#any of those golden random trophies?

[happi-dreams]

Just woke up thought:

I think my version of the player would just, be a hoarder/collector of a bunch of stuff

[nothelena21]

"Random HEADCANONS of BLACK FAMILY members"

Pollux Black: He hates art and anything related to the non-aggressive expression of feelings. Ironically, after his death, his children found complete and incomplete poems among his books of ancient runes.

Irma Black (nee Crabble): She likes to sit and embroider in front of the fireplace in the living room, in the rocking chair in front of the window in her bedroom, or any place she finds suitable for doing so. Many of her children's clothes featured subtle embroidery done by her.

Walburga Black: Known for being a chaotic and tough-to-manage child who could always be found on the move... she found peace walking around her family's vast grounds... that small uncut grove of trees? a perfect place to hide for a while from Pollux and Irma.

Alphard Black: Being one of the most neglected children by his parents, he found himself drifting in and out of different hobbies that kept him busy enough to escape reality. One of them was sailing and cartography... there was something special about feeling the cold wind on his face and the salty scent of the sea in his nose that visibly relaxed him.

Cygnus Black III: Most of the family members were educated in different branches of art: painting, music, theatre... there was nothing that the young Blacks had not tried until they were the best and got bored of it long after. Except for him, of course. He found himself immersed in the world of sculpture for longer than expected, spending days and nights until he managed to finish beautiful works that he asked Kreacher to place in corners of the family properties or their gardens. Many of his later sculptures were inspired by Druella, his beautiful and beloved wife... and later his three little princesses: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

Druella Black (nee Rosier): So small and thin since she was a child... her fragile aura and delicate figure were easy to associate with a ballet dancer. That was how her classes began... her golden hair was tied neatly, her delicate skin was adapted to the makeup of the plays she participated in, her wardrobe was filled with costumes and comfortable clothes for training and her shelf with dolls had to be enlarged to proudly display trophies and gold medals. One of her biggest dreams when little Bellatrix was born was to hope that she would become as interested in ballet as she was and that they could practice and dance together for hours.

Arcturus Black: A skilled hunter for as long as he can remember, he loved to go hunting for animals in dark forests with his frivolous father. Unfortunately for his flirtatious wife Melania, that only meant an entire room dedicated to the taxidermy of these animals and many parts of them placed throughout the house as decoration. The only time he saw a gesture of admiration towards him from his father was in one of those forests.

Melania Black (nee McMillan): Her wealthy but stingy family did not allow her to make large monetary expenses on a regular basis: only on special occasions were goods, decorations or ostentatious clothes acquired to keep up with the elegant and superficial pureblood society. Great was her surprise when, after marrying Arcturus Black, he gave her the freedom to do with her inheritance whatever she wanted as long as she did not exceed what her work provided them. Decorating the properties and gardens as she pleased became her favorite activity, and she found a challenge in making her tastes in decoration ally with her husband's taxidermied animals.

Lucretia Black: Since she was a child, nothing pleased her more than to climb onto the back of any animal that wouldn't knock her down before she could count to ten. That's how Arcturus made sure to build a stable for five brightly colored horses and an Abraxan that Lucretia took years to tame without the help of specialists in the field.

Orion Black: Much to the chagrin of his Arcturus, his only son loathed the firearms hanging on the walls and the taxidermied animals that gave him nightmares which meant the house elves had to change his bed sheets almost regularly. Instead, he found immense love in stringed instruments and the rhymes that flowed on their own into a catchy and emotional song. He could spend hours hiding in the attic where old portraits lay waiting to decay with endless layers of dust on their surfaces. The one where Eduardus Limette Black rested under an apple tree with a predecessor to the conventional guitar glued to his hands was his favorite... and where he learned most of the notes and musical combinations that would drive anyone who heard them crazy.

[grumfield]

Little more elaboration on this before i sleep because apparently im metagaming about really silly AUs…this is probably the only time i will ever deliberate about an AU because I don’t really mess with/find AUs out of the existing dynamics/world interesting (to me) but this has sort of sparked my fancy a little despite being wildly implausible

Obi-Wan in legends (my preferred canon) strikes me as a kind of guy who heavily relies on structure and receiving affirmations from said structure. A lot of his frustration with Anakin isn’t so much out of being a stickler for rules but rather, like, “I love following rules, the rules are there for a reason, I get anxious when there are no rules so I get anxious when people don’t follow them”. He is at his worst mentally when he isn’t receiving confirmation that he’s Getting a Good Grade at Jedi for following these rules and that’s just exacerbated by Qui-Gon in JA. Qui-Gon certainly doesn’t give him that kind of consistent, reliable support or structure and as a result Obi-Wan is kind of always low-grade stressed like one of those rats in that experiment who press the button that gives food at random until they die.

This is to say in this situation I feel like Obi-Wan’s entire thing is like, the last of his solid structures are gone and he’s left basically in a perpetual spiral as he’s moved a lot and stalls in his growth. No one really is there to tell him what to do in any serious capacity (he’s moved around masters a lot since he’s just not able to do it anymore). Bro flounders for sure.

Anakin on the other hand in this has kind of been the golden child but still kind of objectified under Qui-Gon’s sort of narc favoritism…viewed in the same way he was when he won the podracing thing because his success is an extension of Qui-Gon so is encouraged to Knighthood early and is pretty quickly saddled Obi-Wan and is pleased at his newfound freedom and the freedom that being a Master offers lol, especially to a guy who used to hold a measure of authority over him but doesn’t anymore.

I imagine Obi-Wan is humiliated about this because Qui-Gon suggesting it just really is the final straw and he finally is like…maybe I’m just not meant to be a Jedi after all. Anakin on the other hand is like so excited but quickly gets frustrated because Obi-Wan does not listen to anything he says because he’s a teenager and stuff lmao. This eventually comes to a head over discussion about appearance because Obi-Wan has definitely let himself go out of like sad depression lack of motivation and Anakin gets frustrated finally too because it reflects badly on him and he just wants to be obeyed for once or whatever

I imagine anakin with all his power/possessiveness whatever stuff just takes it upon himself to be like okay fine, if you’re not gonna do this I’m gonna do it for you because I’m your master. Obi-Wan says no, Anakin says yes, they have this like this angry very stupid wrestling match between a 33 year old and this lanky teenager where eventually anakin just pins him down and and poorly shaves his shitty beard/cuts his hair etc. into the typical padawan look

Anakin might even expect Obi-wan to leave the next day bc of his behavior but surprise! Obi-Wan is there for training. And basically that just kind if sets off their dynamic where Anakin’s sort of possessive insistence at being heeded kind of provides the structure obi-wan wasn’t getting and Anakin getting listened to makes him feel like a person and not a Qui-Gon trophy…

Still takes Obi-Wan forever to call him master tho

TLDR 17 year old master anakin basically imposes a covert service sub lifestyle on Super Senior padawan obi-wan kenobi and because of his possessiveness and sort of association with people doing thing for him as a sign of love it eventually fixes them both…

I don’t really do AUs but I had to doodle this super quick because I think it would be funny for a reverse padawan AU where they’re their canon ages but Qui-Gon lives + killed Maul and Obi-Wan just continued to suck and ended up not passing his trials the second time so gets shunted to a new master and stalls out while Anakin the savant does so well he gets knighted early.

and then eventually Qui-Gon suggests to the council that his awesome biggest achievement 17 year old ex-padawan take on 33 year old perpetually treading water padawan Obi-Wan lmao. Obi-Wan of course immediately starts (finally) wondering if maybe the agricorps were still right for him after all while anakin is like huehuehuehue he’s gotta listen to me because I’m his master…unfortunately the “padawan who doesn’t listen” curse is passed onto him too albeit in a different flavor than the usual

[darkmarkets]

The Horrors of Commerce

If you haven't heard already, Random House made so much money with its ex-fanfic insta-classic 50 Shades of Grey that the publishing giant was able to give every one of its American employees a $5,000 holiday bonus. 

That's a lot of eggnog.

The arrival of such news—especially when compared to the publishing world's usual we're-all-going-broke moaning—compels this blogger to abandon all the how-to write advice of the past, chuck my Elements of Style out the window, and abandon all hope of a steady writer income unless I can positively answer one question:

Am I writing porn?

Now, I have nothing against porn. I believe it's a viable art form. I've made much of my steady writer income writing for a sex-positive magazine, so it's evident I bear no ill will against written depictions of knockin' boots. (I do, however, have a blind hatred of fan fiction, but that's a topic for another post.) I also have nothing against genre fiction, romance or sci fi or horror (obviously!), or any of those other forms of storytelling that are readily consumed by the masses.

But, news that Random House is paying its secretaries more money in one month than I will ever see for that novel I worked on for two years...well, it gives me pause. It makes me ask myself, why am I even doing this?

Am I writing in hopes to make money? Or am I writing just to make money?

This debate of Art versus Commerce is not a new one. In capitalist societies, art tends to become a consumable; a price is laid upon it, and market forces have to be appeased in order to sell it. Before I get too academic on the subject, I'll just break it down like this: to sell your work, you've got to write something people want to buy. And that something people want may or may not fall in line with your artistic vision. So, what do you do? Do you write the rambling pile of dark stream-of-consciousness nonsense that speaks to your soul, or do you follow genre conventions so that someone, somewhere, may actually read your work?

It's not an easy question. Every writer must decide this for themselves. But, in hopes of aiding my fellow writer's in their discussions with themselves, I will bring up one point.

Reward for your writing does not have to come in cash.

We tend to forget that the things we do have rewards other than a check at the end of the month. And this is especially so with fiction. In publishing, the competition's fierce, the pool is large, and the paychecks are usually slim for everyone except the big Grey dog at the top. This isn't unique to publishing. You'll see this everywhere for any industry that's not curing cancer or taking out the trash. Art, sports, music, theater...it's all the same. So, what happens is, the race is so frantic that newcomers often find themselves dashing blindly for that finish line, the one that says "You Made It!" and is complete with a golden trophy spilling over with coins. In environments like this, we can easily make the assumption that Well Paid = Valuable.

Such is not the case.

Well Paid = Marketable. Something that's marketable can also be valuable, but the two are not necessarily joined at the hip.

Many of us struggle with writing because we think "If I'm not getting hella paid, I must be awful." We think the only way we will have value as writers is if someone downs us in piles of royalties. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The fancy pants literature world thrives on throngs of highly-talented people who write transcendent fiction for little to no money at all. Do a Duotrope search for general Literary magazines and you get 1669 results, only 43 of those pay pro rates. That's like 2%! And, surely, you may say, "But nobody reads those magazines." and you may be right. The traditionally held convention is that art-important literature has smaller audiences than commercial fiction. But that still doesn't stop thousands of writers every day trying to pour their soul out on a page that might reach someone, somewhere.

Why? Because they see the rewards that come from writing outside of commercial success. (Or they're beholden to a certain publishing model that requires them to write noncommercial fiction for free forever until they've bled enough sweat and tears to reach Franzen-levels of high-paying literary fame. But that's also the topic of another blog post.)

Anyway, let's talk about some of these other rewards.

Firstly, it's rewarding to write something you love. It's surprising to hear, in this publishing climate, that it's worth it to write something that pleases you, the writer, even if no one else likes it. If you write something you are proud of, then marvelous! Screw everyone else. I'm dead serious. This is an easy thing to say but, I can assure you, I've done it before and it's awesome. I've written stories that I know are completely unpublishable—I wouldn't submit them if someone begged me to but, believe me no one will ever beg me to—but because I love those stories of mine, I feel a grand sense of accomplishment and worth. It's a really great thing; I suggest everyone try it at least once.

Secondly, it's rewarding to write something one other person loves. Again, not the kind of build-your-audience kind of talk we're used to seeing. But, if you write something that one person loves, you again get that feeling of accomplishment and worth that we tend to equate only with big-name publishing. Try a friend or a relative or a random stranger on some forum somewhere—pick someone you think might love your work. They might love it! If one person loves your work, then you've done the thing that writing is really meant to do—connect people to people, share ideas about life and the world. Or, in our case as horror writers, utterly gross someone out. It's totally worth doing on the small scale.

After that, the rewards just keep coming. It may be that writing is good therapy for you, or just a fun way to spend a weekend. It may be writing is a great way for you and your friends to connect over coffeehouse conversations. It may be that, for one glorious moment, at three-o-clock in the morning with that empty highball glass in one hand and that cigarette in the other, you feel like a real goddamn writer, dammit. It may be the sound of keys clicking is a cool noise. And, maybe you just like having all those typewriters in your house. There are piles of reasons to write aside from money—and, while I don't necessarily advocate all of us give up our dreams of being cash-hound publishing celebrities, it's important that money not be the only reason we write.

If money is the only reason you're writing, then I suggest you ask yourself: Am I writing porn?

Cuz if you're not, you'd better start. The typing pool needs more eggnog.

Lorna D Keach

[alliseaisfandom]

So I got to talking to @one-bowl-of-soop and as usual, they endured my over-analysis of random things. So behold :

Each of the Madrigal kids' gift is a direct reflection of the Effect that their family's trauma and dynamic had on them

Disclaimer: this is copy pasted from texts I wrote on the bus. My understanding of psychology comes solely from curiosity, this is not a clinical or professional analysis. If anyone who knows of this stuff wants do dispute my thoughts I'd love to discuss this with you :)

Julieta (the "oldest" triplet) - healing/nourishing - as the appointed oldest child of a single mother (and a widow) she ended up as her siblings' second mother and making sure her mother didn't do everything alone. Her power was the highest form of taking care of her family.

Pepa(the "middle" triplet) - tempest temper - her gift is a compliment to her sister's (she helps the crops grow by watering them for example) . More than that, as the middle child and least similar to her mother and father, she makes herself known in a space by literally altering the weather in it. (Ironically this makes it so her entire life she's told to silence herself even more because it inconveniences those around her)

Bruno (the "youngest" triplet) - clairvoyance - he may be the youngest but he was also the only boy in the house. Socially he'd be expected to become "the man of the house" and secure the family's security and future prosperity. To be confident of the future, nothing better than to know what's coming. Irony comes in again because all his predictions did was make people feel insecure and fearful of said future

Isabela (the oldest grandchild) - plant manipulation - the perfect golden child. She was the first one of the new generation. The first evidence that Encanto was the Madrigals forever home. She was supposed to be the pretty trophy , and, as the oldest, always perfect, so her gift is to create the perfect prettiest things in nature

Dolores- hearing - between abuela's firm hand, her mother's emotional instability and her aunt and uncle's resentment regarding their gifts, Dolores was bound to end up hypervigilant. She didn't have any of the expectations of Isabela put on her, but she did have to learn to navigate her family, and to do that she had to know what was going on with who. She's also an older sister, but she sticks to being responsible for her chores kind of older sister, her chore being keeping tabs on what happens around them

Luisa - strength - as a middle child, Luisa took to the same approach as Pepa, making herself visible. However, with the pressure to live up to her sister she did so in a way that made her "useful", taking on the weight of function when her sister was form (in that way they also compliment each other).

Camilo - shape-shifting - also a middle child, he's on the other side of the spectrum. Camilo was invisible by choice. At this point he had 3 examples of what being a model grandchild did to people and so he just settled for being whoever his cousins and sister (or mother) needed. "he won't leave until he makes you smile today" is intentional, he was the kid his cousins and sister didn't have a chance to be, and so he played that up, ending up with a gift that cloaks him from attention and potentiates jokes that elevate morale (we can also go for the being the first grandson and the expectation to be every role at once since at the time of his gift Bruno had already disappeared and so he was the only "man of the family")

Antonio (the youngest) - animal communication - Antonio is the first child with a support system. All the other kids got their room at a young age, separating them from each other early on. Antonio had Mirabel with him. He didn't need to face abuela's expectations, or his aunt's and mother's worries, or his cousin's issues alone. Mirabel holds his hand literally and figuratively through his childhood. In turn, he suffers less, but suffers nonetheless. His gift is to give voice to creatures nobody else listens, to realise the importance of those people deem unimportant. He grew up around a cousin who was treated as second class because she didn't have a gift. Because she was different. And still she was the one who treated him with most compassion and attention. And so his gift allowed him to treat others, every type of others, with the same attention.

I didn't write anything about Mirabel's gift, because regardless of headcanons she's not confirmed to have one and I also like that interpretation.

If you read through the whole thing hi! Thanks!

[ddosie]

# 2 and soobin for the prompt please!

you wouldn't say you were the sentimental type.

things came and went. kids grew into adults. that was just how life was. people grew apart, sometimes closer, and it was all expected.

you just never thought you would have to face it yourself.

it was a problem that you had only read about in story books. the handmaiden watches the price she fell in love with get married. she moves on. the king lets go of the memories of his favorite knight. he moves on. the queen loses her son, her only son. she moved on.

they all moved on. so why couldn't you?

"class! class! let's start this school year by introducing ourselves! i'll go first. my name is ms. hilton, and i'm your english teacher for this year! i've worked at this school for a long time now, and i can't wait to teach all of you kids!

okay, now that i've done my introduction, shall we go along the classroom and introduce ourselves? starting from you sir, yes you with the white and black sneakers. please start by telling us your name and a fun fact about yourself."

you watched as the said boy stood up, pushing his hair back with his hand.

"uh... hi everyone, i'm soobin, and one fun fact about me is i went to Europe this year."

as the next person got up to introduce themselves, you found yourself staring at him.

jeez, he was tall for a middle schooler.

the sun is filtering through the blinds in your room, and rays of light are being painted across the walls. everything is a golden color, from the desk to the bedside.

"so... what topic are we choosing for this project?" you watched through the lens of your glasses as soobin furrowed his brow.

"do you think, maybe aristotle?" you nodded your head eagerly, so soobin stood up and walked over to the teachers desk. a second later he sent you a thumbs up.

"aristotle it is."

you twirled your pen in your fingers as soobin took a seat. "hey do you want to work on the project with me over the weekend? i know a really good café...?"

there was a small smile on your face, and you nodded.

"yeah sure, what time?"

you got up from your chair, grabbing a camera. in this lighting, the room was just too pretty to not take a picture of.

"y/n, for someone of that height, there is no reason you should be walking that fast."

you sent a small smile to the long-legged boy trying to catch up with you in the hallway.

"if you don't want to be late to class bin, you're going to have to put those legs to work."

you let soobin catch up with you, and you slowed down your pace from thereon so the two of you could walk side by side. soobin pointed at the trophy shelf.

"do you think we'll win this year too? i hope we do, yeonjun promised a party at his house if we get placed first."

you gave soobin a reassuring pat on his arm.

"you'll be finneee... if you win, i'll take you out to icecream after."

the boy turned to look at you, a smile creeping into his eyes.

"really?"

"really."

fiddling around with the camera, you brushed the light dust that had collected on the top off. you watched as the particles were swept away, dancing in the dying sunlight.

"we should do this every year."

you turned to look at soobin lying next to you, ice-cream sandwhich in one hand, while the other was tucked behind him, supporting his head. he was looking above, admiring the night sky.

"you mean climb some random apartment stairs to get to rooftops? and risk our lives every season game to see a different view of the city at night?"

soobin let out a small laugh. "yeah, well when you put it that way, it does sound bad." you smiled, lying down with your own ice-cream sandwich, propping an arm under your head.

"...i meant the icecream tradition. you'll be there for my next season game, right?"

now it was your turn to admire the night sky.

"of course. i wouldn't miss it for the world"

grabbing a tissue, you went to work at the camera, cleaning dust from all crevices and corners of the lenses. you were surprised. when was the last time you had even taken a photo on this thing?

"hey bin, what's up?"

grabbing your phone and placing it on your desk, you made yourself comfortable, ready for any facetime tea he would spill.

"ah, y/n..." you watched as he ran a hand through his hair from the other side of the screen. "i don't think... i don't think i'll be able to make it to your birthday this year."

there was a quiet silence. you felt like you'd been punched in the gut.

"if i can ask, um, why?" you fiddled with the hem of your hoodie, waiting for an answer.

"the schedules for the basketball game lineups just came out, and the final season game is happening on your birthday. i just wanted to tell you in case we do win that far and i won't be able to come."

you decided to smile at the way soobin had said just in case they win. the two of you were in your sophomore year, and he hadn't lost a game since middle school.

"yeah, don't worry about it soob. we can still get icecream after."

you felt a turn in your stomach when the boy gave you a relived smile, running a hand through his hair again.

"that's all i wanted to say, i've got to go now"

"hm? why?"

"chem tutoring. these freshman are horrible at science."

adjusting the camera, you zoomed in on random objects in your room. the bookshelf. your water bottle. the lamp. click. click. click.

“did you hear? that senior yeonjun will be throwing a bigger party than last year! are you going y/n?”

you shrugged. “when is it?”

“I think it‘ll be this saturday.”

"can’t. I’ll be out of town”

"for what?

“college. I sent an early application, and one of them reached out and wants me to tour the campus. if i go, I’ll have a guaranteed spot next year, and I probably won’t have to apply to any others.”

your friend let out a low whistle and patted your head.

"well when you put it like that, I guess you really can’t go… but maybe we could get something after the game? i heard the ice cream place was still open”

just like that, a mere sentence felt like a silent punch to the gut.

you looked away from your friends face, scanning the cafeteria unknowingly. you were met with the view of a senior tussling soobin's hair, an arm slung across his neck. you could hear their loud conversation even from where you were sitting.

"you coming to my house after the game? me and the guys we're planning to get some icecream and stay over at my house for the night."

you thought you saw something flash in soobins eye's before he smiled, nodding in agreement.

abruptly standing up, you tossed an apology to your friend about how you wouldn't be able to make it and you had just remembered you had some important emails to send. you didn't want to be around when the words of confirmation came out of his mouth itself.

so much for a flash. the last time you had icecream with him was two years ago.

adjusting the lens once more, you caught your eye on a ticket stuck between two books on your desk. you slowly pulled it out. it was blue and grey, your school colors. there was a hole punched on the bottom, indicating it was used.

"and it's the last two minutes of the game, and hybe high is in the lead! if they can make this basket, it will guarantee a regional win for the school. oh! there goes hyunjin... passing to donghyuck who... also just passed to eric who, jeez, passed to soobin...! look at that! look at that!! we are in the last minute everyone, and if captain of hybe high makes this basket, like i said they will be the regional winners!!"

you let the sound of the announcer wash over you, leaning forward in your seat to watch the game.

for some reason you kept coming back. to this gym. to the basketball games.

to soobin.

it had been over a year since the two of you had really talked, the last icecream run being well over three years ago (a promise to go before your birthday was conveniently broken), and the last facetime was to ask for calculus answers.

you knew that you had faded out of the life of the star basketball player.

you just couldn't accept it.

"and soobin gets closer to the rim... oh! it looks like taehyun from bighit acadmy is a pretty good blocker... anyways look at him go! we have twenty second left, and even if he doesn't score hybe is still in for a win... okay, okAY?? WAIT WHAT!! WHAT!!"

there's a loud screech of the intercom that mixes with the cheers of the crowd. you found yourself on your feet, fists pumping in the air in celebration alongside the students in the bleachers despite yourself.

"AND CHOI SOOBIN SECURES THE PLACE OF HYBE HIGH IN DISTRICT REGIONALS!! ONCE AGAIN THE ACE HAS TOPPED EVERYONE AND BRANG HIS TEAM TO VICTORY!!"

you held the ticket tenderly. on the backside was stamped senior, a marker that counted as a discount for the upperclassmen that wanted to watch the game. flipping it over again, you felt a wave of something hit your stomach as you took in the grey and blue.

"hey y/n, wait up!"

you whipped around at the sound of an all too familiar voice.

there, stood soobin, in all his six foot and one inch glory.

"you.." he panted, hands on his knees as if he had run a million miles. "you walk too fast. what's the rush? you were cheering for me so loudly."

there was that feeling again. of being punched in the gut. by that invisible hand that seemed to favor your stomach whenever soobin was around.

"ah, you know... just getting home."

you tried not to stare too long. soobin had grown, matured. the baby face he donned as a middle schooler was gone, only his dimples a reminder of the childhood smiles you shared together.

"you're not... going anywhere? going straight home?"

you gave him a small smile. "...yeah. i'm going soon, so i really need to pack. good game though! you really did good this time around."

"going soon... to where y/n? are you taking a road trip without me?" you sensed a wary tone under his teasing words. three years apart, and this was the news you would have to tell him. curse the fates.

"yup! im, ah... moving cross country. i got accepted a while back."

you could already see the question in his eyes. how far? which major? on campus or near?

why didn't you tell me?

there was a moment of silence while you rocked back and forth on your heels. soobin pushed his hair back, looking into your eyes.

the heaviness of a thousand unanswered questions weighed in the air.

"so... want to catch up over icecream?"

as you held the basketball ticket from senior year, you realized three things.

one: you were the sentimental type. you clung onto old memories and good times like they were life jackets, keeping you afloat in the mundanity of your new life.

two: you didn't really like the idea of always moving on. it seemed so easy in the story books, that after a couple years the queen goes back to her ordinary life, the king appoints a new knight, and the princess finds someone she truly loved. but was there a time where you would just stop caring? was there a day you would wake up and didn’t think about what could have happened, the if only’s and what if’s?

three: you couldn't move on. you prided yourself on being able to move faster, walking a pace before everyone else. life was a journey, and you were going places. quite literally. you were floating when everyone was sinking.

but you were only floating because you had your life jacket.

...

things came and went. kids grew into adults. that was just how life was. people grew apart, sometimes closer, and it was all expected.

you clutched the ticket in your hand, the end slightly wrinkled by your fingers.

you just never thought you would have to face it yourself.

[citygirlinschool]

Look I didn't intended to write this. Writing is hard. Most of the times the results is widely different then what you started with. Or maybe it's just my disorganised self. I doubt it happens with seasoned writers.

But here it is. A completely random idea that popped up in my brain while writing a Perleo fic inspired by this post.

Part 2

Apollo x Dark! Percy

The kiss wasn't a good one. Not sweet lips and gentle caress. Or even those hot passionate one. With tongue and teeth and fire and ice.

It was a bad one. With spit and ichor. Not meant for pleasure. No it was Percy staking his claim.

Zues had promised him any reward. If he won.

A dangerous gamble.

And when he had indeed defeated Zues. Pinned him down with long willowy whips of water. Sparks of electricity still shooting off them. He had smiled.

At that moment everyone knew what he would ask for.

Olympus.

But instead he had strolled, slow and confident, finally stopping before him.

~

Apollo finally unfroze. He snarled, teeth digging in harshly, blood spilling into his mouth.

Percy smiled against him, fingers slipping in his hair, pulling harshly and tilting his head. His tongue traced his lips, tasting his own blood, even as Apollo's eyes filled with tiniest drops of tears at the sting.

He called in on the sun, hands pushing against Percy's chest. Hard. But with each step back, Percy would pull him forward with the hand looped around his waist.

His skin heated, and he knew he was glowing. Bright and golden like the sun. He was the sun.

This finally made Percy pull back. But it wasn't fast. He didn't remove his hands or even pulled back from where he was pressed against him. No sudden movements or hissed complaints of being burnt.

No he was smiling, eyes bright, looking back at him like he wasn't blinded by the sheer light he was emitting.

"Tut tut." He shook his head mockingly. "The sun hasn't been able to burn the sea for aeons."

"It can if it gets too close." His voice was hoarse, thick on anger. Weak.

"Well then I am lucky." He cupped his cheek, trailing his thumb across his lower lip. "I am not just the sea."

Apollo sneered. "I am not a trophy. Definitely Not yours."

"I won you fair and square. Tell me if I lie, O! God of truth." He smiled mockingly, breath washing against his lips.

He did didn't he? Anger bubbled inside him. He could ask for anything, anyone, any place if he won. And now he was taking his prize.

He had made the gods swear on River Styx. He insured every god was there to witness. There was no foul play. No penalty.

"Don't you think it would be fair for me to loose myself to you, instead of my father." It was a desperate move.

Percy shrugged. "But you already lost yourself. Why fight for what rightfully is now mine?"

His anger flared up again. It was one thing to be a slave when he was mortal, but be a servant to a mortal when he himself was devine-

"It is rare to see a god a defiant." Percy interrupted his train of thought. "They don't need to." He mused, "considering they happen to be on the top of the food chain. Yet here you are." He gripped his face, "Eyes alight with rebellion."

This close he could see the ring of blue around his pupil, the gold staining the green.

"They are quite beautiful." He paused. "Pity. I don't need it there."

Pain shoot up his spine. His throat swell, closing up and choking. Little pricks of pain. Like tiny sword were pushing against his skin, trying to tear it apart from inside out. He pushed himself away from Percy. And this time Percy let him go, let him fall, as he clawed his neck.

His skin parted on his thigh, a strem of gold staining his own Linothorax. Another on his bicep. He howled in agony.

His skin was ripping apart, his blood was choking him, tears burnt him, and he felt himself loose control.

No. No no no. It would kill him.

He panicked, trying to reign it in. But it was too late.

It whitened behind his closed lids the gold burning white, his hair fluttered, long flames of of red and orange falling on his back. His face twisted and turned until it was a polished proclaim blue, cheeks tinted pink and purple crawling down his neck and shoulder in twists and twirls like the waking dawn or dying dusk. Cold brushed his bared form. And he stopped choking. His skin healed, and tears dried.

Fingers, rough but gentle brushed his cheeks.

He knew the sight he would witness if he opened his eyes. A burnt body. True form of a God wasn't meant to be witnessed by humans.

But he opened his eyes. He had to face the music.

Green eyes stared back un blinking. For once there was more than amusement and smugness overshadowing his face.

Apollo looked at him. Actually looked at him. From the wild hair, torn clothes and ichor stained body.

"Fuck... You are gorgeous."

"You are a god." He whispered back in horror.

He pulled back straightening, smiling, "I wonder what gave it away?"

"The apple." Confusion and horror made him stumble over his words. "It wasn't supposed to, I would have. How did I not know?"

"It was winter." Percy gave him a pitying look, "Your annual death. No prophecies to warn your beloved gods. You couldn't have known."

"But I should have." Apollo looked up at him. "The visions. The future."

He offered him his hand. "I'll show you."

~

The cave was barren, untouched, left in the state it's owner had left it in.

"Rachel had seen it all before she..." Percy paused. "Died."

"Look at the walls."

He scoffed, "I don't need to."

He shrugged his face a careful mask of indifference. "Then you would know how this ends."

"Future isn't set in stone. I know it better than anyone else."

"Mine is." He traced the eagle's wounded wing. The bird was fighting a stallion shaped storm.

It could mean anything.

"Why didn't you ask for Olympus. You could have ended it all back there."

Percy sneered from where he stood above him. "There were rules of the duel. No killing. Zues would have waged a war anyways. I can't have that."

"Then what do you need me for, why not Athena? She would be more useful to you then me."

"Zues needs her more than I do. I have the Athenians for me."

"Zues needs me more than you do me. You have my own rallying behind you." His voice was bitter.

"I know. And I appreciate them. I would be nothing without them. Fine archers. Keeping Zeus's birdies out of our camp, we would have been dead long ago without them curing us and keeping us safe. But they can't do one thing."

"The Oracle." Realisation dawned on him.

"Yes. I needed an oracle after Rachel. And what better Oracle then the god of prophesies."

"You need me for giving you a prophecy?"

"Partly. You can win this war for me. You know everything. You knew Orion intentions. You knew Achilles heel."

"But I didn't know the Troy's end."

"I won't be another Troy. As long as you keep guiding me."

"You don't want my guidance. You just need what I know."

"Or maybe I just needed you." He filled his line of view, nose brushing against each other. His eyes honest and making him feel trapped, helpless and floating.

"What about when you don't need me anymore." He breathed out.

"You know the answer" He stepped back and there was the answer.

Percy with his sword raised, the Olympian flames dying at his feet.

And there he was. His flaming hair and sky blue skin, cloudy white iris less eyes, loyal at his feet. Adorned in gold chains.

His Oracle. His victory.

~

It isn't part of the Perleo fic. Just wanted to tell. Completely random one shot here. Please do tell me what you thought?

[13-reasons-ideas]

Once a Serpent? Part 1

A/N: This is a Riverdale X 13 Reasons Why crossover. I stopped watching Riverdale when season 2 got weird. I haven't really kept up with the show since outside of promos. As a result, this won't really line up with much of anything in seasons 3-current. I know I usually have Monty be this great guy who changes for the girl but I decided to try something different this time. This story has gone in a direction I wasn't expecting. It won't be super different than normal for a while, but I will give content warnings where needed. Let me know what you guys think and if you want me to continue! As always, feel free to send feedback or Q&A type questions. And much love! - Em

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. 

I found Nathan over by the river. He was staring out over the cliff. My black leather jacket was pulled around me tightly. It was a cold August. “Hey.” I called out to him, softly.

“Hey.” He didn’t turn around.

“Can we talk?”

“About?”

“What happened?”

“Not much to talk about, is there Kennedy?”

“Nate…” I started. “Please?”

“Fine.” He sighed, walked back closer to the trail, and sat on a rock. I watched him run a hand through his shaggy hair.

“I just found out last night. I was going to tell you today. I didn’t think it was something you should tell someone on the phone.”

“I just don’t get why you have to go. You’re an adult.”

“Because. I haven’t graduated and I have nowhere to stay here.” He opened his mouth to speak. “My boyfriend’s trailer doesn’t count.”

“Okay. When do you leave?”

“Three days. My mom needs time to finish her week. Dad leaves tonight.”

“You can keep the jacket until then.”

“Thanks.”

“Not doing it to be nice. You know that.”

“I know. But still. Thank you.” He merely hummed in response. “For everything.” I felt tears welling in my eyes. He knew me too well and, even if he didn’t want to, he opened his arms for a hug. I took a few steps forward into his grasp. He wrapped his arms tightly around me as I sobbed. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave you. He shushed me and petted my hair. “I love you Nate.”

“I love you too Kenna.” His voice sounded small. I stepped away from him hhen I calmed down enough to breathe properly again. I couldn’t look at him again as I walked away.

Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. One minute I was starting to fold clothes, the next, I was staring at the jacket on my empty mattress. My room was full of boxes for the movers to take. The Serpent jacket stared back at me. It was almost mocking me. You knew this was a possibility when you got involved. “Shut up.” I muttered.

It was time for me to give the jacket back. Giving it up was almost harder than the breakup. It had become a part of me in the last two years. The thought of being without it made me feel cold. As hard as it was, I knew it didn’t belong to me anymore. So, I took a deep breath and picked it up. I didn’t put it on. There was no reason to make this even harder than it already was.

I pulled to the side of the road when I got to Sunnyside. I knew my car was safe on the side of the road because I was in Serpent territory. Walking along the gravel to his trailer, I felt a pit growing in my stomach. I could have given the jacket to Jughead, or Toni, or Fangs to give to him. No, you couldn’t. I had to see him one last time. The last time couldn’t have really been the last time.

“No, man. I’m all good.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s not like we were going to work anyway.” Is that? Are they… are they talking about me?

“What do you mean?” Fangs asked. I stopped dead in my tracks behind a random trailer. I was far enough away that neither of them could see me.

“Kennedy is,” Sweetpea paused, “she’s the experiment. You know, try the pretty little rich girl from the North side. See how that goes. See what it’s like.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Look at Betty and Jug.”

“Kennedy is not Betty.”

“Okay?”

“Look. Fangs. Kennedy is the girl who marries the CPA. She buys a house with him in the suburbs with a picket fence. They have a couple or three kids and buy a golden retriever who loves everyone. She doesn’t marry the guy who’s in a gang. We are both better off for this.”

I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t go out there and make my presence known. But I had his stupid jacket. Jones. I ran back to the entrance of the trailer park and went around the other way to get to the Jones’ trailer. I still had a key that I was going to give back after I gave Nathan, Sweetpea, back his jacket. Leaving the jacket on the kitchen table, I grabbed an old envelope and a pen. This doesn’t belong to me. I wrote quickly. It was messy but I knew he would know who it was from and who it was for. I left the note and the key beside the jacket. Again, I couldn’t look back as I walked away.

My mom and I arrived in Evergreen County just in time for me to be enrolled in school before the first day of classes. I would be attending Liberty High School. From the second I walked in the door with my parents to sign my paperwork, I knew this school would be just like the rest. The walls were lined with permanent “do your best” posters and trophy cases at any given turn. The smell that could only be described as eau de jock permeated the halls.

The principal’s office was down the hall. I tried to hang back from my parents. “Ah, you must be the Campbells. Major Campbell. Mrs. Campbell. And Kennedy.” The man I could only assume was the principal, judging by his obviously fake charm and smile, greeted us. “Gary Bolan.” My dad shook his hand firmly.

“Matthew Campbell.”

“You can call me Heather.”

“Of course.”

“Kennedy, come here darling.” My mom called for me. I walked over to her wordlessly.

“Hi.” I nodded. I had done this plenty of times before.

I decided to take advantage of my few more moments of freedom and explore the school. They didn’t need me to fill out medical forms and make sure my transcripts transferred properly. The school was big. Much bigger than Riverdale High. Didn’t seem too hard to navigate though. The sound of weights clashing together caught my attention. I followed the sound and found myself standing at the open door of the fitness centre.

There was a boy working out. He seemed hyper focused on his actions. It was mesmerizing in a way. The boy was tall. Not as tall as Nate. Most people weren’t. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say maybe between six feet and six foot two. It was hard to tell since he was sitting down. His brown hair was damp with sweat. I watched him. Not in a creepy way. Just… observed. I could tell by his form and muscles that he was probably an athlete. Judging by his size, maybe football? Small beads of sweat trailed down his tan neck. I coughed suddenly and caught this mystery boy off guard. He set the weights down and turned to face me. His face was…. And the cheekbones. Kennedy. What? He’s pretty.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“No worries.” He stood up and used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Those abs. Good Lord. I blinked quickly to keep myself from staring. “I didn’t realize anyone was still here.”

“Oh. My parents are just enrolling me now. We moved here a few days ago from New York.”

“Cool. And you are?”

“Oh. Uh. I’m Kennedy.”

“Montgomery.” He nodded.

[prettyboyporter]

It Started Like This

also on ao3

for @lissieisspacey for harringrove for BLM, who wanted the story behind the cat drawn in this art by @artzeppo

1.5k | M 

It started with Steve clearing out his savings account.

He marched into the bank kind of in a daze, and before he knew it he was blinking in front of a teller and saying, I’d like to withdraw all of my money. She gave it to him, baffled, and he looked down at the stacks of bills -- the college fund that his dad had deposited that never came to fruition because no colleges would take him in addition to the tiny amount he’d managed to put in there from his Family Video earnings.

If he was in a daze before, he suddenly moved as if a meteorite would crash into the Earth if he didn’t hurry. He sped home, took the stairs two at a time, flung open two suitcases on his bed and jammed them full of clothes, a handful of pictures, the little league trophy from when he was nine, a few cassettes, and the little stuffed tiger Billy had given him last night that led to their first kiss.

He snapped them closed as soon as they were full, tossed them in the trunk, and squealed his tires as he took the corner hard toward Cherry Lane.

Neil Hargrove was outside watering his lawn when Steve came to a speeding halt in the driveway, sending gravel skittering.

“Can I help you?” Neil asked as Steve bounded up the stairs and let himself into the house.

“Nope, fuck off!” Steve shouted back over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Neil shouted but Steve didn’t hear what came next because he was already standing in Billy’s room, chest heaving, his lungs trying to catch up with the frenzy of activity.

Billy stood up from his bed and faced Steve, shock written all over his expression. “The fuck?”

Steve’s heart was banging against his sternum. He felt like he was going to pass out. “Come with me to California.”

“What?” Billy asked, a little hysterically.

“Pack a bag, Billy. Fuck it. Let’s just go. Me and you.”

Two heavy boot thumps came from Steve in Billy’s doorway. “You’ll go nowhere with this boy,” Neil said from behind Steve’s back.

Fire flared up in Billy’s eyes -- a fire that had been missing during Billy’s strenuous ten-month recovery from Starcourt.

Last night, the first time that Steve had ever kissed Billy, Billy’s eyes were soft and warm as Steve held the little stuffed tiger that Billy had given him.

Right now, Billy’s jaw twitched, and his eyes were cold as ice. “I’ll go where the fuck I want.”

“You’ll do exactly as I-”

Steve turned around and decked Neil, and Neil went down with a loud thump. I won again, Steve thought. Dustin would be proud.

Billy stood wide-eyed, silent. Time stretched out for a few moments as Billy blinked at his father on the ground. “Fuck you Neil,” he whispered down to Neil’s unconscious body splayed on the hallway floor.

Then, he went digging under his bed and pulled out a suitcase. He started emptying the contents of his dresser into it. “See those crates over there? Start dumping shit in them.”

The crates made up part of Billy’s makeshift vanity. Steve’d always felt sad when he looked at it that Billy had to make it himself since his dad didn’t simply buy him one. He pulled apart the vanity and started filling the crates with haircare products and cologne and random items from Billy’s shelf.

They stood at the trunk of the beemer holding all of Billy’s worldly possessions. Billy paused as he looked at the beemer, then looked over at his own car. His expression hardened. “Let’s take the Camaro,” he said. “Let’s bring her home.”

Steve nodded. It made sense. He wasn’t overly-connected with the beemer in any case.

He left the keys in Dustin’s mailbox with a hastily scribbled note on a Burger King napkin.

Dustin would be 16 soon enough, and he deserved to have a good car. The whole thing felt good and right and when they pulled away, Steve wiped at tears that he hoped were inconspicuous.

They make it through Indiana, Illinois, and most of Missouri smiling, whooping, and fist pumping. They blared Metallica and Ratt and Van Halen. The Camaro felt like a roller coaster flying past corn stalks, flitting greens and fields of golden wheat. Steve stuck his hand out the window and felt the breeze flow between his fingers, free and clear.

Billy laced his fingers through Steve’s on the seat between them. They stopped and shared their second kiss after eating, still tasting of greasy burgers and Cokes with the smell of asphalt in the air.

They shared their third kiss when they spent the night at a motel, neon lights in the middle of a dark night, shining through the crack in their curtains as they slept together but kissed lazily and spooned, too tired to take it any further, too drained after a day of driving and intense emotion. Steve buried his nose in Billy’s curls.

Steve drove the next day with Billy’s hand on his thigh. They drove past more corn while Billy complained about Steve’s Lionel Richie tape laming up the aura of his car, then slept, mouth open and aviators dangling off of his ear. His curls blew around in the air from the cracked window.

Eventually the air grew warm and dry around them. Night settled. The stars appeared and the temperature dropped as Billy laid his head on Steve’s shoulder. He wasn’t asleep -- he just rambled about nothing and Steve dropped his arm around Billy’s shoulders.

“You’re good to me, pretty boy,” Billy said as he took a drag off of his smoke.

“Wouldn’t have wanted to run away and join the circus with anyone else,” Steve said. He planted a kiss on Billy’s forehead.

That night as they were bringing their suitcases into their motel room, a tiny little tabby cat brushed in past their legs, jumped up on the bed, and curled up into a ball.

“Fuckin excuse you,” Billy said to the cat. “Our bed. Skidaddle.”

The cat blinked lazily up at Billy.

“You wanna stay here you gotta pitch in for the room, gato,” Billy said as he placed his suitcase on the stand. Steve closed the door.

“Hey. That cat needs to get out. Open the door back up.”

Steve shrugged. “He looks comfy. We should let him stay.”

“How do you know it’s a he?”

“I don’t. C’mere gato!” Steve said in a high-pitched voice. The cat stood and walked to the end of the bed, raising his little grey head and closing his eyes while Steve scratched his cheeks and behind his ears, under his chin.

Gato started purring.

“I think we have a cat now,” Steve said.

“We don’t have a fucking cat, Steve.”

That night, though, Gato slept on Billy’s chest. And when Steve woke up, Billy was petting him and cooing.

When they got around to loading up the car, Gato walked out with them and jumped up into the Camaro’s back seat when Steve opened the door.

Billy looked at the cat and shook his head. “I guess we have a cat.”

They found a pet store in the phone book and Steve peeled off some of his savings account money for food, litter, a couple of bowls, and a box.

They stopped one more time at a motel. Gato curled up in Steve’s suitcase on top of his clothes while Steve tongue kissed Billy on the bed, heated, dick hard, got down between Billy’s legs, thick thighs under his hands as he sucked and sucked with Billy’s hand on the back of his head.

Billy did the same for Steve on his knees while Steve braced himself against the wall, breathless, in love, so in love, his heart bursting with it as he spilled into Billy’s mouth.

The next day the Welcome to California sign loomed ahead of them and grew larger as they approached.

Billy pulled the car off to the shoulder as they got close to it.

“What’re you doing?” Steve asked.

“Come on,” Billy said as he exited the car.

Steve looked around and couldn’t see why -- they were near the Colorado River so maybe Billy wanted to snap a Polaroid with the camera he’d purchased yesterday.

Gato got out behind Steve and started playing with the brush on the side of the road.

“Gonna carry you across the state line, baby. Here’s our future,” Billy said, gesturing up at the sign. He crouched down. “Get up on my back.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, and as he started to climb up, Gato scurried up Steve’s back and got up on his shoulder. “And you accused me of being romantic.” He leaned down to kiss Billy’s cheek as Billy started walking forward with Steve and Gato on his back.

It started four days ago with Steve clearing out his savings at Hawkins National. It started there, and ended here, in California, where Billy carried them across the state line, where they found a little loft in San Diego that fit their budget, where Steve found work in a bookstore and where Billy got a job in a repair shop.

It started at the bank, and it ended in love.

[stanzoeywade]

Part 2 of Poppy x MC

Lol I couldn’t think of a good title, so just enjoy.

Summary: In which misunderstandings happen and Poppy gets jealous and possessive. MC (Rosie) is a dumb dumb. Veronica really be trying it with MC though and Poppy sees (and I oop). Please don’t kill me, this is my first time writing smut lmao.

@somewillwin Part two is up yooo!!

Part 1

Warnings: explicit smut, swearing.

Pairing: Poppy x MC/Veronica x MC (if you squint, don’t worry Poppy and MC are the main)

Word count: 3078 words

Waking up in the morning, you turn to pick up your phone and see a few missed calls and messages from the HBIC of Belvoire yourself. You can’t help but chuckle. ‘How cute, queen bee is frustrated’. A message catches your attention, and it says “Meet me at the party tonight, we need to talk.” You can’t help but smile and thoughts of what happened yesterday begin to cloud your mind. You can’t help but imagine what it would be like to have Poppy writhing underneath you, begging and moaning your name for mercy. You decide to answer her text with a noncommittal answer. “Sure why not, maybe I can annoy and fluster her again.”

You decide to get out of bed, freshen up and tell Zoey the news. “Hey Zoey, get up! I have something to tell you.” Zoey groans and gets up begrudgingly. “Girl you better have a good reason to wake me up so early, I need my beauty sleep.” she says as she looks at you with a withering glare. You look at her and say “So yesterday, me and Poppy kissed, and I might have pissed her off by leaving her hanging.” Zoey stares at you, eyes wide in shock and her mouth hanging open. “Hold up, I must have misheard. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KISSED POPPY?!”. You nod slowly at her and she looks at you like you’ve grown another head, until she laughs and says “Are you tripping right now?”. You roll your eyes and tell her that you’re being serious. “I wouldn’t have woken you up if I wasn’t being serious, and also I have a fashion emergency, we’re going to a party tonight and I need your fashion expertise.”

Zoey gets up in a flash and says “You should have started with that.” The two of you start to pick out what to wear. Considering that the party you were going to was a frat party, you decide to wear something casual, yet fashionable.

Later on that evening, as you’re getting ready, a notification from The T catches your eye.

'Queen B and Golden Boy back together? A few eyewitnesses saw them canoodling together earlier this morning.’

Kisses,

The T.’

Your eyes widen in surprise, feeling angry as hot tears flash through your eyes. The picture of Poppy and Carter attached to the message made you feel worse. 'Of course she was just using me, what the fuck was I thinking?!’ You silently berate yourself for getting your hopes up with Poppy. 'I’m such a fucking idiot, why did I think that she actually likes me.’

Even though you feel hurt and used, you want to show Poppy up and show her that you’re not one to be used and fucked with. Making sure to wear something that will catch everyone’s eyes, you start applying your make up whilst silently planning your revenge on Poppy.

Zoey barges into your room and sees that you look upset. She approaches you and softly asks “Hey, I saw the news, are you okay? Do you want to just stay and chill out? Or I could kick her ass for you?” You laugh at her joke and smile at her, though you feel upset, Zoey has a way of making you smile and feel better. Thanking her and assuring her that you’re okay, you say “I’m not gonna mope around while she fucks around with her trophy boyfriend, besides it’s not like we were in a relationship anyway.” Zoey looks at you concerned but letting it go with a shrug. “If you say so.” says Zoey.

Heading to the party with Zoey by your side. You stride in confidently and attract the attention of a few partygoers. Some gasp and look at your outfit with wide eyes and a few people murmur quietly. Luis welcomes you warmly and compliments how you look. He flashes you a charming smile and says “Looking good, Rosie!” You smile back and thank him.

Seeing that Poppy was nowhere to be seen, you head towards the drinks and grab a cup of beer for you and Zoey. As you were making your way back, you see Poppy in a corner with Chloe, a scowl etched on her features. Not really wanting to see or be seen by her, you walk towards the other side of the room, far away from where you saw Poppy.

Feeling annoyed by your lack of confidence in confronting Poppy, you decide to drink in a corner, until you see Veronica, who looks a bit annoyed as a few frat boys try to convince her to spend the night with them. You can see a flash of annoyance and anger on her features, deciding to help her you get up and make your way towards her. “Hey Veronica!” you greet, as she turns her attention towards you, a sweet smile adorning her face. She looks at you with an appreciate gaze. “Well don’t you clean up well?” she chided and you can’t help but smile at her small joke. The boys, annoyed by the lack of attention glares at you. One of them pipes up and says “Veronica, ignore this wannabe, come have a drink with us instead, she’s a loser anyway.” Your eyes flash in anger and you were about to argue back until Veronica cuts them off “Can you guys just back the fuck off, I’m really not interested. I’d rather spend time with Rosie than any of you.” Surprised by her sudden outburst, you can’t help the smirk that crosses your face as Veronica saunters her way towards you and pulls you away.

Whilst the two walk off, you turn to Veronica and ask “Are you alright? Seemed like those guys wouldn’t leave you alone.” She shoots you a questioning look. “Why do you even care?” she asks. “Can’t really leave a girl who called me cute all alone, besides aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with Poppy and Chloe?.” you say in a playful manner. Rolling her eyes she says, “Not really in the mood to deal with Poppy’s mood swings to be honest. Don’t tell her I said that.” The two of you laugh and engage in a playful banter. The both of you talk and drink with each other for a while, just enjoying each other’s company.

Suddenly, Daft Punk’s 'Get Lucky’ (don’t make fun of me this is a good song) starts to play and Veronica’s eyes widen as she screams “This song is my jam! Come on Rosie, dance with me!” The two of you start to dance together, feeling a bit tipsy she pulls you in close and wraps her arms around your neck. You laugh and say “I don’t really think that this is a song that you slow dance to.” She rolls her eyes at you and says “I don’t care, besides how can I resist, especially with you looking like an actual snack.” You shyly smile and lick your lips nervously, this catches her attention and draws her eyes towards your lips. “Am I making you nervous, Rosie?” she whispers to your ears and you can’t fight the blush that creeps its way towards your cheeks.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Poppy dancing with a random stranger, you can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy rush through you. She makes eye contact with you and smirks as she grinds with the guy dancing with her. 'Too can play that game Poppy.’ - you think to yourself as you push closer against Veronica, making sure that’s there little space between you. You face Veronica and ask “Wanna kiss?” She looks at you and smirks “Thought you’d never ask."she says as she leans forward to capture your lips. Glancing at Poppy, you can see the resident mean girl glaring at the both of you. Pulling away from Veronica, who looks at you with her pupils blown wide, the both of you pant to catch your breath. Before you have a chance to talk to Veronica about the kiss, a slender hand pulls you away.

Veronica, confused by your sudden disappearance looks around to see where you went, and she sees you getting dragged away by Poppy. Her smile fades and she looks irritated. 'What the fuck is Poppy’s problem, and just when it was getting good.’ She thinks to herself as she touches her lips.

Letting yourself get dragged away, Poppy leads the both of you to a room away from prying eyes. As soon as you enter the room, you are pushed against the door roughly. Just as you’re about to argue and push her away, the look of annoyance and jealousy (?) she has catches your eye. "What the fuck was that about Farmsville, why did you kiss Veronica?!” she yells, face flush with anger. You look at her bewildered. “Why do you even care Poppy, why don’t you go back to your boyfriend?! I’m not just some side hoe you can fuck around with!” you yell angrily. Poppy looks at you shocked and confused. “Wait, don’t tell me you actually believe that I’m back with Carter? The only reason I was with him this morning was because he wanted to get back together and I said no.” she says whilst rolling her eyes. “Besides, why would I want to be with him when I can have you?” it was said so softly that you were pretty sure you weren’t meant to overhear.

Feeling relieved, a sigh escapes your lips and Poppy notices. “Is that why you’ve been ignoring me all throughout the party?” she asks whilst raising her eyebrow. Before you can say anything else, she leans in and kisses you hard, you can smell her expensive perfume and it invades your senses. She smells so sweet and you can’t get enough, your arms find their way to her hips as you kiss her back. The frustration from the other day coming back like wildfire burning in your veins. The taste of her strawberry lipgloss makes you go insane, and your mind gets foggy with desire. 'Oh, fuck she’s so good’ - you can’t help but think to yourself. You moan against her mouth, and Poppy takes this chance to take control of the kiss by using her tongue, you can’t help but melt under her touch. Eyes closing, as you let her take control, as she puts both her arms on the door trapping you.

Poppy raises her knee and it grinds against your centre, and all you can do is groan into the kiss. Pulling away, Poppy smirks at you and whispers “Just in case you forgot, only I’m allowed to touch you Farmsville.” She kisses you again, this time slower and her kisses trail down from your jaw to your neck. 'Huh, who knew queen bee was possessive? But to be fair she looks hot’. Hating the fact that Poppy is taking the lead, you flip your positions so her back is against the door. “Did I make you jealous by kissing Veronica?” you ask smugly as she retorts back “Weren’t you jealous of Carter and I?” Rolling your eyes you decide to focus your attention back on her lips, you nibble on her bottom lip and she grunts. Spurred by her reaction you kiss her, fingers gripping her shoulders - and then you whisper “Do you want to sneak off? We can continue this in my room?”

Poppy’s eyes are filled with lust as she stares at you. “As if I’d be caught dead in your room, we’re using my room. No one will be there to bother us.” she says without her usual snark.

The two of you sneak out separately, to avoid suspicion, you hurriedly say your goodbye to Zoey and go straight towards Poppy’s room.

As soon as you get there, you’re amazed by the sheer size of her dorm room, you can’t help but think 'Wow, and I thought my room was big’. The room is decorated in a way that is fit for royalty and you can’t help but laugh because that seems like such Poppy thing to do. Another thing that is completely obvious is Poppy’s love of the colour pink, but before you can dwell on that, there are more urgent matters that need tending to.

Making your way towards Poppy,“Safeword?” you whisper against her ear and you can feel her shiver under your touch. Her cheeks flush as you skim you teeth, and nip, on her earlobe. Goosebumps appear on Poppy’s skin as you kiss her from her cheeks to the corner of her mouth. Kissing her as if her whole body belonged to you.

“Poverty”

Your eyes glint in the dark, and you’re amused but not finding it suitable for the setting. “Funny” your grip slightly tightens on her wrist, “But in all seriousness, what is it?” you ask. “Pink” is what she responds with.

“I’m okay with anything, but what I’m interested in is whether or not you’re good at listening to instructions.” you say as your voice lowers. Poppy just smirks and says “As if I’m going to play nice with you, Farmsville.” Smiling sweetly, you pull her face towards you and whisper “Well that’s just something we’ll have to work on then.”

Poppy releases a gasp as you tug on her hair, and her chest heaves with excitement. 'Fuck newbie looks hot.’ - she thinks to herself. “I’m not gonna take any of your sarcasm tonight.” you say as your eyes darken. “I’m not gonna let you cum until you beg for my permission” You can feel Poppy tense up and feel an argument coming, but you just grip her chin in your hand a lift it up to force her to make eye contact. Poppy’s breath hitches and all she can think about is kissing you senseless until your lips are swollen and your neck is marked up by her for everyone to see. “Fine” is all she says and it sounds to keen to come off as nonchalance.

“Good.” You kiss her and pull on the fabric of her clothes, which is skin tight, showing off the curves of her ass and petite body. You pull it off, careful not to hurt Poppy, and toss it carelessly across the room. You look at her from top to bottom and your eyes can’t help but linger on her breasts, her stomach and her legs.

“Take off your heels” Poppy stares as you hold her waist to steady her as she takes her heels off, your smile grows once they’re off, and you can’t help but smirk as you look down at her. You continue to strip Poppy until all that’s remaining is her lingerie. Poppy’s legs quiver and she can feel herself getting wet at the thought of what happens next.

“Lie down” you command her and Poppy obeys. She closes her eyes and waits for you patiently, “Open” she hears and once she opens her eyes and sees you crawling towards her in just your underwear, cleavage spilling from your bra and lacy panties hugging your ass - 'open, there’s a lot of things she wants to open, her legs, her cunt, her mouth’ -

All Poppy can think of is how flawless you are - you capture her lips and kiss her like it’s your last, each kiss more desperate than the last. You start to leave open-mouthed kisses on her jaw, her neck and you bite down softly on her collarbone. You trail down to her breast and maneuver your hand towards her back to unhook her bra, and slide it off slowly, so much so Poppy whines at the lack of contact with her breast. You take your hand and roll one of her nipples between your fingers before you take it into your mouth to lightly suck and nip at the peaks. Poppy is a few seconds from writhing in pleasure, and she can feel her heart in her throat. Her breath hitches and and she swears that she sees stars once you used your tongue to flick her nipple.

You start to run your hands all over her body, loving the way Poppy felt against you. Her skin felt like velvet against your hands and you craved more. Your hands find their way to Poppy’s hips and you palm her ass, fingertips running along her underwear. You bring your head down from her stomach, her sternum and finally in between her thighs. Poppy can feel your breath on her thighs and you press a kiss on her clit. Immediately, Poppy’s hands dart towards your hair where she starts to tug, desperate for any type of friction. Pulling away, you tug her underwear down, and you can see how wet Poppy is, her cunt glistening with her arousal.

Looking at Poppy, you can’t help but take her appearance in, she looks so good under you. You want to make her scream out your name, smirking you say “Spread your cunt for me.” and Poppy doesn’t even try to fight back, she obeys immediately. Finally, you lower mouth and press your mouth to her cunt, Poppy’s eyes widen in pleasure as she moans your name, her back arches and she tugs at your hair, seeking out friction, but your tongue is there to circle, flick and stroke her clit, as well as suck it into your mouth. Poppy mewls and whines as you work her into an orgasm. Sensing that Poppy was close, you stop and say “Tsk, tsk Poppy, remember that if you want to cum, you have to ask.” Poppy groans at the lack of contact and she begs “Can I cum?” You smile softly and dive right back in. Poppy feels euphoric as you drive her to orgasm, expecting you to stop and pull away she’s surprised as she feels you sucking harder and helping her ride out her orgasm. “Fuck!” Poppy groans out as she comes down from her high.

You look at Poppy and feel satisfied, you smile at her. “Damn! Am I good or what?” you say as you wiggle your eyebrows at her. Poppy just looks at you and laughs genuinely, a sound which you haven’t heard before. 'Oh shit she’s cute’ - the both of you thought.

“Does this mean we’re dating or are we just fucking?” you ask out of curiosity, and Poppy just replies back with “Only if you admit you were jealous of Carter and I.” You roll your eyes good-naturedly and say “I’m just gonna take that as a yes.”

[hitsuackerman]

The Last Nugget (Hawks x Reader)

Prompt: Hawks and you have a silent war during a heroes meeting.

link: part 2

Warnings: fluff and flirting

The sudden message for heroes to gather was indeed unexpected. Fresh from your shift, you barely got any shut eye. With such a weird schedule of patrol, you were more than disgruntled when your phone beeped and insisted it was all but urgent.

Upon waiting for the doors to open, the cup of XL coffee barely gave you the needed boost. Heck, with each blink you made it felt as if your body might give in and enter the state of hibernation. Stifling a yawn, you stretched your limbs which gave you satisfying pops.

The heroes were now arriving one by one. You were all too relieved when you saw just how deep their eye bags were. Small talks and catching up was evident for those. Updates on whether or not they want to team up in future missions.

Soon enough, cart wheels could be heard through the halls. Upon closer inspection, you realized that all you had in your system was caffeine and air. The McGonalds logo was more than enough to make you excited for the meeting to start.

When the meeting did start, you were wedged in between Fatgum and Wash. Your mind barely gave attention to the discussion knowing a summary would be sent via email. Instead, your thoughts were focused on how a washing machine became a hero. 

Finally, the food was served and your eyes landed straight to the pile of glorious chicken nuggets. Hallelujah. You had been craving some for quite some time. Each attempt to enter the food chain only resulted in hero work and fatigue.

One nugget after the other, you stuffed your face. The tangy barbecue sauce sends delightful tingles on your taste buds. Yes, these nuggets are the definition of unhealthy but you burned calories on the daily basis so it was all good.

Until there was one nugget left.

Eyes darting from one hero to another, you felt no shame in taking the last piece. That was until you caught the person sitting in front of you eyeing the nugget as well.

Lifting your eyes together, you raised an eyebrow only to be responded with one as well. Hot damn your brain was too slow to function to realize it was Hawks. This man really was your definition of cocky perfection. With the added bonus of such sinful good looks, you were not denying you had fantasized about him from time to time.

Recalling each message you two had exchanged, you were well aware that he too was a little more flirtatious with you. All this became evident when a much more appealing and sexy hero accompanied you both 5 missions ago, he made no efforts to flirt with her. Instead, he got all touchy with you. Of course you did not mind.

None of you were blind, though. The mutual pinning had been going on for months now.

Meeting his golden eyes, mischief was written all over it. The way his eyes darted to the nugget and back to yours, he was marking it as his. A small hidden smirk, one that only you could see, emerged on his face.

In turn, you looked at the nugget and back at him. If looks could kill, you may (or may not) have already injured this winged hero. The look on your face saying this was yours and no one else.

Because of how small the table was, you felt him kick your leg. Seeing your eyes widen at the sudden contact made him see his victory over the piece of chicken. Squinting his eyes, he mouthed the words ‘mine’.

Kicking him back, rather harshly, he jumped a bit on his seat. All eyes turned to him. Now was the perfect chance to grab the nugget and brag to his face, but his eyes never faltered from yours. He simply looked at you as he gave out his explanation.

“Sorry ‘bout that folks. Sometimes these feathers make me extra sensitive.” Lifting his index finger, he began to twirl a single feather. Almost in a teasing fashion.

The discussion proceeded and the silent war resumed.

Wash poked your leg to ask a question. Still, you were not about to lose sight of the hawk in front of you. Listening to Wash’s question, your gaze was simply locked on his. Damn those eyes.

With only a vague idea as to what the odd hero was asking about, you tore your concentration from Hawks. The man noticed and sat straight up. Wings ruffling a bit at the thought of the trophy being his. He winced when he felt your foot stepping hard on him.

‘Not today, birdman.’ You mouthed to him. Seeing him pout like a small child caused your heart to flutter. What you’d give feel those lips on yours. Imitating his actions, Hawks’ eyebrows twitched and damn did he want to pin you to the wall and kiss you. Screw the nugget he thought, but his pride said no.

At this point, he didn’t care about the nugget.

Grabbing his pen, he scribbled something on to the notepad given to him and crumpled it into a ball. Dropping it on the floor, he let a small feather roll it towards you. Signalling you to look down, you sneakily took the paper and read its contents. Careful not to let anyone see it.

‘Fighting over a nugget? How low can we get?’

Not able to hold it in, you covered your mouth to hide a smile. Grabbing your pen, you wrote down your reply and gave it to the feather.

‘You know I love my nuggets.’

Looking back at you, Hawks was met with teasing eyes. He knew too well that you had just finished your shift. He could clearly see how much you were hanging on to the thin thread of staying awake while still managing to play his little games. It was all too evident that he was your beacon in staying awake in this god forsaken meeting.

Writing a reply back, he gave you a wink as you received the message.

‘Have it. I like you more than nuggets ;) ‘

Giving him a questioning look, you bit your lip trying to suppress a smile. This was a heroes meeting not a random convention. You still had to act your part. A soft nod was all Hawks had to do for your heart to flutter.

Both your eyes widened when a rather huge hand took hold of the last nugget. Following the arm, Fatgum was all smiles as he was about to devour the snack. When he saw that you were staring at the nugget, he let out a small giggle and bended to get closer to you. Nugget outstretched.

“Ya wanna half it? I don’t mind~” Fatgum whispered.

He is too precious for this world. That’s what you always thought when it came to Fatgum. He was one of your closest hero friends and always a very good hugger when needed.

“You two have been ogling each other for the past minutes… You and Hawks aren’t very subtle.” Fatgum continued to whisper. Nudging your elbow as well. Seeing that you made no comment about the nugget, he popped it into his mouth and gave a cheeky grin. You could feel the heat traveling to your cheeks.

Your eyes landed on Hawks who, in turn, was trying to hold in laughter. Lowering his head, you could see him taking his phone from his pocket and typing a message. Not a moment too soon, your phone vibrated.

‘He was on to us. Damn it.’

‘Guess espionnage isn't our forte.’

Hawks snickered at your message. At one point in time, you had figured out he was a spy in the Paranormal Liberation Front. All sense of reason told him to stay away from you, just to make sure no harm would come your way. Three beers later, he had heard the comforting words of you not wanting him to leave and that you could keep his secret safe.

‘Cheeky. I like it.’ He replied.

‘Only with you.’

‘Round 2 for nuggets. My treat. Go?’

Putting his phone back into his pocket, he knew you were good to go. The genuine smile you weren’t bothering on hiding could almost blind him right there. That was a sure fire ‘yes’ from you and boy was he excited to get the hell out of this meeting.

By the time the meeting ended, the two of you didn’t bother saying farewell to the others. Instead, you felt his gloved hand gently hold on to your shoulder before hoisting you up. That scene caused the other heroes to gasp.

“Nuggets then my place?” Hawks asked as he held you closer. Not minding the eyes of others.

“Nuggets then your place.”

The last thing the other heroes saw was a red blur and an empty spot where the two of you once stood.

[icecreamkink]

so i watched cobra kai all in two days and i have so many -

this show has so many cool and smart angles to it, but the same time.... its so stupid oh my god everyone is so dumb literally mr miyagi held all of the braincells in this whole universe 

like i am but at the same time i am not surprised it was made like this, bc in hindsight of course there were hordes of ppl simping over johnny lawrence ....  but it still amuses me that this is like... an Actual Official Thing

ok this will get long so cut it is

how much fun this cast has is super visible and i love it

i rly enjoy how the world was expanded ! i did grow up watching the karate kid movies, so watching how they progressed the world of the movies so organically was pretty cool. it rly feels like its the same universe

i fucking LOVE stories that are largely about a Thing. dancing ,skating, sports its just so thrilling to experience this all consuming relationship people can have with this type of activity? and martial arts are just that much more intense, so yeah, grown ass men kicking each other around at the lightest provocation and a war veteran caring so much abt teen karate is Ridiculous.... but i love it all because thats the intensity i find so thrilling

was kinda surprised with how much im missing mr. miyagi. first because, like everyone is so unhinged jesus christo, it just really throws into relief how much his character grounded the narrative of the movies. but also hes just a really great character

and on that note it rly Gets Me that the show itself aknowledges that and plays that into daniels angst and all the little ways they sorta weave myiagisms into the whole show........ im not getting emotional over this dumb karate dads show OK

related - i really miss hearing ‘daniel-san’ 🥺🥺

ACE DEGENERATE oh god oh no

they really went down the down and out johnny lawrence route huh. like i was always kinda bummed we see kreese choking him and then we never see him again in the movies, and while i love dumpster fire problematic trash himbo ck johnny, its like......................... actually really sad that his life turned out like this fjngn

everytime i hear ‘babes’ and ‘pussy’ i die a little inside. i know thats the point but i am a v cringe easy person, have mercy (ehe)

loved the way they are constantly drawing parallels between johnny and mr. myiagi of all people. hes the handy man of his building that has a bullied kid asking for help and eventually steps up to teach them karate, beats up a bunch of bullies for him, creates a friendship with said kid, estranged from family, drinks his sorrows away, surprisingly one of the least quick to anger characters (which says more about everyone else really but.... Well.), no schemes or ulterior motives hes just tryna vibe here.... oh and ofc magically heals miguel of is asthma apparently. the true disciple.. meanwhile daniel is his usual messy petty self even tho he wants to be mr myiagi so bad 

also interesting about that is how miguels character is a parallel of both johnny and daniel at the same time

overall the parallels in ck are done really well, drawing comparisons and also subverting them constantly. theyre well thought out

THE PARALELOGRAMS

fr tho, the angle being explicitly the cycle of trauma and its effects and how trumatized adults in turn traumatize kids, maliciously or not, is so interesting

but! on the flip side of that, it feels like the writers are getting in their own way @ letting the characters grow. especially this last season. theres only so many times you can do "johnny and daniel are getting along but 5mins later they are (literally) fighting over some dumbass random issue" or "johnny puts in 20% of effort with robby and then gives up" before it gets on your nerves yknow?

i see daniel no longer talks like macchio ingested 15 shots of espresso before every take and idk how to feel about that tbh

interesting tension in daniel, as in, in tkk mr miyagi was there and daniel was frankly, kind of a lil shit, this messy petty spitfire hot tempered sassy kid,(johnny lawrence voice: just... stop being so annoying) but now hes the adult, and he wants to be mr. miyagi... but hes just not, and never will be to his very core and it shakes him and in a way hes trying to find who he is now that he sees himself in a position to be a not! cobra kai figure. i kinda really like that 

plus how that relates to his cobra kai trauma. idk if the writers thought abt it Like That, i think so, but in any case, its interesting bc it seems like daniel has told everyone whod listen about johnny lawrence his Pretty Boy Karate Rival and high school and 84 cobra kai... But. no one seems to know what went on in 85 (or 86? idk) which was just so much worse

like ye og cobras were shitheads, but tkk iii is just two hours of daniel being emotionally and physically tortured. 

like, the third movie is.............chaotic, to put it nicely, and many people ignore it, but the writers clearly didnt. daniels actions are, in a way, responding so much more to the events of tkk iii than to the first movie ie. johnny himself, AND. daniel doesnt rly seem to have dealt with that trauma? he never told sam? doesnt feel like hes ever told amanda? he doesnt even say terrys name out loud? freaks Out over kreese ? the way he reacts to robbys deceit? his FACE when he walks past the new "fear does not exist in this dojo" paint or kreeses photo? hmMm i sense Pain

his fashion tho........... disappointing. where are the flower shirts daniel huh we had one (1) shirt what a tragedy STOP WEARING SUITS ALL THE TIME . also the band ts/grunge bi are a look for johnny but part of me longs for the preppy lovable 80s bully chic johnny lawrence getups

weird that they never used that last moment of karate kid where johnny kinda... snaps out of his anger and hands daniel the trophy almost in tears. like “youre alright larusso, good match” “thanks a lot”  that being their last direct interection seems like itd be perfect fruit for cobra kai but... they just dont. weird. 

especially when, the FIRST SCENE they see each other, suposedly in 30+ years, the first thing to come out of daniels mouth is QUOTE "u still got those golden locks huh?" WHO SAYS SHIT LIKE THAT DANIEL FUCKING SAN 

also amandas immediate reaction "your pretty boy rival?" like. can we talk about the fact that daniel had to have imparted to his wife the very important information that his high school bully/karate rival was like Really Cute and Fucking Hot Actually

 the writers Knew exactly what they were doing and honestly.............. power to them

tkk director voice: and billy was just so cute  

also I was thinking that daniel sounded strangely fond in that first scene, and i wonder if he developed a weird affection for johnny on the grounds that of all of his Karate Rivals johnny was actually the only one who didn’t actively tried to literally kill him

i was actually delightedly surprised with how great the chemistry between them is, like from the get go i am Invested. their rl friendship totally bleeds through and its fantastic

. granted, idiots enemies to lovers friends is my Thing so i am biased  

johnny lawrence: i am down in the dumps, i fucked up my whole life and my sons probably, largely in light of the trauma that the father figure sensei and the philosophy of my karate inflicted on me and all my friends. u know what i should do, as a traumatized, unreliable mess of an adult? teach that same philosophy to some other kids! what could go wrong! 

but really i enjoy the setup of it. i kinda like that i watched it late because, season 1 was johnny setting himself up for failure in a way and it was exciting to watch it all go to shit sjfn

Like. his heart might be in the right place, but theres just.... not a way to teach something like ‘strike hard, no mercy’ and not have it fuck up a kid 

case and point: aisha, miguel and hawk become annoying as all hell over that bullshit in the end of s1, even before shit gets truly fucked up

billys subtle panicked eyes when he sees hawk and miguel fighting dirty in the all valley was SO GOOD especially in parallel with the panic that is so visible in his face in the movie when kreese tells bobby to injure daniel and in the sweep the leg scene 

seen people question wether kreese should have returned and i absolutely think he needed to. johnny needed to realize that cobra kais fundamentals are flawed, at the root, beyond kreese himself being a toxic piece of shit 

also who are we kidding? we are here to see the tkk characters play on new playgrounds!

i get what they're doing abt kreeses backstory, ( also. cobra kai. pq eles caem nas cobras djjs sorry) but did it need to take up that much time? feels like they couldve  done it in half the run time and developed some other stories better 

martin kove has such an evil eye. i love it

love that we get a good follow up to kreese breaks johnnys trophy and tries to CHOKE HIM in the parking lot, which happened in the movie and then....................... was never mentioned again

“the gang is all back together again” aaaa u piece of SHIT 

also. terry silver is definetely appearing ha ha ha PAIN i cant wait

seen ppl say kreese was too much of a cartoon villain like..........................oh......... sweetie........... u dont even Know

interested how johnny will fit into that bc kreese was simping rly hard for johnny here. like i did not expect him to be so adamant to have him with cobra kai ... under his control, sure, but he really wants johnny by his side despite already having control of the dojo and how will terry silver self appointed jon kreeses forever simp going to feel abt that? 

like bitchs dropping by every episode like ‘joooooohnny ..... come bacc to me joooonny......... this ur last warning! for real this time johnny! i wont say it again! watch me ! im leaving johnny! im rly leaving ! im dragging a chair” and johnny is just like. dont let the door hit ya bitch it was so funny pls

and on that subject oof, johnny! doesnt! Know! he doesnt get that side of daniels cobra kai trauma. and i kind of.............. cannot wait for ck 2021 johnny lawrence to meet terry silver like. what a shit show i need a front row seat and popcorn (imagine terry tries some greasy charm and johnny just roundhouse kicks him in the teeth bc he just doest Not Have the Patience for This. glorious)

feels like we, as a society, should acknowledge that cobra kai will never die................ bc their sense of design is just chefs kiss. their name is COBRA KAI. they have sexie sleeveless black gis. theyve sneks. colorful leather jackets with embroided naja insignia, the get ppl thru the aesthetics. evil geniuses

the flashback cuts : masterpiece behavior

the other takes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the differente angles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of the FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CLOSE UP ON JOHNNYS FACE AT THE KICK 

that scene of daniel and johnny vibing to 80s music in the car. just. oh my god. the fan wish fullfilment. no thoughts head empty.

the new characters! theyre .... good. but. idk. i really like miguel (save for the annoying phase mid s1 - end s2) and amanda, who is a damn riot and has some functioning braincells, but everyone else is       

like dont get me wrong, i dont hate anyone,its not a jane and rafael from jtv situation,  and i am interested and invested in their arcs, but i wouldnt say i like   Like them, as in, personality wise 

like, sams grappling with ptsd was rly gutting and i enjoyed that plus her slight rage issues, 

which nicely parallel torys rage issues. torys background is all over the place tho so im pretty on the fence abt her so far

robby deserves better in every way, and i like how smart and cunning and surprisingly sweet he is

hawk............... is there i guess,

 demetri is annoying in the best way possible,

 carmen is sweet but. i just feel like her character is blunted to make the johnny relationship easier. like when shes furious with him after miguels injury but then forgives him like an episode later? and then convinces him to fight for the tournament bc she had a karate epiphany off screen even tho she was always against it? meh. feels like with the plot thiccening she was swallowed and now shes like a crutch for johnny mora than anything, which is disappointing.

aisha was cool and im kinda mad she wasnt in s3, especially bc a storyline with her tory and sam was like RIGHT THERE , but also... cant say i was super super fond of her... doesnt feel like we ever spent enough time on her

moon the bi icon, 

overall its a good cast but the main draw for me remains the og cast 

the tory/sam miguel/robby Thing. enjoy how theyre Narrative Foils and i like how their stories were so dramatically entangled but oh god give me a break with the teenage love square for the love of god. if u gonna put us through that at least have the decency to not make it so straight

and honestly some sam/tory        miguel/robby romantic tension would even make more sense. just saying! 

also im not sure how i feel abt the cobra kai: red miyagi do: blue theyre going with since some of daniels most iconic looks in tkk are also red. like it was a color they (johnny and him) sorta shared. i get it, opposite but complementary but idk... a little too fire nation and water tribe for me .

 and like the cobra kai kids are so funny abt it bc their outifts grow progressively more ridiculously coordinated. its like do they group chat every morning before leaving their houses? 

robby still sticks out like that tho. he went thru an athleisure/daniel san tsleeves phase and now hes back in the bandts grunge, but his color scheme doesnt fully blend with the other cobra kais. hmmmm.

LOVED LOVED LOVED both the okinawa episode and the cobra kais easy rider episode just such good good heart aching fun

bobby is an icon. he was in tkk and he is now ck hope appears more and more

 tommy is like the most iconic background character. all his lines, freaking gold then and now. sigh :( 

the framing in the okinawa trip was so good everything was so good

i stand by the fact that kumiko was the love interest daniel had the most chemistry with and shes is overall such a joy to watch, loved to see her again, idola, fashion icon

also tkk ii is good u guys are just mean

also really enjoyed chozens role in the episode, his evolution; i love that they introduced the pressure points (ty lee the blueprint) and! the honk + karate! cousins! absolutely iconic

when kumiko reads mr miyagis letters........ oh my god, my eyes FILLED with tears, it was so heart wrenching :(( tamlyns delivery was so emotional and lovely and its so obvious everyone involved in ck has so much love and respect for pat morita and mr miyagi as character, and i adore that it exists like this electric current through the show

when we were watching i told my sister i thought that ali would be miguels big shot surgeon and ngl i am so disappointed that didnt happen. hire me cobra kai writers

also the johnny ali daniel amanda chemistry? off the charts

AND the sassy retconning of daniel and alis breakup! LMAO ‘I HOPE U DIDNT TELL MR MIYAGI IT WAS MY FAULT’ HFDJJGNKFKSD

i am preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty sure back injuries dont work like that    but oke

daniel and johnny are so good together whenever, like they never actually help the kids or get shit done and end up fighting anyway but its just so much fun when theyre hanging

JOHNNY LAWRENCE AND DANIEL LARUSSO FIGHTING TOGETHER

daniels “plan” on how to get robby to juvie was so stupid. literally were u TRYING to make him hate you. dumbass

parents at those hearing rly brave for ppl that did not do ANYTHING as their kids got involved in a karate gang war until now

“bullshit i heard u were the real bully!” i mightve screeched

this s3 ending was SO DRAMATIC omg

everyone is such a MESS go to THERAPY u unhinged motherfckers

also im sorry but uh. a richass neighborhood in california doesnt have some type of neighborhood watch? the larussos rly dont have any security at all? neighbors wont hear the sound of a damn karate brawl happening next door??? also wasnt tory all like ooo i cant go to juvie, my mom yada yada yet shes always running around town getting into fights even at the rich girls house she was kicked out of school for fighting??   ?  ??    ??        ?                ?    ?          ??                  ?    ? girl??

stop destroying the larussos house, its so pretty :((((

sam finding her center looking at mr miyagis picture...  uwu maybe

robby yelling ‘U ARE WEAAK’@  johnny \as he is easily blocking him is like.... so funny and so sad to me. sweetheart. 

also i know it was meant as ‘oh johnny pushes him and HURTS HIM’ but it just looks like robby runs himself into the lockers and IM SO SORRY I FEEL SO BAD BUT IT WAS SO FUNNY 

i like that he and tory are the cobra kai kids now. we need ppl we care abt there to not revert to a good vs evil schtick, and this is the most engaging it could be... tho it hurts that these kids cant catch a break

ah yes "lets bet some real shit on the result of this teen karate tournament bc that is always a great idea" is BACK

so daniel saves johnny from kreese..... maybe johnny will save him from terry 🧐

and dojos unite ohohoho. lets SEE how that’ll work out 

miguels face of Despair when the ck defectors and the md kids are bickering like 'this is never gonna work' : gold

also. Johnny Lawrence is gonna learn some myiagi-do karate AHAAHSJAKDFH

 ive been waiting for this moment all my lifeeee oh lawrd 

final thoughts! there are def things i hope the writers will improve on the next season, but i am very excited for it either way AND i feel like it has made me enjoy the movies even more and that is a win for a reboot/sequel to me!!

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Ch23 Poppy’s Day Out

"Last stop Express Town. Thank you for choosing PenCo Metro for all your space travels. We at PenCo value your time as customers and hope to see your lovely faces again soon. And hope you enjoyed your space traveling experiences with us." The few penguins that were on the metro along with Poppy, Cookie, and the girls excited the space train as it sat still in the giant tower like structure funnel that would take it back upwards to the moon. Passing a few other penguins and maybe an owl or two heading back towards it. "Attention boarding passengers. The Evening Express back to the moon will leaving within fifthteen minutes. Please be sure to have your luggage in hand when you board."

"Does he always have to say the same thing every time we use it?," Mu asked earning a slight frown from Cookie.

"That's his JOB. It's what he's supposed to do. Don't complain about him doing his job correctly."

Whelp. Here they were. Down on the planet finally and had real dirt under her feet.....Or sand. Really, REALLY hot sand. Blue eyes gazed around her at the scorching desert surroundings and the decently sized town of owls walking around. It looked as if she just walked into a western movie and stopped. There must've been at least a hundred and twenty different buildings if she was estimating it good enough from their spot on the hill. It was a decent sized town all right. Not too big. Not too small. But absolutely hot with the afternoon sun beating down on them and such. One gigantic building stood in the dead center of the town and it had a decent sized parking lot too. She was certainly more at ease and comforted at least. Express Town certainly looked more her time than the flashy neon lights of Moon City that's for sure. Smiling she followed along Cookie as the girls ran ahead of them a few feet giggling and playfully shoving at one another kicking up sand.

"This place looks pretty rustic," Poppy commented smiling. From the hill she could also see a set of train tracks leading into and away from the town and beside that was a train station. Everything just looked as it was in a western like town in her day. Not that she's ever been to one, but she did have relitives who did.

Cookie nodded in front of her watching the girls with a smile. "That there big building is the Dead Bird Studios. Most of the owls who live here work there or in the small shops around town. You see Conductor may be a little.....loud but he loves supportin' local shops here. He gets all his costumes from the famous clothing store nearby, and his coffee from Jukebox Cafe'. They have a delicious bird seed chocolate cappuccino...If you don't mind birdseed that is. My own little resturaunt is right across the street from the studios. I always wanted one, and thanks to the directors' generosity I finally did."

".....I think I actually saw one of this Mr. Grooves's picture shows now that I think about it." Her memory went to two night before while cleaning the attic and kitchen. She still couldn't sleep after a while and stayed up a bit watching something she couldn't remember fully on the television the girls left on.

"Oh really? Well Mr. Grooves certainly has a more flashier taste than Conductor but his are just as nice if you ask me," Cookie replied unbiased before looking over her shoulder at her. "The first place we'll stop by is Hawk's Eye Pawn shop."

".....Pawn shop?"

"It's kinda like a trading post. You trade things there for pons or bye somethin' they have on the store shelves."

Oh. So a trading post. She knew what those were alright, had one on the edge of the town she lived in. Where she got most of her furniture and goods actually. Following Cookie, they all went into the town of owls. And she got a good look at everyday life in a town of owls and birds. As soon they stepped foot in there she could see that everything was made a little taller thank goodness, she didn't feel like crawling through any more doorways and tunnels feeling awkward and big and clumsy. Funnily enough most of the houses they passed seemed to be nothing more than homes, if the stores didn't have open signs or display cases in their windows, she would've thought all of these were just more homes for these owls. And speaking of the owls, most were just walking around minding their own business, walking in or out of buildings, and Poppy even saw a few elderly owls in the comfy seats of rocking chairs on shady porches watching the world go by. The girls giggled and ran past them in a game of tag with Bow reaching her hand out trying to catch Hattie or Mu. And some of the old birds smiled at the energetic children. Poppy would admit they were definately a cute bunch as well. Still following the cat, Poppy lifted her arm up to wipe at her long bangs and forehead. It sure was hot, not surprising since it was a desert, but she hoped they'd get to this 'pawn shop' soon. And hoped it was cooler inside. The girls never got too far from them as they ran around kicking up dust and sand in their game as Poppy switched between watching them and looking around fanning herself. Where did they all get that energy? It was too hot to play in her opinion, and the weight of the gold in her apron was starting to hurt her neck and shoulders a bit. That was soon all solved when Cookie turned in front of an all brown wooden building and started up the steps leading into it. Of course Poppy and the girls following behind and running in. A small bell above the door rang out as the door was opened and Poppy sighed at the wave of cool air hitting them as they waltzed in. But was surprised at the stuff she saw. Calm guitar music played from a small radio in the corner as an owl held his head in his wing looking boredly at them from the desk, to his right was a register. All around the place was cluttered items jammed everywhere. From beds, to pots and pans lining the walls, to random objects she'd never seen before.

With a sigh the owl spoke. "Welcome to Hawk's Eye Pawn Shop, where we have a hawk's eye view for priceless and useful objects. Feel free to ask if you need any help.....or not, " he said in a flat tone. Giving Poppy the feeling of slight annoyance in her as she raised a brow. Luckily Cookie stepped in before anyone else could as the girls ran around looking at things like normal children their age did. Walking right up to the desk as the owl followed along lazily with his eyes as he stared at Cookie before rolling his eyes. "Hello, Ma'am. How may I assist you this fine evening?"

"Glad you asked." Cookie pointed over at Poppy. "My friend here has a lot of gold she'd like to trade in today."

"..Gold?" Immediately the owl's interest peeked as he chuckled and finally smiled at them, "Oh w-well this IS a surprise! Please come, come! You've come to the right place, Miss." He gestured for Poppy to come over and reluctantly she did as the owl rubbed his hands-....uh..Wings together and smiled widely at her. "Just allow me to measure it a-and we can get you your pons, Ma'am."

"Uh...Ok." She reached down to the larger pocket of the two and pulled out the heavy gold cheese wheel, it must've been fifteen pounds at least. She set it with a small thump on the table and the owl hooted in surprise at the large item she placed down. Blinking and gawking in surprise at the large thing. ....Which was followed by the trophy, and the potion bottle out of her large pocket. And then the Mafia statue, pencil, candle, gear, and cheese slice. The owl gawking at all the things laid out before him in pure gold glory. "There ya go. That's the lot of it."

The owl sputtered blinking at them all....Before reaching up to pull out a small magnifying device out of his breast pocket and picked up the golden candle. "T-T-This is!...INCREDIBLE!! I've never seen such fine craftsmanship in my life! AND IN PURE GOLD!! It's unmistakable! Pure. Solid. Twenty four carrot GOLD!!" He could almost FEEL the heat radiating off the candle, it almost looked like it could've been real at one point. He looked back at Poppy unbelieving. "W-Where did you ever aquire such beautiful items?!"

"Oh...I- Uh..." She had to think fast. She wasn't about to tell some stranger some magic alien potion turned these things into gold by some king roach. They'd think she was crazy. So why not tell the truth but a different truth. "My g-great granddaddy on my mama's side was a blacksmith. He worked with metal's all the time." Which was true. Her Great Granddaddy Silver Copper-field on her mother's side was a blacksmith.

"But we found them in the attic," Bow innocently chimed in tilting her head confused.

Mild panick flashed on Poppy's face. "Uh...W-Well people find all sorts of old things in their attics all t-the time!"

Which was another truth. But the owl seemed too enchanted by the items he rolled over his his hold to care about her nervous tone at all. "Well he must've been a fine crafter in his day. I've NEVER seen such beauty." He snapped up to her suddenly slamming his hands on the counter and leaning over making her jump in surprise and lean back. "I MUST have them! Won't you part with them! It'll make me the talk of the town for once besides those ratty directors!! I'll be the only bird in the world to have them!!"

Now Poppy could sense pretty well when some one was gonna fight being raised around a bunch of rowdy country folk that often fought over land and territory. And BOY! The way the two little girls and Cookie bristled at the comment the owl made sure did look like they were about to argue, but that was NOT what she came here to do. She wanted to get out and have a relaxing day seeing this new place, so thinking quickly she got between them and the owl smiling more than a greedy pirate. "Deal. But on the condition ya give me what I'm owed for it all, and the promise ya won't say a word about where ya got it from." She didn't need someone asking around in case.

He quickly agreed grabbed the gold one by one. "Oh I promise. I very, very promise. Hmhmhmhmhm!! Not one word out of me. After all I don't want anyone else to have one but me."

Poppy sighed and watched as with great difficulty the owl man just gathered up all the gold in his arms teetering and wobbling about as he went towards the left side of the counter. They all watched as he wobbled his way towards a large scale against the wall that reminded Poppy of the large scale the local banker used to have to measure her pons in whenever she went to put her savings in the bank, only much bigger. A few large clanging noises rang out as he dumped the gold into it and watched as the red arrow of the scale tipped until it measured-

"F-F-Fifty two pounds!," the owl gawked at the scales before giving a thoughtful look. "Let's see. Minus tax on gold fifty two equals up too about....." His eyes widened and he suddenly let out a hoot gripping the feathers on his head. "F-F-Five thousand pons!!"

"Oh....Do you not have that m-many pons?"

"Uh..." The owl nervously looked between her and the statues. "N-No. J-Just a little over half of it. B-B-BUT I-I C-CAN OFFER A TRADE!!" He quickly pointed around the cluttered place, as if nervous to lose the precious gold he so desperately wanted. "I-I can pay half and trade for the other! W-Whatcha say?"

Poppy stopped for a minute. Looking around the cluttered place with a raised brow, and gazing over everything slowly. That wasn't a bad idea actually. Since she could use some knew things once she gets settled on her own again and didn't need anymore help. And getting stuff for free? Now they were talking! Maybe this was the universe paying her back for all her troubles and hard work finally! Smiling she happily agreed to the deal much to the Owl's delight and he quickly scrambled about to grab all the pons he needed for the trade from a giant vault in the back and they began searching. Well, the girls found lots of little knickknacks like small toys and for Bow a large sunhat with a pretty blue bow on it and how could Poppy say no to that? Well, the red head wasn't going for any random fancy stuff like antique clocks or any other fancy thing right now. But considering $2600) was a lot of pons to trade for, she could spare them to choose a bunch of things for themselves. But looking among some used exercize bikes she found a few things she was really looking forward to see again. What else but some good old fashioned farming tools? A rake, gardon hoe, pitchfork, shovel combo! She hit the giant jackpot!! Smiling as she dragged the old things out of the dusty corner and examined them. They looked to be in good condition. Rusty and dusty, but a mighty fine condition if ya asked her.

"Uh. Ma'am, are you sure you want those?," the owl said leaning back over the counter staring, "T-Those are antique farming tools that were just dumped in the corner. No one would want them.

"I sure do!," She said smiling back at his confused face, "They're just what I needed.

"Well...Y-Yes, t-t-they're in great condition for three hundred year old tools. That's why they're here, they could run in the thousands. Are you sure you want to waste your time with them?"

"Yep!" She Heaved all of them over one of her shoulders with a smile. "I got a plan for these babies. You just keep counting the pons."

"Ok. If that's what you want. It'll be nice to get them out at least," he mumbled to himself ducking back behind the counter.

Continuing looking around a little bit, Poppy managed to find a gold club bag along with her search and stuck her new tools into it, slinging it over herself and able to carry about her new beauties easier. Turns out those tools and the old antique stove Cookie kept looking at. Poppy saw the way she kept longingly staring at it every few minutes of looking around and gladly said she'd take that for her friend here. Cookie insisted she didn't have to but Poppy's mind was already made up anyways, as stated she didn't need that much pons leftover to trade back here again anyways. And she deserved it for all the kindness she had shown Poppy a complete and utter stranger. Well it turns out the knick knacks Hattie stuffed in her hat, (just random things like a few teddy bears, jewelry, a grappling hook, and anything else a girl like her would enjoy) combined with the old stove and it's set, along with those old tools were just enough to cover the other half but she did have to fork over another 100 pons to cover the extra 100 pons the tax came out to be. The bag she was handed wasn't really big, about maybe a small decent sized pumpkin and weighed about as much as a large house cat did. And that went into her large apron pocket for safe keeping while slipping the gold back of farming tools over her. She still had $2,500 to spend. And that was quite a lot of pons especially. Luckily the things weren't as expensive as made out to be. But that did leave another question, what were they supposed to do now? Luckily Cookie had a fantastic idea after seeing the way the uh....tacky dress Poppy was wearing and had the idea for them to stop by the local clothing store much to the children's protest about how boring it was going to be. So they once again found themselves leaving the greedy owl to fond over his new prized possesions and left back out into the hot sun. Resuming their routine of Poppy following behind Cookie as she lead them down the street to wards the far side of the town as the kids ran around again chasing one another. The only difference was Bow was using one hand to keep that giant sun hat on her head now as she went around running after the first two. Poppy still couldn't figure out how Hattie kept all those things in her hat. Alien magic?

"You'll adore this lil shoppe," Cookie happily told her giving a bright grin, "They're real experts at fancy sewing. You see they make most of the costumes for the studio and the directors' movies."

"It sounds like this whole town thrives on that place huh?," Poppy stated giving a look around the old buildings and many owls walking by.

"Oh, this town has been here for quite a long time with the studios," Cookie corrected, "It's only until recently that business really thrived for lacol birds. In the less hotter winter seasons, people come from all over to get a glimpse at the two kooky canaries running those studios. Means Conductor gets some extra business running his train too, he likes to say more budget for his movies come from it."

"Wow. Really?" So this place was some kind of famous spot because of this Mr. Grooves and Conductor, whoever they might be. From what she's heard of them so far, they seemed really nice supporting local business and bringing in so many customers. And she had no reason to not trust Cookie so far. A smile graced her face when he spotted the girls run a little ways ahead of them and caught an earful of their giggles. That was until one fell over. It was just a small rock hidden in the sand that she didn't see, but that didn't stop Bow from tripping over it and faceplanting the sand, knocking up some sand in her crash. Poppy and Cookie both gave a small gasp of surprise and Poppy instantly ran over to her, metal tools clanking together on her back. Hattie and Mu had stopped hearing the thump in the sand from behind them at Bow's faceplant and watched as the curly haired girl pushed herself up. Bow laid there unmoving for a few seconds but by the time Poppy got over there to kneel next to her, she had pushed herself up crying a bit with her eyes shut and spitting out more sand from her mouth. Sun hat falling off her head as she did. Two hands grabbed her and turned her around to face the worried face of the red head as she looked her over. "What happened? Are you alright, Sweetheart?"

"My eyes burn!," Bow cried reaching her balled fists up to wipe at her face but was stopped by Poppy pulling them away.

She sighed. "Well don't rub them, you probably just got some dirt in your eyes needin' ta be flushed out." Looking around she spotted an outside water pump fountain like the one her old home hand and without another thought picked up the tiny girl and stood back up. Bow still crying at the stinging and wrapping herself around Poppy's shoulder as she walked. "Oh hush now. All you need is to rinse it out with a lil water and you'll be right as rain!" She carried Bow over to the small pump across the street and pried her off to set the small gal down in front of the Nozzle. "Now I'm going to pump some water out, and I want you to start rinsing out those eyes and mouth of yers. Ok?" Bow sniffed still crying small tears down her face and Poppy grabbed a hold of the pump handle. Pushing n pulling it up and down to summon the water underneath. A garbling sound came from the pipe's inside and with a pop sound, cold water burst out from the pipe and sprayed the small child in the face. Bow jumped in surprise at the sudden cold water on her but sputtered and swiped at her face and the stream of water hitting her. After a few more seconds of it, Poppy stopped and allowed the strong stream to trickle slowly before stopping completely. She watched as Bow turned her cheek the other way and spat out a mouthful of water, coughing and wiping at her face. Now all soaking wet. She rubbed at her eyes for a moment before blinking her eyes open and looking up with red eyes. There we go. Now that she could see, her eyes would be irritated for a lil bit, but it wouldn't be worse than just someone suffering from a bit of hay fever. "There we go. All better."

....Bow sniffed and blinked. Wiping one eye with her hand and looking down at herself, her other hand grabbing her white jacket. "Now I'm all soaked and cold."

"Uh...Yeah." Poppy rubbed her head. "Kinda figured the sun would dry ya out, but I guess I can buy ya a new dress while we're at this here clothin' store.''

"...*sniff* Really?"

"Absolutely." Walking back over, Poppy bent down and repicked Bow up into her arms letting the little girl grab onto her. "We'll get ya a nice pretty dress that'll make you look like a darlin' lil princess!...Well more of a princess than you are already."

Bow smiled again sniffing and Poppy smiled at her...But paused when she heard someone else awing at them from behind and when she turned around there was a pair of old birds on a shady porch right behind them. The old birds were smiling at them from their rocking chairs like what they were seeing was the most precious thing in the world. "It's so nice to see such a responsible and caring young mother these days," one of them spoke smiling widely, "Your daughter looks like a darling little one."

......Poppy blinked. "Mother? Who me?" She pointed at herself with her free hand before shaking her head. "O-Oh! No, no! I'm not her mother! I'm just watching her for someone I know!"

"Oh, that's too bad. You would make a lovely mother for the dear."

Poppy chuckled nervously but Bow seemed to be looking at her with a strange look. "My...Mother?"

Giving a small thanks Poppy quickly excused herself from the watching eyes of the old birds and back over to Cookie who was waiting for them with the other two children. Wiping dust from the pretty sunhat and looking up at the soaked child in her arms. "Well. I can see we'll be needing to take care of that while we're in there too."

Poppy gave another nervous chuckle but grabbed the sun hat, handing it back to Bow who gladly plopped it back onto her head. Well, guess they weren't going to wait on getting this lil gal some dry clothing. Following Cookie the rest of the way there, they all came across possibly the girliest lookin' store Poppy had ever seen. It was all painted pink and white and had flowers in window pots. Well seeing those cute lil things made her smile at least, she always loved flowers. Above a sign was nailed above the door reading Mrs. Talon's Fabric Shoppe. Guess they were going in when Cookie walked right on up without a second thought so naturally Poppy and the children followed suit. A bell above the door rang like before and thank PECK it was another building big enough she didn't have to crawl through to get there. Upon entering it was the same pink and white themed as the outside. Along the walls was shelves upon shelves of fabric, balls of yarn and threads of all colors, sewing machines for sail along with smaller kits, and anything else one would need for making clothes. Such as buttons, sequins, patches, and books of patterns or techniques. Poppy noticed there was also a giant pink curtain in the back and next to that was a rack of already made dresses with a sign that said 'discount bin half off'. In the very front of the store was a white counter, and a lady owl wearing a floral dress with glasses that made her eyes look too big for her face, but unlike the first owl this cashier welcomed them all with a smile and friendly voice.

"Good Evening, Customers! Welcome to Mrs. Talons! Here we tailor to creatures large and small," she replied in a high pitched tone, "How may I-...I-I..." Her impossibly large eyes went wide seeing the crew of five girls waltz in as Poppy closed the door shut with her foot. "I-....I DON'T BELEIVE IT!!" She suddenly squealed startling the red head woman into almost dropping Bow and blinking at the pig like squeal before the owl lady leaned over the counter looking at Cookie. "I DON'T PECKING BELIEVE IT!! THE COOKING CAT IS IN MY BOSS'S STORE!! M-Ma'am I'm your b-biggest fans! My owlets love your deep fried worm and rice recipe!" Cookie didn't even seem fazed as she chuckled and waved. Making the more owl all the more nervous at having the cat celebity in her store. "H-How may I help you, Ms. Cat?"

"Please. Call me Cookie." Cookie pointed at Poppy still holding Bow in her arms. "We got a youngin' who's in need of some dry clothes and a fashion emergency if I say so myself."

The owl looked up at the two humans adjusting her glasses and frowning at Bow's soaked clothes and the absolutely ghastly amount of tacky lace and fake rubies studded to the collar of Poppy's dark blue dress. Not a good mix, it looked like she was a desperate rich lady trying to play the part of princess. "Oh...I certainly see why. Well, unfortunately with my boss away currently working on a large order for Mr. Grooves, I can't offer anything except for the designs left out from last year's tourism season." She gestured a wing over towards the bargain bin and Cookie slightly frowned at the limited suppy.

"Are you sure you can't make one?"

The owl shook her head. "Sorry, Ma'am. For you I would in a heartbeat, but I'm just the cashier. I ring people out and offer assistance if the customer has questions. The only tailors are my boss and her assistant and they're already away on a giant order call. But if you're interested we do provide everything you need to sew yourself."

"That won't be needed," Poppy cut in slowly lowering Bow to the ground and standing back up and walking to the bargain rack, "I ain't the kind of picky prissy gal a lot of folks I knew was." Walking up right to the rack she skimmed through the options of dresses available and to be honest most were plain day to day dresses without any patterns, but that suited her just fine. She wasn't real picky when it came to clothing as long as it fit ok and it didn't look like the ghastly thing she was wearing so she just grabbed a few random dresses off the bargain pile that was the same size she was wearing. A plain all pink and green one. One that was all white with purple flowers all over it. Another green one with a picture of a kitty cat in the middle of it. And just a purple one with some kind of black vine pattern. Looking back up, she noticed Cookie writing on a piece of paper as the owl excitedly watched, and she gave another small squeal when Cookie handed whatever it was over to her. How strange. Two of the girls were boredly bouncing some yarn balls...Where was- She got her answer when Bow pushed past her and reached up to rummage of her own accord, after a moment pulling out the only thing they seemed to have in a child's size. A bright orange dress with a single daisy on it's front. Her cringe made Poppy chuckle a bit and reach down to pat her head. "Hey. May not be the most pretty, but it's just til we get back an' then you can wear anything ya want. Alright?"

She didn't look happy but relented. "Fine."

"That's my girl!" She gave bow a smile as the little girl blinked and gave Poppy a confused look as she walked to the counter dresses in her arms.

"Your girl?"

Well, the clothes were bought. Which equaled up to about fourty six pons for all of the dresses including Bow's which she changed into behind the curtain. She was dry now but she didn't look like it stomping out and staring at her clothes in disgust. Well with two more bags in hand, one for her new dresses and one for Bow's, they excited the store and the girls were glad to not be coped up in there anymore except for Bow who followed the first two with crossed arms as the adults followed out.

"Come back anytime! Thank you for your purchase!," the cashier called out behind them and Cookie waved back.

"Ya seem to be well known, Huh?," Poppy asked the cat and Cookie shrugged.

"Lots of folks enjoy my work. Who am I to complain?"

"Touche." Poppy sucked in a deep breath and looked out into the world around them with a smile. "Man it's good to see ground that ain't littered with ghosts! But I wish it wasn't so hot!"

"Well this is a desert." Cookie smiled at Hattie chasing Mu around the two using Bow in the middle as a barrier from each other. "But they don't seem to have a problem with playin' anyhwere."

Poppy shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me with what I've seen. But I am surprised they aren't thirsty."

Cookie turned to her. "Why? Are you?"

"Well. A lil bit. When's the next ride back to the moon again?"

"Uh...Well I believe it's just a lil bit past noon, ya'll have to wait for the night train at ten o' clock."

Poppy snapped her head to her with a surprised face. "Wha- THAT LATE?"

"Well it IS the night train for a reason Sugar. But tell ya what, I'll treat ya'll to some real good food at the Jukebox cafe while ya wait." She started stepping towards somewhere else and Poppy slowly followed after.

"Oh no. You don't have to. It's alright."

"And let you eat nothing but a cheese wheel and apples?," Cookie shook her head, "Oh no, no. That wouldn't do at all."

"Ain't there a market or tradin' post with food in these here parts?," Poppy asked back making Cookie chuckle nervously.

"Well....Yes. B-But since everyone in town are actually birds, they don't really sell food catering to humans or many other species except for coffee and what's served in the cafe's since those places get to see more of a diversity especially when tourism comes a callin'. Otherwise it's bird seed, worms, insects, some fruit, and anything else birds eat. Most of what else they get is ordered from the city a couple miles away or mafia town. "

"Oh great. Guess it's cheese and apples for supper tonight then." Her stomach growled and she placed a hand to it shyly making Cookie chuckle.

"Don't worry. I'll send ya'll home with some left overs from mah kitchen set at the-...." Poppy suddenly stopped mid step body completely frozen as if she was paused in the middle of a movie and Poppy almost stepped on her tail stopping just in time. Cookie suddenly grabbed her fuzzy cheeks with a frown. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?"

"I left my handbag at my set in the studios! My bird passport and wallet's in there, it let's me get free supplies from the cafe with the reward points."

"So...That means?"

"We're going to have to make a pit stop at the studios before anyone eats."

[x0401x]

Jeweler Richard Cobalt Short Story

The Checkered Half of Edward Baxter’s Life

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He met him for the first time when attending a boarding school in Switzerland.

He had no plans for homecoming even as summer vacation came about. It was better to stay in Switzerland as things were noisy at home, his father had told him on the phone, and he was not a fourteen-year-old innocent enough not to catch onto the meaning of “I’ll have to look after you if you come back and this would reduce the time I have for my research” that lay underneath.

There was no helping it, so he secluded himself in the library. However, the library was full of children like him, with no place to return to. He gradually started feeling depressed.

Switzerland, which Queen Elizabeth also loved, had many picturesque tourist attractions. There was no lack of places to have a fun time from dawn to dusk and a pipe organ concert was being held at a church in town, which was quite close to the school, so he imprudently thought that it would be safe even at night.

Since he had an unnecessarily exemplary daily conduct, it was easy to earn permission for exiting the campus. The question of where he was going was disregarded, and it was hard for him when a nuance drifted about, saying that he should go play around a little, if anything. He already knew by then that he was most likely a child who did not specialize much at behaving like a child.

The summer city was brimming with sightseers. Made of brown bricks, the cityscape that looked like those from fairy tales was decorated everywhere with pink and white potted flowers. The city seemed to have many watersides, with restaurants lined up by the river shores, a big black dog that was probably someone’s pet dragging its leash around and waggling, looking like it wanted him to play with it. Just when he thought of playing a little, its owner apparently called for it from afar, so the dog turned its body around and rushed away.

The city was fun at night. Being able to get the feeling that he was with someone even without being accompanied was just what he needed.

He only realized that he was lost long after he had started losing his way. He was certain there was a church in that area where a concert was taking place, but while roaming around, what came into his field of vision was nothing but apartment complexes, garbage dumps and tunnels with no signs of life. He had apparently entered a residential area where the public order was not too good, but did not know how to get out. As he decided to just go back the way he had come from, there were people standing behind him once he turned on his heels.

“Yo.”

He was able to tell right away that they were around seventeen to eighteen years old because the boys were wearing parkas and baseball caps. With such looks that one would not see so often in a waterside of bustling terrace cafés, they spoke while chewing gums. Just as an earl would sometimes do, he pretended not to have heard them.

“Shortie, what’cha doin’ out here? Where yer papa and mama?”

“They not around? You alone?”

“Then don’tcha have a wallet with ya?”

“You’re as pretty as a doll, huh. Can’t talk?”

“Young Master, could you please spare us a blessing?”

Cold sweat beaded on his back as he wondered what would happen if he refused. He had begun having boxing lessons, but the classes were strictly separated by age and body weight, so he could not think of it as training for fighting opponents who were clearly older than him.

Just when unpleasant memories started whirling in his head as he pondered what he should do, what he had to do, what he was supposed to do to cut his way through a time like this all by himself, someone most certainly grabbed his arm from the side.

“Hey, Edward! Edward, isn’t that you?”

For a second, he did not know who the owner of that familiar voice was.

Brownish blond hair and light blue eyes, a knit vest and black slacks. Shiny leather shoes and an armor-like smile.

“Je... Jay!”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s me, Jay. I’m happy you remembered.”

The one who went around the boy from behind and hugged him from the shoulder was his cousin, Jeffrey, who was two years older than him. Even as the boy stared at him with eyes that asked why he was in a place like this and how he had gotten here, Jeffrey maintained the same-old theatrical face that he pulled off so well and hid behind his back the one who had the status of a younger brother to him.

“What’re you doing in this place? You’ll be late for the meeting if you don’t hurry. Won’t your uncle be mad if you make him wait any longer? He’s a really scary person.”

“I-I’m sorry. I will be going right away.”

“That’s it, so bye!”

Tightly hugging the shoulder of the one that he was supposed to protect, Jeffrey left the scene. Perhaps due to him handling the matter with such a lighthearted and loud voice, there were no signs of the two chasing after them.

“That was terrifying.”

“We’re leaving this place.”

“All right.”

Jeffrey walked in long strides from the semi-darkness where a fishy smell drifted about to the main street lined with the glow of light poles. The boy walked keeping his body close to Jeffrey’s, as it did not seem like the latter intended to let go of the shoulder that he was firmly holding onto otherwise.

“Honestly, good thing I was around.”

“How...?”

“‘How’, you ask? I’m your super hero, so isn’t it obvious that I’d rush to you when you’re in trouble?”

“Not that; what is the truth?”

“I meant it as the truth, though... Kidding. It was just a coincidence. If I’m not wrong, today’s the day that summer vacation started for you, right? My school was a bit faster to give us leisure time, so I planned to ambush you and make a surprise. But when I visited your school, they said you’d gone out all by yourself, so I was the surprised one,” the older cousin said cheerfully.

He was a man with a big heart, the kind that constantly changed his voice tone and facial expression as he spoke, who was always smiling and accepted first-thing the evaluation that he was charismatic yet shady. Moreover, he continuously took his little brother, who had been born to free-spirited parents and was younger than him, under his feathers. For the boy, his existence was much more than that of an older brother.

At the words “I’m the only one here”, the boy realized that he was relieved. The earl and the even older cousin from whom he would have to conceal this were not there.

“You okay?”

“Yes, but the earl and Brother Henry are not here.”

“Father was in Cannes, I guess. Henry is following him to make appearances. Looks like it’s a busy season for the high society.”

“How awful.”

“I wonder if they’re getting caught up with playing around. Aah, but Henry is a serious guy. Piano practice might be more fun to him than a casino.”

“I think I understand how he feels.”

“That’s right. Let’s go to Cannes with him someday too. Let’s live it up in a casino or something.”

“If I become penniless from buying too many books by then, what will we do?”

“Leave it to me. I might be like this, but I’m hoping to enter the financial business. I’ll lend you as much money as you want. With damn high interest.”

“You little—”

They shoved each other around as if to hug one another, and by the time they had all but arrived at the main street, filled as it was with human presence, the boy finally released a sigh. That was dreadful. He was not very used to being threatened. At school, he had already grown somewhat used to having his appearance mocked or people using the words “I’ll throw the trash away for you” as an excuse to touch his body, and had come up with countermeasures to some extent, but troubles outside the school were always beyond hypothesis.

As he gave an abrupt shudder upon recalling being sandwiched from front and back by two older boys, something landed on top of his head with a tap. It was Jeffrey’s hand.

Patting his golden-haired head in light rolls with the palm of his hand, the boy who was two years older grinned at him. “Well, first things first, you should start with not getting lost.”

“You were watching me?”

“I wasn’t. I ran around here and there because of that. It had me out of breath, but I was a prize-worthy elite actor for not letting it show, huh? I want a trophy.”

“Then how did you know I was lost?”

“You’re not the kind of kid who’d go to a place like that on purpose, Ricky.”

At that moment, the boy had the sudden realization that his cousin was a child merely two years above him, and so he was supposed to be protected, not to be protecting someone else. Fearing kidnappings, everyone in the earl’s estate had an enormous amount of money on insurance payouts. The fact that he would rather be someone who had next to no worries in going outside of school than have the presence of the bodyguards who would be tagging along with him in normal circumstances made the boy shiver again.

“Hum... Jeff, is everything all right for you? My apologies for that. Your guards—”

“You’re still on about that? Y’know, you could just leave it as ‘that was terrifying’. I lost my guards. I mean, it’s no fun with them. I think I’ll get a call from Father lecturing me again, but isn’t it kinda disturbing to have two old men in suits clinging to my back even when I go see my dear little brother’s face?”

He had probably taken that measure due to foreseeing that the bodyguards would scary his cousin, the boy realized. Before he sank into an apologetic sea once more, Jeffrey found a random shop at the side of the road and took a seat in the quiet interior. He ordered two lemonades. As he was striking a lighthearted talk about how they were perfect for Switzerland in the summer...

“Hum.”

“What?”

“Who was that Edward from just now?”

“Uh? Aah, no one. I let it out of my mouth without much thought.”

Jeffrey did not say, “It’s because they might memorize your name if I were so stupidly honest to call you Richard”. His consideration from not wanting to say it and expressly scare his cousin, as well as his carefreeness of not deeming it necessary to be said, were comfortable for the boy.

Edward, Edward, he repeated in his heart the unfamiliar name, and after drinking just a little bit of the lemonade, the boy whispered intermittently, “It’d be good if you had a name like that too.”

“Uh?”

As he said, “Like Edward”, Jeffrey laughed.

“Isn’t that ‘Jay’?”

“That was just because I didn’t manage to say ‘Jeffrey’...”

“Hmm,” Jeffrey interjected with an indifferent attitude, sucking onto the straw of his lemonade.

Aah, it’s the face of someone who’s planning something fun, the boy noted, and as he laughed a little, his older cousin showed a smile three times happier than that.

“Then give me one.”

“Uh?”

“You can give me a name like that too. Let’s make them secret names between us.”

“For Brother Henry too?”

“Keep it a secret from Henry.”

The smile of his cousin, who laughed without any maliciousness, was as sweet as nectar. The boy displayed a facial expression of sincere reassurance, then began turning over the name dictionary inside his head with “not this, not that either”. No matter what, his favorite names either were related to individuals from classic literature or leaned towards Japanese people, but none of them suited Jeffrey’s face.

The boy made up his mind about the fact that a basic name would be best and raised his head, peeking at his cousin’s eyes. “James.”

“‘James’?”

“James.”

“Huhu, roger that, Edward. I’m James, yeah? Aah, what’s my family name? Anything but ‘Bones’, ‘kay? I don’t like martini that much.”

“Jeff, you already drink?”

“We’re talking about James now and Jeff has nothing to do with it.”

While he jokingly raised the lemonade’s straw, spinning it in twirls like a magic wand, the boy observed him as if looking at a gemstone that emanated a dazzling shine. He was a wonderful person who could do anything and who showed concern for the boy – more than that, the boy considered him someone special and could not come home to anyone else in the world, no matter where he searched. He was a treasure that the boy most definitely could not exchange for anything, not even if an ancient king came up to him with an elephant loaded to the brim with pearls, rubies and emeralds on its back, and whenever the boy was in bad health, he would always think that, if they were ever pulled apart to places where they could never see each other again, he would cry profusely.

He was the one who promptly contacted the boy whenever anything happened in general, driving away the latter’s nightmares, so the honor of granting a name to someone like that gradual and silently filled the boy’s heart, turned into a word and overflowed, “Ya’aburnee.”

“Hm?”

As Jeffrey had apparently not heard it well, the boy repeated the word for him, “Ya’aburnee. The word is cut between the ‘ya’ and the ‘aburnee’. The accent is on the first vowel.”

“‘Ya’aburnee’, huh? It’s pretty yet has a mysterious ring to it.”

“It is Arabic.”

“Learned a new word again, huh, you damn prodigy?”

“I am no prodigy.”

“I meant an ‘effort prodigy’. ‘Cause you’re a hardworker. Okay, my secret name is James Ya’aburnee. Edward, what about you?”

“Uh?”

“What’s Edward’s family name?”

Taken aback, the boy hung his head after a moment of indecision, looking depressed. When Jeffrey asked what happened, the boy timidly raised his face. “Hum... The two are real brothers, so they have the same family name.”

As he said so with a voice that sounded like it was fading, Jeffrey’s eyes widened just slightly, and after nodding with a “hun-hun”, he grinned. That smile of Jeffrey’s was even now said to be difficult for his parents to distinguish whether it was fake or not, but the boy was able to tell the difference. If a dimple appeared on his left cheek, it was not a fake smile. Jeffrey himself had told him that.

There was a dimple on his elder cousin’s left cheek.

“Heeh~! That so?”

“It is so.”

“Then James and Edward are really just like us.”

“Uh?”

“I mean, we’re real brothers, right? That’s how I think.”

As Jeffrey ill-manneredly drank the remaining part of his lemonade in slurps, the clerk made a disgusted face at him. The headline on the magazine that she had in hands read, “How to Date Rich Men”, and so the boy felt like saying something rude to her, such as, “I think the person you just glared at is probably richer than the ones in that magazine”. It felt like he could do anything that the boy usually was unable to. He was cheerful, bright and warm at heart.

As he sat quietly without saying anything, Jeffrey smiled subtly and gently rested his hand on the boy’s golden-haired head. “Wanna go back to school? Or not?”

“I want to be together for a bit longer.”

“Okay. Then let’s do that.”

Holding hands with his “little brother” of two years bellow him, Jeffrey escorted him to a hotel near his dormitory, converting into a parent and calling the boy’s school to request permission for him to spend the night out, and after checking into one of those cheap inns that was would be crammed with skiers in the winter, the two immersed themselves in conversation on their bed the all night long.

Jeffrey talked about their homes and families. About his friends. About financing, which he was studying. About drama theory. About how he felt like throwing up from agony when preparing for an assignment where he completely slipped into the role of a prime minister who had only managed to rescue 150 civilians alive out of 300 that had been taken hostage by terrorists. About how he cracked up when he was told, “Everyone will stop trusting you” after he showed off too much the chameleon acting that he had mastered in drama class.

Jeffrey’s talks were not tiring – all topics were interesting, adding gemstones of lustrous gleam to the boy’s heart one after another. In return, the boy talked about the satisfying life he led in at the Swiss lodging house. About the bright sunlight, the climate that was warmer than England’s, the ever-white snowy peaks overlooked in the distance, the lively teachers who were like sportsmen. About how he not have many friends, but believed that it was due to him not conducting himself like a child, so there was no helping it, and how he would not mind it much if he did not have anyone, as long as he had Jeffrey.

As he was sprawled on the bed while resting his cheek on one hand, Jeffrey tipped Richard’s head back down. “You shouldn’t please me so much. Or else we won’t be able to stay away from each other.”

“What is so bad about that?”

“When you start hating me, I don’t want you to think, ‘I hate him but I can’t let go of him’.”

“I believe something like that will never happen. So that is okay.”

“There you go again saying something that makes me happy... Y’know, Ricky, people have this thing called a ‘rebellious phase’.”

“It seems I do not.”

“Plus, it’s pretty scary afterwards; I read a paper that said reactions also happen.”

“I do not have that, but thanks.”

After rubbing each other’s heads into a mess, they resumed the talk about Edward and James. Where the two of them lived, if their relationship was a favorable one, if they had any other acquaintances and what they usually did to pass the time. Dreams and jokes mixed up with the human drama built up amidst their sleepiness, and so they became yakuza, lived in Japan and fought over whether or not to put wasabi on sushi, but were the good-natured kind of duo that would always make up immediately. They did not endeavor illegal activities and instead were yakuza who respected the old-fashioned thinking of “humanity and justice”, of lending a helping hand to people in trouble, and did not bear tattoos as they were a little scary. Amongst the yakuza, there was a pledge called sworn siblinghood, but since they were blood-related siblings, so there was no need for such a thing.

By the time they had started to doze off, the boy woke up with a start. Jeffrey was not making a drowsy face. His bottomless eyes, which appeared to be looking into somewhere far away, even so maintained their focus immersed on Richard’s face.

“Hey, Ricky, what’s the continuation to that story?”

“Hueh?”

“What happens to Edward and James in the distant future?”

Amidst the sensation that he seemed to be airily drifting towards the world of dreams, the boy tilted his neck. He had no idea why Jeffrey was asking something so obvious. His mouth moved in a natural manner, “They continue getting along forever.”

“I see. Go rest already,” Jeffrey said, getting up from the single-person bed, giving him a pillow and putting a blanket over him, then tucked himself into his own bed and attempted to sleep.

He did try to fall into slumber, but upon noticing his small cousin staring at him with eyes that seemed to be imploring for something, he took his pillow and went back to the boy’s side. Like two hatchlings huddling their feathers onto each other, the two children slept while dreaming about the future.

The next morning, Jeffrey took a still sleepy-looking Richard back to school, scattering an amiable “I’m leaving him in your care” all over the place, shaking people’s hands here and there and returning to his angry-faced bodyguards’ side. Gossip ran about like gale amongst students with time to spare, saying that the second son of an earldom – a brilliant honors student even within a famous public school from England – had apparently come to see a sibling of his who was in this school, which became a rumor in the whole school at one point, but said rumor, like a mirage faintly surfacing over a lake in the summer, was gone before autumn came around.

“Let’s decide on your name.”

“Eh?”

“Calling you ‘Seigi’ would have a bad effect in a situation where there are only enemies. If I call you by a completely different name, there is the possibility that you would not be able to react, so I believe a name somewhat similar to your own is safer.”

“Then, ‘Seigi’, ‘Seigi’, ‘Seigi’... Make it ‘Seiji’.”

“Too close. Some people might mishear it as ‘Seigi’ instead. Think of a surname. I will call you by that.”

Richard had started saying odd things about perhaps having to throw fists at an accessories shop that was disseminating fake turquoises. For me to come up with a fake name. Indeed, revealing our true names even if by accident could be a dangerous situation.

I squeezed up a knowledge that I didn’t have, deep in thought. Something that sounded kind of similar to my real name. Yet was a different name. Hmm.

“‘Nakata’, ‘Nakata’, ‘Nakata’... ‘Yamada’, Yamada? No, ‘Tanaka’ is also... Ah~, I wonder which. Yamada or Tanaka?”

“Then let’s make it Yamada. Yamada Seiji-san. I will be counting on you. I am Edward Baxter.”

“Where’s ‘Richard’ as the base for that?”

“I will be in your care.”

“My pleasu~re.”

Wearing a red open-necked shirt that looked like it could show up in contests for rare clothing articles, I sat on the Jaguar’s passenger seat. However, in terms of outfit eccentricity, I didn’t feel like I could beat the man sitting next to me. White, white, white. It was thoroughly white from top to bottom, the hairstyle pulled all the way back. It was a bit of an underground person look.

“I’m checking just in case, but what kind of setting is this Edward Baxter-sensei from?”

“A messenger from the Great Universe who miraculously predicts fortunes and foresees the fate of gems.”

“Uh. Got it. I’ll do my best not to laugh.”

“Obviously. Laughing at a messenger of the Great Universe is insolence.”

“Hahaa~”

The Jaguar sped up like always. If this car had a voice, it felt like it would frantically cause a stir, asking, “Mister, aren’t you too different from usual?” but the Jaguar was reticent and loyal.

As the vehicle kept running, my nervousness increased a little. I wanted to say something, but Richard’s profile was rock-hard. It would feel awkward if I discussed about tea and snacks that had nothing to do with it here and now. But I wanted to talk. I was able to come up with just one thing when wondering what I should say.

“Is there... a family in the setting of that Baxter-sensei? Or does he not have any, since he’s a messenger of the Great Universe? Sorry. You didn’t think that far, did you?”

When I asked that, Richard briefly made a strange face. Unlike his usual refreshing smile, that expression could only be described as a “suggestive grin”, with a gaze that didn’t appear to be looking at me but at something in the distance.

Then he stated, “He has no relatives whosoever.”

“Roger that.”

And so, the two of us headed to the shop of shady history. Edward Baxter-shi, who claimed to have not a single relative, seemed to be making a just slightly sad-looking face within the glass of the windshield. However, Yamada Seiji courteously pretended that he was not at all seeing the weakness of a messenger of the Great Universe.

He had no idea what Nakata Seigi made of it, though.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#140-131)

#140: Lordi -- Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland 2006)

“You will see the jokers soon'll be the new kings!” I'm semi-convinced that if I heard this song when I was a child, I would've been so scared I would just hide (I also panicked at the cover of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, though that maybe because I didn't want to read such a long book). Watching it for the first time in 2020, I didn't mind it, though the monsters still puts me off. As much as I like to jam to this one, I can’t see myself listening to it over and over again. That said, one can’t take away from the sheer catharsis of this song, from the opening notes to how Lordi gleefully announces their arrival and thunders down Athens with the arockalypse. Whether it’s the first hard rock winner or the last schlager one, Lordi came, saw, and grabbed a first win for Finland after so many attempts, and made rock more popular in Eurovision for a few years. i You can’t resist yourself from headbanging to this one! Personal ranking: 3rd/37 Actual ranking: 1st/24 GF in Athens

#139: Natasha St-Pier -- Je n'ai que mon âme (France 2001)

“Mais je n'ai que mon âme pour te parler de moi, Oh, juste mon âme, mon âme et ma voix,” “But I only have my soul to talk to you about me. Oh, just my soul, my soul and my voice.” By the turn of the millenium, France switched back to contemporary ballads to represent them. While 1999 and 2000's entries didn't do well, their next two would be really strong songs amongst the weakest years ever, and that's why I appreciate France so much in the contest. Initially, I didn’t get it, because it sounded a bit derivative (not unlike what Celine Dion would sing). However, one thing which won me over was with the intro, which provided the base of a really great build. A soft intro leading to a lush instrumental, it shone above the crowd, and it turned from being "derivative" to being "gentle and sincere. Natasha delivers this with equal parts softness and grace, though the English parts did feel a bit out of place in the end. That might have cost it a (deserved) place on the podium, and France would have wait twenty more years for the next medal-placing. Personal ranking: 2nd/23 Actual ranking: 4th/23 in Copenhagen

#138: Lena -- Satellite (Germany 2010)

“I even painted my toenails for you I did it just the other day!"

Whenever you check the comments of any video on this song, you will note a bunch of angry Turkish people who insist MaNga should’ve won 2010. While I really love their song (and will end up later on the list), Satellite was a worthy winner. Along with its commercial success, Satellite is adorable because it is uptempo, sweet, and infectious. Lena acts like she’s having fun on stage and doesn’t even try to pretend. Her accent, which emerged as a result of her English teacher, adds to the charm and her overall innocence. It’s cute, which can turn off some people, but not me--I really embrace it. Also, Arilena Ara made a cover last year for Eurovision Home Concerts, which you should check out! It keeps the poppy vibe, but adds a funky edge to it. Personal ranking: 4th/39 Actual ranking: 1st/25 GF in Oslo

#137: Lazy Bums -- Shir Habatlanim (Israel 1987)

“עושה לי כוס קפה ומדליק לי הסיגריה יוצא אל המרפסת לפצח גרעינים הציפורים יורדות העציצים של המרפסת ומפזמות איתי את שיר הבטלנים” “I make myself a cup of coffee and light a cigarette I go out to the balcony to crack open some seeds The birds come down to the plants of the balcony And sing with me the bums’ song” The Culture Minister threatened to resign when Shir Habatlanim was chosen for the Israeli entry in 1987, but it adds to the charming element to this performance. After a decade in which the Israeli entries pranced around, this was something different, and the two actors really take on the role. The lyrics were a bit silly, but relatable with the bums not seeing the sun because of the buildings and doing random tasks while hanging out with the birds. The Lazy Song before the Lazy Song, I'm starting to think this is the "reality" on playing hooky, whereas "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is the "expectations" part (and they are really high in the movie). The Blues Brothers-inspired performance ("We're coming to ya--"), combined with Kobi Oshrat's orchestration, makes this otherwise troll song into a comedic masterpiece. It's three minutes of fun and endearment, and I can't help but smile. Personal ranking: 4th/22 Actual ranking: 8th/22 in Brussels

#136: Antique -- (I Would) Die for You (Greece 2001)

"Κάθησα και σκέφτηκα Κι είδα ότι μ’ αγαπάς Μόνο εσύ, μόνο εσύ" "I sat down and thought Realised that you love me Only you, only you" Greece's first top-three placing in Eurovision is thanks to Helena Paparizou and guy whose name we do not know Nikos Panagiotidis, both who were based in Sweden at the time. They were well known for combining Greek instruments and dance beat; Opa Opa (written by Giorgios Alkaios, see #207 for his entry) is a really good example of this! (Thanks again, Nikos Terzis for composing this too) From the opening bouzouki, Die for You establishes a sense of cool; the pop production following it adds a sense of modernity that the 2001 class lacked for the most part. And compared to Je n'ai que mon ame (#139), the switch from Greek to English is absolutely natural. It feels like being in an exclusive club, filled with dim lighting and a very spacy ambience of it all--though the orange in Parken works as well. And despite being nineteen, Helena oozes cool in all the ways. From her sleek hair to her jumpsuit to how she moves, she makes the song her own, for what it's worth. I frequently find myself copying her handography, though sometimes my desk lamp blocks my left hand, making it feel a bit clumsy. Though I don't say this often, either Antique or Natasha should've won in 2001. Personal ranking: 1st/23 Actual ranking: 3rd/23 in Copenhagen Final impressions on 2001: DR tried to go big with 35,000, but everyone went to drink, and it felt like one hundred. The songs at hand tried hard to be cool, though in some places, we were better off in school. On their own, the strings in our hearts remain broke, though when the trophy did, our minds awoke. Despite the ambitions, the contest would make people leave the room. Thankfully, it was better than that of 2002! :) (On another note, of all the years Italy didn't participate in the contest, 1999 and 2001 were the most irritating. Here, Elisa's Luce (tramonti a nord-est) won Sanremo, and it's a surrealistically beautiful indie song with cool lyrics (especially it was originally written in English, and had to be changed to Italian for the contest). Had they competed, I could see a top-five finish for them, and I could see this as an all-time favorite for me.)

#135: Katerine Duska -- Better Love (Greece 2019)

“Won’t you lean on me You can lean on me Let them look, don’t know, don’t care Go deep with me...” She's not Amy Winehouse, she's Katerine Duska! I had a love/hate relationship with this song during the 2019 season. On the one hand, it’s a really good song, with a lush production and sultry vocals from Katerine Duska. The lyrics, while simple, deals with the theme of love in an interesting way--no matter who you are, you deserve a love that suits you.

On the other hand, considering my grudge towards the 2018 contest, I was worried that this may do well and restart the Greek golden age. That feeling amplified when the rehearsals started, when Katerine and co. had this faerie queene aesthetic. It looked absolutely beautiful, with flowers and fantasy and whimsy. And most important, swords (the MV had sabres whereas the live performance had epees.)!

Of course it qualified, but it collapsed in the final and placed 21st in the end. Some people attributed to how "messy" the staging was, along with Katerine's vocals. In hindsight, I could see it with the former, but the latter remained firm, and she aced that high note.

But it was a good change for Greece, showing that they can do indie music as well as pop and ethno. And Katerine's non-Eurovision songs are fantastic; especially check out Autumn Again and Athenian Skies! Personal ranking: 4th/41 Actual ranking: 21st/26 GF in Tel Aviv

#134: Netta -- Toy (Israel 2018)

“Wonder Woman don’t you ever forget You’re divine and he’s about to regret...”

This has been a total phenomenon ever since its release. However, it’s also quite polarizing, with some people really bopping to this one whether it's on the radio or Tik-tok, and others getting repulsed by the chicken noises or the strong message it provided.

For me, it's Toy's "in-your-face' nature which makes it really special. From the first listen, there's the element of surprise with Netta's looping (the MV intro on Spotify >>> regular studio intro). It then builds until Netta announces herself as a "beautiful creature" and that she wasn't going to be bullied by others. While the songwriters definitely used the "Me Too" movement as a vehicle for the song, it's Netta's influence, along with the Mizrahi instrumentation in the chorus, which packs a punch. Without those chicken noises, Toy would fall flat.

The staging had to be worked on several times, but the final result captured the song's kookiness in every way. From the fake looper to the backing dancer's choreography, the following three minutes is an explosion of fun (though some of the energy died on stage on first viewing).

In short, Netta deserved to win, and those who suggest otherwise is just mean.

Personal ranking: 5th/43 Actual ranking: 1st/26 GF in Lisbon

#133: Mariza Koch -- Panagia Mou, Panagia Mou (Greece 1976)

“Κι αν δείτε ερείπια γκρεμισμένα, όι-όι μάνα μ', Δεν θα 'ναι απ' άλλες, απ' άλλες εποχές, Από ναπάλμ θα 'ναι καμένα, όι-όι μάνα μ'…"

“And if you see shattered ruins, oh oh my Mother, It's not from other, from other eras It is burnt by napalm, oh oh my Mother...”

In their second appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, Greece sends this politically-charged song to criticize the invasion of Cyprus two years before. The Greek military junta at the time wanted to unite the island with mainland Greece, which led to a coup. As a result, the Turkish government invaded Cyprus, and declared the non-recognized Republic of Northern Cyprus. This status remains to this day, which has hindered Turkey's admission to the European Union.

(Interestingly enough, Turkey broadcast this contest despite not participating, and censored the Greek song to replace it with a patriotic song. Haha)

Dark context aside, it ties into the folk tradition during that time, but adds a Greek touch to it with the bouzouki. Combined with thoughtful yet tragic lyrics, it stands out as a darker yet deeper tone from the 1976 contest. Mariza also conveys this with her clear, yet harsh vocals pinpoint the horrors of what was going on. Also, the orchestration adds to the grandeur of this with its lush strings.

Personal ranking: 3rd/18 Actual ranking: 11th/18 in Den Haag

#132: Chocolate, Menta, Mastik -- Emor Shalom (Israel 1976)

בוא, בוא, בוא עוד היום”, אני עוד כאן אז בוא אמור שלום, אמור שלום

“Come, come, come today, I'm still here so come say hello Say hello..”

From one heavily politically charged song to a slightly less so, haha! Emor Shalom is s very playful and cute song, the three girls charm their potential lover (or diplomatic) with their voices and dance moves.

The hidden political context comes from "shalom"--is it hello, or is it peace? When the song was performed, Israel had been independent for thirty years, but their geopolitical relationships were not good with their neighbors. So the three girls, who sung for the military, were not only hoping for a lover, but also for peace.

The song itself incorporates some elements disco with trumpets, which got me into it in the first place. I'm not entirely sure about how the latter works--they are fine, but it does feel a bit cartoonish. While the lyrics are a bit simple, they still add to it.

Personal ranking: 2nd/18 Actual ranking: 6th/18 in Den Haag

#131: Sonja Lumme -- Eläköön elämä (Finland 1985)

“Kaupungissa on yö, puistoon kanssasi jäin Sä seisot edessäin täynnä toivoa” “It’s night in the city, I stayed in the park with you You’re standing in front me full of hope” Top ten anime opening themes, part two!

From the intro until the end, I love how Eläköön elämä progresses. It not only has a sound which matches with music trends (along with those mullets, but it's the 1980s so we can move on about this...), but also has a joie-de-vivre in terms of the lyrics. I've heard about it being connected to the Cold War; considering it was before glasnost, I'd imagine one of the themes here was to enjoy every moment before the world ends.

Ossi Runne's orchestration mixes the punchy pop-rock with some really good strings and brass. An awesome instrumentation and hopeful lyrics, when put together, you’ve got one of Finland’s best ever entries.

Personal ranking: 1st/19 Actual ranking: 9th/19 in Gothenburg

Final impressions on 1985: While Sweden first hosted in 1975, the production ten years later shows their capabilities in putting on a good show. From the graphics to the stage to Lilli's hosting, it's a totally fun experience. The songs were a bit weaker than it, though there were enough gems to keep the mood buzzing. Plus, there were several good orchestral moments there (especially #193) which made it all the better!

[carefreejules]

Prologue – Broken Routine

In the middle of the void of darkness, a lone figure stands under a single spotlight as she feebly clutches the gleaming golden trophy in her small hands. She lifts up her head to smile at an audience who’s not even there. The single ray of light shuts off suddenly, enveloping her entire being into darkness.

Cold.

Lonely.

Muffled voices grow louder and louder, clearer and coherent. Filling the empty dark void with a cacophony of the same demeaning phrases that repeat like a broken record. The girl shivers from the darkness. She falls to her knees, as if being weighed down by the words themselves.

“You cheated.”

“You tricked opponents into feeling sorry for you.”

“You didn’t deserve to win.”

A tear falls. Then two. Until her eyes are blurred and overflowed with tears.

Through the sea of self-deprecation that drowns her mind, she weakly reaches out into the darkness and says,

“Help me.”

--

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

The girl in the dream jolts up awake, older now, her heart and mind racing from the adrenaline of abruptly being pulled from her nightmare. Her skin feels hot from the warm summer air that breezed inside of her room from an open window, but at the same time feels cold from the lingering darkness that clings to her body, refusing to let go. She shivers. Her sleepy cobalt blue eyes drift around her room, as if confirming to herself of the present and not of the past that creeps into her dreams every now and again.

Just to be sure, she pushes the covers off of her and wanders over to her blue messenger bag to pull out her wallet and Trainer ID.

Name: Juliet

Birthday: June 15

Home Region: Hoenn – Lilycove City

That was enough for her. She lets out a sigh of relief and turns her head to the wide mirror in the bathroom. She tiredly regarded her medium length wavy black hair with various stray locks sticking up in random places, the subtle bags under her eyes, and the baggy Mudkip shirt she wore over shorts that didn’t match.

“Good morning,” Juliet greets her reflection. Something comes up from behind her and nudges his head against her ankle. She looks down to see her Shiny Trapinch groggily nuzzling his head against her legs, silently requesting mutual affection. Her smile is gentle as she scoops up the baby Ant Pit Pokemon in her arms and plants a soft kiss on his head. Seeing her beloved pet Trapinch was enough to make her forget the dream she had.

“’Morning to you too, Pistachio. I have to get ready for work so be good while I’m gone, OK?” She told him gently. Pistachio nods obediently and squirms out of her arms to waddle back to his bed.

As she went through her usual morning routine, her Rotom phone hovered in front of her to deliver her morning updates that mainly consisted of the weather, missed calls or new texts, and the spawns of Pokemon that were likely to appear in the Wild Area via Power Spots.

“Rotom, are there any strong Raids that are likely to appear today?”

“Bzzzt! There is likely going to be a Dragapult Raid in Axew’s Eye. But, it will be raining.”

“Dragapult huh...Ghost and Dragon, but being part dragon means it potentially has a large type coverage.” Juliet mused to herself as she tightened the bright yellow tie around the collar of her black and white plaid Battle Cafe uniform. After successfully taming the knots of her bed head, she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and slipped on her thick framed navy glasses. She took one more look at herself in the mirror for any obvious imperfections, filled up Pistachio’s food bowl, before grabbing her messenger bag and heading out.

It was a hot day in Wyndon, but the breeze that brisked passed her face as she biked along the route to work made it bearable. She wasn’t going to let a dream put a damper on an otherwise, beautiful day. The smell of coffee, tea, and pastries did wonders to calm her nerves, and she could vent out any frustrations on Raids after work.

The Battle Cafe came into view, making her jump off her bike to walk the rest of the way there. She slipped to the back of the cafe, carefully parking and locking her bike to a light post, and welcomed the scent of freshly brewed coffee that hit her senses the moment she walked in.

“’Morning, Boss!” Juliet called. Her boss turned his head back and shot her an easy-going grin. Richard, who casually lets her call him ‘Boss’, is the Cafe Master of the Battle Cafe, so he was the one who battled customers while she was just a part-time Barista.

“Top of the morning, kiddo! Alcremie and Slurpuff are in tip-top shape today so I have a good feeling about my wins today!”

“Ohoho...Is that so? I'll be paying close attention, then.” Juliet tossed out her Sylveon, whom she named Hilda, to help around the cafe as per usual. Her Pokemon was also popular amongst regulars and children for being friendly and playful; sometimes even putting on a little show for customers while they were waiting for their drinks.

Juliet fell into her usual comfortable rhythm, taking and making orders that came in, overseeing battles that were requested by customers – it was clear that today was just going to be another normal day at work. Before she knew it, the end of her shift came and she swiftly changed out of her work uniform into her usual blue varsity jacket, ripped black shorts, and grey beret before taking off to the Wild Area. 

This routine was enough. She didn’t need anything more or less.

--

It was raining heavily over Axew’s Eye, but that didn’t stop Juliet from peeking into the stony well and tossing a Wishing Piece in its depths. She immediately took a step back as a huge pillar of energy shot up from the Power Spot and swirled ominously with power. A tell tale sign of a powerful Dynamax Raid. But she had travelled from region to region with her Pokemon and it wasn’t like this was her first time battling a powerful Raid by herself. She took off the soggy grey beret sitting on top of her soaked ebony hair before throwing her legs over the Power Spot and falling into its depths. She skillfully landed with her knees bent in a crouch to avoid impact in her ankles and rose to face the Dynamaxed Pokemon that was waiting for her.

A Dynamaxed Dragapult. As her Rotom predicted.

She hummed thoughtfully before sending out Hilda. Her Sylveon growled at the large Dragon Pokemon before her trainer summoned her back to be Dynamaxed. Hilda stood on an even playing field as Dragapult and unleashed Max Starfall as commanded. Dragapult recoiled and immediately put up it’s defences. The trainer didn’t expect things to go down hill so quickly from there. Breaking down its barrier wasn’t the hard part; but it was how many turns it took to attack and the range of the attacks, chipping off Sylveon’s health too quickly for comfort.

It became clear that this battle wasn’t feasible for one person.

Juliet clicked her tongue in defeat and returned her Pokemon before fleeing out of the Power Spot on her Flygon. Once the trainer was back on the surface, she called out her Sylveon to heal her up and reassured her of her efforts.

“It’s OK, Hilda. I was a little in over my head thinking I could do that Raid by myself. I might have to call the others.” She cooed while stroking her Sylveon. Hilda yipped sadly but nudged her face into her trainer’s hand. The trainer retired to her tent that she had set up a few feet away and as if on cue, her Rotom Phone started to ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jules! You called saying you needed help with a Raid? Are you sure you should be doing raids in this weather?”

“Well, I thought it would be smart since there are less trainers around and the rain has let up a bit. I could use some help, though. This one’s a tough one.” Juliet replied as she dried her hair off with a towel with her free hand.

“Then, let me help! Where are you?”

“Axew’s Eye.”

“Ahh, so it must be a dragon Pokemon! Those are tough. I’ll be over in a jiffy!”

“Thanks, Mary!”

After 20 minutes or so of waiting, Mary peeked her head into Juliet’s tent. Mary was a member of their Raid group and one of Juliet’s good friends that she met when travelling to Johto.

Unlike the Gym Challenge, where young aspiring trainers take on the Gyms across the Galar region in order to participate in the Champion Cup, there was another sport that was rising in popularity for those who were looking for a more thrill-seeking experience that involved teamwork. Throughout the Wild Area in Galar, there are countless rock wells called ‘Power Spots’ that hid a massive cavern of Dynamaxed Pokemon, all varying in rarity and strength. Sometimes the Pokemon lurking underneath will make their presence known from the beacons of light that emit from their wells. However, rarer Pokemon are more compelled by the power of Wishing Pieces that are thrown in. Wishing Stars were not easy to come by, being meteorites that fall from space, making them a strongly sought out item for Raid teams.

The Raid team that Juliet is the ‘leader’ of, which she named ‘Raid Prism’, is considered one of the most well-known teams due to the fact that they were one of the first teams that started the boom of Raids in the first place. The boom was unintentional and started from a few impromptu Raids they took on when they first landed in Galar over a year ago. Juliet jokingly recorded and streamed their battles for something to look back on, until a steady stream of supporters tuned in with each Raid they took on thereafter. Her group weren’t really doing it out of competitiveness to see who could catch the rarest Pokemon or amass a collection of Gigantamax Pokemon – they’ve always done it out of the excitement of just fighting strong Dynamaxed Pokemon as a team. Their efforts were eventually recognized by Professor Magnolia, who hired them as Field Researchers in order to uncover the secrets of the Dynamax Phenomenon from the various Pokemon that were caught in the Power Spots. 

Well, Field Researchers was a bit of a stretch since their job mostly just involved catching Pokemon that were requested of them. Because of this, their team wasn't blessed with the opportunity to hear the different theories that were thrown around over round tables about what was being researched, but it did pay well – well enough that the team decided to settle down in Galar for the time being in neighbouring flats in Wyndon.

But that hardly mattered at the moment..

Jules and Mary jumped into the Power Spot and, surprise surprise, were blown out from their defeat. Mary dusted off the wet dirt from her paint splattered patterned tights, wrung out rain water from her damp, curly brown hair, and grimaced down into the Power Spot.

“You weren’t kidding. I think this is the first Raid Pokemon I’ve encountered that could attack so many times and with so much range!”

“Do you think Tessu and Vanquil are available? I think we need the whole team for this one.”

The duo took a moment to call the two remaining members of their team and they arrived in record time. Tessu stared at the state of Mary and Juliet, who were soaked from the rain and their hair were also tousled from being blown out. The short haired trainer gritted her teeth.

“Yikes. How many attempts did you make?”

“Mary once, twice for me.” Juliet grumbled while pulling her hair out of their twin braids.

“Well, we’re all here now so let’s wrap this up, yeah?” Vanquil suggested while rolling his shoulders confidently.

--

“Why is this so hard?!” Vanquil yelled as he lay face first inside of Juliet’s tent. The others sat around him in defeat as they tiredly ate through their curry in hopes of adding fuel to their exhausted minds and bodies.

“Do you think we’ve finally been bested?” Tessu mumbled.

“I don’t think so. I think the best course of action is to work around how many times it can attack.” Juliet began.

“You mean like, figure out how to not get hit?”

“Exactly! Our Pokemon are strong enough to dish out damage and break down its barriers but the problem is stamina and it’s Dragon Darts attack.”

“Hmmm...Why don’t we use attacks that will make our Pokemon out of its range before attacking?” Mary thought out loud.

“Ohhhhh...like Fly or Dig? That could work! I also have a bunch of Guard Specs that could eliminate any debuffs our Pokemon get.” Jules turned to her Rotom Phone, which had been recording their conversation, and uploaded it to their team’s Pokegram. She always made a habit of recording as much of their Raids as possible for the purpose of helping and inspiring Raid teams. The comments were already flooding in with ‘you can do it!’ or ‘psh, it can’t be that hard’. Once they had finished their curry, they set out to the Power Spot in hopes that this would be the final attempt.

--

“This is working way better than I thought!” Juliet yelled as her Flygon, Tiki, flew towards the Dragapult to unleash Crunch, which broke through it’s barrier and weakened it. The Dragon Pokemon started to look worn out, signalling that it was almost down for the count. Mary’s Thievul dealt a final Night Slash before the Dragapult fell in defeat.

“Now, Jules!!” Vanquil shouted in her direction. Juliet quickly pulled out an Ultra Ball to Dynamax it and ran with it before jumping high and throwing it over her head with all of her might at the fallen Pokemon. The giant Ultra Ball opened and sucked in the Dragon Pokemon before landing on the ground with a heavy thud.

They all huddled together in anticipation as the oversized Ultra Ball shook slowly on the ground.

It shook once.

It shook twice.

It shook thrice.

The Raid team braced themselves for the Pokemon to break out, but the Ultra Ball glowed green and shrunk down to normal size. Vanquil threw a fist in the air and let out a loud whoop that echoed through the cavern while the other three sighed in relief and slumped to the ground in exhaustion. Vanquil went over to retrieve the caught Pokemon and helped them up so they could finally get out of there. But not before posting the recording of their battle and victory first.

The rain had begun to stop as they got out of the Power Spot one by one. Vanquil proudly twirled their Dragapult’s Ultra Ball on his finger before staring at it curiously. “What do you guys want to name him?”

“God.”

“My Worst Nightmare.”

“Hell?”

“Um...On second thought, I’ll leave it at that. I think we’re all a little traumatized right now.”

--

“Of course, Professor Magnolia. It was a hard one to catch but hopefully the Dragapult will offer something to your research. Yes. You’re welcome. Take care, OK? And say hi to Sonia for me. Good night!”

Juliet had never been this happy to be back in her flat before. She was soaked from head to toe from the rain and her body ached from over-exertion. Thank Arceus she didn’t have work the next day and she could spend the day sleeping in and lounging around. The trainer took a long, hot shower, threw on her so-called pajamas and was ready to knock out for the day.

Another day came and went. Another routine, unbroken and passing by peacefully-

RING RING RING RING

Until her Rotom phone started ringing.

She whined exasperatedly and was ready to tell the telemarketers off upon taking a quick glance at the unfamiliar number. Her exhausted body screamed at her to ignore it in favour of sleep, but her thumb instinctively tapped the answer button anyway.

She tried to put on her friendliest, at work, voice for the person on the other line.

“Hello?”

“Good evening. Is this Miss Juliet?”

A mature woman’s voice, she deduced.

“Yes, it is. Who is this?”

“My name is Oleana. I’m the secretary to Chairman Rose.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: New Job and Old Connections

In the middle of the void of darkness, a lone figure stands under a single spotlight as she feebly clutches the gleaming golden trophy in her small hands. Except this time, she doesn’t raise her head to smile. She barely acknowledges the ghostly hands that run through her hair across her back, coddling her but with no warmth to speak of.

Cold.

Lonely.

The muffled voices returned, growing louder and louder, clearer and coherent. Filling the empty dark void with a cacophony of empty compliments and reassurance. Or, were they actually empty?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know which voices to believe.

“You did amazing!”

“You’re so strong!”

“I want to be like you someday.”

Why wasn’t she happy? Why couldn’t she be happy? Who cares what other people thought? As long as there was someone who believed in her, that’s all she needed, right?

Wasn’t making her parents proud, enough?

--

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Instead of jolting awake, Juliet’s eyes fluttered open, letting the few tears escape down her cheeks. Recalling the fragments of her dream made her heart uneasy, and her hands shaky. No matter how many times she saw those dreams, she could never get used to them. But, at the same time, she knew she couldn’t dwell on them. Ignoring them meant they would eventually go away, right?

Right.

Turning over to her Rotom phone, it reminded her of the important meeting with Oleana and Chairman Rose that was scheduled for her Raid team, from the call she got a few days ago. She couldn’t recall specific details of the call amidst her initial excitement but she knew that the opportunity given to them was an honour to receive. Thinking about where the job could lead them, filled her with the enthusiasm she needed to force herself out of bed and get dressed.

After sifting through her wardrobe for a good hour and a half, mentally cursing herself for not having many business or formal appropriate clothes options, Juliet settled on a blue blouse with black pants to wear for the meeting. Her hands instinctively went up to her hair to tie them into their usual braids, but perhaps she looked a bit more mature if she left her hair as is.

She didn’t really know what she was doing. Travelling all over the world didn’t leave many opportunities for her to dress up for the occasion.

“This should be fine.” She told herself.

“Trapinch?” Pistachio called out. She turned her head to the baby Pokemon, who waddled over to her feet and gazed up at her curiously. He probably was just as unfamiliar to her current attire as she was.

“Me and the others have an important meeting to go to. But, do you want to come with me? It must be boring being at home, but you have to be good, OK?”

“Trapinch!!”

--

“...This is a really long elevator.” Vanquil grumbled while tapping his foot impatiently. It certainly wasn’t an understatement. The Rose Tower stood over 1000 feet tall, overlooking all of Wyndon and beyond. It’s sleek, futuristic architectural design was fitting for Chairman Rose, the one in charge of the Pokemon League and president of a large business conglomerate known as Macro Cosmos. Even though they were inside of the Rose Tower and about to meet the man himself, it still didn’t feel real.

The elevator finally slowed to a stop, and the doors finally opened to reveal Oleana and Chairman Rose waiting for them on the far side of the room. Rose stood up from his executive chair and beckoned them out of the elevator with a gentle grin.

“Come in, you four. No need to be shy.”

Easier said than done from a man with as much power and money as one could only dream of.

Juliet was the first to exit and firmly shook his hand. “Good day, Chairman Rose. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. The things you’re doing for Dynamax Research on top of contributing to tourism, I’m very grateful to see the Galar region thriving especially with the Gym Challenge fast approaching.” Rose added.

“Tourism?”

“Why, yes. With your group and many others making a sport and spectacle of Max Raid Battles, we’ve seen an increase in visitors from all over the world who come to visit the Wild Area for themselves.” Rose motioned them to sit on the leather couches, where tea and other refreshments were spread out in front of them.

“I’m glad! The Galar region is a beautiful region and the Wild Area is just one of the few reasons why we’re so happy to be living here. Right?” Juliet asked, turning her head to her friends, who were already treating themselves to the snacks offered to them.

“Right! We’ve only been living in Galar for over a year, but it’s been really fun doing Raids and inspiring trainers to go out into the wild to see what the region has to offer.” Tessu replied.

“We’ve also been looking forward to the Gym Challenge since in other regions, it’s not as hype up as it is here.” Vanquil added..

“Thank you for reaching out and giving us the opportunity to be co-hosts of the event. But, if I may ask, why us?” Mary asked with a tilt of her head.

“Well, on top of your group playing a part in Dynamax Research, I believe your group in particular will be able to offer different insights of battling since you all come from different regions, correct? That will surely make commentary more interesting and entertaining.” Rose then handed them each an application to fill out, along with an outline of the upcoming Gym Challenge.

“Please look over the application carefully and feel free to flip through the outline of Gym Challenge so you can familiarize yourselves on how we operate it.”

Juliet flipped through the application carefully, choosing to read over the contents first instead of filling it out right away. As the group fell into a comfortable silence and their noses were practically buried in the terms of service, they didn’t notice the person that came by to join them.

Even though he wore his signature fur lined red cape and his signature snap back on his head that never failed to turn people’s heads in his direction.

“Sorry I’m late! I took the wrong monorail on the way here.”

“It’s alright, Leon. Our new employees were just getting settled in.”

CLATTER

Leon. That name made all of them freeze. Juliet didn’t know which one of them dropped their clipboard and pen, but as if in tune with her teammates, they all raised their heads at the same time to look at the legend himself.

Champion Leon.

“L-L-L-L-Leon!” Mary, Vanquil, and Tessu shot up from their seats like a group of Spoinks, eyes sparkling with endless awe and excitement. Juliet watched in amusement as her friends stumbled over questions and compliments of admiration, but...shouldn’t she be sharing in the glee as well?

At least, that’s what she thought. Watching the Champion soak up the praise being sent in his direction, and seeing him smile through each question with ease – something about the scene felt...oddly familiar. But not familiar enough where she could pinpoint when and where the feeling came from.

Her shoulders tensed when his burning golden gaze fell on her. She felt...uneasy being stared at, especially by someone with a strong, overwhelming aura as his. Was he sizing her up? No, it didn’t look like it. His head cocked to the side and it looked like his eyes were searching for something. Then, his eyes lit up in recognition and the wide smile he sent her was all teeth.

“J, right?”

J? What kind of an alias was that? Juliet blinked confusingly. Her mind repeating that name over and over in her head, trying to pull up the memory of the name – if there was any at all.

J, J, J…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Right...Wait. What’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah. You’re not wearing a name tag like your aunt is.”

“...Call me J.”

“J? That’s it?”

“Is that weird?”

“No! In that case, you can call me Lee.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lee.” She blurted out. The memory that flashed in her mind was hazy, but there was no mistaking the foggy images of her helping at her aunt’s inn in Lavaridge Town, along with a purple-haired teen around her age, who was staying at the inn for a vacation. She could barely make out his toothy smile and youthful spirit, that seeing the teen mature into the man in front of her, made the memory feel more distant than ever.

“You remember too. I’m glad! Do you think you can tell me your name now?” Leon joked and outstretched his hand to her. Juliet looked down at his hand, trying to recollect the sudden wave of memories that washed over her. Where did they come from? And why did it take until now for her to remember them? She didn’t want to keep him hanging for long so she swallowed down the uncertainty before reaching out to shake his hand.

“It’s Juliet. Sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long-”

“Stooooooooooooop! Hold on!! You two know each other?!” Tessu interjected in between their handshake. Juliet scratched the side of her cheek and looked to the side sheepishly. ‘Know’ wasn’t the word she would use. Especially since it seemed like Leon had a better memory than her.

“Something like that. It felt like so long ago but, back when I used to help my aunt out at her inn, Leon and his family were on vacation and they stayed at the inn.”

“That’s right. I think I was around...16 maybe? I’ve never forgotten how hospitable your aunt was during our stay. Or how you almost beat me in a Pokemon battle.” The Champion laughed fondly at the memory.

She did? Oh boy, she really did have a bad memory to forget something like that.

“You almost beat the Champion of Galar in a battle?!” Vanquil gawked in disbelief. 

“And you didn’t put two and two together when we came to Galar?” Mary wondered, leaning against Juliet with a suspicious gleam in her eye. Juliet pushed back against her with a pout. Was now really the time to catch up?!

“Look, so much happened after that! I travelled around the world, met you three, came to Galar, etc. If I’m remembering correctly, Leon was a bit more scrawny and his hair was shorter back then.”

“I wasn’t that scrawny.” Leon retorted with a pout of his own.

“Well, it seems you’re all getting along better than I expected!” Rose’s chuckle snapped them back to the task at hand, making them pick up their neglected applications that were left on the ground.

That was...a bit embarrassing to say the least. But at the same time, reminiscing on one of the happier periods of her life, it brought back a youthful cheeriness that she hadn’t felt in years. It felt nostalgic. Refreshing even. Perhaps Leon had that effect on people. His positive and confident aura could pick people back up without needing to say a word.

No wonder he was so loved and looked up to like a King.

Even as the meeting continued without interruption, the Champion couldn’t help but steal a few glances in her direction. Anytime their gazes met, he’d shoot her a toothy grin, which she responded to with a sheepish smile. For what reason she didn’t know, but unlike earlier where she wanted to shrink from his gaze, his occasional glances felt comforting. 

Like a dandelion basking under the sun.

--

“You’re going to be working with Leon?!”

“Mind toning it down, Boss? The whole cafe doesn’t need to know.”

“But, I’m so jealous! If there’s one person I want to battle, it’s Leon!” Richard lamented dramatically as he stocked up the shelves and display cases with more pastries and coffee beans. Juliet leaned against the counter, allowing herself to recover from the end of the lunch rush and pouring herself a cup of tea.

“Maybe you’ll break the record for shortest Pokemon battle-” She said with a smug grin on her face. Her boss threw a dirty rag in her direction out of retaliation, but she caught it easily and tossed it into the sink. Still, she’d love to see such a battle.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take less shifts? Seems like a lot to juggle with being a Field Researcher and a co-host now,”

“It’ll be fine. There’s going to be gaps within each gym for challengers anyway especially since many of them are going to be exploring the Wild Area for the first time. Don’t worry about me, Boss.” Just as Richard opened his mouth to respond, the front door opened with the tell tale jingle of the bell above the door, signalling Juliet to bow politely to welcome the customer as she became accustomed to do as it was second nature.

“Welcome to the Battle Cafe! Are you interested-”

Juliet felt a sudden sense of unease wash over her. Black trench coat, a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and a white face mask. Did this man know it was the middle of summer? Or maybe it was a woman? She couldn’t tell how when their trench coat was consuming their body like a black hole. She didn’t mean to judge someone on appearance alone, but even her boss wore a face that told her he was suspicious and nervous too. Swallowing her anxiety, she stuttered,

“A-Are you interested in battling the Cafe Master for a complimentary Casteliastone if you win? Or would you like to make a regular order?”

The man approached the counter, drawing curious eyes to him as he searched through his trench coat for what she presumed to be his wallet. Or worse-

“I’ll take a regular coffee. One milk, one sugar.”

A normal order. Juliet let out a breath of relief she didn’t know she was keeping in. “That will be 250 Pokedollars, please. Can I get a name for the order?”

“...Dande.”

“Thank you, Dande. Your order will be served to the left of you.” As he walked past after giving her an affirmative nod, she could have swore she saw a flash of familiar purple hair from under his hat. She hummed curiously, narrowing her eyes at him to see if he would break under her persistent stare. Even when his head turned away, she could see the beads of sweat that were streaking down his copper skin.

Was it from the heat or her glare? Maybe both.

When she set down his finished drink and he reached out to grab it, she leaned over the counter and whispered, “You know it’s summer, right Leon?”

The man let out an exasperated sigh and lowered his sunglasses enough so she could see his familiar golden eyes. “And here I thought I had a good disguise.”

“Sure, if you want people to think you’re a serial killer or a drug dealer. I think you’re drawing more attention with this disguise than if you didn’t wear it at all.”

Leon laughed nervously at the few weird looks he was getting from the other patrons of the cafe.

“I see your point.”

Juliet rolled her eyes and untied her apron from her waist. It wouldn’t be a good idea for him to go back out into the sweltering heat without cooling down a bit first. She was technically off the clock now, so she’d put him out of his misery. “My shift is done now, but I’ll be hanging around in the back for a bit before going out, Boss.”

She came out from behind from the counter and beckoned Leon to follow her through the ‘Employees Only’ door, where a blast of cool air washed over their bodies. It wasn’t like the cafe itself didn’t have AC, but with the amount of hot drinks that are served and the cool air that escapes through the front door, it was only somewhat cool. Once the door closed, the Champion practically ripped off the trench coat and face mask, sighing with contentment at the AC air cooling the sweat off his neck.

“Thanks, but am I allowed to be back here?”

“It’s fine. Some regular customers like talking to me and when they have bad days, we talk back here on my breaks. My boss already knows and is cool with it especially since they leave big tips.” Juliet looked at his discarded trench coat that he left on the floor. “Just don’t steal anything.”

“Of course not. But, it looks like I’ll have to look into a different disguise.” Leon muttered.

“OR, you could just wear seasonal appropriate clothes like a normal person.”

“I wish I could, but it’s hard going out when you get stopped so often by fans...Not that I mind, it’s just...”

“You just want to be treated like a regular civilian?” Juliet finished for him as she plopped herself down on one of the spare cafe chairs. Leon followed suit and rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze fixed to the floor as if reluctant to admit to himself that, yes, he just wanted to be treated like a normal person instead of someone on top of an impossibly high pedestal.

“Yeah, something like that.”

She didn’t want to push him to reveal anything to her, but she thought it was a fitting opportunity to catch up with Leon in hopes of filling in the missing pieces of her foggy memory. She folded her arms over the table and looked at him with a carefree grin.

“So, how’s your brother? He was pretty small the last time I saw him.”

“He’s doing great! I’m actually going to surprise him and his best friend with their starter Pokemon next week along with endorsement letters for the Gym Challenge by yours truly.” His hesitant demeanour vanished, replaced with bright optimism from talking about his younger brother.

“Oho, looking to dethrone his older brother, huh?” Juliet teased lightly.

“It’s always been a dream of his and I’m excited to see how strong he’ll become. This year’s Gym Challenge is shaping up to be a game changer, I can feel it. Which means I have to train thrice as hard!” The Champion flexed his muscles for added flair, making the barista snort in her hand.

This was the Leon that everyone knew. The Undefeated Champion who answered the calls of anyone who dared challenge him. The Undefeated Champion who pushed himself to the limit, so challengers in turn, could push themselves. It was a wonder how he had so much determination, the courage to reach new heights and be one of the strongest of them all.

Strength...Something Juliet wished she had or at least, the bravery to acknowledge the strength she did have. What was it like? To believe in yourself and have the power to instill courage in everyone else? These were questions she couldn’t ask him, at least not right now.

Whatever the answers to those questions were, she did know one thing – seeing the Champion of Galar give it his all for his family, friends, and fans, to push the boundaries and prove to everyone what he was made of,

She was going to do the same.

Then, hopefully one day, she’ll be able to look at herself in the mirror and say,

“I’m strong and I’m proud of myself.”

“So, you’ve moved to Galar, huh?” Leon noted after taking a sip from his coffee. 

“Yup. That’s partially thanks to Professor Magnolia for hiring my team as Field Researchers after seeing how capable we are in Max Raids.” It was a humble brag, but a brag nonetheless, and she’ll always feel thankful for the opportunity. 

“Chairman Rose filled me in about that and I couldn’t help but watch some of your Raids afterwards. They’re a lot different from competitive battling, but you guys look like you’re having a lot of fun and I’ve learned a lot from just watching.” Leon pulled out his Rotom phone and opened up the recent Raid they did against the Dragapult. 

Ah.

The Dragapult they ended up naming Dragon Lord, much to Magnolia’s amusement.

“This is probably my favourite Raid your team did. As a proud owner of a Dragapult myself, they’re pretty resilient to deal with.”

“You can say that again. Dragon Darts is such a pain.”

“Heh. Viable move when you’re the one using it, though.” Leon’s eye then wandered around the staff room of the Battle Cafe, skimming through the shelves of coffee beans and other stock items. “I guess it doesn’t really surprise me that you’re working here too. You’ve always been a hard worker.”

Juliet grinned gently. He really paid attention to little details about people, huh?

“I thought it would be good to get a side-job to get to know the locals since we didn’t know anyone upon moving here. Ease ourselves into Galar society, you know?”

“And, how’s that working out?”

“Pretty much settled in at this point! Though, I’m still on the fence about using Galarian slang every day like ‘lad’ or ‘mate’...” She grimaced. “...It sounds wrong when I say it.”

“Pft! Of all the things to struggle with. Come on, it can’t be that bad. Try it out on me.” Leon egged her on teasingly, casually leaning his cheek on a propped up hand. 

Seriously? 

Juliet stiffened considerably and her face looked like she sucked on 50 lemons from how scrunched up it was. “H-Hey, mate. H-How’s it going…?”

…

The Champion stifled a snort in his hand, but he couldn’t exactly hide the chuckles that followed right after. He had forgotten how funny and silly she was, enjoying the moment of carefree laughter despite how disapprovingly she glared at him. “I think you should stick with what you’re used to.”

“Haha, laugh it up.”

They hadn’t realized how long they were spending just talking. Getting each other up to speed about what the other had been doing, sharing stories about their travels, talking about their Pokemon – there were no shortages of things to talk about when each conversation jumped from topic to topic, neither Leon or Juliet losing interest in each other's stories.

Only the sound of a cup shattering to the ground could cut through their conversation. Their heads whipped around to see Richard with his jaw dropped, and a broken cup of tea by his feet.

“You were talking to Champion Leon this entire time and didn’t invite me?!”