfed them.

A few seconds pass before a golden glow can be seen in the water. Gabriel lets out a bit of his air he had taken in in surprise. Sam forced his eyes open, and looked for where they could maybe find a way out.

Thats when he saw his hair being drawn towards an area of rocks that seemed looser than the others. Sam gave Gabriel a look before he swam towards the cluster of rocks and began pulling the rocks away, clearing an opening.

Gabriel hissed a bit as his hand got more irritated. He'd have to heal it when they reached the surface. Sam took over and started to pull the rocks away faster, and finally reached the other side, his arm pushing through.

After a good long and hard push from both of them, the wall of rocks caved in, and the three were launched out of the cavern.

Gasping, they both heaved themselves onto the shore. Sam looked over at Gabriel and raised an eyebrow as he panted. "I-I thought you weren't...weren't human, how come you need air?" He chuckled weakily.

Gabriel glared at him in annoyance as he pulled himself back onto the ground, offering Sam his hand. Sam took it and Gabriel pulled him onto the grass.

"Hey, pretending to be human for so long, you kinda have habits you can't get rid of." He explains, pulling Sam over and away from the water.

Gabriel takes a seat on a fallen log, and starts to manually dry his clothes with his grace.

Sam glances over at him as he wrings out his hair one portion at a time. "You know, I could use a bit of help over here." He teased. Gabriel rolled his eyes and faced his cut hand towards Sam, and began to try and use his grace.

Sam instead scooted himself closer, taking Gabriel's hand in his. "Wait, just... let me do this, okay?" He asks. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do?" He asks. He looks down and sees Crowley curl up in Sam's hair, almost expectant.

Sam sighed and looked up into Gabriel's eyes. "Look, my hair... it doesn't just glow." He starts. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, shaking his head in confusion.

Sam sighed and wrapped Gabriel's hand in his hair. He didn't care that Crowley had been in his hair. Though the rat had never actually done it before.

"Just... please, you said you aren't human so, don't freak out, alright?" He says, giving Gabriel a wary look.

Gabriel mouths a 'what' before Sam starts to sing again, forcing him to be quiet.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine," he starts, the roots of his hair beginning to glow. Gabriel widens his eyes again, thankful to be able to see the magic in person and without being on Death's dinner plate.

"Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine," Sam continues, more of his hair taking on the golden glow. "Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design," he sings, closing his eyes as he sang. Almost like he'd had to do this over and over again. A thousand times.

"Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine." He finishes, and then looks up at Gabriel, taking his hair off of his hand, which now had no sign of ever being cut in the first place.

Gabriel widened his eyes, and almost began to freak out at how in the hell a human had that ability, when he looked behind Sam, and immediately stood up, pulling him behind him. A figure had been standing behind him, a rather rounded figure.

"I said don't freak out-oh my god what is that?!" Sam exclaimed, hiding behind Gabriel.

"You really don't recognize me, Moose? Of course I am missing the little pink tail and buck teeth. Would you like me to squeak for you?" A british accent asks, the figure stepping over to them. Into the light steps a man who was now dressed in a suit-like attire with a red tie to match. He had a black beard that wasn't too long, and his hairline was receeding.

Sam tilted his head in confusion, stepping forward. "C-crowley?" He asks. The man smirked and rang an invisible bell.

"We have a winner, this one. Yes, I was your little rat friend. Your 'father' cursed me. I was just trying to help you." He says in an annoyed voice.

Sam still stood there in shock. This was really Crowley? The rat that always gave him advice? Perhaps.

Sam then smiled at Crowley, pulling him into a tight hug.

Crowley let out a sound of discomfort, and waited for Sam to stop the hug. "Thank you... well, I'm not one for affection, sorry." He admits, running a hand up and down his suit.

Sam broke the hug and rubbed his neck. "S-sorry... I just... I never knew. I would have helped you sooner if I did." He says.

Crowley shrugged. "There is only so much you can say when you are a two toothed rodent that only eats cheese." He says, looking over at Gabriel.

Gabriel was still in disbelief, running a hand through his own hair. "So-so you're like... you were cursed?" He asks.

Crowley rolls his eyes. "Yes, how many times must I say it?" He asks, gesturing at him. "For an angel you are really stupid." He says.

Sam does a double take and looks between Gabriel and Crowley. "A-an angel?" He asks.

Gabriel rubbed his neck. "Told ya I wasn't human." He admits. Sam puts his head in his hands and shook his head.

"Okay... lets... lets just build a fire. We need to settle in for the night anyway." He says, looking back up at Gabriel.

Gabriel winked and nodded. "Sure thing." He says, snapping his fingers and building a fire out of thin air.

Sam rolled his eyes and looked at the fire Gabriel just conjured out of thin air. This was all too much. The flame was real, he checked as soon as the fire came into existance.

Gabriel took a seat again. "So, are we asking questions now? Cause I got one for you Moose." He says, looking at Sam.

Sam looked up from the fire and away from his thoughts. "Hm? What?" He asks. Crowley narrowed his eyes at Gabriel, wary of what he was going to ask.

Gabriel cleared his throat at Crowley's stare, gulping for a moment. "Anyway... Sam, what's with that one brown strand of hair? Its like, the only part that didn't glow when you sang." He asks. Crowley growled and Sam put a hand on his shoulder to assure him Gabriel wasn't in the wrong.

"Well... when I was young, my father told me some people tried to cut my hair when I was born. And when they did..." he stopped, pulling the strand into his lap. "It turned dark brown. It lost its power. So he resolved to keeping me in the tower. To keep me and this gift safe." He explains, running his hand through the darker strand.

Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but as his eyes trailed up he gulped. He cleared his throat and stood up. "You know what? I'm... I'm gonna go get some more fire wood. Crowley, come with me. I could use the help." He says, and soon after walks away, Crowley behind him, grumbling in annoyance.

Sam smiled at Gabriel as he walked away, before he heard a rustle behind him.