#and Disney made her barely a character at all

[partywithponies]

Every time I think about how dirty the disney Mary Poppins films did the character of Jane Banks I want to cry.

[sepublic]

“It’s funny how Luz thinks her friends won’t accept her for helping Belos meet the Collector when she sees them being chill with Hunter and his war crimes���

Y’all… Understand why Luz feels that her helping Philip meet the Collector is significant, right?

Don’t you think it’s crazy how in Hollow Mind, Luz sees Belos use the magic of the covens to dazzle people into following him, helping establish his regime. We see how his coven bindings literally killed people. And then she finds out she helped Belos meet the Collector, who gave him this type of magic? Who reiterates in the season finale that they have Belos “magic stronger than anybody’s” as well as the draining spell???

Luz gave Magic Hitler what he needed to rise to power, she saw people directly die because of what she gave him. Those ruins on the Knee she explored? They were ruins because of Luz, people displaced from their homes because Luz ran from hers, and now here she is enjoying what they lost. She knows about all of the systemic devastation, the environmental damage, all of the living things and artifacts and culture endangered; So many lives ruined or hurt or even cut short because of what Luz helped Belos find. Think of the damage the sigils have done, before their role in the draining spell is even accounted!

And the draining spell meant the Collector had to be freed; Luz thinks the Collector committed genocide on the Titans, and even misremembers them as more violent than they actually were. She doesn’t know what this successfully-genocidal being, who enthusiastically helped Belos attempt genocide on the isles, will do to its people! The Collector being freed led to Luz and her friends being stranded in the human realm, away from their families; The families Luz sees them missing, while Luz gets to have hers despite abandoning it.

Her nightmare sequence in the finale is about Luz seeing the dead bodies of everyone she’s met filling up a pit because of her, while Luz’s surviving friends blame her for this, with Gus reiterating that he lost his dad because of Luz, and losing a father is something Luz can deeply relate to.

And yet people just boiled Luz’s guilt down to just teenage self-loathing and angst, and made jokes about how Luz thinks her friends won’t forgive her for this but they’ll forgive Hunter’s war crimes! You know, the war crimes that fans just made up. That would still be Luz’s responsibility (in her eyes) since she aided in the rise of the coven regime Hunter did them for, if they were real. The war crimes of Hunter that, even if they did happen, he didn’t matter in the long run, he wasn’t needed for the genocide, and part of Hunter’s existential crisis in Hollow Mind is realizing that! But Luz was vital!

It’s absolutely insane, Luz was as explicitly suicidal as a Disney TV show could make a character, she went on a whole rant about it, and the fandom just barely skimmed over it. Idgaf if Hunter lost Flapjack, if their positions were reversed people would be drooling over suicidal Hunter! If Luz was also a white boy people would still remember this, don’t blame this on fans being distracted by what happened to Flapjack. I remember people making fun of Luz’s suicidal rant while cradling poor Hunter’s trauma in their hands!!!

For people who claim to love angst and dark topics and using it as an excuse to focus on Hunter and maybe those white guys over everyone else, it’s just wild to me. And now the fandom has gotten to a point where it’s making up angst for Hunter about him feeling guilty for killing witches (because his colonial violence is about HIS feelings amirite), instead of talking about other characters’ canonical issues. People would rather talk about Hunter’s hands.

The point is that Luz sees herself as just like Belos; A human who saw a world to play out their fantasy in, and ended up causing a genocide because of it… Dare Luz say, she’s a colonizer like Philip. Luz sees it as a butterfly effect where she’s also responsible for the coven system that her friends and the entire Boiling Isles suffered from, because without the Collector it likely wouldn’t have happened. This is why in the finale, Luz’s nightmare has herself as Belos.

And it doesn’t matter if Luz meant well, she’s seen how people, including her own mother, mean well but still hurt others who as Eda says, “have a right to be upset.” This is why in the finale, the Titan insinuates, when condemning Belos, that intent does still matter to some degree; Luz came from a place of compassion and good faith. Likewise, we have her friends pointing out that it’s disingenuous to take this blame because anyone else could’ve been tricked by Belos, he was going through different victims like Blue Fang until he succeeded in getting the Collector.

I’m sorry, but… Hunter killing people and being a war criminal is fanon. It’s not out of the question that maybe he killed others, but nothing’s confirmed, especially in regards to the others knowing. In his debut he’s averse to violence, doing minimal manhandling and resorting to threats, but avoiding killing the Selkidomus and not even checking its corpse. And this tracks with Hunter’s eventual development and belief he’s doing something good.

And even if he had killed, Hunter’s destruction is nothing compared to the coven system, the Day of Unity, the Collector’s reign, etc. Hunter’s a literally replaceable cog in the system and Belos even brings this up to the Collector. But Luz sees herself, partially because of her prior guilt, as a key part of Belos’ genocide from the start.

I get that you’re not trying to invalidate Luz’s trauma by comparing it to someone else’s and yes Luz suffers from a horrendous double standard of self-loathing. But c’mon, the show was NOT subtle about why Luz would think she’s done worse than Hunter, who has no confirmed kills, nobody dead via butterfly effect. And I’m sick of people always downplaying Luz’s trauma and feelings to hype up Hunter. Or even giving it to Hunter because they just gloss over what the nightmare in the finale meant to Luz specifically.

[kookygobbledygook]

Some people have been saying this, but I don't think it's been said enough and I'm just going to add my voice to the mix.

Nimona's nomination is being framed as an example of "Look at what Disney missed out on!" and I get it. It's a nice, tasty schadenfreude situation and we all like to see The Mouse get taken down a peg.

But I think we need to be very clear; Disney did not miss out on anything because they were never going to take that sort of risk.

Disney was never going to release anything close to the Nimona we got. It would have been sanded down until anything obviously queer or controversial was as faint and unnoticeable as possible by the casual viewer. And then they would still be too scared of any potential backlash. So they would have given the film a limited release at theatres, with no advertising, or social media or support.

Like what happened with Strange World.

You remember Strange World, right?

No?

That's because no one does.

And I believe that was deliberate, because that way Disney can go "Weeellll... obviously we would LOVEto take more risks and have more inclusive stories but that's clearly not what the public wants!"

Look at the original concepts for Wish. The evil royal couple? The peter-panesque star boy that would have made the gen zers go feral the same way millenials went feral for Jack Frost? These could have been the best things about the movie, and even they were scrapped, and replaced with something more homogenised. And those ideas are nowhere near the level of the concepts and discussions Nimona brought to the table.

Disney can barely have explicit gay people. Nimona has a gay south Asian man in a relationship with an east Asian man. As a protagonist! But more than that, you think Disney could ever come up with a relationship as complicated and difficult as Boldheart and Goldenloin's? They would never have the guts to show one love interest cutting off the other's arm in a straight relationship. Let alone a gay one! And then for them to be on opposite sides of the conflict, shifting between feelings of betrayal, and questioning each other motives? That's some adult dark shit for a kids film.

Asha as a character was forced into the quirky girl role that Disney has already flogged to death with Anna and Rapunzel. You ever think they would allow a Disney princess to be as dark and violent and nuanced as Nimona? You ever picture the titial character of a Disney film AS the third act conflict, rampaging through a city in a self destructive rage? Nimona is anti authoritarian, vengeful, bloodthirsty, a pretty explicit trans allegory, and even, by the climax, openly suicidal. You KNOW that terrified Disney.

I had a thing about the Director here too but I was shocked by how long that got so I'll have to save her for a different post.

My point is the things that make Nimona art, that make Nimona a great story, that make the film important and Oscar worthy, are all things that Disney has become too chicken shit to produce. If Disney had released a film called Nimona it wouldn't have been Nimona. I fully believe that if the film hadn't had been 90% finished it wouldn't have been shelved. It would have been lobotomised and vivisected. Everything special and vital about the movie and its message would have been removed, and no one would have known what could have been. Once again we would have gotten scraps and been thankful for them.

It makes me think about films like Wish (and others we don't know the name of, and never will) and think of what they could have been if studio's like Disney were braver and let their artists make art, instead of content.

tl;dr Disney didn't miss out on Nimona because they are incapable of making Nimona. If they had produced it the real Nimona wouldn't exist. We didn't miss out on Nimona. And that's purely by luck.

[stanlunter]

Bi erasure in the fandoms

There are many types of biphobia among people, but I wanna talk about the least noticable type of it, which is super common and barely gets called out. "Headcanoning" canon/implied bisexual characters (mostly female, for some reason) as lesbians.

Usually they don't even portay it as a "headcanon", but just state that they are and make everyone believe this. And when they done, people even start call you lesbophobic for calling bi erasure our, bc It's suddenly you're the one who "erase" lesbians. And the funny thing is that a lot of those who state so, haven't even watched these shows and just have "heard" that these characters are "lesbians" and the continue misinformate everyone else. And that's awful and very harmful for bi community

Let's take some examples

1. Asami and Korra

Both are bisexual women who were in love with the same man and then broke up with him and started dating each other. Prolly the most heavily implied bisexuals ever. But what do people have problems with? Oh, they think that if a bi girl has broken up with a man, it means only that she realized she's lesbian. Not that her ex was a cheater, not that their relationship was toxic. No, they can break up only bc she had a comphet. There are no other options. And if a girl dates another girl, she's also 100% lesbian, bc bi girls are just "straights who wanna invade lgbt", right? Oh, yeah, also Korra is strong and muscle "lesbian stereotype" and Asami is "cold and lady-like" "lesbian stereotype" so yeah, It's absolutely makes them lesbians! — another example of why the stereotypes are actually harmful.

2. Poison Ivy (both in the show and in the comics)

Absolutely the same thing as with Korra and Asami, but is also a "mean lesbian stereotype" which is basically the strongest stereotype, so yeah. Ivy dated Kite man and was actually attracted to him. She liked kissing me and enjoyed his company. The only thing that made her break up with Kite man is that he wasn't someone she saw her future with. He didn't fit her and she knew who did - Harley, her girlfriend. Even when Ivy knew she was attracted to Harley (bc she litterally cheated with her), she still knew she is attracted to Kite man and even so planned their wedding, but being attracted ≠ being soulmates, unfortunately. People also for some reason think that just bc Ivy hates men, it means she has to be lesbian. Ig they don't know there are bi or even straight girls who hate men. Like febfems (bi girls who refuse to date men for political reasons and their safety) don't exist. Like you can't be attracted to someone you hate.

And after all, Ivy dating Kite Man (and Dan Back) isn't even the main reason she's bisexual. Besides it, she was confirmed to be bisexual multipe times by many different authors. She's canon bi in almost every universe. And the way some new authors are trying to change her sexuality is a clearest bi erasure. And It's also funny, cuz if someone ever dared to turn a canon lesbian character into bisexual, everyone would immidiatly lose it. But when they do the same with bisexuals, It's suddenly being ignored. Wow.

3. Sasha Waybright

Thankfully the last time I don't see this so often (mb bc the fandom is dying tho), but just when everyone's favourite "mean lesbian" was confirmed to be bisexual, everyone went wild... Yeah, their favourite stereotype was broken. Does it mean they started to understand that stereotypes don't define sexuality and that even mean girls can like men? Ofc not! They obviously started to say that she was confirmed as bi bc: 1. Disney didn't want to let her be lesbian 2. Mate did it only to make the fandom mad

Lmao. They really gonna believe anything but that a character can just be...bisexual. And even so, they keep "headcanoning" her as lesbian. I've even heard people who were saying she had a "comphet" and will realize she's lesbian in the future. That's not even funny, but it does make me laugh

4. Princess Bubblegum

Oh, I love the way the whole tik tok fandom suddenly started to call Bubblegum "canon lesbian" just bc someone has said so and others have spread it up. Ig I should be thankful, that they at least recognize Marcelin being bisexual, huh?

Anyways, the thing is that Bubblegum, just as much as Marcelin was heavily implied to be bisexual. She litterally had an ex bf and for those who love calling every bi character with ex bfs lesbians with comphet, besides that Bubblegum was also in love with Finn in the episode when she turned 13. She litterally kissed him there and has said she wishes she could stay this way with him. It was directly shown throught the whole show that's the only reason why Finn's feelings are one sided is that Bubblegum is way older than him. And in the episode "Too young" it was directly confirmed. But people are still gonna call her lesbian just...bc? I don't even know why, she doesn't even fit stereotypes that much. Mb they decided to "ruin stereotypes" by it? Or mb they just decided that since6she rejected Finn (a litteral child) it means she can't be attracted to men at all? This logic is even worse. But God only knows what is in their heads

5. Yang Xiao long

Oh, yeah, this one is usually super objectionable bc she was showing interest in men basically only in v1 and then started dating Blake. And if Blake being bi was so clear that there are basically no people denying it or bc she fits bi stereotypes, who knows, however we should remember that bisexuals don't have to have equal attraction to everyone (like Blake, who had 2 male and 2 female love interests) and they don't have to date all genders to prove their attraction.

But there are many evidences of Yang being attracted to men too.

In the whole Yellow Trailer Yang actively flirts with a man

In ep3v1 she happily gazas on shirtless men and then, when Ruby says "father wouldn't approve it" she answers (I know, I fo) – which already would be enought to confirm her attraction to men

But in the same volume, when the team decorates their room, when Yang hangs a poster with a male band of the artists she's attracted too, it was shown that she liked men as well.

Yeah, I got that both the fandom and Roosters really love to forget everything that was in v1-2, but It's a fact that Yang is bisexual as well as Blake. But wait, she's a "strong lesbian stereotype", right!!! So let's ignore a bi representation, sure!

6. Sunset shimmer

Here's a girl, who canonically has dated a man and was officially confirmed to be bisexual by the author in Twitter. So why do people keep "headcanoning" her as lesbian? Oh, bc she's SUNSET and has flags of lesbian colors. Like "Sunset" was invented by lesbian flag, yeah. And what's the funniest thing in this perfect argument is that Sunset Shimmer was created even before the sunset lesbian flag designed!

And, yeah, I could take the "she has said that she didn't like Flash so it was a comphet/pretending" thing, but the problem is that it still litterally was confirmed by the author himself that Sunset is bisexual. And in the further show and even movie we can see clear signs of them still having a thing for each other. Like Sunset winks to him and many of their other interactions, but they can be read in a friends way as well ofc, which doesn't make her any less of canon bi!

7. Clawdeen Wolf

Her situation is exactly like Yang's. Since not so long time ago Clawdeen was confirmed to be lgbt and there was announced a comic about her and Toralei's romantic relationship, everyone started yelling that she's "canon lesbian" now. However it was only confirmed that she's wlw, not lesbian. And wlw includes these little unknown people called bisexuals.

But why do I say she's bi, but not lesbian? Well, bc it was clearly shown in the show and the movies that she's attracted to men. Yeah, she's a bit less obsessed with them than others and doesn't have a bf, however her feelings for many of them were obvious. And it was no where near a comphet. No, she was exactly attracted to them, that's a fact. So for now, she's a heavily implied bi character who had feelings for boys and who is dating a girl, just like Yang. And calling her lesbian is kinda biphobic

8. Kagami Tsurugi

A canon bisexual character, who's love to both Marinette and Adrian was confirmed in official synopsis for s5 and official show bible. She was shown to have a clearest attraction to Adrian and Felix, 2 men. Even if after she has broken up with Adrian (and no, not bc she realized she was lesbian, but bc he has fucking lied to her face and has broken up her heart) some people got an idea of her being a "lesbian with a comphet", this idea was destroyed again by her new attraction to Felix, another man.

However people are still gonna ignore her canon sexuality and call her a lesbian, by using "comphet" as a justification, or even by turning Felix and Adrian into transwomen, which isn't a justification to erase bi representation either anyways!

It's especially hurting since she's my favourite character I strongly relate to tho

9. Sayaka

Omg, Madoka Magica is an anime that includes girls who like girls. Almost all of the main characters are implied to be lesbians. But you know who's being headcanoned as a lesbian the most?? That's right! The only girl that likes boys too! What an irony, yeah? Sayaka has a huge romantic tension with Kyoka and has a canon crush on her male childhood friend – Kyosuke. So we can have the only bi rep out of 5 wlw girls. Ofc this rep was taken from us, bc some people wanna headcanon (or even impose it as canon) that the only bisexual girl is a lesbian with a comphet! Sure, yeah. Again, my favourite excuse for bi erasure, nothing's new, lol

10. Utena and Anthy

Another bisexual couple, who's coded sexuality is always getting erased. Uthena and Anthy love each other and even shared a kiss in one of the endings. The status of their relationship wasn't directly stated in anime, however everyone who has eyes can see their clear romantic and not only tension. Utena's another love interest is Touga, who was her childhood love who she was shown to have super clearest attraction throught the anime, and this attraction has no platonic explanation, so yeah, Utena ia attracted to both men and women and It's canon. The same goes for Anthy: she had strong feelings for Dios. Both characters are bi-coded and comphet was never there. People are just trying to use it as an excuse to bi erasure bc they want all wlw characters to be lesbians, that's all.

So, if someone is gonna say that I'm "denying comphet" or any other shit like that, no, I know it exists and I know a lot of lesbians go throught it and it deserves a representation too, but in such cases the difference between comphet and an actual attraction to men is so clear and you know that.

There are also examples of the characters who had or could have comphet:

Like Apple White, who thought she supposed to like Daring just bc he's "her destiny", but she never liked him (and even in her bio she says that just bc they have to marry, it doesn't mean they're dating) and her actual "true love", who's kiss made Apple wake up was Darling, his sister. And It's an actually good example of comphet bc of the society pressure. Or Yuzu (even tho for some reason some people still think she's bi) who was said to never be in love with anyone untill her step-sister, she even lied to her friends about having boyfriends bc she thought there was smth wrong with her since she isn't attracted to men. Also Velma and etc. Unfortunately there aren't that many examples, but even with these ones the difference between a lesbian with a comphet and a bisexual girl is obvious, so yeah, you just want an excuse to erase bisexuals and turn them into lesbians and it will never be okay

[kenzirr]

Hotch is definitely a disney dad. With that being said…

Y/N walked into the BAU office, holding Jack's hand. She had been planning this surprise for weeks and couldn't wait to see the look on Aaron's face. Jack was practically bouncing with excitement, holding a small envelope containing the tickets.

As they approached the bullpen, Y/N spotted the team gathered around, discussing their latest case. She exchanged a quick smile with Jack, who nodded eagerly.

"Alright, let's do this," Y/N whispered to him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

They stepped into the room, and Y/N cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. Aaron looked up first, his eyes lighting up when he saw them.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" Aaron asked, walking over to them. He knelt down to Jack's level. "Hi, buddy. What's going on?"

Jack grinned and handed the envelope to his dad. "We have a surprise for you, Daddy!"

Y/N could barely contain her excitement as Aaron opened the envelope and pulled out the tickets. His eyes widened as he realized what they were.

"Tickets to Disneyland?" Aaron looked at Y/N in surprise. "For all of us?"

"Yup," Y/N said, grinning. "I thought it would be a great way for us all to relax and have some fun together."

Garcia, who had been listening in, let out an excited squeal. "Oh my gosh, Disneyland! This is going to be epic! Thank you, Y/N!" She rushed over to hug Y/N and Jack.

JJ and Emily shared excited looks. "I can't remember the last time I went to Disneyland," JJ said, smiling. "This is going to be so much fun."

Rossi chuckled. "I'm definitely in. I could use a little magic in my life."

Derek, who had been leaning against his desk, pushed himself off and walked over with a broad grin. "Y/N, you are officially the coolest. Disneyland is going to be amazing."

Spencer, however, looked a bit uncertain. "Disneyland? Isn't it going to be crowded? And there are so many germs..."

Y/N laughed. "Come on, Spencer. It'll be fun. We can all use a break from the usual stress."

Aaron stood up, still looking at the tickets in amazement. "Y/N, this is incredible. Thank you."

Y/N smiled up at him. "I just want us all to have a good time. And I want to see you and Jack having fun together."

Aaron wrapped an arm around Y/N's shoulders and pulled her close. "You're amazing. Thank you for this."

Jack tugged on Aaron's hand. "Daddy, can we go on all the rides? And see Mickey Mouse?"

Aaron chuckled. "Absolutely, buddy. We'll do everything you want."

---

The sun was shining brightly over Disneyland as the team walked through the gates, excitement palpable in the air. Jack was holding Y/N's hand on one side and Aaron's on the other, practically dragging them towards Main Street.

"Look, Daddy, there's Mickey Mouse!" Jack pointed excitedly at the costumed character posing for pictures.

Aaron smiled down at his son. "Do you want to go meet him?"

Jack nodded vigorously, and they made their way over, the rest of the team following close behind. As Jack took a picture with Mickey, Y/N glanced around, taking in the sights and sounds of the happiest place on earth.

"This place really is magical," she said, turning to Garcia, who was snapping photos with her phone.

"Absolutely," Garcia agreed. "And I can't wait to try all the food! I heard the churros here are to die for."

JJ laughed. "Leave it to you to focus on the food, Penelope."

"Hey, food is a big part of the experience," Derek chimed in, wrapping an arm around Garcia's shoulders. "And I've got my eye on those giant turkey legs."

Spencer adjusted his bag, still looking a bit skeptical. "I'm more interested in the history of the park and the engineering behind the rides."

"Of course you are," Emily teased, nudging him playfully. "But come on, even you have to admit there's something special about being here."

Spencer smiled reluctantly. "I suppose it is pretty remarkable."

As they continued through the park, they stopped at various food stands to sample the treats. Y/N and Jack shared a churro, while Aaron tried a Dole Whip for the first time.

"This is really good," Aaron admitted, taking another bite. "I see why people rave about it."

"See? I told you," Y/N said, smiling up at him. "You just have to embrace the experience."

They strolled through the park, enjoying the sights and sounds. At a nearby shop, Y/N spotted the iconic Mickey ears and nudged Aaron playfully.

"We need to get Jack a pair of those," she said.

Aaron chuckled. "And maybe ourselves too?"

Y/N grinned. "Absolutely."

Inside the shop, they tried on various Mickey ears, laughing at the different designs. Y/N picked out a classic pair for Jack, while she and Aaron opted for matching ears with their names embroidered on them.

"Look, Daddy! We match!" Jack said, proudly donning his ears.

Aaron bent down to Jack's level. "We sure do, buddy. You look great."

Y/N snapped a photo of the three of them. Aaron leaned down and kissed her softly, getting a high pitched “awww” from Garcia.

"Alright, who's ready for a ride?" Y/N asked, looking around.

JJ, Emily, Garcia, and Y/N all raised their hands eagerly. "Count us in!" JJ said, grinning.

Aaron knelt down to Jack. "Do you want to go on this one, buddy?"

Jack looked up at the towering mountain, then shook his head. "It's too big, Daddy."

"That's okay," Aaron said gently. "We'll find something else to do while they go on the ride."

As the four women headed towards the ride, Garcia's excitement was contagious. "This is going to be so much fun! I love roller coasters!"

Emily laughed. "Just make sure you hang on tight. This one's a bit wild."

The ride was exhilarating, filled with twists, turns, and dips. When they got off, they were all laughing and breathless, their adrenaline pumping.

"That was amazing!" Y/N said, beaming. "We have to get the photo they took of us."

They found the photo kiosk and burst into laughter at the picture of them screaming and holding on for dear life. "This is definitely a keeper," JJ said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Reuniting with the rest of the team, they shared their experiences, with Jack proudly showing off his new Mickey Mouse ears.

"What's next?" Derek asked, looking around. "I heard there's a new Star Wars ride that's supposed to be incredible."

"Oh, I am so there," Garcia said, eyes lighting up. "Let's go!"

The day was filled with laughter, thrills, and endless fun. They tried new foods, went on rides, and created memories that would last a lifetime. As the sun began to set and the park lit up with twinkling lights, they gathered for the nightly parade, watching in awe as floats and characters danced by.

"This was a perfect day," Y/N said softly, leaning into Aaron's side as they watched the fireworks explode overhead.

Aaron kissed the top of her head. "Thank you for this, Y/N. It really was magical."

Jack, sleepy but happy, snuggled into Y/N's other side. "Can we come back, Daddy?"

"Absolutely, buddy," Aaron said, smiling down at his son. "We'll definitely come back."

As the final fireworks lit up the night sky, Y/N smiled to herself, she knew this day would be one they all remembered forever.

[jellitchi]

varigo lovely night animatic

i made this in a sickly haze.... i uploaded her to youtube as well feel free to check it out. under the cut is a Huge Ramble abt sum context / what happens In My Mind... also their Fancy ballroom fits n whatever

yk how theres a ball/fancy party or smth? yeah i needed stupid designs so i cranked these out might return and color them but i basically based varian n hugos design off of these just dressed down...

Anyways.

uhm i might write a Whole fic abt this with Oomf but uhm.

this takes place during the events of vat7k about a year after varian initially left, he returns to corona w his friends to find the library and rapunzel and eugene throw him a surprise birthday party. and in true disney character fashion, something horrible happens on his birthday. the gang gets caught witnessing / overhearing plans to assassinate the princess tonight. or maybe its gonna b a murder mystery party gone awry- havent decided. the group splits into two groups, the detectives and the protectors. yong and nuru are the detectives, theyre looking for evidence they can use to prove this has been planned for a long time. hugo n varian r tasked w making sure rapz n eugene done die sum horrible death as they hang out at the party. did i mention the party is The royal ball. so everyone is in stuffy/fancypants fits.

the whole running gag was gonna b rapunzel and eugene having like fifty near death experiences n its always like, Unknowingly. and hugo and varian r stressed out of their mind.

the reason varian n hugo r on Protector duty is coz theyre like Uhm. we're better at Improvising stuff. We can curve this and try n get the Killer to mess up and leave a trail for nuru n yong to go after.

anyways this animatic takes place a bit after like fifty attempts (cartoon ass flower pot almost crashes on their head, they watch someone spike their drinks and hugo runs over and drinks them both followed by an antidote varian just made, they walk through an archway and just barely miss the guillotine positioned above their head okay you get it just Silly cartoonish methods of assassination)

A Lovely Night takes place after Most of that so theyre very tired, the two get locked onto a balcony and r forced to kinda js Watch rapz n eugene hang out. varian takes a seat n is trying to sleuth out whos tryna kill his sister, he has an imaginary cork board w strings. hugo is kinda like "mann theyre kinda cute tgt. see two ppl locked on a balcony alone under the night sky would consider this romantic, goggles." n then Lovely Night!

uhm and the afterwards i think theres a figure approaching eugene and rapunzel so the two literally make a makeshift rope and throw themselves down the balcony to save them but boom they played into the assassinators plan! they were tired of varian and hugo getting in the way so they were js gonna kill em too. n then this is when rapunzel n eugene step in, n save them yeah and then they tell them everything and all is well and good and the assassins r behind bars...! Segment end....

[annymation]

Reimagining the characters in Wish

(Part 1- Asha)

Hey guys! I don’t really know how to start this, but let’s just say that I… Didn’t like how Disney’s 100th anniversary movie turned out, like at all.

But I can tell there was a lot of unexplored potential beneath this story, that in my opinion felt overly simple and bare bones.

But if you love it, that’s awesome, more power to you, I wish I could’ve loved it too. And I don’t want to rewrite it to show I’m “better than the writers at Disney” because I’m definitely not lol, I have no experience in writing, and I’m sure they put a lot of passion into the project and I respect them for that. But this movie inspired me with ideas for a different story that I think is worth telling.

But I won’t start telling it today, instead, I'll start a series of blogs sharing my ideas for changes in the characters and their stories, after I get some feedback I will start posting more of the story itself.

If you’re interested, then come along!

Asha✨

Personality

- Asha is a 18 year old girl, with a passion for drawing and helping those around her, sometimes even worrying more about helping others than helping herself

- She’s like a big sister to her 7 friends, always being the voice of reason and acting responsible, but not in a bossy way, she’s actually very playful with them

- To the people of Rosas tho, she's seen as kind of a weirdo, for you see, she spends almost every time of the day drawing in her sketchbook

- She practices everyday to become a better artist, and the people of Rosas find this to be very peculiar, after all, why would you take so much effort to perfect a talent when you can simply wait to turn 18 and wish for the king to make you an amazing artist?

- Asha doesn’t mind these comments, although they have made her less willing to share her drawings with others that aren’t her 7 friends

- As the story progresses we see Asha flourish from a shy and introverted girl to a brave woman who after discovering a terrifying secret about the kingdom’s rulers, steps in and inspires others to join her and fight an evil sorcerer king and his alchemist wife (yes, I made Amaya an alchemist, more on that on part 2 when I talk about how I’d change Magnifico and Amaya)

- Some Disney characters that share similarities with her personality wise are: Belle, Tiana, Pocahontas and Esmeralda

Main Traits:

Calm and mature

Determined

Passionate about her interests (drawing, dancing, philosophy and stars)

Helpful and generous

Perceptive and always questioning things around her that no one pays attention to (like why do all the artists only paint the King and Queen?)

Playful

Compassionate

Backstory

Oooh boy I gave this poor girl so much angst, okay let’s go

Asha grew up with her grandfather, her parents both died in a fire when she was just a baby

(this isn’t just to fit the “haha Disney princess has no parents” cliche, there’s plot relevance in this “mysterious fire” that I’ll talk about later)

Growing up with her grandpa, he’d always support her dream to be an artist, like her mother, who was an art teacher

Her mother not only drew really well, but she also was able to create the illusion that her drawings could move, by flipping through the pages of her sketch books

In other words, her mom was an animator

Asha saw this technic her mom used as a form of magic, so she would often tell her grandpa she wanted to “Do magic just like my mom”

Her father was a philosopher (this was established in the actual movie but never explored haha whyyyy), who taught people that working hard to achieve your dreams is not only rewarding, but also essential, because it’s part of the human nature to persevere and fight for what we believe, even if we fail, even if it’s hard, just keep moving forward.

This philosophy may sound very “umm duh” for me and you since we all know and hear everywhere nothing in life comes for free… But that’s not the case in Rosas

In this rewrite the kingdom wasn’t created by Magnifico, but rather the kingdom has existed for many generations, being ruled by different kings before Magnifico who also granted wishes… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The point is that the culture of just asking the king to give you or make you whatever you want to be has been in this kingdom’s culture since forever, so when Asha’s dad comes out saying “hey! Maybe we should stop just relying on the king to make our dreams come true, right?” He’s actually being quite a revolutionary… and sharing a very dangerous belief to other people…

At this point you might suspect what caused that “mysterious fire”

So, back to Asha, growing up with her grandpa, they shared a lot of happy memories together. Reading her father's books and her mother's art books helped Asha connect with them even tho she never had them in her life.

But as her grandfather grew older, he became senile.

Asha went from being taken care of by her grandpa to being the one who took care of him when she was still around 13 years old, and when she turned 15 her grandfather passed away of old age

Asha went on to live with her best friend Dahlia, the two became like sisters.

Though she managed to move on from the loss of her grandfather, she could never shake the feeling that he died without getting his wish granted... But she had no way to prove that, it was just a feeling

The wish granting system works different in my rewrite, instead of there being a public wish granting ceremony once a month, there would only be a public wish TAKING ceremony, that would work just like in the movie, you turn 18, you go give your wish to the king yada yada yada.

But the wish granting part would work like this: Almost every night the king would release the wishes up in the sky, they would float down like balloons to their respective owners while they sleep, and once they woke up in the morning they'd feel that their wishes were granted, for they would wake up changed.

With this method, there's no way of confirming if someone really got their wish granted or not, unless you went to ask the king.

Asha never did ask the king if he granted her grandfather's wish, but her grandfather would sometimes express how he wasn't feeling completely fulfilled in his life, he felt like there was something... missing.

This feeling of hollowness persisted in him until the very end, no matter how hard Asha tried to help her grandfather, she never knew him as his real self, because he gave part of his soul to the king, the most beautiful part of his soul, his wish.

Asha had no proof that her grandfather didn't get his wish granted, only a gut feeling.

But because of this, Asha wasn't that thrilled to give her own wish to king magnifico, knowing there was the possibility of it never being granted.

Not to mention she didn’t even know what to wish for, “I’m just 18 and you guys expect me to already know what’s my heart’s deepest desire? I’m still figuring that out, all I know is that I wanna draw”

Plus she wanted to follow her father's philosophy and achieve her wish on her own, eventually, when she figured out what her wish even was.

Asha never rebelled against the system tho, she wasn't a confrontational person. She just accepted the people of Rosas preferred to rely on the king's magic, but that just wasn't for her.

However, on her 18 birthday, when it was expected of her to give her wish to the king, she simply said she didn't have a wish, and even if she did she wouldn’t want to hand it over, she wanted to make it come true on her own. This lead to an argument with the king, and after a series of events (that I don't have time to summarize here, but you can find out about it on my rewrite) leads to her finding out a terrible truth about her kingdom. And that's how her story begins.

Design

- I’d keep these braid ornaments that Asha had in the concept art

- Since in my rewrite she’s not that invested in the kingdom of Rosas, I’d remove all the Kingdom of Rosas symbols that are present in her design (there are a LOT of them)

- I’d replace these Rosas insignia with more star and constellations themed symbols, to reflect how Asha believes that the stars are connected to people and they can guide us, just like how her father believed.

Final Thoughts

My intentions with these changes were to give Asha a strong emotional hook, and something that makes her feel relatable.

The emotional hook here is how she spent so much of her life taking care of her grandfather that she kinda never had time to worry about her own desires, that alone can be relatable to caregivers of elderly people that watch their grandparents or even their own parents lose themselves as time passes, and end up worrying more about the person they’re taking care of than themselves.

Asha has this internal emotional conflict where she feels she needs to constantly help others the same way she helped her grandfather, and one of the things she’ll learn as the story progresses is that it’s not selfish of her to want more for HERSELF.

Another thing that would be relatable about Asha is her passion for drawing, and how most people in Rosas would say she’s wasting her time practicing so much when she can just wait until she turns 18 and wish to be amazing at drawing.

She’d never stop believing that taking her time to improve on her talent and trying again and again was worth every second of her time, because let me tell ya folks, drawing is HARD, and animating like Asha’s mom did is even HARDER, it takes a whole lot of practice, and Asha was determined to keep trying.

She’d be much like Belle, remaining true to herself even tho those around her considered her odd, and very passionate about drawing just as much Belle was passionate about reading.

I also find it funny how Asha’s motivations are fairly down to earth, like in Disney movies you usually have:

I want to be free from these palace walls!

I want to explore the ocean!

I want to open a restaurant!

I want to find true love!

And then there’s Asha here like

“My life is fine, I just wanna chill and draw stuff”

And that’s it, but, in her environment where everyone is expected to have this great wish that they have to give to the king so he’ll make it a reality, she’s kinda the odd one out, and I love that. Would be a great subversion of the Disney formula.

Of course after she learns Magnifico and Amaya’s true intentions she gets a lot more agency and the desire to save her people, her “call for adventure” if you will.

But what are Magnifico and Amaya’s true intentions? Click here for part 2 and find out!

Thank You For Reading!

[not-wholly-unheroic]

I recently found a copy of the graphic novel version of Straight on Til Morning at my local used bookstore and got a great deal so I wanted to share a few of my likes, dislikes, and general observations. I’d been meaning to write up a proper review of the book for awhile now but have been SUPER behind. Anyway, the graphic novel follows the book pretty closely and I’ll be sharing some images from it, so this WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for those of you who haven’t read it.

First off, the artwork for the graphic novel is beautiful and some scenes are illustrated in a really creative way. For example, I love the depiction of this particular scene where Wendy is writing her stories and Hook sort of…comes to life off the page.

I also really love that while (most of) the characters are still recognizably Disney’s version…they also look a tad more realistic and have some of the illustrator’s own personal interpretation mixed in.

George Darling is a great example. In the graphic novel he is slimmer than in the film and looks remarkably like J.M. Barrie…which I have to consider was probably intentional.

And then there’s the Lost Boys in their animal costumes…Tootles, Skipper (excuse me, this is Nibs erasure—you can add Skipper but don’t just eliminate Nibs!), Slightly, Cubby, and the Twins.

The pirates, however, are a totally different story. Who the heck are these guys???

Anyway… at least they get Hook’s personality right. I love this bit, in particular, where one of the pirates gets a little rough with Wendy and Hook is having none of it. Also, the idea of Hook capturing Wendy to be a mother to the crew is a nice nod to the book.

One big complaint I do have is that the characters are, on occasion, a little TOO self-aware. Like in this scene where one of the pirates makes a sort of on-the-nose observation about Hook’s feud with Pan.

But I will admit, I did cackle at Hook’s reaction.

He said would you please stop trying to psychoanalyze me and look for symbolism and just let the story be about a boy and a pirate? (Hook, how do you even know who Freud is??)

You may have noticed by now that I haven’t said anything about Peter… That’s because Peter barely features in the story at all and honestly when he does show up, he’s…kinda useless and clueless. Now, admittedly, Wendy is meant to be older in this (around 16) so of course, it’s reasonable to think she might not quite view him the same way she did at 12…but in having her team up with Tink to do all the heavy-lifting of the plot (because, ya know, girlpower and all that), Peter sort of ends up not really doing anything. I’d almost rather have an evil Pan, as annoying as that trope is because at least then he actually does something. In this story, it truly feels like Wendy has just…outgrown Peter altogether. And that hurts.

Speaking of which…ya know what hurts even more for me as a Hook fan? THIS.

This poor man is curled up on the deck in the fetal position, terrified of a crocodile who has been long-dead, crying out for a best friend who never even existed except inside his own mind because he was so alone that he made him up.

O W !! Why would you do this to me, Disney?!

It ends for Hook with the crew deciding to drop him off somewhere with enough gold to pay for his keep and hire a caretaker because he’s so mentally unstable they don’t trust him to live by himself.

I hate to say it, but honestly, watching him die would be less painful. At least that would be over with fairly quickly. This just hurts.

But everyone else lives happily ever after, so it’s okay, right? Right??? 😫😭 (Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here in the corner, crying over my pirate boy.)

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Do you think TOH made people care and then ripped them apart for it?

I was still in high school when I started watching the series and I loved it. I didn't have good grades, I am neurodivergent and bisexual and was thought of as a weirdo and bullied and condescended for crying at school or acting like I was younger than I was and things along those lines. I related to Luz SO HARD. I wanted to be in the Boiling Isles. I imagined myself finding a way there. I had little 'imagine spots' and loved the mystery and the wild and unconventional aesthetics and I even got into some of the stuff you see on r/WitchesVsPatriarchy because of it. I couldn't wait for more story. I was sure everything would be resolved by the end.

Somewhere along the lines, the characters were no longer characters to me. They were real, and had real feelings and struggles and experiences. And somewhere else along the line, the Collector came, and Hollow Mind happened.

I was terrified. I kept watching, though. I wanted to know what would happen to everyone I loved. Hollow Mind was a great episode though, and I thought it and the rest of Season 3 were building up to something big.

They were not. They were building up to something extremely poorly explained that was erased in the last episode. No flashbacks. No face reveals. Caleb and Evelyn do not speak. We still have no idea what happened. How old were he and Philip? What made him trust Evelyn? Why was Evelyn in the human realm? What were the circumstances of the knife fight? WHY did Philip kill Caleb? How long was he looking for him? So many unanswered questions hand-waved in the finale, and anytime someone complains the response is 'but thuh shortuhning.' Boo fucking hoo. They had the time to explain things and they did not. If you weren't knee-deep in fandom and didn't read social media, you may not even know Hunter was a Grimwalker. You'd be left extremely confused about what Belos is and what the hell he wanted. And yet people use 'blame the big bad Disney' as an excuse. Less wasting time in Hexside tormenting students, more on what we give a damn about.

Speaking of Hexside.

I know all that shit with the puppets was supposedly 'necessary', but imagine if you'd been hiding from a potential genocide and suddenly everyone you love has been turned into nonsentient dolls by some unknown god and you're forced to hide and your remaining loved ones are missing and you're barely surviving, your life has been flipped, everything you knew is a lie and you don't know when or if it'll end. That's what it was like for them, and it is not treated like the traumatic and horrifying event that it was. It is joked about and used as a punchline and at best is unneeded filler that creates problems. And then there's Boscha - a girl treated horribly by the fandom and show both. Her friends have been turned into puppets and she is being used by Kikimora, she doesn't know what's happening, it's the apocalypse, she's sad and scared and confused and doesn't know what to do. She lashes out at people because of it. Perhaps she was so clingy towards Amity because her friend had vanished for ages and she finally knew she wasn't a puppet or dead. She is laughed at. Treated as an obstacle for Amity to overcome. Abandoned at Hexside. Given no real redemption. Just left to cry alone. And outside the show, fans will treat her like garbage. I have known people who wanted to tear her head off, or wanted her expelled from Hexside after becoming the least popular girl in school and losing all her friends. This is a teenager going through an unspeakably horrible event that will leave her with PTSD. She deserves exploration. She deserves more from the show and more from fans. Even Dana was asked once if she'd be redeemed - she said 'I think some people don't deserve redemption'. Or something along the lines. Bravo, Dana. Bravo, everyone.

And then the aesthetic switch. I praised the unique aesthetic. All reds and dusty colours and widespread. It made me really think of something abandoned. Someplace really wild. The Collector took over and turned it all star-themed and pastel, and it stayed that way. The Archive House stayed up. They call it the 'king's crown'. It remains a bland galaxy aesthetic with no trace of what they had in Season 1. They might as well reward the Collector for destroying the Isles.

And finally, Luz having to go back to human high school where she was bullied and had bad grades and didn't fit in. I used the Isles as an escape. I wanted to attend Hexside *so bad* and it was clear the show wanted the viewers to want it. So to have Luz go back and spend three years rebuilding the Isles whenever she went there - it broke me. It felt like my guts being torn to pieces. Everyone having to rebuild the Isles. Bland construction. Luz missing three birthdays. If I wanted child labour and bland construction and a horrible high school experience, I'd look at the world today. Luz was forced away from her home and into the place she deserved to escape from. High school is hell. And to top it off, what with current events, I truly do not want Luz abandoned here, among the rise of the far-right and schools doing jack-all for their students and some days when it seems everyone wants to kill each other. Luz does not deserve to be abandoned here, going to human high school and spending all her time in the Isles rebuilding it. No more fun. No more fantasy. No more adventures. Just construction. Everyday construction and a bland pastel star aesthetic replacing what I love. It's not weird anymore. I have lost the Boiling Isles. I feel this is reflected in the door redesign. The wooden Titan Eye design was all wooden, rough, mysterious and possibly alive. The new design is just a blah plastic pastel star design. It's boring.

Maybe I'm being a bit extreme, but I have held onto this for ages and no one shares my sentiments and it hurts like hell. If you could respond, that would be wonderful.

But yeah. TL;DR: This show made me care and then killed my escape and broke me and every character I love.

The Isles is dead, and this show has hurt me in the worst possible way.

I'm sorry that the show has had such a negative effect on you; it absolutely sucks to become so emotionally attached to something only for it to all fall apart in the end. It can feel like all that time and energy was wasted and that you were foolish to like it at all. But no, you did not waste anything. I think it's helpful if you reframe your thoughts because I am concerned about how much this show has affected your mindset.

The show did not break you. Its ending did not meet your expectations and you were disappointed by it. That's ok. A lot of people felt the final season was lacking, even when taking the cancellation into account. The joy and connection you felt in the early seasons still matter. They still helped you in a time when you needed it. Hold onto the happiness you felt and use that as a source of strength instead of blowing your disappointment out of proportion.

It also seems like you're connecting your experiences with Luz. Luz is fictional. She can't be affected by the real world. Within the context of the show, rebuilding the isles is necessary because the Boiling Isles is her home, too. It signifies a new age in which wild magic can flourish. She's choosing to be there as part of the community to rebuild a place that was nearly destroyed. Luz achieved her dream of becoming a witch. She can study and live in the Boiling Isles and visit her mom whenever she wants in the human realm. There is still fun. There is still fantasy.

Going back to the idea of reframing your thoughts: if something has upset you in a story, take a step back and look at it from the author's perspective. What were they trying to achieve? Does this fit in with the established world building and characterization? Did it upset you for narrative reasons or personal ones? So much discourse in fandom can be traced to the fact that fans have their own ideas of how characters should act instead of what is established in the story and what makes sense for that world. You need to look at a story from a narrative point of view instead of a personal one, that way any potential disappointment is not so emotionally-loaded.

Finally, to answer your question, no I do not believe that TOH was made to disappoint fans. Quite the opposite, actually. In the Post-Hoots and on social media, the crew talk about how much the show means to them and how touched they are about all the fan support they have received. Toh is a show made with love and a desire to please its audience--much to its detriment.

I really think the crux of your issue is that the show deeply disappointed you while everyone else loved it. That can feel incredibly isolating and as a Belos fan, I can relate. My advice is to find like-minded individuals so you all can healthily vent together while coming up with goofy head canons of your favorite characters. That's what I do (and endlessly complain about the lost potential. There is catharsis in it). Finally, move onto other shows and other communities, you will find better stories that will enrich you.

Stories can have a profound effect on people but not to the point that they make you feel "broken." My old mentor once said to "take the meat and throw out the bone." Basically, take whatever is useful for you and ignore the rest. You can do this with TOH, take whatever "meat" you found valuable and don't let the "bones" get you down.

I hope you take whatever meat you can from my advice. Please take care of yourself and surround yourself with people and things you love. Explore new stories, meet new people, and continue to grow.

The fantasy is not dead.

[descendantsramblings]

I love warm greens fic would you think of doing a part 2 ?

I love them, absolutely I can, sorry this took a minute I didn’t wanna skip too far ahead ❤️It was so fun getting to build the other villains into her friends from being her sister's bullies. I love this little universe so much. That being said, after this I think I am done with these two characters, they have 11,600 words together, I am done with Morgie’s Hearts!GF.

This is a prequel to my story "Warm Greens" which you can find here.

Also I've done some weirddddd things to the lore to make this work, I understand that the Jack of Diamonds is he head guard in the movie and we're all just going to pretend that he's somehow related to the queen so that I may refer to the reader as the princess of diamonds as to use the other red symbol on a deck of cards to draw a tie between the sisters. Thank youuuu.

Cool Reds

Morgie le Fay x Hearts! Reader

Pronouns used: she/her/hers

Summary: She would do whatever it took to keep him, wouldn’t she?

Warnings: Make out scene mentions, swearing, mentions of feeling nauseated/sick from anxieties, crying, use of the looking glass, betrayal of trust, references to Greek mythology (but the lore of the myths is a little off due to time since I read them + Disney)

Word count: 9.2K

Have I used this gif already? I have no idea, anyway

   Everything about Morgie le Fay was down right intoxicating. His mere existence in the same room as her was enough to light her every sense on fire. She was absolutely love drunk, barely swimming through the chalice of his affections and not caring if she drowned in them. How could she ever care about her ability to sink or swim when his lip balm was vanilla and his hands were so soft and his cologne could hang to her clothes for days from just a few hours of him holding her. How could she ever think about anything but him when the scent of him was on the collar of her shirt from just hugging him and the ghost of wind on her neck felt like his fingertips?  What was she meant to do about all this love when bites of cupcakes tasted like kissing him until her lips were numb? He was wrapped around her every waking thought like her entire purpose in leaving Wonderland was to find him. So what was she meant to do when Hook and Uliana found them out? 

    What else could the girl do but agree to whatever it took to keep those vanilla lips and cold hands? They knew better than making out anywhere but her dorm. She didn’t have a roommate, her room was safe, villains have eyes on every fly on the wall. But her room held no flies, it was their sanctuary, the only place they could be close without needing an excuse. Studying could be explained away, them both deciding to go swimming at the enchanted lake could happen by chance. Them both coming back from a new coffee shop or restaurant just mere minutes after each other just had to be a coincidence because why would Wonderland’s finest ever be seen out with a sorcerer of the dark arts? 

   But there was no way to explain this though. You can’t explain away hair that’s been mussed up by grabby hands that got a touch too adventurous. There was no valid reason that Morgie le Fay’s rings should be pressed into (Y/n)’s ribs from under her soft red top. Those kiss-bruised lips and flushed faces being so close could only mean one thing. And by god were they never going to hear the end of it. 

    That corner of the library was meant to be safe, no one ever came back there but them. In the past four months no one had interrupted them even once. It should have been a safe and quiet place for their little study break. But all good things must come to an end. Of course they must, the sons of villains aren’t meant to have good things. Morgie should have known that from the moment that bubbling girl made of red tinted moonlight fell into his arms. He wasn’t meant to have sweet meet cutes, the second he realized he’d have to hide her he should have ended it. She deserved to be seen with someone in broad daylight, not hide behind dorm doors and stacks of dusty old spell books. So whatever his friends had to throw at her, he’d take it like punches. He owed her that. If he could give her nothing else, he could do that. 

   “What have we here? A little scandalous little show, eh? Wonderland’s little princess isn’t the scholar she claims to be?” Hook’s face is unreadable, something that should be cocky and yet falls flat somewhere. Smirk as forced as his raised brow as he stands in front of them with crossed arms, the tip of his hook resting between his teeth. “Just taking a little break,” she hums, and though she should untangle herself from Morgie, she doesn’t. (Y/n) grabs his fleeting hand as it tries to abandon her bare side; holding it gently as she rubs the back of it with her thumb. So confident and relaxed, as if there aren't two villains looking her over with the intensity of a predator stalking prey. “Oh really? No one told me that you took your breaks with villains,” Hook leans down with that forced smile, “When’s my turn, huh?” Her eyes are half lidded, leaning up so their faces are only a few inches apart and Morgie’s heart nearly stops in his chest. Hook can’t take this from him, this is the first good thing that Morgie le Fay has ever had. Hook gets everything he wants, why can’t this just be Morgie’s thing? His one good thing. He will not let them take her from him, he’s sure of that. Hazel eyes stay locked on her lips, listening far too intently. “You won’t get one, Cap. I only kiss villains who are actually attractive.” 

    Her words make the pirate stumble back and Morgie bites his swollen bottom lip to hold in a laugh. That’s his girl, god, that’s his girl. “Well, then it seems you’re doing more than just taking a break, aren’t you? You think we’d be okay with that?” Uliana is looking (Y/n) over as if she’s trying to find something, seeming to be an odd mix of offended and proud. The last time Morgie saw her look at someone like that, Maleficent joined the group. Maybe this could be a good thing. He could only hope this would be a good thing. “You think I care if you’re okay with it?” Nope, not a good thing. Morgie was in for a long, long week.  And potentially a break up, though he really didn’t want to lose either piece of this puzzle. “Oh,” Uliana draws the sound out on a laugh, “You are going to be so fun.” 

                                          ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

    The next time (Y/n) sees Hook, he’s pressing the cool, dull side of his hook into the back of her neck, drawing a line down the part of her spine that her collar leaves uncovered as he tuts. “Princess,” it’s a coo, leaning over her shoulder as he speaks. Bodies so close you’d think that the two of them were thick as thieves. Across from the two Bridget is frozen, watching the pirate tease her sister with wide, terrified eyes. But (Y/n) just takes it, rolling her own eyes with a smirk, “Cap, running errands for your sea witch? I was hoping I meant enough that she would come see me herself.” The princess was a lot of things, but a fool -nor a coward- were titles that were on that list. No, she’d been waiting three days for this. When Uliana left their side in the library, she promised she’d be back with an idea of how she could “make it up to them” for “stealing Morgie from their schemes”. The princess didn’t assume the girl to be all talk, so this little charade came as no shock to her. Of course Uliana wouldn’t come on her own though, always sending Hook or Morgie to do her bidding. Perhaps, one of them was a coward. Whatever the girl had decided on, she could take it, she was positive of that. Morgie made her feel like she was floating, she’d hate to let her feet find the ground again when she’s been given a love like that. 

   “Uliana requests your presence, best not to keep her waiting,” he hums, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and forcing her to turn. “I’ll be back, Bridget. I’ll meet you in class?” She sends her sister a soft smile before turning back to the pirate wrapped around her shoulders, “So she figured out what my debt is, eh?” Though he tries to fight it, you can see the ghost of a smile fighting to replace the smirk on his face as he leads her away. (Y/n) was either the most confident person that he’s ever met or she was the best actor at Merlin Academy. He couldn’t quite read it either way and something about that made the girl so incredibly fascinating. Of course she was pretty, that was obvious, but if she always acts like this Hook can understand what made Morgie fall for her. He’s gently pushing her towards Uliana when they walk through the door, hoping the action looked rougher than it actually was. Smirk replacing his smile as he locks eyes with the excitable and impatient sea witch that stands in the middle of her dorm. This would be fun, by god this would be fun. 

    “Uli, Baby, Hook says you finally decided what you want with me? Took you longer than I thought you would,” she’s smirking as she refinds her footing. A soft, cold hand finds its way onto her shoulder as Morgie slinks up behind her and she fights to keep back the excited smile that begs to stretch across her face at his touch. This was the closest they’ve ever been to a public display of affection, it was impossibly hard not to bask in it. Uliana is raising a brow as she approaches them, “Oh did it? You were hoping I’d get to this faster, huh?” “Well, the faster we get this over with, the faster I can go back to making out with one of your lackeys, right?” Lips press against the top of her head as Morgie uses her hair to muffle his laughter. The feeling of it only eggs her on more, eyes growing ever so slightly more crazed. The sea witch before her lets out a cheap laugh, looking her over, “Yeah, something like that.” 

    A hand slinks up to rest on Morgie's, sparing him an adoring smile over her shoulder. “So, what’s my punishment, Uliana? I do have classes after this, can’t spend all day with the lot of you, dreadful for you I know.” A hand harshly comes out to grip her chin, holding the girl’s gaze on her as she speaks. “Well, we were thinking, since you affected one of our friendships, we should mess with one of yours, huh? An eye for an eye? Of course, you don’t have many friends so that precious sister of yours is going to have to do.” Bridget? Bridget doesn’t even know about (Y/n) and Morgie, she shouldn’t have to be brought into this. God she’d hate to know about the two of them at all. She doesn’t need this. But if that’s what it takes. 

   “What’s in it for me?” The words knock the smirk off of Uliana’s face, rendering the girl speechless. Hades and Maleficent become visible on her left as Hook takes her right side, proud smirks written across all three of their faces. This was a game to them, wasn’t it? She could handle that, (Y/n) likes games too. “Excuse you?” “What’s in it for me? I don’t see how bringing someone innocent into this is warranted unless I’m getting something out of it.” Uliana spares a look to Hades, the god only shrugging in response. “You get to keep Morgie, that’s what you get out of it! This is not a negotiation!” A giggle slips through the princess’ lips, turning around to look at her boyfriend. “What do you think, Baby? We went four months without them knowing, don’t you think we could pull off a fake break up and hide things better? No need to spare her feelings,” her hand slips up onto Morgie’s cheek as she speaks, the boy leaning into her touch as if it was magnetic. Adoring eyes flickering over her face as if he was suddenly unaware of the onlookers in the room. She was so pretty when she got all feisty, god he’d wanted to have her like this around his friends for so long. How bad would it be if Morgie just stole a quick kiss? 

    “That will not be happening,” Uliana’s voice is sharp, grabbing the girl’s shoulder to spin her back around. “Then it looks like this just turned into a negotiation, didn’t it, Uliana?” The girl huffs, glancing back to Hook who just shrugs in response. “What do you want out of it, then?” There’s this annoyed pout trying to hide the amusement that covers the girl in front of her and it makes (Y/n) smirk. “What do I want?” A hand comes out to dust Uliana’s shoulder as she mocks the question. “Yes, what do you want out of it? God, are you always like this?” A hum comes out of the princess’ lips, “Only with prey, darling, only with prey. See, Bridget might be a gentler soul, far more fit to rule, but me? Oh I can negotiate a prince out of his kingdom and  into his own grave. You’re taking my two friends from me for what? A boy that I get to keep kissing in secret? That’s not a fair trade.” 

   Her eyes flicker to Hades and Maleficent, smirking as she looks them over. They’re so close, so public. This constantly visible and proud display of affection no matter where they find themselves. “I want to be able to act like them,” she justs her chin out towards the couple and Uliana’s eyes follow the motion. “Absolutely not, there is no way I’ll allow Morgie to be seen like that with someone who isn’t one of us,” her arms cross over her chest as she glares at (Y/n) and the princess’ smirk only grows. “Oh yeah, well then I guess you’re going to have to let me into your little gang, aren’t you, Uli?” 

                                          ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

     The villain’s hideout at the Black Lagoon is nothing like (Y/n) imagined, but the past three days have led her to realizing it was in no way bad. Actually, she was pretty comfortable there. It was darker than most places in Camelot, closer to the lighting of Wonderland’s sun than the one that shines here. Perhaps that’s why Uliana liked it here, surely the light rivals the refracted version the ocean offered, there had to be something comforting to the sea witch about that. And with the promise of four friends and the most attractive boy she ever laid eyes on coming with the hideout, she had to say she was more than a little excited to be able to come into it openly instead of sneaking about. It was almost time for that, all she had to do was succeed in this one little stunt. One that would finish frogging a relationship her hand had already begun to unravel; of course, isn’t that how she ended up here to begin with? She knew that with Bridget goes Ella too, but did the girl ever actually like (Y/n)? The princess was fairly certain she was dead weight from the moment she stepped out of the rabbit hole; she was ready to go back to being a valuable player like she was back home. Back where Bridget’s only purpose was to rule as a figure head, not nearly mad enough for the kingdom’s own good. 

    This would get her that, surely it would. So why did part of her feel so sick? Her organs twisting around themselves like snakes, dragging against her spine like it was a dagger. Eating her alive from the inside out in a way that she wasn’t used to feeling. This was a good thing, wasn’t it? She’d have Morgie, she’d get to have friends more like the ones she had back home than Ella ever could be. She’d be out from under her sister’s incredibly kind yet cautious gaze. Able to love openly, to be seen by people she’d watched with morbid fascination and curiosity. This would be a good thing. So, (Y/n) pulls her knees up to her stomach and lets her eyes flutter closed. Arms wrapping around her legs as her head falls to rest on top of them. Taking slow breaths in through her nose and letting them shakily leave her mouth. Hoping for anything that will soothe the sickness building up in her gut, this normally worked for her, didn’t it?

Just as she’s beginning to relax, she feels the presence of someone in front of her. The princess tells herself that it’s probably just Morgie coming to check in on her. Or perhaps Hook, the pirate had taken an odd liking to her in the last few days, always seeming to hover, this unreadable look stretched across his otherwise cocky features every time he looked at her. But two calloused and extremely warm hands come to rest on her exposed elbows. There was no way that was Morgie, his hands were far too smooth and cold, more like stone than flames. So (Y/n) spares the energy to look up, eyes flickering to light blue hair and a stoney expression that held a touch more concern than his normal sarcastic features. 

     In the four days that (Y/n) has been hanging around the gang of villains, Hades has found himself quickly growing rather fond of the silver tongued princess. She was a red tinted sunrise on the horizon. Someone he could easily understand taking up space in Morgie’s heart as she’d quickly come to claim a spot in his. Something about her reminded him of his years stuck in time. Of siblings he was once so fond of. She reminded him a touch too much of Demeter, a sliver of life and renewal. Drawn so easily to green and growth, with this small air of selfishness fueled by nothing but her emotional compass. So much like that younger sister of his that he wished he could get her out of this whole thing. The princess of Wonderland was far too much like the goddess of harvest and what they were asking her to do? That was far more aligned with the works of his brothers. Far closer to those drawn straws that he shared with Poseidon and Zues, giving herself the longer straw and taking Olympus for her own hand, casting Bridget to the Underworld, alone in the dark. Could she live with herself if she went through with such a thing? Could Hades live with himself if it destroyed this gift of red apples and bright green leaves? 

   So he sinks to her eye level once he knows he has her attention. Voice small and nearly adoring as he looks at her with the softest expression his features will allow. “Are you sure you can do this, (Y/n)?” She nods but the movement is barely visible, hardly believable. “Your face is starting to match Morgie’s shirt, Princess. There’s no shame in backing out of this.” With his words, the girl’s face hardens, legs falling from their pulled up position to cross before her. (Y/n)’s shoulders square back, her chin rises and she takes on this unmistakable air of confidence. The same look she had when she declared that she wanted to be able to act like himself and Maleficent, she’s making sure that the villains in the room can’t look down on her. And Hades hates to admit to it, but he respects it. “Don’t try to psych me out, Hades. You can’t scare me away,” the tone she held on Monday is there but there's something about it that’s missing. Perhaps it’s just that Morgie is hovering over a cauldron with his own girlfriend and Uliana instead of over her. Hades can’t be quite sure.

   “I’d never,” he rubs his thumb over the side of her elbow as he talks, something about it seems to relax her. Good, at least he can give her that. “I just, listen (Y/n), I know what it feels like to have your sibling betray you. Bridget is your family and after this there is such a high chance that she will never forgive you again. Are you sure you want to take that risk over a boy?” Her red nail polish is stark against his pale skin as she lets a hand fall on top of his, a gentle smile on her lips. “Would you do it for Maleficent?” And Hades pauses, lip between his teeth. Of course he’d betray Zues, Hera, or Poseidon for Mali, he’d give the underworld for her. But if it was Hestia or Demeter, could he do it?  Could Hades betray growth and warmth for love? “I would, a hundred times over.” Something about his words seem to melt away some of the anxiety resting in the princess’ face as she squeezes his hand. “Then yes, I’d do it for Morgie, but I get you guys out of the deal too. I think trading one friend who I can’t hold a conversation with for four friends I can actually talk to is more than a step up.” She moves her hands to rest on her back, pressing into it until Hades hears a harsh “pop”. “Anyway, it’s not like Bridget and I are close at home. She has no friends and I have friends she hates, may as well make school match it. Plus, she never quite forgave me for burning down the West Wing tower while I was arguing with our Mother.” 

    Her answer earns her the most joyous laugh the crew thinks they’ve ever heard come from Maleficent, the dark pixie bouncing up to them with bewilderment in her eyes. “You burned down part of your own castle? Out of spite?” (Y/n) smirks, leaning towards Maleficent with this proud look in her eyes, “Oh, that isn’t even half of it. You know what they say, we’re all a little mad in Wonderland.” “Oh you beautiful little pyro,” Maleficent gives her a smile, reaching out to tap a finger against the tip of her nose. It earns her a playful smirk, the princess’ eyes shining with this mischievous glint as the pixie’s hand recoils. (Y/n) dusts off her pants as Hades rises to his feet before her. Taking an outstretched hand from the god to pull herself up with a confident smile that only Morgie can tell is faker than Hook’s arrogance. “Now, I don’t have all night. If we want me to be able to get into that dorm and get her diary we better get started.” 

    As she makes her way to Morgie, the princess refuses to meet his eyes. Her confidence can only hold for so long and the sorcerer had grown to be able to read her like a book, even from across the room. He was worth it, by the gods he was worth it. But what if Hades had a point? What if she was throwing away a possibly salvageable relationship with her sister for nothing more than a fair weather boy? Of course, Morgie hasn’t given her a reason to feel that way, but there was always the lingering concern, wasn’t there? How often did high school sweethearts turn out to be soulmates? She twirls the ring on her left hand as she looks over the cauldron, the heart shaped stone brushing over the inside of her middle finger and her pinkie as a grounding force as she takes in the blush pink rose that waits at the bottom of the vast black cast iron. She needed to do something for herself while she was in Bridget’s room, there was one thing that could solidify this. She could always lie and say she couldn’t find the diary, back out and run for the hills if she found something that would change her mind, couldn’t she? (Y/n) leans into the new found warmth of Morgie’s arm around her shoulder, the chill of his fingertips against her bicep grounding her to the moment. This is it, isn’t it? 

    With a delicate brush of her fingers, Uliana lifts the soft rose from the bottom of the cauldron, smiling at the girl who was quickly proving herself to be quite a good asset to her team. “Now, you’ll have to be careful with this, the spell on it can only affect one person. Make sure Bridget pricks her finger on one of the thorns, it will knock her out for six hours. Little Miss. Sunshine will wake up tomorrow with a completely normal flower in her hands and think she just fell asleep, got it?” (Y/n) nods, taking a deep breath as she reaches forward for the rose, eyes locked onto the soft, pale petals. It took Maleficent and Uliana forever to decide on a way to get the spell into the overly preppy princess; her sister could not mess this up for them. “Hook, Hades, and Maleficent are going to be waiting on you down the hall from her dorm. Mali here will use a speed reading spell to find the best pages in the diary and make copies of them. Then you, Hook, and Hades are going to plaster the courtyard in the copies, I don’t want any of the cobblestone visible, understand me?” And she nods again, visibly seeming to understand her place in the group as a lackey already. Good. 

     Before the princess can reach out for the rose, Morgie’s fingers catch under her chin, drawing her face up to him. “We should kiss first, for good luck.” How could she ever question that? What could ever lead her away from his perfect pale pink lips? So she smiles, letting her hand find his cheek as if it were second nature for her. (Y/n) pulls the boy down softly against her lips, pecking them with the softest kiss her anxious form can muster. “You be safe,” he whispers against her lips, pulling away from them in the gentlest way he can before pressing another quick kiss to his lover’s forehead. And she nods with a tight lipped smile, watching as he reaches for the cursed rose.

                                          ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

     Bridget’s dorm, much like her room back home, perfectly matches her. It’s almost a comforting sight to (Y/n)’s anxiously bouncing eyes. Or it would be if she didn’t know what she was here to do. The pink dorm room smells like strawberries and white chocolate, surely the scent comes from the little oven that waits patiently on a table in the girls room. The machine visibly on and letting out a soft hum as it bakes whatever it is her sister is making. Finally, as she forces them to stop bouncing, her eyes land on Bridget. Her bright pink hair is already done up in foam rollers at the top of her head, a magazine resting in her hands as she waits on whatever she’s baking to finish up so she can go to bed. (Y/n) fights to steady her hands as she approaches her sister, holding the rose carefully behind her back. 

   “Hey Bridge!” The gentle tone in her voice makes the girl lift her head, smiling at her with this nearly fond look on her face. “Everything okay?” No, it’s not. I am about to absolutely ruin you. “Yeah, I just went on a hike and I found the loveliest rose bush near the enchanted lake. The flowers made me think of you so,” she delicately pulls the bloom out from behind her back, offering it with a nervous smile to her always excitable sister. And just like she knew she would, Bridget bounces in her seat, reaching up for the pale pink flower with excited hands. (Y/n) drops her grip on the stem, barely avoiding a thorn as she lets it fall and Bridget’s hand circles around it, hissing slightly as one of the thick barbs jabs into the soft pad of her thumb. “Oh, ow,” she mumbles, readjusting the flower into her other hand so she can look at the prick point. It didn’t break skin, (Y/n) hopes it doesn’t have to for the spell to work. “Sorry, I should have warned you I didn’t take them off,” her voice is riddled with her anxiety and she can only hope that her sister can’t tell it’s not connected to the tiny flesh wound she’s earned. 

    Bridget shakes her head with a smile, letting the rose rest on the bed beside her, “No it’s okay! Really I should be more careful.” A yawn follows the words, big brown eyes slowly becoming harder to see through heavy eyelids. “I mean, why wouldn’t there be thorns on a rose, right?” She’s letting her eyes flutter closed, losing the fight to keep them open. And (Y/n) watches somewhere in between relief and horror as her sister slumps to her side on her bed, body nearly toppling over as her magazine hits the floor. She should feel awful, but some odd part of her relaxes, moving to adjust Bridget on the bed just like the pink girl had done for her a hundred times before when she’d come home after a touch too much fun. Gentle hands take the girls legs and pull them onto the bed, laying the soft pink fleece throw from the bottom of the bed over her tired form. The magazine being lifted up and placed onto the nightstand, the rose settling on top of it. Not that Bridget will want anything to do with the flower this time tomorrow, but the morning version of her would feel terrible if she were to step on it. (Y/n) knows this. 

    Quite frankly, (Y/n) knows her half-estranged sister a touch too well. Which is how she knows exactly where the white leather bound journal she bought her two Christmases ago will be sitting. The spine standing out stark and bare on her bookshelf between a copy of “Romeo and Juliet” and some enchanted pastries cookbook. It’s an invasion of privacy to even touch the thing, let alone to hand it over to her tormentors to use it against her. She’ll probably abandon the thing once and for all after this though, not the (Y/n) isn’t hyper aware of what type of things will be littering the pages. Things about how cute she thought Hook was when they first started school here, how she just doesn’t understand why she finds Ella oh so charming, mentions of how truly lonely Camelot is, how lonely Wonderland always was. Every single thought the girl had would be waiting in that journal and now the stark white is waiting patiently between her hands. Pure innocence against the violent red of her coffin shaped nails. Without any other thoughts to what she was doing, she slips the book under her arm, hands ghosting back over her shelf. (Y/n) just needed one more thing before she could slip out the door with this little book, one little push to prove that even if it hurt someone she was supposed to love, what was happening would mean something. There it is, waiting on the edge of a mid tier shelf, dust coating the top of its red gems. 

    Of course there would be dust on it. Bridget loves surprises, always swore to never use the thing, but her sister? Oh (Y/n) needs it, so desperately in a way she’d never needed anything before. Her hand reaches out for the little mirror, bottom lip between her teeth as she grasps it. “Alright, looking glass,” she whispers it, as if her new found friends would hear her down the hall, or Bridget had the ability to wake up before her spell wore off. “I need you to prove to me that this is worth it. What does my future look like with Morgie? Where does this go?” Shaking hands pop open the compact little mirror, looking herself dead in the eye, she whispers the words again. Her stomach swirling in a mix of hope and fear that’s nearly enough to make bile rise to her mouth as her reflection clouds over. Then, it dissipates, leaving a new image in the wake of her own watchful eye’s reflection. 

    A man, probably one seven or so years older than she is right now is looking back at her in the glass, and though she’s never seen him like this before, she’d recognize those eyes anywhere. He’s laughing- a sound that (Y/n) can’t truly hear but she knows all too well- with a little girl dressed in red perched on his shoulders, one hand tangled in his hair. She’s clearly pulling his hair as she reaches down for something but Morgie won’t quite let her get to it. Then the image pulls out slightly, revealing a woman who is probably somewhere in her mid twenties, she’s in red too and it takes the princess a moment to realize who she’s looking at. Watching the way tired eyes look up to Morgie with a fondness, looking between a blanket resting in her arms and the man before her as she says something that (Y/n) can’t quite hear. It’s her, and the blanket isn’t just a blanket. Now the face of a baby looks up from the green knit material as this older version of herself references from the baby’s little nose and up to Morgie’s. It’s them, happy and laughing and holding two kids who both seem to be under the age of four and it’s so cozy. As if the four of them don’t recognize anything but the love existing between them. 

    The sight seems to settle some knot in her stomach as she lets the gold compact close again. (Y/n) puts it gently back into it’s place before she turns to Bridget again. She gets a family from this, yes maybe she loses one too , but she gets her dream life from this one little step. And that means something, doesn’t it? For her to get what she wants from this life is enough for her to do this one, fairly harsh, thing. Morgie isn’t a fair weather boy, he’s the sunlight that shines off of the green grass of the forest floor. She can do this if it means a life with him, the princess is sure of that. So she does the last acts of kindness she can afford to give her sister. She crosses to her oven, smiling as she reaches in time with the timer’s little ding, and pulls out the strawberry cookies that the other princess had undoubtedly spent an hour or so on, letting the hot tray rest  on a spare pot holder. And as she turns off the table top oven, she turns to look at her sister, the future queen of Wonderland, who sleeps soundly on her bed. (Y/n) lets herself wander to the girl’s bedside, laying a feather-like kiss onto her forehead, and with this final act of kindness, she finds her way back to Bridget’s door. 

   Walking out of the pink, and the Wonder, and the Hearts family line. And into something new, something dark blue and maroon and black. Into the le Fay line and the waiting hands and hooks of friends who were more like her than (Y/n) would have admitted to herself five months ago. She lets her speed pick up, running to the waiting hands of Hook and Maleficent who both hold a look somewhere between wicked excitement and annoyance. “What took so long?” The dark pixie’s words are hissed as she puts a well manicured hand out for the white leather book. “She moved the damned thing,” the princess hisses back, letting it fall into Maleficent’s hand as she leans into Hook’s side. Unable to watch as Maleficent tears her sister’s psyche apart, she lets her eyes flicker over to the pirate beside her. Hook is smiling at her -not his normal cocky smirk but this real genuine, almost kind thing- looking more proud of her than her parents ever have as he pats her shoulder in this nearly loving way. “You did good, Princess. You did really good.” She smiles back to him, fighting the “thank you” that begs to hang off her tongue as she turns back to the pixie and the god before her. 

    “Hey Mali,” she starts and the pixie doesn’t correct her to using her full name. She’s earned the nickname now, or at least (Y/n) supposes that’s what that means. “Yes?” There was one more kindness that she could spare her sister, (Y/n) has to do one last thing for her. She owes Bridget that. “I was thinking -and I know that the plan was already set in stone so you can tell me no- what if we changed a few things in the copies?” Maleficent’s eyes flash this sickly green hue as they flicker up to her, a blank expression taking over the rest of her features. “Like what?” “Well,” she doesn’t realize she’s wrapped her arm around Hook until she feels her fingers wrap around cold metal. The sensation seems to stabilize her though, the girl taking a deep breath as she continues, “Bridget is head over heels for Ella, and I know that the little peasant,” the insult pains her to say it but she pushes through, “has the hots for my sister too. So what if we changed the name of the girl she’s writing about to be someone else? Make it where her crush thinks her love is unrequited so that Bridget can’t have her?” Mali’s smirk is undoubtedly proud as she looks (Y/n) over, “You might just be more nasty than we thought, Princess.” 

                                          ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

      Bridget Hearts knows that something feels off when she wakes up that next morning. She’s far more groggy than she’s used to being, something about being awake feels too far off, but she is. Strangest of all, she doesn’t remember being tired, she has no knowledge of falling asleep, but obviously she did. And from the red lipstick mark on her forehead, and the pink blanket she woke up tucked beneath, she knows her sister was still there when she fell asleep. It’s an oddly comforting thought, the roles of the two girls being reversed, but it’s enough to put a slight pep in Bridget’s step as she packs up her strawberry cookies and makes her way down the hall to meet Ella at the school’s front entrance. 

    She tries not to think anything of it as her friend grabs her hand, leading her to the cafeteria to grab their breakfast before making their way to the courtyard like they always do. Nothing about what the two girls are doing is abnormal. They’re falling into their daily routine like they always have, talking about how Ella’s night was and about the Prince who clearly wants to date her. Bridget trying not to give into her jealousy over Prince Charming. It would be perfectly mundane, if it wasn’t for the whispering. Those pointed eyes that seem to follow Bridget everywhere she goes, as if they can see through her. She has half the nerve to look down and check that she remembered pants that morning. Bridget feels thoroughly exposed to the gazes of the student body around her, and yet she has no clue what they’re seeing. 

    It’s when they make their way into the courtyard that Bridget begins to understand what’s happening. The cobblestone that surrounds it is covered in pages of something. And those pages have a far too familiar pink hue to them, the corners marked with spades and hearts and clubs and diamonds, just like the diary that her sister gifted her a few years before. She puts her breakfast tray down beside Ella and Bridget promises that she’ll be right back, wandering over to one of the walls as she feels every eye in the courtyard watching her. When she reaches it though, Bridget doesn’t have to look hard to recognize her own handwriting, her eyes skimming a few pages. “Any yeah, I know he’s a pirate but maybe he’d want to steal my heart as well as treasure.” “Of course, I understand how (Y/n) makes friends easier but that doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly lonely. I miss the way that it used to be.” “If I knew that boarding school would be as lonely as being homeschooled, maybe I would have just stayed in Wonderland. Of course I have Ella but I wish more people saw me. Maybe I should try using my baking skills, people like gifts, don’t they?” 

    And as if it’s knocking the air out of her lungs, her eyes land on the worst of it. “Obviously someone like Aladdin would be able to get her attention, I’m an idiot for ever thinking that she would see me. I mean, I’m just the idiot who thought leaving Wonderland could get her more friends, that’s my stupid mistake. But even though Jasmine doesn’t seem interested in him, I can’t help but wish she’d tell him that. I want her to look at me, not him and his stupid hair.” Though she’d pinned them down as her diary entries a few lines ago, this one is just wrong. She wasn’t talking about Jasmine and Aladdin, Bridget didn’t have a crush on Jasmine. This was originally about Ella, about Ella and Prince Charming’s stupid hair and his stupid smile and his stupidly obvious crush on the girl that Bridget wanted just as badly. With her eyes growing more blurry by the second, Bridget pulls away, turning as she hears a wicked little laugh behind her. 

    The sound feels unnatural as (Y/n) lets it slip from her lips. The princess nearly cringing at the forced laughter she lets out as she looks at her sister. Bridget with her teary eyes and quivering lip, staring at the arm wrapped around the girl’s shoulder as if it was a snake about to lash out at snap at her. Then her eyes travel, away from Morgie le Fay’s arm and down to the white leather resting between bright red coffin shaped claws. “Sis, thank you so much for letting me borrow this book, it was a real,” she forces another laugh, “Page turner.” Bridget’s mouth falls open and closed a few times, as if she can’t force a sound out of her throat. Eventually, after a choked sob, the pink girl manages to clench her fists, something in the motion seeming to ground her as she looks at her, “You did this? How? When? Why?” 

   It’s nearly impossible not to shrink away into her boyfriend’s side, (Y/n) wasn’t quite ready to see her sister look this impossibly broken. She felt sick, that same taste of bile that welled into her mouth last night fighting to make its way back. “You liked the rose, didn’t you, Bridge? I just thought you know, a gift,” her hand waves to Bridget and then to the wall and the rest of the villains, “For a gift.” She tosses the book in her hands away from her like it’s poison, letting it find a home in front of Bridget’s shoes as she reaches her now empty hand up to her shoulder to hold onto Morgie’s. He presses a kiss to her temple, laughing as he watches Bridget scramble to get her diary. And then, in the snap of Maleficent’s perfectly manicured fingers, the pink pages wallpapering the cobblestones are gone. “Just needed a little fun for our new girl is all,” Uliana all but coos the words to the pink princess before her, stepping closer, “I’m pretty sure you know her? Morgie’s girlfriend?” Bridget recoils as if Uliana’s slapped her, and (Y/n) watches tears finally fall from her eyes as she turns on her heel and runs away from all six VKs. 

   Finally, without the watching eyes of her shattering sister, the princess lets herself shrink down, shoulders slumping as she crumbles into Morgie’s gentle embrace. He knows her too well, far too well, because after he feels her shift, he turns to his friends and promises they’ll be right back. With their nods and “okays” they all move to go back to their breakfast table, and Morgie pulls his lover into one of the hallways beside the courtyard. A quiet and dark one, the least used of them, and he untangles himself from her. Instead moving to stand in front of (Y/n), one hand on her shoulder while the other tilts her head up from by chin. “Hey, you did it, it’s over,” his voice is barely above a whisper, looking her over as if he’s trying to check her for injuries. The princess nods, reaching up a slightly shaky hand to rest on his cheek, pulling the boy down and into a real kiss. 

   This one isn’t like the other ones they’ve shared. Not quick and timid pecks of two kids sneaking around and scared to get caught. Not the gentle and quick kiss they shared before this all started last night. No where near the needy and touchy make out sessions they’d take any chance they had the time. Nor the playful and touchy kisses that turned into tickle fights and neck kiss. But something new. Soft, delicate as a rose petal. It’s warmth meeting cold, skin meeting scales, the green of grass getting caught up in the red sky of a early autumn sunrise. As if she was managing to seal their energies into one, locking him to her in the only way the two teens knew how. The kiss was them, and Morgie le Fay knew no other way to describe it. When she pulls away, leaving her forehead pressed to his, he can’t bring himself to open his eyes yet. Instead, breaking the grin on his lips to softly ask, as if he feared scaring her off, “What was that for?” 

   She giggles, this sound that isn’t quite like the one that spilled from her lips when she realized the position she’d fallen into when she tripped over her untied shoelace and fell into his lap four months ago. But it’s closer to her real laugh than he’s heard in a week, and this giggle can be enough for him right now, because even if she said she was okay with it, he knows the girl he loves just broke her own heart for him. “I just put myself through hell to be able to do that, I couldn’t wait a second longer.” And yeah, this can be enough for him right now, especially when she’s leaning back into him, as if their lips have their own magnetic pull to them. 

                                          ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

    Oddly enough, on her first day as an official villain, Hades and Maleficent ask her to hang out, and who would (Y/n) be if she said no? It was nice, even if it meant that she didn’t get back to her dorm until seven p.m. when she’d only gotten three hours of sleep before being up at six a.m. for class. Turns out that the two were nicer than she thought, they might even have the ability to grow into two of her closest friends. Especially if they keep talking to her like she deserves to be seen. She’s pretty sure that Morgie is the only person who has ever tried to see her, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have his -their- friends see her too. Not as the rebel or the princess of diamonds, not as the arsonist or the bad sister, but as (Y/n). She wouldn’t mind that she was just now getting back from seeing people who wanted to see her soul, her exhausted mind begging her to go to sleep this early, if it wasn’t for the cardboard box outside of her dorm. 

    The thing is an obvious eyesore in an otherwise well decorated hallway; so despite the voice that begs her not to touch it, (Y/n) bends down and grabs it. Toting the thing into her room and letting it fall to the desk. The same voice that begged her not to touch the box now tries to convince her not to open it. But the princess of diamonds has always had the curiosity of a cat. So she ignores the voice for the second time that day, lifting the cardboard lid and letting it clatter to the floor. She knows the contents of the box well enough to know exactly where it all came from but (Y/n) lifts the pink paper that sits on the top of it anyway. Brows furrowing as something falls from the page, clattering against the ground like metal as she flips open the folded sheet. 

   The paper is from the same journal that got her to this point, a diamond sitting in the bottom corner of the page which felt terribly deliberate. And Bridget’s perfect handwriting is surrounded by marks that the other princess is sure had to have been born from tears, shaking hands barely holding it steady. “I don’t need to look into the looking glass to know we don’t come back from this one. Signed, The Princess of Hearts.” Somewhere, deep inside of herself, (Y/n) knows exactly what fell to the floor when she opened the note. But that doesn’t stop the princess from dropping to her knees to search for it. She’s right, of course she’s right, there laying on her hardwood floor, rests a golden band that holds a red marquis cut stone. Suddenly the heart shaped ring on (Y/n)’s finger weighs fifteen pounds. 

                                          ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

     Hook was not the type that enjoyed when his quiet time was disturbed, and he definitely considered the rushed banging on his door room door to be just that. But with Morgie not in the room, it seems that it’s left up to him to answer whoever thinks they have the right to interrupt his viewing of tonight’s episode of “Three’s a Crowd”. The pirate throws his legs over the side of the bed, storming over to the door and ripping it open as the incessant knocking seems to grow louder. “Can I fucking help,” he cuts his own question short, eyes falling on the princess he seems to be growing oddly attached to, “(Y/n) what’s wrong?” 

   That one little question seems to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, the princess falling into shaking sobs as her knees buckle beneath her. Hook doesn’t think about it as he reaches out for her, letting his arms slide beneath hers to steady the girl, pulling her into both his chest and his dorm. “Hey,” he’s never been the best with crying and the feeling of her hot tears sinking into his pajama top is almost unnerving but he does his best to sound gentle. “Hey, princess, what is it? I’ve got you.” Through strangled sobs she manages to speak, “Where is he? I need him.” He softly pressed her head to rest further into his -now wet- shoulder, adjusting his grip on her to hold her ever so slightly tighter. “He’s just in the shower, he’ll be back any minute. Lass, talk to me, what happened?” 

    It's nearly impossible for him to decipher through the blubbering tears that rack the girl’s body but Hook follows along the best that he can. Something about matching rings of each other’s symbols and baby pictures being given back to her. A story of a page from a stolen diary and two princesses that would never be sisters by anything but blood ever again. The princess painting a tale of a light in the dark shining through in the visions of a compact mirror that proved she’d be a le Fay by name and have a family through love. And finally through a last shaking sob, she says the first thing that Hook fully can grasp. “Hades told me that it would feel this bad but, god. Hook, she hates me. How am I supposed to spend three months at home with her and away from Morgie when I chose him over her?” 

    He might not be able to do much. Hook can’t fix this, he can’t look to her and admit that he feels so incredibly guilty. He can’t tell (Y/n) that he’s known about her and Morgie for two, almost three, whole months now and didn’t care. That Morgie came home with her signature red lipstick lingering on his collar and he knew immediately where his roommate had been sneaking off to because no one at Merlin Academy thought red lips were a staple but the princess before him. Hook can’t admit to the girl that he never cared about their relationship, he can’t admit that he thought this entire thing was fucked and terrifying. The pirate can’t tell her that he can’t turn off the part of his mind wondering if Uliana would do this to keep her claws in the sorcerer that already worships her, what would she do to his potential partner? He can’t tell her anything about this situation that would make him feel like less than a dick, but he can keep her out of that castle. He can protect her from a bomb that he helped to craft. 

    So Hook lets his mouth fall open, and as if it was the most casual thing on Earth, he speaks this heavy and adoring offer into existence. “You could always join my crew, Morgie, and I on the Jolly Roger this summer. No need to go home and see her constantly if you don’t want to. I already let a sorcerer use my ship to escape a house that doesn’t feel like a home, I’d be more than willing to let a negotiator join my crew too.” She looks to him, a ghost of a smile dotting her lips, and for the first time since she entered his dorm, the girl takes a steady breath. “Do you mean that?” He nods, untangling himself from the girl so she can see him better, so she can take in the honesty that litters his features. “Only if that’s something you want, Lass.” “Please,” she breathes the word out, smiling at the pirate with this gentle sense of hope in her eyes. And yeah, maybe Hook did lead her to the slaughter, but now he’d be her adoring cattle dog instead. 

   Morgie walks in as she speaks, pulling a t-shirt over his head, curls out and visible from the water that clings to them. Of course he’s heard at least the tail end of their conversation, far too many questions wait to roll off his tongue. But first, he smiles because he can finally have her in his room and it not be a problem. So the sorcerer walks up to his girlfriend, pulling her against him and pressing a kiss to her heated and slightly salty cheek, “To what do I owe the honor?” She’s turning in his arms, nuzzling into the crook of his neck with her arms around his waist, “Can I stay here tonight? Currently every physical thing that exists in terms of my relationship with my sister is sitting in my dorm and I just can’t be there.” And of course his answer is yes, why wouldn’t it be yes? He’s been waiting months for a chance to fall asleep in her arms, and that’s what all of this mess was for, wasn’t it? The purpose of all of this chaos was to be able to reach the calm in their storm, was it not? So he lets another kiss fall to the top of her head as he tightens his grip on her, and he sends a thankful look to the pirate in the tear stained tee. Maybe Morgie le Fay was meant to have a family, even if it came in the form of red tinted moonlight and rocking waves.

[da-awesom-one]

At All Costs (Snowflake Version) - Chris Pine & Idina Menzel

Art I commissioned from Frost_Art on Instagram.

LYRICS UPDATED: 11/7/2024

*DISCLAIMER: These lyrics are fan-made lyrics of a song created and owned by Disney for characters that are owned by both Disney and Dreamworks respectively . No money is being made off of this. This was solely written for recreational purposes.*

Context: This is set during Frozen II, in the middle of the Dark Sea scene. They’ve barely survived the Nokk, and Jack is the most upset he’s ever been. Elsa left him behind not once, but twice. The first when they left Kristoff and Sven behind, and the second when she sent Olaf and Anna away. Not only that, she recklessly runs into the Dark Sea, and that’s not mentioning his fear of water. Coupled with the fear of being sent away, and not feeling like he has a place in Arendelle, he’s really struggling to prove his worth without being selfish.

Love is selflessness, and he has taken that to heart since the events of Frozen 1, where he abandoned Elsa before her parents died, and he did everything in his power to make up for it when she finally sees him again. However, it doesn't always work in the right way. So he’s desperately trying to not be what he perceives to be selfish, for being selfish is what almost lost him his best friend in the first place, and he is deeply afraid of losing his new family. Of losing Elsa.

But somewhere along the way, whether he understands or want to admit it or not, things changed. Jack sees Elsa differently, just as she started to in her late teens, but kept quiet due to what happened and out of respect to her friend, also because she's not sure she understands it either.

They argue in the Dark Sea, telling her he doesn't want to lose her, but right as Jack’s about to say what he actually wants, he relents, saying what he wants doesn’t matter. Elsa doesn’t accept that. Once they get to safety, she tells him what he wants matters to HER.

And he tells her he wants to stay with her forever. That he sees her the way Kristoff does to Anna. But time, fate, what have you, makes it seem like no matter what he does, he can’t. But still, he wants to be with her regardless. Because she is his destiny. And being with her makes him feel better, and whole.

So then he starts singing. And so does she. And for the first time since entering the Enchanted Forest, they're on the same page. Better now than ever before.

Sing = Siiing

-

(VERSE 1)

J: If destiny is a set-in-stone thing,

Mine would be you.

If you'd have told me the feelings you'd bring,

I'd think them untrue.

Yet I never thought I’d meet someone like you.

Not in this life.

You still amaze me after all this time.

(PRE-CHORUS)

You… pull me in like some kind of wind,

Steer me through all the doubts within,

Make me brave enough to tell ya...

…That I…

(CHORUS)

Love you as one does.

I, I would protect you 

At all costs.

Face the storm, and all the odds.

I, I will protect you 

At all costs.

At all costs.

(VERSE 2)

E: How to say… the words that I wish to convey?

That I want this, too. Even if I tried to,

I can’t go back to life before you.

If someone tried to stop this, there’s no

Way I’d let that happen.

I'd fight for us in ways you can't imagine.

I’ve felt this once before, so I hope

It would be alright to stand right here and tell you…

(CHORUS)

B: I love you as one does.

I, I will protect you 

At all costs.

Hold you right here in my heart.

I, I will protect you 

At all costs!

At all costs!

(BRIDGE)

If you're ever feeling like you're lost,

I’ll come find you!

Man all fronts! There's no ocean I won't swim across

To be right by you!

And not just once. Here and now, I swear on my response,

I'll remind you…

(FINAL CHORUS)

I love you as one does.

I, I will protect you 

At all costs!

Keep you safe here in my arms!

I, I will protect you 

At all costs!

At all costs.

(END)

-

Debated whether or not to do this after posting the Jack Frost This Is The Thanks I Get?!, and finally hearing this for the first time. I got giddy, as this is definitely one of the top songs from the Wish soundtrack, and it struck me as odd that the villain, who in the movie was married, and the protagonist would sing something that sounded... well, romantic.

After seeing Wish for the context of it, and later discovering the Demo Version, learning that it WAS originally written as a love song, well... I had to go back and tweak my original draft.

@doodlemel's Animatic of them singing this song definitely didn't help, either. XD

I had to tweak bits that weren't making sense for Jack to say, especially parts that Magnifico said in the movie that kinda hinted to his more flawed persona. Because Jack is a good guy, but also someone who has never experienced these kinda feelings before, as well as also dealing with a lot of mistakes and trauma that influence his perception of whether or not his feelings are genuine, and whether he has a right to feel these feelings.

Elsa, for her part. is more straightforward, remarkably. Because I headcanon that she fell in love first, but Jack was being Shonen Protagonist oblivious to it. And by the time he started feeling a spark of something similar, stuff had already happened between them that they needed to clear up. But her feelings for him never really went away, even if she got better at hiding them. So when she hears him FINALLY admit that he feels the same way, she doesn't have to hide anymore. She lets him say his piece, and responds in kind.

Ultimately, I didn't really change much but the first parts where they sing, and parts of the choruses. Especially the “love” parts, as I just HAD to incorporate the original Demo Version into it. It's telling a sort of story. Of them slowly synchronizing once more, and finally ending with them being of one mind and heart.

For to love on a spectrum that has both beings as one, in my opinion, is truly a beautiful thing.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i was thinking about how ariel from the little mermaid is criticized so harshly for "giving up her voice and family for some guy" when there was definitely a lot more to it than that.

ariel had dreams outside of eric. she wanted to see the world, she wanted to get acquainted with humans and human traditions and she wasn't satisfied with her life underwater. that was the whole point of "part of your world", she barely mentions eric in it. he was just a bonus in her new life, not her entire purpose.

why am i talking about a random disney movie? it's because i was thinking of lumity, and how amity also rebelled against her family for a new life. except.. amity really only mentions luz (and "the others" because let's be real, she did not give a shit about willow and gus at that point). amity's sole reason to go against her family's values was luz.

this, if anything, could be considered "giving up everything for a love interest" but people don't see it that way because amity's parents were shitty to begin with. but if you look at the little mermaid from a different perspective, you could argue that king triton wasn't a very good parent either.

he literally throws a temper tantrum just because his teenage daughter has a crush on a guy. ariel is legit terrified in that scene, and regardless of whether triton had good intentions or not, he made his daughter feel unsafe and turn to an impulsive decision in a moment of emotional distress.

all of this to say, you could argue that ariel had no reason to stay with her family either, given that her father lacks emotional sensitivity and does not sit down and try to communicate with his child, instead of destroying her collection and scaring her away.

coming back to amity, i can understand that luz inspired her to actually do something about her abusive parents, and that's sweet. but we never get to see what else amity wanted. since they never established a friendship arc between amity and gus or willow (she apologized to willow, sure, but the rekindling of their relationship happens much later on), all we know is that amity is tired of being abused and she wants to be with luz.

from an abuse victim's perspective, amity standing up against her parents was powerful. but unlike ariel, amity doesn't seem to want anything besides luz. and she never explores what she wants to do, now that she has successfully cut herself away from her mother's influence. her whole life revolves around luz after that.

there was that abomination brawl episode but even that ended up being about luz. the brawl was just a quick montage, it only existed for the emotional drama that came later on. in fact, even when the plot was focused on amity, it was more about her relationship with her father rather than her autonomy and personal interests.

there's a reason why a lot of people liked the mean girl version of amity. she had personality, she had interests and goals, she had CHARACTER. it was all fake and a result of trauma, but it was there and it helped flesh out her character. but after she is redeemed? there's nothing left of the old amity, not even the more positive/neutral traits, and her only personality is "luz's awesome girlfriend".

amity's arc should have been about exploring what she wanted outside of her parents' wishes. abuse often turns you into a shell of a person and recovering from years of trauma isn't as simple as getting a romantic partner. it takes therapy (and that is canonically an option in the boiling isles, let me remind you), it takes self-reflection, it takes giving yourself the permission to choose your own destiny and explore yourself outside of your abusers' expectations.

and amity gets none of this. her trauma and arc was resolved too quickly, even for a show that was cut short. they just gave her a makeover, got her into a relationship with luz and called it a day. the only reason people aren't giving her the ariel treatment is (probably) because lumity is a queer ship.

[waynes-multiverse]

Plastic Hearts – Part 25

Pairing: Director!Dean Winchester x Actress!Reader

Series Summary: Los Angeles, 1985. Y/N’s a young actress without any success, hopping from one failed audition to the next until one desperate mistake brings her to her breaking point. Dean Winchester, on the other hand, is a grade A asshole and washed-up director at the end of his career, known for his godawful slasher movies in the 70s and his love for blow, booze, and women. Lost in the toxic Hollywood life, their paths cross when one hopeless little wrestling show changes their trajectory.

Chapter Warnings: +18, a tinge of angst, FLUFF

Word Count: 5.7k

A/N: I'm not sad... 🥲 Honestly, I don't have words beyond gratitude and cliché goodbyes, so let's end this journey together 🤍

<< 24 || Spotify Playlist || Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

25. Dare

“Ugh, I can’t believe you convinced everyone to come out here,” Jo groans and raises her flat palm to her brows, shielding her eyes from the scalding desert sun. “What the fuck is wrong with Palm Springs, huh?”

“C’mon, we’ve always wanted to go to Joshua Tree together since we moved to LA. This is like the perfect time,” Y/N argues cheerfully and nudges her friend with her elbow. “Look! It’s so peaceful.”

“There’s a dead carcass over there. Looks like a symbol of my marriage,” Jo deadpans.

Y/N purses her lips before compelling another positive smile to her face. “We can get rid of that. The girls really needed this after the whole Crowley debacle.”

The group left straight after the network meeting in Dean’s office this morning, which didn’t go as planned, to say the least. While several executives were surely interested, Crowley and H-ELLTV put an abrupt end to it. Apparently, they sold their fucking souls by signing a contract with the devil. Crowley’s words still rang in her ears on repeat.

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, ladies, but H-ELLTV owns your characters, which means you can’t sell them to another network. You all signed a contract and made a deal. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, fucking asshole…” Jo huffs her agreement but then throws her friend a suspicious sideways look. “What’s up with you, though? Why are you so chipper and cheerful like a fucking Disney princess? I thought you of all people would be fucking depressed and devastated about the stupid show ending.”

Y/N shrugs. “I am. I’m just trying to make the best of our last weekend together. Can’t I be happy?”

“Fuck no.” Jo shakes her head. “Something’s up with you. Usually, when you’re like this, it’s overcompensation ‘cause you’ve fucked something up. If I were still married, I’d think you’ve fucked my husband all over again. So, what did you do?”

Y/N shrugs once more and keeps her eyes trained on the sprawling desert landscape in front of her. “Nothing.”

“Dean also was a bigger asshole than usual this morning. So, I’m asking again, what shit did you fuck up now?”

“Nothing, okay? Dean’s always an asshole,” Y/N deflects defensively. Although, even she has to admit – those were some spectacularly icy green eyes this morning. Not that he ever looked directly at her or spoke with her even once. She probably would’ve turned to stone if he did.

“Fine, don’t tell. God knows I don’t fucking care,” Jo says indifferently and joins the other women as they set up their tents on the campground.

Y/N lets out a small sigh as she stares at the bluest sky she’s ever seen while the hot desert sun beams down on her. She watches the girls for a while, her heart slightly cracking at the thought this might be the last time they all hang out together. This year has been the best one she’s ever had.

But then, her heart stings even more when she thinks about the one person who isn’t here, wondering what he’s doing right now. If anything, she owes it all to him.

Dean nurses his beer with a sigh, his green eyes barely paying attention to the half-naked girl who’s winding herself up and down a silver pole in front of him. This used to bring him joy – day-drinking at a strip club and watching tits bounce. But now all he thinks about is how that girl looks nothing like Y/N. None of them do.

“Hey, son. Startin’ early today,” Bobby notes with a chuckle as he sits down next to him.

“Yeah, they canceled the show.” And while that’s certainly true, it’s not the reason why Dean’s sulking at a titty bar.

“Too damn bad. I loved the show!” Bobby tells him enthusiastically. “It was insane. Good insane. It had everything – comedy, drama, heartache, tits, violence, a fucking wedding? There’s something for everyone there.”

“Well, uh, thanks, Bobby. Really appreciate it,” Dean tells him politely. He likes the guy, but he’s not in the mood for chitchat. He’s barely in the mood for naked women, for crying out loud. This is a deep fucking depression.

There are only two promises he’s made to himself: One, he won’t slump like he did after his last divorce. There will be no excessive drinking, which leads to excessively pathetic crying, which leads to a myriad of bad choices out of sheer desperation. Remember that awful dating videotape he made? Yes, there will be no more of that. And then there’s of course two, no drugs – no matter how much he tells himself he wants or fucking needs them. A tiny dot of hope seems to be still dormant in his plastic heart, reminding him that she might come back, and he doesn’t want to risk disappointing her once she does.

Dean has worked fucking hard to be the best version he can be – a version she doesn’t seem to give a shit about. But even he has to admit: He likes himself a lot better now, so he refuses to turn back to old comforts, albeit it’s the hardest thing he’s ever had to do.

“You guys interested in doing a floor show?”

Bobby’s words pull him from his reverie. Dean arches a brow at him, straightening a bit in his seat. “What? Here?”

Bobby rolls his eyes. “No, idjit. My wife Ellen has some stakes in a club on the Vegas Strip. She manages the hotel there, too. They’re looking for a new headliner. Just do the exact same show, night after night, 300 miles east. Vegas is where the money is. Headliners make at least 25 grand a week. You think that gym is big? We have to fill 1,100 seats.”

Dean stumps and blinks at the old man a bit baffled. “Well, uh… I’ll think about it. Talk to my partner, the girls…”

Bobby smiles and pats his shoulder as he gets up. “You do that. I’ll call you tomorrow. Now, how about a lap dance? On the house. Can pick any girl that fancies your heartache. You ain’t foolin’ an old man like me.”

Dean chuckles. “Nah, I’m good. But thanks. Think I’m gonna head home and drink myself into a coma there.”

“It’s getting dark soon. How much longer?” Jo’s brown eyes dart to Y/N as she drags her feet over a rocky path. The sun stings less than it did when they started their little hike, but her skin feels perfectly tanned by now and the water is running low.

“Uh, I think it’s supposed to be just up ahead that hill,” Y/N muses and swirls her head around the formation of rocks that all look the same, squinting her eyes into the distance.

Jo sighs, and her stare intensifies. “You’ve been saying that for over an hour. Are we lost?”

“Noooo…” Y/N doesn’t sound convincing and surely doesn’t fool Jo with her reply.

“Alright, gimme the map.”

“I don’t have the map. I gave it to Meg.”

Jo groans and rolls her eyes, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

“What? Meg’s the trail leader. Trail leader gets the map,” Y/N defends her faux pas with reason.

“Great! So we’re fucking lost in the desert,” the blonde huffs.

Y/N chuckles lightly, mostly out of uncomfortableness and panic she tries to hide behind it. “No, there’s a trail marker right over there,” she says, pointing to a pile of rocks. “That looks manmade.”

Jo quirks her brow. “You mean like that pile of rocks? Or that one over there?”

Y/N follows her friend’s gaze, only to realize that there are lots of piles of rock that all look too fucking similar. She purses her lips and scratches her head before resting her arms on her squared-off hips. “I think we’re lost.”

“Yeah.” With an exhaustive sigh, Jo plops down on another pile of rocks and watches as the orange sun dips behind the horizon, shadows of blue slowly crawling across the desert floor and swallowing the light.

Y/N clumsily lowers herself down next to the blonde. Her leg hurts like a bitch, and the desert sand that has wound its way into her cast itches a good deal. Her hands and arms hurt as well from clinging to her crutches all afternoon. Maybe Dean was right, and this was a bad idea, after all. Why does he always have to be fucking right about everything? How can one person be so annoying and frustrating all at once?

“Well, you finally get your wish,” Jo deadpans. “We’re gonna die together.”

“I’m sorry,” Y/N says ruefully and looks at the first stars appearing in the night sky. “Maybe the stars will guide us home.”

Jo just looks at her, unamused and unsurprised. “You’ve never been camping, have you?”

Y/N twitches her shoulders apologetically. “It was only supposed to be a three-mile moderate beginner’s trail to a beautiful vista. It’s what the guidebook said.”

Jo shakes her head and blows a raspberry, hugging her knees. “Joanna Wesson, 27, found dead near a random cluster of rocks that might have looked like a trail marker. She was best known for playing Beth Crowne on the soap opera Paradise Bay before trying to revive her career on an unsuccessful wrestling show. She is survived by her son, Sammy, and her bitter ex-husband Sam with his secretary Jessica.”

“Well, at least you get an obituary,” Y/N quips. “Mine would just read: Soap Star Found Dead Next to Unidentified Woman in National Park.”

Jo even snorts at that. “Well, I’m sure Dean would cut and edit an adorable video tribute with a bunch of B-roll about you at your funeral.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Y/N pensively licks her lips, her heart doing those painful twinges again whenever she thinks of him. “You know yet what you’re gonna do next?”

“No, I-… I think I wanna produce,” Jo announces with determination in her hazel eyes. “I don’t wanna ask permission. I’m so tired of it all. For once, I wanna boss people around and tell ‘em what to do. You know, you were right.”

Baffled, Y/N raises a brow. “About what?”

“Men,” Jo says simply and then spits with fire, “I fucking hate them all. The Crowleys and the Dicks and the Cases and the Sams and the Deans… They make the choices. They dictate the terms… I’m sick of it all. I just hate asking them for anything.”

“Dean’s not so bad,” Y/N says quietly but doesn’t look at Jo. Her heart stings for the millionth time. “I got that role for the Sondheim musical. They called this morning.”

Jo’s lips curve into a soft smile that reaches her eyes. “Congrats. I’m not surprised. You were really fucking good.”

Y/N’s heart flutters a little at the compliment. Tears begin to sting her eyes. She can’t remember the last time Jo was nice to her. “Thank you.”

“You don’t seem happy about it,” Jo notes attentively.

“No, I am,” Y/N manages to choke out, but the sniffling betrays her intentions.

“But?”

Y/N bobs her head, swallowing. “I think I’m ready to talk about it now.”

“Fucking finally,” Jo huffs and rubs her cold and goosebump-littered arms as the heat disappears, the nightly air bringing a fresh breeze.

“Dean told me he loves me,” Y/N confesses. “He’s in love with me.”

“Yeah, no shit. Kinda obvious,” Jo says without a twitch of surprise. “Don’t feel bad for not loving him back. That’s what they want… For us to feel bad about every single fucking thing.”

“That’s just it. I don’t think that’s how I feel,” Y/N replies and lets out a jittery sigh.

Jo’s head turns to her, eyeing her friend up and down. “And how do we feel about that? I can’t tell. It’s too dark to see your face.”

“I-, uh, I don’t exactly know,” Y/N says, which is partially true. She might know how she feels about the green-eyed director, but not how she feels about the situation overall.

Jo purses her lips and nods. “Alright, here’s a couple of options: happy, excited, scared, or… repulsed?”

“Well, uhm… scared,” Y/N admits slowly and gulps. “And excited… happy.”

Jo throws her arms up, shaking her head at the stars. “Jesus fuck! Then what the fuck are we doing here?! Is that why you dragged me all the way to the fucking desert? Because you’re running from your feelings?”

“Kinda. I thought the peaceful quiet and beautiful nature would bring me some much-needed clarity,” Y/N explains.

Jo lifts a brow but tries not to seem too annoyed. She’s accustomed to her friend’s theatrics, after all. “And? Did it?”

“The hike didn’t, but facing death kinda does,” Y/N jokes and begins to laugh a little, Jo soon joining her. When their laughter dies down and the desert sounds of chirping crickets and screeching eagles remain, Y/N exhales a shaky breath. “I’m in love with him, too. He makes me really fucking happy. But… I finally feel like I’m on the right track with my career. I am where I’m supposed to be, you know? I don’t wanna throw that away for a guy.”

“Who says you should?”

“I don’t know… Isn’t that how it goes? You did it,” Y/N argues.

Jo licks her lips and clicks her tongue. “Yeah, ‘cause I chose the wrong fucking guy. Sam made me give up everything I ever loved and told me what to love instead. If you pick the right guy, he won’t make you do that.”

“How do I know it’s the right guy, though?”

Jo smiles softly. “Look, I’m not Dean’s biggest fan, but he’s yours. You know that, right? He’d never hold you back. He adores the ground you walk on. Yes, he’s an asshole with so many fucking issues, and he’s goddamn annoying most of the time, but he’s always had your back, even when he pretended that he didn’t. The guy would probably sell every limb and his fucking soul to see you get everything you ever wanted, Y/N. He wouldn’t be a mistake. You know what would be a mistake? Not trying because you’re too scared of making one. Don’t be fucking stupid.”

Thoughtfully, Y/N nods in agreement and grabs her crutches, rising from her rocky seat. “I need to see him. We have to head back to the city.”

“Finally! Thank fucking God.” With a grunt, Jo jumps to her feet and helps Y/N to steady hers. “Maybe the girls made a fire bright enough, so we can find our way back.”

“Shit.”

“What? They have matches, don’t they? I’m sure these bitches can manage a simple fire, right?” Jo then notices Y/N’s hand curling around her bicep, her grip tightening. And then, Jo glances in the direction of Y/N’s eyes and sees the same damn thing. Her brown eyes widen.

“Mountain lion.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” the blonde hisses and holds on to her friend as well. Both women freeze on the spot. “What-, uh, what should we do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should throw a stick?”

“A stick?” Jo arches her brow. The big cat snarls and stalks a little closer, making the two women jump back. Their hearts are thumping in their throats at this point. “It’s not a fucking dog, Y/N. It won’t play fetch with you.”

“I know that. How about you come up with a better idea, then?” Y/N snaps through gritted teeth. The lion hisses again, causing the women to tremble down to their bones and hug each other tighter. “I think I should jump it.”

“Are you nuts? No!”

“Look, while it eats me, you can flee. I can’t run with my cast anyways. This is the best option,” Y/N insists, but Jo vehemently shakes her head.

“Fuck no! You’re not sacrificing yourself. We die together. You’re not leaving me behind,” Jo maintains. “I always knew my death would be your fault. Don’t ask me how, but I knew you’d get me killed somehow.”

The wild cat takes another step forward and lowers to the ground as if to get ready to jump its prey – them. But then a few tumbling rocks and breaking twigs draw its attention behind the women. Is there an even bigger cat here?

And suddenly, Meg leaps forward from above them with a loud howl and snarls at the cat, which hastily tucks its tail between its legs and flees down the hill into the dark night. Y/N and Jo expel a big breath of relief and a shaky laugh as they find Meg.

“Meg, what the fuck? Did you just scare away a mountain lion?” Y/N gapes at her friend in utter disbelief.

Meg only shrugs her shoulders. “I hate cats. What are you guys doing out here so long?”

“We got lost. Couldn’t find our way back to camp,” Y/N explains.

Meg furrows her brow and thumbs behind her. “It’s just over there. You guys have been hiking around the same hill for five hours.”

Jo shoots Y/N a small glare of annoyance and blows some loose strands of blonde hair out of her face. “Of course we did…” she mutters.

“We have to get back to LA!” Y/N declares eagerly, trying to climb the small rocky hill with her crutches, foregoing the more suitable pathway.

“Right now? It’s probably 3am when we get to Burbank. Can’t this wait till tomorrow?” Jo says as she attempts to climb after her friend.

“No! I almost died! Twice… Dean needs to know how I feel before I get bit by a rattlesnake, too,” Y/N reiterates passionately.

“It’s probably for the best,” Meg chimes in. “We kinda forgot to pack food. I was about to hunt something for us when I ran into you guys. We have tons of drugs and booze, though.”

Y/N’s knuckles thunder persistently on Dean’s door and conjure up a storm. She has jumped out of Ruby’s limo so fast, the girls are still scrambling out and flooding Dean’s front lawn one by one. They’re loud and obnoxious, but the ringing in her ears makes their chatter barely noticeable.

The lock clicks and the door opens. Dean stands in front of her with weary green eyes, heavy with sleep, tousled bed-head, and a furiously scrunched brow. He half yawns and half grumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Once he feels clearer, minus the soft buzz of whiskey remnants in his bloodstream, he blinks at the young actress in front of him and then tilts his head at the circus show behind her.

God, between his punk rock daughter and this, his neighbors must really hate him.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you guys supposed to be camping in fucking Joshua Tree?” His voice is a gravelly bark. He doesn’t mean to sound so harsh, especially when he just woke from a dream about her, but he’s not as masochistic as he used to be. He’s not a fan of torturing himself with the image of her any longer.

Y/N’s heart somersaults as soon as she sees him, even though his apprehension hurts a bit. “Look, I almost died tonight. We got lost in the desert and then a mountain lion almost fucking ate us.”

Dean licks his lips, nodding. “Yeah, I’m not fucking surprised. Told you Palm Springs is the better option. So, did anyone fucking die? What’s the head count?”

“No one died.”

“Huh. Then why the fuck are you here in the middle of the night, Y/N?” Dean bites, his brow creasing in anger. He can’t even fucking look at her for a second without his heart being on the brink of an explosion. Even saying her goddamn name hurts like needle pricks in an abused vein.

“I–” Y/N swallows thickly. Her drumming heart is stuck in her airway along with her words.

“She’s here to tell you she loves you!” Ruby hollers behind her before several girls tackle her and clasp her mouth shut.

Dean’s heart twists upon the sick joke, his frown deepening. But then he glances at Y/N and thinks he can spot the truth in her eyes. He thought that once before, though, and was terribly wrong.

Y/N gives a shrug of one shoulder with tears brimming in her eyes. A small smile forms on her lips. “What she said.”

Dean nods and drags a hand over his freckled face, feeling the tears well in his eyes, too. Fucking whiskey. Always renders him goddamn sentimental. “Look, uhm, you kinda gotta tell me this yourself. Otherwise, I won’t believe it, okay?”

Upon his request, Y/N takes a deep breath and looks him into his eyes. “I’m in fucking love with you.” As soon as the words are out, she starts crying and the tears fall down her cheeks. Meanwhile, Dean’s heart tumbles into free fall, and he’s sure not even a parachute can stop it. “I’ve never said that to anyone in my life. Is-, is it too late?”

Dean snorts and shakes his head, grinning brighter than the California sun on the longest day of the year. “Fuck no. Even if it had taken you thirty years, I still would’ve taken you back. That’s kinda how once-in-a-lifetime love works, sweetheart.”

“Okay. Sounds like a good movie,” Y/N jokes between her tears, her fingers tingling to touch him.

“Yeah, best one there is.”

His hands grab hold of her and pull her into his embrace. He claims her lips, Y/N eagerly parting her mouth as his tongue slips between. The kiss is rushed and fervent and perfectly desperate. They’re both so gone they can’t even hear the girls cheering and applauding them in the background.

“You’re gonna come inside?” Dean asks in a murmur against her lips, barely letting her breath.

“Uhm…”

“Hey, Lothario, you got space for us, too?” Cassie shouts with a wide smirk.

“Yeah, we’re fucking starving,” Ruby adds with an impatiently arched brow.

“We, uh, forgot to pack food,” Y/N explains with a chuckle.

Dean sighs and smiles knowingly. “Of course you did.” He then turns to the women waiting on his lawn. “Alright, get in. I’ll order some pizzas.”

The women then proceed to brush past the couple and filter into Dean’s house. Missouri pinches his cheeks, Ruby pats his head, Cassie fist-bumps him and sends Y/N a flirty wink, Meg tousles his hair, Charlie shrugs apologetically, and Jo offers an annoyed eye roll.

“I’m never gonna get rid of them, am I?” Dean looks down at her and tightens his jaw, even when a grin is visible.

“No, I’m afraid not. It’s like you’ve adopted twelve strays. One of which actually turned out to be your long-lost puppy. They’re gonna be here until you die and then eat your corpse,” Y/N quips.

“Funny.” Dean clicks his tongue, his dimples itching to form a grin.

“Oooo! Let’s call the guys!” he hears Ruby exclaim from inside his living room. “It’s a fucking wrap party at the boss’ house!”

“No! No party! Guys, c’mon!” Dean storms inside after them, leaving Y/N giggling on his doorstep.

“Let’s call Garth, Kevin, and Benny!” Donna suggests, ignoring his protests. It’s like they can’t fucking hear him.

“I’ll call my husband, too!” Bela adds and eagerly dials Cas’ number on his landline.

“Oh, right, Cas…” Dean mutters with an eye roll as he remembers the impromptu wedding. “No fucking Benny!”

Y/N joins his side and rubs his back in comfort as he watches his house sink into female doom. “You okay?”

The deep trenches in his brow flatten into soft valleys as his green eyes lock on her. He dips his head and pulls her to his lips, kissing her slow and reverently. “Better.” He smirks. “Just gonna have to sage the whole house tomorrow.”

That earns him a playful slap on his chest. He laughs and pulls her closer with an arm around her waist.

“Hey, uh, speaking of party…” Dean mumbles before he addresses the whole room, grabbing their attention with an authoritative clear of his throat. He’s still got it. “You guys wanna do shows in Vegas?”

“What?!”

Dean’s eyes find Y/N’s gaping face. He chuckles a little. “Yeah, uh, Bobby offered me a deal. There’s nothing in the network contract about live shows. I already went over it with Cas this afternoon. It pays well, too. You guys interested? It’s not like any of you have actual jobs lined up, right?”

Y/N closes her mouth. “I got that Sondheim musical in San Diego. It’s a workshop production, but if it goes well, it could go all the way to Broadway. I could end up in New York.”

“Good,” Dean says and smirks. “You’re fucking fired.”

“WHAT?!” Y/N’s mouth falls open again. “You said you’d never fire me!”

“Yeah, well, this is for your own good,” Dean reasons. “You think I’m gonna let you quit Sondheim for some stupid wrestling show in Vegas? You gotta be fucking nuts! This is what you fucking wanted. Don’t make me kick your stupid ass onto that stage. It’s gonna look embarrassing for you again…”

Y/N bites her lips to conceal her grin. Her eyes meet Jo’s, who mouths ‘I told you so’ at her. “Thank you,” she tells Dean and kisses his cheek. He furrows his brow at her in suspicion. “But rehearsals don’t start until June. Still gonna need a job till then.”

“Oh.” Dean’s brow shoots up in realization. “The June in nine months?”

“Yeah, the June in nine months,” Y/N confirms with a laugh.

“Whoops. Well, consider yourself rehired till June, then,” Dean relents.

“So, if I ever have to work in New York–”

“Then we’ll go to New York. Big fucking whoop-dee-doo. You know I hate LA.”

Y/N giggles, nodding. “What would you do in New York?”

“Same I do here, just on a little balcony instead of a backyard. I sit with my typewriter by a table and smoke and drink,” Dean retorts. “I’ve actually been working on a new script. I’m moving away from horror and into Western.”

“Got inspired by the motel’s wallpaper, huh?” Y/N teases. “What’s it about?”

“Father-daughter storyline. Thought I’d give that a shot…”

1990, 5 years later…

“Dean! We’re gonna be late!” Y/N reminds him and holds the blindfold in place over her eyes as he drags her somewhere by the hand. Her heels can barely keep up with his fast pace. “You know, check-in at LAX is the worst. Our flight departs in two hours. I’m nominated, Dean! I can’t reschedule! The girls are all flying in, too…”

“I know! I’m fucking hurrying, okay?” Dean assures. However, she can hear the stress and tension in his gravelly voice. He then suddenly halts and positions her into place by her shoulders before carefully taking off the blindfold. “Alright, here we are.”

Y/N blinks her eyes open and recognizes blurry shapes of purple and gold. She lifts an eyebrow as ornaments on the walls and a big stage come into view as well. “The Aztec porno theater?”

“Mayan,” Dean corrects her and wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he gets down in front of her on one knee and tries to fumble out the too-big ring box from his too-tiny suit jacket pocket. “Son of a bitch!”

“Dean, wait!” Y/N stops his endeavor with raised palms, her eyebrows meeting her hairline when she realizes what he’s about to do.

“Oh, c’mon, Y/N!” Dean frowns in frustration and rises to his feet with a huff and a shaking head. “I know you’re against marriage and the patriarchy and all that bullshit, but c’mon… We’ve been dating for five years. We have a good thing going, right?”

After spending a whole year in beautiful Las Vegas – the Paris of Nevada – the two of them moved to New York. Dean sold his house in Burbank and opted for a Brooklyn apartment instead. Claire also studied film at NYU before she graduated last Spring. But every few months, the couple finds themselves back in LA – for interviews, for business, for friends.

“Dean–”

“No! You know me. I’d make a great fucking husband. You love it when I make reporters laugh on the red carpet. I’m an awesome trophy husband, okay?”

“DEAN!”

“WHAT?!”

Why the fuck is she angry now? He should be the one that’s angry. She’s turning down the best opportunity of her life. She should consider herself lucky he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He even had an amazing speech prepared to knock her right off her feet, but does he get to say it now? How he wanted to grow fucking old together and support each other? How he wanted to marry her all those years ago when she told him she was pregnant? Nope...

“I’m fucking pregnant!”

Dean blinks at her in confusion before his eyes begin to wander around the familiar theater. Did he take something? Drink too much? Did he actually travel through time or is this a weird fever dream on his deathbed?

“What’s it with you and this theater? And why do you always yell that?”

“Because you never listen.” Y/N giggles and bites her lower lip. “And I’ll gladly marry you if that’s what you were going for. I just figured I’d tell you before in case you wanna change your mind and bail.”

“Why the fuck would I bail?” Dean’s brows knit together, close to offense.

She shrugs and holds up her palms in surrender. “I don’t know! I didn’t want you to feel trapped.”

“Why? Isn’t it mine?”

Y/N rolls her eyes, a grin twitching on her pink lips as she slaps his arm. “Yes, of course it’s yours.”

“And you’re keeping it? You sure?” Dean throws her a quizzical look.

Her brow furrows. “Why, you aren’t?”

“No, I am!” he assures her swiftly, realizing how it sounded. “Hell yeah, I want another kid! You know I always wanted to make up for missing out on Claire so much! I finally get to change a diaper, go to the park, or the fucking zoo while my wife works… It’ll be so fun!”

Y/N tries to stifle her laugh. He seems happy, judging by the joyful glint in his green eyes. They resemble sparkling emeralds.

“But are you sure, y' know?” Dean checks with a deep look into her eyes. “I mean, I do what I can to support you and keep the thing alive in your absence, but you know you’re still gonna be benched for a couple of months, right? I’m not a fucking seahorse.”

Y/N laughs a little at that. “I know. I’m fine with sitting on the bench for a little while. I’m kinda exhausted. I did two Broadway musicals almost back to back, three off-Broadway shows, all the workshops and the rehearsals and Matinees and the dancing and the singing… Not to mention I’m nominated for a fucking Tony tonight,” she says and is close to out of breath by the time she finishes her list of accomplishments.

“Which you’re gonna win,” Dean reassures her persistently. He’s been telling her since the nominations were announced (and even before that when he first saw her in the role on the first night).

“We’ll see,” she brushes him off, although her blushed cheeks betray her words. In her heart, she hopes so as well. “Anyways, I could use the break,” she admits and takes his hands in hers, interlacing their fingers. She places a loving kiss on his lips. “Right time, right guy, right baby,” she says, smiling.

Dean squeezes her hand happily and pulls her to his lips for a searing kiss. “So, where did we land on that whole marriage thing?”

“See? You’re never listening,” she teases, laughing. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Under one condition…”

Dean smirks. “I've had the same exact thought – Vegas. It’s perfect!”

“What, no! I don’t wanna get married in filthy Vegas, you dork!” Y/N frowns playfully, shaking her head. “I wanna get married in Nebraska. I want my dad to marry us."

Dean’s brow creases. He chuckles in amusement. “What, like a shotgun wedding? Could be fun… Pastor marries pregnant daughter to older man. Is this gonna make headlines in the townie paper?”

Y/N snorts, shaking her head at him. “No, it’s a shotgun wedding. It’s very common,” she deadpans.

“I’ve never met your parents,” Dean realizes then. “Why have I never met your parents? It’s weird they never come visit you,” he ponders.

“Oh no, they do,” Y/N tells him, pursing her lips as she twirls her hair around her finger. “They’ve seen me both in Into The Woods and Gypsy.”

“Really, when?” Dean narrows his eyes at her.

“Whenever you were in LA, visiting Claire,” Y/N admits ruefully. She never told them she was dating the director, not sure if they’d approve – not that she gives a shit, but she wanted to spare herself all the sermons and the exploring of the Sunday school dating pool. Whenever they asked who owned the men’s clothes in her apartment, she lied and said she had a gay-but-in-the-closet roommate. “But you can meet them now,” she promises with a reassuring smile on her lips. Thank God she’s an excellent, Tony-nominated actress. “I’m sure they learn to love you just like I did.”

“Learn to?”

“I love you.” Y/N smiles mischievously and shuts up any further comments by kissing him.

Dean grins and relents with a blissful sigh. “I love you, too.”

THE END 🌅

Thank you all so much for reading and making me laugh with your comments and screams throughout! 🤍

Are we done with these two for good? Probably not. I've left gaps and doors open on purpose, so I'm sure they'll make an appearance again at some point in the future 😉

TAGS:

Everything Jensen: @alwaystiredandconfused @xlynnbbyx @lyarr24 @deans-spinster-witch @blackcherrywhiskey

@deansbbyx @foxyjwls007 @ladysparkles78 @roseblue373 @zepskies

@agalliasi @yvonneeeee @hobby27 @iamsapphine @globetrotter28

@mxltifxnd0m @lacilou @feyresqueen @suckitands33 @onlyangel-444

@syrma-sensei @perpetualabsurdity @deans-baby-momma @yoobusgoobus @jessjad

@hunter-or-the-hunted @k-slla @just-levyy @mrsjenniferwinchester @illicithallways

@muhahaha303 @ultimatecin73 @nancymcl @leigh70

[coldfanbou]

TM Side Stories: Disneyland

Just pretend Mina is taking the picture also side story doesn't really involve them, I just needed a picture @twice-inamillion

You were happy to be at Tokyo Disneyland, but there was one thing that would have made it better. It would’ve been nice to have had the mothers of your children around, but with the crowd, it wouldn’t have been possible. At the very least, you weren’t alone; you had Momo’s, Sana’s, and Mina’s mom and dad around to help you watch the children. Your little group snapped a picture at the entrance before entering the park. You were very thankful for the help. All the kids besides Da-eun were running around in every direction; whenever they saw a character, they would try to chase after it, and someone would need to follow or grab their hand. That job went mainly to Mina’s and Momo’s parents; Sana’s were far too interested in watching Da-eun.

You sat beside them as you all stopped to catch your breath. “When do you think we’ll be getting a grandchild?” You hear Mrs. Hirai ask. You rub the back of your head.

“Well, you’ll have to ask your daughter when she’s going to want one.” You tell her.

“I’m just worried that she could get tricked into being with that isn’t good for her. We all trust you, so-”

“What she’s saying is that you have our blessing.” Mr. Hirai interrupts. Your conversation ends as Hina runs off again, spotting Mickey Mouse. Hina, usually the shy one of the twins, ran ahead, her little legs barely able to carry her as she grabbed Ari’s hand and dragged her along. It was your turn to chase after them; you came between the twins, taking hold of their hands. 

Hina points to Mickey Mouse, “M-mouse,” She said, her words barely intelligible. You look over your shoulder, trying to get some help, but see the parents taking pictures of you with Hina and Ari. As you get the twins to stop, Jisoo rushes past you. Seeing this, Hina and Ari try to run after her. You hold on and follow along, led by the twins as you hold onto their hands. The Mickey Mouse actor covers their mouth and waves at the kids. As the kids come to a stop, you let go of the twins and watch as Hina waddles to Mickey, hugging their legs. “Mouse!” She yells before giggling. You end up posing for pictures with the kids and Mickey Mouse, passing by at that moment when the Twice members are surrounded by a small crowd. Even then, the kids noticed their mommies and called out for them. They heard the kids' voices and turned their heads, spotting them in an instant. They wanted to go to them and hug them, but they knew they couldn’t, so they continued walking. Mina and Dahyun felt the most hurt because they couldn’t greet their kids, and the children kept calling out for their mommies. Hina took a few steps toward them before you scooped her up and took her to her grandparents. 

You decide to go into one of the stores to distract the kids. They look at all the characters and toys, and you stick with Jisoo while the grandparents watch the others. When you and Jisso are done looking around, you wait outside; she hugs a stuffed animal she got, happy that you bought it for her. Hina and Ari leave the store with their grandparents, Mr. Myoui carrying two Lego sets. “ I told him only to get one.” Mrs. Myoui whispers, patting your back.

You continue around the park with the children, letting them enjoy their day at the park. The kids run around chasing many Disney characters, smiling and laughing the entire day. The children slowed down as the sun began going down, their eyes becoming heavy after exhausting their energy. You were glad, too, the J-line’s parents, and you were at the end of your rope. You decided to leave the park, and the children all smiled as they drifted off to sleep. The grandparents smiled and took pictures as you carried three of the kids. You looked down at a sleeping Da-eun, who was being pushed along in her stroller by Mrs. Minotozaki, happy she wasn’t old enough to run around yet. You were struggling as is with the twins over your shoulders and Jisoo in your arms. You silently wished you had brought the backpacks you could attach the kids to; it would have made the process a lot easier.

[pftones3482]

"Ummm they toned down the abuse from Gabe in Percy Jackson because it's a kids show, stop being mad about it"

Ignoring the fact that it's also a children's book, let's take a look at some children's media in the last couple decades that depict parental abuse towards children that isn't physical, but still makes the abuse feel real:

1. Harry Potter. I'm loathe to even put it on here bc of how much I hate JKR, but HP DOES depict child abuse in probably one of the best ways of any modern media. As far as I can remember (correct me if I'm wrong), the Dursley's never lay a hand on Harry. But it is never even questioned if they're awful people towards Harry - they literally make him sleep in a closet.

2. Matilda. Like do I even need to explain this one? Abuse from not only her whole family (again, NONE of it physical from what I recall), but also from other authority figures. And she's not the only character who deals with parental abuse - Miss Honey is a grown adult shown to be dealing with the negative effects of an abusive parental figure.

3. Phineas and Ferb. Laugh all you want, but Doofenshmirtz's parents were genuinely awful to him. His stories are just tamed down in a way that's palpable to a much younger audience while still also being clear abuse - a young child can chuckle at his stories but STILL understand why maybe some of his stories would turn him evil.

4. Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko's father physically disables his own son. Not to mention the constant emotional neglect and manipulation on top of it, the writers never held back on how bad his father was. Even if he hadn't scarred Zuko, he would still be a clear depiction of an abusive parent.

5. The Willoughbys. The parents are so awful that the kids literally plot to murder them. The parents abandoned them to freeze to death on top of a mountain. Enough said.

6. Percy fucking Jackson.

Percy Jackson IS a book made for kids that depicts child abuse from a parent - and not only does it depict child abuse, it depicts spousal abuse.

I know Percy doesn't know that Gabe is physically hurting Sally in the beginning of the book. But we as the audience know that Gabe DOES hurt Percy. There is not a single sign in the new show that Percy has anything more than a snarky, annoyed view of Gabe.

Gabe is supposed to be smelly and disgusting, a drunk (which, even if they can't depict that in a Disney show, you can still play around with his grossness), a slob, and a gambler. He's barely even greasy in the show. Literally they could have just had him belch a few times or eat messily and it would have given off a better impression of his character. Instead, he just quips back and forth with Percy and then later is just...whining. He's whiney. He does not ring as a man who abuses his family, emotionally OR physically, he rings as a pathetic step-dad figure who can't support himself (which is ALSO not canon, because in the book he runs an auto store! His abuse towards Sally is not for lack of money, it's just because he's a dick!!!) The fact that I think that Doof's parents in Phineas and Ferb are more overtly abusive than him on screen is actually absurd.

And Sally fell flat. Her character in the book doesn't yell literally ever - not once in the whole series can I recall her legitimately yelling at someone. Her persona is kind and gentle in the books and as for wits, she's clever, and sneaky, and cunning. She fights back with Gabe in ways that we as the audience can see, but Gabe misses because he's so dense.

Take the bean dip scene.

In the show, she basically is like "Yeah yeah I'll make the bean dip, shut up" and Gabe just whines about the sour cream while they yell at each other.

In the book? That's her bargaining chip to take the car for the weekend. That's her ticket out of the house. Bribery. Not just placating a whining husband - she bribes him in the books.

And her yelling back? Just feels so unnatural to Sally Jackson as a whole. I saw someone say she feels like Disney girl-bossed her, and they're right. She doesn't feel like Sally Jackson. She feels like just another cut and paste Disney woman who's snappy and doesn't take shit.

And to be clear - the OG Sally Jackson also didn't take shit. She was just so much more clever about it, in a way that made sure Percy never saw her actively yell. She doesn't have to be snarky and rude to get her way. Percy knows she's fighting back without physically fighting, and that's what makes her so strong. Sometimes you have to fight more with your wits and cleverness than you do with screaming and fists

(Gee...wonder what other character Percy ends up really admiring that also holds that philosophy in life?)

Anyway...all that said, stop blaming the fact that it's a children's show on Gabe's watered down personality. Children's shows/movies and family shows/movies have been depicting serious parental abuse and neglect for decades, in both realistic and more humorous ways that don't take away from the neglect. Kids can handle it, because there are kids going through it.

To say that "It's a kids show, kids shouldn't have to see that," is a disservice to the kids who need to see that, so they know that they can get away too, and they don't have to get physical to do it.

Also, this version of Gabe? Doesn't deserve to die. He's just annoying, not an asshole that scares Percy more than literal monsters do.

[off-color-darkrai]

Spooky Fun fact for you:

Did you know that In Disney's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" there are TWO headless horsemen? Brom Bones, obviously, and the real one.

Don't believe me? Check this out!

So when animating all the characters in Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Disney team made sure to animate each individual character as either Right or Left handed specifically.

Ichabod is consistently Right handed throughout the entire picture.

While Katrina van Tassel is Consistently Left Handed.

There's only one point where Katrina is drawn Right Handed, when she is writing, but seeing as we are watching her hands as she does this, it's clear the animators chose to show her writing in a way so that it wouldn't obscure the words.

Everyone else is either right or left handed specifically.

All, that is, except Brom Bones, who is specifically drawn to be Ambidextrous.

From his first appearance he is punching open things with his left hand, and maneuvering things with his right. He tosses things with both arms, and handles knives with both hands.

In the Headless Horseman song he repeatedly switches arms in his demonstrations. He even switches pointing arms from the beginning of the song to the end.

Now let's look over at old HH.

The first time Ichabod encounters him is in the cemetery, and we get this excellent pan up and dramatic shot.

Note, the sword is in his right hand.

Also that is not a pumpkin.

Ichabod runs, and the Headless Horseman gives chase, the entire time his sword arm remains on his Right.

Part way through Ichabod loses the Horseman for a hot minute by falling down a short cliff.

He eventually gets back on the road, spots the bridge, only to get jump-scared by the Horseman lunging out of the woods in front of him.

Ichabod, of course, turns and runs again, and the Horseman gives chase again, but this time he's changing sword arms every other shot.

And once Ichabod reaches the bridge he lobs his Jack-o'-lantern using his left arm.

That is not at all what he was holding earlier.

Also, if I was attempting to throw something, and I intended it to hit, I would definitely use my dominant arm for that. You know, the one you also use as your sword arm?

Unless you're ambidextrous.

Just saying.

So with that all laid out, I want to throw out a couple more things that support this.

1) Ichabod is shown to be completely alone in the graveyard moments before the First Horseman shows up. He even looks at the entire thing multiple times before having a laughing fit with his horse. Additionally, it's so quiet that Ichabod's laughter is echoing off everything. The sound design actively changes so there's nothing but the echoing sound of his laughter. No music, nothing. You don't hear the Horseman until he laughs too, and by then he's right behind Ichabod.

2) The way they draw the object the Horseman is holding in his first appearance vs. At the bridge is completely different. I mentioned this above, but the first object is dark, barely lit, and almost Smaller than the Horseman's hand. That is a skull. The one at the bridge is a jack-o'-lantern, well lit, not even the same shape, massive, and spitting flames. Both are pretty intimidating, but why bother drawing two different ones? It can't be something only Ichabod sees either, because he definitely sees the pumpkin at the end, and again, it's shooting flames. Imagine it's a skull all you want, I doubt he'd downplay the supposed hellfire spewing out.

3) Ichabod falls down two cliff faces in the first part of the chase. The first one he goes down and the Horseman jumps the entire cliff to go after him, not even breaking his gallop. The second cliff however, the horseman doesn't even attempt to follow Ichabod, instead letting him get away for a good amount of time. The horseman was literally right next to Ichabod and chose not to follow him. Why? If there was only one horsemen (Brom) and you were Ok jumping a cliff to keep up the chase once, why break off the second time? Why bother possibly losing Ichabod to go the long way around just so you can jump-scare him in front of the bridge?

A flesh and blood horseman would have followed, but an actual spectre? No. Why?

Because the Bottom of that cliff crashes straight into running water.

Folklore of the time stated that things such as Spirits and the Unholy couldn't cross running water (hence why crossing the bridge meant safe haven). So an actual ghostly horseman would be physically incapable of following Ichabod down the second cliff (metaphysically speaking).

In Conclusion, Disney's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a lot spookier than you probably thought, and the animators really did an excellent job.

Thank you for coming to my T.E.D. talk.