#The idea behind this was just “what if they had to do a cinderella play?” and then I found it funny so I wrote it.

[avis-and-panda]

Mock Cinderella Play 

“What?!” Elora yelled in indignation. The others in the club room grimaced at the shout. 

“It’s not as bad as it could have been.” Frederick said as he shrugged. 

“‘Not as bad as it could have been’?” Benjamin asked as he eyed Frederick in disbelief, “I got the Fairy Godmother! The Fairy Godmother! How am I supposed to pull that off?!” 

“I demand we go again.” Kenneth stated with a displeased frown. 

Multiple sighs and groans sounded throughout the room. 

It all started just earlier that day, when Felix Fronius, Elora O’Riain, and Frederick Atonal were assigned to do a Cinderella play for the festival that was taking place in their school, Kuran Private High School. 

They started recruiting actors, first going to two of their friends from a freshman class and their club, Benjamin Adley and Chika Kubo. 

The three of them then started recruiting those they knew personally. Felix asked his roommate, Daniel Dalisay, and Elora her cousin, Kenneth Haight, who was in his junior year. Frederick tried asking some people but got rejected for one reason or another. 

Luckily, Kenneth was part of the student council and was able to convince a couple of other members, Kikka Lebedev and Marnie Lusk. 

Having finally gathered enough people, they were all ushered into their club room, where they decided to just draw lots to discern who got which role. 

Which was, apparently, a terrible idea. 

“Look, I know the results are less than favorable, but we’re gonna have to deal, okay?” Kikka said with a frown, “The play is in a week, and we must not only memorize our lines but get our costumes together and stuff. We don’t have time to fight over our roles.” 

“She’s right!” Marnie agreed with an encouraging smile, “If we just practice, I’m sure we’ll be able to get our roles down, no matter how unfavorable they are! That’s the beauty of acting, after all. Saying and doing things without meaning it!” 

Everybody made a face at the weird take on acting but no other objections were made. 

Benjamin sighed, “It certainly doesn’t help that the only person who actually knows how to act has the one role that doesn’t require acting.” He muttered. Everyone promptly turned to look at Felix, who had drawn the role of “narrator”. 

“What’s with the looks? It’s not my fault you all got bad draws.” The red head said with an unimpressed tone, completely unbothered by the situation, which only prompted more sighs of frustration. 

“I get that we can’t really complain,” Elora admitted, frustration clear on her features, “after all, we did decide to draw lots. But you can’t expect me to act like I’m in love with Kenneth.” She sharply pointed at the man in question, “He’s my cousin!” 

Frederick cringed and nodded, “Yeah, that’s a fair point.” 

“So, are we drawing again or not?” Daniel asked, “I mean, I’m actually quite happy with who I got.” He showed them the paper, which read “King”. 

Kikka sighed, “It’s true that it’ll be a little awkward for the two of you to act as the romantic couple,” she gestured to the two cousins, “But it’s only you two and Ben who got bad roles.” The others murmured agreements and nodded. 

Elora and Kenneth still looked unhappy as they eyed each other in mild disgust. 

“What if we just… rewrote it?” Surprisingly, Felix was the one who asked the question. 

Everybody turned to him, intrigued. 

He shrugged, “What if we just rewrote the play so we don’t have to do anything we’re uncomfortable with? It’s not like Dick gave us rules we had to follow or anything.” 

That was true. Dick, the teacher who assigned them the play, only said to try and make it entertaining, which, while obvious, wasn’t at all encouraging if that’s what he was trying to convey. 

“So, you’re suggesting that we just rewrite it to our will?” Kenneth asked, skeptically. 

“Why not?” Felix responded, “As long as the basic setting and characters are still there, I don’t see a problem. Dick did say to make it interesting, and if you ask me, the original is getting a little boring.” He said with a smirk. 

Frederick made a considering noise as he thought it over. 

“Yeah… Why not?” Frederick grinned, “That’s actually not a bad idea. Thanks Felix!” He commended, beaming at the red head. 

Felix blinked, “Thanks? What do you mean ‘actually’—” 

“So, who should rewrite it then?” Chika said. 

“Lusk is part of the newspaper club.” Kenneth informed, “She’s one of their best writers. I’m sure she could whip something up right away.” His tone was almost proud. The girl in question blushed but nodded as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. 

“Then it’s decided!” Chika chirped happily, “We’ll rewrite the story to fit our needs and make the most unique Cinderella play Mr. Dick’s ever seen!” 

Several cheers are sounded throughout the room. 

- 

One week later, the teenagers were all gathered backstage in the school gym, where a theater was set up.  

“Okay, we only have fifteen minutes ‘til showtime, so let’s do one last check-up!” Kikka ordered, “Costumes?” 

“Check!” Elora shouted in response. 

“Props?” 

“All handmade and ready to go!” Chika confirmed with a mock salute. 

“Half-baked, last-minute acting skills?” 

“Uuh, define ‘acting skills?’” Ben asked nervously before Frederick elbowed him and gave Kikka a reassuring smile, “Check!” 

“Great.” Kikka grinned, “Not the best theater troupe you’ve ever seen, but not bad all things considered!” 

“I just hope the audience will like it.” Marnie said with a nervous smile. 

“The only one you need to worry about liking it is me.” A male voice suddenly spoke, causing everyone to pause and turn to see Advik Dixit, or Dick as the students had ever so lovingly dubbed him. Not that they ever called him that to his face. 

“Mr. Dix!” Elora called in surprise before narrowing her eyes and huffing in faux irritation, “You here to make sure we don’t mess up or something? What, you don’t think we can handle a play on our own?” 

“In all honesty, no I don’t.” Advik stated blankly, “I’m only here so I can get a closer look backstage. It would make it easier to grade you.” 

Frederick nodded in understanding, “That makes se—Wait, we’re being graded?!” 

Felix glared at the teacher, “You didn’t say anything about that.” 

Advik raised an eyebrow, “I figured I didn’t need to. It says so on the papers I gave you three.” 

Elora whipped around to look for the information papers he gave them, “But I thought—” 

“Five minutes left!” Kikka announced, causing everyone to pause and then focus on double checking that they were prepared to go on stage. 

“One minute!” 

“That’s our cue!” Chika said, quickly pushing Elora to the stage. 

The latter quickly scrambled to the stage, where the lights were already dimming. 

The play started and the lights on the stage turned on to reveal a girl in rags mopping the floor of a mansion. The sparkly decorations and lavish furniture was a drastic difference compared to the girl’s dirty appearance.  

“Once upon a time, there was girl named Cinderella,” Felix narrated into a microphone off to the side, “This girl was a beautiful maiden that, despite the dirty rags she adorned every day, lit up every room with her mere presence.” 

Elora, as Cinderella, was indeed pretty with her long silky blue hair and purple eyes. 

“However, Cinderella was constantly abused by her stepmother and stepsisters, who were jealous of her beauty.” 

Elora abruptly paused her mopping, “Abused?” she mused to herself, “Nah, it’s more like the irritating buzzing of three pompous flies who can’t take care of themselves. If I didn’t clean this place, who would?” 

“The fourth wall does not appreciate the beating, Cinderella.” 

The girl rolled her eyes in response before jumping at the sound of a very loud “CINDERELLA!!” coming from the side. 

She glared as Chika, as Anastasia, came running to her, out of breath and in a panic. 

“Anastasia.” Elora greeted in a bored tone, “Is there something wrong?” 

“Oh, it’s terrible!” Chika, exclaimed, “A mouse! A mouse in my room! Oh, you must take care of it, Cinderella! You were always the best at these kinds of jobs.” 

“Don’t you mean the only one with the nerve to do the dirty work? It’s been like this since we were kids.” 

“And that’s how it should be.” Another female voice had cut in.  

Marnie, as Drizella, walked in from Elora’s other side. 

“As the house-maid, you are the only one responsible for chasing away vermin.” She said in a pompous tone. 

Elora huffed, “I am not a maid, I’m just the only competent person here.” 

Marnie looked insulted, “The only one?! You—”  

“Truly evil, as you can see.” Felix narrated in a dry tone as the two fought, “This continued through the rest of the morning until a knock came from the door.” Right on cue, a knocking sound came from somewhere offstage, catching the attention of the three girls immediately. 

“I’ll get it.” Elora said as she walked away from sight. 

“Good morning, miss.” Said a disembodied voice. 

“Good morning. How may I help you?” Elora replied. 

“A message from the king, miss. He wants every eligible maiden to attend a ball to celebrate the prince’s return from overseas.” 

“A ball?” the girl asked, thinly veiled excitement in her voice, “And we’re invited?” 

“Well, yes, as long as you’re not already romantically involved with someo—” 

“Are you kidding me? We’ll be there.” Elora assured the messenger. Not a second later, the girl ran back to the others. 

“Did you hear?” she asked, grinning widely. 

“Of course, we heard!” Chika exclaimed, “We’ve been invited to a ball!” 

“And to meet the prince.” Marnie reminded them, smile hidden behind her hand. 

“Oh, who cares?” Elora dismissed, “We get to go to a ball!” 

“We?” A voice cut in. Kikka, as the stepmother, walked in behind them. 

“And who said you were attending, Cinderella?” The woman asked, a stern look on her face. 

“Well, why not?” Elora snapped, “You can’t stop me from going.” 

“I can and I will.” Kikka declared. Elora ground her teeth and opened her mouth to shout but was cut off. 

“Unless, that is, you can get the house completely cleaned before we leave.” 

“Completely?” The maiden asked in disbelief, “You can’t be serious! We live in a mansion! You can’t expect me to finish cleaning the whole house in mere hours! It takes days on average!” 

“I suppose you better hurry then.” The mother snidely remarked before turning away, “Come on girls, we need to get your dresses ready for the ball.” 

The stepsisters hesitated, but ultimately followed their mother with a “good luck” from Anastasia and an apologetic glance from Drizella. 

“And so, Cinderella was left to clean, knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to finish before the ball, let alone obtain an appropriate dress.” 

The stage grows dark, leaving a stricken Elora in its wake. 

After a minute, the stage lights up again, revealing Elora on the floor, absentmindedly scrubbing the floor. 

“What to do, what to do…” The girl muttered to herself, “It’s been hours, and I still haven’t finished… Mum and my sisters have already left…” She huffed irritably and stood up. 

“At this point, I might as well just finish cleaning tomorrow. I’m not going to the ball anyway, so what��s the point?!” 

“Not so fast!” 

Elora shrieked as a figure suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke in front of her. 

“Who are you?!” She screamed as she fell back to the floor. 

“I am your Fairy Godfather!” Benjamin, as the Fairy Godfather, explained. 

Elora stared in confusion, “My… what?” 

“Your Fairy Godfather. You know, your godfather that’s a fairy?” He explained, as if it was obvious. 

Elora just stared at him incredulously, “Aren’t you a little… young to be my godfather?” 

“Never mind that.” The boy dismissed with a wave of his hand, “The point is, I’m a fairy, and I can help you.” 

“Help me?” she asked, intrigued. 

“Yep. You want to go to the ball, correct?” 

“Yes!” She confirmed, jumping up from her spot on the floor. 

“Then I might have a solution for that.” 

Elora tilted her head to the side in confusion before two strips of cloth shot out from the side of the stage and started dragging the girl away. 

“Eh?! Wha— Fairy Godfather!!” The strips dragged her away kicking and screaming as Benjamin watched passively. 

“The Fairy Godfather cast his spell to turn Cinderella’s dirty rags into a beautiful gown.” 

Elora was all but shoved back onstage, tripping on her feet and faceplanting on the ground. 

“Ow…” she groaned, collecting herself off the floor. 

“Very good, now, you’ll be taking this carriage here.” The boy instructed as a carriage rolled onto the stage. Elora’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“A carriage?!” 

“Did you think the one your family took earlier was the only carriage you owned?”  Benjamin said with a judging look, “What, you thought I was gonna whip up a little convoy for you? Turn one of these oversized gourds your family doesn’t eat into a carriage? My godchild, that’s above my pay grade. This will do.” 

She had the decency to least-wise look a little sheepish, “I don’t really use them…” 

The boy sighed, “Just… get in the carriage. We’ve wasted enough time already.” 

Elora nodded and hurried into it. 

“Off you go now!” Benjamin said as the carriage started rolling back off the stage, “Oh, and by the way, you only have until midnight before the spell wears off and you’ll be wearing rags again. So, about an hour.” 

“An hour?!” she exclaimed right before she was removed from view. 

The stage darkened again before it lit up a minute later, revealing Kenneth, as the Prince, sitting in a chair as he idly drank from a cup. 

“Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the ball was thriving in the King’s castle. However, the Prince wasn’t all too enthusiastic about it, sulking in the corner as he was.” 

“I’m not sulking.” Kenneth refuted irritably, “And I’m not in a corner. I’m sitting at a table in the middle of the room.” He glared at Felix, who was hidden off to the side of the stage. Though their audience couldn’t see it, Felix glared back at him. 

“You may not be in a corner, but you are sulking. Now stop going off-script.” He snapped. 

Kenneth turned away with a huff, continuing to glower off in the distance. 

“Your highness.” Said a voice, catching Kenneth’s attention. Frederick, as the Grand Duke, walked up to him, stature and voice formal. 

“It’s been hours since the ball had officially started, and yet you’ve barely talked to anyone. May I ask why?” 

Kenneth shrugged, “Nobody’s caught my eye.” 

The other sighed, “Your highness, your father explicitly requested that you find a bride tonight. If he found out you’ve made no effort—” 

“What am I supposed to do?” Kenneth snapped harshly, “Walk up to a random girl and ask for a dance?” 

Frederick gave him a look, “That is exactly what you’re supposed to do.” 

Flushing lightly, Kenneth looked away, drinking more from his cup. 

“Oh, come on, son!” Said another man, who walked onto the stage and stood next to the Kenneth. Frederick bowed, saying “Your majesty” in greeting. 

Daniel, as the King, took one look around the room, “My, there’s quite an abundance of pretty, single, woman here tonight! Why don’t you talk to them?” 

Kenneth glared at him, “You’re speaking as if they’re displays at the market.” He scolded, “Stop that. And I already told you, I’m not going to just marry any pretty woman you throw at me. Marriage is the endgame of what should be slow process.” 

“In other words, he wants to marry a woman he falls in love with, not one you picked off the street.” Frederick explained. 

Kenneth flushed further and glared at the man, to which the latter only shrugged in response. 

“But son,” Daniel started with a sigh, putting both hands on Kenneth’s shoulders, “You’re not gonna find someone to date if you don’t talk to them, and that’s exactly what you’re avoiding.” 

“I’m not going to find love by looking for it.” Kenneth said, “I want our first meeting to go naturally, not enforced.” 

Just then, Both Chika and Marnie walked up to them, smiles polite and nervous. 

“Good evening, your highness.” Marnie bowed gracefully, prompting Chika to follow, “How are you, this fine night?” 

Kenneth stared at her for a moment before answering, “I’m doing well, this evening. And you?” 

“Delightful.” She answered and then paused, a hesitant glance at Chika, before looking the man in the eye with determination. 

“Me and my sister here have been itching to dance for a while now.” She batted her eyes, “But I’m afraid we haven’t found any partners.” 

Kenneth visibly straightened, already offering his hand, “Then would you—” 

“Oh my, look at her!” Said a voice from behind them. All five of them turned around to see Elora at the back of the stage perusing around the props. Multiple disembodied voices continued to sing her praises, the girl completely oblivious to them. 

“She is quite pretty.” Kenneth noted as Daniel smiled widely. 

“That she is!” He exclaimed before turning to Kenneth and all but shoving the man towards her, “In fact! I think you should go ask her for a dance!” 

“Wha—?! But I was—” 

“Come on! Just one dance?” Daniel looked straight in Kenneth’s eyes with the most pleading gaze he could muster. 

In the end, the man couldn’t resist them, and said yes. 

Kenneth walked up to the blue-haired girl, ignoring the disappointed look on Marnie’s face. 

“Excuse me, miss?” He called, catching Elora’s attention, “Would you like a dance?” 

The girl gave him a once over and turned away. 

“No thanks.” She dismissed easily. 

Kenneth blinked, before calmly turning to Daniel, “She rejected me.” He stated. 

Daniel had his head in his hand and Frederick looked like he was holding back laughter. 

“Wow, the most beautiful maiden here, but she’s unfortunately quite blasé...” The brunette said in amusement, his formal stature cracking. 

Kenneth rolled his eyes, “She is indeed, quite pretty, but she’s hardly the most beautiful.” He then turned back to Marnie, who visibly brightened by his attention, until a hand grabbed his wrist, prompting him to look back and see Elora standing there. 

“Excuse you?” The girl asked, shaking slightly, “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” She looked Kenneth in the eyes, hot anger burning inside her own. 

“I didn’t say you were ugly.” He stated with a frown, “In fact, quite the opposite. Are you so conceited that you can’t stand for anything less than praise?” 

That just made the girl glare harder, “You didn’t have to say it in such a rude way!” 

The man’s gaze turned irritated, “You rejected me barely a second after I requested a dance.” 

“Are you so cocky you couldn’t have imagined a girl would reject you?” 

The two glared at each other for a moment. 

“C-come on you two…” Daniel started, trying to placate the argument, “Maybe you could settle this over a game or something? In fact, it’s almost time for the midnight dance! You two could dance together to see who’s better!” 

At the mention of midnight, Elora gasped and glanced at the clock, only to see that at that moment it was 11:50. All the while, Kenneth shot down Daniel’s idea, saying it would be ridiculous to dance with someone you didn’t even like. 

“As much as I would like to continue this delightful conversation,” She started, suddenly yanking her hand from his wrist and backing away, “But I have to leave now. I don’t have time for silly squabbles.” She turned away and dashed towards the food table, grabbing an assortment of treats, before running away in a very non-lady-like manner.  

Kenneth jolted at her actions and looked offended, “You’re the one who started this ‘silly squabble’!” He shouted incredulously as she ran away. The man huffed irritably as he walked back to the others. 

 “Well, that was weird.” Daniel commented, “So, what’d you think?” 

“She’s a beauty but it isn’t nearly enough to make up for that personality.” Kenneth scoffed. 

“If you say so.” Daniel sighed, “However, I would still like to—” he turned around, only to see that the blue-haired girl had left. The clock’s bells rang, announcing that it was midnight. 

“Cinderella ran away that night, her identity a mystery and no clues as to who she could have been, much to the King’s disappointment. However, the Prince and Drizella danced through the night, only leaving the other’s side when the girls had to head back home.” 

True enough, Kenneth asked Marnie for a dance, and she eagerly agreed. They danced on stage for a bit before Chika tapped Marnie’s shoulder. 

“I’m afraid we have to leave, sister.” Chika said with an apologetic smile. 

“Oh…” Marnie looked disappointed, “That’s my cue then. It was lovely to meet you, your highness.” She pulled away and started to follow the other girl, only to be stopped by a hand on her wrist. 

“Wait!” Kenneth called, “What’s your name?” 

Marnie looked surprised but smiled in delight, “Drizella.” She answered simply before finally leaving. 

The stage darkened once more, lighting up again to reveal Elora and her family at the dinner table, drinking tea. A knock was heard from somewhere offstage. 

“I’ll get it.” Elora announced as she stood up and walked towards the noise. 

“Good morning miss. May we come in?” Said a male voice. Elora watched in surprise as Frederick walked onstage, along with Kenneth. Once Elora met eyes with Kenneth, the two stared at each other for a moment in stunned silence. 

“IT’S YOU!?!?” They both shouted, pointing at each other incredulously. 

“You’re that stuck-up prince!” Elora yelled. 

“Stuck-up—Excuse me?!” Kenneth yelled back indignantly, “Says that rude little maiden who couldn’t take an off-handed comment about your looks!” 

“Oh, I’ll show you ‘little’—” 

“With all do respect, but you two realize that you have an audience?” Frederick suddenly interrupted, exasperated. 

Elora and Kenneth paused their bickering and slowly turned to face Elora’s step-family, who were silently watching in shock. 

“Y-your highness!?” Marnie exclaimed, standing up and bowing, “To what do we owe the pleasure?” 

Kenneth cleared his throat and collected himself before both him and Frederick bowed as well. 

“Excuse us for our intrusion.” Kenneth apologized. 

“Oh, not at all!” Kikka responded as she and Chika stood up as well. 

Kenneth cleared his throat once more, “I could have come later, but I wanted to do this as soon as possible.” He then got down on one knee in front of Marnie and pulled out a small box, everyone held their breath in anticipation, “Miss Drizella, would you go…” He opened the box, “Go out on a date with me?” 

“A date?!” everyone exclaimed. In the box was a small hydrangea brooch. 

“Wait, so you’re not going to ask her to marry you?” Chika asked in bewilderment. 

Kenneth gave her a look, “I’ve only met her hours ago. Of course, I’m not going to ask her to marry me.” 

“But—You—You got on your knees and everything!” The blonde defended herself. 

“I admit, it was little misleading.” Frederick remarked. Rolling his eyes, Kenneth turned his gaze back to Marnie. 

“Do you accept my offer, miss?” 

Marnie immediately dropped to her knees and hugged Kenneth, sobbing and shouting “Yes!” multiple times. 

“The heart-warming sight inspired the others to cheer and celebrate the new relationship. Everyone hugging each other in pure happiness.” 

True to his word, the others cheered and praised the new couple, throwing flower petals—Which they got from seemingly nowhere—into the air and embracing each other. 

Amidst the chaos, Elora crouched beside Kenneth, “Break her heart and I’ll break your legs.” She whispered in a threatening tone. 

“I’d like to see you try.” He replied with an unimpressed glare, but then tilted his head in consideration, “…But if I do break her heart, I’d let you.” 

The girl gave him a small smile and nodded. The three of them stood up and they all faced the audience. 

“And so, the Prince and Drizella started dating and the King could rest easy knowing his son was in a stable relationship. As for Cinderella and Anastasia, they moved away some years later and built their own lives. As the years passed, the couple fell more in love, and eventually got married. They all lived happily ever after. The end.” 

The audience cheered as the actors present bowed, followed by Benjamin and Daniel who ran onstage to bow as well. Eventually, they got off the stage and the gym’s lights turned on, signaling the audience to leave. 

“That was so fun!” Chika cheered backstage. Several cries of agreement responded. 

“I’m pretty sure I was shaking the entire time…” Marnie admitted as she sighed in relief, “You think anyone noticed?” 

“I think you did wonderfully.” Kenneth reassured her with a hand on her shoulder. Marnie smiled and nodded gratefully. 

“For a play put together by teenagers, I admit it wasn’t that bad.” Advik commented off-handedly. 

“Soo, what grade did we get?” Elora asked their teacher, grinning brightly. 

“I’m not grading it now. You three will get your grades after the festival is over.” 

“Wait, so, what do we get?” Kenneth asked, gesturing to himself, and the five others who helped them with the play. 

“Well, since the six of you weren’t assigned the project in the first place, I can’t give you a grade.” Advik stated with an unbothered shrug, “And whether or not you get extra points for it is up to your own teachers.” 

“So, we get no compensation?” Kikka asked. 

“I believe that’s up to them.” Advik gestured to his three students before walking away, deciding he had better things to do. 

“…How about we take you all out to dinner?” Frederick suggested after an awkward silence had settled over them. 

“Sounds great!” Chika agreed. 

Later that evening, the group found themselves in a French restaurant, lively with chatter, and squeezed around a table. 

“I can’t believe we didn’t realize it was graded…” Frederick commented idly. 

“Yeah, and I suppose we did see that grading rubric he put on those assignment papers.” Elora huffed as she bitterly took another bite of her food, “But I just thought it was there so we’d know what was expected of the play!” 

“Well, this school is known for taking it’s extra-curricular activities stupidly seriously.” Felix commented, “Really, we should have known better.” 

“I suppose it was a good thing we followed the rubric regardless of whether it was graded or not.” Marnie laughed. As the one assigned to writing the play, she’d been given the rubric as something to base off of. 

“Thank God you weren’t foolish enough to ignore the rubric completely.” Kikka sighed, “I’m honestly glad I’m not actually being given a grade.” 

“Here, here!” Daniel yelled in a mock cheer. 

The group laughed and chatted until they’d finished their food and it was time to leave.  

“You know, all things considered, I had a lot of fun being in the play!” Chika stated as they walked back to their dorms. 

“Yeah.” Frederick laughed in agreement, “I suppose, in the end, all that matters is that we enjoyed it.” 

[byeoltoyuki]

hii could you please write a lee know x reader parenting series where they are like married and have a one month old baby 😭 my mind goes crazy everytime i think about minho as a dad

Hello sweet anon! A serie would be a big thing and even if I love the idea, I sadly don't have enough time to write it since I have already so much on my wiplist ;_; Now that being said, I still wrote a small drabble because I also live for dad Minho. I changed the age to six months, it was easier for me this way :). Hopefully you'll like it ♥

genre: established relationship / fluff overload /

***

“No one shall be my wife but she whose foot this golden slipper fits.” Minho read out loud, Minji nicely placed on his laps. He didn’t think it could possibly calm his six months old baby, she was too young, and yet it was doing a rather good job. She stopped crying the moment he started reading, doing his best to put as many emotions as he could into his voice. He tried to adapt along with the characters he played. And Minji? She seemed to love that as she giggled loudly every time his voice changed.

So he kept reading, stopping from time to time just so he could kiss the crown of Minji’s head.

“This also is not the right one,” said he, “have you no other daughter?” “No” said the man “There is still a little stunted kitchen-wench which my late wife left behind her, but she cannot possibly be the bride.”

Minho had to stop the urge to close the book. Fairy tales were not his cup of tea, especially those with princesses that needed to be saved. Clearly, Cinderella wasn’t a princess but definitely one young, lovely woman that needed some serious saving. He wasn’t fond of that. Yet, for the sake of his own daughter’s entertainment, he kept reading.

“That is the true bride!” The step-mother and the two sisters were terrified and became pale with rage; he, however, took Cinderella on his horse and rode away with her.

“Nope.” Minho closed the book and pushed it away from him. “I can’t. That some serious bull-“ he stopped right on time before the curse left his lips. He scooped Minji in his arms and looked fondly at her. “You, my sweet, little angel, don’t need a man.” And with that he peppered her face with kisses until she squealed and tried to push him away with her tiny hands.

Minho was enjoying his sweet father-daughter moment, he failed to notice that you were finally back from your first, little girls’ night. At least, until he heard your sweet chuckle.

“I thought you said you’ll never, ever, read her bed time stories, hm?” You teased, knowing how much those stories repulsed him. The day he saw you buying those books, he was read to set them on fire. And yet, look at him now.

For the sake of pettiness, he ignored your comment and instead gave his full attention to Minji. “You’re gonna be a strong, independent and lovely woman.” Minho told her softly before his eyes found yours, he just couldn’t help it. “Just like your mom. You won’t need a man to be happy.”

Of course, he would say something like that, you thought. You were used to him being all snarky and teasing, sometimes looking and sounding cold and yet he had the biggest and softest heart you had ever met.

With a big smile plastered on your face, you got closer to the bed. You kissed Minji’s head before pecking Minho’s lips. “Cute. But should I remind you that this,” You pointed at yourself,” Incredible, beautiful, strong and absolutely hilarious wife of yours still needed a man like you to make her life perfect, hm?”  

Minho considered your words for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between you and your baby. “True. But she’s not allowed to date. That’s it.” No man could be enough, could be good enough for his little girl. Not in this world.

“Minho!” You groaned. You should have known the day you found out you were expecting a girl that Minho would be, from time to time, an overprotective dad.

“What?” He feigned innocence.

“You know you can’t shield her forever, right?”

“Fine. She can date.” He agreed, “But only once I’m dead and buried.”

Yeah, it was too good to be true, you told yourself. You smiled nevertheless. “And then you’ll come and haunt the poor man?”

Minho’s grin turned pure evil. Of course, you saw right through him after years of knowing each other. With Minji, still in his arms, he stood up from the bed and brought her back to her cradle. He kissed her head and straightened back to look at you. “Exactly.”

You laughed at his words, at his confidence and fierceness. You wrapped your arms around him and rested your head against his back. He felt warm and like home. “You’re impossible.”

“And that’s why you love me.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Take that back, lady!” He turned to face you, hands on his hips, he feigned annoyance but the glint in his eyes told you another story. “Take that back or else,”

“Or what?” You dared him, knowing damn well you were in troubled waters.

Before you could do some more provoking, Minho grabbed you and threw you over his shoulder making you squeal in return.

“Minho!”

But he only laughed and slapped your ass for good measure. “Let me show you.”

[fluentmoviequoter]

hi love! i was hoping you could write more about Dalton, maybe like where he meets the reader at a Halloween party from a sorority, since Chris is trying to get him a gf. It can be kinda like a Cinderella kind of thing since everyone is wearing costumes and masks, he doesn’t know who is the mysterious girl that danced all night.

I love this idea so much!! This was a ton of fun to write! I don't think I actually said this was a Halloween party, just a masquerade party, so if you want to imagine it taking place at a different time you can. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

Warnings: switches POV, movie references, fluff, maybe a little angst?. 1.8k words.

A/N: I loved writing this so much and it actually inspired me to do a Halloween Writing Party, so I'll be posting more information about that at the beginning of October! The title and the last lines are references from Another Cinderella Story (2008), and I recommend listening to the song 'Just That Girl'. :)

Just That Girl

“We should go.”

Chris looks at the party invite on the desk, then looks around like she’s entered an alternate reality.

“Who are you and what did you do with Dalton Lambert?” Chris asks.

“Chris, it’s a party where no one knows who anyone else is. It’s a party with no complications, no danger. Let’s do it.”

“I don’t know what’s happening, but I am agreeing because this will never happen again. And we can finally get you a girlfriend,” Chris states as she stands.

“It’s a party, not a date. We need masks and costumes.”

“Oh, dear Dolphin, never fear when Chris is near.”

✧✧✧✧✧

“The wig doesn’t seem excessive?” you question, holding the synthetic hair up to your head.

“No. It is entirely necessary, it pulls the whole look together,” your friend insists.

You roll your eyes but comply, tying your mask on before securing your wig over it. Your friend adds a few finishing touches before deeming you ready to go.

“I didn’t realize sororities had so many themed parties with such strict rules,” you state as you exit her bedroom.

“Yeah. Which reminds me, you aren’t allowed to take off your mask, change your costume after you arrive, or tell anyone your name.”

“My name?”

“Yep. Gotta let everyone wonder who the mysterious pretty girls are.”

As you descend the stairs, all the sorority sisters are already welcoming guests, and people are dancing and talking. You nod to your friend and go your separate ways. Walking through the growing crowd, you notice the many costumes and masks. Entering the kitchen, you’re surprised to see only two people getting drinks.

“You’re still not going to tell me where you got this costume so quickly?” the boy asks.

“Flynn Rider,” you interject, “wherever she got it, it’s a great costume.”

He looks up and smiles, the only part of his face visible. “Thanks.”

The girl looks between the two of you before walking away, asking a guy to dance as she exits the kitchen.

“Would you like to dance?” you ask.

“Sure. I’m not very good, never really danced before,” he answers, taking your hand.

“No one’s good, we just pretend to be. Let the mask give you all of the confidence you need,” you whisper conspiratorially.

He laughs, and you wrap your other hand around his forearm as you navigate through the crowd entering the kitchen. He pulls you closer and doesn’t let go until you’re on the dance floor. You interlock your fingers behind his neck, smiling at him as his hands settle on your hips. He begins swaying you as a slower song plays.

“I know we’re not supposed to talk about personal things, but the girl you came with?”

“Best friend, former roommate, constant pain.”

You laugh and lean closer to him, wondering what you would be talking about now if you were elsewhere.

“What about you? Here with someone?”

“There is no someone to bring.”

He dances with you for three slow songs before the DJ changes the music.

“One more? I love this song,” you declare as the beat speeds up.

“Your wish is my command,” he answers, bowing before following your lead.

As the song ends, your friend comes over and asks you to help her make more punch, so you tell your mystery man you’ll see him later, hoping that you really do.

✧✧✧✧✧

Dalton watches the mystery girl walk away, catching a glimpse of the clock, which says it is nearly midnight. He sets out to find Chris, wondering how he can tell who she is with all these costumes. Luckily, he hears her before he turns a corner.

“You ready to go?” she asks.

“We can hang out a while longer,” Dalton answers.

“You want to dance with mystery girl again.”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re going to try to find her tomorrow, I hope?”

“If she implies she’d be okay with it, absolutely.”

“I saw you two dancing; she’d be totally on board.”

They agree to meet in the front yard in thirty minutes and then go different ways. Dalton spots the girl walking out of the kitchen and rushes to her side.

“Any chance you have one more dance in you?”

“For you?” She responds, “Absolutely.”

✧✧✧✧✧

You sway through the end of a song, resting your head on your mystery man’s shoulder, attempting to wish your mask away. He pulls you closer, his hands on your back as he leans down to whisper in your ear.

“I have to go, my friend is waiting.”

You lean back and look at him, pouting. “You’ll find me, right?" you whisper.

“Is that what you want?”

“More than anything.” You smooth his jacket as he nods. “I’ll be waiting. Thanks for making tonight so special.”

“Would you get in trouble if I told you something personal?”

You nod, then mumble, “Unless it’s really vague.”

“If we meet again, I’d like to draw you. But for now, our time is up.”

You hold his eyes as he backs up, your shoulders slumping when he finally turns around. Closing your eyes, you force yourself to remember every detail of his smile and his eyes.

“May I have this dance?” someone asks beside you.

Watching the spot where your mystery man just left, you accept the offer to keep yourself from chasing after him.

✧✧✧✧✧

“The sorority house isn’t a good idea, is it?” Dalton asks, pacing his dorm.

“Nope. They won’t tell you anything. Those shrews will probably conspire to keep you apart.”

“Shrews?”

“If the shoe fits.”

Dalton rolls his eyes and rubs his neck as his gaze drops to the sketch on his desk. He has drawn every detail he remembered but doesn't know how to find her.

“What if you just hang out in the center quad? You'd see her eventually, right?”

“I’m not going to do that, Chris. One, super creepy. Two, tons of students walk by at different times of day, it would be nearly impossible to find her that way.”

“And obsessing over her picture to devise a plan to find her isn’t super creepy?”

“Not when she said I could.”

“Wait, if you told her that you draw, why don’t you just hang out by the art building all day? If she’s as interested as she said, which she is, may I add, she’ll find you.”

“You’re a genius, Chris!” Dalton yells as he runs outside.

“I know!”

✧✧✧✧✧

You watch all of the students exiting the art building, standing on your tiptoes to get a good look at faces. None of them appear to be your mystery man. Sighing, you drop your head and walk to your class.

✧✧✧✧✧

Dalton waits outside the art building for two days, but his mystery girl never comes.

✧✧✧✧✧

By the end of the week, you feel like crying because it seems impossible.

“You look miserable,” your friend says as she enters your room.

"Because I am.”

“Mystery man?”

You nod, looking out the window as if he'll be there.

“Don’t give up, it’s only been a few days. That party idea was stupid, I see that now.”

“Especially stupid if you fell in love with a guy whose face you haven’t even seen.”

“Alright, Cinderella, buck up and find him. You’re not doing any good sitting here.”

✧✧✧✧✧

Dalton sighs as he slips his sketchbook into his bag after class is dismissed.

“Dalton, a word?” Professor Armagan asks.

“Of course.”

“Your works recently have been different. Not bad, only different. It’s as if the energy surrounding your art has shifted.”

“What could cause that?”

“Any emotion. Has something happened recently?”

“I met a girl at a masquerade party.”

“And now you’re living a Cinderella story?” Professor Armagan asks with a smile.

“Something like that,” Dalton answers before chuckling.

“Dalton, you’re an artist. Use the girl to make the art, and the art will get the girl. Does that make sense?”

Dalton tilts his head before shaking it.

Professor Armagan pats his arm. “It will.”

As Dalton walks out of the building, he thinks about what Professor Armagan said. He doesn’t realize his bag is unzipped until someone says something.

“Excuse me? You dropped this.”

✧✧✧✧✧

You pick up the paper and call out to its owner. Unintentionally, you see the drawing and look up quickly.

“Your hair is long,” you observe as your mystery man says, “You were wearing a wig.”

“You actually drew me,” you state, holding the picture up. “I thought that was just a line or something.”

“Beauty like that has to be documented. And I needed to remember what you looked like while I was searching.”

“You looked for me? I’ve been looking for you.”

Dalton mirrors your smile, stepping closer as he takes the sketch from you.

“We had to have passed each other.”

“I waited outside the art building between my classes but never saw you,” you explain.

“I must’ve gotten out while you were in class.”

You raise a hand and brush the hair from his eyes. “The mask did a disservice. Anything that covers that face does.”

“You’re one to talk. Who convinced you to cover up that face and hair?” Dalton counters, raising his hand to hold your wrist by his face.

“Can I kiss you?” you ask. “I wanted to run after you at the party and do it.”

“I’ve wanted to kiss you more every day since,” Dalton whispers. You lean forward, and he places a hand on your waist to stop you. “Am I allowed to know who I’m kissing?”

“The girl in the picture,” you tease before telling him your name. “And I’m guessing you’re not really Eugene Fitzherbert?”

“Dalton,” he tells you.

“Well, Dalton, pleasure to meet you.”

“And you.”

You raise both hands to his jaw as you kiss him, shivering as his hands pull you closer by your waist. Tipping your head back, Dalton deepens the kiss just as you pull back.

“Will you go on a date with me? Preferably one where I can see your face?” you ask.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. I’m never letting you hide from me again.”

“Yeah, my friend called me Cinderella,” you tell him, laughing.

“My art professor said I was in a Cinderella story. She also said ‘Use the girl to make the art and the art will get the girl,’ whatever that means.”

You tap your hand against Dalton’s chest excitedly. “That’s exactly what happened!”

“So I’m the only one that doesn’t get it?”

“Dalton,” you begin, and Dalton has never heard his name sound so good. “You drew a picture of me, and then you dropped it, which is how we found each other again. You used me to make the art, and the art got me!”

Dalton smiles and nods. “I guess you’re just that girl.”

[wish-incorrect-quotes]

I’ve seen a few people mention how much Simon looks like he could be the son of these two, and while I don’t know if the timelines work enough for it to be possible, it’s a fun concept just to think about. So here’s some ideas I had about how it might play out:

Basically, Lady Tremaine spends awhile hoping that Anastasia’s whole “falling in love with a commoner” thing is just a temporary inconvenience, and eventually she’ll be able to push her daughter into a more respectable marriage with a proper nobleman. But as soon as she finds out the baker proposed and Anastasia accepted, Tremaine pretty much immediately disowns her, and Anastasia loses her access to the family title and money.

By this point, Cinderella and Anastasia have a much better relationship, so Cinderella offers to use her newfound royal status and try to undo Lady Tremaine’s decision, but Anastasia ends up telling her not to bother. The more time she spends with the baker, the more she finds herself enjoying the simple life. Even if she now has to worry about earning a living, it’s amazing how much easier life feels when she doesn’t have to face her mother’s pressure and expectations, or go through royal balls where she's expected to be better than everyone else but always seems to fall short. Just peaceful days, helping her husband bake bread in the little village where people are always kind and friendly. And before they know it, the two of them are welcoming a baby boy into the world, who’s nearly the spitting image of his father, but with his mother’s red hair and his grandmother’s green eyes. Not that Lady Tremaine has any interest in meeting the boy, if Anastasia would even allow it.

As Simon grows up, he eventually gets curious about how his parents met. Anastasia can be a bit overprotective, and she tries to leave out the most unpleasant parts, but she’s happy to tell him all about how she loves her new home and family so much that she’s never regretted leaving behind a life of luxury for them. Simon, however, can’t help but think that the story sounds unfair. It’s not that he really cares about having a title or attending fancy balls, but it doesn’t seem right to him that his mother had to lose everything because of who she loved.

Eventually, this leads to Simon getting his heart set on becoming a knight, because it’s about the only way someone can work their way into a more “noble” rank. And if his mother has a knight for a son, it could get them all a lot closer to the life she had before. He doesn’t mention why he’s so keen on knighthood, since he doesn’t want his parents to feel guilty and tell him not to go through so much trouble for their sakes, so they figure it’s his own dream and do what they can to support him. But the problem is, he’s not any good at it. He has plenty of strength, but he’s very much a gentle soul, and when his heart isn’t in it, he just can’t seem to develop any talent with a sword and shield.

He’s discouraged for awhile, until he starts hearing rumors of a foreign kingdom with a sorcerer king that can instantly give people what they wish for. And since he isn’t getting anywhere on his own, he starts to become more and more convinced that this is his only chance. He knows how much his parents love their bakery, so he tells them he wants to try striking out on his own for awhile now that he’s getting older. Anastasia and the baker are both more than a little worried about the thought of their son going off to find work somewhere far away from them, but Anastasia remembers what it was like having a controlling mother who didn’t care about her own dreams, so she decides they should let him go if this is what he wants.

So Simon sails to Rosas and soon finds work in the castle, hoping that maybe working close to the king will help his wish get granted faster once he’s old enough to give it away. Thought he finds out before long that things might not go quite as smoothly as he expected based on the stories he heard. There’s a lot more people who have been waiting a long time than he expected. But everyone’s always praising the king, so if he's enough of a good and loyal citizen, surely he'll get his wish granted, right? Plus, he’s been making some great friends in the castle, and he enjoys being able to put in a good day’s work with them, so he can’t complain.

Then he reaches his eighteenth birthday, eagerly gives the king his long-awaited wish, and… is he supposed to feel this tired all the time? Everyone always talks about how wonderful it is, how it’s a real weight off. But he doesn’t feel lighter, he feels like his eyes are always heavy, and he's too exhausted to even feel like himself most of the time.

And then that’s how we get to the events of the movie. I guess Magnifico’s lucky that Simon wouldn’t want to worry his parents and would keep sending letters making it sound like everything was fine. Because Anastasia might have softened over the years, but she definitely still has a temper, not to mention a royal stepsister to turn to, and I’m sure she wouldn’t just take it quietly if she learned some distant king had caused her beloved son to lose all his energy and joy for life.

[stingynugget]

Lost Kingdom Bowuigi Prompt

An idea I had for Bowuigi, though I'm not sure how to flesh it out (so any ideas are welcome lol):

Luigi is in the Lost Kingdom from Mario Odyssey, looking for a balloon his brother hid. He gets caught in an acid rain storm, so he goes to a cave to hide... only to find Bowser already there. However, Bowser is acting strange. He won't open his eyes, and he doesn't get up when he hears Luigi enter the cave. (Maybe somehow a poison film covered his eyes, and one of his legs got dipped in a poison pool and got eaten down to the bone.) Cue injured Bowser x Luigi story, but one where Bowser doesn't recognize Luigi for either a while or until he's healed and is at the Mushroom Kingdom for a party. Could have some Cinderella/Little Mermaid elements as Bowser looks for the man who saved his life, but he has no idea what he looks like.

I started this idea off, but I lost motivation haha:

Luigi pushed aside a particularly dense area of vegetation and breathed in the earthy scent of the Lost Kingdom. Tropical trees and plants surrounded him, along with stretchy wigglers and klepto birds. He was looking for a hidden balloon, as part of a hide-and-seek game between him and his older brother Mario. 

His compass, which told him what direction the balloon was, pointed down into a nearby pool of poison. He’d been trying to figure out if Mario actually hid the balloon in the poison or some nearby location for the past hour, but he still couldn’t find it.

To make matters worse, clouds were starting to form overhead. The Lost Kingdom was notorious for its horrifying poisonous rain. 

Luigi sighed. Did he just give up and try again tomorrow? But Mario was already at Blue Balloon rank, and Luigi was still stuck at Yellow Balloon. He needed to catch up soon, before he lost the month-long game altogether.

He felt a sizzling pain on his arm. Crying out, Luigi looked up to see the rain had already started to fall. Luigi frantically looked around, until he spotted a path that he knew led to a large, dry cave. He made a dash for it.

As he rounded the corner, the cave came into view. However, the last being he expected to see was sleeping there: the King of the Koopas himself. 

Bowser deeply snored, his head resting on his arms as he curled up in the cave. His spiky shell nearly touched the top of the cave, though the cave was deep enough for the rest of his body. He wore his usual spiked armbands and choker.

Luigi froze. He glanced behind him, at the sprinkle of acid rain that was now a downpour, and back at Bowser. Maybe… he could just sneak in quietly, and Bowser wouldn’t even know he was there. Just until the rain stopped.

Luigi took a small step forward and immediately tripped on a protruding rock. The sound of his shoe scuffling and his body thumping on the ground resounded throughout the cave. 

Bowser stirred and sniffed the air. “Who’s there?” he growled. 

Luigi’s heart hammered in his chest. He tried taking a small step backwards, but he didn’t get far without nearly getting poison on him. Right. The whole reason he was in this cave was to get out of the rain. But now he was stuck with Bowser. Which option was worse?

Bowser chuckled lowly. “I know you’re there. I can smell the sweat on you.” His eyes remained closed, which Luigi thought was strange.

Luigi squeezed his hands and desperately tried not to panic. But he was panicking. What should he do? Say “hello” to the Mushroom Kingdom’s biggest problem? Or just wait it out? More sweat dripped from under his hat and onto the tip of his round nose.

“You have three seconds to say something before I fry you.”

Luigi gulped. “Um!” His mouth chattered. “S-sorry to bother you. I was trying to g-get out of the r-rain.” He waited for the inevitable plume of flame that would be headed his way.

Bowser smiled. “There. Was that so hard?”

Luigi blinked in surprise. What was Bowser playing at? And why was he keeping his eyes shut? Did he just want to go back to sleep? Because Luigi would really like that.

“I w-won’t be a b-bother,” Luigi said. “Once the rain stops, I’ll be out of your hair.” Red hair, to be specific.

Bowser hummed. “Or… I throw you into the rain right now.”

“W-what!?” 

Bowser chuckled darkly. He didn’t move from his spot, though. “In exchange for letting you stay here, you will become my servant. Being an underling of the King of the Koopas is quite the honor.”

“B-but—”

“Just until I’m out of this awful kingdom. Though, if you do well, I’m actually recruiting right now. Lost a lot of minions from my last escapade. That's why I’m here in the first place.”

Luigi had a feeling that by “last escapade,” Bowser meant the last time he tried to kidnap Princess Peach. Mario and Bowser had a huge battle in the Moon Kingdom, with Mario winning of course. Luigi was just glad Mario hadn’t dragged him on this adventure. Flying in The Odyssey sounded like a nightmare, especially since he had acrophobia.

And wait, Luigi thought about the other thing Bowser said. “You… want me to join your team?”

“Were you even listening? That’s if you serve me well.”

Luigi frowned. He studied Bowser, who was still curled up on the floor of the cave. Bowser’s eyes, now that he looked at them closer, seemed to have a thin purple film covering them. 

Luigi tiptoed to the other end of the cave, but Bowser’s head didn’t follow the movement. He waved his hand, and Bowser just continued to “stare” at the rain falling outside.

“The pay’s good. Same with paid time off,” Bowser continued, when Luigi didn’t say anything.

Luigi shivered at the thought of working for Bowser. “I’ll, uh, consider it.” 

“Now, servant, what is your name?”

Luigi flinched. “Uh…” Shoot. He definitely shouldn’t give Bowser his real name. “L… Luis.” This was never going to work. He was so bad at lying.

“Luis… Sounds kind of familiar…”

“Er, it’s a common name.”

“Hmm… I see. Well, servant, your first action will be seeing what you can do about my leg.”

Why did Bowser even bother asking for his name? “Your leg?”

Bowser growled. “You think I’d be in this cave if I could help it?” He gestured behind him with his chin. “Get to it. And if you cause me any pain, I’ll fry you.”

“B-but—” He wasn’t a doctor! How was he supposed to know what would or wouldn’t cause pain?

“Stop dilly-dallying and get to work!” Bowser roared.

Luigi straightened his back and cried, “R-right!” As he crept around Bowser, he considered just running as far down into the cave as he could. Though… while Bowser couldn’t move, he still had his fire breath—and Luigi had plenty of experience to know that stuff had a wickedly long range. 

[maponyo]

🐈‍⬛

tw: this is my first time actually posting anything i’ve written. i made these pretty late at night so i’m sorry if they’re bad i just wanted to write something. probably some spelling mistakes and stuff i didn’t feel like checking it throughly.

a/n: please be nice

personal

* i’ve mentioned this before but baji absolutely LOVES the yakuza game

* favorite one is yakuza 0 (definitely not because this is the only one i’ve watched so far🌚)

* john cena fanboy for absolutely no reason. has his theme as his ringtone

* number 1 baby metal fan. owns their merch and goes to every concert

* his favorite season is summer for obvious reasons but his favorite holiday is definitely christmas because he and mikey ride around with shin

* HATES horror movies. like nothing can convince this man to watch them. even the kiddie ones like goosebumps or scary stories to tell in the dark will have him act like the devil just touched his soul

* definitely the kind of guy to walk around with one lens in his glasses after a fight

* purposely named his bike cockroach knowing pah is afraid of them

* he used to hate his fangs when he was little because kids used to tease him and say he was a dog

* that was until he started saying he’d bite and give them rabies if they kept messing with him

* cannot grow facial hair to save his life

* judges people on how they interact with animals, specifically cats

* despite popular belief, i don’t think he would get any tattoos. he seems like a piercing guy and definitely cannot sit that long for a tattoo

* gave himself the alias edward because he used to watch twilight with his mom

* he even had a phase when he acted like a vampire but will vehemently deny and threaten anyone who dares to bring it up

* is lactose intolerant and just like many of us will eat dairy and instantly regret it as soon as it hits his stomach

* sometimes he feels insecure about the fact he was held back, all of his friends moving up while he’s left behind

* even though he has a reputation for committing arson and slightly unprovoked violence, keisuke is truly a model citizen☝🏽

* volunteers at shelters, helps the elderly, feeds the homeless, solves climate change. he truly is a saint and can do no wrong!

home life

* i like the idea that his mom was a teen mom and that his father was never really around and just stopped coming one day

* due to her job, his mom sometimes works really late or super early so over the years he’s learned to cook (the only good thing he can cook is yakisoba)

* on the nights he knows his mom will be back late he cooks her food and despite it not being the best she still loves it

* even though she works a lot the two of them are still very close and their favorite thing to do is read manga and watch mystery dramas whenever she’s off

* despite not knowing his dad(he only visited when he was a baby) he never felt insecure about it

* he’s a total mamas boy, and will fight anyone who says something about her

* when ryoko was younger, she wanted to have a lot of kids but after having keisuke she changed her mind. she felt it would be selfish to have so many kids when she works so much and after realizing how much of a handful he can be.

* despite that and having him at such a young age, keisuke was the best thing to ever happen to her and wouldn’t trade him or his wildness for the world.

relationship

* back on the yakuza point, whenever you’re sad he’ll grab a hair brush, turn up the radio and start singing 24-hour cinderella to you until his voice is gone

* when you guys get in a fight he’ll act like he’s in a 2000’s r&b mv and start singing bakamitai. chifuyu gets the hose to spray water above him, kazutora plays the music, and ryusei records the whole thing so baji can send it to you

* a biter, like what’s the point of him having those sharp ass teeth if he don’t try to take a chunk out of you

* whatever your favorite animal is, he’s gonna buy every single book about them so he can share little facts about it with you

* if you’re into a specific artist or group, he’ll listen to their whole discography and learn everything in the fandom

* becomes a horanghae enthusiast and will force you to be one as well

* just like he’s loyal to his friends and toman, he’s loyal to you

* like foreva togetha foreva LOCKED IN 🤞🏽

* a girl tries flirting with him and all of a sudden he’s hellen keller

* the type of boyfriend to say you’re too spoiled whoever you ask for something while doing said thing you requested

* will literally lift his ass off the seat while you’re sitting next to him and fart on you then blame it on you

* talm bout some ‘ew the hell did you eat’ like his diet doesn’t consist of yakisoba, monster energy drinks, and beef glizzies

* speaking of farts😸 keisuke will send pics of his shit to you asking if it looks normal

* will make fun of you if you’re lactose intolerant as if he don’t be upside down on the toilet fighting for his life

* is constantly in your personal space. like he’ll be standing behind you while you play like candy crush or best fiends mumbling about moves you can make. sometimes he’ll snatch your phone and play it himself

* what’s yours is his. mid chew on something he wants? he’s opening your mouth and popping it in his, no matter if it’s soggy

* absolutely loves giving and receiving hugs, being in your arms makes him feel safe and gives reassurance that despite all of his flaws you still love him

* stares at you with his mouth open, no matter what you’re doing or how you look his eyes are on you 24/7

* takes the absolute worst pictures of you on facetime and puts each one in his favorites until the end of time

* throws rocks at your window at like 4 in the morning knowing you both have school just so you can ride around with him until the sun comes up

* i feel like he’d totally like mellow down on the things he does. he doesn’t want to worry you while he’s away

* constantly checks up with you so you know he’s okay and not lying on the ground somewhere and dying 🌚

this is so scary bye 😭

[askauradonprep]

Rise of Red Liveblog Part 1

Just for the record, I'd like to point out there was a Queen of Hearts logo with the kids celebrating coming off the Isle in D3. I saw it not 10 minutes ago. So. :P

30 years is about right, yeah (it's actually 32 but eh)

What distant lands??????????

Also - Beast was elected king. I can see the Isle being part of a winning platform but that's not quite the same thing as this movie suggests.

OH YAY, Uma did sail around a little before she came back! I'm gonna have an updated crew timeline after this.

Huh, is it me or does Auradon look less bright and cheery? I don't mind that necessarily but I kinda wonder if that's meant to imply what's happened since the villains came back. I don't THINK so because that seems pretty 'off message' for this franchise but still.

I kinda like Fairy Godmother's office. It reminds me of a starry sky.

Oh my GOD Uma is literally lounging with her feet up and just has to yell 'pirates' for some of her crew to come do everything for her. LOST REVENGE CREW LET UMA DO SOME THINGS BY HERSELF CHALLENGE

I thought for a second the pirate I have deemed Juno was someone new (only saw her from the back) and the way my eye TWITCHED. I was about to cuss out my favourite character at 1 in the morning.

Fairy Godmother being a nerd who colour codes things should surprise NO ONE.

One reason I actually don't hate Beast, Belle and Fairy Godmother as much as some in this fandom is because even though they knee jerk shoot some things down, they can also take a deep breath and hear people out.

I've ranted enough about Wonderland not joining Auradon before, I don't like it, moving along.

Yeah, okay, I didn't need my heart anyway. That Carlos mention punched me in the chest. Thank you Uma. I like how that's also what convinced FG to help. She loves the VKs so much and I am not hearing alternatives.

"Nobody bears to talk about it" - WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT BEFORE. WITH ALLY.

Uma still not standing for a VK being left behind. <3

I love the QOH still having her off with your heads tendency. Remind me to write about the Queen's Forest sometimes.

HELP I LOVE RED SO MUCH ALREADY

The helmets remind me a little of the wheelers from Return to Oz. That's not a bad thing.

Red reminds me of a more rebellious Aladdin.

"I'm a lost cause" Ow.

Even without evil, being the next in line to royalty is rough. Poor girl. It's never just about you when you're royal.

New HC - the Queen of Hearts (and Red) were originally on the Isle and then Maddox made his time machine and meddled.

Go figure she's got sticky fingers. Definitely a VK

I love Chloe already. <333 And her parents seem great <3

Chloe's parents' embarrassing her is so funny and so cute.

THE GLASS BOOTS

Yeah, I'm standing by my head canon - these two have absolutely zero idea how Chad behaves when they aren't there watching him and would be heartbroken to be told so nobody's had the nerve to tell them they raised a douchebag yet.

Wait. Chloe's going to be queen? That can't be right. Surely as the oldest, Chad would be next in line? Chloe must be younger than him. Okay, maybe they know Chad is a douchebag after all. Or maybe they want her to be queen by marriage of somewhere, that's also very possible. Or hey, maybe their traditions have female-preference primogeniture and Charming (and his dad) just didn't have any sisters. That's possible too. That's probably it.

Damn, Queen of Hearts IS ruthless. I'm digging it.

Red, that hat trick wasn't going to work. Poor girl. She so clearly doesn't want to hurt anyone.

Okay, the Queen of Hearts clearly knows Uma and 'another villain gone soft' - sounds like rehabbing ex-villains has gone pretty well.

Awwww, it is cute how excited Chad is for his dad to see him play. And now I stand by my head canon again of nobody wanting to admit to them that he is a jerk.

HA! The Queen of Hearts driving cracked me up.

Love Ain't It is the villain parent theme song. I want to give Red a HUG.

Cinderella, Chloe, you tried, but Red and the Queen of Hearts are not having it. Red, be nice to Chloe!

I'm kinda stanning the Queen of Hearts. I also really like Cinderella's explanation of why she's like this to Chloe.

Queen of Hearts actually seems hurt when Red doesn't want to be like her. She reminds me of Maleficent a little.

[ask-missparker]

It’s been a long long time… / OUAT season 2

Pairings: Michelle x Rochelle, Bella x Alice

Bromance: Nikolai & Jeremy

Extra characters: Petra, Liane and Joshua

Continuing this fic (the second half of episode 2)

——

“I can explain!”

“Michelle?”

“Nicholas?”

The brunette and the blonde frozen in sight of seeing in each other. For Nikolai it felt like years, meanwhile Michelle had been alone in this world for what seemed to be weeks for her. Within a second later, the two of them pulled each other into a hug. Jeremy lowered his sword and grinned slowly leading the others inside the safe house.

Alice was watching Bella as she half smile entering the room. Joshua was holding Liane up as the women rolled her eyes, noticing her daughter was secretly crushing on the girl. To say Joshua was a little flabbergasted was an insult to his expression. He read the books, remembering the words of his father’s small home but never expected for it, to be like this.

Then again there was someone living here now, someone named Michelle. He lowered Liane on the chair near the entrance, as she thanked him for helping. Petra sat on the other side of the room finding comfort in the warmth and smells coming from the kitchen.

Nikolai pulled away from the hug and asked, “Michelle, darling, how are—I thought you were washed away by the curse?”

“No, no I wasn’t. The curse isn’t didn’t hit every single part of the land.” Michelle said, taking another bite of bread.

“But how?”

“Well..long story short, when the curse hit I was helping other folks cover for shelter and promising our friends I would be at the castle in time..and then..”

“..then you weren’t. I am so sorry you were left behind.”

“It’s alright, I had faith the curse would be lifted and I can return home sooner than later. And I was right! Where’s my wife and kids?”

Nikolai winces at the question and responds, “Well that’s the thing, they aren’t here. But don’t worry they’re safe at the other realm with our friends. Now I’m making it a priority to all get home. You included!”

Michelle’s facial expressions changes in milliseconds from sad to wishful as she heard that last sentence of his statement. Of course she was coming along to see her family again, she looked over her shoulder to see the others. Liane looked way different just tired, Jeremy was still grinning like the cheeky pirate he is and she recognized Princess Petra.

However the other 3 were not in her eyesight. She had no idea who they were.

Bella was too busy making eyes contact with Alice to notice Michelle was looking at them, Joshua had to gently elbow the Latina to get her attention. Bella grunted and glared at her friend meanwhile Alice held back a small chuckle. It was the first time the brunette has seen his friend so—well so damn distracted! 

He rolled his eyes and smiled decided to introduce himself to the tall blonde as he spoke, “Hi. I’m Joshua. And the two girls being eyes at another another are Bella and Alice.”

Michelle shook his hand and chuckled, “It’s alright, let them have their fun. Wait..did you say, Joshua?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Holy—Oh my god! You’re my nephew!”

“You’re what now?”

That got a giggle from Liane as Nikolai softly chuckled, hearing Michelle’s reaction to finally meeting her nephew. Michelle went a mini ramble on how she planned on being the first one to hold him when he was born, play games together, take him horseback riding and use a freaking sword. Hell her rambles were so sweet, it made Joshua finally crack a smile this whole trip.

It was then Joshua remembered the research about Cinderella, how Michelle and Rochelle became head over heels in love, as their wedding was celebrated across the land for a damn long week. With Michelle being the loud speaker of the pair and Rochelle being a bit more quiet about things. He could see where the twins got their perspectives from.

Liane yawned and spoke up after a moment, “Uh, Michelle, can we stay here for a little while..or do we have to sign up for an all star break?”

Michelle smiled, “Well it’s Nik’s home and seeing how you guys are here, I don’t see why not! And you’re in luck, I got food to last us a couple of weeks.”

“We don’t need weeks. Just a couple of days and to plan a way out of here without the Orges attacking us.”

“And you need a nap.”

“Hey!”

Bella turned around and faced her mother, “Yeah mom, you do.”

“Oh now you want to talk!” Liane remarked, huffing and noticed Petra took pride in her distress, “What you looking up, Princess?”

“You’re bags under your eyes.” Petra replied half grinned.

The blonde crossed her arms and huffed once again, “I hate all of you.”

Joshua sighed and offered his hand, taking Liane to one of the bedroom. He asked his father which one was suitable for her, as Nikolai pointed to the one in the behind the stairs. He nodded, leading Liane to the back room and helped her crawl into bed, opening the window to bring in some fresh air as the blonde rested her head on the pillow.

Liane wondered why he was being so nice to him but decided to leave that question to ponder herself, requesting for Joshua to stay close by for she can fall asleep. She lied a bit saying she didn’t sleep well in new places, but she was just scared to fall asleep period, thankfully the teenager nodded silently. Joshua sat down in the chair beside the bed crossing his arms and looked around the room, as his gaze fell every so often on the blonde who closed her eyes.

He looked around in awe of the safe house and all his little quirks from the flooring to the walls with framed pictures. He noticed a few drawings and some figurines on tables nearby as well.

“Wow..” He muttered to himself, wondering how his parents lived their days together in this place. God he had so many questions but was shy to ask them.

———

Outside of the bedroom, the group were discussing living plans. There wasn’t much room, so some of them might have to bunk together. Jeremy and Petra didn’t mind the couch, Nikolai assumed he would retake his bedroom unless Michelle wanted it and Joshua or Bella might take the mattress upstairs.

Alice and Bella soon realized they might have to share a room together which led to awkward silence and tiny hints of blushing being seen. Michelle snorted seeing that, remembering her and Rochelle were the same way. She took those moments help Nikolai and Jeremy serve lunch, which basically meant bread and cheese with fresh water.

The trio missed their chats, hell they miss their adventures.

Michelle took that moment to ask, “So how is everyone back uh, home?”

Jeremy sipped water and responded, “Well my husband lied for starters, as he broke the spell bringing magic and had us running around like idiots afterwards..”

“Besides that dummy! I mean how are our people?”

“Ohh! Well King Alexander is out of commission, so great for us and bad for him. Rochelle and Cass are fine, missing you. Uhh, I think I saw some couples making out on the streets after the curse broke.”

“Damn I missed that! How our my babies? Last I saw them they were 4 years old.”

“Well, time was frozen more or less for everyone, but the kids grow up at a slow rate, so that means your twins are 7 years old now.”

“7?! That means are in school now?! Who’s teaching those ankle bitters?”

“Don’t worry, Charles is their teacher and Erik is one of the officers there, so they don’t get into much trouble. More or less.”

“More or less?! My babies are insane, I should know I’m a little nuts.”

Nikolai walked in after checking on the girls and hissed, “Shh! I forgot how loud you are. I see Jeremy is catching you up on things. I am surprised he hasn’t shown you the cell phones yet.”

“What’s a cell phone?” Michelle questioned, raising an eyebrow at the item he mentioned.

“I’ll explain to you later.”

“What other things are in that realm?”

“Well you have movies you can watch on Netflix.”

“What’s Netflix? Is it some sort of note taker?”

“Oh geez Michelle…you are gonna experience a lot of new things.”

“Speaking of new things, since when does Mal have a kid?”

Alice yelled softly from her chair, “That’s what I said!”

“Al hush!” Petra shouted, sitting next to her.

Michelle muttered, “But she’s white..”

Jeremy almost crooked on his blueberry at Michelle’s comment.

“You know that’s my mom you’re talking about, right?” Bella remarked eating her sandwich.

“Did Liane remarry?!” Michelle exclaimed with a gasp, “Did Ethan cheat? I swear I’mma murder him if he-”

“No, I’m adopted! And no, dad was under the curse somewhat, my biological mother is god knows where.”

“Whew! And here I thought I was gonna have to kill your daddy.”

“Go ahead, he’s not the smartest man. But I love him.”

Michelle and Bella shared a humorous moment together, chuckling. Joshua soon joined the others, Liane was asleep, as he sat down next to Jeremy stealing a blueberry from his plate. He heard the others throwing comments about the current state of their crew and he chuckled hearing Bella’s latest statement.

Joshua then had to ask, “Michelle..uh, how did you know that the cabin would be empty and safe to stay in?”

“Well, honestly I figured it would be better than staying in a hostel cave for weeks. I used to visit this area for shelter when I was single, me and the guys would come over here and just hang out.” Michelle explained smiling.

“What about the creatures outside?”

“Easy.” She added grinning, “I slayed their asses.”

“Cool!” Joshua says sounded very impressed.

“How about you kid? Slay any beasts yet?”

“No, but I have met a few.”

“Don’t worry, one week with me and you will know how to flip your sword over and throw it into a dragon’s chest.”

“Okay, you’re officially the cool one.”

Jeremy’s eyes widen, “The fu-?”

Nikolai patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t sweat it, man.”

“Wait if she is Liane’s kid?” Said Alice had a clueless expression on her face pointing to Bella and then pointed to Joshua, “Then who’s he?”

“His.” Joshua replied pointing to Nikolai with a small awkward half smile.

“How?! You guys ALL look young?! Did you guys find the fountain of youth or something?”

“..yup, she really is Alice from Alice in Wonderland..”

“And other places! I swear, take a one way trip and that’s all anyone ever knows about you.”

Bella smiled softly to herself finding her kinda cute, as it earned a small humorous eye roll from Joshua. It’s crazy, they land in the Enchanted Forest for the first time and the first thing Bella does it find herself an instant tiny crush on a blonde from Wonderland. Honestly, Joshua was happy for her and definitely was gonna tease her later for it.

Meanwhile the adults decide to take the lead in planning a new plan in order to avoid being caught here any longer. Petra suggested a magic bean, Nikolai mentioned the original wardrobes from years back could be another option, meanwhile Michelle planned on the best route to get there. Either the dust from the warehouses or the magic bean.

Jeremy pointed out that both options were good but needed a possible alternative route to leave, such as another portal.

He figured they can probably find his pirate ship and use whatever option from their plan to sail out of there, then appear in the shipping docks of Fighter-Town. He was just hoping that his ships would be ready to operate and not washed away during a storm.

Fingers crossed things went smoothly.

——

———

Ahh this is the last fic for the month (I think 🧐 unless I get more ideas!)

Anyways let me know what you think 💭

✨ Tags: @missstrawbs2001 @purpleprincessonfyre @meiramel  @gcthvile @rickb-chaos @gaminggirlsstuff @wizzzardofoz @cherrysft @thechoooooosenone @luna-d-marsh

[astralisbelle]

Dead Man's Hand 2 - What's The Catch?

Dead Man's Hand Masterlist tags: tags: engineer!reader, gambler!reader, loose canon timeline, eventual smut, fluff, action, casino aesthetics, touch starved reader, touch starved din, reader and din get on each other’s nerves, also they’re idiots, defrosting ice king din, cinderella vibes, everybody loves grogu

chapter summary: Mando learns of a sabacc tournament with a lucrative prize... and a costly catch.

note: no reader in this chapter, but we're setting the story up!

gif by starsallhavenames

The Mandalorian tosses the three pucks onto the white marble desk before him. “Just delivered the bounties to your men,” he says.

He addresses the wealthy man sitting behind the desk, older but well kept. His gray hair is neatly combed back, his fingernails have nary a speck of dust, and the gold robes that wrap around his shoulders and body are perfectly fitted.

The casino owner flashes a practiced smile, cold and purely for ceremony. “You work fast, Mando,” he says, snapping his fingers. “Bring the Mandalorian his money. And a small bonus, as a treat!” The butler at his side bows and excuses himself from the room. “While you’re waiting, Mando, I was hoping to tempt you to stay for a couple of days.”

“Another job?”

“No, not exactly.”

“Not interested.” The butler returns with the small chest of credits, handing it to Din. Just before he can turn and leave, the owner raises his hand to make him wait.

“Hear me out, friend.” Din bites on his tongue to keep himself from saying anything, but he is ready to reject the owner again. “I’m holding a sabacc tournament here in a few days. The buy-in is exactly the amount of your bonus.”

Din sighs, hoping the modulator masks the irritation in his voice. “I don’t gamble for credits. I hunt.”

The owner laughs. “And that’s where it gets interesting. The grand prize isn’t credits.” He fans his fingers together, making a bed for his chin as he leans forward, that empty smile turning into a sinister smirk. “Five ingots of beskar steel.”

That turns Din’s head and makes his heart start. One ingot of beskar was already something of a small fortune, but five? He hadn’t seen that much since he met Grogu. Imagine the armor he could make for Grogu, or donate for the foundlings. He had to get it; this is the Way. “How much?”

“I’m sorry?”

“For the beskar. How much? Or what’s the job?”

The owner bursts into laughter, sitting back in his chair. “Sorry, Mando. Not for sale. If you want that beskar, you’re gonna have to win it. Oh, and… one more thing about that. If you do decide to enter the game, you won’t be able to wear your helmet. That would be cheating.”

Din is thankful in this moment that the casino owner cannot see the look of pure vile that colors his expression. His muscles tense and his fist curls, tightening the leather around it. For a few moments, he weighs his options. Even if he was willing to remove his helmet… he unfortunately knows that he’s garbage at sabacc. Perhaps he could steal it, but robbing a Canto Bight casino would require a whole team that he trusted and more planning than he had time to put together.

He needs time to think. Without another word, he takes the credits that he’s owed and turns on his heel, walking away. The casino owner says goodbye, but Din ignores him.

What to do…

When he settles back into the pilot seat of the Razor Crest, he looks over at Grogu sitting tight and waiting for take-off. “You know how to play cards, kid?” he asks. Thankfully, at this point, Grogu is used to his sarcasm and respond merely with a wide stare. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Though, he supposed finding a stand-in for him wouldn’t be the worst idea, if he found someone he could trust.

---

“You know how to play sabacc?” Din asks Greef.

Sitting across from him, the High Magistrate strokes his chin in thought. “I’m decent,” he says. “I can win a couple hundred credits on a good day.”

“How would you feel about entering a tournament in Canto Bight?”

Greef pauses for a moment, blinking in disbelief. Then, he tosses his head back and cackles, causing Grogu to tilt his head in confusion. When Greef notices that Din isn’t laughing with him, his smile drops. “You’re serious?”

Din wishes that he could massage his temple right now. “The grand prize is five ingots of beskar. But I need someone that isn’t me to win it.”

“Why’s that?”

“No helmets are allowed.” He pauses. “...And I’m lousy at sabacc.”

Greef clicks his tongue. “I’d be wiped out clean in a few turns at a tournament like that.” He sits up. “I might know a few people who could potentially help you.”

“Do you trust them with your life?” he asks point-blank. Quite the confrontation, he knows, but obtaining the beskar is a matter of life or death for him. Greef makes a thin line with his lips, hesitating.

“No.”

Din stands up with a tired sigh. “Then it’s fine. Sorry for taking up your time.”

There just has to be someone else. He knows that he isn’t the most popular man around, but there has to be one person that he trusts and is good at sabacc. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be enough overlap in those two. Maybe, he could let the tournament play out and then steal it from the winner? No, too risky.

Then, it hits him.

[animehouse-moe]

My Happy Marriage Episode 2: About My Husband To Be

So while I did sing praises for the first episode of this series, I did also have my reservations about the longevity of a Cinderella type story that focuses around using Miyo's trauma to elicit an emotional response from viewers. While that is still partially present in this episode, it's greatly outweighed by the fresh direction that the story follows by adding new and interesting elements within. Not a great deal to talk about per se, but more than enough for me to share my thoughts on!

To get started, or really generalize the episode as a whole, Kiyoka and Miyo's relationship gets off to an interesting start. It's what you might expect to a degree, but it doesn't rush into Kiyoka being a "surprisingly good guy". Rather, he sticks very close to being abrasive and distant, even telling Miyo that if he says to die, that she should die, which prompts this reaction.

Right from the start of the episode, it's established that Kiyoka is not at all focused on being a terrible person to his fiancées, but rather someone that rigorously tests them in regards to why it is that they've come to his home.

You'll see a lot of this behavior throughout the episode, with moments like Kiyoka questioning whether or not Miyo poisoned his food, for example. It's very telling that Kiyoka's a very untrusting man, but it runs far deeper than that.

Kiyoka himself puts it into words: he chases out anyone that's after his fortune or position in the world.

I think it paints a very interesting picture. It's not that Kiyoka hates Miyo by any means, but that similar to her, his life has had its challenges and issues that have shaped him into the person that he stands as today. And credit to Kiyoka, he understands that, if only through the efforts of Yurie. To that extent, even if he's already finding ways to "connect" with Miyo, it's well established that these are through regretful fashion as he understands his own mistakes and seeks to correct them. He's not immediately the perfect husband, but he is a well meaning person to those that deserve it.

I think a great example of Kiyoka and Miyo's relationship is that it takes a wall to obscure Kiyoka for him to be able to apologize to Miyo and give her another chance at what it is that she wants: to be useful.

Let's take a look at that last little bit there with Miyo, her desire to be useful. It's well established through the first episode that she was only ever kept around to be useful in the Saimori household. She wasn't blessed with the supernatural abilities of her bloodline, nor was she born from her father's current wife, so her only position in the family was to be of use to them.

Moving to a new household, one that is sufficient and can survive independently of Miyo, it's not that she feels her position as the wife of Kiyoka is threatened, but rather her reason for existence. I think it's nearly perfectly expressed through a very simple scene that leaves Miyo in a room all on her own.

I say almost, because of one key piece. The idea of isolation does exist in the scene, with the two dolls placed upon the cabinet behind her that highlights her separation from Kiyoka, as well as leaving her in the room on her own. I just think that it's the perfect chance to play a little bit with the "truth" of the scene and have the doors to the room close on Miyo, completely isolating her due to her understanding as a person (the wording for what she says is really well done in that regard as well).

Okay, one last character to cover for this episode, and that's Kouji. I really did think he was going to be a one-note character, that he'd say he wants to help Miyo but that he wouldn't do anything and then fall into plenty of character tropes. Refreshingly though, his conviction from the first episode remains through is short screen time in this second, as he reiterates his desire to help Miyo in whatever ways he's able to.

And that's about it for character stuff. A lot of it is well telegraphed to viewers, but personally speaking, I feel like there's a lot of potential left on the table as an adaptation since the supernatural exists within this world. Yeah, did I not mention that earlier? Supernatural abilities, and the group of existences categorized as Grotesqueries, do exist in this world. It's a really interesting twist that fits well and provides quite a few interesting questions. Regardless, having that side of things should really open the doors to all sorts of forms of expression, so I hope that as we explore the idea more we'll move away from this more subdued style of direction.

All in all, it's a second episode that does keep me as engaged and interested as the first. Lifting the curtains on the supernatural, providing a "bombshell" for a mysterious backstory, and even tossing in a few loose plot threads to explore later down the line, it does very well to convert on the interest it garnered through its first episode and find a reason for people to believe that they should stick around for the season. So maybe a bit of a shorter review on my part, but being a character focused series that's rather to the point, there's not a great deal to comment on other than it being good, which it is.

[bexreadstoomuch]

Magic Man - Chapter 16

NSFW — slow burn, fluff, flirting, reader has weight/image issues light angst, 18+ overall for eventual smut, drug/alcohol abuse mention/use/language, EddiemunsonxFemReaderHenderson

Masterlist

Part 16/? [wc 4k] a/n - some questions are answered - t.w drug and alcohol abuse

I know Dial tone is a new song but i felt it worked so well with the story so please imagine Eddie wrote it. please please like, share and comment, your comments make me so happy and encourage me to write more! thank you <3

songs included in this chapter Cinderella - Dont Know What You Got Van Halen - Hot For Teacher Catch Your Breath - Dial Tone

A few days and a few shows have passed since you and Eddie had agreed on your song for the duet. But not everyone was happy. Mainly kelly.

Everyone was on board with the idea of both bands performing together to celebrate Paradox joining the label. But she seemed to want to put a downer on everything. Not turning up on time for rehearsals, making comments about the song choice, just overall annoyance.

After some rehearsals you would see Eddie in heated conversations with her on the back steps of whichever venue you were performing in that night. Smoke billowing around him as he frantically waved his arms around trying to make his point, but then throwing the cigarette down with force, and storming away.

Since then, Eddie had taken to travelling with you on Bertha rather than his own bus, claiming it was more rehearsal time for them, but you could tell he was keeping his distance from Kelly. Keeping up the pretence that nothing was happening between you both, he would sleep on the bunk above you, which used to be Lulas, but she was spending most of her time now cozying up next to Gareth in his bunk on the bigger bus.

It was approaching the end of January, and another new state. Pennsylvania.

Empire Rock Club, in Philadelphia was your location for tonight's show, and Eddie was giving you a run down of the place as you disembarked the buses and made your way to the venue's front doors. “Apparently this place is closing soon, no longer going to be a music venue, gonna have to give them a show eh? Sweetheart?” Eddie was way ahead of you, hair bouncing with every excitable step he took.

You were a few steps behind him, looking around yourself rooted to the spot. Everything suddenly hit you. You were here for two nights. Play a show tonight then two days later you will be your duet, in New York.

Thoughts wouldn't leave your head, You couldn't do this.Your gonna forget the lyrics, the notes, everyone is going to laugh at you for trying to be alongside the great Eddie Munson of Corroded Coffin.

“Y/N is everything ok?” Eddie's voice was quiet, sounding distant. You came back to reality at the feeling of his hands on your face, thumb stroking your cheek.

“Oh yeah, hi, yeah i'm ok, just tired” you said inconceivably. 

Leaning closer to you Eddie whispers so only you can hear “Are you sure sweetheart?” 

“Yeah I'm sure, come on what else are you gonna tell me about this place?” You tried your best to sound ok, but you could tell he wasn’t having any of it. But instead of pushing you he carried on.

“Ok pop quiz, let’s see if you remember this, which band hailed from Philadelphia, and even performed here many times?” Eddie asked, putting on his best game show host voice!

“Oh I know!” Jeff shouts over 

“Shut up Jeff! This isn’t for you!” Eddie doesn’t stop looking at you but his arm flies up to shush Jeff.

“Oh erm, oh my god I can’t remember” you pause dramatically bringing your hand to your chin rubbing pulling your face as though you were concentrating hard.

“Does she need a clue? A glass slipper perhaps?” Eddie was bouncing on the spot.

“I know who it is, Ed's…. Cinderella!” You answer him by pushing your hand against his shoulder walking past him towards the entrance.

“Oh come on sweetheart! You only got that because of the clue!” He shouts from behind you, doing a little jog to catch up with you, get ahead of you and open the door for you in a most dramatic fashion.

“Come on boys! Don't know what you got, till it's gone!” Eddie shouted over his shoulder at Gareth and Jeff who started singing with him.

“Don't know what it is I did so wrong, Now I know what I got, Just this song, And it ain't easy to get back, Takes so long”

Turning around to see what's going on, you see Lula with tears of laughter rolling down her face at Gareth who is now on the floor on his knees in front of her dramatically singing along, arms outstretched.

“Gare, stop it, get up you fool!” Lula laughs at him, swatting at his shoulders as he shimmy’s closer still on his knees.

Rolling your eyes at your friends' antics you carry on up to the venue, and catch a glimpse of Kelly in your peripheral vision, getting off the larger bus lighting a cigarette as she goes. You watch as she keeps her head down making her way to where you were standing by the entrance doors, when Jack suddenly appears next to her trying to get her attention but Kelly dismisses her by throwing her arm in the arm jerking it away from your friend.

Making your way back down away from the entrance past Eddie and the boys still serenading Lula, you cross the sidewalk towards Jack, who is now leaning against the wall, hand rubbing the back of her neck.

“Hey, what was that all about J?” you ask concerned as you've never seen Jack look as distressed and distant as she did now.

“Oh, hey, no it was, er, nothing, truely, hey come on we best get inside and get sorted for tonight” Jack answered you, quickly pushing off the wall, walking past you.

“Hey doll, everything ok?” the feeling of his hand on your shoulder made you jump.

“I just dont know whats going on Eds” you explain turning to face him.

“I've never seen Jack like that before, she seems really jumpy”

Eddie looked down at you with a furrowed brow. “Hmm, I dont know y/n/n, maybe leave her for a bit and ask her later?” Looking around he added “No-ones outside anymore, no one can see us” before you could respond he dipped his head to yours, hands capturing your face, kissing you.

The sudden feeling makes you seize up, remember you were outside in public. Anyone could see you.

Pulling back he looked down at you, resting his forehead against yours. You melted under his gaze, full brown eyes staring deep into your, as though he was trying to communicate something deep within to you.

“Come on doll, let's get inside” His voice was soft and low, pulling you along with him across the sidewalk, up the steps and into the venue.

The show that night went without a hitch. No missed notes, no failing equipment. Looking to the side of the stage, you could see the boys looking on. Gareth turns into Lula’s personal cheerleader as you finish your set with one of your favourite songs to cover. Van Halen's Hot For Teacher.

Throwing her sticks into the end as you finish you can't help but smile. The song brought you so much joy to play, and Jack got to show off her amazing guitar skills. Even though she loved Joan Jett, she wouldn't admit it to anyone else but you and Lula knew she admired Eddie Van Halen, and his skill. Not wanting anyone to know she favoured a male guitarist as thought to diminish her feminist ideals. 

Looking across to the boys in the wing, you spotted your own Eddie Van Halen. Making a mental note to tell him that later. 

Blushing at the thought you went back to the mic and introduced the boys to the awaiting crowd. 

As they walked on the cheer was thundering. Girls rushing to the front of the stage to get closer and maybe a touch of their favourite rock star.

Meeting you halfway across the stage, Eddie quickly took hold of your wrist giving it a tight squeeze, flashing you a wink. In complete contrast, Lula dove into Gareth's arms, nearly knocking over the whole drum kit.

Watching Eddie perform has become one of your favourite things to do. The way he commanded the stage. He was born to be a performer. Even in school you could tell he would be destined for big things.

Later that evening you were all huddled into a booth at one end of a local diner, laughing, joking, sharing in the delight of the show that evening. You’d steal glances every now and again towards Eddie who was sitting opposite you, trying not to blush too hard to make it obvious.

Out of the corner of your eye outside the window you saw a frustrated looking Jack, arms animated, talking with someone you couldn't see. Jack was always the level headed one in the group. Yes she was fiercely loyal, but you'd never seen her so distraught before. 

Feeling a nudge on your lower leg under the table, you snapped your head around from the window to see Eddie's brow furrowed looking at you in a silent question of “what's the matter?”

Shaking your head quickly you came back to the conversion at the other end of the table headed by Lula and Gareth, discussing the plans for the last group rehearsal before the duet. Lula sitting on Gareth's knees, her arms draped around his neck. You loved seeing your friend so happy. 

THE NEXT DAY

One more night here, then it was onto New York. One more full day of rehearsals before you would be performing with Eddie. 

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You barely slept, tossing and turning on your bunk, all scenarios running through your head. You’d lose your voice. You'd lose your nerve. The crowd would hate you. Eddie could change his mind?

Your mood did not improve, when walking onto the venue for practice, you saw everyone congregating together chatting animatedly. Wyatts white stetson standing out amongst a sea of black, leather and plaid.

“Ah y/n! Come on over and see! The announcement has been printed in the papers and we have a copy!” Wyatt sounded overjoyed but you dreaded looking at the pictures.

Making your way over, leaning your bass case against one of the amps, you slowly saw the papers come into view.

Eddie beckons you over to his side, a huge grin on his face. “Check these out! Big article about the tour and us extending it. Plus some great photos of us all” Eddies excitement was adamant. Leaning in close to you so only you could hear, he turned the page of the paper, to see a larger photo of the pair of you. “This is my favourite” His arm creeping around your back, placing his hand on the small of your back, tracing little patterns with his fingers on the cotton of your oversize tee.

Looking down at the picture you could see you and Eddie. Both with huge smiles on your faces. His arm flung around your shoulders, and your hand rested on his chest.

You surprise yourself and actually love the photo. You've never liked photos of yourself before. Here you look happy and carefree. Your mood dramatically improved, you felt you could take on the world. Nothing was going to get you down. 

Or so you thought.

Later that day, you all wanted to get a full run through of the duet rehearsed in preparation for the New York show the next day.

Everything was going to plan. You didn't mess up on the piano, Eddie’s  choreographed moves went smoothly, his solo was perfect, Gareth and Lula worked so well together on their timing. 

Everything was perfect. But you could sense something was off.

Turning on the piano stool you see Jack packing away her guitar, having a hushed heated conversion with Kelly. You couldn't make out what was being said but you could tell by the look on Jack's face she was getting more and more frustrated.

“You know what Kelly? FUCK YOU! KEEP YOUR FUCKING OPINIONS ON OTHER PEOPLE TO YOUR SELF!” Jack's voice started quiet then fully erupted, echoing around the stage.

Everything went quiet. Everyone suddenly stopped what they were doing to look over at your friend.

“Jack, come on, you agreed with me the other night, you can't deny that!” Kelly's voice was pleading.

“Yes, NO! NO! I did not agree to this! Not this!” pointing over to you, you suddenly felt your face heat up.

“She is my best friend! I will no longer stand around and listen to you berate her! Either tell her yourself why you're being such a bitch or I will!”

Jack's voice was breaking, you'd never seen her so hurt and betrayed. 

You rushed over to your friend, who was now physically shaking, her guitar case in hand. Tentatively moving towards her you reached your hand out for the case handle. 

“Jack, hey it's ok, come on - let me take this from you” your hand now lightly over hers.

Jack jumped at the feeling of your hand. She snapped her head to face you, taken aback by what you saw. Her eyes were huge, and full of regret.

“Im so sorry y/n/n, Im sorry but you need to know” Jacks tells you in a voice thick with sorrow.

“And you!” she was now pointing to Eddie.

Turning you see Eddie’s face full of concern. Sheepishly his hand comes to the back of his neck, rubbing his neck, his eyes darting to the ground.

What was going on?

What did you need to know?  

What was Eddie hiding? Wait! Was there something between Kelly and Eddie? 

Did he lie to me?

Letting go of her hand you slowly stumble back from Jack. Your head was rushing with question after question. Looking over towards Eddie, hoping to see him there to tell you it wasn't true, but all you could see was a shell of himself. He was silent, eyes to the ground, the only movement you could see was from the slow shallow rise and drop of his shoulders as he breathed.

You suddenly feel like there are a hundred sets of eyes on you, your breathing hitching, getting faster, immense pressure begins behind your eyes. You feel the room start to spin, your vision blurring, the sound of rushing water in your ears. Suddenly everything goes black.

“Y/n? Sweetheart? Can you hear me?” Eddie's voice sounded so far away.

Your eyes flutter slowly open, squinting at the bright lights above you as you try and take in where you were.

“Eddie? What happened?” you ask, trying to sit up.

“No sweetheart please lay back down. You errrm, you fainted” His hand gentle on your shoulder, pushing you back down on to what you can now make out as one of the leather sofas in the backstage rooms of the venue. Taking a deep breath, you let out a loud sigh. “Eddie? I can't take anymore lies, I need to know what's going on” your lower lip started to wobble, you felt the burning behind your eyes. Shutting your eyes tight trying to stop the oncoming tears you knew were going to fall.

“I think I need to explain” This was a voice you were not expecting. Kelly. “No, no! What the fuck are you doing here? Don't you think you've done enough?” you shoot up, you can't stop the words from coming. You've been holding this back for so long.

“What's going on with you two? Eddie? Kelly? Are you going to explain to me? Anymore care to tell me?” you spin between the two of them, not getting the response you wanted.

“Y/n, please sit down, let me explain. I didn't want it to get this far.” Kelly was quiet, trying to calm you, but you were having none of it. “Get this far? What's that supposed to mean?” you spin to face her, face raw with tears running down your face.

“y/n, please, please sit down here and we’ll explain everything” Eddies voice came out small, and quiet behind you. Turning you see him sitting down on the leather sofa. His hands together, twisting the rings around his fingers. A trait you have picked up from him as nerves.

You fall quiet, looking down at the man whom you have come to care so much for these past few months, broken.

“Eddie?” your voice whispers. Moving cautiously forward you try again. “Eddie?”

“Y/n, sit down, I’ll explain everything.” Kellys hand was now on your shoulder, shrugging it away from you, you make your way to the sofa, sitting down leaving a gap between yourself and Eddie. Looking over at him, wanting to hold him, but you couldn't bring yourself to. 

You didn't trust him.

You hear a chair being dragged closer, and see in your peripherals Kelly taking a seat and reaching out towards Eddie's hands.

“Ed’s? You ok?” she asks in a tone as though she was approaching a baby animal not wanting to spook them. You noted the way his hands quickly would pull away from her reach, continuing to spin his rings around his fingers.

“Ok, look, y/n I just want to say I'm so sorry, for everything” you take your eyes off Eddie to look at her, your anger rising at her audacity to say this.

“You're sorry? YOUR SORRY?! HA! I have only tried to be nice to everyone, I have done nothing to you! So why? Why are you so mean to me? Degrade me? Make fun of how I look? Always making comments about how me and Eddie would never work’? What is it? You want him for yourself? You're already with him? What is it?” Your questions just rolled after one another, you could sense Eddie flinching beside you at each question.

“Those were cheap shots and I am truly truely sorry. Please, I understand if you don't want to believe me right now, but please please let me explain my actions”  Kellys face showed no ill intentions, but you had a gut feeling of distrust.

Simply nodding your head you let her continue. “Me and Eddie, there's nothing going on, we are just friends, I promise, really good friends. He's err, not my type” Kelly laughs at that bit but when she looks at your face she stops.

“So yeah, how much do you know about what happened after you left Hawkins? Eddies told me what happened that night. He, well, he was a mess y/n”

You slowly look over at Eddie sitting next to you, his hands now covering his face, elbows resting on his knees.

“I first met him when the boys held an open audition for a bassist, there was no band name, just a location and a phone number. Not many people turned up, but later I found out it was you he was waiting for. He had set this whole thing up in hopes to see you again. I know this because, well … Ed’s? Do you want me to tell the story?” Kelly's question aimed at the man next to you. His head nodded quickly, letting some of his curls fall.

“After joining the band, I got to know everyone better. Finding out they all knew each other in school, a big group of nerds, but fierce and loyal friends. After a night of drinking and smoking, we all played a game of truth. This is where I found out about you. The one who got away. The one he thought hated him, the one who never returned his calls, his messages”

“Messages?” you were now questioning Eddie. He still wouldn't look at you.

“Yeah, he would leave messages at your house, both phone messages with your mom and also notes written to you. He was broken y/n. You know our song ‘Dial Tone’ right?” Kelly asks - you nod.

“It's about you y/n. I came back from a date one night and found him flat out on our living room floor, empty vodka bottles strewn across the room, pill bottles empty, a needle sticking out of his arm. He scared the shit out of me that day. We got an ambulance to him just in time, we didn't know it had gotten this bad, we didn't....” Kelly's voice trails off thick with emotion, her head falling, fighting back tears of her own.

You try to remember some of the lyrics and it suddenly comes to you, realisation hitting you.

You disappeared without a trace

You never bothered to explain

You just walked away

All I wanted was an answer

All I needed was to know

Give me a reason

I need a reason

All those messages I left you

All those nights I spent alone

Give me a reason

Cause all that I hear is

A dial tone

“Kels, it's ok I got it” Eddie's voice gave you a shock next to you. Your head whipping sound to see him looking at you. You see Kelly stand from her seat, making her way over to the work bench wall, mirrors above, strewn with your bags and makeup for the show tonight.

“I was a complete idiot. Kels is right, I was a mess. I would call your house nearly everyday, leaving messages with your mom. I'd ask if you were there, she would say no, I asked to know where you were, I wanted to see you. You know now I spoke with Dustin during that time. He was the one who told me you went to california. As soon as I graduated I packed my bags, picked up the boys and we drove across the country. I needed to find you.”  Eddie's voice was calm, but you could tell there was something underneath trying to get out.

“I wrote that song when I came out of hospital. I was angry, but it helped me. I thought it would have helped me get over you, but I knew that would never happen” He reaches his hands over to you which are now tightly held together in your lap. You're hesitant at first to take them, but you slowly melt and the feeling of his warm hands, allowing him to entangle them together. 

“Y/n, I care about Ed’s, but not the same way as you do. I just didn't want to see him like that again. It scared me so much when I saw you two become close, I only knew his side of the story and i didnt want you to hurt him again. But, please don't be mad at her, but Jack told me your side. And y/n, please forgive me. I've never seen Eds this happy, and I just, just didn't want to potentially lose him again” Kellys face was flushed, using the sleeve of her cardigan to rub away tears that were slowly falling.

Trying to take in everything you've been told your brain felt like it was going to explode. 

“Kelly, I can't forgive you straight away, you really hurt me. I went through enough of this in high school. But i will talk to Jack - I think you should too” your voice a lot calmer that you felt.

“Eddie, I care about you so much, why didn't you tell me this before?” You free one of your hands from his clutches reaching over to stroke his cheek, catching a tear falling from his lashes with your thumb, bringing his eyes to meet yours.

“I'm so sorry y/n, please forgive me?” Eddie eyes, big and brown pleading with you.

“Eddie, you're a fool, but you're my fool” leaning forward to close the gap between you bring your lips to his in a gentle kiss. 

You hear the door open and close, noticing Kelly had left the room. 

“Eddie, I can't just forgive her for what she said. But tell me, please, nothing is going on between you?”

“I promise you sweetheart, nothing.Nothing is going on between us, but she's right though, you need to talk to Jack” Eddie's forehead now resting against yours, your noses brushing against each other. 

You spend the rest of the afternoon, wrapped in each other's arms on that sofa, filling in the gaps between Hawkins and California. Sharing laughs, tears and small sweet kisses.

Tomorrow, you will talk to Jack. Tomorrow you sing in front of a large crowd with Eddie. 

You didn't know what made you more nervous.

taglist - @corrodedcoffincumslut @bohemianrhapsody86 @themrsmunson @emmalee-01  @jennk182 @whoahoney @eddiemunsonsgf2 @strangerthingsstories5255

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part thirty two)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 1,100

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Just a little insight into Empress.

Empress sipped at the mug of coffee she'd made herself, not feeling entirely at ease.

Sure, she was probably friends with Grooves and Conductor now.

But there was residual tension from her past with the owl that wouldn't go away easily.

“At least no one's awake yet,” she said quietly to herself.

She took one look back around the apartment before opening the front door of it.

Empress walked up the flights of stairs that led to the roof, eventually opening up the door.

Dark grey clouds cluttered the sky, still dark in the winter morning.

She sighed, sitting down at the edge of the roof.

She had loved Scarlett. She'd been happy for her when she had gotten engaged to Conductor.

But she'd never gotten along with the yellow-feathered bird himself.

Emily stared distastefully down at the small owl.

Certainly didn't look like any owl she knew.

What was this scrap of yellow feathers even playing at?

He didn't even know what Cinderella was? Please.

You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard of it.

“If he drags the group down, I'm blaming you,” Emily said coldly to Scarlett.

“Hey, he's not horrid,” Emily stated, watching as Conductor and Scarlett practised some of the lines for Cinderella.

“Yeah, he seems good,” Badge agreed, peeking out from behind the hood of their red hoodie.

“Shame he's a scrawny runt.”

“Like you can talk, beanpole,” Badge countered and Emily batted them round the back of their head.

“You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. Be polite,” she grumbled.

“You've got to admit, he's a prodigy. Taken well to it,” Badge pointed out.

Emily narrowed her eyes at the yellow feathered bird who was getting along far too well with her best friend.

She didn't like it. She liked her friendship with Scarlett and Badge. She liked their trio.

They didn't need a fourth.

“You know, yer not all that bad. You act scary but you aren't, not really.”

Emily quickly glared at Conductor before she stitched another piece of Scarlett's dress.

“I don't think so at least-”

“Shut up!” Emily growled. “You're lucky you're playing Phantom or I'd have your head by now.”

“You would nae dare,” Conductor taunted.

Emily closed her eyes, rage burning hot behind them.

She just about managed to keep her claws from sinking into the expensive fabric in her paws. It had cost her lots of jobs to buy the silk she was using for it.

“Try me,” Emily hissed, standing up and placing the dress aside.

“No. I don't need to act tough to feel good about myself.”

That felt like a stab.

Emily scowled, hoping she wouldn't start crying.

“I'm leaving.”

“I'm happy for you,” Empress purred, glad to hear her friend was settling down.

Scarlett smiled at her. “Could you help plan it?”

The cat's eyes widened and her tail flicked nervously under the table they were sat at.

“No. No, I couldn't. You know the man you're marrying hates me, right?” Empress reminded. “Besides, I'm a criminal. Do you really want me planning your wedding?”

Scarlett rested a wing over Empress' paw. “Yeah, I do.”

Empress looked away from the owl's soft gaze.

“You've always been doing… less than legal things. But that never affected our friendship, did it?” Scarlett said softly. “And I won't tell Con if you don't want me to.”

Empress looked back over at Scarlett, turning her head more.

It was hard, getting used to missing some of her sight.

“Fine. You should wear the dress I made you for Phantom. It's beautiful. Let me know ideas at our lunch date next week,” Empress instructed.

Scarlett nodded before narrowing her eyes in concern. “How's your eye? Does it still hurt?”

“It's fine,” Empress lied, words coming out in a rush.

Scarlett frowned, clearly able to tell it was a lie. But she didn't press. It was a nice thing about their friendship.

“Next week?”

“Next week.”

“Thought you'd be up here.”

Empress turned around, looking at Snatcher.

The ghost's hair was a tangled mess behind him and he rubbed his eyes.

He had shifted his form so it looked like he was wearing pyjamas under his hoodie.

Empress caught a glimpse of the blue scars that traced up his arm.

Snatcher seemed to notice her prying gaze, pulling the hoodie tighter around him.

“What're you doing up so early?” Snatcher questioned, tone chipper.

“I needed to gather my thoughts,” she sighed, turning back to face outwards towards the city.

Snatcher strolled up on her left, stopping beside her and staring out at the horizon.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, clouds glowing orange as the first rays hit them.

“Can you move to my other side?” Empress requested quietly.

Snatcher obliged and Empress let out a short breath of relief.

It felt better to be able to see him.

“What's bothering you?”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Fair.”

Silence stretched and they both sat down, Snatcher curling into her side as they watched the sun rise.

“Can I stay at yours for a little longer? I want to keep filming and stuff. But I don't want to go home yet,” Snatcher said.

Empress' tail swept around his waist. “Yeah, sure.”

“I don't want to go back because there's no one there,” Snatcher whispered. “I helped them all pass on. It's why I've got so much of the curse now. I'm so scared of what it means for me. But I want to try and spend what time I might have left with the people I love.”

“Try not to be afraid,” Empress replied quietly. “And you're always welcome in the metro.”

“Thanks.” Snatcher weaved an arm around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

“I want to go home. I know we're going to have to re-film all your scenes but I want the movie to be done already,” Empress admitted, squinting as the sun got just a bit brighter.

“Well, how about I bug those two idiots about letting us film our scenes? Then you can just relax while I redo the rest of mine,” Snatcher offered.

Empress glanced over at him.

From this angle, he almost seemed the same as before.

The dappled hues of sun highlighted the angles of his face. You could barely see the scarring and discolouration his body now carried.

She knew he wouldn't talk about what happened any time soon.

But that was fine.

She had learnt that patience paid off.

"That would be nice.”

[aquathewriter]

okay so...

I've been poking at the brother/norted Sora au thing, and it was originally going to take place just after Sora, Donald, and Goofy go to Toy Box, and young Xehanort yoinks him again there, and then it would be Vani, Donald, and Goofy traveling through the worlds/through kh3 but I hit a bump. So I'm scrapping that idea and having it start when Sora is originally snatched (it's not much, like a chapter and some change).

BUT I like how I wrote some of the first chapter and I'm going to share that here, under the cut! Enjoy!

As he stood outside the grand white castle, Vanitas felt anxiety run through him. He understood what Yen Sid wanted them to do, Sora to unlock the Power of Waking and for him to uncover his lost memories, but that also meant they were separated. After Sora’s kidnapping and Xehanort’s attempted possession, Vanitas almost didn’t want to let Sora out of his sight. And as strong as both Donald and Goofy are, neither could take on one of the only man’s minions if they tried that stunt again.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he leaned against the end of the railing and sighed. He tried fighting Yen Sid about separating them, but the batty wizard’s argument was that they needed to know where he came from and why he looked just like Sora. None of that ever mattered to him. He did wonder where he came from for a short time when he was really young, but then he just didn’t care. He had Sora, their parents, their friends, and their islands. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift to the short memory that Naminé uncovered more than half a year ago.

He’d seen it play in forward and reverse, but he knew it well by heart. A blond kid hovered far above him as a large and ornate weapon slipped from his fingers. He watched his hands, covered in a strange red and black material, desperately reach for the weapon. Then he felt lightheaded and slowly started to close his eyes. Just before darkness overtook him, he saw the weapon start to glow brightly and then explode into brilliant light. Only Sora knew of this memory. They kept it secret between them and would figure out what it meant together sometime later down the line.

“I know you…” Vanitas gasped as his eyes snapped open. Looking behind him, he saw Cinderella, wearing a simple dress with a brown skirt and light blue top, standing not too far from him up on the grand staircase. She slowly stepped closer to him, studying his face. “So…no…you’re his brother.” Vanitas chuckled, pushing his mysterious memory from his mind, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I am Sora’s brother, Vanitas. We met at Hollow Bastian about a year or so ago.” he watched her gasp as she remembered the events.

“Yes! Yes, I do remember!” she smiled brightly as she hurried down the stairs to stand in front of him. He smiled a little when he saw that he was now about the same height as her, if not a little taller. “You certainly have grown.”

“Well, a year and some change can do that to a teenager.” she brought her hand up to her lips and chuckled. The two then ended up doing some small talk, updating each other on what’s happened since Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, tried to plunge everything into darkness.

“Do you know how the others are doing?” she asked.

“Others?” Vanitas asked as he tilted his head. Cinderella nodded.

“The other princesses.” Vanitas let out a quiet “oh” and nodded with a small shrug.

“Yes and no. I’ve seen Belle, Jasmine, and obviously Kairi, but I haven’t seen the others. Do you remember the Beast?” he watched the blonde think for a second before nodding. “Turns out he was cursed, but, last I heard, at least, he’s human again, and he and Belle are either married or planning their wedding.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely!” she said as she clasped her hands in front of her.

“Jasmine is in a similar boat. She and her partner, Aladdin, are planning their wedding, I think.” Vanitas was about to continue, but then he heard his Gummiphone start to ring.

“What’s that?” Cinderella asked as he pulled the device out of his pocket.

“Something a couple of my friends made for Sora and me.” he then looked at the screen and saw Sora’s name. “I’m going to take this, but it was great seeing you again.” he smiled, waved, and jogged toward the front gate for more privacy.

Once on the other side of the wall, he held the phone up and accepted the call. “Hey, Sor-”

“Vanitas!” the raven-haired teen jumped and almost dropped his phone. Righting himself out, he looked into the phone and saw both Donald and Goofy staring at him with wide and scared eyes. “Donald? Goofy? What’s wrong? Where’s Sora?” he felt fear building within him. He could even see flecks of darkness starting to drift off his bare arms. They started to talk over each other, not making any sense. He thought he heard them mention toys, but he didn’t know for sure. He saw Donald quickly get annoyed, push Goofy away, and catch the phone before it fell to the ground.

“The young Xehanort took Sora again!” Vanitas felt his heart stop as he stared at the duck.

This was exactly what he feared. He didn’t know Xehanort well, but from what he did, the old man seemed cocky enough to try again and would never stop until he got what he wanted. His body started to shake, and the dark flecks turned into streams of black smoke. His shock then quickly shifted to anger and then fury. He gripped his phone tightly as he summoned his keyblade in his left hand. He then let out a furious scream and chucked his weapon into the nearby trees. He listened as it clattered against a few trees before landing on the ground and scaring the wildlife around it. He then heard Donald and Goofy calling for him. He brought his phone back up, and they gasped when they saw the fury on his face and the thick clouds of darkness coming off of him.

“I told that crazy wizard that he would try again! I knew I shouldn’t’ve listened to him!” he shouted as he started to march down the path that led away from the castle.

“Vanitas, what are you doing?” Goofy asked, worry in his voice.

“I’m about to give Yen Sid a piece of my mind. And if either of you want to stop me, you’ll have to get there before me,” he said was a slight growl in his voice. They started to say his name, but he ended the call. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, summoned a dark corridor, and disappeared within.

~*~

It only took Vanitas a few minutes to reach the Mysterious Tower. He stepped out of the darkness and onto the grass in front of the strange-looking tower. His darkness still came off his body in thick clouds as he looked back toward the sky. Just like he thought, he had beaten the two. Since the gummi ship ran on smiles and laughter and with the situation, they would be playing with fire if they were trying to book it back. Gripping his fists tightly at his side, he marched up the stairs and through the door.

As Vanitas climbed the spiral staircase, he grumbled about how Yen Sid put a spell on his tower to make it so no one could enter via a corridor. He could leave in one, but he had Axel to thank for that. As he reached the top and neared the door that led to the old man’s study, he could hear talking on the other side.

When he was in front of the large wooden door, he reeled back and kicked the door open with his foot. It crashed against the wall and whatever hung or rested against it. The action surprised the occupants of the room, and they all just stared at Vanitas in shock. The raven-haired teen didn’t pay any attention to who else was in the room; he just wanted to yell at Yen Sid. “You…!” he hissed through his teeth as he started to make his way to the old wizard. Yen Sid remained still as he watched Vanitas close in on him. “You bast-!” Vanitas was cut short when he felt arms hook under his arms and hold him back. “Let go of me!” he screamed as he kicked and fought against his captor.

“I will if you calm down and explain what’s going on!” Vanitas whipped his head back to see that it was Riku who was holding him back. The raven-haired teen just growled and kicked out his legs again. “What’s going on, Vanitas?” Riku asked again as his hold tightened.

“It’s his fault! It’s all his fault!” Vanitas screamed as he now felt tears flowing down his cheeks.

“What happened, Vanitas?” he now heard the King’s voice but ignored him. He continued to fight against Riku until he felt a sudden warm breeze blow across his face. Against his will, he felt his body become sluggish, and his eyes grew heavy. His legs gave out and fell somewhat as Riku still held him. Weakly, looked up and gave Yen Sid one last glare.

“It’s…your faul…” he couldn’t finish as the world then went dark.

~*~

When Vanitas opened his eyes, he groaned and tried to move his hands but quickly found that they were tied behind his back. Freaking out, he looked around and found that he was sitting at the table in the three good fairies' room, who were not present at the moment. He tried breaking whatever had his hands bound, but nothing worked. It was too strong. He then slumped back and glared at the door. There was no need for him to try and remember what happened. He knew everything. He remembered Donald and Goofy telling him that Sora was taken again, him traveling back to the tower, and him trying to confront Yen Sid, only to be held back by Riku. Someone then cast a sleep spell on him, but he didn’t know who. “Whoever cast that sleeping spell is getting a knuckle sandwich!” he shouted at the closed door in front of him. He waited for a few moments until he heard the door at the other end of the hall open and then followed by quiet footsteps. His glare continued as the door opened, and Riku stepped in. “Who am I punching for that spell?” he said in a low voice as the silver-haired master shut the door behind him and stepped closer.

“I’m not telling.” Vanitas groaned and rolled his eyes. “Why are you acting like this, Vanitas? What are you blaming Yen Sid for?” Vanitas realized that they didn’t know. Donald nor Goofy had contacted them, and they must not have arrived yet.

Must be trying to get here still to stop me…

“Sora was taken again!” he watched the color drain from the older teen’s tan face. “Donald and Goofy told me, and it’s his fault ‘cause he wanted us to go on separate quests!” his voice was getting louder. “It’s his fault that I wasn’t there to stop that yellow-eyed bastard from taking him again!” Tears started to blur his vision. All the anger and fury he felt then just vanished as he slumped limply against the back of his wooden chair. “He’s gone…he’s gone again…” he started to whisper as tears rolled down his cheeks. As he looked down at his legs, he heard the door open again and then Riku’s footsteps fading away. He heard faint voices and then the door opening again. When he heard the running footfalls, he looked up through his bangs to see the door fly open and Donald and Goofy run in. They cried out his name and hurried toward him. Goofy knelt down next to him with a hand on his shoulder while Donald was trying to get the bindings off his wrists.

“What did you do to make them tie you up?” Goofy asked.

“I…I kicked the door open and just…just started sorta screaming at him,” he said softly. He then felt a slap upside his head. “Ow! Hey!” he exclaimed as he tried to look back at the court wizard.

“You’re lucky you got away with a sleep spell!” Donald squawked as the bindings gave way, and Vanitas was free. The raven-haired teen first rubbed the spot Donald hit before wiping the tears from his cheeks with the heels of his palms. The duck then stepped around to the other side of Vanitas and gently placed a hand on his leg. Vanitas looked down at him and saw a sympathetic look on his face. “You also have to remember that we lost him too.” Vanitas felt more tears well up. Using the heels of his palms, Vanitas quickly rubbed the new tears away.

“How…” he cleared his throat before continuing, “How did it happen?”

“We were in a new world called ‘Toy Box,’ and young Xehanort sent a giant heartless after us.” Donald started before looking at Goofy.

“As we were fightin’ it, I heard Sora shout somethin’. I looked over and watched the young Xehanort knock Sora out and take him through a dark corridor.”

“We finished off the heartless and then called you when we got back to the ship.” Vanitas sighed and let his face fall into his hands while his elbows rested on his knees.

“I knew I shouldn’t’ve listened to Yen Sid.” his voice was muffled due to his hands.

“What happened to Sora?” Vanitas stiffened when he heard Yen Sid’s voice. The duo retold the events.

“What should we do, Master? We’re down another guardian.” he then heard the King’s voice. The old wizard hummed quietly as Vanitas looked up from his hands. He glared at Yen Sid but stayed put. One round of sleep magic was more than he ever wanted. The wizard then looked at Vanitas.

“Vanitas, you will have to fill your brother’s spot until we can get him back.” The glare of the raven-haired teen’s face vanished as he just stared at him in disbelief.

“A-are you sure, sir?” the King stammered. Yen Sid nodded.

“It’s all we can do until he is found.” he didn’t know if he should be elated or terrified. On one hand, he was being recognized as someone other than Sora’s brother with the nearly black heart. On the other hand, it came at the cost of Sora vanishing again, and now he actually had a responsibility to fight in a war. He was going to join them anyway, whether they liked it or not, but now…it felt different. It felt forced.

“Do you want Mickey and I to stop looking for Aqua and focus on Sora?” Riku asked.

“No, you must continue your search for her.” he then looked at Vanitas, Donald, and Goofy. “They will look for him.” Vanitas swallowed the lump forming in his throat and nodded. Again, he was going to do that anyway, but now he had Yen Sid’s blessing. This only made it so the old wizard couldn’t send anyone out to stop and bring him back. “I also want you to try to unlock your past memories, Vanitas. We don’t know for sure, but they might hold some key to all of this.”

I doubt it…

“It’s goin’ to be kinda strange goin’ on an adventure with just you, Vanitas,” Goofy commented. Vanitas then gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“Hold on!” he said loudly as he stood up. “Do I not get a say in this?”

“Vanitas, we all know you were going to go look for him anyway,” Riku said with a small smirk.

“Yes, I was, but what I mean is about becoming a guardian.” he looked Yen Sid in the eye. “I know I’m the last person you want in your guardians, but you are more willing to let me go to war before I take a Mark of Mastery exam? You also know I don’t want any of my past memories. Let sleeping dogs lie, right?” he scoffed and shook his head. “I am going to look for him, but I’m not making any promises about my memories. If I get them back, then whoop-dee-doo. If not, then that’s that.” The two stared each other down for what felt like hours. Eventually, Yen Sid hummed and nodded. Without another word, Vanitas marched around the table and out of the small round room. He marched through the hall, and once he reached the study, he called forth a dark corridor and stepped through.

He immediately found himself on the gummi ship. With a sigh, he fell into one of the co-pilot seats and waited for Donald and Goofy. It didn’t take them long to follow after him. He heard the save point console make a noise. Turning around, he watched them materialize on the circle of light.

“You were rude to Yen Sid,” Donald said as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Vanitas.

“Since when is that a shocker?” the teen replied as he glanced at Goofy and then back.

“You know, he’s right,” Goofy said before chuckling. Donald sighed as Goofy made his way to his seat.

“Do you want to drive?” the duck offered.

“If I knew how, yes, but I’m also not in the mood for it.” The duck nodded as he took the pilot’s seat. As the ship rumbled to life, Vanitas brought his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He rested his cheek on his knees and watched as the stars started to fly by them.

[rottingbite]

Midnight Succumb

A Cinderella (band) short story

We headed to Moscow, Russia where a second fascinating event was waiting for us and everything was ready, we just needed to get to the place … or that was what should happen.

We needed two buses and ours was full. Two full tour vehicles took us to our destination, and the snow threatened to fall soon. When it began, I must admit, that the surroundings looked beautiful with the dark sky and small snowflakes covering everything that the sight could appreciate. Almost everyone slept in their seats, or at least on my bus, they did while I watched over Tom towards the window. That image of peace was perfect, perhaps too much, and I came to think >> what can ruin this splendid view? <<. Sometimes it is better not to question or challenge nature because this can be explicit in their explanations.

When I was about to fall asleep with the calm silence, I felt a small tremor that, as I opened my eyes, became potent. The bus began to shake violently and after hitting something we went flying suspended in the air. The silence turned into the grinding of the vehicle, shouts of panic, and the second bus crashing into ours and pushing us farther. While time froze for me, and I was detaching myself from the seat, what I may be able to contemplate was the complete chaos of people flying around and glass breaking.

The bus was completely turned over when I was able to react, and several of my colleagues were lying all over the snow. I had that buzzing sensation in my ears when the next scream I heard was Tom’s. It was not necessary to get up a lot when I found my partner hung from a window screaming in pain, and how could he not? He was hanging from a window, his arm was separating, leaving him suspended only by tendons and ligaments that were slowly cut. I ran to him, intending to help him and to secure him to prevent him from falling or getting any more hurt. He broke off his limb in a burst of gore and a heartrending scream that froze my blood. He fell over me in a second but smaller, disgusting explosion of vital fluids. I was in pain, but Tom’s suffering did not compare to mine. Furthermore, I listened to the most horrible shrieks that in my whole life I had heard and that were impregnating my head. I was motionless on the ground holding Tom who was losing blood every second and scream-crying in pain. I felt impotent, I could not do anything but be covered by the beautiful snow that turned red, and the sky hid the moon with thick clouds. My friend was still screeching at the sight of his arm holding on tight but disembodied as the last drops of blood fell. I felt so helpless just by staying on the ground holding him and watching the sky amid the screams of everyone.

It took a little while for a man from an ambulance to take Tom away, and I was still there like a damn useless dog … I could not stand up and follow everyone, other cars kept crashing because of us. The snow changed its white innocence by the color of death. It was when a man put me on a mask and I fell asleep while my head played ‘The Sound of Silence’ as a macabre background music, and my tears spilled. I closed my eyes, fearing the idea of never waking up, or that any other of them won’t open theirs either.

When I woke up, it was another night and I could only ask myself where all of them were. I was alone in a room, I didn’t know how, but I ended up alone with a small blow on the head that left a bruise on a large part of my face. I left my room and found several nurses and doctors who did not complete themselves on that cold night. The concert no longer mattered and well, with so many broken bones, I would not worry about moving anymore.

I was still watching my hands, I felt guilty. I felt that I had torn Tom off his arm, and I wanted to run, cry and vomit, all at the same time, while a cough was drowned in my throat.

“It was not your fault,” said a voice behind me, and with wet eyes, I found Richie Sambora with a collar and his left eye full of blood.

“It was my responsibility” I replied with a low and weak voice tone. “No, it was not” he insisted and sat next to me in the waiting room while a Russian newscast was projected on the television and a nurse ran, carrying three coolers to the hospital center.

“Do you know if the others are fine?” I asked with difficulty.

“Well … Fred lost several teeth and fractured an ankle pretty badly. Jeff is fine, but it will be hard to carry that guitar with a broken collar bone” he answered by clearing my face of my blonde bangs, a nurse shouted things that we couldn’t understand.

“Will they cancel the concert?” he asked and with the little strength that I had, I answered “No band can move, and it will be difficult for everyone. I hope this concert go the fuck away right now” he just looked at the floor and then at me,“ Jon’s arm, did you see it? One shoulder came out from his body.”

-----------------

In a small bedroom, fortunately, Bon Jovi members were together in a place for two, for a small hospital at the side of the road, it was a miracle to have a place where they could stay during the snowfall and was more than filled.

“Hey Tico!” Jon yelled, but his friend did not respond, he was under the effect of some medication to calm the pain which also made him asleep “Alec! Do you know if someone died?” David asked.

“Just a reporter, the organs exploded inside him. Or that’s the only thing that I’ve heard so far.”

------------

I was sitting in the waiting room watching the world go by. Tommy Lee was shouting at a doctor, two nurses were crying inconsolably because a small child couldn’t be saved after our buses caused so much damage. I was convinced that I was responsible for all this. What could I do to fix my errors? I cried for the last two hours, enough to feel that I have no tears left.

My heart seemed to stop when the first funeral hearse arrived to pick up several of my companions. I was terrified, and I felt my blood dropping and making me dizzy slowly. I wanted to cry, but I hyperventilated instead. I took strength and ran to the bathroom to vomit for the next few minutes and go back to the waiting room to torture myself.

Tom was dying, he lost lots of blood, and it was getting too late for him after almost 5 hours of surgery. The news affected me badly, and I went back to the bathroom crying and puking again. Time passed, and I did not leave the cubicle to be able to help my friend. I wanted to die and stop suffering, the funeral floats did not stop arriving and in each of them, my heart broke more.

“Get out,” a voice said outside, and I wiped my tears, thinking the worst had arrived, and a doctor had called me to notify my best friend’s death. Instead of, outside, an elegant redhead man was looking at me with a polite smile.

“Are you thinking about taking him back to America?” I said, crossing my arms, and the man laughed. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I’m the devil and I want to help you” The redhead spoke and took off his hat revealing a couple of horns that made my heart beat fast, giving me pain.

“Is a joke! A SICK FUCKING JOKE!” I screamed at him. The redhead looked into my eyes and I suddenly had no injuries on me.

“How you did do that?”

“I’m the devil, I can do anything”

“Even/save/Tom?”. The man smiled and nodded, “But I need you to give me life for a life”. I looked down and noticed a gun in his hand and grabbed it. Inside I was sure to do that, but outside was scared. I wasn’t controlling that, though, but I grabbed the gun and bit it with my teeth.

“You know. The only good way to commit a perfect suicide is shooting at the back of your head,” he said, taking out the gun from my mouth. I was sweating and shaking, but I was committed to do anything to fix my error and bring everyone back to life.

Then, the man was no longer a man. I was looking at the most perfect creature in front of me, blinded by its beauty. He guided my hand with the shotgun to the back of my head, and in a second everything was over.

---------

Tom woke up by miracle feeling good and his arm was back. He looked at a corner where a fancy redhead man stared back.

“You know you can save your band, right?” the devil said and walked at Tom, “But I would need… a life for a life…”

[wrestlingisfake]

Caught up on the Sapporo shows and had a few thoughts.

Something feels a bit disorganized about the New Japan roster. A lot of that has to do with losing Okada, Ospreay, and Tama Tonga during the same tour. You know Chaos, the United Empire, and the Guerillas of Destiny are going to have to adapt, but there's no sense yet of what they can do except mill about without leadership. On top of that, I want SANADA do to well but I tune out when his matches start, and Naito isn't hot enough to make up for it. Tanahashi's ankle might only be a one-night thing, or it might be serious enough to bench him through the whole New Japan Cup tournament.

New Japan needs new top guys, and quick. I think David Finlay, Nic Nemeth, and Matt Riddle came out of this tour looking great. But I get the feeling Nemeth and Riddle won't be full-time in Japan, and I doubt either of them will be heading up any factions. And Finlay alone can't be the answer to questions like "who will Chaos or the United Empire follow now?" or "who's going to headline Dominion, the G1 finals, and Wrestle Kingdom?"

Right now it feels like they're building up Zack Sabre, Taichi, and Yota Tsuji. I don't think any of them would benefit from winning the New Japan Cup and then losing the world title match on April 6, and I don't think we're getting a title change on that show. So if it was me I'd give a Cinderella run to somebody for whom it would mean something, like Yuya Uemura or El Phantasmo. Somebody you want to get behind even though you don't expect them to go all the way, someone who can get over by not winning the big one on their first try. I'd say Shota Umino could work here but I'm getting a little tired of hoping Shota will accomplish anything.

As for the newly-headless factions, UE and Chaos need to evolve or die. I'd be fine with Jeff Cobb or TJP taking charge of UE, or Ishii or Goto running Chaos. But I don't actually think New Japan would present any of those guys on the level of Okada, Ospreay, or any of the current faction leaders. A hot heel needs to swoop in and give some of these guys a fresh coat of paint in a new badass faction. I have no idea who would fit that role; EVIL is a spent force, and Ren Narita is busy playing second fiddle to Evil. Maybe turning Shingo Takagi could work, but I don't know if they'd seriously consider it.

Whatever they do, I have confidence New Japan will turn things around sooner or later. I just don't know if I have the patience for wait a year to find out what the big play is.

[science-fantasy-superheroes]

PE AU: Scene 9-17

Scene 9:

Chad: “Those kids are trouble.”

In the distance, they see Evie and Mal.

Evie: “Bye, Mal.”

Mal: “Bye.”

Ben shifts uncomfortably. All they’re doing is waving goodbye to each other; they can’t have that?

Ben: “Come on, Chad. Give them a chance.” He’s almost pleading.

Audrey: “Oh. No offense, Bennybear, but you’re just too trusting.” His eyebrows furrow as his frown deepens, not looking at either of them. “Look, I know your mom fell in love with a big, nasty beast–” she doesn’t notice him getting further bothered by her description of his dad– “who turned out to be a prince. But with my mom, the evil fairy was just the evil fairy. That girl’s mother.”

Ben knows how they were raised, but he also knows they shouldn’t have been left on The Isle to be raised that way to begin with. And it’s not fair to push them out now by treating them like they’re horrible until they lash out.

Ben: “I think you’re wrong about them. I’ll see you later.”

He hurries away before they can stop him, but now he’s also worried people have been pushing them around and decides to see how they’re doing.

Ben: “Hey!”

Mal: “Hey.”

Ben: “How was your first day?”

Mal: “Super.”

That’s a relief for him, but that takes his mind off his worries enough to notice the blatant vandalism.

Ben: “You should really think about taking this talent off the locker and into art class. I could, uh, sign you up. What do you think?”

Mal: “Way to take all the fun out of it.”

Ben: “Huh.” He realizes, though they may not be dangerous, that doesn’t mean they’ll exactly get along. His plan’s going to be a lot more complicated than he imagined…

[He doesn’t lean against the lockers like a Cool Kid™ because he would’ve been taught it’s impolite and bad manners to lean against strangers’ lockers.]

Scene 10 (Mal talks to Jane in the bathroom) is all the same.

Scene 11:

Evie: “Any chance he’s in line for a throne? Anywhere in line?”

Doug raises an eyebrow, then realizes what she means and looks dejected. Until he looks to see who she’s talking about and immediately gets annoyed.

Doug: “Chad. Prince Charming Jr., Cinderella’s son. Chad inherited the charm, but not a lot of there there. Know what I mean?”

Evie: “Looks like there there to me.”

He gives her a look of pity before shaking his head and going back to his notes.

Mr. Deley: “Evie.” He startles her and Doug, and the rest of the scene plays out the same. Except, when Chad notices Evie and they swoon over each other, Doug just disgustedly rolls his eyes.

[The dialogue is the same, but the reactions are slightly different. Why will be further explained after the next scene.]

Scene 12 (Carlos meets Dude) is all the same.

Scene 13:

Chad meets Evie behind the bleachers and gets her to do his homework. Doug watches him leave with a glare before his attention goes to Evie.

Doug: “I couldn’t help but overhear—”

Evie: “Are you stalking me?”

Doug: “Technically, yes. I… Chad is… not the most trustworthy… So, if you have questions about Fairy Godmother’s wand, I can answer them. The answer to your first question being: yes, they always leave it at the museum. … Oh! Except for during Ben’s coronation.”

Evie: “Are you saying they use it in the coronation?”

Doug: “Yes—”

Evie: “Can we– me and my friends– go?”

Doug: “Yes. I think. Anyway, no need to hang out with Chad anymore, right?”

But she didn’t hear his question, already running off to he has no idea where.

[Doug had (past tense) a crush on Evie, but liking Chad is a red flag to him. So– though he doesn’t dislike her now, nor does he want Chad to take advantage of her– he (currently) no longer has romantic feelings for her.]

Scene 14 (Lonnie asks Mal to do her hair like Jane’s) and 15 (Jay learns about teamwork) are all the same.

Scene 16:

The VKs discuss what to do, Evie reveals the wand will be used at Ben’s coronation and everyone’s invited, then they hear a knock at the door and Mal goes to answer it.

Ben: “Hey, Mal. I didn’t see you guys today. I was just wondering if you had any questions or anything that you needed.” His smile and expression are noticeably stressed.

Mal: “Not that I know of.”

Ben: “Okay. Alright.” He has that same relief as before. “Well, uh, if you need anything, just, uh…” He cuts himself off when she starts closing the door. Taking the hint, he turns to walk away.

Mal: “Oh, wait!” She pulls it back open. “Um, is it true that we all get to go to your coronation?”

Ben: “Yeah, the whole school goes.”

Mal: “Wow, that is beyond exciting. Do you think that it’s a possibility that the four of us could stand in the front row next to the Fairy Godmother? Just so we could soak up all that goodness.

Ben: “I wish you could. Up front it’s just me, my folks,” his smile fades, “and my girlfriend.”

Mal: “And your girlfriend?”

Ben: “Yeah.” He shakes his head and focuses back on her. “I’m sorry.”

Mal: “Okay. Thanks, bye.”

Ben: “Oh, but, no, there’s plenty of—” He tries to offer another solution, but she closes the door on him.

Mal: “I think it’s time that ‘Bennyboo’ got himself a new girlfriend.” She smirks at Evie, who lights up with joy. “And I need a love spell,” she sighs, going back to flipping through her spellbook.

[Again, same dialogue, different reactions, but in reference to what I already said about Ben and Mal being platonic for now.

The change to the reactions with Mal’s last line isn’t wholly necessary, but I wanted to make it clear to the imaginary young audience that Mal is not the one intended to be Ben’s new girlfriend, and this is the most natural place to bring it up.]

Scene 17 (the love cookie) is all the same.

[This is pretty long, but the part before the first Content Warning is relevant to the AU, and there's a summary at the end:

There’s a reason Mal says the love spell she chose, “gets the best ratings.” Partly because the only ways to break it are the antidote, death, and the target declaring that they don’t want the victim to be in love with them anymore (and maybe pre-established true love’s kiss). But also because the spell is as evil as the target (which is usually the person who used it on the victim).

Initially, the spell gives the victim a crush on the first person they see (heightens their positive feelings of them, and makes them appear prettier; not like a glamour, like how we’re inclined to see kind people as more attractive, but intensified). The spell is a bit extra potent the first day or so to “set the romance in motion” (hence Ben’s R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S song). They still have their mind, will, and desires intact and can communicate them, so the victim can refuse things if they want to. If the spell broke, their feelings may change, but they wouldn’t feel like they were out of control.

That, of course, is the stage Ben stays in. [Disclaimer: This isn’t to say that makes it “okay” for the VKs to use the love spell, I just didn’t want to traumatize Ben. This choice was for his sake, so he can sleep easy at night, not the other way around.]

[CW: everything past this involves increasing levels of depersonalization/dehumanization]

But if the target pushes them to do what they want anyway and the victim starts to fall out of love with them because of it, the spell will make the victim ignore the target’s faults and believe they’re right. They would still have their mind and be able to have other relationships, but they wouldn’t have personal desires anymore. If the spell broke, they would remember everything, perhaps some of it in a haze, but they’d feel like they were acting under extreme duress.

Escalating past that stage depends on the person, as some people stay in a state just before the final stage where they’re not exactly a mindless slave, but they’re not themselves either. Breaking the spell then would leave all their memories in a haze, but they would remember all their hurt feelings by the target.

[CW: complete loss of self and obsession on the victim’s part]

And, finally, if the target is downright cruel to them and makes themselves entirely unlovable, the spell will completely take over the victim’s mind. They’ll live to serve the target and think of nothing else. But this is also when the target begins experiencing drawbacks as, considering the victim is functionally no longer a person, they take all their commands literally. And as they can literally do nothing without them, they become obsessed with being around them and refuse to be away from them. If the spell breaks, they wouldn’t remember anything, but they would know they were under a love spell and who the target was.

Memories are affected by how long a person is in each stage. A victim may jump to the final stage if forced to fall in love with their worst enemy and have literally no memories of what happened. Another victim may have already had a crush on the target and it takes a while for them to realize how awful they are to reach stage 3, so they’ll remember stage 1 and parts of stage 2 with a new perspective.

A victim can return to previous stages if they’re able to forgive the target, but that doesn’t mean the relationship goes back to normal. The exception possibly being if a victim gets to stage 2 and the target later assures them they don’t have to do whatever they want, so they return to stage 1. (The exception is most likely in the case of a victim falling in love with a target who doesn’t know they’re under a spell.)

To summarize the effects on the victim:

Stage 1: lowered guard and would remember everything

Stage 2: low/no boundaries and would have a vague memory

Stage 3: complete loss of self and would have no memory]

Masterlist